Current Collection - 1970

This year's collection will be a priority, since it portrays the team I first remebering rooting for and watching play on television, in the year I collected my first cards, all those years ago, racing out of kindergarten to arrive home to watch hopefully the last inning or two of each of that year’s World Series games. I can still vividly remember having a certaint feeling (as naive as it may have been) that in rooting for the Orioles that year that there was no way they would lose. For some reason in my young mind, despite the menacing Reds' lineup, the Orioles seemed invincible(obviously I was blissfully unaware of the events just one year prior). Fortunately, it played out just that way as the Orioles wrapped up the Series in five, were crowned champions, and solidified a very pleasant memory that still lasts 40 years later.

I'm now in pretty good shape with this year's collection, just missing a few key pieces, all of which should be fairly attainable (read: affordable) - save for Frank Robinson, who in addition to being a star also has a very high number, and thus is a more rare card, on the back. Front-page sheet looks like this:

LF - Don Buford
CF - Paul Blair
RF - Merv Rettenmund
SS - Mark Belanger
SP - Jim Palmer
RP - Eddie Watt
3B - Brooks Robinson
C - Elrod Hendricks
1B - Boog Powell

Needed on this sheet, in addition to F. Robinson is second baseman Davey Johnson and possibly catcher Andy Etchebarren (need to research if he or Ellie was the primary catcher that season).

Among my favorites there is perhaps an unlikely one, since he's not as well known as many of the many other names - virutally all really - etched forever in Oriole lore: Eddie Watt. Why? His was one of the very first baseball cards I ever got, and can still remember holding it like a precious jewel when I was a young kid, even taping it (gasp! I know...but gasp even greater when you realize I also taped a Roberto Clemente card to the display table) to the wall as you went down the stairs to the cellar, into my "Baseball Card Hall of Fame." Being that he was an Orioles pitcher, from such a great team, I figured then his card must hold quite a high value. While maybe my perception of the card was a little misplaced, particularly in light of many of his teammates, I did later discover when looking back on his career that he was, as one of his cards pronounced on the back, "the ace of the bullpen."

Second sheet so far contains:

IF - Chico Salmon
Mgr - Earl Weaver
Rookies: Fred Beene (P) Terry Crowley (OF)
A.L. Playoff Game 1 - Orioles Win a Squeeer!
TSN 1969 World Series - Game 1: Buford Belts a Leadoff Homer

I also have a card from 1975 that shows the two MVPs of 1970, the A.L. one being Powell (Johnny Bench was the N.L. MVP.)
Rookies

Current Collection - 1969

Fortunate to have a number of cards already in the 1969 set, the first of three dominating years for the Orioles, where they eclipsed the 100-win mark each year, made three World Series appearances, and won one of them. While the memory from this year will well be the deflating five-game Series loss to the Mets, this 109-win regular season team, remains one of the team's and baseball's best of all time.

I don't quite remember how I acquired most of these cards, since the first year I collected as a kid was in 1970. Somewhere over the years I came into the good fortune of being given many from the list below, several of which are the team's prime players, including the starting outfield of Buford, Blair and Robinson, shortstop Belanger, and two aces in Cuellar and McNally. Thus, the sheet currently looks as follows:

LF - Don Buford
CF - Paul Blair
RF - Frank Robinson
SS - Mark Belanger
SP - Mike Cuellar
2B - Dave Johnson
RP - Eddie Watt
OF - Dave May
SP - Dave McNally
RC - Mike Adamson (P) and Merv Rettenmund (OF)

Among the most difficult I anticipate to acquire on the wish list will be those missing in my collection from the starting lineup:

1B - Boog Powell
3B - Brooks Robinson

As well as:

SP - Jim Palmer
C - Elrod Hendricks
Mgr - Earl Weaver

And would very much like this year's special card:

Bird Hill Aces, featuring Tom Phoebus, Jim Hardin, McNally and Cuellar

What about Andy Etchebarren? Was he the catcher this year, and does he have a card for the year?

Also would be nice to add some of the pitching staff, such as Tom Phoebus and Pete Richert. (Were they both still on the team?)

Current Collection - 1968

So far, just one from this year in the collection: a Jim Palmer, with a crease running right across the center of it, dividing the pitcher's face, in the head and shoulders picture on the card (will get the photo of it uploaded one day).

