Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Pitchers and catchers reported to spring training in Sarasota, Fla. on Tuesday with sky-high expectations following the team’s first winning season since the 1990s.
Last year, the O’s took their fans on an unexpected trip to the post season. The team, which was nearly universally picked to finish last in the AL East before the 2012 season, won 93 games, and went a ridiculous 29-9 in one run games. Many knowledgeable baseball writers still believe the success had more to do with luck than the skill of the Orioles. After all, the team only outscored their opponents by seven runs during the season, and using Pythagorean winning percentage, the team should have only finished 82-80, according to Baseball Reference. An offseason that saw no major additions to the roster, and a few key departures such as Mark Reynolds, has only added to the belief that the birds will return to being the punching bag for the …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
An open tryout will be held March 9 at Camden Yards.
You may not be the next Manny Machado, but you may have a shot at being the next Baltimore Orioles ballboy or ballgirl. The team will hold an open tryout starting at noon of March 9 at Camden Yards. The Orioles are looking for athletic men and women 18 or older for the 2013 season. Participants are asked to dress casually and bring their own baseball gloves, according to a news release. The team asks that ballboys and ballgirls be "personable, customer-service oriented and available to work the entire 2013 season," in addition to being able to field ground balls. Judges at the tryout will include Orioles officials, MASN broadcaster Jim Hunter, former Orioles catcher Chris Hoiles, Mix 106.5 personality Reagan Warfield and Lite 101.9 …
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Orioles remain in the playoff hunt—how do you think the Birds will finish?
UPDATED (8:45 p.m.)—For 14 years, Baltimoreans have been conditioned to look forward to the NFL season once July hits. Orioles fans have viewed September as a countdown. The Orioles' September standing has been so irrelevant in recent years that we have to re-learn an art that has become foreign to all of us—scoreboard watching. If you're just hopping back on the bandwagon, that's OK. Skepticism has become part of the tradition. So for any of you still getting back into the swing of things, here's what you need to know as we enter the stretch run: OK, so we've set the scene for the stretch run. Here's who you should be keeping track of, listed in order of their impact on the Orioles' chances: So there you have it—a quick crash course in …
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Orioles remain in the playoff hunt—how do you think the Birds will finish?
The calendar turns to September this week. The Orioles are in the thick of the playoff hunt. And no, your calendar does not read 1997. The Orioles (69-57 entering Monday's game) are within five games in the American League East race, and are tied for the American League's second wild card spot. The last time they were even this close was in '97—the Orioles' last playoff appearance following a season in which they led the American League East wire-to-wire. It's hard to believe anyone would stay on as a season ticket-holder after all that time. After all those managers. After all the front office turnover. After all those nights when the ballpark was filled with Yankees and Red Sox fans. The reward for those fans that held on, that didn't …
Monday, August 20, 2012
The Orioles remain in the playoff hunt in August—how do you think the Birds will finish?
A year ago, the Orioles ended the Red Sox season in the final game of the year, while Tampa Bay snuck into the playoffs with a win over the Yankees. The exciting culmination of the 2011 season—much of it involving the American League East—culminated in the new playoff system involving a second wild card. This year, the Orioles are directly involved in the playoff race. It's been a topsy-turvy year in baseball's most talented division. The Yankees struggled early but remain atop the division while their fellow high-rollers the Red Sox sit in fourth place through Sunday. If the season ended Sunday, three American League East teams would be playoff bound—including the Orioles. Once the laughing stock of all of baseball—not just their division…
Friday, May 18, 2012
The surprise success of the Orioles and Nationals has the region buzzing.
The Orioles and Nationals "rivalry" has required quotations through the first few years of interleague play around the beltway. This year is different. Entering the three-game weekend set, beginning Friday night at Nationals Park, the two clubs are battling atop their divisions against clubs with star-studded rosters and larger payrolls. So as one of the most important series between these neighboring ball clubs gets underway, the Patch sites in the Maryland area are curious: who are you pulling for in this year's Battle of the Beltway? Are you cheering for Bryce Harper and the Nationals? Or are you behind Adam Jones and the Orioles? While we're at it, which team do you think stands the best chance of staying in the pennant race late into …
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The Orioles open 2012 with their third public address announcer since 1974.
Ryan Wagner watched the first round of the Masters from his computer Thursday afternoon, briefly interjecting cheers for Tiger Woods during a phone call. "Come on, Tiger!," Wagner yelled occasionally. In many ways, his actions on the eve of his first day at a new job are indicative of the reasons why he landed the gig—his passion for sports and his effervescent personality. Opening Day is here in Baltimore, and when 3:05 p.m. rolls around, it will mean more to Wagner than an Orioles game against Minnesota (TV: MASN, WJZ; Radio: 1090 AM). Wagner—a Baltimore native and a 2003 graduate of Edgewood High School—is the new voice of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, a job he earned ahead of a group of hundreds of hopefuls during a tryout period in …
Sean Tully
4:36 pm on Thursday, February 14, 2013
I predict that I will be very happy when the season begins and I hope the O's do even better than last season. I went to a record number of games last year. I'd like to repeat that again too, although I can't make prediction on that yet. more ›