Nolan Reimold, 2013 Topps Orioles Team Set #BAL-13

I feel very chastened after missing my second straight Vintage Friday, but I have the best of reasons. I didn't make it home from Oriole Park at Camden Yards until about 12:15 this morning, because I stayed until the not-so-bitter end of the Birds' four-hour comeback win over the Royals. Being a first-hand witness to one of the more improbable contests of the year reminded me of  how much excitement and weirdness a fan can experience over the course of a single baseball season. Just last night, the O's treated us to:

-Cuban-born outfielder Dariel Alvarez's first career home run

-A daring first-to-home dash from Manny Machado on a two-out single by Chris Davis, punctuated by a head-first slide and a swipe of home plate, just ahead of K.C. catcher Salvador Perez's tag

-Nolan Reimold's go-ahead grand slam off of the left field foul pole in the bottom of the eighth inning

-Machado greeting reliever Franklin Morales with a solo homer immediately after Reimold's grand slam, making for back-to-back four-baggers against two different pitchers

-Chris Davis responding to a presumably intentional plunking by Morales by slamming his bat into the ground, breaking it in two

-Buck Showalter earning an ejection by unleashing a hellacious tirade against home plate umpire Mark Carlson, who warned both benches after the Davis HBP but refused to eject Morales

-Steve Clevenger (who had pinch hit for Caleb Joseph earlier in the inning) earning a measure of retribution against the Royals by hitting another grand slam in the bottom of the eighth, striking his blow against old Baltimore favorite Joba Chamberlain

So all in all, that added up to a wild 14-8 O's win. In that eventful eighth inning, they tallied ten runs in a single frame for the first time since April 11, 2002, when Geronimo Gil and Mike Bordick sparked a 12-run sixth against the Devil Rays with back-to-back home runs. They also became the first major league team in a decade to hit two grand slams in one inning, and only the seventh team to ever perform that feat. It doesn't quite make up for the indignities of the 2014 ALCS, but it felt good all the same.

Nolan Reimold, 2012 Topps Orioles Team Set #BAL3

Here's a thing that I didn't think I would say in 2015: Nolan Reimold made some major contributions as the Orioles completed a sweep of the Red Sox with a 6-5 win. The 31-year-old outfielder, who was promoted from AAA Norfolk earlier this week, chased down eight fly balls in left (and later right) field, and added a solo home run. It was his first round-tripper in an O's uniform since July 10, 2013. It's been a very uneven couple of months in Baltimore, but the Birds are riding their first four-game win streak of the year and are back within a game of .500. This weekend, they can take their best shot at the first-place Yankees. It's anybody's game right now.

Nolan Reimold, 2011 Topps Orioles Team Set #BAL6

I promised photos from Ed Smith Stadium, so here goes!

The lineups for Friday's game against the Rays. I may have snickered when I saw former Oriole infielder Alexi Casilla starting at third base for Tampa Bay.

The view from section 215. Game time temperature was announced as 78 degrees. They also announced that it was 46 in Baltimore. The joke was on us, though; torrential rains washed out our game in the fourth inning. At least the O's had rallied to take a 4-3 lead on a Nolan Reimold solo home run and a three-run shot by Adam Jones. None of it mattered in the end, but I guess it was a moral victory.

This sign was posted in the men's room, and it tickled me. It gives the impression of a birdie bidet.

This lovely centerpiece hangs over the main entrance to Ed Smith Stadium, consisting of a ring of baseball bats draped with all of the team's championship and postseason banners.

My first glimpse of the 2014 AL East Champs banner, which was placed in the center of the ring!

This orange-and-black bike, complete with team-colored flamingo, was parked outside of the entrance to the park.

Fast-forwarding to Sunday afternoon's split-squad game against the Twins. We parked on a different lot, so we entered from the left field pavilion. The marquee features three flags, presumably for the Orioles' three World Series wins. This sign featured mileage markers from Sarasota to Baltimore and to each of the team's minor league affiliates; a similar sign is posted on Eutaw Street at Camden Yards.

Siblings pretending we like each other!

My wife (on the right) made it into this picture. We had a great time, even though the Birds lost 6-5. Three more O's homers from Travis Snider, Jones again, and minor leaguer Mike Yastrzemski (yes, he's Carl's grandson) at least gave us something to cheer about. The fatal blow was a two-run homer allowed by 2014 draft pick David Hess, so at least you can't pin it on somebody who figures in the team's plans for this season.

Just to close things out, here's a lovely dusk snapshot taken from Siesta Key, voted the best beach in the country last year! As you can imagine, it was hard to come back to Baltimore, where I had to scrape frost off of my windshield this morning before work.

