Something Magic

“Orioles Magic” is a phrase fans still associate with the 1979–1983 seasons, Baltimore’s last championship era, when they played excellent, exciting ball with a penchant for late-inning heroics. This book analyzes the Orioles not just as a great team but as the team to be marked by the fabled “Oriole Way,” an organizational commitment to fundamentally sound baseball that guided them for nearly 30 years.

The Magic years are discussed in the context of Baltimore sports, fan culture and baseball history, recalling the thrills of a splendid squad that delighted fans and reminding us why Peter Gammons called the 1979–1983 Orioles one of the major league’s “last fun teams.”

Charles Kupfer is associate professor of American Studies and history at Penn State Harrisburg and lives in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

Charles Kupfer
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 212
Bibliographic Info: 25 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2018
pISBN: 978-0-7864-9935-9
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2677-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction: Baltimore and Baseball, 1858–1972 1

1. Setting the Stage (1973–1979) 37

2. A Stone’s Throw (1980) 79

3. Split Season, Doubly Frustrating (1981) 100

4. Thanks, Earl (1982) 120

5. Champions (1983) 140

6. The Magic Runs Out (1984 and After) 171

Chapter Notes 179

Bibliography 191

Index 197

• “Kupfer weaves the story of a great Orioles club into a bigger picture of how sports teams figure into the economic and cultural lifeblood of a city and shape its self-image. Any fan of the Orioles, baseball history or the culture of sports will find this book an edifying, and fun, read.”—Mark Mravic, executive editor, Sports Illustrated
• “Charles Kupfer has written a well-researched and wide-ranging history that brought back many delightful memories—along with a few not so delightful. While any baseball fan will enjoy this book, it’s a must-read for Orioles fans.”—Lyle Spatz, Hugh Casey: The Triumphs and Tragedies of a Brooklyn Dodger.