Vintage Fridays: Jim Palmer, 1975 Topps #335

As I alluded to yesterday, the combination of weeks or possibly months quarantined at home with no new baseball to watch is our new and unwelcome reality in 2020. I'm interested in hearing how others are coping. I find myself watching old games on MLB.TV and YouTube. Yesterday, I watched parts of a handful of games from MLB's "Opening Day at Home" promotion - the second half of the Brewers' 10-inning walkoff win over the Rockies in Game One of the 2018 NLDS, the first few innings of an Angels-Yankees tilt from May of 2018 (can't go wrong with Trout and Ohtani), and as I finished my blog post last night, I used the first few innings of Game Two of the 2014 ALDS (the Delmon Young game) as my soundtrack. I would've gladly watched even more archived baseball yesterday, but I was trying to keep my three-year-old son placated while I worked from home, so we switched over to "Bluey". Earlier this week, I found a 1976 ABC Monday Night Baseball game between the Orioles and the Royals on YouTube in its entirety...even commercials. I was only able to get a few innings into that one before Finn requested cartoons, but it's on my to-do list.

In case you haven't seen it, I will also share a minute-long video that the Orioles released yesterday, narrated by Jim Palmer himself. I found myself welling up as I watched it; the sweeping shots of an empty Oriole Park inter-cut with clips of both Baltimore fans and players celebrating throughout the years, while the Hall of Fame pitcher and broadcaster who has spent all 55 years of his adult life linked to this team and city delivered a message of hopeful longing. There will be baseball again, when all is said and done. We will gather and raise our voices.

Vintage Fridays: Mike Cuellar, 1975 Topps #410

2808 career innings in the major leagues. Four All-Star seasons. A World Series ring. A Cy Young Award. 185 career wins, including four seasons with at least 20 and seven with at least 15 W's. A lifetime ERA of 3.14 in the regular season, and 2.85 in a dozen postseason starts. Heck, he even holds an obscure record: most home runs hit by a player with a career on-base percentage below .130 (seven homers, .128 OBP).

...All of this, and Topps couldn't manage to spell his name correctly on this card near the tail end of his career. It's C-U-E-L-L-A-R. No respect, I tell ya.

Vintage Fridays: Bob Grich, 1975 Topps #225

So here's a text message I received from my sister at 8:43 this morning, after I'd already been at work for an hour and a half:

"You definitely can't go today? My boss gave me two tickets in section 54."

Needless to say, I crunched the numbers on my annual leave and figured out that I could spare a few hours to cheer on the Orioles in Game Two of the Division Series...especially from a vantage point above the visitors' dugout. By the time we both left work, met up, and found parking, the game was already underway. But we only missed the top of the first inning, so we had a close view of all of the excitement. Seated at the end of our row was a gentleman in an orange Bobby Grich throwback jersey; he certainly had better taste than the guy who was spotted in an Armando Benitez jersey at last night's game. I had worried that the park might be less than full for a noon start time on a Friday, but I was off the mark. Attendance was 48,058, a sellout plus standing room, and the orange towels and shouts and cheers and applause seemed to reach critical mass as Nick Markakis gave the Orioles a 2-0 lead with a third-inning homer off of Justin Verlander; it was Nick's first ever postseason four-bagger.

Things took a troubling turn in the top of the fourth, as Wei-Yin Chen managed to give up five runs on just ten pitches. The big blow was a three-run homer by Miguel Cabrera, who was kind enough to gesture toward the fans as he jogged home, shouting and taunting like a real champion. The Tigers had gotten the best of Baltimore's lefty starter, but they didn't have much luck against his replacement. Kevin Gausman relieved Chen with two outs in the inning and a runner on first, and proceeded to retire nine of the first ten batters he faced, striking out five and yielding only a single to Torii Hunter. Hunter was promptly wiped out thanks to an incredible Flaherty-Schoop-Pearce double play. Gausman ran out of gas in the eighth inning, and a Victor Martinez double pushed the Tigers lead back to three at 6-3. Still, Cabrera was gunned down at the plate on the play and Brad Brach got the O's out of the jam.

