Latest on Henderson, Means and Powell

If you’re inclined to read a little or a lot into a player’s position change, Gunnar Henderson starting at second base last night at Triple-A Norfolk is a real page turner.

Henderson made his first career starts at first base in the past two games and moved to second last night, where his only experience was one game with high Single-A Aberdeen in 2021. He played five innings but didn’t start.

What’s going on with Henderson?

The same thing that put him at first base.

The Orioles want Henderson to get comfortable on the right side of the infield and increase their options if his contract is selected, which seems like a lock. They can use his left-handed bat in multiple ways, and the roster gains more flexibility.

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...

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...

Current Orioles wanting to follow in 1970 team's footsteps

Current Orioles wanting to follow in 1970 team's footsteps
The Orioles managed again last night to reach back to their past while focusing on the present, their latest game against the Rays that ended with a 2-1 loss, and the promising future with the influx of prospects on the roster. None of them should be ignored or neglected. Fifty years have melted away since the Orioles won the second World Series title in franchise history. They couldn't remove the pain from the upset loss to the Mets in '69, but they plowed through the regular season and...

Remembering 1970: Powell and Buford on World Series win

Remembering 1970: Powell and Buford on World Series win
When the Orioles and Cincinnati Reds met in the 1970 World Series, we didn't know it then but we were seeing something rare: a World Series between two clubs that won 100 or more games. It would not happen again until 2017. The Orioles have three World Series wins and this was their second one. The 108-win Birds beat the 102-win Big Red Machine, four games to one, winning Game 5 in Baltimore 9-3. For the second time in five seasons, the Orioles were champions. The Orioles are celebrating the...

Powell "just trying to stay healthy and not do anything stupid"

Powell "just trying to stay healthy and not do anything stupid"
Players stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic are adapting to life away from baseball. A shock to the system. They've been playing the sport since they were kids. For fun and later as a profession. Their body clocks are wired to it. The shutdown can challenge them both mentally and physically. "It just reminds me of a lockout or a strike, but with more consequences," said former outfielder Eric Davis, in his 12th season as a Reds special assistant. "When you have a lockout or a...

Powell also a cancer survivor in Orioles family

Powell also a cancer survivor in Orioles family
While Eric Davis was undergoing colon cancer surgery and chemotherapy treatments in 1997, one of the most popular players in franchise history - a member of its Hall of Fame and satisfier of pit beef cravings - would be subjected to a similar procedure and regimen in the exact same summer. Davis was diagnosed in June during the first of his two seasons in Baltimore. Former first baseman Boog Powell, who played in four World Series with the Orioles and was voted Most Valuable Player in the...

Orioles announce 2020 promotional schedule

Orioles announce 2020 promotional schedule
Celebrations that commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Negro Leagues, the 50th anniversary of the 1970 World Series championship and the 25th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.'s record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game highlight the Orioles' 2020 promotional schedule. Individual game tickets will go on sale to the general public Thursday beginning at 10 a.m. Birdland Members will receive an email with details on an exclusive pre-sale opportunity that begins Tuesday. Fans who subscribe to the...

Orioles to celebrate life of Frank Robinson on April 6 (note added)

Orioles to celebrate life of Frank Robinson on April 6 (note added)
The Orioles unveiled more of their plans to honor Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, the celebration of his life moving from Sarasota to Camden Yards. The club is dedicating a night to Robinson on April 6 prior to its game against the Yankees, with the ceremony beginning at 6:15 p.m. The program, entitled "A Celebration of Frank," will include a video tribute and collection of notable speakers with confirmations from fellow Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer and Orioles Hall of Famer...

Powell bringing iconic Boog's BBQ to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota

Powell bringing iconic Boog's BBQ to Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota
For years, I've spent the offseason staring at the canopy that houses Boog's BBQ at Camden Yards during the regular season and wondered how good it would be to chow down on a pit beef sandwich (medium well, with barbecue sauce and horseradish, of course) to ward off the winter chill. But the emptiness beneath the canopy on Eutaw Street usually tells me that there will be no wintertime feast (though I've often though about the gold mine that would be created by opening Boog's BBQ one day a...

More memories of Frank Robinson

More memories of Frank Robinson
On a normal day in an offseason that's been light on significant Orioles roster news, the signing of pitcher Nate Karns to a one-year deal would have lit up the social media switchboard. The conversations would have touched on his chances of filling a spot in the rotation, his injury history, the pros and cons of a low-risk move that eliminated infielder Jack Reinheimer from the 40-man roster, and maybe the assignment of uniform No. 36, which had belonged to catcher Caleb Joseph. The passing...

