In an embarrassing display for Mr. Angelos, the fans -- many wearing black T-shirts that read, "Free the Birds" -- rose from their seats in the upper deck above left field at 5:08 p.m. The time was a reference to the jersey numbers of past Orioles icons Brooks Robinson (5) and Cal Ripken (8).
The fans filed out of the exits in the middle of a two-run rally in the fourth inning and emerged seven minutes later on the field-level section, walking through the ballpark in a long line, waving signs and chanting, "Free the Birds." The procession lasted about 20 minutes, then the fans exited the stadium for more protests.
That left, for the most part, a few thousand fans in the ballpark for the makeup game between the Orioles and Tigers, a 4-3 Baltimore victory. Most of the remaining people appeared to be Tigers fans.
Peter Angelos, bought the Orioles in 1993, and for the most part has had a losing season ever since, with the exception of 1996 and 1997 when the O's reached the playoffs both years.
Camden Yards, which was once billed as the most expensive park to visit in MLB has become lately a very expensive empty ball park, being "filled" by fans for the Yankees and Red SOx when those teams come to town to post more wins against the O's.
There is a reason why locals call the O's the Woes.
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