Question: I am getting sick and tired of seeing the Orioles’ skipper go out to talk with umpires with his arms crossed, nodding as if in agreement, maybe gesturing with a hand when he asks a question, then just walking back to the bench. In Toronto he should have pulled a Earl Weaver and dragged his heel all the way from first to second to show that ump the baseline. Yes, get fired up, get thrown out of the game! The players need to see someone who will battle for them, not just shrug his shoulders in the now familiar “oh well” manner. From: Charlie Rice
Answer: Charlie, I got a similar comment from Noel Marks of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. I think Craig Albernaz is very passionate and demonstrative when arguing with umpires. He did get thrown out of one game on April 5th, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he got ejected from several more games this year.
Fans often mistakenly think that managers are putting on a show when in fact, they’re just angry about a decision that will affect their team. Weaver didn’t intentionally get ejected from games. He truly thought the Orioles were getting the raw end of calls.
I think that Oriole players know Albernaz has their back, and they don’t need him to prove that by getting ejected.
Question: One of the most consequential trades in O’s history was Curt Blefary for Mike Cuellar. Cuellar’s big out pitch was a screwball; it was incredible. What happened to this pitch? Do today’s pitchers throw a screwball? From: Phil Cooke
Answer: Phil, there’s no current major league pitcher throwing the screwball. The two most recent pitchers to throw a screwball were Brent Honeywell, who last played in the majors in 2024. and Hector Santiago, who last played in 2021.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: [email protected]. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.