Thanksgiving Bird Droppings: Where we're thankful to never see the 2017 rotation again

Hello, friends.

There are now 125 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2018. Don't expect a whole lot to happen in the baseball world today, on account of it being Thanksgiving and all. Hopefully you are able to have an enjoyable day with family.

This Orioles season didn't end up being a whole lot of fun, we must admit, but there's still plenty to be thankful for with the Orioles on this Thanksgiving Day. I mean, most of that is that we'll never have to watch Ubaldo Jimenez or Wade Miley pitch for the Orioles again, but still.

Really, though, we can also be thankful for one more year of Manny Machado, and, uh... hopefully some other stuff that will reveal itself in time. I'm not feeling too good or thankful for the Orioles right now, honestly, and that's not just the standard exaggerated Mark Brown pessimism for comic effect.

But enough about me, let's get to the turkey, or at least the links.

Around the blogO'sphere

Orioles getting into giving spirit of holidays (orioles.com)
The Orioles organization is keeping busy with charitable stuff in the offseason, and that’s not even counting Adam Jones’s upcoming #StayHungry tailgate.

Orioles unlikely to capitalize on suddenly available international talent (Baltimore Sun)
The Atlanta Braves were naughty, with the result being that a dozen of their prospects are now free agents. But the Sun says don’t get your hopes up about the Orioles signing any.

More on Hall of Fame debate and surrendering slots (School of Roch)
Roch has some thoughts on the Joe Morgan letter, as well as a thorough list of all of the players the Orioles acquired for international signing bonus slots just this year... and not a single one of them mattered.

Hot stove stock watch (ESPN)
Not for the first time and not for the last, an ESPN writer proclaims things more or less hopeless for the Orioles. As that great Corellian Han Solo once said, never tell me the odds!

Who would be the best Orioles Thanksgiving dinner guest? (Birds Watcher)
Is there any answer other than Adam Jones? Worst guest: Mark Trumbo.

The 2018 free agent landmines (Fangraphs)
Two of the O’s supposed free agent targets make Dave Cameron’s landmine list. Beware!

Oakland A's trade Jaycob Brugman to Orioles (Athletics Nation)
Over at the A’s SB Nation blog, my counterpart is really torn up about yesterday’s trade that sent Jaycob Brugman to the Orioles.

Birthdays and anniversaries

There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2010-11 first baseman Brandon Snyder, 2009-10 infielder Justin Turner, regrettable 2009 starter Adam Eaton, 2002 reserve Ryan McGuire, 1983-84 infielder Todd Cruz, and 1960 four-gamer John Anderson.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: infinity symbol creator John Wallis (1616), President Franklin Pierce (1804), actor Harpo Marx (1888), television personality Chris Hardwick (1971), and singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus (1992).

On this day in history...

In 1644, John Milton published a pamphlet called Areopagitica, which opposed censorship. It's considered to be one of the underpinnings of modern justifications for freedom of speech and expression.

In 1876, the corrupt Tammany Hall leader William Magear "Boss" Tweed was returned to authorities in New York City, having been captured in Spain.

In 1924, the discovery by Edwin Hubble that Andromeda is another galaxy and not a nebula, was first published in the New York Times.

In 1981, President Reagan signed a top secret National Security Decision Directive that gave the CIA the authority to recruit and support Contra rebels in Nicaragua. We now call this the Iran-Contra affair.

**

And that's the way it is in Birdland on this Thanksgiving Day - or at least, unless something happens later. Hopefully it doesn't, because I won't be around to write if it does. Have a safe Thanksgiving!