Brian Roberts, 2009 Upper Deck A Piece of History #8

One. After a long, cold, impossibly tedious winter, there is one more sleep until baseball. We are 17 hours from Dylan Bundy's first pitch at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and I'm celebrating with a card of my old favorite (and the newest member of the O's Hall of Fame) Brian Roberts. Sleep well, everybody!

Brian Roberts, 2004 Fleer Tradition #350

And then there was one. One. One sleep until we meet our baby. It's so surreal.

Brian Roberts, 2001 Donruss The Rookies #R70

The little goblins that live inside Facebook reminded me that one year ago today, I met Brian Roberts. Incidentally, Roberts is returning to the Orioles this season...in a manner of speaking. The Sunday before last, the longtime Baltimore second baseman joined MASN for the network's telecast of the O's-Rays Grapefruit League game. He will also be in the broadcast booth for an unspecified regular season game in May. I'm glad he was able to find a hobby in retirement.

Brian Roberts, 2012 Topps #514

I'm home from Sarasota, and it looks like I might have brought some warmer weather home with me. I'll share some photos from Ed Smith Stadium tomorrow, but I didn't want to bury the unexpected highlight of the trip. On Sunday afternoon, I met Brian Roberts.

We were staying with my brother-in-law Robby and his fiance Jordan; they live 15 minutes away from the ballpark. They'd already mentioned that Jordan's family had made the former Oriole's acquaintance. When we arrived on Thursday evening, Jordan told us that his folks would like to meet us, and that his nephew's fifth birthday party was Sunday. He said that Brian Roberts might be stopping by as well, but I took that to mean it wasn't a sure thing.

We stopped by the party site, Bounce Down Under - "Sarasota's largest Aussie-themed indoor inflatable party and play center" - on our way to that afternoon's O's-Twins game. I was busy trying not to look out of place at a kid's birthday party when Robby pointed out that Brian was right in front of us. Jordan handled the introductions, and Brian was very friendly. He asked who the Orioles were playing, admitting that he wasn't keeping close tabs. (Really, who does? It's the Grapefruit League.) I told him that it was our first spring training visit to Sarasota, but that it seemed like a much better venue than Fort Lauderdale, where I'd taken in a few games in 2008 when the Birds were still training there. He assured me that he loved the city itself, but that the Orioles' former facility was "a dump".

My wife, my sister, and I stayed long enough to have pizza and cake, and I debated approaching Roberts again to ask for a photo. However, he was busy with daddy duty most of the time, and I didn't want to impose. But as we were about to leave, Brian actually took notice and said that it was nice to meet us. I took advantage of the opening and asked if he'd mind posing for a picture. As you can see, I might be taller, but Brian has a much better tan. My sister is on the right; my wife was the photographer.

So that's how I met Brian Roberts while standing mere feet away from an inflatable basketball court and an unfortunate person in a furry kangaroo suit.

Brian Roberts, 2013 Topps #515

My closing thoughts on the Orioles' division-winning 2014 season will have to wait another day. While Janet and I were visiting her family in Charlotte last weekend, a former Oriole with North Carolina ties officially called it quits. Durham native Brian Roberts announced his retirement in an interview with Fox Sports Radio, saying that two "very good teams" showed interest in him following his midseason release from the Yankees, but that he declined. He realized that he wasn't able to play at the level he'd previously been accustomed to, and didn't wish to keep dragging along.

Here in Baltimore, we already said our goodbyes when the O's decided not to re-sign Roberts after last season, leading to his short-lived stint in the Bronx. The second baseman concluded his 14-year career with a batting line of .276/.347/.409, with a perfectly adequate 101 OPS+. He totaled 367 doubles, 97 homers, 542 RBI, and 285 steals in 358 tries. He was an All-Star in 2005 and 2007, and led the American League in doubles twice, including a career-high and franchise-record 56 two-baggers in 2008. He also went 50-for-57 in stolen bases in 2007 to top the junior circuit.

