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.

Vintage Fridays: Paul Blair, 1967 Topps #319

In 1969, Paul Blair became the first Oriole to join the 20-20 club - 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. Yesterday, Manny Machado hit a pair of home runs and stole two bases in the Birds' 6-4 win over Toronto, giving him 33 homers and 20 steals (both career highs by leaps and bounds). Manny joins Brady Anderson as the only players in team history to go 30-20. Next year's team might look drastically different, but as long as #13 is around, the O's have a good foundation.

Kevin Gausman, 2013 Panini Hometown Heroes #226

I saw a fantastically entertaining game last night at Camden Yards. It breezed by in two hours and 23 minutes, thanks in large part to Kevin Gausman's dominant performance. He struck out 10 Toronto hitters in eight innings, allowing a solo home run to Darwin Barney (out of pity, I suspect) and no more. For the first six innings, the Baltimore hitters made their own contribution to the brisk pace by scraping together a scant two hits against Blue Jays starter R. A. Dickey and reliever Ryan Tepera. But in the home seventh, the Birds broke loose. Manny Machado led off with his 31st home run of the season, and Chris Davis made it back-to-back blasts with his 44th of the year and his career 200th. A J. J. Hardy RBI single and a two-run double by Nolan Reimold capped the five-run inning. The milestones kept coming in the bottom of the eighth. Davis went deep again - his 159th as an Oriole, moving him past Melvin Mora for tenth-most in team history. Two batters later, Matt Wieters crushed a two-run homer, the 100th of his career. Altogether, it added up to an 8-1 trouncing of the front-running Jays.

There was another game earlier yesterday, but I don't remember what happened in that one.

Terry Crowley, 1983 Topps #372

The way the Orioles have been hitting (or not hitting) lately, there are probably a few frazzled fans out there who are pining for the days of hitting coach Terry Crowley. I'm not quite that desperate, just for the record. But I did witness Ryan Flaherty snapping the O's 29-inning scoreless streak with a second-inning three-run homer off of Toronto's Marco Estrada last night...followed by the team failing to score again and dropping a 4-3 decision to the Jays. Now torrential rains have bumped tonight's game to the front half of a single-admission doubleheader tomorrow. Maybe the Birds have saved all of their hits for just such an occasion. And maybe I'll find a few hundred thousand dollars between the couch cushions.

Rafael Palmeiro, 2004 Fleer Hot Prospects Draft Edition #15

Here's a story that broke while I was out of town the weekend before last: Rafael Palmeiro's return to pro baseball.

A full ten years (plus a couple of weeks) after playing his last MLB game with the Orioles, the most overlooked member of the 3,000-hit club signed a contract with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. How a team from Texas fits into the Atlantic League is a question for another day. I'm more interested in the fact that Palmeiro was back on the field at age 50 to play alongside his son Patrick, aged 25. The younger Palmeiro was drafted by the White Sox in 2012, but batted only .227/.277/.365 in three seasons in the low minors. He's spent all of 2015 with the Skeeters, putting up a line of .256/.315/.404 in 128 games, with 13 home runs and 68 RBI.

As it turned out, Raffy played a single game for Sugar Land, batting third and pulling DH duties. He went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Patrick batted ahead of his father in the two-hole and started at third base. Patrick turned in a 2-for-5 effort with a walk, a double, a homer, and four RBI. I'm sure the lineup protection afforded by one of the best lefthanded hitters in the history of baseball - one who just happens to be his father - made it all possible.

Willy Miranda, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola All-Time Orioles #307

The Orioles did not score a single lousy run all weekend in Fenway Park. The last time that Baltimore's baseball team was shut out in three straight games, it took a Willy Miranda RBI single to break the skid. That was back on August 2, 1957, in the second inning of the opener of a doubleheader against the Athletics.

I'm still looking forward to seeing the O's open their final homestand of the season tomorrow night, despite this latest embarrassing stumble. After all, I've only got tickets for three more games this year, and there will be something missing in my life for the rest of the fall and winter.

Rich Hill, 2009 Topps Heritage #666

If you were clinging to any pipe dreams about a last-minute Orioles surge into the playoffs, being shut out at the hands of Rich Hill on two hits and ten strikeouts ought to kill that good. Yes, the same Rich Hill who hadn't even made a big league start since bombing out with the O's in 2009. So of course he's slipped into the Boston rotation this September and allowed three runs, ten hits, and two walks while striking out 30 in 23 innings. Man, baseball drives me bonkers.

