Roch Kubatko
Roch Kubatko

Some unforgettable moments covering the Orioles in New York

Some unforgettable moments covering the Orioles in New York
A regular season allowed to play out as intended would have brought the Orioles back home tonight after a four-game series in the Bronx. Gary Sánchez probably would have hit five or six home runs. And Gleyber Torres would have said, "Hold my protein shake." The Orioles were supposed to host the Pirates in a three-game weekend series and we could have rehashed the 1971 and 1979 World Series. Better to reminisce about the 2017 regular season and a two-game sweep for the Orioles at Camden...
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Roch Kubatko

Because You Asked - The Island of Lost Dreams

Because You Asked - The Island of Lost Dreams
I'm wearing rubber gloves today while sorting through my mailbag. All of my clothes are made out of Glad trash bags. Safety first. Don't use the scented brand. They'll give you a headache. I'd keep a six-foot distance from the mail, but my vision is pretty bad. Also, my arms wouldn't reach it. You know what's also a reach? Trying to convince anyone that there's an actual bag. But treat it as you would "Rocky IV" and suspend disbelief. (The Soviet crowd chanting his name at the end?...
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Roch Kubatko

Leftovers from Ripken Q&A

Leftovers from Ripken Q&A
The Orioles intend to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Cal Ripken Jr.'s record-breaking 2,131st consecutive game. Their promotional schedule includes the distribution of bobbleheads on Sept. 6, and other plans to honor him were under discussion prior to the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The schedule was released in early February. So much has changed. ESPN aired 2,131 last night and Ripken watched it for the first time from start to finish. He told me yesterday that he'd stumble...
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Roch Kubatko

Ripken on Twitter, Strike Out Hunger campaign and more

Ripken on Twitter, Strike Out Hunger campaign and more
Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. has been intrigued with the idea of opening a Twitter account. He just needed a reason to do it beyond the interaction with fans, something he did tirelessly in person during a 21-year major league career. Most notably in 1995 as he closed in on Lou Gehrig's record for most consecutive games played. Ripken found his excuse and, as usual, it tied into his desire to help other people. Using his new account (@CalRipkenJr.), which already was approaching 3,000...
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Roch Kubatko

Remembering Orioles who started strong and didn't sustain

Remembering Orioles who started strong and didn't sustain
My mind keeps spinning back to past Orioles teams that I've covered as an adult or watched as a kid. Anything to limit my screen time during this shutdown. Let me pose a question this morning while we resist the urge to panic shop. (Don't be that person. You don't need 12 dozen eggs and all the toilet paper and liquid hand soap.) Which homegrown Orioles started out good, fooling you into thinking that they'd become future All-Stars or at least longtime contributors, and then fizzled? Got...
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Roch Kubatko

Armstrong's strong spring and a deeper dive into Orioles bullpen

Armstrong's strong spring and a deeper dive into Orioles bullpen
The magic of video is enabling the Orioles to stay connected while spread all over the country. I've heard that reliever Shawn Armstrong was able to share a bullpen session with one of his teammates that included a fastball clocked at 97 mph. Armstrong's fastball averaged 93.9 mph last season, per BrooksBaseball.net. There is no data available on his home workouts. An expansion of rosters from 26 to 29 players for the first month enables the Orioles to carry at least a few extra relievers to...
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Roch Kubatko

Baseball's shutdown impacting minor league preparation

Baseball's shutdown impacting minor league preparation
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic in professional baseball reaches down to the minor league level. To players with salary concerns and the managers and coaches who are trying to develop them and prepare for an abbreviated season. Triple-A Norfolk's Gary Kendall is back home in the Salisbury area, doing yardwork and engaging in video conference calls to collect and share information that no longer could be dispensed in Sarasota. The six-foot rule turned into complete isolation. The calls...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles finding ways to cope and assist during pandemic

Orioles finding ways to cope and assist during pandemic
The Orioles aren't able to start their season due to the coronavirus and they have no idea whether it's going to unfold. In the meantime, players are working to stay in shape, just in case, and finding ways to assist people in need and to ease the strain on their lives. First baseman Chris Davis and his wife, Jill, donated breakfast to the staff at the University of Maryland Children's Hospital on the morning of March 26, which would have been opening day. The couple made a $3 million...
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Roch Kubatko

Can Phillips avoid the injured list?

Can Phillips avoid the injured list?
The medical update from Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and a brief interview with the injured reliever at his spring training locker made for an easy jump to a roster conclusion. It felt like more of a hop. Evan Phillips wasn't able to pitch because of a sore elbow and headed to Los Angeles for a second opinion. A month or more could pass before he'd be allowed to pick up a ball. My headline on a March 6 article stated: "Phillips to start season on injured list" The third paragraph read:...
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Phillips keeping his spring roommates and new routine

Phillips keeping his spring roommates and new routine
Baseball players are creatures of habit, a trait that seems to be part of their DNA. Or maybe it develops over time, creating a chicken or the egg parallel. What comes first? No matter the order, being shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic has brought a major disruption in their routines - though also kept in its proper perspective given the loss of lives throughout the world. Being unable to complete spring training or start a season is much more of an inconvenience than a...
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Roch Kubatko

