Corey Patterson, 2007 Topps #22

Remember the days when baseball dugouts weren't plastered with advertisements and logos? Today I posted Tim Hulett's card on my 1993 Topps blog, and I was almost surprised by how bare the visitors dugout looked in the background. Compare that to the Corey Patterson card above, which seems to be sponsored by New Era. I guess this is the way of things. Two decades ago, rotating signs on the backstop were an affront to the eyes, but at some point we probably stopped noticing them. Eventually, there will be ads on player uniforms, and we'll all adjust to it, or else feebly complain to nobody in particular. There's money to be made.

Steve Trachsel, 2007 Topps #558

This is your periodic off-day reminder that Steve Trachsel's unofficial nickname is "Old Turtle".

Sam Perlozzo, 2007 Topps #608

In case you needed a little perspective on the improvements made by the Orioles franchise in recent years, here's a little blast from the past. On this date in 2007, the O's fired manager Sam Perlozzo and appointed Dave Trembley as the interim skipper. That's a pretty stark collection of words right there.

Perlozzo and Trembley were two of a kind, perfectly nice men who had paid their dues in baseball through decades of coaching and minor league managing. Both were overmatched when placed in charge of big league clubs, and both happened to be in the right place when their predecessor got the axe. Inexplicably, the Birds removed the "interim" tag from each of them instead of bothering to seek out the right man for the job.

One of the wisest moldy-oldie sayings in baseball is that a manager gets too much credit for his team's successes and too much blame for its failures. But that didn't make it any easier to sit by and watch Baltimore's substitute teachers misuse (and overuse) their relievers, try to handle aging veteran hitters with kid gloves, and offer bland postgame platitudes about "tipping your hat" to the opposing team's victorious pitcher or dominant slugger.

Current winning record aside, Orioles still have a long way to go before they can truly measure up to the deep major league rosters and minor league talent of their rivals in the American League East. But their strong start in 2012 mirrors the leaps that current manager Buck Showalter has overseen in each of his three previous major league jobs. For all the work the O's have left to do, at least they're not still fishing about for a qualified manager on top of it all.

Kris Benson, 2007 Topps #483

Yesterday Kris Benson announced his retirement, which I'm sure is a great shock to those of you who assumed that he retired four years ago. Since his contract with the Orioles expired after he missed the 2007 season with shoulder surgery, Kris has pitched for the Clearwater Threshers, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Frisco RoughRiders, the Oklahoma City RedHawks, the Reno Aces, the Texas Rangers, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. In that time, he appeared in only 11 big league games, going 2-2 with a 7.18 ERA for Texas and Arizona. Benson said he was tired of putting in so much effort to try to stay healthy, signing minor league contracts, and stressing out about making teams. He'll just have to go home to his buxom, opinionated wife and his presumably lovely children and his millions of dollars.

Kris did have a few highlights in his one season as an Oriole. There was his five-hit win over the Nationals, not to mention the home run that he hit off of Pedro Martinez in a 4-2 win against the Mets. The latter feat represented the O's first homer by a pitcher in interleague play. In fact, he was the first Birds pitcher to touch 'em all since Roric Harrison went deep on the final day of the 1972 season, the last game of the pre-designated hitter era. So Kris Benson still holds a place in the trivia books, at least.

Brian Roberts, 2007 Topps #502

Cross-posted from Camden Chat (originally posted there at 11 AM). Language may not be suitable for minors (mouse over to see the really naughty stuff), but hey, we've got to teach the children about "Animal House" eventually.

According to the latest tally from mlb.com one hour ago, Brian Roberts is still in FOURTH for the All-Star Final Vote, with balloting ending today at 5PM. Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria still leads Jermaine Dye of the White Sox, and they've apparently distanced themselves from (h)G(h)iambi, Brob, and that jackass from KC...

(puts on "COLLEGE" sweatshirt)

NOTHING IS OVER UNTIL WE DECIDE IT IS! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And it ain't over now! 'Cuz when the going gets tough...

The tough get going! C'mon, who's with me? C'mon, let's go! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!

(runs out of CC alone, comes back to see everyone still sitting around morosely)

Hey! What's this lying around shit? What the fuck happened to the Birdland I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you Kevin, we might get in trouble." Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. Longoria, he's a dead man! Dye, dead! Giambi...

DEAD!

Seriously, you guys. We're not gonna let some pissant rookie from that concrete retirement home down south take what rightfully belongs to the best damned smurf second baseman in the league, are we? We've got six hours and UNLIMITED VOTES to make a little more Orioles Magic happen.

Let's do it!

Adam Loewen, 2007 Topps #78

Okay, this video has already been all over the blogosphere today but I just can't help myself. If you've somehow avoided it for this long, the following video began appearing on the scoreboard at Orioles games this week, and it delights me to no end. After initially cringing at the outdated and hokey "Orioles Magic" song, Kevin Millar and company have made it their own. Sure, they're laughing at it, but it's pretty cheesy. Let's face it, it's not the 1980s any more. Besides, they're showing a great sense of humor and team unity. Do you think Joe Girardi's funereal Yankees are playing the keyboards and spelling out the team name with their bodies any time soon?

Without further ado, here's my new favorite video. Look for #15 Kevin Millar on lead vocals, #46 Jeremy Guthrie on backing vocals (and the horn at the beginning), rookie #10 Adam Jones on drums, relievers #45 Dennis Sarfate and #52 George Sherrill on guitars, and of course the man above, currently injured pitcher #29 Adam Loewen rocking some Journeyesque keyboard skills.

It's days like today that I remember why I love this team.

Daniel Cabrera, 2007 Topps #54

What could Daniel Cabrera have to do with Valentine's Day? Like most Orioles fans, I usually experience nothing but pain and frustration when he takes the mound. But believe it or not, this lanky, erratic Dominican hurler once played an important part in one of the best dates I've ever had.

It was Friday, September 22, 2006. I was about a month into a relationship with a girl named Melissa. We had been friends for almost five years, and when we both found ourselves single and realized that there was mutual interest, things came together quickly, almost effortlessly. It was as though we'd been together for years. Most nights, we didn't even have to make concrete plans to have a good time. We'd just sit around my apartment or hers, watching TV, maybe playing cards or video games. It was very low-key. But on this particular night, I thought it would be nice to do something out-of-the-ordinary and catch an Orioles game.

We met up at Union Station after I got off of work and took the MARC train to Camden Yards. It was a Student Discount Night, so we grabbed some cheap upper reserve seats down the left field line and settled in to watch the Birds take on the Twins. It was a beautiful night, a calm 72 degrees with just the slightest breeze. I was in my element, and I couldn't help but show off, feeding Melissa bits of trivia about the ballpark and the players. I probably mentioned that Oriole Park was built very near to Babe Ruth's birthplace. I mentioned the Baltimore Sun's neon signage on top of the scoreboard, and pointed it out to her as the "H" blinked when a batter was credited with a base hit and the "E" blinked when a fielder was charged with an error.

For all of my baseball knowledge and enthusiasm, I'm sure the night still would have been lacking if the Orioles hadn't held up their end of the bargain. Fortunately, they started strong, touching up Carlos Silva for four runs in the first two innings. Most of the excitement came in the second inning, as Brian Roberts walloped a two-run home run and Nick Markakis drove in another run with the first of his two doubles. Given some offensive support, Daniel Cabrera shook off the effects of a long and disappointing season. He allowed only one run before tiring in the seventh inning, and struck out eight batters. Brian Burres pitched out of trouble in relief, and Chris Ray slammed the door shut in the ninth on just nine pitches, preserving Cabrera's eighth win by a 7-3 margin.

When a crisp autumn chill settled into the stadium as the evening wore on, I slipped into my Orioles windbreaker. I was grateful that Melissa had come along, and I pulled her closer to me to keep us both warm. Even though she called things off a month later, ending the relationship almost as abruptly as it began, we're still good friends. One of my fondest memories of our time together was that night out at the ballpark.