Jeremy Guthrie, 2009 Topps Heritage #12

Jeremy Guthrie is starting Game Seven of the World Series tonight. There's a sentence I didn't ever think I'd type. Of course, the ex-Oriole is taking the mound for the Royals in this evening's winner-take-all contest against the Giants. I'm actually rooting for San Francisco; the Orioles' ALCS sweep at the hands of Kansas City still stings, and many of my favorite non-O's (including Pablo Sandoval, Tim Hudson, Tim Lincecum, and the delightfully gooberish Hunter Pence) play for the Giants. Guthrie's post-Game Three press conference in the ALCS, in which he wore a shirt that said, "These O's Ain't Royal", stirred up a lot of anger in Baltimore because it was considered to be kicking his former club while they were down. Once the smoke cleared, I was actually more disappointed to learn that the phrase on the offending shirt was a parody of a line from a Chris Brown song. Brown, for the uninitiated, is a garbage person. So I'm not going to hold some silly lifelong grudge against Jeremy for a pretty dumb clothing choice, but I'm not exactly going to cheer him on, either. When it comes down to it, I'll be pulling for the team in orange and black. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Jeremy Guthrie, 2009 Upper Deck #31

Hey, Jeremy Guthrie, you seem like a pretty cool guy and all. You did a lot of good things in your five years in Baltimore, and made some dreadful teams a little more enjoyable to watch. I'm glad you've got a good thing going in Kansas City, I really am. But there's no way the Orioles can let this Royals gravy train roll into the World Series unchecked. For the next week or so, I just can't wish you and your ilk well. It's not personal, it's just baseball.

Jeremy Guthrie, 2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom #50

A check of my archives shows that I haven't posted a Jeremy Guthrie card since the Orioles traded the righty in February of last year for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. That's a shame, because he was one of the more personable and likable players to come through Baltimore in recent years. So I may as well take a moment to sing his praises now.

Jeremy's short stay in Colorado was disastrous, as he went 3-9 and posted an astronomical 6.35 ERA and 12.1 hits per nine innings in 19 games with the Rockies. His home run rate skyrocketed from 1.1 in 2011 to 2.1. Unsurprisingly, Coors Field was not a welcoming place for a fly-ball pitcher like Guts. But the Rockies gave him a reprieve, trading the veteran to Kansas City for fellow wayward starter Jonathan Sanchez in mid-July.

There haven't been many players in recent years who have had a career revival with the Royals, but the difference in Jeremy Guthrie's performance was stark. His 5-3 won-lost record came with a sterling 3.16 ERA and a much-improved 8.3 H/9 IP. His home run rate dropped back down around his career norm. The Royals, rolling the dice on some veteran starters to augment their prospect-laden lineup, retained Guthrie with a three-year, $25 million contract. Five starts into that deal, the early returns are promising for both player and team. Jeremy is a perfect 3-0 with a 3.06 ERA after blanking the Indians for six and two-thirds innings this past Sunday. Dating back to last year, he's now gone 16 starts since absorbing his last loss. Guts actually got hung with an 'L' in each of his first three starts as a Royal, but the third of those, a 5-3 defeat against the Rangers on August 3, was the last losing decision for him. It's a pretty drastic reversal of fortune for a guy who led the American League with 17 losses twice in a three-year span while with the O's. This ongoing run of success certainly couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, and I hope it continues for as long as possible.

Jeremy Guthrie, 2011 Topps Diamond #321

One of the great disappointments of being an Orioles fan is that any player who performs well is essentially trade bait. Jeremy Guthrie has been rumored to go elsewhere for several years, and the team finally pulled the trigger this morning. Guts is now a Colorado Rockie, and in his place we have Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. It's a bit of a head-scratcher, to say the least. I'm not qualified to talk about the value of the two new arrivals, so instead I want to give a proper sendoff to one of the smartest, funniest, and most decent men to wear the orange and black.

When the O's claimed Jeremy off of waivers from the Indians in the spring of 2007, I was among those who assumed that it was a desperate attempt to strike gold with another team's castoff. Instead, they got a dependable starting pitcher who easily would have been a perennial 15-game winner with any kind of offensive support. Looking back, I realize that I was present for his Camden Yards debut, a solid three-inning, one-run effort in long relief on a chilly April 10. He struck out three Tigers in a 3-1 O's loss, and within a month he was in the starting rotation to stay.

