Alejandro Freire, 2006 Fleer Ultra #182

Who is Alejandro Freire? Just another of those late-twenties, early-thirties minor league veterans who got to live out his major league dreams thanks to the lousiness of the recent-vintage Orioles. He was two weeks shy of his 31st birthday when he made his debut in August 2005, in the midst of the Rafael Palmeiro suspension and fallout. Freire had originally been signed by the Astros fifteen years earlier, and he played 1,222 minor league games in four organizations before the O's grabbed him in a pinch. Then he hit .246 in 25 games and that was all she wrote.

What's more, Freire was one of 22 players in Orioles history who was born in Venezuela. Of course, the two most notable were Luis Aparicio and Melvin Mora. I was surprised that there were so many one-time Birds that called this South American locale home. With Mora's departure in the offseason, shortstop Cesar Izturis is the only current Baltimore player who is also a proud Venezuelan.

This concludes the evening's social studies class. You are dismissed.

Melvin Mora, 2006 Fleer Ultra #104

As you can see, Melvin Mora is wearing his pink wristband to support breast cancer research on Mother's Day (Sunday, May 8, 2005). Though the pink accessories suited the O's hitters well that day, the pitchers had no such luck, as Kansas City left Oriole Park at Camden Yards with a 10-8 win. Of course, four Baltimore errors didn't help matters much. Still, Mora stood out with a home run, a double, and three RBI in the game. What else would you expect from the major leagues' only father of quintuplets? He was working overtime to pay tribute to the important women in his life.

The Birds don't have a great Mother's Day track record in recent years, as you may be painfully aware. But that should be a secondary concern this afternoon. Step away from the television or computer for a bit, and let the mothers in your life know what they mean to you.