Tag Archives: Jake McDonnell

Podcast Episode 12: Dissecting the horrible mess that is the Maryland Football program

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Welcome to Episode 12 of the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell, editor Nolan McGraw, and author Ian Schultz.

Unfortunately, this week’s show kicks off with a lengthy discussion surrounding the horrible mess that is the Maryland Football program (0:52). Last week, ESPN released a detailed report siting several current University of Maryland football players and other people close to the organization calling it a “toxic culture” under head coach D.J. Durkin. On June 13, Maryland offensive lineman Jordan McNair passed away after the 19-year-old had passed out during an outdoor football workout on May 29.

Since the report became public, coach Durkin has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues. Both the University of Maryland’s athletic department and the university itself are being questioned about their lack of attention to McNair’s situation following the May 29 practice.

After the Maryland segment concludes, Jake and Ian go into a lengthy conversation about the Baltimore Ravens (17:50) Following the Ravens’ 33-7 win over the Rams on Thursday, the guys tell you who’s trending, either in a good or bad way (21:12). The crew also discusses the latest training camp nuggets (30:34) and tells you what to watch for next Monday night as the Ravens hit the road to take on the Indianapolis Colts in more preseason action (33:30).

Up next, Jake and Ian talk about the extremely early exit of the Orioles from the American League East division race (36:40). In fact, the Orioles officially being eliminated on August 10 is the earliest date in the divisional era that a team has been out of the race for their team’s division. But it’s not all bad, because this Orioles segment wraps up with some talk on the call-up of Cedric Mullins and Adam Jones moving to right field (41:11).

To wrap up the show, we dive into our weekly numbers segment, taking a look at the best Ravens & Orioles players to wear the number 12 (44:57).

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

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11: Ravens HOF weekend recap & a look at the new NFL helmet rules

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Welcome to Episode 11 of the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell, editor Nolan McGraw, and author Ian Schultz.

This week the podcast is heavily focused on the Ravens as they come off of an eventful weekend. The guys don’t waste any time diving right into Ray Lewis and his Hall Of Fame speech (5:00). After that the conversation switches over the Ravens 17-16 win over the Bears in the HOF game (15:25). Jake, Nolan, and Ian all give their opinion on which players they think are trending up and trending down after the first preseason game.

Before turning their attention to this coming week’s matchup with the Rams, the guys spend some time dissecting the new NFL rules involving helmet hits (34:38). The issue has made headlines everywhere since Thursday and the Charm City Bird Watch crew is eager to give their takes as well.

The Ravens discussion concludes with a look ahead to the second preseason game. The Ravens and Rams will practice together this week in Owings Mills before meeting at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday night (42:45)

The podcast concludes with some brief Orioles talk (50:23). The excitement of the trade deadline has passed and now we are left with an even more incomplete team. However, there are a handful of new Orioles that have made their debut in black and orange this past week. The weekly numbers segment is pushed back to the end of this weeks podcast, where you can hear some memories of former players like Robert Andino and Kamar Aiken (55:50).

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

10: Orioles blow it up at the trade deadline & reminiscing on the career of Ray Lewis

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Welcome to Episode 10 of the Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell, editor Nolan McGraw, and author Ian Schultz.

It’s a loaded episode this week as the guys give their initial thoughts on the Kevin Gausman and Jonathan Schoop trades (29:15), but as always things start with the weekly numbers segment (6:00). It’s fitting that this is episode ten because Adam Jones has been making headlines recently as he decided to stay in Baltimore with the O’s. The guys look back on Jones’ career so far and give their takes on his decision (16:30).

After wrapping up all the Orioles news for the week, the conversation switches to the Ravens (39:50) and their big weekend coming up. It all starts with their first preseason game of the year on Thursday (41:20) and then concludes with a celebration when Ray Lewis enters the Hall Of Fame on Saturday night (45:30).

To honor Lewis’ big achievement, the Charm City Bird Watch crew gives their favorite memories of Ray’s career and have some fun talking about his famous pregame introduction and dance (52:22). The podcast concludes with some prop bets for Ray’s speech (58:23).

