Vintage Fridays: Paul Blair, 1967 Topps #319

In 1969, Paul Blair became the first Oriole to join the 20-20 club - 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Yesterday, Manny Machado hit a pair of home runs and stole two bases in the Birds' 6-4 win over Toronto, giving him 33 homers and 20 steals (both career highs by leaps and bounds). Manny joins Brady Anderson as the only players in team history to go 30-20. Next year's team might look drastically different, but as long as #13 is around, the O's have a good foundation.

Paul Blair, 2004 Fleer Greats #41

Welcome back to the blog! Sorry to leave you dangling for the past week, but everybody's routines are interrupted during the holidays, hopefully more to the good than the bad. I had an exhausting but enjoyable trip to Charlotte with the wife and our dog to celebrate Christmas with my in-laws. Now, in the final entry for 2013, I'd like to wish the happiest of New Years to you readers and to those you hold dear. May it bring peace and joy and prosperity to us all.

Before we turn the page on 2013, let's take a moment to remember the members of the Oriole family who left us over the past 365 days, including Paul Blair, the eight-time Gold Glove-winning center fielder and two-time All-Star who passed away at age 69 last Thursday after collapsing at a Pikesville bowling alley. Blair had called Baltimore his home since spending 13 of his 17 big league seasons in an O's uniform. Some other recently departed:

-Hall of Fame Manager Earl Weaver, 82, heart attack on January 19.

-Catcher and first baseman Earl Williams, 64, acute myeloid leukemia on January 28.

-Pitcher and Mount St. Joseph's grad Lou Sleater, 86, lung disease on March 25.

-Catcher Gus Triandos, 82, died in his sleep on March 28.

-Pitcher Bob Turley, 82, liver cancer on March 30.

-Infielder Grady Hatton, 90, natural causes on April 11.

-Outfielder Drungo LaRue Hazewood, 53, ampullary cancer on July 28.

-Pitcher Jack Harshman, 86, unknown causes on August 17.

-Pitcher Babe Birrer, 84 or 85 (sources vary), unknown causes on November 19.

-Pitcher George Werley, 75, unknown causes on November 21.

Vintage Fridays: Paul Blair, 1972 Topps #660

I haven't paid close attention to the Orioles Topps want list hosted on my 1965 Topps blog for quite some time. I'll check in on it if I'm out bargain-hunting for vintage cards and I come across a member of the home team, or on the off chance that Ed or another fellow collector finds one of my needed cards. But off the top of my head, I couldn't tell you which cards have proved elusive...except of course the 1957 Brooks Robinson rookie. That's a doozy. Nor have I bothered to take inventory of the base cards I need from the last five Topps flagship sets, which mirrors the way that I've almost completely checked out on the modern product.

But I've spent a lot of time in recent weeks filling holes in some of my 1970s Topps set binders (1972-1974 and 1976-1978), and that piqued my curiosity. How am I doing on my 1970s O's? Not too bad, if my own shoddy record-keeping is to be believed. I have all of the Orioles from 1970 and 1973 through 1979. That leaves me with five suspects on the loose for the whole of the decade. The rundown:

1971 Topps (3): #330 World Series Game 4 (Reds Stay Alive), #595 Davey Johnson, #700 Boog Powell (short print). One postseason recap card left to get, and it's the only World Series game the Birds lost in 1970. I can wait on that one. The others are higher-series cards, and Boog is a dastardly short-print.

1972 Topps (2): #680 Davey Johnson, #731 Orioles Team. Of the 1970s sets that I've put any effort into building, it's 1972 that I have the lowest expectation of completing. With its monstrous-for-its-time 787-card checklist and pricey high-number cards, it's no wonder. If I can at least keep an eye out for this duo, I can earn the satisfaction of completing the team set. For now, though, Paul Blair is the uppermost Oriole in my 1972 set.

