Thursday Bird Droppings: Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the best, again

Hello, friends.

There are now 74 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. This number has never been worn by an Orioles player in a game and as far as I can tell is not significant to Orioles history in any way whatsoever.

Hall of Fame voting results have come and gone. There won't be any new Orioles players involved in the ceremony, unless you count the four games that Tim Raines played for the team in 2001, which you shouldn't. The good news for possibly two or three years down the road is that Mike Mussina is now up to 51.8% of the vote. The bad news is that he still has to win over half of the clueless dopes who haven't been voting for him.

Meanwhile, here in 2017, the Orioles... well, they still need to get another outfielder, probably. Where is such a player going to come from? Maybe they will sign Angel Pagan or something. Although I've got to say that, until Mark Trumbo signs elsewhere, I'm still nervous that the Orioles will re-sign him and have him play right field sometimes again. It might not be the worst thing if they sign him and DH him. Still a lot of time for things to play out.

Is any of it going to play out today? Probably not! But you never know. Let's hit the links.

Around the blogO'sphere

Tim Raines, Who Briefly Played With Orioles, | WBAL Radio 1090 AM
This is the right unintentionally-dismissive headline to describe yesterday's Hall of Fame voting results.

Orioles FanFest Autograph Vouchers Now On Sale " CBS Baltimore
If you care about FanFest autograph vouchers - the proceeds do support a good cause, at least - you might want to hurry and get them before they sell out.

Leftovers for breakfast - School of Roch
I might be reading this first paragraph wrong, but I'm fairly sure that Roch Kubatko credits the Orioles rotation as being a strength that got them into the playoffs. I... what?

After his 6.17 ERA, fan expectations are low for Wade Miley - Steve Melewski
The natural response to this headline is one which is often met with the reply, "Keep digging, Watson." And yes, I know I've used that joke before. I'll use it again!

Camden Yards rated top stadium experience in North America for third straight year - Baltimore Sun
Unlike The Sun's Jon Meoli, I don't have an editor to make me write a story promoting somebody's nonsense stadium rankings that have a result I like. But I'm not above linking to someone else's story in the Bird Droppings.

Trade Retrospective: Rangers send Chris Davis to the Orioles in exchange for Koji Uehara - Beyond the Box Score
The Orioles really, really won this trade. Thanks, Andy MacPhail!

2017 Top 10 left-handed pitching prospects | MLB.com
Of course, there are no Orioles prospects that made it onto this list - Chance Sisco is maybe the only guy in the system who will make one of these top 10 lists - but the name at the top is sadly familiar for O's fans.

Birthdays and anniversaries

On this day in 1995, Orioles owner Peter Angelos made the announcement that the team would not use replacement players if baseball's strike did not get settled in time for Opening Day.

There are three former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 1995-97 starter Rick Krivda, Rec Specs ambassador and 1994 third baseman Chris Sabo, and 1959, 63, and 68 Oriole Fred Valentine. Mr. Valentine turns 82 years old today.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: Confederate General Robert E. Lee (1807), Baltimore's favorite poet, Edgar Allan Poe (1809), musician Janis Joplin (1943), singer-songwriter Dolly Parton (1946), purportedly funny man Frank Caliendo (1974), Japanese singer Utada Hikaru (1983), and one-time Wizards basketballer JaVale McGee (1988).

On this day in history...

In 1419, the French city of Rouen surrendered to King Henry V of England, representing the completion of his reconquest of Normandy in the Hundred Years War. The French themselves reconquered Rouen within 30 years.

In 1812, during the Peninsular War against Napoleon, British forces under the Duke of Wellington captured Ciudad Rodrigo in Spain after a ten-day siege, opening up an invasion of Spain.

In 1883, the first electrical system to employ overhead wires - designed by Thomas Edison - began service in Roselle, New Jersey.

In 1920, the United States Senate voted against joining the League of Nations.

In 1953, almost 72% of all TV sets in the United States tuned in to an episode of I Love Lucy to watch Lucy give birth. This may be the last time 72% of Americans ever agreed on anything.

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And that's the way it is in Birdland on January 19, or at least, unless something happens later, which, you never know, it might! Have a safe Thursday.