Last night I went to the Yankees-Orioles game at the new Yankee Stadium.  Or, for me, the Orioles-Yankees game. In case you didn’t read the little box to the right, I’m a die-hard Orioles fan.

Yes, that’s right. I said it. I admit it. And I’ve never wavered from it.

So for that reason, I felt no shame in donning an orange Brian Roberts t-shirt to the game last night, as my friend Meredith, also from Baltimore, wore an O’s cap. Yeah, I’ve heard the stories about the guys who wear opposing team colors to Yankee stadium and leave with a souvenir black eye. I’ve heard all about it. And frankly, I really didn’t care.

To hell with those people. Go B-Rob.

A few friends had actually mentioned to me that this year’s crop of Yankee fans, the new Yankee fans for the new Yankee stadium, were much tamer than those of old. Even Mr. Yankee himself, WCBSTV.com Senior Producer Jeff Capellini called out his own for being as soft as cotton balls these days.

Well, not on this particular evening. Not in section 417, at least.

I’ve been to the old Yankee Stadium. I’ve gone to Orioles-Yankees games. I’ve worn my Orioles colors. And on this particular evening, I was heckled more than I’ve ever been and ever would have imagined.

It began as I waited at the Columbus Circle subway station for Meredith. As a D train approached and the doors opened to a slew of Yankees fans smushed together inside, a mild smattering of boos came from a few fans piled into the car. Pretty weak, I thought.

The train then took off, Meredith arrived, and within seconds another D train approached, this one with not many people on it at all. Sweet. Maybe this would be a good night after all. I’d already been to two games at Oriole Park this year, both against the Yanks, and both victories. And as they say, everything comes in threes.

Yeah, so it turns out it’s actually just most things.

The heat picked up when we arrived at the stadium. We decided to grab a couple cheap beers outside at one of the bars beforehand, and while there I ran into an old friend from college who I hadn’t seen since 2001. As we caught up, I tried keeping my attention on the conversation, but was distracted by a fellow cheap beer-drinker standing a few feet away pointing at me and laughing.

“Hahaha, nice Orioles team! How’s last place? Orioles suck! Orioles suck!” he repeated.

I kept my mouth shut and focused on the old friend and cheap beers. Fortunately, at that same moment, the O’s took a 1-0 lead after Brian Roberts scored in the first inning. The heckler stopped running his mouth and walked away in disgust. Take that.

And my fun ended right about there. We soon entered the stadium and literally the moment I emerged from the tunnel, fans began to boo us as we walked to our seats. I found some relief after running into another friend from Baltimore a section over in full Orioles gear too, but the good times and great taste was short-lived.

Back in my seat, I happened to be sitting behind a group of enthusiastic (read: wasted…really, really, wasted) Yankee fans of the meathead variety, probably college-aged, who quickly took offense to my shirt.

The drunkest one of them, a guy in a Jason Giambi t-shirt who’d been making gestures with his crotch to Orioles starter Brad Bergesen for a good chunk of the game, turned around and pointed to me and yelled, “An Orioles fan! A**hole! A**hole!”

And just like that, section 417 chanted this in unison. For several minutes.

I was flattered. I acknowledged my status and smiled, waved. I would have even signed autographs.

Soon Meredith and I went for food, and took off on our own separate ways as she searched for chicken fingers and I craved a hot dog. First I hit the men’s room, where I was instructed to urinate in the sink when I got in line inside. That’s where Orioles fans go number one, a fan told me.

Back in the hallway, I got in line for a dog and while waiting, a gentleman walked by me and screamed, “Nice shirt, fa**ot!”

Another followed suit, reminding me that I suck.

I found Meredith. We returned to our seats. We ate. I got about a bite and a half into the dog before some fans a few rows behind me took great interest in my dinner. A different comment for each bite.

“Brian Roberts loves foot-longs!”

“Brian Roberts takes it in the ***!”

“Brian Roberts like an**!”

“Brian Roberts sucks d**k!”

I’d feel more inappropriate writing this stuff if I didn’t notice the grown men and women with kids around me smiling and laughing as it went on. Are these the same people that gave John Rocker a lesson in manners when he made his infamous subway comments years back?

Eventually, the Yankees opened things up on the O’s and scored seven times in the seventh. The fans around us grew more raucous. The a**hole  chants returned, the reminders that Meredith and I sucked came in hoards. We figured that was our cue to leave.

Yankee Stadium was gorgeous, I must say. I liked it far more than Citi Field. That jumbotron? Insane. I'm glad they kept the look of the old stadium to give it that nostalgic baseball feel, while keeping in tune with the modern twang. Of course, if there is anything that hasn’t changed at all from the old stadium, it’s the reputation the fans bring.

The great thing about baseball stadiums is that each one has its own unique characteristic that sets it apart from the others. Be it the Warehouse and Boog’s Barbeque in Baltimore. The Green Monster at Fenway. The vintage ivy wall at Wrigley. The Philly Fanatic. And, perhaps sadly, the New York Yankee fan base.

I’m all for heckling and all for being heckled, it's one of the most fun parts of the game for fans; but there’s a difference between telling me that I suck and comparing my food to obscene descriptions of sexual acts and making sure everyone around you hears about it. Why is it appropriate to cross the line at a baseball game, whereas if this went on inside a subway car I imagine most people would find it far more offensive?

At what point do ushers step in and make that line tangible? Or do they at all?

I enjoyed the heckling, at first…before it got out of line. It's fun to be the center of attention just for wearing a shirt. Yeah, I'm wearing an orange shirt and I love one of the worst teams in baseball. I suck. You're welcome to remind me that much. It’s a part of the experience at Yankee Stadium. And I wouldn’t ask to change that for the world.

Stay unclassy, New York. But tone it down, if at least just a bit, please.