Sunday Bird Droppings: The World Series takes a breath

Hello, friends.

There are now 151 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2024. We are running out of days that will have an MLB game happening. Today will not be one, since it’s an off day for the World Series, and there could be as few as three more games depending on how the series goes from here. At most, there will be five more days with real baseball until late March. It will all be settled by the end of this week. Winter is coming.

Have you been watching the World Series so far? How are you feeling about the way it’s turned out through the first two games in Texas? I have mentioned in this space before, but I just can’t bring myself to tune in. That could have been us and it wasn’t, you know? Somebody’s going to win it, and good for them and their fans. I don’t need to watch them experiencing happiness I dared to dream for myself.

For now, the Diamondbacks and Rangers will resume in Arizona tomorrow at one game each. Last night, Arizona was able to even the series by getting the combination of “your starting pitcher is good and the Rangers bullpen is as bad as advertised” that the Orioles did not manage to get across the three game ALDS sweep.

As the saying goes, maybe next year. Unless things go very poorly, the Orioles should have a good chance to make it in, and then they just need to have things break their way more. Maybe this year’s experience will help the returning players, or maybe they just need a different set of circumstances where they are more able to show off their quality. The worst thing about the offseason will be having to wait to find out what’s going to happen.

That’s what I felt like last year and now that the O’s won 101 but came up short in the postseason I feel it even more. I will have to deal with it. As the countdown says, there’s a long way to go between now and then.

Around the blogO’sphere

The pitchers had a solid season, and it got better in the second half (Steve Melewski)
Improvements by Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer in the second half of the season were definitely part of what fueled the team’s 101 wins and AL East title.

Gunnar Henderson, Brandon Hyde, Mike Elias win Sporting News awards (The Baltimore Sun)
It’s going to be interesting to see whether the BBWAA awards that are handed out in a couple more weeks are going to match these. Henderson winning the ROY will be the important one, since that will have a tangible benefit for the Orioles.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2013, three Orioles were named as Gold Glove winners, as J.J. Hardy won for shortstop, Manny Machado won for third base, and Adam Jones won for center field.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2021 reliever Shaun Anderson, 2012 pitcher Dana Eveland, 2000/2004 outfielder Karim García, 1973-74 infielder Frank Baker, and 1967-71 pitcher Pete Richert. Today is Richert’s 84th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: actor Richard Dreyfuss (1947), actor Dan Castellaneta (1957), actress Winona Ryder (1971), and singer Tove Lo (1987).

On this day in history...

In 1618, early colonial sponsor Sir Walter Raleigh was executed by beheading. He had been sentenced to death for involvement in a 1603 plot against England’s king James I, was set free, and later executed because he broke a treaty with Spain and they demanded he be executed.

In 1929, it was Black Tuesday on Wall Street, now recognized as ending the bull market that lasted through the 20s and starting the Great Depression.

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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on October 29. Have a safe Sunday.