Friday Bird Droppings

Happy Friday the 13th! Be wary of large men wearing old school goalie masks who wield large machetes.
Only a few more hours until the return of baseball from it's seemingly interminable break. How nasty have your withdrawal symptoms gotten? A lively day in the Open Thread yesterday. Perhaps some links du jour can help stimulate some conversation and shepherd you through these last few hours sans baseball.

Tradition-rich Orioles try to hang on to contending status – USATODAY.com Whatever happens in the 2nd half, it's been a rather fun ride thus far

School of Roch: Has Britton done enough to make Tuesday's start? Forget about Greinke. The O's already have their own Zach ready to go.

Steve Melewski: Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado talk about their seasons I love them both more and more with each passing day.

Bird Feed: The man behind the Orioles statues | The Daily Times | delmarvanow.com Nice little profile of the hand responsible for the monuments

Negotiations continue with Orioles top pick Gausman T-minus 10 hours or so. I'll peg an over/under for the announcement at 4:30

MLB Preview - Detroit Tigers at Baltimore Orioles - Jul 13, 2012 - CBSSports.com Who will assume Luke's mantle of Tiger-killa?

Camden Depot: Pelotero aka Os Almost Signed Sano for 5 Million Really interested in seeing this movie. Also fun to imagine Sano playing alongside Manny and Schoop as they come through the minors.

High and Tight: Our Rock Roll Baseball Experts on the Return of the Pitcher | Music News | Rolling Stone Not in any way O's related, but a nice little read. Hadn't heard of Mr. Epstein's book on 70's era baseball before, but I think I'll be picking that up sometime soon. Also, booooooooo! Steve Earle and Scott Ian.