This story was excerpted from Jake Rill¡¯s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
WASHINGTON -- Player-themed fan sections have been prevalent at MLB ballparks for quite some time.
T-Mobile Park once had the ¡°King¡¯s Court¡± in support of longtime Seattle ace F¨¦lix Hern¨¢ndez. Yankee Stadium has the ¡°Judge¡¯s Chambers¡± backing New York slugger Aaron Judge.
A similar start-up concept is soon coming to Camden Yards, courtesy of one Orioles superfan.
It¡¯s called ¡°The Pasture¡± -- a section filled with fans who will be wearing cow- and milk-themed attire in support of O¡¯s outfielder Colton Cowser (COW-ser) -- and it¡¯s the brainchild of Jason Benowitz, a 30-year-old from Gaithersburg, Md.
For Tuesday¡¯s game vs. the Blue Jays, Section 72 will be occupied with much more dairy than usual. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET, and tickets are still available to join Benowitz¡¯s moo-vement to back Cowser, one of the top rookies in MLB this season.
¡°I¡¯m about bringing people together and having fun,¡± Benowitz said. ¡°And this just seemed like a very easy way to do it within Camden Yards.¡±
If you¡¯ve already been to a game in Baltimore this year, you¡¯ve likely heard the noise from the crowd whenever Cowser steps to the plate or is involved in a play. No, those aren¡¯t boos. They¡¯re ¡°moos,¡± and Benowitz is partially responsible for that, too.
Shortly before the start of the season -- and after Cowser found out he¡¯d made the Orioles¡¯ Opening Day roster -- Benowitz and a group of O¡¯s fans on social media pushed the notion to ¡°moo¡± for Cowser at home games, a unique show of affection for one of the team¡¯s rising stars.
The idea made it all the way to Cowser, who gave it a stamp of approval. Since then, the 24-year-old has consistently been met with moos. They grew louder as he raked his way to American League Player of the Week honors on April 15 and the AL Rookie of the Month Award for March/April. Now, the noise frequently fills the entire ballpark.
¡°It¡¯s a new phenomenon, but it¡¯s pretty cool,¡± said Cowser, Baltimore¡¯s 2021 first-round Draft pick.
Some fans have been wearing cow outfits -- often onesies -- to both home and road games. Others wear cow masks. On April 26, four fans dressed as milkmen, an ode to Cowser¡¯s new nickname -- ¡°The Milkman¡± -- coined by MASN broadcaster Ben McDonald early this season.
All of the spotted fans with udders have caught Cowser¡¯s attention.
¡°I give them a wave every once in a while,¡± Cowser said. ¡°Throw them a ball if I see them, or, if I¡¯m that accurate, over the net.¡±
If Cowser starts in left field on Tuesday, it will be easy for him to notice ¡°The Pasture,¡± as Section 72 is tucked into the left-field corner. These fans will likely moo plenty loud enough for Cowser to hear it anywhere in the ballpark, though.
Benowitz, who has an annual Birdland Membership, had been crafting the idea for the fan section when he reached out to his Orioles ticket representative a few weeks back. He was informed he could block out a section for his group and was given the ticketing link.
Last Thursday, Benowitz made the public announcement for ¡°The Pasture¡± on social media, and he was greeted with tons of positive responses.
¡°When this idea just started, I was not even sure it was going to be worth doing, because I just didn¡¯t know how many people would be on board. But the closer we get to it, the more interaction there is,¡± Benowitz said. ¡°People are all in. People have been sending me pictures of them in their cow suits and their hats and shirts.¡±
Custom T-shirts are for sale. Section 771, a bar/restaurant across the street from Camden Yards, is holding a pregame event.
For now, ¡°The Pasture¡± is a one-night-only event, but fans have already reached out to Benowitz about bringing it back for future games, and he¡¯s optimistic that will happen.
But first, Benowitz plans on enjoying the debut -- although he hasn¡¯t yet picked his own cow attire for the night, as he¡¯s deciding between several options. Either way, he¡¯ll blend in with the rest of the Cowser cattle.
¡°You can definitely count on me wearing something cow-themed,¡± Benowitz said. ¡°For sure.¡±