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Hello, friends.
You are probably well acquainted with the fact that the Orioles really suck lately. Last night, as another game turned down a dismal path almost immediately, with Dean Kremer becoming the first Orioles pitcher ever to walk five batters in an outing where he only recorded one out, I asked Camden Chat followers on Twitter to share some good news so we could put out some good vibes into the universe to counteract the Orioles.
It was a lot nicer than I would have guessed to spend the next several innings scrolling through people’s good news. So instead of another monologue talking about how little fun it is to be an Orioles fan right now, here are things that people responded that have made them happy lately:
- A whole house cleaning that made it less cluttered
- Tickets purchased to hit both New York stadiums and get closer to seeing all 30 stadiums
- Tickets purchased for a multi-sport doubleheader in Las Vegas (Ravens + AAA baseball)
- Being sent a sweet hat
- Kept a 4.0 GPA for an MBA program alive
- Discovered a bird’s nest in a fern on porch (with video)
- Got a Spider-Man tattoo refreshed (with picture)
- Heading to a water park today to celebrate end of school year
- Enjoying the first week of summer break with their kids
- Neighbor brought over perfectly baked brownies
- Anticipating the release of a next generation console game coming out today
- Started a new job this week
- Won a big payout at an online sportsbook
- Shared a kiwi with a squirrel that lives behind their apartment
- Won a free game of mini golf in Ocean City, MD
- Hiked through a redwood forest with family
- Saw nieces/nephews for the first time in a year and a half
- Work is buying lunch today
- The moonrise looked awesome last night
- Ordered two new cameras
- Had a nice lunchtime video chat with their mom
- Enjoyed the best fried chicken of their life
- Was not hit in the face by a cicada all week
If you aren’t one of the people who replied to me on Twitter last night, what’s something that’s made you happy lately? Feel free to share in the comments. The Orioles probably aren’t going to stop being bad any time soon, but everything non-Orioles in the world is still out there to maybe make you happy. Hopefully you can find some of it.
For those who just cannot escape the gravity well of the Orioles on a nightly basis, and I would be one of them even if I wasn’t contractually obligated in connection with running this website, the O’s will be back in action against the Temporarily Buffalo Blue Jays tonight at 7:07. Should-be-suspended Alek Manoah pitches for Temporarily Buffalo, with Matt Harvey on the mound for the O’s.
With three relievers blown open for multi-inning stints in the last two games, and Harvey not having completed five innings in a sadly long time, it could get weird and bad. I guess that’s the 2021 Orioles in a nutshell.
Around the blogO’sphere
Means won’t return to Orioles until second half (School of Roch)
The fact that there was no sign of John Means going on a rehab soon was a bit of a hint, but manager Brandon Hyde confirmed yesterday that Means won’t be back until after the All-Star break. Hopefully he can pick up where he left off.
Hyde doesn’t rule out a start for Rule 5 pick Wells (Baltimore Baseball)
Last week, Hyde said he hadn’t ruled out Tyler Wells getting a start. This week, it seems he still hasn’t ruled it out. I still don’t expect to see one, but implosions like Kremer’s last night do seem to make it a touch more likely.
Facing trade rumors amid comeback season, Trey Mancini ‘most definitely’ hoping to see Orioles rebuild through (The Baltimore Sun)
The cold logic of the rebuild and the sad truth of the current state of the 2021 Orioles are what they are. Still, the idea of trading Mancini makes me sadder than any of the trades that have been made since 2018.
Keith Law’s Mock Draft 2.0: Another guess of the Orioles making an underslot pick (The Athletic)
The Athletic’s prospect writer updated his mock draft yesterday and had the Orioles going with Sam Houston State Colton Cowser, a name mentioned as a possibility in several other mock drafts as well. In Law’s scenario, the O’s pass on names like Brady House and Kahlil Watson to dip down for Cowser.
Austin Hays and his teammates try to stay upbeat amid the losses (Steve Melewski)
Stories like this have been a near-daily feature for the last month or so. It is hard enough for me to stay upbeat as a fan. I don’t know how a player or coach who’s in the middle of it all manages.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Today in 1961, the Orioles and Angels played a 14-inning game in which the two teams combined to use a then-record 16 pitchers. The O’s won the game, 9-8. That same record today is now 25 pitchers, set in a 16-inning Giants-Rockies game in September 2019.
There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2008-11 outfielder Luke Scott, 2000-01 reliever Ryan Kohlmeier, and 1977 reliever Dick Drago. Today is Drago’s 76th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you as well! Your birthday buddies for today include: five star Army/Air Force general Henry Arnold (1886), royal relative and viceroy of India Louis Mountbatten (1900), musician Carly Simon (1945), Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor (1954), musician George Michael (1963), and basketballer Dikembe Mutombo (1966).
On this day in history...
In 1876, the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army fought the Battle of Little Bighorn against members of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. The cavalry commander, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, was among the 286 soldiers killed.
In 1906, architect Stanford White was shot and killed by Pittsburgh millionaire Harry Thaw. White had previously been involved with Thaw’s wife, Evelyn Nesbit. Thaw’s trial was was dubbed “the trial of the century” at the time.
In 1947, Anne Frank’s diary was first published. Its title in the original Dutch: Het Achterhuis: Dagboekbrieven 14 Juni 1942 – 1 Augustus 1944. That is, The Annex: Diary Notes and the dates. The familiar title The Diary of a Young Girl was given for the first English translation in 1952.
In 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, marking the beginning of the Korean War. This state of war technically still exists today, though the two sides have had an armistice since July 27, 1953.
In 1978, the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade saw the first use of a rainbow flag to represent gay pride.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on June 25. Have a safe Friday. Go O’s!