Linebacker Roquan Smith, the leader of every pregame huddle, played Secret Santa by having the luxury goods dropped off at the lockers of all his teammates on defense.
The new runner’s lane overrides a rule that has existed since the National League mandated in 1882 that runners must be within the 3-foot box on the foul side of the base line during the final 45 feet between home and first.
For years, the stadium lease and MASN dispute were at least plausible motivations behind the team keeping its payroll at the bottom of the league. Now, we’re about to find out just how relevant those factors really were.
“I don’t know what it is, whether it’s the lack of prime-time games that we’ve gotten or whatever, but I think the 11-3s are not created equal right now, in terms of the 49ers versus us,” safety Kyle Hamilton said. “We feel a little disrespected by that.”
A late game would mean M&T Bank Stadium crowds exiting the stadium around the time of scheduled fireworks and a drone show, but city officials are not concerned about the crowds.
Now that a lease has been signed, the Orioles and the Maryland Stadium Authority can tap into up to $600 million of taxpayer-financed bonds for upgrades.