Leading Off

After some time away to deal with COVID (everybody’s fine), and a complete lack of baseball, much less baseball news… we’re back!

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

The NFL’s playoff expansion made for some boring wild card games that weren’t competitive. Too many teams were blown out because they didn’t belong in the playoffs in the first place.

— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) January 17, 2022

Travis Snider has retired, according to his Instagram page. He played for the Blue Jays, Pirates and Orioles in the majors and spent 2021 with the Braves Triple-A team before he was released in September. pic.twitter.com/knDk4MRTKs

— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) January 13, 2022

After 17 years, I'm leaving the Baltimore Sun this month to join the new Baltimore Banner and help create a new non profit model for local news here

— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) January 5, 2022

If you woke up wondering where the O’s bridge pitchers are in their development down to the day, hi friend. How about 2022 expectations w/these changes?
Subscribe to @JonMeoli and it can be emailed to you too. Detailed read as always👊🏻 https://t.co/5Od1IUUTYc

— Eric_Birdland (@Eric_Birdland) January 7, 2022

Around the Bases

For the first time in 2022, we go around the bases:

First Base: Will we ever baseball again?

CBA negotiations got pretty quiet between the lockout taking effect in early December (12/2), and the two sides’ next contact on January 13th. MLB made a proposal, and now the players will counter. The question for fans is how long this will go on, and whether Spring Training (or the season?!) might be impacted.

Second Base: Roster Thoughts

The Orioles made big splash in the international signing period, which as interesting in the fact that the team picked up some intriguing talent, as it is that the Orioles have made significant investments in the kind of infrastructure that sustains winning. Additionally, we look at some of the FA moves that took place before Baseball went dark.

Third Base: Mr. Angelos, tear down this wall

The Orioles are moving the LF wall at Camden Yards back, and making it taller. It will now be harder to hit home runs at Camden Yards. Something tells us the guys we’ve had pitching for us since 2018 would still have found a way…

We talk through the fan reaction and possible on-field impact.

Home Plate: Expectations

We’re not in prediction mode yet, but we talk about what we WANT to see from the 2022 season. We also talk about what success looks like, and what dissatisfaction would look like.

What to Look Forward to in 2022

There are a lot of interesting things to look forward to in 2022:

Anniversaries

• 30 years of OPACY
• 10 years since the Buckle Up Birds season
• 20 years since the epic 4-32 collapse
• 10 years of BEV

In addition, we are sure to see the MLB debuts of Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez, and track the follow-up performances of players like Cedric Mullins, John Means, and Ryan Mountcastle.

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

Love it? Hate it? Confused? Let us, and other listeners, know! As always, we appreciate the support.

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