Leading Off

Hi. We hope this episode finds you well – in good health and good spirits.

The Orioles are making roster moves, and making it look like they need a couple payday cash advances. As always, it’s an interesting time to be an Orioles fan.

Drink of the Week

Join us for the Drink of the Week, and let us know how you’re consoling yourself as you watch the O’s. Find us on Untappd

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This Week on the Twitters

Here’s what’s going on in the world of Orioles Baseball, in 280 characters, or fewer:

So happy to hear that Hanser Alberto signed a minor league deal with the Royals! He will wow them with his work ethic, personality and performance ! @masnOrioles

— Jim Palmer (@Jim22Palmer) February 1, 2021

Delmon Young the batting leader last year for the ABL allows no runs in his first time up on the mound since high school UNBELIEVABLE!!! 😍💪💅#AcesNation pic.twitter.com/pn2UsTi9HR

— Melbourne Aces (@MelbourneAces) January 24, 2021

I just threw up in my mouth a little bit https://t.co/AFcFYnanBJ

— Orioles Fan Problems (@OriolesFanProbz) January 27, 2021

The Orioles are chipping in to help save Baltimore restaurants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join the O’s and GM Mike Elias, Trey Mancini, and Brooks Robinson in showing your support: https://t.co/WhVVeny09q

— Birdland Insider (@BirdlandInsider) January 28, 2021

No candidate reaches 75 percent for the Hall of Fame. Curt Schilling, who made his MLB debut with the Orioles in 1988, gets closest with 71.1 percent. He falls 16 votes short. One more shot for him next year.

— Dan Connolly (@danconnolly2016) January 26, 2021

Nondollars and Nonsense

MASN announced serious cuts to its broadcast schedule and on-air talent (for both the Orioles and the Nationals. This move has many components: tit-for-tat for the on-going legal dispute, COVID-19 related cashflow issues, and emotional connections to broadcasters who are suddenly disconnected from the team.

We can’t say enough how much we’ll miss Gary Thorne. We had it good, and we knew it. On the other hand, the overall stable of broadcasting talent is strong. It’s possible that Orioles fans will be in good hands for quite some time.

More troubling news on the financial front: the Orioles are asking arbitration-eligible players like Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander to defer money on their deals totaling less than $5M. This is… disconcerting.

Nondollars and Nonsense

FIRST BASE: Alex Cobb to the Angels

The Angels again, eh? Well… the Orioles got an interesting “prospect?” in exchange for a player whose contract had been a disappointment, and who offered little to the franchise moving forward. Without saying it will save Orioles Baseball, we’ll call this a Good Thing.

Welcome to the Orioles, Jahmai Jones!

SECOND BASE: MASN Streaming App

MASN has announced that it will shortly unveil an app which will allow in-market streaming. This is NOT an option for cord-cutting, but it will enable fans to break away from the television, in favor of various other devices.

We’re hoping this is a gateway drug to cord cutting. In the meantime, it’s a move in the right direction to future-proof MASN’s media consumption.

THIRD BASE: Other Roster Notes

The Orioles spent a bunch of money on international talent. Whereas spending on the international market still feels new and fresh, we’re hoping that we’ll take if for granted some day. The team did a thing it’s supposed to do. A good sign, but let’s not break out the ticker tape.

The Orioles signed cheap stopgaps for SS and 2B. They will probably play the whole season, unless they turn out to be wretched, in which case, some of the wretched internal options will take over.

Feel the magic.

HOME PLATE: Labor War and Peace

MLB and the MLBPA are negotiating the finer points of the 2021 season. Like “will there be one?” OK, perhaps that’s a bit over-dramatic. But the fact that they’re still quibbling over major details this late in the game does not fill us with confidence about a smooth start to the season, nor about the CBA negotiations for the deal that expires this December.

It’s hard to imagine that the involved parties would risk labor peace so soon after the sport’s (and the world’s) finances were rocked by the pandemic. But hey… they’re in the business of being in business. We’ll see…

Blowing the Save

Most podcasts try to end on a high note – the perfect coda to a quality program. That’s just not our style. Each week, we’ll end on a weak note, blowing the save with an item that didn’t quite fit into the episode, or something they simply need to get off their chests. It’s our version of taking the ball and pulling a Kevin Gregg.

Your Turn

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