Nick Markakis, 2008 Upper Deck #368

Nick Markakis might not be an Oriole anymore, but this is how I'd like to remember him: unflappably gloving a fly ball in right field as a gaggle of goony Red Sox fans jabber in disappointment behind him.

Brian Roberts, 2008 Upper Deck #782

One win, zero losses. It's the finest way to start the season. I didn't get to watch much of this game, and listened to little more; my girlfriend's stuff has been stubbornly refusing to move itself. But as I watch the Orioles' 7-4 comeback win over the Rays on DVR, there's so much to like. Jason Hammel breezing through the first five innings and hanging on to earn his first career win at Tropicana Field, after he spent the first three years of his career pitching for Tampa Bay. Manny Machado making several flashy defensive plays at third base, as he became the fourth O's player to start on Opening Day before his 21st birthday. (The others: Brooks Robinson, Ron Hansen, Boog Powell.) Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and Chris Davis delivering game-breaking extra-base hits. The bullpen locking the game down over the final three innings, as they did so many times in 2012. Perhaps most meaningful was the presence of Brian Roberts, Nolan Reimold, and Nick Markakis, all taking the field in the same game for the first time since September 25, 2010. I've maintained that those who qualify the Birds as exceedingly lucky in 2012 have discounted the near-total absence of Roberts and Reimold (33 combined games played) and the multiple trips to the disabled list by Markakis. Good health for that trio would go a long way towards ensuring that the O's remain contenders in the American League East. In the opener, those three homegrown players combined to go 5-for-13 with a pair of runs scored. That's a start.

Randor Bierd, 2008 Upper Deck #701

I hope everyone reading this blog did something nice for their mothers today. After all, Mom has done plenty of great things for you. For starters, she didn't name you "Randor".

Danys Baez, 2008 Upper Deck #174

Okay, I'm back from Baseball Oblivion. While it's nice to get away from the siren song of the Internet and cable TV for a couple days with a good book and a stack of DVDs, there's sort of a helpless sense of disconnect when it comes to the Orioles. I'm always frustrated by the shortcomings of the local news programs in northeastern Pennsylvania, where sports coverage centers on Yankees and Phillies highlights before jumping off the deep end with high school sports or NASCAR or something else that I'm not used to seeing as a focal point. I spent this past weekend searching (mostly in vain) for so much as a scrolling score. I missed out on news of Friday's game, but did learn the bare minimum of Saturday and Sunday's contests well after the fact: Orioles 2, Nationals 1. Nationals 8, Orioles 5. However, early Saturday evening I went out with my family for dinner, and we came far enough down the mountain to drift into cell phone range, so I hungrily gathered all of the details about one of the most exciting and improbable wins the O's will have all year.

First, I saw that I had a voicemail from Ed, a frequent reader of this blog and trading partner. In his message, he mentioned that he was in a good mood thanks to the Birds breaking their losing streak. My curiosity piqued, I sat in the restaurant and used my phone to connect to espn.com so that I could read the game story. Each paragraph brought better news than the last. Danys Baez earned the win by pitching two scoreless innings...AND scoring the winning run after reaching base with a two-out infield hit that died 30 feet from the plate? George Sherrill closed it out with a 1-2-3 frame? Rich Hill had a second solid performance to start his Orioles career? Matt Albers pitched well after taking the roster spot of the released-at-long-last Adam Eaton? Nolan Reimold hit another home run? Hallelujah.

I was sorry to miss the spectacle of Danys Baez (0-3 in his eight-year career heading into Friday's game) somehow making contact while simultaneously backing out of the batters' box, then running to first like a man possessed. That's the kind of bizarrely hilarious thing that is bound to happen sooner or later in a 162-game season. Dave Trembley's got a short bench and his hands are tied, and he's sending a relief pitcher to the plate and telling himself that he'll at least be able to turn over the lineup for the top of the thirteenth, provided the game lasts that long. The next thing you know, the desperation move has ignited the game-winning rally, and a four-game losing streak is history.

I missed it in real time, but you'd better believe I tracked down the video (skip to about 7:46). What the heck, how about a little photographic evidence as well? You don't see this sort of thing every day.

Aubrey Huff, 2008 Upper Deck #180

Before I take a look back at 2008, I'd like to take a closer look at this card. First of all, we can see Brian Roberts and the second base umpire gazing up to the sky to track the looping pop-up that Aubrey Huff is chasing. We can also see the out-of-town scoreboard on the outfield fence. It's flashing the progress of what was certainly a white-knuckle thriller between the Mets and the Nationals, with Jason Bergmann and David Wright facing off. Using that information, let's see if we can find out where the O's were playing and what game provided the backdrop for this photo. Why? Because I'm curious.

We can probably assume that the photo was taken in 2007, Aubrey's first year with the Birds. Checking Jason Bergmann's gamelog from last year, we see that his only start at home against the Mets was Sunday, April 29. It was indeed a day game, so that part seems to check out. Jose Reyes led off the game with a single, bringing David Wright to the plate in a scoreless game. So the line score seems right.

But what were the O's up to on that Sunday afternoon? Let's check the team's schedule/results. They were at Cleveland for a 1:05 game, and Aubrey Huff started at first base. I thought the outfield fence looked like Jacobs Field*, but I couldn't be sure. Sadly, this was not a good game for the Birds. Orioles great Jaret Wright gave up two runs in the first inning, temporarily getting out of further trouble by inducing Johnny Peralta to pop out to Huff in foul territory (hey!). He was gone by the fourth, however, and Fausto Carmona and the Tribe breezed to a 6-1 victory. The lone Baltimore run came on an Aubrey Huff solo home run in the ninth inning.

