Author Archives: Domenic Vadala

Welcome to Birdland Crush! Yes folks, for the record it's a spin off of the popular summer beverage native to the Mid-Atlantic Region - "orange crush." Nevertheless, I've been covering Orioles' baseball since 2009 in some capacity, and it's basically the greatest gig of all time so far as I'm concerned! But for those who aren't familiar with my work or bio, I'm familiar with pretty much every sport out there. But baseball is king - we all know that. So my hope is that you come back and check in after every Orioles' game, and throughout the off-season. I'm always on duty!

Baltimore Orioles: Is New York onto something?

I cover the Baltimore Orioles, but I’ve made my view of New York hiring Aaron Boone very clear. Boone’s a good baseball guy and he comes from a good baseball family. In fact, he was probably a born manager. But at this point he has no experience in the job.

First off, that’s sort of a slap in the fact to guys who have worked their way up the minor leagues or even to become a base coach, bench coach, etc. at the big league level. There are deserving candidates who were passed over in favor of Boone. Guys who have paid their dues in going up the coaching ranks, and are now having to watch an unknown commodity get a shot. That has to be a tough pill to swallow.

But could the joke be on people such as myself? People who think this is a reckless move? I remember the great Chuck Thompson’s speech upon accepting the Ford C. Frick Award and being inducted into the Hall of Fame. He started out by saying that his father had told him once that it’s possible to get so close to the forest that you can’t see the trees…

…which in general is good advice. Could that apply here? I mean – is it possible that perhaps guys who have been coaches for some times have become so jaded by how things are supposed to work that they can’t think outside the box enough to be innovative?

In short, yes it’s possible. Plenty of people would point to the Orioles’ Showalter, and how he opted not to use Britton in the AL Wild Card game in 2016. However while there could be legitimate criticism of someone who’s done a job or been a part of something for too long, I’m not sure that argument totally flies here.

I’ve never been a CEO of a company. Not in this life, not ever. So does that mean that the next time Northrup Grumman or Lockheed Martin has a vacancy at the top spot I should be considered? I’m fresh and green, and I won’t be jaded by how things are supposed to work.

Point being, that’s a very subjective argument. I do in fact have about as much experience being a CEO as Aaron Boone does as a coach. Is it possible that in the future analysts will be praising this hire as brilliant? Sure it is. Just don’t hold your breath for too long.

Baltimore Orioles’ rival shaking things up

One of the Baltimore Orioles’ fellow AL East teams is doing everything it can to shake things up this off season. The New York Yankees parted ways with Joe Girardi, a World Series champion manager. Now they’re going even more out of the box with his replacement.

Late Friday it was announced that they were going to hire Aaron Boone as their manager. Boone of course comes from a family rich in baseball lore, and he briefly played for New York in 2003. Of course everyone remembers his walk off home run in game seven of the 2003 ALCS to send New York to the World Series in lieu of Boston. For a guy who only played in 54 games for NY, that’s a great way to be remembered.

But there’s one problem; Boone’s never set foot on a baseball diamond as a coach at any level – much less in the big leagues. I’ve written before about how teams seem to be wanting to go with youth in the dugout as opposed to tenured and respected managers. That’s certainly what Houston did, and Washington, Boston, and and others have followed suit.

But at least the people who were hired in those cities were guys who had worked their way through the minors and up the coaching ranks. Aaron Boone’s never coached, as I said above. And again as I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of the youth movement. But hiring a guy who’s never coached before? That’s strange.

Baltimore Orioles: Welington Castillo signs with ChiSox

A former member of the Baltimore Orioles is now off the boards. Former Orioles’ catcher Welington Castillo is headed to Chicago. He signed a two-year, $15 dollar deal with the ChiSox. It also has an $8 million club option with a $500,000 buyout for 2020.

Castillo of course spent one year (2017) with the O’s, with some success and some time on the DL. This obviously means that the Orioles will definitely have to go in a different direction next year behind the dish. The question is in which direction will they go?

My personal opinion is that they’ll be a monster with a two-headed catcher. Time will probably be split between the likes of Joseph and Sisco. And that’s a good thing, because it’ll give Sisco, the obvious future to the position, a chance to observe how Joseph handles the pitching staff. It also gives the Orioles flexibility in the field, as Joseph could in a pinch play first base as well. But one way or the other, Castillo is off the board.

Baltimore Orioles announce 2018 game times

You know it must be a slow news day (or period, more like) when you’re writing a story about the Orioles’ start times for games. But the team did release that information yesterday, and it came with a bit of a surprise. And from my standpoint, a good surprise.

The team announced that all Sunday games starting in 2018 would begin at 1:05 PM as opposed to 1:35. There was no reason given for this change, just an announcement that it would be happening. Years ago 1:05 was the given start time for Sunday games at Memorial Stadium, but as they transitioned to Camden Yards it became 1:35.

