John Eisenberg
@johneisenberg.bsky.social
Author. Sportswriter. Baltimore. Ravens and Orioles. Check out my latest at birdtapes.substack.com.
The First Francona #Orioles
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. As the Orioles’ spring training season unfolded in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1956, a little-known newcomer sought a roster spot. John Patsy Francona, a 22-year-old outfielder/first […]
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He Writes Songs About The Birds #Orioles
He Writes Songs About The Birds
Growing up in Baltimore, Barry Feldman dreamed of pitching for the Orioles. He had to settle for writing songs about them. It’s a good thing because he wrote some gems. When Barry Feldman was growing up in Baltimore in the 1960s, he had two passions. One was music — playing the guitar, singing and performing. […]
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Bird Tapes Mini-Pod: What I Wrote On Deadline About The Jeffrey Maier Incident
Introducing a new Bird Tapes content series, available to all subscribers, in which I read the column I wrote for the Baltimore Sun about a famous moment in Oriole history.
birdtapes.substack.com
Classic Orioles Card: Woodie Held, 1966 #Orioles
Classic Orioles Card: Woodie Held, 1966
He had played in more than 1,300 major league games and slugged nearly 200 home runs by the time he joined the Orioles in 1966. You would think Topps could get his name right. Among the 34 guys who played for the Orioles during their magical 1966 season, Woodie Held carried one of the lightest […]
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Listen: A Vintage Interview with Dennis Martinez #Orioles
Listen: A Vintage Interview with Dennis Martinez
(Note: I interviewed Dennis in 1999 over lunch at a restaurant in Miami. The place was crowded and there was a lot of competing noise. I’m making our conversation available to all Bird Tapes subscribers, both free and paid, with the up-front understanding that it isn’t always easy to understand Dennis. I originally recorded him […]
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Lost Voices: Al Kubski #Orioles
Lost Voices: Al Kubski
(One in a series of articles highlighting former Oriole players, managers and front office employees whom I interviewed for my oral history more than a quarter-century ago, but only on the phone, depriving me of a recording I could play now as a Bird Tapes interview.) By the time he became an Orioles scout under […]
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The Short Fielder’s DNA #Orioles
The Short Fielder’s DNA
In the first part of a personal essay about baseball, I chronicle the game’s enduring presence in my family, going back nearly a century. (Note from John Eisenberg: I’ve been fortunate to travel on two different rails as a writer, publishing 11 nonfiction books, each of which took years to complete, but also thousands of […]
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In addition to being Jackie Robinson Day April 15th also marks the anniversary of the Baltimore Orioles’ very first Opening Day in 1954—when big league baseball made its highly anticipated return to Baltimore!
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the latest Povich Center project: An Oral History of the creation of iconic Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Downtown Baltimore which opened April 6, 1992. Publication date: 2026 @povichcenter.bsky.social (Thank you, @cnsmd.bsky.social #EmelyMirandaAguilar)
There Were Birds in Yuma #Orioles
There Were Birds in Yuma
As the Orioles plow through spring training in Sarasota, it’s startling to look back at what they endured 72 years ago in their inaugural spring season, which took place a long way from Baltimore. The Orioles had no say in the location of their inaugural spring training camp. Before Bill Veeck sold the St. Louis […]
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Am reading "From 33rd Street to Camden Yards," the O's oral history by @johneisenberg.bsky.social and it is great One thing that really comes through - from Robin Roberts & Jim Palmer, George Kell & Brooks, Lee May & Eddie - was the commitment to pairing young future stars with old pro mentors
🚨NEW EP: TERRELL SUGGS🚨 POF welcomes @johneisenberg.bsky.social to discuss the career and HOF candidacy of Terrell Suggs. We cover: 🏈 2011 NFL AP DPOY Season 🏈 Suggs vs. Ben Roethlisberger 👑 Tackles For Loss King 🏈 Top OLBs of 21st Century open.spotify.com/episode/4rsj...
Terrell Suggs with John Eisenberg
open.spotify.com
If a receiver can catch a pass in the end zone and take three steps while in possession of the ball and the TD is overturned, the rule has been way overthought.
Soccer is a global sport. Its center of gravity is arguably the UK and the Premier League. Join the Povich Center in January 2026 as we explore the expanding role of Americans in the sport in the UK and around the world in the run up to World Cup ‘26. Apply here: myea.umd.edu/index.cfm?Fu...
American Soccer Abroad - Promo
YouTube video by Nathaniel Scott Stevens
m.youtube.com
Beyond delighted to see Baltimore Magazine praise my work on the Bird Tapes, my Orioles history project on Substack, in the 2025 “Best of Baltimore” issue.
