Storm Davis, 1985 Donruss #454

Storm Davis was one of 142 players who made their MLB debuts in the year of my birth, 1982. Other notables on that list include Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, and Julio Franco. The only one of these men who is still playing professional baseball is...Franco.

Julio, now 56 years of age, will be playing in an independent league in Japan, where he will also perform managerial duties for the Ishikawa Million Stars. I love the notion of somebody who is nearly my father's age still working as a pro athlete. He had a 23-year big league career, and was still an above-average hitter as a reserve for the Braves at age 46. In addition to the 2,527 games he logged in the majors, he also spent time in the top pro leagues in Japan, Mexico, and Korea. Last year he played sparingly as player-manager of the independent Fort Worth Cats, collecting six hits, two walks, and a sac fly in 30 trips to the plate despite being nearly 30 years older than the average player in his league. Now that Minnie Minoso is no longer taking his swings, I'm glad there's another evergreen ballplayer to take up his mantle.

Larry Sheets, 1985 Donruss #36

You may have known that Larry Sheets was a one-year wonder. But did you know that he was a historical one-year wonder? According to a blog post by High Heat Stats contributor Doug, ol' Sheetsy had the biggest-ever dropoff in single-season slugging percentage between his best season (.563 in 1987) and any other season in his career (second-best was .343 in 1988). Considering that this 220-point drop in his slugging mark came immediately on the heels of that great 31-homer effort, it's no wonder that the 1987 and 1988 seasons were the only two years that Larry got enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Those putrid '88 Orioles could have used the Larry Sheets of 1987, and instead he hit one-third the home runs in almost exactly the same number of trips to the dish. That's enough to sour a team on a player right quick.

Ken Dixon, 1985 Donruss #270

Oh Ken Dixon, who dressed you today? A yellow undershirt? Come on now.

Eddie Murray, 1985 Donruss #47

Yep, I'm going back to this well. Eddie Murray looks pissed off after that Yankees win last night. It looks like I'll be attending a must-win game for the Orioles at Camden Yards tonight. But I believe they can do it. The O's have lost consecutive games only twice since August 18, which takes remarkable resilience. With six days' rest, Wei-Yin Chen should be sharp. The Birds have been defying expectations all year, and beating their old nemesis Andy Pettitte would be plenty unexpected. Let's rock.

Rich Dauer, 1985 Donruss #106

If you watched ESPN's pregame coverage of the Rockies-Cardinals game last night, you witnessed a scary moment. Rich Dauer, currently Colorado's first base coach, was in the midst of pregame fielding drills when he was struck in the face with an unexpected throw from infielder Chris Nelson. Dauer immediately crumpled to the ground, his legs writhing. Fortunately, he was soon able to leave the field under his own power, albeit with a bloody face. The former Orioles second baseman suffered a broken nose, but he was medically cleared to fly out of St. Louis later in the evening with the rest of the team. This certainly isn't the way that anyone would want to make the news, but I'm glad Rich is okay.

Vic Rodriguez, 1985 Donruss #535

Since my Saturday appeal to the baseball gods by way of Mark Williamson's fiery red mustache went unheeded, I must up the ante: Vic Rodriguez and his mighty mustache-caterpillar eyebrows combo will hopefully appease those capricious gods who possess the power to end the Orioles' seven-game losing streak.

Vic Rodriguez had an unusual career. The Orioles signed him in 1977, before his 16th birthday. He hit for average almost everywhere he went, and finally debuted in the majors as a September callup in 1984, his eighth pro season. In each of his first three games with the O's, he appeared only to pinch run (twice for Ken Singleton, once for Rick Dempsey). On September 18, he replaced Rich Dauer at second base in the midst of a blowout and got a pair of at-bats, singling in the second for his first hit. Two days later he got his first start and pounded the Red Sox with two doubles and a single in five at-bats. He scored twice and drove in a run in the 15-1 laugher over Boston. In 11 games as a rookie, he hit .412 (7-for-17) with 3 doubles and a pair of RBI.

The following February, the Birds dealt Rodriguez to the Padres for third baseman Fritzie Connally. Vic soon became accustomed to AAA, spending time with affiliates of the Padres, Cardinals, Twins, Phillies,  Marlins, and Red Sox over the next 11 seasons. The only time he reappeared in the big leagues was July of 1989 - nearly 5 full seasons past his brief stint with the Orioles. He collected 5 hits in 11 at-bats with Minnesota (.455), including another couple of doubles. So despite the fact that he hit .295 over the course of 19 minor league seasons, Vic got just 17 games of major league experience. At least he made the most of it; there are very few people who can say that they had a .429 batting average and .697 slugging percentage as a big leaguer.

Gary Roenicke, 1985 Donruss #123

It's really difficult to curb my giddiness over the Orioles' late-season success under Buck Showalter. The latest fun stat: After losing their first 12 games against the Blue Jays in 2010, the O's just swept a three-game series from them. In each of the last two games, they beat up on the sons of ex-Orioles.

