Charles Johnson, 2000 Fleer Focus #213

As I thumbed through a stack of recent additions to my Orioles collection, something in the background of this Charles Johnson card caught my eye. More to the point, someone caught my eye. If you look to the left of the catcher (your left, his right), you'll see a blurred figure in black pants, a white polo shirt, and a black O's cap. This gentleman is Ernie Tyler, a household name to most Birds fans. Tyler is the team's umpires' assistant, a role that he has filled since 1960. If you're counting, that's forty-nine years of dutiful service to the men in blue, and a heck of a lot of Baltimore history: thirty-two seasons in old Memorial Stadium and another seventeen in Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The most remarkable part? He didn't miss a single home game until August of 2007. Charm City's other Iron Man, Cal Ripken, Jr., invited Ernie to be his guest at the former shortstop's Hall of Fame induction in Cooperstown, New York. It was Tyler's first day off after 3,769 consecutive games; he outpaced Junior's record-setting streak by more than 1,100 games!

You might wonder just what it is that an umpires' assistant does. Before every game, Ernie does everything he can to make things easier for the least popular men in the ballpark. That includes setting out food for them, laundering their uniforms, and rubbing down the game balls with mud to break them in. But during game action, Tyler really shines. He's known for jogging out from the O's dugout several times per game to deliver a fresh batch of balls to the home plate umpire. He'll often spring forth to retrieve stray balls as well. What's more, he does all this at the age of 84! But then, Ernie doesn't do anything halfway. He has been married to his wife Juliane for 61 years, and they have eleven children. Two Tyler sons, Fred and Jimmy, serve as the clubhouse attendants at Oriole Park.

In a perfect world, Ernie would have his own card. But I'm sure he's happy just to be in the background, doing his thing.

Vintage Fridays: Gene Woodling, 1960 Topps #190

On Tuesday, April 19, 1960, the Orioles opened their season with a 3-2 win over the Senators in front of 32,747 fans at Memorial Stadium. Young starter Jerry Walker survived a six-walk, five-hit performance and allowed only two runs in five and one-third innings, and reliever Jack Fisher earned the win by shutting out Washington for the rest of the game. The O's picked up two runs in the third on a Brooks Robinson home run, and clinched the win in the seventh when Gene Woodling hit a two-out double to score Jackie Brandt.

That day, a 30-year-old man named Ernie Tyler worked his first game as the Orioles' umpire's attendant. He had been an usher at Memorial Stadium since the team debuted in Baltimore in 1954. In his new role, he would work each and every O's regular season and postseason game (as well as an All-Star Game and a few assorted exhibitions) through July 27, 2007. He only deigned to take a day off when Cal Ripken, Jr., a man with a similar work ethic, requested his presence at the shortstop's Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Tyler worked 3,819 consecutive home games in all. Though he encountered health problems in the subsequent years, he was still working for the club through the 2010 season.

Sadly, Ernie passed away at age 86 last night. He had been in a long-term care facility in North Baltimore since December, when he began rehabilitation after having a benign brain tumor removed in October. If you doubt the impact that Tyler had on the fans, players, coaches, and anyone else associated with the Orioles, just stop by the websites of the Baltimore Sun or MASN. The remembrances are pouring in from all over: Cal Ripken, Brian Roberts, Dave Trembley, and Jeremy Guthrie, and of course the various Sun and MASN reporters. The Orioles and the city have lost a great man and a living embodiment of the team's history. If you're interested, you can find out how to pass along your sympathies to Ernie's family and friends here.

I previously wrote about Tyler after spotting him on a Charles Johnson card, and lamented that he'd never been recognized with a card of his own. Fellow blogger Steve of White Sox Cards was kind enough to put together a custom card for the occasion, so I'll pay tribute by posting it now. Thanks for always being there, Ernie.

Cal Ripken, Jr., 1994 Score Burger King #8

I just noticed that this Cal Ripken, Jr. card features a cameo from legendary O's umpires' assistant Ernie Tyler. That's reason enough to post it, highly fashionable cameramen notwithstanding.

Vintage Fridays: Boog Powell, 1973 Topps #325

Life is full of funny coincidences. Just last week, I was paging through my vintage Orioles binder and I came across this card. In my experience, there aren't many cards with such clear views of the batboy. I found myself wondering who he might be, especially since he also appeared on Don Baylor's card in the same position.

A few days later, my high school's alumni magazine arrived, and as I flipped through it I saw this Boog Powell card looking back at me. As luck would have it, the batboy was one Neil Cashen, 1972 graduate of Archbishop Curley High. Though he is the nephew of Frank Cashen (who was the team's general manager at the time), Neil's employment with the O's began in 1968 when he befriended clubhouse attendant Ernie Tyler's son. He spent four seasons as the visiting team batboy at Memorial Stadium before switching to the Birds' bench in 1972 and staying through 1974. His tenure coincided with five trips to the playoffs by the Orioles, three World Series appearances, and one world championship. He met baseball greats from Mickey Mantle to Roberto Clemente. He even performed odd jobs for the hometown players, including landscaping work for his idol Jim Palmer and a cross-country escort of Doug DeCinces' car from Baltimore to California. Not bad work if you can get it!

If you're curious, Neil spent 27 years climbing the ladder at PHH, a large fleet management company. He eventually attained the position of chief financial officer, and retired in 2007. He is now consulting and managing his personal investments, and also serves as chair of Curley's school board. That's all pretty impressive, but does it measure up to appearing on baseball cards as a teenager?