While we’re excited the O’s are finally taking the field, it’s hard not to lament the traditions of a typical Opening Day—like seas of fans decked out in orange flocking down Pratt Street to Camden Yards, vendors hawking the requisite peanuts and Natty Bohs, and the scent of greasy ballpark fare wafting throughout the stadium. Though the away opener against the Red Sox on July 24—and the first home game against the Miami Marlins on July 29—will seem surreal with no fans in attendance, local restaurants have us covered with festive food and drink specials to enjoy while watching at home. Here are a few ways to get into the spirit:

The Charmery: It should come as no surprise that master creamer David Alima has dreamed up an orange-inspired ice cream flavor to honor the return of the birds. All Charmery locations in Hampden, Towson, and Federal Hill are now scooping “Squeeze Play,” made with fresh-squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and orang bun(d)t cake.

THB Bagelry & Deli: To celebrate the home opener on Wednesday, July 29, all four THB locations will fill their bins with orange-and-black bagels. Enjoy the one-day-only offering with a classic schmere or your favorite sandwich fillings.

Zeke’s Coffee: Starting with the away opener on July 24, this neighborhood staple on Harford Road will be featuring a special menu of $5 ballpark fare while supplies last. Get your fill of classics like jumbo hot dogs, Pollock Johnny’s, soft pretzels with Zeke’s coffee porter mustard and cheese sauce, and stadium-style nachos with salsa and jalapeños. Round out your pregame platter with $2 Bohs and $3 Brewer’s Art Birdhouse cans.

The Sporty Dog: Nothing says baseball like hotdogs. And this fan-favorite purveyor is ringing in the season by dropping a new menu item. The aptly named “O Dog” is topped with crab meat and mac and cheese made with O-shaped pasta. Order for curbside pickup for the away opener and throughout the weekend.

The Classic Catering People: This Owings Mills-based catering company has crafted an “O”pening Day menu of carryout fare that is meant to make your feel like you’re watching the condiment races and the crab shuffle from the stands. Boxed meal options include fried chicken with macaroni salad and watermelon, crab cakes with coleslaw and Old Bay chips, and a pit beef sandwich pack that feeds four.

Nottingham’s: If you’re backing the birds from Howard County, consider snagging a seat on the patio at this Columbia spot—where the game will be on all screens with sound. Specials for the away opener include $3 draft beers, $6 hot dogs, and $10 burgers served with chips and a Miller Lite or Yuengling.

Baltimore’s landmark Lexington Market, the longest continually running public market in America, currently sees more than one million visitors each year. The food hall has fed the city for nine generations, and now, it’s added art to the menu.

Today marked the official opening of the Baltimore Museum of Art’s (BMA) branch location at Lexington Market. The new gallery space welcomed nearly 120 people to a public opening reception last night, which showcased images from a youth photography program at the Greenmount West Community Center. From photos of flowers to selfies of smiling teenagers, the exhibit showed the community in a whole new light.

In addition, a workshop for young adults was led by New Orleans-based artists Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick. The two have worked together for more than 30 years photographing Louisiana and its people.

“We felt extremely strongly that it is not enough to change our public programs and expect people to descend on us,” says Chris Bedford, executive director at the BMA. “Rather we found it important to extend ourselves into the city to engage different communities.”

But this is not the first extension of the museum. Two branch locations were established during World War II and saw more than 55,000 visitors between 1943 and 1948. The Lexington Market space continues to add to that legacy.

“The activation of a stall that had previously sat vacant for a few years with art and programming does wonderful things for the market,” says Stacey Pack, Lexington Market project manager. “Equally exciting is the energy and discussions that take place within this area. This also gives people another reason to either visit the market or linger longer.”

There are a lot of issues to consider with the redevelopment of an institution like Lexington Market. With a lot of residents relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), locals are concerned about gentrification and price increases.

According to Dave Eassa, manager of community engagement for the BMA, rotating themes will inspire future programs and activities. In honor of the market where the branch resides, the first topic is food, and it will touch on aspects such as nutrition, access, and local foodways.

“Food was the most prevalent issue when talking with merchants and users of the market,” Eassa says. “Many merchants are losing SNAP and as Seawall is trying to redevelop, everyone is worried about access to fresh, affordable food that they have relied on the market to provide for over 200 years.”