Opening Day will still be the traditional 3:05 first pitch, but the majority of the remaining games will begin at 7:05. The O’s will have four weekday afternoon games, including a 1:35 first pitch against the Washington Nationals on Memorial Day. The regular season finale against Houston will of course be a 3:05 PM start, which is a league-wide mandate.

I’ll be honest; I like the earlier Sunday starts. I don’t know for sure, however I suspect that they began going to 1:35 when they moved to the Inner Harbor due to the fact that the extra half hour allowed people to get lunch in the area before the games. However now with Dempsey’s Brew Pup right there in the ballpark, and Pickles and Sliders right outside, most people are probably utilizing those options. But ultimately from my perspective, I can always afford to get home an extra 30 minutes earlier!

Baltimore Orioles: The argument for Nick Markakis

There was some buzz this week about the Baltimore Orioles possibly re-acquiring former right fielder Nick Markakis. My personal opinion is that it would be a mistake. I’m in the group that says that he would simply stunt the organization’s growth in terms of some of the young outfielders who will be looking to see time in the bigs.

But is there any upside to the O’s bringing Markakis back? The answer to that is yes. First off, the O’s haven’t had an everyday right fielder since Markakis left. Granted in some cases that’s given them the ability to be nimble with the lineup in a sense, however it would solidify that spot going into next year. It would also probably solidify the DH role, as Trumbo would slide into that slot on a more full-time basis.

Markakis may have declining power numbers, but this past year he got on base at a .354 clip. As a team in 2017, the Orioles had a collective OBP of .312. So whether it’s a single, a double, or a walk, Markakis’ presence would help the Orioles get more base runners out on the pond.

Speaking of declining power numbers, there was one category in which Markakis has seen a slight uptick since leaving the Orioles: doubles. In his final three seasons in Baltimore, Markakis never reached 30 doubles on the year. In his three years in Atlanta, he’s hit 38, 38, and 39 doubles respectively.

All of these things would help the Orioles going into 2018 – there’s no doubt. Whether those things outweigh the potential risks however is a different story.

Baltimore Orioles: Nick Markakis back to the O’s?

MASN’s Roch Kubatko wrote this morning about the possibility of Nick Markakis returning to the Baltimore Orioles. Markakis is entering the final season of a four-year deal with Atlanta this year. I suspect however that due to declining power numbers Atlanta would be happy to trade Markakis if a deal came.

The Orioles do in fact have a bit of a history of re-acquiring old stars. Mike Flanagan, Eddie Murray, Bill Ripken, and Rafael Palmeiro all left and returned to the O’s. One thing we know the Orioles do well is celebrate the past history of the franchise. Markakis is definitely a part of that past, and his return to Camden Yards as an Oriole would just be another chapter in linking the past with the present.

However the Orioles also have some young talent that could be placed in the outfield going into next year. Is it really worth stunting that growth just to bring Markakis back? Furthermore, at what price would Markakis come? I suspect the O’s might have to part with one of the prospects who in theory could start in right field next year. Again, is it worth doing that for the sole reason of bringing back a former star?

Many would say yes. Nick Markakis was a beloved player with the Orioles, and he still lives in Baltimore. I’m just not sure that a guy with declining power numbers is someone that the Orioles should consider, unless Atlanta’s willing to take cash or a PTBNL. Time will tell.

Baltimore Orioles: Fans shouldn’t get a say

The Baltimore Orioles should look to another orange-clad team regarding personnel decisions: the Tennessee Volunteers. Or let me be a bit more clear; they should look to the University of Tennessee on how NOT to handle personnel decisions. Namely a head coach.

You can read more about the situation here (courtesy of Dan Wolken, USA Today), however in a nutshell Tennesse was going to hire Greg Schiano as it’s next head football coach. Fans, alumni, and students alike widely protested this decision, threatening boycotts and picketing with pitchforks and brooms. Ultimately, the decision to hire Schiano was rescinded.

This is a bad look for the University, and it would be a bad look for any organization. Fans should not have any say in hires – I’m sorry, that’s just how it should work. Some would argue that in fact they should have a say…they’re paying customers, after all. But do customers get a say in who manages supermarkets? How about hotels?

Point being, you’re really walking a tightrope when you allow public opinion to seep into your decision-making. A very narrow tightrope. But there’s more to this than just that part…

…one of the reasons Schiano was unpopular was due to the allegation that he might have been privy to what was going on at Penn State with the child abuse scandal. This was never proven, and in effect is heresy. Now just to be clear, abuse of children is a serious crime that should never be allowed to stand. However let’s hold accountable the people who should have been held accountable – not someone who might have walked by a room where something was going on.

