Looking back on an amazing night, Jimenez on his start and more

Looking back on an amazing night, Jimenez on his start and more
For an Orioles fan, does it get much better than last night? The Orioles hit six homers, routed a good team, started a homestand off big and capped the night with an amazing show linking their proud past with their promising present. It ends with the O's Hall of Famers and the current Orioles on the field together as their adoring fans cheer until they can't anymore. Perfect. That is what it was. I don't know if they'll be able to top that for a while. Maybe with something in...

Frank and Brooks Robinson on their time as Orioles and the current team

Frank and Brooks Robinson on their time as Orioles and the current team
Reporters got to hear from a steady stream of Orioles and Baseball Hall of Famers today. We heard from some of the greatest players to ever wear orange and black. Yeah, we had a good afternoon. In the last press conference of the day, Hall of Famers Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson and Brooks Robinson spoke. Frank spoke eloquently about his time here as a player and the good feeling he has now coming back for tonight's 60th anniversary celebration. What made it special to be an Oriole? "The...

Showalter talks about Frank Robinson (updated)

Showalter talks about Frank Robinson (updated)
SARASOTA, Fla. - Owner Peter Angelos just arrived at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. He walked through the media workroom a few minutes ago. We're still waiting for the Orioles to announce the Nelson Cruz signing. Update: Angelos left the complex after shaking hands with manager Buck Showalter, who thanked him for stopping by. Angelos was in Tampa and decided to make the trip with son Lou Angelos and team counsel Alan Rifkin. As for Cruz, the Orioles are setting up for Tuesday morning's...

Frank Robinson visits camp

Frank Robinson visits camp
SARASOTA, Fla. - Nelson Cruz won't work out with the Orioles today, according to executive vice president Dan Duquette. Cruz is listed on the practice sheet, but he isn't on the field. The Orioles are expected to announce Cruz's signing later today, though Duquette said the club is still "working on some things." That probably means the corresponding 40-man roster move. Outfielder Quintin Berry left the workout today with members of the athletic training staff. He may have an issue with...

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...

After ceremonial first pitch, Robinson reflects on baseball's return to D.C.

After ceremonial first pitch, Robinson reflects on baseball's return to D.C.
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson threw out the ceremonial first pitch of Game 3 of the National League Division Series. Donning his trademark No. 20 jersey, Robinson threw a strike to Ian Desmond, much to delight of the soldout crowd at Nationals Park. "It was very delightful and quite an honor," Robinson said. "I enjoyed doing it. I thank the Lerner family for asking me to do it." Robinson was able to wear his No. 20 jersey, the same number that Desmond switched to this season in honor of...

Nats will be tested by Carpenter

Nats will be tested by Carpenter
Chris Carpenter missed nearly the entire regular season after having a bizarre surgery to remove a rib, and he threw just 17 innings over his three starts prior to the playoffs. But the Cardinals won't put any limit on their veteran right-hander today as he pitches in Game 3 of the best-of-five National League Division Series. "We plan on going in and just watch him as he goes," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said today. "And he's a pretty fair evaluator of himself as well. But we...

Matthew Taylor: Is warehouse in Chris Davis' sights?

Matthew Taylor: Is warehouse in Chris Davis' sights?
Can the Orioles' Chris Davis become the first player to hit the B&O Warehouse with a home run during game action? That's the question I've been asking myself since Davis hit a broken-bat homer June 13 against the Pirates. The display of strength by a power-hitting lefty has had me pondering the possibilities ever since. My prediction, equal parts bold and foolish, is that Davis will become the first batter to hit the Warehouse. Oriole Park at Camden Yards has been open for 20 years. There...

Perceived breach of etiquette by Nationals infuriates Rays' Maddon

Perceived breach of etiquette by Nationals infuriates Rays' Maddon
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon opened his postgame session with reporters after Tuesday night's 5-4 Rays victory over the Nationals - a game in which one of his relief pitchers, ex-Nat Joel Peralta, was ejected after umpires discovered pine tar in his glove - with a zinger that was equal parts tone-setter and a no-doubt-about-it retaliatory verbal punch at the losing team for what Maddon perceived as a breach of baseball etiquette. "Heads up," he warned reporters, wiping a clearly clean spot...

The time Davey Johnson saved Frank Robinson from drowning

The time Davey Johnson saved Frank Robinson from drowning
As a guy who has been around baseball for 50 years, Davey Johnson's always good for a story. Today, he shared a hilarious one. Johnson - who resigned as Orioles manager after the 1997 season - is set to face the O's for the first time in a regular season game, and opened up about his time in Baltimore, both as a player and a skipper. Asked to recount his favorite story from his Orioles days, Johnson chose one that involved one of his former teammates, Frank Robinson. "It was my first...

