Mike Bordick, 1999 Upper Deck #45

You can't keep a good Bird away from the nest for long.

Eight years after he played his last game in an Orioles uniform, erstwhile shortstop Mike Bordick has returned to the organization. The 44-year-old was recently hired as minor league offensive coordinator, which may sound bizarre considering his .685 career OPS. However, his chief duty is being described as instructing on fundamentals - "small ball", as Bordick himself says. If you're a progressive-minded baseball fan like me, you may roll your eyes at the mention of that cliche phrase. However, if you watched even a handful of O's games last year, you know that Mike's expertise is sorely needed. If you're going to bunt and hit and run, you may as well ensure that your players have even the slightest bit of aptitude in those areas. He'll also be coaching 'em up on baserunning, which...I can't even talk about the way the Birds ran the bases (often directly into outs) in 2009, or I'll start getting the shakes. In short, I think that Mike Bordick is the right man for the right job, and I always liked him during his playing days. It'll be good to see him in orange and black again.

Jamie Moyer, 1995 Fleer Flair #5

Jamie Moyer seems intent on returning for a 24th season in the major leagues in 2010 (which doesn't even count 1992, when he spent all year with the AAA Toledo Mud Hens). It's a remarkable thing to take the mound in four different decades; it takes talent and good health. Jamie's certainly got the former, but the latter is starting to present a real challenge.

It may not surprise you to hear that a 47-year-old athlete is starting to break down, but the sheer volume of the lefthander's medical woes is daunting. In September, he suffered a sports hernia, for which he underwent surgery on October 2. Five days later he returned to the hospital with a blood infection. After making some progress in recovery, he was hospitalized again on November 24 with recurring symptoms and had a second surgery three days later to eliminate a small collection of infected blood. Moyer has said that he is on the mend, but still has a peripherally inserted central catheter (yikes) and is taking medication.

But wait, there's more. In January, the 258-game winner is scheduled to have surgery on his right knee to repair a minor meniscus tear. Believe it or not, he claims that doctors have projected him for an on-time arrival to Spring Training in a month and a half.

The real kicker to this story is that Jamie had never undergone a single surgery in his lengthy career until these troubles began in October. When it rains, it really does pour.

Ben McDonald, 1992 Upper Deck Hologram Insert #CP3

The honors just keep coming for Ben McDonald. The 6'7" ex-Oriole has already been inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame and had his jersey number retired by Louisiana State University. Over the weekend, he was also chosen as an inductee for the 2010 class of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. Though he ranks 20th in major league history in career wins by a Lousianan, I have a hunch that the Baton Rouge native was chosen largely on the merits of his outstanding amateur career. Here are the highlights:

-All-state baseball and basketball player at Denham Springs High School

-Won a Gold medal with the 1988 U.S. Olympic baseball team

-Was a forward on the 1986-1987 LSU Men's basketball squad that reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament

-29-14, 3.24 ERA in his LSU career

-1989 Golden Spikes Award winner (most outstanding amateur player), National Player of the Year (as chosen by The Sporting News, Baseball America, and Collegiate Baseball): 14-4, 3.49 ERA, 202 strikeouts

-Led LSU to two College World Series and was a two-time All-American

-Set Southeastern Conference record with 202 strikeouts in 1989. Also set SEC records for innings pitched (152.1) and consecutive scoreless innings (44.2)

-Set LSU record with 373 career strikeouts

So when you put it that way, you can see why McDonald was a slam-dunk #1 overall pick for the O's in 1989. Sure, he never put it all together and stayed healthy in the majors, but that's life. Congrats, Ben!

Nolan Reimold, 2008 Donruss Threads Diamond Kings #DK-2

I'm reasonably sure that this is the only Diamond King card to ever feature a player in a Bowie Baysox uniform. But then, Nolan Reimold is no stranger to historical baseball feats. The outfielder hit the ground running in his rookie season, bashing 15 home runs in 104 games for the O's. He hit his first career home run in his sixth game, which would have been impressive enough, but it was especially noteworthy because it came against the great Yankee closer Mariano Rivera. Though it had no bearing on the outcome of the game (Rivera was mopping up an 11-4 New York win), it represented a remarkable first. In his entire 15-year career, the wiry Panamanian fireman had not surrendered the first career homer for any opposing batter. Not bad for a rookie; I can't wait to see what Nolan does for an encore.

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.

Erik Bedard, 2007 Fleer Ultra #13

To all of my readers in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Greenland, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and of course Erik Bedard's homeland of Canada: may you have a peaceful a fulfilling Boxing Day. Now no one can ever accuse this blog of being provincial.

