Miguel Tejada, 2004 Fleer Ultra #227

As you may have surmised, updates to this blog will be more sporadic than usual for the foreseeable future. But I'm doing my best to pop in a few times a week as the opportunity arises. Last night, as I was busy staying up way too late (I even procrastinate at bedtime), I caught the end of the Serie de las Americas baseball tournament from Marlins Park. The Dominican Winter League's Aguilas Cibaenas club eked out a 4-3 win over the Venezuelan club Cardenales de Lara, thanks to a two-run single by Zoilo Almonte in the top of the ninth inning. This two-day tournament featured teams from both the Dominican and Venezuelan winter leagues, and the winners from Cibao were managed by none other than Miguel Tejada, making his debut at the helm. I wonder what Miggi will do for an encore.

Miguel Tejada, 2005 Topps Updates and Highlights #UH179

Manny Machado made quite a good showing for himself tonight in the Home Run Derby, blasting a dozen home runs in the first round. Unfortunately, he drew a bad seed, as Dodgers rookie Joc Pederson beat him out by smashing 13. So even though Manny had the fourth-most homers in the round of eight, he was one-and-done. But he did hit a handful of home runs over 450 feet, so he can hold his head high. But for the time being, Miguel Tejada is still the reigning Home Run Derby champion for the Orioles franchise, having taken the crown in Houston in 2004. There's always next year.

Miguel Tejada, 2010 Topps National Chicle #90

Remember when the Orioles brought Miguel Tejada back to play third base, just two years after trading him to Houston? Except that he had aged four years in that span, and become a lumbering singles hitter. He didn't last a full season in Baltimore the second time around, getting shipped off to San Diego for the unforgettable Wynn Pelzer in the middle of the summer. Baseball is weird.

Miguel Tejada, 2005 Donruss Classics #10

Sometimes it seems like there is no limit to the number of chances a formerly-great player can get. Consider Miguel Tejada, who just signed a minor league deal with the Marlins six days shy of his 40th birthday. This despite the fact that he now has the defensive range of a cactus, hasn't slugged above .400 since 2009, and still needs to finish serving a 105-game suspension stemming from last season's positive test for banned amphetamines. But hey, wasn't it cool when he won the AL MVP award in 2002? In case you're wondering how long ago that was, the Orioles' starting outfielders were Marty Cordova, Chris Singleton, and Jay Gibbons. Good luck, Miggi.

Miguel Tejada, 2004 Donruss Throwback Threads #27

With roughly one-eighth of the season in the rear view, it's too early to say that Nelson Cruz might pose a serious threat to Miguel Tejada's Orioles record of 150 RBI. But I can safely admit that it's fun watching him do his thing right now. The O's new left fielder/designated hitter had his biggest game of the young season last night, crushing a solo homer and a go-ahead grand slam to help the team turn a 6-1 deficit into a white-knuckle 10-8 win over Toronto. Through 20 games, Nelly is batting .301 and leading the team with a .386 on-base percentage, a .603 slugging percentage, 14 runs scored, six home runs, and 21 RBI. Among all American League players, only Albert Pujols (.625) is slugging higher than Cruz, and only Chris Colabello of the Twins (26!) has driven in more runs. Nelson's done most of his damage during the current road trip, batting .400/.464/.880 with four home runs and 14 RBI in six games at Fenway Park and the Rogers Centre. If all of these gaudy small-sample-size numbers don't do anything for you, can I interest you in a "CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZ" t-shirt giveaway?

Miguel Tejada, 2004 Fleer Classic Clippings #54

The back of this card features a box score from June 19, 2003, when Miguel Tejada had his first-ever five-hit game in a 9-2 Oakland win over the Rangers. What struck me was the fact that four of the nine players in the Athletics' starting lineup played for the Orioles at one time or another. Besides Miggi, the A's also started Eric Byrnes, Ramon Hernandez, and Chris Singleton. The quartet combined for 10 hits in 19 at-bats with six runs scored and five batted in. The Rangers had Rafael Palmeiro in their lineup as the sole player with Baltimore connections, and his lone single in four at-bats was a poor match for the Oakland onslaught.

Miguel Tejada, 2005 Donruss Studio #38

As I write this post, Chris Davis is on deck in the first round of the 2013 Home Run Derby. He's trying to become the first Oriole to win the slugging exhibition since Miguel Tejada in 2004. (Cal Ripken, Jr. won the 1991 Derby in Toronto, and is the only other Baltimore player to do the honors.) Of course, Miggi had 15 home runs in 85 games at the All-Star Break that year; Davis finished the first half on a four-game dinger streak, giving him a ludicrous total of 37 in 96 team games.

