Ghosts of '96

It's May 1, 1996, the O's lose a 5.5 hour game to the Yankees, Brady's sideburns keep growing, it's May Day in Baltimore, and Yasser Arafat is in DC. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/may-1-this...

Happy May Day from Camden Yards!

It's April 25, and the O's finished off a brief two-game sweep of Kansas City. But their nemeses, the mighty Rangers, are coming to town tomorrow. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-25-c...

It's April 22, 1996, and the O's losing streak hits five. What happened to that 11-2 team? Are they that good? Are they this bad? It's a long season. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-22-o...

It's April 17, 1996, and the O's needed a little magic after midnight to keep the good times rolling and send the Sox to their seventh straight loss. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-17-m...

It's April 15, 1996, and it's a day off for the O's. More time to do their taxes while everyone raves about how great it is to be 9-2 and in first place. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-15-t...

It's April 14, 1996, and Frankie Rodriguez shuts down the red-hot O's. Elsewhere, the Shark collapses at the Masters, and Israel is attacking Lebanon. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-14-u...

It's April 13, 1996, and Brady's walk-off blast means we have to update the Brady-O-Meter! ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-13-b...

It's April 13, 1996. Down five in the fifth? No big deal for these Birds. Brady walks of the Twins and reliever Pat Mahomes, whose 6-month-old son was probably sad about it. The O's are now 9-1. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-13-b...

It's April 12, 1996, and the O's keep rolling behind Mike Mussina's masterful complete game. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-12-m...

Also, with 6 more home runs today (4/11/1996), that means a remarkable 6 bricks turn orange on the seemingly insurmountable Bronx Wall of Dingers.

It's April 11, 1996, and Orioles outfielder Brady Anderson hit his first two home runs of the season. He has never had more than 21 in a season, but maybe this season he'll hit more. We're tracking his progress with the Brady-O-Meter. Watch his sideburns grow with every dinger!

It's April 11, 1996, and the O's tied a Camden Yards record with six homers, racking up 14 runs and delivering an emphatic statement that they are among the AL's best. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-11-b...

It's April 10, 1996, and the O's pass their first test. Deep into a frigid night in Baltimore, the Birds walked off the defending AL champs in extra innings. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-10-o...

It's April 9, 1996, and rain has washed out the O's game vs. Cleveland. More time to celebrate the 131st anniversary of the Confederates surrendering. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-9-ra...

It's April 8, 1996, and the O's have an off day as they head back home to host Carlos Baerga and mighty Cleveland. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-8-a-...

It's April 7, 1996, and on Easter, Mike Mussina has the O's back in the win column. After a series win in Minnesota, the Birds head back home for a well-earned off day tomorrow. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-7-mo...

B.J. Surhoff's blast today gets him his first brick in the wall. There's a long way to go, though.

It's April 6, 1996, and all good things... The Twins hand the O's their first loss of the season. In the loss, B.J. Surhoff hit a home run off of Twins reliever Pat Mahomes, who has a 6-month old son. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-6-ca...

It's April 4, 1996, and these O's are royal. A 5-run 8th leads to a season-opening sweep of Kansas City. Robbie Alomar is hitting .600 so far. Not bad. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-4-th...

The O's hit their first two homers of the season today (4/3/1996) so with that we're introducing a new feature: Breaking Down the Bronx Wall of Dingers. Can the '96 Birds actually hit more bombs than the Bombers? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-3-o-...

It's April 3, 1996, and the good vibes continue in Birdland. For only the fourth time since 1982, the O's are 2-0. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-3-o-...

It's April 2, 1996, and it may have been a day late, but the home opener went about as well as it could for the Birds. Is this the start of a 162-0 season??? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-2-le...

It's April 1, 1996, and it was supposed to be the O's home opener. But Mother Nature said "April Fools'!" and for the second time since the team moved to Baltimore in 1954, the opener was washed out. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/april-1-so...

It's March 31, 1996, and Opening Day is tomorrow! It's "playoffs or bust" in Baltimore, but who will be in the O's way this year? Let's take a look: ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-31-k...

It's March 28, 1996, and the O's let their starter give up 12(!) runs in a preseason game. Out in the bullpen, Armando Benitez is just 23 years old and has the stuff of a dominant closer. Can he bounce back from a disappointing '95 season? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-28-t...

