There is virtually no Orioles news. But we can still talk about them anyway.
Good morning, Birdland!
Man, there really is nothing going on in baseball right now. The biggest names to move recently are Kevin Kiermaier, Estevan Florial, and Martín Maldonado. No disrespect to any of them. Each of them is capable of helping a team, but they aren’t gonna single-handedly change the pennant race.
We knew this was going to happen. Baseball team employees take time off just like the rest of us. They sit around snacking, forgetting what day it is, and watching trash bowl games at this time of the year.
Speaking of which, Annapolis will play host to the Military Bowl later today between Virginia Tech and Tulane. So, that’s something going on at 2 p.m. if you care. That’s followed by the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, a contest famous for dousing the winning coach with a tub of mayonnaise after the game. Now that’s quality television!
As you can tell, we’re all desperate for something baseball-related to sink our teeth into. But that does not appear imminent. For now, it’s crappy college football and waiting for Ryan Seacrest to tell us that 2024 has arrived.
Links
The Succession Drama Gripping One of Baseball’s Most Storied Teams | The Wall Street Journal
We’ve made it to the Wall Street Journal, folks. There isn’t anything new here to Orioles fans. Ownership is a mess, but the lease was a step forward. The team still needs to sort out the MASN fight with the Nationals. And besides that it’s probably all up in the air while Peter Angelos is still alive.
Still more questions and curiosities about 2024 Orioles | Roch Kubatko
Colton Cowser is one of the more interesting players entering 2024. Obviously, he’s talented. But if the Orioles don’t move one of their more established outfielder, then I’m not sure where he fits. Which brings us back to the theme of the offseason: a trade for starting pitching. If Cowser is dealt, it should be for one heck of a return. I’m not sure any of the pitchers widely considered to be available would fit that description for me.
Rating all 30 major league parks | Baltimore Baseball
How slow is the offseason? We’re rating stadiums in late December.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Michael Bourn turns 41. He had a short stay in the Orioles outfield during the 2016 season.
- The late Connie Johnson (b. 1922, d. 2004) was born on this day. From 1956 through ‘58, the big righty had a 3.42 ERA over 544 innings for the Birds.
This day in O’s history
As is true for much of the week in between Christmas and New Year’s Day, things have been slow around these parts on this date in history, according to Baseball Reference. So, instead, here are some events from beyond Birdland:
1932 – Radio City Music Hall opens in New York City.
1966 – The largest known cave shaft in the world, the Cave of Swallows, is discovered in Mexico.
1968 – The first orbital crewed mission to the Moon ends as Apollo 8 splashes down in the Pacific Ocean. It had orbited the Moon 10 times.