In related news, there is still a fair chance that this sore-armed, snarky prodigal son may return to Baltimore as a free agent signee for 2010. I like it, and think the potential reward outweighs the risk, especially with the starting rotation for next season looking more settled than it has in years. I also would enjoy the nasty little exclamation point it would put on the lopsided trade that sent Bedard to Seattle just two years ago. But it's unbecoming to gloat. I guess.

Vintage Fridays: Charley Beamon, 1959 Topps #192

Happy 75th birthday to Charley Beamon, a high school teammate of Frank Robinson and one of the first black pitchers in Orioles history. I hope you don't get cheated out of birthday gifts by thrifty friends and relatives, Chuck.

I hope that you've all had as restful and enjoyable a Christmas as I have. For those non-Christians among my readership, I hope your Friday was just tops. After a leisurely morning of exchanging gifts with my folks, I got to sit down to an early dinner with the extended family (my sister and her husband, and my aunts, uncles, and cousin). Later in the evening, we did our Secret Santa gift exchange and watched the first half of the Chargers-Titans game. It was a festive and warm day, and best of all, I didn't have to leave home. Having heard my parents' horror stories about being dragged from family gathering to family gathering in their youth, I've always been grateful that I was allowed to remain stationary on this holiday - the better to play with my new toys.

And what of those new toys? I did pretty well this year. My big gift was a Garmin GPS, so that I can meet my girlfriend for dinner in Annapolis without circling around the same few blocks aimlessly for half an hour...not to mention getting away from Camden Yards without winding up on the light rail tracks! I also scored season two of 30 Rock on DVD, A Hard Day's Night on CD, Bill Simmons' "Book of Basketball", and a few snazzy silk ties to wear to work (had to incorporate an old man gift in there somewhere). Oh, right, and the baseball card stuff. I received complete factory sets of 2000 Topps and 2005 Topps, as well as a $25 gift certificate to Dave and Adam's Card World. That should keep me busy for a while...

Now I'm wrapping up Christmas 2009 by watching the fine Yuletide film, A Muppet Christmas Carol. Good times.

Eddie Murray, 1986 Fleer Limited Edition #32

Ho, ho, ho! Murray Christmas!

Rafael Palmeiro, 1995 Fleer Flair Infield Power #6

What do you want for Christmas this year?

I still remember December of 1993, my first holiday season as a baseball fan. The Orioles had just come off of back-to-back seasons in which they were competitive in the American League East but had fallen short. With a solid nucleus that included catcher Chris Hoiles, shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr., outfielder Brady Anderson, and young pitchers Ben McDonald and Mike Mussina, the team and the fans sensed that they were just a few players away from the postseason.

As the Hot Stove talk commenced, it became clear that Baltimore's primary target was a power-hitting first baseman. There happened to be two such free agents on the market. The first was none other than 29-year-old Will "the Thrill" Clark, whose pedigree included five All Star selections, a Gold Glove award, a .299 career batting average, and a .373 on-base percentage. That was the guy I wanted. I was still a baseball novice, and he was the big name.

The other guy was Rafael Palmeiro, Clark's teammate at Mississippi State University. He was a year younger and not as flashy as the Thrill: no cool nickname, no playoff experience, only two All-Star nods. But he was probably the better player at that time, having come off of a career year (.295-37 HR-105 RBI) and starting to look more durable. He'd played at least 152 games in each of the previous six years, whereas Clark played a few less games with each passing season (he'd missed 30 in 1993) and topped 20 home runs only once in his four most recent efforts.

It wasn't clear to me which player was most coveted by the O's, but I remember my frustration upon hearing that the Rangers had snagged Clark on November 22. Regardless of which first baseman the Birds preferred, Texas had done them a favor. Having just been displaced by his ex-teammate, Raffy signed with the Orioles three weeks later - December 12, to be exact. It was a five-year deal that eventually paid him $27.5 million - slightly more than Clark's own five-year deal.

As it turned out, Christmas had come a bit early in Baltimore. Though the first two years of Palmeiro's Birdland tenure were marred by the baseball strike and a bit of team-wide underachievement, he was a consistent force in the middle of the lineup (and in the field) for the O's. He was a leader on the clubs that made back-to-back ALCS appearances in 1996-1997, and he hit .292 with an average of 41 home runs and 122 RBI per 162 games during his first five years in orange and black. Moreover, he had quickly become one of my favorite players.

In the meantime, the Rangers got what they probably should have expected from Will Clark. He totaled 127 less games than Palmeiro between 1994 and 1998, and while his percentages were strong (.308 AVG, .395 OBP), he was clearly outslugged by Raffy (182 HR to 77). Texas reached the postseason twice but failed to advance past the Division Series both times.

