As much as we can credit any number of factors on the field – the Matt Wieters home run, the Adam Jones home run, the Mark Reynolds home run, the Chris Davis home run – what everyone in the ballpark at Oriole Park at Camden Yards will always remember about Sept. 6, 2012 was the energy of the crowd.

Last week I wrote about Adam Jones’ Twitter pleas for more support from Baltimore’s baseball fans amidst an embarrassing number of empty seats for a four-game series against the Chicago White Sox last week. Yesterday, I predicted the special nature of last night’s game simply because of the sheer volume of Orioles fans that would engage with the team inside he stadium.

As the Orioles Magic song says: “You make the magic happen…”

And last night the heroics on the field and the outcome better represented the weary and jubilant fan base more than anything that Peter Angelos has repeatedly done to extinguish the fire and passion of Baltimore Orioles fans around the world.

On a personal note, this is exactly why I led the “Free The Birds” walkout in 2006. It’s why I’ve been so vocal regarding the demise of the franchise and have illuminated the many reasons for the great emptiness in the city, stadium and in our hearts as Orioles fans.

Last night was what Baltimore Orioles baseball was about for two generations. It’s the finest example of what’s been missing since 1997 amidst a circus of mismanagement, mean-spirited and petty behavior and a flat-out awful product on the field that this city has endured.

The last chapter of the 2012 Baltimore Orioles is far from written and we’ll continue to chronicle it here at WNST.net and our many social media resources during the games – even the ones the Orioles won’t win during this stretch run.

The ballpark is sure to be electric again tonight and all week as the 2012 Baltimore Orioles have a chance to be, in the words of manager Buck Showalter, “pile divers.”

But Thursday night will live in the minds of fans for a long time. What a night to have a ticket for a Baltimore Orioles game and be a part of that kind of a local sporting event!

I’ve been doing sports media for almost 29 years and I’ll never forget the wide-ranging emotions of Thursday – from the death of Art Modell before sunrise to the emotions and love for him in Owings Mills in the early afternoon to the Cal Ripken statue ceremony to every pitch in a rollercoaster ride of a game vs. the New York Yankees.

It was the most exciting night of Baltimore baseball since 1979 at Memorial Stadium on 33^rd Street when Doug DeCinces ignited a two-decade love affair with a huge home run to beat the Detroit Tigers.

You can argue for any of the Cal Ripken 2131 proceedings in 1995 or the Rick Sutcliffe Opener in 1992 or any of the playoff energy in 1996 and 1997. Obviously the 1989 Why Not? season – led by the Mike Devereaux foul-poul homer – and the 1983 World Series win will have memories to mark on our baseball journey.

But for a single game on a single night with the impact and the stakes being first place against the New York Yankees? And the statue dedication of Cal Ripken replete with every living legend in the history of the franchise being inside the jammed, overflowing ballpark?

I’ve been an Orioles fan since 1972.

I’ve never seen anything or been a part of anything baseball-oriented in Baltimore that was more special than Thursday night at Camden Yards.

The only thing that could top last night would be some playoff games next month and a parade down Pratt Street. As I wrote last week, anything is possible with this new-found Orioles Magic.

Onto Day 2 of a week of Baltimore sports magic.

Who says it’s Purple Friday?

Maybe, for one day at least, it’s Purple and Orange Friday?

And as a lifelong fan of the Orioles and the Ravens, that’s beautiful music to my ears.

All of these wins and hours of scoreboard watching for fans of the Baltimore Orioles – and finally – tonight the city will fill Camden Yards with the “magic” that only a Cal Ripken event can exert for the Charm City.

Alas, no scriptwriter in Hollywood or even a “Major League” movie redux could’ve dreamed up the juiciness that this unexpected Baltimore Orioles pennant run has facilitated this weekend.

Last week, the stands were empty as the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox came to town.

This weekend, with the New York Yankees on the ropes and the Orioles surging and trailing the Evil Empire by just one game in the AL East, Camden Yards will be buzzing with orange energy for the first time in eight years despite the “premium pricing” methods of Peter Angelos’ staff.

In the land of pleasant living, we call it “Orioles Magic.” Berthed in 1979 under Wild Bill Hagy with Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Rick Dempsey and Earl Weaver, brought to life by a World Series win in 1983 and resurrected duing the “Why Not?” campaign of 1989, the city’s enthusiasm and genuine love for the Baltimore Orioles has been dormant for the better part of 15 years at Camden Yards under the weight of last place and its own evil ownership regime.

But tonight none of that will matter because the Orioles can beat the Yankees and go back into first place in September.

Hard to believe it was 17 years ago tonight that Cal Ripken ran his victory lap amidst the confetti and “One Moment In Time.”

And make no mistake about it, a statue ceremony and a fancy giveaway item would’ve brought plenty of people to Camden Yards tonight no matter the record of the 2012 Orioles.

But what we’re going to witness – or in my case, be a part of – tonight should truly be “magical” for any longtime fan of the Baltimore Orioles.

Despite falling out of first place with last night’s loss in Toronto combined with a Yankees win in Tampa, tonight’s game once again has first place on the line and the 46,000 who are holders of these lucky tickets should be expected to bring full O-R-I-O-L-E-S voices tonight as Camden Yards should erupt with sound where previously it’s been a bunch of excuses and reasons for why the seats are empty.

I’m going to the game tonight. And, yes, I bought a ticket.

