NumerOlogy

I’ve gotten away from a hectic couple of weeks at work long enough to update the latest transactions in Birdland. Last Friday, #51 Randor Bierd had to be placed on the disabled list with a sore shoulder, and up from Norfolk to replace him is reliever Lance Cormier. Lance was given #54. He’s just the second Oriole player to ever wear the number, following in the footsteps of righthander John Habyan. Of course, former bullpen catcher Sam Snider practically owned five-four for the better part of two decades before pitching coach Leo Mazzone claimed it in 2006. I miss Sammy…I understand he’s coaching for Von Hayes‘ independent-league Lancaster Barnstormers now.

The other roster move occurred today, as the Birds turned to a familiar face in the ongoing search for a decent shortstop. #3 Freddie Bynum (left) returned from a season-opening injury and collected hits in his first two at-bats. He replaced #14 Eider Torres, who returns to the AAA Tides. I have a soft spot for Freddie, but Harold Baines is still my favorite number three.

As for tonight’s game, they’re looking strong! Hopefully this is a turning point in the middle of a rough road trip.

To the left is Garrett Olson, one of a group of O’s who have been on the move in the past week. It started when #29 Adam Loewen went on the disabled list last Friday with elbow pain. He was replaced on the roster by infielder #14 Eider Torres, who made his major league debut over the weekend and became the twenty-third Birds player to wear one-four. The most recent had been another infielder (Chris Gomez).

Considering the lousy weather in Chicago, and the resultant strain on the pitching staff, it’s no surprise that the team went back to carrying thirteen pitchers yesterday. Shortstop #12 Brandon Fahey drew the short straw, returning to Norfolk for the time being. He was replaced by #18 Garrett Olson, who took Loewen’s turn in the rotation and pitched a strong game, escaping from a few jams along the way. Olson debuted in Baltimore last year in #57, but now he’s the twenty-third Oriole to wear #18.

I documented the use of #18 as a fill-in jersey in Spring Training this year; it was worn at various times by Ramon Hernandez, Mike Costanzo, and Adam Stern in a pinch. Olson becomes the first O’s pitcher to sport the number since Bob Milacki in 1992.

There was another casualty of Tuesday’s roster shuffle, as #35 Greg Aquino was designated for assignment. The designated mop-up guy had no one to blame but himself, as a 14.21 ERA did nothing to inspire confidence in him. He was replaced by another brand-new bird, reliever #31 Bob McCrory. Bob’s choice of jersey number makes you wonder…what is Jay Gibbons up to these days? He becomes just the ninth Oriole player with this number, which was traditionally issued to pitching coaches in Charm City.

I’ve caught up to the personnel carousel, and updated the All-Time Roster, the Odds and Ends page (most and least issued numbers), and the Tens and Thirties biography pages.

Before I go, I want to share a great link. Steve has an amazing collection of photos of baseball players, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s. They are beautiful pictures, and he posts a few more each day along with some interesting facts about the players. Go take a look, and pass it along if you like what you see.

Well, ‘dem O’s  just dropped an 8-1 yawner to the Rays, but a 15-12 April (one game out of first place) for a rebuilding team is a nice surprise!

A few things worth mentioning in the afterglow of an 8-2 thrashing of the Yankees:

Adam Jones wore #42 as planned on Tuesday for Jackie Robinson Day. Incidentally, it was the same night that the O’s gave away t-shirt replicas of Adam’s regular #10. It wasn’t a great night for the home team, as Toronto handled them 11-3, but Jones made Jackie proud by slugging his first home run as an Oriole. I’ve updated the All-Time Roster and the Forties page to reflect the temporary uni number change. Image credit: baltimoresun.com

For some reason, country music star Kenny Chesney took batting practice before Thursday’s 6-5, 10-inning win over the White Sox. He did so wearing a #7 jersey. In actuality, no one has worn that number for the Birds since Cal Ripken, Sr. last manned the third base coach’s box in 1992.

