Sunday Bird Droppings: Where the Orioles are caravan-ing around Birdland

Happy Sunday, Camden Chatters! I hope you’re enjoying your last weekend before spring training. In just a few days, the players will start rolling into Sarasota to get ready for the 2020 season. This Orioles team is expected to be as bad as they were last year, but I’m sure the players don’t want to hear about that. They’re all out to prove themselves as qualified major leaguers, and I hope they do!

Did any of you attend any of the Birdland Caravan events this weekend? I did not, but I have been following along a bit on social media and I unexpectedly found the events to be charming and a bit heart warming. Each of the stops is in a much smaller venue than the usual Fan Fest convention center, which means they were all packed with fans. A friend of mine attended the event at Calvert Brewing and shared a fun pic of Mike Bordick handing him a draft beer.

If you scroll through #BirdlandCaravan on Twitter you can see a ton of highlights from the Orioles, fans, and reporters, and it certainly doesn’t seem like Orioles fandom is in trouble, even with the state of the current team. I hope that next year they expand the caravan and add in an event in Baltimore.

Here my favorite tweet that I saw about the caravan, from the team’s stop at Hall’s Cross Road Elementary school:

Links

Mancini on Hays: "I think he's going to be a force in the league" - School of Roch
Trey Mancini is very excited for Austin Hays in 2020. I hope he's right!

Gil Coan, original member of the 1954 Baltimore Orioles, dies at 97
Gil Coan played 1954-55 with the Orioles and collect the team's first ever hit.

Orioles Catching Prospects To Watch In 2020 - Birds Watcher
Sure, you know all about Adley, but there are other catchers in the system too. One of them is named Maverick.

Mullins retooled swing, eyes Majors return - MLB.com
Imagine a world where both Austin Hays AND Cedric Mullins are good? I know it's unlikely, but we can dream.

Bill Ripken On New Book, Old Vs. New School, And Baseball’s Future - Forbes
An interview with Bill Ripken, uncle of O's prospect Ryan, about his new book "State of Play: The Old-School Guide to New-School Baseball."

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have five Orioles birthday buddies! Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero turns 45 today. When people remember Vlad’s incredible career they won’t think about his time with the Orioles, but he played 145 games for the 2011 team.

It’s also the birthday of Napoleon Calzado (43), whose entire ML career was four games for the 2005 Orioles; Doug Linton (55), who pitched for the Orioles in 1999; Erv Palica (b. 1928, d. 1982), who spent 1955-56 with the Birds; and Vic Wertz, (b. 1925, d. 1983), who came over from the St. Louis Browns to play for the inaugural Orioles in 1954.