Vintage Fridays: Doug DeCinces, 1980 Topps #615

With the Orioles opening a crucial three-game home series vs. the Nationals tonight on the heels of a brutal 1-5 Midwestern road trip, I dug deep and pulled out my Wild Bill Hagy #34 tee before heading to Camden Yards. The Birds went out and won their first game in 37 tries when trailing after seven innings. Matt Wieters crushed a game-tying double to the right-center field gap in the eighth, setting the stage for the dramatic bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Jonathan Schoop reached out for a Tanner Roark pitch and drove it over the left field fence for his first career walk-off home run, playing the role of Doug DeCinces. We were even treated to the strains of "Orioles Magic" playing over the stadium PA as the team celebrated at home plate. I guess I was wearing the right shirt.

Ben McDonald, 1994 Fleer Ultra #3

22 years ago today, Ben McDonald scattered seven hits and four walks in six innings, allowing three runs in a 15-6 O's beatdown of the White Sox. Why is that noteworthy? As I discussed in great detail in an early post on this blog, it was the first game I ever saw in person at Oriole Park at Camden Yards...the first of many, to be sure. Just short of 11 years old, I had only recently caught baseball fever, and I couldn't have asked for anything else in that game. Brady Anderson threw out Bo Jackson at home plate to end Chicago's three-run first inning, and the Birds erased a 3-1 deficit with a monster 12-batter, seven-run rally in the bottom of the sixth. Chris Hoiles reached base in all five of his trips to the plate and provided the go-ahead hit with a three-run homer, which probably helps explain why he's still one of my all-time favorites. (Of course, David Segui added a two-run blast the following inning, and I was never that crazy about him. Go figure.) For variety's sake, Mark McLemore even chipped in with a bases-loaded walk. I'd love to track down a video of that game for nostalgia's sake.

Alan Mills, 1993 Score #440

Just before we left for Ocean City at the end of June, my wife gave me some beach reading: Dan Connolly's new book, 100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. I would recommend it to any O's fan as a quick and entertaining overview of team history. I learned a few new things as well. My favorite tidbit was the revelation that a college-aged Alan Mills had a Darryl Strawberry poster hanging in his dorm room. Of course, a decade later, Millsy posterized Straw in the most infamous melee in Baltimore baseball lore.

Ubaldo Jimenez, 2015 Topps Orioles Team Set #BO-4

Are you sick of this year's Topps Orioles team set yet? My general boycott of new Topps products admittedly hampers variety when I want to feature current players. Anyhow, I'm a week late with this, but I just have to comment on the Birds' doubleheader sweep of the Indians two Sundays ago. As you may recall, the O's took the regularly scheduled afternoon game by a 4-0 score, with the rejuvenated Ubaldo Jimenez tossing a bullpen-preserving eight innings of four-hit, NO-walk, seven-strikeout ball. Brian Matusz and Chaz Roe made things interesting with a pair of walks in the ninth, but combined to get those ever-challenging final three outs. In the nightcap, a makeup of Saturday's rainout, Chris Tillman nearly matched Ubaldo's pitching line with seven innings, four hits, zero walks, and six whiffs. T. J. McFarland somehow kept Cleveland off the board for the last two innings despite allowing four hits of his own, and the Orioles cruised to an 8-0 victory. So not only did the O's win both ends of the twinbill, but they did so without giving up a single run. The last time the club blanked the opposition in both games of a doubleheader was September 6, 1974, when Dave McNally and Mike Cuellar each flummoxed...the Indians. And of course, I had just written about those two games (and the larger shutout streak surrounding them) two days before this latest turn of events. It's all very serendipitous.

Darren O'Day, 2015 Topps Orioles Team Set #BO-6

I'm back from vacation, though I realize that I didn't mention I was leaving for a week. I'm back now, and I can't think of a better way to mark the occasion than by posting a card of 2015 All-Star Darren O'Day. Yep, three and a half years after the Orioles picked up the sidearming reliever on waivers from the Rangers, he's going to his first Midsummer Classic. O'Day (5-0, 1.14 ERA, 2 saves, 0.82 WHIP) and Zach Britton were both chosen for the American League squad by Royals manager Ned Yost. Meanwhile, Adam Jones and Manny Machado were voted in as reserves by their peers, giving the O's four representatives for next week's festivities in Cincinnati. It's been an uneven first half for the Birds, but a few of their standouts players are getting their just due.

