Category Archives: Baltimore Orioles

Podcast Episode 25: Silence breaks in the warehouse, while quarterback rumors swirl through the castle

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Image Credit: Washington Times

Welcome to Episode 25 of the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell, editor Nolan McGraw, and author Ian Schultz.

Since we recorded this week’s podcast only hours before the Mike Elias news broke in Baltimore, the top of the show features Jake’s reaction to the Orioles hiring their new general manager (4:45). The Orioles have yet to confirm the hire, but barring a last-minute setback, Elias is on his way to Charm City. What does this mean for the future of the Orioles? Hopefully Jake’s reaction paints the picture for you.

Up next, Nolan and Ian join the program to address the quarterback rumors surrounding the Baltimore Ravens ahead of their game against the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday (16:35). Joe Flacco has a hip injury and missed practice on Wednesday while reporters flocked to Lamar Jackson to talk to the rookie first-round quarterback days before what’s likely his first NFL start. The guys also run through some things to watch for against the Bengals on Sunday (25:04) and project the Ravens’ wins/losses through the rest of their regular season schedule (38:17)

To wrap up the show, Ian calls out Draymond Green on this week’s edition of What An Idiot (49:16). We also dive into our weekly numbers segment, taking a look at the best Baltimore sports athletes to wear the number 25 (54:41).

You can find the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Google Play. Please leave us a review on iTunes, we love to hear your feedback and may read it on a future episode. Thank you for listening!

The Charm City Bird Watch Podcast is brought to you by Seven Sports Bar & Grille. For a limited time only on behalf on Charm City Bird Watch, you can receive a 10% discount off any entree dish when you tell your server or bartender the promo code ‘Charm City.’

Filet Mignon, sautéed mushrooms, Mac n’ cheese, dinner roll
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Astros assistant GM Mike Elias set to become Orioles general manager

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BALTIMORE — After weeks of speculation, it appears that the Baltimore Orioles have found their next general manager. 

Update 11/16/18:

The Orioles have officially announced the hiring of Mike Elias as their new executive vice president and general manager. Elias will be introduced in a press conference set to take place on Monday, November 19, at 11:00 am.

Original story:

Just after midnight on Wednesday morning, Bob Nightengale of USA Today revealed on Twitter that Houston Astros assistant general manager Mike Elias is set to become the Orioles’ next general manager. 

The Orioles parted ways with former general manager Dan Duquette following a 115-loss season that saw the Orioles finish with their worst record in franchise history. Duquette’s tenure as Baltimore’s GM lasted just over seven seasons, with the 2014 American League East-winning Orioles highlighting his reign.

Along with Duquette, manager Buck Showalter was also let go as the franchise undergoes a full rebuild. Showalter had been Baltimore’s skipper since July 2010, winning the American League’s Manager of the Year award in 2014. 

Elias arrived In Houston in 2012, where he handled both scouting and player development as the assistant to general manager Jeff Luhnow. Elias, 36, has worked in Major League Baseball since 2007. He graduated from Yale University, where he was a pitcher on the baseball team. 

Along with Elias, it’s rumored that Sig Mejdal, who served as a special assistant to Luhnow up until a few days ago, could be on his way to Baltimore. Mejdal is a former NASA Engineer that orchestrated an analytics team that worked under Luhnow.  

The Astros have openly credited Elias as the man who pushed for the organization to draft All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa with the first pick in the 2012 draft. Elias oversaw the next six Houston drafts and, under Luhnow, had a helping hand in the Astros winning their first ever World Series championship in 2017. 

If Elias’s exit from Houston becomes official, he will be the sixth front office member to leave the Astros this offseason. 

Take: The Orioles have yet to make this news official, but this is great news for a fan-base that’s desperate for a glimmer of hope. In recent months, there’s been a transition of power in the ownership of the Orioles from Peter Angelos to his sons John and Lou Angelos. The Angelos family has not made any public statements, but it’s assumed that the kids are heavily involved in deciding the next general manager and manager.

It would be quite a stamp for John and Lou to bring in a young mind who just helped rebuild the Astros, who five years ago were among the worst teams in baseball. If Mejdal follows Elias to Baltimore, that sounds like a solid pickup for the analytical department that’s currently being developed. 

Image Credit: Houston Chronicle 

Podcast Episode 24: End of Harbaugh era on the horizon for the Ravens?

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Image Credit: Sporting News

Welcome to Episode 24 of the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell, editor Nolan McGraw, and author Ian Schultz.

At the top of Episode 24, we analyze where the 4-5 Ravens are following their third straight loss on Sunday at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers (5:44). We take a deep dive into the biggest moments that led to Baltimore’s loss, and look at the big picture issues that have made the Ravens a mediocre team since winning Super Bowl 47.

With the Ravens currently on their bye, Jake, Nolan, and Ian dished out their Positional Report Cards (25:28) and went over Who’s Trending (36:35) following Baltimore’s loss.

Up next, we welcome in our latest guest, Wayne Viener of Terp Talk and Capital Sports Blog (43:22). Wayne and Jake went over the fallout of the D.J. Durkin firing and predicted what’s next for the administration of Maryland athletics. Viener also went into the X’s and O’s of both the Terps’ 24-3 defeat to Michigan State and Maryland’s upcoming game in Indiana this Saturday.

After Wayne’s call-in, Nolan and Ian jump back in and share their thoughts on what’s happened at College Park over the last week (58:00). Jake also has a rant for Don’t Be A Jerk (1:02:53) stemming from a bad experience at M&T Bank Stadium this past Sunday.

To wrap up the show, we dive into our weekly numbers segment, taking a look at the best Baltimore sports athletes to wear the number 24 (1:16:09).

You can find the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Google Play. Please leave us a review on iTunes, we love to hear your feedback and may read it on a future episode. Thank you for listening!

The Charm City Bird Watch Podcast is brought to you by Seven Sports Bar & Grille. For a limited time only on behalf on Charm City Bird Watch, you can receive a 10% discount off any entree dish when you tell your server or bartender the promo code ‘Charm City.’

Filet Mignon, sautéed mushrooms, Mac n’ cheese, dinner roll
Crabcake, sweet potato fries, asparagus