I'm glad that Brian was healthy enough this season to play 91 games, but I'm sorry that his career ended so soon, and that he wasn't able to participate in the postseason with the Orioles. He deserved it after everything he did in Baltimore, but baseball isn't always about who deserves what.

Brian Roberts, 2008 Topps Finest #104

And then there was one.

Last night's 3-2 walkoff win over the Yankees chopped the magic number to three, and tonight's contentious 5-2 victory over the Blue Jays knocked it down to one. The Orioles will take the field at 7:05 tomorrow evening with a chance to sew up their first American League East division crown since 1997. The Yankees have officially been eliminated with another low-scoring walkoff loss tonight, as Tampa Bay eked out a 1-0 win in the bottom of the ninth. That 1997 date keeps cropping up; that was also the last time that the O's finished ahead of New York in the standings. Tonight's winning pitcher was Wei-Yin Chen, whose record improves to a sterling 16-4. He is now the team's winningest lefthander since Jimmy Key in...1997.

A friend who is a Yankee fan (no, those are not mutually exclusive terms) was venting his frustrations on Twitter last night as manager Joe Girardi called upon a noticeably weary David Robertson to face the Birds for the third straight day. Robertson allowed doubles to three of the four Baltimore batters that he faced (Nelson Cruz, Steve Pearce, and Kelly Johnson) in blowing the save before an ESPN viewing audience. My friend noted that the Yankees were five games out of the wild card as of last night, and they've had an exceptionally poor season series against the Orioles. It's 11-4 in favor of the O's with four games remaining between the two in the Bronx next week. If the Yanks indeed miss out on the postseason, the Orioles will take their fair share of credit. It's been a long time coming.

Brian Roberts, 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter Relic #AGR-BR

It's always satisfying to see the Orioles beat the tar out of the Yankees, and even more so when it pushes New York to a season-high seven games back in the East. I also feel like it's a vicarious sort of vindication for Brian Roberts, who was given his release by the Yanks on Saturday. The walking wounded in pinstripes had previously designated B-Rob for assignment after acquiring super-utility player Martin Prado from Arizona. Roberts, ironically one of the few Yankee players not to miss significant time with injuries in 2014, batted .237/.300/.360 (86 OPS+) in 91 games with 16 doubles, four triples, five homers, and 21 RBI. He was also 7-for-11 as a base stealer. These are not typical Brian Roberts numbers, but then again, he hasn't had this much playing time since 2009. Five years on, the 36-year-old second baseman is clearly not the player he was during his prime in Baltimore. In Prado, the Yankees got a more expensive player (surprise!) who is six years younger, more defensively versatile, but isn't hitting any better: .264/.311/.364 (88 OPS+), with even worse stats in an 11-game sample size in the Bronx (.189/.250/.297). But New York is still in the wild card hunt through their usual mix of fortuitous bounces and unspeakable dark magic, so they took the gamble on Martin Prado and jettisoned our old, battle-weary friend. I hope this isn't the end for Brian Roberts, but if it is, I hope he's at peace with things.

Brian Roberts, 2007 Upper Deck First Edition Leading Off #LO-BR

Have I mentioned that typing out six-word (or more) descriptions of card sets drives me bonkers? Anyway, I thought we'd check in with our old snakebitten friend Brian Roberts and see how he's faring in enemy pinstripes. The 36-year-old second baseman has actually appeared in 44 of the Yankees' 51 games, but his stats are underwhelming. He's batting .242/.309/.362 with six doubles, three triples, two home runs, and 11 RBI. He's also 4-for-5 in steals. Of course, the Orioles have given most of their starts at second base to Ryan Flaherty and Jonathan Schoop, and they haven't been any better. But I don't fault the O's for deciding not to roll the dice with Roberts again. Schoop is getting valuable experience at age 22, and has shown flashes of promise. But it still kind of stings to see Brian playing in the Bronx.

