A little more MacPhail

A recent article in Dickinson Magazine featured a particular alumnus of special interest to Orioles fans. If you didn't already know that O's President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail (along with many in his family) graduated from Dickinson College, the magazine feature touches on the MacPhail family's unshakable connections to the college, the game of baseball, and the Orioles. The article's author, Sherri Kimmel, adeptly likens the MacPhail name in baseball to the Kennedy family in politics, and Kimmel asks Andy MacPhail about his family's deep roots in baseball and the foundations he's striving to cement for the O's here in Baltimore. Unconsciously or not, in the article MacPhail reiterates one hope tied to the Orioles that likely endeared him to more than a few Birds fans from the start: "You never know what path your career will take in sports, but this was definitely one stop I hoped to make before my career was over." Unlike now Yankees Joe Girardi and Mark Texeira, two big names tossed around in Baltimore at one time or another, MacPhail has always approached a position with the O's as a goal and a welcomed challenge; and MacPhail's mindset has probably contributed to the enormous amounts of free trust fans have been willing to put in his rebuilding plan for the Orioles. "It's definitely been a labor of love. I'm doing what I can to get the Orioles into a better position in the standings. Despite not making as much progress in the win/loss standings, I'm satisfied with changes we've made. We're doing the things we need to compete in our division," MacPhail said in the article. For more, check out the full article, Major League Genes, from the college magazine's website.