It?s being called “a legendary evening,” but the aim of Thursday?s reunion of the 1966 World Series champion Orioles at Morgan State University is to make both players and fans tingle.
Mike Gibbons, the executive director of the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards, says he hopes Thursday?s gala touches fans with just the right amount of nostalgia and sentiment from a special moment in Baltimore history.
“As a Baltimorean who attended the 1966 World Series … I remember how special a time that was to people who were baseball fans, but also to people who were not,” Gibbons said.
That Orioles team was the first to win a pennant, and it followed the 1958 Colts as the second franchise to win a professional sports title in Charm City.
“It gave our city and community a different perspective on ourselves,” Gibbons said. “And I think the nation looked upon us differently.”
Gibbons didn?t hesitate to put that moment at the head of the rebirth of the city.
“It really propelled us towards the development of the Inner Harbor,” Gibbons said. “We were not the pit stop between Washington and Philadelphia anymore.”
The reunion, which follows the Orioles? ninth consecutive losing season, comes amidst questions of why the organization neglected to hold a reunion at Camden Yards. While Sports Legends Museum assumed leadership of the event, the Orioles did not turn a cold shoulder, according to Gibbons.
“The Orioles do have a role in this,” Gibbons said, pointing to the cooperation from the communications and marketing departments within the warehouse. “They?ve been good sports in this.”
The Orioles front office was not available to comment.
Gibbons said it was imperative to celebrate the 40th reunion instead of waiting for a 50th.
“It is important for Baltimoreans to celebrate this team again,” Gibbons said. “Time marches on, and I think that this was the time to do this. And we?re getting wonderful response.”
The gala itself will be comprised of a cocktail hour and a silent auction of various items, including some that relate to the ?66 champs. There will also be a reunion on Saturday at the YMCA at Stadium Place on 33rd Street, the former site of Memorial Stadium, right where the final out was made on Oct. 9, 1966.
REUNION OF CHAMPIONS
» Team members scheduled to attend are: Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, Luis Aparicio, Boog Powell, Paul Blair, Andy Etchebarren, Dick Hall, Eddie Fisher, Woodie Held, Bob Johnson, John Miller, Larry Haney, Wally Bunker, Tom Phoebus, Vic Roznovsky, Russ Snyder, Eddie Watt and manager Hank Bauer.
» After going 97-63 to win the franchise?s first pennant, the 1966 Orioles swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games in the World Series. Baltimore also won championships in 1970 and 1983.
