I would like to apologize to everyone who regularly visits this website for not posting regularly. I’ve been struggling with my thyroid again and it’s been making it very hard for me to keep up with everything I do – namely my real-life job, my webcomic work, and this website. Hopefully I’ll return to writing more regularly soon.

In the meantime, going forward you can expect this site to get even sillier than it already is. I make fun of the things I love, and the Orioles are no different – things are going to be more irreverent around here. Less boring game recaps, more fun commentary and some cartoons.

I realized that last season, I wrote a recap for every single game. Whilst that was no small feat to do on my own, I also realized that simple recaps are boring and you can get them from MLB.com. Therefore, what you’ll see here from now on is me affectionately poking fun at the Orioles as they attempt to reach the postseason again this season.

I can’t guarantee daily updates until my thyroid condition’s fully under control, but I can guarantee that this site’s going to be a lot funnier from now on.

No history for Chris Davis. I’m going to go and pout now.

I’m also pouting because the Orioles had plenty of chances to win this game and they blew them, and in the end, they managed to blow a hold, as well. Normally Jim Johnson’s a solid fellow, but he’s allowed to lose once in a while. I’ve had an exhausting day, though, so I’m still a little sore about it because I could’ve used a win.

I think this game basically deserves the very first one of these of the year:

Once again, grad school has gotten in the way of my life as a baseball fan. Here is a very succinct recap of yesterday’s affair with everything you need to know:

• CHRIS DAVIS

Please resume normal activities now and have a photo of my dogs watching the Mets.

The Orioles and Rays played a Noah’s Ark game, with all of the runs coming in twos:

• Orioles score two runs in the 2nd
• Rays score two runs in the 5th
• Orioles answer with two runs in the 6th
• Orioles add two more runs in the 8th

Then things got weird. The Rays staged a comeback in the 9th, but it was interrupted due to a bizarre baserunning error from Evan Longoria. Watch here.

Now there’s something you don’t see every day. (Screencap mine.)

To summarize, Longoria doubled, but due to the hesitation from Ben Zobrist and Sean Rodriguez, he got to them faster than anyone anticipated. Rodriguez, who was on second, scored, and Zobrist went to third. Longoria parked on second and then discovered that he had actually passed Zobrist on the basepaths and was therefore called out.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen that one except in Little League. It’s just very bizarre and very uncommon.

And to close, somebody needs to tell the Rays that pitching to Chris Davis is not a good idea. It’s really not working out for them.

Home opener tomorrow at last, yay!

Well, at least they tried.

Things were going swimmingly until the bullpen decided to have a bad game. Eh, better to get it out of the way early so that it doesn’t happen later on, right?

Oh, but they got a compliment from Joe Maddon:

BEHAVE IN THE SANDBOX, ORIOLES, OR WE’LL HAVE TO LEAVE THE PLAYGROUND EARLY.

To take some positives away from this first loss of the season, let’s all remember that the offense picked right up where it left off yesterday. The bullpen faltering put a slight damper on things – if the team had made it to extra innings a victory was surely in the bag based on last year – but overall, this was still a strong performance that the team shouldn’t be ashamed of.

Tommy Hunter really needs to stop giving up home runs, though. This one actually cost the team the game. Maybe Buck shouldn’t put him in unless the team’s really far ahead or really far behind just in case because this homer habit is costing them.

Afternoon start tomorrow at 3:10 – don’t forget. The team then gets to come home for a proper debut on Friday against the Twins. Can’t wait to see the fan reception they get at their home opener – it should be glorious compared to recent years.

Another Opening Day has come and gone, and the Orioles won. It’s been a good one.

I’m a little more dedicated to this sport than the average human. Today, though, I took a new leap – I did the most delinquent, naughty thing I’ve ever done in my life.

I watched the Orioles game in class.

I wasn’t going to miss Opening Day for the Orioles – that’s a very important game to watch, after all. Unfortunately, one of my graduate school classes starts at 3:30 every Tuesday and lets me out at 5:50. The Orioles started playing today at 3:00. I have MLB At Bat on my phone, so I sidled into class, plugged my phone into the wall to keep it charging, and started watching the game on mute.

Without further ado, I present my notes from my Introduction to Information Professions course. I hope Cooperstown needs a new archivist soon.

I even drew baseball enthusiasts Buster Keaton and Joe E. Brown in my notes. But my stupid Comedian Heaven project isn’t the point here.

