The Birds are back in town

The Orioles' schedule in July has left the Yard painfully quiet for the bulk of the month. Though the Birds returned home for a short and sweet three-game set against the Blue Jays heading into the All-Star break, the O's haven't been home for a single series since. In fact, in the two weeks including and following the All-Star break, the Yard has sat still enough to give the grounds crew plenty of time to transplant a patch of Kentucky Blue Grass from the sod farm just beyond center field to a worn spot in the outfield without anyone being the wiser by the time the Orioles return home tonight. Since the grass in the sod farm is an exact match to the greenery on the field, it might seem obvious that a patch job would go unnoticed; however, the grass generally goes through a period of shock before it adapts with a new root system and adjusts to life below Adam Jones' cleats. In this case, the Orioles have been gone at such length, the grounds crew have had time to perform the surgery and watch the grass turn yellow during its shock period, then return to a healthy shade of green and perfectly blend the lines of the incision, erasing any evidence that a transplant had even been performed. This lull is part of a July that will see the Birds home for only nine games all month, but with five of those coming up during this last week of July. But now that the Birds are back, you'll also see them around town at events like the ESPN Zone Orioles Cook-off tomorrow afternoon where O's Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Roberts, and Gregg Zaun will battle it out over another kind of plate to see who's the best chef among the infield. Check back to the Orioles Buzz soon for more info on the event coming this afternoon.