Bob Milacki, 1990 Donruss #333

Because I know how to drive a posting theme into the ground, here's yet another autograph from the five-pack that Alan sent my way. Bob Milacki had the good sense to sign his name across the bright white of his home jersey for optimal visibility. He's got one of the more legible signatures that I've seen by a baseball player, and yet it still allows for a bit of stylistic flourish. The blue marker contrasts nicely with the blood-red borders of 1990 Donruss, too.

Speaking of Bob Milacki, this blog post from 2012 features some quotes from the former O's pitcher about players he'd coached that season with the Reading Phillies, as well as a modern-day photo of Milacki. He still looks much the same as he did in his playing days, plus a few pounds and a goatee that I think suits him quite well.

Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan, Mark Williamson, and Gregg Olson, 1992 Score #427

The combined no-hitter started by Bob Milacki and finished by the O's bullpen on July 13, 1991 was a rare highlight for the Orioles in Oakland. For as long as I can remember, it seems like the Oakland Coliseum (or O.co Coliseum, as some idiot decided it should be called) has been a special house of horrors for the Birds. But suddenly, there is sweet relief. Jim Johnson wriggled out of a bases loaded, no-out jam in the ninth inning today to seal a 7-3 win and to guarantee the Orioles their first series win in Oakland since 2007. But by taking the first three games of this four-game set, the O's are also assured of winning their first four-game road series against the A's since July 31-August 3, 1997. Just as a refresher, the club's winning pitchers in that series were Armando Benitez, Mike Mussina, and Shawn Boskie. (I write, read, and think about the Orioles 365 days a year, and it probably would have taken me 100 guesses or more to tab Shawn Boskie. He won a half-dozen games here.) Not that I'm getting greedy, but a win in tomorrow's finale would give Baltimore their first four-game sweep in Oakland since May 22-25, 1987. Ken Dixon had three saves in that series, don't ya know.

A lot of smart people assumed that the O's would come back down to earth in 2013 after going 29-9 in one-run games in their wild-card run last year. It's still early, but we've got 24 games to look at, almost 15 percent of the season. The Orioles are 15-9, including an 8-4 road record and a 9-6 mark in the brutal American League East. They're in second place in the division, 1.5 games behind the Red Sox and 6.5 up on the offseason darlings in Toronto. I'm glad the good times aren't over in Birdland just yet.

Bob Milacki, 1992 Pinnacle #339

Here's something you don't see on a baseball card very often: Bob Milacki is giving you the finger. You're just lucky that he doesn't know which finger to use. People must be kinder and gentler in his hometown of...let's see here...Trenton, NJ? Well, if you say so.

Bob Milacki, 1989 Topps #324

If you haven't already bookmarked the Baltimore Sun's Toy Department blog, do it already. It's worthwhile just for Mike Klingaman's "Catching Up" series, which I've mentioned here before. Last week he spoke with Bob Milacki, who spent parts of five seasons pitching for the Orioles. You can read the whole thing here, but I'll give you the gist too. Milacki is now the pitching coach for the Phillies' AA Reading club, which is managed by fellow ex-Oriole Mark Parent. He seems to have a self-deprecating sense of humor, mentioning that he has a bottle of champagne in his trophy case at home from the combined no-hitter that he pitched. It's signed by all four pitchers: Milacki, Mark Williamson, Gregg Olson, and the late Mike Flanagan. The righthander mentions that there aren't many other notable keepsakes in that trophy case. He also recalls his retirement in the mid-1990s, saying that "my fastball had caught up to my changeup". It's a pretty good line.

Bob Milacki, 1989 Donruss The Rookies #22

I can't believe that we've got actually breaking news about Bob Milacki in 2009, but so it is. The former O's righthander is entering his tenth season as a minor league pitching coach, and he's just gotten a promotion. He'll be mentoring the staff of the AA Reading Phillies, a year after coaching for the South Atlantic League champion Lakewood Blue Claws. Prior to that, he'd been in the Pirates organization since 2001. If he plays his cards right, he could be wandering back to a major league mound in a few more years to impart wisdom like "keep the ball down" and "work quickly". Godspeed, Bob. Godspeed.

Bob Milacki, 1991 Upper Deck #328

Okay, I'm short on words tonight, but I can tell you that there won't be any more football talk around here for a while. It's been a great and surprising season for the Ravens, and the future looks even brighter. Speaking of the future...pitchers and catchers report on February 14.

Orioles No-Hitter, 1991 Stadium Club Members Only

I just finished reading "It's Gone!...No, Wait a Minute" by Ken Levine. It's the memoir of a Hollywood screenwriter who realized a childhood dream by becoming a baseball radio announcer. In 1991, he made his major league debut on Orioles telecasts, teaming with Jon Miller and Chuck Thompson. It sounds like nice work if you can get it, but the Birds were godawful that year: 67-95, 24 games back of Toronto in sixth place. One of the things that struck me about his witty, honest account of that long season was just how many memorable moments there were in such a lousy campaign. He marveled daily at the otherworldly MVP exploits of Cal Ripken, Jr. (.323, 34 HR, 114 RBI), witnessed two no-hitters (one a four-pitcher combo against Oakland, the other a Wilson Alvarez white-washing of the Birds), and of course broadcasted the emotional final ceremonies at Memorial Stadium. Whenever the O's fall apart in another endless summer, I try to remind myself of the positive aspects of the long baseball season. Even the worst teams win 65 games a year, and there will be dozens of nights when it seems like your team is on top of the world.

Bob Milacki, 1990 Leaf #402

Bob Milacki is best known for his excellent 1989 rookie season in Baltimore, when he won 14 games with a 3.74 ERA in a hefty 243 innings, allowing less than a hit per frame. But I'd like to have a little fun with ol' Bob. Even better than fun facts, we have Facetious Facts about Bob Milacki!

1. His name rhymes with "wacky", "Iraqi", and "fat backy".

2. From 2001-2008, he served as pitching coach for the Hickory Crawdads, Altoona Cruve, and Lynchburg Hillcats. Yes, really.

3. He made his ML debut on September 18. He also wore #18 for most of his career.

4. Bob pitched at Yavapai Community College - YCC. Say it out loud, and maybe Indians pitcher C. C. Sabathia will respond, "why what?".

5. An anagram for "Bob Milacki" is "Lick a bimbo".

6. He is the winningest Orioles pitcher named Bob, with 37 victories (1988-1992). 1970s reliever Bob Reynolds and original Oriole "Bullet Bob" Turley are tied for a distant second with 14.

7. I've always considered Milacki to be moon-faced. Why is it that we call someone with a round face "moon-faced"? Why not sun-faced?

8. Struck out ten Yankee batters in a shutout victory in his third career start. In 122 starts that followed, he had just one more 10-K game.

9. According to baseball-reference.com, one of the three players he is most comparable to is former O's teammate Jay Tibbs.

10. Bob notched his only career save in his last game as an Oriole, a 4-3, 13-inning affair in Cleveland. He threw just nine pitches in one inning of work, getting the final out when right fielder Luis Mercedes threw out Carlos Baerga, who was trying to stretch a single into a double. I love the Internet, by the way.