Brian Roberts, 2007 Bowman Heritage #11

It would be disingenuous of me to say that I'm heartbroken over the news that Brian Roberts has signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Yankees. But I am certainly bummed out. I'd already made peace with the high probability that the veteran second baseman and the Orioles would be parting ways; I think both sides are in need of a clean break and a fresh start. The O's needed to stop penciling him in at second base, knowing that another knock on the head or muscle pull would once again leave them casting their lot with a minor league free agent or major league washout at the keystone position. Roberts could do without the weight of the unfulfilled expectations from the four-year, $40 million contract extension that just lapsed. But...it just HAD to be the Yankees, didn't it? The guys in pinstripes still know how to twist the knife.

Brian Roberts has been my favorite Oriole for the past decade, but his roots in the Baltimore organization go even deeper. He was drafted by the team in 1999, which seems like ages ago: Ray Miller was the manager, Frank Wren the general manager, and Will Clark the starting first baseman. Within two years, the undersized infielder was in the major leagues, playing alongside graying Birds greats Cal Ripken and Brady Anderson. He spent his peak seasons (2004-2009) toiling in relative obscurity for bad, overmatched clubs. During said peak, he averaged .290/.365/.438 (111 OPS+) with 101 runs scored, 46 doubles, 12 homers, 62 RBI, and 35 steals per season. Roberts was a two-time All-Star who had a good case for two more. Through his entire pro baseball career, from the 1999 Delmarva Shorebirds (featuring Tim Raines, Jr. and Ntema Ndungidi!) on through to the 2011 Orioles (featuring Chris Jakubauskas and the ghost of Vlad Guerrero!), he never played for a team that broke even, much less entertained hopes of postseason play...unless you count the 2003 Ottawa Lynx, for whom he played 44 early-season games before joining the O's for good. And when Baltimore finally became reacquainted with winning baseball and meaningful October games in that magical 2012 season, Brian wasn't around to enjoy it. His myriad injuries limited him to 17 substandard games in midseason. He was reduced to spectator and cheerleader for Baltimore's thrilling six-game postseason run, a spectre in a black stocking cap perched on the dugout bench.

After all of that, Roberts finally got healthy enough to cobble together an ersatz farewell tour in the last half of the 2013 season. He wasn't up to his former high standards of play, but after three and a half years of commiserating with my favorite player's disabled list torment, it was a thrill and a relief to watch and take note of every nimble catch and pivot in the field. The dozen doubles and eight home runs he hit in his 77-game swan song may as well have been 70 and 50. I even appreciated the lengthy at-bats that might have ended in outs, but worked the opponent's pitch count in a way that so many of Roberts' younger and more robust teammates couldn't seem to master. It was apparent for much of 2013 that the Orioles were not leading the same charmed existence of 2012, and yet they clung to their playoff hopes deep into September before the door slammed shut on them. Brian Roberts would still not get to taste the champagne.

So after all of these years, all of the hits and stolen bases and runs and defensive stops, and the frustration of all of the injuries, and the heartening comeback...after all of the charitable efforts that Brian undertook in the community...after witnessing his rise and fall at the highest level of his sport, and his development into a devoted husband and father...I don't begrudge Brian Roberts any successes he might have in 2014, and I will still root for him on a personal level. But the possibility of seeing his struggles culminate in postseason success in the Bronx is too much for me to contemplate.

Thank you for everything, Brian. Do good, and be well, and know that you made a difference here in numerous ways.

Brian Roberts, 2005 Donruss Classics #88

Brian Roberts' ongoing reanimation continued last night, as he hit a go-ahead grand slam in a game that the O's went on to win 9-7 and close to within two games of Oakland for the second wild card slot. He also walked in the eighth inning, took second on a wild pitch, and stole third base. It was his first steal since he injured his hamstring in the season's first weekend. It's nice to have Brian Roberts back from the dead. Now if only he'd share his rejuvenation powers with Nick Markakis...

Meanwhile I'm off to the park again for my bachelor party. More details later.

