Joe Orsulak, 1989 Topps Big #181

Longtime reader and commenter Zach knows that I take his posting requests as a challenge, and I like to think that I'm up to the task. He took it easy on me yesterday by asking for a Topps Big card. The Orioles had a schizophrenic presence in that particular set, as all of the action photos used for the backdrops featured the players in 1988's tri-color headgear with the cartoon bird, and the foreground portraits had the O's clad in the brand-spankin'-new solid black caps with the more realistic bird. Joe Orsulak's card shows him batting in a chilly and sparsely-attended Old Comiskey Park, I believe. This is Topps Big, so I'd be remiss if I didn't scan the card back, too:

Unlike most of the players included in the Topps Big sets, Joe actually somewhat resembles the generic beefy white dude in the cartoons. The first panel, with "Orsulak" sporting an old-timey pirate hat and eye patch as he hoists a stack of pilfered bases, is especially choice. I do find it a bit odd that they couldn't pick out anything about his just-concluded 1988 season to highlight. Joe O was one of the few bright spots on that year's wretched Baltimore club, posting a team-high .288 batting average after a year's hiatus from the big leagues. His 113 OPS+ was a new career best, until he topped it in '89 with a mark of 121. But yeah, tell me all about his time in Pittsburgh in the middle of the decade.

Mark Williamson, 1989 Topps Big #147

Earlier this week, I wrote about the guilty pleasure that is the 1989 Orioles "Why Not?" highlights video. I neglected to mention one of the few intentionally funny scenes in the entire video. The team was taking advantage of some downtime by bonding over a crab feast. Mark Williamson, who was in his third season with the Birds (making him one of the veterans, believe it or not), and hometown boy Dave W. Johnson took it upon themselves to teach the newbies how to pick and eat the crustaceans. The relief pitcher seemed to derive some satisfaction out of lecturing his teammates from his "expert" pulpit, explaining how you had to hit the shell with the mallet just so...at which point he brought his wooden mallet down on the crab, only to have a gob of Old Bay and other seasonings fly loose and hit him in the eye. This delighted the other Orioles to no end, and shut up Williamson very quickly.