A roll call of legends and others who also played for the Orioles
A roll call of legends and others who also played for the Orioles
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The boredom and mind-numbing, stay-at-home routine during the pandemic has led to some interesting and amusing entertainment ideas on Twitter, a place that often should be shut down or rationed in visits to avoid breathing in the pollution. The idea of wearing a mask should have started there. A recent thread was created with baseball players, famous for their years with a specific team, referred to in jest as another organization's legend. Players that fans might have forgotten actually wore...
Dwight Smith Jr. on the Players League and the boom boom room
Dwight Smith Jr. on the Players League and the boom boom room
Steve Melewski
Orioles
No, it was not real baseball on an actual diamond. But the MLB the Show Players League provided a few weeks' worth of entertainment, as all 30 big league teams were represented by one of their players in the three-inning video game contests. Fans could watch live via the Internet and the playoffs were actually televised on ESPN networks and FS1. Tampa Bay and pitcher Blake Snell won in the championship series, three games to none over the Chicago White Sox and pitcher Lucas Giolito. For the...
Dwight Smith Jr. staying ready while waiting for baseball to return
Dwight Smith Jr. staying ready while waiting for baseball to return
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
Orioles outfielder Dwight Smith Jr. no longer has MLB The Show to distract him from baseball's lengthy shutdown and uncertain future. He had a blast guiding his video team to a fifth-place finish and a playoff berth as the organization's representative and earning top honors as manager with the current roster. Now he's back to full-on pandemic life like everyone else. Smith isn't ready to offer advice to Orioles manager Brandon Hyde or think about the next phase of his professional life....
Thames staying in shape, rekindling hobby during shutdown
Thames staying in shape, rekindling hobby during shutdown
Byron Kerr
Nationals
New Nationals backup first baseman Eric Thames has been taking care of himself, working out and staying safe at his home in Las Vegas since spring training was shut down in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 33-year-old slugger has had the Nats coaching, training, and strength and conditioning staffs check in to see how he was coming along over the past seven weeks. "In terms of the coaching, everybody is waiting to see what's going to happen once they announce the date (for...
Shortstop Cluff has experience coming back from time away from the game
Shortstop Cluff has experience coming back from time away from the game
Byron Kerr
Nationals
We spoke about Nationals prospect Jackson Cluff last month with Troy Gingrich. The Nats hitting coordinator was impressed with the shortstop's ability at the plate, showcasing outstanding bat speed and approach. Cluff's college coach, BYU's Mike Littlewood, knows Cluff's swing very well, and likes the youngster's "quick twitch" ability. "He's got tremendous bat speed," Littlewood said. "He's got good plate discipline. He knows what's a strike and what's a ball. For the most part,...
How many games are needed for a legitimate season?
How many games are needed for a legitimate season?
Mark Zuckerman
Nationals
We still don't know when - or if - the 2020 Major League Baseball season will begin. We do know it won't be a full, 162-game season, though. Even in a best-case scenario, there's just not enough time to play all 162, not without extending the regular season deep into December and the World Series beyond New Year's Day. That's not happening. So if they play in 2020, it's going to be a shortened season. Which is not unprecedented in MLB history, given past labor disputes. But how many games...
More on the baseball stoppage
More on the baseball stoppage
Roch Kubatko
Orioles
The Orioles would have been wrapping up a three-game series this afternoon in Toronto if the coronavirus pandemic hadn't short-circuited the season. Thirty-six games already would be in the books, assuming there were no postponements. The Orioles would enjoy an off-day Thursday, along with the rest of us, and host the Angels for a weekend series. This is how it's supposed to be playing out. The baseball world stopped spinning on March 12 with spring training camps shut down and players in...
Remembering the O's World Series champions (with video)
Remembering the O's World Series champions (with video)
Steve Melewski
Orioles
The Orioles' history since their 1954 arrival in Baltimore includes three World Series wins. It also includes three World Series losses. But today, seeking some happy news for a change, we'll focus on the three winners. My colleague, Roch Kubatko and I, got together to tape this video, discuss and even rank those championships. We have unique perspectives because we're both from the Baltimore area and have lived a lot of the history. We were in the stands for some of those games at Memorial...
Orioles honor "the helpers" as Virtual Birdland Community Heroes
Orioles honor "the helpers" as Virtual Birdland Community Heroes
Pete Kerzel
Orioles
The Orioles announced today that the club will honor community "helpers" collectively as part of the club's Virtual Birdland Community Heroes program. This group includes small business owners who have addressed varying needs in their community; non-profit leaders who have adapted and adjusted their missions to better serve those in need; volunteers who continue to offer their time and skills to local organizations; and all members of the community who are reaching out to their neighbors to...
"Orioles Classics" #TBT: More memories from yesteryear
"Orioles Classics" #TBT: More memories from yesteryear
Pete Kerzel
Orioles
For many years, Mother's Day and baseball were irrevocably intertwined in my life. The first baseball game I ever attended was on Mother's Day 1966, the day Frank Robinson hit a home run out of Memorial Stadium, making him the only player to ever accomplish that feat. Of course, we didn't know it until the next day, when my dad read it in the morning paper. After my dad passed in 1985, mom and I would usually spend Mother's Day at a ballpark. She particularly loved the intimacy of Harry...