Frank Robinson: "Ranks right up there with the Hall of Fame"

Frank Robinson: "Ranks right up there with the Hall of Fame"
Frank Robinson had a busy afternoon at Camden Yards. Between the unveiling of his statue in left-center field today and before an on-field ceremony before tonight's game he spent some time at a press conference and talked about today's honor. "Since this is going to be a lifetime thing as far as the statue is concerned, it ranks right up there with the Hall of Fame," Robinson said. "It is a tremendous honor, it's something you don't think about and when you hear about it and that they...

What the Orioles Hall of Famers say about Frank Robinson

What the Orioles Hall of Famers say about Frank Robinson
Here are some excerpts from an Orioles press release with comments from the other National Baseball Hall of Famers from the club on Frank Robinson: Brooks Robinson: "I am thrilled that Frank is being honored today with this statue. He was a fantastic player. His arrival put us over the hump and turned us into a championship team. He has also had numerous accomplishments after his playing days including being named the first African-American manager in Major League history. His work in the...

Buck Showalter on Frank Robinson

Buck Showalter on Frank Robinson
The grounds crew is peeling the tarp off the field. I guess that's a good sign, though the forecast is pretty bad, from what I've been told. One of the loudest ovations during today's ceremony for the unveiling of Frank Robinson's statue came when the Hall of Famer proclaimed that "The Oriole Way was the correct way." You don't have to convince manager Buck Showalter, who has long admired Robinson and stays in contact with him. Showalter attended today's ceremony, along with first...

Frank Robinson's comments at his statue ceremony

Frank Robinson's comments at his statue ceremony
He was the first Oriole to have his number retired and today Frank Robinson was the first to have his statue unveiled in the picnic area in left center field at Camden Yards. Here are some of Robinson's comments during that ceremony: "When I came over here, I was one person, one man. But I did say this was a good team before I got here. With these guys, they made it easy. We had fun playing the game. We played the game the Oriole Way and the Oriole Way is the correct way of playing the...

Weather won't influence ceremony for Frank Robinson

Weather won't influence ceremony for Frank Robinson
Because so many fans have asked, the Orioles will unveil the statue honoring Frank Robinson in a ceremony that begins at 5:15 p.m., rain or shine. And it hasn't been decided whether the teams would play a doubleheader tomorrow if weather forces a postponement tonight, but since the Athletics return to Baltimore July 27-29, my guess is we'd have a single game tomorrow. The gates open today at 5 p.m., with the festivities taking place in the bullpen area. The special guests include Hank Aaron,...

Flashback: Frank Robinson and the Orioles' transformation into a contender

Flashback: Frank Robinson and the Orioles' transformation into a contender
There's no way around it: Frank Robinson's arrival via trade in December 1965 transformed the Orioles, pushing a club on the precipice of contention into the postseason - immediately. Considered an old 30 and expendable by the Reds, Robinson flourished in Baltimore. He won the Triple Crown in 1966 - leading the American League with a .316 average, 49 homers and 122 RBIs - and sent the Orioles into the World Series, where they shockingly swept the vaunted Dodgers. More accolades followed, as...

F. Robinson will throw out first pitch before Gilman, St. Joe meet in tourney final Saturday

F. Robinson will throw out first pitch before Gilman, St. Joe meet in tourney final Saturday
When Gilman and Mt. St. Joseph meet Saturday at Camden Yards in the finals of the President's Cup high school tournament, the opportunity to play on the same field used by the Orioles will be only one of the highlights for two prep teams. Former Orioles player and manager Frank Robinson, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Saturday's 1 p.m. game. The Greyhounds and Gaels are the survivors in a 16-team,...

O's to honor six Hall of Famers with bronze statues inside Camden Yards

O's to honor six Hall of Famers with bronze statues inside Camden Yards
Remember those rumblings about the Orioles doing something more concrete at Camden Yards to honor their six Hall of Famers? Turns out those plans are finally out in the open - and the finished products will be in bronze. A club source has confirmed the Orioles will erect bronze statues of their players enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. - Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. - in an area beyond the bullpen...

Anthony Amobi: Grateful for my all-time favorite ballplayer

Anthony Amobi: Grateful for my all-time favorite ballplayer
As long as I have been an Orioles fan, I have always had one name in my mind: Frank Robinson. For me growing up, Frank Robinson was an iconic symbol unlike any other. I always tell everyone Cal Ripken Jr. was my favorite all-time Oriole growing up, but Frank was my all-time favorite ballplayer. Honestly, due to my age, I really didn't see him play at all - well, except on videotape. Really, the only link to his legend for me as a fan was hearing stories about him from other fans that had...