Saturday Bird Droppings

Last Night Today

Manny Machado all smiles after helping Orioles win in first game back - Baltimore Orioles- ESPN
"It’s awesome," Manny Machado said when asked about his mini-Manny garden gnome he received today in advance of next month's give-away. "I love it. It brought me some luck today, so hopefully it’s going to stay right there."

Tolliver on his first win, Machado on his return, Gallardo on his outing - Steve Melewski
"You know what? I have a son on the way coming in the next two weeks," Ashur Tolliver said. "I’ll probably put it in a little case and we’ll probably put that in his room. July 7 is the due date and we’re thinking it might be a little sooner than that."

Away From The Field

Orioles notebook: Caleb Joseph could return Wednesday - Baltimore Sun
Catcher Caleb Joseph could rejoin the team this week and be available for Wednesday's game in San Diego assuming all goes well in his first catching rehab start on Monday. I think he's just padding his record for career games started with Bowie.

Orioles give Manny Machado garden gnome a magical backstory | Larry Brown Sports
The gnome give-away is July 9. In a branding and marketing effort, the team wants fans to call special plays by Machado "Manny Magic" using #MannyMagic on social media. First place team, and we're talking about garden gnomes. Love it. And go watch the videos the Orioles put together for this.

The Baltimore Orioles make Mike Burke a traveling man - Bull Run
No, I haven't heard of Mike Burke, either, and I'm guessing his travels this summer aren't that far from normal, but it's still an interesting look at just how much a player can move around in the course of one summer. .From SBN's University of Buffalo's site.

Chris Davis spends time with Casey Cares families at batting cages | WBFF
Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis spent time with Casey Cares families on Friday, at Extra Innings in Elkridge. With predictably cute yet nonetheless inspiring video.

Rosenthal Admits Baltimore Orioles are Competitive
Said with a tone akin to one acknowledging a weakness for too much ice cream may lead to a weight problem... "We could translate that a bit better ... something like this: "Good God, the annually hapless Baltimore Orioles are winning games in number and fashion that no intelligent baseball fan could have anticipated, so there must be some random set of bizarre circumstances heretofore never seen in the universe that explains this total outlier."

Birthdays & History

Happy Birthday to former Orioles Luke Scott, Ryan Kohlmeier, and Dick Drago. Hard to believe Luke Scott had been and gone before the Orioles made the playoffs in 2012, isn't it? Those fine folks share a birthday with 1903 George Orwell, British writer (Animal Farm, 1984); 1933 James Meredith, American civil rights activist; 1942 Willis Reed, American NBA hall of fame MVP center/coach; 1945 Carly Simon, singer (Anticipation, You're So Vain); 1947 Jimmie Walker, comedian; 1956 Anthony Bourdain, chef and author; 1961 Ricky Gervais, English actor and comedian (The Office); 1963 George Michael, singer; 1982 Rain, Korean singer.

Today in Orioles history...

1961 - The Orioles and the Angels set a major league record by using 16 pitchers, eight by each side, as Ron Hansen's 14th-inning homer gives Baltimore the victory, 9 - 8.

1970 - Behind the Red Sox, 7 - 0, after five innings, the Orioles tie the game in the 9th on a Merv Rettenmund home run and a double by Andy Etchebarren. The Orioles finally win it when they score six runs in the 14th inning.

1988 - Cal Ripken Jr. plays in his 1,000th consecutive game, a 10 - 3 loss to Boston. Ripken's streak is the 6th longest in major league history.

1999 - In Baltimore's 9 - 8 loss to the Yankees, the O's Jesse Orosco makes his 1,051th relief appearance to break Kent Tekulve's major league record. He is succeeded by Mike Timlin, who takes the loss when he serves up a 9th inning home run to Shane Spencer. Harold Baines has a pair of homers for the O's, while Tino Martinez has four hits for New York.

2001 - The Orioles claim 3B Tony Batista off the waiver list when the Blue Jays attempt to send the struggling slugger to the minors.

In world history...

1667 1st blood transfusion performed by French Doctor Jean-Baptiste Denys

1678 Elena Cornaro Piscopia, a Venetian, is awarded a doctorate of philosophy - first woman to receive a university doctoral decree

1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn: 7th Cavalry under Lieutenant Colonel (sometime Brevet Major General) George Armstrong Custer wiped out by Sioux and Cheyenne, Custer killed

1929 President Hoover authorizes building of Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam)

1950 Korean conflict begins; North Korea invades South Korea

Consider this your discussion space for UEFA Euro 2016 Soccer: Wales vs. Northern Ireland.