Brian Roberts, 2011 Bowman #164

True story: I've taken to calling Brian Roberts "Zomberts", because 1) B-Rob is a horrendous nickname and b) let's be honest, he's essentially baseball's walking dead at this point. But it's a moniker borne out of affection, and I am pleasantly surprised that he has been able to play 37 games this summer without interruption. Last night Brian was named the Orioles' Player of the Game, thanks to his two-run double and a pair of walks in an 8-4 win over the Rockies. I had the pleasure of seeing the game in person on an unseasonably cool, dry August evening. The Birds' seven-run, six-hit third inning and three and a third scoreless innings from the bullpen were the keys to snapping a four-game losing streak.Whether it was enough to light a fire under the O's and propel them back into a playoff spot remains to be seen.

Brian Roberts, 2006 Fleer #232

Hey everybody, Brian Roberts is back from the disabled list!

...Yes, again. I must sound like a record that has been smashed to bits (broken doesn't begin to cover it), but I hope and wish and plead for the angels of fate to leave the Orioles' erstwhile All-Star alone for a good long while. Let him be. Bring no harm to his hamstrings, cranium, vertebrae, abdominal and oblique muscles, elbows, hips, groin, or any other part of his so-recently brittle body.

Last night finally marked Brian's return from his latest DL stint, as he'd missed 79 games due to a hamstring tear that required surgery. Easing back into the lineup in the number nine hole and serving as the designated hitter, the 35-year-old struck out, singled, and hit a sacrifice fly for the Birds' crucial fourth run in a 4-2 win over the Yankees. In his first game at Camden Yards in a full calendar year, Roberts contributed to a sweep-clinching victory and basked in a loud ovation from the fans who have pulled for him since his rookie year of 2001.

The trusty cliche of "taking one game at a time" never seemed as apt as it does for Brian Roberts. One game in the books. Can he make it through a full series in Chicago? A full road trip, which also passes through New York? Will he last until the All-Star Break? Through July? Through the end of the season, and maybe even the postseason?

Any day that ends with Brian Roberts still standing and in playing health is an important one.

Brian Roberts, 2002 Upper Deck MVP #64

As I've mentioned before, my father shares a birthday with Brian Roberts, who remains a favorite player of mine despite his ongoing maladies and misadventures. As Brian enters his mid-30s and faces the looming expiration of his current four-year contract with the Orioles, a lot of people are wondering if he will see the writing on the wall and retire. My dad, who is Roberts' senior by 23 years, just retired on his own terms after four-plus decades of hard work, which includes the ten years he just put in as a teacher in Baltimore County Public Schools. On his first Father's Day as a free man, I'd like to wish my dad many years of leisure to come.

Brian Roberts, 2011 Topps Attax #34

Hamstring surgery for Brian Roberts. Out at least another six weeks. Third different surgery in the past nine months. I don't even know what else to say. My heart breaks for this guy.

Brian Roberts, 2008 Upper Deck #782

One win, zero losses. It's the finest way to start the season. I didn't get to watch much of this game, and listened to little more; my girlfriend's stuff has been stubbornly refusing to move itself. But as I watch the Orioles' 7-4 comeback win over the Rays on DVR, there's so much to like. Jason Hammel breezing through the first five innings and hanging on to earn his first career win at Tropicana Field, after he spent the first three years of his career pitching for Tampa Bay. Manny Machado making several flashy defensive plays at third base, as he became the fourth O's player to start on Opening Day before his 21st birthday. (The others: Brooks Robinson, Ron Hansen, Boog Powell.) Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, and Chris Davis delivering game-breaking extra-base hits. The bullpen locking the game down over the final three innings, as they did so many times in 2012. Perhaps most meaningful was the presence of Brian Roberts, Nolan Reimold, and Nick Markakis, all taking the field in the same game for the first time since September 25, 2010. I've maintained that those who qualify the Birds as exceedingly lucky in 2012 have discounted the near-total absence of Roberts and Reimold (33 combined games played) and the multiple trips to the disabled list by Markakis. Good health for that trio would go a long way towards ensuring that the O's remain contenders in the American League East. In the opener, those three homegrown players combined to go 5-for-13 with a pair of runs scored. That's a start.

