Bobby Bonilla, 1996 Donruss #225

Last weekend, the Orioles picked up some familiar names in the MLB amateur draft. In the seventh round, they spent the 211th overall pick on North Carolina State University first baseman Preston Palmeiro, the younger son of former O's All-Star Rafael Palmeiro. Yes, he bats lefty. In 59 games as a junior, Preston batted .337 with 20 doubles, nine homers, and 55 RBI. Scouts like his contact hitting ability but question his power potential; sounds a lot like the early outlook for his father. Back in spring training, Preston's big brother Patrick was in the Birds' minor league camp, but was released before long.

On Saturday the O's used their 13th round selection on lefty reliever Brandon Bonilla, the progeny of slugging third baseman-outfielder Bobby Bonilla. Bobby Bo spent parts of two seasons in Baltimore in the mid-1990s, and his kid saved a dozen games as a senior for the Hawaii Pacific University Sharks. He reportedly throws 97 mph, and allowed just one run in 25.1 innings this season, striking out 38 and walking 15 while giving up nine hits.

As always, there's no telling whether either second-generation player will ever make it to the big leagues. But it certainly seems like they have some good tools.

Armando Benitez, 1996 Donruss #513

My mother is retiring next month, so she's been doing a lot of cleaning, organizing, and dumping. Yesterday afternoon she handed me a sealed (but not stamped) envelope that she'd found bearing my handwriting. It was addressed to Dr. Gene Budig, President of the American League from 1994 through 1999. I had no recollection of ever composing a letter to the good doctor, but I had a feeling that it couldn't be anything good. When I got back to my desk and opened it up, my suspicions were confirmed.

The letter, composed in Microsoft Word and printed neatly, is dated October 10, 1996. The day after Game 1 of the ALCS. THAT game. Armando Benitez. Derek Jeter. Tony Tarasco. Jeffrey Freaking Maier. It's a fascinating glimpse into the frustrated mind of a 14-year-old baseball fanatic, and there is contempt dripping off of each and every word. I'm not nearly shameless enough to share the letter in its entirety, but highlights include:

-Referring to myself as "a frustrated ex-baseball fan". 17 years later, I must note that I'm apparently not a man of my convictions. And yes, I underlined "ex" in the letter, just so he would get the point.

-Committing the cardinal sin of the overzealous sports fan and substituting "we" for the team name.

-Describing the umpires as "spiteful" (more on that in a moment) and "incompetent", and Yankee rooters as "nasty, immoral slobs". Gee, young Kevin, tell us what you really think.

-Suggesting that Richie Garcia and the rest of the umpiring crew may have had it in for the Orioles because Roberto Alomar had recently spit on John Hirschbeck.

-Noting that I had stripped my room of all baseball memorabilia. It's a good thing I didn't actually throw those cards out...I suppose.

-Appending a closing salutation of "Worst regards". Oh, BURN.

Obviously, this letter is something that I can laugh at now. Maybe time really does heal all wounds.

On the other hand, I still can't stand Armando Benitez.

Jeff Manto, 1996 Donruss #38

I quite literally have one foot out the door as I type this sentence. I am driving over the Bay Bridge to Chestertown to drop in on reunion weekend at Washington College, the seventh such occasion since my graduation from that fine institution in 2004. It seems impossible that it's been that long, but here we are. Why Jeff Manto? He's the only Oriole who was once traded for Chestertown native Ryan Thompson, a journeyman outfielder who hit .243 in a 9-year career (1992-2002). The deal in question sent Manto to the Indians and Thompson to the Blue Jays on June 5, 1997. Remember that...there will be a quiz later.*

*=There will not be a quiz later.

