Baltimore rises with energy as the Orioles soar

After 20 years away, I’m home. Watching the Orioles soar, I feel the weight of history and the electric anticipation of a city on the verge of something magical (“5 things we learned from the Orioles’ week, including long-awaited joy of the playoff clinch,” Sept. 27).

The Chicago Cubs were always my second team. I’ve tasted the sweetness of a curse-breaking victory. Now, I see that same possibility shimmering over Camden Yards.

Can you picture the sea of orange and black flooding the streets? Confetti raining down like ticker tape dreams. Generations of O’s fans united, sharing a moment greater than ourselves.

This is our chance to show the world what Baltimore is made of. To remind everyone that this is a baseball town.

It starts with you. Your voice, your passion, your belief. When you walk into Camden Yards, carry the spirit of every Orioles fan who came before you. Channel the grit of Brooks Robinson, the grace of Cal Ripken Jr., the power of Eddie Murray.

This team needs to hear you. They need to feel the full force of Birdland behind them. Don’t hold back. Create the big moments with your energy. Cheer for every pitch, every swing, every catch.

Because this isn’t just about baseball. It’s about Baltimore. It’s about who we are and where we’re going. It’s about writing a new chapter in our city’s story.

The parade isn’t just a dream. It’s a possibility if we all do our part.

Let’s turn Camden Yards into a cauldron of noise, a fortress of faith, a beacon of Baltimore pride.

This is our time.

Let’s bring it home, Baltimore.

— Garrett Baldwin, Lutherville

Voting by machine beats mail-in ballots

It is always a pleasure to read anything by letter writer Stan Heuisler. He writes so well that it is enjoyable, even if you might occasionally disagree a little. His most recent, “The joy of filling out a ballot” (Sept. 25), brought back the challenges of absentee ballot voting 60 years ago in the military. If out on maneuvers or training in the field, it was hard to obtain and vote by absentee ballot. It took determination. Now, everybody — although, hopefully, only registered voters — can get a ballot in the mail.

But is it a good idea to vote seven weeks before an election? Things can change! Look at the last two months and even the last week in Maryland’s U.S. Senate race. If one votes in person, any significant recent changes can be addressed. And many voters enjoy the opportunity to see their neighbors who serve as judges and volunteers. This feels much more democratic, much more personal. More serious. More down to earth.

Try to get the “joy” of voting in person at the polls.

— D. Burke, Timonium

Baltimore first responders need help to fight ODs

The Baltimore Sun’s recent coverage of Baltimore’s opioid crisis rightly highlights the immense strain the epidemic places on the city’s first responders. As a public health professional who has studied the disproportionate impact of opioid overdoses on our communities, I believe we cannot ignore that fentanyl is a significant driver of overdose deaths, both in Baltimore and nationwide.

Baltimore’s brave first responders are fighting this crisis on the frontlines daily. Yet, due to limitations of our state’s standing order, they have just one opioid reversal tool in their toolkit. This lack of choice prevents access to treatments that may be more effective in certain situations. Our emergency response personnel need access to all FDA-approved opioid reversal agents, including those designed to combat fentanyl’s unique potency (“Baltimore has been hit hard. An overdose prevention center could help.” Sept. 20).

The opioid crisis has evolved, and so must our response. Baltimore’s Fire Department deserves every available option to save lives and denying them access to all the available tools only further strains limited resources. It’s time to expand state standing orders to include all FDA-approved overdose treatments to meet the escalating challenge of the opioid crisis.

— Stephen B. Thomas, Baltimore

The writer is director of the Maryland Center for Health Equity at the University of Maryland.

Voting early may be unwise this year

In response to Stan Heuisler’s letter urging early voting, I’d say there’s never been a year with more reason not to vote early, to wait and see what happens (“The joy of filling out a ballot,” Sept. 25).

The unexpected events of the last year, such as President Joe Biden dropping out of the race and two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump, show nobody knows what tomorrow brings.

Election Day isn’t until Nov. 5. So much could happen, but once you cast that vote, no matter how, there’s no undoing it.

— Georgia Corso, Baltimore