Vintage Fridays: Al Bumbry, 1978 Topps #188

I just plain like this card. I've got a thing for the simplicity of the 1978 Topps design, and the candid photo of Al Bumbry yukking it up while applying pine tar to his bat is a winner. There are plenty of other small touches: the batting practice net in the background, Bumbry's shell necklace, the oh-so-precise part in his hair. It's a moment in time that you just don't get with those dime-a-dozen action photos.

Al Bumbry, 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #73

Here's an unusual card that's part of Upper Deck's 225-card All-Time Heroes set, released in 1994. It highlighted retired players, and not just the same couple of dozen Hall of Famers that we're used to seeing by now. For instance, the checklist features Al Bumbry, Lee May, Boog Powell, and Paul Blair. Though Bumbry is listed as an Oriole (he played 13 of his 14 big league seasons in Baltimore, save for a 68-game career-ending stint in San Diego), and the primary card photo depicts him in an O's uniform, the inset photo shows the outfielder wearing a Boston Red Sox cap. Presumably Upper Deck grabbed a picture of Al from his tenure as a Red Sox coach, which lasted from 1998 through 1993. I have the rest of the Orioles from this set, and all of them have inset photos with Oriole caps. What gives?

Al Bumbry, 1981 Fleer #172

In my Orioles draft retrospective yesterday, I cut things off after the first ten rounds. I doubled back today out of curiosity, and noticed that they've actually had a pretty good track record in the eleventh round.

• The second-ever amateur draft occurred in 1966. The O's selected Terry Crowley with pick number 216. "The Crow" never even had as many as 300 plate appearances in a big league season, but lasted 15 years as a valuable bench bat.

• In 1968, Al Bumbry was the 238th overall pick out of Virginia State University (now Virginia Tech). Despite not becoming a regular until age 26, the Vietnam veteran earned 22.3 bWAR in a career spanning 14 seasons. He batted .281, stole 254 bases, won the 1973 American League Rookie of the Year Award, and was an All-Star in 1980.

• Skip forward to 1982, and Billy Ripken was chosen 286th overall. His competent glovework at second base kept him around the majors for a dozen years, and he even batted .291 (.342 OBP) in 1990 for the Orioles.

• Here's a tidbit that I've mentioned previously: in 1987, the O's used the 273rd pick on Mike Mussina, who had just completed his senior year at Montoursville High School in Pennsylvania. He chose to continue his studies at Stanford, and leapt 253 slots to become Baltimore's first-round choice in 1990. Smart man.

• Jerry Hairston (Jr.) was another two-time draftee for the Orioles. In 1995, the team took a flier on the Illinois high schooler with their 42nd round pick (1,172nd overall!). He did not sign, but the O's gave it another go after his sophomore year at Southern Illinois University. After Round 42, being an 11th-round pick (345th overall) probably looks pretty good. Would you believe that 2012 is Jerry's 15th year in the big leagues? What's more, he's got a World Series ring from the 2009 Yankees and he's also contributed to this year's amazing start by the Dodgers.

When you consider that only six of their eleventh-round draft picks have signed and made it to the big leagues (the others are outfielder Bobby Brown and pitcher Kevin Hart, both of whom were dealt before debuting), it's pretty incredible that they found four quality major leaguers.

Vintage Fridays: Al Bumbry, 1974 Topps #137

Today I thought we'd jump into the Wayback Machine and see what the O's were up to 35 years ago on this date. It was Thursday, July 15, and the Orioles were having an uncharacteristically subpar season by their standards. They were 40-42 despite having won 4 straight games, and were in a distant third place, trailing the rejuvenated Yankees by 11 games. The Angels were in town for a four-game series following the All-Star Break; prior to the break, the Birds had swept a three-game set from the Halos in Anaheim.

Earl Weaver's charges kept the good times rolling in front of a scant weeknight crowd of 9,182. After a scoreless frame by starter Jim Palmer, Al Bumbry got the O's started in the bottom of the first with a walk and a stolen base, and two batters later Lee May touched up Angels pitcher Gary Ross for a run-scoring single. Bumbry did his job again with a leadoff double in the third, and Reggie Jackson thrilled the Memorial Stadium spectators with a two-run homer, his tenth as an Oriole following a monthlong holdout in April. The Birds tacked on a seventh-inning insurance run, also scored by (who else?) Al Bumbry. He singled as the first batter of the inning, stole his second base of the night, and advanced to third on a wild throw by old friend Andy Etchebarren. Reggie was the straw that stirred the drink once more, picking up an RBI single (his third hit of the night) and stealing second (his second swipe of the night) before being stranded.

