Sunday Bird Droppings - Ain’t that a kick in the pants

O'Day falters in five-run sixth as Orioles let Astros come back for 8-4 win - Baltimore Sun
"Given the importance of every game as July winds down — and the fact that every loss drops them further out of contention as the nonwaiver trade deadline approaches — the Orioles can ill afford being as snake-bitten as they were Saturday."

Baltimore Orioles VP Dan Duquette quashes notion of trading away talent
"The Orioles have had better ballclubs at this stage of the season, but I still have hope for this year's club," Dan Duquette said. "I've got a lot of confidence that the guys that we have can put it together."

Showalter on Wright - School of Roch
Now that Mike Wright is back at Triple-A Norfolk, the Orioles must decide how to use him.

Birthdays and History

No current or former Orioles have birthdays today. If they did, they would share today with famous people including comic actor (Larry "Bud" Melman) Calvert DeForest 1921; radio personality Don Imus 1940; actor Woody Harrelson 1961; Gun N' Roses guitarist Slash (Saul Hudson) 1965; actor Philip Seymour Hoffman 1967; model Stephanie Seymour 1968; musician and singer Alison Krauss 1971; actor Marlon Wayans 1972; actor Omar Epps 1973; and Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe 1989.

On this day in Baltimore baseball history...

1998 - Baltimore C Lenny Webster's four hits - including a double and homer - and six ribbies power the Orioles to a 9 - 7 win over Oakland.

2013 - The Orioles acquire veteran reliever Francisco Rodriguez from the Brewers for infield prospect Nick Delmonico.

On this day in world history...

1715 - The first lighthouse in America was authorized for construction at Little Brewster Island, Massachusetts.

1829 - William Burt patented the typographer, which was the first typewriter.

1904 - The ice cream cone was invented by Charles E. Menches during the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, MO.

1914 - Austria-Hungary issued an ultimatum to Serbia following the killing of Archduke Francis Ferdinand by a Serb assassin. The dispute led to World War I.

1962 - The "Telstar" communications satellite sent the first live TV broadcast to Europe.

Consider this your discussion space for The Open Championship from Royal Birkdale.