Nolan Reimold, 2010 Topps 206 #168

Was 2009 really so long ago?

That was the first - and last - time that Nolan Reimold played 100 games in a major league season. In the blink of an eye, he's gone from a 25-year-old rookie leading his team in on-base percentage and runner-up in slugging to an injury-prone 31-year-old who has changed organizations three times in seven months. This is the baggage that Reimold brings back to the Orioles, who agreed to a minor-league deal with the outfielder that comes with an invitation to spring training and an opt-out clause. The O's spent at least four spring camps hopefully penciling him in as a starting left fielder, but yesterday Brady Anderson flat-out said that there are "several" players ahead of Nolan on the outfield depth chart. It's probably not realistic to expect him to contribute to the Orioles in 2015. Then again, it wasn't realistic to expect Steve Pearce to bang out a .930 OPS last year, either. You never know which Duquette/Showalter bargain signings are going to break out.

Nolan Reimold, 2010 Upper Deck #76

So long, Nolan Reimold. I hope for your own sake that you're finally healthy and pain-free, but I hope you understand that I can't exactly wish you success as long as you're playing in the Great White North for the Orioles' closest pursuers. I'll still remember you fondly for games and moments like the May 27, 2009 11th-inning walkoff homer, or your 2-for-3 outing with a walk, a steal, a homer, and two RBI on September 16, 2011 (I mention this because I was there), or of course, your game-tying double and game-winning run on September 28, 2011 - the day the O's and Rays conspired to eliminate Boston from playoff contention. Thanks for those memories, Nolan.

Nolan Reimold, 2010 Topps Logoman #HTA 50

Here's a rare (and brief) update from my iPad, since my laptop charger seems to have bitten the dust. I even had to take a picture instead of a scan. This card arrived in the mail today from our old pal Max, who also read my mind and sent three 2014 Heritage O's and a few other assorted treats. Nolan Reimold here was the fiftieth and final card in a Hobby Shop-exclusive set that amounted to Topps taking a victory lap to celebrate their exclusive MLB license. That explains the sudden chill that just ran down my back.

Nolan Reimold, 2006 Tristar Prospects Plus #75

It's good to see Nolan Reimold finally get some regular playing time, and it's even better to see him taking advantage of the opportunity. Finally free from the shadows of Felix Pie, Luke Scott, and Vlad Guerrero, the power-hitting left fielder is getting results as the team's new leadoff hitter. Last night against the Blue Jays, Nolan doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly in the first inning, singled, stole second base, and scored the tying run in the eighth inning, and added an important insurance run with his first homer of the season an inning later. Sure, he also made a costly error to give Toronto their second run in the fourth inning. And although his batting average is .308, he has yet to take a walk. So he's still got some work to do. But at least he's getting the chance to hone his skills in an everyday game situation without fear of being buried on the bench.

Nolan Reimold, 2010 Topps #653

Surprisingly, the Orioles listened to my pleas and delivered a win on Friday night. It was an all-to-rare laugher, and I was glad to witness it along with my sister and a few thousand die-hards. The official paid attendance was a bit over 24,000, but I can assure you that a good number of them were dressed as empty seats. Anyway, Elizabeth and I got to our perch in the upper deck behind home plate just in time to see Capitals star Alex Ovechkin throw out the first pitch, a high, outside floater. My sis is hockey-crazed, so she even wore her red Brooks Laich jersey and carried a posterboard with a happy birthday message for Ovi.

It was a cool and still 65 degrees at first pitch, and I'll admit that I didn't harbor high hopes when I saw that Tommy Hunter vs. Dan Haren was the pitching matchup. Though Hunter, acquired from Texas in the Koji Uehara trade, kept the Angels off the board for the first three innings, the O's were blanked in their first two tries against Haren. But the O's scraped together a rally in the home half of the third. Nolan Reimold, only inserted into the lineup when Adam Jones' balky thumb kept him out, led off with a walk, stole second, and scored on a Robert Andino single. Itty-bitty leadoff hitter Matt Angle, who my sister dubbed "Beaker" for his resemblance to the narrow-headed Muppet, bunted Andino to second. After a wild pitch moved the runner to third, J. J. Hardy made it 2-0 with a run-scoring grounder.

Tiring of small ball, the Birds set off some fireworks in the fifth. Mark Reynolds led off the inning with a no-doubter home run to left field, his 33rd of the season. Andino and Angle reached base, and both scored on a double by Hardy. It was 5-0, and in spite of myself I felt like the lead was safe.

