Ramon Hernandez, 2007 Upper Deck Goudey #132

The 2007 Upper Deck Goudey set is an example of the retro craze done right, but it still can't compare to its source material. With its 2 3/8" X 2 7/8" size and its bright, basic ballpark scene backgrounds, the base set is clearly inspired by the 1934-1936 Diamond Stars cards. Today I made a long-overdue trip to the Baseball Card Outlet, armed with a coupon for 20% off the price of any vintage ungraded card. (The coupon appeared in the monthly Clipper Magazine that showed up in my mailbox last week. It's the first time I've ever come across a coupon from a hobby shop, and I think it's brilliant.) After a few minutes of careful consideration, my eye was drawn to an assortment of Diamond Stars cards in one of their display cases. At $15 ($12.72 after the discount), I couldn't pass up this 1935 Wally Berger card:

It really has it all - the incredible pre-WWII Boston Braves uniform, the stylized dugout scene, and the featured player himself. In 1930, Berger set a rookie record (since broken) by hitting 38 homers for Boston. He also tripled 14 times and drove in 119 runs, with a batting line of .310/.375/.614. He was an All-Star from 1933 through 1936, representing the Braves in each of the first four Midsummer Classics. Shoulder and hand injuries helped bring a premature end to his career, but he retired with career marks of .300/.359/.522 and an OPS+ of 138. He totaled 242 home runs and 898 RBI. I don't often limit myself to a single purchase when I go card shopping, but when I find the right card, it can be pretty satisfying.

Ramon Hernandez, 2007 Topps Heritage #429

Hey, I'm back! I've returned from a birthday/belated honeymoon trip to Ireland. I had a marvelous time, and even kept tabs on the Orioles whenever I could snag a Wi-Fi signal. I can't say that I expected to find the O's with the largest division lead in the majors when I returned home, but here they are, five games up on Toronto and bearing down on Oakland and the Angels for the best record in MLB. As Janet and I took a connecting flight home from Boston yesterday afternoon, I even got to watch the Birds batter sore loser John Lackey and the Cardinals thanks to the wonders of in-flight satellite TV. 28-year-old rookie Caleb Joseph broke the team record for catchers by homering in his fifth consecutive game, breaking the mark set by Gus Triandos and tied by Ramon Hernandez. Now that I'm back on this side of the Atlantic, I'm eager to see the Orioles finish the job down the stretch.

Ramon Hernandez, 2006 Upper Deck SP Authentic #3

It may just be the end of the line for sluggish ex-Orioles catcher Ramon Hernandez. Razor Ramon played in just 52 games for the Rockies last year, batting .217 with a .247 on-base percentage and a .353 slugging percentage. He opened 2013 as the backup to A. J. Ellis with the Dodgers, but was released last month after hitting .208/.291/.438 in 17 games. Hernandez signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays on June 29, but was released ten days later. He had managed just two singles in 19 at-bats with Toronto's AAA affiliate in Buffalo. At 37 years of age, it's hard to imagine him getting many other opportunities. If he really is done, he can be proud of a 15-year major league career that included 25 games of postseason experience.

Ramon Hernandez, 2006 Upper Deck #380

The Orioles finally suffer their first series sweep of the year thanks to a listless drubbing at the hands of the punchless and largely anonymous Padres. Gross. Two-game series bookended by days off...interleague play...12:35 getaway games after night games...if you ask me, Bud Selig is to blame for this mini-skid.

Okay, I'm only half-serious. But the past 18 hours of baseball made me grumpy, and I figure that nobody ever made enemies by bashing Mr. Commish-for-Life.

Ramon Hernandez, 2007 Bowman Chrome X-Fractor #91

It may seem a little soon, but I'm leaving you all again. I'm leaving for Ocean City, MD in a few hours and I'll be there until next Sunday. In the ensuing eight days, I will post cards that were chosen with very little forethought. For instance, this X-Fractor of Ramon Hernandez. I don't really know what an X-Fractor is, I don't think I have any others like it, but it was in the middle of a stack on my desk and it sure does have a shiny checkerboard pattern. So soak up the X-Fractrosity, whilst I prepare to soak up some rays.

