Returning players from 1983 championship team reminisce and find comparisons to 2023 club

Former Orioles pitcher Mike Boddicker didn’t hesitate when asked yesterday whether the Orioles can win the World Series, their first since the 1983 team that’s going to be honored prior to tonight's game. He pounced on the question like a dogpile on the mound.

“Heck yes,” he said.

“I look at these pitchers and stuff and I’m going, ‘Yeah, they’ve got enough, they’ve got enough.’ And they have fun. If you look down, they’re having fun.”

Build a 40th anniversary reunion and they will come.

More than 20 players from ’83, ranging from superstars to modest contributors. They didn’t have the same careers but were on the same page about the similarities between their team and the 2023 Orioles, who won again last night and improved to 68-42.

Do you remember where some former Orioles ended careers?

Do you remember where some former Orioles ended careers?
As a young Orioles fan it took many years for me to understand the Davey Johnson trade to the Braves following the 1972 season. Dealing a three-time All-Star and winner of three Gold Gloves at second base. An integral part of four World Series teams. The disappointment of a third-place finish in '72 after three straight American League pennants still ran deep. Now this? The Orioles were clearing a path for Bobby Grich, who won four Gold Gloves and made three All-Star teams before signing with...

Remembering the other catchers on the '83 championship team

Remembering the other catchers on the '83 championship team
In the world of improbable World Series Most Valuable Players, there's always going to be a seat at the table for former Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey. And you can be certain that he's going to block the plate. You know what they say about old habits. Dempsey went 5-for-13 with four doubles and a home run in 1983 and did his usual outstanding work defensively and handling the pitching staff. And the Orioles disposed of the Phillies in five games, with Dempsey embracing Scott McGregor after the...

Important Orioles events on this date

Important Orioles events on this date
On this date in 1970, the Orioles were a day removed from clinching their second World Series title. The champagne had barely dried. But a year later, they faced a must-win situation against the Pirates at Memorial Stadium. Down 3-2 in games, the Orioles won 3-2 in 10 innings on Brooks Robinson's sacrifice fly off Bob Miller that scored Frank Robinson, who drew a one-out walk and hustled to third base on Merv Rettenmund's single. Brooks always will be remembered for his defensive wizardry in...

More on Perez, Maduro and expanded interest internationally

More on Perez, Maduro and expanded interest internationally
The process of hiring Koby Perez as the Orioles' senior director of international scouting began immediately after the Winter Meetings and appeared to wrap up as the warehouse shut down for the holidays. Scout Calvin Maduro was given the news a few weeks ago, with the announcement coming on Wednesday. Perez, calling into the "Hot Stove Show" on 105.7 The Fan, said executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias contacted the Indians upon returning from Las Vegas seeking permission to...

Wynns' offseason includes instruction from Dempsey

Wynns' offseason includes instruction from Dempsey
A casual clubhouse conversation over the summer between a past and current Orioles catcher led to an offseason lunch, a lengthy workout and a relationship that could pay dividends on the field. Rick Dempsey, the former World Series Most Valuable Player and current MASN analyst who played in the majors for 24 seasons and owns two championship rings. Austin Wynns, a rookie at 27 trying to stick around as a backup with perhaps an opportunity to do more in the future. Too bad it wasn't caught on...

"MASN All Access" podcast: Chance The Bunter, bats vs. pitching and schedule

"MASN All Access" podcast: Chance The Bunter, bats vs. pitching and schedule
What's the first weekend of the season without a little controversy? As if it hadn't been talked about enough, Paul and I discuss Chance Sisco's now infamous bunt in the ninth inning against the Twins on Sunday to start off this week's Orioles episode of the "MASN All Access" podcast. Was Sisco in the wrong, or did he do the right thing when he bunted during José Berríos' one-hit shutout? We'll weigh in with our thoughts and hear from MASN analyst and Orioles Hall of Famer Rick...

Matthew Taylor: RBI-less Joseph shouldn't be defined by statistical quirk

Matthew Taylor: RBI-less Joseph shouldn't be defined by statistical quirk
With his wife having given birth to the couple's first child during spring training last season, Caleb Joseph described his added motivation for making the team humorously using the phrase "Baby's gotta eat." Joseph appeared in 100 games for the Orioles in 2015 and acquitted himself well as Matt Wieters recovered from Tommy John surgery. His productive plate appearances often inspired tweets incorporating the hashtag #BabysGottaEat. Little Walker Everett Joseph did not go hungry. Given...

