Billy Ripken, 1990 Donruss #164

Guess who turns the big 5-0 today? No, it's not me, and I'm greatly offended by your presumption. It's not 2032 just yet, thank you very much. Nope, the second-best Ripken to ever play for the Orioles was born on this date in 1964. So here's wishing a hap-hap-happy birthday to Billy, the man who gave my 22-year-old self a nonsensical nickname and was generally a tough act to follow. But it's not fair to dwell on unpleasantries on such a momentous occasion, so I went and tracked down the box score from little brother's first career home run: July 19, 1987. It was an Earl Weaver special off of Bud Black in the top of the fifth inning in Kansas City, giving the O's a 4-0 lead in a game they'd eventually win 5-1. For one day at least, Billy snatched the spotlight from Cal, who had a measly double...and three walks...and a stolen base.

What a showoff.

Curt Schilling, 1990 Donruss #667

Yesterday's blog post about the Polar Bear Plunge received a bigger response than I'd anticipated. Three donors in, and I've already cleared the $75 minimum in donations that is required to take the plunge. So thanks to my benefactors: Oriole Paul, Randy, and Curt Schilling.

Wait, what?

No joke. If you go to my Plunge page, you'll see a donor listing for Curtis Schilling. I have no way of verifying that the veteran of 20 major league seasons and owner of 216 career wins (plus 11 more in the postseason) actually visited my blog and felt compelled to sponsor my dip in the Bay. After all, my readership tends to be in the dozens. But stranger things have happened. Consider the circumstantial evidence:

-Curt knows his way around a computer, and used to interact with Boston fans on the Sons of Sam Horn message board;

-Really, who would be bored enough to make a donation under a false name, thereby giving the credit to a famous athlete?

Of course, once it sunk in that Schilling may have found his way here, I had to take a hasty trip through my archives to make sure I hadn't taken any cheap shots at him in the past. But it looks like I've behaved myself. There were a few references to him having a big mouth, but I don't think it's the first time that anyone's said that.

Anyhow, Curt, if you're reading: thanks for stopping by, and thanks for your generosity.

Bob Milacki, 1990 Donruss #333

Because I know how to drive a posting theme into the ground, here's yet another autograph from the five-pack that Alan sent my way. Bob Milacki had the good sense to sign his name across the bright white of his home jersey for optimal visibility. He's got one of the more legible signatures that I've seen by a baseball player, and yet it still allows for a bit of stylistic flourish. The blue marker contrasts nicely with the blood-red borders of 1990 Donruss, too.

Speaking of Bob Milacki, this blog post from 2012 features some quotes from the former O's pitcher about players he'd coached that season with the Reading Phillies, as well as a modern-day photo of Milacki. He still looks much the same as he did in his playing days, plus a few pounds and a goatee that I think suits him quite well.

Randy Milligan, 1990 Donruss #519

My internal monologue right now: Finish sorting your junk wax. Finish cataloging it. Finish sorting your Orioles cards. Put together your 1956 Topps binder. Then you can play video games.

Adulthood is what you make of it.

Mickey Tettleton, 1990 Donruss #5

At long last, here are the whereabouts of your 1989 "Why Not?" Baltimore Orioles:

STARTING LINEUP

C Mickey Tettleton is active on the celebrity golf circuit and is a devoted father to his four children. Tate, the oldest, is a star quarterback in high school.

1B Randy Milligan is a scout with the Orioles, according to Wikipedia.

2B Billy Ripken is a co-owner of the Orioles' short-season A affiliate, the Aberdeen IronBirds. He recently coached first base for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and has appeared as an analyst on the MLB Network. He's also Executive Vice President of Ripken Baseball, Inc.

SS Cal Ripken, Jr. was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. He is co-owner of the Aberdeen IronBirds and President and CEO of Ripken Baseball, Inc.

3B Craig Worthington owns and operates a hitting instruction academy for baseball and softball in Southern California and coaches the girls' softball team at St. Paul High School.

LF Phil Bradley is a special assistant for the Major League Baseball Players Association. His son Curt played in the Dodgers organization in 2007.

CF Mike Devereaux lent his name to an American Legion tournament in his hometown of Casper, Wyoming. After the breakup of the local American Legion, the Mike Devereaux Tournament allowed the town's teenagers to continue playing baseball in front of home crowds. The inaugural tournament took place last year.

RF Joe Orsulak still lives in the area, spent a few years coaching baseball at Loyola Blakefield High School, and works Cal Ripken's baseball camps on occasion.

DH Larry Sheets owns and operates a family amusement center in Westminster, MD.

THE STARTING ROTATION

Jeff Ballard is a senior vice president at Ballard Petroleum Holdings, the family business in his hometown of Billings, MT. He is also chairman of the American Legion baseball program in Billings.

