Scott Erickson, 1999 Fleer Brilliants #84

I spent the long holiday weekend in beautiful and sunny Wrightsville Beach, NC with my wife and in-laws. There were temperatures in the 70s, plentiful good food and drink, walks by the sand and surf, board games, a community craft fair, a holiday flotilla and fireworks show...and most blessed of all, three full days of leisure after a couple of downright jam-packed months.

Now it's Monday in Baltimore, and I've returned to a full work week, an overflowing list of errands, a weather forecast of fortysomething temps and rain, and Scott Erickson hurling baseballs into the murky abyss. Sounds about right.

Miguel Tejada, 2004 Fleer Ultra #227

As you may have surmised, updates to this blog will be more sporadic than usual for the foreseeable future. But I'm doing my best to pop in a few times a week as the opportunity arises. Last night, as I was busy staying up way too late (I even procrastinate at bedtime), I caught the end of the Serie de las Americas baseball tournament from Marlins Park. The Dominican Winter League's Aguilas Cibaenas club eked out a 4-3 win over the Venezuelan club Cardenales de Lara, thanks to a two-run single by Zoilo Almonte in the top of the ninth inning. This two-day tournament featured teams from both the Dominican and Venezuelan winter leagues, and the winners from Cibao were managed by none other than Miguel Tejada, making his debut at the helm. I wonder what Miggi will do for an encore.

Vintage Fridays: Herm Starrette, 1965 Topps #539

Today is the 77th birthday of Mr. Herman Paul Starrette, a native of Statesville, NC. I've been through Statesville several times en route to Charlotte to visit my in-laws, which is neither here nor there. He did all right for himself in a brief big league career with the Orioles, pitching to a 2.54 ERA in 46 innings of relief from 1963 through 1965. He allowed just one home run as a major leaguer, a two-run shot to Elston Howard on August 4, 1963 at Yankee Stadium. Despite his moderate success, Herm hung up his spikes at age 27 in the midst of the 1966 season, his fourth spent primarily at AAA Rochester. But that wasn't the end of his life in baseball by a long shot. He worked as an MLB coach, minor league pitching coordinator and coach, and farm system director for a number of teams from 1967 through 2002. He coached in the O's system on two separate occasions (1967-1973 and 1988), and also worked with current Baltimore GM Dan Duquette in Milwaukee, Montreal, and Boston. I wonder if Herm might have any pointers for Duke's current pitching staff.

Willis Otanez, 1999 Fleer Tradition #500

Do you think Willis Otanez was able to watch Diff'rent Strokes in his native Puerto Rico when he was younger? Or did he have no idea what his more obnoxious teammates and opponents meant when they said, "What you talkin' about, Willis?".

Aubrey Huff, 2008 Topps #277

In one of the more unlikely comeback stories, Aubrey Huff is hoping to lace up his cleats again in 2016. The one-time Most Valuable Oriole is now 39, has only been training for the past two months, and hasn't played since struggling with anxiety in 2012. That wasn't a great year in any sense for Huff; he batted .192/.326/.282 with a single home run in 95 trips to the plate and closed himself off from his teammates. But by his own admission, Aubrey is feeling much better after undergoing treatment and discovering a level of spirituality. If nothing else, I'm pulling for him.

Adam Jones, 2013 Topps Chipz #NNO

I'm checking back in at the end of a long, busy weekend of domesticity just to assure you that I'm not disappearing for another month. I know that I missed a few Orioles happenings during my recent hiatus; for instance, Adam Jones was selected as the Marvin Miller Man of the Year as part of MLB's annual Players Choice Awards. Adam was recognized by his peers for his contributions both on the field and in the community at large. He's the first O's player to earn the honors since the inception of the award in 1997.

Jonesy doesn't look too thrilled to be included in Topps' poker-chip themed product line, though. Maybe he thinks that the 1990s-esque tactic of spelling "Chipz" with a "z" on the end is asinine, and now he can't stop picturing Chuck E. Cheese wearing a backwards hat and fingerless gloves. Or maybe - speaking of the 1990s - these small plastic discs are reminding AJ of the pogs collectible milk caps that briefly took elementary schools by storm in his youth. He probably had an overly strict teacher who confiscated his pogs, and thinking back on that dark day is really bumming him out. Poor guy.

