Wayne Gross, 1986 Topps #173

I hope everyone is continuing to find ways to take care of yourselves (mentally and physically) and stay connected to loved ones as we creep up on two months of stay-at-home efforts. We had a very good weekend on those fronts, and the beautiful weather here in Baltimore helped a lot.

Friday marked seven years since I proposed to Janet, and seven years since she said yes. (Spoiler alert!) In our ongoing effort to support local business, I ordered some festive beverages from DuClaw Brewing and a birthday cake-flavored ice cream pie from the Charmery, all for curbside pickup. After dinner and dessert, we put Finn to bed and dialed in to a Zoom call with more than a dozen friends from my college theatre department. We came together to read and act out a series of thirty short - two minutes on average - comedic scenes that we'd originally performed as undergrads back in the early 2000s. We had a blast, and spent a few hours afterward reminiscing over drinks. The plan is to do it again soon with a more extensive cast. In the meantime, I'll try to figure out how it's possible that I went away to college TWENTY years ago.

Saturday we took a picnic lunch to a nearby park, and then let the little man splash around in the creek until it was time to head home. Later that evening, Janet had a video chat with three of her oldest friends, and we played some online party games with them.

As for Sunday, well...I spent most of the afternoon attacking the jungle grass on the far side of our property with a weed whacker. So that wasn't fun, but I got some fresh air and sun and finally made a dent in the Effectively Wild podcasts that have been piling up since my daily commute disappeared. Plus, we still had some ice cream pie left for dessert.

Today, it was back to the teleworking grind, but our "new normal" weekend filled my tank for a while. And my latest old ballgame discovery on YouTube helped me pass a couple hours: an HTS broadcast of an Athletics at Orioles ballgame from June 2, 1985. I won't spoil the outcome, but I will say that Wayne Gross played a surprisingly prominent role.

Wayne Gross, 1986 Fleer #276

Things I never would have guessed before checking Baseball Reference: in 1984, Wayne Gross ranked third among Oriole players with 22 home runs and 64 RBI, trailing only the exalted duo of Murray and Ripken. Though he batted just .216, his 68 walks boosted his on-base percentage to a healthy .346. He also slugged .442, giving him an OPS+ of 120 for the year. His 22 homers matched a career high set in 1977, his rookie season with Oakland. During that '77 campaign, Wayne made his only All-Star team. That one was a surprise to me, too.

Wayne Gross, 1986 Donruss #535

Group mentality can be hard to break, so I'm sure that I'm not the only one who's contemplating fresh starts and new beginnings in these first days of 2014. But the word "resolutions" is so loaded with negative connotations and well-meaning but easily-abandoned plans. So I'm taking a cue from a friend of mine and laying out a list of personal goals, both small and large, for the coming year:

-Travel to Europe this summer with Janet. We haven't finalized anything, but Italy and Ireland are both atop the list.

-Get in better physical shape. I know, I know. Take a number.

-Do more reading. I've got two books waiting on my Nook and at least a half-dozen more on my shelves that require my attention.

-Do more writing. This blog (and my other one) are an entertaining enough use of my time, but I feel like there's a story I need to tell. I've spent several years distracting myself and making excuses for not practicing my craft. Why wait another year?

-The madness ends here. Finish the grand baseball card sorting and organization project that has been festering for nearly two years. Every card deserves its proper place, from the majestic 1953 Topps to the putrescent 1986 Donruss. I'll thank you not to search through my blog archives to find the previous oaths I've sworn on this account.

That's five chief goals for this, the most recent year of my life. Five things to accomplish, and 365 days in which to accomplish them. Oops, make that 364. No time to lose!

Wayne Gross, 1985 Topps #416

On this date in 1985, Wayne Gross and Larry Sheets hit back-to-back pinch home runs in a losing effort, as the Orioles fell to the Indians 8-5. Scott McGregor had a true disaster start, allowing five runs without getting an out. Ken Dixon saved the bullpen by pitching eight and one-third innings of relief, but the Birds trailed 8-3 in the bottom of the ninth. Mike Young and Jim Dwyer made two quick outs against Cleveland reliever Jerry Reed, and then Earl Weaver sent Gross up to bat for Rick Dempsey. The third baseman responded with a solo homer, his tenth of the year and the penultimate of his career. Next, Weaver called upon Larry Sheets to replace Rich Dauer at bat...and Sheets also went deep, his 13th on the season. But just as things were getting interesting, Floyd Rayford popped out to second baseman Tony Bernazard to end the game. If only Earl Weaver had a few more pinch hitters in his arsenal.

As an aside, I just looked at Wayne Gross' stat line for the season: 11 home runs and 18 RBI in 217 at-bats, with a .235/.369/.424 triple slash. That's pretty incredible. He drove himself in 11 times, and drove in other players only seven times. What's more, a couple of his homers were three-run shots; so he only had three RBI that didn't come via the home run. I'm sure that means...something.