I walked south on Charles Street toward Camden Yards yesterday, basking in sunlight with the promise of a new season.

The baseball gods had given us the most beautiful day of the year. The last time I’d been in Mount Vernon had been on a Saturday with similar weather in January. Earl Weaver had passed away earlier that day and he was on my mind. I heard Dionne Warwick’s voice singing, “Say a Little Prayer.”

The first evidence of Opening Day came in the form of a Markakis jersey at Charles and Mulberry. I soon joined the throng along Pratt and purchased a Weaver shirt from an outside vendor. Fans wore many interesting shirts including one that read, “Show Me Your Wieters.”

The word on the street was that injured Brian Roberts wasn’t as bad as I thought – they say he could be back at second base in three weeks. I bought a cap from the start of the Earl Weaver era, when I first heard Warwick sing that Burt Bachrach number on WCAO.

A Tribute to Earl

The Orioles didn’t have anyone throw out the first pitch, after the Superbowl-winning Ravens reportedly declined an invitation to participate, following the Orioles refusal to shift their Sept. 5 game so the Ravens could open their season at home.

Instead, in a respectful nod to Weaver, there was this simple tribute to the manager who personified the grit and resilience of the city: they laid a baseball on the pitching mound.

An Opening Day starter for three straight years, Jake Arrieta took to the mound and proved to be enigmatic once again.

Big Bats, Again

At times he looked good and at others unsure. He left a few pitches up in the strike zone and nearly escaped unscathed with runners on in the fourth, but a broken bat single with two outs allowed the Twins to take the lead.

The Oriole bats have been potent in the first four games of 2013 and they were again yesterday. They battled back, to tie the score in the fifth on a Chris Davis sacrifice fly. The Twins nosed ahead again in the sixth on an RBI single by Ryan Dozier.

With the light fading against the warehouse and most of the crowd in a chilly shade, the Orioles trailed 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth.

Maybe the best nine-hole hitter in the league, Nolan Reimold poked a single through the left side. Nate McLouth drilled one into right center. On his second try, Manny Machado laid down a bunt and moved the runners into scoring position at second and third with one out. The Twins intentionally walked Nick Markakis to ensure a force at every base.

Denouement ensued with Adam Jones strolling to the plate.

Late-inning Cannonade

A swirling wind kicked up the dust and there was a slight haze from my vantage point in the left field picnic area. The home plate umpire called time to remove a plastic bag that was blowing close to the plate.

Jones laid off the first pitch, ball one. He missed the second pitch badly. Down 1-2, he raked a single to left plating Reimold with the tying run.

Chris Davis came to the plate. The cheer of the crowd when he stepped in was deafening. He has crushed everything that has been thrown his way since the season started. The muscular slugger clubbed the first pitch from Tyler Robertson into the left field bleachers for a grand slam. The crowd erupted into an earth-shaking roar.

He is the fourth player in history to homer in his first four games.

The Orioles had unleashed an emphatic late-inning cannonade as though they had been working towards this all afternoon. As Davis crossed the plate I wondered, did I just see the beginnings of an Orioles swagger? A quiet off-season with few significant moves notwithstanding, it doesn’t appear that the Orioles have missed a step since last year.

I left the stadium before the inning ended and when it did, I heard a thunderous sound that traveled far down Conway Street toward the harbor.

The post-game glow extended all the way up to Tamber’s in Charles Village, where O’s caps dotted the booths after the game. Forever, forever, you’ll stay in my heart, Earl.