IronBirds unveil new, more menacing logo

IronBirds unveil new, more menacing logo
The short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds have a new logo, a sleek, more fearsome-looking bird to accompany the club's 12th season in the New York-Penn League as an Orioles affiliate. Gone is the smiling cartoon jet logo that had been a constant since Ripken Baseball founded the club in 2002. In its place is a much more serious avian emissary with a link to "Iron Man" - the Robert Downey Jr. film franchise, not the moniker bestowed on Cal Ripken Jr. for his consecutive-games prowess....

Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap
After clinching their first playoff berth since 1997, the Orioles are looking to lock up the same coaching staff this offseason. Jim Presley agreed to a new contract Wednesday, leaving just third base coach DeMarlo Hale as the only coach whose return is uncertain. Hale interviewed for the Blue Jays' bench coach position this week. While Brian Roberts said he is doing well health-wise, he knows that he will not have to share any time at second base with Robert Andino, who was traded to the...

Weekly Wrap

Weekly Wrap
With the Orioles' annual FanFest date announced as Jan. 19, fans will have different trade and award news from this week to discuss. On Tuesday, Buck Showalter placed second in Manager of the Year voting, just eight points behind winner Bob Melvin of the A's. Showalter finished with 12 first-place votes to Melvin's 16. While Angels' Mike Trout was the runaway winner for the American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award, Wei Yin Chen received two third-place votes Monday after...

One more vote, with a local tie

One more vote, with a local tie
For years, when asked why he never played in the majors, former Orioles manager Earl Weaver has cracked wise about his path to the St. Louis Cardinals being blocked by Marty Marion, a pretty good player in his own right who was nicknamed "Mr. Shortstop." Marion, who died in 2011, was a defensive whiz at a time when glove artistry was appreciated as much as the three-run homer. The guy nicknamed "Octopus" because of his propensity for getting to everything hit near him, was a career .263...

Gold Glove winner Jones rings NYSE closing bell (with video)

Gold Glove winner Jones rings NYSE closing bell (with video)
Before heading to the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards dinner in New York this evening, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones got the opportunity to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Probably not the same as a walk-off home run, but still a cool perk of being designated as one of the game's top defensive players. Jones and and Jim Lillie, CEO of Jarden Corporation, the parent company of Rawlings, did the honors. Before his bell-ringing duties, Jones got a tour of the stock exchange...

Fans invited to help O's Hurricane Sandy relief efforts

Fans invited to help O's Hurricane Sandy relief efforts
First a hurricane, then a snowstorm. The poor folks in New Jersey have been hit by a one-two punch, to be sure. Now, it's our turn to step up and help. And the Orioles are making it possible for you to do your part. The Orioles are partnering with Von Paris Moving and Storage to fill two to three large moving vans with the most critically needed relief items so they can be delivered directly to the New Jersey communities of Union Beach, Belmar, Tom's River, Hazlet and Seabright. That's...

Wearing O's jersey, Laurel's Merson wins $8.5 million in World Series of Poker

Wearing O's jersey, Laurel's Merson wins $8.5 million in World Series of Poker
The Orioles got some love in the unlikeliest of places. Laurel resident Greg Merson won the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas early this morning, claiming the top prize of just over $8.5 million at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. His victory was broadcast on a 15-minute delay on ESPN (the delay was necessary to protect the integrity of the tournament, according to a press release). And he did it wearing an Orioles jersey, as this photo from Joe Giron of WSOP-Poker News clearly shows. What...

Ex-Oriole Dave May dead at 68 in Delaware

Ex-Oriole Dave May dead at 68 in Delaware
Dave May, an outfielder who spent four of his 12 major league seasons in an Orioles uniform and was the answer to one of baseball's weirdest trivia questions, died Saturday in Bear, Del. He was 68, and had been battling diabetes and cancer. May, a native of New Castle, Del., who graduated from New Castle High School, was drafted in 1961 by the Giants and acquired by the Orioles a year later in the first-year draft. He debuted with the Orioles in 1967 and played in Baltimore until 1970, when...

Keys' doomsday promotion up for 2012 MiLBY Award

Keys' doomsday promotion up for 2012 MiLBY Award
The most memorable minor league game I attended in 2012 was Dylan Bundy's Single-A debut for the Frederick Keys at Harry Grove Stadium. In the many times I've trekked to Frederick, I've never seen the park that packed, experienced the buzz surrounding one player or parked as far away as I did the evening of May 26. No one in the standing room-only crowd dreamed that Bundy would wind up pitching for the Orioles in a pennant race; they just wanted to see if the 2011 first-round draft pick...

Orioles: The Real Deal

Orioles: The Real Deal
Defying the odds, the predictions and many fans' expectations, the Orioles emerged as a powerhouse in the AL East this season. With a 93-69 record in the regular season, the Orioles locked up a wild card spot on the last day of September and found themselves in the playoffs for the first time since 1997. While some fans we asked said they knew as early as spring training that the Orioles were going to play into October, other cited specific times when they felt more confident in the Birds....