After Thursday night's eight-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth, even a three-run deficit didn't seem hopeless. Detroit manager Brad Ausmus perked up the Baltimore fans by pulling pitcher Anibal Sanchez after two perfect innings of relief and turning instead to husky, bearded ex-Yankee Joba Chamberlain, one of the goats of the previous evening. Joba exhibited more self-awareness than Miguel Cabrera by sardonically tipping his cap to the crowd when they greeted him with loud cheers. The noise only grew as he facilitated an Oriole rally by plunking Adam Jones and yielding back-to-back singles to Nelson Cruz and Steve Pearce. Now it was 6-4, and J. J. Hardy came to bat representing the go-ahead run with one out. He faced Joakim Soria (another Game One whipping boy) and walked on five pitches to load the bases. Earlier in the inning, I asked my sister when she thought Buck Showalter would let Delmon Young pinch hit. He was an unfathomable 10-for-20 in that role during the regular season, and has had a flair for the dramatic in recent postseason experiences with the Tigers and Rays. Sure enough, Delmon strode to the plate in Ryan Flaherty's spot in the batting order, and before you could say "boo", number 27 jumped all over a 79-mph slider from Soria, slicing it into the left field corner. Nelson Cruz jogged home, windmilling his left arm to urge Pearce home behind him. Outfielder J. D. Martinez had a bit of trouble coming up with the ball, so Birds third base coach Bobby Dickerson sent Hardy home as well. He slid at just the right moment, slapping home plate with his left hand a split second before being tagged by catcher Alex Avila. 7-6, Orioles. Mayhem.

As he did so many times during the regular season, O's closer Zach Britton removed the anxiety from the end of the game, plowing through the bottom of the Detroit lineup on only 11 pitches. On Sunday afternoon, the Orioles will send Miguel Gonzalez to the mound in Comerica Park with a chance to sweep the four-time defending AL Central champs. Dare we dream?

Vintage Fridays: Dave McNally, 1975 Topps #26

One of the great things about the 1975 Topps set is that I have previously posted 10 Orioles cards on this blog from the set, and there are still border combinations that I haven't displayed. Here's a new one: electric strawberry-banana. When those bright colors are combined with the Miami palm-tree backdrop to Dave McNally's photo, it leaves you thinking warm thoughts. We've got 34 degrees with a chance of snow showers here in Baltimore this evening, and forecasted highs in the low 20s early next week. So I can use all the warmth I can get.

Vintage Fridays: Bob Oliver, 1975 Topps #657

Here's some fast (and fun!) facts about Bob Oliver:

-He had a three-game cup of coffee with the Pirates in 1965, but didn't return to the major leagues until 1969, when he appeared in 118 games as a 26-year-old with the expansion Royals.

-In 1970, he led Kansas City with 27 home runs, 99 RBI, and a .451 slugging percentage.

-That's one bad airbrush job on Bob's cap. The Angels had traded him to Baltimore on September 11, 1974. He played nine games with the Orioles, collecting three hits in 20 at-bats (.150) and driving in four runs.

-By the time this card was released, Oliver was finished as a major leaguer. He played in 18 games with the Yankees in 1975, earning his release in mid-July with a .132/.154/.158 batting line. He played in the minors through 1978 with three different organizations, then spent a season-plus in the Mexican League before calling it a day.

-You may be more familiar with his son Darren, who was four years old when Bob had his brief stay in Charm City. Darren Oliver is currently a lefty reliever with the Blue Jays, his ninth team in parts of 20 big league seasons. Now 42, he is the oldest player in MLB, non-Mariano Rivera division.

Vintage Fridays: Earl Williams, 1975 Topps #97

Earlier this week, former Orioles catcher/first baseman Earl Williams died after a months-long battle with leukemia. He was 64 years old. Though he started his career with a bang in Atlanta, winning the National League's 1971 Rookie of the Year honors on the strength of 33 home runs and a .491 slugging percentage, those age-22 numbers represented the peak of Williams' performance. He wore out his welcome with the Braves one year later, which should have been a red flag to the O's. But someone in management (Earl Weaver spent the rest of his own life denying that it was him) was sufficiently enamored with the mercurial slugger's talents to surrender a four-player package headlined by All-Star second baseman Davey Johnson. Earl Williams' SABR biography details his clashes with Baltimore teammates, coaches, and even fans. I don't want to pile on when speaking critically of the recently-deceased, though his record and his departure from the big leagues at age 29 tell the story. I will say that it's a shame that he suffered with such a significant illness at the end of his life. Perhaps now he's found a peace that often seemed elusive in his youth.

