Mike Bordick, 2001 Fleer Showcase #51

The heartiest of congratulations and felicitations to Mike Bordick, who was voted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in results that were announced today. In August, he and team trainer Richie Bancells will be inducted in a ceremony at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Bordick played six seasons with the O's from 1997-2002, except for a couple months late in 2000 after he was traded to the Mets. That deal brought Melvin Mora to Baltimore, making it the only productive move of that year's summer fire sale. But the shortstop's value to the Birds went farther than that.

In 1996, Cal Ripken, Jr. had balked when Davey Johnson flirted with moving him from short to third base. As much as anything, his recalcitrance had a lot to do with the player who would be replacing him. That year, the only other shortstops on the roster were utility player Jeff Huson and failed prospect Manny Alexander. But when the Orioles signed Mike Bordick away from Oakland as a free agent, Cal recognized his new teammate's talents as a shortstop and finally moved off of the position that he had manned for 15 memorable seasons.

Bordick was known as a defensive-first shortstop, and he certainly lived up to his billing. He led the American League in total zone runs in 1997 and 2002, and ranked in the top three in 1998 and 1999. He led in assists in 1998 and 1999, led in range factor in 2002, and led in fielding percentage in 1999 and 2002. In 2002, the 36-year-old committed a single error in 570 chances for a sterling .998 fielding percentage. He set single-season fielding records at his position for fewest errors, highest fielding percentage, consecutive errorless games (110) and consecutive errorless chances (543). Of course, he was at least competent with the bat. He slugged over .400 three times with the O's, and had a career year in 2000: .297/.350/.481 in 100 games before the Mets trade, with 22 doubles, 16 home runs, and 59 RBI. That summer he made his only All-Star team.

As mentioned previously, Bordy is back in the Baltimore organization as a minor league instructor, and is one of several ex-players in camp at the Sarasota facility. So everything is comin' up Bordick.

Brady Anderson, 2001 Fleer Showcase #39

It's only right that this card depicts Brady Anderson in a dirty uniform. Like several of the Orioles of the Cal Ripken, Jr. era, you practically had to drag him off of the field to get him to take a day off to rest. He kept on playing right through a broken rib, broken hand, appendicitis (yes, really. He declined the surgery and pilots on O's charter flights were given emergency landing instructions should things take a turn for the worse!). My favorite Anderson story involves a close call on the way to the ballpark. He was rollerblading to Camden Yards (because it was the '90s and he was Brady) when a nearby bus driver didn't spot the outfielder and turned right into him. Brady was knocked underneath the bus, but of course he pulled himself back up and made it to the stadium. In his own words, “It hurt pretty bad. I came into the weight room and took off my pants, and I was bleeding all over the place.” Somehow Anderson kept the incident under wraps, played the game, and racked up a couple hits and a few strong plays in the field. Talk about your close calls.

I didn't have nearly as close a call as Brady Anderson did, but I still haven't wrapped my mind around the Metro car collision near the Maryland state line Monday afternoon. I take the Metro every day, and it never occurred to me that there could be an accident that would claim the lives of nine people. As it so happens, my daily commute doesn't go near Fort Totten. I only take the Red Line for three stops, from Metro Center to Union Station. Still, I occasionally drive to Greenbelt instead of riding the MARC Train, and in those instances it would be feasible for me to stay on the Red Line up to Fort Totten before switching to Green. By the time I got off of work, the accident had already occurred, though I didn't know the extent of the damage. For me, it seemed like no more than a 10-minute inconvenience in a day that had already been full of them. But the details started trickling in: two trains collided, one train wound up ON TOP of the other, possibly some fatalities. It was bizarre to have aunts and uncles and cousins calling the house to make sure that I was still alive.

In case you're wondering, I took the bus instead this morning, but was back on the Metro in the afternoon. Random as it may be, life goes on.