Friday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles scrap heap signings never stop

Hello, friends.

There are now 159 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2018. One baseball game awaits our attention tonight as the ALCS returns to Houston and the Astros try to survive and force a Game 7 against a resurgent Yankees team. I wish I didn't have to write that.

Tonight could be the last game being played until Tuesday. The Dodgers polished off the Cubs in five games on Thursday night, laying waste to Jose Quintana and John Lackey while their own ace Clayton Kershaw was dominant. Take heart, Cubs fans. At least you won it last year. In any case, there will be no games on Sunday and Monday even if the Astros force a Game 7.

The number of former Orioles involved in this postseason has dropped substantially with the elimination of the Cubs. But hey, the Dodgers are still representing with Justin Turner and Rich Hill. And as I've mentioned before, if you remember the O's tenure of either one of those guys, you're surely confused about how it is that either one has something positive to offer a World Series-bound team in 2017.

There hasn’t been a repeat World Series champion since the Yankees string of wins from 1998-2000.

Around the blogO'sphere

Orioles sign reigning independent league MVP, bolstering organizational depth (Baltimore Sun)
Slow your roll, Sun headline writer. Let’s not act like a 27-year-old who never got above Double-A in affiliated baseball is depth. Still, best of luck to Joe Maloney, not to be confused with former Oriole Joe Mahoney.

Decision pending on Harvey's role to begin 2018 season (School of Roch)
There are times where I wonder if the Orioles actually have any idea what they’re doing. Any trial balloon floated about Hunter Harvey going to the bullpen is one of those times.

Can Chris Davis become more aggressive and increase run production? (Steve Melewski)
One of the times where the difference between “can” and “will”, often colloquially used interchangeably, is meaningful.

Phillies' outfielder Kim Hyun-soo returns home after 'disappointing' 2nd season (Yonhap News)
I wish Kim would have played better for the Orioles this year. He does, too.

Breaking down the home run revolution by position (Beyond the Box Score)
Our friends over at SB Nation’s Beyond the Box Score blog note that ten years ago, the average player hit 19.5 home runs. This year, the average player hit 25.1 homers. A lot of that increase came from second basemen.

Springville volleyball: Three-peat (The Journal-Eureka)
As you may know, it is the editorial position of this blog to celebrate the success of all Orioles teams everywhere. Today, a round of applause for the girls volleyball team of Springville High School in Springville, Iowa, who have won the Tri-Rivers Conference tournament for the third year in a row.

Quincy Lady Orioles claim third straight Big 8 Cross Country title (The Coldwater Daily Reporter)
And speaking of successful high school Orioles, the runners of the Quincy Lady Orioles from Quincy High School in Quincy, Michigan have also won a third straight title. Congratulations to both of these teams.

Birthdays and anniversaries

One lone former Oriole has a birthday today: Bobby Floyd, who appeared in a total of 47 games around the infield from 1968-70.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: Flemish painter Simon de Vos (1603), St. Paul's Cathedral designer Christopher Wren (1632), philosopher and education reformer John Dewey (1859), Dracula pioneer Bela Lugosi (1882), old time jazz man Jelly Roll Morton (1890), baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle (1931), singer-songwriter Tom Petty (1950), and rapper Snoop Dogg (1971).

On this day in history...

In 1740, Maria Theresa ascended to the throne of Austria. This sparked the War of the Austrian Succession, a seven year war (not to be confused with the forthcoming Seven Years' War) that involved most of Europe in some fashion and ended with Maria Theresa on the throne of Austria.

In 1818, the Convention of 1818 was signed between the United States and the United Kingdom, which fixed the border between Canada and the US at the 49th paralllel. Some later Americans were not satisfied by this border.

In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee launched its investigation into Communist involvement in Hollywood, leading to blacklists and other measures.

In 1973, President Nixon ordered first Attorney General Elliot Richardson and then Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox. Each refused in turn and both were fired. Future failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork ultimately fired Cox. This has been known in American political lore as the Saturday Night Massacre.

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And that's the way it is in Birdland on October 20 - or at least, unless something happens later. It probably won't, but hey, that's what I said yesterday and the Orioles ended up with Joe Maloney, so what do I know? Have a safe Friday.