Hello, friends.
The Orioles are a depressing bunch right now. There's not much else to say about them. If you made the wise choice of either going to sleep early, or watching some other quality programming like Maryland's own Katie Ledecky nailing the anchor leg of a 4x200 meter freestyle relay to bring home another gold medal, that's for the best.
You can read my recap of the not-so-lovely totals if you'd like. I won't hold it against you if you don't. At least you won't have to stay up late to watch them tonight. This afternoon's game gets underway at 3:35pm Eastern.
I've had enough of talking about and thinking about the Orioles for the moment. Maybe you have too. Drop down in the comments and tell us about something that's made you happy lately. Think some positive thoughts about something since the O's aren't giving us any positive things at all.
One thing that's made me happy this week is that I got a new coat of paint on my car. It's an 11-year-old workhorse now but it still runs fine. It's just that the paint on the hood and the roof was getting worn down and I felt the searing judgment of other motorists eyes everywhere I went. Now it looks better and I am pleased about that.
Alright, back to some depressing stuff in the links. Sorry. Then again, I don't have much to be sorry about because you probably already went down to the comments and didn't look back up here. Nobody reads the links!
Around the blogO'sphere
Orioles offense hits another low in 1-0 loss - School of Roch
Just about the only thing lower is for them to get no-hit today. I'm not ruling it out.
As the offense struggles, Chris Davis is bearing the brunt of the criticism - Steve Melewski
Steve Melewski says leave Chris Davis alone. Besides (and this is me talking now), Matt Wieters is the actual worst Orioles hitter since the start of July. Wieters has been so bad that, even though I've just now warned you about how bad he's been, the actual numbers for July will still surprise you.
Minor League Podcast: Bowie's Gary Kendall on his career, his club and Sisco - BaltimoreBaseball.com
If you've got a hankering to listen to Bowie's manager talk about some topics including top/only Orioles prospect Chance Sisco, Dan Connolly's crew has got you covered.
Can the Orioles break out of their funk against Athletics? | CSN Mid-Atlantic
This question posed by CSN's Rich Dubroff has been answered with an unequivocal, "NO!"
Orioles notebook: Buck Showalter says Wade Miley as advertised through two starts - Baltimore Sun
Unfortunately, this isn't a good thing.
Hyun Soo Kim Is Getting Comfortable | FanGraphs Baseball
Hmm, I seem to recall someone on this very website predicted this outcome all the way back in March...
Birthdays and anniversaries
On this day in 1991, the Orioles were no hit by Wilson Alvarez of the Chicago White Sox. It was his second ever MLB game. Wait a minute, that happened to the Orioles TWICE? Ha, you're not so special, greasy Clay Buchholz!
There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2006-07 long man Kurt Birkins, 1990 swing-man John Mitchell, and 1990 short-timer Dorn Taylor.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: the Emperor of Star Wars, Ian McDiarmid (1944), Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (1950), wrestler Hulk Hogan (1953), Emmy Award-winning actress Viola Davis (1965), and current Thor portrayer Chris Hemsworth (1983).
On this day in history...
In 3114 BC, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used most famously by the Mayans, began. The world did not end when the calendar ran out in 2012. As all Civilization players know, once you have researched Theology, the Long Count means you get a bonus Great Person every cycle (394 years).
In 1918 AD, the Battle of Amiens ended in World War I in a decisive Allied victory. This marked the smashing of the German trench line and the end of trench warfare for the duration of the conflict.
In 1929, Babe Ruth became the first ever MLB player to hit 500 home runs with a home run hit in Cleveland.
In 1972, the last American ground combat united departed from South Vietnam.
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And that's the way it is in Birdland on August 11 - or at least, until something happens later. Have a safe Thursday. Go Orioles! And go American Olympians competing in Brazil!