Wieters in Spotlight, Credits Stratford Coach

It's been an incredible season so far for the Baltimore Orioles, who lead the fiercely competitive American League East. The love for baseball is a given in Baltimore, but its been a long time since anyone would consider it a romance.

And the player at the heart of the franchise, 25-year-old catcher Matt Wieters, was the subject of a massive Post and Courier profile Sunday. The paper sent Gene Sapakoff for to watch a game against the Yankees earlier this month.

There's some great inside-the-clubhouse moments in the story, but Sapakoff also gives us a tour around the city's Inner Harbor with some great conversations about Wieters.

Sapakoff also checked in at the gift shop at Camden Yards. Retail manager Charlene Cager said, "Since the beginning of this year, with everything he’s doing, his stuff is selling unbelievable."

And, while it's been a long time since he put on a Knights uniform, Wieters pointed to lessons on the local diamond that have led him to this point in his career.

Wieters said his work ethic comes from “my dad, my high school coach (Stratford’s John Chalus) and pretty much everyone I’ve played for.”

He elaborates: “If you stay the same, people are going to pass you up. That’s what I was always told when I was growing up.”

Read the entire Wieters feature at Post and Courier.