#501 Johnny Oates and Bobby Cox

About the Front: Topps did something new in 1993, placing one American League manager and one National League manager on a shared card and including them as a 14-card subset in Series Two. As you can see, they're superimposed over a pixelated black and white photo of a dugout, which is kind of an ugly graphic choice.

About the Back: The pre-and-post All-Star Break records are a cool touch. My Orioles were only four games back of the Blue Jays at midseason, but fell off the pace a bit and finished in third place, seven games behind Toronto and three behind Milwaukee.

Triple Play:

1. Johnny Oates was a reserve catcher for the Orioles, Braves, Phillies, Dodgers, and Yankees from 1970 through 1981. He batted .250/.309/.313 overall. Despite posting winning records for three straight years as Orioles' manager, he was fired during the 1994-95 players' strike. The Rangers hired Johnny right away, and he led the team to three AL West titles in six full seasons, earning Manager of the Year honors in 1996. Unfortunately, he died of brain cancer at age 58 in 2004. The Rangers retired his number 26 posthumously.

2. Bobby Cox played third base for the Yankees in 1968 and 1969, batting .225/.310/.309 in 220 games. Knee troubles forced his retirement at age 30, but he found his calling as a manager. Cox helmed the Braves from 1978 through 1981 and the Blue Jays from 1982 through 1985, winning the East Division title and AL Manager of the Year in his last season in Toronto. He spent the next five years as Atlanta's GM before moving back to the dugout in 1990. He would stay through 2010, winning an astonishing 15 division titles and five National League pennants. He guided the Braves to a World Series win in 1995, and earned three more selections as Manager of the Year. In all, his managerial record was 2,504-2,001, a lofty .556 winning percentage. His win total is fourth all-time, behind Connie Mack, John McGraw, and Tony LaRussa. Bobby was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2014.

3. Cox was ejected from a game 159 times in his managerial career, an MLB record.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I don't think that I properly appreciated Johnny Oates when he was managing the O's. It only took one year of Phil Regan (71-73 in 1995) for me to realize what I was missing.

Bill James Said: He didn't assess the managers directly in his Player Ratings Book. I'll put this category on ice until we're done with the Managers subset.

On This Date in 1993: March 1. Actor Terry Frost dies of a heart attack at age 86. He appeared in numerous western films and television series during the 1940s and 1950s.

#485 Glenn Davis

About the Front: Is it just me, or does it seem like Glenn Davis' pants are hiked up way too high?

About the Back: Topps done goofed again! Davis won the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award in 1990, not 1991. The award is given annually by the Phi Delta Theta fraternity to the major league player who best exemplifies Larrupin' Lou's character and integrity, both on and off the field. So that's nice.

Triple Play:

1. He is the adopted brother of pitcher Storm Davis; the duo were teammates with the Orioles in 1992.

2. Glenn finished his career with a stint for Japan's Hanshin Tigers in 1995-1996, batting .252/.316/.460 with 28 home runs and 95 RBI in 153 games. In 1996, he became the first foreign player (and tenth overall) to hit a walkoff grand slam in a Nippon Pro Baseball game. Oddly enough, he holds the MLB record for most career home runs (190) without a grand slam.

3. Davis now lives in Columbus, GA, and serves on the city council.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Man, did I dislike Glenn Davis. The Orioles gave up Steve Finley, Pete Harnisch, and Curt Schilling for Glenn's 185 mediocre games spread over three injury-riddled reasons. In 1993, when I was at my most impressionable as a fan, he suffered a broken jaw while breaking up a bar fight in Norfolk on May 27. In August, as he was preparing to return to the active roster, he was hit in the head by a Jeffrey Hammonds foul ball that found the Baltimore dugout, and missed several more weeks. Now that I'm older and wiser (arguably), I know that Davis wasn't at fault. He didn't make that awful trade.

