Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Topps Opening Day #104

22 days until Opening Day! We've almost made it, even though there's currently a couple inches of snow and ice out in my yard. It's been fifteen years since Baltimore was hit with a freak snowstorm during their season opener, with Rodrigo Lopez on the mound. Because I've been at this blogging thing for a while, you'd better believe I've written about that game before.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Topps Gallery #13

I hope this bizarre portrait of Rodrigo Lopez doesn't keep you awake tonight. To me, there's something that just seems off about it, but I can't quite pinpoint it. Too strong on the whiskers? Head too narrow? Flesh too orange? Maybe it's all of the above. I'm not saying that I could do better, but then I'm not selling my wares to Topps, either.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2004 Leaf Certified Materials #169

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Upper Deck SPX #15

A few thoughts on this Rodrigo Lopez card:

-Rodrigo is a ubiquitous presence in my early 2000s team collection, because he was that rarest of commodities: a competent pre-Showalter Orioles pitcher. At least, he was in 2002 and 2004. Because I see him so often while thumbing through my cards, I assumed that I had posted a glut of those cards on this blog. For a while, that was the case: in the first four years I was doing this, Lopez appeared ten times. But in those years, he was still clinging to his major league career. I haven't visited with Rodrigo on my blog for two and a half years now. Out of sight, out of mind maybe? He made four rough relief appearances with the Cubs in 2012, allowing six runs (four earned) in six and a third innings, and that was the last of his MLB experience. The Phillies signed him the following winter, but released him before spring training was through in 2013. He pitched in Mexico last season, but his ERA was 5.49. So Lopez's pitching career may be finished.

-Occasionally my scanner will play tricks with light. In this case, the bright bluish-green accents on this card are actually plain ol' silver foil. But I like the scanner's more colorful version better.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2002 Leaf Rookies and Stars #351

I've been avoiding talking about the infuriating and humiliating circus that was the Orioles' general manager search, because I don't like to type angry. If you put something on the Internet, it has a way of sticking around and cropping back up. So I'll confine my opinions to the man who finally accepted the job over the weekend, former Expos and Red Sox GM Dan Duquette. I'm relieved, honestly. Considering all of the highly qualified candidates who lined up to turn down the job, and the anonymously-quoted executives who clucked about Peter Angelos' heavy-handed tactics, I'm just glad that the O's tabbed someone with a resume as impressive as Duquette's. They could've wound up with an Angelos toady like John Stockstill, or a Dark Ages-bumbler like Ned Colletti; both were linked to the job at various times.

The primary concerns with the new GM (other than the ever-present specter of Angelos' interference) are his reputation as a brusque, impersonal man and the fact that the hasn't been employed by a major league team since 2002. As Camden Chat's Andrew Gibson pointed out in his own take on the hire, that was the year that Rodrigo Lopez was a Rookie of the Year hopeful. It's been awhile. But Duquette built winners in Montreal and Boston and had a knack for savvy trades. He acquired Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields (while with the Expos) and Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, Jr. (with the Sawx). He turned Heathcliff Slocumb into Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek, a deal you've probably heard about before. While he's not an Andrew Friedman-esque wunderkind, his resume is progressive enough that I'm not overly fearful of any Kevin Gregg-type roster catastrophes.

Oh, and the famous "in the twilight of his career" remark that Duquette made after letting Roger Clemens leave Boston as a free agent in 1996? I can forgive the guy for not predicting that his former ace would pump himself full of steroids in order to return to dominance for another decade.

So welcome to Baltimore, Dan. Do the best you can with whatever authority you're actually given.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Donruss Diamond Kings #10

I came home after a dinner with my family last night and flicked on the Cubs-Cardinals game on the MLB Network. I was treated to a rare double-sighting of Rodrigo Lopez and Lou Montanez, both of whom were recently added to the Cubs roster. Two months into the season, it seems like a fine time to do a roundup of former Orioles across the major leagues. I'll break it up into two parts, with the National Leaguers kicking things off today. All stats are through Friday's games.

