By Steve Giles, on May 10th, 2012  As I sat there in the press box watching the second game of the doubleheader against the Rangers, I couldn’t help but think of how exciting it would be if Camden Yards was packed on a consistent basis. It has been a very, very long time since this ballpark had the type of crowds we saw when it first opened back in 1992. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Camden Yards, and I can’t think of a better anniversary present to The Yard than to fill the seats with passionate fans who can’t get enough of their beloved Orioles.
I was here last season when the O’s knocked the Red Sox out of playoff contention, and the atmosphere in this place was out of this world. Just think of how nuts this place would be if the O’s were fighting for a playoff spot in late September. And with the way they are playing so far this season, who knows where they’ll be come September. I will tell you one thing, though. It makes a huge difference to these players when the stadium is packed full of passionate, screaming hometown fans instead of those of visiting teams (Yankees and Red Sox, especially). There are plenty of reasons to come out to The Yard and watch your O’s play, but here are five good ones.
There is never a dull moment
No matter if it’s a three-run walk-off homer to erase a two-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth or a bases loaded save with a one-run lead, the O’s never fail to raise our blood pressure at critical points in the game. READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on May 4th, 2012  Fresh off taking two of three from the Yankees in the Bronx, the O’s look to continue their strong pitching when they head to Boston for a weekend series with the Red Sox. The O’s held the Yankees to three runs in three games including handing the Yanks their first shutout in the new Yankee Stadium. I know we are only 25 games into the season, but the O’s are starting to look more and more like they are going to be in the mix come September. If the starters can continue to go seven innings and the bullpen stays fresh, I don’t see why we can’t play competitive baseball all season, especially with the bats the O’s have. Of the 25 games the O’s have played, the starting pitchers have combined for 14 quality starts and have compiled a 2.83 ERA, which is third in the majors.
Who’s Hot
Chris Davis – The hot-hitting first baseman is batting .409 over his last seven games including two doubles, three homers and eight RBI. Davis is now hitting .316 on the season and has provided the O’s with some big hits lately. He has had two three-hit games over the past week, including a home run in each contest. READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on April 27th, 2012  I have a little catching up to do after missing last week’s edition of this segment. So here’s a quick recap of what’s been going on with the O’s over the past two weeks. They went 6-4 on their longest road trip of the season. They just got done sweeping the Blue Jays and are now 5-1 against them this season after losing 12 of 18 to them last season. Their pitching has been stellar and their hits have been timely. All in all, things are good in the Baltimore baseball world right now. I just hope it stays that way.
Who’s Hot
The Bullpen – The O’s bullpen ranks first in the majors with a 1.96 ERA and has been the most solid aspect of the team so far this season. They have a closer in Jim Johnson, who is 7-for-7 in save opportunities and has yet to give up a run. They have a set up guy in Pedro Strop, who seems to never throw below 95 mph. And they have a bunch of other guys who can come in when they are called upon and get batters out. Collectively, the O’s bullpen has 50 strikeouts to just 22 walks on the season and hasn’t allowed an earned run in their last nine innings of work. READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on April 13th, 2012  Through the first six games of the season, we have seen the potential the O’s have at being a .500 team as well as what O’s fans like to call “the same old O’s.” They looked like world beaters in their first series, outscoring the Twins 15-5 on their way to three dominating victories. The starters in those games (Jake Arrieta, Tommy Hunter and Jason Hammel) only allowed one earned run between them, which came in the eighth inning of the third game. They hit well with runners in scoring position and the bullpen did their part as well.
The second series against the Yankees, however, was very much a different story. Brian Matusz left off where he did last season, allowing four runs in four innings and not having any command of his pitches. His “stuff” looked better and he did have some velocity behind his pitches, but he just couldn’t locate them. The next two games were extra inning heartbreakers as the O’s had bases loaded in the ninth in both games, but couldn’t seal the deal. It’s the same old story, though. The O’s don’t have the clutch hitter they need to get the job done in crucial situations (Prince Fielder would’ve been nice to have at the plate in those situations, but Peter Angelos won’t spend money to make his team better). Anyway, here are a few of the O’s that are hot along with a few that aren’t too hot.