The LaTroy Hawkins saga has taken another turn. The relief pitcher, who toiled for the 2006 O’s, has gotten off to a rough start as a Yankee. His struggles have been exacerbated by the fact that he is the first pinstriper to wear #21 since Paul O’Neill. After the Yankee Stadium “faithful” serenaded him on a few occasions with chants of “PAUL-O-NEI-LL!”, Hawkins relented and switched to #22. It hasn’t seemed to help, as he was racked for two runs in Baltimore’s seven-run outburst in the sixth inning last night. Apparently a seven-run deficit is all it takes to silence the interloping Yanks fans in Camden Yards. Here’s hoping we can give them plenty of reasons to stay quiet tonight!

Over the weekend, the O’s temporarily bid goodbye to infielder #9 Scott Moore,  who was optioned to Norfolk to ease the strain on the pitching staff that was caused by last week’s doubleheader in Texas…or something. Taking his place is pitcher Jim Johnson, who becomes the nineteenth player in Oriole history to wear #43 by my count. He has previously worn #47 (2006) and #59 (2007) in his brief stays in Baltimore. To welcome Johnson back to Birdland, I’ve updated the Forties biography page, the All-Time Roster, and the Odds and Ends page. Jim makes it into Odds and Ends by wearing his third different number in as many years. Many happy returns to Jim, who actually helped the O’s preserve a slim lead tonight. Two weeks into the season, and we’re still in first place. I don’t know about you, but I could get used to this.

…Well, sort of. You may remember last April 21, when former O’s outfielder Corey Patterson put aside his regular #17 to wear #42 as part of a league-wide tribute to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut. Robinson, of course, became the first black player in the major leagues in baseball’s modern era. His #42 was retired across baseball in 1997, with the players who were wearing it at the time (including O’s catcher Lenny Webster) receiving a pass. Yankees closer Mariano Rivera is the only one of those players still active. Last year was the first time that #42 was “unretired” for players and coaches who wished to honor Robinson. This idea came from Reds outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr.

Yesterday, manager Dave Trembley informed Adam Jones that he had chosen the center fielder to be the Orioles’ representative in the #42 jersey. This year’s Jackie Robinson Day will be held on Tuesday, April 15, which just happens to be the birthday of Jones’ mother. Jones says it’s “an honor” to put #10 on the shelf for one game only.

For what it’s worth, I’m glad to see the O’s stick with one #42 honoree each year. Several teams had everyone wear the number last year, and one or two are planning to do so again this year. I just think that cheapens the honor somewhat; it strikes me as a bit of politically-correct pandering. If you’ve got more than one guy who wants to wear it, and you’re worried about hurt feelings, just follow the Brewers’ lead and pick a name out of a hat.

Of course if you read the article I just linked to, you’ll see that commissioner Bud Selig encourages the “everyone in #42” approach. Big surprise.

Your first-place Baltimore Orioles…boy, that sounds good! We might as well enjoy it while we can, O’s fans. After last night’s 7-4 win over the Seattle Mariners, the good guys are over .500 for the first time since last April. If you’re like me, you also exhaled loudly when they got that first win over Tampa Bay on Wednesday. There’s something about rooting for a team that once lost their first 21 games that will make you appreciate that initial W. At this point, the only players on the roster who haven’t seen any game action are today’s starter, #29 Adam Loewen, and backup catcher #24 Guillermo Quiroz. After #55 Ramon Hernandez’s Friday night heroics, Guillermo may be waiting for a little while longer!

I wanted to have something number-related to give you today, so I checked out Baseball Reference’s Opening Day lineups to see if I could figure out which Orioles Opening Day lineup was the highest combined uniform number total, and which was the lowest. Unfortunately, their records begin with 1956, which was the third season in existence for the Birds. But I still found some fascinating stuff.

Read the rest of this entry »

That’s right, it’s finally here! I’m realistic about the Orioles’ chances this year (as in, they have a chance to win 65-70 games), but they’re starting out even with everyone else at 0-0. There’s something refreshing about the feeling, however small, that anything is possible.

