Thursday Bird Droppings: Where we’re in the same month as Opening Day

Hello, friends.

There are now 28 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. Yes, it is just four weeks away that the season will begin in Camden Yards. Just as importantly, the fact that the calendar has turned over to March means that we are now in the same month as real baseball! Maybe there’s something to this late March Opening Day business, because usually we don’t get the baseball month until April 1.

For now, the spring training schedule rolls on. The Orioles will once again be traveling to Rays camp to play a game this afternoon, and this game won’t be on TV or on the radio anywhere, although if you subscribe to the right MLB products, you can get an online-only broadcast of the Rays point of view.

Not that spring training means a whole lot, which is a good thing for the Orioles since they blew a 9-1 lead to lose 10-9 yesterday. The good news is that there probably won’t be many regular season games negatively impacted by Andrew Faulkner or Steven Klimek, who gave up eight of the ten runs.

Other good news is that Manny Machado hit a grand slam and Chris Davis, Trey Mancini, and Ryan Mountcastle all homered as well. That part was probably fun to see, especially since the game was actually on MASN.

Around the blogO’sphere

Updating MRIs on Chris Lee and Austin Hays (School of Roch)
Chris Lee pitched to one batter, hurt his oblique, and now he’s out for at least four weeks. That’s some bad luck. Austin Hays won’t be throwing for another couple of days. Hopefully he’s fine after that.

Cashner acclimating to O’s at own pace (Orioles.com)
Andrew Cashner wanted to start slow since he signed late. Sounds sensible! He’s also going to be appearing mostly in B games on back fields so as not to tip the O’s hand against AL East teams or the Twins, against whom they open the season - standard Buck Showalter stuff.

Mike Wright Jr. tosses two scoreless innings in second Grapefruit League outing (Baltimore Sun)
Another reminder that Mike Wright is trying out a cutter this spring in hopes that it will propel him into the fifth starter spot.

Under-the-radar players from each MLB team who don’t get enough notice (ESPN)
As the Orioles are first place alphabetically, you don’t have to scroll very far to see who ESPN’s David Schoenfield thinks isn’t getting enough attention.

Orioles’ new partnership with Naval Academy will include 2019 exhibition in Annapolis (Baltimore Sun)
The Orioles recently torpedoed a Nationals affiliation with the Naval Academy since Annapolis is in Anne Arundel County, which is Orioles turf. In the wake of that, they’ve set up their own little partnership with the Naval Academy, including an Army-Navy doubleheader at Camden Yards next March.

Orioles’ legend Al Bumbry won Bronze Star (MLB.com)
For the just-concluded Black History Month, MLB.com was highlighting some of the interesting black players in baseball’s history. On the final day of February, Orioles great Al Bumbry got this little profile.

Birthdays and anniversaries

One current Oriole does not get a birthday this year because he was born on February 29: Stefan Crichton, so happy sorta-birthday to him. There are also a few former Orioles with birthdays: 2003 starter Omar Daal, 1973 short-timer Larry Brown (no relation), 1958 eight-gamer Bert Hamric, and Howie Fox of the inaugural 1954 Orioles.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: trombonist and big band era band leader Glenn Miller (1904), longtime baseball broadcaster Harry Caray (1914), novelist Ralph Ellison (1914), singer-songwriter Harry Belafonte (1927), movie man Ron Howard (1954), actress Lupita Nyong’o (1983), singer-songwriter Kesha (1987), and the phenomenon that is Justin Bieber (1994).

On this day in history...

In 293, Roman co-emperors Diocletian and Maximilian appointed two more men, Constantius Chlorus and Galerius, as Caesars. This marked the beginning of the Tetrarchy (Quattuor Principes Mundi, or Four Rulers of the World) and the end of the Crisis of the Third Century.

In 1692, Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba appeared before magistrates in Salem, Massachusetts, marking the start of the Salem witch trials.

In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte returned to French shores after escaping his exile on Elba. This was the beginning of the Hundred Days, after which Napoleon was again removed from power.

In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established, becoming the world’s first national park.

In 1936, the Hoover Dam was completed.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 1 - or at least, until something happens later. Have a safe Thursday.