I hope "Crush" realizes the sacrifices that I'm making to root for him this evening. Not only am I recording WWE RAW to watch later, thereby disrupting my customary Monday night routine, but I'm subjecting myself to the bloated excesses and loud nonsense of ESPN's presentation of said Derby. But enough about Chris Berman. A Chris who is actually good at his job is stepping to the plate...after the upcoming commercial break. You're killing me, ESPN.

Miguel Tejada, 2007 Upper Deck SP Authentic Power #AP-36

So the Orioles have survived a brutal 11-game, 11-day West Coast road trip with a strong 7-4 record. Their reward is a nice long...three game homestand? Then they go to Minnesota for three games, then back home again? What sort of half-crazed, gibbering primate put together this schedule? Baseball, man.

Anyway, the Royals are coming to town tomorrow night, which means a reunion of sorts with former O's Jeremy Guthrie (Thursday night's scheduled starter), Bruce Chen, and Miguel Tejada. This may be our last chance to see Miggi play in Baltimore, as the 2002 American League MVP is weeks away from his 39th birthday and clinging to a utility role in Kansas City. He's only appeared in eight games thus far (four starts), with predictable results: .313 (5-for-16) with a walk and a double.

If you ever rooted for Tejada, and especially if his gradual decline and his highly emotional nature frustrated you, I would recommend reading the long-form profile by former Washington Post reporter Jorge Arangure, Jr. that was recently published on Sports on Earth. It draws a more complete picture of the man and the athlete than I've ever come across before. It's a reminder that what we see on the field and what we read in sound-bite quotes is usually only skimming the surface.

Miguel Tejada, 2006 Topps Opening Day #99

Congratulations to Miguel Tejada, Pedro Strop, and the rest of 2013 World Baseball Classic-winning team from the Dominican Republic. The Dominicans went 8-0 in the WBC, capped by a 3-0 win over Puerto Rico in Tuesday night's final game. Miggi appeared in seven games, batting .316 (6-for-19). He also bailed out Strop in the finale, making a nifty falling-backwards catch on a foul pop down the left field line to strand two runners in the seventh inning. Pedro didn't need a whole lot of help during the WBC, as he allowed no runs on three hits in six and two-thirds innings. He was the winning pitcher in three of his six appearances, and struck out seven batters while walking none. So although Adam Jones and Team USA didn't make it to the Final Four, there was still significant O's representation at the end of it all.

Miguel Tejada, 2005 Playoff Prestige Changing Stripes #CS-14

Yeesh. You can't get blood from a stone, as they say, but Miguel Tejada seems determined to wring every last ounce of athletic ability out of his own body. After the Giants released him in September 2011, he didn't catch on with another team until the Orioles gave him a minor-league deal last May. In 36 games at AAA Norfolk, he batted .259/.325/.296, with 5 doubles representing the entirety of his extra-base prowess. Reports about his defense at third base were none too encouraging either, so the O's punted on the Miggi experiment and released him in late June. The one-time American League MVP remained unsigned during the second half of the 2012 season, and headed to the winter league in his native Dominican Republic in an attempt to prolong his career. I guess it worked, because over the holidays came news that the Kansas City Royals had signed the 38-year-old Tejada to a minor league deal. What's more, there are reports that it will become a guaranteed one-year deal for $1.1 million dollars (with an extra 400 grand in performance incentives) just as soon as the team can clear a spot on their 40-man roster. Because Tejada has looked thoroughly cooked since about 2009, and because of the Royals' comfortable position as a league laughingstock, this transaction is being received with considerable derision. I know that I would be apopleptic if the Orioles had made such a move. But if nothing else, you've got to admire Miguel's persistence...and wonder whether you can get his agent to represent you.

Miguel Tejada, 2004 Topps Finest #55

I took my time in addressing Miguel Tejada's return to the Orioles organization, as I was holding out hope that it was some sort of mad fever dream. There was also a lot of conflicting information being bandied about, and it was tough to pin down the details. Anyhow, this is my understanding of the situation:

The O's are allowing Tejada to work out at their Sarasota complex for a week or two, and assuming he doesn't crumble into dust, he'll officially be brought aboard on a minor-league deal. Dan Duquette seems to have reached an agreement with Miggi due to some misguided belief that he could provide an upgrade at third base. I don't agree, obviously. He did some great things in Baltimore, but he'll be 38 on May 25 and his talents seemed to have been just about exhausted last season when he hit .239/.270/.326 with the Giants and was released in early September. That's an awful 69 OPS+ in the National League. I don't remember being dazzled by his defense at the hot corner back when he came back to the Birds in 2010, either. So what gives?

