Request Week- Rocky Cherry

I'm kicking off my all request week with a suggestion from Justin, AKA piratesfan731, who wanted to see and hear a little bit about former Oriole Rocky Cherry.

I have to start by saying the most obvious thing about him; that his name is just amazing. Way back in July 2009, I described it as "one of the greatest, most ice-cream-sounding names ever", and I'm sticking by that statement. I would guess that his parents either had a great sense of humor, or they were rather oblivious to the awesomeness that those eleven letters contain.

It's best that we remember Rocky for his name because his MLB stats over the 2007-08 seasons for the Cubs and Orioles aren't pretty. He had a 1-4 record with a 5.77 ERA over 40 relief appearances, 28 of which came with the O's after the Cubs sent him and Scott Moore to Baltimore for Steve Trachsel on August 31, 2007. He hasn't pitched professionally since the end of the 2009 season, and I would venture a guess that he has retired.

Interestingly, this is the only card that pictures Rocky in an Orioles uniform. There is a "gold" version of this that's only #ed to 75, but if you want an Orioles card of Rocky, it will be autographed. Which is perfect for me and my collection, but not so much if you didn't want to pay for the signature. I lucked out and got this card on ebay sometime in 2009 for either .25 or .99 plus shipping. You can still find this card but you will need to pay significantly more, proportionally at least. ($5 is a lot more than a quarter, am I right?)

If anyone else is interested in making a request for my O's autograph request week, please leave a comment!

Fun with Ebay in June & July

Since I want to build my collection mainly through trades, TTMs, and getting guys to sign for me at games; I try to avoid buying anything. But try as I may, I come across some cards every month that can help my collection and the Ebay listings draw me in either due to their low price or scarcity.

Here are those cards from the last two months:

Stick with me as I am ramping up from the peons to the big guns...

Kris Foster 2001

Here is a guy that I do not remember at all. He pitched 7 games for the 2001 edition of the Birds, and I am really happy the he even has a card in an Orioles uni. He came to the Orioles from the Dodgers on 7/31/01 with Geronimo Gil in exchange for Mike Trombley. And if you're a footnote in the Gil-Trombley blockbuster, I wouldn't say that's a good thing.

Rocky Cherry 2007-08

Beyond having one of the greatest, most ice-cream-sounding names ever, Rocky didn't contribute much else to the Orioles. The Cubs traded him and Scott Moore to the Orioles in exchange for Steve Trachsel at the end of August 2007, presumably so that the human rain delay (Trachsel) could somehow stall for them to make the playoffs. The Mets took him from the O's in the Rule 5 draft after the 08 season and consequently released him after the O's decided they did not need him back. He's currently in the Red Sox system. Do you notice how I avoided telling you about his 0-3 record and 7.02 ERA for the Birds....whoops I was trying to avoid those stats...that's why this card was only fifty cents!

Steve Stone 1979-81

This guy has some interesting stats. If you take away his 1980 Cy Young season (in which he threw more than 50% of his pitches as curveballs, reportedly) he had a sub .500 career record. But somehow, in one magical season, he went 25-7 with a .781 winning percentage and pitched 9 complete games. He is easily the most forgettable O's Cy Young winner, as he was out of baseball a year after he won the award and only pitched for the O's for 2.5 seasons. Sadly, he is also the last Orioles pitcher to win the Cy Young.

He has been a broadcaster for the Cubs and White Sox since his playing career ended and also posed for Playgirl. Now that's a great visual!

Dwight "Dewey" Evans 1991

Dwight is mainly known for his 19 stellar seasons with the Boston Red Sox, during which he won 8 Gold Gloves, appeared on 3 All-Star teams, and finished in the top 11 in MVP votes 5 times. He is the only player to hit at least 20 HR's every season from 1980-89 and hit 256 homers during the '80s, more than any other player. I'm not entirely sure why he left the Sox at the end of his career to play one season with the O's. Does anyone know?

Luis Aparicio 1963-67

Now here is a famous Oriole, one that's in the HOF even!

Luis, a slick-fielding Venezuelan shortstop, had an amazing career that started when he won the 1956 AL ROY with the White Sox. Throughout his 18 season in the Majors that spanned 3 decades, he was a 10 time All Star, a 9 time Gold Glove winner, and received MVP votes 10 times! He also was on the '66 Orioles World Series championship team and was the first player from South America elected into the Hall of Fame.

A few other facts about Luis that jumped out at me were that he led the AL in stolen bases for 9 consecutive seasons to start his career, and when he retired he held records for most games played, assists and double plays as a shortstop. That is quite an amazing career.


So there you have it, from Kris Foster to Luis Aparicio, my recent Ebay acquisitions. That is also the only time in the history of baseball that those two guys will be mentioned in the same sentence.