Vintage Fridays: Jesse Jefferson, 1975 Topps #539

Well, this sucks. Last Thursday, former Orioles pitcher Jesse Jefferson died after a bout with prostate cancer. He was 62.

The O's drafted the right-hander out of Carver High School in Midlothian, VA in 1968. The most notable player taken by the club in that year's draft was Al Bumbry, who was selected in the 11th round. But Jefferson had some notable moments in his brief Oriole career. As I mentioned in a June 2010 blog post, he held the Red Sox to a single run in a ten-inning complete game win at Fenway Park in his big league debut in 1973. All in all, he went 6-5 with a 4.11 ERA as a rookie, notching three complete game wins. The others were a five-hit, two-run, nine-strikeout effort against Boston on August 3, and a two-run, eight-strikeout performance at Detroit on September 18. Jesse appeared in 20 games (primarily in relief) for Baltimore in 1974, compiling a 4.40 ERA while walking 38 batters and striking out just 31. The following June, he was traded to the White Sox for Tony Muser. He would go on to have a 9-year career in the majors, also spending time with the Blue Jays, Pirates, and Angels. Though his ERA was an unimpressive 4.81 overall, he can still place some of the blame for his abysmal 39-81 won-lost record on the three-plus seasons he spent for the brand-new and cellar-dwelling Toronto teams of the late 1970s. While with the Jays, he recorded his only career save, preserving the sixth of an eventual 176 career wins for longtime ace Dave Stieb on September 2, 1979.

Rest in peace, Jesse.

Vintage Fridays: Jim Northrup, 1975 Topps #641

No one likes writing downer posts, but I've noticed that three old Orioles passed away in recent weeks and tribute should be paid.

Most recently, Jim Northrup died on Wednesday at age 71 after struggling with rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's Disease in recent years. He was best known for his decade-plus with the Tigers, particularly his heroics in Detroit's 1968 championship season. That year, he hit 21 homers and drove in a career-high 90 runs, and knocked in another 8 in the World Series. Seven of those RBI came in the final three games of the Fall Classic, as the Tigers fought back from a three games-to-one deficit to unseat the Cardinals. His grand slam in Game 6 blew the contest open, giving his club an 8-0 third-inning lead.

He finished his career in Baltimore, going 4-for-7 with a pair of walks in late September 1974 after being purchased from the Expos. He came back in 1975 to serve as a part-time outfielder and pinch hitter, and had a solid .273 average in 84 games. He excelled in the pinch hit role, putting up a .391 AVG/.484 OBP/.652 SLG in 31 plate appearances. On April 26, 1975, Northrup pinch hit for Mark Belanger with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, runners on the corners, and Cleveland leading the O's 2-1. The 35-year-old veteran delivered a single to score Ken Singleton with the tying run, and one batter later Al Bumbry completed the comeback with a walkoff single.

Like Northrup, Jim Pyburn also succumbed to Alzheimer's Disease recently. He passed away on May 21 at age 78. Pyburn was one of the early "bonus baby" amateur signings, a football and baseball star at Auburn University who inked a $48,000 deal with the Orioles in 1955. Because of the major league rules at the time, he was forced to remain on the big league roster instead of developing at his own pace in the minors. He played third base and center field for Baltimore from 1955-1957, struggling to keep up with the top pitchers in the sport. He had a batting line of .190/.275/.272, totaling only 3 homers and 20 RBI in 333 trips to the plate over those three seasons. After spending a chunk of 1957 and all of 1958 back in the minor leagues, he walked away from baseball and returned to Auburn as an assistant to football coach Vince Dooley. He spent nearly two decades on Dooley's staff at Auburn and then the University of Georgia, working with defensive players. An O's highlight came on June 11, 1957, when his two-run homer off of Billy Hoeft broke a seventh-inning 1-1 tie. The Orioles went on to win 4-1.

