Tuesday Bird Droppings: Where there won't be an eclipse today

Hello, friends.

Another day has dawned with the Orioles in third place in the American League East. They're now 10.5 games behind the division-leading Red Sox. More importantly, though, they are 3.5 games behind both the Twins for the second wild card spot, with a total of five teams still to pass.

Monday's triumph over the Athletics helped the O's pull a little closer. If you missed some or all of the 7-3 win, make sure to read Donovan's recap of the game, and don't forget to vote in the MBP poll.

Nothing so cool as a total solar eclipse will be happening today, although there will be a Summit of the Boogs that possibly includes as many as three Boogs. That sounds remarkable in its own way, doesn't it? It really takes a unique personality to be going by the nickname of Boog, surely.

It may be torture waiting around all day to see if the Orioles can finally win a second game in a row. They have now played 13 games without having won two in a row. No wonder they're below .500 and in danger of falling out of the wild card picture. Here they are, at home against a non-contender like the Athletics. This is time to do it. Ubaldo Jimenez is pitching later. Well, cross your fingers, and if you can, your toes, too.

Around the blogO'sphere

Orioles retain interest in finding more pitching - School of Roch
Since the last pitching they found was Jeremy Hellickson, the impulse is understandable - although it's hard to see them finding anyone better than that.

Manny Machado on his AL Player of the Week award - Steve Melewski
It'd be nice if the Orioles had an above-.500 August record given that they've had multiple AL Players of the Week on the team this month. But it's cool that Manny won.

Defensive outfield tiers -- Ranking all 30 teams (ESPN)
The Orioles come in at 19th out of 30 according to this ESPN ranking, which incorporates the Defensive Runs Saved stat as well as some other things. That sounds about right to me.

The Boog Powells will meet before Tuesday night's Orioles-Athletics game (Baltimore Sun)

Sometimes baseball is just the greatest. This is undoubtedly one of those times.

Hardy or Beckham at shortstop: What's an Orioles manager to do? (Baltimore Sun)

Buck Showalter isn't above being cagey about things like this in order to avoid having to say bad things about struggling veterans. Let's hope this is what is going on here, because the idea that Hardy should waltz back into the starting shortstop job should not even be entertained.

Birthdays and anniversaries

On this day ten years ago, the Orioles lost a game to the Rangers, 30-3. Of the many near-unbelievable things about this game, the one that always gets me is that it was the first game of a doubleheader. After that shellacking, they had to come out and play again. Yes, they lost again.

There are a few former Orioles with birthdays today. They are: 2012 short-timer Randy Wolf, 2005 bullpen lefty Steve Kline, and Angelo Dagres, who played eight games all the way back for the 1955 Orioles. Mr. Dagres is still alive today, turning 83. Happy birthday to him.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Along with those former Orioles, your birthday buddies for today include: pressure cooking creator Denis Papin (1647), composer Claude Debussy (1862), science fiction author Ray Bradbury (1920), go-go guitarist Chuck Brown (1936), baseball Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski (1939) and Paul Molitor (1956), singer-songwriter Tori Amos (1963), TV chef Giada De Laurentiis (1970), funny lady Kristen Wiig (1973), and funny man James Corden (1978).

On this day in history...

In 1485, forces of England's reigning king, Richard III of York, clashed in the Battle of Bosworth field with Lancastrians in support of the Tudor claimant Henry. Richard was killed in the battle and Henry became Henry VII of England.

In 1642, Charles I of England raised a standard against Parliament in Nottingham, marking the beginning of the English Civil War. His own part in that war ended seven years later when they cut off his head, though the war went on.

In 1831, a slave rebellion led by Nat Turner killed about 60 whites and about 250 blacks in Virginia.

In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American president to make a public appearance in a car.

In 1978, the U.S. Congress passed the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, which would have given full voting rights to DC. However, it was only ratified by 16 of the needed 38 state legislatures.

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And that's the way it is in Birdland on August 22 - or at least, until something happens later, which it surely will, because the Orioles are playing the Athletics again. Have a safe Tuesday. Go Orioles!