Calling the Pen
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October 3, 2021 at 11:03 am
Calling the Pen: It’s wild-card Sunday, and the Orioles are in the middle of it
Who would have guessed that the Baltimore Orioles would play a meaningful game on the last day of the season … the 52-109 Orioles. But Baltimore could have an effect on the outcome of an American League Wild-Card race that is coming down to the wire. In a series of games starting...
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September 16, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Calling the Pen: The birth of a team
I was looking up famous people born on September 15th and Gaylord Perry’s name surfaced. He was a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 314 games but was known more for putting an illegal substance on the baseball long before gloves and hats routinely went through security checks. I was curious about...
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September 5, 2021 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: When 70 is more than just a number
When I think of 70, I think about the 1970 World Series that the Orioles won in five games over the Cincinnati Reds. Five games in which third baseman Brooks Robinson played such remarkable defense that it caused hitters such as Johnny Bench to marvel at his wizardry and to say after...
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August 20, 2021 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: When the Orioles had their way
When I was developing an interest in baseball, the Orioles were developing the best team in the sport. Steve Barber caught my attention in 1963. He was a left-hander, which I always thought was more stylish, and he became the Orioles’ first 20-game winner that season. In 1964, third baseman Brooks Robinson...
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June 6, 2021 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: O, baby … glad to put that losing streak to bed
The Curse of The Bambino lasted 86 years. The Curse of The Baby lasted two weeks, although the term seems much too harsh for a precious child, and grandchild, who has known nothing but love and brought nothing but joy. Just no Oriole wins until Tuesday night, two weeks after her birth...
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May 30, 2021 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: Hyde stands tall after Orioles extend losing streak to 12
The Orioles had their worst moment of the season Saturday. Manager Brandon Hyde had his best. After the Orioles dropped both games of a doubleheader with the Chicago White Sox to run their losing streak to 12, Hyde took questions from the media. There were no swings-and-misses. Hyde has been criticized for...
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3.0K13May 6, 2021 at 11:57 amCalling the Pen: Means changed the national baseball conversation
When I left Baltimore to go to Philadelphia in September of 1983, the Orioles mattered. They were on their way to their...
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February 16, 2021 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: Oriole pitchers and catchers report but it feels off-base
So the sun, which has taken time off, and Oriole pitchers and catchers, who have been off for even longer, are expected to be back today. By this afternoon, the sun should be shining here, and in Sarasota, Florida, where the Orioles gather for spring training. It would seem to be a...
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January 23, 2021 at 12:00 pm
First World Series game in Baltimore wasn’t in 1966
If asked to name the first World Series game played in Baltimore, many Oriole fans would cite Game 3 of the 1966 Series at Memorial Stadium when Wally Bunker beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 1-0. But no, I’m afraid that’s not it. Well, then, fans of the “Old Time” O’s may think...
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June 27, 2020 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: Remembering the 1890s’ Orioles, Baltimore’s first champs
Most baseball fans who live in Baltimore know about the great Orioles teams who won six pennants and three Worlds Series between 1966 and 1983, including three pennants in a row from 1969-1971. However, many Baltimoreans may not realize that more than 70 years before the St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore...