Baltimore Orioles: First pitch for America

Despite the injuries that have already befallen them, the Baltimore Orioles are in camp. The Grapefruit League schedule starts this coming Saturday against Boston at Ed Smith Stadium, which brings me to one of my favorite recurring columns to write.

I’m a history buff. Specifically American history, with a concentration on the Presidency. That of course is an office that has a special connection with Major League Baseball. And one unlike any other sport at that. I write a version of this column every year on President’s Day (that being today).

President William Howard Taft was the first President to toss out a ceremonial first pitch, this in 1910 at Griffith Stadium in Washington, DC. on Opening Day. It’s a tradition that’s endured over the years, despite somewhat taking a back seat in recent seasons. With the exception of Presidents Trump and Biden, every President since then has done the honors at least once.

And despite the White House usually being fairly adept at orchestrating things, it hasn’t always gone according to plan. On Opening Day in 1928, President Calvin Coolidge went to Griffith Stadium to throw out the first pitch for the Washington Senators. As O’s fans know, the weather in the mid-Atlantic in April can be unpredictable. Go figure, it was so cold that President Coolidge (a native New Englander) left after the first inning.

Most of the time these first pitches have taken place in D.C. – which is where it should occur. But in 1931 President Herbert Hoover did the honors at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. This was during the Great Depression, as well as during Prohibition. The President was received by a mixed crowd, with many people chanting WE WANT BEER! And in fact, it was Hoover’s successor, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who repealed Prohibition – the two men had a frosty relationship, needless to say. Roosevelt would have his own issue in 1940, when his first pitch at Griffith Stadium on Opening Day hit a Washington Post camera.

FDR’s successor, President Harry Truman became the first President to throw out the first ball as a southpaw. Five years later, he would throw out two first pitches (one with each hand). Harry gave ‘em hell with both hands!

The first time this “Presidential road show” came to Baltimore was in 1958, and ironically it wasn’t a sitting President. But it was a future President, that being Richard M. Nixon – who was Vice-President at the time. The All-Star game was held at Memorial Stadium that year, and Nixon threw out the first ball. It was caught by Orioles’ catcher Gus Triandos. Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush (41), and Clinton would also come to Baltimore over the years to do the honors. Joe Biden threw out the first pitch at Camden Yards as Vice-President.

Speaking of President Biden, I hope he reads this. One of the reasons this tradition has fallen away slightly is because of the intense security presence that comes with the President of the United States going anywhere. Many Presidents have remarked that it’s unfair to inconvenience fans attending the games by that. And I get it…

…but again, baseball has a unique relationship with the Presidency. And it always will. And it’s partially that special relationship which makes it America’s Pastime. Opening Day in Major League Baseball is a right of passage into the spring and summer. Again, I hope that President Biden sees this. I firmly believe that despite the security hassles or anything else, the President of the United States should throw out the first ball on Opening Day in Washington D.C. every year.

Baltimore Orioles: Super Sunday

Baltimore Orioles’ pitchers and catchers are due to report on Thursday of this week. But today is Super Bowl Sunday. The San Fransisco 49ers are taking on Taylor Swift and the Kansas City Chiefs this evening. (There’s a joke in there somewhere…) After which we can move onto baseball.

Baltimore of course had a chance to be a part of the game today, but the Ravens fell to Kansas City in the AFC Championship game. However I would remind fans that Baltimore has a special place in NFL history. The Ravens have won two Super Bowls. John Unitas and the Baltimore Colts won one. But even before that, the Colts were NFL Champions several times, most notably in 1958. The greatest game ever played.

It’s so worth throwing in that Baltimore’s the only city in the world that can boast a Super Bowl (from two different franchises), an NFL Title (pre-Super Bowl), AND a Grey Cup championship. The Baltimore Stallions won a CFL title before the Ravens came to town, returning not just football, but championship football to Baltimore’s venerable old Memorial Stadium.

Will the Orioles add a fourth World Series title to that litany of titles this season? Follow along and find out. Welcome to 2024!

Baltimore Orioles acquire Corbin Burnes (updated)

Things are moving quick in the Baltimore Orioles’ world. Yesterday a (pending) sale of the team was announced. And today, while neither team has confirmed or announced the deal, the Birds are acquiring stud RHP Corbin Burnes from Milwaukee.

You can’t keep every prospect in your system, and unfortunately the Birds had to part with two pieces. SS Joey Ortiz and LHP DL Hall will go to Milwaukee in return. But ultimately, this is a case of the O’s using their top-ranked farm system to their advantage. And in the here and now at that.