The thing that really struck me about Guthrie was the way he seemed to enjoy his profession, his teammates, and his fans. Through Twitter, he made it clear that he didn't take himself as seriously as many more standoffish athletes do. He regularly interacted with all kinds of people online, even going so far as to fulfill Christmas wishes that were tweeted to him: signed photos and memorabilia, even phone calls to some lucky fans. He also encouraged people to be socially responsible, setting the example by biking to Camden Yards on game days. That's the Jeremy Guthrie who was on display today with his classy farewell remarks to the O's organization and the community at large.

It seems to me that Jeremy Guthrie is a better person than he is a baseball player, and I mean that as a compliment. I hope he thrives in Denver.

Jeremy Guthrie, 2007 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH142

Now that's the way to start the season. I drove downtown yesterday evening, parked right across the street from Oriole Park, and walked over to Pickles Pub to meet up with several moderators and members of Camden Chat. The bar was packed and most of the patrons were decked out in orange and black. I wore my game-used Lou Montanez spring training jersey, with an orange Buck Showalter tee underneath for good luck. The excitement was palpable, and watching the Red Sox blow a late lead to the Rangers on ESPN provided a proper kick-off to the festivities.

There were loud cheers and high-fives when the Orioles reached Rays ace David Price for four runs, two coming on a drive to the fence by Brian Roberts that Johnny Damon hilariously turned into a triple. There were bellows of "LUUUKKKKEEEE" with every fly ball that Luke Scott tentatively tracked down in left field. But best of all, there was Jeremy Guthrie pitching one of his finest games, holding Tampa Bay to three hits and a walk while striking out six in eight shutout innings. He retired 13 batters in a row at one point, and escaped his only true jam by picking B. J. Upton off of second base in the eighth (though he did benefit from the third base umpire failing to call J. J. Hardy for interference when he collided with Upton). Jim Johnson finished the game, buckling down after a Ben Zobrist home run to strike out a pair of batters and induce a Manny Ramirez ground out. The O's began their 2011 campaign with a win in a neat two hours and eight minutes, and they're only 99 wins away from the postseason.

Okay, my tongue might be planted firmly in cheek, but you never know.

Jeremy Guthrie, 2008 Topps Heritage #384

Congratulations are in order for Jeremy Guthrie, who has been selected as the Orioles' nominee for this year's Roberto Clemente Award. The award, to copy and paste from mlb.com, "is given annually to the Major League player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual's contribution to his team."

We certainly know that Guthrie has handled the whole baseball/contribution to his team part of the bargain. After a disastrous 2009 season in which he led the American League in losses and home runs allowed, he's rebounded to bring his ERA back to the sub-4.00 territory that we've come to expect. And don't look now, but he's gone 6-3 in the second half to bring him within one win of his career high of ten.

As for the community involvement, Jeremy certainly keeps busy. At certain home games, you can see "Guthrie's Gang" in the upper reserve, underprivileged fans who are able to attend Camden Yards on the pitcher's dime. He's also donated his time at the Helping Up Mission, which serves the needy men of Baltimore. He does speaking engagements for children, visits injured soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center, and participates in the player union's Buses for Baseball Program. Needless to say, he's also active in the charitable events that the Orioles and his individual teammates have undertaken, like the O's annual holiday party or Brian Roberts' Baseball Bash.

If you care to cast your vote for Guts, you can do so here. If you're curious (and why wouldn't you be?), four O's have won the Clemente Award since its inception in 1971: Brooks Robinson (1972), Ken Singleton (1982), Cal Ripken, Jr. (1992), and Eric Davis (1997).

Jeremy Guthrie, 2008 Topps Opening Day #136

Tonight I have a legitimate excuse for posting at a late hour. I've been out at Oriole Park helping to give Buck Showalter a warm welcome to Baltimore. The fact that I had a voucher for a free upper reserve seat at any August home game (part of the team's birthday promotion) didn't hurt, and the free Felix Pie t-shirt giveaway was the icing on the cake. I made it a family outing by bringing along my sister and my cousin Brittany, who also took advantage of a free ticket a week before her 19th birthday.

