Tim Stoddard, 1983 Fleer #75

No, the Orioles' ongoing backslide into crapulence hasn't driven me away from blogging just yet. I was out of town for the holiday weekend, attending Chikara Pro Wrestling's King of Trios tournament in scenic Easton, PA. Because I am the undisputed master of time management, I waited until 90 minutes prior to my departure to try to fit in: yardwork, a shower, packing, and blogging. Guess which of those activities fell by the wayside.

Now that I'm trying to get back to my usual routines, I've got a thoroughly useless fact about the 1983 Fleer Orioles team set for you. There are a whopping six cards featuring O's pitchers without their hats. The rogue's gallery consists of both Dennis and Tippy Martinez, Scott McGregor, Jim Palmer (of course), Sammy Stewart, and...Tim Stoddard? Hey, when in Rome. Anyhow, there are no Oriole position players in this set who appear capless, which makes things even quirkier. Maybe the pitchers had a No-Hat Wednesday and the hitters weren't invited. It makes as much sense as any other explanation.

John Lowenstein, 1983 Fleer #63

I'm still keeping tabs on Night Owl's breezy and informative 1971 Topps set blog, and you should be too. Just yesterday, he posted John Lowenstein's rookie card, which he shares with pitcher Vince Colbert. I've had this card for a couple years, so I was already acquainted with the strange sight of a clean-faced Brother Lo in an Indians uniform. But I guess I didn't pay close attention to the card when I added it to my own collection. Night Owl highlights the odd factoid about Lowenstein on the card back:

"In a Little League game John was once 6-for-6 with 4 Homers & 14 RBI's, & once walked & scored 6 times in Babe Ruth League."

It's funny enough seeing childhood feats highlighted on a major leaguer's card, but especially so because it's a noted loon like Lowenstein. I agree with Night Owl; I think there's a good chance that Lo goosed his numbers a bit to have a laugh at the expense of the folks at Topps. If not...well, I guess he peaked early.

Scott McGregor, 1983 Fleer #66

It has been exactly 30 years since Scott McGregor pitched the game of his life, permitting seven Phillies baserunners (five hits, two walks) and striking out six in nine scoreless innings. Eddie Murray broke out of his Fall Classic slump with a pair of home runs, and Rick Dempsey sewed up MVP honors with a double and a homer. It took the Orioles just two hours and 21 minutes to complete a 5-0 victory, clinching the franchise's third World Series Championship...and to date, their last.

The O's haven't even been to the World Series since their 1983 triumph, though they finally seem to be moving in the right direction for the first time since the late 1990s. But it's a simple fact that there are 18 other franchises that have received that shiny trophy in the time that's passed since Cal Ripken caught the final out three decades ago. Of the 11 teams wandering the wilderness with the Birds, two others (Rays and Rockies) have come into existence in the interim. There are six pre-1983 expansion teams that have never won a Series: Colts/Astros, Pilots/Brewers, Mariners, Expos/Nationals, Padres, and Senators/Rangers. Then there are the truly unfortunate: the Pirates (last champs in 1979), Indians (1948), and of course the Cubs (1908). That's not exactly the company you want to keep.

I consider myself lucky to root for a team that has counted itself as a contender for the past two seasons.  But I've made it to 31 without being able to root for a World Series winner, and I'd love to knock that one off of my checklist sooner rather than later.

Rick Dempsey, 1983 Fleer #58

Something magic happens, everytime you go
You make the magic happen, the magic of Orioles’ Baseball!

When the game is close, and the O’s are hot
There’s a thundering roar from 34 to give it all they’ve got 

And you never know who’s gonna hear the call
Every game there’s a different star
That’s the magic of Orioles’ Baseball! 

Orioles Magic! Feel it happen!
Orioles Magic! Feel it happen! 

O - R - I - O - L - E - S ! 

Magic! Magic! Magic! Magic! 

Something magic happens, everytime you go
You make the magic happen, the magic of Orioles’ Baseball! 

When Weaver moves and we score the runs
Nothing could be more exciting
Nothing could be more fun! 

There’s a love affair between you and the team
You’re the reason we win when we win
And you know what the magic means! 

Orioles Magic! Feel it happen!
Orioles Magic! Feel it happen!
Orioles Magic! Feel it happen!
Orioles Magic! Feel it happen!