Burnes, 29, is a three-time all-star and the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner. He has a 3.26 ERA, and 870 career strikeouts. He is a free agent after the season, so that’s one concern. However the Orioles are ready to win now. And this is a big help. Again to be clear, neither the Orioles nor Milwaukee have announced or confirmed the deal.

Update: The Orioles have made the trade official. They receive RHP Corbin Burnes in exchange for SS Joey Ortiz, LHP DL Hall, and a 2024 Competitive Balance pick. For the record, the Orioles’ top prospects are still in tact in their farm system.

Baltimore Orioles: Sale in the works?

The Baltimore Orioles haven’t done much this winter in the way of free agency, but they leapfrogged to the forefront of the baseball world this evening. Reports are surfacing that the family of Peter Angelos is selling 40% of their shares of the team to local billionaires David Rubenstein and Mike Arougheti. The reported sale is for $1.725 billion.

Reportedly, the aforementioned businessmen are purchasing a 40% stake in the team, and they’ll formally buy the remaining set of shares owned by the Angelos family upon the death of Peter Angelos. A timeline for the sale is unknown, although it’s expected to be discussed next month during owner’s meetings.

The other noteworthy part is that Orioles’ legend Cal Ripken Jr. is reportedly a part of the ownership group. Obviously he’ll take on the role of a minority owner, but assuming reports are true he’ll be involved. This shouldn’t be a tough sell to most fans.

It’ll be interesting to see how things shake down. Both with the timeline, as well as with the power structure. Furthermore, what will this mean for the product on the field? Tough to say. But we’ll find out as time goes on.

Baltimore Orioles: A lease and a trade

Today was quite a day for the Baltimore Orioles. Let it go said that today the O’s and the State of Maryland officially agreed to and signed a new 30-year lease to keep the team at Camden Yards. The current lease was set to expire on December 31st.

For the sake of context, I’ll be 43 next month / and 2024 is the first year of the new lease. I’ll be 73 when it’s up. That‘s amazing if you think about it. Maryland Governor Wes Moore on the deal:

From the very beginning, I was clear that we would only sign an agreement that puts Maryland taxpayers at the top of mind, keeps the Orioles in Baltimore long term and benefits the entire City of Baltimore, and that is exactly what we have done here by extending the Orioles’ stadium lease at Camden Yards for another 30 years. The Orioles are a valued part of the Baltimore community, and we are grateful to continue this partnership with a deal that follows the broad shared goals of the memorandum of understanding from earlier this year.

This agreement will not only benefit the world-class fan experience at Camden Yards, but the entire city as well, and we are thrilled knowing that Maryland will continue to see playoff baseball in Baltimore for years to come.

Quote courtesy of Jake Rill, MLB.com

The Orioles do have the option to opt out of the lease after 15 years (2039) if the land surrounding the ballpark isn’t developed. The Orioles have until 2027 to reach a deal on that. However there’s also a no-relocation clause in the deal, which makes it financially detrimental for the Orioles to leave Baltimore. A lot of legalese, but the team isn’t moving in the immediacy of the next 30 years.

The Orioles also made a trade today. They sent Dominican Summer League pitcher Cesar Espinal to Kansas City in exchange for RHP Jonathan Heasley. Mainly used in relief in Kansas City, he should add depth to the Orioles’ bullpen. The Orioles’ bullpen which will continue to be in Baltimore.

Baltimore Orioles sign closer Craig Kimbrell

The Baltimore Orioles have hit the headlines a the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings. According to The Athletic’s (and FOX’s) Ken Rosenthal, the Birds reaches an agreement with free agent closer Craig Kimbrel. The sides reached an agreement for one year, $13 million. Kimbrel has passed his physical and the deal is official.

While waning a bit the past few years, Kimbrel has long been one of the most dominant closers in the game. Last year he posted eight wins and six losses, with an ERA of 3.26. He’s expected to replace injured closer Felix Bautista on the roster, and will presumably be closing games in 2024 – for the Orioles, that is.

Baltimore Orioles: Brandon Hyde wins Manager of the Year

Brandon Hyde of the Baltimore Orioles rightfully should have been the Manager of the Year in 2022. We was the runner up. However this year, the wrong was righted. Brandon Hyde is the 2023 Manager of the Year in MLB.

Anyone who follows the Orioles daily knows that this was warranted. The fact is that nobody’s more deserving. The preseason predictions were for this team to win 77 games. Instead they won 101 games (first time since 1980 they had won 100+), and won the American League East for the first time since 2014.

