Friday Bird Droppings

Yesterday was far from a boring, uneventful off day. There was Travis Snider's catch, Doug Fister striking out 9 straight, R.A. Dickey winning his 20th game, the firing of Manny Acta and the hiring of Bo Porter. As an added bonus, the Orioles gained ground in the division and a little breathing room in the wild card race by doing nothing. Good work if you can get it.

Unheralded players important to Orioles' success | MLB.com: News
"At one point earlier this season, some of the Orioles were looking at what was going on down at Triple-A Norfolk, which had roster transactions at an even quicker rate than the big league club, with a mixture of awe and amusement."

David Simon talks Orioles on Inside Sports Illustrated podcast - Richard Deitsch - SI.com For you aficionados of the Wire, here are some text excerpts from David Simon's guest spot on a Sports Illustrated podcast.

Longview’s Davis big reason Orioles are in playoff chase - Longview News-Journal: Sports A little Thor love.

Mike Argento: When Brooks Robinson visited the No. 1 Orioles fan - The York Daily Record Does the title of Mr. Oriole belong to: Cal or Brooks? Or do we even have to choose?

Camden Depot: Manny Machado: From A Defensive Perspective Another look at the defensive awesomeness of Manny.

On this day in 1995, in a bold gambit to extend his career, Greg Harris pitched from both the right and left side, the first (and last, I believe) pitcher to do so in the modern era; in 2008, Mike Mussina earned 20 wins for the first time in his career.

It's the birthday of Grant Jackson, Dave Rajsich, Todd Frohwirth and Mike DeJean.

Late clipping: One year later, recalling baseball's Best Night Ever. Remembering 9/28/11. -zk

...and one more!