Bill James Said: "If he doesn't convince somebody that his power has come back, his career is over." He did manage to swat 27 homers for the AAA Omaha Royals in 1994, but never did play in the majors after the O's released him in 1993.

On This Date in 1993: September 23. John Burkett wins his 20th game, holding the Astros to three hits over eight innings in a 7-0 Giants victory. Barry Bonds has three doubles, two runs scored, and two driven in, which is hardly newsworthy for him.

#446 Luis Mercedes

About the Front: Luis Mercedes is here to welcome yours truly back from vacation! He also seems to think that his curly black hair is just too gorgeous to hide underneath a cap. I'm sure Jim Palmer could commiserate.

About the Back: The idea of an affiliated minor league having a "Rookie of the Year" seems a bit odd to me, but as Luis was nearly three years younger than the average International League player in 1991, he was a worthy recipient of that award.

Triple Play:

1. Mercedes also led the AA Eastern League in batting with the Hagerstown Suns in 1990, with his .334 mark.

2. Late in the 1991 season, Luis was suspended at AAA Rochester for throwing his batting helmet in the face of an opposing player during an argument. Undeterred, the Orioles called him up in September for his big league debut.

3. He last played in Mexico during the 1995 and 1996 seasons, having finished his MLB career with a total of just 70 games played and a batting line of .190/.286/.242.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: In the early 1990s, I remember hearing Mercedes' name when my father was listening to O's games in the car. His name had a certain ring to it.

Bill James Said: "His skills probably are not a lot different from those of Willie McGee, who has the job that he wants." The Orioles had traded Luis to the Giants for pitcher Kevin McGehee on April 29, 1993, and the speedy, singles-hitting outfielder couldn't crack a San Francisco outfield that included McGee, Darren Lewis, and Barry Bonds.

On This Date in 1993: July 6. Manny Machado celebrates his first birthday. In the present day, he's a Gold Glove third baseman for the Orioles and is in the midst of his fourth big league season. Where does the time go?

#415 Todd Frohwirth

About the Front: Here's a first-person glimpse at the unenviable task of facing a submarine-style pitcher. You can't even see the ball in Todd Frohwirth's hand.

About the Back: Todd split most of the 1987 season between AA Reading and AAA Maine, posting a 2.09 ERA and saving 22 games. Oh, and Topps shows criminal negligence by not mentioning the circumstances of the pitcher's debut on August 10. He replaced Kevin Gross when the Phillies' starter was caught with sandpaper in his glove and ejected. Frohwirth tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless relief and was awarded the win.

Triple Play:

1. Todd was a workhorse for the Orioles, with 32 relief appearances of three or more innings from 1991 through 1993. On July 4, 1992, he entered in the 10th inning and held the Twins without a run through the 14th, but his five innings of work were for naught as Gregg Olson lost the game in the 15th.

2. Frohwirth faced Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett 22 times, more than any other batter. In their meetings, Puckett batted just .105/.227/.263, with two hits in 19 at-bats and three walks.

3. He served as pitching coach for Milwaukee's Beloit Snappers minor league club in 1999, and has also coached varsity basketball at Marquette High School in Milwaukee. He is currently a scout for the Orioles.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Todd is largely responsible for my longtime fascination with sidearm and submarine pitchers. Mark Eichhorn, Chad Bradford, and Darren O'Day have been among my favorite unheralded relievers as an O's fan.

Bill James Said: "His career has degenerated to a puzzling extent over the last two years; I suspect he is not getting the support he needs from his organization." Frohwirth's ERA climbed to 3.83 in 1993, which proved to be his last full season in the majors, but I'm not sure what James meant by the last remark. Was he blaming the O's coaches for Todd's decline?

On This Date in 1993: April 29. Dave Stieb wins the penultimate game of his career, as the White Sox top the Brewers 7-4. His next (and final) big league win would come five years later, during a brief comeback with the Blue Jays.

