Pitching sequences. Mike Mussina x2.

With pitchers the choices are simple. Side view or head on view. Doing these is a good way of making something interesting out of the same old photos.

Career stats card. Mike Flanagan.

Of course Mike is best known as an Oriole and for his Cy Young award winning 1979 season.
For Jays fans, he's remembered for the stretch drive in the ill-fated 1987 season.  The Jays picked him up at the end of August in exchange for Oswaldo Peraza and player to be named later Jose Mesa (oops!)

Mike went 3-2 in 7 starts (3 of them on 3 days rest!), but it was the game on October 3 that was the most memorable. A win would have put the Jays 1 game up on the Tigers with 1 to play.

Mike faced off against Jack Morris that game, and pitched 11 innings, giving up 8 hits, 2 runs (1 earned), walking 2 and striking out 9.

I remember that game very well, and it seemed that it wasn't possible he could keep going, but he just kept getting out of jams. Morris went 9, also giving up 2 runs while walking 5 and striking out 6.

The Tigers had Mike Henneman, who pitched 3 shutout relief innings. Unfortunately Jimy Williams brought in Jeff Musselman in the bottom of the 12th, and the Tigers got the run they needed. Of course they clinched the next day, which was another great pitching matchup.

WTF card. Mike Mussina.

So what then. Mussina's a hot pitcher, so we'll cool him down? Mussina is as cold as ice? Basic Instinct came out and we like ice picks? The levels of WTF in this card are so high it's ridiculous.

Cal Ripken Jr autographed ball.

Back in 1995 I was still managing a sports card store, and amongst out regulars was a guy who was a huge fan of the Baltimore Orioles. So I'd always make a point of putting aside anything Orioles for him, and he'd buy it all no questions asked. Gotta love customers like that.

So he comes on on Saturday May 27, 1995, and he's got 3 tickets for the next nights game in Seattle. Orioles v Mariners at the Kingdome. He says he can't make it, and could I use them?

Silly question. No one at the store wanted to go, and my friends were out of town or busy, so I had to take the wife. We met up with her Uncle who lived near Seattle and the 3 of us took in the game.

Apparently Kevin Brown pitched for the Orioles, and Chris Bosio pitched and got the win for the Mariners. I remember nothing about the game. Nada.

I'd brought a couple of baseballs along, and we decided to give it 30 minutes or so to see if anyone was going to be signing from the Orioles after the game. Smallish crowd of people hanging out, the bus was ready with the doors open and the players and coaches started making their way out.  Mike Mussina wouldn't sign because he was starting the next day, I think Brady Anderson signed some things, Mike Flanagan wouldn't sign, sadly Frank Robinson wouldn't sign either.

Things were looking bleak, but the Raffy Palmeiro came and signed for everyone who wanted one, and I got a nice signature on one of the balls. That one eventually made it's way back to the source of the tickets.

Of course everyone was waiting for Cal, and by the time he came out all the other players were on the bus, so it didn't look good. But, Cal put down his briefcase and his jacket, and started signing. Classy guy. And being Cal, he was signing for the kids, and not the adults. Which was cool.

I was always well prepared in these situations, I had the ball waiting in it's box with the flaps torn off, and the pen carefully in the box so as not to mark the ball. And I just stood there, not too worried if he signed or not, and not really expecting it. Ah, but then a woman called out to Cal, and started saying how she had gone to school with his wife, and blah blah blah. She had a ball, so Cal motioned for her to come forward so he could sign it. But she had no pen. So I leaned in and reached my box over (it helped that I'm 6'7), and Cal looked up and saw my pen, and took it to sign her ball. And Cal being a classy guy, he signed my ball as well. It was a really cool moment. And yes, because Raffy signed when a lot of guys couldn't be bothered, I've always had a soft spot for him. He belongs in the Hall.

This picture doesn't do the ball justice, as it's still in perfect condition after all this time.

Caps under helmets. Eddie Murray.

I don't see a lot of this happening anymore. I know I always wore my cap under my batting helmet.

Random cards. Cal Eldred & Mike Mussina.

In a couple of years the talk will start about whether Mike Mussina belongs in the Hall of Fame. I think he's got a good shot, and probably will get in after 4-5 ballots. Not getting a ring might work against him a bit, but I don't think it'll stop him.

Remember the 1997 ALCS vs Cleveland? Mussina gets 2 no decisions despite these stats.
15 IP, 4 hits, 1 run (earned), 4 walks and 25 K's.  Unreal. And the Orioles lost both those games.

Cal Eldred debuted the same season as the Moose. I though he was going to be the next big thing. I saw him pitch on TV a couple of times, and he just had "it", whatever "it" is.

Unfortunately, arm problems derailed Cal's potentially brilliant career. He did a nice job of reinventing himself as a reliever with the Cardinals later on, but I guess that 258 innings at age 25 was a bit much.

I requested autographs from both these guys through the mail back in the day, and they both replied. I would usually send doubles of the cards if I had them, and I'd let the player know in my little letter that they should keep the doubles for their own collection or to send out to others that maybe hadn't sent a card. Cal signed all 6 I sent him and sent them all back, which was a pretty nice thing to do.

That 1993 Flair set was one of the best ever for signatures. It had the perfect finish and never had any problems with beading like some other cards would.

Random card. Cal Ripken Jr.

Here's Cal wearing a hat that might have the flattest brim I've ever seen, and talking on a what was probably a pretty high tech phone for the time.

I think he's talking to a doctor.

Cal: "Ok doc, are you sure that if I break Gehrig's record that I won't get that Lou Gehrig's disease?"

Doctor: "No Cal, you have nothing to worry about. I swear".