A redevelopment project, Transform Lexington, is currently being planned to include a new market structure and urban plaza. The East Market will remain open throughout the revamp and regular hours at the BMA branch will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday with free admission.

“This location is very unique because it truly is a public space where people from all backgrounds and walks of life gather and visit,” Pack says. “Lexington Market has always been a hub for Baltimore City so this location really is perfect.”

Although the market is going through a transformative period, the BMA branch is expected to remain a part of the space. The inspiration came from another program the museum has run previously called the Outpost, which was essentially a nomadic museum that roamed across Baltimore.

“Those communities were not satisfied with a fleeting engagement, but instead wanted a far more sustained conversation with the BMA,” Bedford says. “[We want to make] it clear that we are the specific museum for the city, that our doors are open to all, that our fundamental mandate is relevant, and that we are willing to go to any lengths to achieve that.”

Give him credit. Chris Davis, the once proud slugger and now overpaid fallen hero, stood at his locker after the Orioles’ home opener and answered the inevitable questions.

Of course the media, the conduit to the fans, wanted to know what the player formerly known as Crush thought about the fact that a good number of the announced 44,000-plus in attendance at Camden Yards booed him—loud, uncomfortably, and repeatedly—during the O’s 8-4 loss to the hated Yankees. The foul sounds started in pregame introductions, as Davis trotted down the traditional orange carpet from centerfield to a mix of cheers and boos. And the jeers intensified after each of his three strikeouts in the first, fourth, and sixth innings.

Then things reached a pointed crescendo in the bottom of the eighth inning. Little-known utility infielder Hanser Alberto, playing in his fourth game in an O’s uniform, pinch hit for Davis, the 33-year-old former MVP candidate who’s in his ninth season here. A thunderous, positive roar erupted from those still watching.

“I mean, it’s not something that I was really expecting,” Davis said afterward, with a throng of cameras and reporters surrounding him. “At the same time, I heard it a lot last year, and rightfully so. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I understand the frustration. Nobody’s more frustrated than I am.”

How has it come to this? Well, it’s been a few seasons in the making, and the unravel has been fascinating.

Davis led the majors in home runs in 2013, when he finished third in American League MVP voting. He was the home run king again in 2015, albeit while also leading the league in strikeouts.

Three years later, last season, he recorded one of the worst hitting seasons in baseball history, hitting a career-worst .168, and he’s now a bad 0-for-17 with 11 strikeouts to start 2019. At times, he seems as far away from hitting a baseball as one could imagine.

This is not what anyone wants to see from someone in the middle of a seven-year, $161 million contract to do exactly that. And, in the past, some, like the O’s beloved Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Jim Palmer, have questioned his desire to put in the work to change.

But, man, the public shaming of Davis yesterday was tough to watch and hear. For boos to rain down on the guy the way they did after every at-bat of the home opener, with still 150-plus games to go this season? I’ve never been one to say that a paying fan can’t voice frustration with any player or vent anger for whatever reason occasionally, but it certainly doesn’t do anyone on the field any good. It seems almost like a more New York or Philadelphia thing to do.

Davis has been relatively open about his struggles at the plate—last year he talked with MASN’s Roch Kubatko about hitting into shifts, trying to bunt, his apparent 20/10 vision, and whether his ADHD diagnosis and treatment has anything to do with his hitting problems. He addressed the problems again at FanFest in January, and he seems to genuinely want to turn things around. You can only guess what thoughts are racing in his head as he tries to square the bat on a ball headed his way at 90-plus miles per hour, much less while he’s surrounded by a cacophony of anti-support.

“It’s very easy to shame or boo people from an outside perspective,” the Orioles young leader, Trey Mancini, said after Thursday’s game, shortly after he patted Davis on the back with encouragement after his media session. “But you never really know until you go through it. . . . [Chris] is in there every day working on things. He’s a professional. Look at the back of his baseball card and what he’s done in his career. He’s an incredible hitter and still is. I still believe that.”

“To feel that in front of your home fans, I mean, I can’t even imagine,” said yesterday’s starting pitcher Alex Cobb. “I get all sides of it. Chris works really hard. He’s a great guy. He’s one of the better teammates that I’ve had in my time in the big leagues, and I know he cares so much. I do feel for him. [But] I understand the fans’ frustration as well.”