#381 Mike Flanagan

About the Front: Back-to-back excellent cards. Here we have a unique behind-the-plate view of Mike Flanagan, having just completed his delivery, watching the flight of his pitch as it comes toward us. Yankee Stadium is the backdrop; assuming this photo was taken in 1992, it would've been during the April 24-26 weekend series between the O's and Yanks. Flanny appeared in all three games, striking out four batters and walking two in three hitless innings of relief.

About the Back: Here you see Mike's entire 18-year major league record. He returned to the Orioles in 1991 in a bullpen role and flourished, but couldn't replicate that success the following year. At age 40, he called it a career. Still, his high ERA in 1992 is a bit misleading; he gave up 21 of his 31 earned runs in four ugly outings (and 2.1 innings) spread throughout the season. In his other 38 games, he allowed 10 earned runs in 32.1 innings.

Triple Play:

1. Among his accolades were an All-Star selection in 1978, the 1979 American League Cy Young Award, and a World Series ring with the Orioles in 1983. He was also the last O's pitcher to take the mound in the team's final game in Memorial Stadium on October 6, 1991.

2. Mike was also known for his wit. During the 1980 season, he referred to himself as "Cy Young" and teammate Jim Palmer as "Cy Old". He also gave former closer Don Stanhouse the colorful nicknames of "Fullpack" and "Stan the Man Unusual".

3. After retiring, Flanagan wore several hats in the Orioles' organization. He served two stints as pitching coach, and was a TV analyst for the team's local broadcasts for a number of years. From 2003-2007, he served as one of the club's top front office executives, in effect a co-GM with first Jim Beattie and later Jim Duquette. Sadly, Mike took his own life with a gunshot to the head on August 24, 2011. His widow Alex later revealed that he had battled depression for years.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Mike's 1986 Topps card was the only Oriole card I owned from that set as a child.

Bill James Said: Flanagan was not active in 1993, and not featured in James' book.

On This Date in 1993: February 24. At the 35th Grammy Awards, Eric Clapton wins three awards for his song "Tears in Heaven".

#355 Brady Anderson

About the Front: The sideburns. That's all you need for a classic Brady Anderson card.

About the Back: I lived in Silver Spring for a few months in my mid-twenties. It was also the birthplace of standup comedian Lewis Black.

Triple Play:

1. In 1996, Brady had one of the great fluke home run seasons in history, slugging 50 homers and also reaching career highs in runs (117), RBI (110), and batting average and slugging percentage (.297/.637). He had only 210 total home runs in his career, and otherwise his season high was 24 in 1999.

2. He played 1,759 of his 1,834 career games in Baltimore, and ranks in the top five on several of the team's offensive leaderboards. His 307 stolen bases are the most by any Oriole.

3. Anderson is currently the Orioles' Vice President of Baseball Operations. He has an active and varied role with the team, weighing in on player training and fitness, personnel decisions, and more.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: All of the ladies fawned over Brady. I mean, how many big leaguers had a beefcake poster like this one?

Bill James Said: "Not a big star, but with a .363 on-base percentage, 57 extra-base hits, some stolen bases and good defense in left, he's the kind of multi-faceted player who wins championships."

On This Date in 1993: January 13. The space shuttle Endeavour launches from the Kennedy Space Center, leaving Earth for the third time.

#327 Tim Hulett

About the Front: Some day I will tell my children that I watched baseball before there were advertisements all over the dugouts.

About the Back: How many guys can say that they were managed in college by a Hall of Famer?

Triple Play:

1. Fun with small sample sizes! In 39 plate appearances with runners in scoring position during the 1992 season, Tim batted .417/.462/.639.

2. His son Tim Jr., also known as "Tug", played for the Mariners in 2008 and the Royals in 2009, totaling 45 games and batting .194/.270/.254.

