Men in blue brighten days of young patients at Johns Hopkins Childrens Center

Men in blue brighten days of young patients at Johns Hopkins Childrens Center
Before calling balls and strikes at tonight's game between the Angels and Orioles at Camden Yards, home plate umpire Fieldin "Cubby" Culbreth made sure a baseball season tradition wouldn't be swept away because of COVID-19 precautions at the Johns Hopkins Childrens Center in Baltimore. Culbreth and Ryan Blakney, another of the men in blue assigned to tonight's game, participated in a special question-and-answer session over Zoom with young patients undergoing treatment at the hospital....
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Men in blue brighten days of young patients at Johns Hopkins Childrens Center

Men in blue brighten days of young patients at Johns Hopkins Childrens Center
Before calling balls and strikes at tonight's game between the Angels and Orioles at Camden Yards, home plate umpire Fielden "Cubby" Culbreth made sure a baseball season tradition wouldn't be swept away because of COVID-19 precautions at the Johns Hopkins Childrens Center in Baltimore. Culbreth and Ryan Blakney, another of the men in blue assigned to tonight's game, participated in a special question-and-answer session over Zoom with young patients undergoing treatment at the hospital....
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Hurry, last chance to be selected as a Maryland Lottery "Contestant of the Game"

Hurry, last chance to be selected as a Maryland Lottery "Contestant of the Game"
O's fans, time is running out to enter the Maryland Lottery's "Contestant of the Game" promotion, where you can win $500 for being selected and an additional $500 for every Orioles home run hit during that game! The deadline to enter is Monday, Aug. 23 for a chance to be selected for one of the last 30 Orioles games of the 2021 season. That's a lot of chances to be home run rich! The Lottery has awarded over $131,000 to winners through this year's FAST PLAY Home Run Riches second-chance...
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Maryland Lottery's "Contestant of the Game" promotion hits a home run with fans

Maryland Lottery's "Contestant of the Game" promotion hits a home run with fans
The Orioles bats have been hot this month, and Maryland Lottery "Contestants of the Game" are reaping the benefits. One winner is randomly selected for each of the 162 Orioles games. Each winner receives $500 for being selected, and an additional $500 for every Orioles home run hit during that game. Since the beginning of June, the O's have hit 12 home runs over seven games. Here are some other fun facts from the 2021 season: The O's scored 29 runs in the last three games. Rookie Ryan...
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Liz Pardo makes history as baseball gets back to normal

Liz Pardo makes history as baseball gets back to normal
While it will probably be the COVID-19 pandemic that headlines the 2020 chapter of baseball in history books for years to come, we shouldn't just flip through all of the encouraging pages that were written in this unforgettable year. Women broke barriers that stood for too long across the game and the Orioles had a front row seat. One of those women was Maryland native Liz Pardo, who became the first woman to be hired as a coach in the Orioles organization. "Women shouldn't feel bad about...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: O's sluggers make Camden Yards a lumberyard

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: O's sluggers make Camden Yards a lumberyard
Late February always fills baseball fans with anticipation, and it is doing so again. But this year it's different. This year we aren't taking spring games for granted. As of this writing, the Orioles' exhibition and regular seasons are scheduled to take place on time, and fully. Assuming that doesn't change, this will be our last Throwback Thursday until October. "Orioles Classics" closes out February 2021 with plenty of clutch hitting from the Birds in games from the past eight years....
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Postseason memories and some prodigious power

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Postseason memories and some prodigious power
Well, we've made it. Spring training has started, and a new baseball season is right around the corner. After all the havoc created by the pandemic since March, it feels good to look ahead to something with eager anticipation, doesn't it? While the Orioles get ready in Florida, we'll continue revisiting yesteryear with "Orioles Classics" on MASN. This week, we've got two distinct themes: postseason baseball from 1996 and some prodigious power displays from the guys in orange and black. So...
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Daschbach hoping to supplement power with well-rounded approach

Daschbach hoping to supplement power with well-rounded approach
Mark Daschbach didn't miss a single game of his son's junior season at Stanford. As Andrew Daschbach tore through the Pac-12 in 2019, smashing 17 home runs for the second consecutive year, Mark was there to witness it all. "I think he lives vicariously through me," Andrew said. Mark, a Stanford graduate himself, even made the trip east from Atherton, Calif., several times later that year to see Andrew begin his pro career with the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds. "He's loved...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something old, something new

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something old, something new
We're rapidly running out of January. Assuming we're still on the Gregorian calendar - I, for one, take nothing for granted - that means we'll soon be in February, which means spring training! That, of course, assumes that pandemic-induced protocols don't postpone it. Like I said, take nothing for granted. So while we wait out these last few weeks (or more) before things start hopping at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla., what's a shivering O's fan to do? Watch "Orioles...
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Unassuming shortstop Joey Ortiz fits right in with fellow 2019 draftees

