00:00Ryan Ripken is here to join us in studio taking over for Steve Molesky and you better get used
00:04to it folks because Rippin' It With Ryan is back for 2026, an expanded edition, not just
00:10Fridays new to two, Thursdays as well. Yeah, stop traffic Nolan, here we go and with me being back
00:16for this two-hour period means baseball's back and you heard Al be there, opening day, it's always
00:23electric, it's gonna be a fun six months, I'm hoping for a lot more W's like we saw yesterday
00:28Nolan, there will be some tough moments because it's a baseball season but I'm excited and this is
00:34the first time you and I get to have this little, I know, it's a little unusual, I mean I'm
00:40actually
00:40in a positive mood when it comes to the Orioles, very, very different, that was not the case last
00:46year, people that listen to the show know it well, not very fond of what happened with the Orioles
00:52last year, as were, I mean not really a hot take by any means, nobody liked what they saw but
00:57for
00:58yesterday, just being in the stadium, being around, there was a different energy and the
01:04way I looked at it is that this fan base wanted a reason to believe, right, they saw all the
01:08hype,
01:09they saw the Alonzo signing, they saw all the additions in the offseason, they said, you know
01:14what, this could be what we think it could be but we're hesitant to go there, you know,
01:19we don't want to assign like all these expectations we did with the Ravens for example and we saw what
01:23happened there, even the Orioles last year, things can crumble on you quickly but they wanted to buy
01:29in and for one day only, the team gave them a reason to. And opening day is special in Baltimore,
01:35it's special across all Major League Baseball and actually, I don't think this is a hot take,
01:40I think it's just a fact in my opinion, I think baseball is the only sport where opening day is
01:47more
01:48valuable than opening night. So like Netflix, the Yankees, Giants, it's a singular thing.
01:53Baseball opening day means something for every single fan base out there but in Baltimore,
01:59it is important because the Orioles have been that long-standing presence here for decades and
02:05this fan base, Nolan, they love the Orioles through thick and thin even though they might
02:11have some strong opinions and emotions when things haven't gone right and since they won the World
02:17Series in 1983, there's only been few instances where they've had success, meaning going to the
02:24postseason and then you get that tease the last few years, 2023 and 24 back-to-back appearances,
02:31then you have the setback in 25 and now people are excited but yeah, there's a cautious optimism
02:41to the group and I think a lot of people want to say this team should be contending for a
02:48World
02:48Series but because of what happened last year and only having 75 victories, you're a little bit
02:55worried but at least for the one day that you said and maybe you've seen if Trevor Rogers is going
03:01to be the real deal, he looked pretty darn good yesterday. There is a lot to like here and I
03:06think
03:06I truly do believe, Nolan, that this is going to be a very exciting year for Birdland.
03:15410-583-1057. If you've got thoughts on yesterday's win, get in here. We want to hear from you. If
03:21you've
03:21got a question for Ryan, we've got him for the next two hours. Do not be shy. Get on in
03:25here. We will
03:26make time for you. Plenty of Orioles talk coming your way but just for yesterday's game, what was your
03:32big takeaway from that win? Because just me and Steve talking about it the last couple hours, we
03:36went a whole bunch of different directions where I think what I like the most is that it was some
03:45of
03:45the lesser expected guys contributing. You know, it wasn't Pete Alonzo going three for four with two
03:51homers yesterday. It wasn't Gunnar setting an MVP pace out the gate. It was Blaze Alexander with a timely
03:57at-bat. It was Colton Couser just doing what's asked of him in that individual moment with the
04:02sack fly. It was Kobe Mayo showing up on defense. It was stuff like that. That kind of added to
04:08the
04:08excitement. Whereas, look, I would have been thrilled if Alonzo got up there, did the curtain
04:12call, waved to the crowd, and then immediately hit the warehouse. I mean, we'd all love that. But
04:18it's going to have to be a full team effort this year. And I think yesterday was case in point
04:22of that.
04:22And this is the main phrase for me, for the Orioles this year. You have to win by any means
04:30necessary. And a two-to-one pitcher's duel where you're scratching and clawing. Trevor Rogers is
04:36shutting down the Twins. Joe Ryan is in control. One or two runs might get the job done. And it
04:43did.
04:43And you mentioned about doing the little things. How about this for the little things? You get the
04:49guy on base. You get Sammy Basayo on. Then you get a base hit up the middle. How about Sammy
04:54Basayo
04:55going first to third on a ball right in front of Byron Buxton? Right? It's taking the extra base
04:59to give Colton Couser then the opportunity. Can Colton cash in? Well, yes, he did. And then
05:05Blaise Alexander with an opportunity, not trying to do too much, get the bat on the ball, pull your hands
05:12in, get a base hit up the middle. And that got the job done. It wasn't a three-run home
05:17run. It wasn't
05:18this barrage of five runs in an inning. It was an instance of just getting on for the next guy
05:25and getting the job done. That's what you need to do. That's something last year, Nolan, that the
05:30Orioles didn't do enough of. It felt like if there was a three-game series in 2025, usually the opposing
05:38team, they might have taken it to the Birds in one of those games where it was uncompetitive,
05:42the Orioles fell behind, and they couldn't get back into it. Then maybe the second game,
05:46the Orioles took. Maybe they were right there and even the series. And in that third game,
05:51it came down to those moments where it could be in the eighth inning, seventh inning, fifth,
05:57you name it, where each team had their shot to make a play happen. And usually it wasn't the
06:03Orioles. It was the opposing team. Yesterday it was. More of that, Nolan, that recipe is going to help
06:10that team in the long term because the big bats will come alive and there will be a lot of
06:14home runs.
06:16But honestly, to me, that was a great win I like to see to start the season.
06:19Got the close in the end. I mean, that's another thing on opening day. I'll speak personally. I
06:24always kind of like that. You know, win by any means necessary on opening day. I don't care. If
06:29they won 10-0 yesterday, that's great. But I like that first opportunity right out the gate for your
06:34closer. A true save situation. And boy, you want to talk about gassed up. Helsley, triple digits.
06:39I mean, he can hit that pretty routinely. Fastball is usually around 99. I think there was a little
06:45something extra yesterday with the crowd and a little extra adrenaline. I'm telling everyone
06:50right now, and when the Orioles signed Helsley, and I got a chance to talk to Ryan Helsley earlier
06:55this offseason and his excitement to be given the ball in the ninth to close out a game, he relishes
07:02it.
07:02And he relishes this chance because also, on a value standpoint, he could be the best closer, and you
07:08didn't pay the top money to get him. Not saying he's going to do that, but you saw yesterday of
07:14why he
07:14can be good and why he can be dominant. You have a fastball that hits triple digits. You have a
07:19wipeout
07:20slider that can finish off a game, which was the final pitch, I believe. But guess what? He also mixed
07:25in
07:26that nasty splitter that he just started throwing in spring training to then complement his fastball
07:32and his slider as well. So when you look at this, Nolan, and Ryan Helsley getting that chance,
07:38and you're able to get that out of the way too, also for Ryan, it's a way, in the back
07:44of his mind,
07:45he knows he's good. But how the year ended last year, it's a bad taste in your mouth. You want
07:49to
07:50rewrite it, and also you want to get that confidence of, I'm back to who I am. Nothing better than
07:55game
07:55one, game on the line, and you get the job done. One of my bold predictions for the season is
08:00that he
08:01would lead the American League in saves. Off to a pretty good start after yesterday.
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