Friday Bird Droppings

To borrow a phrase, these are times that try O's fans' souls. While we lamented the failure to seize momentum at the beginning of the week, the Birds now appear to be limping to the finish line...a somewhat familiar routine, albeit one that had vanished during the Showalter routine. Will this weekend series in Toronto reinvigorate the team's sense of purpose or be just one more indignity in the death march to fourth place?

School of Roch: State of the Orioles in Canada Oh my.

Rays and Yankees are happy, Orioles sad - SweetSpot Blog - ESPN Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Urrutia leaving team for legal reasons | Comcast SportsNet Baltimore The header's a touch misleading, but is Urrutia done for the year?

If Stealing Signs is "Part of the Game," Why Do People Get Mad About It? | FanGraphs Baseball People are funny like that, that's why.

On this day in 1969, the O's clinched the AL East with a victory over Cleveland. In 1971, Frank Robinson hit two homers in a doubleheader against Detroit. The second was his 500th career homer. On this day in 2002, Mike Bordick played his 96th consecutive errorless game at shortstop breaking the record previously set by Cal Ripken, Jr.

It's the birthday of "Uncle" Rick Dempsey.