Andrew Stetka: After tumultuous weekend, a sense of civic pride for hometown

It was a weird weekend in Baltimore. The Orioles lost the first of a crucial three-game series with the Red Sox before bouncing back to win the next two and take the series. It all came amid a cloud of turmoil surrounding the city. We talk baseball here, but it's important to recognize when bigger things are going on and impacting others.

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Friday's game at Camden Yards. I say fortunate because I've lived in Arizona now for about four years, and any chance I get to come back to Charm City is one I embrace. I was well aware of what was going on in and around the city in terms of demonstrations and protests, and made sure to factor that in while I was getting around town.

Much of what we saw go on outside the stadium over the weekend would be considered a serious black eye on the city. The images will be burned in our minds for some time. I got a much different experience during my trip, and it was one that filled me with a sense of pride. During and after the game on Friday, I spoke to a number of fans who happened to not root for the Orioles. Most were Red Sox fans, some were Yankees fans, and there were even people who cheer for other random teams like the Cardinals and Pirates. Most of them live in Maryland or around Baltimore, and all of them were incredibly impress by what had been built over the last few years at Camden Yards.

They weren't just talking about what has been happening on the field, with a winning baseball team. Many were impressed by the fan base. Many explained to me that the atmosphere at Oriole Park was as great as they had ever seen it. That filled me with a sense of pride, not only about the baseball team, but about my city. Even with everything going on around town, and all the unrest surrounding the stadium throughout the weekend, I felt a sense of pride about the city and the way it's turned out to support the team and bond as a community.

Following yesterday's win, Buck Showalter seemed to appreciate the support from the fans as well. He made it a point at the end of his press conference to ask what the attendance numbers looked like. "I was curious to see how many people we would have today," Showalter said, obviously pointing to Saturday night's protests. He added, "To have that many people show up tells you how much they love the Orioles and how much confidence they have in this city. Pretty impressive. Doesn't go unnoticed."

Showalter couldn't be more correct. It didn't go unnoticed. I took notice as someone who is from Baltimore but now lives out of town. Many who were in town who root for other teams took notice, as well. There was a lot of bad for the city this weekend. The community was featured on the national news for all the wrong reasons. It didn't make me ashamed or embarrassed for the city. It made me hopeful, especially when I heard from other out-of-towners about how impressed they are by the fans that showed up.

I'm not qualified to dive deep into the reasons for the protests or the message behind them. I am more than qualified to take pride in my hometown despite what was seen on the national news this weekend. The Orioles and their fans are what help to fuel that pride. When fans of other teams and from out of town are impressed by the atmosphere and show of support that goes on at Camden Yards, that's something that a Baltimorean can be proud of.

Andrew Stetka blogs about the Orioles for Eutaw Street Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AStetka. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.