Saturday’s Bird Droppings: Where Baltimore is going running

Morning, Birdland!

It’s Saturday and there’s not any real Orioles-related news. When I went to bed on Friday, the Brewers were leading the Dodgers 5-2 in game six of the NLCS, so it sounds like we are set up for an epic finale later today.

That takes care of all of necessary baseball information.

Early on Saturday, however, thousands of Baltimoreans will be taking part in the 2018 Baltimore Running Festival, including yours truly. I’ve never been much of a runner, but you get a cool looking medal, and I’m the type of person that needs an end goal to force me to exercise or I’ll never do it.

There will be a 5K, half marathon, full marathon and several combinations of the three. I will be running (slowly jogging) 13.1 miles. It’s by far the furthest distance I’ve ever undertaken, so I expect it to quite slug-like. But it’s all about finishing right? That will be my goal. Everything else is a bonus.

Good luck to any fellow Camden Chatters hitting the pavement today! I hope you all beat your personal records. But above all else, stay safe out there.

Links

Wilkerson hopes to move past struggles in AFL - MLB.com
Steve Wilkerson, at this very moment, has to be the favorite to start at second base on Opening Day 2019 for the Orioles. He will turn 27 this January and has continually shown an ability to hit in the minors. His abbreviated time in the MLB has been underwhelming, but that could change given a healthy off-season.

More roster talk, Lee update and former Orioles in October - MASN Sports
When they is no movement on the GM or manager front, it’s time to get into the exciting world of 40-man roster math. The non-tender deadline is November 30, and without a decision-maker in place it’s tough to guess at who will or won’t be around in December.

Few Orioles could help baseball’s best teams - Baltimore Baseball
Dubroff explains that a scout he spoke with thinks Mychal Givens is the only Orioles player that’s good enough to be on a playoff team right now. Maybe that’s true. I agree with the Dubroff’s take that Jonathan Villar is good enough as well. The rest of the roster is young and unproven or old and deeply flawed.

Do you think new O’s executive will have final say on baseball decisions? - The Athletic
If the Orioles are going to get a person widely respected in the game, like Kim Ng or Ben Cherington, then that will mean the Angelos family has to relinquish significant control in the baseball department. However, that could still mean there are well-defined boundaries to which the new person must adhere.

Manny Machado Denies Playing Dirty After Late Slide Into Pitcher’s Mound - The Onion
The Onion has done it again.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy Birthday!

Infielder Bobby Floyd is turning 75 years old today. He played in 47 games for the Orioles across three seasons, 1968-1970. His .189/.233/.242 batting line explains why he never became a regular starter. Over 463 career MLB plate appearances, Floyd never hit a home run.

There’s apparently no significant historical events in O’s history on this day, according to Baseball Reference. So, here are some important happenings from elsewhere in the world on October 20.

1802 - The United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase, an acquisition of 828,000 square miles from France. The land gained by the U.S. includes all or part of 14 current U.S. states

1873 - The first rules of American football are draft by Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Rutgers universities

1973 - U.S. President Richard Nixon fires Attorney General Elliott Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus after both refuse to fire Archibald Cox, a special prosecutor assigned to investigate the Watergate scandal. Robert Bork, the Solicitor General, does fire Cox. This comes to be known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.”

1977 - A plane carrying rock band Lynard Skynard crashes after running out of gas. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines die in the crash along with three members of the crew and both the pilot and co-pilot of the plane.