NumerOlogy

Now that I have some time off for the holidays, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do here. This Hot Stove season hasn’t been an exciting one for the Orioles, but there has still been plenty of movement. Let’s review:

Going

#2 Luis Hernandez (Royals), #3 Freddie Bynum (Nationals), #13 Alex Cintron (free agent), #14 Eider Torres (White Sox), #15 Kevin Millar (free agent), #16 Jay Payton (free agent), #29 Adam Loewen (Blue Jays), #35 Greg Aquino (Indians), #40 Daniel Cabrera (Nationals), #54 Lance Cormier (free agent), #55 Ramon Hernandez (Reds), #57 Rocky Cherry (Mets), #63 Omir Santos (free agent)

Coming

Utility player/reckless nut Ryan Freel is the major league return from Cincinnati in the Ramon Hernandez salary dump. He wore #6 with the Reds, but Melvin Mora has occupied that number since 2000 and isn’t likely to budge. Freel wore #11 in Toronto, but would have to pry it from third base coach Juan Samuel. We’ll wait and see.

Defensively-gifted shortstop Cesar Izturis should be an upgrade from the five-headed monster that the O’s tried at the position in 2008. The free agent acquisition has worn #3 for most of his career; he’ll probably keep it in Baltimore, since Lou Montanez doesn’t exactly have seniority and isn’t a lock to make the team in the Spring.

Yesterday, the Birds reached an agreement with tall, mediocre-at-best lefthanded pitcher Mark Hendrickson, most recently of the Marlins. I understand that we’re desperate for veteran arms, but he seems likely to be the second coming of Steve Trachsel (the 2008 vintage). I’ll reserve total judgment until the rest of Andy MacPhail’s offseason moves shake out, I suppose. Anyway, Mark has worn #30 since 2004 and was in #43 prior to that. Those numbers are currently the property of Luke Scott and Jim Johnson, respectively. It sounds like Hendrickson will also be in the market for a new number.

I’ve updated the site to close the book on all of the outgoing players listed above, and made one correction to a past Oriole. I recently came across a 1996 Upper Deck card of Rick Krivda, which has a photo of him pitching in Camden Yards while wearing #62. Based on my other sources and photographic evidence, it seems that he debuted in #62 before switching to #37 for the remainder of the season.

I’ll be back soon (honestly!) to talk about the other Oriole-centric news items this offseason: the new uniforms and Mike Mussina’s retirement. Happy New Year!

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!