Rapping Things Up

Pat Rapp 2000

In a moment of weakness, I picked this card up on eBay. It was cheap and it's on an Orioles card but it's not the greatest autograph, I already had an autograph of his on a Marlins card and Pat is a good TTM signer. I think my tipping point was the fact that I didn't have an Orioles card of his so I would've had to buy the card and then mail it out to him so my total cost would've been about the same either way. Also, I keep typing Patt Rapp instead of Pat Rapp. The double p's at the end of his last name screws me up for some reason.

Pat signed with the Orioles as a free agent before the 2000 season and started 30 games for the Birds that season. He went 9-12 with a 5.90 ERA, so things didn't go well, but then again, not many pitchers on that '00 team had much luck.

Over his 10 MLB seasons, Pat pitched for 6 teams, and I remember him most for the 5 years he was on the Marlins towards the start of his career. He was on the 1993 team and I was really into the expansion at that point of my life so I followed both the Rockies and Marlins those first few years. Honestly, I think that I liked the colors and logos of the two new teams as much as anything else. Or maybe it was David Nied and Nigel Wilson.

According to his Facebook page, Pat currently seems to be living the good life and really enjoys bass fishing.

RIP Ron Moeller

Ron "the Kid" Moeller 1956, 58 (died 2009)

As I was perusing my new Harvey Meiselman baseball player address list last night, (another great Christmas gift from Kalina!) I noticed that Ron Moeller passed away this past November 2nd. He is the first guy to have died that had recently signed a TTM request for me; this past summer I sent him a request on June 30th and it was back to me by July 10th, so he was an extremely quick signer. I know that this is almost two months after he died but I still wanted to write something about him.

I mentioned Ron in a post showcasing some of my recent TTM successes shortly after I got this card back so I don't want to repeat too much from that post but felt like I should add on to it.

Although I already have mentioned how young Ron looks in the picture on the card, I neglected to mention his very fitting nickname, "the Kid". The other Orioles player bestowed that on him due to his boyish looks and the fact that he made his MLB debut at the young age of 17. Interestingly, he was out of baseball after the 1963 season and had thrown his last pitch at the age of 24, around the age that many current players make their debuts.

He passed away in Cincinnati, his hometown where it appears he lived his entire life outside of baseball. Thanks for being a great TTM signer during your time with us Ron. Rest in Peace.

An Interesting Card-Less Valuable Once Signed

Bobby Bonner 1980-83
Jeff Schneider 1981

I think that this is the only autographed card that I own that is worth considerably less because it's signed. I have a few autographed Vladimir Guerrero rookie cards that this could apply to as well, but not to the extent as with this card.

As most of you probably know, this is Cal's rookie card, and while it's not as rare as his '82 Topps Traded card, is still considered his de facto RC. I remember when my dad and I first got this card in the late '80s or early '90s: it went in one of those extremely thick top loaders and was worth $100+ dollars; not that I cared about that part. I had my favorite player's rookie card!

Now, this card might be worth near it's current book value of $40 if Cal had at least completed the triple auto, but since it's only signed by Bonner & Schneider, I don't imagine it's worth much. However, since I do this blog for the autographs and not for the value of anything, I present to you my Bobby Bonner & Jeff Schneider autographed card. I'm pretty sure that my dad gave me this card, which was very nice of him.

Bobby played with the O's for four seasons 1980-83 but only appeared in 61 games over that stretch. He retired from baseball after the '83 season and along with his wife became a missionary, traveling to Africa to spread his faith. It appears as though he's currently running a youth baseball league.

Jeff appeared in relief in 11 games over the 1981 season. He earned one save and had a 4.88 ERA over those games, his only action in the Majors. The O's took him from the Phillies in the 1978 Rule V draft and he was traded to the Angels in January 1982 along with Doug Decinces for "Disco" Dan Ford.

Post #200-My Christmas Gifts

I apologize for the delay with this post but I wanted it to be something special and a little different since it is number 200. I know that at some point these mini milestones don't mean as much but for now they still do to me. So I figured that this would be the perfect place to showcase my baseball related Christmas gifts from my awesome girlfriend and parents.

First off is a sweet photo tab card notebook that Kalina made for me that I can use for my Orioles' team set.
I first saw one of these when Zach, from the excellent Autographed Cards blog, was in town for an Orioles game. But this wasn't on my list, Kalina came up with the idea on her own. I'm freaking lucky to have a girlfriend who supports my auto habits so much! In the past, I have always used the clear plastic containers which forced me to flip quickly through and miss players at times. Now, I shouldn't have that problem!

