The Sun's Eduardo A. Encina proves that beat writers CAN snap good pictures from their cell phones... and that fans showed up to OPACY on Sunday.

Okay, I admit it, I was wrong.

I questioned the loyalty of Orioles fans and they made me look like a fool this weekend.

After 11,938 people showed up on Monday to welcome home the Birds after their 5-1 road trip in New York and Boston I wrote this:

The Ravens will likely get bigger crowds at their practices this summer.

If you want the Orioles to do well, you’ve got to go out and support them when they do. If you want Adam Jones to re-sign in Baltimore, go out to the Yard and cheer him on.

This team just took five of six from the Yankees and Red Sox. What’s it going to take to put some butts in seats?

Apparently all it took was a battle for first place in the AL East between the O’s and Rays.  26,669 fans attended game one on Friday, 32,862 came to the Yard on Saturday and 29,552 showed up for the Mother’s Day matchup.  Well done Orioles fans.

The fans were so ruthless that Rays third baseman Evan Longoria told them to simmer down.  Mark Viviano tweeted that Saturday’s crowd was “by far the loudest” of the year even beating out Opening Day.

The next two games are an even bigger challenge.  The bandwagon fans of Virginia and Delaware have hidden their Red Sox gear in shame and are ready to flood the gates of Camden Yards.  Let’s make sure the Orioles get the first place ovation they deserve.

Zach Wilt is the Founding Editor of BaltimoreSportsReport.com and Host of the BSR Podcast.  You can follow him on twitter @zamwi or send him an email: zach@baltimoresportsreport.com.