Thursday Bird Droppings: Where we've never lost to the Mets because we don't play the games

Hello, friends.

We are now a month into the baseball season and the Orioles find themselves holding a 12-13 record. That's good for fourth place in the American League East, 3.5 games behind the division-leading Yankees and a half-game ahead of the last place Boston Red Sox. That was fun to type so I'm going to type it again: last place Boston Red Sox. Yup, still fun.

The O's haven't escaped from New York. Maybe they need to get Snake Plissken on their side. They are, at least, away from having to play at CitiField again this year, unless both the Orioles and the Mets somehow make the World Series and give us a rematch of 1969. That's not going to happen, I feel fairly safe in saying.

One thing that is going to happen is that I am going to hit you with a few links from around Birdland, starting right now:

Orioles notebook: Birds honor late NYPD officer, O's fan Brian Moore - Baltimore Sun
You may have heard, if you were watching the MASN broadcast on either Mets game, that the O's did a little something to honor a slain NYPD officer. It's small, but it's nice they could do something.

American League: Vagabond Paredes finally gets his chance with Orioles - Fredericksburg.com: Sports
This article was actually written by Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun. I don't know why it's on Fredericksburg.com. The Internet is weird. Hey, it's one article you can click on and you don't have to do anything weird to duck a limited number of clicks.

J.J. Hardy on verge of returning to Orioles | Comcast SportsNet Baltimore
I probably won't read a more beautiful headline all day than this one. After watching who played at shortstop last night, Hardy really can't return soon enough.

School of Roch: Wrapping up a 5-1 loss
Speaking of what happened last night, here's MASN's Roch Kubatko with some more on the not-so-lovely totals from that 5-1 loss to the Mets.

After riots, tallying up cost for the Baltimore Orioles (Mashable)
This estimate of the lost revenue of the O's for having four fewer home games suggests that they'll be out $7 million or so. Since MLB bends over to help the Nationals, surely they'll do the same for the Orioles... right?

And this one doesn't have to do with this year's Orioles, but it does involve a wayward member of Team Steve:

Steve Tolleson elects free agency after clearing waivers (Bluebird Banter)
We'll always have 2012, Steve.

A couple of former Orioles have birthdays today, and they're both turning 45. One is Brook Fordyce, whom was on the Orioles from 2000-02 after arriving in a trade involving Harold Baines. Mark Smith also has a birthday today. You may remember him from the 1994-96 Orioles. Upon reading the name Mark Smith, a memory bubbled up of reading about a player who ended up on the DL because he stuck his finger in an air conditioner. Maybe that's a faulty memory.

If today is your birthday, happy birthday! Along with those two not-so-memorable Orioles, you also share a birthday with: Matt Helders, drummer from Arctic Monkeys; plus a whole host of worthies who have departed from the mortal coil, including philosopher David Hume, poet Robert Browning, composer Johannes Brahms, and Joseph Gurney Cannon, the 40th Speaker of the House of Representatives. They named a building after him.

And that's the way it is in Birdland on May 7 - at least, unless something happens later. Have a safe Thursday.