Ernie Whitt, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola All-Time Orioles #501

Here's another one from the "When the hell was he an Oriole?" files. The answer is 1991, of course. But not for too long. Ernie Whitt, known chiefly for the dozen years he spent behind the plate in Toronto, was 39 years old and at the end of the line when he made the O's roster as a third catcher behind rookie Chris Hoiles and Bob Melvin. But Ernie was a shell of the player who socked double-digit home runs for the Blue Jays in eight straight seasons (1982-1989). The veteran made only 70 plate appearances in 35 games over the season's first three months, putting up an underwhelming slash line of .242/.329/.274. He did not hit a single home run, and drove in just three runs. The Birds released him on July 5, bringing an end to his long career. On the plus side, he did throw out 6 of 17 would-be base stealers, a slightly above-average 35% rate. What more can you ask for from your 39-year-old third catcher than slightly above-average?

Ernie Whitt, 1991 Leaf #391

Ernie Whitt, huh? Whitt rhymes with twit, which is the first syllable of "Twitter". To date, I've taken a principled stand on Twitter, thinking (probably rightly so) that it was just another Internet time suck, an application designed to help our society amble along down the path of self-absorption and text-message-ish illiteracy. I still have my reservations, but my resolve is crumbling. Frankly, I can see some benefits to being the absolute last person on this particular online train. Often, I don't get a chance to update my NumerOlogy website as quickly as I'd like when there's breaking uniform number news with the Orioles. If I had a Twitter account, I could fire off a quick burst to inform the masses (i.e., the five people who would actually follow me). Then, when I had more time, I could post a proper update on the website itself. I could also post links to my writing whenever I had a new entry here, or on my 1965 Topps blog, or even at Crunchable. Maybe I'd even regale you with an occasional 146-character dose of my sparkling wit. There is still one thing that I will absolutely not bend on, ever: under no circumstances will I refer to the process as "tweeting". If I'm being honest, that's at least 30% of my issue with Twitter.

So, I'm giving you a say in this, readers. Should I be the next Twitter...guy? Should I stay out of it? Do you not give a flying fig one way or the other?