Showalter on Machado's award and shortstop debate (O's lead 7-3)

Showalter on Machado's award and shortstop debate (O's lead 7-3)
Batting practice was halted before 5 p.m. today and the tarp again was unrolled and stretched over the infield with the pending arrival of the latest storm, which has hit twice to varying degrees. Manny Machado's selection as American League Player of the Week didn't exactly send shockwaves through the home clubhouse at Camden Yards. Machado batted .385 (10-for-26) with a double, four home runs - including two grand slams - and 12 RBIs over six games. Among his AL counterparts, Manny finished...

Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer and Boog Powell on the 1966 World Series

Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer and Boog Powell on the 1966 World Series
This figures to be a special night at Camden Yards. The Orioles will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1966 World Series four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the first of three World Series wins for the Orioles. There will be a pregame video tribute to that team that will begin at approximately 6 p.m.. Following the video, the Orioles will welcome back National Baseball Hall of Famers and Orioles legends Jim Palmer and Brooks Robinson, as well as Eddie Fisher, Dick Hall, Larry...

Members of 1966 team look back on the Orioles' first championship season

Members of 1966 team look back on the Orioles' first championship season
Fifty years ago, the average cost of a new home was $23,300. Gas averaged around 32 cents per gallon, a dozen eggs cost 60 cents and a gallon of milk was a steep 99 cents. Lyndon Johnson was the president of the United States and, in Baltimore, the city was home to the world champions of baseball. It's hard to believe it's been five decades since the Orioles captured their inaugural championship. The 1966 Orioles entered the World Series as heavy underdogs to the Los Angeles Dodgers and their...

Asking O's fans, "How did it all start for you?"

Asking O's fans, "How did it all start for you?"
So should I take a day, or even a few hours, away from the usual fare on this blog each day to try something different? "You'll hear crickets," I said to myself when I had this thought last night. "Going to do it anyway," I answered back. Don't worry, I don't have these conversations out loud and only I know I am talking with myself. No reason for concern. So on to today's topic ... How did you become an Orioles fan? Tell me about your first game and/or the start of your fandom....

A memorable World Series sweep, plus other Fall Classic notes

A memorable World Series sweep, plus other Fall Classic notes
Watching the World Series from Kansas City, I thought of a friend from high school whose story has to be told. John Martin grew up on a farm outside of Bryant in eastern South Dakota, near my hometown. He had bushy dark hair with thick eyebrows and a crooked smile. He had a bear-trap handshake, molded from years of never-ending chores. He loved sports, especially baseball, but it was easy to see that his best sport was football. John often joked about his baseball ability, but that never...

Celebrating 60: Powell was big part of Orioles' dominance in 1960s, 1970s

Celebrating 60: Powell was big part of Orioles' dominance in 1960s, 1970s
Memorial Stadium, the horseshoe-shaped ballpark on 33rd Street, is gone, but a plaque at the site marking home plate keeps memories alive. One day, Boog Powell stood at the plaque and went back in time. "Jim Palmer and I went over there and stood at home plate,'' Powell says. "We were standing in the middle of nowhere and put myself right back to the old ballpark. I could envision the left field wall, right field, everything. I could hear the fans. I felt the intensity and the atmosphere....

Matthew Taylor: Statistically speaking, Davis stacks up with O's All-Star first basemen

Matthew Taylor: Statistically speaking, Davis stacks up with O's All-Star first basemen
Chris Davis is in the midst of an historic offensive season that is likely to rank among the greatest in team history. However, the season's not complete. So as we head toward the All-Star Game, I chose to look at what Davis has done thus far and compare his numbers to those of all of the Orioles' previous All-Star first baseman prior to the break. As you might guess, Davis' first-half totals stack up favorably with his O's competition through the years. He has had the best first-half...

Johnson always has fond memories in his visits to Baltimore

Johnson always has fond memories in his visits to Baltimore
BALTIMORE - With manager Davey Johnson making his final run through major league ballparks in his final season at the helm of the Nationals, Baltimore is certainly a place that holds a special place in his heart. Johnson broke into the majors with the Orioles and was also their manager, with a great deal of success at each stop. Johnson played for the Orioles from 1965-72. He was their manager from 1996-97. In 1997, he was named American League Manager of the Year and guided the Orioles to a...

Matthew Taylor: Of Davis and comparisons to beefy left-handed bashers

Matthew Taylor: Of Davis and comparisons to beefy left-handed bashers
On April 5, with Chris Davis having hit four home runs in four games, MLB Network analyst Peter Gammons commented on Twitter about the Orioles' 2011 acquisition of the lefty slugger and remarked, "Now Davis is Boog." Boog, of course, is Boog Powell. And Gammons, of course, was engaging in a bit of hyperbole. Chris Davis is no Boog Powell. Nevertheless, a player like Davis, built the way he is and performing the way he has to start the season, invites historical comparisons, and Powell is...