Vintage Fridays: Ross Grimsley, 1975 SSPC #377

Tonight, Nationals starter Max Scherzer finally gave up a run, as the Phillies touched him up for a pair in the seventh inning. It snapped a 47 and one-third inning shutout streak by Washington starting pitchers, ensuring that the 1974 Orioles' post-expansion record of 54 straight scoreless innings will stand. Of course, the Birds did it the hard way, as those innings were truly consecutive. Dave McNally finished up a 7-1 complete-game victory over the Royals with a scoreless ninth inning on September 1 after his shutout was spoiled by a John Mayberry groundout with runners on the corners in the eighth. The next day, Ross Grimsley and Mike Cuellar each went the distance in a pair of 1-0 squeakers, as the O's swept Boston in a twinbill in Memorial Stadium. "Scuz" twirled a three-hitter, and Cuellar one-upped him with a two-hitter. Jim Palmer continued to flummox the BoSox on Wednesday the 4th, blanking them on three hits in a 6-0 breezer. The Orioles traveled to Cleveland for a Friday doubleheader and McNally (three-hit, 2-0 final) and Cuellar again (five-hit, 1-0 final) kept the zeroes coming. On Saturday, September 7, Grimsley carried a four-hit shutout into the game's final frame. With the Tribe down by three, George Hendrick led off with a double and Charlie Spikes finally spoiled the fun with a two-run homer. Ross regrouped to put down the next three Indians hitters in order, preserving the complete game victory. It was the tenth straight victory for the O's, who were in the midst of yet another late-season surge under Earl Weaver. That must have been an incredible time to be a fan.

Steve Pearce, 2015 Topps Orioles Team Set #BO-10

Earlier today, Buck Showalter remembered that Steve Pearce is still on the active roster and penciled him in as the starting left fielder. Last season's breakout hitter rewarded his manager with a three-hit, two-double game, and the Orioles won yet another series in Fenway Park by eking out an 8-6 win in the rubber game. Most of the damage was done in a six-run fourth inning, as the O's heated up with seven straight hits against former Baltimore prospect Eduardo Rodriguez and chased him from the game. Rodriguez, sent to Boston last summer in the Andrew Miller trade, saw his stock immediately rise in the Sawx organization, leaving many Birds fans wringing their hands about the one who got away. On this day at least, the Orioles took a bit of luster off of him. So that's 15 wins in the last 20 games for the resurgent Showalters, and six straight series wins if you count the home-and-home four-game thing with the Phillies as a single series. That's how you climb in the standings. And the lovely capper on it all? Dating back to 2011, the Orioles have won nine of their past 12 series in Beantown. They've split two more series, and lost only one. I remember when arrogant Boston fans used to refer to Camden Yards as "Fenway South". What a difference a few years can make.

Joe Orsulak, 1989 Topps Big #181

Longtime reader and commenter Zach knows that I take his posting requests as a challenge, and I like to think that I'm up to the task. He took it easy on me yesterday by asking for a Topps Big card. The Orioles had a schizophrenic presence in that particular set, as all of the action photos used for the backdrops featured the players in 1988's tri-color headgear with the cartoon bird, and the foreground portraits had the O's clad in the brand-spankin'-new solid black caps with the more realistic bird. Joe Orsulak's card shows him batting in a chilly and sparsely-attended Old Comiskey Park, I believe. This is Topps Big, so I'd be remiss if I didn't scan the card back, too:

Unlike most of the players included in the Topps Big sets, Joe actually somewhat resembles the generic beefy white dude in the cartoons. The first panel, with "Orsulak" sporting an old-timey pirate hat and eye patch as he hoists a stack of pilfered bases, is especially choice. I do find it a bit odd that they couldn't pick out anything about his just-concluded 1988 season to highlight. Joe O was one of the few bright spots on that year's wretched Baltimore club, posting a team-high .288 batting average after a year's hiatus from the big leagues. His 113 OPS+ was a new career best, until he topped it in '89 with a mark of 121. But yeah, tell me all about his time in Pittsburgh in the middle of the decade.

Jeffrey Hammonds, 1997 Score #205

I took a quick look at all of my previous Jeffrey Hammonds posts to make sure I hadn't used this card before. When you post a card scan on a near-daily basis for seven and a half years, you can never be too sure. Anyway, I realized that there are quite a few amusingly goony Hammonds cards in circulation. Click the link above, and you'll see what I mean. This 1997 Score card, with Jeffrey shooting a knowing glance at the photographer ("I see you snapping shots of my butt, and I don't even care"), doesn't even crack the top three.

Jim Palmer, 2013 Topps Allen and Ginter #293

Okay, I'm back from a quick weekend trip to Charlotte, and I'm glad that the Orioles were kind enough to take two of three in Toronto while I was away. For the sake of my blood pressure, I'm also grateful that I didn't have to witness those games live. But as long as the O's have a night off in Boston, I'll show off the one and only Oriole that I pulled from a discounted box of 2013 A&G while on a Target excursion in the Tar Heel State. If you're only going to get a single Oriole in a box of 48 cards, it may as well be 'Cakes. Besides, there were plenty of other great vintage players in that blaster: Stretch McCovey (mini and base), Bob Gibson, Mike Schmidt, Wade Boggs, Catfish Hunter, Robin Yount, and a mini A&G back Spahnie. I also got a mini Bud Selig, but that's why God invented the Sharpie.