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

Podcast Episode 9: Rebuild – To build something again after it has been damaged or destroyed

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Welcome to Episode 9 of the new Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell and author Ian Schultz.

As usual, the podcast opens with the weekly numbers segment (4:57), reminiscing the best Ravens and Orioles players to sport a #9 jersey.

Next, Jake and Ian mourn the loss of Manny Machado and break down the trade that sent the former O’s superstar to the Dodgers (14:13). As you can tell by the podcast’s title, the gang also addressed Dan Duquette’s recent public comments announcing that the Orioles are beginning a rebuild. Jake and Ian pondered whether or not Duquette is the right man to lead the rebuild, and broke down the latest trade rumors surrounding the ball-club.

Up next, Jake’s friend from high school, Conor Miller, calls in (30:56). Conor is the younger brother of 14 News Sports Director Bethany Miller, who was on the podcast in January. Conor, a lifelong Baltimore sports fan and current collegiate baseball player, gives us his reactions/hot takes to the Machado trade, the Orioles rebuild, and the start of Ravens training camp.

With the end of Conor’s call-in focusing on the Ravens, Jake and Ian’s next segment analyzes the first few days of Ravens training camp (54:28). We’ve already heard from both Joe Flacco and Lamar Jackson, and the national media is having a field day with the current storylines surrounding the two quarterbacks. Will Jackson’s presence make Flacco more emotional than we’ve ever seen? What are the biggest takeaways from the first few practices? Football is back, and we’ll get you up-to-date on the latest Ravens nuggets.

Last but not least, we wrap up episode 9 with What an Idiot (1:04:53).This week, Jake and Ian call out Josh Hader and the Milwaukee Brewers fanbase for embarrassing themselves in front of America.

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

Podcast Episode 8: Orioles mid-season awards & Ravens defensive preview

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Welcome to Episode 8 of the new Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell and editor Nolan McGraw.

As usual the podcast opens with the weekly numbers segment (1:55). This week Jake and Nolan dive into the famous and not so famous number 8’s in Baltimore sports history. After this the duo transitions into a brief recap of the Orioles recent wins over the Texas Rangers as well as some more developments in the Manny Machado trade news (19:45). Be sure to check out Jake’s article highlighting the top 10 moments of Manny Machado’s career in Baltimore.

Last week on the podcast the Ravens offense was examined in depth so this week Nolan and Jake put the defense under the microscope and give their thoughts as the season approaches (50:00). The podcast concludes with a story from Jake about his recent vacation but the conversation quickly dissolves into a rant about the frustrations of driving (1:16:45).

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

Podcast Episode 7: As Joe Angel would say, time to wave Manny Machado ‘bye bye’

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Welcome to Episode 7 of the new Charm City Bird Watch Podcast with site owner Jake McDonnell, editor Nolan McGraw, and author Ian Schultz.

After the Charm City Bird Watch crew goes over the top #7’s in Ravens & Orioles history (2:30), the guys dissect the latest trade rumors surrounding Manny Machado (12:15). There’s reportedly been some hesitation within Orioles’ ownership to trade Machado to a division rival like the Yankees, as well as letting him go before next week’s All-Star game in Washington, D.C. You’ll find out why the O’s should change their way of thinking when it comes to these scenarios.

With Ravens training camp kicking off next week, the next part of Episode 7 features a full breakdown of the Baltimore’s offense (25:16). Jake, Ian, and Nolan break down each position on the offensive side of the football, and end the segment by picking one player for Ravens offensive MVP.

The guys wrap up the show with their thoughts on the recent news surrounding Maryland basketball (47:07). Last week Maryland turned over documents to the FBI that included details on the recruitment process of Diamond Stone and Silvio De Sousa. Sources have reported that Stone was allegedly payed over $14,000 to come to Maryland while De Sousa was lured away from the Terps after being compensated by Adidas.

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

Orioles swept by Phillies as offense goes quiet again

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PHILADELPHIA — Despite out-hitting Philadelphia 14-8, the Phillies picked up a two-game sweep as the Orioles scored three combined runs, spoiling two solid starts by Alex Cobb and Yefry Ramirez.