Paul Blair, 2001 Fleer Greats of the Game #78

This card design is a bit too plain for my tastes. I think they should have kept the original photo intact, rather than cutting the player out and sticking him against a white background with a drop shadow. It looks like an artist's conception of Paul Blair in purgatory. And if you're going with all of the white, and the simple centered team logo, and the blue border with name bar, why try to jazz it up with the foil stamp? This is kind of a mess. But I do like the photo of a young Blair in the rarely-seen 1963-1965 home jersey, featuring "ORIOLES" in block lettering across the chest. You don't see Paul Blair on many contemporary cards now, since Topps is bound and determined to include only Jim Palmer, the Robinsons, Cal Ripken, and Eddie Murray as representatives of Baltimore's baseball history. Way to go, guys.

Paul Blair, 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #197

If this season was 500 games long, I think the Orioles would still find ways to surprise me. I hit "publish" on last night's blog post at 11:26, when the O's were trailing the Mariners 2-0. Shortly thereafter, I called it a night. Wei-Yin Chen was battling, but clearly didn't have his best stuff. Meanwhile, anybody not named Nate McLouth couldn't touch Seattle starter Erasmo Ramirez, a 22-year-old Nicaraguan rookie whom I had previously confused with ex-Phillies pitcher Elizardo Ramirez. The way the Birds were swinging the bat, I didn't have high hopes, but I certainly knew that a two-run deficit was not insurmountable, especially for this year's team. When my alarm sounded at 6:00 this morning, I clambered out of bed and picked up my phone from the dresser as a reflex. I checked the notifications and found that Chris Davis had come through in the ninth inning with a game-tying two-run single, but there was no indication of a final score. "Maybe they're still playing," I thought facetiously. I had no idea how close that was to the truth.

Not only did the O's and M's play extra innings, they played an entire extra game: 18 frames total. The game took 5 hours and 44 minutes, making it the fifth-longest contest in team history. The Orioles pushed across the winning runs on a Taylor Teagarden single (giving him seven RBI and six hits on the season) and a Mark Reynolds fielder's choice grounder with the bases loaded. Jim Johnson, the 16th pitcher used in the game, nailed down his 44th save with a perfect outing, bringing the 4-2 Baltimore victory to a merciful end at 12:54 local time...3:54 AM back here on the east coast. In addition to the 16 pitchers, managers Buck Showalter and Eric Wedge combined to use 32 position players. Seattle completely turned over its infield configuration, and Buck used four different second basemen (Robert Andino, Ryan Flaherty, Steve Tolleson, and Omar Quintanilla). The O's briefly forced another first-place tie with the Yankees, held strong with a three-game cushion for the second wild card, and reduced their magic number for postseason play to a clean dozen thanks to their unfathomable 14th straight extra-innings win.

Oh, and after the game, the Birds announced that they were boosting their exhausted bullpen by calling up 19-year-old phenom Dylan Bundy, who would be the first teenager to make his major league debut for the O's since fellow first-round draft pick Mike Adamson took the mound 45 years ago. Bundy and 20-year-old infielder Manny Machado could give the 2012 team their most precocious duo since Paul Blair and Frank Bertaina both landed in Charm City at age 20 in 1964. I won't even attempt to guess what the Orioles will do next.

Paul Blair, 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes MLB 125th Anniversary #211

With baseball card companies routinely tapping into the nostalgia cash cow, we're inundated on a yearly basis by reprints of old cards, recycled versions of bygone card designs, and brand new cards featuring retired players. But rarely do you see a former player photographed in the here and now. In this case, the "here and now" is now 17 years past, but you get my drift. I am all about this candid snapshot of a 49-year-old Paul Blair partaking in an Old-Timers Game, and looking pretty fit doing it. I could do without the Upper Deck product placement, but that 1993-vintage Orioles uniform fits him like a glove. The photographer also caught him in mid-sentence, an appropriate pose for a man nicknamed "Motormouth".

