Saturday Bird Droppings

Look, the less said about last night, the better. Sure, I’m compelled to provide a few links, but today’s a new day, the Orioles are in first place and they have a great chance to win today’s game with, oh, crap. Ubaldo Jimenez is starting. It’s just gonna get worse, isn’t it?

Yankees Rally From 8 Down To Top Orioles 14-11 « CBS Baltimore
Down 9-1 in the sixth, the Yankees pulled off their biggest comeback since overcoming a 9-0 gap to beat Boston 15-9 in 2012.

Orioles’ Manny Machado Pulverizes Longest Home Run At Yankee Stadium Of Statcast Era
The ball traveled 470-feet, which is good for the longest home run at Yankee Stadium of the ‘Statcast‘ era, which began in 2015.

Orioles weigh Tillman's return, Bundy's next start (we're tied) - School of Roch
“Keep in mind that spring training is usually six starts, and he’s had four. This will be his fifth coming up on the 2nd somewhere, whether it’s here or somewhere else,” Buck Showalter said, factoring in an outing at extended spring training. “We’ll see how the work day goes.

With pending returns of Britton and Tillman, Orioles begin to feel roster crunch - Baltimore Sun
It puts us back at even," Buck Showalter said of the return of the two pitchers. "It's one thing when you have to maneuver around with a different closer and this and that and different roles. But at some point you have to have that carrot that we're going to get back to another phase, back to where you wanted to be."

Orioles' Zach Britton: Struggles in first rehab appearance - CBSSports.com
Zach Britton walked two batters, allowed a run and recorded just two outs over 28 pitches in a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie on Friday. But he got his work in!

Birthdays and History

Happy Birthday to former Orioles Omir Santos, Ron Washington, Rick Burleson, and Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio. They share today with famous people including newspaper publisher and Citizen Kane inspiration William Randolph Hearst 1863; pianist and band leader Duke Ellington 1899; Japanese emperor Hirohito 1901; musician and weed enthusiast Willie Nelson 1933; Seven-time NASCAR champion Dale Earnhardt 1951; comedian Jerry Seinfeld 1955; actor Daniel Day-Lewis 1957; actress Michelle Pfeiffer 1957; Brady Bunch actress Eve Plumb 1958; actress Uma Thurman 1970; and tennis player Andre Agassi 1970.

Today in Baltimore baseball history...

1902 - Baltimore Orioles infielder John McGraw is hit by pitches five times, but home plate umpire Jack Sheridan refuses to allow him to take first base. In the 9th inning, McGraw is hit for the last time and sits down in the batter's box in protest. American League president Ban Johnson will suspend McGraw for five games.

1988 - The Baltimore Orioles end their 21-game losing streak by winning their first game of the season, 9 - 0, over the Chicago White Sox on a combined four-hitter by Mark Williamson and Dave Schmidt. 98 Rock DJ Bob Rivers immediately took a nap.

2015 - The Orioles win a game in eerie silence as they defeat the White Sox, 8 - 2, with no fans present at Camden Yards. The game is played without spectators present due to persistent rioting in Baltimore, MD, in order for the city not to have to commit overworked security forces to the contest. "Hopefully this was something good, something positive can come from this," comments Chris Davis, whose long home run into the empty stands is the highlight of a six-run 1st inning, thinking about the difficult couple of weeks the city has gone through.

Today in world history...

1429 - Joan of Arc led Orleans, France, to victory over Britain.

1852 - The first edition of Peter Roget's Thesaurus was published.

1861 - The Maryland House of Delegates voted against seceding from Union.

1945 - In a bunker in Berlin, Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun were married. Hitler designated Admiral Karl Doenitz his successor.

1945 - The Nazi death camp, Dachau, was liberated.

1961 - ABC’s "Wide World of Sports" premiered.

1975 - The U.S. embassy in Vietnam was evacuated as North Vietnamese forces fought their way into Saigon.

1992 - Rioting began after a jury decision to acquit four Los Angeles policemen in the Rodney King beating trial. 54 people were killed in 3 days.