AdamK

Agree. The "optics" aren't great. Especially since the camera is right there,

Not offended here, but I'm hoping they figure something else out. Between this and the gas can promo, they seem to be treading in litigious waters normally navigated around by the lawyers. Both seem to dangle irresponsible behavior out in front of a population big enough to have some interpret it in a way that leads to something unfortunate. When did I get so old? Feels like I am on the same slippery slope that leads to penalizing touchdown celebrations.

Maybe it's just me being a dad with kids on the younger side of childhood who has become accustomed to seeing potential dangers in the world and attempts to steer around those opportunities for accidents, or maybe I have worked for The Man for too long, but seeing the gas can promo combined with the "dong bong" (aka homerun funnel) last night - I couldn't help but think to myself... WTFudge is happening over there? Seems like neither wouldn't be "approved by corporate" in this day and age due to the potential for liability or bad PR. Don't get me wrong, I think its fun, but they both stand out as less than the safe play. Feels like stuff that would happen in the late 80s, like how movies rated PG would be rated R in this day and age. The last time I had this feeling was the Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez... I remember looking around the room at all the kids watching, and thinking to myself how much less gratuitous the Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction was.

Upon second glance though, look at the shirt to the left of the bright white and colorful stuff... Is that new or no (I am just out of market)? Are those roses? The Jerseys are also not the same white as we see today. Could there be a connection to "Three Red Roses & a Bottle of Cognac" at Poe's grave (I can count three across the two photos)? Or perhaps it is more about "The Baltimore Rose: The Reality, Resistance, and Re-emergence of Baltimore"? Edit: Seems the roses are part of a sweatshirt too:

Wait a sec... If City Connect is MLB's ways of grabbing share of wallet among younger fans they went way too young. This young of a crowd still relies on my wallet! This feels has fro yo, confetti cake, baby's first clown rental party vibes. Guess I was hoping for more... practically anything else. The older I get, the more I realize: wanting -- of any kind -- is the root of all suffering.

It's a way for a league that is perhaps too rigid and slow with change to create a new marketing angle appealing to a younger demographic who has money to spend on merchandise and may perceive the league as too stuffy. Not to seem too cynical or anything. You may like this: https://uni-watch.com/2022/09/17/how-does-gen-z-feel-about-city-connect-uniforms/

I agree. If the Os get the same treatment the Braves did, could be good. The site for them is pretty slick. No clue how the socks will translate to the rest like how we had clues with 715. All I can think about is what I don't hope to see.

The Braves have a pretty slick site ready regarding the details of their City Connect: https://www.mlb.com/braves/fans/city-connect As far as when dem O's will sport theirs...according to Uni-Watch:

Chess games have timed moves that increase in time as the game has a certain number of moves. I suppose having the clock increase to 30 secs after 7th inning could help. I haven't watched a broadcast yet to have an opinion but I do wonder how color commentary may be minimized in the spaces between. Then again, that will evolve too as fan bases try to get younger -- might be just enough time for a stat/data visualization snippets than an anecdote about how many beers Wade Boggs can drink. On second thought, data visualization for Wade Beers would be fun too.

Recommendation to those who geek out on uniforms: Uni-watch.com is a great website for those interested in the minutia, history, custom fan-art, general updates and leaks revolving around what teams are doing. It is equal parts fun and factual. And when I say minutia, that is not hyperbole: Orioles Finally Fix Glitch on Phenom’s Jersey Old Paperwork Reveals Trove of Uni Details About 1978 Orioles Like last year, they will be keeping track of city connect again and have multiple posts on the subject already this year. Back in Sept they posted How Does Gen-Z Feel About City Connect Uniforms? where Phil explains why the initiative exists to go along with some fun Red Sox hate. Definitely worth adding to your weekly traipse around the internet. I've even purchased some retro O's stirrups to brandish at games. It's fun.

Paraphrasing Adley's words from 2019 interview with Harold Reynolds: "Completely different swings... ...Right side: a little shorter to contact and easy to stay on the ball to right field, swing is a little flatter... ...Left side: better in the hip, more shallow in stance, lower hands. Think swing is more elevated to the ball" https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=579701535886551

Hopefully that's the end of it, but I was worried. Perhaps if CWS were up by enough they'd have done something but the game being close with them behind didn't seem like the right script for it to occurr.

It was the first thing that crossed my mind when it happened. If not the team, was worried Mateo had is mojo stolen. Seemed even after Hays' homer the dugout was somber. Between the Mateo double play lightning bolt and Head's inability to get out of the 8th the team seemed to be far less light together.