Front-sheet targets on the wish list:

C- Andy Etchebarren or Ellie Hendricks
1B - Boog Powell
2B - Davey Johnson
SS - Mark Belanger
3B - Brooks Robinson
CF - Paul Blair
RF - Frank Robinson
LF - Curt Blefary or Don Buford
SP - Dave McNally

Difficult choice with the outstanding pitching staff, but McNally was absolutely superb: 22-1- with a 1.95 ERA and 18 complete games. Jim Hardin and Tom Phoebus also excelled, both with ERAs in the mid 2's and combining for 25 complete games. Eddie Watt closed things with 11 saves. Their excellent pitching, holding opponents to fewer than 500 runs for the season, propelled the O's to a 91-71 record and second-place finish.

Don Buford led the O's in hitting, this in the year of the pitcher, turning in a fine season with a .282 average, 15 HRs and 27 SB. The next highest average (for players with more than 100 at bats) was Frank Robinson who had for him a very modest, albeit still productive, season, with only 421 at bats: .268 BA, .390 OBP, .444 SLG. Boog Powell led the team with 22 HRs and 85 RBI. Brooks Robinson was the only other player besides Buford and Robinson to bat over .250 (finishing at .253) and chipped in 17 HRs and 75 RBI.

Current Collection - 1967

Have a nice start to the 1967 Orioles' set, with two outfielders in place, Frank Robinson and Curt Blefary, and a pitcher whom I had not heard of, Gene Brabender. Robinson and Blefary combined for 52 home runs and 175 RBI that season, though the O's, despite scoring nearly 60 more runs than they gave up (654 for, 592 against), had a mighty fall from their championship season the year before, finishing 76-85. Brabender, for his part, pitched well, starting 15 games and going 6-4 with a tidy 3.35 ERA, including three complete games.

Targeted cards to fill up the first 9-sheet sleeve (to join the two OFs mentioned above):

C - Andy Etchebarren
1B - Boog Powell
2B - Davey Johnson
SS - Luis Aparicio
3B - Brooks Robinson
CF - Paul Blair
SP - Tom Phoebus (RC)*

*Brabender will serve in his spot until Phoebus joins the collection. Phoebus will be slotted for this front-page spot, having had a sensational first season (14-9, 3.33 ERA, 7 CG, 208 IP), winning Rookie Pitcher of the Year.

Collecting those front-page cards will be no easy task, with that formidable lineup. It's difficult to imagine what must've happened that season, with a lineup such as the one above and what looked to be some pretty decent pitching.

For the second and third sheets, targets are (again, will be some challenging ones, especially with an early Palmer card and a rookie Belanger):

OF - Russ Snyder
SS - Mark Belanger (RC)
SP - Pete Richert
SP - Dave McNally
SP - Jim Hardin
SP - Steve Barber
RP/SP - Wally Bunker
SP - Jim Palmer
RP - Moe Drabowski
RP - Eddie Watt
RP - Stu Miller
Mgr - Hank Bauer
C - Larry Haney (RC)
OF - Sam Bowens

Special cards:

Bird Bombers - Powell and Blefary
World Series cards
Team Card
World Champs, with three O's on the dugout steps

Should be a fun group to add to the collection.

Current Collection - 1976

Delighted to find a box of 1976 cards in the attic that I had forgotten was there, and even when seeing it again thought I had scoured pretty thoroughly awhile ago. Still, I had thought it strange prior to finding and going through the box again that I only had two Orioles' cards from that year: a team card and one of Wayne Garland, hands above head ready to swing around and deliver a pitch. At the same time, I had numerous 1976 Cardinals as well as several Red Sox (the two other teams I collect in abundance). Lo and behold, sitting in that box was nearly the team set of 1976 Oriole cards, from all the familiar names like Robinson, Blair, Belanger, Baylor, Bumbry, Palmer; a rookie card of Flanagan; and on and on, even a few I did not recognize, with doubles and sometimes triples to boot!

I had taken a stab at lining up the cards in the 9-sleeve sheet with what I imagined the typical starting lineup was, but found I had mostly gone awry. Correct was Paul Blair in center and Mark Belanger at short; I also had Ken Singleton correct, but it looks as though he played more left field than right (or did he DH a lot that season?), and thus need to re-position him. Al Bumbry could be considered correct being placed on the first sheet, having had 499 at bats in 1976, and thus played as much as, even a little more than Blair.