Orioles fans hope that this is the first of many such awards for Brandon Hyde. And mind you, there were other deserving candidates. Kevin Cash in Tampa and Bruce Bochy in Texas being two. But nobody had the expectations (or lack thereof) that Hyde did. Nobody else had the low payroll that Hyde and the Orioles did. And he did it in the best division in sports, the American League East.

Granted, this along with Gunnar Henderson’s Rookie of the Year and Silver Slugger Award only means that going into 2024 the stakes are higher. But these guys would have it no other way. It’s baseball; it’s the Orioles; it’s BALTIMORE.

Baltimore Orioles: Gunnar Henderson wins AL Rookie of the Year

The Baltimore Orioles have an American League Rookie of the Year for the first time since 1989. That being Gunnar Henderson. The last one being RHP Gregg Olson.

The Orioles’ infielder received all thirty first-place votes cast by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Henderson is also the first unanimous winner since 2020, when Seattles Kyle Lewis won the honor.

Make no mistake, Henderson’s selection was merely a formality. It was a foregone conclusion that he would take home this honor. Nobody else in the AL even came close to being in the same hemisphere as Henderson.

He was also named the Most Valuable Oriole for 2023, ranking first in home runs amongst AL rookies (28), triples (9), and runs scored (100). He also took home the AL’s Silver Slugger Award.

Baltimore Orioles: Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman win Silver Sluggers

The Baltimore Orioles have taken home at least one award this year. Well, maybe more like two. This evening it was announced that Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman had won 2023 AL Silver Slugger awards.

Anthony Santander was also a finalist, but fell short. Rutschman had the highest BA and OPS amongst all finalists at catcher. Henderson won it as a utility player, narrowly beating out Tampams Issac Paredes.

These are expected to be the first of many awards for Oriole players this year. They may have fallen short of the ultimate goal, but it illustrates once again that the future is bright.

Baltimore Orioles: “Timing” sends Texas to the Fall Classic

Baltimore Orioles fans are probably asking themselves what Texas had that the Birds didn’t in the wake of Texas winning the ALCS. I know I am. And I’m coming up with one thing: timing.

The Orioles were the best team in the American League down the stretch. So much was made of Tampa starting the season 13-0 – which no matter how you spin it was impressive. But from start to finish of the regular season, there can be no argument about that. So needless to say, the Orioles were a good team, and they were always going to be part of the conversation.

However from October 1st onward, Texas was the best team. Remember, the regular season ended on October 1st. The O’s fell to Boston that day in a game that was treated as the final spring training game. Was that a mistake on the Orioles’ part – not going full throttle? I don’t think so; Texas also lost that day, for the record.

However that aside, the best way to describe what we’ve seen from Texas is simply “timing.” Tampa hit their peak early in the season. Heck, people were crowning them in April. They were still a good team down the stretch, but they hit their peak very early. The Orioles? I think you could argue that their peak was from late June through August.

And there are false flags in a sense all over the place. One could argue that Texas themselves are a false flag in that they let Houston overtake them in their division late in the season. But they’re hitting their peak now. And the team that hits their peak last is often going to be a champion.

Which brings it back to timing. Keep in mind, sports in general are like this. Look at basketball; as many good teams there are out there and as close as competition is, a lot of games are going to be close. (That’s true in every sport.) Basketball is a game of “runs,” and thus a game of managing runs – both good and bad. When the opponent goes on a run, a coach has to know when to burn a timeout (and when not to) to stem the tide. But the team who goes on a run last is generally who’s going to win.

So do you chalk it up to…luck? I’m not sure that’s the best way to put it. I’m not sure that’s fair to Texas. Just as the Orioles didn’t “get lucky” in winning 100 games for the first time since 1980, Texas didn’t get to the World Series by getting lucky. You don’t get into the playoffs with smoke in mirrors.

However people do grasp for answers to questions like this. So here’s as good of one as any; make no mistake, Brandon Hyde was outstanding for the Orioles down the stretch. If he’s not the Manager of the Year…let’s just call that a would-be travesty. But he managed in his first ever postseason games this year (against Texas). This as opposed to Bruce Bochy, who’s now going to his fifth World Series.

I still say timing matters. But so does experience. Make no mistake, the current core of Orioles will get to the point to where they’re the experienced ones. It will happen. We’ll just have to wait a little bit longer. And with that said, doesn’t that make the final prize just a little sweeter to taste?!