Wednesday Bird Droppings: Where it is John Means’s big day!

Good morning, Birdland!

The unexpected success of John Means through the season’s first month has been one of the most exciting things about these Orioles. Anytime a pitcher is able to look semi-competent while donning the orange and black is cause for celebration. Means has managed to be downright good. That’s worth something more!

Today, the southpaw turns 26 years old (Fellow 1993 baby! Yeah! Yeah!) and he also starts for the Orioles against the White Sox. That’s a pretty big day for a rookie pitcher.

Should Means put together another impressive performance, or do something crazy like throw a no-hitter, this date will need to be marked in history. As you will see below, not a whole lot has happened for the Orioles on April 24. Means can change that.

I motion that we officially name April 24th as “John Means days” and that a key to the city of Baltimore be given to Means. Usually, that is a job for a mayor of a major city, and we have a bit of a problem there for the time being. Perhaps we could delay for a few months, or even until next year. Eh, forget it! Nevermind. That sounds like a planning nightmare. Just scrap the idea altogether.

Good luck tonight, John!

Links & Notes

Latest On MASN Dispute - MLB Trade Rumors
Where you can directly to the comments and see Orioles and Nationals fans bickering. Yay!

Alex Cobb doesn’t regret signing with Orioles - Baltimore Baseball
If Alex Cobb can ever stay healthy (and yes, that is a very big “if”) then the Orioles probably won’t be too unhappy about it either. They need pitchers that can get outs to prevent from being embarrassed on a daily basis and protect some of their younger arms. Cobb can do that when at or near 100%.

The Warehouse Podcast: Mullins demoted & Wright DFA’d (ep. 31) - Eutaw Street Report
Are you an Orioles fan? Do you have ears? Interesting...VERY interesting!

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

It is the birthday of today’s starter John Means. The 26-year-old left-hander has pitched in just seven career MLB games, but he is one of the few current O’s hurlers that is fun to watch. Yesterday, our own Nick Cicere explained what Means is doing so well on the mound. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a noteworthy career.

Former O’s backstop Welington Castillo is also celebrating his big day. The catcher is turning 32, and he happens to currently play for the White Sox. Perhaps the teams could plan a joint party prior to today’s game. That way the two ownership groups can split the cost of cake and paper plates. That’s some smart financial planning!

According to Baseball Reference, there don’t seem to be any significant Orioles-related moments on this day in history. But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been interesting happenings elsewhere in the world on April 24. Here’s what we have, via Wikipedia:

1800 - U.S. President John Adams signs legislation to fund the creation of the United States Library of Congress.

1918 - The first instance of tank-on-tank combat takes place during the second Battle of Willers-Bretonneaux in northern France between the British and the Germans.

1953 - Queen Elizabeth II knights Winston Churchill, the United Kingdom Prime Minister.