Hello, friends.
There are now 160 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2017. That is still quite a lot of days, nearly an entire baseball season full of days, in fact. There is little comfort in the fact that the World Series starts tonight, although it does. If there's a sweep, the World Series could be over by Saturday night.
Are you rooting for the Cubs, or for the Indians? Now that I come down to the choice, I find that my sympathies go the most with the Indians. In general, it's better if the American League team wins - as long as it's not like, the Red Sox or some other team I really hate - because otherwise we have to put up with all of the National League fans acting like they play real baseball. They don't play real baseball. Crappy #8 hitters being intentionally walked to bring up the pitcher spot is not real baseball. The end.
But it's OK if you want to root for the Cubs. I won't hold it against you, probably. Anyway, forget all of these other baseball teams, let's talk some Orioles.
Around the blogO'sphere
Should The Orioles Give Matt Wieters A Qualifying Offer? - MLB Trade Rumors
It is that time of year, isn't it? We'll have our own take on this eventually, but in the meantime, here's what MLBTR has to say about the subject of Wieters and the QO.
Inside the CBA: Barring changes, Orioles will face decisions on qualifying offers soon after World Series - Baltimore Sun
Turns out that it's not even yet a sure thing that the QO system will remain in the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players. But it's expected to. They need to figure that out pretty soon here.
2017 Baltimore Orioles Top 10 Prospects | BaseballAmerica.com
Baseball America's Steve Melewski runs through the top ten prospects in the Orioles system heading into the offseason. D.J. Stewart has disappeared down the memory hole.
Baseball America's top 10 Orioles prospects: Chance Sisco is No. 1 - Steve Melewski
In this article, MASN's Steve Melewski breaks down the top 10 Orioles prospects list published by Baseball America's Steve Melewski.
Orioles announce spring training schedule - School of Roch
Spring training sucks and it's boring. But if you want to go catch any of the games next March, here's what you can use to plan.
Tap-In Question: Who is the O's ultimate 'One that got away?' - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Dan Connolly wants to know who you most regret getting away from the Orioles to go be good elsewhere. In recent years, Jake Arrieta is basically the only answer, though there are some others if you dig into the past a bit more.
Break the bank for Kenley Jansen - Viva El Birdos
This is the Cardinals blog wanting their team to spend big on free agent-to-be Kenley Jansen, the Dodgers closer. I don't think the Orioles should trade Zach Britton, but, if the Cardinals don't get Jansen and really want an elite closer... well, the O's should at least ask, shouldn't they?
Actually, the Cardinals only have three of MLB.com's top 100 prospects right now, so who knows if they'd even do a trade.
Birthdays and anniversaries
Of all of the players to ever play for the Orioles, only two have a birthday today: 1983/88 reserve Tito Landrum and 1960 three-gamer Bobby Thomson.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your other birthday buddies for today include: Dodge co-founder John Francis Dodge (1864), surrealist painter Pablo Picasso (1881), basketball coach Bobby Knight (1940), baseball Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez (1971), novelist Zadie Smith (1975), and singer-songwriter Katy Perry (1984).
On this day in history...
In 285, or 286, Saints Crispin and Crispinian were executed by beheading during the reign of Roman emperor Diocletian. They are now the patron saints of leather workers, curriers, and shoemakers.
In 1415, Henry V's force of English defeated a numerically superior, and more heavily-armed, French force in the Battle of Agincourt - also on St. Crispin's Day. You might have read Shakespeare's take on what Henry said to the troops.
In 1812, during the War of 1812, the USS United States, under the command of Maryland's own Stephen Decatur, captured a British frigate, HMS Macedonian.
In 1944, during World War II, Japanese and American naval forces waged the Battle of Leyte Gulf near the Philippines. By some reckoning, this was the largest naval battle in history.
In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson presented the photographic evidence showing that Soviet nuclear missiles had been moved to Cuba.
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And that's the way it is in Birdland on October 25 - at least, unless something happens later, which it probably won't, because what the heck is going to happen to the Orioles during the World Series?