There is a classic movie sound in the Robert Redford baseball epic 'The Natural.'
It depicts the immortal Roy Hobbs, finally making the big leagues after life "threw him a curve," and getting a chance to show off his stuff in batting practice in an empty Knights stadium.
As manager Wilford Brimley looks on, Hobbs rockets one ball after another into the empty outfield bleachers.
That sound of Hobbs' majestic 'Wonderboy' bat crushing the ball and the baseball clattering around in those empty seats has always stuck with me.
We might be hearing it again today in Baltimore.
They will do something down I-95 today that has never been done before in the history of Major League Baseball.
What if they held a baseball game and nobody came? We'll find out today.
After a night of violence on the streets of Baltimore, team and MLB officials decided to play today's Orioles-White Sox game in an empty Camden Yards. No fans will be allowed inside.
The game also has been moved to an afternoon date, with first pitch coming about 2:05.
It's ironic that this is occurring in Camden Yards, where the Orioles set attendance records after it first opened and kicked off Major League Baseball's love affair with 'retro' parks. Citizens Bank Park would follow a few years later.
Orioles Manager Buck Showalter calls in 'unchartered territory.'
I think Roy Hobbs would understand.
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