Uncle Ted, Missy and Rob at Camden Yards, originally uploaded by Rob Bluey.

Last night we drove to Baltimore to watch the Orioles take on the Seattle Mariners at Camden Yards. It was a rare treat to visit one of our favorite ballparks so early in the season, and I have my Uncle Ted to thank for the tickets.

Of all the years I’ve been going to Orioles games, dating back to at least 2002, I can’t remember one so sparsely populated. There were so few people at the game, it was hard to believe that it was the opening week of the season — and on a Friday night nonetheless. The announced attendance of 14,429 seemed quite generous.

This sparked my interest, so I went back and had a look at the first three games over the past five seasons, dating to before the Washington Nationals arrived in the area. With the exception of 2006, this year’s attendance is significantly lower.

March 31, 2008 vs. Tampa Bay: 46,807
April 2, 2008 vs. Tampa Bay: 10,505
April 4, 2008 vs. Seattle: 14,429

April 2, 2007 vs. Minnesota: 48,711
April 3, 2007 vs. Minnesota: 24,439
April 4, 2007 vs. Minnesota: 25,539

April 3, 2006 vs. Tampa Bay: 46,986
April 5, 2006 vs. Tampa Bay: 16,083
April 6, 2006 vs. Tampa Bay: 13,194

April 4, 2005 vs. Oakland: 48,271
April 6, 2005 vs. Oakland: 22,415
April 7, 2005 vs. Oakland: 16,395

April 4, 2004 vs. Boston: 47,683
April 6, 2004 vs. Boston: 35,355
April 7, 2004 vs. Boston: 28,373

I’m not sure if this year’s pathetic attendance can be attributed to the weather or an opening series against Tampa Bay, but I suspect it probably also has something to do with the new Nationals Stadium about an hour down the road in Washington. If that’s true, then perhaps Peter Angelos’ worst fears have come true. That’s too bad for the Orioles. They have a young and exciting team — and a ballpark that’s still one of the best in baseball.