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It's been more than 30 years since the 1979 World Series, a slice of Orioles history that represents both the best and worst for Kiko Garcia, the shortstop on the team that lost a three games to one series lead to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Now 58, Garcia recently made his first trip to Baltimore since the final game at Memorial Stadium in 1991, and got
A lot has been made of the poor attendance over this current four-game series against the White Sox. Despite being in the heart of a playoff race and playing another first-place team, the Orioles managed to draw fewer than 15,000 fans on all three nights. Today's game, with the 12:35 p.m. start time, promises to be even more sparsely attended. Why? Bloggers and fans have
It's hard to watch the Orioles' success this year and not hearken back to the well-worn phrase that we, as fans, are fortunate to call our birthright: Orioles Magic. True, it's tinged with nostalgia, coming as it does from a bygone era. And equally true, it's often been uttered with tongue planted firmly in cheek over the past 14 years of losing. But it's a
I've convinced myself that I suffer from a very mild case of seasonal depression. For as long as I can remember, "back to school" has always been the worst phrase in the English language. I'm 24 and haven't been in a classroom since 2010, but there's something about the end of summer that brings me down just a bit. From the first moment I hear
With the Orioles on the road lsat week, I took the opportunity to visit one of my favorite places, and one of the jewels of our home region: the Delmarva shore. For the record, the seashore is one of the few places on earth that rivals a ballpark for my attention. There's nothing like braving the surf during the day, and then quite literally sittin'
The Orioles are masters of the five-game win streak. After stringing together a then-season-best four-game win streak in late April, the O's have posted five-game win streaks in every month since. The Orioles' five-game win streaks are more different than they are alike, although some patterns have emerged. Here are five facts about the O's five-game win streaks: * All but one of the Orioles'
You know all the numbers by now: How the Orioles have made themselves a player in the wild card race, how they've made August baseball in Baltimore relevant on a national scale, how clubs managed by Buck Showalter historically show a significant improvement in his second full season at the helm. But the improvement in the Orioles' numbers aren't solely in the win-loss column. This
The thrill of preparing for a possible postseason extends beyond the Orioles' clubhouse and the fan base. The act of stuffing envelopes within the team's offices generated just as many smiles, but mainly because of what those mailings contain. By the end of business Thursday, invoices for Orioles postseason tickets will be sent out to all season-ticket holders - those who have full plans and
The Orioles continue to take their fans on a roller coaster of emotions. Yesterday, fans of the Orioles experienced both crest and fall with the announcement of playoff ticket invoices and the crushing defeat at the hands of the Texas Rangers. In the middle of an uneventful Tuesday in Baltimore, the Orioles surprised their fans with the announcement of the year so far: Playoff tickets
You tweet about the Orioles, interacting with MASNsports.com on a nightly basis on our @MASNOrioles Twitter account. You like our MASN Orioles Facebook page, participating in our game threads. And you've signed up for our mobile text-messaging service in astounding numbers, allowing us to deliver important news and game updates right to your cell phone. Now it's time for MASN to give back to its
Ten years ago, baseball experts would say that winning one- or two-run games was what defined a great a team. Good teams find a way to win close games, bad teams lose them. Sabremetrics and advanced baseball statistics have changed the way we think about the game today and now many would say that the Orioles' 42-18 record in games decided by one or two
We all saw what happened Friday night in Detroit, so I'll spare you another testimonial or play-by-play account. However, while we don't know what type of internal training or reporting that Major League Baseball requires of its umpires, I think we can all agree with Mark Reynolds in that there's very little outward accountability for the umps. There are a couple of different ways to
If you're the kind of person who likes rubbing elbows with the movers and shakers, take note: The guest list is growing for the Sept. 5 event honoring Hall of Fame Orioles Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray. Hall of Fame O's manager Earl Weaver and former University of Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams have been added to the list of luminaries who will participate