Following Wednesday’s action, the Orioles (24-61) still own the worst record in Major League Baseball and stand 33.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox (59-29) for first place in the American League East. The next-worst team in the majors, the Kansas City Royals (25-60) are only 22.5 games back in the AL Central, with the Cleveland Indians (47-37) leading that division.

Meanwhile, the Phillies (47-37) remain in a competitive run with the Atlanta Braves (49-36) for first place in the National League East division. Just 1.5 games behind Atlanta, the Phillies remain in the discussion of teams included in the Manny Machado sweepstakes. However, the Phillies appear much more open to signing Machado long-term, rather than shipping off a group of prospects for potentially a two-month rental.

It was hard to ignore the “We Want Manny” chants heard at Citizens Bank Park during this series. Although teams like the Diamondbacks, Indians, and Dodgers seem much more willing to deal some prospects to Baltimore, keep in mind that former Orioles general manager Andy MacPhail, the man who drafted Machado, is now the Phillies’ President of Baseball Operations. If Machado does not end up in Philly this month, look for a strong pursuit by MacPhail and the Phillies for Machado’s services after the season concludes.

Game 1 (3-2 PHI): After about an hour and 20-minute rain delay, Phillies starter Zach Eflin dazzled on Tuesday night, winning his sixth straight after limiting the Orioles to two runs on five hits and six strikeouts in seven innings. Mark Trumbo drove in Baltimore’s two runs on a solo home run in the second inning and a sacrifice fly in the fourth that scored Machado.

Aside from Trumbo, the rest of the Orioles offense produced just five hits and two walks. The two runs delivered by Trumbo would not be enough for Cobb, who lost his 10th game of the season. In the third inning, Maikel Franco singled with one out and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Eflin. After a mound visit, Cobb walked Cesar Hernandez. The following batter, Rhys Hoskins, scored both Franco and Hernandez on a double to Adam Jones. The Hoskins RBI double tied the game at 1, but the O’s regained a 2-1 lead in the fourth with Trumbo’s sac fly.

Baltimore did not hold the lead for long. In the bottom of the fourth, Andrew Knapp tripled with two outs to score Nick Williams, who had walked earlier in the inning. Knapp’s second three-bagger of the season ended up being all Philadelphia needed to seal the win, as neither team scored the rest of the game. Eflin now holds a 7-2 record, while Cobb sits at 2-10. Cobb gave the Orioles a chance to win, allowing three runs on four hits, three walks and five strikeouts over 6.2 innings, but the Knapp triple doomed him.

Game 2 (4-1 PHI): Despite it being the Fourth of July, there were not many offensive fireworks on Wednesday, especially on the Orioles end. Soon-to-be All-Star Aaron Nola was brilliant again for Philly, striking out nine Orioles hitters over seven innings and lifting his record to 11-2 in the process. He allowed one run on seven hits and two walks.

In the top of the third, the Orioles plated their lone run on a double by Jones that scored Tim Beckham, who reached base via walk. Beckham, Jones, and Jonathan Schoop each went 2-for-4 on the day at the plate.

Ramirez cruised through his first four frames, three of which were 1-2-3 innings. But, in the fifth, Williams walked with one out before Scott Kingery doubled to left field to put runners on second and third. Then, Jorge Alfaro hit a ground ball to first base that was easily playable for Chris Davis, but the ball found it’s way under the first basemen’s glove and continued rolling into right field. Both runners easily scored on the play, giving the Phillies all the offense they needed to complete the sweep.

After Ramirez’s five strong innings, David Hess made his first major league relief appearance. He tossed the sixth and seventh innings before Britton got some work in for the eighth inning. Off Hess in the seventh, Carlos Santana walked from the lead-off spot,  then Williams delivered his 10th home run of the season that landed in the Phillies bullpen. Ramirez (0-2) collected the loss. Hess’s ERA is up to 6.06 and continues to rise.

Up Next: The Orioles continue their first July road trip at Target Field for a four-game set with the Twins (35-48) beginning on Thursday. The Twins, in third place and 11.5 games behind the Indians in the AL Central, took two of three from the Orioles to open up the regular season.

Image Credit: Derik Hamilton, Associated Press