The early returns on the Buck Era are positive. The Birds shook off a sluggish offensive start with a four-run outburst in the sixth inning to pull out a 6-3 win over the Angels. Luke Scott's booming two-run homer nearly reached Eutaw Street and gave the O's a lead that they did not relinquish. Rookie third baseman Josh Bell hit a two-run double for his first career extra-base hit and runs batted in. Matt Wieters added three hits and two RBI, and Felix Pie had two hits, two runs scored, and a stolen base on his special night. The pitchers held up their end of the bargain, as Jeremy Guthrie held the Angels in check with five hits allowed in seven brisk innings and benefited from some rare run support in earning his fifth win of 2010. The bullpen was perfect, with Mike Gonzalez breezing through five Halo batters (and even earning a warm ovation when he exited the field) and Alfredo Simon having a much easier night than usual in striking out the only batter he faced to end the game.

Although it was a typically sparse weeknight crowd (16,723 announced), those who came out were livelier than usual. Buck earned loud cheers for his every appearance, from a pregame video that aired on the scoreboard to the customary lineup card exchange at home plate to a brief trip out of the dugout to ask for clarification on a foul ball call by the home plate umpire. At several key points late in the game, the fans clapped and cheered when our pitchers got to a two-strike count without being prompted on the scoreboard (I hope that little bit of audiovisual overkill has been retired at the Yard). Just in case Buck needed a reminder that his Yankee days are far behind him, the video screen in center field showed highlights of New York's 8-2 loss to Toronto at the end of the eighth inning. The various Blue Jay scoring plays were received with raucous applause, and the lone positive Yankee clip - a home run by Mark Teixeira, of all people - was met with thunderous boos.

It's a small sample size, but the last two months of this season have a chance to be a little more fun than the first four.

Jeremy Guthrie, 2009 Upper Deck #16

I find Yankee manager Joe Girardi to be insufferable.

Yeah, I know, major news flash. I’ve waxed rhapsodic about my distaste for all things pinstriped over and over again in the past few years. After a particularly spiteful post-2009 World Series entry, I was even chided in the comments by reader and Yankee fan Bo for going overboard. So I’ll try to make my case without lapsing into hyperbole, fun though it may be.

Girardi gets under my skin in a way that his predecessor Joe Torre never did. I generally respect the latter, a well-liked veteran and cancer survivor who paid his dues with a few undistinguished managerial jobs before taking over in New York just as the team’s talent was peaking. He might get too much credit for masterminding all of those World Series wins, but there’s no denying that he had a special touch when it came to massaging the egos of his star players and quietly suffering the bombast of owner George Steinbrenner. But this isn’t about Torre – it’s about Girardi.

First of all, he’s disingenuous. In June of 2007, he was a free agent, having been fired at the end of the previous year due to a personality conflict with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. The day after the Orioles fired manager Sam Perlozzo, they interviewed Girardi and offered him the job. On Wednesday he and the team decided to work on an agreement, and the very next day he reconsidered. If he had plainly said that he was holding out for a better job, that would have been one thing. The O’s were a mess, and he was a hot commodity, having won the National League Manager of the Year Award in his first try at the helm. But instead, he offered a tepid excuse about it not being “the right time for the Girardi family”.

Four months later was apparently the right time for the Girardis. That’s when the Yankees hired Joe as their new skipper. Right away, he displayed the pomposity that many baseball fans see in the Bronx Bombers by announcing that he would wear number 27 on his back, because he intended to deliver New York’s 27th World Series win. Gag. (When the team made good on his promise last year, he switched to #28. Double gag.)

Right from the beginning of his tenure as Yankee manager, Joe painted himself as an arbiter of the unwritten rules of sportsmanship and common decency in the great and storied game of baseball. During an exhibition game in March 2008, Tampa Bay rookie infielder Elliot Johnson collided with fellow prospect and Yankee catcher Francisco Cervelli in an attempt to reach home plate and jar the ball loose from his glove. He fractured the catcher’s wrist, an unfortunate accident that was caused by a common (and accepted) baseball action. But Girardi climbed up on his soapbox, declaring the hungry young player’s decision as “uncalled for” and adding that it was “disheartening”. You can practically hear the condescending tone of the disappointed parent, can’t you? The next time the two teams played, Yankee outfielder Shelley Duncan showed his solidarity to his new boss by attempting to gouge Rays second baseman Aki Iwamura with his spikes on a late slide into second base. This touched off a brawl between the clubs – all in a preseason game! Surely Judge Joe was quick to condemn the malevolent action of his own player, in the interest of fairness. Actually, he danced around the topic, claiming that he hadn’t seen the play or viewed any replays in the 24 hours’ aftermath and not offering any specific comment when pressed by the media. Interesting, isn’t it?

