Leading Off



Hi. We hope this episode finds you well – in good health and good spirits.



You’ll have to forgive us – we heard about the loss of Mo Gaba while we recorded this episode. If we seem a little less coherent than usual, it’s because we were. Such a loss is never easy to negotiate.



Thanks, Mo.







Drink of the Week







Join us for the Drink of the Week, and let us know how you’re consoling yourself as you watch the O’s. Find us on Untappd



* magn8606* jakee4025







This Week on the Twitters







Here’s what’s going on in the world of Orioles Baseball, in 280 characters, or fewer:




Nelson Cruz with another HR. He has two homers, two doubles and 7 RBI on the day. He has 10 RBI on the weekend.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 26, 2020





Hearing Marlins are out there looking for extra MLB quality players. Obviously they have a lot of concerns but one of them is fielding a representative team.— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 27, 2020





covid-19 may not be retransmitted or rebroadcast without the express written permission of major league baseball— DougExeter (@Doug_Exeter) July 27, 2020





Sean Doolittle: “sports are like the reward for a functioning society.”Pretty much sums it up.— Britt Ghiroli (@Britt_Ghiroli) July 27, 2020








The End?







The Miami Marlins are experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak, and let’s just say that Major League Baseball… could be handling this better.



Whether or not it was a good idea to start baseball, it has started. And while it would be too much to say this is the worst case scenario, it’s not good.



The Orioles are impacted by this, but clearly this is bigger than the Orioles.



How long can the season last? How much disruption can the integrity of a 60-game season withstand? If the season ends tomorrow, what does MLB do to engage with its fans as an entertainment/media entity?







BASEBALL!!!







Regardless of all that, there was baseball. And though it might be short-lived… damn it felt good to watch Orioles Baseball this weekend.



Some things were decidedly different about the presentation of the games, and yet strikingly familiar. We talk the politics-adjacent topic of MLB’s embrace of BLM and then get back to trivial pursuits.



Jake whines about sports aesthetics, and we overanalyze that which a small sample size provided us.



Say what you will about the 2020 season – we beat the Red Sox. It’s already a good season.







Blowing the Save









Most podcasts try to end on a high note – the perfect coda to a quality program.