Pat Hentgen, 2003 Topps Total #661

A tip of the hat to Craig "Flip Flop Fly Ball" Robinson, who noted on his Tumblr that there have been only nine players in MLB history who played for all three "Birdy Teams": Orioles, Blue Jays, and Cardinals. Those players are Alberto Castillo (the catcher, not the pitcher), Pat Hentgen, Cesar Izturis, Paul Kilgus, Mike Morgan, Corey Patterson, Nerio Rodriguez, Mike Timlin, and Tom Underwood. At present, Hentgen is the only player with the distinction of suiting up for only those three teams. Eat your heart out, Mark Fidrych.

Pat Hentgen, 2001 Topps #582

I could think of no better way to wish you all a happy St. Patrick's Day than by presenting this greenish card of Patrick George Hentgen. Heck, he was even born in Ireland!

Actually, Pat was born in Detroit. I don't know why I lied like that. Hopefully when you wake up tomorrow you won't remember this conversation.

Pat Hentgen, 2004 MLB Showdown

It may be Christmas before the Orioles have their coaching staff finalized, but other teams are a bit more expeditious. For instance, the Blue Jays hired former Jays and O's pitcher Pat Hentgen as their new bullpen coach under first-year manager John Farrell. Even though Pat is back with a division rival, I'm happy for him. My only hope is that he's gone back to the sweet horseshoe mustache that he fashioned earlier in his career. After all, what is Major League Baseball, if not a repository for ridiculous facial hair?

Pat Hentgen, 2002 Fleer Tradition #430

This card serves as a lasting tribute to Pat Hentgen's mustache. I used to call this style of facial hair a "fu manchu", but I've come to learn that a fu manchu technically hangs off of the chin like this. What #41 is sporting is properly known as a "horseshoe", but is also often referred to as the "Hulk Hogan" or the "Earl". For many years I yearned to grow a mighty Flavor Saver like that, but the only place that hair grew thickly and evenly on my face was on my chin. So the goatee became my calling card, but every once in a while I tried to branch out (particularly in college, when I just couldn't be bothered with shaving regularly). I usually gave up within a few weeks, because my upper lip and cheeks resembled nothing so much as a barber shop floor. I even convinced my Dad to shave his trademark beard down into a horseshoe for a brief period, so that I could live vicariously through him. I still maintain that it helped to intimidate his high school students into obedience.

Last year, I finally reached for the stars. I can't quite explain what compelled me to do it, but I spent the spring of 2007 patiently growing out a full goatee. I never got fully used to the way the mustache portion looked, and it never quite fully connected to the chin hair. But as it got longer and slightly fuller, I saw my opportunity. In June, I shaved my chin before my roommate's birthday party. I had finally arrived. Even better: as a sign of solidarity, said roomie crafted a horseshoe 'stache of his own. Still, he shaved his off later that night, while I reveled in my hirsute glory for a few more weeks. Below you can see my best attempt to channel Pat Hentgen, Al Hrabosky, Rod Beck, and all of the other greats (I'm on the left, of course, in my Orioles Spring Training tee).