Sam Horn, 1991 Upper Deck #530

As I mentioned last night, Twins refugee Chris Parmelee had one hell of an Orioles debut, collecting a pair of singles and a pair of home runs in his first four at-bats. In 61-plus years in Baltimore, only one other player hit two round-trippers in his first game for the team: the one and only Sam Horn. On April 9, 1990 - Opening Day - the former Red Sox prospect went 4-for-5 with a pair of three-run homers, nearly single-handedly carrying the O's past the Royals in a 7-6 win. Sam had a nice little three-year stay in Charm City, batting .240/.328/.468 (122 OPS+) with 42 home runs and 125 RBI in 827 plate appearances. I wouldn't bet on Parmelee to stick around that long, but Dan Duquette has found useful players in unlikely places before.

P. S. : No posts from me for the rest of the week. See y'all Monday.

Brady Anderson, 2001 Donruss #66

Tonight the Orioles throttled the Phillies 19-3. They scored in all but one inning, and put up three or more runs in four separate innings. Oh, and I buried the lede - the O's set a new team record with eight home runs. The record-breaker was hit by Ryan Flaherty off of Philly outfielder Jeff Francoeur, who took one for the team by tossing 48 pitches over two innings. Manny Machado led off each of the first two innings with homers, Chris Parmelee added a pair as part of his four-hit Oriole debut, and Jimmy Paredes, David Lough, Chris Davis, and Flaherty had one apiece. It was the most runs scored by the Birds since a September 28, 2000 rout of Toronto that ended up at 23-1. That day, the O's also had a leadoff homer - from Brady Anderson. So it's been a minute.

Did I mention that I was at tonight's game? Well, I guess I did, just now. Thanks for the fireworks, guys.

Wei-Yin Chen, 2015 Topps Orioles Team Set #BO-15

Wei-Yin Chen, or "Weentsy", as I (and nobody else that I know of) call him, came through in a big way for the Orioles tonight. The bullpen has been working overtime lately, as O's starting pitchers had failed to complete six innings in eight consecutive games before tonight. But Chen was equal to the task, plowing through the Phillies for eight shutout innings in a 4-0 win, the team's ninth victory in the past 11 games. The Philly batters hit only four balls out of the infield, none before the fifth inning. The big blow for the Birds was a two-out, three-run homer by Matt Wieters in the sixth inning, but it's nice to see a starter give most of the 'pen a night off. Thanks, Weentsy!

Manny Machado, 2014 Panini Donruss #125

When you're hot, you're hot. The O's win streak has reached six straight games, as they throttled the Yankees again tonight by a 9-4 score. Another 15 hits for the Baltimore bats, including home runs by Nolan Reimold, Manny Machado, and David Lough. Manny had three hits and four RBI, and is on a 14-for-30 pace over his last seven games. That's the kind of performance you like to see from a leadoff hitter. The top of the American League East is getting pretty cozy, with the Yanks dropping into a first-place tie with the Rays. The Blue Jays, who have used some sort of dark Canadian magic to rattle off ten consecutive wins of their own, are one game behind the leaders, and the Orioles are lurking a game back of Toronto. Meanwhile, Boston is firmly in the cellar with a 27-36 record, five games behind Baltimore and seven back of first place. The next 101 games should be interesting.

Vintage Fridays: Hank Bauer, 1964 Topps #178

I headed to Oriole Park at Camden Yards tonight expecting the worst. It was hot and muggy, the Yankees (and by extension their fans) were in town, and the pitching matchup was Ubaldo Jimenez vs. Michael Pineda. Sometimes I love being proven wrong. Jimenez gutted out five innings of three-run ball, the Yanks stranded the bases loaded twice, and the O's hammered out 16 hits en route to an 11-3 win. Chris Davis had a game-breaking three-run homer among his three hits, and Caleb Joseph also had a homer and three hits. New York didn't look much like a first-place team; they had two errors, two more misplays that were generously scored as hits, and a wild pitch. It was fun to watch.

This was a pretty significant win for Baltimore. It's their fifth in a row, their most runs scored since April 26's 18-7 beatdown of the Red Sox, and it draws them even at 30-30. The Birds hadn't seen the .500 mark since May 5. It was also Buck Showalter's 407th win as the O's manager, tying him with Hank Bauer for third-most in team history behind Earl Weaver and Paul Richards. Pretty good for one night's work.

Nolan Reimold, 2012 Topps Orioles Team Set #BAL3

Here's a thing that I didn't think I would say in 2015: Nolan Reimold made some major contributions as the Orioles completed a sweep of the Red Sox with a 6-5 win. The 31-year-old outfielder, who was promoted from AAA Norfolk earlier this week, chased down eight fly balls in left (and later right) field, and added a solo home run. It was his first round-tripper in an O's uniform since July 10, 2013. It's been a very uneven couple of months in Baltimore, but the Birds are riding their first four-game win streak of the year and are back within a game of .500. This weekend, they can take their best shot at the first-place Yankees. It's anybody's game right now.