Vintage Fridays: Mark Belanger, 1977 Topps #135

Wow. I didn't plan on a month of blogging silence, but then again, I'd forgotten what a colossal pain it is to move. Even as I write this, there are several boxes that need to be unpacked, and straggler items to be brought over from the old rowhouse. Then there's the matter of cleaning and maintenance on that house, so that we can rent it out for some extra income and...no, I'm not crying. Who said I was?

For the two and a half years that Janet and I (and our three cats and one dog) lived together under the roof of a much-too-snug 900-square-foot rowhouse, we would talk in far-off, dreamy tones about our "grown-up house" yet to come. For example: "In our grown-up house, we'll have enough cabinet space to store all of our pots and pans, instead of stacking them on top of the stove and storing them in the basement." Or maybe, "When we get a grown-up house, the master bedroom will have closets for both of us!" Yes, Janet's closet was in the spare bedroom/cat room/baseball card storage. Are you getting the picture?

Finally, enough was enough. We'd been talking for some time about growing our family, and the rowhouse was already too small for us and our four-legged creatures and all of our crap cherished belongings. There was no way another human, however tiny, would squeeze in there with all of its various and sundry accessories. In early August, we started the search in earnest. Let me tell you, I would not wish house-hunting on the worst of my enemies...not even Sidney Ponson. Each open house brought its own delightful surprises: overbearing real estate agents (Who argues with a potential buyer when they complain about smelling cigarette smoke?), slap-dash renovations, creepy basements...and wood paneling. So much paneling. I think one house in particular was sponsored by 84 Lumber. On one of our first days out, we did meet a realtor we liked enough to hire on as our buyer's agent. So she helped keep us on-task and dealt with selling agents so that we didn't have to do it ourselves.

Early on, we zeroed in on a completely renovated rancher with a fully finished basement that Janet and I both loved. After comparing and contrasting it to a few dozen more available homes, we decided to act; our agent had told us that there was another offer pending. After the three of us scrambled all night to put together a competing offer, the seller accepted the first offer - apparently without knowledge of our offer. Exactly what happened is unclear, but at the very least it was a breakdown in communication, and it was very discouraging. Have you ever been sniped on eBay? Well, it was like that, only with much higher stakes. I don't recommend it.

Though we might have found it hard to believe in the moment, our new home was still out there waiting for us, and we uncovered it just a couple of weeks later. This isn't just sour grapes, but the new place is a much better fit for us than the near-miss. It's a roomy two-story house with a finished basement, and it's not as ultra-modern as the other potential new house, but it was well-maintained by the previous owners. They lived here for thirty years and raised three children. There were little touches all over the place that made us feel like this house was meant for us: the slate patio, the storage nooks in every corner of the house, the wet bar in the basement, and of course the cat door cutouts. This is home.

(Tomorrow I'll tell you all about the joys of moving. I'm probably being sarcastic.)

Vintage Fridays: Rick Dempsey, 1979 Topps #593

Yeah, it's only been two weeks and I'm already going through some serious Orioles withdrawal. During the 2015 season, the team added a highlights video to the pregame ritual. As the song "Magic To Do" from Pippin played over the PA system at Camden Yards, clips of O's players and fans both past and present flashed on the center field video board. The first couple of times I saw it live, I rolled my eyes a bit at the schmaltziness of the tune, but ultimately I'm not made of stone. Throughout the video, images of the Birds of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s were juxtaposed with the current team. I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. You have to know your roots. By the end of the season, I found myself looking forward to watching that two and a half minute video prior to each game. That brings us to this Friday night in mid-October, as I'm vacillating between packing and piddling around on my phone. "Magic To Do" got stuck in my head, completely unbidden, and I had no choice but to see if I could find the video online. I did, and even though it was recorded on somebody else's phone and the sound was somewhat compromised by the chatter of nearby fans, I may have watched it two or three times. And now I'm sharing it with you. No need to thank me.

