Melvin Mora, 2003 Leaf #14

Happy 39th-ish birthday to Melvin Mora! It's somewhat fitting that the ex-Oriole third baseman (and shortstop and outfielder) was born on Groundhog Day, considering that he has been a near-constant presence through the team's string of 13 consecutive losing seasons. In actuality, he arrived from the Mets in 2000 and departed for the Rockies prior to 2010, so he was privy to 10 years of futility, each one blending muddily into the next.

Of course, poor Brian Roberts is ultimately the true Bill Murray in this scenario. At least Melvin tasted the postseason as a rookie with the 1999 Mets, and his one-year stay in Colorado saw the team scrape out an 83-79 record. This year he's off to the desert, where he may be replacing new Oriole Mark Reynolds. Another winning year looks to be a long shot, but in the anemic National League West anything can happen. Meanwhile, Roberts was drafted in 1999 (Year Two of the Drought) and the sum total of his experience with a winning club was a 44-game stint in 2003 with AAA Ottawa, a ho-hum 79-65 team. Even then, he was promoted to the majors in mid-May and spent the balance of the season slogging along with the 91-loss O's.

On April 1, I hope Brian Roberts doesn't wake up to the sounds of Sonny and Cher. Of course, the date of the Orioles' regular-season opener isn't exactly an encouraging omen.