So what happened when both players' contracts were up? Baltimore owner Peter Angelos failed to resign Palmeiro quickly, allowing the slugger to return to Texas on December 4 after careful deliberation. He was even more productive over the next five years than he had been in Charm City, bashing 214 home runs in Arlington. In need of a new first baseman, the O's turned to...an old first baseman. Signed on December 7, Will Clark lasted a year and a half in Baltimore, hitting .302 with a .404 on-base percentage but playing only 156 games due to injuries. He hit 19 homers and drove in 57 in the equivalent of a full season's work. The Orioles began to circle the drain.

But no worries. They brought back Raffy in 2004, and that turned out just fi...oh. Never mind.

I hope your upcoming Christmas is full of Palmeiro-in-1993 gifts, and not Clark-in-1998 or Palmeiro-in-2004 gifts.

Scott Erickson, 1998 Score Platinum Team #11

I had a touch of writers' block tonight, so I started thumbing through my cards until I spotted something shiny. Not just shiny, but sparkly. I suppose that this is what it would look like if Scott Erickson ever toed the pitching rubber in a discotheque or a waterfall. I'm not sure that I needed to know what that would look like, but these were the kinds of questions answered by card companies in the 1990s. Until next time...

Ken Singleton, 1981 Drake's #12

With the Orioles having added a starting pitcher, closer, and third baseman in recent weeks, the Hot Stove talk is turning to the broadcast booth. The nasally monotone of Buck Martinez has graced its final Mid-Atlantic Sports Network broadcast, as the Buckster has returned to the Toronto Blue Jays. MASN is reportedly considering several options in replacing him as color commentator for roughly half of the O's TV games, and many of the names should be familiar to Baltimore fans.

Ken Singleton would be at the top of my list, and rumor has it that he's talked with MASN about the possibility of leaving the Yankees and their YES network. It's a travesty that a former Oriole who was as successful and popular (and classy) as Singleton has been behind enemy lines for so many years.

Among the other ex-O's on the yak market, I think Dave Johnson would be a good choice. His high-pitched voice and thick Bawlmer accent don't make for a polished presentation, but he's proved to be knowledgeable and passionate on the pre-and-post game radio programs in recent years.

I've also heard fans clamor for a return by John Lowenstein, who called the team's games in the 1990s for Home Team Sports. I'm fine with that; my hazy memory tells me that he was goofy without being an irritant. Believe it or not, I think that Billy Ripken could hold his own as well. Mike Flanagan has already talked to network staff about continuing his seeming lifelong connection to the Birds; he was perfectly acceptable in his past go-rounds in the booth.

I'm not crazy about Rick Dempsey being upgraded from MASN's pre-and-post-gamers to in-game announcing, based on the fill-in work I've seen him do in recent seasons. I'm not sure how Brady Anderson entered the discussion; that seems like an ill fit. Brooks Robinson would be welcomed warmly, but it's a long shot at this time.

So, armchair programming directors, who's your choice to sit in alongside Gary Thorne in 2010?

Cal Ripken, Jr., 2002 Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classics #B-CR

Cal Ripken, Jr. is really stepping into his swing, and it looks like he's making solid contact. The barrel of the bat is meeting the sweet spot of the ball, most likely. They say that when a baseball player is locked in at the plate, the baseball looks as big as a beach ball as it soars toward home. I think this card offers up an amusing take on that notion, as a giant wooden orb closes in on Cal. Just as bat meets ball, Upper Deck has taken a ball-shaped piece of one of his bats and slapped it on the card.

Maybe this bat was actually used by Junior in the previous season: 2001, his swan song. His efforts brought a somewhat unsatisfying and uncharacteristic end to his career (.239 AVG, .276 OBP, .361 SLG), but I'd like to believe that this piece of lumber was used on one of the fleeting good days. Maybe on July 14, when he found the sweet spot twice and nearly beat the Braves single-handedly.

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.

Vintage Fridays: Brooks Robinson, 1968 Topps Game Cards #9

First of all, I've just posted yesterday's entry. I honestly did write the post yesterday evening, but did not post it right away as I was away from my scanner. By the time I got to my PC, I became sidetracked and never remembered to scan and post! It's been a long week, I think.

