Two years ago today, my girlfriend and I were sitting inside a Subway restaurant at the intersection of Pratt Street and Howard Street in downtown Baltimore, patiently awaiting the start of Orioles FanFest 2013.  Spirits were as high as they had ever been in Birdland, as the O’s were coming off their first winning season and playoff appearance since 1997 and fans were ready for another exciting year under manager Buck Showalter. As I bit into my meatball sub a couple minutes after 9:30, I felt a buzz in my […]

As I type this, the buzz around baseball is looking pretty bleak for Orioles fans.  Just take a quick glance at “Orioles Twitter” and you will know exactly what I mean.  ESPN’s Buster Olney has just recently reported that the Atlanta Braves are close to an agreement with Nick Markakis on a 4-yr/$45M deal. We already watched Nelson Cruz leave Birdland to take a hefty 4-year deal with the Seattle Mariners, and it has been announced that the Orioles are not making an attempt to re-sign dominant left handed reliever […]

Many people around baseball expect the Orioles offense to be one of the most potent in the league this season.  With a group headlined by the likes of Chris Davis, Adam Jones, and Nelson Cruz, anything less would be a disappointment.  Four games into the season, that disappointment has become an early reality.  To say the offense has underperformed so far in the young 2014 season would be an understatement.  Where do we stand compared to the rest of the league?  Well… .214 Team BA – 22nd in MLB 11 […]

I asked my Twitter followers to tweet me one word describing the Orioles’ offseason thus far, and here are some of the responses I received: @Qwinning: Cautious @deathtobunting: “What” @Red_Head_Ed: B.S. @DillonAtkinson_: Unsatisfactory @davethepizzaguy: Hibernating @MikeAdki22: Nonexistent @JEFFSTOWER: Typical @bmoresportsfan: Subpar @RASkelt: Worthless @EricaHenderson3: Frustrating @WildcatAg73: Torturous @Beau1u: Angelosian (my personal favorite) @pd48fan: Cheap @AGrosh16: Balfour @JTrea81: Terrible Sensing a trend?  O’s fans are not happy. We’ve watched top-notch free agents sign with rival teams, we’ve had promising deals fall through, and we traded one of the best closers in […]

Arguably the best defensive catcher in the league (with two consecutive Gold Glove Awards to show for it), Matt Wieters has established himself as one of the best all-around catchers in baseball. He knows how to call an excellent game from behind the plate and he’ll keep even the fastest base runner on his toes. But while Wieters has become known for his defensive prowess, his offensive numbers have been average. Before I get into all the details, let me make one thing clear. I do not think Wieters is […]

Pedro Strop is one of those pitchers you either love or you hate.  I love him. Maybe it’s because I got to know him last season when I was on the tarp crew.  We actually became pretty good buds.  On Opening Day, he thought my long hair made me look like Tim Lincecum, and from that day forward, Pedro would call me “Teem Leenceecoom” with his heavy accent every time he saw me.  I’m not sure he even knows my real name.  I’m getting off topic, but my point is, […]

Third base in Baltimore always seems to be occupied by someone special.  For 23 years, Brooks Robinson flashed the leather at the hot corner, and although he spent most of his career as a shortstop, younger fans like me remember Cal Ripken, Jr. as a third baseman. Then there were the guys who probably won’t have a statue put up in Legends Park or anywhere else for that matter. Melvin Mora manned the hot corner for much of the recent decade. Miguel Tejada had a couple shots here and there. […]

When it was announced that the Montreal Expos were moving to Washington, DC to become the Nationals, I was only half excited.  The baseball fan in me was thrilled.  I could go watch some National League games without having to travel to Philly or Pittsburgh.  It would give me an opportunity to see teams and players that wouldn’t come to Baltimore every season.  On the other hand, the Orioles fan in me was disgusted.  Would Orioles-not-so-faithful hop on a different bandwagon?  I was almost certain we would lose plenty of […]

In a magical 2012 season during which the Orioles won as many games (93) as they had lost the year before, the BUCKle Up Birds boasted a single pitcher with double digit wins:  Taiwanese rookie Wei-Yin Chen.  The young lefty impressed me, but the pitcher who really caught my eye was a righty who spent two large portions of the season in the minor leagues. Miguel Gonzalez was called up on May 29th and made a couple appearances in relief before being sent back to Triple-A Norfolk.  He returned at […]

It was a nice change of scenery at Yankee Stadium South, even before the first pitch. The date was September 6th, a memorable one in Orioles history.  Seventeen years ago, Cal Ripken, Jr. had passed Yankees legend Lou Gehrig for the most consecutive games played with 2,131.  Tonight, a statue was unveiled to commemorate the former Orioles third baseman’s illustrious career. But this wasn’t the only exciting storyline of the evening. Two days earlier, thanks to a 12-run shutout of the Blue Jays and a Yankees loss in Tampa Bay, […]