In last night's game, they flat-out abused Josh Roenicke, Gary's offspring. In one of those weird cosmic coincidences, Josh was born the day before I was. I don't know if we were in the same hospital, but his birthplace was Baltimore. He is now in his third major league season and has shown promise, but has yet to put it all together. He entered Tuesday's game in the bottom of the seventh with two runners on base, one out, and the Birds ahead 3-0. He failed to retire a single batter of the five he faced, surrendering RBI singles to Adam Jones and Matt Wieters before walking the unwalkable Cesar Izturis to load the bases. Rookie Josh Bell (0-3, 3 K at the time) tried to help him out by hitting a weak comebacker, but Roenicke failed to field it cleanly and threw wildly to first. 6-0, bases still loaded for Robert Andino, a career .213 hitter. Andino lined the first pitch into the left field corner for a three-run double. Cito Gaston mercifully pulled Josh from the game with the scoreboard reading 9-0.

Tonight, Toronto's much-heralded prospect Kyle Drabek made his major league debut as starting pitcher against Brad Bergesen and the O's. The 22-year-old is the son of Doug Drabek, who ended his career with a gruesome 1998 campaign in Charm City. Doug and the rest of the family were in attendance at Camden Yards tonight and the team apparently upgraded them from seats just below the press box to new seats behind the dugout. The elder Drabek looks good for 48; his hair and mustache are silver, but he got rid of that trademark mullet. Anyway, Kyle's final line tonight didn't look bad - he gave up three runs in six innings to meet the minimum definition of a quality start. But the Orioles actually got their licks in with nine hits and three walks. Some baserunning misadventures and other missed opportunities kept the game close. Of course Bergesen didn't need much help, as he shut out the Jays after allowing a first-inning home run to Jose Bautista. He allowed seven hits and no walks and wrapped the game up in a tidy 1:55. (Note to self: the next time you want to go to the park on a work night, make sure Brad is pitching.) Bergy ties his 2009 total with win number seven and spoils Kyle Drabek's first major league game.

It's a shame the Yankees don't have any Oriole offspring on their pitching staff. We might have been able to pencil in another win on Friday.

Al Bumbry, 1985 Donruss #350

As the incredibly irritating theme park song says, it's a small world after all. Just three weeks ago, I was taking in an Orioles game from MASN's private suite when I noticed that Al Bumbry and his son had dropped by. I spoke briefly to "the Bee", but I didn't realize that I was also in the presence of a future Oriole. Last week, the Birds drafted Steven Bumbry with their 12th-round pick. This year, Steve led Virginia Tech with 10 home runs and batted .283 while patrolling the outfield. It's great to see a name from the team's past being given the opportunity to help the team in the coming years.

Bumbry wasn't the only familiar name to be drafted. The O's used their 31st-round pick on Mike Flacco, whose older brother Joe just quarterbacked the Ravens to the AFC Championship game in his rookie season. Mike's a long shot, as you might surmise from his late selection; he returned to baseball after a football-related back injury shelved him for three years and played at a comparatively low level of competition (junior college). Still, a .399 average, 14 HR and 51 RBI in 46 games is impressive after being away from the game for so long. It creates goodwill with the football-crazed local fans and, as Mike himself suggested, ensures Joe's Orioles fandom for the next few years. Heck, if Mike Flacco ever makes it to Camden Yards, it'll be a great story.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the White Sox's 45th-round selection, left fielder Harold Baines, Jr. The son of the former three-time Orioles designated hitter (also named Harold Baines...what a coincidence!) hit .349 in his collegiate career at McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland), and became the first Green Terror player to ever be drafted. I'm curious to hear what Harold's biggest fan Steve has to say about this pick. Ball's in your court, buddy.

John Lowenstein, 1985 Donruss #245

Brother Lo! You've been absent from this blog for far too long. The colorful stories about this flaky former outfielder are legion, and some of the longtime O's fans among my readership probably know more of them than I do. My favorite anecdote is recounted here, as John is stretchered off the field after taking a relay throw in the head as a base runner. Lo, who had just driven in the tying and go-ahead runs, was about to be carried into the dugout when he sat up straight and pumped his fists in the air, to the delight of the Memorial Stadium faithful!

With his over-the-top personality, it can be easy to overlook Lowenstein's skills as a hitter. He was the lefty half of Earl Weaver's brilliant left field platoon, paired with righty Gary Roenicke). In the near-miss season of 1982, the duo combined for 45 home runs and 140 RBI. John himself had a ridiculous 1.017 OPS that year, and went deep once per 13.4 at-bats!

According to the back of this card, the Birds purchased Lo on waivers from the Rangers in 1978 for $25,000. I'd say they got their money's worth. That little factoid would be my favorite thing about this card, were it not for John's #1 fan sitting in the first row on the front of the card. He's rocking the big round shades just like his favorite player.