Postseason Contest Update-And Then There Were Three

Or two actually. Both of Play at the Plate's entries are still going strong and Night Owl is also hanging in there. Everyone else has been eliminated by the shocking, and very welcome, upset victories by the Rangers and Giants in the ALCS & NLCS.   

Technically, Play at the Plate's #2 entry is winning for the moment since he has picked five of the six series correctly so far. However, he can't get anymore correct since he took the Phillies to win the World Series.  Night Owl and Play at the Plate #1 currently have four correct picks, and one of them will have correctly selected the 2010 World Series champ, so it will come down to the tie-breakers. Play at the Plate has a major advantage right now, but good luck to you both. 

Personally, I'll be happy with either result at this point, but I think I will be rooting for the Rangers. 

Random Saturday Autograph- Donell Nixon

Continuing my "tradition" (I started last week) of Random Saturday autographs, I present to you Donell Nixon. 

He was a big-time speedster in the minor leagues who once stole 144 bases in only 135 games during the '83 season in the Mariners farm system. He only played in 208 big league games over four seasons with the Mariners, Giants and O's; appearing in just 8 games for the O's during the 1990 season, which would be his last Major League action. His claim to fame seems to be that he is Otis Nixon's younger brother.  Once I read that, I can see it but it seems like Donell lucked out in the Nixon family looks department.  You know what I mean. 

I picked up this autograph on ebay. Donell's autograph starts out pretty well for his first name but his last name appears to be half of an N and something that looks like a lower case cursive L. 

Unpossible Autograph Friday- Charley Lau

Before I start the post, I want to clarify something about his name. I found it spelled Charley and Charlie at various places, but as far as I can tell, he spelled it Charley, so that's what I'm going with.

Charley played with the O's during two stints, from 1961-63 & '64-67, during his 11 season MLB career as a backup catcher. He is much better remembered for the fifteen seasons he spent as a highly successful hitting coach with the Orioles, A's, Royals, Yankees & White Sox after his playing career ended. He is credited with positively influencing the hitting careers of baseball greats like George Brett, Carlton Fisk, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Frank Thomas, Mark McGwire, and Harold Baines either through in-person instruction or because the hitters followed his "Absolutes" method to hitting.  

Charley would likely have been able to share his successful thoughts about hitting to many more players but colon cancer cut Charley's time short; he died at age 50 in early 1984 after losing his long fight with the awful disease. RIP Charley. 

Charley's son has continued the hitting coach tradition in his family and runs the website, lauhitting.com.

Trade with Crinkly Wrappers

About a month ago, Crinkly Wrappers posted a Cal Ripken Jr. card I wanted. It's one of the three possible cards you could pull from those Topps Wal-Mart value packs. I bought one at my local Wal-Mart and got the Babe Ruth, not what I was shooting for; I mean he is one of the greatest players of all time, but he's still a Yankee so he's not in my collect-o-sphere. 

 

Anyway, Ted  had apparently bought three of the value packs and pulled two Cals, so he offered the double up for trade. I jumped at the opportunity. My dad and I used to collect Cal pretty hard-core; I would say that we have a near complete collection of everything Cal from his first cards through the mid to late '90s.  Our collecting slowed/stopped as it seemed like there was 500 new cards produced every year and it got somewhat overwhelming. I was also entering that awkward teenage break away from baseball stage but I'm glad that I'm over that now!  

Anyway, we worked out a trade.  I sent him a bunch of Blue Jays cards, and he sent me the Cal,

 

a couple awesome '76 O's cards, 

and some of my set needs from '08 Topps, '08 Topps U&H, and '09 Topps.

I can't believe I still need cards from those sets, but I do.  If anyone else can help me scratch a few off my list, I would really appreciate it!  

Thanks for the awesome trade Ted!  If you've never checked out Crinkly Wrappers, I suggest you head over there immediately. 

Orioles Autograph Year in Reivew- The Bad Signers

Rolling on with my 2010 O's Autograph Review, today I'm going to cover the worst signers on the team. If I had it my way, no one would fall into this category, but unfortunately, these guys do.

Nick Markakis continues to be, in my opinion, the toughest autograph on the Orioles. The one and only autograph I got from him all season was way back at Fanfest, and I didn't see him signing any other time all season long. At one game, a fellow collector told me that he had signed the previous day, but since I didn't see it, I can't believe it. This dude NEVER signs at games, not even during Spring Training.

Not surprisingly, I also ranked Nick as a bad signer last season. 

Falling in the c'mon man category of bad signers is backup catcher, Craig Tatum. I mean, it's not like he was busy more than one or two days a week. I once had him walk by me, while he was apparently doing nothing, with only a few other people nearby and asked if he could sign. His answer "no". That's all he said. Luckily, I got his autograph in a few trades and got a few cards signed at a private signing.

