I turned off the television set a few minutes ago feeling pretty good. On national TV, the Orioles scored seven runs in the first inning and beat the Yankees into embarrassment.
And look who’s in first place in the American League East as we enter August.
I haven’t felt this good about Baltimore baseball in about 40 years. That’s the last time the Orioles won a world championship, and the anniversary made me think about two people.
One was Eddie Murray, maybe the most misunderstood Oriole of all time. Now 67, Murray will be here next Saturday, Aug. 5, when the alumni of those 1983 world champs come to Oriole Park for a 40th anniversary celebration, and fans can take home Eddie Murray bobbleheads.
Nice timing for a man who, as much as Cal Ripken Jr., personified the marvelous abilities of those long-ago O’s.
The other person I thought about was Charles Steinberg. Five years ago, there was another reunion of that ’83 team — a 35th anniversary party — and Steinberg told a story that night about Murray that I’d never heard before.
But it fit the real Murray perfectly.
As everybody knows, the real Murray was one of the greatest of all the O’s in their entire history. He was a fabulous clutch hitter and a great teammate. But as few people know, Murray, when he’s comfortable, is also one of the most charming of men.
But he let his ballplaying speak for him in public, and that brings us to the story told by Steinberg, who spent 19 years with the Orioles. Steinberg was statistician for O’s manager Joe Altobelli and later was head of public relations before moving on to Major League Baseball’s commissioner’s office.
In the ’83 World Series, the Orioles were leading the Philadelphia Phillies, three games to one. They were confident, but they had memories of the ’79 World Series when they had the same lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates but lost the series.
On the night before the clinching game against the Phillies, Murray took Ripken and a small group of Orioles’ front office people — including Steinberg — to dinner at a Mexican restaurant.
At this point, Murray hadn’t done much in the series. Steinberg said he worried about a collapse like the ’79 team.
“Don’t worry,” Murray said. “We’ll get it tomorrow.”
With hesitation, Steinberg noted that Murray hadn’t exactly been setting the world afire so far. Eddie knew it. And he’d never once made excuses for it, in public or in private, no matter the amount of criticism he was hearing.
But now, to this handful of friends, he told the background.
In the first game of the series, he’d hurt his wrist and had to have it taped. But he didn’t want the Phillies to know, so he moved wrist bands down to cover it. That way, the Phils would still fear him and pitch around him.
But now, Murray explained, the wrist “started feeling better today. I’ll be good tomorrow.”
He knew.
The future Hall of Famer hit two dramatic home runs the next day, and the Orioles were world champs. It was 40 years ago. Five years ago, at the 35th anniversary of that championship, Steinberg put his memories of the Murray dinner into the evening’s official program.
They come back now because of next week’s 40th anniversary gathering, and because Murray (and his bobblehead) will be there at the heart of it.
There was a time when we counted on the Orioles to lift a whole town’s spirits. For a 20-year period, there wasn’t a more consistent winner in baseball than the O’s.
And now, with this year’s Orioles winning and winning, maybe we’re starting a whole new time of marvelous Baltimore baseball.
Michael Olesker’s latest book, “Boogie: Life on A Merry-Go-Round,” was recently published by Apprentice House. It’s the life story of Baltimore legend Leonard “Boogie” Weinglass, an original “Diner” guy who grew up to create the Merry-Go-Round clothing chain and contribute millions to charity.
Cruel, inappropriate, egomanical, outrageous and bullying are all attributes that pass for presidential these days, writes Michael Olesker.
Now celebrating its 25th season, the farmers market will be located on the grounds of the historic Pikesville Armory, at 640 Reisterstown Road.
Directed by Johanna Gruenhut, the production is based on of the 1998 novel and 2003 film of the same name.
