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It may have been a good day for a ceremony, but it was not a very good one for baseball as the Bluefield Orioles grounds crew is covers the playing field with a tarp prior to the scheduled opening game of the 2007 season commemorating the 50th anniversary of baseball in Bluefield. The game was postponed.

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Rain doesn’t effect fun at Bowen Field

By DAVE COX/Staff

BLUEFIELD- Appalachian League baseball fans eager to kick off Bluefi eld’s 50th year in the league had to wait a little longer than expected for the 2007 season to start, but at least got to see an opening day ceremony dedicated to one of the baseball team’s most loyal supporters on Tuesday, June 19.

A strong thunderstorm rumbled through Bluefi eld and Bowen Field just after a memorial ceremony was held for the late longtime Orioles supporter and volunteer Patsy Malamisura, who passed away on March 24 at age 84. Malamisura’s wife Jean accepted a wooden duplicate plaque in his honor just before the scheduled opener with the Bristol White Sox. The original metal plaque will be installed on a wall at Bowen Field at a later date.

As the two opposing teams prepared to take the field, a downpour accompanied by lightning forced fans to retreat under the overhang portion of the stadium where they waited for over an hour before the game was finally called. During that time the Appalachian League faithful were entertained by the Bluefield Orioles bird mascot and the visiting Baltimore Orioles bird mascot. A doubleheader was scheduled at Bowen Field last Wednesday to make up for Tuesday’s rainout.