Mark Reynolds, 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen #27

I don't know many card collectors who get excited about Gypsy Queen, with its drab borders and beginners' Photoshop filters. So it was only mildly surprising to see several packs of 2012 GQ sitting in a $1.59 markdown box at our local Target this evening. I picked up five packs, just to indulge my curiosity. Two of the packs featured four of the same cards (out of six total per pack), which is some shoddy collation. But I did get a few nifty cards, including Rollie Fingers and Mark Reynolds. The Birds' former "Sheriff of Swattingham" (hey, I didn't pick that nickname) just signed a minor league deal with the Brewers this week. It's a long way to fall in three years; it was as recently as 2011 that Reynolds led the O's with 37 home runs and posted a 116 OPS+. I can say that I'd rather have seen the Orioles bring him back as a potential platoon DH, instead of some of the castoffs that they've gathered this offseason. Delmon Young? My blood runs cold.

Adam Jones, 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen #85

My boss and I have a running joke about my status as a good-luck charm for the 2012 Orioles. He keeps urging me to go to every game, even when they're on the road. When I mentioned that I was actually attending tonight's game, he said that he wouldn't even have to watch on TV, because he already knew it was a win. He's certainly got more confidence than I do. I wasn't expecting the O's to knock Cy Young Award hopeful Chris Sale out of the game after four innings, and I didn't anticipate Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz collaborating on a two-hit shutout of the powerful White Sox. What's more, neither hit left the infield. The castoff tag team of Nate McLouth and Lew Ford were at it again; McLouth had three hits and a stolen base, and Ford hit another home run. Adam Jones got in on the fun, pushing a ball over the right field scoreboard to snap a 110-at-bat homerless streak. It was Adam's long-awaited 100th career home run, and his 25th of the season to tie a career high. Orioles 6, White Sox 0. My record at Oriole Park is 9-4, and the Birds' record is 71-57. They're 14 games above .500 for the first time in 7 years. If I'm dreaming, don't wake me.