Friday Bird Droppings

After taking a series from the Dodgers in Los Angeles, the Orioles are home this weekend to close out the first half against the Angels. I'm not entirely sure the Angels present a cautionary tale for the Orioles, but one looks at them languishing at the bottom of the A.L. West with so many high priced veterans players in steep decline and shudders.

From 1968 to 1985 the Orioles never finished a season under .500. The team had never gone more than four seasons without a losing season up to that point and hasn't done it since. Could this be the year they break that cycle? Is it wrong to have such modest hopes? Maybe so, after watching this team spend so long in first place during the first half of this season or maybe just win today and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

Draft update: O's sign most of Top 20; Palmeiro, Bonilla, Blohm not signed yet - BaltimoreBaseball.com "[Gary] Rajsich said he believes the club will sign roughly 32 to 33 of their 41 picks, including almost all of their Top 20."

MLB Rumor Central: Could Baltimore Orioles pursue Jonathon Niese? - MLB Rumor Central- ESPN
If ever there was an argument for standing pat...

1966 World Series champion Orioles gather for 50th-anniversary reunion - Carroll County Times All hail King Bird!

The 2017 Orioles Rotation? - Baltimore Sports and Life Too soon?

Dylan Bundy has Become Untradable - Baseball Essential For all the right reasons, mind you...

On this day in 2011...this became a thing.

It's the birthday of some folks who you might not recall as having been Orioles. Does the name Danny Ardoin ring a bell? Jerome Walton?