Kalina also got me some sweet Mike Gonzalez cards to get signed this season.

And she even knows enough about autographs to get the low gloss cards!

My mom and dad (mainly my dad) hooked me up with a few new autographs for my collection, including a deceased HOFer.

Hoyt Wilhelm 1958-62 (died 2002)

I don't even know where to start with Hoyt, there's so much to say about him. He was elected to the HOF in 1985, he made five All-Star teams, he's regarded as one of the best knuckleballers of all time which led to his being the first pitcher to appear in over 1,000 games (he made it to 1,070), he won 124 games as a reliever (a record that is still standing), and he pitched in the Majors until he was almost 49 years old.

I could really say so much more about Hoyt's time with the other 8 other teams he pitched for over his other 16 years in MLB but I am going to focus on the 4+ seasons that he spent with the O's.

The Orioles selected him off of waivers from the Indians on August 23, 1958 which led to one of the best stretches of his career. On September 20th of that year, he no-hit the Yankees while pitching against Don Larsen, which was no small feat. He led the American league with a 2.19 ERA and made the All-Star team in 1959. He also made the All-Star teams in 1961 &'62, and received MVP votes for his dominating 1961 season. Interestingly, Hoyt made 43 of his 52 career starts with the O's. On January 14, 1963 he was traded along with former ROY Ron Hansen, Dave Nicholson and Pete Ward to the White Sox for another future HOFer, Luis Aparicio, and Al Smith.

Hank Foiles 1961
I really like that Bird logo on his left arm!

Hank backed up Gus Triandos on the '61 Orioles squad and played in 43 games during his only season with the O's. The Birds took him in the 1960 Rule V draft from the Tigers.

Overall, he spent 11 seasons in the Majors and played for 7 different teams, highlighted by his 1957 All-Star appearance while playing for the Pirates.

Happy New Year Everyone

Here's a glimpse at the future of the O's, possibly in 2010.

The largely overlooked Zach Britton.

I predict that he will be one of the best O's starters in two or three seasons.
And that I will still be a ridiculously big Orioles fan.

Have a safe and successful 2010!

One of Those Orioles Crown Cards That Doesn't Picture the Player Wearing an Orioles Uniform or TTM Success: Phil Huffman

Phil Huffman 1985

I've brought this up before and I try not to complain too much on my blog, but I really don't like how some of the cards in this Crown set show a guy wearing something other than an Orioles uniform. Phil was only an Oriole for a short amount of time but I feel like someone with the club would have taken a picture of him in the O's uniform either during a game, on a picture day or in spring training. He was in the organization for three seasons! And that's all I have to say about that.

Moving along; Phil had a very interesting career arc. He was drafted in 1977 by the Giants and was traded to the A's along with others for Vida Blue prior to the '78 season. Later in 1978, he was traded to the Blue Jays, with whom he made his MLB debut in 1979. He pitched the entire season for Toronto and unfortunately led the league with 18 losses in his only complete season in the Bigs. He made 31 starts that year and had a 5.77 ERA, going 6-18 with 2 complete games including a shutout. He wouldn't make it back to the Majors for another 6 years.

After his disappointing 1979, he toiled in the Jays minor league system for 2 seasons before being traded to the Royals prior to the '82 season. The Royals eventually released him and he signed with the Mets but he didn't see any Big League action for either of those teams.

On July 13, 1984, the Orioles purchased him from the Mets. He finally made it back to the Majors in 1985 with the Birds and appeared in only two games but earned a decision in both games (a win and a loss). I doubt that many pitchers earn a decision in their only two appearances of a season. He earned the loss in his relief appearance but got the W for his one start.

Phil continued to pitch in the Minors for the O's and then Twins organizations until retiring after the 1987 season. I think that's quite an interesting path in the baseball world and I'm sure he earned some frequent flier miles over his 10 years around the show.

Marty Brown Wednesday

Marty Brown 1990

This is another card that I was forced to find through eBay. Brown is a tough autograph to track down and doesn't have any confirmed TTM signings since 2006 so this card works for my collection. This card features him as the manager for the 2005 Buffalo Bisons who were then the AAA affiliate of the Indians. I also found a picture of his bobblehead online; I'm pretty sure this would be commemorating his 2004 International League title.


