Phil Bradley, 1989 Bowman #17

Every time I look at a 1989 Bowman card, I find it hard to believe that there was ever a 1990 Bowman set released. These cards are ugly, dull, and clunky. Nearly every card in the set looks just like this, a portrait of a player staring straight ahead. Some smile, some grimace, and some just kind of go slack. They're bigger than standard cards, making them a pain in the ass to store in boxes. Sure, you could put them in 8-pocket binder pages, but who would want to do that? Boo to you, 1989 Bowman. Boo.

Cal Ripken, Sr., 1989 Bowman #260

To my knowledge, Cal Ripken, Sr. is the only coach to receive a card in the 1989 Bowman set. If you're wondering about the television motif, I'm pretty sure it's an homage to the 1955 Bowman design. I'm grateful for this oddity, as it makes for a great Father's Day card. Of course, "Senior" had made baseball history in 1987 as the first (and to date, the only) man to manage two of his sons on the same team. By the time the Aberdeen, MD native was tabbed to replace Earl Weaver as the Oriole manager, he had paid his dues as a player, coach, and manager in the Baltimore organization for three decades. As his reward, he was handed an aging team that had been in steady decline since winning the World Series in 1983. The club went 67-95 and finished ahead of only the Indians in the A.L. East. If you want to talk about a short leash, Cal was fired just six games into a winless start to the 1988 season. Frank Robinson took his place and proved that the manager wasn't the problem; the O's eventually lost a league-record 21 games before picking up their first win that year and dropped 107 in all.

Both of the Ripken boys were obviously hit hard by the hasty dismissal of their father. Cal Junior was deeply resentful and later admitted that he began having doubts about his own long-term future with the team. Billy switched from uniform number 3 to his dad's #7. Fortunately, the story had a somewhat happy ending. Robinson soon asked the elder Ripken to return as third-base coach, a position that he held until retiring in 1992. Cal Senior remained close to the Birds until his death in 1999. It's a classy and fitting testament to the literal and figurative father of the O's that no one has worn #7 since he hung up his spikes.

Larry Sheets, 1989 Bowman #16

Here we see Larry Sheets modeling the utmost in menswear finery from the 1989 Dugout Collection. He's nattily attired in his black turtleneck with a pair of matching Oriole-orange stripes. Like all fashionable, hirsute studs of the Eighties, he's wearing it one size too small, the better to make his head appear enormous. After all, it takes a big head to hold a big brain, and the ladies will tell you that there's nothing sexier than an intelligent man, especially one who knows his way around the bases. Larry's smoldering expression, with eyes cast toward the distance, tells you that he might be dressed for the chills of spring, but he's got his sights set on those hot summer nights.

Order the Orioles Spring Training turtleneck, item DC-OSTT1819, for 29.95 + shipping and handling. No C.O.D.