Aubrey Huff, 2008 Upper Deck #180

Before I take a look back at 2008, I'd like to take a closer look at this card. First of all, we can see Brian Roberts and the second base umpire gazing up to the sky to track the looping pop-up that Aubrey Huff is chasing. We can also see the out-of-town scoreboard on the outfield fence. It's flashing the progress of what was certainly a white-knuckle thriller between the Mets and the Nationals, with Jason Bergmann and David Wright facing off. Using that information, let's see if we can find out where the O's were playing and what game provided the backdrop for this photo. Why? Because I'm curious.

We can probably assume that the photo was taken in 2007, Aubrey's first year with the Birds. Checking Jason Bergmann's gamelog from last year, we see that his only start at home against the Mets was Sunday, April 29. It was indeed a day game, so that part seems to check out. Jose Reyes led off the game with a single, bringing David Wright to the plate in a scoreless game. So the line score seems right.

But what were the O's up to on that Sunday afternoon? Let's check the team's schedule/results. They were at Cleveland for a 1:05 game, and Aubrey Huff started at first base. I thought the outfield fence looked like Jacobs Field*, but I couldn't be sure. Sadly, this was not a good game for the Birds. Orioles great Jaret Wright gave up two runs in the first inning, temporarily getting out of further trouble by inducing Johnny Peralta to pop out to Huff in foul territory (hey!). He was gone by the fourth, however, and Fausto Carmona and the Tribe breezed to a 6-1 victory. The lone Baltimore run came on an Aubrey Huff solo home run in the ninth inning.

I guess if you were going to focus on any Orioles player in this game, it might as well have been Aubrey Huff. Happy New Year, everyone!

*I made an editorial decision not to use its corporate name. Ugh.