The final roster spot was claimed by Scott Moore, who will see time as a backup at the corners of the infield, and maybe even some second base. This meant that the O’s took another mildly surprising step in the rebuilding process by releasing #31 Jay Gibbons and treating the two years and $11.9 million they owed him as a sunk cost. The move isn’t surprising based on merit: as I stated last week, Gibbons has been chronically injured, has declined as a player in recent years, and is limited defensively. But it is surprising that Peter Angelos gave Andy MacPhail the green light to dump him and to eat all of that money. Although I (and most Baltimore fans) have been rough on Jay recently, this is still a bittersweet moment. He had been the second-longest tenured Oriole behind Melvin Mora, having spent his entire seven-year MLB career in orange and black. He seemed like a nice guy and a good teammate, and he was once a productive power hitter. But there’s just no room for him on this team any more, especially not at his current level of play. Best of luck to Jay wherever he goes from here.

I’ve been eager to update the site for the 2008 season ever since new players and new numbers started trickling into Fort Lauderdale nearly two months ago, and now that the roster is official, that’s just what I’ve done! There are updates to all of the number countdown pages where applicable, and of course the All-Time Roster. Let’s summarize the new guys, as well as a few number switches:

Read the rest of this entry »

As the Birds fly north for tomorrow’s exhibition finale vs. the Nationals at the new stadium in D.C., the roster is 24/25ths set. It pretty much shakes out as I speculated on Monday. Brian Burres will be the fifth starter, with Matt Albers in the long relief role. Rocky Cherry was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder strain, though it’s not certain he would have made the team if he were healthy. I miscounted the position players; if the Orioles don’t eat Jay Gibbons‘ contract there is no room for either Scott Moore or Tike Redman (Chris Roberson will definitely start the season at Norfolk). The O’s hand on Gibbons might be forced now that MLB has put his 15-day drug suspension on hold pending further negotiations with the players’ association. Andy MacPhail and company were counting on the suspension to buy them some time. I realize that $11.9 million is a lot of money to burn, but it’s my opinion that it would be better spent getting Gibbons, his poor defense and declining bat, and his performance-enhancing drug taint off of the team, thereby opening up a spot for a more versatile and deserving player like Moore or Redman. But then, it’s not my money. Blah blah blah.

It just wouldn’t be a Spring Training wrap-up if we didn’t have another appearance by the multipurpose #18. The invaluable Roch Kubatko reported on the preponderance of 70s and 80s on the field for the O’s in yesterday’s road game in Viera, FL against the Nationals. The team gave most of the starters a break and took a bunch of players from the minor league camp on the five-hour round trip instead. He notes that a rare low number was worn by outfielder Adam Stern, who wore (what else?) #18. Yesterday was something of a cameo for Stern, who did not get an invite to the major league camp this year after spending the bulk of 2007 in Norfolk. He did have a cup of coffee with the O’s as a late-inning defensive replacement last April, wearing #40.

I don’t like to talk about those damned Yankees on this site, but this one involves uniform numbers and a former Oriole, so I felt obligated to mention it. Infielder Morgan Ensberg was given #21 when he came to Yankees camp in February, becoming the first New York player to wear it since former outfielder Paul O’Neill retired in 2001. When Ensberg learned that he’d made the Opening Day roster, he insisted upon switching numbers out of respect for O’Neill and his ongoing popularity with the Bronx faithful. Former O’s reliever LaTroy Hawkins plans to suit up in #21 in Ensberg’s place; he intends it to be a tribute to Pirates Hall-of-Fame outfielder (and Oriole killer) Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash ten days before Hawkins’ birth in 1972. Incidentally, another ex-Bird wore #21 throughout his career to honor Clemente: outfielder/malcontent Sammy Sosa.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty antsy for some games that count in the standings, and not just because it’ll give me a chance to update the All-Time Roster. It’s been a long winter.

Play Ball, and let’s go O’s!