Jim Palmer, 2003 Topps Record Breakers #RB-JP

Today I had a medium-sized USPS box waiting for me when I got home from work, with the return address of longtime reader Randy. I've had the good fortune to clink glasses (okay, cans) with him at Camden Yards, and I'm sure he won't take it personally when I mention my wife's response to this package full of Orioles cards: "His timing couldn't be any worse." Yes, we're in the process of packing all of our possessions before the big move. No, I didn't let that stop me from ripping the box open and unwrapping all of the carefully-arranged team set bags within. As always, I am grateful for Randy's generosity, and this time in particular he gifted me some real doozies that will make for interesting blog material in the coming weeks and months.

Randy even managed to provide exactly what I was looking for tonight: a new Jim Palmer card to post on the grand occasion of the Hall of Famer's 70th birthday. Not only were Jim's American League-leading ten shutouts in 1975 a team record, but his career total of 53 shutouts are also still 16th-most in MLB history. Just to drive the point home, the O's haven't had ten complete-game shutouts in the past decade...total. Jim Palmer was a once-in-a-generation talent, and it's a different kind of game now. Happy birthday, Cakes, and many more.

Daniel Cabrera, 2004 Leaf #216

With the state of Texas failing all of us, I need to compose the most mature and gracious response I can muster for a Royals/Blue Jays ALCS. Here goes:

Baseball is dumb and we are all dumb for liking it. I didn't want to watch the stupid old ALCS anyway.

Cal Ripken Jr., 1998 Topps #320

One week into the 2015 MLB postseason, I've found a lot to enjoy and celebrate. The Yankees and Cardinals got bounced, so somebody else will have a chance to hoist a World Series trophy; the Blue Jays are the most recent champion among the remaining playoff teams, and they did it in 1993. There have been a lot of tense, back-and-forth games and some standout individual performances. But sadly, I can't say that I've enjoyed Cal Ripken's commentary on TBS' broadcasts. He was a great and intelligent player, but he's just plain awkward in the booth. Last night, he spent an uncomfortable eternity halfheartedly defending Chase Utley's illegal takeout slide from the previous game of the Mets-Dodgers NLDS. I couldn't even tell you what his main argument was, because I was too busy cringing and waiting for Ernie Johnson or Ron Darling to change the subject. I'm not sure why TBS has kept him on the mic for each of the last four postseasons.

Will Clark, 1999 Stadium Club #226

Sometimes I find it hard to believe that Will Clark spent parts of two seasons in an Orioles uniform. It just seems like a weird fit to me. Of course, the O's went 152-172 in 1999-2000, and "the Thrill" missed more than 100 games due to injury in that span, so I guess I'm not going out on a limb here. It's not like the Frank Wren/Syd Thrift teams were stocked with savvy pickups. Take a look at the 1999 roster, and the pitching staff in particular. It's chock full of journeyman and forgotten rookies. Doug Johns, Al Reyes, Jim Corsi, Mike Fetters, Brian Falkenborg, Heathcliff Slocumb, Gabe Molina (?), Doug Linton, a 19-year-old Matt Riley, Ricky Bones...I feel a headache coming on.

Lee Lacy, 1986 O-Pee-Chee #226

I really wish that the Memorial Stadium left field scoreboard was in-focus behind Lee Lacy. I'd like to know what was going on in Baltimore on that particular day in 1985. Were they advertising an upcoming series against Don Mattingly and the Yankees? Maybe giving details on a seat cushion promotional giveaway? Or reminding fans not to mess with Earl Weaver's tomato plants? The possibilities are endless.

Vintage Fridays: Frank Robinson, 1971 Topps #329

I've spent most of my evening watching other teams play postseason baseball, but nobody looked as good doing it as Frank Robinson did with his high, skinny orange stirrups and his contrast-colored, radial-arched name plate. Even home plate umpire Tony Venzon and number five hitter Paul Blair have to give Frank a once-over to take it all in. I hardly need to tell you that the Orioles dispatched the Reds 9-3 in this game, which took place on October 13, 1970 in Memorial Stadium. The O's only outhit Cincy by a 10-9 count, but three of Baltimore's hits left the field of play, and none of Cincinnati's did. Robby and Don Buford each hit a solo homer off of Tony Cloninger, and winning pitcher Dave McNally really blew the game open in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out grand slam off of reliever Wayne Granger. Perhaps buoyed by his rare feat, the Birds' tough lefty went the full nine innings to give his club a 3-0 advantage in the 1970 World Series. The whole thing took just two hours and nine minutes, which probably has something to do with the lack of three-minute commercial breaks between innings. Crazy, I know.