3. Hulett has coached the Rangers' low-A level Spokane Indians club for the past eight seasons. He also coaches at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, LA, and has led the Evangel Eagles to five high school state titles.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: On July 22, 1992, Hulett's four sons were walking back to their Cockeysville, MD home from a playground when six-year-old Sam darted into the path of a car and was struck. He died from his injuries the next day. It was a sad and prominent news story in this area.

Bill James Said: "He got a chance to play at third base when Gomez was hurt (and not playing well), and hit .300 (with a secondary average of .173)." In other words, Tim hit singles and very little else.

On This Date in 1993: November 24. Mrs. Doubtfire, the gender-bending Robin Williams comedy, debuts in theatres.

#300 Cal Ripken

About the Front: This is a great shot of Cal Ripken lunging to his right to snare a ball. A similar pose was used for Cal's statue at Camden Yards, which was dedicated two years ago.

About the Back: Oh yeah, that consecutive-games thing. Thanks to the strike, Junior had to wait until September 6, 1995 to pass Lou Gehrig. He didn't take a day off until the end of the 1998 season, halting the streak at 2,632 games. I don't think anyone expected him to leave Gehrig 502 games behind.

Triple Play:

1. Let's take a deep breath and list some of Cal's accolades: 1982 AL Rookie of the Year, 1983 and 1991 AL MVP, 19-time All-Star (17-time starter), 1991 and 2001 All-Star Game MVP, two-time Gold Glover at shortstop, eight-time Silver Slugger. He was also a first-ballot Hall of Famer, garnering 98.5 percent of the vote.

2. His father, Cal Sr., was a catcher in the Baltimore farm system from 1957 through 1962. He then spent a dozen years as a minor league manager for the O's, and later coached on Earl Weaver's major league staff. He managed the Orioles after Weaver's second retirement in 1987, but was unceremoniously fired after the team lost its first six games in 1988. But the elder Ripken did have the chance to manage sons Cal and Billy in Baltimore. Billy was a second baseman who played for parts of 12 seasons, mostly with the Birds, batting .247/.294/.318 and playing sound defense. (Billy does not appear in this card set, having batted .189 in an injury-plagued 1992 season with the Orioles.)

3. Ripken heads a group that owns a few minor league baseball teams, most notably the Aberdeen IronBirds, the Orioles' New York-Penn League affiliate. The IronBirds play near Cal's childhood home, and their complex includes several little league fields that are modeled after MLB stadiums. The Cal Ripken World Series is held in Aberdeen every summer, bringing together youth teams from across the nation and the world.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Before I was even a baseball fan, I remember seeing milk commercials featuring Cal. There was one with an actor portraying a young Ripken in little league. As he comes up to bat, neighbors start warning one another to move their cars, because "that kid's up".

Bill James Said: "I know nobody asked me, but if anybody does, I am completely opposed to putting personal goals ahead of the good of the team." If James thought that the O's had a better chance of winning games with somebody other than Ripken at shortstop every day, he should have named the player. It's worth noting that Ripken moved from shortstop to third base in 1997, when the Orioles acquired Mike Bordick.

On This Date in 1993: October 14. Guy Malary, the justice minister of the Haitian transition government, is shot dead. Two security guards and a driver are also killed in the ambush.

#274 Rick Sutcliffe

About the Front: The Red Baron! Last month, the Orioles and Cubs wore 1994 throwbacks (there's a phrase that makes chills run down my spine) in a Sunday afternoon contest at Wrigley Field. Those black-lettered road unis have really grown on me, although I'm still glad the O's put "Baltimore" back on their grays a few years ago. Also, don't miss Rick Sutcliffe's shadow cast across the mound.

About the Back: And those would be the last two shutouts of Sut's long and fruitful career.

Triple Play:

1. Rick was the 1979 National League Rookie of the Year, easily outpacing Jeffrey Leonard. He won the 1984 National League Cy Young Award despite not arriving in Chicago until mid-June; he allowed seven fewer runs with the Cubs than he did with the Indians, despite pitching 56 more innings after the trade than he had in Cleveland. That's a good way to help yourself to a 16-1 record! At least the Tribe got Mel Hall and Joe Carter out of the deal.

