Hop on the Baltimore bandwagon

Hello, Triangle sports fans. Michael Graff here with a suggestion for your summer:

• Join me in rooting for the Baltimore Orioles. And watch with joy the talents of Cedric Mullins, a Greensboro-born player who went to Louisburg College and Campbell University.

Why it matters: As a lifelong Orioles fan who moved to North Carolina from Maryland at 17, I'm qualified to tell you that we have lots of room on the Baltimore bandwagon.

• One of baseball’s worst teams over the past 20 years, they have MLB's second-best record in 2023.

The intrigue: They’re young, fast, fearless and fun. They celebrate hits by acting like lawn sprinklers, home runs by slugging water through a funnel, and created a "bird bath” where fans get sprayed.

On the field, Mullins is a blast to watch: He's ranks in the top 10 in MLB in stolen bases, triples and RBIs.

• On May 12, he hit for the cycle (click for bird bath fun). A week later he had five hits in a game against lesser birds (Blue Jays).
• Not bad for a 5-foot-9 guy who was at the tiny two-year Louisburg in 2014, then batted .340 as a Campbell Camel in 2015, then was drafted in the 13th round, and worked his way up from there.

Plan a trip: Baltimore’s just a 5.5-hour drive away, and it’s highly underrated. Some tips:

• Head to L.P. Steamers for a crab feast and Faidley's for a real crab cake.
• Splurge on a room at the Ivy, and bask in the breakfast.
• Get an orange crush at Mama’s on the Half Shell.
• Save room for Boog’s pit beef at the game.
• Or any of these other recommendations I pulled together once.

🧡 Lucille's thought bubble: My dad is from the Baltimore area, and, as a person who's had the privilege of hanging around that city often, I co-sign all of this.

• Reading this is making me wish I was at Camden Yards with a crab cake in one hand and a beer in the other.