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Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Happy Monday. Are you one of the lucky folks who is off work for Columbus Day? It’s kind of a joke of a holiday, but hey, a day off is a day off. Enjoy it!
The MLB postseason continues to plug along, and if you’re an Orioles fan, you’re probably not thrilled by how it’s playing out so far. Of the 10-team field that began the playoffs, the one World Series matchup I least wanted to see — out of the 25 possible combinations — was the Yankees vs. the Nationals.
You guys, it’s totally going to end up being the Yankees vs. the Nationals.
That’s not official yet, of course. But both teams are sitting pretty in their respective Championship Series. Each is headed to its home field for the next three games — the Nationals starting tonight, the Yankees tomorrow — and each has a chance to clinch the series without returning to the opponent’s ballpark.
The Astros and Cardinals are going to need to pull off some magic to get back into the series. I feel like the Astros, at least, are capable of doing so. The Cards? Not so much.
So if it indeed ends up being a showdown between the Yankees and Nationals in the Fall Classic, what then, O’s fans? Do you have any kind of rooting interest? Are you even going to watch? I’d probably watch at least some of the games out of a sense of obligation, but there’s a good chance I’ll turn them off in disgust halfway through the game and start clearing the backlog of shows on my DVR. It’s hard to get too invested in the outcome of a series where you don’t want either team to succeed.
Links
It could be a nightmare World Series for Orioles fans: Connolly’s Tap Room – The Athletic
Commenters on Dan Connolly’s blog discuss who they’d pull for in the event of a Yanks/Nats World Series. Ultimately, I agree with the majority of the commenters: it’s never, ever the Yankees, no matter how objectionable their opponent is.
Early offseason edition: “10 questions for O’s fans” - Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski poses 10 questions about the 2020 Orioles. My answers: 60-102, Mancini, Means, yes, majors, no, yes, no, Akin, yes.
More on Santander’s season and how he’s set for 2020 - School of Roch
Anthony Santander was one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2019 Orioles, but his late-season tailspin showed he still has more to work on. I’m still declaring him the Orioles’ most successful Rule 5 pick since Jay Gibbons.
Baltimore Orioles Prospects On Display In Fall Stars Game - Birds Watcher
Orioles prospects Dean Kremer (No. 8) and Mason McCoy (No. 24) represented the club in the Arizona Fall League All-Star Game. Seems kind of silly that there’s an All-Star Game for a league where only 20 games have been played so far, but hey, more power to them.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have four Orioles birthday buddies: Tommy Harper (79), Kiko Garcia (66), Carl Nichols (57), and Midre Cummings (48).
Oct. 14 has been a terrible day in Orioles postseason history, with the club going just 1-5 in six games on this date. One of those losses came in the ALCS — Game 3 against the Royals in 2014 — while the other four came in the World Series, in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1979. None were the series clinchers, at least.
The Orioles’ lone win on Oct. 14 came in Game 3 of the 1983 World Series, when the O’s scored two runs in the seventh off Phillies ace Steve Carlton for a comeback 3-2 victory. Fellow Hall of Famer Jim Palmer came out of the bullpen for the Orioles, pitching two scoreless innings for the win.