Currently, Marty is the manager for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in the Japanese Central League so I might try to send him a TTM request there next season since he has an Orioles Crown card. Has anyone ever tried to sent a TTM request to Japan? I'm not really sure how to do it so any suggestions will be appreciated.

The O's drafted him in the '89 Rule V draft from the Reds after he had appeared in 26 games for the Reds over the '88-'89 seasons. Marty played in only 9 games for the Orioles in April and May of the 1990 season but he appeared as a pinch runner and hitter, DH, and at 2B and 3B over those games. That's some pretty solid diversity for having played in that few games. However, he didn't make it into another Major League game after his time with the Orioles.


After he retired from playing in 1995, he stayed involved with baseball by becoming a manager in the Pirates and Indians organizations. As I mentioned earlier, he is currently managing in the Japanese Central league and has been there since 2006. And now, we know more about Mr. Brown than you ever thought you could!

PS-Happy Birthday to my excellent girlfriend Kalina!

A Major Award

If you understand the title of this post, I am referring to a line from the classic holiday film "A Christmas Story" in which the family dad wins a newspaper contest's "major award" which turns out to be a risque leg lamp. Fra-gil-e. Must be Italian.

You're probably laughing if you know what I'm talking about. If not, I apologize, but it's a hilarious movie, please do yourself a favor and watch it.

Alex Cintron 2008

My major award to you today is Alex Cintron. You got all excited to win a prize and it just turned out to be Cintron, and you tried to love it and show it off anyway. But things didn't work out in the end.

Alex signed as a Minor League free agent with the O's on April 3, 2008 and started the season by playing 16 games for the Tides before being recalled to Baltimore by April 28th. He played in 61 games for the Orioles from then until the end of the season, mainly at shortstop, but was used as a super utility player and also appeared at 1B, 2B, 3B and as a pinch runner and hitter. He hit .286 in 133 ABs and had 10 RBI and 12 runs scored. Not too bad but nothing great.

I think that I have a little bit of a negative attitude towards Alex due to my numerous failures at obtaining his autograph on my own. I ended up buying this card off of eBay since it's the only signed Orioles card of his that I have ever seen.

I tried to get him to sign when he was on a rehab assignment in Frederick & Bowie, but couldn't make it to any of those games. I sent him a TTM when he was with the Syracuse Chiefs last season but he go promoted to the Nats before he would have received it. I tried to get him to sign at a Nats game but he never got close enough to yell out and he got cut before I made it to another game in DC. So it's been an Odyssey. But now I have my Alex Cintron autograph.

Trying to Shake Off the Holiday Lethargy

It was my intent to get up a few posts over the past four days but I just didn't have it in me. I was relaxing at my parent's house in my hometown and never came across the proper motivation to do much other than say Merry Christmas to everyone. But now I'm back, for at least a halfass attempt at a post. I hope to get my Christmas presents scanned and posted later this week but for now...


Here are some autographs and pictures of Brett Jacobson, the prospect the Orioles received for Aubrey Huff from the Tigers earlier this year. I saw him pitch in Frederick at the end of the season and he seemed like a nice guy.

I don't know how well you can tell from this picture, but he's tall (listed at 6'6'')


He signed three cards for me, the only three I could find shortly after the trade.


I hope to see Brett pitch in Baltimore eventually

Merry Christmas to All

I hope that everyone's stockings are full of baseball cards and that you all have a great day with your friends and family. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Ryan

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!

TTM Success-John O'Donoghue (SR)

John O'Donoghue 1968

The first John O'Donoghue to pitch for the Orioles (his son, also John, pitched for the O's in 1993) spent only one season in Baltimore. He was traded to the Orioles from the Indians on 11/28/67 for Eddie Fisher and two Minor Leaguers and was sent to the Seattle Pilots with Tom Fisher and a Minor Leaguer on 4/30/69 for Mike Ferraro and Gerry Schoen, neither of whom ever played in a single game for the O's. It's funny how two different, unrelated guys named Fisher were involved on either side of the trades of John. Strange, silly coincidence I guess. It also seems as though Fisher was a more common surname back then.

John pitched in relief in 16 games for the O's in 1968; saving two games and holding two others, but he accumulated a 6.14 ERA, the highest of any year during his career, so it wasn't a great season for him.

Over his career, he pitched for six different teams over nine seasons in the Bigs and amassed a 39-55 record with a 4.07 ERA. He made the '65 All-Star team while with the KC A's even though he ended up losing 18 games that year.

He signed these cards TTM for me in just one week, so that was very cool of him.