Four runs was plenty for Jim Palmer, who disposed of the Angels without much trouble despite striking out only two batters. He allowed only three hits - all singles. In the top of the sixth, he walked the first two batters; those were his only free passes of the night, and it was the only inning with more than one Halo batter reaching base. He then promptly retired the next three hitters. The O's also turned a pair of double plays behind him. "Cakes" went the distance to boost his record to 12-8 with a strong 2.85 ERA. It was his 39th career shutout, and kicked off a second half in which he went 11-5 with a 1.91 ERA to finish the year at 22-13 with a 2.51 mark. He captured his third and final career Cy Young Award.

Al Bumbry, 1983 Donruss #383

On this Veteran's Day, I would like to remember and thank everyone who has served in the United States military to help make and keep this country great. That includes Al Bumbry, who earned a Bronze Star as a platoon leader in Vietnam. It also includes both of my grandfathers, my Uncle Phil, and my girlfriend's father. When it comes to baseball, we can get carried away using words like "hero", but we should never forget who the real heroes are.

Al Bumbry, 1985 Donruss #350

As the incredibly irritating theme park song says, it's a small world after all. Just three weeks ago, I was taking in an Orioles game from MASN's private suite when I noticed that Al Bumbry and his son had dropped by. I spoke briefly to "the Bee", but I didn't realize that I was also in the presence of a future Oriole. Last week, the Birds drafted Steven Bumbry with their 12th-round pick. This year, Steve led Virginia Tech with 10 home runs and batted .283 while patrolling the outfield. It's great to see a name from the team's past being given the opportunity to help the team in the coming years.

Bumbry wasn't the only familiar name to be drafted. The O's used their 31st-round pick on Mike Flacco, whose older brother Joe just quarterbacked the Ravens to the AFC Championship game in his rookie season. Mike's a long shot, as you might surmise from his late selection; he returned to baseball after a football-related back injury shelved him for three years and played at a comparatively low level of competition (junior college). Still, a .399 average, 14 HR and 51 RBI in 46 games is impressive after being away from the game for so long. It creates goodwill with the football-crazed local fans and, as Mike himself suggested, ensures Joe's Orioles fandom for the next few years. Heck, if Mike Flacco ever makes it to Camden Yards, it'll be a great story.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the White Sox's 45th-round selection, left fielder Harold Baines, Jr. The son of the former three-time Orioles designated hitter (also named Harold Baines...what a coincidence!) hit .349 in his collegiate career at McDaniel College (formerly Western Maryland), and became the first Green Terror player to ever be drafted. I'm curious to hear what Harold's biggest fan Steve has to say about this pick. Ball's in your court, buddy.

Al Bumbry, 1993 Ted Williams #82

Last night was one of my most enjoyable experiences at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and it went far beyond the game. Last week, Stacey at Camden Chat was kind enough to clue me in on a "Blogger Night" that the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network was organizing. So I gladly ducked out of work an hour early and took the train from D.C. to Baltimore. At 5:30, I met up at the Home Plate Plaza with a pretty strong representation of Birdland's best unpaid journalists: Stacey, Bill, and Johnny from Camden Chat, Neal from The Loss Column, and (I hope I'm not forgetting anyone) folks from The Wayward Oriole, Dempsey's Army, Roar from 34, Baltimore Sports and Life, Baltimore Sports Report, Oriole Post, and Oriole Magic. It was great to put some faces with names, and frankly it's encouraging and astounding that a baseball team that's been in the wilderness for so long has inspired such a group of dedicated and talented writers. It's even cooler that some of them made the trip from out of state (New York, North Carolina, and Georgia, if I recall).

When everyone was accounted for, our gracious MASN hosts (Todd Webster and Kristin Hudak) took us up to the press level, where we briefly met field-level reporter Amber Theoharis (who is as charming in real life as she is on television). Then we had an audience with the TV announcing team of Gary Thorne and Buck Martinez, both of whom are shorter than yours truly, incidentally. Gary's voice is as deep and commanding as Buck's is nasal. I'm not a fan of the former Blue Jays and Royals catcher, but anyone who could put together a two-decade broadcasting career with that voice must be doing something right. The duo answered a few questions and described the exhaustive amount of preparation that goes into calling a baseball game, and explained that they don't really follow any blogs for a variety or reasons, including generation gap and time constraints. I appreciated their honesty, and could certainly understand that. After all, I spent a long weekend away from my computer and came back to find 300+ posts waiting for me in my RSS feed. Blogs are an entertaining and informative time-suck, you know.