Vintage Fridays: Dave Nicholson, 1961 Topps #182

I know what you're thinking, but Topps didn't give the Orioles' bat boy a card. Dave Nicholson was 20 years old when he debuted for the Orioles in May of 1960. Two years earlier, they'd signed him as a teenager for a whopping $100,000 bonus. He led the Class C Northern League with 35 home runs in 1959 while playing for the Aberdeen Pheasants. That early success didn't carry over to the big leagues, though. In his first taste of the majors, Dave struck out 55 times in 113 at-bats. "Big Nick" played only 151 games for the O's over two seasons, batting .178/.296/.357 with 14 homers and 26 RBI. Baltimore traded him to the White Sox in January, 1963 as part of the Luis Aparicio deal.

His first season in the Windy City was his best, as he played 126 games and batted .229 with 22 home runs and 70 RBI...and a then-record 175 strikeouts in 520 at-bats. The following year, he made his mark in a May 6 doubleheader at Comiskey Park against the Athletics. Facing future Oriole Moe Drabowsky, Nicholson hit a pair of home runs. His solo shot leading off the bottom of the fifth inning traveled 573 feet, one of the longest measured blasts in history, and either struck or cleared the left field roof and was later located across the street. For good measure, Dave added a third home run off of Aurelio Monteagudo in the nightcap.

Unfortunately, Dave didn't make contact frequently enough to stick in the majors. His career ended with a 10-game swing with the Braves in 1967, when he was just 27 years old. Be that as it may, the dude hit a baseball 573 feet. I have a hard time even picturing that.

Matt Wieters, 2008 Razor #54

By hook or by crook, the Orioles have kept their faint playoff hopes alive. Today Matt Wieters took over in the eighth inning, blasting a go-ahead two-run homer off of Nationals reliever Blake Treinen in the top of the frame and helping blunt a Washington rally in the home half by pouncing on an Ian Desmond bunt and gunning down pinch runner Wilmer Difo at third base. O's win 5-4, completing the sweep and sprinkling even more dirt on the coffin of the one-time World Series favorite. That's an 11-4 run for the Birds, allowing them to claw back to .500. With ten games left to play (three in Boston, four at home vs. Toronto, three at home vs. the Yankees), the O's are 3.5 behind Houston for the second wild card berth. It's still not terribly likely that they will jump over the Twins, Angels, and Astros to earn the right to visit the Bronx for the coin flip game, but as they say, you can't predict baseball (unless you were to predict that Jonathan Papelbon would act like a Neanderthal and embarrass his teammates, coaches, and fans, but I digress). This has not been the greatest of years for the Orioles, but I appreciate that they've continued putting forth an effort through it all.

Walter Young, 2006 Topps Heritage #216

I never like talking about recently-deceased Orioles, and I especially don't like it when the ex-player is two years older than me. Walter Young suffered a fatal heart attack last Saturday at age 35. His O's career consisted of a 14-game stint in September 2005, but he made a splashy debut in the Baltimore organization a year earlier with 33 homers and 98 RBI at AA Bowie after being claimed off waivers from the Pirates. According to the text on the back of this 2006 Topps Heritage card, big Walter (6'5", 320 pounds) hit the B&O Warehouse on the fly during a batting practice session at Camden Yards. It's a shame he didn't get to showcase that light-tower power in an extended trial in the bigs. His lone big league round-tripper was hit in Texas on September 13, 2005, leading off the seventh inning against future Cy Young winner R. A. Dickey. Ten years later, he's gone. It's just too soon.

Cal Ripken Jr., 1999 Upper Deck UD Choice #36

It's a good thing that I have a handful of faithful readers like Zach to pay close attention to arbitrary numeric milestones, otherwise I would never have realized that I was on the precipice of 2,632 blog posts. While it would be tempting to just hang up my proverbial spikes tonight, just as Cal asked out of the Orioles' lineup 17 years ago, nobody likes a copycat. Besides, sharing my collection and my scattered thoughts with you helps me to feel like there's some further purpose to my card-accumulating madness. So let's get started on the next 2,632, and in the meantime...does this butt-ugly card make anybody feel like drinking a nice, cold glass of Sunny Delight?

