Ravens superfan Timothy Bess has never been to a Major League Baseball game. And he’s certainly never been to a football-plus-baseball doubleheader. That will change Sunday.
Downtown Baltimore’s first-ever day with Ravens and Orioles regular-season games will be a maiden voyage for Bess, too. He lives in Danville, Kentucky, and makes the nine-hour pilgrimage to M&T Bank Stadium a few times a year.
This time, he heard the baseball team was in town, too, so he figured he’d make a day of it.
He’ll be among the bold and indefatigable Baltimore fans who will root for both the Ravens at their home opener against the New Orleans Saints and the Orioles as they cling to a shred of playoff hopes against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Bess plans to start his day — as he always does in town — at Blue Moon Too in Federal Hill. Then he’ll tailgate beginning around 10:30 a.m. with some local friends he’s made, watch football at 1 p.m., relax for a bit, then watch the Orioles play at 7:20 p.m.
It will be a roughly 13-hour marathon, but Bess isn’t worried about stamina.
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“The newness of never going to a baseball game should be a revamping energy,” he said. “And hopefully the Ravens take care of business, so I’m flying sky-high after that one.”
M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park share parking lots, and the clubs’ leases state that the Ravens should avoid playing games on the same day as the Orioles (the MLB schedule comes out first). That’s to prevent gridlocked roads and security concerns. On a couple of occasions, there have been same-day events, but never regular season games by both teams.
It provides superfans with a rare opportunity: Baltimore’s own Barbenheimer.
For Bess and his wife, Amber, it’s a chance to visit Camden Yards — or, as he mistakenly called it, Comiskey Park. Forgive him; he’s not much of a baseball guy. But when in Rome, right?
“I found us some good tickets at a great price, and we decided to do it,” he said.
On Friday night, he drove an hour to watch his son play high school football, getting back home around midnight. At 5 a.m. Saturday, the couple then hit the road again, bound for Baltimore. They’ll return to Kentucky on Monday.
Over the last few years, he’s annually attended five Ravens games, often bringing one of his children (his daughter’s middle name is Raven), but this time they’re staying with grandparents. This will mark his fourth straight home opener.
Bess’ mother is from Ohio, and he grew up a Cleveland Browns fan. When the team moved to Baltimore in 1996, so did his allegiances. His Ohio family has never let him forget that, but he’s happy with the choice he made as a 13-year-old.
“Best decision I ever made sports-wise, I’ll tell you that much,” he said.
Although he’s a University of Kentucky fan, that didn’t stop him from admiring Lamar Jackson, who played for rival University of Louisville. “He’s just so fun to watch,” he said.
The last time the Ravens and Orioles both hosted (non-preseason) games on the same day was in 1997, when the football team played at Memorial Stadium in Waverly. On that day, the Ravens kicked off at 1 p.m. and the Orioles started a playoff game after 4 p.m. Some ambitious fans attended both, hauling down to Camden Yards in time to see the Orioles clinch a series victory over the Seattle Mariners.
This time, the fearless faithful attempting the double-dip will have plenty of time to walk less than a half mile between the downtown stadiums. Expect bars to be packed, cars to be honking, and attendees of both to be readying for the second half of their day.
“Probably eat,” Bess said of his plans for intermission. “Maybe take a nap, depending on how things go.”
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