By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 11/29/2011

I hope and believe that one day when looking back on Baltimore Orioles’ history, we’ll point to September 28, 2011 as a turning point. For those that don’t remember, that was the day that the O’s beat the Red Sox (on the final...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 11/16/2011

The Baltimore Orioles might not necessarily have the greatest record in the world over the past decade plus. However at least now they’ll look better win or lose. Changes to the Orioles’ uniforms were unveiled yesterday 8on orioles.com, and...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 11/07/2011

The Baltimore Orioles have apparently found their President of Baseball Operations: Dan Duquette. The details of the deal have not been revealed at this time, but according to Roch Kubatko of www.masnsports.com, it's a three-year deal. Duquette was the...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 11/02/2011

In a year where it seemed that so few things went right for the Baltimore Orioles, and so few players seemed to be able to grab the bull by the horns, perhaps last night the team got a bit of redemption. Catcher Matt Wieters and right fielder Nick Markakis...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 11/01/2011

Like all teams, the Baltimore Orioles have “media” (members) which are either employed by the team or by various networks which directly cover the team (Gary Thorne, Jim Palmer, Amber Theoharis, Joe Angel, and Fred Manfra just to name a few)....
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 10/18/2011

The Baltimore Orioles traded both Koji Uehara and Michael Gonzalez to the Texas Rangers (at different times) over the course of the 2011 season. Speaking for myself, I’m very happy for both of those former Orioles given that the Rangers are now...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 10/13/2011

  I suppose I'd be somewhat remiss if I didn't address the story that came out in today's Boston Globe alleging that various Boston Red Sox pitchers were eating fried chicken, drinking beer, and playing video games in the clubhouse during games....
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 10/08/2011

We received official confirmation of what everyone who follows the Baltimore Orioles already knew last night: Andy MacPhail is leaving the Oriole organization. MacPhail’s contract as the President of Baseball Operations is up on ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 09/29/2011

Over time it would be an understatement to say that the Boston Red Sox had the Baltimore Orioles’ number. Starting with the Mother’s Day Massacre in 2007, it seemed that no matter how good of a fight the Orioles would put up; somehow Boston...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 09/28/2011

Back in Spring Training I jokingly used the phrase today we’re going to play the biggest baseball game in the history of western civilization…well for this year anyway. That was intended as a pun in that we were all glad to see the O’s...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 09/27/2011

As we progress through the final series of the year, we do in fact have meaningful baseball for the Baltimore Orioles. It isn’t meaningful to the O’s per se, however the idea of being the coup de graceon the utter collapse of a division rival...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 09/21/2011

Maybe we shouldn't focus so much about why things unfolded as they did for the Baltimore Orioles this season as much as we should the psychology behind it. Here's the thing for starters; I've never bought into the whole sports psychology thing. Players...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 09/14/2011

With the return of the NFL this past weekend we've been hearing a lot about "gamechangers." In football a gamechanger can oftentimes refer to a special teamer, mainly a kickoff/punt returner. (I respect the heck out of what those guys do, however wouldn't...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 09/10/2011

A lot of people were a bit surprised when the Baltimore Orioles didn't trade starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie at the trade deadline in July. To be blunt, Buck Showalter probably couldn't afford to lose Guthrie, his most consistent starter, in the rotation....
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 08/25/2011

I wanted nothing more than to write about the Baltimore Orioles winning their first series since June 25th. However unfortunately last night’s win in Minnesota and this series win overall are meaningless due to the current circumstances. As most...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 08/15/2011

In June we saw the happy end of the emotional spectrum when the Orioles drafted Dylan Bundy. At midnight tonight (while the O's are playing the Oakland A's) we'll see the other side of that if they can't sign him. If you believe scouting reports, Bundy...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 08/11/2011

It was difficult for some people to believe that the Baltimore Orioles had a shot to win last night’s game against Chicago. Even after jumping out to a 4-0 lead, that sinking feeling that the opposition had the Orioles right where they wanted them...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/30/2011

