Brian Burres, 2007 Upper Deck #3

Happy 39th birthday to Brian Burres, the second-best lefty pitcher to ever appear on an Erik Bedard card. Brian last appeared in the majors with the Pirates in 2011, but he didn't throw his last pitch in pro ball until 2016. Unbeknownst to me (at least until I rung it up at Baseball Reference just now), Burres plied his trade for three seasons with the Atlantic League's Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. In 63 games (59 starts), he had a 22-20 record with a 3.34 ERA. His 1.35 WHIP was a bit less impressive, but he allowed only 21 home runs in 339.1 innings. It's just another reminder that even the major leaguers with the least remarkable resumes are still great athletes.

Erik Bedard, 2007 Upper Deck #60

As promised, I watched nearly all of last night's surprising 8-2 Astros win over the Rangers. It didn't really have my undivided attention, but that's the beauty of baseball. I will watch many of my Orioles' 162 regular-season games intently, taking a moment to fret over the bad plays or to celebrate the good ones, but there will be plenty of Rangers-Astros or Tigers-Yankees or Phillies-Braves games that provide a soothing and familiar backdrop to my daily activities. Baseball is a ubiquitous part of my life for the next sixth months...seven, including the postseason.

Anyway, it looked like things would unravel for the underdog Houston team in the sixth inning last night. Starter Bud Norris was clearly running out of gas, and a pair of two-out RBI singles cut the Astros' lead in half. Suddenly a familiar face was summoned from the bullpen to put out the fire. Erik Bedard, the putative fifth starter for the 'Stros, got the call with the tying runs on base and lefty-swinging catcher A. J. Pierzynski due up. Bedard induced a fly out to center field on his second pitch, and the Rangers' rally was squelched. Rather than turn the game into a LaRussa-esque bullpen relay race, Houston manager Bo Porter stayed with the hot hand. Bedard was allowed to pitch the seventh inning...and the eighth...and the ninth. He was near-perfect, retiring 10 of the 11 batters he faced an allowing only a one-out, ninth-inning single to Nelson Cruz. Though the home team added four insurance runs in the late innings, Erik earned his first career save the old-fashioned way. Coming off of a pretty miserable 2012 season with the Pirates, maybe the Canadian lefty has found a new role. It's something to consider if he falters in the rotation again.

Daniel Cabrera, 2007 Upper Deck #63

In case you'd been wondering just where Daniel Cabrera has been hiding since he washed out of the major leagues in 2009, um...Manny Ramirez found him last night.

The now-40-year-old slugger made his Dominican Winter League season debut last night for Aguilas Cibaenas and went deep on the first pitch he saw from the 31-year-old Cabrera, a 91-mph meatball. That's a sellout crowd roaring for Manny's power display. The implication in this Big League Stew blog post is that the ex-Red Sox great is the one who put butts in the seats, but it's worth noting that his teammates include Bartolo Colon, our old friend Miguel Tejada, and one-time Marlins Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan. All that plus Daniel Cabrera on the mound for the opposition! If that's not enough to pack the stands, I don't know what is.

Freddie Bynum, 2007 Upper Deck #566

I love it when minor league veterans and forgotten major leaguers make contributions to the Orioles. One of the newest members of the 2012 O's is a real doozy in that regard. Lew Ford started his third consecutive game in left field last night, doubling and scoring a run. What's the big deal? Lew is a few weeks shy of his 36th birthday, and that double was his first major league hit since September 21, 2007. That's 1,774 days between hits for the former Twins fan favorite, who peaked with a .299/.381/.446 line, 15 homers, and 20 steals in 2004. In the five years in between, Lew played in Japan and Mexico, and for the Long Island Ducks. The Birds snapped him up earlier this season for organizational depth, and he responded by hitting .331/.390/.550 in 62 games at AAA Norfolk to earn a promotion back to the bigs.

To offer a little perspective on how long it's been since 2007: I hadn't started this blog yet. Three players from the '07 Orioles are still with the team: Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts, and Jim Johnson. Take a look at the O's box score from September 21, 2007, a 3-2 loss to the Rangers. Victor Santos and Rob Bell pitched, Tike Redman and Freddie Bynum shared center field duties, Brandon Fahey was replaced in left field by Luis Hernandez, and Gustavo Molina and Paul Bako combined to give Ramon Hernandez a day off from catching. Ugh. Even having lived through it, I sometimes forget just how bleak and pathetic the Orioles rosters were throughout the 2000s, especially once September hit.

As incredible and laughable as Lew Ford, Starting Left Fielder might seem in 2012, it's got nothing on Luis Hernandez and Freddie Bynum sharing real estate with poor Nick Markakis.

