Baseball Essays
-
April 27, 2019 at 7:01 am
Calling the Pen: High Tides, high hopes — Part 1
Editor’s note: Orioles beat writer Rich Dubroff conducted a question-and-answer session with Norfolk Tides beat writer David Hall. Because of the depth of Hall’s answers and the added importance of the minor leagues in the Orioles’ rebuild, we decided to present the Q&A in two parts. Today, in Part 1, Hall talks...
-
April 13, 2019 at 11:00 am
Calling the Pen: Can Chris Davis’ agony of defeat become the thrill of victory again?
ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” was a Saturday staple in our house when I was growing up — the opening intro still vivid in my memory. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The human drama of athletic competition. There were signs of it on Monday night, and you didn’t...
-
April 4, 2019 at 11:00 am
Calling the Pen: Nothing better than spending Opening Day at the ballpark
Opening Day in Baltimore is a special day. Not only is it a sign that warm weather is right around the corner and that people are ready to go outside after being stuck indoors for the past five months, it also means that baseball is back from its long winter hibernation. It’s...
-
March 30, 2019 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: Memories hit home on Opening Day
It was Opening Day in the early ’90s, a time when Camden Yards was packed not only for the first game but for every game. Still, the excitement for Opening Day was inescapable. The sun was shining, the air was warm. Baseball was back, and everything seemed perfect. Until I got a...
-
March 9, 2019 at 11:00 am
Calling the Pen: Bonus baby arrives on the eve of spring training
The Monday before pitchers and catchers were scheduled to report for spring training, another arrival was on the way. We don’t know if this one will be a left-hander or a right-hander. We don’t even know if he’ll play baseball, because his dad plays soccer and his mom is a dancer. We...
-
February 23, 2019 at 10:00 am
Calling the Pen: 10 questions about spring training with Orioles beat writer Rich Dubroff
Rich Dubroff joined BaltimoreBaseball.com as Orioles beat writer last July, just in time to report on the team’s flurry of trades that marked the beginning of its massive rebuilding project. He took time out from his busy schedule to provide readers with an inside look of what it’s like to cover the...
-
February 8, 2019 at 12:45 pm
Calling the Pen: To be Frank — 1966 was my favorite season as an Orioles fan
I lost my favorite Oriole and my favorite player with the death of Frank Robinson on Thursday. Today, I wanted to share an essay I wrote last May about the impact Frank had on me when he came to Baltimore in 1966. RIP, No. 20. It was a sunny afternoon in early...
-
February 2, 2019 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: There’s still a soft spot here for Mussina
I believe the Orioles, and their fans, have a golden opportunity to repair an awkward relationship with newly inducted Hall of Famer Mike Mussina. After a number of years of pitching dominance with the Orioles, Mussina took a below-market deal in 1997 (getting paid less than $7 million a year from 1998...
-
January 26, 2019 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: One season, one meltdown, one redemptive moment
It’s fairly safe to say that most kids, regardless of demographics, had some sort of experience playing youth sports. It’s also just as safe to say that some of these kids had better experiences than others. I’d consider myself firmly in that “others” category. This wasn’t for a lack of talent —...
-
January 19, 2019 at 7:00 am
Calling the Pen: One Oriole fan’s perspective as FanFest approaches
A week from today, Oriole fans will be almost within a snowball’s throw of Camden Yards. Standing in the cold outside the Convention Center should spark warm thoughts of shedding the winter coat for an Orioles jersey, the wool hat for a baseball cap, and the gloves for those that catch baseballs....