You know how there's some people that just always seem to win no matter what they do? If you're saying that those people don't seem to ever have to struggle at anything, I totally agree. I suspect that the Orioles probably see organizations such as the...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/28/2011

As the Baltimore Orioles were about to take on the Toronto Blue Jays today, we got news that the New York Mets had dealt Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants for pitcher Zach Wheeler among others. Furthermore, the St. Louis Cardinals picked up ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/26/2011

To drive home my point in this piece, I'm going to use a parrallel in another sport. When I was a kid I was a Washington Bullets fan, however my favorite player growing up was (and still is) Larry Bird. While Jordan was busy slam dunking, Bird was doing...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/23/2011

In driving around the Baltimore area today I was listening to various sportstalk shows, many of which were decrying yet another disappointing Orioles' season. The issue isn't talent, skill, or even team chemistry in my opinion. We know that this team...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/21/2011

Matt Albers played for the Orioles for three seasons (2008-2010), and with limited success. His ERA was consistently in the 3-5 run range, and it seemed as if he was perpetually nursing a sore shoulder. When he would enter games out of the bullpen, often...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/19/2011

In anticipation of tonight's series opener against the Red Sox (a 7-7 tie in the 7th) the Orioles were forced to make a flurry of roster moves. Pitcher Alfredo Simon was placed on the restricted list yesterday afternoon to attend a hearing on his legal...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/18/2011

Seeing that the Orioles were able to win the final two games of their weekend series with the Cleveland Indians, it seems that there isn't much to complain about in Birdland (in terms of wins and losses), at least for this evening. Last night Alfredo...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/15/2011

The O's just can't catch a break. Then again, why should any of us be surprised? In last weekend's bouhaha in Boston Guerrero in essence broke a small bone in his hand when he was plunked. So to add injury to insult...yeah, you get the idea. I'm not ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/14/2011

The Orioles will welcome the Cleveland Indians to town this evening to begin play in the second half of the season. Tonight's game will open a four-game series with the Tribe, and a ten-game homestand. Luckily for the O's they're playing .500 ball at...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/10/2011

Going into last night's game there were two questions in everyone's mind: Would Friday night's brawl clear the air for the O's and perhaps propel them to play better? Would there be any retaliation on either side? Survey says: The O's lost 4-0 last...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/10/2011

Going into last night's game there were two questions in everyone's mind: Would Friday night's brawl clear the air for the O's and perhaps propel them to play better? Would there be any retaliation on either side? Survey says: The O's lost 4-0 last...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/09/2011

Let's get the business part of this column out of the way; the Baltimore Orioles lost their fifth straight game last night with a 10-3 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway. This one was over early; Zach Britton gave up eight runs in the first inning, and only...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/08/2011

The Orioles won 60% of their games last season after Buck Showalter came to town. People liked the moxie that immediately seemed to be breathed into the team. While the O's did look good early, that hasn't appeared to carry into 2011. Why? It's tough...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/05/2011

Remember in 1975-'76 when Jimmy Carter ran for President and the running line was Jimmy who due to Carter being a relative unheard-of on the national political stage? (Let me be honest, I was born in January of 1981 so I don't remember that per se, however...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/04/2011

First and foremost, congratulations to Matt Wieters who at this point is the Orioles' lone all-star representative. Wieters was chosen by AL manager Ron Washington to be on the roster, and he will be the "backup" to starting AL catcher Alex Avila. However...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/03/2011

Going into last night's game in Atlanta the Orioles were 24-9 when they scored first, that according to MASN's Gary Thorne. That's a pretty decent record, as well as a good sample size. So you can imagine what most people were thinking when Mark Reynolds...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/01/2011

Lefty Brian Matusz was sent down to triple-A Norfolk after last night's 9-6 loss to St. Louis. I'm a huge Matusz fan, however the move was necessary. Since returning after his injury, Matusz has consistently had a lack of velocity and command in the ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 07/01/2011