More questions coming while baseball remains on hold

More questions coming while baseball remains on hold
I haven't seen a ground ball hit in three weeks, but I've been fielding a bunch of questions from home. When will the season start? Will there actually be a season? How many games will be played? Are you still wearing that same T-shirt? (Sorry, that last one is from my fiancée.) There are legitimate curiosities and concerns about the impact of a prolonged interruption. What's missing are solid answers. Can Chris Davis pick up where he left off in spring training? Can anyone? Davis...
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Roch Kubatko

Chris Davis: "This is very abnormal, very unusual"

Chris Davis: "This is very abnormal, very unusual"
Chris Davis is safe at home, feeling blessed that the coronavirus hasn't touched his family. His wife and three young daughters, including 2-year-old twins, are fine. His friends are healthy. He's making many of the same adjustments as everyone else in his everyday life while unsure when he's going to be able to go back to work. Or if he'll be working in 2020. As the player representative with the Orioles, Davis has been gathering information on every conference call and sharing it with his...
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Roch Kubatko

Another spring training memory from the Orioles beat

Another spring training memory from the Orioles beat
The regular season for the Orioles should be four games old. A home series against the Yankees completed and the middle game pending in a home series against the Red Sox. The first trip to St. Louis since 2003 was supposed to happen over the weekend, followed by a four-game series in the Bronx. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic has left us wondering if there will be a 2020 season and whether the Orioles will return to Sarasota for a second version of spring training. The Ed Smith Stadium...
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Roch Kubatko

Wondering who's impacted by expansion to 29-man roster

Wondering who's impacted by expansion to 29-man roster
The competitions for roster spots with the Orioles remain on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. Players are working out at home, a few of them posting clever videos on social media. Small children and pets are coming in handy as alternatives to gym weights. Ever done squats with a German Shepherd draped over your shoulders? These are the dog days of spring. One of the likely adjustments to baseball's season, if it happens in 2020, is inflating the active roster from 26 to 29 players for the...
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Roch Kubatko

Updates on season status and another childhood heartbreak

Updates on season status and another childhood heartbreak
The constant speculation over Major League Baseball's return and in what form is doing little besides confusing fans and spreading rumors. Separating truth from fiction is requiring a lot more muscle these days. Implement it into your workouts while gyms are closed. We don't know if or when baseball will be played. We don't know how long spring training 2.0 will last and whether teams would head back to Florida and Arizona. We don't know if the schedule will be packed with doubleheaders. We...
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Roch Kubatko

Memories of some media missteps

Memories of some media missteps
Anyone who's stepped inside a major league clubhouse and posed a question during a pregame or postgame media scrum has probably committed an embarrassing gaffe. The odds increase the longer you've worked the beat. Colleagues can sympathize, but it doesn't prevent us from teasing the guilty party. Boxers don't land as many jabs as we do. The shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic is intended to keep people safe. It's also protecting the media from doing something stupid. Many of the...
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Roch Kubatko

Remembering my biggest Orioles heartbreaks as a fan

Remembering my biggest Orioles heartbreaks as a fan
The sports shutdown has led fans and media to come up with all sorts of lists to provide entertainment and kill a few hours. Twitter is filled with them. You can't swing a dead opening day article without hitting one. I'm more of a lurker than a participant, but I did name the Colts leaving Baltimore as my most heartbreaking sports moment. No team can replace them in my heart. No offense to the Ravens, but the 1970s Colts will always be my sports love. The improbable run to the playoffs in...
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Roch Kubatko

Remembering past opening days while 2020 stays in shutdown mode

Remembering past opening days while 2020 stays in shutdown mode
The Orioles have made executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde available on separate conference calls during the shutdown. What they can't do is invent answers. Major League Baseball is pushing back the start of the season. No date has been set for opening day. No assurances have been given that it's going to happen. No one in the organization can offer a prediction. They aren't keeping it a secret. They just don't know. Fans should have been filing into...
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Roch Kubatko

Reflecting on past spring trainings with the Orioles

Reflecting on past spring trainings with the Orioles
My scheduled return home yesterday from Sarasota would have been the ideal time to reflect on six weeks of spring training. Something that I've been doing in its abbreviated form since my actual return on March 14. There hasn't been one like it during my tenure on the Orioles beat, which officially began in 1997 after I assisted in coverage of 2,130 and 2,131 in 1995 - no other explanation needed - and the 1996 playoffs. Including Jeffrey Maier's interference of a Derek Jeter fly ball at...
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Roch Kubatko

Orioles should be playing last exhibition game today

Orioles should be playing last exhibition game today
I should have been flying home this morning from spring training. Should have been waking up at the Marriott inside the Tampa International Airport - a veteran move to drop off the rental car and switch hotels the night prior to departure - and stumbling to my gate after six weeks in Sarasota with only a single day off. The Orioles would be playing the Mets later today at the Naval Academy in one last exhibition game - a substitute for the usual workout day. Major League Baseball requires teams...
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