This is a big wait-and-see. He hasn't played so much as an actual minor league game, so he's not close to the big league roster yet. It looks like Bill Hall and/or Steve Tolleson are getting their turn on the Wheel O' Third Base, and I suppose one of them could perform well enough to pull Duquette's finger away from the panic button. But this has the makings of one of the more bizarre personnel moves that I've seen in recent years.

Miguel Tejada, 2005 Leaf Alternate Threads #AT 15

The Orioles eked out a 3-2 win in 10 innings against the Angels today to salvage a single game out of their weekend series against the Angels. That brings their record to 9-7 and leaves them tied with the Rays in second place, a half-game out of first place. This isn't really anything to trumpet, but it is worth noting that the O's have just wrapped up a ten-game road trip through Toronto, Chicago, and Anaheim, and they posted a winning record of 6-4. The last time the Orioles got the best of a ten-game swing away from Camden Yards was September 13-23, 2004. Back then, they took two of three each in Toronto and Minnesota before splitting a four-game set in Boston against the eventual World Champion Red Sox. To offer a little perspective, that was five managers ago (Lee Mazzilli, who was replaced by Sam Perlozzo, who gave way to Dave Trembley, who was succeeded by Juan Samuel, who was supplanted by Buck Showalter). In the final game of that road trip, the O's topped the Red Sox 9-7. Todd Williams was the winning pitcher, and Miguel Tejada hit his 30th home run of the season, a 3-run shot off of Derek Lowe in the fifth inning. It was Miggi's first year in Baltimore, and the team finished with a 78-84 record. In the ensuing seven full seasons, they haven't gotten any closer to a .500 record. Could this be the year? Probably not, but staying above water on a long journey away from Camden Yards is a rare pleasure.

Miguel Tejada, 2006 Upper Deck #888

I went to a small card show this morning over in Glen Burnie, and emptied out my wallet at some nickel and dime boxes. About half of my haul was various Orioles cards, the better to keep the good times rolling here. I haven't sorted them yet, but it seems like I plucked out several dozen different cards of Melvin Mora and Jay Gibbons. I may have to become the world's foremost Jay Gibbons supercollector by default, and that's about as sad as any sentence I've ever typed. Anyway, this nondescript checklist card was one of my purchases today, but I'm less interested in what Miguel Tejada is doing and more interested in what's on the scoreboard behind him. It's been a while, so let's do some sleuthing!

The bottom of the scoreboard looks like it's got a Toronto at Houston matchup. #7 is a very unusual number for a starting pitcher, and I remember former Oriole Josh Towers having the #7 jersey for the Blue Jays. Roy Oswalt wore #44 for the Astros, so we should have our starters. That makes this Sunday, June 12, 2005. Oswalt tossed a real gem, two-hitting the Jays in a 3-0 victory. Towers gave up all three runs (two earned) on nine hits and a pair of walks in seven innings. Willy Taveras and Jason Lane each had three hits and an RBI for the Astros.

Oh, but you probably want to know about the Orioles. On June 12, they were visiting the Cincinnati Reds in interleague play, and it didn't end well. Sidney Ponson barfed up a seven-run, eleven-hit masterpiece in six innings of work, and Steve Kline tossed a molotov cocktail on the fire by allowing all three batters he faced to get on base. Todd Williams replaced Kline and permitted those three runners to score on a pair of singles, giving the Reds their full tally of ten runs. The O's batters fought gamely, with six runs in a losing effort. Sammy Sosa had his second (and last) multi-homer game with Baltimore, career home runs #581 and #582. Incidentally, Ken Griffey, Jr. took Ponson deep for the 512th longball of his own storied career. So there you go. 10-6 loss, giving the Reds a pair of wins in a 3-game set.

Miguel Tejada, 2006 Topps Hobby Masters #HM6

This is one of those cards that I just had to scan to see how it would look. It's shinier and more iridescent in person, but it still looks pretty good...aside from the cruddy photo of Miguel Tejada craning his neck to check on something we can't even see. You can't win 'em all.

Miguel Tejada, 2005 Fleer Patchworks #68

Hey, did you know that the long-rumored movie based on Michael Lewis' Moneyball is actually in post-production, slated for release later this year? It's gone through several script iterations and directors, but they really did film it. You've probably heard that Brad Pitt is playing Oakland Athletics' GM Billy Beane, and maybe you heard that Jonah Hill (of Superbad and Funny People) is playing a character based on Beane's former assistant Paul DePodesta. But there are some other familiar names appearing in the flick. Parks and Recreation actor Chris Pratt plays ex-A's first baseman Scott Hatteberg, and Oscar winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman takes on the role of manager Art Howe. Miguel Tejada is also being featured in the movie, and he'll be played by a man with over a decade of major league experience at shortstop...