2. Barry Bonds was homerless in his 51 plate appearances against Sutcliffe, with a batting line of .239/.280/.326 and just two RBI. That's the most times Bonds faced any pitcher without taking him deep.

3. He has spent his post-retirement days as a TV analyst for ESPN and the Padres. In 2006, he famously dropped into the Padres' TV booth after an evening of conviviality with Bill Murray and had a brief but entertaining dialogue with Matt Vasgersian and Mark Grant about golf, San Diego, and George Clooney.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Sutcliffe may have been a steadying veteran presence for the Orioles in 1992, when he won Comeback Player of the Year honors, but I tuned in to the O's a year later, when he was a lead weight in the rotation.

Bill James Said: "His batting average allowed, .314, was also the highest in the majors, and his slugging percentage also, .496, and his on-base average allowed (.385)." That's an .881 OPS, which equals Cubs rookie slugger Javier Baez's career minor league mark.

On This Day in 1993: September 4. Herve Villechaize, the 3'11" French actor best known as "Tattoo" from Fantasy Island, fatally shoots himself at his North Hollywood home. In a suicide note, he cites depression stemming from years of poor health.

#246 Gregg Olson

About the Front: Here's the Otter, Gregg Olson, with a patchy beard. In 1993, he switched to a wondrously awful horseshoe mustache.

About the Back: "Nintendo games". Doesn't that sound quaint? I wonder if Gregg had a Super NES in 1992. He certainly could have afforded it.

Triple Play:

1. Gregg was the 1989 AL Rookie of the Year, as he posted a career-best 9.5 K/9 and allowed a single home run in 85 innings pitched.

2. Even though a torn elbow ligament cut his Orioles career short, Olson is still the team's all-time leader with 160 saves.

3. His only big league hit was a two-run home run off of Florida's Oscar Henriquez on April 20, 1998.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: A friend of mine talked me into trading him my 1989 Topps Gregg Olson rookie card, featuring the curveball specialist in his Auburn Tigers duds. I don't even remember which card I got in return, but I remember being upset about it later. Of course now I've got more worthless '89 Topps than I could ever want.

Bill James Said: "He allowed 48% of his inherited runners to score (15 of 31), the worst percentage in the American League, thus he was charged with only nine runs allowed, but 23 RBI."

On This Date in 1993: July 8. Allen Watson, the Cardinals' 1991 first-round draft pick, wins his big league debut with six innings of one-run ball as St. Louis tops Atlanta 7-1. The young lefty will have a mediocre career, posting a 51-55 record and a 5.03 ERA in parts of eight seasons with six different clubs.

#218 Ben McDonald

About the Front: This photo cuts Ben McDonald off at the knees, so you don't get a proper sense of his height. The former #1 overall pick is 6'7", with long, lanky legs.

About the Back: Yep, just your average alligator-wrestling, sardine-eating righthanded pitcher. Nothing to see here.

Triple Play:

1. His superlatives in 1989, when he won the Golden Spikes Award (best collegiate baseball player): 14-4, 3.49 ERA, 202 strikeouts in 152 innings pitched, and a season-opening 44 and 2/3 inning scoreless streak.

2. Ben made his first big league start on July 21, 1990, shutting out the White Sox on four hits and a walk and outdueling Jack McDowell.

3. McDonald now works as a TV analyst for ESPN's college baseball broadcasts, and also occasionally fills in on Orioles' TV and radio broadcasts.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: When Ben started the 1994 season by winning each of his first seven starts, I was sure he'd made a breakthrough. Of course he went 7-7 with a 4.56 ERA for the duration of the season. Oh well.

Bill James Said: "His strikeout rates, since his brief trial in '89: 3.7 per nine innings, 4.9, 6.1, 6.3, 7.0."