New Bird Tapes post: In Part 2 of a classic interview, Bobby Grich, 76, dives into what it was like to play for Earl Weaver (spoiler: not easy) and other topics such as whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame - a longshot notion that has recently gained steam. birdtapes.substack.com/p/bird-tapes...
Bird Tapes Podcast: "He Wouldn't Even Say 'Welcome to the F**king Team.'"
Among the many subjects and stories he recounts In Part 2 of his classic interview, Orioles Hall of Famer Bobby Grich chronicles the testy start of his relationship with Earl Weaver.
birdtapes.substack.com
I interviewed Mike Mussina, a future Hall of Fame enshrinee, countless times when he was the Orioles’ ace in the ‘90s. My latest post at the Bird Tapes recalls the events that led me to ask him a question I knew was utterly ridiculous. birdtapes.substack.com/p/the-time-i...
The Time I Asked Mike Mussina a Really Dumb Question
A protective screen on the field? During games? One of my newspaper readers was so convinced it should happen that I lost my mind and asked a future Hall of Famer if it made sense.
birdtapes.substack.com
ICYMI: My latest post at the Bird Tapes recalls a managerial hiring the Orioles botched in the early ‘60s. “The inmates were running the asylum,” one player told me years later. birdtapes.substack.com/p/classic-ca...
Classic Card: Billy Hitchcock, 1967
His brief shot at managing the Orioles was a disaster, but even that couldn't turn the courtly Southerner's smile into a frown.
birdtapes.substack.com
New at the Bird Tapes: Part 1 of my recent interview with Jon Miller, the legendary broadcaster who ruled in Baltimore in the ‘80s and ‘90s. He discusses Earl, Eddie, Cal, EBW, 0-21, Jeffrey Maier, his departure for SF and much more. It's a riveting history lesson. open.substack.com/pub/birdtape...
Bird Tapes 2025: An Interview with Jon Miller (Part 1)
In our recent interview, the legendary broadcaster spoke at length, and with keen insight, on Earl, Eddie, Cal, EBW, 0-21, Jeffrey Maier, the importance of Camden Yards and, yes, his departure.
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My latest at the Bird Tapes: Remembering the Orioles' Paul Bunyan, a gigantic farm boy from Wisconsin whose one-of-a-kind persona and antics were more memorable than his pitching. open.substack.com/pub/birdtape...
Classic Card: Gene Brabender, 1968
A mammoth pitcher, he posted solid numbers for the Orioles over three seasons in the 1960s. But his larger-than-life persona and one-of-a-kind antics were more memorable than his pitching.
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New at the Bird Tapes: My conversation with Fred Lynn, a nine-time All-Star who is recalled as a Red Sox star but also played for the Orioles from 1985-88. He signed with them because he wanted to play behind their stellar pitching. But his timing was unfortunate. open.substack.com/pub/birdtape...
Bird Tapes 2025: An interview with Fred Lynn
A nine-time All-Star, he battled the Earl Weaver-era Orioles for a decade before joining them with the idea of playing behind their stellar pitching. But his timing was unfortunate.
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New at the Bird Tapes: A kid once wrote to Moe Drabowsky that “baseball needs more nuts like you.” Indeed. The one-and-only Moe is remembered today as the game's greatest-ever practical joker, but he was also a World Series hero for the Orioles. open.substack.com/pub/birdtape...
Spirit of '66: Moe Drabowsky
Born in Poland, he was a World Series star and perhaps baseball's greatest-ever prankster. The post includes my narration of a feature article I wrote about him after I interviewed him years ago.
open.substack.com
(2) How the Oriole Way continues to shape baseball, check out my biography of Harry Dalton, @jmjournalist.bsky.social best selling bio of the Earl of Baltimore, and subscribe to the Bird Tapes on Substack. #Birdland www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-La...
@johneisenberg.bsky.social has a great interview up on the Bird Tapes with former #Orioles GM and Dalton Gang member and my friend Dan Duquette. Dan has a great sense of the Orioles history and a wonderful understanding of the modern game. If you want more on Dalton, Earl Weaver, and (1)
As a new baseball season nears, a new season of the Bird Tapes begins! In Year 2 of my Orioles history project, I’ll post new interviews with legendary former players, broadcasters and beat writers, and continue to explore the club’s history. Check it out! birdtapes.substack.com/p/introducin...
Introducing Bird Tapes 2025
In Year Two of my one-of-a-kind exploration of Orioles history, I'll post new interviews with legendary players, broadcasters and beat writers. And I'll continue to find new angles to write about.
birdtapes.substack.com
Probably only one day in my life when I wake up to a rave review of my book in the New York Times and that day is today. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/b...
Book Review: “The Last Manager,” by John W. Miller
The famous Baltimore Orioles manager gets a vivid new biography, the book equivalent of “a screaming triple into the left field corner.”
nytimes.com