-Danys Baez, RP, Phillies: 1-3, 4.33 ERA, 1.48 WHIP. He's made 22 appearances out of the Phils' bullpen and given up 32 hits in 27 innings. That sounds about right.

-George Sherrill, RP, Braves: 1-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.21 WHIP. "Flat Breezy" seems to be back on track after a rough year in L.A. in 2010. He's struck out 19 batters in 14 innings with only 5 walks.

-Justin Turner, IF, Mets: .312 AVG/.353 OBP/.450 SLG, 2 HR, 22 RBI. He had a few cups of coffee in Baltimore after coming over in the Ramon Hernandez trade, but has been an unexpected contributor for the scuffling Mets.

-Willie Harris, UT, Mets: .214/.300/.296, 1 HR, 8 RBI. Yuck.

-Tim Byrdak, RP, Mets: 1-0, 5.27 ERA, 1.54 WHIP (24 G, 13.2 IP). Yes, he's left-handed. Why do you ask?

-Jerry Hairston, 3B, Nationals: .243/.303/.342, 2 HR, 14 RBI. The Nats have seen more of Jerry than they had probably hoped, thanks to Ryan Zimmerman's injury troubles.

-LaTroy Hawkins, Brewers, RP: 0-0, 0.68 ERA, 1.35 WHIP. The 38-year-old has been a little lucky runs-wise, giving up a single earned run in 13.1 innings despite allowing 18 base runners.

-Ramon Hernandez, C, Reds: .308/.357/.538, 7 HR, 17 RBI. Razor Ramon is essentially platooning with Ryan Hanigan, but has the better numbers by far. He's already matched his home run total from last year; I'm a little gobsmacked that he's doing so well. Of course, this doesn't take his defense into account.

-Garrett Olson, RP, Pirates: 1-1, 2.08 ERA, 1.15 WHIP. Made the Bucs' Opening Day roster, gave up one run in four relief appearances, but was sent down to AAA Indianapolis in early April anyway. He's continued pitching well enough there.

-Lou Montanez, OF, Cubs: .308/.357/.462, 0 HR, 2 RBI. Good ol' Lou was promoted to Chicago recently due to a rash of Cubbie injuries, and has 4 hits (including 2 doubles) in his first 13 trips to the plate.

-Rodrigo Lopez, SP/RP, Cubs: 0-0, 9.53 ERA, 1.94 WHIP. The Mexican-born righty began the year with a strong showing for Atlanta's AAA Gwinnett club, which prompted the Cubs to trade for him when injuries and ineffectiveness left some holes in their rotation. He was clobbered in his season debut, allowing 6 runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings against the Astros, but escaping with a no-decision. He tossed a scoreless inning of relief last night.

-Aubrey Huff, 1B, Giants: .229/.286/.395, 8 HR, 30 RBI. Eesh. He also began the year with some brutal defense in right field before the Giants moved him back to the infield. Imagine how bad his stats would look if he hadn't gone deep three times in one game at St. Louis this week.

-Miguel Tejada, SS, Giants: .211/.237/.271, 1 HR, 16 RBI. A batting line reminiscent of Cesar Izturis, with none of the glove. Miggi looks D-U-N.

-Eli Whiteside, C, Giants: .176/.271/.275, 1 HR, 2 RBI. He figures to get more playing time with Buster Posey out for the season. In other words, San Francisco should probably find a Plan B.

-Melvin Mora, 3B, Diamondbacks: .257/.271/.307, 0 HR, 15 RBI. Here's one more stat for you: 2 BB, 19 K. It's probably time for MelMo to come back home and raise all of those kids.

-David Hernandez, RP, Diamondbacks: 2-1, 1 SV, 1.71 ERA, 1.29 WHIP. Looks a damn sight better than the guys who are pulling down millions in the O's 'pen.

-Kam Mickolio, RP, Diamondbacks: 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 1.95 WHIP. Only six games in the bigs so far for the 6'9" reliever, but it looks like he still hasn't figured anything out.

