Tag Archives: Houston Astros

Podcast Episode 28: ‘Astroball’ author Ben Reiter lays out blueprint for how Elias & Mejdal will rebuild the Orioles

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Image Credit: Eutaw Street Report 

Welcome to Episode 28 of the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell, editor Nolan McGraw, and author Ian Schultz.

The guys spend the first 45 minutes of the show talking all things Ravens. First, Jake, Nolan, and Ian revisit Baltimore’s 26-16 win over the Falcons from this past Sunday (3:30). You’ll also hear an extended Ravens quarterback debate (9:20) as our team has differing opinions on whether Lamar Jackson or a healthy Joe Flacco should lead the Ravens offense to (hopefully) the team’s first playoff berth in four years. As we do every week, we’ll go over Who’s Trending (30:49) and some things to watch for on Sunday as the Ravens enter Arrowhead Stadium for a 1:00 pm tilt with the #1 seed in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs (39:39).

71TL+MlkkTLUp next, we welcome in our special guest for Episode 28 – Ben Reiter, author of Astroball: The New Way To Win It All (45:44). There’s no one better to tell Orioles fans everything they want to know about Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal than Reiter, who’s written a book detailing the processes Elias and Mejdal implemented to rebuild the Astros under Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow. Along with going over the storyline of Astroball, Reiter gives specific examples of how Elias and Mejdal used analytics. Reiter also provides some insight into how these same techniques will be used to rebuild the Orioles. It’s a must-listen interview for all Orioles fans eager to see what Elias and his team can do.

After Reiter’s call-in, Nolan and Ian jump back in, reacting to the Milwaukee Brewers decision to non-tender former Oriole fan-favorite Jonathan Schoop (1:05:18). Don’t worry, the gang also talked about Caleb Joseph and Tim Beckham being non-tendered by the Orioles too.

With the Maryland men’s basketball team off to a hot 7-1 start, the next part of the show takes a look at Mark Turgeon’s 2017-18 team (1:14:00). With the Terps making the Top 25 last week, the guys lay out their season projections for a talented, young Maryland team.

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 28 (1:25:22).

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.’

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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 21: Interview with Orioles legend Al Bumbry, revisiting the Ravens 11-sack dismantling of the Titans

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Welcome to Episode 21 of the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell, editor Nolan McGraw, and author Ian Schultz.

At the top of this week’s show is an exclusive interview with legendary Baltimore Orioles outfielder Al Bumbry (5:20). Jake talked to Mr. Bumbry about the Orioles’ rebuild, his top career memories, and the MLB playoffs. Mr. Bumbry also mentioned the organization his son is involved with called Helping Latin America’s Orphans.

Up next, McGraw and Schultz jump in to talk about all things baseball (21:19). Along with breaking down the American League & National League Championship Series, the guys went back-and-forth over the Manny Machado drama, and the rumors swirling around about the Astros cheating in playoff games.

Did you hear that? I think Za’Darius Smith just sacked Marcus Mariota again. The football talk kicks off with the crew revisiting the Ravens’ 21-0 shutout over the Tennessee Titans that saw the defense rack up 11 sacks in the game (35:45). After the gang reveals their initial impressions from the win that advanced the Ravens to 4-2, they get into their weekly Who’s Trending segment (47:00) and went over some things to watch for on Sunday at 4:05 pm as the Ravens duke it out with the 4-1 New Orleans Saints at M&T Bank Stadium (56:20).

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 21 (1:05:17).

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!

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The Charm City Bird Watch Podcast is brought to you by Seven Sports Bar & Grille in New Freedom, PA. For a limited time early on behalf of Charm City Bird Watch, you can get a 10% discount on any entree at Seven by staying the promo code ‘Charm City’ to your server! One possible entree combination above – Crabcake, Sweet Potato Fries, and side vegetable!