Who’s Hot
Matt Wieters – Wieters leads the team in batting average (.364), home runs (2), RBI (4) and OPS (1.122). He carried his strong spring into the regular season and is looking to repeat the defensive presence he brought last season after winning the Gold Glove. It would be nice to see Wieters continue to hit for power especially with Mark Reynolds and Chris Davis struggling in that department in the early going. READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on December 23rd, 2011 From the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl to the Rose Bowl and the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl to the Allstate BCS National Championship, the college football bowl season is upon us. I know there is constant talk about having a playoff in college football, but I personally enjoy bowl season. There are some intriguing matchups between teams that wouldn’t normally face one another. On the other hand, there are also some games that lack the excitement factor, unless of course you have a connection to one of the schools. But if nothing else, bowl games provides us sports fans with our football fix for just over three weeks.
The BCS bowl games are where it’s at, though. They provide us with matchups between the premier teams in college football, which make for some exciting football. All of the games have their own storylines and intriguing factors, but here is how I ranked this year’s five BCS bowl matchups.
5. Discover Orange Bowl
No. 15 Clemson vs. No. 23 West Virginia
Jan. 4, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
This game may not be as close as some people expect. First of all, West Virginia’s schedule was relatively easy and they still managed to lose three games and eek out wins in their last three games of the regular season. Clemson struggled over the last month of the regular season as well, but finished the season strong after crushing Virginia Tech 38-10 in the ACC championship game. READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on December 13th, 2011  After a season where he was limited to 64 games and batted just .220, the Orioles decided not to tender a 2012 contract to outfielder Luke Scott. Last season, Scott was slowed by a torn labrum and wasn’t able to get things going offensively the way the O’s were hoping. So, this didn’t come as much of a surprise considering he would be making close to $6 million through arbitration next season. Manager Buck Showalter said he hopes the organization can work something out with Scott, but there hasn’t been any specific discussions as to what will happen.
Scott, who was named the 2010 Most Valuable Oriole after batting .284 with 27 home runs and 72 RBI, was a popular player in the clubhouse as well as with fans. The “Luuuuuuke” chant was a regular occurrence when Scott stepped in the batter’s box at Camden Yards. His popularity had some to do with his friendly personality toward the media and fans, but the tears he would go on throughout the course of the season were a part of it as well. Scott went through stretches as an Oriole when it just seemed like nobody could get him out. Conversely, he also went on some tough stretches where he couldn’t buy a hit, too. READ MORE >>>
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Wisconsin needs help in BCS standings
The Badgers are off to a 6-0 start this season and have absolutely dominated their opponents in the process. But the BCS computer polls aren’t showing them as much love as they would like. Their average rating in six computer polls was 11th, and they were even ranked as low as No. 17 in Kenneth Massey’s ratings. The reasoning for such a low ranking is simple, though. The Badgers’ non-conference schedule hasn’t been as tough as the teams ahead of them. They have only played one ranked team thus far, which resulted in a 48-17 home win against then-No. 8 Nebraska. But their three nonconference FBS opponents, UNLV, Oregon State and Northern Illinois, have a combined record of 6-13. The Badgers can’t help that their schedule hasn’t been very tough. So their only hope at this point is to win out convincingly and hope a couple of the teams ahead of them lose. READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on October 11th, 2011
SB Nation BlogPoll College Football Top 25 Rankings »
No Florida schools in AP top 25
For the first time since Dec. 6, 1982, there are no Florida schools ranked in the AP top 25. The 472 straight appearances by Sunshine State universities was snapped this week after all of the so-called big three (Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles and Miami Hurricanes) weren’t able to break the top 25. Florida State and Florida appeared in the poll last week, but after the Gators were waxed by LSU and the Seminoles were upset by Wake Forest, both were ousted from the rankings. Miami and first-year head coach Al Golden have been struggling all season and are currently 2-3, including a 38-35 loss at Virginia Tech this past Saturday. It was only the second time since Oct. 14, 1978 that Florida, Florida State and Miami lost on the same day. READ MORE >>>
By Steve Giles, on October 4th, 2011
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As I sat there in the press box watching the second game of the doubleheader against the Rangers, I couldn’t help but think of how exciting it would be if Camden Yards was packed on a consistent basis. It has been a very, very long time since this ballpark had the type of crowds we saw when it first opened back in 1992. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Camden Yards, and I can’t think of a better anniversary present to The Yard than to fill the seats with passionate fans who can’t get enough of their beloved Orioles.
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