Nick Markakis, 2014 Topps Heritage #106

I haven't been buying many cards lately, because we're moving to a new house at the end of the month (way to bury the lede, Kevin), and all of this cardboard really adds up. But Target went and slapped a $12.99 sticker on a blaster box of 2014 Heritage, and I still haven't wrapped up that ding-danged set yet, so I didn't put the box down after it threw itself into my hands. I didn't do too badly, either. I got a dozen base cards that I needed, and though the few short prints in the blaster were dupes for me, maybe they'll serve as trade bait if anyone else is still working on this set. What's more, each and every one of the eight packs featured a Purple Refractor parallel. I didn't get any personal favorites, so the shiny purple versions of Carlos Santana, Strasburg, Sale, Cano, Arenado, Kimbrel, Josh Hamilton, and Carlos Gomez are also all available for the right offer. One other rarity I pulled was a black-back parallel of the Michael Brantley card. Supposedly every card in the set has a parallel version with this variation, but I couldn't find a listed insertion ratio; it seems that they're pretty rare. Maybe I'll just hold on to that one. At any rate, I certainly got more than I expected out of a marked-down blaster.

Rich Dauer, 1984 Fleer #4

Congratulations to the Houston Astros, who have a date in Kansas City for Game 1 of the ALDS after dispatching the Yankees in the Wild Card Game by a 3-0 margin. There are no former Orioles on Houston's postseason roster, since Scott Feldman is injured and L. J. Hoes spent most of the season cooling his heels at AAA Fresno. But there are still some familiar faces in the navy blue and orange. Rich Dauer mans the first base coach's box for the 'Stros, after spending the previous two seasons managing San Diego's AA San Antonio Missions club. Ex-O's infielder Enos Cabell is a special assistant to GM Jeff Luhnow, and one-time Baltimore pitcher Dyar Miller is the Houston organization's minor league pitching coordinator. It goes without saying that I'll continue moonlighting as an Astros fan in the Division Series; there's no way I'm letting bygones be bygones so soon where the Royals are concerned.

Glenn Davis, 1993 Stadium Club #326

Alright, Astros. Let's lay our cards on the table here. You win tonight, and I'll forgive you for your part in the Glenn Davis trade. I need to know that I can enjoy the rest of the postseason without having to see Joe Girardi's puckered lemon face. You have that power. You can make it happen.

Gregg Olson, 1993 Bowman #465

I hope that the person who chose the photo for this card made a deliberate choice to create the illusion that Gregg Olson was hurling the Bowman logo toward home plate.

Baltimore Orioles, 2004 Topps #641

I wouldn't have thought it possible a week ago, but today the Orioles ended the 2015 season on a five-game winning streak, allowing them to break even at 81-81, good for third place in the American League East. Despite the fact that the O's have collected the most wins in the A. L. since the beginning of 2012, thoughts of the dark days of 1998-2011 (fourteen straight losing seasons) are never that far from my mind. So for all of the challenges that the Birds faced this year, I'm really grateful that they made it back to .500. Now, then...

182 days until Opening Day. What do I do now?

Brooks Robinson, 2004 Maryland Lottery #44

Brooks Robinson's career high in home runs was 28, coming in his MVP season in 1964. Eddie Murray, who racked up 504 homers in his Hall of Fame career, never hit more than 33 in a single season. Cal Ripken peaked at 34 four-baggers, a number he reached in 1991 en route to his second MVP award. Tonight I braved the cold damp weather and bitter October winds to see Manny Machado (who, I feel the need to remind you, is only 23 years old) hit his 35th home run of the year - his fifth in the last four games - as the O's wrapped up a doubleheader sweep of the Yankees with a 4-3 win in the nightcap. A win in tomorrow's season finale would allow the Birds to end 2015 with a five-game win streak and a break-even record of 81-81. A victory tomorrow afternoon would also possibly deny the Yanks home-field advantage in their wild-card playoff game on Tuesday; they are one game ahead of the Astros, and Houston holds the tiebreaker. If you can't go to the postseason yourself, you might as well play spoiler.