Thursday Bird Droppings: The Orioles Opening Day roster is probably set

Hello, friends.

There are now 67 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. This number was worn most recently by Trey Mancini in the 2016 season, though one hopes that he might allowed to have a real number if he breaks camp with the team in April.

Are the Orioles done doing stuff for the winter? Probably not. There are enough marginal outfielders and relievers kicking around out there that at least one will probably still get signed. Maybe they will bring on board Angel Pagan, which would probably mean Mancini doesn't break camp with the team. Maybe they'll still add another reliever by doing something like bringing back Vance Worley.

The big moves are almost certainly done. The Orioles aren't going to surprise you by trading for Jose Quintana overnight. They have no one to trade for Quintana or any other MLB player who actually matters. They only have Chance Sisco, who they can't afford to trade. Maybe Dan Duquette will still surprise us all, but I won't be holding my breath.

Around the blogO'sphere

Duquette talks outfield upgrades, starting pitching needs and Trumbo - BaltimoreBaseball.com
Duquette showed up at a dinner for the York Revolution, for some reason, and said a bunch of Dan Duquette stuff.

Is Brad Brach too valuable to trade? - Steve Melewski
Anyone who answers "no" to this question hasn't been paying attention.

Mark Trumbo and the Everyday Player Tax | FanGraphs Baseball
Here's Dave Cameron on Fangraphs with the unfathomable opinion that players who are capable of playing every day cost more money to sign than platoon players.

A way-too-early projection of the Orioles' 25-man roster - Baltimore Sun
But it's not way-too-early when they've clearly signed nearly everyone they're going to sign, unless they add another outfielder and shove Trey Mancini or Joey Rickard to the minor leagues.

2017 Fantasy Baseball Draft Prep: Orioles outlook includes possible emergence of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy - CBSSports.com
This article is only about fantasy baseball, rather than real baseball, but I sure hope this guy is right, because if Gausman and Bundy have good fantasy baseball stats, they will probably end up with good real baseball stats too, and the Orioles team will be high in the standings as a result.

Addressing some of the areas that need improving - School of Roch
Roch notes that the Orioles have attempted to address some of their problems, while others are still left hanging. Late January is a hard time for finding baseball article ideas, so I can sympathize.

Birthdays and anniversaries

On this day in 2004, the Orioles signed Sidney Ponson as a free agent after having traded him at the previous year's trade deadline. None of the players panned out and re-signing Ponson was a terrible idea.

There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2014 three-gamer Jemile Weeks, 1988 infielder Rick Schu, and the late Bob Nieman of the 1956-59 Orioles.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: General of the Army (five-star) Douglas MacArthur (1880), singer and baroness Maria von Trapp (1905), longtime baseball announcer Bob Uecker (1935), movie critic Gene Siskel (1946), television's Ellen DeGeneres (1958), hockey legend Wayne Gretzsky (1961), and European football manager José Mourinho (1963).

On this day in history...

In 1531, an earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal resulted in the deaths of an estimated 30,000 people.

In 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park was established by an act of the U.S. Congress.

In 1945, Lt. Audie Murphy of the US Army commanded soldiers in an action in the Colmar Pocket in France, for which he was later awarded the Medal of Honor.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Dr. Janet G. Travell to be his personal physician. This was the first time that a physician to the president was a woman.

Excerpts from Lt. Murphy's Medal of Honor citation:

With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machinegun against the enemy. ... For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. ... He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw.

Later in life, Murphy stumped for support of Korean and Vietnam War veterans who were suffering from what we now recognize as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). During World War II, he also was awarded three Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, and a Distinguished Service Cross. These, along with the Medal of Honor, constitute every combat award the U.S. Army could offer.

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And that's the way it is in Birdland on January 26 - or at least, unless something happens later, which, you never know, it might. Duquette would surely love to spring a relatively-new surprise on the fans at FanFest in two days time. Have a safe Thursday.