This is the true centerpiece of my recent Amazon purchase - a card that I never knew existed until I started surfing the storefront of
Your Favorite Team Sets and Singles. As a team collector, I delight in the obscure, and it doesn't get better than this. Though they didn't put their branding all over it, Topps did indeed produce a set of 50 cards featuring past and present major leaguers of the Jewish faith. Not only does Adam Stern (lifetime batting line of .116/.156/.209 in 45 plate appearances) make the cut, but he does so while wearing the Orioles' orange and black. If you remember Adam at all, it's probably from his brief stints in Boston in 2005 and 2006. He had come to Beantown as a Rule 5 draft pick from the Braves, who had drafted him in the third round of the 2001 draft out of the University of Nebraska. In August 2006, the O's traded catcher Javy Lopez to the Red Sox for a player to be named later. In October, Adam Stern became said player. His career with the Birds was as follows:
April 16, 2007: Was recalled from AAA Norfolk when Corey Patterson went on bereavement leave. Entered the Orioles'
9-7 win over Tampa Bay as a ninth-inning defensive replacement, taking over in center field for Freddie Bynum(!), who shifted to left field to replace Jay Gibbons. He recorded no putouts, and had no plate appearances.
April 17, 2007: Entered the Orioles'
6-4 loss vs. Tampa Bay as an eighth-inning defensive replacement, taking over in center field after Jon Knott pinch hit for Freddie Bynum. (How about that organizational depth? It's like a blueprint for a 93-loss team.) He recorded no putouts, and had no plate appearances.
April 18, 2007: Was optioned back to AAA Norfolk when Corey Patterson returned from bereavement leave.
That's all, folks. And wonder of wonders, I have an Adam Stern O's card.
