Big-league teams know that rookies are going to make mistakes. It’s part of the process for every player. But I don’t think the Baltimore Orioles quite anticipated the kind of mistake star rookie Colton Cowser would make on Saturday night.
It nearly had him going to take a dive into the fountains at Kauffman Stadium.
Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel went into the game needing just one more save to tie Billy Wagner for seventh on the all-time save list. And sure, seven isn’t a huge milestone. But Kimbrel was the replacement at closer for Wagner in Atlanta. So, that milestone was personally meaningful to Kimbrel.
And when Kimbrel recorded that final out on a fly ball to Cowser, the Orioles left fielder clearly wasn’t informed of that milestone. He dramatically chucked the ball over his head and into the fountains.
#Orioles’ Colton Cowser: “Right when I threw it, I said, ‘Craig has a lot of saves, that one might have been important.’ I literally told Ced right whenever, ‘I might have messed up.’ And it turns out I did.”
Cowser quickly realized he messed up, but he was a great sport about it. He detailed that realization to MLB.com after the game:
“I just yeeted it behind me … Right when I threw it, I said, ‘Craig has a lot of saves, that one might have been important. I literally told [center fielder Cedric Mullins] right whenever, ‘I might have messed up.’ And it turns out I did. We got the ball back, though.”
According to MLB.com, the stadium staff went to retrieve the baseball out of the fountains. And it was easy to pick out the correct baseball because only two baseballs were in the water — one of which was way too old to be the Kimbrel ball.
As for Kimbrel, he wasn’t upset that the ball ended up in a fountain and told Cowser not to worry about it.
Video shows the moment Jackson Holliday learned he was being called up, and it involved his dad, ex-MLBer Jackson Holliday.
We always love seeing videos of minor leaguers learning that they’re getting called up to Major League Baseball, and this one is a very special one.
That’s because it’s Jackson Holliday, the infielder taken by the Baltimore Orioles first overall in the 2022 MLB draft. He’s the son of former MLB star Matt Holliday, so it’s pretty awesome to see. And the way the younger Holliday learned was hearing about how he should call his dad to put him on the list of guests, just like Jackson was on Matt’s list of guests when he was a kid.
The Key Bridge Emergency Fund was established to support the recovery and resilience efforts of families, port workers, first responders, small businesses, and communities affected by the March 26 Key Bridge tragedy.
The world woke up to a horrible tragedy on Tuesday morning, as Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a cargo vessel hit it. Per USA TODAY: “A massive search effort was underway Tuesday for six construction workers” who were working there when the vessel hit.
Some in the sports world sent its prayers and messages of gratitude to first responders, and that included Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and the franchise itself. The Baltimore Orioles and Washington Commanders did the same on social media.
Here’s a roundup of what we saw on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Tuesday morning:
We are devastated by today’s tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Our hearts go out to those affected, their families and all of Baltimore. We have immense gratitude for the brave first responders working tirelessly in search and rescue efforts.
The Ravens released a statement on the passing of Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos
The Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles have long been associated with the city’s sports teams. For decades, the two have shown unwavering support for one another, with many residents of Baltimore being fans of both teams.
A few days ago, Orioles owner Peter Angelos passed away at the age of 94.
After the news became known, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti released a statement on Angelos.
“I am saddened to learn about the passing of Peter Angelos. As a native Baltimorean, Peter was an important figure in our city’s rich sports history." pic.twitter.com/tkhMlQXNiN
Angelos took over the Orioles in 1993 alongside a group of investors and played a significant role in the team’s staying in Baltimore over the years. A few months ago, the Angelos family agreed to sell the Orioles to a group headed by David Rubenstein, ushering in a new era for the team.
Good morning, Winners. Thanks so much for reading the Morning Win today. We appreciate you. Let’s talk Orioles.
In a pretty shocking turn of events, the best team in the American League this season just got swept by the Texas Rangers. Baltimore lost a Game 3 that was never really close — the O’s fell down 6-0 after 2 innings and the game was over just like that.
Look, Orioles fans. I know this has to be pretty heartbreaking.
I know you’re sad right now and, truthfully, I can’t blame you. That’s the worst way to go out — without actually putting up a real fight. The O’s haven’t won a postseason game in almost a decade. They couldn’t get just one win here? As the best team in their respective league? That’s wild.
