John Lowenstein, 1982 Topps #747

Congratulations are due for Melvin Mora, John Lowenstein, and Gary Roenicke, the three newest members of the Orioles Hall of Fame. It's only fitting that both members of the great Baltimore outfield platoon of the late 1970s and early 1980s will be inducted together, and of course Melvin Mora's decade in Baltimore (.280/.355/.438, 158 HR, 662 RBI, two All-Star appearances) is worthy of recognition as well. If you'd like to hear the acceptance speeches of Melvin and Gary (Brother Lo has a previous commitment and cannot attend), be sure to show up early for the August 14 game at Camden Yards against the Athletics.

John Lowenstein, 1981 Donruss #235

You never know when and where you're going to run into a fellow Orioles fan. I spent this past weekend in Easton, PA (outside of Allentown), taking in Chikara Pro Wrestling's King of Trios event. It was three days and nearly nine hours of independent, family-friendly wrestling, highlighted by a 16-team tournament to crown the best three-man tag team. I spent some time catching up with long-distance friends and meeting new folks. On Saturday afternoon, Chikara held a fan conclave, which gave fans a chance to meet their favorite wrestlers, shop for merchandise, play board games and video games, and participate in trivia contests. There was even a talent show.

As I was wandering around the gymnasium where the conclave was held, I noticed Chikara ring announcer Gavin Loudspeaker making the rounds. He's just as dynamic a personality as the wrestlers themselves; he pops up at the beginning of each show in tight leather pants and a vest, usually accented by a bright, colorful scarf. He runs laps around ringside, greeting fans and jumping up on the ringside seats to whip the crowd into a frenzy before the matches begin. Anyhow, Gavin was dressed more casually than usual on Saturday afternoon, and his black Orioles tee caught my attention. When he had a free moment, I approached him and struck up a conversation. I told him that I'd been able to attend the team's division-clinching win last Tuesday, and that I already had my playoff tickets reserved. He actually came out from behind his table and gave me a hug. It turns out that Mr. Loudspeaker (which is most probably not his real name) is a lifelong O's fan, and he was at Memorial Stadium to see the team's Game Two win over the Phillies in the 1983 World Series. He was about 10 years old at the time, and was thrilled to see his team succeed on the largest stage possible. He would've seen John Lowenstein go 3-for-4 with a double and a solo homer in support of Mike Boddicker, who limited the Phillies to three hits in a complete-game effort.

There's a photo of Gavin and yours truly. As a postscript, he also performed an original song as an opener for the fan talent show. It consisted largely of the ring announcer strumming his guitar and continually repeating a refrain that the Orioles were going to the World Series. I hope he's right, and I hope I see him there.

John Lowenstein, 1984 Fleer #10

John Lowenstein may be one of the premier clowns in Orioles history, but even he would have to tip his cap to Bob Uecker as the best of baseball's cutups. So it's only fitting that the Milwaukee Brewers are honoring "Uke" next month with his own statue at Miller Park...in the last row of the stadium. Uecker, a longtime play-by-play announcer for the Brewers, is clearly thrilled and honored, saying: "This will be great for fans and even better for pigeons."

John Lowenstein, 1983 Fleer #63

I'm still keeping tabs on Night Owl's breezy and informative 1971 Topps set blog, and you should be too. Just yesterday, he posted John Lowenstein's rookie card, which he shares with pitcher Vince Colbert. I've had this card for a couple years, so I was already acquainted with the strange sight of a clean-faced Brother Lo in an Indians uniform. But I guess I didn't pay close attention to the card when I added it to my own collection. Night Owl highlights the odd factoid about Lowenstein on the card back:

"In a Little League game John was once 6-for-6 with 4 Homers & 14 RBI's, & once walked & scored 6 times in Babe Ruth League."

It's funny enough seeing childhood feats highlighted on a major leaguer's card, but especially so because it's a noted loon like Lowenstein. I agree with Night Owl; I think there's a good chance that Lo goosed his numbers a bit to have a laugh at the expense of the folks at Topps. If not...well, I guess he peaked early.

John Lowenstein, 1983 Topps Stickers #24

I have got to start accumulating doubles of these decades-old stickers that have been trickling into my O's collection over the past few years. Only then will I give in to temptation and start peeling and sticking those bad boys. I've got scores of boring white and brown cardboard boxes storing my colorful, dynamic cards. Those boxes need John Lowenstein and Rick Dempsey affixed to their facades. It shall be so!

Vintage Fridays: John Lowenstein, 1980 Topps #287

I'm counting on you, dear readers, to keep me honest on this blog. When I go nearly two years between John Lowenstein posts, someone has to tell me! Fortunately I can use today to set things to rights, as it is Brother Lo's 65th birthday. Unreal, isn't it?

Speaking of unreal, there's a fair chance that you don't remember how good Lo was in 1982. To set the stage, this was his age 35 season, his 13th in the major leagues. To that point, he had been thoroughly average: .245 AVG/.326 OBP/.375 SLG. A 99 OPS+, if you swing that way. 69 career home runs in 2,548 at-bats, a rate of 37 at-bats per homer. Granted, he'd been more productive since coming on board as a lefty batter in Earl Weaver's most notable platoon, putting up a .271/.361/.426 triple slash and a 119 OPS+ in the previous three seasons. Still nothing that would set the baseball world aflame. It's also worth noting that over that 1979-1981 span, he totaled just 21 home runs in about a full season's worth of trips to the plate (582 at-bats/676 plate appearances), which breaks down to a big fly every 27.7 times at bat.