Jay Gibbons, 2003 Upper Deck MVP #24

So I'm back from the hinterlands Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania, and the Orioles have been rained out down in that sterile mallpark in D. C. What kind of a welcome home is that? I blame Jay Gibbons. I have no reason to do so. I just find that it helps to blame Jay Gibbons for things every so often, just to keep him honest.

Mark McLemore, 1993 Topps #55

I'm leaving town tomorrow, and the O's sent me on my way by sleepwalking through a 10-1 drubbing at the hands of the Red Sox tonight. We are heading to northeastern Pennsylvania for an end-of-summer weekend getaway at my family's lakeside cottage. I have a random memory of buying one of my first packs of 1993 Topps up that way, at a McCrory's store that was probably closed within a few years. It was a Series One rack pack, and I'm fairly sure that this Mark McLemore card came from that pack. Ah, memories.

Tony Batista, 2002 Fleer Ultra #200

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

Dennis Martinez, 1981 Donruss #533

September 14 is a good day for an anniversary. On this date in 1976, Dennis Martinez earned the win in his major league debut with 5.2 shutout innings of four-hit, five-strikeout relief in a 9-7 victory over the Tigers. He bailed the Birds out after Ross Grimsley and Dave Pagan combined to cough up seven runs in three and one-third innings, stranding a pair of inherited runners. By the time he entered, the O's had already come most of the way back from an early 6-0 deficit, thanks in large part to a Doug DeCinces three-run homer, but he arrested Detroit's momentum and kept the score tight until the offense broke through with a four-run burst in the bottom of the seventh. Dennis sealed the win with a perfect ninth inning, inducing a trio of ground ball outs to make history as the first-ever Nicaraguan-born player in the major leagues. To this day, he's still one of just 14 players from his native country to play in the bigs, and is by far the most accomplished. (Take THAT, Everth Cabrera.)

September 14, 2015 is also the second anniversary of my wedding day. She's still putting up with me, and often doing so with a smile. I'm forever grateful.

Dick Kokos, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola All-Time Orioles #245

For no reason at all, here's Dick Kokos, a St. Louis Browns holdover who played just 11 games for the Orioles in 1954, batting 14 times with four walks and two hits, one of which was a home run. Dick Kokos is fun to say. Try it: Dick Kokos. See?

Nolan Reimold, 2013 Topps Orioles Team Set #BAL-13

I feel very chastened after missing my second straight Vintage Friday, but I have the best of reasons. I didn't make it home from Oriole Park at Camden Yards until about 12:15 this morning, because I stayed until the not-so-bitter end of the Birds' four-hour comeback win over the Royals. Being a first-hand witness to one of the more improbable contests of the year reminded me of  how much excitement and weirdness a fan can experience over the course of a single baseball season. Just last night, the O's treated us to:

-Cuban-born outfielder Dariel Alvarez's first career home run

-A daring first-to-home dash from Manny Machado on a two-out single by Chris Davis, punctuated by a head-first slide and a swipe of home plate, just ahead of K.C. catcher Salvador Perez's tag

-Nolan Reimold's go-ahead grand slam off of the left field foul pole in the bottom of the eighth inning

-Machado greeting reliever Franklin Morales with a solo homer immediately after Reimold's grand slam, making for back-to-back four-baggers against two different pitchers

-Chris Davis responding to a presumably intentional plunking by Morales by slamming his bat into the ground, breaking it in two

-Buck Showalter earning an ejection by unleashing a hellacious tirade against home plate umpire Mark Carlson, who warned both benches after the Davis HBP but refused to eject Morales

-Steve Clevenger (who had pinch hit for Caleb Joseph earlier in the inning) earning a measure of retribution against the Royals by hitting another grand slam in the bottom of the eighth, striking his blow against old Baltimore favorite Joba Chamberlain

So all in all, that added up to a wild 14-8 O's win. In that eventful eighth inning, they tallied ten runs in a single frame for the first time since April 11, 2002, when Geronimo Gil and Mike Bordick sparked a 12-run sixth against the Devil Rays with back-to-back home runs. They also became the first major league team in a decade to hit two grand slams in one inning, and only the seventh team to ever perform that feat. It doesn't quite make up for the indignities of the 2014 ALCS, but it felt good all the same.

Rodrigo Lopez, 2003 Topps Gallery #13

I hope this bizarre portrait of Rodrigo Lopez doesn't keep you awake tonight. To me, there's something that just seems off about it, but I can't quite pinpoint it. Too strong on the whiskers? Head too narrow? Flesh too orange? Maybe it's all of the above. I'm not saying that I could do better, but then I'm not selling my wares to Topps, either.

