O's reach out to underprivileged youth

O's reach out to underprivileged youth
Each season, OriolesREACH hosts thousands of underprivileged youth as part of the Gameday Experience Program. Groups of kids who likely wouldn't get to take in a game at Camden Yards on their own are brought to the ballpark and treated to a game of O's baseball and some fun giveaways--and the best part is that these kids are able to come here and participate thanks to a group of the O's themselves. Players like Adam Jones, Melvin Mora, Danys Baez, and Gregg Zaun sponsor the program...
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Orioles wives hold silent auction to kick off Red Sox series

Orioles wives hold silent auction to kick off Red Sox series
They weren't drafted by the Orioles or acquired in a trade from another team. They weren't signed as free agents. They don't wear uniforms or play second base or bat leadoff or cleanup. They don't occupy a spot on the 25-man. In fact, they aren't men at all. But they are connected with the Orioles and they do often have an impact on the city of Baltimore. "They" are the Orioles wives, the women alongside the players we recognize on the field, who frequently fill their hours...
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OriolesREACH is busy this week

OriolesREACH is busy this week
During this Orioles-Red Sox series, OriolesREACH is hosting groups of underprivileged kids at Camden Yards as part of the Gameday Experience Program. On top of that, OriolesREACH, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and the Taylor Hooton Foundation hosted groups of local young athletes at Oriole Park today for the 2009 National Promoting a Lifetime of Activity for Youth (P.L.A.Y.) Campaign. From 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today, players from the 13-15 year old division of the Baltimore RBI League...
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What's your take on the shaving cream pie celebration?

What's your take on the shaving cream pie celebration?
There were no shaving cream pies after the Orioles' incredible 11-10 comeback win over the Red Sox Tuesday night. But there have been plenty of them in the first half of the '09 baseball season with a steady string of Orioles rookies making their debuts and their marks on the Yard. The players seem to be enjoying themselves and welcoming the young guys with open arms. And the fans seem to anticipate the ritual with a smile after a young pitcher's first win or a certain catcher's first...
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Last chance to cast your O's votes for All-Star Game

Last chance to cast your O's votes for All-Star Game
It snuck up on us, but voting for the All-Star Game ends tonight at 11:59 p.m., which makes today your last chance to vote for your favorite Orioles on the ballot. The full Orioles ballot includes: Aubrey Huff - First Base Brian Roberts - Second Base Cesar Izturis - Shortstop Melvin Mora - Third Base Gregg Zaun - Catcher Luke Scott - Outfield Adam Jones - Outfield Nick Markakis - Outfield The full force of O's All-Star votes seems to be focused on Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, but no...
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Happy Fourth of July?

Happy Fourth of July?
At least if you have to work on July 4th this year you won't feel like you're missing a fun Orioles day game at Camden Yards. With the Orioles facing the Angels on the west coast this weekend, the Yard will sit quiet for the Fourth. But since the O's won't be home to help you celebrate, let's look at how the Birds have fared on past Independence Days to see if Orioles fans can at least look forward to some good news when the end of the holiday weekend rolls around on Sunday. In the...
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Lunch with Jeremy Guthrie this week

Lunch with Jeremy Guthrie this week
While he won't ride his bicycle to Owings Mills the way he travels to work at Camden Yards most days, Orioles ace Jeremy Guthrie will be at the Wendy's on Lakeside Boulevard in Owings Mills Friday afternoon to sign autographs and spend some time with Orioles fans before the Birds take on the Blue Jays at home at 7:00 p.m. Adam Jones was the first Oriole to hit an area Wendy's as a part of the autograph series, and Guthrie will follow suit, signing autographs and posing for photos over...
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"Play like the pros...with the pros"

"Play like the pros...with the pros"
Orioles Baseball Summer Camps use the slogan "Learn how to play like the pros...with the pros." Sounds good so far, doesn't it? The Orioles have established dates in July and August during which they'll hold three, four-day summer baseball camps for boys and girls ages 7-16. Each of the camps, which will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, includes appearances by a current Oriole and at least one former Bird, as well as autograph and photo opportunities, lunch and an afternoon snack...
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This and That

This and That
Fireworks Friday Fans out for the first game of the Orioles' last series before the All-Star break should remember to take advantage of Student Night if it applies to you and also to enjoy postgame fireworks after the O's face the Blue Jays at home. Student Night makes $6 left field upper reserve tickets available to students with a valid ID and Fireworks Night is free for all fans following the game. Check out the ceremonial first pitch Saturday Thanks to @FrancescaGuiou for reminding me...
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Orioles and the All-Star Game

Orioles and the All-Star Game
This might be Adam Jones' first All-Star Game, but in addition to the rule that ensures each team sends a representative, the Orioles are no strangers to the events of All-Star week. The Orioles have hosted the All-Star Game twice in the event's history, and the American League came out on top both times. The first Midsummer Classic held in Birdland was in 1958 when the AL took the All-Star Game from the NL 4-3. The second Oriole-hosted All-Star Game took place in 1993, one year after...
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Orioles events to look forward to

