Gary Roenicke, 1982 Donruss #509

There's no mistaking the fact that Gary Roenicke was photographed in Chicago's old Comiskey Park for this card. It may be out of focus and partially obscured, but Bill Veeck's big ol' exploding scoreboard is the only landmark you need to see. I wish baseball still had at least one owner as creative and irreverent as Bill.

Vintage Friday: Gary Roenicke, 1980 Topps #568

Tonight, the Orioles begin their quest to win the franchise's first American League pennant since 1983, and I'll be on hand at Camden Yards. May every Baltimore batter be imbued with the spirit of Gary Roenicke, who set LCS records in that showdown with the White Sox 31 years ago. The O's outfielder reached based nine times in ten trips to the plate, with five walks, a single, a double, a home run, a hit-by-pitch, four runs scored, and four RBI. His .900 OBP, 1.750 SLG, and 2.650 OPS are all tops in league championship history, small sample sizes be damned. So let's go O's, and stay away, rain!

Gary Roenicke, 1985 Fleer #188

I'm dumping-and-running today so that I can visit with a good friend and watch WrestleMania XXX. That's not the rating - this is the 30th annual mega-event put on by Vince McMahon and company. If it helps you understand how different things were back in 1985, baseball cards looked like this. There were 26 MLB teams in four divisions, compared to 30 and six today. The keynote celebrities at the first WrestleMania in Madison Square Garden included Cyndi Lauper, Liberace, Muhammad Ali, and former Yankee manager Billy Martin. (Hey, I managed to link rasslin' and baseball after all!) Enjoy your Sunday night, folks.

Gary Roenicke, 1985 Topps #109

Gary Roenicke had a big game earlier this week.

No, I haven't gone completely out of my gourd. I'm referring to the game results from the Statis Pro 1984 blog, a new project from Rob, a fellow O's fan. He's replaying the entire 1984 season using a computer game from his childhood, and posting the results along with scans of 1985 Topps cards of the star players. You'll be glad to know that the Orioles took it to the White Sox on Opening Day by a score of 9-1, with Mike Boddicker going the distance and Gary Roenicke contributing a pinch grand slam. Go give it a look, and tell Rob that Kevin sent you! Or not. I just felt like saying that.

Gary Roenicke, 1984 Fleer #18

I am a man of simple tastes and basic needs. If I had a batting glove with a little 1980s-vintage Orioles logo on it, like the one Gary Roenicke is wearing in this photo, I would be set for life.

Gary Roenicke, 1985 Donruss #123

It's really difficult to curb my giddiness over the Orioles' late-season success under Buck Showalter. The latest fun stat: After losing their first 12 games against the Blue Jays in 2010, the O's just swept a three-game series from them. In each of the last two games, they beat up on the sons of ex-Orioles.

In last night's game, they flat-out abused Josh Roenicke, Gary's offspring. In one of those weird cosmic coincidences, Josh was born the day before I was. I don't know if we were in the same hospital, but his birthplace was Baltimore. He is now in his third major league season and has shown promise, but has yet to put it all together. He entered Tuesday's game in the bottom of the seventh with two runners on base, one out, and the Birds ahead 3-0. He failed to retire a single batter of the five he faced, surrendering RBI singles to Adam Jones and Matt Wieters before walking the unwalkable Cesar Izturis to load the bases. Rookie Josh Bell (0-3, 3 K at the time) tried to help him out by hitting a weak comebacker, but Roenicke failed to field it cleanly and threw wildly to first. 6-0, bases still loaded for Robert Andino, a career .213 hitter. Andino lined the first pitch into the left field corner for a three-run double. Cito Gaston mercifully pulled Josh from the game with the scoreboard reading 9-0.

Tonight, Toronto's much-heralded prospect Kyle Drabek made his major league debut as starting pitcher against Brad Bergesen and the O's. The 22-year-old is the son of Doug Drabek, who ended his career with a gruesome 1998 campaign in Charm City. Doug and the rest of the family were in attendance at Camden Yards tonight and the team apparently upgraded them from seats just below the press box to new seats behind the dugout. The elder Drabek looks good for 48; his hair and mustache are silver, but he got rid of that trademark mullet. Anyway, Kyle's final line tonight didn't look bad - he gave up three runs in six innings to meet the minimum definition of a quality start. But the Orioles actually got their licks in with nine hits and three walks. Some baserunning misadventures and other missed opportunities kept the game close. Of course Bergesen didn't need much help, as he shut out the Jays after allowing a first-inning home run to Jose Bautista. He allowed seven hits and no walks and wrapped the game up in a tidy 1:55. (Note to self: the next time you want to go to the park on a work night, make sure Brad is pitching.) Bergy ties his 2009 total with win number seven and spoils Kyle Drabek's first major league game.

