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The Bird Tapes

John Eisenberg presents historic Baltimore baseball interviews. And some other stuff.

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Bird Tapes Podcast: Richie Bancells Chronicles His Four Decades With The Orioles

Few people, if any, have worked for the club longer. In a revealing interview, he recalls Cal Ripken’s inquisitiveness, Eric Davis' cancer, the legendary trainers who preceded him and much more.

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Classic Card: Billy Ripken, 1989

He admitted years later that he wrote the expletive on the knob. But he forgot it was there when he posed for a baseball card photographer before a game at Fenway Park.

Bird Tapes Podcast: A Classic Interview with Dick Hall

It took him years to find his path in professional baseball, but once he did, he used astoundingly good control to become an elite relief pitcher on winning Baltimore clubs.

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Bird Tapes Photo Album: Baltimore's Blonde Broomgirl

In the years when games at Memorial Stadium felt like a family affair, a Baltimore police lieutenant's daughter became everyone's kid sister. A classic photo evokes the era.

Bird Tapes Podcast: A New Conversation With Fred Manfra

In an episode available to all subscribers, the retired broadcaster chronicles his journey from a blue-collar Baltimore childhood to his quarter-century as ‘Voice of the Orioles.’

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The Legend of All Legends (From the Archive)

So many of Steve Dalkowski’s former teammates told wild tales about him that I devoted an entire chapter to him in my Orioles history book even though he never played for the Orioles.

Bird Tapes Podcast: An Interview With Billy Hunter

Before he was a coach for 14 years under Hank Bauer and Earl Weaver, he was the Orioles' first shortstop. He recalls the Birds' first season in Baltimore, when they lost 100 games and no one cared.

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The Origin of 'Cardboard to Leather'

A poignant photo accompanying my 1991 article about baseball in the Dominican Republic was the inspiration behind an equipment donation campaign that endures to this day.

Throwback to 1991: Orioles in the Dominican Republic

I went there to write about the Orioles' scouting efforts. It was an unforgettable trip. This post includes an audiobook-style reading of my award-winning article, available to all subscribers.

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The Rise And Fall Of Sammy Stewart

He was a pitching stalwart on terrific Oriole teams before a drug habit shattered his life. Click the play button to hear me read a 2006 article I wrote about his fall. Available to all subscribers.

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Bird Tapes Podcast: A New Interview With Billy Ripken

It's not right to recall him strictly as the Ironman's younger brother. He played 12 seasons in the major leagues. He was part of 577 double plays. That's a lot.

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The First Francona

When a non-roster invitee to spring training started in centerfield for the Orioles on Opening Day in 1956, it was the beginning of one of baseball's most enduring family dynasties.

Bird Tapes Podcast: A Conversation With Peter Angelos

He wasn't going to talk to me for my book on Orioles history. Then he changed his mind and we spoke for two hours. Here's a rare chance to hear the late owner's version of a tumultuous time.

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Celebrate The Fourth With Brooks

In honor of the holiday, I'm unlocking nearly an hour of my classic vintage interview with Brooks Robinson and making it available to all subscribers.

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Bird Tapes Podcast: An Interview With Rick Vaughn (Part 2)

In Part 2 of a revealing interview, the media relations executive recalls his tumultuous decade with the Orioles, when everything kept changing -- the owner, the ballpark, the manager, you name it.

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Birth of the Oriole Bird (From The Archive)

Dick Armstrong, an innovative young publicist, and Jim Hartzell, a newspaper cartoonist, were the key figures in introducing an image for the Orioles that still resonates seven decades later.

Bird Tapes Podcast: A New Interview With Chris Hoiles (Part 2)

In the second half of a recent conversation, the rugged catcher from the early years of Camden Yards recalls his role on some of the most talented teams the Orioles have ever assembled.

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What Happened To Merv Rettenmund?

Ask the question one way and the answer is easy. But ask it another way and a mystery crystallizes.

Bird Tapes Podcast: A New Interview With Chris Hoiles (Part 1)

Now 61, the Orioles' signature catcher from the '90s reflects on a career that was better than you think.

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A Father's Day Sale and a DVR Alert!

New annual subscriptions to the Bird Tapes will be discounted all week. And a terrific documentary about the building of Camden Yards is showing on MASN this month.

My Stuff: Pre-Internet Research Tools

When I wrote a book on Orioles history more than a quarter-century ago, I couldn't summon information with just a couple of clicks. Believe it or not, I managed.