What they're saying about ALDS Game 5 and the 2012 season

What they're saying about ALDS Game 5 and the 2012 season
A season that exceeded many writers' and experts' expectations came to a screeching halt Friday with the Orioles' 3-1 loss to the Yankees. With the Birds' year at its end, here's what media outlets are saying about Game 5 and the season in its entirety: * Kevin Kudak of Yahoo! Sports said that the umpires made the right decision in not overturning the call that labeled Nate McLouth's long foul ball a home run. * Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com stated that the Yankees didn't beat...

What they're saying about ALDS Game 4

What they're saying about ALDS Game 4
The Orioles and Yankees are headed to a decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series on the heels of a 13-inning 2-1 win by the Birds on Thursday night in the Bronx. Here's a round-up of what local, national and out-of-town media are saying about Game 4 and what lies ahead tonight. * Albert Chen of SI.com says what fans in Baltimore have known for weeks and months: Orioles magic is still alive. * Newsday's David Lennon writes about how Yankees skipper Joe Girardi coped privately...

Matthew Taylor: Everything I needed to know about Jim Johnson I learned back in June

Matthew Taylor: Everything I needed to know about Jim Johnson I learned back in  June
Jim Johnson's 51 saves in 2012 were the most in baseball and established a new Orioles record in the category. Despite all that success, Johnson's most memorable regular season moment for me was his first blown save, which demonstrated his resilience as well Buck Showalter's faith in his new closer. Little did I know at the time that it would also serve as foreshadowing for the American League Division Series. Johnson's blown save occurred June 5 at Fenway Park. He allowed a game-tying,...

James Baker: In the cold air of the morning

James Baker: In the cold air of the morning
Last night was a bitter pill to swallow. It was a hard, swift kick to the collective bellend of the greater Baltimore area. For at least the next 10 hours, we will hear about the Yankee mystique and the majesty of the greatest franchise in baseball's history. The New York Yankees have had so many moments like last night's in their history that they could fill a library with the written accounts. I believe the New York Public Library, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world, does in...

What they're saying about ALDS Game 3

What they're saying about ALDS Game 3
The American League Division Series shifted to New York after two games in Baltimore. Jim Johnson gave up the game-tying home run to pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez, who eventually won the game for the Yankees in extra innings with a walk-off homer, his second of the game. The Yankees now lead the best-of-five series, two games to one. The two teams will meet again tonight, with first pitch scheduled for 7:37 p.m. Here's a roundup of what other media outlets are saying about Game 3 of the ALDS...

What they're saying about ALDS Game 2

What they're saying about ALDS Game 2
The Orioles and Yankees left Baltimore with the best-of-five American League Division Series tied at one game apiece. By now you've read the wall-to-wall coverage of the ALDS on MASNsports.com from Roch Kubatko and Steve Melewski. Here's a round-up of what other media outlets are saying about Game 2 of the ALDS between the Orioles and Yankees. * Buck Showalter knew what he was doing when intentionally putting the go-ahead run on base in the seventh, says Joel Sherman of the New York...

Zach Wilt: Power of the 'pen

Zach Wilt: Power of the 'pen
If the Orioles are going to be playing baseball next week, they're going to have to out-pitch the New York Yankees in the remaining two or three games of the American League Division Series. Despite the $116 million difference in the two team's payrolls, I'm confident that the Birds have the advantage when it comes to their arsenal of arms. Jim Johnson picked a tough time to have an off night, but the good news is that his rough outing was just that night. The Orioles' closer was charged...

Orioles ALCS tickets to go on sale Tuesday

Orioles ALCS tickets to go on sale Tuesday
Think the O's can slide past the Yankees in the American League Division Series? Excited about the prospect of an American League Championship Series date with the Tigers or Athletics? Then plan to be at a computer Tuesday at 10 a.m. when tickets to potential Games 3, 4 and 5 in Baltimore will go on sale to the general public exclusively online at www.orioles.com/postseason. The Orioles warn that ticket availability is expected to be limited and tickets could sell out quickly. The allotment...

Join MASN for O's viewing party at Frank and Nic's West End Grille on Friday night

Join MASN for O's viewing party at Frank and Nic's West End Grille on Friday night
So you're not jetting to Texas to see the Orioles battle the Rangers in Friday's wild card game? And you still want to root on the O's with like-minded fans clad in orange and black? No problem. We've got you covered. When the Oriole magic continues in Arlington, Texas, MASN is inviting you to join us at Frank and Nics West End Grille for a viewing party for Friday's wild card game. The fun begins at 6:30 p.m. - more than two hours before first pitch - at Frank and Nic's, which is...

Matthew Taylor: Postseason probably means an improbable hero or two

Matthew Taylor: Postseason probably means an improbable hero or two
The 2012 Orioles, a roster filled with odds-defying heroes, are a perfect match for postseason baseball, which rewards unlikely stars by elevating their clutch performances from enjoyable to unforgettable. Player names that, years later, you can't remember become ones you'll never forget. Taylor Teagarden has recorded three walk-off hits this season, including a game-winning, two-run homer in his second at-bat with the Orioles. I can envision O's fans years from now talking about "that...