Adam Jones, 2013 Panini Triple Play #7

I was picking up some necessaries at Target when a rack pack of 2013 Triple Play jumped into my hand. Naturally, I bought it. I can't get enough of these goofy pop-art caricatures, and buying a non-MLB licensed card product makes me feel like I'm sticking it to The Man. The crab-and-bird-and-sailboat backdrop is just the icing on the cake. I'd like to think that posting this bobbleheadish Adam Jones avatar will spur him to lead the O's to a skid-snapping victory tonight, but I may just have to accept that I have no control over the things that happen on the baseball diamond.

Sidney Ponson, 1998 Upper Deck #594

2013 marks the 60th season in Orioles history. Over these last six decades, there have been 46 complete-game shutouts thrown by 22 different O's pitchers against the Yankees. As follows general trends in pitcher usage (and team trends in pitcher quality), only five of those shutouts have come in the last 30 years. You can find the full list here. Some interesting notes:

-As you might expect, Jim Palmer leads the way with seven whitewashes of the New Yorkers. He is followed by Dave McNally (six), Mike Cuellar (five), and ex-Yankee farmhand Scott McGregor (four, though one was a rain-shortened six-inning game).

-Charlie Beamon had only three career victories, and one of them was a wild four-hit, seven-walk, nine-strikeout blanking of Whitey Ford and the Yanks on September 26, 1956. The Birds did not turn a single double play and caught one runner stealing (Joe Collins in the first inning), but the Yankees went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded 10.

-The highest Game Score was 93, for Hoyt Wilhelm's 1958 no-hitter.

-Mike Mussina never blanked the Bronx Bombers, but Bob Milacki did it twice! Baseball, man.

-Sidney Ponson is the only O's pitcher to shut out the Yankees from 1993 to the present day. On September 4, 2004, he needed 109 pitches to beat them 7-0. All New York could muster were a pair of hits and a walk. Mike Mussina was the tough-luck loser (2 ER in 7 IP), and Mariano Rivera was blasted for four runs in one-third of an inning in a non-save situation. See note on Bob Milacki.

I'm telling you all of this because the Orioles have hit their first truly ugly stretch on the year, losing five in a row to the Padres and Rays. This is not the best time to be facing the Yankees, especially when tonight's pitching matchup is CC Sabathia (17-3 career vs. the O's) against Freddy Garcia (eight runs allowed in his last nine and two-thirds innings pitched). We need something weird to happen to snap out of this funk.

Cal Ripken, Jr., 1995 Collector's Choice #85

One of the most impressive things about Cal Ripken, Jr.'s record-breaking consecutive games played streak was how he managed to avoid any serious injuries despite being routinely stalked by a rabid Ben McDonald.

Brooks Robinson, 1993 Action Packed All-Stars #120

Today is Brooks Robinson's 76th birthday, but everything else about this day made me feel like baseball is a cruel, pointless, stupid game. Yes, I was at Camden Yards for Jim Johnson and Darren O'Day's six-run ninth-inning meltdown; why do you ask?

Vintage Fridays: Willie Kirkland, 1964 Topps #17

Willie Kirkland looks dubious. He knows that he's got the Indians' wishbone "C" and Chief Wahoo (sigh) on his cap, and he's gazing up at the blue block letters that spell out "Orioles" at the top of the card and wondering what gives. Here's what gives, Willie: Cleveland traded you to the O's for Al Smith and $25,000 in December of 1963. But don't get comfortable just yet. You'll only be in Baltimore until August 12, when the Birds sell your contract to the Senators. Your final stat line as an Oriole: .200/.281/.293 in 66 games, with three homers and 22 RBI. I guess Charm City just wasn't your kinda place.

Ivanon Coffie, 2001 Upper Deck #14

Ivanon Coffie turns 36 today. He was born in Curacao, his surname is pronounced like the caffeinated beverage, and his major league career totaled 23 games in the summer of 2000, when he hit .217/.284/.317 with no home runs and six RBI for the Orioles. Now we all know four things about Ivanon Coffie. Here's one more: he and 1950s pinch-hitting specialist Dave Philley are the only two O's to share a birthday with my maternal grandmother, who would have been 84 today.

My Gram, who went by the nickname "Boots" from a very young age, left us nearly seven years ago. Time keeps moving along, always forward, and I still can't believe that we've been without her for so long. I keep her close to me in my heart and in my mind, and there are little reminders of her scattered throughout my home. A 2001 portrait photograph of her, smiling brightly, sits in my living room. An older photograph, this one from Christmas 1986, rests on my dresser in the bedroom. I asked for a few keepsakes when the family combed through her personal effects, and these are still with me as well: a few beer glasses (one rose-tinted and engraved with the name "BOOTS", the other a mug bearing the logo of her old reliable Natural Light), a tin Schaefer beer serving tray that I've hung on the kitchen wall, the well-worn Scrabble board and deck of Phase 10 cards that we used to pass the hours on many a weekend or summer day, and of course the Super Nintendo that she herself bought about 20 years back. That last item was the first modern video game console in our house, and it still works...though I need to solder the A/V cable.