Lefty Brian Matusz was sent down to triple-A Norfolk after last night's 9-6 loss to St. Louis. I'm a huge Matusz fan, however the move was necessary. Since returning after his injury, Matusz has consistently had a lack of velocity and command in the ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/30/2011

We've all head the concept of "leaving it all out on the field." That generally means play as hard as you can and don't hold anything back in the game. Having said that, I've never bought into the whole psychological aspect of sports in that I fail to...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/27/2011

With yesterday's 7-5 win over Cincinnati, the Birds snatched two-of-three from the Reds at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. I probably shouldn't even put it like that, because saying that the O's "snatched" two-of-three indicates that the Reds were entitled...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/25/2011

The Orioles returned home last night (finally it seems) and were greeted by the Cincinnati Reds who they defeated 5-4 on a walkoff home run by Derrek Lee in the last of the twelth. Luckily for the O's, they were the home team last night since the home...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/24/2011

Let me be up front about one thing in this particular column; this isn't about the Orioles per se. Yes I'm still a Baltimore Oriole columnist, and yes this column is still Camden Heros! However some events rock the world to the point that they need to...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/23/2011

In dropping two-of-three in Pittsburgh (and going only 3-6 on the roadtrip), the Orioles suffered the same fate as their NFL counterparts last season. The Ravens and Steelers played three times last season, the last game being in the AFC playoffs; Pittsburgh...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/21/2011

With last night's 8-3 win over Pittsburgh at PNC Park, Jake Arrieta won his ninth game of the season. He's now tied with eight others (including Roy Halladay of the Phillies) for the league lead in wins. So as I said in the title, should he be given ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/20/2011

Chris Jakubauskas and Tom Gorzelanny started yesterday's game for the Orioles and Washington Nationals respectively. MASN's Amber Theoharis wasn't kidding when she said something to the effect of try to say Jaukauskas and Gorzelanny ten times fast. Having...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/18/2011

With last night's 8-4 loss, the O's dropped the first of three in this weekend's Battle of the Beltways in DC, the season series between the two teams is now knotted at two. While four runs over 18 hits isn't necessarily a good statistic, it really isn't...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/15/2011

Luke Scott went 3-for-4 last night in the Orioles' 6-5 loss to Toronto in eleven innings. While those are good stats, they don't seem overly out-of-the-ordinary. However dig a little deepr; there's always more than meets-the-eye! Two of those three hits...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/13/2011

Orioles' manager Buck Showalter didn't do much to hide his displeasure with the entire team's performance in yesterday's 9-6 loss to Tampa, however that angst was especially evident when it came to starter Brian Matusz. The southpaw was limited to 1.1...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/12/2011

The Tampa Rays are a team that's given the Orioles some problems over the past few years. They're also the team that the Orioles have seen more than any other thus far in 2011. Have I mentioned that I think it's ridiculous that after today's game the...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/10/2011

In case everyone missed it while watching the Yankees and Red Sox play Family Feud the past few days, the Orioles swept the Oakland Athletics in a three-game series at Camden Yards. I'm not one of these people that puts the onus on the opposing team ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/07/2011

There were a few different angles of different stories that became juxtaposed together yesterday for the O's, all of which involved pitching in some way. However isn't that always the case? It always boils down to pitching! Nevertheless, let's start ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/06/2011

I'm kind of a stickler for the unwritten codes of baseball. Here's the deal; MLB has a rule book, and players are held accountable for breaking the rules in that book. However there's also a book of "unwritten codes," which isn't even a book per se. ...
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By Domenic Vadala @ Camden Heros 06/04/2011

Orioles' rookie starter Zach Britton has seemingly hit a bit of a bump in the road. His last victory was on May 1st in Chicago, and that includes last night's 8-4 loss at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays. (I would also point out that Britton has three...
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