Rafael Palmeiro, 1995 Upper Deck #366

Before he was finger-pointing, earplug-wearing, Tejada-blaming twilight-of-his-career Rafael Palmeiro, he was just Raffy, and he did a lot of impressive things in an Orioles uniform. But #25 only had one 40-homer season in Baltimore. Same goes for Frank Robinson, Jim Gentile, Brady Anderson, and Nelson Cruz. Within the past week, Chris Davis became the first player in franchise history to hit 40 home runs in two different seasons. Last night, he slugged his 41st in the top of the ninth to give the O's a 2-1 win in Yankee Stadium. Tonight, "Crush" was held in the ballpark, but still came up big in a series-clinching 5-3 win in the Bronx. He singled, doubled, and walked twice, driving in the team's first run and a crucial ninth-inning insurance tally. There hasn't been much worth celebrating in Birdland over the past month, but Chris Davis continues to inspire awe.

Jeffrey Hammonds, 1994 Collector's Choice #123

If you look closely at this photo, you will see that the name engraved on the bat is "Jeff Hammonds". That is literally the first time I can recall seeing his name shortened. Was it his choice, or did the bat company just goof? Maybe it was a space-saving measure. I wonder if Jeff Hammonds would have had a more successful career than Jeffrey Hammonds. What about J. B. Hammonds? Eh, I don't like that. It sounds too much like an investment firm. Ultimately, I think Jeffrey was the right call. It just has a ring to it...not a World Series ring, unfortunately, but what's done is done.

Tim Stoddard, 1983 Fleer #75

No, the Orioles' ongoing backslide into crapulence hasn't driven me away from blogging just yet. I was out of town for the holiday weekend, attending Chikara Pro Wrestling's King of Trios tournament in scenic Easton, PA. Because I am the undisputed master of time management, I waited until 90 minutes prior to my departure to try to fit in: yardwork, a shower, packing, and blogging. Guess which of those activities fell by the wayside.

Now that I'm trying to get back to my usual routines, I've got a thoroughly useless fact about the 1983 Fleer Orioles team set for you. There are a whopping six cards featuring O's pitchers without their hats. The rogue's gallery consists of both Dennis and Tippy Martinez, Scott McGregor, Jim Palmer (of course), Sammy Stewart, and...Tim Stoddard? Hey, when in Rome. Anyhow, there are no Oriole position players in this set who appear capless, which makes things even quirkier. Maybe the pitchers had a No-Hat Wednesday and the hitters weren't invited. It makes as much sense as any other explanation.

Chris Hoiles, 1993 Stadium Club #345

Last night Chris Davis caught - and then passed - Chris Hoiles for 11th all-time on the Orioles' home run leader board, and he did so emphatically. The man they call "Crush" first brought the O's back from an early 4-0 hole with a game-tying two-run homer in the third inning that hit the center field batter's eye wall on a bounce, traveling 438 feet from home plate. Then, after Jonathan Schoop's two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth wiped out a 6-4 deficit, the game dragged on into the 11th. A weary Davis jumped on a 3-0 offering from Rays reliever Matt Andriese and nearly hit the right-center field scoreboard with his 38th home run of the season and his 152nd since joining the O's in late 2011. The titanic blast had six seconds of hang time, enough for the ball to travel 459 feet. It was also the brawny first baseman's 90th homer at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, pushing him past Melvin Mora for fourth all-time. There's no shame in being chased down by Chris Davis.

Eddie Murray, 1986 Fleer #282

Tonight's game looked really nasty in the top of the third inning, when poor defense, poor pitching, and poor umpiring conspired to chase Kevin Gausman from the mound after two and a third innings. It was 4-0, and the bases were still loaded. Chaz Roe, fresh off the disabled list, induced a double play grounder to end the inning, and the O's bats awakened from their long slumber to tie the game with a four-run outburst in the bottom half of the inning. Chris Davis' two-run homer knotted it up and ensured the O's of scoring more than three runs in a game for the first time since their last win one week ago. They also spent the prior week failing to exceed three runs in any game. What I'm saying is that the offense is not thriving. So I'm resorting to the ever-reliable Eddie Murray talisman. Let's go O's! Score some runs, break this slide, or Eddie's gonna come straighten you out.

