Baseball fans arrived early at Camden Yards on Friday evening, eager to receive commemorative Tupac Shakur bobbleheads before the Baltimore Orioles game began.
“I grabbed three of them,” said Baltimore Orioles manager Craig Albernaz.
The legendary rapper spent his childhood years in New York and Baltimore before relocating to California’s San Francisco Bay Area during the late 1980s. His time living in Oakland in the early 1990s made Friday’s game between the Orioles and the Athletics a fitting occasion to celebrate the music icon, who died in 1996. During the A’s lineup announcement, the recognizable opening of “California Love” echoed through the stadium as a tribute to the team that departed Oakland after the previous season.
When discussing his preferred Tupac track, Albernaz referenced “Pain.”
“This is back on — I’m dating myself — Napster or LimeWire, trying to download that,” Albernaz explained.
The manager also noted that “All Eyez On Me” perfectly represents the current Baltimore squad.
Since every player on the Orioles’ current roster was born in 1989 or after, it remained uncertain whether the team members knew Shakur’s musical catalog.
“I hope so,” Albernaz commented. “I probably should ask around about that.”
Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, the rapper’s sister, delivered the ceremonial opening pitch for the evening.