On This Date in 1993: May 20. The fourth-season finale of Seinfeld airs on NBC, wrapping up the season-long story arc of Jerry and George's television pilot for "a show about nothing". The pilot makes it to air, but the (fictional) NBC executives reject the show.

#192 Bob Milacki

About the Front: The Oriole Bird on Bob Milacki's undershirt collar is perfectly aligned with the bird on his cap. Coincidence? Probably.

About the Back: Here's another fun coincidence - Herman Pillette's son Duane pitched for the Orioles in 1954-1955 and was the first pitcher to win a game for the O's after their move from St. Louis.

Triple Play:

1. After tossing eight one-hit innings in his MLB debut, and pitching into the ninth in his next game, Bob shut out the Yankees on three hits with 10 strikeouts in his third big league appearance.

2. On July 13, 1991, he tossed the first six innings of a combined no-hitter against Oakland, with Mark Williamson, Mike Flanagan, and Gregg Olson keeping the A's hitless through the final three frames.

3. Milacki is currently a pitching coach in the Phillies' organization. In 2014, he is on the Single-A Clearwater Threshers staff.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I was fortunate to grow up in Baltimore in the 1980s and 1990s, where Bob Milacki was a household name.

Bill James Said: "He's only 29 and it's hard to say specifically why he can't win, but a pitcher with less than five strikeouts/game will always have a short career."

On This Date in 1993: April 11. A 450-man prison riot breaks out at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, and it will continue for 10 days. It is sparked by grievances over prison conditions and forced tuberculosis vaccinations given to Nation of Islam prisoners. The vaccinations run counter to the religious beliefs of NOI.

#164 Leo Gomez

About the Front: The green padded backstop makes me think that we're in Fenway Park. It's even odds that Leo Gomez just cleared the Green Monster. Maybe this was part of his three-game HR streak in Boston in midsummer of 1992.

About the Back: Hey! Leo grew a mustache in the time it took to flip this card over!

Triple Play:

1. His only career walkoff home run was an 11th-inning tiebreaker off of the White Sox' Donn Pall on August 12, 1991.

2. He finished his career with a six-season stint with Japan's Chunichi Dragons, batting .293/.382/.532 with 153 home runs and 449 RBI and retiring in 2002.

3. Gomez returned to the Baltimore organization as a minor league coach in 2009. In 2011, he managed their short-season low-A Aberdeen IronBirds club to a 24-51 finish.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Just looking at this card is enough to make me think of Jon Miller calling him "LAY-o Gomez" on WBAL Radio play-by-play. That brings a smile to my face.

Bill James Said: "He was troubled by tendonitis and a cyst on his right wrist, plus his manager doesn't seem to believe in him, which often resolves itself by a trade." Gomez actually outlasted skipper Johnny Oates in Baltimore, batting .274/.366/.502 in a rebound performance in 1994 but losing his grip on the third base job again in '95 under new manager Phil Regan.

On This Date in 1993: February 18. The Red Sox sign free agent closer Jeff Russell. He will save 33 games in 37 chances with a 2.70 ERA in his only full season in Boston.

#137 Alan Mills

About the Front: So many great little details. The tried-and-true Alan Mills "horseshoe" mustache, the cap brim pulled low over his eyes (though I've seen him go even lower), the oddball #75 jersey, and the tin of what I assume is chewing tobacco protruding from the back pants pocket.

About the Back: The Yankees give an award for the best rookie performance...in Spring Training? Does any other team do that?

Triple Play:

1. His first love was football, but he turned to baseball after doctors discovered that he had been born with only one kidney.

2. During a bench-clearing brawl between the Orioles and the Yankees on May 19, 1998, Mills famously bloodied Darryl Strawberry with a mean right cross in the New York dugout.