Eric Bell, 1987 Fleer Update #U-2

Eric Bell looks a bit queasy in this photo. Maybe he watched the Orioles get thrashed by the Rays again tonight, 11-2, their sixth straight loss and 12th in 13 games. They're six games under .500, two games out of last place, and haven't topped three runs in any of those dirty dozen L's. Is this rock bottom, or can they sink even lower?

Bobby Grich, 2015 Orioles Postcards

Tonight's Orioles game was yet another pile of uninspired garbage, as the team lost for the 11th time in 12 tries, thanks to more shaky starting pitching and unopportunistic hitting. But hey, at least I met Bobby Grich before the game!

Jake Arrieta, 2013 Topps #134

Congratulations to Jake Arrieta for tossing his first career no-hitter tonight against the Dodgers. A dozen strikeouts (including the last three batters of the game), one walk, one Starlin Castro error. He threw 116 pitches, including 80 strikes, and improves to an MLB-best 17-6 with a 2.11 ERA. I'm not bitter about this at all. Not even a little. I'm certainly not wondering whether his remarkable successes in Chicago are a damning indictment of the Baltimore organization's player development.

Vintage Fridays: Tommy Davis, 1974 Topps #396

Sometimes baseball is fun, like a miscut 1974 Topps card featuring Tommy Davis swinging from the heels, showing off his sharp sideburns and his high, striped orange-and-black-and-white stirrups for the home crowd on a sunny afternoon in Baltimore. But then again, there are times like August 2015, when most Orioles fans are enjoying baseball about as much as a drab gray 1989 Fleer Terry Kennedy card. But I'm engaging in a bit of therapeutic activity tonight in the aftermath of the Birds' ninth loss in 11 games. Vin Scully has just announced that he will be returning to the Dodgers' broadcast booth for a 67th season in 2016 ("God willing," he says), so I'm watching Los Angeles host the Cubs on MLB Network with one of sport's greatest treasures calling the action. Even when it's awful, baseball can be better than most things.

Mike Trombley, 2000 Fleer Tradition #117

On the heels of last weekend's four-game sweep at the hands of the Twins, I was going to mention that I had suddenly grown to dislike Minnesota's team. But really, that's not a new development. I've long harbored a sense of resentment for the way the Twinkies seemed to roll over and play dead every single time they faced the Yankees in the postseason. Seriously, they lost four Division Series to New York in an eight-year span. How is that even possible? The Orioles also imported their share of free-agent duds from the Twins back in the deep, dark 2000s. There's Mike Trombley, with his seven blown saves and three additional losses in Y2K. How about Marty Cordova, with his tanning bed injury? I'm also willing to include 2003's Rule 5 draft flop, infielder Jose Morban. The Birds kept him on the roster all year, just so he could cough up a .141/.187/.225 batting line (9 OPS+) in 77 plate appearances, never to be heard from again. So thanks for nothing, Twins. It's going to take more than one J. J. Hardy trade heist for us to be even.

Boog Powell, 1994 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes #195

On this date in 1966, the Orioles wrenched victory from the jaws of defeat with some timely pinch hitting. It was a run-of-the-mill Friday game pitting the first-place Orioles against the tenth-place Red Sox, and only 13,657 fans turned out to Memorial Stadium to witness it. They didn't have much to cheer about through eight and a half innings, as Boston pitcher Lee Stange had scattered six singles and a pair of walks while striking out only one batter. John Miller was even better for the O's, yielding just three singles and two walks and striking out seven. But the Sox bunched their runners together and scraped together single runs in the eighth and ninth innings, positioning Miller for a hard-luck loss.

With catcher Larry Haney and reliever Eddie Fisher due up against Stange in the last half of the ninth, manager Hank Bauer called upon his reserves. First he sent another catcher, Vic Roznovsky, up to bat for Haney. The result was a pinch-hit home run, spoiling the shutout. Bauer's next move was a true no-brainer. Curt Blefary had started the game for the Birds at first base, leaving Boog Powell free to bat in the pitcher's spot representing the tying run. Next thing you know, BOOM, the ball was gone, the game was tied, and Stange had been pulled. It was only the third time in major league history that two pinch hitters had slugged back-to-back home runs. The Orioles loaded the bases against reliever Don McMahon with one out, but Russ Snyder was forced at home on a Blefary grounder and Bob Johnson popped out to send it to extra innings.