Sure, had O’s ownership not given Davis the monster contract in January 2016 after he led the majors with 47 home runs, he’d probably have been traded long ago with Manny, Britton, and the rest of the Buck Showalter-era stars. Had he performed a bit better the last few years, maybe the O’s would have won more games. But it’s hard to pin all the faults of a team on one player, though Davis even alluded to the idea that he was a buzzkill on Thursday. “Especially a day like today,” Davis said, “the kind of game that we were having. Really had them on their heels the whole game and it was a frustrating day for me personally and the team collectively.”

The Orioles went ahead early on the second pitch of the game via a Jonathan Villar home run to right field, then scored two more runs on a bases-loaded balk and a wild pitch from Yankees’ starting pitcher James Paxton in the top of the first inning, which ended with Davis striking out swinging. The O’s eventually led the Yankees 4-2 behind a strong start from Cobb, before reliever Mike Wright threw a two-out, two-strike pitch to the Yankees’ Glayber Torres, who crushed it for a three-run home run. Luke Voit hit another three-run homer in the ninth for the final margin.

The Baby Birds are now 4-3 on the young season, good for second place in the A.L. East standings, and they play the second in a three-game series with the Yankees on Saturday night.

Perhaps the reception Davis got is more a signal that many fans have embraced the Orioles rebuild plans, and want the beleaguered slugger out of the way. That’s ultimately a good sign for new general manager Mike Elias and company. If things keep going like this, the O’s could conceivably just cut Davis, but, considering the contractual commitment involved, it’s in the team’s best interest to get the most from the player they can, to see if the new analytics-minded regime can do anything to revive his career.

As Davis even said at his locker, wearing a gray T-shirt that read “Courage” on the front in red block letters, “I’m going to be here for the foreseeable future.” He’s got four years left on his deal and you’ll hear his name long after that, since Davis is due to receive New York Mets/Bobby Bonilla-like deferred annual payments until the year 2037. (He’ll be 51 years old by then.)

“I’m going to continue to play him, and I’m going to continue to support him and find the right match-ups for him,” first-year manager Brandon Hyde said, and he was also surprised the response to Davis’ strikeouts. “I haven’t been around here, so I wasn’t aware of fan reaction. I’m not really concerned about it. I’m going to support the guys on the club. It is what it is. I’m going to continue to stay positive with him.” Hyde also correctly pointed out the hitting woes haven’t seemed to affect Davis’ defense at first base.

But Davis certainly understood what the fans were getting across.

“I don’t think anybody’s feeling sorry for me right now,” he said. “I think people are ready to see me turn it around, and I’m ready to turn it around.”

Last year was last year. This season marks the beginning of a new era of Orioles baseball, one defined by exciting young players and a front office on the analytical vanguard. Though expectations may be tempered, excitement still abounds for the Orioles’ April 4 home opener against the notorious New York Yankees. And while nothing quite compares to sitting in the outfield bleachers, nursing a drink from the newly minted Flying Dog Taphouse in Camden Yards, and thanking God for making you a country boy, these food and drink specials are the next best thing.

101 Baltimore
The battle between Baltimore and New York will not solely be contained to the baseball field. This Fed Hill hangout is staging a hot dog faceoff between iconic New York hot doggery Nathan’s Famous Hotdogs, which you might recognize as the fourth best food option at any given Six Flags or highway rest stop, and our very own Polock Johnny’s. Wash down all of the eats with $5 Union drafts and $15 buckets of Boh. Before you know it, it’ll be time for another dog. 1118 S Charles St. #101, 443-682-9480

Banditos
Mere blocks from the iconic B&O Warehouse, this lively Mexican cantina is the perfect place to root, root, root for the home team. The beer will be cheap and plenty ($5 32oz big beers, $15 buckets of Natty Boh), and nothing pairs better with a triumphant victory—or is more palliative to a post-loss broken heart—than a plate of tacos. 1118 S Charles St., 443-835-1517

BMore Around Town
Dying to drink in a parking lot? If so, you’re in luck. Tailgating pros BMore Around Town are hosting a traditional tailgate in the Camden Yards lot, with an open bar, boozy snowballs, an open buffet, and freshly shucked oysters. Tickets range from $50 to $125. 152 W Ostend St., 443-865-5935

Don’t Know Tavern
This neighborhood sports bar is known to get pretty lively for O’s games. Sip on their drink specials ($5 22 oz. Miller Lite Drafts, $ 15 Miller Lite or Coors Light Buckets, $3 Blue Moons), grab a barstool next to one of the regulars, and admire the majesty of a well-framed pitch, a quickly-turned double play, and the other minor beauties of America’s past-time. 1453 Light St., 410-539-0231