Bryan Bass, 2007 Bowman Chrome Prospects #BC116

Hey, it's a Bowman prospect card from eight years ago, so the question is: who in the blue hell is Bryan Bass? The Internet tells me that he was the Orioles' first-round compensatory draft pick (31st overall) in 2001, a consolation prize for losing Mike Mussina in free agency. It took Bass, who was selected out of Seminole High School in Florida, six years to make it to AA Bowie. In 170 games over two seasons with the Baysox, Bryan batted .221/.317/.359 with 14 home runs and 60 RBI. The O's cut bait on him after the 2007 season, and that was all she wrote for his baseball career, save for a one-game stint with the Tucson Toros of the independent Golden Baseball League in 2009. So why did Topps/Bowman put him on a "prospect" card when he was on his way out of affiliated baseball? I guess you'd have to ask them.

Jay Gibbons, 2005 Donruss Team Heroes #44

Today in Fuzzy Background Figures on Baseball Cards: Jay Gibbons hits a majestic fly ball, and the home plate umpire forgets himself and lets loose with an enthusiastic fist pump.

J.J. Hardy, 2015 Topps Orioles Team Set #BO-11

I love this card, unfortunate numbering convention notwithstanding. This photo was taken in the bottom of the eighth inning in Game 2 of the 2014 ALDS - Friday, October 3, 2014. Delmon Young had just roped a bases-loaded pinch double into left field, blowing the nonexistent roof off of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. J.J. Hardy is sliding home ahead of Alex Avila's tag to give the O's a 7-6 lead. It's the most exciting moment I've witnessed in person as an Oriole fan, and now it's preserved in card form.

Matt Wieters, 2013 Panini Prizm #17

The Orioles are undefeated in 2015 when Matt Wieters starts. Sure, it's a sample size of two games, but it's good to see the team's star catcher back in the lineup after a year-plus hiatus due to Tommy John surgery. He looks to be in great form, too; in Friday's 5-2 win at Cleveland, he had a single, an RBI double, a sacrifice fly, and a run scored in four trips to the plate. Today, Matt completed his weekend cycle with a triple (with an assist to overmatched Indians right fielder Brandon Moss) and a solo homer in a 7-3 O's victory. A week into June, the Birds are finally approaching full strength. They've got five and a half games to make up in the AL East, but there's an encouraging precedent. On this date last year, the Orioles dropped a 4-3 contest to Oakland to fall 6.5 games behind the Blue Jays. So, why not?

Vintage Fridays: Ken Singleton, 1980 Topps #340

You don't see guys wearing the cap under their batting helmet any more; Juan Pierre is the most recent example that comes to mind. Is it because the helmets are constructed to fit better, or are today's players just more conscious of the fact that wearing two pieces of headgear together looks incredibly doofy? I'm guessing it's a bit of both.

Matt Albers, 2009 Upper Deck O-Pee-Chee #156

Yup, somebody thought that this photo was suitable for a baseball card. I'm sure that Matt Albers was aiming for a smile, but it ends up looking like he has a bad case of gas. Whoops.

Alex Gordon, 2000 Topps Traded #T21

Leave it to the Orioles to sign the wrong Alex Gordon. Their version was an undrafted high schooler from Washington state whom Topps saw fit to put on a baseball card after he put up a .348/.418/.678 batting line in 63 games at the lowest level of the minor leagues. As you may have guessed, that performance was not sustainable, and he was out of pro ball by age 24, never having made it to AA. In 2005, the Royals drafted their own Alex Gordon with the second overall pick in the draft, and after some early struggles the University of Nebraska product found his comfort level as a strong defensive left fielder with good power and on-base skills. He's a two-time All-Star and a four-time Gold Glover, and the only thing he has in common with "our" Alex Gordon is his name.

Frank Robinson, 2000 MLB All Century Team Playing Cards

Does it get any better than an oddball card of Frank Robinson showing off his 1966 MVP plaque in Yankee Stadium? Well, the current-day Orioles could stop scuffling and take charge in a subpar American League East, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards this week. There's 110 games left after tonight, but it's hard to be patient and calm when the team's looking as snakebit as they are right now. Already tonight, a four-run lead evaporated in two innings. I can't bear to watch.

Luis Matos, 2001 Upper Deck MVP #71

Luis Matos is a Loon.

I swear I'm not resorting to childish name-calling. Matos, who is still only 36 years old, is currently the manager of the Dodgers' Class-A Midwest League affiliate, the Great Lakes Loons. This is his first year on the job, and the team is currently 25-26, smack in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Division. They are five and a half games behind the Lansing Lugnuts, and boy do I enjoy goofy minor league team names. Oh, and here's the kicker: the Loons' hitting coach is one of Luis' former Orioles teammates, the one and only Jay Gibbons. The only way it could be any better would be if the Great Lakes pitching coach was Matt Riley. (For the record, it's Glenn Dishman, who pitched for the Padres, Phillies, and Tigers from 1995-1997, and was born in Baltimore. I guess Midland, Michigan is Charm City North.)

Rafael Palmeiro, 1998 Skybox Dugout Axcess #145

This card is so horridly designed that you probably can't read that trivia question, so I will transcribe:

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is located two blocks from the birthplace of what baseball legend?

If you're reading this blog, I'm going to guess that you know the answer. If you don't, I won't spoil it for you.