Where I was surprised was not knowing that Andres Mora was one of the DH's that year, but I do not believe there is a card of him, at least not an Orioles card, for that year, and of course that was Reggie Jackson's one-year adventure with Baltimore, and his card for that year still shows him being on the A's. Tommy Davis and Don Baylor both made the front nine, but neither was on the team that year. I also went with Brooks Robinson at third over Doug DeCinces, but the latter came to bat twice as much as the legend and is one of the cards from the set that I do not have. The other surprise: Dave Duncan did more of the catching than Ellie Hendricks (sentimental choice for first sheet) and Rick Dempsey (no '76 card that I'm aware of, unless there's one of him on the Yankees). Lastly, while I realized Jim Palmer was most likely the ace that year, and he has a terrific in-action card, orange jersey and all, I went with long-time lefty Mike Cuellar, as he cocks to fire to the plate, glove thrown out, eye on target and front foot about to land, all from the Memorial Stadium mound. Having checked though and seen that Palmer had a stellar season (yet another one) and Cuellar was in more of a minor role with his career coming nearing the end, I've installed Palmer in the center of the first sheet.

It was also clear to me that I was missing a second baseman from the set. In this case, Bobby Grich will fill the void once acquired. His '76 card is quite a hoot, a profile view without at hat on that makes him look to me like someone who just stepped off a Hollywood set. And Lee May. I need the Lee May card. The first base bopper hit 25 home runs and drove in 109 runs that year.

Current Collection - 1966

Just one card so far from 1966, the year of the Orioles first World Series victory. The card is of pitcher Steve Barber and tells us that "The lefty finished the '65 season with a flourish, winning 9 of his last 11 starts." In that year, the card adds, "Steve pitched three three-hitters." At the time, Steve was the only Oriole pitcher who had won 20 games. This is illustrated on the back of the card, with a a cartoon of a pitcher straining to push a baseball twice his size, with the number 20 on it.

I do have another card, depicting the 1966 Series, a Fleer '71 perhaps, not sure. On the front is a cartoon of the Oriole bird zipping in a pitch, with a big 0.50 ERA - that what they finished the '66 Series with - dominating the face of the ball.

Cards on the wish list, at least of the starting lineup, key reserves and core pitching, to fill two 9-sleeve sheets perfectly:

C - Andy Etchebarren
1B - Boog Powell
2B - Davey Johnson
SS - Luis Aparacio
3B - Brooks Robinson
LF - Curt Blefary
CF - Paul Blair
RF - Frank Robinson

Key reserves:

OF - Russ Synder
OF - Sam Bowens
IF - Bob Johnson

Pitching:

SP - Dave McNally
SP - Jim Palmer
SP - Wally Bunker
RP - Stu Miller
RP/SP - Eddie Watt
RP - Moe Drabowsky

How about Moe Drabowsky's performance in the first game of the 1966 World Series, relieving McNally in the third inning and going on to complete the game, giving up one hit(?) and striking out 11 batters, using mostly fast balls - a strategy O's pitchers would use - exceptionally well - the rest of the series.

Current Collection - 1957

I ordered two beauties yesterday to get my collection of 1957 Orioles going. That was the year Topps turned to its standard-size cards it still issues today. The prior three seasons - the O's first three in their history - were oversized (and thus not so easy to slip inside the sleeves for presentation). I'm not sure what kind of condition these first two cards will be in - well, I have a fair idea, somewhere between very good and excellent - but I'm hoping for something that at least presents well.

The two cards: Ace starting pitcher that year, Clifford C. Johnson, better known as Connie, and slugging first baseman, Bob Boyd.

Johnson's card that year tells us that he "came to Baltimore last year in a deal that helped the Orioles climb up the A.L. ladder....Connie became the hurler with the top Oriole Earned Run Average....Among Connie's 9 complete games in '56 were two shutouts, one a flashy 3-hit job. He is a strikeout artist and in his first 2 seasons led the Provincial and Western Leagues in whiffs." In 1957, he completed 14 games, and was third best in shutouts and complete games.

Boyd's card lets us know that he "made a successful debut with Baltimore last year when he posted the second highest Oriole Batting Mark. He is not a long ball hitter and last season 82% of his hits were singles. Bob's sparkling performance at Seattle in 1952 where he won the Pacific Coast Batting Crown brought him to the Major Leagues for a trial." In 1957, Bob led the Orioles in hiting and finished third, behind Ted Williams, in hitting in the American League.