Former righthanded pitcher Duane Pillette lived a long and productive life, finally leaving this world on May 6 at age 88. He spent parts of 8 seasons (1949-1956) with the Yankees, Browns, Orioles, and Phillies. His career started late because he went to college at Santa Clara University and then served in World War II. He started and finished the final St. Louis Browns game, taking a tough 11-inning loss by a 3-2 score on September 27, 1953. He also went the distance on April 14, 1954, earning the Orioles' first-ever win by a 3-2 score over the Tigers. Despite a lackluster 10-14 record that year, his 3.12 ERA and 1.26 WHIP were the best marks on the Baltimore staff.

Happy trails, fellas.

Vintage Fridays: Bob Reynolds, 1975 Topps #142

If you like reading about baseball cards on the Internet (and if you don't, I'm not sure why you're here), you probably know that there's an embarrassment of riches in the way of blogs on the hobby. I'm sure there are tons of great ones out that that I never get around to reading. I find the sheer volume to be overwhelming, and tend to stick to the tried-and-true few that have served me well for the last couple of years. One of those is Greg (a.k.a. Night Owl)'s blog, which is well-written with an always-inquisitive approach to cards and a self-effacing humor. Within the past year he started a second blog, which pays tribute to the 1975 Topps set that was a major part of his childhood. It's through the latter that I learned of a fantastic incident involving Bob Reynolds and another more famous Oriole.

Reynolds was known as "Bullet Bob" thanks to a blazing fastball that could register triple digits on the radar gun. He had two great years out of the Baltimore bullpen, appearing in 96 games between the 1973 and 1974 seasons and winning 14 games and saving 16 others. His earned run average was a paltry 2.25. But apart from that, Bob was a true journeyman; he bounced among six teams in parts of six big league seasons. He totaled just 44 games in the other four years.

Bob's last stop in the bigs was Cleveland, where he appeared in five games late in the 1975 season. At the time, the Indians were managed by Frank Robinson, who was also at the tail end of his playing career. Reynolds went to spring training with the club the following year, but didn't make the cut and toiled at AAA Toledo all season. As it happened, he was 34 days short of the minimum service time required to draw a major league pension. In midseason, the Indians played an exhibition game against their top farm team. Reynolds faced Robinson and retired him on a fly ball. As the future Hall of Famer was making his way back to the dugout, the pitcher shouted at him, demanding to know why he had been demoted. Frank didn't appreciate being challenged, even in an exhibition, and charged across the field to knock his ex-player off his feet with a surprise punch.

Reynolds claims it was a misunderstanding. As of the writing of this article (July 2003), the two had not spoken since that exciting game, though Robinson made an attempt to call his victim that very year and could not reach him.

All I know is that I wouldn't look at Frank Robinson sideways if I wanted to keep my teeth.

Vintage Fridays: Jim Fuller, 1975 Topps #594

Until recently, Jim Fuller was one of those names that didn't really register with me. Then I saw a few mentions of his prodigious minor league power in Dave Pugh's book, and decided to give him a closer look.

Though he was born in Bethesda, Fuller played high school and college ball in the San Diego area. The Orioles chose him with their second round pick in the secondary phase of the draft in January 1970. He climbed steadily through the organization, winning Most Valuable Player honors in his league twice. In 1971, the 20-year-old picked up his first MVP when he hit .326/.431/.611 (that's a 1.042 OPS, folks) with 28 doubles, 33 home runs, and 110 RBI for the class A Florida State League's Miami Orioles. The following year he bashed 34 homers and drove in 107 runs between AA Asheville and AAA Rochester. Then in 1973, he took home the hardware as the International League's best player when he clubbed 25 doubles and 39 home runs for Rochester. At age 22, he also posted 108 RBI in his first full season with the Red Wings. He didn't hit much in a nine-game trial with the Orioles, but did open eyes with a two-homer effort against the Tigers on September 25.