The Orioles have also run afoul of Girardi’s sense of propriety – pitcher Jeremy Guthrie in particular. It seems that the O’s starter is a bounty hunter, out to collect Yankee scalps. Whoops, I’m lapsing into hyperbole. Guthrie has plunked a comparably high number of New York batters in recent years. He’s pegged 16 hitters total over the past two seasons, but half of them were Yankees. In an exhibition game (not again!) this very March, he got two more, including star first baseman Mark Teixeira and catcher Francisco Cervelli (that guy should probably stay away from the Grapefruit League altogether). Joe was quick to say in postgame comments that he did not believe that Guthrie was deliberately throwing at Teixeira, but he was “annoyed” that he could not control his pitches. I guess that explains why he yelled at Jeremy from his post in the Yankee dugout during the game.

Fast forward to last week, when Guthrie had his worst start of the young season against those same Yanks, giving up seven runs in an O’s loss. Another pitch got away from him, striking catcher Jorge Posada on the knee. The veteran backstop had to leave the game, and once again Joe just knew that Jeremy didn’t do it on purpose, BUT…"he hits a lot of people. That’s frustrating for us.” Tsk, tsk, Jeremy. If only you could be an upstanding and professional pitcher like that Roger Clemens.

So tonight it was Big Bad Guthrie against those poor unsuspecting Yankees. It's amazing that Girardi goes to such lengths to cast aspersions on a bike-riding, Stanford-educated Mormon family man - particularly one who has had considerable struggles against his team.

Jeremy Guthrie, 2009 Topps Black #194

Today there is baseball, and life is good. I checked my iPhone this afternoon, and saw starting lineups posted on my go-to blogs. I got in the car after work and heard Joe Angel recapping the lovely totals: 12 runs, 14 hits for the Orioles, 2 runs, 5 hits for the visiting Rays. Jeremy Guthrie started on the right foot with two scoreless innings, and seven frames of solid relief from six more pitchers who have a good shot to contribute in 2010. A win from would-be lefty specialist and clubhouse clown Will Ohman. Most exciting of all, six home runs, including two each from rookie corner infielders Rhyne Hughes and Josh Bell and a booming shot to center by young star right fielder Nick Markakis.

I got so pumped up by the renewed presence of baseball in my everyday life (exhibition baseball is still baseball, after all) that I took the long way home so I could stop by the hobby shop and buy myself a box of 2010 Topps...think of it as a housewarming gift, from me to me. 36 flawless new packs to rip open? Bliss. Anyway, I drove the rest of the way home listening to Scott Garceau and Mark Zinno and their callers on 105.7 FM talk about the O's...sure there was a bit of Terps-Duke discussion and a remark or two about the Ravens, but it was little more than window dressing. The Birds are back.

Jeremy Guthrie, 2008 Bowman #171

With all of the Brian Roberts doubles record hoopla, I didn't even realize that Jeremy Guthrie tied an Orioles record in yesterday's season finale. The righthander surrendered three home runs to the Blue Jays; the last of these was his 35th, the most in Baltimore history. The previous pitchers to reach this lofty mark were Sidney Ponson (1999), Scott McGregor (1986), and Robin Roberts (1963). Of course, giving up longballs wasn't no thing for Roberts, who was taken deep a record 505 times in 19 seasons. He was still a Hall of Fame pitcher, largely because he had the skill to challenge hitters with the bases empty. It just so happened that he didn't give up many runs in other ways. McGregor was running on fumes near the end of his career, and Ponson was...well, you know all about him. But Guthrie's season to forget was one of the more baffling developments of 2009.

It's never a good thing when the one starter in your rotation who was presumed to be reliable (3.66 ERA in 2007-2008) completely falls off of a cliff. Jeremy didn't look right from the World Baseball Classic onward, as he paced the American League in homers and losses (17) and saw his ERA jump to 5.04 while his strikeouts dipped. What was strange about it was that Guts was completely healthy; he threw the ball as hard as ever and reached 200 innings pitched for the first time in his career. But he just didn't have that same touch on the ball. He got beaten from pillar to post by the best (7.23 ERA vs. Boston, including a blown 7-0 lead in Fenway) and the worst (18.56 ERA vs. Oakland, including a 6 ER, 2/3 IP disaster). He had flashes of his previous good form, but couldn't build momentum; he never posted an ERA under 4.50 in a single month of 2009.

