Limited tickets available for Aug. 12 O's Hall of Fame luncheon

Limited tickets available for Aug. 12 O's Hall of Fame luncheon
It's not too late to purchase a ticket for the Aug. 12 Oriole Advocates Hall of Fame luncheon. Former Orioles shortstop Mike Bordick and longtime head athletic trainer Richie Bancells will be honored at the event, which begins at noon on the sixth floor of the B&O Warehouse at Camden Yards. Bordick, who compiled the highest fielding percentage by a shortstop in club history during his six seasons, will be the 49th inductee into the Orioles Hall of Fame. Bancells, in his 35th season with the...
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Matthew Taylor: Reliever-to-rotation move used to be a baseball norm

Matthew Taylor: Reliever-to-rotation move used to be a baseball norm
Nowadays, it seems unusual for a reliever to take the mound as a starter. You typically don't serve shutdown sauce as a first course. Nevertheless, that's exactly what the Orioles are doing as Alfredo Simon, the 2010 team leader in saves, has recorded consecutive quality starts with 13.2 innings pitched and four runs allowed against the Indians and Angels. Meanwhile, there continues to be talk of Jim Johnson following Simon into the rotation. The reliever-turned-starter model speaks to...
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James Baker: What is wrong with the Orioles' system?

James Baker: What is wrong with the Orioles' system?
The Orioles have a problem and it is a mystery to most. On the Internet and the airwaves, the new clarion call is the Orioles' need to improve their scouting and player development systems. Well, that is great, but I am willing to be dollars to doughnuts that the callers and posters do not know the first thing they are talking about. That is to say, they feel something needs to change, but I doubt that many out there know what the job of a regional crosschecker is. Of course, they are...
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A toast to Pat Gillick's Hall of Fame induction invite for beer vendor Hart

A toast to Pat Gillick's Hall of Fame induction invite for beer vendor Hart
When Pat Gillick enters the Baseball Hall of Fame in inductions ceremonies at Cooperstown, N.Y., on Sunday, his tenure as the Orioles' general manager from 1995-1998 will be a footnote in a storied career that has seen him win two World Series at the helm of the Toronto Blue Jays and another as the GM of the Philadelphia Phillies. Baltimore fans remember Gillick as the front office boss the last time the O's went to the playoffs, the last time there was a winning season to cheer. And Gillick...
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Heath Bintliff: Addition by subtraction for Orioles offense?

Heath Bintliff: Addition by subtraction for Orioles offense?
Yesterday's shutout included, the Orioles have scored more runs over the past seven games than they have over any seven-game stretch this season. (OK, that's not completely true. During interleague play, the O's also scored 39 runs over the seven games from June 21-26. But four of those games came in National League parks with Vladimir Guerrero relegated to the bench.) Sure, seven games seems like an arbitrary number and, yes, it is clearly can be described with the phrase "small sample...
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Daniel Moroz: Understanding what stats mean is at the heart of diamond analysis

Daniel Moroz: Understanding what stats mean is at the heart of diamond analysis
I started writing about the Orioles way back before the 2008 season (at the suggestion of my friend, who isn't a fan and so was probably tired of listening to me talk about baseball), and it's been a fun and rewarding experience. No way did I ever expect to be invited to participate in something like this, but I'm grateful to MASNsports.com for the opportunity. Since my analysis tends to come more from a statistical perspective, I thought by way of an introduction, I'd discuss that a bit....
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Lauren Tilley: Still optimistic after all these years

Lauren Tilley: Still optimistic after all these years
Hey, everyone! My name is Lauren Tilley and I'll be doing some guest blogging for the remainder of the season here at MASNsports.com. I wanted to introduce myself and allow you to get to know me a little bit this week before I start blogging about our woeful Orioles. I was born in Maryland and lived here for a few years before I moved to Pennsylvania with my mom. The rest of my family lives in Maryland, however, so I would come down every other weekend to visit my dad and family. Around 4...
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Monday Memory: Terry Cashman, the O's and Hall of Fame weekend

Monday Memory: Terry Cashman, the O's and Hall of Fame weekend
This time of year always makes me think of Hall of Fame induction weekend at Cooperstown, N.Y. If you've never made the trek to this diamond mecca in upstate New York, you're missing one of the true hallowed halls of the game we love. My first trek to Cooperstown came in 1977 and was memorable for a few reasons. Armed with my brand-new Vivitar SLR camera, I spent several hours in the museum snapping off photos of the things that most interested me - mind you, back then, in the pre-digital...
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Matthew Taylor: On Hardy's extension, fun and clubhouse chemistry

Matthew Taylor: On Hardy's extension, fun and clubhouse chemistry
The big news from the weekend, aside from the Orioles turning a nine-game losing streak into a two-game winning streak, was the team's agreement on a three-year extension with shortstop J.J. Hardy. You wouldn't expect to hear a player say anything negative about the organization that just gave him more than 20 million reasons not to. You don't anticipate much more than clichés following this type of contract announcement. This is baseball after all, the sport where players...
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Kelly Saunders, O's first female PA announcer in 1992, dead at 62

Kelly Saunders, O's first female PA announcer in 1992, dead at 62
Kelly Saunders, the former WJZ-TV reporter who holds the distinction of being the first female to serve as the public address announcer for the Orioles, has died. Sanders, who was 62, passed away early Friday morning from cancer, according to DCRTV.com. A veteran of Washington, D.C.-area radio stations, Saunders also worked in radio in Baltimore at WBAL-AM and WIYY-FM. But it was her pinch-hitting appearance for legendary Orioles PA announcer Rex Barney in 1992 that made her the answer to a...
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For ex-O's reliever Snell, Baltimore's been home since 1985

