As members of the Orioles clubhouse thought of the optics across the newly minted homer hose final month, gauging the response of some followers that discovered the non-player-endorsed “dong bong” nickname just a little too edgy for his or her tastes, left-hander Cole Irvin broke by the noise.
He identified how the homer hose was in reference, purely, to the nostalgic act of ingesting out of a backyard hose after taking part in outdoors on a heat summer season day. It had nothing to do with chugging liquids of any selection, G-rated or past. And he was positive, sooner or later, the Orioles’ home run celebration and different on-field antics can be embraced wholeheartedly.
“Don’t worry,” Irvin known as out, “before long they’re going to have a splash zone and everybody is going to love it.”
It was a joke. But it left a seed within the left-hander’s thoughts that grew as he talked with left-hander Keegan Akin and catcher James McCann. What if the Orioles really had a splash zone? And when Baltimore knocked extra-base hits and the gamers did the sprinkler celebration towards the dugout, a piece of followers had the prospect to be concerned, too?
“It turned into this conversation, like, that would be kind of cool, to celebrate with the fans,” McCann mentioned. “And then it got taken to the marketing team, and don’t ya know, here we are in May with a Bird Bath splash zone.”
The Orioles debuted the Bird Bath in Section 86, close to the bullpens at Camden Yards, on Friday night time in opposition to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s an concept that felt like “a winner” as quickly as she heard it from Orioles gamers, mentioned Jennifer Grondahl, the Orioles’ senior vp of group improvement and communications.
The feeling was backed up by an instantaneous fan response. Within the primary 48 hours after the left-field Bird Bath tickets went on sale, over 2,000 had been bought. The crew bought out the part for the three-game weekend collection in opposition to the Pirates, though there are nonetheless some tickets obtainable for subsequent week when the Los Angeles Angels arrive.
All of Baltimore’s celebrations this 12 months are water-focused. For singles, they activate the tap. For doubles and triples, they do a sprinkler motion with their arm. And for homers, they drink from the hose within the dugout.
For $20, Orioles followers have the prospect to have a good time just like the gamers on the sector. When Baltimore hits a double, triple or home run, Mr. Splash — the crew’s new “Chief Hydration Officer,” Grondahl mentioned — will spray a hose at followers within the seats.
“Our players talk about, we feed off the energy,” Grondahl mentioned. “We want the fans to come here and help the team win.”
Mr. Splash is probably not the identical individual every night time. Grondahl mentioned he’s extra of a revolving character, and there are already alternate iterations being mentioned. The Bird Bath could have tweaks all through the season, too, because the operations employees receives suggestions and fine-tunes the part.
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In all of McCann’s years within the main leagues, he mentioned he’s by no means been a part of a fan-focused advertising and marketing marketing campaign. He famous how with social media, he can work together with followers greater than the 32-year-old would have on the onset of his profession.
But what he, Irvin and others dropped at Camden Yards is one other stage fully.
“Taking this step further, where it’s like, we’re going to interact with fans in a game, let them be part of something we’ve grown so much to enjoy. I think it’s a big thing,” McCann mentioned. “I think it’s a special thing that hopefully fans just absolutely eat up.”
At least one fan did. Ryan Blake, a 28-year-old residing in Rockville, purchased tickets for the Bird Bath as quickly as he noticed they had been on sale. He didn’t handle to seek out goggles, however introduced in a pair of blow-up water wings to placed on his arms as an extra prop.
“I was ready, excited, happy to do it,” Blake mentioned. “Ready to get wet. What can I say?”
The Bird Bath was sprayed with a hose for the primary time within the fifth inning, when outfielder Cedric Mullins tripled into the right-center discipline hole. In a message, Blake wrote that the expertise was “unbelievably lit.”
As a part of the advertising and marketing marketing campaign, the Orioles will characteristic the part on the video board at Camden Yards and through Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcasts of video games. McCann known as it “genius” — maybe a pat on his personal again, together with Irvin’s. But it’s deserved reward.
“Some of the greatest ideas, in my experience,” Grondahl mentioned, “come from the most unusual places.”
This one, from contained in the Orioles clubhouse itself, definitely counts.
