ESPN has been doing a battle of the best uniforms, and the Orioles are in the championship round against the Cardinals. Go vote for the O's!

Leading Off Fresh off a 11-game road trip, and a brutal 20-game stretch without a break, the Orioles and their weary fans can take breather with an off day, and a brief homestand. Here on the podcast, we start (as always) with The Brian Roberts Watch (1:40) followed by a trip to the Medical Wing (2:30). A Chris Davis scare and Miguel Gonzalez’s blister are the only real updates. http://baltimoronspodcast.tumblr.com We take a time-out to tell you about a great Orioles podcast called Baltimorons. Jake and Scott made an appearance on the Baltimorons podcast which will be posted on Wednesday. We encourage you to go check out Sam and Alan’s fine work – their unique perspective as O’s fans "in abstentia" is can’t-miss stuff. These guys "get" being Orioles fans, and make talking about the Birds fun (8:25). Thanks, again, Baltimorons! Look for Sam and Alan on Bird’s Eye View next week! The Wild, Wild West Scott does his best DJ Jazzy Jeff (11:28), as we review the Orioles’ West Coast trip. The Birds are winning games against the teams that helped decide the fate of the AL East in 2012 (15:10). Wins are good, mkay? The run differential is up from last year, too, so there’s that… Despite how it felt at the time, this was a pretty good road trip (16:25). The games they lost were devastating, but the overall performance was exactly what you need for a extended road trip. Freddy Garcia gave us hope that the 5th starter carousel may be slowing down (19:48). Where do the Orioles stack up against the rest of the AL (21:55)? This trip goes a long way to setting them up to stand with the postseason contenders. Hopefully the Birds can get fat on the Blue Jays the way the AL West will beat up on Houston. Potpourri Our potpourri segment returns, with a look at items that don’t necessarily belong together, but that don’t belong anywhere else. We run down: Whether Roberto Alomar is a legit Orioles HOF (28:42) Jake Arrieta’s essential media rage (32:45) The Next Knuckler: Zach Clark (36:37) Chase Utley? (40:00) The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The guys run down their list of the Birds who had the best, the worst, and the most unbearable weeks(43:49).

Leading Off The show is a little heavier at the top than normal. We actually have something to talk about in The Brian Roberts Watch (1:45), and the Medical Wing fills up a bit more (3:00). The guys express their great "affection" for West Coast baseball (7:35), and ask themselves "when do we start caring about the standings (9:55) ?" The Audacity of Strop Apparently, the show has changed formats to where the guys pick a pitcher to beat like a pinata (12:30). This week’s topic is Pedro Strop: deadly weapon for the Dominican Republic, just deadly for the Orioles. The Surgeon General warns not to play the Kevin Gregg Drinking Game while listening to this segment. Jake and Scott flip their usual apologist/cynic roles on this one – you have no idea how difficult it was to avoid a "roleplay reference here." We include a tip of the hat to Roch Kubatko over at MASNsports.com for his insightful rant that said everything we’ve been thinking (21:20). Roster Moves It’s been an interesting week on the roster front (24:50). Here’s a rundown of the faces we’ve seen moving in, moving out… Alex Burnett Josh Stinson Zach Britton Luis Exposito Chris Snyder (we cheated, he won’t appear until Tuesday) What about Freddy Garcia and Jair Jurjens (31″56)? These guys are piching lights-out in AAA, and can opt out of their contracts soon. The Orioles risk getting nothing for them (other than the satisfaction of knowing they facilitated an audition for the rest of the league) if they don’t pull the trigger and make a roster move. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The guys run down their list of the Birds who had the best, the worst, and the most unbearable weeks(38:05).

I came across this article on Bobby Grich's baseball reference page. I know he played longer for the Angels but being a fan of both teams, I can appreciate players like Grich, Baylor, Ford, Aase, and DeCinces from that era.

Leading Off We start by taking a moment to recognize the events that took place today – the terrible events that took place at the Boston Marathon. Say what you will about Boston, for its sports (and Lord knows we have), but tihs transcends rivalries. Jake and Scott make a plea for thoughts, prayers, and support (1:10). Moving on to actual O’s content, the guys review The Brian Roberts Watch (4:45). and the Medical Wing (5:25). Stupid Arguments Baltimore sports fans are capable of tremendous stupidity (6:00). This week, people actually debated whether Adam Jones dropped that ball because he was chewing bubble gum. Really? Are we doing this? Really (6:45)? The other stupid argument from this week was which backup second baseman is worse (11:30)? Alexi Casilla and Ryan Flaherty are doing their best to make an argument for who is the best/worse option to replace the injured Brian Roberts. Bullpen Gets Its Swagger Back The bullpen has gotten back to its 2012 form (21:00). After the first week of games, we all wondered if the bullpen could get back to the level that made them so scary last year. The Birds’ bullpen has responded by making opposing hitters’ life miserable. The guys go through the ‘pen, from Johnson (24:30) to the forgotten man – Patton (34:45). Potpourri Here are the items that didn’t fit into any other categories: Connor Jackson retires (38:00) Wait, WHAT? Jackson was the last ML cut, and he was bound to make the roster at some point this season. Connor Jackson’s retirement comes as a great surprise. He said that he simply lost the love of the game… Buck Showalter indicated that there might be more to the story, but we’ll have to wait until Jackson is willing to comment himself.E Earl Weaver celebration (39:45) The celebration for Earl Weaver has been moved from 2:00pm top 6:00pm. This accommodates ticket holders from the 7:00 ballgame who want to take part in the celebration. Unfortunately, it also shuts some fans out from a celebration of a great Baltimore sports figure. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The guys go through the players they want to praise and call out from the week’s games. Who makes the list, and who gets a free pass (45:30)? Feel Free to Share Your Feedback! Comment on the show notes, below. Email us directly at contact@birdseyeviewbaltimore.com Click on our Social Media links above and to the right. Check us out on iTunes! You can also listen to Bird’s Eye View on iTunes. Be sure to rate the show, and leave a comment to let us know what you think.

Leading Off The 2013 season is finally here! It’s nice to be able to talk about real baseball. It’s a sad day for The Brian Roberts Watch (01:33), and the guys take a run through the Medical Wing (04:03), and the roster in general. The O’s pulled a trade today, sending Luis Ayala to the Braves for a minor league arm (05:21). Opening Day Opening Day at Camden Yards has that extra dose of Orioles Magic (09:58). How did 2012 compare to previous years? The ceremonial first pitch was pretty weak (14:10). The Ravens’ refusal to participate in Opening Day was pretty bush league (15:08). Buck has a ton of respect for Earl Weaver (15:06). Get a Grip on Reality! It’s only been 7 games. Some fans are ready to jump off a cliff (19:02), others are in full apology mode – others are sure the Birds will still win 100 games. Are any of them right? What kind of assessments can you actually make this early in the season? Jake and Scott lay out the case for both sides, and try to bring some reason to the discussion (21:43). Pitching Woes and Lineup Ups/Down This team needs more innings from its starters. A quick look at the first run through the rotation (or so) and how each starter looked(21:00). The bullpen has had its moments, too, but the early going has shown us that they can’t be as good as the all-world 2012 bullpen. Manny Macahdo and other lineup considerations (31:00). The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is back for the first time in 2013(38:20)! Jake and Scott reveal the players that made their list in the first 7 games.

My column on Chris Davis, his fast start and why I always thought he could do this.

One blogger's recap of the home opening win