The date is April 29, 2015. Baltimore is reeling from the devastating riots sparked by the death in police custody of twenty-five-year-old African American Freddie Gray. Set against this grim backdrop, less than thirty-six hours after the worst rioting Baltimore has seen since the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox take the field at Camden Yards. It is a surreal event they will never forget: the only Major League game until COVID ever played without fans. The eerily quiet stadium is on lockdown for public safety and because police are needed elsewhere to keep the tense city from exploding anew. When the Crowd Didn't Roar chronicles this unsettling contest-as well as the tragic events that led up to it and the therapeutic effect the game had on a troubled city. The story comes vividly to life through the eyes of city leaders, activists, police officials, and the media that covered the tumultuous unrest on the streets of Baltimore, as well as the ballplayers, umpires, managers, and front-office personnel of the teams that played in this singular game, and the fans who watched it from behind locked gates. In its own way, amid the uprising and great turmoil, baseball stopped to reflect on the fact that something different was happening in Baltimore and responded to it in an unprecedented way, making this the unlikeliest and strangest game ever played.

The date is April 29, 2015. Baltimore is reeling from the devastating riots sparked by the death in police custody of twenty-five-year-old African American Freddie Gray. Set against this grim backdrop, less than thirty-six hours after the worst rioting Baltimore has seen since the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968, the Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago White Sox take the field at Camden Yards. It is a surreal event they will never forget: the only Major League game until COVID ever played without fans. The eerily quiet stadium is on lockdown for public safety and because police are needed elsewhere to keep the tense city from exploding anew. When the Crowd Didn't Roar chronicles this unsettling contest-as well as the tragic events that led up to it and the therapeutic effect the game had on a troubled city. The story comes vividly to life through the eyes of city leaders, activists, police officials, and the media that covered the tumultuous unrest on the streets of Baltimore, as well as the ballplayers, umpires, managers, and front-office personnel of the teams that played in this singular game, and the fans who watched it from behind locked gates. In its own way, amid the uprising and great turmoil, baseball stopped to reflect on the fact that something different was happening in Baltimore and responded to it in an unprecedented way, making this the unlikeliest and strangest game ever played.

Cody Parker is the new kid in school. He's overweight, scared and hates his new life in Dullsville, Maryland., aka Baltimore, where he's a target okay, a "big" target for brutal teasing. But he loves baseball. And despite his size, he plays third base like a dream. Too bad he's competing for the starting job on the Orioles of the Dulaney Babe Ruth League against budding hoodlum Dante Rizzo, who vows to squeeze Cody's head like a grape if he beats him out. Life gets even more complicated when Cody's school, York Middle, is beset by a rash of mysterious thefts, a crime wave that threatens to sideline Cody and ruin a golden season for the Orioles. Will Cody ever succeed in getting people to see him for who he really is?

Connor Sullivan is too humble to admit it, but he's the Orioles' best player, an all-star shortstop and a beast of a clean-up hitter. The Orioles are thankful to have someone with his skill, dedication, and good nature on their Babe Ruth League team. Lately, though, he hasn't been so good natured. Maybe he's worried about things at home, or maybe he's just been working too hard--whatever the reason, his anger is out of control. When he strikes out or makes an error, he's a walking Mt. Vesuvius, slamming his batting helmet and throwing his glove. His opponents dub him "Psycho Sully." Even his best friend Jordy starts to avoid him. Coach Hammond is ready to bench him indefinitely.Then the sports editor of the school paper threatens to do a big story on his tantrums--complete with embarrassing photos. Will Connor be able to get his act together in time to help the team win the championship, or is he destined to become a champion chump on YouTube?
This story, loosely based on a challenge Cal Ripken, Jr. once faced, is filled with plenty of play-by-play action to keep baseball fans riveted.