It’s a mere 86 days until MLB’s Opening Day. My driveway might be passable by then! I know Central and Western Maryland didn’t get much snow, but the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland got enough for all of us. So if you got a little or a lot, be safe moving it around today, OK? On to the news...
Orioles building outfield platoons with Seth Smith, but next move just as important - The Sun
A pair of OF platoons sounds like the plan, but with a 25-man roster limit is gonna make it tricky to pull off.
Report: Brandon Moss drawing interest from Orioles - Hardball Talk
And that next move may be Brandon Moss? Not sure I’m buying it.
A few ramifications of the Seth Smith trade - MASN Sports
Sounds like the O’s definitely see Smith as a platoon player, and if Mark Trumbo comes back, it’s in a DH-only role.
More thoughts on roster and Bundy’s progress - MASN Sports
Now that the O’s no longer have six starting pitchers for five slots, they have potentially six outfielders for three spots. And may add yet another one.
Orioles' Trey Haley: Signs minor league deal with Orioles - CBS Sports
Someone named Trey Haley has signed a MiLB deal with Baltimore. Congrats, person I’ve never heard of.
Is it finally time for Dylan Bundy to shine in Baltimore? - Fan Rag Sports
Call me crazy, but I’m going with “YES!”
On Baseball: Ryan Flaherty settling down and ready to talk - Portland Press Herald
Did you know he has a .326 AVG at Fenway Park? Well, you do now.
Birthdays and History
Happy Birthday to former Orioles Paul Carey, Shane Turner, Willie Tasby, and Jim Busby. They share this birthday with famous people including Gen. James Longstreet 1821; actor Larry Storch 1923; comedian Soupy Sales 1926; newscaster Charles Osgood 1933; The King of Rock And Roll Elvis Presley 1935; game show host Bob Eubanks 1938; theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking 1942; Robby Krieger (The Doors) 1946; singer David Bowie 1947; director of the greatest Christmas movie ever John McTiernan; All-Star reliever Bruce Sutter 1953; singer R. Kelly 1967; actress Sarah Polley 1979; and actress Gaby Hoffman 1982.
On this date in Baltimore baseball history...
2003 - Eddie Murray, the only switch-hitter in major league history with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits, is elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility by being chosen on 85 percent of the ballots cast by the BBWAA.
On this date in world history...
1642 - Astronomer Galileo Galilei died in Arcetri, Italy.
1675 - The first corporation was chartered in the United States. The company was the New York Fishing Company.
1790 - In the United States, George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address.
1815 - The Battle of New Orleans began. The War of 1812 had officially ended on December 24, 1814, with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. The news of the signing had not reached British troops in time to prevent their attack on New Orleans.
1877 - Crazy Horse (Tashunca-uitco) and his warriors fought their final battle against the U.S. Cavalry in Montana.
1918 - U.S. President Woodrow Wilson announced his Fourteen Points as the basis for peace upon the end of World War I.
1958 - Bobby Fisher, at the age of 14, won the United States Chess Championship for the first time.
1964 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson declared a "War on Poverty."
1994 - Tonya Harding won the ladies' U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Detroit, MI, a day after Nancy Kerrigan dropped out because of a clubbing attack that injured her right knee. The U.S. Figure Skating Association later took the title from Harding because of her involvement in the attack.
2009 - In Egypt, archaeologists entered a 4,300 year old pyramid and discovered the mummy of Queen Sesheshet.
Consider this your discussion space for Beauty & The Beast: University of Maryland Gymnastics vs West Virginia and University of Maryland Wrestling against Navy. The events will take place simultaneously on the main floor at Xfinity Center at 1pm. Admission is free, as is parking.