"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Springboard into spring training

It's finally here. Well, almost.

By this time next week, the Orioles will have returned to thier spring roost at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla., and spring training will have begun. Before you know it, Grapefruit League games will be underway, which means March 28 and the start of the 2019 regular season won't be far behind.

Takes the chill off a cold winter's day, doesn't it?

But before baseball begins anew, we'll jump in the MASN way-back machine just one more time and relieve some of the greatest moments in Orioles history. This week's "Orioles Classics" include a postseason thriller, a milestone home run and a decisive blast by a backstop.

Enjoy these retro looks at the orange and black as you get ready for the start of the 2019 campaign.

Friday, Feb. 8, 8:30 p.m. - Back in 1983 the American League Championship Series was a best-of-five affair, meaning three victories sent a team to the World Series. Game 4 of the 1983 ALCS between the White Sox and Orioles went to extra innings in a scoreless duel until an unlikely hero came through in the clutch. Tito Landrum's solo homer off Britt Burns started a three-run rally in the 10th that helped the O's to a 3-0 win in the series-clinching game and a place in the Fall Classic.

Monday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m. - It took the Tigers and Orioles 4 hours, 18 minutes to complete their game on Sept. 6, 1996. Rain that delayed play was only a portion of the reason for the elongated game time. In the seventh inning, Eddie Murray turned on a pitch from Felipe Lira, depositing a home run into the right-center bleachers. It was the 500th of Steady Eddie's career and launched a raucous celebration from the waterlogged fans who had remained at Camden Yards.

Wednesday, Feb, 31, 9 a.m. - Got those Cheerios ready? Maybe you prefer Lucky Charms, or perhaps Fruit Loops are your breakfast cereal of choice, Whatever box you reach for in the morning, grab a bowl and douse them with milk while you enjoy this throwback from Jun 24, 2012, when catcher Matt Wieters' two-run homer gave the O's a 2-0 interleague victory over the Nationals.