Jim's utter lack of plate discipline, on the other hand, was troubling. While he piled up strikeouts in the minors (including a league-leading 197 at Rochester in 1973 that accounted for 38.3% of his plate appearances), he was able to draw walks and produce big hits against inexperienced young pitchers. That wasn't the case when he reached the majors, obviously, and Fuller never seemed to adjust. Spending most of the 1974 campaign in Baltimore, Fuller hit just .222 and struck out 68 times in 202 plate appearances while walking only eight times. When he did make contact he still hit the ball hard, evidenced by the fact that 18 of his 42 hits went for extra bases (11 2B and 7 HR). But Jim just couldn't get the job done with any consistency.

Spending the following two seasons back at Rochester, Fuller's performance declined. He missed a chunk of 1976 with a broken thumb and was released by the O's at the end of that year. He signed with Houston before the next season and didn't hit there, either (.160, 2 HR, 9 RBI in 100 AB). After a miserable start at AAA in 1978, he hung up his spikes. He was only 27 at the time.

It's incredible to think that somebody who put up such eye-popping numbers at every stop in the minor leagues could hit the wall so suddenly, but baseball's an unforgiving profession. If you have a flaw in your game, it will catch up with you.

Vintage Fridays: Tommy Davis, 1975 Topps #564

This card provides a snapshot of all that is good and delightful about the 1975 Topps set: loud colors, even louder hair, and great players from yesteryear. Tommy Davis never equaled his age 23 season, when he led the National League with a .346 average and a jaw-dropping 153 RBI for the Dodgers, he was a valuable contributor to several teams over 18 seasons. He was in his mid-thirties when he became the Orioles' first regular designated hitter in 1973. In three seasons in that role he batted .293 and drove in 230 runs. What's more, 13 of the 24 home runs he hit in his Baltimore tenure either tied the game or gave the O's the lead. His .306 average and 89 RBI in 1973 helped the club to win the A.L. East and earned him a top-ten finish in MVP voting.

Hold on a minute...former Dodgers player...1975 Topps card...if it seems like I'm treading into another blogger's territory, there's a good reason. Diehard L.A. rooter and prolific baseball card wordsmith Greg (a.k.a. night owl) has often professed his appreciation for the 1975 set, which he first collected as a nine-year-old novice. He's finally jumped in with both feet and spun off his love for this multicolored masterpiece, having launched the 1975 Topps (it's far out, man) blog earlier this week. I really admire his uncomplicated approach, as he dedicates one post per card and focuses more on his gut-level reaction to the card (both as a child and in the present day) than on stats and facts. I'm looking forward to reading Greg's take on this retro rainbow, and it will probably further tempt me to complete more of the set (I currently have 80 out of 660, or 12% of the set). I hope you'll check it out as well!

Vintage Fridays: Doyle Alexander, 1975 Topps #491

Hey, it's Friday the 13th. Didn't we just have one of these last month? I don't mind, because 13 happens to be my favorite number (my birthday is August 5: 8+5=13). I wore it when I played fresh-soph lacrosse in high school, and kept it for three years of CYO softball. So I'm not big on triskaidekaphobia.

Baseball is a sport that is choc-a-bloc with superstitions, so it's not surprising that some teams refuse to even hand out the number thirteen. The Orioles are not one of those teams, and it's never done much to hurt them. There have been 16 players who have worn #13 in Baltimore, in addition to two coaches and one manager. Many of them were forgettable (Roger Freed, Mike Figga, and the like), but three especially notable players have bucked the hoodoo.

Aside from Bill Miller, whose O's career lasted five games in 1955, lefty Steve Barber was the first to wear the one-three. After donning #29 as a rookie, the Maryland native switched to the spooky number in 1961 and wore it right up until his trade to the Yankees in mid-1967. In between, he won 85 games, was an All-Star twice, and won 20 in 1963. He was a member of the 1966 World Champions, and is seventh in team history in strikeouts. Of course, arm troubles plagued him for much of his career, so maybe he was a bit jinxed.

