Written by Steve Gorman
I’ve been to a lot of Orioles games in my life, both at Memorial Stadium and at Camden Yards. They all fall into two categories: 1) O’s games, and 2) O’s games with Jim.
I’ve always greatly preferred the latter, as our Orioles fandom has long been a connector for us. Games with Jim always felt more important, and with good reason.
Growing up nine years apart, there weren’t an awful lot of things we could enjoy together. The O’s were the one thing we could always talk about, vent about, get excited about—in short it was the one thing we were always able to share.
Our family moved to Kentucky in 1975, but Jim was already at Morgan State by then, so he stayed behind in Baltimore. Sadly, I went years without seeing a game in person.
But, anytime the O’s were going to be on national TV, Jim would call to say he was going to the game, and to be sure to look for him. I wouldn’t miss a pitch. He was always able to find a camera somehow, and seeing him on TV, even for a few fleeting seconds, made me feel like I was there too in a way. It eliminated the 700 mile distance between us, and also deepened my affection for both the team and the city.
Now, as Jim fights his battle against Multiple System Atrophy, an Orioles game is once again the focal point for our family. On Sunday, June 5, 2016, 35 members of the Gorman family will be at Camden Yards helping Jim and the Orioles bring awareness to Multiple System Atrophy, a rare and terminal disease affecting some 13,000 Americans.
Learn more about MSA and how it has impacted the Gorman family.
Please donate to help the Orioles and Gorman family as they raise money to research MSA treatments and a cure.
About the Author:
STEVE GORMAN is a founding member and drummer for the American rock band The Black Crowes, selling more than 20 million albums worldwide and touring for two decades. Since 2014, Steve is host of his own sports/music talk show, Steve Gorman SPORTS!, broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Radio, part of the iHeart Media network. He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife of 20+ years and their two children.