Friday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles have an Opening Day starter

Hello, friends.

There are now six days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. That is a mere Jonathan Schoop days to go until real baseball is being played, or if you prefer, Melvin Mora days or Paul Blair days. Less than one week to go! Don’t mind that snow on the ground.

As spring training dwindles, another game remains to be played this afternoon. The Orioles will be in action against the Rays at 1:05. Although this game is being played in Sarasota, it’s not going to be televised or on the radio anywhere. You can’t see it unless you’re there and you buy a ticket. You probably won’t miss much.

The roster continues to be narrowed down as Opening Day approaches. The Orioles optioned both Jimmy Yacabonis and Tanner Scott to Triple-A Norfolk yesterday. That leaves 37 players in camp, with three of those remaining - Zach Britton, Mark Trumbo, and Gabriel Ynoa - ticketed for the disabled list. Yacabonis may be used as a starter in Norfolk, which is weird.

One role that’s been settled is that of Opening Day starter. It’s Dylan Bundy! He casually revealed in a mid-game MASN interview that he had been named the starter. It seems like the rest of the order of the rotation - or at least spots 2-4 - is also known but has not been announced yet. Maybe that will happen today! Or maybe it won’t.

Around the blogO’sphere

Dylan Bundy ‘humbled’ to get Opening Day start (Orioles.com)
I thought that Kevin Gausman would get another bite at this. I thought wrong!

Updating Beckham, Scott optioned, and more (School of Roch)
Swaggy T tweaked his groin a little bit while fielding a grounder yesterday and was removed from the game as a precaution. He didn’t appear to be in pain while joking around with teammates in the dugout, so let’s hope that means it’s not serious.

Orioles’ Wright after rocky start: “I just hope what I did early in spring gets me on the team” (Baltimore Sun)
I’ve realized that I’m usually mean when it comes to Mike Wright. So I present this one with no further comment than that.

Roberts and Manfra elected to Orioles Hall of Fame (School of Roch)
Brian Roberts deserved better Orioles teams than he got to play on.

After 2017 injuries, Cody Sedlock comes back stronger, determined (Steve Melewski)
Hopefully, the 2016 Orioles top pick can convince me to be as optimistic about him as he is about himself.

Baseball booms, minor leaguers still exploited (Camden Depot)
At the Depot, Jon Shepherd details just how much minor league players are getting screwed to play baseball, with an analysis of how little it would cost to correct this imbalance somewhat.

Birthdays and anniversaries

There are a pair of Orioles with birthdays today, both of whom have passed away. They are: 1975-80 first baseman Lee May, and 1963-67 outfielder Sam Bowens.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your birthday buddies for today include: Wars of the Roses figure Margaret of Anjou (1430), psychologist Erich Fromm (1900), director Akira Kurosawa (1910), fashion designer Kenneth Cole (1954), and actress Keri Russell (1976).

On this day in history...

In 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his speech containing the famous line, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” at a church in Richmond.

In 1801, Russian Tsar Paul I was killed in his bedchamber, first being struck by a sword, then strangled and trampled to death. One of the assassins immediately went to announce to Paul’s son, Alexander I, that he had become the tsar. Alexander did not punish any of the assassins. Among the policies that the nobles who assassinated Paul objected to were laws meant to improve treatment of serfs and rein in corruption in the treasury.

In 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition, which had reached its destination of the Pacific Ocean the previous November, began its return journey.

In 1933, the German Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, which made Adolf Hitler the dictator.

In 1983, President Reagan made the first proposal for the Strategic Defense Initiative, sometimes mocked as “Star Wars”: technology to intercept enemy missiles.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on March 23 - or at least, until something happens later, even if it doesn’t count and it won’t be televised. Have a safe Friday.