Tuesday Bird Droppings

Good day, denizens of Birdland. The Birds have followed the advice of Horace Greeley and 'gone west'. I had once entertained hopes of following them along their California journey from San Diego to San Francisco but monetary funds were lacking for such an endeavor. C'est la vie. But Mother Nature has seen fit to bring the much ballyhoo'd climate of San Diego eastward for the past two days. Tres bien! Hopefully the off day has revitalized the spirits and reinforced the fortitude of our beloved Birds. And hopefully Adam La Marque Jones has not satiated his hunger upon returning to the place of his birth. This marks Dr. Jones' second trip to spacious and gorgeous Petco Park. The O's traveled there for a 3 game set back in the dismal days of June of 2010. Jones had a good enough go of it there, going 4-11, with a HR off Friars pitching. The O's as a collective however only managed a 1-2 record. Brian Matusz put up a Quality Start in Game 1, but was snookered by a Blown Save from David Hernandez. Kevin Millwood mentored the hell outta the ball long enough in Game 2 to let the offense put up some runs for him. And in Game 3 Jake Arrieta did Jake Arrieta things and gave up 5 ER over 3 IP. That's alright though. I'll always love him. And I may have discovered his clone, his doppleganger if you will, last night. His name is Parker Bridwell, and I had the honor of seeing him pitch in person for the first time. He currently pitches for the O's Low-A affiliate Delmarva Shorebirds. Like Jake, he's a big RHP from Texas who's stuff is much better than his results thus far. He left mine eyes a googly. Mine heart a'flutter. And my mind quite confused. How can a pitcher be that good, and yet, not be any good? A mystery, wrapped inside a riddle, trapped inside an enigma. A sure fire recipe to have my heart broken!

Camden Depot: The Failure of MLB's Drug War
crawdaddy raises some points that are too often overlooked or completely ignored in the media hullabaloo over drug use in sports.

School of Roch: Valencia not among players suspended
...and Birdland breathes a collective sigh of relief. And that's all I'll say about this PED media circus.

Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals prove being an impatient batter is beneficial - ESPN The Magazine - ESPN
In which Adam Jones issues a manifesto of sorts pertaining to the offense's overarching philosophy.

Orioles pitchers ready to take their swings - Carroll County Times: Baltimore Orioles

DD should call up Zach Britton just to serve as a pinch hitter. He crushed in Atlanta a few years ago, if I recall correctly.

Orioles outfielder Nate McLouth enjoying renaissance in Baltimore | orioles.com: News
Nate gets his profile piece

Steve Melewski: Minor league notes on Hunter Harvey, Mychal Givens and Gary Kendall
Got to see Givens pitch last night as well. He's a true side-arm pitcher, with an arm slot that runs parallel to the ground. His FB was also sitting 91-93 and touched 94 a couple of times.

Peter Angelos' legacy still evolving after 20 years owning Baltimore Orioles - Baltimore Sun

20 years, huh...at the time I was still too young to fully appreciate all the ins-and-outs, the what-have-yous of the business interests. I just wanted to know my O's would still be around going forward.

RIP, Art Donovan. Former Baltimore Colts defensive lineman. He was a staple of Baltimore television shows during my formative years in the 80s and 90s. He passed away on Sunday at the age of 89. On this date in 1967, Brooks Robinson hit into his 4th career Triple Play. Good grief!