O - R - I - O - L - E - S ! 

Magic! Magic! Magic! Magic! 

Orioles Magic! Feel it happen!

Magic! Magic! Magic! Magic! 

Something magic happens….

Jim Palmer, 1983 Fleer #69

Someday I'll get Jim Palmer's autograph.

Last night the Orioles announced the autograph session schedules for the FanFest convention, which takes place two weeks from today. Because I'm just that hard up for baseball activities, I'm planning on attending. So I looked over the signers, and decided that the session with Kevin Gregg, Adam Jones, and Jim Palmer would be my preference. As Meatloaf famously sang, two outta three ain't bad. But I woke up this morning at 10:30 - half an hour after the tickets went on sale. I guess an autograph panel with one of the O's only current stars and their greatest all-time pitcher was in high demand, because it was already sold out by that time. So I settled on the session with Troy Patton, Buck Showalter, and Brian Roberts. My favorite current Oriole (he may be perpetually injured, but he's still an Oriole) is a decent fallback option.

Is anyone else going to FanFest? Come on, what else are you going to do on a Saturday morning?

Terry Crowley, 1983 Fleer #55

Terry Crowley is forever.

In 1966, when the Orioles won their first World Series, they drafted a 19-year-old kid out of Long Island University with their 11th-round pick. It was, of course, "the Crow".

He debuted in 1969, a September callup for the first O's team to lose in the World Series. He went 6-for-18 in 7 games at the end of that season.

A year later, he was a valuable bench bat for the 1970 World Champions, hitting .257 but endearing himself to Earl Weaver by drawing enough walks to post a .394 on-base percentage.

After a two-year exile to Cincinnati, he played seven games for the Braves in 1976 before being released. Three weeks later, he was back in Baltimore, where he stayed through the 1982 season. There was a return to the World Series in 1979, and a near-miss in 1982. At the end of that season, Weaver departed, and so did Crowley, finishing his playing career in 1983 as a Montreal Expo.

In 1985, Terry and Earl were both back in the Oriole dugout, with Crow serving as his former manager's hitting coach. Though Weaver retired for good after the 1986 season, Crowley stayed until 1988.

This time, he didn't resurface in Charm City until 1999, spending much of the interim in Minnesota as Tom Kelly's batting instructor. He reprised the role in Baltimore under Ray Miller, and kept it through the 2010 season, surviving several more managers. Even when he left the post during the past offseason, it was reported that it had been his own choice. Whether or not that was true, he remained in the fold as a minor league instructor.

This week, pitching coach Mark Connor unexpectedly resigned, with bullpen coach Rick Adair assuming his duties. That left an urgent need for an interim bullpen coach, and the Crow got the call. It's not expected to be a long-term solution, but the fact remains that Terry Crowley is spending at least part of a 29th season in an Orioles uniform, and it's his fifth separate stint. 45 years after the Birds kick-started his pro baseball career, he's still here...or here again.

To end on a complete non-sequitir, how about that goofy, gawky kid hovering over Terry's shoulder on this card?

Lenn Sakata, 1983 Fleer #72

Fellow O's fans...and anyone else who has sharp eyes and a keen memory: can you identify the player sitting on the bench behind Lenn Sakata in this photo? Assuming that it was taken in 1982, we should be able to narrow it down. I don't think it's Eddie Murray. That leaves Al Bumbry, John Shelby, Dan Ford (who usually wore glasses), and Mike Young. My guess is T-Bone Shelby, but I'm not sure. Anyone care to weigh in?

Glenn Gulliver, 1983 Fleer #62

If they did Senior Superlatives at Eastern Michigan University, I have a good hunch that Glenn Gulliver would have been a shoo-in for "Most Likely to Be a Character in a Charles Dickens Novel". Pip pip!

Sammy Stewart, 1983 Fleer #74

I'm back from the beach, reluctantly. It was great to have a chance to spend seven straight days doing as little as possible, and the lack of an open wireless connection at the apartment we rented even forced me to take a vacation from the Internet. I'll be the first to admit that this was a good thing, on balance. Of course, it meant that last week's blog posts were even more minimal than I'd intended, since I left them to the last minute and had to post them during the week from my sister's iPhone with no accompanying text. Fortunately, my hopes that the seven great Eddie Murray cards that I chose would speak for themselves seemed to be well-founded. Thanks to everyone who added their own commentary in my absence! By the way, I did have a chance to double back and post the image that I'd intended to use for Wednesday's post, so go give it a look. Now that I'm back in Baltimore, you've all got my full attention for another three and a half weeks...then it's off to San Diego for another long weekend, and you'd better believe that I've already started that countdown!

