Fernando Valenzuela, 1994 Stadium Club 1st Day Issue #69

It's Cinco de Mayo, so I give you the gift of the most popular Mexican player in major league history: Fernando Valenzuela. (Sorry, Karim Garcia fans.) He's wearing a Baltimore Black Sox cap in homage to one of Charm City's great Negro League teams. Here at Orioles Card "O" the Day, we are nothing if not multicultural.

Jamie Moyer, 1994 Stadium Club 1st Day Issue #284

Help us, Jamie Moyer, you're our only hope. Okay, so the Obi Wan Kenobi of the major leagues won't actually be a participant in this year's World Series; his season was ended by groin and abdominal tears that required surgery. I suppose that's the occupational hazard of being the MLB's oldest active pitcher. Still, Moyer's Phillies are going to need to harness all of his spiritual energy to help them defend their World Championship against the hated Yankees.

That's right, Philly is our last line of defense against the best (and smarmiest) team that $200+ million could buy. Not that the Phightin's are the scrappy little guys that could; their $113M payroll ranked seventh in baseball. Still, that's small potatoes compared to an irritating offseason binge that netted New York all three of the top free agents that were available. Thankfully, manager Charlie Manuel's charges should be a formidable opponent, with a powerful lineup and a top-heavy starting rotation. If only they can provide enough insurance to keep Brad Lidge off of the Yankee Stadium mound in tight ninth-inning situations...

Come Wednesday, I hope you'll join me in donning your Phillies red and rooting against the Steinbrenners. I'm not ready to return to a world order that has the Yankees on top.