Lenn Sakata, 198? Orioles Postcards

Here's another one of the paper treasures recently unearthed from my grandma's old photo collection. It's completely blank on the back, so I have no idea what year it was printed and distributed to Orioles fans, except that it would have been some time during Lenn Haruki Sakata's illustrious tenure in Baltimore. That narrows it down to the 1980 through 1985 seasons. Perhaps it was issued in my birth year of 1982, which also happened to be Lenny's best overall season. He played in 136 games, far and away a career high, and batted .259/.323/.370 with 18 doubles, 6 HR, and 31 RBI. Of course, the most memorable inning of Sakata's career took place in 1983, so it would be neat if this were a postcard of '83 vintage too.

Lenn Sakata, 1983 Topps #319

It's been a rough week and change for the Orioles. They've lost seven of nine, including their first four-game losing streak of the season (still ongoing). The hitters are scuffling, the starting pitchers are inconsistent, and the bullpen isn't untouchable any more. The O's are still clinging to a first-place tie in the East, but all five teams in the division are within five games of one another. There's little margin for error.

What the Birds need now is a good luck charm. Who better than the 3'7" pride of Honolulu, Lenn Sakata? If this heroic utility infielder with his bouncy tufts of black hair and his colossal shop-teacher glasses can't raise the spirits of the nicked-up Orioles, then I am all out of ideas. (Note: I may be all out of ideas. We'll know soon enough.)

Lenn Sakata, 1983 Fleer #72

Fellow O's fans...and anyone else who has sharp eyes and a keen memory: can you identify the player sitting on the bench behind Lenn Sakata in this photo? Assuming that it was taken in 1982, we should be able to narrow it down. I don't think it's Eddie Murray. That leaves Al Bumbry, John Shelby, Dan Ford (who usually wore glasses), and Mike Young. My guess is T-Bone Shelby, but I'm not sure. Anyone care to weigh in?

Lenn Sakata, 1981 Donruss #499

I'm spending a lot more time this winter on Hot Stove talk than I did in early 2008. But yesterday's news was a lot more exciting than a Ramon Hernandez salary dump or a Mark Hendrickson signing. The Orioles have just come to terms with 34-year-old Koji Uehara, who will be the first Japanese player in team history. By extension, he's also the first Oriole born in an Asian country (Lenn Sakata was Hawaiian, by the way). This is an encouraging development
for several reasons. First and foremost, he's a legitimate starting pitcher. The only sure thing about the Birds' 2009 rotation was Jeremy Guthrie; now we can pencil in a veteran who has twice won his league's equivalent of the Cy Young Award for the Yomiuri Giants, one of the most successful and storied franchises in Japan. He has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of approximately 5-to-1, and a 12-0 record in international competition. Even though he struggled by his standards in 2008, his 3.81 ERA would have looked pretty damn good on the O's staff. As for his demotion to the minors, it's been suggested that the team was punishing him for his decision to pitch in America. Baltimore also signed him to a reasonable contract: two years, $10 million with an additional $6 million in incentives. Compare that to the five-year, $20 million Kei Igawa contract that the Yankees are saddled with (not to mention the $26 million they posted just to negotiate with him!).

Of greater significance still might be the Orioles' standing as an international player. After years of sticking their heads in the sand while the Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, Angels, and others got a head start in scouting and signing in Cuba, Japan, and elsewhere, Andy MacPhail is truly rebuilding a badly damaged organization from the ground up. It's exciting to imagine throngs of Japanese baseball fans watching and reading about the Orioles. Heck, maybe they'll even throw some All-Star Game votes to the guys in orange and black!

Welcome to Baltimore, Koji. I hope there's a Japanese word for "hon".

Lenn Sakata, 1982 Fleer #178

This card is amazingly awkward on so many levels. First is the design itself. Fleer was in their second year of competition with Topps after two decades of other pursuits. As you can see, they were still struggling to find their way. There's something to be said for the less-is-more approach to card art, but in this case the collector is almost lulled to sleep. And lest you think that the medium-zoomed, unfocused photo on this card is an unfortunate abberation, I can assure you that the other 1982 Fleers I have don't look much better; some even look worse. At least Lenn's face is only half in shadow.

So let's focus on the particulars of this card photo. First of all, it appears that the O's are holding open tryouts on a local rec league diamond, what with the hard, mottled infield dirt giving way to the less-than-verdant outfield grass, which is backed by a chain link fence, which sits directly in front of some lovely suburban foliage. Then there's Lenn's fielding technique. If he always threw across the diamond with his wrist crooked at such a weird angle and his left foot pointed inward while his right foot hovered in midair, it's no wonder that Earl Weaver took the plunge and moved young Cal Ripken, Jr. from third base to shortstop.