This leads us to the mob mentality. Let’s go out and lynch someone, in essence. And Greg Schiano isn’t the only person who’s reputation has been or will be ruined. It can and has happened to anyone.

My point here is that the University shouldn’t be listening to outside forces, including fans and boosters, when it comes to picking a coach. It’s incredibly poor form, and in essence you’re relying on people who know nothing of how the industry works to make the decision. But even if you hire a guy who’s intensely popular, he’s still held to the same standard. So if the more popular choice ends up not working out, those same fans will be calling for his head.

Baltimore Orioles: Early spring workouts matter more in 2018

Buck Showalter‘s Baltimore Orioles will report to spring training a couple of weeks following the Super Bowl. This much we know, and that’s pretty standard. But games will be moved up a week or so this year, as the season itself is starting earlier than normal.

As opposed to starting the first Monday in April, the league will open on Thursday, March 29, 2018. The same number of games will be played (162) by season’s end, however it allows the league to incorporate a few more days off into the schedule for each team. In the Orioles’ case, they’ll then be off on Friday the 30th – one of the only times you’ll ever see an MLB team with a scheduled Friday off.

What this means is that players will need to pay extra special attention to the early spring workouts. I’m not even talking about games per se; I’m talking about some of the workouts which occur early in spring. Those help to mold players into what they’ll be in the regular season.

But even the spring games will hold a bit more importance or urgency. (And as a guy who has to cover these games, I’m fine with that!) Because with the season coming earlier than normal, players will need to get ready quicker. Will we see more regulars playing in road games? Time will tell!

Baltimore Orioles: Joe Morgan and the Hall of Fame

While he didn’t play for the Baltimore Orioles, Joe Morgan is without a doubt one of the greatest second basemen of all time. Needless to say, he’s a hall of famer. And when hall of famer’s talk, people listen.

Last week Morgan made waves when he wrote an open letter to hall of fame voters asking them to keep steroid-users out of the hall. First and foremost, I agree with Morgan. Many people love to point to the fact that the likes of Ruth, Cobb, and others weren’t the greatest citizens in the world. Be that as it may, they never challenged the integrity of the game. Anyone who used a performance enhancing drug did just that.

There are a million arguments for and against allowing guys like McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds into to hall of fame. I might actually see a guy like Barry Bonds having a chance, because people were talking about him as a first ballot hall of famer when he was in the minor leagues. And that’s really the sad part; a lot of these guys were gifted players capable of reaching Cooperstown beforehand.

Again, I’m with Joe Morgan on this. Now there are people out there who probably take it a step too far. I’ve heard arguments that anyone who played in the steroid era shouldn’t be in the hall. That would include the likes of Cal Ripken Jr. as well. And nobody out there could ever say that Cal shouldn’t be a hall of famer. Do we know that he definitively never used a PED? I suppose we don’t – but in truth we know.

There are also obvious users, such as some of the ones I named above. But what about guys who simply had rumors out there about them? Do we preclude them from being in the hall of fame simply because someone alleged that they did steroids?

Former Oriole Brian Roberts was named in the Mitchell Report, and he later admitted that he had juiced – once. Now obviously Roberts’ numbers probably don’t stack up as a hall of fame player. However let’s say that they did for just a moment. Is a guy who popped a steroid once not going to be allowed to be inducted?

Again, there are some guys who are cut-and-dry users; those are the easy ones. And I suspect that those are the ones about whom Joe Morgan is primarily talking. But there’s a lot of gray in this situation also. It’s also fair to mention that while publicly being against the use of steroids, MLB knew it was going on and they turned their backs. So nobody’s totally blameless for this, but a few are totally guilty.

Baltimore Orioles: Active at the winter meetings?

The Baltimore Orioles’ contingent – led by Dan Duquette – will join the rest of MLB at the 2017 Winter Meetings next month. The week-long event will run from December 10-14th in Orlando, FL, and will feature everyone who’s everyone in the baseball world. It’s also a bit of a dog and pony show in a sense. But everyone’s under one roof.

As we know, deals are often done in terms of free agent signings, trades, etc. at these events. The question is whether or not the O’s will be active or not? Obviously with the likes of Machado and Britton being low-hanging fruit, other teams will be making inquiries.

As most fans know, the Orioles are usually only active on the final day of the winter meetings, when the Rule 5 draft comes along. Whether or not they select a player remains to be seen, although the fact is that Dan Duquette has had good luck in these drafts. He’s also done his homework in the players that the Orioles have ended up taking.

However those are low level moves. Would the O’s consummate a trade (whether Machado or Britton were involved or not)? Or sign a free agent? Keep in mind that even if that doesn’t happen, the groundwork for such a deal might get laid during that time. Just because we don’t see results doesn’t mean something isn’t going to happen. It might, or it might not. We still have the entire winter to figure that out!