Unassuming shortstop Joey Ortiz fits right in with fellow 2019 draftees
A sizable contingent of Baltimore sports media descended upon Ripken Stadium on July 29, 2019 for Adley Rutschman's debut with the Aberdeen IronBirds. A crowd of 4,403, some already donning Rutschman jerseys, packed in to see the No. 1 overall pick play pro ball in the state of Maryland for the first time. Rutschman, who had recently recovered from a bout of mononucleosis, struggled. The 21-year-old went hitless in five plate appearances. Seven spots lower in the batting order, shortstop Joey...
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Reviewing the results of the All-Camden Yards Draft

Reviewing the results of the All-Camden Yards Draft
In search of a way to fill the void generated by an especially slow offseason, the "MASN All Access Podcast" had to get creative. Joined by Connor Newcomb of the "Locked On Orioles Podcast," Brendan Mortensen and I created the All-Camden Yards Draft with the simple goal of drafting three teams whose rosters are filled with the greatest Orioles players to have ever played at "the ballpark that forever changed baseball." And who better to judge the results than Orioles fans? These were the...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Trumbo and Davis deliver

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Trumbo and Davis deliver
As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate small ball, the art of the opposite-field single, the sacrifice bunt, hitting behind the runner, the cat-and-mouse between a speedster taking a lead and the pitcher trying to make sure he stays put. But one cannot deny the thrill of seeing a muscular dude launching a fastball that gets too much of the plate. Though you'll also see some of the former in this week's "Orioles Classics," the latter takes center stage. In the principal roles of big...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: 1970 revisited in the new year

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: 1970 revisited in the new year
Well, we made it. It's 2021. We can put last year behind us and look ahead. Like about six weeks, when spring training begins in Sarasota at the Ed Smith Stadium complex. For the moment, we'll assume camp starts as scheduled, but as we all know, these days everything is subject to change. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, we'll warm the winter chill with some "Orioles Classics" on MASN. This week's smattering of retro games includes a trip in the wayback machine to October 1970 and a...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Some things never get old

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Some things never get old
So long, 2020. Don't let the door whack your backside on your way out. The general consensus seems to be that the year that draws to a close tonight at midnight can't be over soon enough. As if social and political turmoil and a deadly virus sweeping the globe weren't awful enough, the pandemic also screwed up the baseball season. With new vaccines approved and inoculations begun, we're all crossing our fingers in hopes that we can kick COVID-19 to the curb in 2021, and that spring training...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Prodigious power displays and postseason memories

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Prodigious power displays and postseason memories
Well, are you ready for Christmas? Most of my online shopping was done in early November, meaning fewer shipping delays than if I'd waited for another month. But there was the curious case of several packages that spent a week resting in Hagerstown or West Virginia before being delivered. Yes, I'm looking at you, United States Postal Service, and your silly tracking system that merely says that delivery has been delayed, without giving any update of significance. Everything is boxed, bagged...
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From afar, Sig Mejdal propelled development from top prospects

From afar, Sig Mejdal propelled development from top prospects
Sig Mejdal hasn't seen a baseball game in person in months. The Orioles were careful to limit the number of non-uniformed personnel at both Camden Yards and the alternate site in Bowie this summer, so Mejdal worked from home, like most Americans. But Mejdal stayed in the loop, thanks in part to the latest gadgets in the game - body sensors, bat trackers, force pads and more. A bit more advanced than Zoom. "Beyond the fact that there were fewer games, no minor league games in the parks, ... we...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Temporarily derailing the Rays

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Temporarily derailing the Rays
The winter solstice is upon us, bringing more darkness than most of us would like as we witness the shortest days of the year. But look on the bright side: Beginning Tuesday, they start getting longer again. Shoot, before you know it, it'll be mid-February and pitchers and catchers will be checking in at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla. We hope. Especially given the current surge in the ongoing pandemic, it can be difficult to keep the winter doldrums from creeping into your...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something for everyone

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something for everyone
If you're still putting together your holiday shopping list - and are not one of those folks who likes to have everything bought, wrapped and ready to go by, say, Halloween - you're familiar with the idea that some folks are just plain hard to buy for. This week's rotation of "Orioles Classics" on MASN has a little bit of something for everyone. Whatever you like to see when you watch a baseball game - powerful offensive displays, pitching prowess, sparkling defense, historical...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Feels like the first time

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Feels like the first time
December's here, and as the holiday season ramps up, many folks feel the tug of nostalgia. Perhaps your senses are already summoning fond memories as your stereo plays festive tunes and your kitchen is warmed and made fragrant by an oven cranking out cookies. But winter's arrival doesn't have the market cornered on nostalgia. Memories of springs, summers and autumns past can trigger sentimental feelings, too, and that's what "Orioles Classics" is all about. This batch, still toasty from...
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Vavra learning on the fly in new position

Vavra learning on the fly in new position
Terrin Vavra is an infielder. His father was an infielder. His brother was an infielder. His other brother was an infielder. But when the Orioles approached him about adding center field to a resume that had previously listed only second base and shortstop, Vavra jumped at the opportunity. "It's a new experience for me but something that I think I can attack and succeed with," he said in a recent Zoom interview with "MASN All Access." The applicant certainly has skills that fit the job...
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