Hello, friends.
There are now 81 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. This number does not signify anything in particular, since it has never been worn by an Orioles player in a game. What it does mean is that, nine times nine days from now, there will be real baseball being played again. Yay!
Do you think the Orioles will do anything interesting between now and then? It sure seems like they have to find some way to sign or trade for some player who can actually hit left-handed pitching. Maybe they will surprise us with a contract extension for someone important. So far, nothing, which is not very exciting.
Not like you would have expected any news to come out of the little minicamp, but there was none and it's over now. Yesterday, if you looked around, you could at least find some pictures of players in Orioles apparel doing baseball activities. Today there will be no new pictures in that vein. On the bright side, at least it won't be as cold in Baltimore today as it has been recently, so waiting out the rest of the winter will be less of a pain, for now.
Let's hit the links.
Around the blogO'sphere
Branden Kline a rare in-state prospect in the Orioles' system - Baltimore Sun
You know you can expect hard-hitting journalism when the first sentence is, "You don't need to talk to right-hander Branden Kline for long before you come away impressed."
Orioles Pitcher Logan Verrett On Minicamp And Trying To Make The Opening Day Roster " CBS Baltimore
If listening to Logan Verrett talk to former Baltimore police commissioner Ed Norris is something you've just been dying to do, I have got just the link for you.
Tap-In Question: Which remaining free agent is the best fit for the Orioles? - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Dan Connolly wants to know who's the best of the remaining free agents - or at least, the one who might be most likely to find his way to Baltimore. He offers no insight, only wants to know what you think.
Wrapping up the final day of minicamp (with pictures and video) - School of Roch
It seems that minicamp in the past two seasons is where the O's really decided to keep their eyes on Mychal Givens and Donnie Hart. Who was this year's possible breakout? Buck is keeping his counsel to himself, as you might expect.
Notes on Mark Trumbo, Chris Lee, and Michael Bourn - Steve Melewski
There was no Oxford comma on the headline of this article, but I put one in myself. They can't stop me!
Rumor: Could Matt Wieters become an Angel? - Halos Heaven
Jon Heyman - Scott Boras mouthpiece that he is - touted Anaheim as a possible destination for Wieters recently.
Texas Rangers rumors: Mark Trumbo now of interest to Texas - Lone Star Ball
And speaking of former Orioles, that same Heyman throws out Texas as a possible destination for Mark Trumbo.
Birthdays and anniversaries
We have one current Oriole with a birthday today: Hyun Soo Kim turns 29. Happy birthday to him! The Internet tells me that in Korean, one would say, "Saengil chukhahaeyo!"
There are also a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: former closer Chris Ray, inherited run-allowing specialist Luis Ayala, 1989-94 utility infielder Tim Hulett, 1986 infielder Juan Bonilla, and 1967 two-gamer Paul Gilliford. Mr. Gilliford, whose complete MLB career spanned those two games, turns 72 today.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those current and former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: philosopher Edmund Burke (1729), internal combustion engine designer Etienne Lenoir (1822), author Jack London (1876), pro hockey player and doughnut magnate Tim Horton (1930), boxer Joe Frazier (1944), actress Kirstie Alley (1951), Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (1964), music man Rob Zombie (1965), and One Direction's Zayn Malik (1993).
On this day in history...
In 1554, Bayinnaung, who later formed the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, was crowned the King of Burma.
In 1915, the United States House of Representatives rejected a proposal that would have given women the right to vote.
In 1932, Hattie Caraway became the first woman elected to the United States Senate. She was already serving as senator, having been appointed to finish the term of her late husband, Thaddeus. Later, she was elected to two full terms.
In 1962, American forces in Vietnam carried out Operation Chopper, the first American combat mission in the Vietnam War.
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And that's the way it is in Birdland on January 12 - or at least, unless something happens later, which I guess you never know, it might. Have a safe Thursday.