When Manny Machado was traded two weeks ago, it hurt like hell, but at least we knew it was coming. And I remember, after I shed a few grown-woman tears, that my next thought was: Poor Jonathan Schoop. It never occurred to me that Schoop—our young, talented second baseman and last year’s Orioles MVP—would be leaving the team, I just thought he’d have to soldier on without his best friend and baseball brother.

When ace closer Zach Britton was traded a few days later, that was pretty bracing, too. But again, we had been warned. This is what rebuilding teams do, we reminded ourselves. They trade some of their best players to get prospects and build with the young guys they already have.

And then yesterday happened. The Orioles traded starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (our 2017 Opening Day starter) and sidearm set-up man Darren O’Day to the Braves (reliever Brad Brach had been sent there two days prior). And then—gulp—they sent Jonathan Schoop to the Brewers. It was a veritable bloodbath.

On Twitter, there have been different names for it. I called it the Red Wedding, after the infamously deadly wedding on Game of Thrones. My friend Anjie Taylor countered with “Orange Wedding,” which seemed fitting. Another friend likened it to the final scene of The Godfather. One wag quipped that the Atlanta Braves would now need to be nicknamed the Baltimore Braves.

The Baltimore Sun ran with the headline, “Bye, Bye Birdies.” Sniff.

Whatever it was, it was bad. Disorienting. So, over Facebook and email, I turned to the experts for some calm and measured perspective. Mostly, I got it.

“The new direction the Orioles are taking, is like a Brave New World,” said Stan “the Fan” Charles of Pressbox. “There are no guarantees they’ll get it right, but as painful as this dismantling of a team that reminded us how much fun it was to win, it’s totally necessary. The new plan has got to address the issue of sustainability. In order to sustain success without the gigantic dollars used by Boston, LA and NY, you have to be smart enough to have a farm system rife with real prospects, that is how you sustain success.”

Brittany Ghoroli, of MLB.com largely agreed. “If you’re an Oriole fan, I think you’re understandably upset that they couldn’t keep or sign a guy like Gausman or Schoop long term and make them part of the rebuild,” she admitted. “But, like [general manager Dan] Duquette said, if you’re going to rebuild, it’s better to tear down the house than go room by room. And that’s what they did. First blush, I’m not overly impressed with what they got for Gausman. I think they sold low there. Schoop’s returns looks better but only time will tell. I applaud the O’s for burning this thing down to the studs because I think it’s needed. . . .What’s going to be imperative and fascinating to watch is how they spend this $35 million they’ve saved. Do they go big on the international market and actually invest in better scouting and analytics? They can’t afford to screw this thing up. And, on another note, does Duquette save his job here? There are so many fascinating variables at play.”

Jerry Coleman, of Entercom Communications, called for patience and perspective: “It had to be done and signals a much needed change in direction with consecutive last place seasons looming,” he said. “I applaud Adam for wanting to stay, how many players have been so dedicated to Baltimore? It’s the start of a new era. They have a lot of talent coming up. Fans need to be patient, that’s all.”

WJZ’s Mark Viviano echoed his sentiments. “The O’s 2018 fire sale is a surest sign yet of a new era for the franchise,” he said. “The team has put its words to action, not just declaring a rebuild but actually tearing down the building to start a rebuild. The process requires commitment and it’s painful but necessary. Five of the six O’s traded were All-Stars and the one who wasn’t (Kevin Gausman) was a first-round draft pick and an Opening Day starter. It remains to be seen just how good the 15 players are that the O’s got in return. If five or six of them are contributors at the Major League level, then they’ve done well. Just as big a part of the rebuild (if not bigger) is the O’s commitment to the international player market, which they’ve neglected (by choice) for several years. A re-stocked minor league system, making good on high draft picks and an influx of international talent is the proven recipe for a successful rebuild.”

Only perennial Orioles gadfly “Nasty” Nestor Aparicio of WNST had a few words of real criticism: “First, you have to be terribly mismanaged to get into this position,” he noted. “Machado should’ve been dealt long ago if they weren’t going to sign him. That’s standard operating procedure for MLB 2018. If Schoop wasn’t going to sign and they didn’t want him long term, then trading him was proper. Same with Gausman. They know the team is going to stink for a few years. They’ve opted [to be] really horrible in 2019 and 2020 to try to be better in 2021. The real story is WHO is making these trades? If it’s Duquette, that’s absurd if HE doesn’t have a deal after October. In the end, there’s no accountability, no transparency, and no leadership.”

On a somewhat brighter note, beloved O’s centerfielder Adam Jones vetoed a trade to Phillies (under something called the 10 and 5 rule—10 years in the majors; at least 5 with the same team—which gives him that option) and elected to stay in Baltimore. For now. “Adam Jones has loyalty to the city,” Apiricio said. “His wife is from here; he never wanted to leave. I bet that changed [yesterday.]”

