Wear Orange Wednesday

Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

And then there were three… Three days separate Orioles players and fans alike from the 2014 baseball season. The team has made several changes to their roster over the off season. From trading and letting go of players to signing free agents, the Orioles front office has done a stellar job in getting fans excited for the season that is about to unfold.

If the team needs any more ways to get excited for the season, then they should listen to the initiative that a former Baltimore County Schools employee has created. Near the beginning of the 2012 season, Nancy Cook started what is known as “Wear Orange Wednesdays.”

Her thought process was a simple one. The entire Baltimore community takes part in “Purple Fridays” during the Ravens’ season where everyone wears purple on the Friday before a Ravens game. Cook thought the community should pay homage to the other professional sports team that is located on Russell Street with the same type of initiative.

Just like the team has become better since the start of the 2012 season, so too has Wear Orange Wednesdays. The initiative even now has an official Facebook page.

Why Wednesdays you ask? The initiative’s Facebook page explains the reason behind the selected day. It reads: “Wednesday is Hump Day and I want us to help the O’s get over the HUMP!”

Through networking, Cook has grown WOW (Wear Orange Wednesdays) and, according to MASNSports.com, she now has about a dozen volunteers helping her in her efforts to make everyone in the community to wear orange and cheer on our beloved O’s.

The Facebook page now has over 2,100 likes and Cook’s Twitter page has over 215 followers. Everyone wants to get involved in WOW any way they can, including Dempsey’s Brew Pub. Dempsey’s has been most supportive in Cook’s mission to spread the Orioles spirit.

On Wednesdays, they actually have a Orange Wednesday special on the menu. On that day, they offer customers (21 and older) Camden Crush Specials. The catch is though you must be wearing orange or some form of Orioles gear on to get the special prices. Sorry Yankee and Red Sox fans; you all have to pay for your drinks at full price.

When I first heard about this initiative, I thought it was solely for increasing the Orioles support in the community. However, once I did a little digging on what WOW was all about, I quickly found out that was only half of what WOW’s goal is.

“It is also to help reduce obesity in children by getting them back on the ball fields and eating properly,” the description of their Facebook page read.

Baseball is America’s pastime; yet as of late, it has lost its popularity for many of our country’s youth. WOW and Cook will try to change that and as the Orioles keep winning this season and become more popular, hopefully so will this initiative.

Orioles fans, listen up, Cook is giving a simple command: Wear orange on Wednesdays. So get your favorite Orioles jersey washed and dust off that Orioles cap because when the Orioles take the field this Monday and continue to shock the world this season everyone will be saying one thing…. “WOW!”