For once, the Orioles weren't content to sit on a lead. The very next inning, Chris Davis singled and Reynolds doubled to chase Haren from the game. Rookie Tyler Chatwood had a rocky introduction to the game, hurling a wild pitch to plate Davis with the sixth Baltimore run. Reimold added to Chatwood's pain with a fly ball that scraped over the left field fence to make it 8-0. It was the 11th of the season, in just Nolan's 77th game. The Halos bullpen settled down after that, but it was too little too late.

Meanwhile, Hunter pitched his best game yet as an Oriole. The big righthander matched his season high with seven innings, allowing no runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five. He was ably relieved in the eighth inning by Willie Eyre, who in turn was less ably relieved in the ninth by that goggle-wearing yutz Kevin Gregg. Though watching the so-called closer cough off three runs to the Angels' second-teamers (seven of the nine Anaheim starters were subbed out in the seventh) caused the game to end on a frustrating note, there was actually something perversely entertaining about booing and jeering him as he stumbled along.

So not a bad deal all in all. I got to spend a beautiful and leisurely evening with my favorite sibling watching our Birds stomp on the postseason hopes of the visiting team.

Nolan Reimold, 2009 Topps Heritage Chrome #CHR168

Hey, I think Nolan Reimold's back, and something tells me that he'd rather not return to Norfolk. After his awful 2010 season, the outfielder was finally healthy when he came to spring training this year. He had a strong showing in the Grapefruit League, batting .315/.448/.537 with 14 runs scored, 3 home runs, 10 RBI, and 12 walks in 66 trips to the plate. Of course, since the Orioles manufactured a roster crunch by signing Vlad Guerrero to DH and moving Luke Scott back to left field, Nolan was caught in the numbers game and optioned to the AAA Tides. Last week, injuries to Cesar Izturis, Derrek Lee, and Brian Roberts created some roster vacancies, and the 2009 Rookie of the Year candidate was brought back to Baltimore. Here's what he's done since:

-Singled in his first at-bat of the year on Friday after entering as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning.

-Belted a game-tying two-run homer in his first trip to the plate Saturday, helping the O's come back to win 8-3.

-Went 4-for-4 today with a walk, a double, 2 home runs, and 4 RBI to key a comeback from an early 4-0 deficit. The Orioles beat the Royals 6-5 in 12 innings to claw back to .500 (24-24) for the first time since the beginning of the month. His double in the 11th might have scored Mark Reynolds with the winning run, but it bounced out of play and Reynolds had to stop at third base.

So in 11 at-bats this week, Reimold has already matched the home run output of his 2-month, 116-AB scuffle of 2010. It's good to know that he didn't just turn into a pumpkin overnight, and that Nolan still has the potential to contribute to a winning Orioles team long after Guerrero and Lee are gone. Now it's up to Buck Showalter to keep finding at-bats for him when the roster returns to full strength. Not a bad problem to have.

Nolan Reimold, 2009 Topps 206 #199

Finally, mercifully, there was Orioles baseball today. Even better, there was an O's win.

With first pitch occurring a few minutes after 1:00, the Birds kicked off their Grapefruit League schedule with a fairly breezy 6-4 win over the Pirates in Bradenton, FL. Vlad Guerrero started his Orioles career with two singles, including an infield hit to drive in the first run of the game. Brad Bergesen and longshot invitee Ryan Drese each pitched two scoreless innings. The most encouraging performance came from Nolan Reimold, who hit a towering home run in his first at-bat and walked three times. Coming off of a disastrous and injury-plagued 2010 season, the outfielder isn't even guaranteed a roster spot in April. But he was able to play the entire game this afternoon and showcased the strong batting eye and powerful stroke that made him a Rookie of the Year candidate two years ago. Whether Guerrero and Luke Scott are on the active roster for the full season or not, there's no question that a healthy and focused Reimold makes the O's a stronger team.

I was even able to listen to the final inning on WBAL as I left work late in the afternoon. It felt good, especially when Josh Rupe struck out Ryan Doumit for the 27th out and Joe Angel threw it to commercial: "We'll be right back with the lovely totals."

32 days to go.

Nolan Reimold, 2008 Donruss Threads Diamond Kings #DK-2

I'm reasonably sure that this is the only Diamond King card to ever feature a player in a Bowie Baysox uniform. But then, Nolan Reimold is no stranger to historical baseball feats. The outfielder hit the ground running in his rookie season, bashing 15 home runs in 104 games for the O's. He hit his first career home run in his sixth game, which would have been impressive enough, but it was especially noteworthy because it came against the great Yankee closer Mariano Rivera. Though it had no bearing on the outcome of the game (Rivera was mopping up an 11-4 New York win), it represented a remarkable first. In his entire 15-year career, the wiry Panamanian fireman had not surrendered the first career homer for any opposing batter. Not bad for a rookie; I can't wait to see what Nolan does for an encore.