Jerry Coleman: Oriole All-Stars
It has been another successful first half of the season for the Birds of Baltimore as they have proven multiple times on national television that the team is here to stay and last year was no fluke. This season, the O's will have four players that will represent them at Citi Field in NY, for the 2013 All-Star game. Three of which are starters in Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy, and Adam Jones. Manny Machado was added as a reserve.
This will mark the second time since 2005 that the O's will have more than one representative in the "mid-summer" classic. In 2005, the Birds had four All-stars on the American League roster they were Brian Roberts, Miguel Tejada, B. J. Ryan and Melvin Mora. The last time was just this past season when Wieters, Jones and Johnson went to the ASG. Both of seasons that they had multiple players on the All-star team, the O's have had a winning record. Good karma to say the least. Davis said, "I think what we did last year toward the end of the season really kind of opened people's eyes to the fact that there's some good baseball being played in Baltimore. And the fact that we have a number of guys going to the All-star Game again this year just shows that we're doing something right."
These selections are unbelievably talented with Davis who has a league leading 33 home runs, Hardy who has only made seven errors and Jones with his clutch catches in center and appearances at the plate. Then there is Machado, who just celebrated his 21 birthday on Saturday. These players are well deserving of making the All-star game. Machado has been very successful early in his Major League career. He said, "It's crazy what I've been through my first year in Major League Baseball. Making the playoffs last year, just having two months in the league, and obviously, now, making the All-star team and having such good success right now."
The All Star Game will bring back the spark of Orioles baseball from the 60's, 70's and 80's. When the teams were constantly great and filled with players who were well respected. It is always an honor to play in a game such as this one. Friends, family and the nation watches, as the best athletes in baseball play on the biggest stage of the summer. With Baltimore right in the thick of it.