It felt like this team was destined to do something special all season long. You felt it. We all felt it. Guess what? We were all wrong. Every single one of us. It happens.
Here’s the thing, though. Orioles fans, you should still be extremely proud of this team.
Not to be condescending, but were the O’s supposed to be here anyway? This is the same franchise that only won 29 percent of its games back in 2018. It was one of the worst teams we’ve ever seen in Major League Baseball.
For Baltimore to be in a position where it’s not only competent but also thriving just five years later? That’s a major win. No matter what happened this season, it was always going to be that.
Yes, there will need to be some tweaks. The Orioles absolutely have to get some pitching to support those big bats. But it’s doable. The blueprint is there. Baltimore was just clearly a little bit ahead of schedule. That’s alright. You live and you learn.
Baltimore will be back and probably a lot better than it is now. That’s a scary sight for the rest of the league.
Dillon Brooks can’t help himself
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Sigh. Dillon Brooks is back, folks. Which also means his shenanigans are back, too.
“Not even five minutes into his preseason debut with the Houston Rockets, and Dillon Brooks has already been ejected.
After he looked to have hit Indiana Pacers forward Daniel Theis below the waste, the referee ejected Brooks from the contest as Theis stayed down for a second and looked like he was in legitimate pain.
Brooks has become one of the NBA’s premiere villains, and he wasted no time in his Rockets debut to further establish that fact.”
He’s one of the best perimeter defenders out there. Sure, he takes terrible shots. But that’s got to be of some use. Why would the Grizzlies completely rule out bringing him back?
Then he does something like this and reminds you exactly why. Good luck with this one, Rockets.
A bad scoop
(AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)
News broke on Tuesday night that former WNBA star and Pelicans assistant coach Teresa Weatherspoon was hired by the Chicago Sky for the team’s head coaching job.
It’s great. She absolutely deserves this job and will certainly make the Sky a better team. That’s all awesome.
But many who cover the W were upset about this. It’s understandable why — this is a league building itself up and the media infrastructure around it is still building, too. It’s hard to keep building that infrastructure when scoopers who dip in and out of the league come through and break the biggest news.
The news would’ve come out regardless. We don’t know how it leaked or who leaked it. It’d just be nice to see reporters with a bit more rapport with both the league’s teams and its fans getting in on that action more often.
Photo of the day
Here’s Mark Stone absolutely flexing with the Stanley Cup heading into the Vegas Golden Knights’ home opener against the Seattle Kraken.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
This is so cool, man. The NHL is back, baby.
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The Creed vibes have clearly worked, as the Rangers led the Orioles by the sixth inning on the way to a possible 3-0 series lead.
Rangers fans are clearly in on Creed, as this is a great reminder of how electric playoff baseball environments can be when your team is playing well. [anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]
If you’re the Orioles, well, it’s your sacrifice to endure this during what has been a disastrous playoffs so far.
The Orioles, down 6-0 through two innings of an elimination game, now have to sit through an entire ballpark singing along to Creed. The undoubtable low point of the season.
The Orioles were the No. 1 seed by virtue of having the American League’s best record, as they went 101-61 and won the East Division by two games over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Baltimore would’ve gotten a showdown with the Rays, but Texas took them out in two games with ease in the Wild Card series earlier this week.
In the other division series, Minnesota will be taking on the defending American League champion Astros.
The Twins dispatched Toronto in two games for their first postseason series win since 2002.
Kevin Brown was the perfect person to call his historic moment in Orioles history.
The Baltimore Orioles just clinched the AL East and earned the top seed in the AL playoffs in a 2-0 home win over the Boston Red Sox, and team broadcaster Kevin Brown was the perfect person to ring in the moment.
The broadcaster got reinstated quickly after intense outcry, and he got to hit the nail on the head with the hammer with how he got Orioles fans excited for this important moment for the MLB franchise on Thursday night.
"Go crazy, Baltimore. You are the champions of the American League East."
Kevin Brown on the call as the Orioles clinch the American League East and the No. 1 seed in the American League. pic.twitter.com/Q2eXPe4uYL
For all the nonsense that Brown had to deal with in the summer with his ridiculous mini-suspension, it’s great to see him in his element as he delivered one of the most important broadcast calls in Orioles history.