Anyway, this was also a surprisingly eventful week for Orioles news. I'm going to try to kill a few birds with a single stone today and tackle the news bits that concern O's third basemen past and present. The conversation begins (and usually ends) with Brooks Robinson, who manned the hot corner for most of the first quarter-century of the team's existence, some 2,870 games. Though #5 still doesn't have a statue on the premises of Oriole Park at Camden Yards (only Charm City native Babe Ruth holds this honor), he'll soon have one just across the street. On the Russell Street median that sits between the ballpark and Pickles Pub, a 9-foot high bronze statue will depict the 16-time Gold Glove winner winding up to gun down a runner at first base. You can see a model of the statue accompanying this article. It was the brain child of Baltimore's Public Art Commission and will be sculpted by Maryland native Joseph Sheppard. The piece should be unveiled in time for the 2011 season. I can't wait to see it in its full glory.

Meanwhile, the man who played more games at third base as an Oriole than anyone other than Brooksie has officially been replaced, at least for the short term. With the signing of former Rockies infielder Garrett Atkins, free agent Melvin Mora's departure from the club seems much more tangible. While it's still relatively early in the Hot Stove season, I can't help but wonder just how difficult it is for Mora to sit and play the waiting game. There's been next to no buzz about him in the rumor mill; I heard one report linking him to Colorado and one comment left on a MASN blog in which the person claims to have run into Melvin and solicited the player's opinion/belief that he would return to the Mets. I wish him the best no matter where he goes, but based on what I saw with my own lying eyes in 2009, time is running short for him in MLB.

So, what of Garrett Atkins? As word spread this fall that the slugger would not be tendered a contract by the Rockies, I checked out his stats and cringed. Many are treating his dismal 2009 as an off year. Fair enough; he never has been as bad as he was in the just-concluded season. But in truth, his numbers have declined for each of the past three seasons following his breakout in 2006. I won't bother with the counting stats since he lost his starting job last year, but let's just go by OPS+, since it takes on-base plus slugging averages and adjusts them for ballpark and league averages (again, 100 is league-average):

2006: 136

2007: 113

2008: 96

2009: 66

Ugh. If you're curious, MelMo checked in at 79 last year and the equally hard-to-watch Ty Wigginton was at 87. But I want to be fair, and above all, I want to root for Atkins. So let's weigh the pros and the cons that are being presented elsewhere, along with anything I can cook up on my own.

PROS

-He's hit for power in the past (averaging 25 HR and 110 RBI from 2006-2008), so we know he's capable of it.

-He just turned 30 last week, so we're getting younger at the position and it's not likely that he's washed up so soon.

-He is a righthanded hitter, and boy howdy do we need those.

-He's good buddies with free agent prize Matt Holliday, so who knows? Maybe he's bait for a bigger fish.

-He won't block top prospect Josh Bell. He's only signed for one year plus a team option for 2011, and if Bell's ready this year Atkins could slide over to first base depending on who is or isn't getting the job done at that position.

-He's (sorta) cheap. You won't find many guys with proven 20-30 HR power for what we'll be paying Garrett ($4-5 million in 2010, depending on incentives).

-There's not much else out there on the market. Chone Figgins landed a big-years, big-cash deal from the Mariners and Adrian Beltre (who's no slam dunk himself) will not come easily. Everyone else is jammed together in the pack, so Atkins is as good as anyone.

CONS

-He was really bad last year and his performances from 2007-2009 could indicate a troubling trend. Some guys are finished at 30.

-He's got a reputation as a subpar defender. With so much young pitching, one of the best (and still cheapest) ways to improve is by tightening up the 'D'.

-It's hard to ignore those home/road splits. Say what you want about humidors, but he's proven to be a much better hitter in the thin air of Denver than he has elsewhere (120 OPS+ at home, 82 on the road).

-He'll be facing American League East pitching for a huge chunk of the season. Things ain't getting any easier.

-Small sample alert! Garrett has three singles in 23 career at-bats in Baltimore.

-Small sample alert II! In 15 career postseason games, he's hit .231 with one home run. Guy's a choker.

Okay, so a few "cons" were tongue-in-cheek. But I'm still on the fence at best when it comes to our new third sacker. We probably could have done worse, and even I am loath to believe that the dude is as awful as he played in '09. But we all know that the games aren't played on paper, so I'll have to reserve final judgment for next year. May Garrett Atkins prove worthy of Birdland...

Sidney Ponson, 2004 Bowman Chrome #125

Before it even dawned on me that the decade was coming to a close, every website and blog started peppering me with "Best/Worst of the 2000s" retrospectives. No less an authority than ESPN gave an infamous Oriole a very great honor in their own look back at the past ten years.

ESPN.com writer Jerry Crasnick tabbed the one, the only, the soused, Sir Sidney Ponson as the Least Valuable Pitcher of the Decade. That's one hell of an honor, when you consider the 6.00 ERA posted in the 'aughts by Jose Lima. Crasnick also gives mention to the money for nothing crowd headlined by Mike Hampton, and of course fellow Birdland favorite Daniel Cabrera. I think D-Cab was disqualified because he is not technically a pitcher.

