Dear Camden Chatters, today is my last day as a writer for this blog. I’ve been writing here since the 2019 season, though I was a fan way before that. I definitely won’t stop being a fan of this site, but I’m hanging up my cleats as a writer today.
I want to say thanks. Back in 2014, when Adam Jones circled Oriole Park carrying the AL East Champions flag after the team clinched, then pied a bunch of people in the face, I felt a real urge to share the joy somewhere. Same, too, with the Delmon Young
double—could you believe how noisy the stadium was? Same, a few years later, when John Means pitched a no-hitter. And when the O’s won the division title in 2023 and Gunnar Henderson was named Rookie of the Year. And many others. Those moments are special because you have people to share them with, like this community.
I loved being a part of it as a writer. Now, I won’t deny that I wasn’t always a good writer. There have been some very bad takes on my part in seven years. I thought utility superman Stevie Wilkerson should get regular playing time. I believed in the Shintaro Fujinami reclamation project. I got on the Spenser Watkins bandwagon, if such a thing even existed.
There were times it was hard to write, because the on-field product sucked. I did a whole piece on whether the 2021 Orioles, who finished 52-110, were the worst O’s team in history. (They have a strong claim. Maikel Franco played a bunch, we tried to fix Matt Harvey, and Pat Valaika was an infield fixture. Blech.)
The team never did win a single playoff game while I was a writer here. I’ve been frustrated by some of the recent changes I’ve seen. I hope the term “liftoff” is soon forgotten, because if it’s remembered, I think it will be ironically, meaning the Orioles will continue to be bad. I wish Heston Kjerstad had panned out. I wish the team hadn’t traded Trey Mancini, or Ramón Urías, and especially not Adley Rutschman this year, I don’t care what the return was. Brandon Hyde getting fired in May 2025 felt like a real admission of internal chaos, and so many internal changes this offseason suggest this remains true.
But even so, it’s always made me happy to write about baseball. In my day job, I teach law and write long articles with 400 footnotes. Do people enjoy reading them? I hope someone does, but writing about baseball is another thing altogether.
I love telling a good story, and baseball is full of them. In seven seasons, I got to recap some great moments. There was a 6-3 win on Camden Yards’ 30th anniversary, a day that saw Brooks Robinson, Mike Mussina and Eddie Murray all come back to town. More recently, I wrote about Colton Cowser’s ridiculous home-run robbing catch, maybe the best thing I’ve seen him do in his whole career. I got to pay homage to backup catcher James McCann getting hit in the nose with a fastball, then staying in the game. I recapped Kyle Bradish’s first start back from Tommy John surgery and his MLB debut years before. Speaking of debuts, Gunnar Henderson homered in his, and Adley Rutschman’s was a 6-1 loss to the Rays where he hit a triple. I can still remember getting chills from the way he introduced himself.
I’d always get a zing of happiness when people admitted to enjoying my writing here. One time, O’s announcer Kevin Brown actually DM’d the site because he’d appreciated a piece I did comparing Renato Núñez, Anthony Santander, and Pedro Severino’s offensive adjustments. That was cool. Recapping a team win was always great, because all the comments were so happy.
The last couple seasons have been frustrating, sniffing the playoffs without quite getting there. But there are lots of reasons for hope, too. I’m excited to see Samuel Basallo grow into himself, and to watch Pete Alonso continue to hit tanks. (I didn’t expect to like the Polar Bear so much, but I was wrong. What a leader he’s been.) I like Dylan Beavers, and hope he has a good offensive year in 2027. Same with Coby Mayo, who really found something down the stretch. I think a healthy Jackson Holliday will be dangerous. There are some interesting arms on the farm right now, which definitely wasn’t true in 2019. Luis de León, Joseph Dzierwa, Anthony Eyanson and Boston Bateman are a few I’m really excited about.
We’ll see what’s in store for this team. It’s a time of transition, but that’s exciting. We don’t need more of 2025 and 2026, frankly, and I think the front office has got the message.
For me, this is it for blogging, for now, but I’ll never stop being a fan, of the Orioles or this blog, and will continue to lurk around this place. Thanks to this community of baseball fans with a shared love for Baltimore. It’s a great online space, and it’s been so much fun. I’m grateful. Here’s to many more wins next season.
Let’s go O’s!