Flying Dog Pregame at the Hilton Baltimore
An annual staple, this pre-game celebration will prove that the best part of waking up is a full beer in your cup. Organized by Flying Dog Brewery, the festivities begin at 10 a.m., when you can get an early start by sampling an array of the area’s finest craft beers with hundreds of new friends. 401 W Pratt St., 443-573-8700

Gameday Firehouse
While the bar’s proprietors may be firefighters by day, this Pigtown bar-cum-firehouse is aflame with O’s pride. Baltimore’s bravest will be serving up $5 Absolut Vodka crushes, $3 16-oz. domestic cans, and $2 Budweiser and Bud Light drafts. To wit, a power hour will be held from 10 a.m.-11 a.m.—let’s hope Chris Davis can learn a thing or two. 1202 Ridgely St., 410-234-0734

Jimmy’s Seafood
Although this Dundalk institution is more known for their Ravens events, their opening day bash is equally impressive, boasting an open bar, a full buffet, and three hours of live music. Tickets start at $25 for kids and go up to $180 for a full VIP experience. 6526 Holabird Ave., 410-633-4040

Max’s Taphouse
This Fells Point drinking hole’s party is the most fun you can with orange and black clothes on. More than 15 specialty beers will be on tap, complemented by a menu of ballpark favorites. Be warned, the pregame will quickly transition to the post-game, as the revelry is an all-day affair. If you can withstand the full day, even Cal Ripken, Jr. would be impressed. 737 S Broadway, 410-675-6297

Nando’s
Don’t chicken out on Baltimore’s unofficial holiday. Instead, head to this downtown temple of poultry, order a $3 foamer, and go to town on 24 wings, a towering plate of fries, or hummus, covered in their world-renowned Peri-Peri sauce. 421 West Baltimore St., 443-681 3675

Pep Rally in the Plaza
From noon to 2 p.m., Downtown Partnership will turn Center Plaza into the capital of Birdland, replete with lawn games, food trucks, and free beer courtesy of iHeartRadio while supplies last (don’t fret, this will be supplemented by another bar with wine and beer, since the free beer will invariably be drank dry). 120 W Fayette St., 410-244-1030

Pickles Pub
Surprisingly this is one of two places that you can drink during a 6 a.m. breakfast buffet on Thursday. Spitting distance from the Brooks Robinson statue, Pickles will feature free food until 8 a.m., and $3 Deep Eddy cocktails and Orange Crushes until 9 a.m. 520 Washington Blvd., 410-752-1784

Red Star
Located in the shadow of the Homewood Campus in Charles Village, this recently opened bistro presents a more mellow option, away from the hoi polloi. You’re an adult, after all, and drinking before the sun comes up would require months of preparation to steel your body for battle. Instead, swill $3 pints of Guinness Blonde and $5 orange and grapefruit crushes in relative tranquility. 3224 St Paul St., 443-948-5539

Sliders
For the 27th consecutive year, Baltimoreans will rouse themselves from the warm embrace of sleep and make the pre-dawn pilgrimage to 771 feet away from Camden Yards to start the day off right. Drink specials (be sure to try the new Fancy Clancy Pilsner!) will be served at all 10 of the bars on location. Food is free from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and ante-meridiem drink specials abound. 504 Washington Blvd., 410-547-8891

Wayward Smokehouse
Barbecue, baseball, and beer are the holy trinity of spring. Luckily, this Federal Hill hotspot has all three in spades. Come join the Orioles faithful for $5 Miller Light and Coors Lights pounders, $5 Union Craft Brewing drafts, and $6 specialty Oriole bombs. 1117 S Charles St., 410-223-2269

The first impression of this Orioles season was the stunned silence from the crowd at Yankee Stadium during player introductions of our dear visiting team. So many new names, they didn’t know who anyone was. Or maybe it was simply apathy. Only Chris Davis’ name and likeness elicited a few boos.

At the same time, first-year manager Brandon Hyde felt a little bit differently, as he stood on the third-base line and started to soak in the reality of the situation. It’s the start of, well, everything new compared to last year’s edition of the Orioles. Most of the players; there were seven new starters, and 11 of the 25 in uniform made their first Opening Day roster. All of the coaches. The general approach to baseball. The expectations. “When they say your name,” during introductions, Hyde said afterward, “that kind of hits you a little bit.”