Mike Mussina, 1994 Triple Play #157

On this date in 1997, Mike Mussina fell tantalizingly short of baseball history in an excellent start against the Indians. It was Friday, May 30, 1997, and Moose thrilled the hometown crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards by retiring the first 25 Cleveland batters in order. The O's built a 3-0 lead on single runs in the first, third, and sixth innings, with their runs scoring on RBI singles by Rafael Palmeiro and Brady Anderson as well as a fielder's choice grounder by Cal Ripken. But with one out in the ninth inning, Sandy Alomar Jr. spoiled Mussina's perfect game bid by lining a single to left field. Baltimore's ace rebounded nicely, striking out pinch hitter Brian Giles and leadoff man Marquis Grissom to end the game and preserve the one-hit shutout. In all, he whiffed 10 batters and improved his record to 7-1. The Orioles, meanwhile, boosted their team record to 35-15, increasing their American League East division lead over the second-place Yankees to a whopping 8.5 games. Moose never did toss a no-hitter in his career, but he had a pretty good run of it anyhow.

Vintage Fridays: Willie Miranda, 1958 Topps #179

This week, my family said goodbye to my great uncle Bill, who passed away on May 20 at the age of 88. He was born in 1926, just like former Orioles Willy Miranda, Joe Ginsberg, Whitey Lockman, Ray Moore, and Robin Roberts, to name a few. He lived in Baltimore his entire life, spending much of that time in his home on Decker Avenue with Elrita his wife of nearly 70 years. (Incidentally, Elrita's maiden name was Ruth, and the family believes that she is related to the Bambino, though of course I don't have the specifics of it.) He was an active member of his community up until the last year of his long and happy life. Uncle Bill was a devoted parishoner of Our Lady of Pompei Catholic Church, where his funeral mass was held this past Tuesday. In January of 2014, he and his trademark wide smile were featured in a Baltimore Sun photo essay on the Patterson Bowling Center, where he participated in a senior league.

Bill, or "Albee" as he has been known since his youth, was famous within the family as the chief entertainer and gamesmaster for holidays and other gatherings. It was he who kept alive Highlandtown's Easter tradition of "egg picking" for so many years, until the Schenning branch of the family tree ran with it and spun it into a greater spectacle in the early 1990s. He would perform musical numbers and hold trivia contests, usually drafting the children into the merriment. It was only appropriate, because he was 100% in touch with his inner child. But Bill was most in his element each summer at the family reunion picnic, when he would invite all of the kids to take part in a variety of games, with all sorts of prizes at stake. Just so nobody would be left out of the fun, the adults were corraled into "horse races". Each person in the race grabbed a different-colored shirt and a post position and chose a horse name. The "horses" lined up in order, and the spectators bet a few dollars on their respective favorites. A couple of dice were rolled to determine which horse moved forward, and how many steps they were allowed to take. First one to cross the finish line won, and shared the money with the winning bettors. I'm proud to say that I took the prize last year in Uncle Bill's last horse race, wearing the red and going by the name Bunches of Oats.

As I've been reflecting on the life (and passing) of my grandmother Boots' big brother, two memories stand out in my mind. Nine years ago, when we learned that Boots had only a few hours left to live, the entire family gathered at the hospital to be with her. When everyone had arrived and the doctor took her off of oxygen, Uncle Bill led us all in singing the standard "Side by Side", originally written by Harry Woods in 1927 but popularized by Kay Starr. The second recollection is a bit more cheerful. When Janet and I got married in September of 2013, Bill and Elrita were in attendance. It meant a lot to me to have them there, being from my Gram's generation. After the ceremony, we stood for a receiving line so we could say a little something to all of our guests before getting caught up in the bustle of posing for formal photos. As Uncle Bill walked up, he gave me one of his big, beaming grins and said, "There's my buddy!". It's such a simple thing, but I'll carry it with me.

Mike Bordick, 2003 Topps Heritage #276

Instead of having an angel or a devil on his shoulder, Mike Bordick had a defensively competent - if offensively limited - shortstop whispering in his ear.

Jim Gentile, 2004 Maryland Lottery #36

Chris Davis has had a rough go of things for the past 14 months or so, but today was a good day. He gave the Orioles a 3-1 lead with a fourth-inning two-run homer off of Astros starter Collin McHugh, immediately following a double steal by Adam Jones (second base) and Jimmy Paredes (home plate!). After some shaky infield defense by the O's contributed to a game-tying three-run rally by Houston in the seventh, Crush put Baltimore on top for good an inning later, blasting reliever Tony Sipp's first pitch of the game deep into the right field bleachers. That's 10 home runs in 2015 for Davis, and 124 in his O's tenure, spanning an even 500 games. As Press Box writer Paul Folkemer (@PaulWFolk) tweeted during today's game, Davis passed Lee May (123 HR) and caught Diamond Jim Gentile on the team's all-time homer leaderboard. Only 14 players have more round-trippers in an Orioles uniform. Now Chris will set his sights on Paul Blair, whose 126 four-baggers are well within reach.