Other than “Free The Birds” events, it’s the first ticket I’ve purchased since 2004.

It’s worth going tonight to feel the civic energy and I’ll be bellied up to the centerfield bar soaking in the energy and enthusiasm that I wrote about in 2006 when WNST led the “Free The Birds” movement.

And in as much as some have twisted my words, I’ve never wanted anything more than what we currently have in Baltimore – a relevant baseball team that brings together the community for a common cause.

I’m not sure some fans are really prepared emotionally for what tonight will look and feel like inside Camden Yards.

Internally, many of the longtime employees certainly couldn’t have had any fire drills for this. And the players on the field – Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, the core guys who have only seen the stands full of Yankees or Red Sox fans over the years – should especially soak in the noise tonight because they’ve earned the right to Baltimore’s cheers with their solid play and the excitement they’ve filled our living rooms with this summer.

I think even Derek Jeter will be taken aback because he hasn’t seen anything like this since 1997. Usually, it’s 40,000 Yankees fans beating on the home team.

It won’t be that way tonight.

This is the Baltimore Orioles chance  – players, coaches, employees and ownership alike – to drastically move the needle on the fan

Earl Weaver was kind enough to spend a some time with me today discussing his managerial career and the inspiration that led him to become a Major League Baseball manager and Hall of Famer.

We had a long chat that will be included in my long-researched book on coaching and leadership. I’ve now sat with 23 of my 100 targets. Earl was on point today discussing his disdain for the hit-and-run, his respect for Paul Richards and why trading Doug DeCinces was a mistake.

When we concluded our chat about the old versions of Orioles Magic and how Cal Ripken became a shortstop, I asked The Earl of Baltimore about the current orange fever sweeping Baltimore via Buck Showalter’s 2012 squad.

It only takes a simple search of “Penn State” on Twitter to see that the cult surrounding the school is still alive.  You can see tweets ranging from support of Paterno to complete denial that anything has even happened.  The point being, the majority of the Penn State community still hasn’t learned its lesson and isn’t showing signs that it wants to.  It’s really quite sad and disturbing.

 Last week, I was able to speak to two somewhat “reasonable” (reasonable meaning they actually formulated ideas within our conversation) Penn State students on Twitter the day the news broke about the possible removal of Joe Paterno’s statue outside of Beaver Stadium.  After I was first cursed at for even insinuating that a cult like atmosphere existed within the school, I was able to have a semi-intelligent conversation with them.  I’m not going to give out their names or Twitter handles but a simple look through my tweets will deliver you the conversation.

One of the students told me, “I’m just tired of people disrespecting the school I love. It’s sickening. People outside of PSU have no idea.”  This seems to be the most common argument among people in the Penn State community.  It’s been used since the very beginning.  Even to defend the riots.  The student is right, kind of.  Of course we can’t understand; we aren’t a part of your cult. However, your school wouldn’t be under so much fire if your leaders, especially the man who you essentially worshipped, didn’t cover up and try to protect a monster of whom they were all well aware of.

“It seems that everyone rather blame JoePa for Sandusky, than anyone else. You could blame Spanier, PSU police, jerry’s wife,” the same student went on to say.  Yes, we would rather blame Paterno.  He has (had) a statue in the middle of your campus.  He was the one who was most powerful at your university, as outlined in the Freeh report.  He was the figurehead of your university and when the most prominent people fail a community, they must be taken down.

There are even people out there who are still skeptical of the Freeh Report, if not completely denying the facts in it, saying that it is a mere smear campaign against Paterno and the rest.  When your own school accepts the findings, you probably should too.  The first step to recovery is accepting there’s a problem, folks.

“But that statue is there for everything good about Penn State…the man did 100 times more good than bad.”  I agree that the statue was supposed to represent good.  Of course it wasn’t supposed to represent the bad.  But now it does.  That’s the reality of it.  Had it not been removed, people would immediately think of what Paterno didn’t do rather than what he did if they saw it.  Paterno did some good things for the Penn State community.  Unfortunately for him and for them, he did horrible things as well.  It’s time that the cult realizes this.

Before the second student started bashing the university I attend, they stated, “no cult, just pride. We are the students, not the ones to blame.”  No one is blaming you.  We are criticizing you for supporting leaders and a school that failed you.  And if it was me, I am not sure how I could have pride in my school if this is what they are now known for.

Yes.  This level of intelligence in people exists…

When the news broke last week that the statue of Joe Paterno would be removed this weekend, a sense of relief came over me.  Not only has it been taken down but the NCAA has handed down “unprecedented” sanctions, most notably: a fine of $60 million to fund an endowment for victims of sexual abuse, a ban from post season play 4 years,  a cut in scholarships from 25 to 15 for 4 years, and forced vacating of wins from 1998-2011.

For most of us, the Penn State saga ended today. For some in the Penn State community though, they will go on saying that the sanctions are unfair and unwarranted.  They can continue to be blind to what has happened but now we can at least ignore them.  The penalties have been handed down and the statue is gone.

The first students last response in regards to Paterno’s good deeds was this: “After time passes, people will remember. I promise that! If it (the statue) does go down, it will be back there someday.”  It’s these types of people who will just never get it.  They will never get that what their idols and the school they love so much did was wrong.  They will never be able to break away from the cult that is only hurting them.  But we don’t have to worry about them anymore.  The time for arguments is over.  These people will just drink the Kool-Aid and fade away.