This was my haul from the Orioles' game-used yard sale at FanFest. No regrets.
Sorry about my untimely yearlong absence. Long story short, the site was hacked and redirected to a malware site last May, and through an unfortunate combination of procrastination, a lack of technical know-how, and being otherwise occupied with renovating and moving to a new house, I didn’t get around to setting things right until last week. The good news is that baseball is back and so is NumerOlogy!
A list of updates to the site would be long and tedious. Suffice to say, the all-time roster is current as of today, accounting for all of the comings and goings of the 2010 and early 2011 seasons. The bio pages (0-9, 10-19, etc.) are also up-to-date, and there are a few bits of trivia on the Odds and Ends page. For instance, Jeremy Accardo is the 31st Oriole player to wear #37, making that the most frequently used number. Also, infielder Scott Moore spent a few weeks with the O’s after I went out of commission last year. In wearing #40, he became the latest Oriole to wear three different numbers with the team (having previously worn #9 and #43). Since the new season just started, I’ll give a rundown of the new players and coaches (and those who have changed numbers) in 2011:
#2 J. J. Hardy: O’s new shortstop wore #7 in Milwaukee and #27 in Minnesota.
#11 Robert Andino: Utility player cedes #12 to Mark Reynolds.
#12 Mark Reynolds: Free-swinging third baseman wore #27 in Arizona.
#13 Willie Randolph: Buck’s bench coach was #30 for much of his playing career, and #12 when managing the Mets.
#16 Jim Presley: The first new Oriole hitting coach since the 1990s had #17 and #18 during his playing days in Seattle, Atlanta, and San Diego.
#23 Wayne Kirby: Gregarious first base coach sported #35 as an Indians outfielder in the 1990s.
#25 Derrek Lee: Veteran first baseman has worn #25 and #27, but mostly the former.
#27 Vladimir Guerrero: Same as it ever was for the powerful ex-Expo. How’s this for an odd coincidence? Four new Orioles (Hardy, Reynolds, Lee [w/ Atlanta], and Guerrero) all wore #27 last year. Mark Hendrickson, who pitched for the O’s in 2010 but starts this year at AAA Norfolk, also was in #27!
#34 Jake Arrieta: Club’s No. 4 starter switches from #57.
#37 Jeremy Accardo: New reliever had stints in #59 with the Giants and #49 with the Blue Jays.
#41 Rick Adair: Makes the transition from Seattle’s pitching coach and #40 to Baltimore’s bullpen coach.
#52 Mark Connor: “Goose” is the latest pitching coach, a role that he’s held under Buck with multiple clubs. As far as I know, he wore this number with the Rangers, too.
#53 Zach Britton: O’s next great pitching prospect made an impressive debut today. If Matusz, Tillman, Bergesen, and Arrieta are any indication, Zach might switch to a lower number in the future.
#59 Josh Rupe: Surprise choice at long reliever is used to high numbers. Wore these digits with the Rangers, and sported #65 with the Royals in 2010.
#63 Kevin Gregg: Bespectacled closer has worn this number everywhere he’s pitched: Angels, Marlins, Cubs, Blue Jays. Does anyone know why? It’s not his birthday (6/20), or his height (6’6″).
#77 John Russell: The third base coach gets the honor of the highest number on the staff. He wore #7 when managing the Pirates, but that number presumably remains out of circulation since the deaths of Cal Ripken, Sr. and Mark Belanger.
Hope everyone enjoys visiting NumerOlogy early and often in 2011! It’s looking this season will be a lot more enjoyable than any in recent memory.
How soon we forget. Melvin Mora wore #6 for nearly ten seasons in Baltimore, longer than any player this side of Paul Blair. But one week into the first season post-MelMo, the Birds went and gave his old number to rookie infielder Justin Turner, who was called up from Norfolk yesterday to take the place of #1 Brian Roberts and his balky back. I hope Turner appreciates the gesture, considering that he was saddled with #83 when he debuted last September.
At long last, the games count. Before we get down to business, let’s take a moment to remember the first great #35 in Orioles history, Cuban offspeed specialist Mike Cuellar. He passed away last week after a brief battle with stomach cancer, and naturally he will be missed. You can read my expanded thoughts about “Crazy Horse” on 
With pitchers and catchers reporting next Wednesday, I figured that I’d better check in with an offseason update before the offseason is actually over! Besides, one of my readers has been nudging me to get in gear for a few months, reminding me how “depressing” it is to pull up the site and find Sean Henn‘s sad mug looking back at him.
I started a new job in September, and the Orioles’ customary late-season snooze didn’t do much to spur me to update the site, but I guess that’s the occupational hazard of the O’s fan/blogger. Still, there are roster moves to belatedly report.
Another September has arrived with the Orioles buried deep in the cellar of the American League East. But this month also brings the potential for expanded rosters, which makes it a time of interest as it pertains to this site. The O’s have already called up four players from AAA Norfolk, three of whom have been here before in ’09: relievers #24 Alberto Castillo, #34 Matt Albers, and #45 Dennis Sarfate. The fourth player has not been seen in Baltimore since 2006. Outfielder Jeff Fiorentino, affectionately known as “Screech” for his resemblance to the nerdy character from “Saved by the Bell”, had worn #16 in previous cups of coffee in 2005 and 2006. However, he has now made history as the first Oriole player to ever wear #70 in the regular season, which he did in replacing Adam Jones during Tuesday night’s loss to the Yankees. Wild stuff.