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My husband and I met while working in the front office for the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards back in the 90s.
Many of you know this story, or may have heard it once or twice before here on Steph’s Scribe. But now the story has come full circle.
My husband left the club in 1994, and I stayed until late 1998; he went on to have a long career in media and sales—spending time at the Wizards and Capitals, Redskins Radio, CBS Radio, RadioOne, MASN, and Comcast. Last month, he returned to the Orioles, the place where he began his career and is serving as the VP of Corporate Partnerships for the club. It’s like coming home for him (and for me as well, as wife and by-product of his employment).
For years he has asked me not to write about him on the blog, and I’ve agreed, but I’m making an exception today. Just this once, Ant.
Last year was a tough year. There were many sad events and challenging circumstances that affected our family’s lives, and we were more than ready to kiss 2019 goodbye and look at 2020 optimistically.
We welcomed February 2020 with his new job, and that return to the Orioles is like going home for him, for us. Oriole Park at Camden Yards holds a special place in our hearts—and will forever—because of all it gave us. It launched both of our careers, helped us grow and learn and be responsible, gave us wonderful, forever friends, and blessed us with two beautiful children who would not be here had we not met working in baseball.
The whole notion of his return to baseball is incredibly sentimental and wonderful because he’s always been a baseball fan since he was a kid. He loves the game of baseball, and I know it feels a little surreal for him. I think I was the most thrilled of all as the sentimentality I feel toward the Orioles has never faded—honestly, I couldn’t be happier for him. He’ll be at Camden Yards a lot, and I look forward to attending games this season with the kids, friends, and my parents and in-laws. There’s a reason they call it Orioles Magic.
I held off writing this post because I wanted to get the words just right, but instead, I’ll borrow the words of Billy Bean, because they are so simplistic, perfect, and capture the essence of exactly how I feel and leave you with this:
How can you not be romantic about baseball?
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Baseball Girl, Stephanie Verni’s second novel, is loosely based on her life working in baseball, and is available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
Stephanie Verni is Professor of Communication at Stevenson University. She has authored five works of fiction and one academic text on Event Planning. Her character-driven books are typically set in Maryland to showcase the beauty of her state. Connect with her on Instagram at stephanie.verni or on Twitter at @stephverni. Or, visit her Amazon page at Stephanie Verni, Author.