The picture accompanying this post comes from the Baltimore Sun, which ran an amusing story last Thursday about Opening Day starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (pictured on the right). Apparently he got tired of staring at Nick Markakis‘ golf bag, so he pulled it out of the outfielder’s locker, filled it with baseball equipment and towels, and carried it out to the field. Guthrie served as Nick’s caddy, even going so far as to wear a spare #21 Markakis jersey. My eyes could be failing me, but it looks like Nick’s bag may even be in Orioles colors, which would be a nice touch.

Speaking of jersey oddities, Mike Costanzo became the latest Oriole to wear the normally-vacant #18 last Friday. It seems that although Mike showed up for a road game against the Cardinals in Jupiter, his #66 jersey did not. When he entered the game at first base in the middle innings, he wore #18, just as Ramon Hernandez had done in a similar situation earlier this Spring. I know that college basketball teams are required to have a spare “blood jersey” in case of an accident, but has #18 become the O’s “amnesia jersey”?

Unfortunately for Costanzo, that was his last appearance for the Birds in the foreseeable future, as he was subsequently reassigned to minor league camp. Other recent cuts include outfielder #25 Luis Terrero, pitcher #54 Lance Cormier, and catcher #65 Omir Santos. Costanzo’s willingness to play anywhere on the field and his powerful bat made a good impression, but he needs some experience at AAA. Hopefully he’ll get to do some more catching at Norfolk and work on making more consistent contact; a late ‘08 callup to Baltimore is not out of the question.

With fewer than 40 players left in major league camp, let’s take a closer look at the fight for the last few available roster spots. Assuming that the Orioles go north with both in-house shortstop candidates (Brandon Fahey and Luis Hernandez, the latter of whom is out of options), infielder Scott Moore and outfielders Tike Redman and Chris Roberson seem to be the threesome jockeying for the last spot on the bench. One of them will get a reprieve, as Jay Gibbons begins the season by serving a 15-day suspension for his indiscretions with Human Growth Hormone. Further complicating matters is the possibility that Brian Roberts and Jay Payton could be traded, bringing in someone like Ronny Cedeno to start in the middle infield. Then there are the rumblings of a veteran middle infielder being picked up (Felipe Lopez, Mark Loretta, and Juan Uribe being the most frequently mentioned). Whew!

Fortunately, the pitching situation is a little more clear-cut. The battle for the fifth slot in the starting rotation seems to be down to Matt Albers and Brian Burres, with Jon Leicester fading fast. The loser of that competition will almost assuredly be the long reliever in a seven-man bullpen, joining veterans George Sherrill, Jamie Walker, and Chad Bradford. Three newcomers have also been sufficiently impressive: Rule 5 draftee Randor Bierd, former Diamondback and Brewer Greg Aquino, and ex-Astro Dennis Sarfate. Assuming my math is correct (a dangerous assumption), that adds up to seven pitchers, leaving Rocky Cherry as the odd man out. That would be a shame, since he’s only surrendered one earned run in Grapefruit League play, but it stands to reason that he won’t be stuck in Norfolk all year long.

One refreshing story out of Orioles camp involves several former Birds who accepted invitations to come impart their wisdom (and their stories of better times in Baltimore) to the current crop of players. Those on hand this Spring have included former pitchers Mike Cuellar and Scott McGregor, former catcher Rick Dempsey and former outfielder/third baseman B. J. Surhoff. Although the numbers that each of these men made famous are now worn by others (#35 Greg Aquino, #16 Jay Payton, #24 Guillermo Quiroz, and #17 Aubrey Huff, respectively), it appears that the ex-O’s were allowed to wear their familiar digits anyway. The sight of Cuellar in orange and black again (and the promise of Boog Powell and others in the future) is a positive sign that Andy MacPhail has what it takes to undo a lot of the damage that has been done over the past decade.

Meanwhile, Opening Day is right around the corner and the pitchers are dropping like flies. In the past few days, the following players were sent to minor league camp: #57 Garrett Olson, #59 Craig Anderson, #60 Ryan Bukvich, #62 Radhames Liz, and #63 Roberto Novoa. I think the O’s are still looking for a fifth starting pitcher, if anyone wants to grab a glove and head for Fort Lauderdale.