B.J. Ryan, 2004 Topps Total #532

On the list of things you don't expect to see in your email, "Dan Duquette is now following you on Twitter!" is right up there. But it's true. New Orioles GM (okay, VP for Baseball Operations) Dan Duquette is subscribed to my tweets. His username is @danduquette (go figure), if you'd like to check him out. I'm sure it was as much a courtesy as anything else; he does follow 1,678 others. But on the off chance that Dan is actually reading my tweets, and maybe checking in on the blog, just allow me to say: please don't give any multi-year, high-dollar contracts to free agent relievers. Don't forget about B.J. Ryan, Danys Baez, Mike Gonzalez, Kevin Gregg, and the rest of the Bullpen Chambers of Horror. I'm sure you're smart enough to know that already, but I thought the same of Andy MacPhail. Enjoy your time in Baltimore!

B. J. Ryan, 2002 Upper Deck 40 Man #213

A wise man once said, "You don't know what you got 'til it's gone". Or maybe it was '80s hair band Cinderella. No matter. Everywhere I looked today, I found examples of this adage:

-It seems like just yesterday that the Blue Jays had a stud closer, having lured 30-year-old lefty B. J. Ryan from the Orioles for a ridiculous $47 million. He was an All-Star in 2006, his first season in Toronto (1.37 ERA, 38 saves), but blew out his elbow the following year. He bounced back in 2008, but lost his ninth-inning job early this season and was just released today after putting up a 6.53 ERA in 25 games. So now the Jays have no B. J. and they still owe him the $15 million left on his contract. Sad for them.

-My week in Ocean City went way too fast, and today I was fully re-baptized in the horrendous waters of mass transit. My morning train ran into delays involving a broken down train ahead of it, and it took nearly two hours to get from here to D.C. In the early evening, a gas main broke north of Baltimore, and I had to get off of the train at Penn Station and take a bus to the park-and-ride, which added up to another hour of travel. If I ever take another job in Washington, I want someone to shoot me.

-As if I needed bad news, I learned that Andy's, my favorite bar in my college town, is closing forever in a week and a half. I'll talk more about this later. For now, I'm desperately hoping that I can make the drive down there on Saturday to pay my respects.

-Of course, in all of my exasperation, I finally got into my car at 7:15 tonight just in time to listen to Mariners closer David Aardsma try to slam the door on the O's. I groaned and griped as announcer Joe Angel described just how the Orioles found themselves losing 3-0: the major culprits were a scoreless seventh inning, when former Bird Garrett Olson escaped a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam, and an Oscar Salazar throwing error that led to an unearned run in the eighth. But the O's just wouldn't give up, capitalizing on two Jose Lopez errors, a walk, and some timely hits to piece together a five-run, game-winning rally. The Mariners were three outs away from their second shutout in three games and a series win. So much for that. Instead, I had the pleasure of listening to Baltimore complete their fourth improbable comeback in the past few weeks!

So as far as today goes, let's call it a wash.

B. J. Ryan, 2005 Topps #625

I hate to post and run, but I'm a very busy man today. First, I have the final performance of my play - which is going very well, thanks for asking. We've had good crowds for all four shows, and with 45 (of a maximum 60) tickets presold as of Friday, we're practically guaranteed our second sellout today! In the meantime, I have to straighten up my apartment; I'm hosting a cast party after the show and it's doubling as an early birthday party for yours truly. So...places to go, people to see.

Few Oriole pitchers have been as busy as B. J. Ryan was during his six-plus seasons in orange and black. Among all O's pitchers, he ranks fifth in total games pitched, with 404. The only reliever that tops him is Tippy Martinez, with 499. Until 2007, when Dave Trembley and Sam Perlozzo rode their only reliable bullpen arms (Jamie Walker - 81 games, Chad Bradford - 78 games) straight into the ground, B. J. was also tied with Tippy for the most appearances in a single season with 76 - but Ryan did it twice, in consecutive years (2003 and 2004). I suppose it was inevitable that the imposing lefty would break down, as he pitched only five times for the Blue Jays in 2007 before having Tommy John surgery to repair torn elbow ligaments in his pitching arm. But he seems to be back at full strength in 2008, having already racked up several saves at the expense of his former team. I'm really, truly happy for him. Nope, no sarcasm whatsoever in that statement. None. Excuse me...