Carmelo Anthony, Ray Lewis denounce Baltimore violence on social media

The Knicks' Carmelo Anthony and former NFL star Ray Lewis each took to social media Tuesday to denounce violence in Baltimore, while the Orioles baseball team announced it will play Wednesday's game at Camden Yards with no one in the stands.

"To see my city in a State of Emergency is just shocking," Anthony said in a statement posted on Instagram late Monday. "We need to protect our city, not destroy it. . . . Let's build our city up not tear it down."

The statement concluded, "Remember, it takes no time to destroy something. But, it can take forever to build it back up."

The Orioles, who postponed Monday and Tuesday night's games against the Chicago White Sox, will play Wednesday afternoon's game, but the game will be closed to the public for security reasons, the team said Tuesday.

"It's all about what's best for the city and the safety of our people," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

John Thorn, Major League Baseball's official historian, said it would be the first time an MLB contest has been played behind closed doors, although there have been such instances in the minor leagues.

The Orioles also announced they will move this weekend's series against Tampa Bay to Tropicana Field, the Rays' home park in St. Petersburg, Florida. Despite the change in venue, the Orioles will be the "home" team.

Lewis, a former linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, posted a video denouncing the violence on Facebook Tuesday.

"Freddie Gray -- we don't do nothing for him doing this," Lewis said. "We know there's a deeper issue. We know what the jungle looks like. But this isn't it. It's enough of us in the streets trying to change what's going on. Baltimore: get off the streets. Kids: go home. Stay home."

Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira also grew up in the Baltimore area. His uncle the Rev. Charles J. Canterna is a priest at St. Vincent de Paul, a downtown Baltimore Catholic church being protected by the National Guard.

"I talked to my dad last night. He's doing fine," Teixeira said. "People start attacking churches, it's a good thing the National Guard's there, because that's the bottom of the bottom."

The Ravens' NFL draft party at M&T Bank Stadium scheduled for Thursday night has been canceled due to the curfew, the team announced Tuesday.

With Anthony Rieber