A crazy camp doesn't get any calmer with Kim news

A crazy camp doesn't get any calmer with Kim news
TAMPA - The Orioles are concluding one of the most bizarre, exasperating and exhausting spring trainings in franchise history. This could be inaccurate, a gross exaggeration, but I'd need examples that trumped what happened in Sarasota. Yovani Gallardo agrees to terms on a three-year contract, concerns about his right shoulder surface during a physical and the deal is restructured. Dexter Fowler agrees to terms on a three-year deal, according to sources, but surprises the Cubs by showing up at...

Sure sign of spring: Autograph event at Dempsey's

Sure sign of spring: Autograph event at Dempsey's
Weather got you down? Tired of snow, ice and cold? I can empathize. In fact, I've had to make due for the past two storms with a snow shovel that's about to give up the ghost. Home Depot and Lowe's act as if it's never snowed in Baltimore in March. And all those bulbs and fertilizer don't exactly do a good job of moving the white stuff. But spring is coming. I promise. And I'll bet I can make you feel like Orioles season is just a little bit closer. Dempsey's Brew Pub and Restaurant at...

Dempsey: "It's our window right now and they prove it every night"

Dempsey: "It's our window right now and they prove it every night"
The Orioles have won three straight games in three different cities. Happens all the time, I'm sure. Every Orioles starter collected a hit last night in a 9-3 win over the Blue Jays. The bottom three batters in the lineup belted home runs - Chris Davis, Caleb Joseph and Jonathan Schoop. Who's the last rookie before Joseph to homer three straight games in three different cities? Hello, Elias? So many different contributors. So many memories for former catcher and current MASN analyst Rick...

If you've got the tarp and downpour, we've got the ex-O's catcher ...

If you've got the tarp and downpour, we've got the ex-O's catcher ...
It's pouring right now at Camden Yards. No, pouring may be too tame a word. The rain is coming down so hard that I can barely see the tour group stuck in the visitors dugout from my fifth-floor Warehouse window. I don't know about you, but I can't see the tarp on the field in the middle of a rainstorm and not think of ex-Orioles catcher and current MASN broadcaster Rick Dempsey, who turned rain delay boredom into laugh-inducing pantomime on many a major league diamond. Sometimes Dempsey...

A few leftovers for breakfast

A few leftovers for breakfast
I wrote yesterday that the Orioles had scheduled three or four interviews next week with candidates for pitching coach. I also heard that a "high-profile" candidate would interview Tuesday. That would be former Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee, as The Sun reported last night. Dubee is intriguing because he worked with studs like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. He also has strong ties to executive vice president Dan Duquette, though it's ultimately manager Buck Showalter's...

Catching up with the 1983 World Series MVP

Catching up with the 1983 World Series MVP
Thirty years ago today, the Orioles won their last World Series by defeating the Phillies in five games. Does it seem that long ago? Not to the MVP. "It seems like it was only yesterday," said former catcher Rick Dempsey. "This is what time does to you when you get older. These events, you don't think about them and then all of a sudden they're in your face. You hear, 'This is the anniversary,' and you think, 'Oh, my God. It's been 30 years?' I didn't think I'd live 30 years past...

Dempsey's Brewpub and Restaurant now open on non-game days

Dempsey's Brewpub and Restaurant now open on non-game days
If you live or work near Camden Yards, you now have a new dining option for days when the Orioles aren't playing at home. Beginning today, Dempsey's Brewpub and Restaurant is now open for both lunch and dinner. You can eat, drink and be merry on the first floor of the B&O Warehouse beginning at 11 a.m. Slide into Dempsey's - the namesake of former O's catcher, 1983 World Series MVP and current MASN broadcaster Rick Dempsey - for a midday meal, then stop back after work for another of the...

Monday Memory: Of flooded dugouts and faux fishing holes

Monday Memory: Of flooded dugouts and faux fishing holes
This weekend's brush with Hurricane Irene got me thinking about some of the waterlogged nights I've spend at Camden Yards and Memorial Stadium over the years. Rain and games don't really mix - even in football, where hearty, big guys boast about playing through just about everything weather-wise. They certainly did at the soggiest sporting event I ever attended, a Canadian Football League game on 33rd Street during the first year of the Baltimore Stallions. The heavens opened and didn't...

Dempsey interview postponed

Dempsey interview postponed
Former Orioles catcher and coach Rick Dempsey had his scheduled interview for the full-time managerial position postponed until Thursday. The interview had initially been scheduled for this afternoon. The interview has been moved to Peter Angelos' law office. The delay will allow certain members of the organization to attend who wouldn't have been available today.