For ex-O's reliever Snell, Baltimore's been home since 1985
The warm, engaging smile Nate Snell flashes as he chats with fans and signs autographs is a decided departure from the manacing scowl he wore on his baseball cards. But times have changed for the 58-year-old Snell, and he no longer has to worry about intimidating opponents or making a positive impression to maintain his roster spot. Want to really get Snell smiling? Just ask the native of Orangeburg, S.C., about Baltimore, where he's made his home since 1985, his first full season with the...
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James Baker: With calvary struggling mightily, better play needs to ride to O's rescue

James Baker: With calvary struggling mightily, better play needs to ride to O's rescue
Good morning, Birdland! As some of you may know, if you keep a calendar, my name is James Baker and I write primarily for Oriole Post. Pete Kerzel of MASNsports.com asked the new guest bloggers to give a little intro of ourselves and our blogging history for this introductory post, so without further ado, I present "A Brief History of an Orioles Blogger: James C. Baker." I grew up in the wilds of Harford County, but never was the city far from my life. Both my parents were from the city...
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Brian's Baseball Bash rescheduled for Aug. 28

Brian's Baseball Bash rescheduled for Aug. 28
Brian's Baseball Bash - a fundraiser for the University of Maryland Children's Hospital hosted by Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts - has been rescheduled for Sunday, Aug. 28 at Dave & Buster's in Arundel Mills Mall. The event was originally scheduled for Sunday, July 24, but is being postponed because Roberts remains on the disabled list with concussion symptoms. All purchased admissions will be honored automatically for the new date. In the event that ticket holders cannot attend on...
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Food drive at Camden Yards during this weekend's games

Food drive at Camden Yards during this weekend's games
This weekend, while the Orioles host the Cleveland Indians, fans will have an opportunity to help the less fortunate. For the 25th straight season, the Orioles will host a canned food drive from July 15-17, and they are encouraging fans to donate non-perishable foodstuffs and money at the gates when they enter Camden Yards. The collection is sponsored by the O's, Orioles Wives, Oriole Advocates, WJZ-TV and the Maryland Food Bank. What's needed? Peanut butter, canned chicken, canned tuna,...
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Heath Bintliff: The Orioles' first half by the numbers

Heath Bintliff: The Orioles' first half by the numbers
A quick look at some of the first half numbers for the Baltimore Orioles - the good, the bad and the ugly: 0 - Number of passed balls allowed by Orioles catcher Matt Wieters. Obviously, this leads all of Major League Baseball starting catchers. 1- Number of Orioles All-Stars. Matt Wieters represented the O's in Arizona and has been one of the bright spots for the team this season. 3 - Number of homers designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero has hit since May 1. 4 - Number of quality starts...
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Matthew Taylor: Seeking the silver linings in a difficult stretch

Matthew Taylor: Seeking the silver linings in a difficult stretch
Things have been pretty bleak of late for the Orioles and their fans, but it can't possibly be all bad news for the Birds, can it? Let's look at some of the facts and locate the elusive silver lining for the orange and black. The Orioles allowed six home runs in a 10-3 loss in Boston on Thursday. The good news is they didn't give up six runs in the ninth inning at Fenway. The Texas Rangers scored a combined 30 runs in a three-game set with the Orioles earlier this week. The good news is...
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Jones falls short in The Final Vote for All-Star Game

Jones falls short in The Final Vote for All-Star Game
If Adam Jones is going to go to the All-Star Game in Phoenix, it will have to be as an injury replacement. The Orioles center fielder finished fourth of our five participants in The Final Vote, a competition which yielded White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko as the final member of the American League All-Star team. Konerko was followed in the fan voting, which concluded at 4 p.m. Eastern time, by Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez, Royals left fielder Alex Gordon, Jones and Rays second...
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Announcing our rotation of guest bloggers for season's second half

Announcing our rotation of guest bloggers for season's second half
By now, you're used to coming to MASNsports.com each morning for the best in Orioles coverage. That includes our initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our pages, and their contributions during the season's first half added both new voices and divergent viewpoints to our ongoing discussion of all things orange and black. Guest bloggers - those who reside into what's become knows as the "blogOsphere" - will continue to be a part of our site after the All-Star break, too. But instead of...
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Matthew Taylor: O's head to Boston near time Babe Ruth left Baltimore

Matthew Taylor: O's head to Boston near time Babe Ruth left Baltimore
The Orioles are headed to Boston to close out the first half of the season. Given the team's recent struggles and the time of year, fans are perhaps most interested in the upcoming trade deadline and who the Orioles, as sellers, might offer up to other teams in exchange for young prospects. The Orioles don't have any Babe Ruths on their roster, but in 1914 they did, and midway through the season they sold him to the Red Sox. It was on this day in 1914 that Jack Dunn, who owned the...
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Matthew Taylor: Wieters should emulate former O's All-Stars Kennedy, Triandos

Matthew Taylor: Wieters should emulate former O's All-Stars Kennedy, Triandos
Matt Wieters is only the fifth All-Star catcher for the Orioles, following Gus Triandos, Andy Etchebarren, Terry Kennedy, and Mickey Tettleton. The good news for Wieters is that each catcher made more than one All-Star team. After reviewing the boxscores of this quartet of previous O's All-Stars I'd say that, come next Tuesday, Wieters would do well to model Kennedy behind the plate and Triandos at the plate. Kennedy made his final All-Star appearance in 1987 for the Orioles after...
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