Brian Roberts, 2006 Topps Heritage #190

Hooray, baseball is back!

Well, in a manner of speaking. The Orioles had their first set of intrasquad exhibitions today, or as I phrased it to my girlfriend, they decided to play with themselves. Ahem. Anyway, despite the fact that none of this counts, not even for Grapefruit League standings, I couldn't help but carefully read the flurry of tweets from O's beat reporters. I drank in the names, so familiar: Jake Arrieta. Zach Britton. Brian Matusz. Chris Davis. Nate McLouth. Brian Roberts.

Though this was little more than a glorified practice session, it was especially encouraging to learn that Roberts began the spring on a positive note, stroking a single off of Britton to score McLouth. Last year, the post-concussed second baseman didn't play in a single preseason game. He made it back to the field at Camden Yards in mid-June, and saw action in 17 games before hip surgery ended his season prematurely and unsatisfyingly. He's still no sure bet to stay healthy, and even beyond that, there's bound to be some rust. You won't find many people bullish on the potential performance of a 35-year-old infielder who has totaled 115 games in the past three seasons, but even a long-shot comeback story has to start somewhere.

Brian Roberts, 2008 Upper Deck SP Authentic #83

I've never considered myself a very superstitious sports fan, but here I am three days from the Super Bowl in desperate need of a haircut and a trim of the ol' beard. I like to keep my hair short enough that I don't have to dry/style/otherwise fuss with it, and I generally trend away from the bushy Grizzly Adams look. But once the NFL playoffs began, I got it in my head that as soon as my Ravens bowed out of the postseason I would clean it all up. Lo and behold, the "other" Birds plowed through the Colts and the highly-favored Broncos and Patriots to earn their second-ever trip to the Super Bowl. I think I look a bit silly now (though still not as silly as shaggy-haired Brian Roberts up there), but I'm not about to change things up at this late date. Viva the playoff beard!

Brian Roberts, 2008 Upper Deck Goudey #17

After a false start last year, I was finally able to meet Brian Roberts and get his autograph at yesterday's jam-packed Orioles FanFest event. It was worth the wait to get my favorite player's signature, especially since the injury-prone second baseman appeared to be healthy and in good spirits. He was also the most polite of the four players I met, making eye contact and thanking me for coming. I considered asking him to sign directly on top of Derek Jeter's face, but I decided to take the high road. Hopefully that sort of good karma will translate into a full and productive season for B-Rob.

Brian Roberts, 2008 Topps Chrome #89

If I ever collect an Orioles team set from any year of Topps Chrome, it will be entirely accidental.

Brian Roberts, 2010 Topps Chrome #166

Over the weekend, another long offseason began for Brian Roberts. The Orioles' 34-year-old second baseman elected to have surgery to repair a labral tear in his right hip and will miss the rest of the 2012 campaign. His disappointing totals for the year include 17 games with a slash line of .182/233/.182. Pulling up his stats for the past three injury-shortened seasons, you get an even more discouraging picture:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB
2010	32	BAL	AL	59	261	230	28	64	14	0	4	15	12	2	26	40	.278	.354	.391	.745	105	90
2011	33	BAL	AL	39	178	163	18	36	7	1	3	19	6	1	12	21	.221	.273	.331	.604	65	54
2012	34	BAL	AL	17	74	66	2	12	0	0	0	5	1	1	5	12	.182	.233	.182	.415	16	12

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/30/2012.

Brian's body has been breaking down on him ever since he signed a four-year contract extension in 2009. He's been waylaid by problems with his back, abdominal muscles, post-concussion symptoms, and now his hip. My heart goes out to one of the best players to suit up for the O's in the 2000s, and I'll continue to hope against all logic that he is able to play 150 (or even 140) games in 2013. Hell, I might even settle for 100.