This was a wonderful day. For the first time, I had to suppress my reactions to a three-run homer (that was for you, Earl Weaver, I’m sure of it) in a public place where I shouldn’t have been watching a sporting event. I was living the dream. Best 1.13 GB of data I’ve ever used.

Your basic scoring summary is this:

• Matt Wieters 2-run homer in the 1st after an Adam Jones double
• Ben Zobrist solo shot in the 4th
• Rays string together some hits and tie things up in the 6th, then take the lead 3-2
• Orioles come roaring back in the 7th; Jones doubles in Roberts and Markakis, and after Wieters is walked Chris Davis hits the aforementioned three-run homer (in honor of Earl, let’s say)
• Matt Wieters actually doesn’t throw someone out at second; the error leads to a fourth run scoring for the Rays

Jason Hammel looked pretty good in his first start of the year, although he did run into trouble and allow the two runs that allowed the Rays to temporarily take the lead. Fortunately for him, the team was very offensively strong today and bailed him out. Jim Johnson was old reliable in the 9th, so no worries there. The rest of the bullpen also looked delightful, so they’re still a strength.

Actually, today the entire team looked really, really good. I’m excited.

I just can’t imagine my professor would be if she knew what I was actually taking notes on during her PowerPoint presentation.

Roger Bernadina’s little brother dropped down 9 slots from the 22nd overall spot in the Orioles organization, but that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly gotten worse at baseball. In fact, he’s finally ready to get his first full-year stint at low-A Delmarva, so he’s starting to grow up.

Roderick has tools, but he’s still very raw and needs a lot of patient development. His brother took three years of time in the South Atlantic League to be ready to move up, so it wouldn’t be much of a shock if Roderick needs plenty of time to grow, too. He’ll make a good corner outfielder someday, although his batting’s still a work in progress (namely involving secondary stuff, as usual, since younger players tend to have trouble with that sort of thing). He has good instincts, however, and BA says “he makes the game look smooth.”

This upcoming year in Delmarva is going to be critical in seeing what the future holds for Roderick. If he’s able to handle playing every day, he’ll likely be ready to continue onwards through the organization, but if he struggles, he’ll still need some development time.

At least this year we have video.

Tomorrow’s Opening Day – we made it, everyone!

Ty Kelly has spent most of his time in the Orioles organization since 2009 as just another filler player, but he had a breakout 2012 and suddenly popped onto the radar. He started 2012 in Frederick and ended it in Norfolk, more than handling himself at each level.

The problem is that although he can hit line drives really well and has great defensive instincts, he doesn’t have a position. He’s tried every position except pitcher, catcher and center field as a Minor Leaguer so far, so it looks like he’ll end up as a utility player if he makes it to the big club. He’s spent the majority of his time at third base, but he’s currently blocked there because Manny Machado exists.

Kelly will return to Norfolk to start off 2013, but if the Orioles need him, he’ll probably be on call. Keep an eye on him.

(Old footage, but it was the only video I was able to locate.)

A newcomer to the list, Greg Lorenzo is a small (read: 6’0″ – which is pretty tall to me, since I’m 5’2″) outfielder from the Dominican Republic. The Orioles signed the speedster back in 2009, and since then he’s spent most of his time with the team’s DSL and GCL affiliates getting some much-needed development.

When I say ‘speedster,’ by the way, I mean it: from the right side of the plate, the kid can be on first base in less than 4 seconds. Yeah. (And by ‘right side,’ I mean ‘right-handed batter’s box.’ He’s not batting left-handed.)

Lorenzo is still learning the parts of baseball that don’t require him to run quickly, namely developing batting discipline. He’ll finally have a chance to take on full-season baseball in 2013 for the entire year, as he spent his 2012 between the GCL Orioles, Aberdeen (short-season A) and Delmarva.

Oliver Drake, whose story can be read here, was ranked 26th overall last year. He’s since dropped down to 28th, but by no fault of his own – the Orioles just picked up a few good men this past off-season, and a few players grew positively over the past year.

Last season was a lost year for Drake – he managed three starts at AA Bowie before shoulder inflammation forced him to get surgery. His final start of 2012 was a six-inning no-hitter which BA calls “arguably the best of his career.” He possesses a fastball (which tops out around 95 mph during good starts and has sink), a splitter/changeup, and a curveball. He’s a good strike-thrower, which is promising. BA suggests that he’ll work best coming out of the bullpen, but if his secondary pitches become more consistent, he has a shot at being a starter.

Look for him in Bowie this year now that he’s recovered from surgery. If he performs as well as he did last year before being shut down, he could easily find himself in Norfolk by the year’s end.