At its heart this blog is about baseball players and baseball cards, and it's a simple message tonight. Two thumbs up for this card.

Vintage Fridays: Paul Blair, 1977 Topps #313

Although I consider myself a diehard Orioles fan, I've never had much interest in attending the annual FanFest, which takes place downtown prior to every season. But this year, I'm intrigued. The Birds open the 2010 regular season in Tampa, so rather than host FanFest at Camden Yards a day or two before Opening Day they're doing it at the Baltimore Convention Center next Saturday, January 23 from 11 AM to 6 PM. If you're not sure whether this is your idea of a good time, just check out the list of O's (past, present, and future) who are slated to attend:

In addition to practically everyone on the 40-man roster (including Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Matt Wieters), there are almost 30 ex-Orioles who will be there to shake hands and sign autographs. This list is a veritable who's who of great O's teams of yore, as well as a few names for the truly knowledgeable fan. That includes Mr. Paul Blair, as well as Mike Bordick, Don Buford, Al Bumbry, Mike Cuellar, Rick Dempsey, Ken Dixon, original team member Joe Durham, Todd Frohwirth, Dick Hall, Ron Hansen, Chris Hoiles, Billy Hunter, Dave Johnson, Rick Krivda, Calvin Maduro, Scott McGregor, John Miller, Tim Nordbrook, Joe Orsulak, Jim Palmer, Boog Powell, Gary Roenicke, Larry Sheets, Nate Snell, John Stefero, B. J. Surhoff, Bill Swaggerty, and Fred Valentine. Yes, I got too lazy to link each player.

In the past year or two, I've started amassing a modest collection of Oriole autographs. This would be a great opportunity to add to that collection, and maybe even to meet some of my all-time favorites like Hall, Hoiles, Palmer, and Surhoff. So hopefully I'll have a chance to make it down to the Convention Center, and maybe I'll see some of you there too!

Paul Blair, 2002 Topps Super Teams #108

One of the things baseball card companies have done right in recent years (and yes, they actually have done a few things right) is to pay more attention to retired players. It's a great opportunity for collectors who are interested in bygone eras to acquire more affordable cards in better condition featuring those names and faces of the past. It also introduces younger generations of fans to baseball history.

I took my father to the Sports Legends Museum this afternoon as a belated birthday present. It's located right next to Oriole Park at Camden Yards and we'd never been, so I thought it was an excellent opportunity to take a closer look at the colorful sports history of Baltimore, and of Maryland at large. We didn't check out the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum on this trip; we'd already been there once, and we stayed at the Sports Legends Museum for three hours as it was.

It was a thorough and excellent experience, and I even learned some things that I did not know. For instance, Brooklyn Dodgers heroes Roy Campanella, Joe Black, and Junior Gilliam all played for the Baltimore Elite Giants, one of the great Negro League Teams. Also, O's shortstop Mark Belanger was the first person to suggest that the team play John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy" during the seventh inning stretch; it's been an Orioles tradition for three decades since! I took several pictures with my cell phone camera, and I'll share some of them with you when I have more time. For tonight, enjoy this retro card with an excellent picture of Paul Blair showing off his Baltimore road jersey in Yankee Stadium.

Vintage Fridays: Orioles Celebrate - Sweep Twins in Three!, 1970 Topps #202

I need a reminder of the good times tonight, an era when October in Baltimore meant a trip down to 33rd Street to see the O's dominate the opposition. This card depicts a mob scene at home plate during the first-ever American League Championship Series, during which the 109-win Orioles squeaked out a couple of walk-off wins over the Western Division Champion Twins before cruising in the deciding Game Three.