Manny Machado hit his first two major league home runs against the Kansas City Royals' Luke Hochevar on Aug. 10, becoming the youngest Orioles player to record a multi-homer game. That honor previously belonged to one John Wesley "Boog" Powell who, like Machado, got his first two major league home runs in the same game. Powell's first four career home runs came as part of
Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis, Jim Johnson, Pedro Strop, Jason Hammel, Wei Yin Chen - all have been essential to the Orioles' success this year, but as of right now, to this blogger, the most important Oriole is one William Nathaniel Showalter. Honestly, has there been one person that is more responsible for the Orioles' year? Showalter has been the rock, the steady-handed captain
If you've read me over the course of the season either here or at The Loss Column, you've probably noticed a pattern: I'm excited by the results, but hesitant to draw big conclusions. Baseball's a superstitious game and I'm somewhat the same myself. I wouldn't want a selfish declaration to jinx things for everyone. Nobody ever said "fan" and "logic" always went together. So today
A week in Ocean City, Md., does wonders for perspective. Yes, it's August and the Orioles remain in postseason contention. Hard to imagine, isn't it? But as I rode the Boardwalk tram last week, I was heartened by the amount of orange and black being worn from the Dunes Motel down to Trimper's Rides and Amusements. Seems the Orioles have replaced the Steelers as Ocean
In many ways, 2009 seems like so long ago. Then, in others, it seems like just yesterday. In watching every pitch of every at-bat of Manny Machado's fantastic young major league career, I can't help but think back to Matt Wieters' call-up on May 29, 2009. I will never forget Andy MacPhail telling viewers on MASN, "It's time," after the Orioles' 7-2 win on May
Despite only splitting this weekend's series against the Kansas City Royals, the Orioles seem to have turned it up a tick in the past few weeks. This is not in the least bit surprising to me; in fact, I expected it. The Birds have always finished strong under Buck Showalter. In 2010, he had them take the competition to the opponents who figured that they'd
Of all the Orioles I've covered over the years, few of them spoke as little as Eddie Murray. You can debate the reasons - run-ins with and distrust of the media, the fact that he didn't crave the spotlight, the fact that there were other players willing to take center stage. But the fact remains that Murray wasn't talkative when the media approached. The routine
The Baltimore Orioles have been confounding sabermetricians and national pundits all year. The Orioles currently sit eight games over .500 and are tied for the second wild card spot, even though they have been outscored this year. And not just outscored, but outscored badly. The Orioles' current run differential is currently -55 (447-502), which is awful. It is one of the worst run differentials in
This Orioles team has been chocked full of surprises. From Chris Davis earning the win after a wild 17 innings at Fenway Park to scoring 11 unanswered runs in the Bronx and climbing out of a five-run hole to beat the Bombers. Recently in Baltimore, a new pleasant surprise has emerged and he goes by the name, "Miguel Gonzalez." As Orioles fans, we are so
I've liked a lot of movies in my life; as an Italian-American, "The Godfather Trilogy" and "Rocky" are both up there. I'd also throw in "Back to the Future," as well as a few others. However, by far my favorite movie of all time will always be "Field of Dreams." That movie uses baseball to tell a story about a father and son righting old
Although it might've been uncomfortable and difficult, Cal Ripken Jr. spent Friday morning doing something he felt was quite necessary. First, the Orioles legend appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America." Then, he held a news conference on the sixth floor of the B&O Warehouse to discuss his mother's abduction from her Aberdeen home July 24, and also make a plea for the public's help in
Think about big-budget baseball teams that have been a disappointment this season. Which teams come to mind, and how do you feel about them? The Philadelphia Phillies stand out to me. The Phillies have baseball's second-largest payroll at $175 million and are in last place in the NL East with a 47-58 record. I'd also have the Miami Marlins in the conversation. They're just ahead
Chris Tillman stepped to the mound in the bottom of the first inning after watching his counterpart, Ivan Nova, retire the Orioles on six pitches. Tillman proceeded to give up five runs, including a Robinson Cano two-run job, before the Orioles' seats were even warm. It appeared it would be another long night. As the second inning started, Adam Jones and Matt Wieters both got
Of course Dan Duquette stood pat at the non-waiver trade deadline. Of course. What, after all, did you expect him to do? I'm on record saying the Orioles should be buyers. I still think that's true, and grooves like the current one against the Yankees are a big reason why. This group just doesn't fold, and I find the prospect of what they might do