But those are just things. What matters to me most are the things that I remember, things that I feel the need to share with you and to put into written word on the chance that those memories ever fade. There was her near-inscrutable Baltimore accent, a Highlandtown dialect that turned "dial" into "doll", "oil" into "ool", and most amusingly, "sink" into "zink". She had a love for any and all games: scratch-off lottery tickets, card games (scat and Skip-Bo were some favorites), Bingo, board games, TV guide crosswords, pinball and casino video games...you name it. But she was fiercely competitive; if you got the upper hand against her, she'd snap about how you "had a horseshoe up your ass" or that you were "unconscious". It was all in good fun, though. Boots loved strawberry shortcake and ice cream with pretzels for dipping. Every St. Patrick's Day she would raise a glass of dyed-green beer in a nod to the Irish portion of her heritage. Still, I'm not getting to the heart of it.

Most of all, my Gram was full of love. She loved her brothers and sisters, her cousins, her children, and most of all, her grandchildren. When my sister and I were growing up, she was our usual babysitter, and she even lived on the bottom floor of our house for 17 years. She helped us learn to read by reading to us. She would sometimes wake us by singing the first few notes of "Good Morning!", from Singin' in the Rain. We'd watch The Price Is Right, maybe play a game of Pay Day or Aggravation. She'd whip up an omelet for breakfast or maybe just Rice Krispies with a heaping helping of sugar (to Mom's dismay), and grilled cheese for lunch. Whether my parents were home or not, Gram was always right downstairs, and she always had time for me and my sister. When the family went on vacation to our cottage in Northeastern Pennsylvania or to Ocean City, she came along, sharing the back seat with the kids and playing the license plate game or the alphabet game to help pass the tedious hours in the car. She was such a large and active part of our lives.

I miss her.

Ramon Hernandez, 2006 Upper Deck #380

The Orioles finally suffer their first series sweep of the year thanks to a listless drubbing at the hands of the punchless and largely anonymous Padres. Gross. Two-game series bookended by days off...interleague play...12:35 getaway games after night games...if you ask me, Bud Selig is to blame for this mini-skid.

Okay, I'm only half-serious. But the past 18 hours of baseball made me grumpy, and I figure that nobody ever made enemies by bashing Mr. Commish-for-Life.

Jeff Tackett, 1993 Topps #6

For a backup catcher with a career batting line of .217/.300/.336 and 136 total games played, Jeff Tackett had some truly righteous cards. This 1993 Topps card, which holds a position of honor on the first binder page of the set (nestled snugly next to Tony Gwynn, no less), was my first exposure to Chris Hoiles' water carrier. Jeff gets the unique designation of being the first Oriole featured in the first card set that I collected as a kid, which was somehow 20 years ago. As vivid a story as this photo tells, with the catcher taking a moment to sullenly contemplate what seems to be a run-scoring play at the plate, it's not even the most visually compelling of his cards. You can see an art gallery's worth of Tackett action shots and portraits in my archives.

This card serves as a not-so-sneaky segue to the official launch of my 1993 Topps set blog. I've been kicking the idea around for months, but I wasn't about to toss another chainsaw into the fire until I'd wrapped up my 1965 Topps blog, which I finally got around to doing last weekend. I'm really excited to jump into this, since the set and its players hold a personal nostalgia for me that the truly vintage sets don't. There will be pithy remarks, a few less-known facts about each player, recollections of my childhood, historical and pop culture facts from '93, and a bit of wit and wisdom borrowed from Bill James. Be sure to bookmark the blog now, share it with the people you love, and get to reading! I've already posted an introduction of sorts, as well as the first card of the set. One down, 824 to go!

...Of course, there were six extra players who appeared only in the Gold parallel set, replacing the checklist cards. So that's 830 to go. Oh, and I can't forget the 132-card Traded set. So that takes us to 962 posts left to write. I wonder if I should do the 44 BlackGold inserts....

What have I started?

Cal Ripken, Jr., 1999 Topps Record Numbers #RN9

I knew that Cal Ripken was durable, but I didn't even remember him continuing to play third base in the midst of an on-field pyrotechnic explosion. It was pretty irresponsible of the Orioles to schedule their Friday night fireworks display for 8:00 PM. Live and learn, I guess.

