Orioles Throw a Party For 1983 Champions

BALTIMORE, July 23 -- They followed an orange carpet from the dugout to the pitcher's mound, where the World Series trophy they brought here 25 years ago gleamed on a pedestal. And one by one, members of the 1983 Baltimore Orioles took their bows at Oriole Park at Camden Yards before an appreciative crowd, who celebrated the 25th anniversary of their feat.

Both the Orioles and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays donned throwback uniforms to mark the occasion. A Philadelphia Phillies pennant -- representing the team Baltimore beat in five games to win the Series -- was placed above the entrance to the visitors' clubhouse.

Rain caused Wednesday night's game to be suspended with two outs in the top of the sixth inning with the Blue Jays leading, 2-1. The game will resume Thursday at 12:05, with the regularly scheduled game to follow.

The rain didn't do much to dampen a celebration of one of the most prosperous eras in franchise history. From 1977 to 1983, the Orioles missed the 90-win plateau only once, during the strike-shortened 1981 season.

"It was a very special thing," said catcher Rick Dempsey, the World Series MVP in '83. "We're never going to see it again here, no doubt about that. They've got to find their own way."

Former players signed autographs for fans and shared stories -- some old, some new -- about the last championship in franchise history.

Much of the motivation for the title run came from the crushing end of the 1982 season, when the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Orioles in the final game of the year to clinch the American League East. The Orioles entered the season-ending four-game series needing to sweep the Brewers to win the division. Armed with brooms, fans turned out at old Memorial Stadium hoping to see Baltimore charge into the postseason after winning the first three games.

Instead, the Brewers won, 10-2, a loss that some members of the championship team still consider the toughest of their careers.

"I know it was exciting for the fans here in Baltimore, but the fact is that we lost it," former designated hitter Ken Singleton said. "And for me personally, it was the most disappointing loss I've ever been a part of."

The memory of the Brewers celebrating on the field stuck with then-shortstop Cal Ripken, who sat in the clubhouse that night pondering one question: "Where could we have made up that one other game?"

Nevertheless, Ripken said he noticed a difference in the Orioles in spring training the following year, a more businesslike approach and a determination to start and reach the playoffs without any final-day theatrics. The attitude bred a sense of confidence that first baseman Eddie Murray said defined the personality of the team.

"After '82, we knew we were going to win," Murray said. "It just played itself out. All we had to do was go through the 162 and we were going to be there."

Despite a rash of injuries, the Orioles cruised to the pennant in Joe Altobelli's first season after succeeding Earl Weaver as manager. Several players stepped in to fill the holes created by injuries, though none factored in more than right-hander Mike Boddicker, who was called up partway through the season and went 16-8 on the way to American League rookie of the year honors.

"The young guys had real good cohesiveness together," in addition to the presence of the veterans, left-hander Scott McGregor said. "It was just a perfect combination of the young and the old and it was a lot of fun."

As much as the championship itself, the Orioles reminisced about the "Oriole Way," which helped lead to team chemistry bolstered by familiarity: The core of the 1983 team came up together through the minors.

"We always knew as a team that we would be there in September," said center fielder Al Bumbry, the team's leadoff hitter. "All those years we all played together, we came through the minor league system together, we learned the Orioles system, the Oriole way of winning."