The Orioles announced Thursday that they plan on using Saturday's FanFest event to raise funds for the Haitian earthquake relief effort. More than 60 current, former and future Orioles will be on hand for FanFest, and the team hopes to raise money for the Haitian community through fan donations, silent auctions and a memorabilia sale. More info »
Tickets are also available by calling 888-848-BIRD; or in person at the Orioles' Box Office, any Ticketmaster outlet, or the official team store in York, PA.
In addition to player activities, individual game tickets for the 2010 season will go on sale at 10 a.m. ET on January 23. Fans may purchase tickets at the Convention Center or the Orioles' Box Office at the north end of the warehouse throughout the day. Tickets will also be available online at orioles.com, via phone at 888-848-BIRD and at the Official Team Store at the York Galleria in York, PA.
Other FanFest activities include question and answer forums with front office staff and media; interactive games; clinics for children on a youth-sized baseball field; memorabilia dealers; and the opportunity to apply for seasonal employment with the team! In addition, representatives from the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau will be in attendance and available to meet with fans to offer travel advice for the Orioles' new spring training home in Sarasota.
With FanFest moving back to the Baltimore Convention Center for 2010, the Orioles will be introducing a new autograph policy designed to provide fans with as many opportunities as possible to interact with their favorite current and former Birds. The new system will also minimize crowd congestion at the Convention Center and allow fans to maximize their enjoyment of all available FanFest activities.
Here's how it will work:
There will be four autograph signing locations operating through the day, with two tables featuring players at each station. Player appearances will alternate between tables every hour, with separate line queues set up for each table. So while there are players signing at Table A, there will be no one signing at Table B, and vice versa.
Players will be announced one hour in advance of each appearance. At the time of the announcement, each line queue will open for fans to line up until a capacity of 250 fans is reached. Each session will be designed to accommodate 250 fans, regardless as to how long this takes.
For example, players signing at noon will be announced at 11 a.m.; players signing at 1:00 pm will be announced at noon.; and so on.
Fans requiring equal access will not be required to navigate the line queue; however, they will need to be one of the first 250 fans to arrive at an autograph station. Those arriving after the 250 fans are lined up will not be permitted to obtain an autograph, as would be the case with any fan who would arrive after a line is closed.
With this new structure, fans will have multiple opportunities to receive autographs, as well as enjoy the many other features of 2010 FanFest. In fact, over the course of the day, our current and former players will sign over 20,000 autographs using this method.
If you have any questions about this new procedure, please call 888-848-BIRD.
As part of the Orange Carpet Program, Season Plan Holders will be admitted beginning at 10 a.m. for an exclusive "State of the Orioles" address with Andy MacPhail and Dave Trembley.
Fan Forum