It's a shame the Yankees don't have any Oriole offspring on their pitching staff. We might have been able to pencil in another win on Friday.

Gary Roenicke, 1982 Topps #204

I appreciate the overwhelmingly supportive response to last night's bitter, over-the-top post. However, the 2009 season is now in the past, so I will gladly take a walk on the bright side, which should be a relief to the vocal minority of readers.

This is one of the cards that has been in my collection forever, longer than I've even been a collector. Before I ever knew who Gary Roenicke was, I thumbed through a stack of cards and found him grinning back at me. Though this card was probably only six or seven years old when it came into my possession, it seemed positively ancient. Sure, I was born in 1982, but I only had four cards from that year and two from 1981. Even cards from the 1970s were a mysterious rumor to me.

Not knowing Roenicke from Adam, my first impression of him was this relaxed, harmless, happy-go-lucky guy. It's a great candid photo. It looks like he was posing for Topps's photographer, because I can't imagine that any player actually lounges around the field like that, kneeling and propped up on his bat. But in the middle of the photo session, John Lowenstein comes by and cracks a joke or does a little pantomime behind the photographer's bat and catches Gary off guard. Thinking quickly, the paparazzi of the diamond shoots away and gets a excellent picture.

It's a good thing that my introduction to Gary came by way of this card, instead of this one. Otherwise, I might harbor some irrational fear of him to this very day.

Gary Roenicke, 1986 Topps #494

This Day in Orioles History: May 25, 1982

Orioles 10, Rangers 3 at Arlington Stadium, Arlington, TX

Jim Palmer won the 250th game of his storied career, scattering nine hits and two walks in eight and one-third innings, but the offense was the story as the O's (20-21) showed signs of life while downing the bottom-feeding Rangers (11-26).

The Baltimore bats were relentless, as the team scored in five different innings and put up crooked numbers three times. With Eddie Murray sidelined due to tendinitis in his left hand, Gary Roenicke started at first base and did his best impression of #33, bashing a pair of two-run home runs and adding a single and a walk in five trips to the plate. His usual platoon partner, John Lowenstein, also went deep as part of a three-RBI night. Al Bumbry set the table with three hits from the leadoff spot, rookie third baseman Cal Ripken, Jr. (who would start the first of a record 2,632 consecutive games later that week) had a single in five at-bats, and the only Oriole starter without a hit was shortstop Bobby Bonner.

After starting the season with a thud (6-12 in April), the O's righted the ship in May (17-12), and posted a winning record in every month for the rest of the year, culminating in an incredible season-ending showdown with the first-place Brewers. The Birds won the first three games of the four-game set to tie Milwaukee before Palmer faltered in the finale. In a touching scene, the Baltimore fans remained in the stands at Memorial Stadium and roared their approval and thanks for retiring manager Earl Weaver.

Gary Roenicke, 1981 Topps #37

It's hard to believe that this look didn't catch on. You might have to click on the image to get a closer look, but Gary Roenicke's batting helmet is adorned with a football-style face mask on the left side of his jaw. It was a temporary precaution that was taken after he was hit in the face with a pitch. There's a clearer shot of the makeshift guard here, and an excellent article by Uni Watch's Paul Lukas here. It largely focuses on former Pirates outfielder Dave Parker; to be fair, his helmet stylings were much more terrifying and unusual than Gary's.

What's your favorite unusual uniform modification? Brooks Robinson's sawed-off helmet brim? Frank Robinson's extended stirrups?

Gary Roenicke, 1983 Donruss #27

This card offers irrefutable proof that the modern-day Orioles are so much the poorer for their short-sighted grooming policy. I don't know about you, but I don't want to imagine a world without Gary Roenicke's untamed locks and madman fu manchu. Just think about how much more dull O's history would be without Ross Grimsley's glistening afro, or Dennis Martinez's mop, or (god forbid) Eddie Murray's majestic afro/chops/'stache combo.

Say it with me now...Beards for Birds! Beards for Birds! Beards for Birds!