Vintage Fridays: Doug DeCinces, 1980 Topps #615

With the Orioles opening a crucial three-game home series vs. the Nationals tonight on the heels of a brutal 1-5 Midwestern road trip, I dug deep and pulled out my Wild Bill Hagy #34 tee before heading to Camden Yards. The Birds went out and won their first game in 37 tries when trailing after seven innings. Matt Wieters crushed a game-tying double to the right-center field gap in the eighth, setting the stage for the dramatic bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Jonathan Schoop reached out for a Tanner Roark pitch and drove it over the left field fence for his first career walk-off home run, playing the role of Doug DeCinces. We were even treated to the strains of "Orioles Magic" playing over the stadium PA as the team celebrated at home plate. I guess I was wearing the right shirt.

Vintage Fridays: Doug DeCinces, 1978 Topps #9

Did Doug DeCinces go through a Wild West phase in the late 1970s?

Vintage Fridays: Doug DeCinces, 1975 SSPC #387

Happy 64th birthday to Doug DeCinces. Doug's best season with the Orioles was 1978, when he led the club with 37 doubles, 28 home runs, a .526 slugging percentage, and an .872 OPS. I was surprised to learn that he was never a Gold Glover at third base, and his only All-Star season was in 1983, the year after he batted .301/.369/.548 for the Angels with 42 doubles, 30 homers, and 97 RBI, all career highs. For a guy with a solid 115 career OPS+, he doesn't seem to get his due. So here's to you, Doug.

P.S.: I'll be away and without Internet access for the weekend. See youse on Tuesday!

Vintage Fridays; Doug DeCinces, 1979 Hostess #54

By the time you read this, I will be in Chestertown for the annual reunion weekend at my alma mater, Washington College. I had to reach for an Orioles connection: Doug DeCinces is currently tied for 230th all-time with 237 career home runs. Two slots below him with 235 homers is Bill "Swish" Nicholson, a 4-time National League All-Star who spent most of his career with the Cubs and Phillies in the 1940s and 1950s. Bill was a Chestertown native and a three-sport athlete at Washington College. His 1952 Topps card, which mentions his collegiate background, is one of the crown jewels of my collection.

I took a different extracurricular path at WaC, opting for theatre over athletics. But I'll get to dabble in both this weekend. On Saturday night I'm pinch hitting for another actor in a series of short scenes that were written by fellow alumni. But the more daunting task for me comes on Saturday morning, when I'll be running in the Revolutionary Run 5K race. I ran cross country and track in high school, but my last race was way back in 1999. I've been "training" for several weeks, but even at 29 I'm a lot creakier than I once was. So wish me luck.

Doug DeCinces, 1982 Fleer #162

There are only so many hours in the day, and I already spend too many of them on the Internet, so I tend to keep my hobby reading habits to a tried-and-true small list of baseball card blogs. I should probably branch out once in a while, because even the few that I read provide great inspiration for topics for my own blog. (Inspiration...that's what it's called when you blatantly recycle someone else's ideas, right?) Anyway, Night Owl (a.k.a. Mr. Dependable) just posted his unapologetic tribute to the offbeat, off-centered charms of the 1982 Fleer set. It's still February, so there's no real live baseball to talk about. I thought I'd supplement his work by looking at some of the so-bad-they're-good Orioles cards from Fleer's sophomore effort. The charms of this Doug DeCinces card are numerous: the light saturation makes it look like a Polaroid, Doug's left arm is cut off, and he's got his right hand tucked into his waistband as if the photographer caught him leaving the restroom. This is the seventh card I've posted from the set. The others, in chronological order:

-A pigeon-toed Lenn Sakata takes infield practice on what looks like the local sandlot.

-John Lowenstein lets his freak flag fly.

-Tim "Bigfoot" Stoddard wears a Hefty bag and conspicuously tight pants during warmups.

-Dennis Martinez flashes his pearly whites and poses with a bat and helmet.

-Rich Dauer tries to turn two with Carlton Fisk bearing down on him, and Coke gets some product placement.

