OldTimer’s Dugout - General Topics, Chat, Random Photos and Memes.......No Politics

Some of you may have noticed - or not - that the Orioles are suddenly competitive for the first time in about 5 years. They have been following a rebuilding plan (which included tanking for a for a few years) by Mike Elias, the GM. Here's what he had to say the other day after the trade deadline:

Such a seachange could come this offseason. Elias said that the club fully expects to be in on free agents this winter, with 2023 circled as a date when immediate competitiveness will be at the forefront of transactions. They come in tandem with the promotion of top prospects, at least a couple more expected before the end of the season.
“We're going to sign players this winter. I'm very excited about it,” Elias said. “I think that it's liftoff from here for this team.”

The AL EAST is going to be fun to watch starting next season - heck, maybe even this season.
 
Some of you may have noticed - or not - that the Orioles are suddenly competitive for the first time in about 5 years. They have been following a rebuilding plan (which included tanking for a for a few years) by Mike Elias, the GM. Here's what he had to say the other day after the trade deadline:

Such a seachange could come this offseason. Elias said that the club fully expects to be in on free agents this winter, with 2023 circled as a date when immediate competitiveness will be at the forefront of transactions. They come in tandem with the promotion of top prospects, at least a couple more expected before the end of the season.
“We're going to sign players this winter. I'm very excited about it,” Elias said. “I think that it's liftoff from here for this team.”

The AL EAST is going to be fun to watch starting next season - heck, maybe even this season.
I hope they can get into the playoffs this season. I’m happy you finally have a good product to root for again. The Braves had some lean years not too long ago and started from scratch. Now they have a young core that is signed through at least 2028. Hopefully the same thing will happen for the Orioles.
 
On August 5 in Baseball History...
  • 1879 - After Providence pitcher Bobby Mathews gives up six runs in the first two innings, he switches positions with third baseman John Ward, who pitches shutout ball the rest of the way to rally the Grays to a 7-6 win. Captain George Wright will successfully employ this pitching scheme several more times during the season.

  • 1921 - Radio station KDKA and announcer Harold Arlin provided the first broadcast of a major league game. The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Phillies, 8-5, in Philadelphia.

  • 1931 - Detroit pitcher Tommy Bridges lost his bid for a perfect game on a bloop single by the 27th Washington batter, pinch-hitter Dave Harris. The Tigers beat the Senators, 13-0.

  • 1940 - John Whitehead of the St. Louis Browns pitched a rain-shortened, six-inning no-hitter for a 4-0 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the second game of a doubleheader.

  • 1955 - After playing 274 straight games at second base, Nellie Fox is given a day off by White Sox manager Marty Marion. Fox will come back the next day and start a streak of 798 consecutive games.

  • 1957 - The Brooklyn Sports Authority gets an engineering report on a 50,000-seat stadium in the downtown area. It will cost an estimated $20.7 million, including the land site. Indications are that there will be trouble finding a market for the bond issue.

  • 1964 - After weeks of negotiating, Ford Frick tells the league presidents and club owners he will not run for another term as commissioner.

  • 1969 - Willie Stargell is the first to hit a home run out of Dodger Stadium. The shot off Alan Foster over the right field pavilion roof travels 506 feet.

  • 1973 - Phil Niekro of the Atlanta Braves pitched a 9-0 no-hitter against the San Diego Padres.

  • 1975 - The first eight Phillies hit safely in a game against Bill Bonham and the Cubs, setting a major league record. The Phils win easily 13-5.

  • 1979 - Willie Mays, Warren Giles, and Hack Wilson are inducted into the Hall of Fame.

  • 1980 - Expos manager Dick Williams wins his 1,000th career game, an 11-5 victory over the Mets at Olympic Stadium.

  • 1984 - Toronto's Cliff Johnson hits his 19th career pinch home run, breaking the major league record of 18 he had shared with Jerry Lynch. Johnson's eighth-inning blast gives the Blue Jays a 4-3 win over the Orioles.

  • 1986 - The Reds pound the Giants' new pitcher Steve Carlton for seven runs in 3 1/3 innings to win 11-6. Carlton records his 4,000th strikeout to join Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers to reach that plateau. The Giants release Carlton after this start and he joins the White Sox.

  • 1990 - Hall of Fame induction ceremonies for Jim Palmer and Joe Morgan are rained out in Cooperstown, New York. The ceremony was conducted the following day at a local high school.
 
I hope they can get into the playoffs this season. I’m happy you finally have a good product to root for again. The Braves had some lean years not too long ago and started from scratch. Now they have a young core that is signed through at least 2028. Hopefully the same thing will happen for the Orioles.
Yeah, I could root for the O’s in the AL.
 
Braves should have gone all-in on Ohtani.
I’m with you bud. The fact that most of their young talent is already in the bigs AND locked up, is why I thought they should’ve dumped a ton of prospects to get him. You would have 4-5 good years to restock your farm system, because you would have a legit contender through at least ‘28. You could fill any gaps with solid free agents because it’s not like you would have to worry about making splash moves, with the star power you already have. I wanted badly to see him in a Braves uniform.
 
Yes I’m a huge Ohtani fan. I don’t think people truly understand or appreciate what he is doing. This is our generation’s Babe Ruth. And that’s not hyperbole.
I’ve told my son the same thing. We try to watch him every chance we get, although there aren’t many.
I think he’s an amazing player and a ton of fun to watch play the game. He has fun doing it and it seems like playing at a high level is effortless for him.
 
Some of you may have noticed - or not - that the Orioles are suddenly competitive for the first time in about 5 years. They have been following a rebuilding plan (which included tanking for a for a few years) by Mike Elias, the GM. Here's what he had to say the other day after the trade deadline:

Such a seachange could come this offseason. Elias said that the club fully expects to be in on free agents this winter, with 2023 circled as a date when immediate competitiveness will be at the forefront of transactions. They come in tandem with the promotion of top prospects, at least a couple more expected before the end of the season.
“We're going to sign players this winter. I'm very excited about it,” Elias said. “I think that it's liftoff from here for this team.”

The AL EAST is going to be fun to watch starting next season - heck, maybe even this season.
Elias was the Director of Scouting during the Astros tank to top years rebuild with Jeff Luhnow (circa 2011-2017).
 
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