Finally, in the bottom of the 12th, the O's were victorious against Boston relievers Dan Osinski and Jose Santiago. Paul Blair led off with a single, Roznovsky (who had stayed in to catch) bunted him to second, Boog was intentionally walked, and Luis Aparicio earned a free pass to load the bases. Santiago was summoned from the bullpen and promptly gave up the walkoff single to Snyder. Baltimore won 3-2 and extended their considerable lead over the second-place Tigers to 12.5 games. And so few were there to see it all happen!

Scott Erickson, 1997 Collector's Choice #37

Sometimes I feel that Scott Erickson and Will Ferrell's Anchorman character Ron Burgundy are kindred spirits. Any of the following Burgundy quotes could easily be a caption for the picture on this card:

"Hey, everyone! Come see how good I look!"

"It's a formidable scent...it stings the nostrils. In a good way."

"I'm in a glass case of emotion!"

"You know I don't speak Spanish."

"I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany."

"I'm a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That's what kind of man I am."

"I'm storming your castle on my steed, m'lady!"

Let's watch Anchorman instead of the Orioles. Whaddaya say?

Paul Kilgus, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola All-Time Orioles #499

I had an unexpected Paul Kilgus sighting today, though I suppose any Paul Kilgus sighting would be unexpected. The Bowling Green, Kentucky native is coaching for his hometown team in the Little League World Series. Earlier this afternoon, the kids from Kentucky eked out a 4-3 win over Taylors, South Carolina in an elimination game. Just moments after I tuned into the game, Kilgus had to bail out of the first base coaches' box to evade a screaming line drive from one of his young players. If nothing else, he's still got excellent reflexes.

Melvin Mora, 2003 Upper Deck Vintage #132

The expression on Melvin Mora's face says what I'm thinking tonight: baseball is dumb and we're dumb for liking it. How is it possible to score three runs or less in six straight games against the Twins?

Vintage Fridays: Paul Richards, 1960 Topps #224

The Orioles' fortunes are looking as rough as this deeply creased Paul Richards card. A team with playoff aspirations shouldn't lose two straight home games against a reeling Twins team. Last night, the O's were listless in a rain-delayed 15-2 beatdown. Tonight, they mustered five hits against marshmallow-tossing lefty Tom Milone, but still held a 3-1 lead going into the eighth with Darren O'Day taking the mound. A walk, a hit batter, two bloop hits, and an infield single made that lead disappear faster than you could say "what the hell is going on?". The 2015 Orioles have let so many winnable games slip away from them, and that's incredibly frustrating when a possible postseason berth is so readily available for the taking. It's all the more so because of the team's uncertain future, with key players like Wei-Yin Chen, Matt Wieters, Chris Davis, and Darren O'Day primed for free agency. There's no telling when the Birds may have another chance like this.

Dan Ford, 1982 Topps Traded #35T

Hey, it's Disco Danny! I already had this card, but I just picked up another copy when I bought a 1982 Topps Traded set from a local hobby shop for ten bucks. Before you go thinking that I got the steal of the century, I will clarify that the set does not contain card #98T - you know, that Ripken guy. This omission was clearly stated on the price tag sticker, so there's no need to go to the Better Business Bureau. I'm just thrilled to have a (near) complete master set of Topps from the year of my birth, and the 1982 Traded set features terrible airbrushed caps aplenty and a few Hall of Famers tossed in for good measure: Reggie Jackson, Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, and Ozzie Smith to be precise. Oh, and Cal, who I'm now obligated to track down for the sake of a completed set. Fortunately, a cursory check of a few online hobby dealers suggests that Junior's first-year card can be gotten in the neighborhood of $100. That's one-third of the price that it fetched the last time I truly paid attention to such things. So it's certainly an easier "get" than Brooks Robinson's 1957 Topps rookie card.

Henry Urrutia, 2013 Topps Update Series #US329

Henry Urrutia won the game for the Orioles tonight with an opposite-field home run to lead off the ninth inning, becoming the first Baltimore player to hit a walkoff shot for his first career homer since Chris Hoiles did the deed on June 27, 1990. I had the good fortune to be there in person; the O's have hit six game-ending home runs this year (three on this homestand so far), and I've been at Camden Yards for four of them. I must be living right.

Larry Sheets, 1988 Topps UK #70

Thanks to Topps, the British know the legend of Larry Sheets. Of course, they're wondering why his bat is so thin and cylindrical.