-Ty Wigginton, 3B, Rockies: .254/.308/.459, 5 HR, 16 RBI. Wiggy has claimed Colorado's third base job by default, kind of like his experience in Baltimore in 2010. I saw Melvin Mora hit a ball through his wickets in a recent game to score a two-out run. The Rockies' left fielder then gunned down Mora trying to advance to second base. It made me laugh, because I'm a bad person.

-Casey Blake, 3B, Dodgers: .299/.400/.494, 3 HR, 11 RBI. The bearded veteran missed a chunk of time with a really gruesome elbow infection.

-Jay Gibbons, OF, Dodgers: .255/.323/.345, 1 HR, 5 RBI. Yep, one homer in 62 trips to the plate.

-Juan Castro, IF, Dodgers: .231/.286/.231, 0 HR, 1 RBI. That's a six-game stat line. Remember that time Castro hit a home run against the Yankees? I sure do.

-Lance Cormier, RP, Dodgers: 0-1, 9.88 ERA, 1.98 WHIP. 13.2 ugly innings for the 2008 Oriole. You know things are going badly in L.A. when they've used four ex-O's.

So there you have it. If I don't get distracted by something shining, I'll run down the American League tomorrow. Here's a preview: Jose Bautista is the destroyer of worlds.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2004 Fleer Tradition #165

The Orioles added a veteran starting pitcher this week, inking former Rangers and Athletics righthander Justin Duchscherer to a one-year deal that guarantees $1.1 million if he's on the Opening Day roster and promises a few extra million if he reaches performance-based incentives. This is just the kind of deal they should be making. Very little money ventured on a talented pitcher (two-time All-Star, 3.13 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) who is 32 years old - not yet in that fossilized Steve Trachsel/Kevin Millwood territory. They're buying low on a guy who has missed most of the past two and a half seasons because of injuries and personal issues, and if they can't get a full season out of him, there are a few young arms like Jake Arrieta/Chris Tillman (whichever is the odd man out for the #5 starter spot) and Zach Britton ready to step in. I wasn't keen on adding another starter with all of the developing pitchers at the top of the organization, but this is the way to do it.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Braves signed Rodrigo Lopez to a minor-league deal with a spring training invite earlier this week. He's supposed to battle for the final spot in the Atlanta rotation at age 35, coming off of 200 innings of 5.00 ERA, 37-home run ball for Arizona. Good luck in the N.L. East, Rodrigo.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Upper Deck Sweet Spot #15

Did you know that Rodrigo Lopez is still in the major leagues? Well, he was in 2010 anyhow. He might not crack an MLB rotation again any time soon. The bottom-feeding Arizona Diamondbacks were stretched so thin that they gave the ex-Oriole 33 starts, leaving him out there to absorb 200 innings of punishment. In the previous three seasons combined, Rodrigo had totaled 21 games pitched in the majors, due largely to injuries and a dash of ineffectiveness.

Did I say ineffectiveness? That was the name of the game for Lopez in 2010. 7 wins, a National League-worst 16 losses, and a 5.00 ERA. He also took the booby prizes for most earned runs allowed (111) and most home runs surrendered (37). He allowed 227 hits and walked 56 for a WHIP of 1.42.

Do you know what the real kicker is? That wasn't even the worst season Rodrigo has ever had. That would be his 2006 swan song with the O's, when he won 9 and lost a league-worst 18. He gave the Birds a ghastly 5.90 ERA and served up more earned runs (124) than any other American Leaguer. He also allowed an unheard-of 234 hits and 59 walks in 189 innings - a 1.55 WHIP. Just imagine how much more damage he would have done if Sam Perlozzo hadn't banished him to the bullpen late in the season.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2005 Donruss #113

Time for another quick round of "When Was This Card?", America's favorite baseball card guessing game. This is an easy one. As the photo was taken in 2004 (evidenced by the Orioles' 50th anniversary patch on Rodrigo Lopez's left sleeve), and assuming that the blurry first base coach in the background belongs to the Chicago White Sox, this had to be the afternoon of Thursday, May 13, 2004. It was the middle game of a three-game series at the new Comiskey Park, and the hastily rescheduled first half of a day-night doubleheader. The previous night's game had been rained out, and the O's made only the one visit to the Windy City that year.

