Author’s note: First, I wanted to thank everyone for reading my past two stories, and sharing these stories on Twitter and Facebook. I’m happy I can share the great experiences I had on the Tarp Crew with you, and let you get a glimpse of how life was during the season. It was an honor to work on a field like Camden Yards, and see the happy roaring O’s fans cheer for us every single night.
Today’s story goes into my first real experience at Camden Yards as an employee, and how I learned the basics of becoming a Tarp Crew member. It was around this time in March, back in 2011, when I went to Camden Yards to practice rolling the tarp on the field for the very first time. It was hard work and routine practice to get us in game day speed so if Mother Nature ever snuck up on us, we would be ready and able to put that tarp on the field quickly.
My first day as an Orioles employee, I remember walking down the tunnel near the players’ parking lot and walking towards the Grounds Crew area. I had a sense of nervousness and excitement as I finally got to reach my first dream of working for the Orioles. The reward was just working on that hallowed field that made ordinary baseball players into legends. I walked into the Grounds Crew locker room and the journey began.
I remember learning the basics and pre-game situations that we needed to prepare for as Tarp Crew members. Our goal was to always be professional and show every fan that the Orioles are a classy organization that wants to provide a great game experience for the fans. These skills would be extremely important in order to make sure our field was in absolute perfect shape. It was just exciting to be in the locker room, but the real prize I wanted was to walk out the doors and see Camden Yards in all its glory.
Finally, we were walking outside to finally practice on the Tarp when I stepped on the warning track and saw the glow of Camden Yards. It was a huge empty stadium, but I got chills as I walked and saw the entire stadium, which I had grown up in for so many years as a dedicated fan. This was just one step better as I had complete access to this field that very few fans get to experience. It was this moment, I knew I had finally made my dream start to become reality.
We practiced and practiced for numerous days as we put the tarp on and off the field. I remember walking on the smooth grass field and realizing that I was on the field where many legends got to step on. I was nervous at first, because when the rain would hit the Baltimore area, you had to be in the zone and make sure you knew what you were doing on the field. The crowd and even the network crews would watch for any mess ups or slip ups, which you wanted to avoid at all costs. It was a great job that came with great responsibility, but it was during this month of March when we had to put everything together just like the Orioles team in Sarasota.
I also got to learn the other skills such as dragging the infield dirt, which the crew does before the 4th and 7th innings. Our job was to use coco mats that would smooth out the marks from players’ cleats, but we would also smooth out the entire infield area and it had to be perfect. We also learned about the bullpen job (which we discussed previously), and we learned how to break down the batting practice cages and screens in the field during pre-game. I learned that everything that we did in pre-game and during the game had to be quick but effective; when we worked, we were a part of the Orioles organization and we were in the big leagues.
Eventually, we got to work on the long orange carpet that the players run down during the Opening Day game. We unrolled the entire carpet and stretched it out in preparation for the big day, and I just remember how hard it was to roll it back up as it was the longest orange carpet I’ve ever seen. However, it was just that sense that Opening Day was right around the corner that could be felt in that empty stadium during those days. It was that sense that the Birds were back at the Yard.
Why do I write about something like this in early March? It is this sense that every fan feels today as the Orioles continue to play numerous Spring Training games – that they want their Birds to fly north again and defend the AL East crown. It is that feeling of serenity and peace in OPACY that relieves every one of us on a cold winter day or during a bad time in our lives. The Orioles will once again be back playing for the city and fans of Baltimore. They were officially ready to take flight at another World Series that has been so long awaited among the diehard fans. It is that feeling that the Orioles would finally fill that void of the Orioles Magic that we all desperately need.
Here’s to April.