Jay Gibbons, 2003 Donruss Studio #7

I spent several hours last night sorting Orioles cards, a task that I'd literally been putting off for a few years. Among other things, it served as another reminder that I own a metric crapton of Jay Gibbons cards. At least this one is visually appealing (as much as any card featuring a closeup of Jay can be), with the background image of the Home Plate Plaza entrance to Oriole Park at Camden Yards. You feel like you're right downtown at the ballpark.

Randy Myers, 1997 Score #190

Randy Myers got pushed aside last night, as current Oriole closer Jim Johnson set a new team record by converting his 35th consecutive save. Myers was the previous record holder, as he nailed down 34 in a row back in 1997. Johnson has targeted Myers before, as his 2012 season total of 51 saves broke another of the latter's team records; Randy saved 45 games for the O's in 1997. As they say, records are made to be broken.

Vintage Fridays: Luis Aparicio, 1965 Topps #410

Today I posted the final card on my Great 1965 Topps Project blog. It's incredibly satisfying to officially close the book on my most ambitious undertaking to date as a collector. The 1965 Topps blog predated my Orioles card blog by a couple of months, and it took me a shade under five years to complete this classic 598-card set. It took another nine months to complete posting those cards to the blog, but that's neither here nor there. If you've never checked it out, or haven't been there for a while, go read up on all of the most prominent players of the 1960s, from Luis Aparicio (complete with Star-Spangled Banner Sesquicentennial sleeve patch) to Willie Mays, from Sandy Koufax to Warren Spahn, and then some. At the risk of repeating myself, I'm forever in awe of the kindness and generosity of my fellow collectors. Most of you have never met me face to face, and yet you reached out to me and went out of your way and helped me complete a vintage set that is nearly 50 years old and chock-full of Hall of Famers. My next task is a bit less grandiose: I'll be blogging the entire 1993 Topps set. I'm hoping to launch that project in the next week or so; stay tuned!

Baltimore Orioles, 1991 Upper Deck Stickers

Now that yesterday's Debbie Downer post has had a little time to breathe, I should acknowledge that it's actually good to be an Orioles fan these days. That's been a reality since the beginning of last season, and it still seems surreal. The Birds are 21-13, a half-game behind the Cardinals for the best record in baseball. The men in orange and black are riding a season-high four-game win streak, enabling them to tie the Red Sox for first place in the unforgiving American League East. Speaking of the East, the preseason darlings from Toronto are a full eight and one-half games back already, with several high-profile players on the shelf. Out west, the mega-bucks Angels are within sniffing distance of the league's worst record, with a shaky pitching staff, a floundering Josh Hamilton, and a gimpy Albert Pujols.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying watching the O's do their thing on a nightly basis. Highlight-reel defense, competent starting pitching, reliable relief pitching, and timely offense from a likable bunch of guys. Then there's the Fun With Arbitrary Endpoints Stats:

• Since July 29, 2012, the Orioles have the best overall record (62-33, .653 win%) and the best home record (32-13, .711) in baseball.
• Left fielder Nate McLouth, the namesake of my fiancee's orange and black beta fish, has reached base in 31 of his last 68 plate appearances.
• The Birds have won 108 consecutive games when leading after seven innings, dating back to August 2011. This is a particularly goofy thing to track, especially since it allows for games to be blown when leading after eight innings. But Baltimore is closing in on the major league record of 116 straight, held by the 1998-99 Yankees. I'm willing to celebrate the toppling of any Yankee record, no matter how convoluted the calculus.

Tonight I'll be at Oriole Park in Camden Yards, in my usual roost in section 340, as Freddy Garcia tries to secure the team's first series sweep of the year. The 36-year-old is Dan Duquette's latest bargain-bin find, and naturally he no-hit the Angels for the first six innings of his O's debut last Saturday. Hopefully the home ballpark is as hospitable to his soft-tossing repertoire as "The Big A" was.

Brian Roberts, 2011 Topps Attax #34

Hamstring surgery for Brian Roberts. Out at least another six weeks. Third different surgery in the past nine months. I don't even know what else to say. My heart breaks for this guy.

Mark Smith, 1994 Score Select #408

It's Mark Smith's 43rd birthday today, which is the kind of information that you're only going to get here...or through a quick Google search...or by reading the back of a 20-year-old baseball card. Ahem. Anywise, help yourself to a hearty stew of Mark Smith Fun Facts!