It was an appropriate welcome to the Orioles’ 2019 baseball season, and came ahead of an expected result: A loss, 7-2, in New York to the talent-laden Yankees, one of this year’s World Series favorites, as usual.

The Baby Birds, meanwhile, at the start of an ambitious rebuild plan under the leadership of a new data-driven front office regime, are the longest of long shots to win the title (it sounds silly even to write that phrase, “win the title”). Odds are as big as 2,000-to-1 at last check of the Las Vegas sports books. A few free-wheeling, or desperate, souls have placed that wild bet.

Back here in reality, here’s three big takeaways from the O’s season-opener:

Say it with us, the theme for 2019! “We’re trying to elevate the talent level of the organization.”

The mantra for this season is not exactly something you’d print and put on the back of a t-shirt for a Little League team, much less a Major League one. But is it the truth. New Orioles general manager Mike Elias said the words once again, during a second-inning appearance in the MASN broadcast booth.

Translation: This year is not about winning. This season is about the next three or four seasons as much as it is 2019.

This can be a hard concept for a fan to accept the day after the first game of a six-month, 162-game schedule. But Elias and the O’s leadership have and will continue to preach patience in their long-term vision for sustained success, of building a strong minor league system, developing players, making a hard run at international scouting, and hitting on draft picks (hopefully high ones).

We still think Adam Jones was worth having around—he hit a home run yesterday, by the way, for Arizona—but “we don’t want to be a one-year wonder,” Elias says (and poof, images of the 2014 Orioles, and Nelson Cruz belting 40 home runs then leaving in free agency that offseason, come to mind). That’s a blueprint that’s worked in his previous stops in Houston and St. Louis, both teams that won World Series championships while he and numbers wizard, O’s assistant GM Sig Mejdal worked there.

Time will tell exactly how hard the games are to watch this season. Given the “talent level of the organization” relative to the rest of pro baseball right now, after the dismantling of last year’s core amid a historically bad year, there might be 100-plus losses again.

Thursday’s start, which included a 428-foot three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning by Luke Voit, one of the cartoonish mammoth Yankees (sunflower seeds, much?), off the bearded Andrew Cashner, was not a great sign. But as best you can manage, keep the long term in mind.

The Bright Spots

There were a few.

Trey Mancini, three years removed from being a rookie and now the grizzled veteran of this team, looked like it. In the lineup as designated hitter and batting fourth, he went 3-for-4, scored the Orioles first run and knocked in their second.

Third baseman Rio Ruiz, a 24-year-old, drove home Mancini for that first score in the top of the fourth inning and in the bottom half made a nice defensive play, stopping a line drive.

Shortstop Richie Martin, who last season played 118 games in the minors for the Oakland A’s affiliate in Midland, Texas, and was one of two O’s making his major league debut, helped turn a double play. Reliever David Hess was effective.

The highlight of the day was probably Joey Rickard’s diving catch in right field. Overall, the O’s defense looked pretty good.

Chris Davis, um . . .

He picked up where he left off. The strikeouts continue. Three of them. Already.

Davis batted seventh in the O’s order, a move Hyde made for a reason, and was pinch hit for in the ninth inning. “I’m going to try to do everything I can to take pressure off him,” the manager said of the guy with $92 million and four years left on his contract, coming off one of the all-time worst hitting seasons in baseball history. (Right. No pressure.)

Davis’ story is fascinating. One day we’ll really find out how Crush’s stroke and confidence completely unraveled, but for now, he’s a representative part of what might be the real O’s theme for 2019: Hope.

Davis is our primary emotional connection on the current roster to recent glory days. (Remember, Jimmy’s Seafood offered Davis, his children, and grandchildren free crab cakes for life for a reason.) We hope he can find some kind of respectable form to stave off the internet memes and comments that began instantly upon his first strikeout yesterday.

And, for the next six months, we hope the O’s do the best they can, give us some fun and enough reasons to watch, while we believe in the promise of a better future.

Rachel Sheubrooks started serving Orioles fans when she was 14, and she hasn’t stopped since. Throughout high school—when she wasn’t doing schoolwork or playing field hockey for the Catonsville Comets—she worked at Boog’s BBQ inside Camden Yards.