Royce Clayton.

Yeah, not exactly an uncanny resemblance, but chalk it up to creative license. Clayton actually auditioned to get the part, and even developed a Latino accent. Director Bennett Miller actually requested in the middle of filming that the retired player drop the accent in order to perform more naturally. At any rate, he should at least look pretty natural in any on-field scenes, which is more than you could say about a lot of actors in baseball movies. See: Robbins, Tim.

Miguel Tejada, 2006 Bowman #150

It was a breezy Sunday afternoon in 2005 when it happened. Bottom of the fourth inning, scoreless game, Miguel Tejada on third base with one out following a double and a grounder to the right side. The next batter up was B. J. Surhoff, who cracked a single into left field. Tejada scored easily, but heard a terrible commotion behind him. Crossing the plate, he glanced over his shoulder to see what it was, and was confronted with a terrible sight. A live bear had rushed the field from who-knows-where, and was mauling third base coach Sam Perlozzo. The umpires were pleading with the creature to leave Pelozzo alone and to return from the zoo or cave from which it came, but the bear either did not understand them or did not care to comply. It was, as many reporters and columnists observed, a dark day for baseball.

Miguel Tejada, 2005 Topps Total Production #TP-MT

Congratulations are in order for a couple of ex-Orioles who have reached home run milestones in the past 24 hours. Last night, current Padres shortstop Miguel Tejada hit his 15th homer of the year, which also happened to be #300 for his career. That big, round number isn't quite what it used to be, but it's still noteworthy for anyone to play long enough to reach it, particularly a middle infielder. Keep in mind that only 127 players in the history of the game have hit more than 300 home runs. If you're wondering about the breakdown, Miggi hit 156 HR in six-plus seasons in Oakland, 109 in four and one-half years in Baltimore, 27 in two seasons with the Astros, and eight so far in San Diego. He's hit 30 against Toronto (the most against any opponent), and his most frequent victims have been David Wells, Tim Wakefield, and Esteban Loiaza (five each). Take a bow, Miggi...

...And then move over. Jose Bautista, a 29-year-old journeyman who has changed teams seven times (Drafted by the Pirates, claimed by the Orioles in the Rule 5 draft, claimed on waivers by the Devil Rays, purchased by the Royals, traded to the Mets, traded to the Pirates, traded to the Blue Jays), hit his 50th home run of the 2010 season this afternoon. Considering that he had 59 career home runs prior to that, this has come as something of a shock, although he always had enough potential to tantalize all of those teams to acquire him. Since he first received significant playing time in 2006, he had averaged about 15 longballs per year. He made his major league debut with the O's back in 2004, but received only two starts and 12 plate appearances in two months before the club decided that they couldn't spare a roster spot and Tampa Bay grabbed him off the waiver wire. His spot on the major league roster was taken by Jose Leon, and you can supply your own punchline.

You might have noticed that the Jays are all swinging for the fences this year, so it seems like the club's offensive philosophy coupled with an increase in playing time has allowed Jose to turn it loose. Good for him, even if it turns out to be a fluke. Even with the power spike caused by juiced balls, smaller parks, juiced players, expansion-diluted pitching, and more aggressive hitters, there are still only 26 men who ever belted half-a-century in one season. Bautista's the first to get to 50 since 2007, so things are regressing back to the mean. Now we'll see how long it takes an Oriole to make it to 40 again, much less 50.

Miguel Tejada, 2010 Topps Allen and Ginter #8

Two ships pass in the night. Welcome to Baltimore, Buck Showalter. May you have a better time of it than your last five predecessors...six, if you count Juan Samuel, which I don't. You're a brave soul if you're willing to jump right into this hot mess with the team 40 games under .500. You're certainly a bigger man than that self-important weenie Bobby Valentine.

So long again, Miguel Tejada. I will miss your entertaining handshakes and gestures and the ability to reference "Miggi and Wiggy", but I won't miss your infuriating insistence upon swinging at the first pitch over and over again, especially now that your bat has slowed down enough to ensure a healthy dose of ground ball outs. Best of luck in the National League West pennant race. I'm sure you remember pennant races, right? You used to be in them back in Oakland, way back in the early 2000s.