This has been a long-winded way of saying that no one could have expected John Lowenstein to hit the way he did in the year of my birth. No matter how you slice it up, the left fielder was red-hot. He started off with a .318/.375/.591 April, then exploded for 8 home runs, 19 RBI, and a 1.193 OPS in May. June brought a season-low .222 average in 36 at-bats, but he still reached base at a .349 clip. He batted at least .296 in every subsequent month that season, and put up identical 5-HR, 11-RBI tallies in July and August. His OPS was .971 at home and an astronomical 1.059 on the road, with a bit more road power making the difference there. Without further ado, the 1982 season totals:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1982	35	BAL	AL	122	384	322	69	103	15	2	24	66	7	6	54	59	.320	.415	.602	1.017	176	194	6	1	3	4	10	*7/9

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/27/2012.

You're not seeing things; that's a 176 OPS+. Frank Robinson had exactly two seasons with a higher number than that. Among all O's players with 300 or more plate appearances in 1982, Brother Lo was the team leader in average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS+. He doubled his previous career high in home runs, and topped his previous best RBI total by 18. He came within one double of his personal best, and set new benchmarks in runs scored and total bases. Once again, he did it all playing part-time. That home run rate I've been blathering about? One every 13.4 at-ats. Eddie Murray, who led the Birds with 32 homers that year, went deep once every 17.2 at-bats...a personal best.

Now maybe I'm assuming too much, and many of you remember 1982 as a great year for Lowenstein. But I can't recall ever hearing much about it. Even though I know I've looked at his numbers before, they were kind of hiding in plain sight, maybe because his platoon status kept the counting stats down. On a 94-win team with its share of stars (Eddie, Cal, Jim Palmer, Mike Flanagan, the Martinez boys), Brother Lo was an indispensable piece of the puzzle.

One last tidbit to play us out: 11 of John's 24 homers in 1982 either tied the game or gave the O's the lead. Perhaps none was bigger than the two-run walkoff shot he hit off of Jack Morris on Monday, September 20. The 3-1 win helped the Orioles stay within a couple games of first-place Milwaukee, which was crucial when the Brewers came to town a few weeks later for a season-ending, division-deciding four-game set.

John Lowenstein, 1985 Fleer #180

If you take a look at baseball's record books, one thing you'll find is that the Orioles have cornered the market on Montana's greatest players. There have only been 21 players in major league history who have hailed from the Treasure State, and four of them have worn a Baltimore uniform.

John Lowenstein is far and away the leading home run hitter among Montanians (Montanites?) with 116. 1950s first baseman Ed Bouchee, with 61, is the only other native of Big Sky Country in double digits. Number three on the longball list is...

Pitcher Dave McNally. In addition to his nine homers, he is the blowout victory leader from Montana with 184 wins. In a distant second is fellow ex-Oriole Jeff Ballard, with 41. Both were born in Billings.

The other Baltimore-Montana connection is current hard-throwing reliever Kam Mickolio, who is in his third season with the Birds. He hasn't done much in the bigs just yet, but many think he has the stuff to be a closer in the future. If he wants something to shoot for, he needs only seven saves to surpass 1920s pitcher Johnny Couch as the leading fireman from his home state.

This has been Useless Tidbits with Kevin B. Please drive safely.

John Lowenstein, 1982 Fleer #169

Fleer truly had the best John Lowenstein photos in the early Eighties. I'm happy to use this classic example to announce that I am now the proud sponsor of Brother Lo's baseball-reference.com page. For all of the invaluable statistical information and trivia that B-R has provided me over the past year of blogging and website building, the least I could do was send a cool Alexander Hamilton their way. At the same time, I get to show a little love for one of the most entertaining purveyors of Orioles Magic, as well as promoting my website. It's really a win-win situation.

If you'd like to sponsor a lonely Oriole, John Shelby, Lenn Sakata, Dave Trembley, and many others are still available at rock-bottom prices. Act now!

John Lowenstein, 1985 Donruss #245

Brother Lo! You've been absent from this blog for far too long. The colorful stories about this flaky former outfielder are legion, and some of the longtime O's fans among my readership probably know more of them than I do. My favorite anecdote is recounted here, as John is stretchered off the field after taking a relay throw in the head as a base runner. Lo, who had just driven in the tying and go-ahead runs, was about to be carried into the dugout when he sat up straight and pumped his fists in the air, to the delight of the Memorial Stadium faithful!

With his over-the-top personality, it can be easy to overlook Lowenstein's skills as a hitter. He was the lefty half of Earl Weaver's brilliant left field platoon, paired with righty Gary Roenicke). In the near-miss season of 1982, the duo combined for 45 home runs and 140 RBI. John himself had a ridiculous 1.017 OPS that year, and went deep once per 13.4 at-bats!

According to the back of this card, the Birds purchased Lo on waivers from the Rangers in 1978 for $25,000. I'd say they got their money's worth. That little factoid would be my favorite thing about this card, were it not for John's #1 fan sitting in the first row on the front of the card. He's rocking the big round shades just like his favorite player.