I picked up Kevin's autograph both at Fanfest and at Spring Training, so I was optimistic about getting his signature a few more times over the course of the year. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, and I can't remember seeing him sign once at Oriole Park this season. I know he was the veteran "ace" of the staff, but most starting pitchers will sign occasionally between starts since they have some down time. 

David Hernandez has always been a pretty tough signature, at least dating back to the '08 season when he was with the Baysox, and he continued down that path over this past season. I picked him up at a private signing, but can't remember seeing him sign around the park much, if at all. Sundays are the best day to get autographs from the Orioles relief pitchers, since there is no BP and they warm up on the field, but David would almost always just walk back into the clubhouse after warming up.

Last season, I ranked him as a hit or miss signer since he didn't sign often, but when he did, he signed for a number of fans. 

Sometime closer, Alfredo Simon was another tough autograph to pick up. I was able to get his autograph during Spring Training, but only after persistently calling out his name as he was walking down the right field line. He could only ignore so many times, you know?   I got his signature one other time this season, but again, it was at a private signing. 

Last year, I listed him in the inconclusive/undetermined category since he only spent a few days with the O's before going down with a season-ending injury.

Unfortunately, I once again have to include my favorite Oriole on the list of bad signers. I got his autograph only once this season, and that was at a private signing at a local AT&T Store. He didn't sign in Spring Training, I didn't see him sign once at Oriole Park, and I missed him at Fanfest. All season long, I had my copy of his SI cover in my game backpack, hoping that I might luck out and get it signed, but it looks like that will be a project for next season. 

Since Matt normally catches six days a week, I can kind of understand why he doesn't sign often.  But I wish that I would occasionally see him sign at the Yard on one of his off days.  As I mentioned, he also fell in the bad signer category last season.  

Orioles Autograph Year in Reivew- The Inconclusive/Undetermind Players

If you caught yesterday's post, you know that I'm starting my review of the 2010 Orioles signing habits.  Today I'm going to cover the players who either played only a few games for the O's who I didn't get a good feel for their signing habits or I wasn't able to get a good read on how often these players' signed over the season. This post will mainly focus on bench players, injury plagued types, and/or players who weren't cut out to wear the orange and black. I just never determined their signing frequency or figured out their habits, hence the name of the category.

Nolan had two stints with the Orioles in 2010, one at the beginning of the season, the other at the end, and he spent the majority of the year with the AAA Norfolk Tides. The only time I got his autograph this season was at O's Fanfest, but I did see him sign at a few games but wasn't able to get to him in time. Most of his autographs in my collection come from the '08 season when he played for the AA Baysox.

In 2009, Nolan was also in this category, so I guess that not much changed in a year. 

Frank made his Orioles (& MLB) debut as the franchise's 879th player on May 26. Overall, he pitched in relief in 15 games from late May to mid-July, and I got his autograph one time in Baltimore and once in Spring Training.

The Cla was with the O's from the start of the season until the end of May when he was shipped to Norfolk for general ineffectiveness. I got this card signed during the Orioles first homestand, but it was my only autograph from him this season. 

I ranked Cla as a good signer last season, so this could be considered at step backwards. 

Kam signed a few times for me at Spring Training, but since he only spent the first couple weeks of the season with the O's, I wasn't able to get him again in Baltimore.

In 2009, Kam also fell into this category. I won't be able to get a good feel for his signing habits until he spends more time in Baltimore.

Lou played the first half of the season with the Orioles before injuries once again caused him to miss out on any opportunity he might have had in Baltimore. I got his autograph once at a game and at Fanfest, but didn't see him sign much this year.

I determined his signing habits in 2009 fell in the small sample good category, so Lou moved backwards this year.

If you forgot that Justin was an Oriole this season, it's quite alright since he only appeared in 5 games and had 9 at-bats through April 23 before he was sent to Norfolk and then selected off waivers by the Mets. Justin signed for me twice in Spring Training, but I didn't get his autograph in Baltimore. 

Last year, I listed Justin as one of the best signers, so maybe I just caught him at the wrong games this season.

2010 Orioles Autograph Year in Review

Starting today, I am going to review the signing habits of the 45 players who wore the Orioles uniform during the 2010 season. I will try to limit my judgment to only their signing habits at the Major League level during this season, although I'm sure that some past successes/failures with each individual could slightly cloud my opinion. I can only base my judgments on the 35-40 games I attended this season, so it's possible that the players signed very differently at every game I didn't attend, but I somehow don't think that was the case.

I did this same thing last season, starting on 10/15 and continuing through 10/27 and I'm a few days behind last season's schedule but should still be able to wrap this up in about a week. If I don't start this now, I will start to forget how my autograph season went, and the posts will become rather pointless.