“That was my first job,” she recalls. “I have such great memories there. My son’s second birthday was in September, and Boog [Powell] signed every single one of his invitations.”

After a brief move to South Carolina after college, Sheubrooks returned to Baltimore and found herself managing Sliders Bar & Grille on Washington Boulevard. The famed Orioles headquarters opened in 1990—the same year that Camden Yards was starting to be built—and became known for its location 771 feet away from home plate. (Sheubrooks says that the exact proximity was measured by construction workers who built the stadium.)

In the spring of 2007, Sliders’ previous owner was readying for retirement and offered to sell the bar to Sheubrooks. The sale officially went through at the end of March that year, giving Sheubrooks and her team just over a week to make the necessary preparations for opening day.

“The previous owner had already been halfway out the door,” she says. “So we basically had 10 days to get our lives together. At the time, my cousin was running Luckie’s Tavern at Power Plant Live, and he sent all of his workers over to help me. We just kind of banged it out. It was scary, but really fun at the same time.”

Though now they are certainly less rushed, Sheubrooks’ team puts the same attention and precision into preparing for opening day at Sliders currently as they did 11 years ago. In anticipation for March 29, staffers have already begun cleaning the entire space, polishing Sheubrooks’ 400-piece bobblehead collection, and scheduling the necessary plumbing and electrical inspections.

“You always want to know ahead of time if something is on the brink of breaking,” she says. “That’s not what you want to happen on opening day. And each year you learn from your mistakes. We always have meetings before and after opening day with all of our staff, and everyone has to go around the room and say one thing that worked and one thing that has to change next year.”

Sheubrooks likes to keep things fresh for every opener, whether that means introducing new signage, windows, or menu items. This time around, the pub has a fresh coat of paint.

Fans can also look forward to additional outdoor bars, as well as a revamped game-day menu with eats including house-made Old Bay chips, loaded tots, and a “Crack of the Bat” wrap filled with spicy barbecue chicken.

Of course, there will also be Sliders’ signature 32-oz. “bird bowls” filled with Orange Crush, and plenty of Natty Boh to go around. The pub became a full-blown Boh bar last year, and now boasts a colorful mural of Mr. Boh sliding into home plate on the outside of the building.

In order to accommodate the swarms of fans that show up to celebrate, Sheubrooks schedules more than double the amount of staff that is needed at Sliders on any typical day of service. On opening day, she employs nearly 22 security guards and nine bar-backs. (Each position usually requires a maximum of two people on a regular day.) And the number of bartenders increases from six to 42. 

Though Sheubrooks herself doesn’t typically work nights, she is planning to work a 24-hour shift starting at 2 a.m. on opening day. 

“This year we’re going to set up the night before so that everyone can just keep the momentum going,” she says. “I’ve been taking Emergen-C every day—I’ll have an extra Red Bull. It’s one day a year, so you have to be pumped.”

“Has anyone seen Manny?” relief pitcher Darren O’Day joked on the kids’ press conference stage late in the day, in response to a teenage girl’s question about Manny Machado’s whereabouts at Orioles FanFest.
 

It was close to 5 p.m. Saturday, and most of the more than 11,000 people who attended the annual rite of the approaching baseball season had left the Baltimore Convention Center with their free giveaways, purchased merchandise and player autographs. Vendors began to pack up. Kids headed home with memories, perhaps of asking a question to players like Adam Jones or manager Buck Showalter—and getting a funny answer, like this one:
 

(Buck also said he’s recently started to watch the Netflix series, The Crown. Nice! Jones said his favorite candy is Reese’s—to much applause—and that his most-liked transformer is Bubblebee. “He’s coddling and nurturing.”)  

Though Machado wasn’t present, the 25-year-old was nonetheless a big topic of conversation, too. First, just the fact he and buddy Jonathan Schoop weren’t there for undisclosed reasons ruffled fans’ feathers. Then Showalter casually mentioned to reporters that Machado will switch positions in 2018, to shortstop, and Tim Beckham will move to third base. The switch seems to acquiesce to Machado’s desire to showcase his skills at shortstop ahead of his impending (and unfortunate) free-agent status once this season is over.  

About that. The dissolution of the six-year marriage between the Orioles and their prized homegrown talent — who’s brought us so many great moments — appears inevitable. Especially when you hear this: “Stranger things have happened,” Showalter told fans Saturday. “We may sign him.”  