But it was the cavalcade of extracurricular disasters that pushed the husky Aruban over the top. We've been over this before, but no baseball player that I am aware of ever punched a judge. No, not even Billy Martin. The 10.3 hits per nine innings that he allowed over the course of the decade (including a staggering 265 in 215.2 innings in 2004) are just the icing on the crap cake. When you put it like that, it's hard to believe that the Orioles (twice), Giants, Cardinals, Yankees (twice), Twins, Rangers, and Royals all washed their hands of him, isn't it?

So congratulations, Sir Sidney. Give us the mailing address of the cardboard box where you're currently living, and we'll be sure to mail you your can of SPAM.

Brady Anderson, 1998 Topps Stars #105

After Monday's Roberto Alomar card that looked like spin art gone horribly wrong, I thought I might do a theme week of hideously designed 1990s cards. For whatever reason I decided against it; maybe I didn't want to limit myself to just seven days of ugly. Nevertheless I am going back to that well tonight.

We've got it all here: bad photo (does Brady Anderson really have four chins?), pointless set with bonus serial numbering on the back, hideous unreadable space-age font made even less legible by gold foil, and of course a background that features Jacobs Field (I'm guessing) melting into outer space its very self. Oh, and did I mention that Brady is glossy, while the rest of the card front has a canvas texture? Eccchhh.

All things told, the 2000s may not have been a great decade, but at least cards like this didn't happen on their watch.

Bob Milacki, 1989 Donruss The Rookies #22

I can't believe that we've got actually breaking news about Bob Milacki in 2009, but so it is. The former O's righthander is entering his tenth season as a minor league pitching coach, and he's just gotten a promotion. He'll be mentoring the staff of the AA Reading Phillies, a year after coaching for the South Atlantic League champion Lakewood Blue Claws. Prior to that, he'd been in the Pirates organization since 2001. If he plays his cards right, he could be wandering back to a major league mound in a few more years to impart wisdom like "keep the ball down" and "work quickly". Godspeed, Bob. Godspeed.

Roberto Alomar, 1998 Skybox Thunder #77

Wow, there is a lot going on here, and I'm not just talking about the abominable Nestle-Crunch foil font, stacked logos, and background vortex of neon. It's hard to believe that Major League Baseball never filed an injunction against Fleer in the late 1990s, isn't it?

The various accessories that are adorning Roberto Alomar's uniform are actually of greater interest to me. We see two patches stacked on the left sleeve of his jersey: the Oriole bird perches atop a logo commemorating the 200th anniversary of the city of Baltimore. The O's actually wore a third patch in 1997, which you can't see in this photo: the 50th anniversary patch that was worn by all 28 teams in honor of Jackie Robinson's major league debut. That would have been on the right sleeve.

Additionally, Alomar's jersey number (12) is reproduced on his batting gloves and the tongues of his shoes. Fortunately, Fleer included a big red twelve in the bottom right corner of the card in case your eyesight isn't that sharp.

Finally, we've got an orange "24" next to the bird on his helmet. Of course that was the uniform number of outfielder Eric Davis, who spent much of the 1997 season battling colon cancer; he would make an incredible comeback during the stretch drive and postseason. It's my recollection that all of the Orioles wore those modified helmets that year, and some players also inscribed "24" on their caps. You can see Armando Benitez showing his support on this card.

It's interesting how one fairly routine picture can give you so many context clues about the era from which it came.

Koji Uehara, 2009 Topps T206 Autographs #FMA-2

One of the neat little perks of being a team collector and blogger is that you don't always have to go out chasing the shiny rare inserts. I haven't opened a single pack of T206 or done an eBay search for it, yet I'm in possession of this excellent framed mini autograph card of Koji Uehara, the first Japanese player in Orioles history. I like his signature. I can make out "Koji", and then it gets ridiculous. I can't imagine what that's supposed to be, because it's not English and I'm reasonably sure it's not Kanji. I hope I got that right.

Earlier this week, Larry (a.k.a. The Sewingmachineguy) emailed me to offer up this fine card for trade. He is a Tigers fan, and by a stroke of luck, one of the few non-Orioles relic cards that I have is of ex-Tigers prospect Cameron Maybin. So I sent Cameron and his little gray jersey swatch off to Michigan and reaped the benefits. Thanks, Larry!

Adam Jones, 2009 Topps Allen and Ginter #20

"No time for blogging, Dr. Jones! We've got a house to clean!"