This was an especially eventful game. Needing an emergency starter, the Birds recalled hard-throwing Daniel Cabrera from AA Bowie to make his big league debut. The tall youngster frustrated the White Sox for six innings, permitting only two singles and three walks and working in a streak of eleven straight batters retired. He was matched by Chicago's Jon Garland, who allowed a run on singles by Brian Roberts and Melvin Mora in the first inning but nothing else in his seven innings of work.

Rodrigo Lopez, pitching out of the bullpen despite a 15-win rookie campaign in 2003 2002, was up to the task of protecting a one-run lead. He stranded the tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh and tacked on a 1-2-3 eighth to earn a hold. Jorge Julio stepped in for a breezy ninth-inning save to deliver the first win of Cabrera's career, 1-0.

This card offers it up for posterity. A shutout win by the slimmest of margins, delivered by a trio of pitchers that caused loads of frustration for O's fans.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Donruss #91

This photo of Rodrigo Lopez is shot from a low angle that's not very common in baseball cards, but has sort of a throwback feel to it. He seems to be warming up on the side of the field prior to a road start, but I suppose he could just be posing for the Donruss paparazzi. The most visually arresting aspect of the picture, though, is the bright, impossibly blue sky rising up from the upper deck of the stadium. When it comes to digital manipulation of images you can never put anything past the brain trust at baseball card companies, but I would really like to think that Donruss played it straight here. After all, why bother with such shenanigans on a base card of a decent (but not extraordinary) rookie pitcher? Sometimes, the sky is blue and that's enough.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Upper Deck Game Face #16

Multiple-choice snappy remarks.

a) If this is Rodrigo Lopez's game face, I would recommend returning it to the store and exchanging it for a new one.

b) Is this photo indicative of the rest of the "Game Face" set? I never even heard of such a set, and judging from this card, there's a good reason for that.

c) Is that game face...or "game face"? *winks suggestively*

d) Rejected name for this set: 2003 Upper Deck Dropped A Frozen Ham On My Foot Face.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Topps Heritage #27

Where is Rodrigo Lopez these days, you ask? Well, I hope at least one of you really is asking. It can't just be me. After all, the righthander is the winningest Orioles pitcher of this decade, having notched 60 victories between 2002 and 2006. In addition to representing Mexico in the ongoing World Baseball Classic, he just signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies. It's a longshot attempt to get his career back on track after a couple years of arm problems. In 2007, he pitched reasonably well with the Rockies, going 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA. But he was shut down that summer with a bad elbow, and missed a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Last August he signed with the Braves, but pitched only three games in the minors and had his 2009 option declined. With Philadelphia, he doesn't even have an invite to big league camp but is expected to make the AAA Lehigh Valley staff if he's in decent shape. It's a far leap from the IronPigs to the Phillies, but stranger things have happened.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Donruss Elite #9

Right off the bat, I apologize for the above scan. This is one of those charming cards with an all-foil background, so naturally all that shows up are the fingerprints.

As baseball players are a superstitious breed, Rodrigo Lopez is one of the few Orioles of any note to wear #13. Steve Barber is still the best of the lot, of course. Although this happens to be my favorite number, I must admit to belonging to another group that is heavy on superstition: Theatre People. You might be familiar with some of the classics. Before a show, you never wish an actor good luck. You must say "break a leg", which is just morbid and perverse, but charming nonetheless. Any utterance of MacBeth, a traditionally cursed play, is verboten. When speaking of one of Willie Shakespeare's finest works, you are to refer to it only as "the Scottish play". (As an interesting aside, one of my drama professors once directed a production of the aforementioned play, and decided that he alone was suited for the lead role. On opening night, as he jumped off of a platform for his death scene, he landed awkwardly and suffered a collapsed lung. He made a full recovery, but was forced to watch from the sidelines as someone else took the reins for the remaining performances.)

