First, what is your real name, age and what neighborhood are you from:
Will Sinnott, age 35. Born & raised in Westminster, I’ve lived in Hampden since 2009.
Does your fan “character” have a name?
MachO Man.
Tell me a little about yourself (like 100 words or so):
A lifelong Orioles fan, comic book geek, & wrestling fan. A graphic designer by trade. Using my Orioles fanaticism, I’ve converted my wife into a baseball fan. We are trying to see a game in every MLB ballpark; so far we’ve visited 10 of 30.
How many games do you plan on attending this year?
Roughly 20 O’s games, probably another dozen visiting minor league affiliates and other MLB teams.
Where do you normally hang out at games?
My wife & I have the 13-game Sunday ticket plan for section 56. Before the game, I like to hit the Natty Boh Bar for the $5 happy hour. More so in my bachelor days, but from time-to-time I hit up Sliders before and/or after games.
What inspired you to be a crazy Orioles fan?
Even as a kid, I dressed head-to-toe black & orange to go to Orioles games.
My first taste of trying to be over-the-top was at Eddie Murray’s HOF induction. I had the idea for my parents, brothers & I to each wear t-shirts to spell out “EDDIE.” That got us interviewed by newspapers, photos on MLB’s website, & on camera during ESPN’s coverage. We repeated the shirts last year, adding my wife as the “!”, for Eddie’s statue unveiling & that got us covered by The Sun & MASN. Eddie actually shook my hand on his way out to the ceremony.
As far as creating the “MachO Man” character, it’s an idea I’ve kicked around for a while. I bought a WWE belt years ago to use while committing typical 20-something-year-old hijinks. I always thought it’d be fun to wear to Oriole games; I just needed them to win before I got cocky enough to do so.
After last season’s success, I decided I could finally wear it to games, Opening Day in particular, as some sort of Oriole-ized wrestling character. “Macho Man” Randy Savage is one of my all-time favorite wrestlers, famous enough that even non-wrestling fans know who he is, & had the flamboyant attire that worked perfectly for what I wanted to do. So, I used the month of March & multiple trips to JoAnn Fabrics to try to recreate Savage’s famous sparkling cape look using Orioles colors. I debuted the costume at Opening Day this year & plan to wear it for “big event” games like Sunday Night Baseball or the upcoming wrestling night at the Bowie Baysox.
What is your craziest experience from when you were dressed up?
The ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game vs. the Yankees. I won the Fan of Game on the jumbotron & ESPN showed me on screen a few times. My phone, as well as my wife’s, just blew up with texts, Tweets, & Facebook posts. Complete strangers wanted photos with me all night long.
Who is your favorite Oriole (current or all time)?
Eddie Murray.
How many Orioles wins do you predict for THIS season?
92.
Anything else you would like to add?
I hope more people start dressing up in goofy costumes. It’s good to see guys like you, The Orange Man, & the guy who dresses as The Mad Hatter at games. Going to Oriole games needs to be a happening again & I’m just happy my goofiness, in whatever small way, can put a smile on fans faces & get them into the game.
Lastly, how can people find you (twitter, facebook, etc)?
My Twitter handle is @ColonelWill. I just started a blog where I plan to review the ballparks I’ve visited & offer travel tips: theviewfromsection56.