Machado, who the O’s would trade now in exchange for a big haul, including some starting pitchers, likely will command mind-shattering and life-changing money on the free-agent market, and be promised a bright future from many teams across Major League Baseball, two things mid-market teams like the O’s can’t necessarily do. General manager Dan Duquette uttered the words “those teams up North,” and spoke about the market advantages (i.e. more money) that they have—No, Yankees, no!—when answering question about what fans could do to convince O’s ownership to keep and sign players of Machado’s caliber long term.  

Alas, at least we have Buck’s pearls of wisdom and plenty of other fun to get us through Manny’s apparent lame duck year. 

A few other nuggets from FanFest:  

• Jones, whose contract is also up after this season, said he’d like to play six to eight more years, but that the team hasn’t approached him about a contract extension.
• Dylan Bundy, when asked if he’s wondering who will be in the starting pitching rotation with him and Kevin Gausman, said, “Yeah, definitely,” with a laugh. “We have no idea.”
• O’Day, who along with Brad Brach and Mychal Givens, is in the running to close games while the injured Zach Britton (Achilles’ tendon) is out to start the season, noted he’s growing a beard until spring training, and he’s feeling good. “I have two times dad strength now,” the 35-year-old veteran said. “I have two kids. I have a beard. I like where I’m at.” The O’s bullpen also seems to have great camaraderie. Brach said during games they play their own game, throwing balls against the bullpen wall a certain number of times to keep score of the real game. Givens said he has an assigned seat. To be a fly on the wall beyond left-centerfield for a night.
• Showalter was particularly concerned Saturday with getting sick, and he signed autographs later in the day with a container of hand sanitizer on the table with him.
• Just three weeks until pitchers and catchers report in Florida, and 60 days until Opening Day.

So who’s stock rose in Spring Training?
Rising star Trey Mancini absolutely hit the cover off the ball in Spring Training, hitting .339 in 59 at bats. Make no mistake, he’s a very exciting prospect.

Outfielder Joey Rickard wasn’t far behind him, picking up where he left off in last year’s breakout Spring Training with a .302 average in 53 at-bats.

Also turning some heads? Left fielder Craig Gentry, a journeyman player the Orioles didn’t have high hopes for. He’s batting .327 in 52 at-bats and is projected to make the 25 man roster.

And, of course, it seems a little silly to say that Adam Jones’ stock rose this spring—he’s the team captain and already a superstar. But his time at the World Baseball Classic—capped by that mind-blowing catch (you know the one)—electrified both fans and Jones himself, who said the WBC was the “best experience of his life,” sports-wise. We expect Mr. Stay Hungry to be even hungrier (famished?) as the season begins.

What the experts are saying.
Thanks to a shaky starting rotation, it’s not supposed to be a great year for the Os, with sports writers projecting them to land anywhere between third and last place in the AL East. Our response? Yawn. The Os are perennially underestimated. We’ll take our chances with Buck and the boys.

Farewell Melo Trimble—sniff.
It was inevitable, but it still hurts. Terps guard Melo Trimble has officially hired an agent and will be entering the 2017 NBA draft.

We’ll miss his ankle-breaking drives to the basket, his free-throw proficiency, his quiet leadership, his awesomely tipped hair, and the sneaky little “damn, it’s fun to be this good” smile that played at his lips after he made a great play.

He’s not projected to get picked in most mock drafts, but that could change once teams get a look at him in pre-draft workouts. More likely, he’ll have to prove himself in the D-League or abroad. Whatever happens, we’re true believers. Everyone in Maryland has witnessed how good—and clutch—the kid is. This was his final play at College Park:

Hey, at least someone from Maryland made it to the Final Four!
It wasn’t a great NCAA tournament for either the Terps Men’s or Women’s teams (or for Mount St. Mary’s, for that matter), but that doesn’t mean Maryland won’t be represented in the Final Four. Cinderella darlings South Carolina are outfitted by Under Armour, making them the local sportswear company’s first team to get that far. “The exposure can be worth a lot of money,” sports retail analyst Matt Powell told the Baltimore Business Journal. “It’s a dream for any brand.”

Bonus:
Get ready to feel really, really old. (But also filled with warm fuzzies and nostalgia.) The Orioles just signed infielder Ryan Ripken to an Aberdeen IronBirds minor league contract. Yes, Cal’s son. Then the O’s tweeted this picture:

Our hearts!

