Hello, friends.
There are now 20 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. That is a number that has not been worn with an Orioles uniform since Frank Robinson - and it will never be worn by anyone else again. Live today like a two-time World Series champion!
The Orioles actually won a second spring training game yesterday, so hooray for that. It was against the Phillies B team, though, so how much does it really count? I don't know. They hit the road today to play a game in Dunedin against the Blue Jays. Being as it's spring training, you won't get to watch or listen at all unless you get Toronto radio - so whatever happens maybe won't actually happen.
Spring training sucks. But the links about it do not suck, so let's kick this pig.
Around the blogO'sphere
Orioles' Mark Trumbo, aware of 'popular opinion,' trying to prove he's a capable right fielder - Baltimore Sun
The sub-headline of this article reads: "Advanced metrics placed Trumbo just above Nick Markakis in right field defense last season." I'm not sure that means what they think it means.
2016 MLB team preview: Baltimore Orioles have too many question marks - CBSSports.com
Here is one preview of the upcoming O's season, as seen from the outside. Do you think this guy has any idea what he's talking about?
How will the Orioles fare in 2016? - MLB Daily Dish
Another look ahead at the O's season, this one from our SB Nation compatriots over at MLBDD.
The Year the Orioles Wouldn’t Flinch | FanGraphs Baseball
Did you know that the Orioles did not commit any balks last year? Fangraphs ponders the history of the balk and what the O's might have done to be balk-resistant.
Orioles 8, Phillies 7: Maikel Franco is en fuego | Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
What do you think it's like to be excited for a young outfielder again? Although, on balance, I'll take the O's team over the Phillies, thanks.
“There’s a sense from a lot of people that our lives are not real” – HardballTalk
Craig Calcaterra talked to a couple of players and has some great thoughts about the fish bowl in which baseball players find themselves.
Birthdays and anniversaries
On this fateful day in 1999, the Orioles signed Daniel Cabrera as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic. He was 18 when he signed. Cabrera somehow pitched 204.1 innings for the 2007 Orioles despite having a 1.542 WHIP. It's actually kind of impressive.
A few former Orioles have birthdays today. They are Freddie "Boom Boom" Bynum (2007-08), Mike Pagliarulo (33 games in 1993), and the Eastern Shore's own Harold Baines (three stints from 1993-2000).
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, you share the Ides of March birthday with Saint Nicholas (270) - yes, THAT Saint Nicholas; President Andrew Jackson (1767), General Foods founder and one-time wealthiest woman in the world Marjorie Merriweather Post (1887) - yes, THAT Merriweather Post; actor Judd Hirsch (1935), Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh (1940), movie dude David Cronenberg (1943), actress Eva Longoria (1975), and Rams receiver and Baltimore native Tavon Austin (1991).
I knew someone a long time ago who said I look like a young David Cronenberg. I don't know about that one.
On this day in history...
In 44 BC, Julius Caesar got stabbed by some guys, including Brutus. Hey, I told you it was the Ides of March.
In 221 AD, during China's Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei proclaimed himself emperor of the Shu Han Dynasty. You will find Liu Bei and the rest of the period's heroes and villains depicted in the Dynasty Warriors series of video games.
In 280, that same Three Kingdoms period came to an end when Emperor Sun Hao of Wu, the last holdout of the three, surrendered to Sima Yan of the Jin Dynasty. Note that when the Three Kingdoms period began, Jin was not one of the three kingdoms.
In 1783, General George Washington, having caught wind of a mutiny in his ranks over fears of not receiving back pay, gave a speech that put a stop to the whole thing.
In 1875, Archbishop of New York John McCloskey was appointed the first cardinal in the history of the United States.
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And that's the way it is in Birdland on March 15 - at least, until something happens later. Have a safe Tuesday.