Doug Jones, 1996 Donruss #237

Off the top of my head, I can't remember seeing too many cards that feature handshakes between players. I like this one in particular. It seems like a genuine moment of congratulations and respect between battery mates. Any time that Chris Hoiles (the O's underrated and workmanlike catcher) can get a little more face time on a card, it's all good. It's pretty safe to assume that this scene took place after Doug had closed out a Baltimore victory. It would be pretty funny if Chris wandered out to the mound to talk about how to pitch to Paul Molitor and felt it necessary to formally introduce himself. "Hey, Mr. Jones, I'm Chris Hoiles and I'm your catcher today. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

I've got a little time to kill tonight, so I thought I'd try to pinpoint the game depicted in this photo. The Orioles are wearing their road grays, and the surface they're playing on is clearly AstroTurf. There have never been many American League stadiums with artificial turf, and they appear to be outdoors, which leaves Toronto's SkyDome as the only possibility. (Kansas City switched from turf to natural grass for the 1995 season.)

Surprisingly, Doug pitched in Toronto only twice in 1995: July 1-2. In the first of those two games, the O's had tacked on two runs in the ninth to take a 6-2 lead, allowing the walrus-mustached closer to pitch in a non-save siuation. He made things interesting anyway, loading the bases after getting two quick outs. After John Olerud doubled, Jones issued walks to Ed Sprague and Candy Maldonado to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of outfielder Mike Huff. A liner to second base allowed the Birds to put one in the win column.

The next day was even more exciting for the Orioles. Jays starter Woody Williams took a 7-0 lead into the eighth inning, but the O's knocked him out of the box with a two-run homer off the bat of Gregg ZAUN! But they still trailed by five runs heading into the ninth. Manny Alexander (of all people) hit a solo home run to lead off, and Rafael Palmeiro and Cal Ripken, Jr. each singled to chase reliever Danny Cox. Ricardo Jordan retired Jeffrey Hammonds on a sac fly and struck out Kevin Bass, and the Birds were down to their last out with one runner on base and a 7-4 deficit. For some reason, Cito Gaston pulled the man who had put out the fire and sent Tim Crabtree to the mound. That's when Toronto game unglued.

Bret Barberie hit a pinch single, and he and Cal both scored when right fielder Domingo Cedeno botched pinch hitter Chris Hoiles' fly ball. Rookie outfielder Curtis Goodwin's grounder to short should have ended the game, but Domingo Cedeno made the second consecutive Blue Jay error to put the winning run on base. Brady Anderson walked, and Manny Alexander again came up big, grounding a single up the middle to give the O's an 8-7 lead. A wild pitch scored Anderson with the seventh Baltimore run of the inning (five of them unearned), and Doug Jones came into the game for an unlikely save. This time, he retired the side in order to earn his twelfth save.

There weren't many good days for Doug Jones as an Oriole. He went 0-4 with just 22 saves, and his 5.01 ERA was the second-worst of his long career. He also infamously tipped his cap and argued with a Baltimore fan after a meltdown at home against the Blue Jays (6 ER without getting a single out) turned a 10-6 lead into a 12-10 loss. But that wouldn't be appropriate to depict on a baseball card, now would it?

Jamie Moyer, 1996 Donruss #69

Ten Reasons Why Jamie Moyer is Awesome:

1. He beat Steve Carlton in his major-league debut.

2. He won 34 games in his twenties, 130 in his thirties (including 20 for the first time at age 38!), and 77 so far in his forties.

3. Nicknamed former Oriole teammate Jack Voigt "Roy Hobbs" because the outfielder hit so well against him in the minor leagues.

4. Is a punctual through-the-mail autographer.

5. Is twenty-ninth all-time in career strikeouts, despite topping out at 158 for a single season.

6. Hasn't lost to the Washington Nationals franchise since 1991...when they were known as the Montreal Expos. (Sure, he was in the American League for most of his career, but it's still a fun stat.) In a similar vein, he went sixteen years between RBI and nineteen years between doubles as a hitter. He also set a record by going 20 years and 2 days between wins vs. the Braves.

7. At the age of 45, recently plowed into first-base ump Randy Marsh while rounding the bases. He had just legged out a bunt, and wound up at third base thanks to several Pirates miscues.

8. A recent article suggested that he could pitch until he's fifty. Moyer didn't shoot down the speculation, indicating only that he planned to pitch next year.


9. Has been involved in trades featuring three different players named Andrew.


10. He and his wife founded the Moyer Foundation, which assists at-risk children.