Ramon Hernandez, 2006 Fleer #251

Although Ramon Hernandez is identified as an Oriole on this card, he is pictured in a Padres uniform. (As Steve may have noticed, he's attempting to tag out White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik.) I chose this card today as my way of telling you that I'm heading out of town for the weekend. In four hours, I'll be flying out of BWI-Marshall Airport en route to Atlanta. For the fourth time in my life, I'll see no more of Georgia than the inside of its busiest airport. Some day I'll actually check out the rest of Atlanta! From there, I'll catch a connecting flight across the Southern United States to San Diego to visit my good friends Jill and Tristan. I'm really looking forward to escaping the terrible humidity of Baltimore for a few days, and as luck has it, I'll be able to check out Petco Park for a game or two of the Padres' weekend series against the Brewers. The only major league ballparks I've seen are Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards in Baltimore, RFK Stadium and Nationals Park in Washington, D. C., and the former SkyDome in Toronto (though that was for WrestleMania, not a baseball game). I'll be sure to tell you all about it when I get home.

As usual, I'm not leaving you completely in the lurch. I've picked out a few of the most aesthetically interesting cards in my collection and they'll be posted each day while I'm away. I'll be back on Tuesday. Enjoy the transition from July into August, everyone!

Ramon Hernandez, 2006 Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion #114

Adios, Ramon.

Catcher Ramon Hernandez has just become the latest ex-Oriole, having been traded to the Cincinnati Reds with a million dollars cash for utility player Ryan Freel and two minor league infielders. It's a shame that most fans, myself included, are expressing nothing but relief at his departure. But that comes with the territory. After signing a lucrative four-year deal with the Birds prior to 2006, the former Padres backstop started strong (.275 with a career-high 23 home runs and 91 RBI), but the last two years were full of questions about his conditioning and his effort. His offense slipped and his defense...well, what's Spanish for "passed ball"? Now local reporters are talking about the frustration felt by Ramon's teammates over his increasingly predictable game-calling. Manager Dave Trembley was fairly transparent as he emphasized Ramon's hitting potential and said nothing about his defense when attempting to talk him up last week. This might just be addition by subtraction. Best of luck to Ramon in Cincinnati. I'm sure his game will improve with a change of scenery (not to mention a hitter's ball park) and a contract year...but then again, I said the same thing prior to the 2008 season.

I'm somewhat excited about Ryan Freel, mostly because of his reckless, all-out style and the stories about Farney. But I'm not fooling myself. Freel is a spare part, the two prospects are not blue-chippers, and this trade is largely a salary dump. However, it's a significant move. The path is clear for our #1 prospect, catcher Matt Wieters, to join the Orioles in 2009. There's talk of signing a cheap veteran like Gregg Zaun to ease the transition, but the future is closer than ever.

Ramon Hernandez, 2007 Topps Turkey Red #112

This Day in Orioles History: June 30, 2007

Orioles 6, Angels 3 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Powered by a seventh inning three-run home run by catcher Ramon Hernandez, the O's take a Saturday night home game from the American League West-leading Angels. Starter Brian Burres improved to 4-2 by tossing a career-high seven and two-thirds innings, outlasting Halo pitcher Bartolo Colon. Veteran reliever Paul Shuey took over and went the rest of the way, earning his first major league save since 2002. Shuey had been retired due to a hip injury when the Birds gave him an invite to Spring Training a few months prior. Millar's two-out, two-run single in the fifth inning gave the Orioles a 2-1 lead, but Hernandez's big blast two innings later off of former O's reliever Hector Carrasco put the team ahead to stay.

Ramon Hernandez, 2008 Topps #312

Because this week is taking on a "fresh starts" theme, and because I opened my first pack of 2008 Topps last night, I present to you Ramon Hernandez, the first Oriole of 2008. It's a great action shot of Ramon chasing down a pop-up, probably in Fort Lauderdale. (The bat boy in the background is wearing the orange practice jersey, and of course Oriole Park at Camden Yards now has a brick backstop a la Wrigley Field.) The facsimile signature is so bunched together that I can't make heads or tails of it. When Ramon signed his contract with Topps, he must have been in a hurry.

If anyone could use a fresh start in 2008, it's Ramon Hernandez. He was something of a surprise for the O's in 2006, playing in a career-high 144 games and hitting .275 with 23 home runs and 91 RBI. But last season, he struggled with injuries all year, his power dipped (.382 slugging average), and manager Dave Trembley publicly questioned his conditioning. There were even rumblings that GM Andy MacPhail had shopped Hernandez around, with the Mets supposedly being an interested party before they settled on Brian Schneider. With Catcher of the Future Matt Wieters drawing lots of attention, I hope we'll see a motivated and healthy #55 behind the plate for the Birds this year.