Eric Davis, 1998 Upper Deck #424

I remember spending those uneasy early months of the 2012 season comparing and contrasting this year's Orioles with the fluky but ultimately doomed 2005 and 2008 versions. With 27 games left to play, the "What the Buck?" O's have already blown past the full-season win totals of those two lamentable clubs and are now being measured against the 1997 Wire-to-Wire squad...as in, "The Orioles have not been in first place in the American League East in September since 1997". Sure, that's a long time. But just how long has it been?

-In September 1997, I was starting my sophomore year of high school. I couldn't drive a car, hadn't even had a summer job or grown my first goofy goatee. I looked a little something like this:

-Hell, my younger sister was 12. She has now been married for nearly three years.

-The single-season home run record was still held by Roger Maris, who hit 61 in 1961.

-Not one member of that 1997 Orioles team is still active in the major leagues. Two (Roberto Alomar and Cal Ripken, Jr.) have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Two others (Danny Clyburn and Terry Mathews) are deceased.

-The Baltimore Ravens were kicking off their second season in Charm City, the final season of pro football at Memorial Stadium. Vinny Testaverde was the quarterback, Ted Marchibroda was the head coach, and they played in the now-defunct AFC Central Division along with the Tennessee Oilers.

-Here are a few items from the headlines: The deaths of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa, El Niňo, Mike Tyson biting off Evander Holyfield's ear, Steve Jobs' return to Apple Computers.

So yeah, that's what 15 years looks like in the rear view. Sure, the Orioles could still run off the rails; they are one of eight teams in a scrum for five playoff spots and their September schedule offers lots of stiff competition. But no matter what happens over the next four weeks, it's September 5 and the supposed doormats from Baltimore are tied with the Yankees atop the American League East, and both are tied with Oakland for the second-best record in the league. Nothing can take away the memory of this moment in time.