There are less universal superstitions that pervade the stage world, as well. The theatre building at my college was known to be haunted. One of the ghosts was a young girl; to keep her happy, all senior thesis productions featured a toy duck (or ducks) somewhere on the set.

The theatre folk adage that's weighing heavily on my mind at present is the notion that it's a good omen to have a final dress rehearsal that runs less than smoothly. Supposedly this means that you're getting the last few hiccups out of your system before it really matters. If it were all the same to me, I'd feel much more confident heading into an actual performance knowing that I was already clicking on all cylinders. But I think that's part of the mythos; if you breeze through the final dress, you might let your guard down and foul up when you're least expecting it.

In an hour, I have my final dress rehearsal for "The Frustrations of Stoker Pratt", a hilarious new play written by my friend Liam. I would love for it to go smoothly, but I have absolute confidence that the finished product will be polished and entertaining no matter what. (This is more a belief than a superstition; "Theatre Magic" has helped every play I've been involved with to turn out well, no matter how rough the rehearsal process had been.) At any rate, if you're in the Washington, DC area over the next few weeks and want to support the arts and have a few laughs, check it out and ease my neurotic fear that no one will come to the show. Email me with any questions.

Time to go break some legs.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Fleer Patchworks #13

I received this card in a random assortment of Orioles cards that a friend included in a recent trade. It's nice looking, kind of classy. I like Rodrigo Lopez, and this was my first card featuring his likeness. But I chose this card because it comes from a set that I never even knew existed. I'm not sure why it existed, nor am I convinced that it needed to exist. In that way, it's emblematic of what baseball card collecting has become.

You'll have to forgive me. I'm a little shell-shocked as I type this entry. I've just made my most expensive baseball card-related purchase ever.

$113.90.

I've always considered myself a very thrifty guy. It's probably something that was instilled in me by my bargain-hunting father, who grew up with five brothers and a very tight family budget. When I buy groceries, I make a beeline for the store-brand items and sales. I save every penny I find or receive in a piggy bank. As it pertains to baseball cards, I've always been the type to seek out 4 for $1.00 packs of 1989 Topps or bargain-priced grab bags instead of grabbing up the Next Big Thing in the hobby. Even since returning to full-time collecting in mid-2007, I've been careful to cap my monthly spending somewhere around $30.

But then I laid eyes on the sell sheets for 2008 Topps. I fell in love with the whimsical-yet-simple design of the base cards, not to mention the inserts that ranged from nostalgia-inducing (Baseball Card History) to quirky (Campaign 2008). I had to have them. This was meant to be the first set that I'd attempt to hand-build since the mid-Nineties. So I went online and started pricing boxes.

Hoo, boy.

The bare-bones hobby boxes go for 50-60 dollars. So taking the advice of Dave the Cardboard Junkie I ordered a Jumbo Hobby Box: 10 packs, 46 cards per pack, a slew of inserts (including at least one autograph and one relic) guaranteed. $86.95. Besides all of the insert goodies, I have a much better shot at completing Series One with the jumbo box.

So where did the other 30 bucks go?

The online store I used offered free shipping on orders over $100. Part of my spending philosophy is that I'd rather get something else and spend a little more than I'd planned than spend $8-$10 to get something I've already bought shipped to me. So I cruised their site and settled on a jumbo box of 2006 Topps Series Two, since it was relatively cheap and I don't have much of that set yet.

I'm a sick man. I've spent the entire morning rationalizing this purchase any way I can (my tax refund will be more than enough to cover the cost, maybe I'll sell unwanted inserts on eBay, etc. etc.), but ultimately I feel like I've played right into the hands of the money-hungry card companies. I swore that I wouldn't be distracted by bells and whistles and shiny things, that any more than $2 a pack was highway robbery, that card collecting should be for kids and just for the love of it all. I have a creeping sense that I've become what I'd fought against.

But I just know that the doubt and self-loathing will be shoved out of my mind when I start ripping packs next week.