Scott McGregor, 2009 Grandstand IronBirds #16

I just pulled out a team set of Aberdeen IronBirds cards from 2009. It's been six years, so even though Cal and Billy Ripken's team is in the short-season low-A New York-Penn League (too many hyphens!), I figured that one of these guys might have broken through for at least a cup of coffee in the big leagues by now. A shot of espresso, maybe? Uh, nope. So instead, enjoy this Scott McGregor card. Scotty has been coaching in the Orioles organization since 2002, including multiple stints at Aberdeen and even a short turn as the O's major league bullpen coach two years ago. So at least somebody from the '09 IronBirds made it to Baltimore.

Sidney Ponson, 2000 Upper Deck MVP Silver Script #129

Do you know why I usually don't pick a card out of a box at random when I'm preparing to post on this blog? Because then I might find myself trying to find things to say about a Sidney Ponson parallel insert from 15 years ago. Here's what I've got: Sir Sidney actually has quite a lovely signature. I guess he's gotten plenty of practice while signing his name to plea agreements and other police and court documents.

Dave Ford, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola All-Time Orioles #140

With all of the commotion about Brian Matusz last night, the second superlative start of Mike Wright's young career may have gotten lost in the shuffle. The rookie from East Carolina University turned in seven more scoreless innings, limiting the Marlins to three hits and three walks (two intentional), while striking out four. He even delivered the Orioles' only hit with a runner in scoring position, singling through the infield, although he was denied the RBI (and possibly the win) when Marcell Ozuna threw out Travis Snider at the plate.

If you're keeping score, Wright has yet to allow a run in 14.1 innings over his first two starts in the big leagues. The last Baltimore pitcher to begin his career with so many goose eggs was righty Dave Ford in 1978. Ford tossed 15 shutout innings that September, then allowed a first-inning run to the expansion Mariners in his first start of 1979. Elbow and shoulder pain wound up limiting the Cleveland native to five wins, eight starts, and 51 total games pitched in his career. The rest of Mike Wright's story has yet to be written, though.

Brian Matusz, 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini #317

Apparently Brian Matusz is such a freaking sad sack that he can't even cheat successfully. The oft-snakebitten O's lefty was ejected in the 12th inning of a scoreless game between the Orioles and Marlins tonight after the umps determined that he had an illegal substance on his right arm. Buck Showalter was forced to bring in T. J. McFarland, who allowed a walkoff single to Martin Prado with the bases loaded and two outs an inning later, as the Birds wasted another gem of a start by Mike Wright and an impressive debut in relief by Navy's Oliver Drake (three scoreless innings with a putout at home plate of Adeiny Hechavarria as he tried to score on a pitch that bounced).

Incidentally, I'm sorry for my unannounced absence this week. Wednesday Janet and I flew down to Sarasota for her brother's wedding, and I was so busy prepping for the trip that I didn't get a chance to post on Tuesday. I'll just say that our stay in Florida was much more enjoyable than tonight's 13-inning shutout loss.

Adam Jones, 2011 Topps Heritage #145

Yesterday represented an impressive collision between two of my favorite pastimes. I attended yesterday's Orioles game with my wife and my sister, since they were interested in the wristlet giveaway. With the freebies, the O's Dugout Club promotion for kids, and probably a handful of time-travelers from the future who wanted to see starting pitcher Mike Wright dominate the Angels in his big league debut, there was an impressive crowd of 41,733 packing Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Consequently, by the time I parked in one of the auxiliary lots and made it through the gates, Wright was taking his warmup pitches to the tune of 1990s WWF star Razor Ramon's entrance theme. I thought that was just excellent taste on the rookie's part, but it just so happens that the Birds were celebrating the presence of World Wrestling Entertainment in Charm City for last night's Payback pay-per-view. Unfortunately, I missed WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to Adam Jones. But I was still greatly entertained by the wrestling theme playlist that the Orioles put together for their at-bats and pitching warmups. The rest of their choices:

-Manny Machado - the Rock
-Jimmy Paredes - Rey Mysterio
-Adam Jones - Real American (Hulk Hogan), John Cena
-Delmon Young - Sexual Chocolate (Mark Henry)
-Chris Davis - Big Show
-Steve Pearce - Mick Foley
-J. J. Hardy - Kurt Angle
-Travis Snider - Chris Jericho
-Caleb Joseph - I couldn't figure his out. They only played it for one of his three AB's
-Brad Brach - Brock Lesnar (genius!)
-Zach Britton - Tazz

Just as I was wondering why nobody went with Stone Cold Steve Austin's iconic theme, Britton sealed the win by striking out Johnny Giavotella, and the shattering glass of Austin's theme came blaring through the PA system. Well played, O's.

With the rest of his Sunday free and a day off today, Jones showed up in the first row at the Royal Farms Arena for WWE Payback last night, complete with a replica of the World Heavyweight Title slung over his shoulder. The New Day stable (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods) earned the ire of the crowd by acknowledging Adam and quickly pointing out that the Birds are in the midst of a 32-year World Series drought. Jerry Lawler claimed that J. J. Hardy and Steve Pearce were at the show with Jones, but I don't think they were the guys sitting next to him on camera.