Last year, I used nine categories to separate the players, but looking back at things, two of the categories are very similar, so I will combine them. Here are the categories (and explanations) of what I will use this season; the 2009 categories are linked if you're interested. 

Inconclusive/Undetermined- These are the players who either played only a few games for the O's who I didn't get a good feel for their signing habits or I wasn't able to get a good read on how often these players' signed over the season. This will mainly focus on bench players, injured types, and players who weren't cut out to wear the orange and black. I just never determined their signing frequency or figured out their habits, hence the name of the category.

Bad Signers- Pretty simple explanation here. These guys just don't seem to sign.

I Don't Think They're Good Signers- Players who I got autographs from or saw signing, but didn't seem to sign frequently. 

Hit or Miss Signers- These players seemed to be very streaky in regards to their signing habits. Maybe they signed multiple times one week but then not at all again for months. It could have something to do with how their performance on the field was going, or what was occurring in their personal lives; but whatever the case, they signed much better at some times than others.

Small Sample Size Good Signers- Some seemed to be good signers but weren't with the team long enough for me to figure out if I just got lucky or if they normally sign a lot.

Kinda Good Signers- These players all signed for me multiple times over the course of the season. They seemed to sign willingly, at least sometime, so they get bonus points for that.

Good Signers- These guys consistently signed throughout the season.

Best Signers- The players who were the most reliable signers throughout the course of the season. They didn't sign at every game by any means but I probably saw them sign at an average of 1 out of 5 games throughout the year. And that's pretty good for today's current major league player.

I hope that everyone enjoys the review.  Check back soon for the next post!

Orioles Alumni Autographs

Tomorrow, I'm going to start my 2010 Orioles Autograph Year in Review, but today, I need to write about this, finally. I really dropped the ball on the O's Alumni posts towards the end of the year, partially becuase I missed a few signings, and one or two others only had players who were already in my collection. If you don't know what this is all about, for the past two seasons the Orioles have brought former players in for signings prior to every Monday and Thursday home game during the season. I think they're awesome and have really helped my collection out!

On Thursday August, 5, prior to the O's-White Sox game, the Orioles did an amazing job by bringing in TWO alumni who I didn't have in-person autographs from.; "Diamond" Jim Gentile and "Disco" Dan Ford both were lined up to sign that day, along with local guy, multiple time signer, Bill Swaggerty. 

 

Jim Gentile was big-time slugger in the early to mid 1960s', hitting 160 homers from '60-65 and was a three-time All-Star during that stretch.  He was an Oriole from 1960-63 after being traded to Baltimore from the Dodgers and would likely have had even better big league numbers if he hadn't been blocked by Gil Hodges during his 9 seasons in the Dodgers' system.  Roy Campanella gave him the nickname "Diamond" in 1956 when he described Jim as a "diamond in the rough".

Jim was in Baltimore since he was lined up to sign at the National; I lucked out and got him for free at the O's game instead.  His signature is amazing and you can easily read every letter of his name.

"Disco" Dan was a member of the Orioles 1983 World Series Champs and spent the last four years of his 11 season MLB career with the O's from '82-86.  He was one of the nicest guys that I have ever seen at an O's Alumni signing and shook hands and talked to nearly everyone who passed through the line.  I always like when players act like that; Dan seemed genuinely happy to appear at the signing.  His signature is pretty legible, maybe outside of the r in his last name. 

A few highlights of Dan's career include when he hit for the cycle on August 10, 1979 while playing for the Angels, receiving MVP votes in '79, and homering for the O's in game 3 of the '83 series. 

That's Dan in the foreground, with Bill Swaggerty just past him, and Jim Gentile hidden in the back

Bill pitched for the O's from 1983-86 and frequently appears at alumni signings and other local Orioles events.  His signature is pretty solid too, especially considering he has such a long last name.  

Random Saturday Autograph- Willie Morales

I've decided to start a Random Saturday Autograph feature which will highlight either a player that I don't have much to say about, or an autograph that I don't have much of a story to tell about. I never have as much time for blogging on the weekends, so these posts will be short. I hope you all enjoy them.

 

Willie Morales is a perfect player for this feature. I got this autograph in a trade, so I don't have too much to say about it, and Willie's career with the Orioles, and MLB career, lasted all of three games and eleven at-bats in the 2000 season. Two of those games were in April, the other came in September and he went 3 for 11 with a double, run scored and three strikeouts.  

And that's pretty much all I have for Willie, but since he was an Oriole, he's in my collection.  Told you it would be quick.

