Tuesday Bird Droppings: Where Hall of Fame voting season is underway

Hello, friends.

There are now 127 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2018. Don't expect a whole lot to happen on this particular day, both because it's two days before Thanksgiving and because the league is still hung up on whether or not Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani is going to come over to the USA.

It's a recipe for not a whole lot happening, except for yesterday, when every team added players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. If you missed it, the Orioles added three players: Hunter Harvey, Austin Wynns, and David Hess. Hopefully we see them all in Baltimore soon!

In the realm of players who've already hit the big leagues, one free agent target for the O's is said to be starter Alex Cobb, but there are those who believe he's going to end up choosing between the Cubs and Yankees. I don't know about you, but that one doesn't upset me too much, because every time I consider the case of Cobb, I can't talk myself into it being a good idea.

You know what season it is? Hall of Fame voting season, a.k.a. baseball writers have their heads up their butts instead of noticing that Mike Mussina is a Hall of Fame-caliber pitcher. Maybe this year will be a year he can make another big jump.

Around the blogO’sphere

Orioles announce full spring training schedule (Baltimore Sun)
There are those who don’t find spring training to be boring. They may be interested in knowing the complete O’s spring training schedule.

Rule 5 and rotation reminders (School of Roch)
Roch is still banging the “Cobb and Lynn will be too expensive” drum here as we head into late November, which remains unencouraging for the O’s hopes of improving the rotation.

Is there a preference for Cobb or Lynn? (Steve Melewski)
Between the Cubs/Yankees item about Cobb and the above item about their price tags, this may prove to be something of a pointless question.

Is Chance Sisco a slam dunk for your Opening Day roster? (Baltimore Baseball)
Hell yeah! It’s OK if you disagree, though. There are good reasons to think he could use a little more scenery.

Country star Young gets VIP tour from Mancini (orioles.com)
One thing I’ve noticed that’s interesting is that Trey Mancini seems to be sticking around Baltimore for a whole lot of the offseason. It probably doesn’t mean anything.

Birthdays and anniversaries

On this day in 1977, Eddie Murray was awarded the American League Rookie of the Year award.

There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2015 Rule 5 oddity Jason Garcia, 2014 short-timer Quintin Berry, and 1994 reliever Mark Eichhorn.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: Philosopher Voltaire (1694), baseball Hall of Famer Stan Musial (1920), New Orleans jazz man Dr. John (1940), actor/screenwriter/Mark Brown celebrity lookalike Harold Ramis (1944), baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. (1969), singer-songwriter Carly Rae Jepsen (1985), and current Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (1989).

On this day in history...

In 164 BC, Judas Maccabeus restored the Temple in Jerusalem. This event is still commemorated each year, though it moves around in the Gregorian calendar, by the feast of Hanukkah.

In 1676 AD, a Danish astronomer, Ole Rømer, presented the first measurements of the speed of light.

In 1877, Thomas Edison announced the invention of the phonograph.

In 1922, Georgia’s Rebecca Latimer Felton took the oath of office for the United States Senate, making her the first female senator in the country’s history.

In 1967, General William Westmoreland, then the commander of Military Assistance Command Vietnam, told reporters of the Vietnam War: “I am absolutely certain that whereas in 1965 the enemy was winning, today he is certainly losing.”

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on November 21 - or at least, unless something happens later, which would require somebody in the baseball world to do work two days before Thanksgiving. Yeah, right! Have a safe Tuesday.