So yeah, this was all extremely relevant to my interests...your mileage, as always, may vary.

Mike Devereaux, 1993 Upper Deck #167

I need a distraction, since the Orioles are now four games under .500 and their bats are missing in action. So I've turned to the excellent 1993 Upper Deck set to see if I can pinpoint the date that this photo was taken. Go figure - it's an Orioles-Angels game, though it's in Anaheim, unlike the current weekend series in Baltimore. Lance Parrish is catching, Mike Devereaux is batting, and there's a Caucasian runner edging off of third base. With Parrish behind the plate, we've narrowed it down to either June 1, 1992 or June 3, 1992. Devo batted with Billy Ripken on third base in both of those games, but only the Wednesday, June 3 game was played in the afternoon hours. So that is our game, and unfortunately the Birds suffered a walkoff 4-3 loss in 10 innings. However, there was a positive outcome from this particular at-bat in the top of the seventh inning. Mike greeted reliever Mark Eichhorn with a single, scoring Ripken and giving the O's a short-lived 3-1 lead. Bob Milacki served up a tying two-run homer to Gary DiSarcina in the bottom of the inning, and it stayed tied until Rene Gonzales scored on a fielder's choice grounder by Lee Stevens in the bottom of the tenth. So it goes.

Vintage Fridays: Kiko Garcia, 1978 Topps #287

Here's a fun, meaningless tidbit that dawned on me last night: both Chico Garcia and Kiko Garcia played for the Orioles. Vinicio "Chico" Garcia was a star player and manager in his native Mexico, but his only big league experience came with the O's in 1954. The 29-year-old played sparingly at second base for Baltimore, batting .113 (7-for-62) with eight walks, two triples, and five RBI in 39 games. You might be more familiar with Alfonso "Kiko" Garcia, the California-born shortstop who plied his trade in Charm City from 1976 through 1980, batting .232/.278/.317 with nine homers and 78 RBI. His claim to fame was his performance in the 1979 World Series, when he collected eight hits in 20 at-bats for an even .400 average against the Pirates. He drove in six Oriole runs and scored four others, accounting for a sizable chunk of the team's total output of 26 runs.

In a nutshell, that's the story of Chico and Kiko.

Harvey Haddix, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola All-Time Orioles #172

If Harvey Haddix didn't have the most leathery face of any player in Orioles history, I can't imagine who has him beat. He looks like somebody left Don Knotts out in the sun.

Sidney Ponson, 2005 Donruss #114

Last night was one of the dog-ugliest Oriole games I've ever had the misfortune of seeing in person, which is saying a lot. I've lived through the days of Sidney Ponson, Daniel Cabrera, Radhames Liz, and the rest. But rarely have I seen the O's carry a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning, only to lose 10-2. Back-to-back four-run innings will do that. Overall, the home team had as many miscues as hits (five of each). Three errors, a passed ball, and a wild pitch. Oh, and two hit batters. Thankfully, neither of them was Jose Bautista, so there weren't any fisticuffs or shouted profanities. I'll say one thing: traffic leaving the stadium was incredibly light, so I guess I'll thank the Birds for getting me home by bedtime.

The merciful thing about baseball is that you get 162 chances to play each season. Tonight's game is looking more like the Orioles I expect to see, as they're up 6-1 on Toronto with three outs left to get. Two out of three ain't bad.

Cal Ripken Jr., 1996 Upper Deck #1

As this card shows, rendering foil cards is still a complete crapshoot for my trusty old scanner. Was, is, and ever shall be. Sure, the scratches show up loud and clear, but all of Cal Ripken's adoring teammates are a murky black and silver. I will decode them for you, from left to right: Arthur Rhodes, Doug Jones (holding camcorder, face obscured by Cal's right arm), Rafael Palmeiro, and Jeffrey Hammonds. Considering the scores of 2,131-centric Ripken cards that were produced in 1995 and 1996, these guys got a lot of cameo face-time on the Iron Man's cards. I wonder if they appreciated the additional exposure.

Brooks Robinson, 2009 Topps Legends of the Game #LG-BR

Tonight the Orioles returned to Camden Yards for the first time since playing in an empty stadium on a Wednesday afternoon two weeks ago. They wore special white home jerseys with "Baltimore" emblazoned across the front in orange script. P. A. announcer Ryan Wagner announced each player on the home team as batting or pitching for "Baltimore", instead of for "the Orioles". There were 20,468 fans in attendance, more than you might expect for a Monday night in mid-May against the Blue Jays. The O's won in satisfying fashion, 5-2, thanks to their usual power display - Manny Machado, Chris Davis, and Adam Jones each hit a home run - and another encouraging outing from Ubaldo Jimenez, who whiffed nine Toronto batters in seven innings.

I'm not so naive as to think that one baseball game, or a dozen, or 81, can heal the ills and iniquity in this city. But I'm grateful for the images and sounds that came from Oriole Park this evening.

Jay Gibbons, 2004 Fleer Patchworks #14

Although I'm typing this entry at 12:13 AM on Sunday, May 10, I'm going to consider this as Saturday's post. You can thank my clever wife Janet, who pointed out that I haven't gone to bed yet; by that logic, it still counts.