The sharp-eyed Birdbrain could tell you that the players who are visible in the above photo are, from left to right, Frank Robinson, Paul Blair, Andy Etchebarren, and Davey Johnson. I'm not sure whether they're reveling in the glory of Game One or Game Two, but both were incredible. In the opener, the host Orioles trailed 3-2 before Boog Powell led off with a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth and Brooks Robinson singled, chasing Minnesota starter Jim Perry. A couple errors and a fielder's choice moved Brooks to third, but he was caught stealing home to end the inning! The game ground its way into the twelfth, where Baltimore's Dick Hall inherited a bases-loaded jam from Marcelino Lopez and retired the next two Twin batters to keep it knotted at 3-3. In the bottom of the inning, the Birds finally broke through against Ron Perranoski, who had been on the mound since the ninth. Mark Belanger singled, moved to third on two infield outs, and scored the winning run on a daring bunt single by Paul Blair. It was a rare example of small ball by the czar of the three-run homer, manager Earl Weaver.

Game Two was a breathtaking pitchers' duel. The Orioles' Dave McNally and the Twins' Dave Boswell, a pair of 20-game winners in the regular season, each allowed their share of baserunners: 3 hits and 5 walks for McNally, and 7 and 7 for Boswell. They both did their job in the runs column, however, trading zeroes into the eleventh inning. McNally, who had the stronger line of the two (particularly when you compare his 11 strikeouts to his opponent's 4 K's), stranded two Twinkie runners in the top of the frame. Boswell finally let up, walking Boog Powell and Davey Johnson (the latter intentionally) and turning things over to (who else?) Ron Perranoski. The reliever once again played the goat, yielding a two-out pinch single to Curt Motton to bring home Powell with the game's only run. Utterly demoralized, Minny would scratch across just 2 runs on 10 hits against Jim Palmer in the final game of the series. Baltimore had no such difficulty, with 11 runs to show for their 18 hits off of 7 Twin hurlers.

As you can see, the Orioles had a right to celebrate. I think things got a little gloomier in the World Series, but my computer seems to lock up when I try to research it, so we'll just stop here. ;)

Vintage Fridays: Paul Blair, 1974 Topps #92

This card comes from the days when Topps still printed a player's full name (first, middle, last) on the card back. In my childhood, this was the domain of Donruss. In the days before Baseball Reference, these cards provided an endless source of amusement. One of my favorite embarrassing middle names belonged to Mr. William Nuschler Clark. "Will the Thrill", indeed. I also remember the Ripken boys, Calvin Edwin and William Oliver. To see their uncommon middle names, you'd have to imagine that Mama Vi was a fan of Charles Dickens. Then there's the occasional error that would slip through Donruss' quality control. Bruce Lee Hurst is a pretty cool name, reminiscent of the kung fu film legend. But in 1991, his card back read Bruce "Vee" Hurst. That's just silly.

The back of this particular card lends an air of mystery to the defensively gifted center fielder lovingly known as "Motormouth". His name reads, "Paul L D Blair". No name, just initials. But are they even initials? You'll notice that there are no periods after "L" or "D". Quick trips to Baseball Reference and Wikipedia have his name in the same format, with no explanation as to why it is so. The Internet is not infallible, so I've consulted my bookshelf: one encyclopedia reads "Paul L. D. Blair", but Total Baseball is sans periods.

None of this brings me closer to an answer. Is this a Harry S Truman situation, in which his parents couldn't agree on a middle name and compromised with the enigma of a letter or two? Or did he have some embarrassing Nuschler-esque monikers that he worked hard to bury at the onset of his baseball career? Inquiring minds want to know.

In the meantime, we can attach our own interpretations to Paul L D Blair. Might I suggest "Long Drive"? He was never much of a power hitter, though his solo home run clinched the Orioles' first World Series over the Dodgers in 1966. How about "Lord of Defense"? It's a little haughty, but if Michael Flatley gets to lord over something, then surely an eight-time Gold Glover should be able to flaunt it. Perhaps "Leather Dazzler"? Nope, that sounds more like an exotic dancer or a soap opera character. I'll open this one up to the rest of you.

What DOES the L D in Paul L D Blair signify?