Adam Loewen, 2007 Upper Deck #59

If you keep tabs on this sort of thing (which I highly doubt), you'll realize that it's been two and a half years since I last posted an Adam Loewen card. That's unsurprising, since he last played in the big leagues back in 2008. After his 52nd arm injury in about 4 years, the former #1 pick realized that he might not be built for that whole pitching thing and tried to start over as an outfielder/first baseman. The Orioles supported him, but when they dropped him from the 40-man roster to return him to the minors, the Blue Jays snatched up the native Canadian. I didn't think he'd resurface in the major leagues, particularly after he hit .246/.351/.412 as a 26-year at AA New Hampshire in 2010. But this year, Adam took advantage of the hitter-friendly ballparks of the AAA Pacific Coast League to put up a line of .306/.377/.508 with 46 doubles, 17 homers, and 85 RBI at Las Vegas. The leaguewide average in the PCL was .286/.359/.448, so it's still not likely that Loewen will stick as a hitter in MLB, but he's achieved a lot just by taking the field for Toronto. The Jays promoted him after the big league rosters expanded on September 1, and gave him a start in right field against Boston last night. In his first game since July 6, 2008, he went 1-for-3 with a hit-by-pitch and a run scored in an 11-10 Toronto victory. Even if you think it was a bum deal for the O's, it's still a pretty cool story.

Chris Gomez, 2007 Upper Deck #564

While we wait to see whether Gregg Zaun will become an Oriole for the second time, veteran utility man Chris Gomez has returned to the nest. The 37-year-old infielder signed a minor-league deal with the team, but seems like a shoo-in for the Opening Day roster. Sadly, the complete crap shoot that is the Baltimore pitching staff makes manager Dave Trembley likely to start the season with a thirteen-man pitching staff. Every year, it seems like the O's are coming closer to employing an eleven-man bullpen and completely eliminating the bench. Anyway, with a three-man bench being a real possibility, Gomez would cover all three bases and shortstop, with Ryan Freel serving as an extra outfielder (and second baseman in a pinch), and some defensive-minded mystery catcher completing the trio. Of course, Chris might also be insurance in the event that Brian Roberts is traded, but speculation about something that's been rumored for over a year now just seems futile. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I always liked Chris Gomez. His nickname among teammates was "Fresh Hands", because he played so sparingly. But it seemed like whenever you did call on him, he'd come up with a hit. He hit .302 as an Oriole from 2005-2007, and though his defensive range isn't what it once was, he rarely makes an error. I've gone on at length about the horrors of the Baltimore utility infielders of 2008, so Chris is definitely an upgrade. Also, if you're keeping track, this is the eighth time he's changed teams (Tigers, Padres, Devil Rays, Twins, Blue Jays, Orioles, Indians, Pirates, Orioles again). Actually, the Phillies claimed him from the O's in the Rule 5 draft five days after we signed him in December 2004, but we reacquired him in a trade a week after that. Not one of the brighter moments in front office history.

So the roster continues to take shape...even if it is the outer fringes of the roster.

Brandon Fahey, 2007 Upper Deck #53

I'm not what you would call a Brandon Fahey fan. The guy is just the fringiest of fringe MLB players, a tiny white guy who's often overmatched both at the plate and in the field. Despite the fact that he's proven this time and again, he just keeps coming back on the Norfolk-to-Baltimore shuttle. He's like a bad dream, or a kernel of corn stuck between your back teeth, or maybe one of those irritating novelty candles that doesn't stay extinguished. Those damn things weren't funny in 1990, and they haven't gotten any funnier since. Brandon Fahey is one of those David Eckstein types who sticks around because he's so small and "gritty", and "scrappy", and "versatile", and lots of other code words for "untalented". Let's not even talk about his horrifying trial in left field. Eesh.

I'll give Brandon credit on one count, though; he might be a better ballplayer than his old man.

Bill Fahey was a backup catcher from 1971-1983, during which time he caddied for big names like Jim Sundberg, Gene Tenace, and Lance Parrish. His .241 career average was higher than Brandon's single-season best so far, but the younger Fahey has already surpassed his Dad's career highs in RBI (23 to 22), triples (2 to 1), and runs (36 to 18). He's matched his best mark in doubles (8). And in just three seasons, he's seen action in 174 games; Bill totaled 383 in eleven years. Brandon may have just two career home runs, both hit in his rookie season of 2006, but he makes 'em count: the first came off of Curt Schilling. If all of that isn't enough, the little guy has a hilariously maintained Wikipedia page, which proudly tells of his selection as AT&T Player of the Game on July 4, 2008.

So you see, there's hope yet for the Fahey bloodline. By 2120, Brian X. Fahey could be tearing up the Pan-American League (the third of the four major leagues) on the way to his second straight Triple Crown. Just you wait.