It's March 27, 1996, and the brother of the Prodigal Son has returned to Baltimore. Billy Ripken has carved out nearly a decade-long career in the majors. After three years away, he's back in Birdland and looks like he'll make the team. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-27-b...

It's March 26, 1996, and it's still 6 days until Opening Day. Arthur Rhodes has yet to fill the promise contained in his powerful left arm. Starting hasn't worked out, but can he reinvent himself as a dominant reliever? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-26-a...

It's March 25, 1996, and the O's are looking to finalize their roster. Manny Alexander was once seen as the heir apparent to the Iron Man at short. That shine has worn off, but is there still enough talent here to dream on? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-25-a...

It's March 24, 1996, and it looks like the last spot in this year's rotation will fall to rookie Jimmy Haynes... for now. He impressed in a September call-up last year, but has struggled so far this spring. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-24-t...

It's March 23, 1996, and Rick Dempsey's nephew has a clear shot at the backup catcher role in Baltimore. Gregg Zaun used to hang upside down on the playground hoping to grow big enough to be a major leaguer. He's made it this far, and now he's hoping to stick. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-23-t...

It's March 22, 1996, and a veteran reliever has teamed up with some old buddies in the O's bullpen. You may recognize him from MTV's Rock n' Jock softball or a famous Seinfeld bit. At 35, he's looking for another ring a decade after he won his first. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-22-t...

It's March 21, 1996, and the O's have a new lefty starter filling out their rotation. Kent Mercker has a no-hitter and a World Series under his belt. He's been sick this spring, though. Will that limit his appetite for eating innings? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-21-t...

It's March 20, 1996, and Jeffrey Hammonds is back at O's camp. The former elite prospect is the favorite for the left field job. Will his body hold up enough to let him break out? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-20-p...

It's March 19, 1996, and a beloved former O is back with the team. In his year away, all he did was win NLCS MVP and a World Series. Nbd. But where will Devo fit in this year's outfield? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-19-d...

It's March 18, 1996, and Jesse Orosco is preparing for his 16th season in the majors after leading the AL in appearances a year ago. Now reunited with manager Davey Johnson, the two will try to win it all like they did in New York a decade ago. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-18-t...

It's March 17, 1996, and a versatile veteran -- and husband of a Maryland swimming legend -- is relearning third base for the O's. He was the top pick in one of baseball's greatest drafts. Is there still untapped power potential in his bat? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-17-b-j

It's March 16, 1996, and Baltimore's leadoff heartthrob is ready to set the table for a lineup of sluggers. If there's one thing you should know heading into 1996, it's that Brady Anderson has never hit more than 21 homers in a season. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-16-b...

It's March 15, 1996, and Bobby Bonilla is closely following March Madness after organizing a bracket pool in spring training. Once the highest paid player in the game, he is having fun offering veteran leadership in Baltimore. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-15-b...

It's March 14, 1996, and the most underrated Oriole is looking to "bounce back" from a "disaster" of a season that actually wasn't all that disastrous. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-14-t...

It's March 13, 1996, and the O's traded for Expos OF Tony Tarasco between games of a doubleheader. The 6-foot outfielder is roughly 2 ft shorter than the RF wall in Yankee Stadium, and he should be a reliable semi-regular this season. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-13-o...

It's March 12, 1996, and it's less than three weeks until Opening Day. Scott Erickson's career has been a rollercoaster to this point. But he's got a fresh start in Baltimore and the O's hope he can stabilize their rotation behind Moose and Boomer. ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-12-t...

It's March 11, 1996, and a key new cog in the O's rotation has a health scare in camp. Can the portly lefty rebound and stabilize a rotation on a team that is playoffs or bust this year? Also, will the new Baltimore football team be getting a name anytime soon? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-11-b...

It's March 10, 1996, and the Orioles heaviest hitter is back with a single-minded focus to be the best. Will this be the year he surpasses his old college teammate and decade-long rival? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-10-r...

It's March 9, 1996. The O's have a new closer. He wears camouflage and keeps a hunting knife in his locker. He's a proven winner in the postseason. Can he provide peace of mind at the end of games this season? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-9-ra...

It's March 9, 1996. The O's have a new closer. He wears camouflage and keeps a hunting knife in his locker. He's a proven winner in the postseason. Can he provide peace of mind at the end of games this season? ghostsof96.beehiiv.com/p/march-9-ra...