Tank's Notes: Editor In Chief and PermaGuest Outlaw Jack traveled to Baltimore on Sunday with Adam and his son Chris.  Jack is a true rebel, especially against the inhospitable Baltimore hosts try to tell him what to do.

Adam and Chris wait in center field for a home run. 



Without further ado, I turn it over to Jack.

I took the notes on the first trip through the Yankees batting order on Adam's iPhone as my Blackberry was out of juice.  (Jack is awesome at sending The Tank Blackberry Pin messages.  It helped get me through the Yankees 1-0 victory at Fenway when I went home for Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.)

It was a beautiful day for the drive down to Charm City. Pretty much 3 hours door to door.

We parked at the Marriott hotel just down the block from the Oriole Park on Eutaw Street and wandered to the gates to what seemed like a Yankee Home game. The crowd filing in past the statue of the Babe, had to be 85% Yankee fans. The rest of the crowd seemed to be fans of just about every other team in the majors and a few minors.  As usual there was a pitiful turn out of Oriole faithful.  (The Tank can attest to this as John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman noted the same thing on the radio broadcast.  It is so bad that 40 percent of the Orioles attendance comes during Yankees and Red Sox series.  40 percent of entire attendance is from 18 Yankee/Red Sox games out of the 81 home dates or about 22 percent.  Just sad I tell you.) 

The smoke and the smell of Boog's BBQ was enticing but the lines in that 90F heat at the start of the game had us seeking the refuge of our seats, which turned out to be in the sun for the first half of the game.

It's been a while since I was at Oriole Park and I'd forgotten that the O's fans (what seemed like 2 or 3 thousand who actually showed up) shout "OH" at every "O" or "O'er" of the Star Spangled Banner.

Onto the game itself, Damon bloops one to 3rd.  Jeter nails a frozen rope right to 3rd. 2 Out.  Bobby "Clutch" Abreu lines single to right.  The major Giambi shift is on and he lines one right to Kevin Millar who was playing about 8' into the Right Field Grass. Would have been over his head had he been playing a normal 1st.  Giambi needs to learn to go the opposite way.

In the Oriole half of the first, Rasner gives up a 2 out homer to Melvin Mora.  Aubrey Hugg goes Back to Back with Mora.  2-0 Birds.  Millar singles but thankfully Lou Montanez makes the 3rd out.

Nady singles to start the second.  (The Tank is the founder of the Xavier Nady Fan Club.)  Matsui walks. Cano lines a 3-1 pitch to right.  Nady scores.  Matsui to 3rd.  Cano at 2nd.  No outs.  Pudge rockets a 3-1 to right for the first out.  (BTW, JR from Deep Water Running ran into Pudge at the Brooklyn Diner in the City on late Sunday evening.  It's hard to escape the crack team of SteveAndTheTank.com reporters.)  Daniel Cabrera is at 43 pitches as Damon sneaks a 3-run homer around the right field pole.  4-2 Yankees.  Jeter out on a 6-3.  2 Outs.  Abreu walked.  The Tank's buddy A-Rod pops out ending the rally as usual over the past month.  (BTW, Nina from Deep Water Running prays that A-Rod gets beaned when he's at bat but doesn't get injured.  She just doesn't want him hitting into an inning ending double play.)

It's hot.  There were lots and lots of Yankee chants on a beautiful day.   It was an untimely but exciting 4 hour 1 minute game with some late inning nail biting drama.  (Justice prevailed with an 8-7 Yankee victory.)  It was a not-so wonderful 6+ hour drive home on I-95 thanks to construction and several accidents.  We thankfully jumped off the NJ Turnpike at 7A and managed to find side roads to bypass what would have made it an 8 hour ride.

Written by Editor in Chief and Perma Guest Outlaw Jack reporting live from Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.  Photos by Adam and his son Chris.  Edited by The Tank.