Bob Melvin, 1991 Crown/Coca-Cola All-Time Orioles #296

Sure, Bob Melvin is all smiles and innocent doe eyes in this headshot from his playing days, but he wasn't so placid tonight. The current Oakland manager was ejected from the Orioles' 4-2 victory over the A's following an argument with home plate umpire Brian Knight in the middle of the sixth inning. Knight had called outfielder Sam Fuld out for batter's interference after he ran too far inside of the first base line while beating out a bunt, and subsequently tossed Fuld out of the game for protesting too much. You certainly can't blame Melvin for losing his cool, since Oakland was just swept in a four-game series in Baltimore for the first time ever and has lost seven in a row overall. As an O's fan, it's just good to see the team take care of business against a struggling team before the schedule really gets tough.

Adam Jones, 2014 Topps Heritage #78

After back-to-back walkoff wins, the Orioles decided to do things the easy way today. Remember how they went hitless in Seattle on Wednesday afternoon? How about my Thursday blog post, where I tried to put a positive spin on things by reminiscing about Baltimore's team-record 26-hit outburst in 1980? Well, today the Birds did some clubberin' against Athletics pitching, spraying a record-tying 26 hits all over Camden Yards in an 18-2 laugher. Gerardo Parra collected five hits in the first six innings, including his second homer in as many days. Designated hitter and Charm City native Steve Clevenger had his first career four-hit game. There were three hits apiece by Manny Machado, Adam Jones (who had a two-homer day, giving him 22 in 2015), Jonathan Schoop, and Caleb Joseph (who had the fourth and final O's home run). Things got really out of hand in the fifth inning, when the Birds batted 13 times and collected 10 hits and nine runs. In the late innings, Buck Showalter gave many of his starters a breather, and even forfeited his DH by subbing Clevenger in for Chris Davis at first base. That led to a surreal scene in the bottom of the eighth, as erstwhile Oakland first baseman Ike Davis pitched to rookie O's reliever Jason Garcia, batting for the first (and possibly last) time in his career. Naturally, Garcia walked on four pitches, thanks to Showalter's insistence that he not actually swing the bat. With the victory, the O's briefly moved into a tie with the Angels for the second wild card spot. As I type this post, the Halos are tied with the Royals in the tenth inning. Just for tonight, I guess I'll root for KC.

Mike Mussina, 1993 Score #27

Tonight, with Mike Mussina (and yours truly) in attendance, the Orioles came from behind and pulled out a thrilling walkoff win for the second straight game against Oakland. Tonight's hero was Chris Davis, who blasted a solo shot to right-center field off of ambidextrous A's reliever Pat Venditte with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to break a 3-3 tie. It was his second home run of the night, his sixth in the last six games, his 15th since the All-Star Break, and his 34th of the season. Did I miss any home run factoids? Oh yeah, it was also his 87th career homer at Camden Yards, so he surpassed Cal Ripken for sole possession of fifth place on the all-time list. Gerardo Parra chipped in with a game-tying solo home run in the sixth inning, his second as an Oriole. It's also worth recognizing the effort of starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez, who hung in there for a seven-inning quality start after coughing up three runs in the first three innings. Thankfully, the Birds wrapped things up a bit sooner than they did on Friday night, when it took 13 innings before Manny Machado broke the stalemate with a two-run walkoff homer. With back-to-back feats of Orioles Magic, the resilient O's have closed to within a half game of the Angels for the second AL Wild Card slot. The Rangers, Twins, and Rays are all lurking close behind as well, so the next six weeks should be nerve-wracking.

Vintage Fridays: Boog Powell, 1971 Topps #195

1971 Topps. Boog Powell getting some love from Frank Robinson. An umpire in a necktie. A recap of the Orioles' ALCS trouncing of the Twins, in this case a 10-6 win in the 1970 playoff opener. Boog's homer was the third and final four-bagger in a seven-run outburst in the top of the fourth inning, following back-to-back blasts by Mike Cuellar (a grand slam!) and Don Buford. The opposing pitcher for Powell's home run was Bill Zepp, whom I had never heard of before this moment. This card has pretty much everything that I'm looking for as a collector.

