Vintage Fridays: Steve Barber, 1963 Topps #12

On May 1, 1966, Steve Barber and Dick Hall combined to scatter eight hits while holding the Detroit Tigers to a single run in a 4-1 Orioles victory at Tiger Stadium. Boog Powell's fourth-inning two-run homer provided all the offense the O's would need, and Brooks Robinson added some insurance an inning later with a two-run single. Hall earned a save the hard way by inheriting a two-on, one-out situation in the eighth inning and stranding both runners, then finishing the game off in the ninth. It was the 10th straight win and 12th in the first 13 games of the still-new season for the Birds, who were en route to their first American League pennant and their first World Series triumph.

May 1 is also an important day to me personally. Two years ago today, I proposed to Janet, and she was foolhardy enough to say yes. We're celebrating tonight as we did way back in 2013, with a backyard bonfire, ice cream cake, and a bottle of Dogfish Head Positive Contact ale. So this is where I'll leave you.

Vintage Fridays: Steve Barber, 1964 Topps #450

A lot can happen in ten years. In 1954, the Orioles were the new kids in the American League, but they were also bottom-feeders. For the most part, they were just the also-ran St. Louis Browns in a new city with new uniforms. By 1964, Paul Richards had built the foundation of a team that would become the class of the league for the next two decades. There was a pitching staff full of strong young arms: Steve Barber, Milt Pappas, Dave McNally, Wally Bunker. Brooks Robinson had developed from a raw teenager into the best third baseman in the majors. Boog Powell was just beginning a career as a dangerous power hitter. The O's were on the cusp of greatness.

Somehow, it's been ten years since I graduated from college. Today I'm returning to the Eastern Shore for a reunion weekend. I'm looking forward to spending time with a handful of folks with whom I've kept close over the years, but I'm even more excited to reconnect with others whom I haven't seen since 2004. I'm even going to shake off the rust and perform in an improv comedy show with some fellow drama alumni tomorrow evening. I'm sure you can get along without me for 48 hours.

Vintage Fridays: Steve Barber, 1966 Topps #477

On this date in 1969, former Oriole Steve Barber had the dubious distinction of allowing the only inside-the-park home run that Boog Powell hit in his entire career, as the Orioles pounded the Seattle Pilots 15-3 at Sick's Stadium. Indeed it wasn't a good day to be a Seattle pitcher, as Diego Segui, Marty Pattin, Jim Bouton, and Barber each allowed multiple runs, with none lasting longer than starting pitcher Segui's 3.1 innings of work. Only John Gelnar was unscored upon, and he faced just three batters. The mighty O's got production from some unlikely sources, as Paul Blair socked a home run and drove in three and Andy Etchebarren and Chico Salmon each went 4-for-4 in the seventh and eighth slots in the batting order. Salmon, acquired from the Pilots during Spring Training in exchange for Gene Brabender and Gordy Lund, had a pair of homers and six RBI. Meanwhile, Dave McNally was scored upon only twice in seven innings despite allowing six hits, six walks, and a hit batter.

But it was Boog's daring dash around the bases that put the exclamation mark on this rout. Facing ex-teammate Barber with one out and Dave May on first base in the top of the ninth inning, the humongous slugger walloped a ball that somehow eluded center fielder Wayne Comer and right fielder Billy Williams (no, not the Cubs' Hall of Famer). The 250-plus-pound Powell chugged all of the way around the bases for the only one of his 339 career round-trippers to not clear the fence. Oh, that video existed of this play.

Speaking of memorable trips around the bases by slow-footed Orioles, today is the tenth anniversary of Jack Cust's infamous belly flop. Of course, there's video for that one.

Steve Barber, 2004 Maryland Lottery #2

Who better than #13 to celebrate the fact that the Orioles a) have a magic number to clinch a postseason berth and b) that number is, of course, 13. Any combination of O's wins and Angels losses adding up to 13 will officially put Baltimore in the playoffs. At the moment, the Birds are down 2-0 to the Mariners, but it's early yet. Let's go!

Vintage Fridays: Steve Barber, 1961 Topps #125

I see that Things Done To Cards hasn't been updated all summer, but I've got a test case for them. If something looks amiss in that scan above, it's because some enterprising collector chose to preserve his or her Steve Barber card by coating the front of it in Con-Tac paper. Sure, they failed to smooth out a few air pockets in the top left corner, and the very top of the card has had the Con-Tac pulled off, leaving a sticky residue that served as a lint magnet, but overall the surface is in pretty danged good shape. It's like they were decades ahead of their time, creating a DIY glossy finish! Has anyone else found old cards modified in this fashion?

Vintage Fridays: Steve Barber, 1965 Topps #113

Although Steve Barber was traded from the Angels to the Brewers in October of 1973, he was released the following March before ever appearing in a regular season game with the Brew Crew. Tonight the Orioles venture into Miller Park to fight for Steve's honor...or something. I suppose the current team has their own set of motivations, chief among them the continuation of a great stretch in which they've won five of their last six games and eleven of sixteen. But I've got something personal riding on this game.

Today I made a friendly wager with fellow card blogger, Milwaukee resident, and avid Brewers fan Bill (aka Thorzul). If the Orioles win at least two of the three games in the weekend series, Bill will make a guest appearance on this blog to talk about his five favorite O's cards. However, if Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and pals somehow manage to take the series, I will be reduced to talking up my choicest Brewer cards on his blog. I already have a few cards in mind, but I'm not too worried about having to type them up.

The tale of the tape shows the Orioles as clearly superior, with three World Series titles to Milwaukee's zero. Sure, they bested us in that thrilling down-to-the-wire pennant race in 1982, but I hear that Paul Molitor was on cocaine. So he probably had an unfair edge, with his drug of choice giving him a jolt of energy and plenty of extra awake time. I'm sure he used that time to study game tapes. Cheater.

Most importantly of all, the Orioles were the Brewers before the Brewers were the Brewers...do you follow? When the American League debuted in 1901, there was a Milwaukee franchise named the Brewers. They soon moved to St. Louis and became the Browns. Five decades later, the franchise located once more to Baltimore. Take that, you cheese-eating Favre-lovers!