It would be premature to declare Jeremy Guthrie washed up; he will be 31 next year and does not have as much mileage on his arm as most pitchers his age. The O's certainly won't cast him off so soon; no other projected starter currently under contract has more than 24 starts at the major league level. He'll get another chance to be a stabilizing veteran force in the Baltimore rotation in 2010, and I am hoping against hope that he'll show us that those 17 losses and 35 home runs were a fluke.

Jeremy Guthrie, 2008 Upper Deck Goudey #20

For one day, everything was as it should be.

An Opening-Day record 48,607 fans packed Oriole Park at Camden Yards and kept it rocking all day long.

The rain stopped just in time to play ball.

Mark Teixeira was booed loudly and lustily every time his name was announced. He was booed in between every pitch of every one of his at-bats. He went 0-for-4 in his first game after signing a multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal with the Yankees and holding a smarmy press conference in which he credited his wife with telling him to go to New York and claimed that he'd been a Yankee fan all of his life (something he never seemed to mention in multiple interviews proclaiming his interest in playing in his hometown of Baltimore...well, he was from Severna Park, but you know what I mean). He was cheered excitedly every time he failed to get a hit.

CC Sabathia, the other prize pig of the Yankee offseason spending orgy, was knocked out of the box in the fifth inning, having allowed eight hits and five walks...and having struck out none.

Jeremy Guthrie, the O's hard luck ace, finally got some run support, picking up a win after tossing six hard-fought innings.

Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis, the homegrown cornerstones, celebrated their offseason contract extensions with a combined 5-for-8, 1 BB, 4 R, 2 RBI performance.

Adam Jones, the young center fielder who is being touted as a breakout candidate, reached base all five times, including two walks (a big development for someone who walked 23 times all of last year).

Jim Johnson, the surprise shutdown reliever of 2008, preserved the lead by stranding the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the eighth inning.

Cesar Izturis, the free agent who was brought in to stabilize the shortstop position, made two excellent plays in the field and helped the Birds put the game away with a surprise home run in the bottom of the eighth.

For once, the revitalized Baltimore fans were able to shout down the overbearing and entitled Yankee fans (most of whom were probably from New Jersey anyway).

As those fans filed out of the ballpark a little after 8:00 PM, there were overjoyed shouts of "First place!".

And I was there to be a part of it all.

(Sorry for the Bill Plaschke treatment, but I'm still processing a fantastic game. Orioles 10, Yankees 5. Awesome.)

Jeremy Guthrie, 2007 Upper Deck #559

That's right, Opening Day 2008 has finally arrived. It can be hard to remain optimistic when you've dealt with ten straight losing seasons and traded away the two biggest stars on your team. It's tough to maintain a rosy outlook when the big names and bigger budgets of your division rivals put you at a disadvantage right from the start. It's not easy to hold onto hope when the crowds at the ballpark get smaller and more apathetic every year. But until the first game has ended, everyone is on equal footing, and anything can happen. Just ask today's starting pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie.

Jeremy was the #1 draft pick of the Cleveland Indians in 2002, taken 22nd overall from Stanford University. Incidentally, two of his current teammates - Adam Loewen (4th) and Scott Moore (8th) were chosen ahead of him. Despite his considerable talent and high expectations, he never got comfortable with the Tribe. The team didn't give him much of a look, burning through his options in three seasons (2004-2006) while using him in just sixteen major league games, all but one out of the bullpen. In a small sample size (36 innings), he did not perform very well (6.25 ERA) and seemed to suffer a crisis of confidence.

When the Indians tried to pass him through waivers in the Winter of 2007, Orioles scout Dave Hollins and new bullpen coach Dave Trembley insisted that the Orioles should claim him. Trembley had managed against Guthrie in the minor leagues, and new that he had some great stuff. The 28-year-old righthander was virtually unknown to most O's fans, but he earned a spot on the team last year with an impressive Spring, allowing just two earned runs and striking out fourteen in fifteen innings. Though he started the regular season as a long reliever, injuries to most of the team's starters gave him a chance to crack the rotation and to really show what he could do. He earned considerable Rookie of the Year buzz with a ten-game unbeaten streak (though poor run support and a shaky bullpen conspired to give him just three wins in that span), and his ERA was below 3.00 until an August swoon. His final tally included a 7-5 record, a 3.70 ERA, and a 1.21 WHIP that placed him ninth among all qualifying AL pitchers.

In just one season, Jeremy Guthrie went from a forgotten prospect in Cleveland to a fixture in the Baltimore rotation. Today he makes his first Opening Day start, and hopefully he'll be able to build on all that he accomplished in 2007.