PHOENIX -- Brandon Hyde was meeting with the media prior to the Orioles’ series finale vs. the D-backs at Chase Field on Wednesday afternoon when the manager lost his train of thought.
Michael Phelps -- the 23-time Olympic gold medalist and the greatest men’s swimmer of all time -- walked up the steps of the third-base dugout and onto the field. Not only that, but the 39-year-old Baltimore native was wearing an O’s hat and polo.
“Greatest of all time right there,” Hyde said. “You should be talking to him. With an O’s hat, too. I’m in awe right now. The greatest of all time showed up. ...
“When you have greatness walk in, you want to play well.”
Phelps lives in Arizona and has adopted the D-backs as his “second team.” He often goes to games with his wife, Nicole, and their four young sons -- Boomer, Beckett, Maverick and Nico.
But Phelps remains a diehard Orioles fan. And he let everybody on the D-backs’ side know who he’d be cheering for on Wednesday.
“I have a couple friends that play for them and a couple of guys in the front office here, and they knew I would be [wearing] this, they’d hear me saying, ‘O!’ during the national anthem,” Phelps said. “I’m born and raised in Baltimore.”
Phelps’ ties to Baltimore’s baseball team run deep. His late father, Fred, was a Maryland State Trooper who worked security at Orioles games when Michael was a kid. That gave Michael the opportunity to go into the O’s clubhouse at Camden Yards and meet players such as Cal Ripken Jr., Brady Anderson, Chris Hoiles and Ben McDonald.
McDonald, who is now a broadcaster for MASN, took a photo with Phelps on the field. Meanwhile, Phelps’ kids ran around and met current Orioles players such as Gunnar Henderson and Ryan Mountcastle.
“Now, it’s a little different. I’m me, I’m me now, and I get to take them in there,” Phelps said. “So it’s kind of that full-circle moment, and it’s really special to see their excitement when they see the guys they root for every day on TV. Those are moments I remember as a kid and they stick with you forever, and if that can turn into them doing something, then it’s a win-win.”
Phelps is actively involved in his sons’ sporting events. He has coached flag football and soccer, and he recently became a third-base coach for baseball.
“I got designated third-base coach this year. So I will be sending kids home nonstop. I don’t have a stop button,” Phelps joked.
Phelps and his family watch every Orioles game, whether that’s on TV or in person. They took a family trip to Denver -- where his wife is from -- last year on Labor Day weekend for the O’s three-game series vs. the Rockies.
Phelps plans to return to Camden Yards later this year, likely around early June. It’s been a bit since he’s returned home to catch an Orioles home game, so he is due for a trip east.
On Wednesday, Phelps and his boys made home run predictions for the game. He went with Ryan O’Hearn, while Henderson was a popular pick among the youngsters.
“Got to get him on the board. It’s good to see him back, that’s for sure,” Phelps said of Henderson, who returned from a right intercostal strain last Friday. “ I’m glad he’s healthy again.”
It’s all an opportunity for Phelps to relive his childhood memories and to make new ones with his kids during his post-swimming career.
“For me, having four kids that are obsessed with sports, I love it,” Phelps said. “I grew up baseball, lacrosse, soccer and swam. And now, it’s like Thursday to Sunday, golf is on. They have baseball on every day. They have football on Monday, Thursday, whatever it’s on, right?
“So we are all into sports. And for me, I want them to find a passion. If it’s baseball, awesome. If it’s soccer, whatever it is, I’m going to try to nourish it and help them be the best athlete they can be.”