Next we wandered down to the bullpen picnic area, where Jim Hunter and Rick Dempsey were recording the live pre-game show. Todd gave us some more information on MASN (they've been increasing the number of games broadcast in high-definition each year, and next year they're hoping to get the go-ahead from the cable providers to air each and every O's and Nats game in HD; they'd be interested in providing more original content like documentaries and talk shows, but for the first few years, just producing and airing the games took most of their focus; and so forth).

Finally, our motley crew piled into the MASN suite. If you ever have the chance to watch a baseball game from a suite, do it; you'll get spoiled. We shared the suite with a group of Gregg Zaun's family and/or friends, and we were all on our best behavior in matters concerning the veteran catcher. I took advantage of the fridge (stocked with beer, water, and soda) and the various spreads of finger foods (chicken wings and tenders, potato skins, mozzerella sticks, etc.), crab cakes, and cookies. I even ended up taking home a carry-out box full of those crab cakes, at the insistence of one of the event staff. It took a lot of convincing, I assure you.

Various MASN talent stopped in throughout the night. Rick Dempsey watched most of the game on the flat screens in the suite and seemed to take copious notes. I briefly talked to him about the season-long infusion of young talent. In the middle innings, I introduced myself to longtime O's reporter Roch Kubatko. While we were talking, Orioles GM Andy MacPhail appeared on-camera in the broadcast booth and a hush fell over the suite. I didn't realize it at the time, but he'd just announced that top prospect and mythological hero Matt Wieters would officially be making his major league debut in this Friday night's home game against the Tigers. That explains why Roch rushed off almost immediately afterward. But the most unexpected moment came when I spotted Al Bumbry across the room, helping himself to a meal. When he walked over to the partition between the suite and the adjoining balcony to watch the action, I came over to say hello and to ask him what brought him there. "Just hanging out", he replied. Such are the perks of being the 1973 A.L. Rookie of the Year.

We also got to meet Greg Bader and Monica Pence, two of the Birds' top dogs in communications and public relations, and there was a late-innings tour of the MASN production truck in the bowels of the B & O Warehouse. It was overwhelming to see 20 people parked in front of dozens of monitors and laptops; sometimes you take for granted all the work that goes into bringing a ballgame into your living room.

Speaking of the ballgame...believe it or not, I did find time to watch it! Of course, with a temperature in the fifties and a steady light rain for a Tuesday night game against the Blue Jays, I didn't have much company. I was part of a Camden Yards-record-low crowd of 10,130 (paid attendance; my eyeballs told me that the butts in the seats were even fewer). I was thankful to be able to retreat indoors, but I did sit outside for most of the first and last few innings, as well as the odd moment in between. O's starter Jason Berken didn't light the world on fire in his big league debut, but he kept his cool and Houdini'd his way out of ten Toronto baserunners, allowing just two runs in five innings. Perhaps bolstered by the news that Matt Wieters was on his way, the Baltimore bats picked up the slack from the middle of the game onward. Aubrey Huff, Adam Jones, and Nolan Reimold all hit no-doubter home runs, and Matt Albers and Jim Johnson slammed the door shut with four innings of scoreless relief. It was the perfect capper to an exciting night of VIP treatment.

Thanks again to MASN and the Orioles for reaching out to some of your most vocal and dedicated followers, and for not asking for any special treatment in return. A little effort goes a long way.

Vintage Fridays: Al Bumbry, 1975 Topps #358

This Day in Orioles History: July 4, 1974

Orioles 10, Red Sox 6 at Fenway Park

The Orioles pounded out twelve hits off of Boston pitcher Luis Tiant to draw within one and a half games of the first-place Red Sox. Second baseman Bobby Grich provided the extra-base power with a home run, a triple, and three runs batted in. Boog Powell knocked in two runs, one on a third-inning triple! The hefty first baseman hit just eleven three-baggers in seventeen seasons. Another hitter who starred for the Birds on this Fourth of July was Al Bumbry, who had previously received a Bronze Star for his service as a platoon leader in Vietnam. On this day, "Bee" singled twice, stole two bases, scored twice, and drove in a run.

The winning pitcher was righty Jesse Jefferson, who allowed ten baserunners in five and one-third innings but was only scored upon twice. His performance seemed downright dominant next to reliever Bob Reynolds, who allowed four runs (three earned) on ten hits in three and one-third innings. At the end of the day, all that mattered was that the O's had swept the front-running Sawx in Boston.