I guess if you were going to focus on any Orioles player in this game, it might as well have been Aubrey Huff. Happy New Year, everyone!

*I made an editorial decision not to use its corporate name. Ugh.

Adam Loewen, 2008 Upper Deck #426

Today was Homecoming at my high school, the first such event I'd attended in four years. Despite the fact that I stood in soaking rain and persistent winds for three hours, it was good to be back. The football team won 26-8, with the lone opposition touchdown coming in garbage time. I got to reconnect with some old friends, exchange pleasantries with other familiar faces, and take advantage of cheap beer and free food at the post-game alumni reception. Sometimes you can go home again.

Adam Loewen is going home again. In the above picture, he's wearing an Orioles hat but a Futures Game World team uniform. The photo is a few years old, and features Adam representing his native Canada in a minor league All-Star Game. I mentioned back in July that the 24-year-old was bringing an end to his injury-riddled career as a pitcher, attempting to retrain himself as an outfielder/first baseman. The problem was that he had insisted on signing a guaranteed major league contract when the O's drafted him; in order to continue his apprenticeship as a hitter in 2009, Adam would have to be put on waivers, pass through unclaimed, and then receive his release from the Orioles. There seemed to be a mutual agreement that the team would re-sign him at that point to a minor league deal. Just such a thing happened over the past few days...except that after being released, Loewen signed with the Blue Jays.

I'm somewhat baffled by the vitriol that a number of fans have shown in the wake of Adam's departure. Sure, he left the Birds holding the bag. But his future is extremely uncertain right now, and if he's going to take such a shot in the dark in order to continue his career in professional baseball, it makes sense that he would want to have some level of comfort, some chance to be close to home. Everyone agrees that there's very little chance that he'll be the next Rick Ankiel, a failed pitcher who climbs his way back and becomes a major-league caliber hitter. So what's the big deal? Now he's given us a way out. This isn't anything close to Rafael Palmeiro or Mike Mussina skipping town for the big bucks. It's just a young man at a crossroads hoping against hope that he'll get a chance to represent his homeland on the biggest stage of them all.

I hope that Adam Loewen's homecoming is a happy one. Either way, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Luke Scott, 2008 Upper Deck #419

Today I salute the reigning American League Player of the Week. It's astonishing how quickly and fervently the fans in Baltimore have embraced Luke Scott, and I'm sure it's a pleasant surprise for Luke himself. When he arrived during the winter, he was not exactly the centerpiece of the Miguel Tejada trade. The outfielder was known as a power hitter who was not complete enough to crack the Astros' everyday lineup, and as he neared the age of thirty, he wasn't a prospect in any sense. But sometimes all a guy needs is a fresh start and the faith of the higher-ups.

So far this year, Luke has been streaky, but the hot streaks have made his presence on the team more than worthwhile. He's within one home run of his career high, and is on pace to best his high-water marks in most other offensive categories. In the first four games after the All-Star Break, Scott earned the recognition of the league office by hitting .538 (7-for-13) with four runs scored, two doubles, three home runs, and six RBI. That's a pretty small sample size, but a 1.956 OPS is never something to sneeze at. The exclamation point came in Saturday night's come-from-behind thriller. The Birds had trailed 6-0 before they even came to bat but battled back to take a 9-7 lead, only to relinquish the advantage in the sixth inning. After Ramon Hernandez's leadoff homer in the ninth tied the score, Luke sent everyone home happy with a monstrous longball onto Eutaw Street beyond right field in the tenth inning. Giddy over his walkoff shot, Luke rounded third base and saw his jubilant teammates waiting to mob him at the plate. With a huge grin on his face, the left fielder doffed his helmet and rolled it home like a bowling ball. He then took a few halting steps and slid legs-first into the plate.

So we all know that "chicks dig the long ball", but that alone doesn't explain Luke's popularity. I'd say a large part of it is the simple fact that he's seemingly brought an end to the parade of horse crap that the Orioles trotted out to left field for the past few years: sagging veterans (Jays Payton and Gibbons, Kevin Millar, Jeff Conine, B.J. Surhoff), hastily converted infielders (Brandon Fahey, Eddie Rogers, Freddie Bynum, Fernando Tatis), and suspect prospects and 4-A types (Luis Matos, Larry Bigbie, Jeff Fiorentino, Luis Terrero, David Newhan)...and then there's Eric Byrnes, who deserves his own category of futility.

But Luke also seems like a truly personable, nice guy. He's shown gratitude to the fans that shout "LUUUUUUKKKKEEEEE" whenever he comes to bat, strokes a hit, or even catches a routine fly ball (I've seen it myself), as well as those who pack the left field reserve section and cheer him on. He evens seems amused by the guy who shows up to home games dressed as Darth Vader (get it? Luke?). The two best-known non-baseball passions of Luke's life are Christianity and gun ownership. Many jaded fans roll their eyes whenever a professional athlete suggests that God is responsible for his success, wondering aloud if God wanted the other players to fail. It seems cliche, a crutch for simple-minded, conservative, or image-conscious men. But with Luke Scott, there is a genuine note to his declarations of faith. I don't get the impression that Jesus is a buzzword to him, an easy answer. Nor do I suspect that he's trying to convert the masses in one fell swoop. Regardless of his motivations, I like Luke Scott, and I hope he's found his place in the baseball world.