Bob Milacki is the pitching coach for the Phillies' class A South Atlantic League affiliate, the Lakewood BlueClaws.

Dave Schmidt is the Orioles' minor league pitching coordinator. He has been an instructor in the Baltimore organization for twelve years now.

Pete Harnisch is living with his wife and two sons in Colts Neck, NJ, where he coaches youth baseball, soccer, and basketball.

Dave Johnson is a baseball analyst for the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. His son Steven pitches in the Dodgers organization.

THE BULLPEN

Unfortunately, the most recent news I found of Brian Holton was a story about his 2006 arrest in Manchester, NH on charges of skipping out on $43,000 of owed child support.

Mark Thurmond is the vice president of the Al Thurmond Insurance Agency.

Kevin Hickey is a coach at the annual White Sox Fantasy Camp. He was a batting practice pitcher for the 2005 World Champion Pale Hose.

Mark Williamson...is a mystery to me.

Gregg Olson lives in Newport Beach, CA with his wife and four children.

Sometime soon, I'll kill another day with updates on the bench players and lesser-used pitchers.

Rene Gonzales, 1990 Donruss #401

You probably know by know that one of my quirky preoccupations as an Orioles fan is uniform numbers. For this reason, I have a special appreciation for utility infielder Rene Gonzales. "Gonzo" had worn #19 in the mid-Eighties with the Expos, but his favorite number was 8. When he got to Baltimore, a certain Ripken was entrenched in that number, so Rene doubled it. I believe he was the first player to wear #88 with any regularity, and was certainly the first Oriole to wear any number in the eighties in the regular season. He kept it for his entire stint in Charm City (1987-1990), and wore it at his future destinations of Toronto, California, Cleveland, and Texas. He played two games with the Rockies in 1997 and the spoilsports handed him #28.

Gonzo's legacy was continued by rookie first baseman Paul Carey, who debuted with the Birds in May 1993. His rationale was that #8 had proven pretty lucky for Cal Ripken, so hopefully #88 would be "twice as lucky for me". He played only 18 games in 1993, his first and only year in the majors, so I'm not sure how lucky the crazy eights turned out to be.

The third and final Oriole (to date) to wear #88 was a greater headline-grabber than his predecessors. Surly, hulking outfielder Albert Belle signed with the O's prior to the 1999 season for a bank-breaking five years and $65 million. He had worn #8 since 1990 with the Indians and White Sox, but even his 321 home runs did not trump the Iron Man. So it was that Albert too doubled his favored digit. The mercurial slugger certainly earned his keep in his first season in orange and black, bashing 36 doubles and 37 home runs, driving in 117 runs, and walking 101 times to boot. But things went downhill in a hurry. In 2000, Belle's production dropped notably (though he still lead a weak club in 2B, HR, and RBI) and he abruptly retired at age 33 with a degenerative hip condition.

As soon as Cal Ripken, Jr. hung up his spikes in October 2001, the Orioles retired his #8. Since then, Javy Lopez has been the most likely incoming Oriole to go double-eight. But he blew it by switching from #8 to #18 when he relocated to our fine city. Bo-ring. Will there be more #88s in Baltimore's future? Time will tell.

Steve Finley, 1990 Donruss #215

1990 was the first year that Donruss had really gone out on a limb design-wise since the mid-Eighties. These cards were like nothing that came before them, with the distinct white script player names and blood-red borders, not to mention the splatters of black and white. It almost seemed as if the cards had been designed by Jackson Pollock.

Steve Finley was a player that Pollock would have loved, had he been a baseball fan. His entire career was a splash of this, a sprinkle of that. He broke in with the Orioles in 1989 as a speedy little singles hitter whose glove kept him in the lineup. Eventually he would develop surprising power, clouting 30 or more home runs in four different seasons and topping 300 for his career. He was a terror on the basepaths in the early years, swiping 78 bags between the 1991 and 1992 campaigns. But over his last eleven seasons in the bigs, he never notched more than 16 steals. Steve even pitched an inning for the Diamondbacks in 2001, ending his career on the mound with a spotless 0.00 ERA. He also spent his time in baseball playing here and there, jumping from team to team just like those contrasting splatters on the card above. In addition to his brief time in Baltimore, he played in Houston, San Diego, Arizona, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Francisco, and Colorado. I'm still disappointed that he never made it to Oakland; he would have probably been the first to play for each of the five California teams.

In Baltimore, Steve Finley is known largely as a symbol of a future denied by one disastrous trade. But he was the odd man out in the trio that included Brady Anderson and Mike Devereaux, and hindsight is 20/20. Did you really predict in 1990 that Steve Finley would last 19 years, or that he would hit 304 home runs and 449 doubles? If so, you've probably got an attic full of Jackson Pollock paintings that you bought on the cheap before he hit it big.