Sunday Bird Droppings

Steve Melewski: A take on Chris Davis' agreement with the Orioles
"To me, this is a surprise ending. It sure appeared the team was moving away from Chris Davis and maybe had decided to move on with the news of the contract offer to Yoenis Cespedes. That certainly spurred action from Davis' side."

School of Roch: Zach Britton on Chris Davis: "In all honesty, we really needed him back" (updated)
"I think it's big for us," said closer Zach Britton, who's also represented by Scott Boras. "He's a good clubhouse guy, a good leader, and in all honesty, we really needed him back. We had a big hole to fill. And we know him."

Report: Doug Fister seeking two years, $22 million – HardballTalk
"FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal mentioned this morning that some with the Orioles like Doug Fister. It makes sense as a potential fit, as the club would have to surrender their first-round pick in order to sign Yovani Gallardo. Matt Wieters accepted the team’s qualifying offer in November and Chris Davis is coming back, so the team isn’t netting any extra draft picks for 2016. This could push them away from a pursuit of Gallardo to consider a pitcher like Fister, who isn’t attached to draft pick compensation and won’t cost nearly as much."

Happy Birthday to former Orioles Rob Bell, and Dick Brown. They share it with famous people including 1706 - Benjamin Franklin, kite flyer/statesman/wit/inventor; 1863 - David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister; 1899 - Al Capone, American gangster; 1922 - Betty White, actress; 1928 - Vidal Sassoon, hair stylist/CEO; 1942 - Muhammad Ali, boxing champion; 1955 - Steve Earle, country singer; 1957 - Steve Harvey, game show host and incapable of reading an index card; 1980 - Zooey Deschanel, American actress.

1773 - Capt James Cook becomes 1st to cross Antarctic Circle (66° 33' S)
1893 - -17°F (-27°C), Millsboro, Delaware (state record)
1917 - US pays Denmark $25 million for Virgin Islands
1920 - First day Prohibition comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th amendment
1954 - Jacques Cousteau's 1st network telecast airs on "Omnibus" (CBS)
1969 - Debut album of Led Zeppelin released in US
1971 - Super Bowl V: Balt Colts-16, Dallas Cowboys-13 in Miami

Consider this your discussion space for NCAA Wrestling Maryland at Purdue.