-Steve Stone, a curly hairdo, and a mess of Oriole Bird helmets.

Oh great, now I feel the urge to build another set. One thing at a time, Kevin...

Doug DeCinces, 1981 Fleer Star Stickers #90

Here's one for the previous generation of O's fans: how many of you owned this exact jacket? I distinctly remember my uncle wearing one for much of my childhood in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was a nice-looking jacket, plenty of color without being too loud. Looked comfortable, too.

This ends tonight's installment of Jacket Talk. Join us again next week!

Vintage Fridays: Doug DeCinces, 1979 O-Pee-Chee #217

I'm always hesitant to skimp on the commentary on Vintage Fridays, but I spent the day outlet shopping in Lancaster and I can barely keep my eyes open. Since it's 11/11/11, here's a Canadian import featuring one of the best #11's in team history. At the time this card was hitting stores, Doug DeCinces was coming off of a 1978 season that proved to be his best in Baltimore. Despite missing 20 games, the third baseman led the O's with 37 doubles and 28 home runs, as well as a .526 slugging mark (third-best in the American League). He also drove in 80 runs and batted .286. According to Baseball Reference, his total of 6.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) made him the fifth-best overall player and third-best offensive player in the A.L. Not bad for somebody who was given the unenviable task of replacing Brooks Robinson at the hot corner.

Doug DeCinces, 1981 Donruss #352

As much as I pride myself in playing detective and identifying in-game photos from context clues, I'm a bit in the dark when it comes to stadiums (stadia?). In particular, I haven't done much to familiarize myself with the characteristics of older stadiums. However, I know Chicago's Comiskey Park when I see it...or at least when I see its famed "exploding scoreboard", which is blurry yet visible over Doug DeCinces' right shoulder. There's something gratifying about being able to pin a thirty-year-old photo to a specific place.

Doug DeCinces, 1982 Donruss #279

It's been almost thirty years since Doug DeCinces hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to give the Orioles a dramatic comeback victory against the Detroit Tigers. That one round-tripper is widely credited as the catalyst for what became known as "Orioles Magic". But today is a day to celebrate the man who spent countless summer nights at Memorial Stadium leading the cheers that fueled that magic.

For the non-O's fans and the Birdland neophytes who might be reading, William "Wild Bill" Hagy was a cab driver from Baltimore, and in the 1970s and 1980s he was headquartered in Section 34 of the Orioles' former home on 33rd Street. He and his rambunctious fellow rooters became known as "The Roar from 34". Wild Bill was a sight to behold with his straw hat, big sunglasses, and bushy beard. His beer belly hung over his denim shorts, but he was remarkably limber as he led the crowd in a chant of "O-R-I-O-L-E-S!", contorting his body to spell out each letter. He became so popular that the team actually allowed him to perform his cheers on top of the home dugout. He even had a policy that further endeared him to the local masses - if he picked up anyone wearing a Yankees cap in his cab, he would ask them to remove the hat. Those who failed to comply had to look for another taxi!

Wild Bill Hagy passed away last August at the age of 68. To measure his influence and popularity among the Orioles fans and the team itself, look no further than the posthumous steps taken to honor and celebrate him. The first game at Camden Yards after his death was marked with a moment of silence. There have been memorial services and get-togethers attended by an impressive number of his family, friends, and fans. Earlier this season, a group of fans paid tribute to Wild Bill during a weekend series against the Yankees by donning straw hats and fake beards and leading cheers for the Birds. Tonight, to mark Hagy's birthday, the O's will be giving away orange "HAGY 34" Orioles t-shirts. Best of all, he will be the first recipient of the Wild Bill Hagy award, to be given each year to an exceptional O's fan. From my understanding, this award will be incorporated into the annual Orioles Hall of Fame ceremony in August.

For my part, I will be at the Yard tonight in full throat, proudly wearing "HAGY 34" on my back and tipping back a cold one for the caretaker of Orioles Magic. Happy Birthday, Wild Bill.

Image from baltimoresun.com