Seconded

Maybe one day in the future I'll look back at my anti-gambling stance, shake my head and wonder how I could be so shortsighted. But I bet I don't.

Yeah I agree! That seems like a natural great fit for the moment. Plus it's exciting instead of creepy/unsettling.

It's fun and one more contemporary change marking the team's relevance, but something's about the quiet nature of the whistle along with the fast/big lights doesn't go together.Once the crowds grow the fan noise will drown out the whistle. Would be cooler to me if the lights stayed darker and built more slowly while Bautista made his way closer to the mound only to reveal him there at full illumination. More scary to me that way. I like the matador trumpets I've seen video of. Maybe the Mets?

Around this time of year I start looking *unscientifically* at the regulars in the line-up and consider whether they might be "hot" or "not". How many are hot/not? Can the hot ones carry the team while those who aren't languish? What's trending and when might things turn around. Thermal dynamics in the least scientific way possible. Ramon is (hopefully) in the process of clawing out of a bad slump since his scorching hot July. I suppose in the grand scheme of things it hasn't been that long of a cold spell (2+ weeks) but we've sure missed his bat lately. In July our offense seemed to be carried by Urias, Santander and Adley while Hays and Mountcastle went cold and a July performance like Ramon had from elsewhere (Vavra? Mateo?) needs to materialize in order to go on long sustained win streaks. His last week of games is trending in the right direction but you can see in his at bats he's still not where he was or what his baseline suggests. Let's get you right, Ramon, against a team you've had success against this season! Want to see some precision airstrikes at the Trop.

It's so nice to be able to make calculated risk/strategic moves like this. Their missing offense could* be replaced and the defense could* be upgraded because of the pipeline. (*Could* the operative word and the calculated risk part) Grow the bats, grow more bats, grow more bats... trade for (very) young arms, I guess.

Will be very interested to see how this group of players and coaches handle being on the precipice of such a psychological summit. Will they tighten up? Will they keep having fun? Will we still see precision air strikes and waving to the bullpen on the jog around second? I suspect we're going to see playoff baseball management tonight from Hyde if the game can be played. Then again... lots of baseball to be played so maybe it's a ho-hum kind of approach because they're professionals who've been playing in spots like this before -- even though many haven't done it yet in the pros or with this Baltimore team.

There's still a lot of baseball left to be played this season, and Os are managing to win more often than not recently... which is all preamble/disclaimer to get out of the way before this next comment... ...But... With the clubhouse no doubt aware of the tie with Rays prior to first pitch, I am looking forward to seeing if they're playing loose tonight knowing a win will get them to a big pyschological summit. With the ability to say "we're officially in the hunt" so so close with a win tonight I hope we don't suddenly see these young guys playing outside of themselves and trying to do too much. More learning oppoertunities for this young core, more teaching opportunities for the veterans/for Hyde. I like the pretext to tonights game. This is going to feel more like playoff baseball perhaps than other games, and strategically Hyde may give us some hints at how he'd handle things (a pen that has been used a lot already and some late inning defensive replacements/batting matchups). Good luck guys. Jeep it going.

True. He did last night and does contribute to those many nights. And yet, I find it hard to beleive since he seems to struggle on his own put outs to first making the transfer from his glove to throwing hand cleanly. Almost as if the ball spins inside his glove hand making it hard to have clean throws/efficient throwing motions when hit directly to him (as oppoes to fed to him during the turn 2).

I was going to post the below... I watched the game and have read the comments/seen the highlights, and -- for the record -- I counted three plays (not two) where Odor didn't help things. Maybe I am being too critical, but these are the plays where my brow furrows: Bottom 4th: Poor baserunning trying to get to 3rd. (Os did score 1 this inning but...) Top 6th: Error credited to Odor on relay throw home (from Santander) that was well off the mark - great chance for out at the plate Top 9th: Error credited to Odor on airmail over Mountcastle, allowing the runner to advance to second with only 1 out ...but, gall-darn it, it was worth it all to hear honest comments from Ben and Kevin in the later innings about how he's dangling by a thread but comes through with the bat just enough.

Can we keep him, Pa? Seriously though, he has a command of the game yet there is an affable, easy/casual style that -- while the Os are winning -- increases a smile on my face when listening. His youthfulness hopefully means he can be the voice of dem Os for a long long time. In recent memory, the present day option of Brown and McDonald are at least as good as Thorne and Palmer were at their peak together. Different, sure, but augmenting the game in very positive ways for the fan at home.