On July 24, 2012, the Baltimore Orioles faced the Tampa Rays at Camden Yards. The O’s lost, 3-1.
Adam Jones homered, the Oriole’s only run. Nick Markakis was in right and hit a double. Wilson Betemit played third. Manny Machado was still a shortstop in the minors taking grounders at third “in secret.”
In Los Angeles, the Royals beat the Angels. Mike Trout went 0-for-3.
In St. Louis, the Cards roughed up the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw for eight earned runs. The Mets’ R.A. Dickey gave up five to the Nats, ending his 11-game win streak. And, the Giants squeaked past the Padres with a walk-off single from Brandon Crawford.
Just another day in baseball.
And, I started this blog.
Don’t go looking for those first posts from 2012. I didn’t tell anyone about my blog at first, and now, looking at the early stuff, well, it’s cringe-worthy.
I’ve summed up my early blogging career here.
Today, 178 posts later, I have a patient Editor/Husband and the decency to share photos of cats.
Stevie!
Happy 3rd birthday, blog.
(You’ve outlived the average blog by two years and 11 months. Congratulations!)
And, happy 51st birthday, Barry Bonds. (People still don’t like you, do they?)
Third anniversaries require gifts of leather so, to celebrate, here’s a flash of leather for you …
Watch this.
A few things have changed for me since 2012. But, really, I still like the same stuff.
I like to win in the post-season.
(And, I’ve finally been to my first post-season games. The Orioles lost ‘em both.)
I like the College World Series as much as the big league one.
(The University of Virginia Cavaliers won the College World Series last month – their first national baseball championship since they started playing at UVa in 1889. Go Hoos!)
I like a quiet-eyed Starter and a Bullpen that plays with matches.
I like the Astros’ ‘70s-era uniforms, but not the Padres’.
I like baseball on grass, walk-up music, and night games under lights.
I like bobbleheads and minor league mascots and The Baseball Project.
Otey the Swamp Possum, awesome official mascot of the Arkansas Travelers
(Editor/Husband: “You can’t go wrong with a swamp possum.”)
(Dear Little Rock fans, Pay attention. Otey’s a possum, not a rat.)
I like the edamame dumplings at Camden Yards and the “lucky” sodas from Mark’s stand at UVa’s Davenport Field. (They really are lucky.)
I like the Curse of the Andino and I especially like posting this a few times a year:
I like a neat scorecard, the Designated Hitter rule, and Jon Miller calling a Giants game late into the night.
I like a 4-6-3 double play slightly more than a 6-4-3 double play, but I can’t tell you exactly why.
I like Jonathan Schoop …
… and, Willie Mays …
And, I’ll never like the Yankees.
So, whatever happened to those guys from three years ago?
Mike Trout, and his 10.8 WAR, was Rookie of the Year in 2012 and is Most Valuable Everything today.
R.A. Dickey went on to win the Cy Young, and, even on an off day, Clayton Kershaw continues to be better than most pitchers and leads the league this season with 185 strikeouts.
The Giants won the World Series.
The Orioles?
Following the debut of my blog in July, the Orioles went on to win the 2012 Wild Card play-off and lost to the Yankees in the ALDS. It was the O’s first postseason appearance in 15 years which can’t possibly be a coincidence.
In August, shortstop Manny Machado made his big league debut for the O’s at third. He’s still there and well on his way to being the Orioles MVP.
Wilson Betemit ended up in Tampa’s minor league system and is currently a free agent.
Nick Markakis is a Brave. (I still miss you, Nick.)
It’s July 24, 2015 and the Orioles are 4th — and seven long, difficult, frustrating, but not impossible, games back — in the AL East.
Sherman Hemsley
February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012
The Baseball Bloggess 
Congrats on the long life of your blog! Blog on, my friend.
:) Thanks, Martha! I think a blog birthday somehow merits cake … (I think most things somehow merit cake).
Congrats on a great blog and a slew of successful posts. There’s an old Yiddish aphorism that says “May you live to see a thousand reasons to rejoice.” In your case. “May you blog a thousand posts.”