Anyhow, the Orioles have finally logged their first win in New York in 2015, and it was a good one: 6-2 over the Yankees, with seven strong innings from Wei-Yin Chen and a trio of O's home runs. Jimmy Paredes, lovingly called "Babe Ruth" by his teammates, hit his fifth homer in his 17th game of the season, and now has 15 RBI in his bid to be Dan Duquette's latest scrap-heap find. Alejandro de Aza hit a two-run shot, and hopefully can shake his recent slump. Chris Davis had one of his few successful at-bats this season against the Yankees, blasting his seventh home run of the year and the 121st in his time with Baltimore. That ties him with Jay Gibbons for 17th on the team's historical leader board, though it took Crush only 1,999 plate appearances to do it. Gibbons needed 2,982 trips to the plate to hit his 121 round-trippers with the Orioles. Incidentally, Jay's last home run with the Birds was a go-ahead three-run homer against a 21-year-old Felix Hernandez on July 17, 2007 in an 8-3 Baltimore win, so there's a feather in the cap.

Vintage Fridays: Mark Corey, John Flinn, and Sammy Stewart, 1979 Topps #701

Why did Topps go with the mug shot approach to their prospects cards in 1979? It doesn't do anybody any favors, especially when you're rocking that seedy Mark Corey mustache. As I mentioned several years back, Mark Corey got shunted onto these "prospects" cards for three years running, and never had a Topps card all to himself. The same goes for John Flinn, whose only other appearance in a Topps set came in 1981, when he was given lip service as a Brewers "Future Star", along with Ed Romero and future manager Ned Yost. Flinn was Baltimore's second-round pick in January 1973, a righthander who debuted in 1978 but pitched only 69 innings as a reliever for the O's and Brewers in 1978, 1979, 1980, and 1982. He had a 5-2 record, two saves, and a 4.17 ERA. His most lasting contribution to Birdland? The Orioles traded him to the Brewers after the 1979 season in exchange for utility infielder Lenny Sakata.

As for Sammy Stewart, he made good on his promise, but ran into trouble after his career ended. Now he's back on his feet, thankfully.

J. J. Hardy, 2014 Topps Chrome #145

The Orioles are still having a crummy week in New York, but at least J. J. Hardy is back! It's unfortunate for Everth Cabrera that he had to replace Hardy on the disabled list with a foot injury, but the former Padre was a poor substitute at shortstop for James Jerry. It's generally a good thing to have a shortstop with defensive range, a strong arm, and the ability to hit for power...or to hit at all. Don't leave us again any time soon, J. J.

Manny Alexander, 1996 Upper Deck #11

Ugh, the Mets. The Orioles just got swept in one of those dopey two-game interleague series in Citi Field, as they couldn't muster much offense against 2014 NL Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom and 2015 competitive eating champion Bartolo Colon. That's eight straight losses for the O's against the Mets, dating back to 2009. How long has it been since the Birds beat the guys from Flushing? Back then, the Orioles had ten different guys who made at least eight starts. Rich Hill, Koji Uehara, Mark Hendrickson, and Adam Eaton were in that pile of arms. (Remember: it could ALWAYS be worse, and it has been.)

What I don't understand is why the Mets keep picking on Baltimore. Through the years, the O's have been very kind to them. We traded them Jorge Julio, John Maine, Mike DeJean, John Bale, Mike Bordick (age 35), Armando Benitez, Manny Alexander, Damon Buford, Alex Ochoa, David Segui, AND Marv Throneberry...

Oh. Suddenly it makes sense. But hey, John Maine was pretty solid in 2007, wasn't he?

Rodrigo Lopez, 2004 Leaf Certified Materials #169

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Sammy Sosa, 2005 Leaf Legends #77

Odd, but true: Sammy Sosa had a pair of two-homer games during his forgettable 102-game tenure as an Oriole in 2005. Considering that he only went deep 14 times in 424 trips to the plate with Baltimore, I wouldn't have expected him to have enjoyed more than one multi-homer contest. (There was an April 24 7-1 win over the Jays, and a June 12 10-6 loss to the Reds.) But such an effort puts him in league with the likes of current Oriole utilityman Ryan Flaherty, whose 10 home runs in 85 games in 2013 also included two two-fer games. Now you know at least one thing that Sammy and "Flash" have in common.

Delino DeShields, 2000 Fleer Focus #12

I noticed the other day that Delino DeShields' son (also named Delino) is playing with the Rangers. Texas drafted him as a Rule 5 selection from the Astros over the winter, and kept him on the big league roster for Opening Day rather than risk losing him back to Houston. Delino had an infield single in his first career plate appearance on April 8. He's struggled since then, going 2-for-15 with a walk and a double overall for a batting line of .133/.188/.200. Of course, like most Rule 5 picks, he has played sparingly, starting only three games in left field and earning most of his playing time as a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch runner. But the younger DeShields is only 22, so he's got some time to figure it all out.

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.