3. Alan is currently a pitching coach in the Baltimore farm system.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I had an Orioles game program from 1993 that included an article on Mills and his baseball card collecting hobby. There were pictures of him rooting through stacks of 1991 Topps in his home. It's always fun to find common ground with pro athletes.

Bill James Said: "Limited hitters to a .187 batting average when there were men on base, best in the American League."

On This Date in 1993: January 8. The comedic horror B-movie Leprechaun premieres, starring Warwick Davis and a pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston.

#109 Sam Horn

About the Front: This has long been one of my favorite cards in this set. How often do you see a player captured in a moment of deep reflection? Or maybe he's just thinking about what he'll have for dinner that night. I never claimed to be a mind reader. Anyway, two thoughts: 1) Dig the girl in the plastic neon sunglasses in the first row. 2) Sam Horn is a big, big, big dude.

About the Back: Sam didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify for any batting rate stats in 1991. But as a point of comparison, Jose Canseco was the official American League leader with one home run per 13.0 at-bats.

Triple Play:

1. Horn still has a cult following in Boston because of his hot start in a 46-game trial in 1987, when he set a record for the most home runs by a player appearing in less than 50 games. He also homered in each of his first two career games. A popular Red Sox fan site and message board is named "Sons of Sam Horn".

2. Sam had a knack for first impressions. On Opening Day of the 1990 season, he made his Orioles debut and went 4-for-5 with a pair of three-run homers to spur Baltimore to a 7-6 win over the Royals in 11 innings.

3. Horn also achieved a more dubious feat on July 17, 1991, striking out six times in a 15-inning loss to Kansas City. Former O's pitcher Mike Flanagan was credited with dubbing the feat as a "horn", a la the "hat trick" (3 K's) or "golden sombrero" (5 K's).

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Sam Horn was one of the few Orioles whose name pierced the bubble of my personal baseball ignorance in the early 1990s. That probably has something to do with his considerable power (a rarity on those O's clubs) and the lyricality of his name. "Sam Horn" just sounds like a heroic athlete.

Bill James Said: "I know I've said this before, but Horn is pretty much the same player as Cecil Fielder; he's just lefthanded and can't catch a break."

On This Date in 1993: November 18. In South Africa, 21 political parties approve a new constitution, expanding voting rights and ending white minority rule.

#82 David Segui

About the Front: Here we have a young-looking David Segui ranging over to the first base line at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. He's wearing a black wristband with his jersey number (21) embroidered in orange.

About the Back: In the summer of 2012, the Orioles signed Cory Segui as an undrafted free agent. He played junior college ball for the Scottsdale Community College Fighting Artichokes (yes, Fighting Artichokes). In 2013 in 33 games with the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast Orioles, Cory batted .211/.311/.256. He shouldn't start spending his future major league salary just yet.

Triple Play:

1. David is the son of former pitcher Diego Segui, who went 92-111 with a 3.81 ERA from 1962 through 1977 with the Athletics and five other teams. Diego was the Opening Day starter for both Seattle franchises, the Pilots (1969) and Mariners (1977).

2. Segui came into his own as a hitter after Baltimore traded him to the Mets in 1994. The first baseman peaked in 1997 with the Expos, batting .307/.380/.505 with a career-high 21 home runs.

3. He ranked sixth in the American League with a .334 batting average with the Rangers and Indians in 2000, and also drove in a personal-best 103 runs.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Segui hit a two-run home run on July 9, 1993, in the first game that I ever attended at Camden Yards.

Bill James Said: (After talking up David's strengths:) "On the other hand, he is turrible slow, doesn't have the power you want at first base, and hit .152 in the late innings of close games, worst in the league.

On This Date in 1993: October 3. The reigning World Champion Blue Jays become the first team in American League history to have three players finish 1-2-3 in the batting average race, with John Olerud (.363) taking the honors and Paul Molitor (.332) and Roberto Alomar (.326) as runners-up.

