Orioles from the Jedi Guy

Jedi Jeff from 2 x 3 Heroes padded his 'Tis the Season' hockey gift with a pile of Orioles cards and I wanted to toss just a couple of them up here. It's been awhile Orioles cards were the focal point of this modest space.

1991 Upper Deck Cal Ripken. Pictures that fit the space, clean design, team logo. Maybe not 'cardboard art' but it's a good card.

 

Brady Anderson, same set. Five years later he hit 50 home runs. Previous high HR total? 21. Previous season's HR total? 16. Highest subsequent season HR total? 24. So 1996 was the year of Brady's homer-onic convergence. Think the ball was juiced post-lockout?

1988 Fleer Ken Dixon. I have a baseball he signed in Arlington for me a year or so before this card was issued. I saw him pitch in Yankee Stadium on one of my visits east. That was the game that Cal Ripken was thrown out at home by Dave Winfield which killed a rally. That's all I remember from that game, Dixon entering in relief and Ripken getting nailed at home. Oh, and the Orioles losing.

Finally, it's an Eddie Murray mini card from 1988.

I love the little cartoon. Hard to believe one family could have five guys play pro ball. Eddie obviously was the most successful.

His four brothers are Rich Murray who played for the Giants and married a woman I knew from my school district. I received an invite but didn't attend. I didn't know at the time that the groom was that Rich Murray and that Eddie was in attendance. I would have gone and brought a hell of a gift had I known.

The other three brothers are Charles who played seven seasons of minor league ball and played as high as the AAA level, Venice who played one season in the minors and later was a baseball scout, and Leon Murray who played only 20 games of pro ball.