Tony Batista, 2002 Playoff Absolute Memorabilia #17

It's been a long, strange winter, from the 70-degree temps of Christmas week to last month's weekend blizzard, and it's still far from over. It looks like a few more inches of snow are en route to Baltimore tonight and tomorrow, though in my house we'll be turning our pajamas inside out and backwards just to seal the deal. There are signs of hope, nonetheless. In just ten days, pitchers and catchers will report to Sarasota to kick off Orioles Spring Training. Sure, we still have to wait until April for games that count, but practice drills and exhibition games are better than no baseball at all.

Tony Batista, 2002 Fleer Ultra #200

I wanted to tell you about the Orioles' walk-off win against the Red Sox tonight, but this game is taking too damned long and I get little enough sleep as it is. As I take my leave from you in the middle of the 11th, here's Tony Batista watching the flight of a ball off of his bat. Tony hit a pair of walk-off home runs as an Oriole, a tenth-inning solo shot against J. J. Trujillo of the Padres on June 11, 2002 and another tenth-inning solo shot against Tampa Bay's Jesus Colome on August 21, 2003. Whose turn will it be tonight?

Tony Batista, 2001 Upper Deck SP Authentic #187

Tony Batista looks like he's standing in the middle of a whiteout, thanks to Upper Deck's artful presentation. The weather forecast for tomorrow calls for a good chunk of snow in Baltimore, and I'm hoping that comes to pass. Sure, it's March now, but after a long, rainy, crappy winter, I won't look a snow day in the mouth. I've only had one this year, and with my wife's already got her second unscheduled day off this week. I wouldn't want her to be bored at home without me to keep her company, you know? That's just the kind of selfless guy that I am. So I've got the pajamas on inside out and backwards, and I'm ready for a mini-blizzard. Bring it.

Tony Batista, 2002 MLB Showdown #002

This is just your periodic reminder that we've come a long way since Tony Batista, Token Oriole All-Star.

Tony Batista, 2002 Fleer Maximum #180

Tonight on Bizarre Batting Stance Theatre: Tony Batista and the Corkscrew. It's amazing that he was able to hit as many home runs as he did (221 in his career) with one foot pointed at the pitcher, another at first base, and his torso and head somewhere in between. On the other hand, the .299 career on-base percentage makes a little more sense.

Tony Batista, 2002 Upper Deck Authentics #43

If I asked you to name all of the Orioles' All-Stars in this decade, how long would it take you to come up with Tony Batista? It's true, though. He was the club's lone representative in that dreadful, bleak, post-Cal Ripken, Jr. 2002 season. He took over for Junior at third base (so much for Ryan Minor), and played in 94 of the club's 95 losses. I assumed he was a poor choice from a poor team, but he really wasn't that bad. Despite batting .247 on the year, he walked 50 times and clubbed 36 doubles and 31 home runs to bring his OPS+ up to an above-average 105. He also slumped in the second half: at the break, he was at .269 with 19 HR and 53 RBI. Still, they could've gone with surprising rookie pitcher Rodrigo Lopez (8-3, 3.07 ERA at the Break).

Hopefully Adam Jones will prove to be a more memorable All-Star than Tony was.

Tony Batista, 2004 Topps Opening Day #107

I've come to realize that Tony Batista is one of my favorite goofy Orioles from the team's recent extended run of loserdom. It's a combination of factors, really. There's his ultra-thick caterpillar eyebrows, the bizarre straight-legged batting stance, the fact that he re-emerged with the Nationals in a #77 jersey, and of course the fact that even on his way out of Baltimore, he recommended the city to good friend and free agent Miguel Tejada as a great place to play.

I remember my excitement when the O's landed Tony on a midseason waiver claim from the Blue Jays in 2001. I'd managed him on my fantasy team the prior season, when he hit 41 home runs and drove in 114. I was seduced by those gaudy numbers, and convinced that he was a star player. And we'd gotten him for practically nothing! Cal Ripken, Jr. was in the midst of his farewell tour, and we'd found his replacement. Of course, I was blind to his flaws: a low batting average and a brutal strikeout-to-walk ratio (he averaged just 36 walks per season, and 98 strikeouts). Then there was his adventurous defense at the hot corner. Sure, he kept hitting home runs - nearly leading the dreadful Birds in just half a season in 2001 and topping the club for the two proceeding seasons. But he didn't hit enough of them to make up for his increasingly obvious shortcomings elsewhere, and after 2003 the Orioles decided to move the emerging Melvin Mora to third and wave goodbye to the incumbent Batista. But Tony was fun while he lasted.