Josh Towers, 2002 Studio #65

This is probably a silly question, but does anyone else watch Mad Men? I was behind the curve with it, as I am with many pop culture phenomena. Thanks to Netflix, I've taken a crash course on the first four seasons of the show. I just now watched the last one, in the nick of time for tonight's season premiere. I picked up this card a few weeks back, and it occurred to me that Josh Towers bears a passing resemblance to Aaron Staton, the actor who portrays Ken Cosgrove in the series. I wonder if there are any other Mad Men lookalikes in Orioles lore?

Jay Gibbons, 2002 Donruss Studio #79

It's not every day that the President announces that the country's greatest enemy has been captured and killed, so I thought I'd commemorate the occasion with the ol' Stars and Stripes. It seems inconceivable to me that it's been ten years since Osama bin Laden became a household name in the United States. On September 11, 2001 I had just started my sophomore year of college. I don't remember much about that day. I had already gone across campus for my morning Basics of Computing class when the full scope of the terrorist attacks was realized and we were notified that all classes would be cancelled. I went straight to the dining hall for lunch and sat with my friend Boothe, who was visibly shaken by the whole thing. That stands out to me because he's the kind of guy who doesn't allow himself to appear vulnerable very often, and naturally I had no idea what to say to reassure him. But we made it through the day, and hundreds and thousands of days since. Life goes on...we always find a way.

Ed Rogers, 2002 Studio #107

While searching for inspiration after another team-wide meltdown against the most despised of opponents, I came across good ol' Eddie Rogers, a symbol of an era of overhyped, mediocre prospects. Around the turn of the century, I heard his name mentioned in breathless tones as "the next Alex Rodriguez". He was a shortstop from the Dominican Republic...and that's about where the comparison ends. He hit .298 at AAA Ottowa...in 2006, when he was 27. He topped out at 11 HR and 57 RBI. Despite his mediocre minor league record, he did make it to the majors, and played 30 whole games and batted a robust .207. His lasting legacy was an interleague game in Shea Stadium in 2006, when he was positioned in left field and had a batted ball land in his jersey.

As I sit impatiently through loss after loss, checking minor league box scores and scouting reports, I just keep reminding myself that the new batch of young players are prospects and not suspects. It's not just Syd Thrift and Mike Flanagan selling the fans their own brand of snake oil; respected baseball executives, reporters, and bloggers are sold on Matt Wieters, Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, and Brian Matusz. The less-heralded rookies are already here, and doing their best to make things interesting. Lost in last night's Chris Ray gasoline job was a strong start by Brad Bergesen, who retired 13 straight batters after Rodriguez's first-inning home run and left in the seventh inning trailing 2-1. Tonight, Nolan Reimold salvaged something from another bullpen wreck by hitting his first career home run off of that Mariano Rivera guy. The uglier things get, the less I want to wait.