When I finally checked my email this afternoon, I found the usual batch of reader comments from my recent posts, but there was also a new comment left on a much older post. This happens from time to time, and in this case I'm going to call your attention to it. Last Tuesday, an anonymous commenter identifying herself as Sammy Stewart's oldest sister Linda weighed in on my April 13, 2008 entry, which highlighted Stewart and his post-baseball struggles with drug abuse and his subsequent incarceration. Per Linda's comment:

"I am Sammy's oldest sister, Linda and I would like for all of you to know that Sammy is doing wonderful. He's been in prison for over 3 years now and we are trying to get that sentence reduced or even clemency for him. Sammy has changed back to the man he once was, all drugs out of his system for 3 years now, he will look you in the eye and he is interested in what you've got to say. I think God that I have my brother back. Sammy is a wonderful man, a big heart and a great sense of humor. He's never known a stranger. Drugs ruined my brothers life and one of the worst things about this is that I had to watch our parents suffer and worry about Sammy, they were heartbroken. They are both dead now but I know in my heart that they are helping Sammy through these years. I think 8 or 9 years for habitual felon is pretty drastic and with the way the NC prison system being overloaded and underbudget they are going to need to let some of these types of offenders out. It's costing the gov way to much money. My brother has been through several classes, has a culinary school certificate, he is singing solos at church and all in all he is making the best of his time. He's helping the other guys in there also. He gets along with everyone and everyone likes him. I have written a letter to the gov of NC hoping for clemency so any prayers would be greatly appreciated. I love my brother, I don't like some of the things he did but he's human and he does deserve another chance. I know that if he gets out of there he can be a productive part of our society. He loves to work with kids and that's one of his hopes, of course he still loves baseball so he would love to work with the teams in any capacity. Sammy never hurt anyone other than himself and of course the people that love him so I think his sentence was toooo long. I would be interested in talking to any about Sammy anytime. Good thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated. Thank you Linda Banks"

Assuming that the commenter is who she claims to be (you never can be sure, but I'd like to think no one would exploit such a sensitive situation), I'd like to thank her for taking time out of her day to check in with a first-hand account, especially one that features such encouraging news. Everyone deserves a fresh start in life, and I continue to hope that Sammy makes the most out of the time that he has left in this world.

Dennis Martinez, 1983 Fleer #64

It's been a while since I've actually focused on a card, rather than just talking about the player featured. In this case, I want to give credit where it's due. A little bit ago I mocked the primitive design and blurry, nondescript photography of Fleer's 1982 set. The improvement from that year to their next product was pretty remarkable. As you see above, the cards feature a ho-hum gray border, but it works for this set. The player names are in a nice clean font, and you can never go wrong with team logos. The card back is the first in over a decade to feature a second picture (a small headshot), and the vertical orientation allowed Fleer to squeeze in a lot of great stuff: full major AND minor league stats, and several biographical facts of interest.

But the biggest difference between 1982 and 1983 for fleer was the photography. In this set, it's much crisper, and the composition is fantastic. Many of the cards feature off-field shots of the players, but they are more candid than the stiff poses that Topps was known for. The result is really charming; the players seem more human and there's a lot of fun and playfulness to be found. I'd have to say that the compelling nature of the pictures is what makes the low-tech borders work. All of the collector's attention is focused on the featured player.

Of course it helps when the subject is as photogenic and exuberant as "El Presidente", Dennis Martinez. This card is classic Dennis, with his thick mop of jet-black hair, his ever-present mustache, and a big toothy grin. Even in many of his action shots, Dennis seems to be laughing. This card is augmented by the card that follows it in the set, #65. Tippy Martinez is pictured in front of the same backdrop as Dennis, the blue wall and the netting and all. He is also hatless, smiling, and tossing a ball. I can't help but imagine that Baltimore's two Martinezes were engaged in a light-hearted pregame catch, and the Fleer photographer was lucky enough to snap them in action.