• There have been two Mark Smiths in MLB history. The first was a righthanded pitcher who gave up 11 runs on 24 hits in 14.2 innings for the Athletics in 1983. Therefore, the Orioles' Mark Smith is the greatest Mark Smith to ever play the game. (The 13 Mark Smiths who have played in the minors, but not the majors, look at Mark's career OPS of .719 and marinate in their own envy.)
• Mark was the Birds' first-round pick, ninth overall, in the 1991 draft. Players chosen later in that round include Manny Ramirez, Cliff Floyd, and Shawn Green. Of course, Al Shirley, Scott Ruffcorn, and Tom McKinnon were also later first-round picks that year, so why second-guess?
• According to Baseball Reference, Smith's agent was Arn Tellem. I always thought that was a funny name. Just roll it around on your tongue.
• Mark played 67 total games with the O's from 1994-1996. He had a pair of three-hit games. They came on back-to-back days: August 25 and August 26, 1995.
• On September 22, 1995, Mark Smith was intentionally walked in the ninth inning with the Orioles leading the Brewers 10-3. Jeffrey Hammonds had just hit a one-out double, and Jeff Huson was on deck. Huson was retired on a foul pop to third base, and Jarvis Brown struck out, so I guess Phil Garner's strategy...worked? It was one of four career intentional walks for Smith.
• He hit seven home runs as an Oriole. So did Jake Fox, Jeff Tackett, and pitcher Jack Harshman, among others.
• Smith started four games in center field for the Expos in 2001, which suggests that Felipe Alou was just making sure that everyone was paying attention. For what it's worth, Mark handled nine chances without an error.

Miguel Tejada, 2007 Upper Deck SP Authentic Power #AP-36

So the Orioles have survived a brutal 11-game, 11-day West Coast road trip with a strong 7-4 record. Their reward is a nice long...three game homestand? Then they go to Minnesota for three games, then back home again? What sort of half-crazed, gibbering primate put together this schedule? Baseball, man.

Anyway, the Royals are coming to town tomorrow night, which means a reunion of sorts with former O's Jeremy Guthrie (Thursday night's scheduled starter), Bruce Chen, and Miguel Tejada. This may be our last chance to see Miggi play in Baltimore, as the 2002 American League MVP is weeks away from his 39th birthday and clinging to a utility role in Kansas City. He's only appeared in eight games thus far (four starts), with predictable results: .313 (5-for-16) with a walk and a double.

If you ever rooted for Tejada, and especially if his gradual decline and his highly emotional nature frustrated you, I would recommend reading the long-form profile by former Washington Post reporter Jorge Arangure, Jr. that was recently published on Sports on Earth. It draws a more complete picture of the man and the athlete than I've ever come across before. It's a reminder that what we see on the field and what we read in sound-bite quotes is usually only skimming the surface.

Roberto Alomar, 1997 Pinnacle New #102

Somewhere in the excitement of the past week, I neglected to mention that Roberto Alomar was voted into the Orioles' Hall of Fame. While the well-traveled second baseman spent only three seasons in Baltimore, he made them count. Alomar was a three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove award winner, and a one-time Silver Slugger award winner in his time in Charm City. His batting line with the O's was .312/.382/.480, with 50 home runs and 210 RBI. Roberto also has the rare honor of belonging to the Orioles' Hall of Fame, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame (the one in Cooperstown, don'tcha know). That's probably the second-most important Triple Crown in baseball.

Mike Boddicker, 1984 7-11 Coins East #9

Sorry for the cruddy scan, but that's what you get with a lenticular card that's the size of a half-dollar. The primary image that you see is Mike Boddicker in mid-windup, with a ghost of the portrait image that would appear with the flick of a wrist. These odd little discs were given away with Slurpee cups at 7-11, and my crack research shows that there were three different 24-coin sets released regionally: East, Central, and West. The East set includes four Orioles: Boddicker, Rick Dempsey, Eddie Murray, and Cal Ripken. The Central and West sets feature only Eddie. The nifty thing about the Boddicker coin is that it includes mention of his 1983 ALCS MVP honors on the back. Mike got the nod thanks to his five-hit, 14-strikeout shutout of the White Sox in Game Two. That performance is all the more remarkable when you consider that he never struck out more than a dozen batters in any regular season game in his career, and had only five double-digit strikeout games total. He picked a good time to throw the game of his life.

Vintage Fridays: Jack Fisher, 1961 Topps #463

Who taught Jack Fisher how to roll up his pants? He looks like a total goober.

Chris Davis, 2012 Topps Heritage High Numbers #H621

I took a rare off-day from posting yesterday, for the best possible reason. I asked my girlfriend Janet to marry me, and she said yes...about a dozen times. I told her that I would take that as a "yes".

The past nine-plus months with Janet have been some of the happiest of my life. We've even been to a few great Orioles games together. Our first Oriole Park date was on Friday, August 24, 2012, when Chris Davis nearly singlehandedly carried the O's to a 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays. "Crush" Davis had three of Baltimore's eight hits that night, each of them home runs, and drove in four. He's pretty much been on a roll ever since, and today was named the American League Player of the Month for April. In the first month of the 2013 season, he batted .348/.442/.728 with a league-leading nine home runs as well as 28 RBI. But I still think that I'm having a better year.