Who's Happy That Baseball's Back?

This guy. As in me. And I guess Erik Bedard might be excited even though I'm pretty sure he's hurt. And I would guess a bunch of you out there are pumped as well.

I literally can never get enough baseball news, games, anything. I love it. And the Orioles first two Spring Training games have been on the radio the past two days. I don't care if the lineups at the end of the game are a bunch of Minor Leaguers who hardly anyone has ever heard of.

Speaking of players you've probably never heard of...

 Eddy's autograph might be the laziest I've seen from a no-name type player. E. R_____? Really?

Jeff M. Robinson, not Jeff D. Robinson. Keep it straight.

 Todd Williams' signature confuses me. I can't make out a single letter nor see his name in there at all.

OK, you've probably heard of Phil. He was an All-Star in 1985. And he was the 1989 cap under helmet champion of baseball.

To celebrate the amazing black/orange uniforms the O's wear during Spring Training, I decided to feature a bunch of orange uniform autographed cards today. I'm too amped up to write anything much. Happy Baseball everyone! 


ST Contest Update- The Tigers continue to lead the pack with a 3-0 record (but look out for the 2-0 O's, Nats & Rockies). The Blue Jays continue to struggle with a 0-4 record.

A Trade with John

OK, I'm switching the format up a little today to showcase a trade that I recently made with a reader named John. He hooked me up with a few autographs of guys who I did not have at all, and a few autos from guys that I already had but needed their signature on Orioles cards. I'm just going to write a little blurb about each of these guys, not get all up in their business like I normally do. Are you excited about this yet? Well I think you should be!

Jackie Gutierrez 1986-87

Jackie doesn't have a great signature does he? Well, who am I to talk because neither do I!
He wasn't much of a hitter over his career but was known for his exceptionally strong throwing arm.

Greg Myers 2000-01

Hold onto the bat Greg! Haha, this is probably my favorite card of the bunch and since Greg doesn't have any Orioles cards, this is perfect for my collection.
He hung around the Bigs from 1987-2005, much longer than I thought, and caught almost 900 games for seven teams over that time. He was also Nolan Ryan's 5,714th and last strikeout victim in 1993. I wonder if he held onto his bat that time?

Mike Johnson 1997

Mike was a 1996 Rule V draftee from the Expos who eventually was returned to Montreal, thus supporting my Steve Johnson argument that he will come back to the O's. He pitched for Team Canada in the Olympics in 2004 & 2008 and in the World Baseball Classic in 2009. He has literally pitched around the world since his time in Birdland and was still active in 2009, pitching somewhere in Korea.

Rich Amaral 1999-2000

Rich spent the final two years of his career with the Orioles after playing in Seattle for his first 8 seasons. He spent 10 years in the Minor Leagues before his big league debut for the Mariners in 1993 and played at least 40 games at every position except for pitcher and catcher over his 10 years in the Majors. Quite a resume!

Eddy Rodriguez 2004, 2006 & Dave Borkowski 2004

Eddy went 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA over 38 games spanning two seasons in Baltimore but Dave is the reason I am featuring this card. It's his only Orioles card, and he only got half of one! He did only pitch for one season in Baltimore but I got the chance to meet him at one of the O's FanFests and he seemed like a nice guy.

Jimmy Haynes 1995-96

Jimmy is another guy who stayed in the Majors longer than I remember. He debuted for the O's in '95 and pitched into the 2004 season with the Reds. Also, I thought he was a reliever but he started 203 of his 227 career games.

And I've already blogged about and established that I don't like Jason Grimsley, but he is now a part of my collection now.

Thanks for the awesome trade John!