TV Options

So...still preseason football, so what should I watch other than Monday Night Football.  Well, given my Orioles are in first place in the AL East and have the best lead amongst division winners they have to be on Monday Night Baseball.  Right?

No...well, maybe this Wednesday, ESPN can find room for them on the Wednesday Night game.  No.

Well, what the heck?

Can someone please help me figure out why the Orioles - who are in first place - are not on ESPN, but the Yankees who are still trying to figure out who is playing second base, third base, right field, and left as well as in their bullpen and who are six games back are on both nights?

That's right...the Yankees who are three and a half games back in the Wild Card conversation are playing the division leading Kansas City Royals tonight and Detroit on Wednesday - another team with high hopes, but who are also not a playoff team should the season end today.

What is going on here?  I get that ESPN is enamored with the Yankees and Red Sox, but neither team has done since the All Star Break.  If MLB wants to maintain the few fans it has left, perhaps it should start talking about flexing games into time slots and avoiding the near constant rotation of Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Braves games and realize there are twenty-six other teams too.

Historic Feats: Past, Present, And Future?

Forty-five years ago was the last Baltimore Orioles no-hitter.  (I do not count multi-pitcher games such as the July 13, 1991 Orioles game.)  The game pitched by Jim Palmer and caught by Ellie Hendricks was the last time my beloved Orioles had a no-hitter.  Since that time they have been no hit five times.

The game which included eight base runners, six by walk and two by fielding errors produced by Paul Blair, only one of two errors he would have on the season, and Bobby Floyd, which was an 8-0 shutout for the Orioles against the Oakland Athletics.

That season the Orioles would go on to the World Series that year, losing in five to the New York Mets, but coming back for their second World Series in five years the following season.

We all get to see Mr. Palmer on television and imagine what he is like in person, but I enjoyed the opportunity to meet him in June 2008 when my son was invited to come to batting practice.

Mr. Palmer was awesome with my five year old (then) lefty and while I am pretty sure that Dodge has no idea who he was with then I am pretty sure he knows who he was hanging with now.  Since that time Dodge has had the opportunity to throw four no hitters of his own, including a perfect game.  I realize recreational baseball is not the major leagues, but Jim Palmer pitched to his peers and Dodge pitched to his.

Either way, thanks for the inspiration Mr. Palmer and congratulations.  You were a gentleman on the mound for all those years and a gentleman since.  Here's hoping we don't have to wait on your protege to make the majors for our next no no, but if so, thanks for the inspiration then and now.

Manny Being Manny?

I am embarrassed.  We are all familiar in baseball with the term Manny being Manny, but is used to refer to Manny Ramirez.  If things don't change soon, it might refer to Manny Machado of the Baltimore Orioles.  My Baltimore Orioles.

On Friday, Manny Machado caused a bench clearing incident against the Oakland Athletics when he flipped out against Josh Donaldson for a tag that was too hard.  I realize he is recovering from ACL surgery and maybe he thought Donaldson caused the fall as opposed to his own motion which the video clearly shows.

Either way, in yesterday's game when a ball comes in and a little low, Machado seems to think it is aimed at him.  On a second throw, Machado let go of the bat well past third base.  While he claimed it "slipped" this is the type of incident that has to be policed.  I expect at least a ten game suspension from the Commissioner's Office or you will see batters retaliating for pitches they do not like.

This changes the game significantly and is inappropriate.  Machado came up as a much touted short stop, but this is not Orioles baseball and is not right.  Get it together young man because you are not bigger than the team and as of right now, your team is not in the playoffs.  Get your act together and start acting like a professional.  Act like an Oriole!