Video & Audio

Know Your O’s: Adam Jones — with perspective provided by Wayne Kirby and Jett Ruiz

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For the most part since the “Know Your O’s” video segment started, we’ve concentrated on players that were new to the Orioles or maybe a little under-the-radar.

That changes this time, when Adam Jones, the Orioles All Star centerfielder and team leader, is the guest. But we couldn’t just have Jones. With his sometimes-larger-than-life personality, we needed reinforcements.

So, earlier this month, Jones was joined by two of his closest friends in the Orioles organization for the segment: first base/outfield coach Wayne Kirby and bullpen catcher Jett Ruiz, who has known Jones since they grew up together in San Diego.

I’ll warn you: This one’s a little different. It’s like a roundtable with these three guys and I’m barely a moderator. There’s a whole lot of laughing. There’s a PG-rating for mild, adult language. And there’s plenty of insight into these guys and what it’s like to be a major leaguer.

Ruiz talks about the first time the two met in San Diego. Kirby breaks down Jones’ game as a baserunner and defender and Ruiz and Jones both give props to Kirby’s impressive cooking/grilling abilities.

There are plenty of barbs thrown around, but there are some poignant moments, as Ruiz and Kirby talk about Jones’ life as a father of two young boys.

Like I said, this one is a little different from the previous format. But I think it is my favorite so far. Check it out. If you are a Jones’ fan or an Orioles’ fan, it’s worth your time.

Dan Connolly

Dan Connolly has spent more than two decades as a print journalist in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Baltimore native and Calvert Hall graduate first covered the Orioles as a beat writer for the York (Pennsylvania) Daily Record in 2001 before becoming The Baltimore Sun’s national baseball writer/Orioles reporter in 2005. He has won multiple state and national writing awards, including several from the Associated Press Sports Editors. In 2013 he was named Maryland Co-Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. And in 2015, he authored his first book, "100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." He lives in York, with his wife, Karen, and three children, Alex, Annie, and Grace.

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