Jimmy Key, 1997 Fleer Ultra #356

On this date in 1996, the Orioles signed Jimmy Key to a two-year contract for nearly $8 million. The free agent deal paid immediate dividends, as the veteran lefty tied Scott Erickson for the team lead with 16 wins in 1997, tossing 212.1 innings with a 3.43 ERA that was second on the staff to ace Mike Mussina. He was especially strong prior to the All-Star Break, posting a 12-4 record and a 2.55 ERA as the O's charted their course for a wire-to-wire division lead. By the postseason, Key seemed to be running out of gas. He failed to complete five innings in either of his playoff starts, though he did provide three innings of crucial shutout relief in Game Five of the ALCS. In allowing just one walk and no hits, he carried the Birds' slim two-run lead from starter Scott Kamieniecki to closer Randy Myers and helped Baltimore stave off elimination.

Like most of his teammates, Jimmy's fortunes took a downturn in 1998. Shoulder problems limited him to 25 games that year - 11 starts and 14 relief appearances. He went 6-3 with a 4.20 ERA in 79.1 innings, and retired at age 37 with a career record of 186-117 and a 3.51 ERA in 15 seasons.

Jimmy Key, 1998 Donruss Preferred #93

Last night I shouted myself hoarse at Camden Yards as the Orioles stunned the Yankees with a four-run rally in the bottom of the eighth. Yankee killer Jonathan Schoop hit a game-tying homer off of All-Star reliever Dellin Betances, and Adam Jones provided the game-winning blow with a two-out, three-run homer against Shawn Kelley. 5-3 final to wrap up the rain-aided two-game sweep. Now there are 43 games left, and Baltimore is 7.5 up on the second-place Jays and eight games ahead of New York, with the most demanding stretch of their 2014 schedule in the rear view.

The last time the Orioles had such a substantial cushion was September 13, 1997. Those O's were a veteran, high-payroll team, a club that led the American League East all season long. Jimmy Key tied with Scott Erickson for the team lead in wins, and when was the last time you thought about those guys? This is rarified air. Enjoy it, and allow yourself to dream about October.

Jimmy Key, 1997 Fleer Circa #333

In a little bit, I'll be driving down to the Baltimore Arena to see Pearl Jam in concert for the second time in my life, and the first since 2008. Their newest studio album, released earlier this month, is entitled Lightning Bolt. If that's not reason enough to post this gooberish neon 1990s Fleer card, complete with lightning bolt effects, well...I fear for the future of this planet.

Jimmy Key, 1998 Fleer Tradition #230

With my various maladies over the past month, it seems like I've been to Target to pick up a prescription twice per week. I was there again on Monday to get a refill of allergy meds, and I gave in to temptation and bought a four-dollar Fairfield repack. It's almost defensible when you consider that one of the cards displayed in the front of the package was a black-bordered parallel Adam Jones from last year's Topps Heritage. Sure, there was the usual melange of junk wax, mostly 1986-1989 Topps that will be added to the mountain in my spare room closet. But there were a few other curios that helped me to justify the expenditure, including a 1999 Topps Finest Dmitri Young, a 1999 Skybox Premium Fred McGriff (in Devil Rays gear!), a 1986 Sportflics Brian Downing, and of course this Jimmy Key card, which is new to my collection. I'm a sap when it comes to unconventional card photos, and you don't see guys charting pitches on cardboard very often. At least I assume that's what the veteran lefty is doing. He could be trying to beat Mike Mussina at the New York Times crossword puzzle, or writing a letter to his ma. Anyway, between this card and the black-bordered Jonesy I got two more O's than I probably would have if I'd spent my money on a retail pack of 2013 Topps product. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Jimmy Key, 1998 Upper Deck #35

If I had to guess, I'd say that Jimmy Key's groin tore in half at the exact moment that this photo was taken. Whatever the case may be, it sure doesn't look like he's comfortable.

Jimmy Key, 1998 Collector's Choice #42

This is another card that I received in my recent trade with Ryan, and it's probably my favorite photo of the lot. It's a playful Spring Training shot of Jimmy Key in an unfamiliar setting: on the base paths. He won't exactly be mistaken for Rickey Henderson, not while blowing a bubble and resting his hands firmly on his thighs. In case you're wondering, Jimmy batted only three times in his long career. All three plate appearances came in a June 13, 1997 interleague game in Atlanta. Given the unenviable task of taking his first career swings against Greg Maddux in the latter's prime, Key struck out twice. However, he also successfully executed a sacrifice bunt that aided a four-run uprising. He allowed a single run in 6.2 innings, and the Birds survived an Armando Benitez gasoline act to beat Maddux 4-3.

Jimmy Key, 1997 Collector's Choice #273

When I look at this card, the first thing that jumps out at me is Jimmy Key's gray hair, poking out from under his cap, covering his temples. He was thirty-six at the time this picture was taken, about to begin his fourteenth season in the major leagues. But that premature loss of pigment made him look even older and wiser, more severe somehow.

We usually don't pay much attention to players' hair; it's usually obscured by their caps and batting helmets. You have to go to great lengths to get your locks noticed: Manny Ramirez's dreadlocks. Oscar Gamble's afro. Eddie Murray's chops. Gray hair is usually an attention getter, due to the stark contrast between the dark cap and the whitening follicles. We think of athletes as men's men, strong and youthful and virile; it seems strange that this image would be compromised. The most famous gray-haired players I can recall were doughy old dinosaurs holding on for dear life at the end of seemingly eternal careers. Gaylord Perry leers back at me from an early-Eighties baseball card; a few years later I see the final efforts of Phil Niekro.

As an Orioles fan, though, I remember great feats in gray. The little bit of hair that Cal Ripken, Jr. had in the early Nineties started turning silver. Over the second half of his career, he had some great seasons and acheived many major milestones. Mike Bordick was gray by the end of his career, and there are few players that Baltimore fans respected more than him. The man pictured above pulled it all together in 1997 for one last hurrah, winning 16 games with a 3.43 ERA for the only O's team in recent memory to win the American League East. His body broke down the following season, and he called it a career.

I feel something of a kinship with these men. I found my own first gray hairs when I was about fourteen. In the ensuing decade, I've cultivated a bright "skunk patch" above my right ear, clashing wildly with the dark brown that surrounds it. Renegade silver strands are popping up on my left temple, on the crown, around the back. It seems to be a trait inherited from my mother's family, and if history is any indication, the transformation to Anderson Cooper territory will be complete in another ten years. It amuses me more than anything; after all, it's something to set me apart from others. Blending in isn't something I usually strive for, anyhow. And as long as my hair sticks around, it can be any color it pleases.

Maybe it'll be an asset, lulling would-be opponents into a false sense of security. That's when I'll sneak the slider past them.