Michael Phelps takes home two ESPYs
Wednesday was a big night in sports as the 25th annual ESPYs kicked off in Los Angeles. Baltimore’s own Michael Phelps was nominated for three of the coveted awards presented by ESPN, snagging two of them—best record-breaking performance and best male U.S. Olympic athlete. While accepting his first award, he couldn’t help but gush over his wife Nicole—who was also celebrating her birthday—and their first meeting at the award show a decade ago. (Aww, feels). 

Jonathan Schoop scores in first-ever All-Star Game.
He may not have been the star of the game, but he did provide his team’s first run to revitalize the American League. As the only Baltimore Oriole to be selected this year, Schoop was not in the starting lineup, but he got his shot in the fifth inning replacing Houston Astros Jose Altuve at second base. After a double to left field, Schoop was on second with two outs, when Minnesota Twins Miguel Sano hit a fly ball single to right field, giving him the chance to score the first run of the game. 

Raven Brandon Williams takes his dance moves overseas.
No. 98 is quickly becoming one of our favorite Ravens, and his killer dance moves have everything to do with it. This nose tackle is more than just a dominant powerhouse on the field—off the field his personality shines. On his most recent trip to the U.K.—part of the promo tour for the upcoming London game against the Jaguars—he stole the show with his version of the “Carlton Dance” at the U.K. fan forum. 

Earlier this month, he married his college sweetheart and mother of his two sons, Alyssa, where he showed off more of those sweet dance moves at the wedding reception. 

Former NFL star helps Baltimore youth track team
Four 8-year old girls from West Baltimore’s Mary Ann Winterling Elementary are now able to compete at the National Junior Olympics thanks to the generosity of former Bengals receiver Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson. The former NFL star donated $2,200 to help them reach their $5,000 goal, later tweeting: “You good now, I’ll see y’all at Junior Olympics in Kansas.” Johnson’s 12-year old daughter also just happens to be one of the nation’s top runners. The team will make the trip to Kansas City in two weeks. 

Good luck girls! 

Lone Orioles All-Star Jonathan Schoop is bright spot for team.
This has been a rough first half of the Orioles season, to say the least. As we head into the All-Star break, the Orioles have a record of 40-45, a starting pitcher ERA of 8.66 in the month of July, and are averaging 3.25 runs per game this month—the worst run differential in the American League.

But we here at Baltimore magazine are optimists so, through our rose-colored glasses, we see that Jonathan Schoop was selected to play in his first All-Star Game on July 11 at Marlins Park in Miami. The second baseman, who leads the Orioles with 51 RBIs and 16 home runs, was selected by the MLB to be an AL reserve and becomes the fourth player from Curacao to become an  All-Star.

“I’m excited, happy,” Schoop told The Sun. “My head is spinning everywhere right now. I’ll just go in there and try to enjoy it . . . All I know since I was a kid was playing baseball. It was tough times for me to go through all this and now I’m an All-Star.”

Of course, his baseball BFF Manny Machado couldn’t contain his excitement either, and said he’s already offered to host Schoop and his family while they’re in Miami for the game. 

“To finally see what he’s turning into as a player, it’s unbelievable to watch,” Machado said. “His game has gone to another level and finally other players and teams and coaches are seeing it . . . words can’t describe how happy I am for him.”

Cue the chorus of awes. 

Plus, Britton is back!
Is it just us or does it seem like a lot of our problems can be traced back to May 5 when closer Zach Britton was put on the 60-day disabled list with a strained left forearm. Up until then, the closer had recorded a save in all five chances with a 1.00 ERA.

Though Buck Showalter says he’s easing him back into the ninth inning, things are looking promising as Britton pitched a scoreless seventh on Wednesday against the Brewers. And, clearly, fans are excited, too.

Swimmer Chase Kalisz dominates in 400-meter IM at Nationals.
Cheering on a local swimmer comes naturally to us, which is why we were so excited to see Bel Air native Chase Kalisz dominate in the 400-meter individual medley at the National Championships this past week. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist—who trained with the North Baltimore Aquatic Club—clocked in a winning time of 4:06.99—the fastest in the world this year.

All of this is fuel for Kalisz’s next big goal—the Olympics Games Tokyo in 2020.

“I’m really happy with that progress,” Kalisz told TeamUSA.org. “I tell people all the time that the best thing that happened to me for this four-year period was me getting silver. It motivates me every single day.”

Dunbar alum Jamel Artis shines in Knicks Summer League.
Though he was undrafted in the two-round selection process, Dunbar alum Jamel Artis is hoping to change is his story in the New York Knicks Summer League team in Orlando. In the team’s first three summer games, he has averaged nine points in under 18 minutes a game. Though he’s a swingman, Artis is playing mostly at forward and made five of 12 3-pointers.

“I’m in a good position right now with the Knicks,” told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’m in a great position, actually. I can only be thankful and grateful for the position I’m in now. I’ve just got to go out there and play hard.”