Steve Trachsel, 2007 Upper Deck #560

Friends, Baltimorons, Birdlanders, lend me your ears:

I come to bury Trachsel, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Trachsel. The noble Trembley

Hath told you Trachsel was an innings eater:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Trachsel answered it.

Here, under leave of Trembley and the rest --

For Trembley is an honorable man;

So are they all, all honorable men --

Come I to speak in Trachsel’s funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Trembley says he was innings eater;

And Trembley is an honorable man.

He hath brought many earned runs home to the enemy,

Whose ransoms did the box scores fill:

Did this in Trachsel seem innings eater?

When that the O's fans had cried, Trachsel hath wept.

Innings eaters should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Trembley says he was an innings eater;

And Trembley is an honorable man.

You all did see that in the Rogers Centre

I thrice presented him a game to finish,

Which he did thrice refuse: was this innings eating?

Yet Trembley says he was an innings eater;

And, sure, he is an honorable man.

I speak not to disprove what Trembley spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?

O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason! Bear with me;

My heart is on the waiver wire there with Trachsel,

And I must pause till it come back to me.

Lovingly borrowed from another source

Jeremy Guthrie, 2007 Upper Deck #559

That's right, Opening Day 2008 has finally arrived. It can be hard to remain optimistic when you've dealt with ten straight losing seasons and traded away the two biggest stars on your team. It's tough to maintain a rosy outlook when the big names and bigger budgets of your division rivals put you at a disadvantage right from the start. It's not easy to hold onto hope when the crowds at the ballpark get smaller and more apathetic every year. But until the first game has ended, everyone is on equal footing, and anything can happen. Just ask today's starting pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie.

Jeremy was the #1 draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2002, taken 22nd overall from Stanford University. Incidentally, two of his current teammates - Adam Loewen (4th) and Scott Moore (8th) were chosen ahead of him. Despite his considerable talent and high expectations, he never got comfortable with the Tribe. The team didn't give him much of a look, burning through his options in three seasons (2004-2006) while using him in just sixteen major league games, all but one out of the bullpen. In a small sample size (36 innings), he did not perform very well (6.25 ERA) and seemed to suffer a crisis of confidence.

When the Indians tried to pass him through waivers in the Winter of 2007, Orioles scout Dave Hollins and new bullpen coach Dave Trembley insisted that the Orioles should claim him. Trembley had managed against Guthrie in the minor leagues, and new that he had some great stuff. The 28-year-old righthander was virtually unknown to most O's fans, but he earned a spot on the team last year with an impressive Spring, allowing just two earned runs and striking out fourteen in fifteen innings. Though he started the regular season as a long reliever, injuries to most of the team's starters gave him a chance to crack the rotation and to really show what he could do. He earned considerable Rookie of the Year buzz with a ten-game unbeaten streak (though poor run support and a shaky bullpen conspired to give him just three wins in that span), and his ERA was below 3.00 until an August swoon. His final tally included a 7-5 record, a 3.70 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP that placed him ninth among all qualifying AL pitchers.

In just one season, Jeremy Guthrie went from a forgotten prospect in Cleveland to a fixture in the Baltimore rotation. Today he makes his first Opening Day start, and hopefully he'll be able to build on all that he accomplished in 2007.

Chad Bradford, 2007 Upper Deck #557

So we go from something old to something new, with the relief pitcher that many baseball reporters lovingly refer to as "Brad Chadford". With that kind of cheesy humor, I think I might have missed my calling as a sports writer.

I love the look of these 2007 Upper Deck cards. The full-bleed photos with minimal elements of design are downright classy. This picture in particular is a beauty. I've always had a certain affinity for submarine-style throwers; when I first became a fan in 1993, Todd Frohwirth was coming out of the Orioles' bullpen. Bradford is the first submariner to pitch for Baltimore since Frohwirth, and here we see him in action. The card is oriented sideways to fully capture his unorthodox motion. According to Moneyball, Chad threw from a sidearm position in high school, but the farther he advanced in baseball, the lower his arm angle dropped. He didn't even realize consciously that it was happening, but it allowed him to adapt to a higher level of competition.

There's so much about Chad Bradford's story to love, like the fact that his high school coach (who was also his Baptist minister) encouraged him to cuss while he practiced his pitching, to give him more of a competitive demeanor. Or the fact that his father suffered a paralyzing stroke just before Chad's second birthday, and defied the doctors' prognosis by ultimately surviving and regaining the ability to walk. But the best thing that I read about him was this poem that he wrote for a class assignment when he was eight:

If I were a A grown up
I would be a baseball player
And I would play for the Dodgers.
I hope to play for the Cardinals too.
I hope to play for the Oriole too
And for all the teams I would
Play shotestop.

Chad may not have gotten to play "shotestop", nor has he made it to the Cardinals or Dodgers. But he is an Oriole, and for that I salute him.