Unpossible Autograph Friday- Bob Nieman

Bob had an amazing start to his Major League career with the St. Louis Browns in 1951 as he hit a home run in his first two big league at-bats. He was the first player to ever homer twice in his first game, let alone his first two at-bats, and it had to feel pretty nice. Since then, only three other players (Bert Campaneris 1964, Mark Quinn 1999, Keith McDonald 2000) have homered twice in their first game, and only one (McDonald) homered in his first two at-bats. Any time that you are one of only two people to have ever accomplished something in baseball's 120 + year history, you've done something right.

Bob played for seven different teams over his twelve years in the majors from 1951-62 and was a member of the Orioles franchise in both St. Louis (1951-52) and Baltimore (1956-59). He ended his career with a .295 batting average and consistently hit around .300 over the years. His best season was 1956, which he split between the White Sox & O's, when he his .320 and came in 7th in the MVP voting. 

After his playing days ended, Bob spent his remaining years as a scout for the Indians, Dodgers, A's & Yankees. He died on March 10, 1985 at only 58 years old, but I couldn't find his cause of death.  RIP Bob.

Who I'm Rooting For

As a diehard Orioles fan, I get a little bit sad come playoff time every season that the O's don't make it. But let's face it, I'm used to them missing the playoffs by now; Baltimore baseball has been ending at the beginning of October for what feels like forever. The Rays have been a nice fallback option for me in recent years, and I know that it's strange to like two teams in the same division, but the Rays, and specifically a Scott Kazmir jersey t-shirt, brought me and my now fiance together, so the team holds a special place in our relationship.  Now that the Rays have been eliminated from playoff contention, it wasn't too hard for me to pick out the remaining teams that I am rooting for. I hate hate hate the Yankees and I'm tired of the Phillies being the best team in National League. So I'm pulling for a Rangers-Giants World Series. I know it's unlikely, but I can hope right?

To show my support, here are a couple cards representing both teams.

 

Although not a Rangers card and having shown this card previously, Ron Washington, the Rangers' manager, is a perfect representation for his team. Ron took over the helm for the Rangers in November 2006 and the team has improved in each of his four seasons. His tenure is obviously highlighted by this year's playoff appearance and the first Rangers' playoff series win in team history, dating back almost 50 years to when the organization was still the Washington Senators. 

Ron is a great TTM signer, and this is his only Orioles card, so I was thrilled to get it back in only 22 days last August. I'm not really sure what's going on with his signature is though; as best as I can tell its an R W--g t--.

Jim Brower is my Giants representative because this is the only Giants card I have scanned right now. He spent two and a half seasons of his 9 year MLB career with the Giants from 2003-05.  2004 was his best year in the Majors when he led the league with 89 relief appearances while maintaining a 3.29 ERA and finishing with a 7-7 record. He briefly (and disastrously) pitched for the Orioles in early 2006, appearing in 12 games and allowing opponents to put up crooked numbers in 8 of those games, which worked out to a 13.86 ERA. Ugly. 

Jim pitched for 8 teams over his 9 MLB seasons, with his last big league appearance coming with the Yankees in 2007. He is apparently still pitching and spent the 2010 season with Italian Serie A1 team, Rimini, with whom he threw an Opening Day no-hitter against Grosseto. I honestly had no idea that Italy had a baseball league, I thought it was all about soccer futbol over there, but I'm glad that Jim has found some success. He has a fairly legible autograph, and you can almost make out every letter in his name. 

GO RANGERS & GIANTS!

Contest Update Following the Division Series

Here is the updated bracket following last night's Rangers victory over the Rays. That upset flipped the bracket upside down, as the Rays were the team that 11 of you selected to win the World Series, and the Rangers were selected to win the whole thing only in Play at the Plate's heart bracket. I guess this means that he is either a genius or a superfan, but either way props to him! Only eight of you even picked the Rangers to top the Rays and as you can see, it helped six of them to stay in the running to win the contest.

 

I apologize for the tiny type, but this was the only way to get all of your information to fit on the screen. Click on the picks for a larger view if you would like. 

Essentially, those of you in the blue (and white) are still alive in the contest, with Dion, Play at the Plate's head bracket, and madding still perfect through the first round. 8 others are still going strong, with zman and Play at the Plate having a major advantage since both of their brackets are still in play. That's what they get for plugging my contest! I like to think that it brought them good luck (sorry dayf, it didn't work for you). 

If you are in the green, that means that you are eliminated, so since yesterday, we also lost:
Justin 2
fanofreds
Paul
Jeremy
KmSals
Steven M
phaedrus
Dan
Slangon
JoesAutographs
The Ranter
Anthony K
dayf's head bracket

That's gotta be especially tough for Steven M, Slangon, JoesAutographs, The Ranter, Anthony K & dayf's head bracket since they had been perfect until the Rays knocked them out of contention.

Good luck to the 11 of you who still have a chance to win!