Lanky righthander Doyle Alexander might have felt a bit spooked when he joined the Orioles as a 21-year-old in 1972. He had just been traded (along with three lesser players) for Frank Robinson, the emotional leader of a Baltimore team who had just been to three straight World Series and four Fall Classics since 1966. Doyle pitched to a 2.45 ERA in a mostly relief role in his first season with the Birds, but never really took flight in Charm City. His overall record as an Oriole (1972-1976) was 35-37. But he makes this list because of another headline-making trade. On June 15, 1976, he was one of ten players swapped by the O's and Yankees. Though he would go on to win 194 games in a nineteen-year career, he was a journeyman; meanwhile, the players that came to Baltimore in the deal would become the glue of the next ten years. Tippy Martinez. Rick Dempsey. Scott McGregor. Not too shabby, huh? Alexander had a knack for being trading for big names. Near the end of his career, the Tigers nabbed him from Atlanta for the stretch drive. Heading to the Braves was a minor league pitcher by the name of John Smoltz.

Finally, there's a more recent Oriole pitcher, Rodrigo Lopez. I've talked about him recently, so I don't want to belabor the point. Suffice to say, he rose from relative obscurity (a 26-year-old with just six MLB games pitched) to win 15 games in 2002 and finished a close second to Eric Hinske as A.L. Rookie of the Year.

Well, by the time you read this, Friday the 13th will almost be over. That wasn't so bad, now was it?

Vintage Fridays: Al Bumbry, 1975 Topps #358

This Day in Orioles History: July 4, 1974

Orioles 10, Red Sox 6 at Fenway Park

The Orioles pounded out twelve hits off of Boston pitcher Luis Tiant to draw within one and a half games of the first-place Red Sox. Second baseman Bobby Grich provided the extra-base power with a home run, a triple, and three runs batted in. Boog Powell knocked in two runs, one on a third-inning triple! The hefty first baseman hit just eleven three-baggers in seventeen seasons. Another hitter who starred for the Birds on this Fourth of July was Al Bumbry, who had previously received a Bronze Star for his service as a platoon leader in Vietnam. On this day, "Bee" singled twice, stole two bases, scored twice, and drove in a run.

The winning pitcher was righty Jesse Jefferson, who allowed ten baserunners in five and one-third innings but was only scored upon twice. His performance seemed downright dominant next to reliever Bob Reynolds, who allowed four runs (three earned) on ten hits in three and one-third innings. At the end of the day, all that mattered was that the O's had swept the front-running Sawx in Boston.

Vintage Fridays: Ellie Hendricks, 1975 Topps #609

I'm cutting Movie Week a day short. The only other Oriole I could find was Butch Davis in Bull Durham. He's not exactly "vintage", and I haven't seen the movie (one of my secret shames), so here we are.

I'm not sure when "Ellie" Hendricks became "Elrod". From the beginning of my fanhood, I knew him only as Elrod Hendricks, the perpetual bullpen coach of my hometown team. Heck, the Orioles were his hometown team too, in a manner of speaking. He spent thirty-eight years in the major leagues as a coach and player, and only one of those years was not spent (at least partially) in an O's uniform. For twenty-eight years, he served as the team's bullpen coach.

Twenty-eight years. Can you imagine? I've been at the same job for nearly three years, and the thought of it makes me anxious. I feel like I'm stagnating here, benumbing myself to the near two-hour commute each way. There's no potential for upward mobility, and yet I remain.

But for nearly three decades, Elrod showed up to work every day with a smile and a laugh. There are generations of children in Baltimore with stories about the time he signed a ball for them in the bullpen, or showed up at their community center dressed as Santa Claus. For a man who was born in the Virgin Islands and spent his first ten years in baseball bouncing from Nebraska to Winnipeg to Mexico to Texas to Seattle...Baltimore became something permanent and meaningful. It became his home, and so did that bullpen, first in Memorial Stadium and then Camden Yards. I suppose he didn't really think of what he did as work, when it came right down to it.

When Elrod died suddenly of a heart attack two winters ago, there was an outpouring of grief and affection from O's fans everywhere. Many insisted that the team retire his uniform number. The team didn't go that far, but they did memorialize him with a "44" sleeve patch for the 2006 season. You might wonder why anyone would ever want to retire the number of a bullpen coach. If you'd ever been around him, you'd understand. Number 44 will always be synonymous with Elrod Hendricks, and his name will always be synonymous with the Orioles.