He worked with the Orioles, was there for the final game at Memorial Stadium and for the first game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He had a long friendship with Frank Robinson and missed his first Orioles opener in many, many years to find his way to Philadelphia to see the first game in Nationals history in 2005. That's why Allen didn't want to miss this game. He had problems finding tickets and finally called in a favor from a well-connected friend, which is why he was standing in the main concourse and smiling about 20 minutes after Zimmerman's game-winning blast. Allen watched the crowd slowly filing out and said this wasn't just another opener. "This was an event," he said. "This was definitely an event, and as Camden Yards was for about two years, it was not so much the ballgame, but the event."