More Than a Player: Getting an Inside Look at the Orioles
After a four-season hiatus, MLB’s Players’ Weekend is back in full force, giving players the opportunity to show who they are off the field. Lucky for Baltimore fans, the O’s content team has used their Vibe Check and The Chill video series to give fans a behind-the-scenes look at O’s players in a different way. Vibe Check follows players as they partake in their hobbies outside of baseball, allowing Birdland to see what they enjoy doing off the field. The Chill gives fans the opportunity to be a fly on the wall in players’ conversations as they share fun facts about themselves and an inside look at the team chemistry that is so special to these Orioles.
Fishing with the Ace
If the sole thing you knew about Corbin Burnes before he joined the Orioles was that he was a former Cy Young winner, you might be surprised to find that the Orioles ace loves fishing.
A native of Bakersfield, Calif., Burnes grew up in the Central Valley, known for its wide variety of farming and agriculture; the closest beach is approximately 150 miles west. Like Burnes’ hometown, both have more to them than you might imagine. He is laid-back and a family man at heart. When he isn’t on the baseball field, Burnes spends as much time as he can with his wife, Brooke, their two-year-old son, Carter, and their one-month-old twin girls, Charlotte and Harper. In this episode of Vibe Check, fans learn that Brooke, too, knows a thing about Maryland culture: she loves crabs. Hopefully, Burnes will join Vibe Check in the future to share if he found a fishing spot in Baltimore and, more importantly, a good crab spot.
New York’s LEGO Adventure
Everyone knows of the annual LEGO building competition between Colton Cowser and Gunnar Henderson, so it should surprise no one that they spent their off day in New York City on an adventure to the LEGO Store. To mix things up, the duo presented each other with a new challenge. Instead of racing to see who could complete a LEGO set first, they asked each other to buy LEGO sets they believed best suited the other person. Lucky for fans, Cowser’s and Henderson’s purchases told us more about the impressive young players. Did you ever wonder why Henderson tips his cap when rounding second base after a home run? Cowser answered that for us. The Orioles’ left fielder unveiled his first buy, a custom LEGO minifigure of ‘Captain Gunnar Henderson’. The minifigure represented Henderson’s reference-wave when he hits a homerun to Captain Jack Sparrow’s pirate wave from Pirates of the Caribbean. Henderson’s first purchase for Cowser was a LEGO “Polaroid OneStep,” a representation of Cowser’s love for photography. The purchases also showcased their humor and proved the playfulness fans see on the field is just as prevalent off it, especially when Henderson revealed his interpretation of Cowser’s LEGO minifigure lookalike: a LEGO ‘Dobby the House Elf from Harry Potter.’
Debuting in Sarasota: The Chill
When fans see Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle on the field, it’s not uncommon for some to think they are serious all the time. However, if you throw in Colton Cowser, a microphone, and a few lawn chairs, the duo is quick to show off the more lighthearted side of their personalities.
We learn an array of things about this trio, like what states they would eliminate, how they would describe baseball to an alien, if Cowser and Mountcastle are telepathically connected, and Mounty and Westburg’s identical perfect date scenarios. Cowser and Westburg teach fans more about Mountcastle when they discuss what a typical Saturday would look like for him in college. Spoiler alert: it included a lot of hot dogs, or “glizzys,” as Mountcastle would call them.
Spring Training Trio Tells-All
If you’ve ever wanted to listen to a conversation involving one of the Orioles Spring Training houses, now is your chance. Henderson and Rutschman reveal they could also go pro in impressions. The duo is joined by Colton Cowser, who invites the trio to reveal a more sentimental side of their personality.
When discussing their first purchases after being drafted, Cowser shared that he used his signing bonus to pay off his parents’ house. Later in the episode, Henderson asks Rutschman and Cowser why they decided to go to college to play baseball. Both were honest, sharing that neither of them thought they were talented or ready enough to play Major League Baseball. The trio’s natural humor quickly returns when it comes time to make their starter Pokémon picks. For those dying to know, Henderson chose Charmander, Rutschman chose Pichu, and Cowser chose Squirtle—do with that what you will.
O’s Dads Share their Wisdom
The third episode of The Chill was all about the dads of the team, literally and figuratively. Craig Kimbrel, James McCann, Danny Coulombe, and Corbin Burnes gave fans a glimpse at what their lives look like off the field and how it has changed since having children.
The group shares some of their funniest and most embarrassing stories since becoming a dad and how their kids taught them to laugh in awkward moments, even if it was at themselves. They then discuss how becoming a dad has impacted how they are in the clubhouse.
Burnes confessed he would “pull his hair out” if he had to chase Colton Cowser around, but each are happy to be a guy the young players turn to when they need help. The job is perfect for their personalities, and this episode of The Chill reminds us that there is more to life than baseball, and that the most important moments happen off the field.