The Orioles game against the Texas Rangers last night was postponed because of rain. It was rescheduled for Wednesday as part of a doubleheader. Meanwhile, for O's fans, there is bigger news. William "Wild Bill" Hagy died yesterday. He was the Orioles biggest fan, attending all home games for the O's in the late 1970's and early 1980's. He lead chants from his section 34 in Memorial Stadium. He made up the famous O-R-I-O-L-E-S! chant where he would bend his body to form the letters and the O's fans would yell out the letters. He was so popular with fans that the O's even let him stand on top of the dugout to perform his cheers. Wild Bill was there in the glory days, when there was Orioles Magic. Sadly, Wild Bill would eventually boycott Memorial Stadium because of a rule that didn't allow him to bring his own beer into the stadium. He would eventually return, but this time to Camden Yards.
Just last month, Wild Bill led his last O-R-I-O-L-E-S! chant at Cooperstown, New York where he was watching as Cal Ripken Jr. got inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. This chant was shared with those who were sitting near him. Fortanately, I was one of the lucky few who was there to share this time with Wild Bill. This is my fondest memory of Wild Bill, and it will mean even more to me now that he is gone. Wild Bill was 68 years old. William "Wild Bill" Hagy, R.I.P. -John T.
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