Thursday Bird Droppings: The Cy Young hullabaloo

Hello, friends.

There are now 137 days until Orioles Opening Day 2017. That's too many days to do anything about, so we're just going to have to endure for a while until things approach meaningful baseball for real.

One thing to talk about today is last night's Cy Young award announcements. As you may have heard, Boston's Rick Porcello was the winner, probably because he pitched for a team that scored 878 runs. Some people were very upset that Justin Verlander, who had more first place votes, did not win. Some people in Baltimore were very upset that Zach Britton, who received five first place votes including both from the Baltimore voters, did not place in the top three at all.

Coming up tonight is the last of the awards, the MVP. Will the baseball writers find a way to screw Mike Trout out of an MVP yet again? It would only be the fourth time in five years that they screwed him out of the award. He's never finished below second place. Trout was drafted 20 spots after the Orioles selected Matt Hobgood. I know, sorry. Too soon.

Manny Machado is not in the top three. I'm curious where he'll finish, although it doesn't matter that much. Top five? Top ten? Will the Baltimore-based voters for THAT award engage in any embarrassing provincialism? We'll find out some time between six and seven o'clock tonight.

Around the blogO'sphere

Examining the top 10 free agents who fit the Orioles’ needs - Baltimore Sun
When your top ten list includes two left-handed relievers, you didn't need to make a top ten list. And in what way does Mark Trumbo fit the Orioles' needs? We all watched him out there in right field!

Baltimore Orioles to visit Harbor Park for exhibition against Tides | Norfolk Tides | pilotonline.com
Some people were very excited by this because it was something to mention on a slow news day.

Britton finishes fourth in AL Cy Young balloting - School of Roch
Roch Kubatko was one of those Zach Britton first place voters.

Stiglich: Why Orioles closer Zach Britton got my vote for AL Cy Young | CSN Bay Area
Here's another Zach Britton first place voter, only this one is more interesting because he is on the other side of the country so he wasn't being a homer about the whole thing.

Dylan Bundy and his innings outlook for 2017 - Steve Melewski
When even Steve Melewski points out that Bundy's probably not going to top 150 innings, and definitely not 175 innings, it's time to realize he's not a full-season answer in the starting rotation and stop talking about him as such.

Kate Upton has a point: Writers must do better with baseball awards voting | FOX Sports
Kate Upton, you may or may not know, is engaged to Justin Verlander, and she was very upset that her man did not win the Cy Young award and took to Twitter to complain about it. I love that Ken Rosenthal has thus had to write a column where his headline is about Kate Upton. Life is funny sometimes.

Birthdays and anniversaries

On this day in 1953, the St. Louis Browns officially became the Baltimore Baseball Club Inc., and the board of this newly-rechristened organization then officially changed the team name to the Orioles.

There are several former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: worthless utility infielder, Biogenesis culprit, and alleged domestic violence perpetrator Everth Cabrera (2015 Orioles), once and future Oriole Nick Markakis, infielder Scott Moore (2007-10), former Orioles outfielder and later Red Sox losing pitcher Darnell McDonald (2004), catcher Eli Marrero (2005), 1985-86 bullpen guy Brad Havens, and 1971/73 short-time pitcher Orlando Peña. Mr. Peña is 83 years old today.

That's a lot of birthdays!

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: Louis XVIII "the Desired," the last French king to die while reigning (1755), WWII Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887), Honda Motor Company founder Soichiro Honda (1906), Civil War historian Shelby Foote (1916), Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels (1944), RuPaul (1960), and Academy Award-nominated actress Rachel McAdams (1978).

On this day in history...

In 1558, Queen Mary I of England passed away and was succeeded by her sister, Elizabeth I, who reigned for nearly 45 years but was the last monarch of the House of Tudor.

In 1800, the United States Congress held a session in Washington, D.C. - the first time it had ever done so.

In 1869, the Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea across Egypt, was inaugurated.

In 1947, two American scientists, John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, observed the basic principles of the transistor, which is credited with being an important part of the electronics revolution of the 20th century.

In 1973, crooked president Richard Nixon proclaimed in Orlando, Florida to 400 Associated Press editors, "I am not a crook."

And in 1978, the infamous Star Wars holiday special aired. Do not ever, for any reason, not even curiosity, watch any portion of this program.

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And that's the way it is in Birdland on November 17 - or at least, unless something happens later. Which, you never know, it might. We're in hot stove season! Have a safe Thursday. Go Orioles!