Rich Dauer, 1981 Topps #314

O's fans, how can we distract ourselves on an off-day after being no-hit? Well, I'm sure it would help if I stopped bringing it up, but it's too late for that. I did a bit of Googling and learned that the Orioles' record for most hits in a game was set on August 28, 1980. On a Thursday evening in Memorial Stadium, the Birds outslugged the Angels 13-8 as the two teams combined for 40 hits: 26 for Baltimore and 14 for California. Eight of the 11 O's to bat had multi-hit games, and only John Lowenstein (0-for-3 after replacing Ken Singleton in the fifth inning) had an oh-fer. Rich Dauer and Gary Roenicke each had a team-high four hits, with Roenicke rapping three doubles. If you're wondering why the Orioles didn't score even more runs than their baker's dozen, they did fail to hit a single home run and were victimized by a pair of double plays. Still, their six-run, nine-hit fifth inning was instrumental in helping the O's endure an uncharacteristically rocky outing by winning pitcher Jim Palmer, who allowed six runs on 11 hits, two walks, and a hit batter in six and a third innings. Sammy Stewart got the last eight outs, but also gave up another two runs.

Look, I'm not greedy. I'll settle for, say, 10 runs and 15 hits tomorrow. What do you say, guys?

Jerry Hairston Jr., 2004 Donruss Team Heroes #44

On April 4, 2001, the Orioles were no-hit by Hideo Nomo in the second game of their season, a harbinger of things to come in the lackluster farewell year of Cal Ripken and Brady Anderson. It was the second no-hitter of Nomo's career, as he struck out 11 (including Jerry Hairston three times) and walked three.

Today, the O's turned in the ultimate getaway day performance, ending their nine-game West Coast swing with a resounding thud. Mariners starter Hisashi Iwakuma held the Birds hitless, joining Nomo as the second Japanese pitcher ever to throw a no-hitter in MLB. I'll never be mistaken for the world's most optimistic Orioles fan to begin with, but I'm sure you won't blame me if I say that I'm making other plans for October.

Jeffrey Hammonds, 1998 Collector's Choice #313

A few thoughts about this card:

• It's always interesting to see card photos from 1997 featuring the "24" decal on the Orioles' helmets. Of course, that was a sign of support for outfielder Eric Davis, who was battling colon cancer during that season.
• I like the placement of the O's logo in the bottom left corner. It complements the picture, rather than distracting from it.
• This could be one of two games: June 30, 1997 or July 2, 1997. Both games featured Jeffrey Hammonds starting in right field for the Birds and Mike Lieberthal catching for the Phillies. Both were Baltimore wins, 8-1 and 10-6, respectively. In the first game, Hammonds went 1-for-3 with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Tony Tarasco in the seventh inning. In the latter game, Jeffrey went 1-for-5 with a two-run homer in the eighth inning off of Ricky Bottalico. This late blast gave the O's some insurance after Lieberthal had hit a two-run shot off of Arthur Rhodes in the previous half-inning.
• I really, really need to clean the glass on my scanner.

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.

Adam Loewen, 2004 Donruss Diamond Kings #88

The Phillies have recalled Adam Loewen from AAA Lehigh Valley...yes, that Adam Loewen. It's hard to keep track of these things, but he's a pitcher again, albeit a reliever now. If the lefty gets into a game with Philadelphia, he'll have one of the more unusual career stat sheets in MLB history. The O's drafted him fourth overall in 2002, and his Baltimore tenure was marred by injuries and a metric ton of walks. In parts of three seasons (2006-2008), he was 8-8 with a 5.38 ERA and 5.8 walks per nine innings. He converted to the outfield and first base to preserve his arm, and signed with the Blue Jays. He got a cup of coffee with Toronto in 2011, batting .188/.297/.313 in 14 games with a single home run...off of Tommy Hunter of the Orioles, of course. He's been kicking around the minors ever since, and was able to pitch without pain in the Venezuelan winter league following the 2013 season. The Phillies signed him, and he's posted a 2.01 ERA and 10 saves in 58.1 innings between AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley in 2015. He's also struck out 73 batters, but walked 37. But hey, the Phillies are going nowhere fast, and Adam's got a left arm and a pulse, so it'll be interesting to see what he can do in the third act of his career.

Vintage Fridays: Tony Muser, 1978 Topps #418

As I flipped through my 1978 Topps binder tonight, I noticed that many of the Orioles were still wearing their stirrups high and skinny in 1977, six years after the team traded Frank Robinson to the Dodgers. Of course, Frank was a trendsetter like that.