Rafael Palmeiro, 1995 Upper Deck #366

Before he was finger-pointing, earplug-wearing, Tejada-blaming twilight-of-his-career Rafael Palmeiro, he was just Raffy, and he did a lot of impressive things in an Orioles uniform. But #25 only had one 40-homer season in Baltimore. Same goes for Frank Robinson, Jim Gentile, Brady Anderson, and Nelson Cruz. Within the past week, Chris Davis became the first player in franchise history to hit 40 home runs in two different seasons. Last night, he slugged his 41st in the top of the ninth to give the O's a 2-1 win in Yankee Stadium. Tonight, "Crush" was held in the ballpark, but still came up big in a series-clinching 5-3 win in the Bronx. He singled, doubled, and walked twice, driving in the team's first run and a crucial ninth-inning insurance tally. There hasn't been much worth celebrating in Birdland over the past month, but Chris Davis continues to inspire awe.

Cal Ripken Jr., 1995 Upper Deck #365

I'm sharing this card just because the photo is amazing. Cal Ripken sliding into home at Camden Yards, kicking up a cloud of dust and gazing expectantly at the home plate umpire to see if he was safe. To the right, the catcher (Mariners, I'm thinking) holds up his glove, pleading his case. If this picture was taken in 1994, there were only two potential plays at the plate involving Cal, and he was safe both times. Take that, Dan Wilson!

Bret Barberie, 1995 Upper Deck #126

That's some bad mustache, Bret.

Arthur Rhodes, 1995 Upper Deck #369

A hearty congratulations to Arthur Rhodes, who just won the World Series with the Cardinals. It's the lefty's first championship in his 20 year big league career. Rhodes retired all three batters that he faced in three games in the Fall Classic, capping a scoreless postseason for the 42-year-old. Though I wasn't rooting for the Cardinals in the Series, I was glad to see Arthur earn a "hold" by coaxing a flyout from pinch hitter Yorvit Torrealba in the seventh inning last night. He set a record as the oldest pitcher ever to record a hold in the World Series, of course. I was even happier to see him smiling widely while rushing out to join the mob scene on the infield in St. Louis after the final out was recorded. I'm not sure if he'll be back next year after putting up a 4.64 ERA in 2011, his highest mark since 2006. But if he walks away from the game now, he'll be doing it while on top of the baseball world. Not bad for a guy who was drafted a few months after current O's pitcher Chris Tillman was born back in the spring of 1988.

Andy Van Slyke, 1995 Upper Deck #368

Many things in life are fleeting in nature. Take Andy Van Slyke's Orioles career; he signed with the Birds prior to the 1995 season but played only 17 games with the club. The 34-year-old outfielder, who had been an All-Star just two seasons prior, battled injuries and hit .159 (10-for-63) with three home runs before being traded to the Phillies in mid-June. He played marginally better in Philly (.243 AVG/.684 OPS), but it would prove to be the last season of his career. Sometimes the end comes suddenly.

That looks to be the case for hobby giant Upper Deck, who burst onto the scene in 1989 with glossy cards with high-quality (and often inventive) photos both front and back. They changed baseball cards as we knew them, and after the downturn in the hobby at the turn of the century, only Topps and Upper Deck were left standing. But this past offseason, Major League Baseball dealt a crushing blow to the latter by signing an exclusive licensing deal with Topps. Everyone waited with great curiosity to see how Upper Deck (still holding a license with the Players' Association) would respond.

The answer was another tepid, forgettable card design in a series of them, and a half-hearted approach to the display of team logos and insignia. Many cards featured player's backs facing the camera, or profile shots that obscured a portion of the jersey and cap logos. Yet a significant number of cards blatantly showed head-on shots of logos. The end result was baffling. If Upper Deck was going to make some effort to hide those trademarked images, why not do it for every photo? If they wanted to lift a couple choice fingers in the direction of Topps and MLB by showing logos, again, why not do it 100% and go out with guns blazing? In the end, they still got sued and had to reach a hasty settlement that makes them look bad and costs them millions of dollars. The outlook is gloomy for the boys from Carlsbad, CA.

In going with the rule of threes, I intended to write about my former elementary school, St. Clare School in Essex, MD. This week the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced that the PreK-8 Catholic school, the place where I made some very good friends and spent ten years of my life, will be closed at the end of the academic year. I'm furious, disappointed, and sad, but I'm still not ready to put it all into words. This entry will be a two-parter; check back tomorrow.

Curtis Goodwin, 1995 Upper Deck #4

This Day in Orioles History: July 1, 1995

Orioles 6, Blue Jays 2 at SkyDome

Rookie outfielder Curtis Goodwin continued a torrid start to his major league career with a 3-for-5 performance in the O's win over the last-place Blue Jays. He hit his first home run, a two-run shot in the fifth inning off of Toronto starter Al Leiter, doubled, and drove in three runs total. A month into his stint with the Birds, the speedy outfielder was hitting .370. Though he would slump later and finish at .263, Curtis' future was bright enough that Baltimore was able to swap him to the Reds for veteran pitcher David Wells.

The Oriole attack on this day was top-heavy; the three hitters at the top of the lineup (Goodwin, Manny Alexander, and Rafael Palmeiro) accounted for nine of the team's ten hits (designated hitter Bret Barberie had the other).

On the mound, lefty Jamie Moyer excelled, evening his record at 3-3 by pitching into the eighth inning while allowing six hits and no walks and striking out four. He was economical, throwing just 83 pitches. Incidentally, Moyer is the only participant in this game who is still an active player some thirteen years later; he was 32 at the time and is now a 45-year-old veteran starter for the Phillies. Time flies, huh?