Oriole #763- Ramon Nivar

I profiled Ramon fairly well back in November of 2009, and I don't have too much to add since that time. He has continued to bounce between the affiliated minor leagues and independent league teams, but has yet to return to the Majors since his time with the Orioles in 2005. 

What I did discover about Ramon is that he was the 763rd player to appear in a game for the Orioles when he appeared in his first game with the team on June 3, 2005. And I added this sweet York Revolution signed card to my collection. 

While Ramon is far from the only Oriole to have played with the Independent, Atlantic League franchise in nearby York, PA (Val Majewski and Matt Riley also comes to mind), he is the only former Oriole player whose signed Rev card is currently in my collection. 

(I've mentioned it before and don't like to repeat things too often, but I went to college in York and had my semi-local wedding reception at a Revs game, so the city is full of memories for me.)

The addition of the card above means that this 2003 Leaf Nivar autograph is up for trade. And I don't have much to say for his autograph, but he is very consistent with his signature and the Bible verse inscription. 

Orioles Hall of Fame Week- Cal Ripken Jr.

One reason that I think I have held off on profiling many of the big-name Orioles Hall of Famers is that I don't feel qualified to write about them. I can blog about the Ramon Nivars and Barry Shetrones of the Orioles past all day and feel like I've done a good job, but trying to summarize Cal Ripken Jr. and what he has meant to me and my love of baseball is a whole different monster.

I was born in 1982 and my love of baseball really started to take shape in the late '80s as I was playing tee-ball and later little league. At that time, I honestly felt like I would make it to the Major Leagues. That obviously never happened, not even close, and I had actually stopped playing by the age of 13 or so, but my love of baseball remains to this day. It's my #1 favorite sport by far; I spend a good part of every day thinking, breathing and day-dreaming about baseball. And if you asked me which one player pops into my head at any given time, it would be Cal.

Now I know that most '92 Fleer cards wouldn't be your first choice to get signed, but I love that this card has the date that the streak started and 2130 on it. Outside of any possible Orioles' World Series Championships in the coming years, I don't think anything can rival "The Streak" and 2131 in my baseball memory hierarchy. Seeing video clips of that game gets to me even to this day. The lead up to 2131 was so amazing. Could Cal stay healthy? Would it benefit the team if he took a day off now and then? How would he handle the pressure?

Well, the "Iron Man" obviously passed Lou Gehrig's record of 2130 consecutive games played and extended the record to 2632 straight games played. My dad took me to a bunch of games in the lead up to 2130 & 2131 and we watched the numbers change of the warehouse count up towards those magical numbers. He tried to find tickets to those two games but the cost was astronomical, I think in the thousands. It just wasn't gonna happen, but I appreciate that he tried so hard. Honestly, it was pretty awesome to see it on TV. I didn't know her back then, but my fiance, Kalina, was lucky enough to have some family friends that took her to 2131. She was standing in line for her "I Was There" t-shirt when Cal homered. Cool stuff, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous, but I am glad that one of us got to be there for it. I was lucky enough to have been at the final game of Cal's career on October 6, 2001.

Kalina gave me this awesome card. 

It didn't scan well because it's in a screw-down case and I was too lazy to take it out for the scan.

Most of you know that Cal was the 1982 AL ROY, won the AL MVP in 1983 & '91, caught the final out in the O's '83 World Series victory, made 19 All-Star teams, won 2 Gold Gloves, 8 Silver Sluggers, was the All-Star Game MVP in 1991 & 2001, and won the '91 Home Run Derby. He has won countless other awards and honors over his illustrious career, too many to list.

Cal's #8 was retired by the O's in 2001 and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007, his first year of eligibility. Thanks for everything Cal!

I have to plug my HOF week contest. Some of you have been earning a bunch of bonus entries. I won't comment on how you can earn them, but there are some clues in previous posts.

This Guy Has a Cool Name

Ramon Nivar 2005

Say it with me now....Ramon Nivar. Try rolling the r's with a Spanish flair. Isn't it fun? I really enjoy Ramon's name for whatever reason. I also seem to remember his career for more than what it seems to have been. Between 2003-05 Ramon only appeared in 42 games with the Rangers and the O's. He hasn't appeared in a Major League game since his seven game stint with the Birds in 2005. Where have you gone Ramon Nivar?

Turns out that he has kicked around the Minor Leagues for the Cardinals, Padres, Dodgers and a few independent leagues since his time with the Orioles. In an interesting O's tie-in, Ramon played for the Chattanooga Lookouts, the Dodgers' AA affiliate, this past season with Josh Bell before Bell came to the O's organization in the George Sherrill trade.

Ramon continues to put up some good numbers at the Minor League level so I hope that he can get back to the Bigs someday. Until then, I will continue to say his name with a smile on my face while my tongue is rolling the R's!