NumerOlogy

I’m back from another week’s vacation with a few roster changes to discuss. I would have loved to have been the 50 Millionth Fan last night, but I had a dental checkup instead. That’s almost as fun, isn’t it? Ugh.

Anyway, two weeks ago the O’s bid goodbye to submarining reliever #53 Chad Bradford, who was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for the ever-popular PTBNL (player to be named later). Tampa had claimed Bradford on waivers, and the Birds decided to work out a deal. To replace ChadBrad, the team summoned the delightfully-named Rocky Cherry from Norfolk. Cherry originally wore #38 when Baltimore acquired him from the Cubs in the Steve Trachsel deal last year, but he re-emerged in #57 for this go-round. He is the twelfth Oriole to sport that number, and the forty-first different player to spend time on the 2008 roster.

Just yesterday, Flat Breezy himself (a.k.a. #52 George Sherrill) hit the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation. He has been replaced by another member of the Erik Bedard Five, the very tall righty reliever Kam Mickolio. Kam will be wearing #31 tonight, previously worn this year by fellow reliever Bob McCrory. Let’s hope he has better luck in Birdland than McCrory had. Kam’s just the tenth Oriole in #31, as it’s been a coach-heavy number for much of the club’s history. His addition to the 2008 roster brings the running total to forty-two players. Whew!

One other tidbit that I picked up while reading a very worthwhile book: Tales from the Orioles Dugout by Louis Berney. The book features interviews with about three dozen former Orioles, running the gamut from Jim Palmer and Earl Weaver to Jeff Ballard and Jack Voigt. Each chapter includes a photo of the featured player, and I did a double-take when I saw Tippy Martinez wearing #36. Sure enough, a few of my best sources list him in both #23 and #36 in 1976, when he joined the O’s in the huge mid-June trade with the Yankees. My best guess is that he was given #36 when he first suited up, and later requested #23, which had been worn by Grant Jackson, one of the outgoing players in that trade. As always, if anyone has more information, let me know. Until next time, enjoy the Orioles’ continued push for .500!

Geez, I go to the Ocean for a week and things go topsy-turvy in Camden Yards! Since my last site update, there have been eight changes to the Baltimore roster, with #29 Adam Loewen’s shoulder injury signaling more turnover on the horizon. To sum up:

June 26: #34 Matt Albers placed on DL; #26 Fernando Cabrera recalled from rehab assignment at AAA Norfolk. The righthanded pitcher wore #23 in 2007; that number was occupied until recently by Ryan Bukvich (more on him later). Cabrera is the 36th different player to suit up in orange and black this season and the 17th to wear #26 in team history.

June 27: #19 Oscar Salazar optioned to AAA Norfolk; #12 Brandon Fahey recalled from AAA Norfolk. Why have pop on the bench when you can give Brandon another chance to prove that he’s not a major league shortstop?

June 30: #32 Jamie Walker placed on DL; #29 Adam Loewen activated from DL.Well, that was fun while it lasted.

July 1: #13 Alex Cintron placed on DL; #3 Freddie Bynum recalled from AAA Norfolk. I like Freddie as a person, but I’m really not crazy about him as a baseball player. The four-run error he committed yesterday afternoon sure isn’t helping matters.

July 5: #23 Ryan Bukvich designated for assignment; #35 Greg Aquino recalled from AAA Norfolk. Eesh. Bukvich was pretty terrible, but it’s not like Aquino was any better in his first stint in the O’s bullpen. My only question is: why not Rocky Cherry?

While I was away, I did some eBay shopping and picked up an Orioles team set of 1975 SSPC cards. Included in the set was a player I didn’t recognize, Mike Willis (pictured at left). According to the card back, he was a September callup from AAA Rochester who did not pitch in a single game during his time with the team. He’s listed as wearing #53, so I’ve added him to the roster. You never know what you’ll find when you pick up a stack of baseball cards!

A quick site update before I go to bed, as yesterday the O’s crossed one more weak-hitting shortstop off of the list of pretenders to Miguel Tejada’s old throne. #3 Freddie “Boom-Boom” Bynum lasted just a month as the starting shortstop, batting at a sub-Mendoza level in 99 at-bats. Freddie was designated for assignment, meaning that he could still wind up at Norfolk if he clears waivers. Of course, it’s getting pretty crowded in the Tides’ middle infield, with fellow washouts Brandon Fahey, Luis Hernandez, and Eider Torres already marking time there. I got Bynum’s autograph in Spring Training last year; he’s a very polite guy, but that doesn’t mean that he can hit a breaking ball.

And so the Orioles roster welcomes its 35th player of 2008, Norfolk reliever Ryan Bukvich, formerly of the White Sox. Ryan wore #23 in his O’s debut on Sunday, and didn’t get off to a great start by allowing a home run to Prince Fielder right away. Not exactly the stuff of former #23 Tippy Martinez. Lately the number has fallen on hard times, as six players wore it between 2005 and 2007. All I’m saying is that if I were Mr. Bukvich, I wouldn’t get too comfy in the Bird bullpen.

By the way, does anyone have a spare Wild Bill Hagy #34 shirt from last Tuesday’s game? My train didn’t arrive at Camden Yards until 6:45, by which time the shirts were all gone. If you’re feeling generous or want to make a deal, shoot me an email at kevin AT oriolesnumbers DOT com. Thanks, and have a good week!