Despite inclement weather, flans flocked to the Yard in droves to see the Baltimore Orioles take on the Minnesota Twins on opening day Monday. Through multiple rain delays and chilly temperatures, the O’s managed to prevail 3-2 in a walk-off win. From the fans and the food to the players and The Bird, we captured the best moments from the O’s home opener.

Jenny Curran, inside sales rep: Wait . . . it isn’t a holiday?!?! It is for me! Every year!

Tyson Heck, bartender: “America’s pastime” speaks for itself. Opening day represents more than just baseball. It represents everything about the American Dream and loving life. No other sport has influenced everyday culture like baseball has. So, we owe it to the game to make opening day a holiday. Not to mention, time off from work means more time to chow down on some Esskays.

Candice Knight, designer: Obviously, it can’t become a legitimate office holiday, but I think it’s already considered a local holiday. I know I think of it that way! It’s one of the most fun days of the year in Baltimore!

Jason Wagner, graphic designer: Opening day is for those with heart and smarts to skip work. It’s not for everyone.

Ryan Detter, NASA engineer: That’s a rhetorical question, right? I do feel a cough coming on . . .

A soggy day at The Yard didn’t stop Baltimore from celebrating the return of the birds.

Monday marks the start of Orioles season, and bars and
restaurants all over town are gearing up for the first game of the year. Gather
your friends, wear your orange, and take advantage of all the opening day food
and drink specials.

Get pumped for the game with
Full Tilt Brewing at
Alewife. The restaurant will be opening at 10
a.m. with $5 pints of Full Tilt brews all day. Of course, Full Tilt isn’t your
only option at Alewife—the pub has a wide selection of beers, like Dogfish Head
and Bear Republic.

Fans of
Heavy Seas beers will be able to find it all over
town on opening day. Have a seat at Camden Yards? A Heavy Seas beer cart will
be stationed at the stadium, and will be served at the Free State Pub and the
Center Field Roof Deck bar. But you don’t have to be at the game to join in on
the fun. Beginning at 11 a.m., Heavy Seas brews will be available at the tap
takeover at Marriott Inner Harbor’s bar.

In addition to Heavy Seas, Union Craft Brewing will be available throughout the Yard, including Duckpin on draft and Blackwing cans at the Free State Pub, as well as Duckpin cans at Dempsey’s Pub in the Eutaw Street Warehouse.

There’s also Flying Dog Brewery, which introduced cask ales to the park in 2012. New this year are 16-ounce cans of Snake Dog IPA, plus the brewery’s offerings can be found at the Flying Dog Grill in the lower level, and the Roof Deck, Free State Pub, and Dempsey’s. Look out for a new cask ale every Firkin Friday.

If you want to spend opening day in Federal Hill, join the
pre-game party at
Stalking Horse Vodka Bar. A $30 ticket grants guests three
hours of unlimited Bud Light, a free buffet, and an opening day beer coozie. Don’t
forget Stalking Horse’s wide selection of vodkas, as well.

The
Rowhouse Grille, also in Federal Hill, will be opening
at 11 a.m. on Monday to get the festivities started. They will be serving up $5
Orioles Bombs, $3 Natty Bohs, and $5 food specials. Once the game gets under
way, enjoy 2-for-1 drinks, starting at 3 p.m.

Get the stadium-food experience without paying the stadium-seat
price at
Mahaffey’s Pub. The Canton bar is offering $1 hot dogs, $3 corn dogs,
and 3-for-$6 beers starting at noon on opening day.

Watch the game at
Nacho Mama’s in Canton while filling up on
Tex-Mex dishes like quesadillas and fajitas, and enjoy $2 Natty Bohs. Take $1
off all other beers and margaritas from 4-7 p.m. as you root for the Orioles.

Leinenkugel’s Beer Garden, located at Power Plant Live, is
getting in on the action with $2 Miller Lites and $20 Miller Lite towers. Guests
can also fill up on $1 hot dogs and try a wide array of imported and local
beers.

If your opening day experience would be incomplete without
chicken wings,
Padonia Ale House in Timonium is the place to go. The bar will
be serving all-you-can-eat boneless and Buffalo wings for $9.99, along with $3
Miller Lite drafts.

And, just down the road,
An Poitin Stil will be serving
$1.50 Natty Boh cans on Monday to celebrate game day, followed by an open mic
night with Ernie Fowler at 9 p.m.