Miguel Tejada, 2006 Upper Deck Player Highlights #PH-15

Tonight, Major League Baseball's All-Star Festivities get underway in earnest out in Anaheim with the 26th annual Home Run Derby. In its current state, this exhibition has become nightmarishly long and pretty grating on the senses, thanks in large part to ESPN's resident windbag Chris Berman. But occasionally a player heats up and puts on a real show - like Texas' Josh Hamilton in 2008 - and makes it all a little more worthwhile. I still remember watching 1993's Derby, back when it was only one round and ESPN still presented it on tape delay. It was a thrill watching Juan Gonzalez and Ken Griffey, Jr. battle it out, especially when Junior became the first (and still only) player to hit the B & O Warehouse at Camden Yards on the fly. So I'll be tuning in tonight for better or worse.

Of course, there are no Orioles in this year's longball contest; Adam Jones and Ty Wigginton are tied for the team lead with a ho-hum 14 homers apiece. But the O's do have a memorable history in past derbies:

-Cal Ripken, Jr. and Eddie Murray both participated in the inaugural contest back in 1985 in Minnesota's Metrodome. Cal finished last with a single clout, but Eddie tied with three other players for second place with a total of four. Cincinnati's Dave Parker took the crown with six.

-After a five-year absence from the Derby, Ripken redeemed himself in 1991 in Toronto's Skydome. He blew away the competition with 12 moon shots, leaving the Reds' Paul O'Neill in a distant second with five. Cal also took the All-Star Game MVP honors the next night with a 2-for-3 performance with a home run and three RBI. He became the first player to win the Home Run Derby and the Midsummer Classic MVP, and went on to become the first American Leaguer to be MVP on a cellar-dwelling club.

-Out in San Diego the following year, Cal failed to defend his crown. His four home runs left him in a four-way tie for third, far behind Mark McGwire's winning total of 12.

-Despite breaking the Yankees' 1961 team record for home runs in a season, the 1996 Birds sent just one representative to the Derby in Philly. Brady Anderson's 30 HR at the Break were a stunning surprise, but he ran out of gas in this contest after advancing past the first round with five taters. He actually topped himself with six in round two, but was outpaced by McGwire's nine and eventual champion Barry Bonds' ten (17 total). Brady's total of 11 placed him third overall.

-Back for more in 1997, Anderson placed fifth with four homers and failed to advance to the second round in Cleveland. Yankee Tino Martinez went deep 16 times in three rounds to win.

-In the final season of his first stint in orange and black, Rafael Palmeiro finally gained entry to the Derby in 1998 in Denver. He was one of four players to crank out seven longballs in the first round. As Ken Griffey, Jr. led with eight, the last three second-round slots came down to tiebreakers and Raffy advanced. He hit only three more and placed fourth. Griffey won with 19 overall.

-In 1999 at Fenway Park, the O's were represented for a fourth straight year, this time by...B. J. Surhoff? I clearly had forgotten this, but the stats tell me that he had 20 homers at the time, which was only two less than his previous best for an entire season. But Surhoff wasn't a natural power hitter and it showed, as his two four-baggers tied him with three others for fifth. On the plus side, one of the two contestants to finish worse than Beej was Sammy Sosa, who hit a single homer. Griffey made it back-to-back-wins with another 16-spot.

-After a four-year drought, the Birds came back with a vengeance in 2004. Two of the team's offseason acquisitions, Miguel Tejada and Rafael Palmeiro, were entered in the Derby in Houston. Both advanced past the first round; Miggi tied hometown hero Lance Berkman for third place with seven jacks, and Raffy led the way with nine. Palmeiro slumped to third in the next round with a five-spot, but Tejada put on a show with a single-round record of 15 to advance to the finals against Berkman (who was no slouch himself with 10 second-rounders). Not only did Miggi emerge victorious by clearing the fence five more times to Berkman's four, he had the highest total to that point with 27 homers. He even hit the longest shot of the day, a 497-footer.

-Pittsburgh wasn't as hospitable to Tejada as Houston had been. In a return trip to the Derby in 2006, the shortstop tied with his old sparring partner Berkman for sixth place with three home runs and did not clear the first round. Ryan Howard's total of 23 won the day.

-Aaand that's all she wrote for now. Next year, when Matt Wieters gets tired of lulling the rest of baseball into a false sense of security, I'm sure he'll drop some jaws in Phoenix with the first ever 50-homer Derby performance.

Miguel Tejada, 2006 Upper Deck First Pitch Goin' Deep #GD-25

So here's the deal. There's not a whole hell of a lot to celebrate about this wretched season. If Miguel Tejada has four hits in one night, thereby quadrupling his RBI total from the first 23 days of June, and also breaks a 201-at-bat homerless drought, you'd better believe I'm going to commemorate it.

The Orioles have 20 wins. It only took them 72 games, and it came three weeks after the Indians became the second-to-last team to win their 20th. Hip...hip...hooray.