Eddie Murray, 1986 Topps Glossy Send-In #33

The first thing that comes to mind when looking at this card is that for someone who hit 504 home runs in his career, you would think that Eddie Murray would know which end of the bat he should hold. My second impression is that Eddie is smartly dressed for brisk weather. He's supplemented his black warmup jersey with a vinyl windbreaker and old-school orange wristbands. There will be no goose bumps on this powerful first baseman's forearms, no sir.

As the 2008 baseball season winds down to its final weeks, with no more than 21 games left (and possibly as few as 12 remaining), I begrudgingly welcome the Fall. On the one hand, there's lazy Sundays full of football, the mischievous joys of Halloween, and hunkering down indoors with warm clothes and blankets. But I bristle at pulling myself out of bed on chilled mornings, and with my long commute to and from work, I can also anticipate arriving home in the pitch black. I suppose the end of the baseball season would usually be seen as a downer as well, but I could honestly go for a breather at this point. After all, the Hot Stove Season is often when fan interest in the Orioles is at its highest point of the year. With much rebuilding left to do, this year should bear that out.

Bundle up, Eddie. Spring's a long way off.