Orioles events to look forward to
Following the All-Star break, most fans realize the baseball season is basically halfway to its end. But what also comes along with that awareness is the realization that the summer is essentially halfway over as well. So as the Orioles look to the second half, you're making plans for the rest of the summer in order to "fit all in," either before school or before the weather turns colder or maybe before the baseball season comes to a close. So in planning your second half, check out...
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One for the books

One for the books
After editing Jim Hunter's latest blog (The prospect is exciting), and after having posted entries from Rick Dempsey (The possibilities for a better second half) and Amber Theorharis (Bergesen's contributions loom large), I'd spent a fair amount of time in the Orioles' photo system looking for pictures of one guy or another from the O's group of promising pitching prospects. Say that five times fast. But one picture that struck me was this one of the whole group together. Barring...
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Baseball shouldn't break the bank

Baseball shouldn't break the bank
I felt a fan's pain when I read his thread on a Baltimore Sun message board: "2 hot dogs, 2 beers = $31...That pretty much sums up my experience at Yankee Stadium last night." That fan went on to complain that the prices at Yankee Stadium are "astronomical," and if you're a regular fan at the ballpark these days, it's no secret that a baseball game is a more expensive event than it used to be. When purchasing tickets to the Red Sox-Orioles game at Fenway Park this Saturday, I...
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What to expect at Orioles spring training in Sarasota, FL

What to expect at Orioles spring training in Sarasota, FL
After much anticipation over the Orioles' new spring training home, you won't have to wait long to see what it could look like. Before the first photos appear in a newspaper or online, before your first glimpse in person when you make your inaugural visit, you can see exactly how the designers imagine the structure falling into place, as Sarasota County has released artists renderings of what the O's new spring home could look like. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the state of...
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Maximum access to stats you want to know with MASN to GO

Maximum access to stats you want to know with MASN to GO
Baseball is a lot of things: nostalgic, fun, traditional, exciting, challenging, both intricate and simple, historical... It's a game that takes skill and precision and one that evokes emotions and memories, but it's also one that falls back always on the tradition of numbers. You've heard people say, "Baseball has a statistic for everything." And it's true. And you might be one of those people with all those gritty facts committed to memory. Or you might be someone who's...
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The Birds are back in town

The Birds are back in town
The Orioles' schedule in July has left the Yard painfully quiet for the bulk of the month. Though the Birds returned home for a short and sweet three-game set against the Blue Jays heading into the All-Star break, the O's haven't been home for a single series since. In fact, in the two weeks including and following the All-Star break, the Yard has sat still enough to give the grounds crew plenty of time to transplant a patch of Kentucky Blue Grass from the sod farm just beyond center...
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Competition at the plate

Competition at the plate
There seems to be an unofficial theme at the Inaugural Orioles Cook-Off at the ESPN Zone Tuesday, so hopefully you're in the mood for Spanish tortillas, fish tacos, and chicken enchiladas. Three of your favorite O's, ace Jeremy Guthrie, 2B Brian Roberts, and veteran CA Gregg Zaun will be trading their bats and gloves for recipes and oven mitts in the Orioles first-ever cook-off competition at the ESPN Zone in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. According to Rob Kasper of the Baltimore Sun,...
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Inaugural Orioles Cook-Off crowns Zaun as best cook in Birdland

Inaugural Orioles Cook-Off crowns Zaun as best cook in Birdland
The next time you visit the ESPN Zone in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, say for an Oriole player Q&A, you'll notice a special new addition to the restaurant's menu: Orioles Catcher Gregg Zaun's famous Chicken Enchiladas. As the winner of the Inaugural Orioles Cook-Off at the ESPN Zone this afternoon, Zaun earned a black and orange spatula plaque and his recipe, which includes shredded chicken slow-simmered in taco seasoning, beans, cheese and enchilada sauce, earned a place on the ESPN...
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Big news and a few small ceremonies

Big news and a few small ceremonies
If the name Steve Johnson sounds familiar, you might remember reading about O's broadcaster Dave Johnson's son in an article here in the Orioles Buzz back in February. That far back, Steve Johnson's only connection to the Orioles was his father, Dave Johnson, who was nice enough to include me on emails updating Steve's progress in the Dodgers' minor league system. That connection looks like it might now extend further than mere interest in the progress of a former Oriole and MASN...
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Fantasy Baseball makes it to MASN & a reminder for the weekend

Fantasy Baseball makes it to MASN & a reminder for the weekend
It's part of the nature of a sports fan. Every fan, no matter how loyal or faithful, has his or her own ideas about what might work better than what's already been tried. So if you think you could GM better than the rest of 'em, the job offer has arrived at MASNsports.com. MASN announced its first Fantasy Baseball contest today, challenging fans to put together their own Major League Baseball roster and compete with other fans for weekly prizes throughout the second half of the baseball...
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