Friday Bird Droppings: Where Trey Mancini is back in action

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

If you’re an Orioles fan who’s Extremely Online, perhaps you remember a running gag on Twitter that originated right here in Birdland last year.

It all started on July 13, 2019, when a furious Orioles fan renounced his four decades of allegiance, gave up his season tickets, and vowed to never again watch the team.

And what was the unforgivable event that set him off after a lifetime of fandom? The Orioles...traded 32-year-old journeyman Andrew Cashner.

The tweet, which was apparently made in pure sincerity, soon sparked into an Orioles meme. From that day forward, every time the Orioles made a meaningless, minor transaction, O’s fans would seize the opportunity to tongue-in-cheekily copy and paste the infamous tweet in response (and sometimes have to explain the joke afterward for the newcomers). Soon it spread across the sports landscape as a sarcastic response to events small and large.

Now the meme has entered the political arena, as reported in The Verge, with a number of Twitter jokesters posting that familiar tweet — with the wording altered a bit, of course — in “protest” of the presidential election. (Those poor Verge writers had to painstakingly comb through thousands of tweets to discover its origin. Clearly they aren’t Orioles fans.)

That’s pretty cool! Although the guy who wrote the original tweet might feel otherwise. If you’re out there, Will Shiflett, let us know how you’re doing.

Links

Orioles complete Tommy Milone trade - School of Roch
The O’s added a couple of infielders to their system to finish their Aug. 30 deal with the Braves. In all likelihood, neither one is going to move the needle, but you can’t expect much for a one-month rental of Tommy Milone.

Looking deeper into the Orioles’ pension-designation drama – The Athletic
If you’re interested in getting deep into the weeds about how MLB’s pension plan works and what the Orioles might have done wrong, The Athletic has you covered.

Ballpark tour starts with a home game - Oriole Park at Camden Yards - BaltimoreBaseball.com
It’s been a while since fans have been able to go to Camden Yards, so Rich Dubroff breaks down what makes it the best ballpark in baseball. Right about now it’s hitting me how much I’ve missed it.

‘We’re back’: Mancini returns to batting cage - Orioles.com
The best Orioles news of the day: Trey Mancini is back in a batting cage. We can’t wait to see you back on the field, Trey.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Two former Orioles were born on this day: 2003 shortstop Deivi Cruz (48) and early-1980s infielder Leo Hernandez (61).

On this date in 1969, the Orioles’ Mike Cuellar was voted AL Cy Young co-winner along with the Tigers’ Denny McLain, with each receiving 10 votes (back then, every voter only picked one pitcher; the following year, the rule was changed so each voter ranked their top three). Cuellar went 23-11 with a 2.38 ERA in his first season for an Orioles team that dominated the American League.

On this day in 1987, the Orioles acquired outfielder Joe Orsulak from the Pirates for two minor leaguers (including Terry Crowley Jr., son of the longtime Oriole). Orsulak became a useful reserve outfielder for five years, batting .281 with a .731 OPS and 52 outfield assists, 22 of them during the 1991 season.

And on this day in 2011, the Orioles agreed to terms with Dan Duquette, who’d been out of baseball for 10 years, to become their new general manager. I remember the hiring was met with some chuckles at the time, but Duquette, despite a few notable goofs, presided over the Orioles’ return to glory with three postseason appearances in his seven-year tenure.