Well done, Bloggess.
v
Thank you! You know, with every blog post I’m hoping to be one step closer out of the blogging minors and to finally make it to V’s “team”! (I’m hoping to be blogging at second base for your “team” some day, but really, I’m a utility Bloggess … you can stick me anywhere!) :)
You’re already a “Majors” blogger, Bloggess. You don’t need my team or any other.
v
But, I like YOUR team … all the cool bloggers are on it! :)
Happy blogging anniversary! The cat picture was a nice touch ;)
Thank you! Stevie is quite photogenic (she comes whenever she hears the rustle of the camera bag) and she’s confident that she is the main reason that anyone reads my blog. She’s probably right about that! :)
Congratulations. Long, strange trip, and all that. Always brightens my day to see a new post from you.
Just one thing: “You know you’re on the wrong coast when Giants games last ‘late into the night’.”
Thanks, Casey! I was thinking this might be the year that I have to get ice cream for you based on the M’s season so far … then I realized, I’ll probably end up needing ice cream for me, too.
Actually, the Giants’ games out on “right” coast don’t even START until “late into the night.” And, by “right” coast I mean the opposite of left, rather than the opposite of wrong … because I’m rather fond of having the sun set on the ocean rather than rise on it.
Congrats, my friend. I look forward to each new post and always find a smile on my face when I see it. Keep it up please.
Thanks, Gloria! Stevie and I appreciate having a honest-to-goodness Cubs fan stopping by! :)
Congrats! Great post!
Thanks! Go O’s! :)
Neat scorecards huh ? Oh yeah, you’re an O’s fan. As a Dodger fan, I can tell you in an NL Park, neat scorecards aren’t always the case, especially if the game goes extras. ( Great read BTW, Happy Anniversary !!! )
I was at Camden Yards at an O’s game once and sat next to an older couple who both had scorecards they were keeping … in pen. They looked at me with sweet sympathy and said, “Oh, you do yours in pencil.” All that pinch-hitting for the pitcher throws off the neatness if I’m scoring an NL game. :)
Congratulations on your anniversary – I really enjoy your blog – and not only because we like a lot of the same things :) (how about that Ryan Flaherty? :)…
A flash of leather from Flash! :)
I’m glad we found each other’s blogs (and I’m glad you had the chance to visit Yankee Stadium on a day when they weren’t sweeping the Orioles). But, I haven’t given up on the season yet … I know you haven’t either. Go O’s!
I like those Astro Uniforms too and everything Astros. July 24th. That’s the birthday of a friend of mine. He was touched that I remembered this year and in years past too. I always remember probably in part because of Barry Bond’s birthday, but also because long lasting friends are rare for me and I’ve known him over 20 years. I think July 24th is also the beginning of the astrological month of Leo? The Blue Jays just got a whole lot better, but the Orioles made some trades too, one with the Brewers I think. Gerardo Parra for an Orioles prospect I don’t know-Zach Davies? I like the sound of his name. Sound reasoning and there goes my future as a scout. . Anyway, congratulations on the perseverance and endurance to keep writing blog and good luck to the Orioles.
I also have this strange, unexplainable soft spot for the Astros, too. I have no idea why, but there you go. Zach Davies was one of our hot-shot AAA pitchers … so maybe one of your starters next spring (as you wait for UVa’s Nathan Kirby to put on some muscle and make his way through your system). I hate Trade Week … it’s so unhappy, even when you land someone sweet. Orioles reliever Tommy Hunter learned he’d been traded to the Cubs this afternoon after seeing it on Twitter, apparently at the same time that I did. That just doesn’t seem right to me. Oh well, now that’s over … back to the games!
for me, it might be seeing tannner boyle rallying the astro faithfull with bob watson and jr richards and I forget who else in the dugout background beginning to clap and cheer as well. still makes me cry. I’m pathetic and with some wine in me, ah forget it. i’ll never recover from the bad news bears, all three of those movies.