Hello, friends.
There are now 165 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day 2026. We’ve still got to get through the remainder of the postseason before we can really start to think about what next year’s
roster is going to look like. That includes the start of the American League Championship Series between the Mariners and Blue Jays tonight, with the NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers starting tomorrow. The Brewers closed out the Cubs last night.
Perhaps we will get a hire of the Orioles next manager before the end of the postseason. In fact I’d really rather that they do, because that would show me that they are able to act decisively coming into a pivotal offseason for the team.
In fairness, this is going to depend on what candidates they really want to get in touch with, if those guys are attached to teams who are continuing to advance along in the postseason. Hiring the first person who’s available when someone better might become available within a couple of weeks would not be smart. One frequently-mentioned candidate, Tigers coach George Lombard, is free to pursue an external promotion now that his team is out. Another, former Oriole and current Cubs coach Ryan Flaherty, had his team’s season end last night. Are there any more to wait for? I don’t know the answer.
The World Series could take until November 1 to settle. There’s no player movement until after that’s done. I really wonder how Mike Elias is going to get back out of the mess that he has made. In his postseason press conference, he said it’s up to his front office to figure out what went wrong that the team can correct and what are things that instead can be chalked up to a bad roll of the dice.
We’re all quite anxious to find out what he decides, which will be revealed to us in the roster moves that are made between now and next season. It seems like there is a lot that needs to be done to get a better Orioles team next year and there will have to be both quantity and quality involved in making that happen.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
The path back to greatness for Adley Rutschman begins with a conversation over golf (The Baltimore Banner)
It seems like we’re going to spend yet another offseason getting a bunch of “Adley will be back” stories. It didn’t work out that way in the 2025 season.
“Adley’s the guy”: Orioles have faith Rutschman will rebound in 2026 (Orioles.com)
Concrete action and results are going to be worth a whole lot more than faith in this particular instance.
Blue Jays showing Orioles the blueprint for bounce back in 2026 (The Baltimore Sun)
Whether the Orioles can successfully follow the example that has been set this year is, of course, going to be the big question.
Betting site lists Flaherty as favorite to become Orioles manager (Baltimore Baseball)
If you are betting on who will be the next Orioles manager (or any team’s next manager), you are a degenerate. That said, it is interesting that “the market” sets Flaherty as the favorite at 2/1 odds, with interim manager Tony Mansolino next at 4/1. Please, no to Mansolino.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
The Orioles have lost a few postseason games on October 12. They also won one, taking Game 3 of the 1979 World Series against the Pirates, 8-4, a game that saw Kiko Garcia drive in four runs.
There are several former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2016-17 catcher Francisco Peña, 2009-13/15-16 outfielder Nolan Reimold, 2015-17 infielder Paul Janish, 2000-01 pitcher Leslie Brea, 1994-95 pitcher Sid Fernandez, and 1954 catcher Ray Murray.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: baseball Hall of Famers Pete Hill (1882), Rick Ferrell (1905), and Joe Cronin (1906), Gumby creator Art Clokey (1921), gold medal skier Bode Miller (1977), and actor Josh Hutcherson (1992).
On this day in history…
In 539 BC, Babylon was conquered by Persians led by Cyrus the Great.
In 1901 AD, the building we know today as the White House was officially given that name by President Theodore Roosevelt. Prior to this, it was simply the Executive Mansion.
In 1933, the federal penitentiary at Alcatraz Island opened. Prior to this, the site was a coastal Army fortification.
In 1973, Gerald Ford, then the House Minority Leader, was nominated by President Nixon to be the vice president to succeed Spiro Agnew, who had resigned.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on October 12. Have a safe Sunday.