Others from the starting nine to hopefully join messeiurs Johnson and Boyd:

C - Gus Triandos
2B - Billy Gardner
SS - Willy Miranda
3B - George Kell
LF - Bob Nieman
CF - Jim Busby
RF - Al Pilarcik

Though I will still need to determine which of these players may have had cards - and if so were they Orioles' cards - for this year. Certainly Gus Triandos does (shown here). Also on the list will be some key reserves, with well-known names such as Francona, Goodman, Williams, and Green, as well as what surely will be the most difficult, or at least most expensive, to bring into the collection: the Brooks Robinson rookie card.

The O's pitching staff looked pretty formidable that year, too, with Johnson and the other four starting pitchers having ERAs ranging from 3.20 to 3.64, and spot starter/relief pitcher Billy O'Dell posting a sharp 2.69 ERA in 35 games, 15 of which he started, racking up 140 IP, and collecting four saves. George Zuvernik appeared to do most of the closing with 9 saves, 56 appearances and a team-low 2.48 ERA. Ken Lehman chipped in with six saves.

Update: Just won a 1957 Billy Gardiner on ebay for $2.60 (+$0.50 shipping), perhaps a little high, but this will be one of the special ones in the collection. One reason it will be special is that Gardiner is one of only a few MLB players I've met; the other, more compelling reason is that his son (Bill) and I played Legion ball together and had quite the enjoyable summer doing so back in the summer of 1983. At the time, the elder Gardiner was managing the Minnesota Twins, which were is complete rebuilding mode then, and thus it was rare that he could be there for our games, but I do remember, probably at the all-star break, walking over to him, shaking hands and saying hello. Welcome to the collection, Billy!

Current Collection - 1965

In 1965, the year I was born, the Orioles finished a very respectable 94-68 that season, 3rd in the American League. Brooks Robinson led the team with a .297 average, while rookie Curt Befary belted the most home runs with 22. As baseball was in the midst of the "decade of the pitcher," Russ Snyder was the only other Oriole to hit better than .260 (Snyder hit .270), and nobody else than Belfary was at or above 20 home runs. Luis Aparico swiped 26 bases.

The Orioles made up for it with superb pitching - a theme that would continue over the next six seasons, as they appeared in four World Series, winning two of them. In '65 - with three (Pappas, Barber, and McNally) of the four primary starting pitchers finishing with ERAs below three, the fourth (Bunker) pulling in at 3.38, and the two (Roberts and the rookie Miller) who shared the fifth spot coming in at 3.38 and 3.18, respectively. The Orioles scored 641 runs, while allowing 578.

My collection for the year stands at one, Russ Snyder, but I just added four more that will be en route shortly: Jerry Adair, Steve Barber, Charlie Lau and Jackie Brandt. Total cost, allowing a little extra per card for shipping/packaging: about $5.00.

Here are my initial targets to fill the nine spots in sheet No. 1 for that year:

LF - Boog Powell - #560 (Didn't know he was once a left-fielder)
CF - Paul Blair - #473 (rookie card, shared with Davey Johnson)
RF - Curt Blefary (rookie card, shared with John Miller)
SS - Luis Aparicio - #410
SP - Milt Pappas - #270
2B - Jerry Adair - #231 (en route)
3B - Brooks Robinson - #150
C - Dick Brown (no card?)
1B - Norm Siebern - #455

For the second sheet, I would add the following eight (to go with outfielder Snyder):

SP - Steve Barber - #113 (en route)
SP - Dave McNally - #249
SP - Wally Bunker - #290
IF - Bob Johnson - #363
Mgr - Hank Bauer - #323
RP - Stu Miller - #499
OF - Jackie Brandt - #33 (en route)
C - John Orsino - #303
OF - Sam Bowens - #188

Though the following could also slot in there:

C- Charley Lau - #94 (en route)
SP - Robin Roberts - #15
RP - Don Larsen
RP - Harvey Haddix - #67
Team Card - # 572
RP - Dick Hall (No card?)
RP - Jim Palmer (no card?)
RP - Herm Starrette - #539
RP - Ken Rowe - #518
RP - Darrel Knowles - #577 (rookie card, share with players from other teams)
RP - Frank Bertaina - #396

And some other considerations:

RBI Leaders - #5 (featuring Brooks Robinson)