Friday Bird Droppings: Where it’s the last weekend of Orioles baseball

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

This is it. The last stop of the Orioles’ 2019 season. They’ve arrived at Fenway Park, where they’ll play the final three games of the year and then say their goodbyes and go their separate ways.

The Red Sox have already been eliminated from postseason contention, and I’m playing the world’s tiniest violin for them. The Orioles have already been locked into the No. 2 draft pick for 2020. So there’s absolutely nothing at stake for either team in this series, other than, you know, just having a fun final weekend with the gang.

What about you, Camden Chatters? Will you be watching this weekend, to bid a fond farewell to the unsuccessful but kind of spunky 2019 Orioles? Or have you long since stopped caring about this season?

Links

John Angelos Says Orioles Will Stay In Town, Shoots Down Rumors Of Move - Forbes
John Angelos responded to rumors of an Orioles relocation by saying the club will stay in Baltimore “as long as Fort McHenry is standing watch over the Inner Harbor.” Oh God, this can only mean one thing: the O’s are moving to Nashville, and they’ll be disassembling Fort McHenry brick by brick and taking it with them. Noooo!

Baltimore Orioles top prospect list 2020: No. 1 pick Adley Rutschman checks in at the top - CBS Sports
If you’re like me, you’ll read the first four entries on the list and say, “Yup, sure, makes sense,” and then get to No. 5 and say, “Wha?”

Orioles could eliminate title of minor league catching coordinator - School of Roch
Wow, Adley Rutschman is already such a flawless catcher that he’s made the entire concept of a catching instructor irrelevant. This guy is good!

Dave Johnson remains cult hero in O's lore - Orioles.com
Former Oriole and current broadcaster Dave Johnson, a key cog on the 1989 “Why Not?” team, shares some stories about his career. I like the one about how he struck out Alan Trammell on an 84-mph nothing ball that made Trammell say, “That’s it?”

Moore reflects on Delmarva's special season, playoff disappointment; Orioles' pitching prospect Fenter looks ahead - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Rich Dubroff talks to Shorebirds manager Kyle Moore and pitcher Gray Fenter about Delmarva's franchise-best 90-win season. It still blows my mind that the Shorebirds had almost 40 more wins this year than the Orioles, while playing 20 fewer games.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with Orioles Hall of Famer Dick Hall, who turns 89 today. The righty reliever was a member of both the 1966 and 1970 championship O’s clubs, going 65-40 with a 2.89 ERA and 60 saves in nine seasons in Baltimore. In 1970, he had more wins (10) than walks (six). Other ex-Orioles born today are 1978 outfielder Carlos Lopez (71) and 1998 one-game reliever Radhames Dykhoff (45).

This was an ugly day in Orioles history in 1996, when O’s second baseman Roberto Alomar spit on umpire John Hirschbeck after a heated argument in the first inning in Toronto. Alomar insisted Hirschbeck had used racial slurs against him, but didn’t help matters in his postgame comments when he said Hirschbeck had gotten “bitter” since the death of his 8-year-old son. That was not the finest moment in the history of baseball or, frankly, humanity. Alomar was suspended five games but didn’t have to serve it until the following year, allowing him to play in the postseason in ‘96.

In happier news, the two actually became good friends later in life, with Alomar helping contribute to Hirschbeck’s charitable foundation.