#55 Mark McLemore

About the Front: I love cards with photos taken at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. I've spent so much time there over the past 20 years, I feel like I know it by heart. The blurry background behind Mark McLemore is the bullpen area in center field.

About the Back: Who would have ever looked at these career batting stats and predicted that McLemore would play regularly in the major leagues through 2004?

Triple Play:

1. The first home run of Mark's career was a walk-off shot in the bottom of the 13th inning against Milwaukee reliever Mark Clear, giving the Angels a 9-7 win on July 2, 1987. It was the only game-ending homer in his 19-year career.

2. His best overall season was 2001, when he batted .286 with a .384 on-base percentage and stole 39 bases in 125 games for the Mariners. That year, he started games at every position aside from pitcher, catcher, and first base.

3. McLemore is currently part of the Rangers' TV broadcast team on Fox Sports Southwest and KTXA.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I remember Mark being an unexpectedly productive regular for the Orioles in 1993, with his .284 average (over .300 as late as August 26), .353 on-base percentage, and his odd stat line of four home runs and (a career-high) 72 RBI.

Bill James Said: "He started the year on the Orioles bench but got hot, while the Martinez/Obando platoon didn't do Chito, and McLemore got the right field job." We'll get to Chito Martinez and Sherman Obando later.

On This Date in 1993: August 12. Pope John Paul II presides over his eighth annual World Youth Day at Denver's Mile High Stadium. I guess the Rockies were out of town.

#28 Joe Orsulak

About the Front: Joe O! This picture captures the essence of Joe Orsulak, an unglamorous blue-collar type of guy from Jersey. You could easily imagine his batting helmet as a hard hat that he's pulling off as he takes a breather on the construction site. This was Joe's last card as an Oriole; he signed with the Mets in December of 1992.

About the Back: Sadly, Joe's wife Adrianna would be diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in 1994. She passed away in 2004 at age 39.

Triple Play: 

1. Orsulak was a three-sport athlete at Parsippany Hills High School in New Jersey. In addition to baseball, he played basketball and was an all-state soccer goalie.

2. Two notable plays in Joe's career involved outfield catches. He recorded the first putout in the history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards when he snagged a short fly ball off the bat of Kenny Lofton. A few years earlier, he had been on the short end of Bo Jackson's famous wall-scaling robbery at Memorial Stadium.

3. 'Slack still lives in the Baltimore area. He spent some time as an assistant coach for Loyola Blakefield High School's baseball team as a favor to head coach (and fellow ex-Oriole) Tim Nordbrook. Currently, Joe talks up the O's on 105.7 FM's Baltimore Baseball Tonight pregame radio show.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: This was not a card that made a strong impression on me as a kid. Joe's facial contortions made it look like he was in pain, so I probably assumed that he had just struck out.

Bill James Said: "He has stolen five or six bases in each of the last five years, with batting averages staying in a 20-point circle (.269 to .289)." Even with figures in the .220s in his last two seasons (1996-1997), Orsulak batted .273 for his career.

On This Date in 1993: July 2. Fred Gwynne, a.k.a. Herman Munster, passed away at age 66 from pancreatic cancer.

#6 Jeff Tackett

About the Front: So it is that Topps gives us the first "common" player in the set after a run of five legends. At least they made up for it with a great photo. Jeff Tackett kneels in a cloud of dust at home plate, preparing to palm a ball that momentarily hangs in the air. Based on his expression and body language, and the blurry figure in the visitor's dugout who seems to be applauding, I'll make an educated guess that Jeff was just bested on a play at the plate.

About the Back: Yeowch. As you can see, Tackett was a defense-first catcher. Only one pro season with an average above .240, and he didn't hit a single home run until his sixth year in organized ball. Terry Tackett played in just 198 minor-league games from 1961 through 1965, and batted .199 with a .309 slugging percentage, so Jeff at least outplayed his dad.

I get a kick out of the note about his interests. Motorcycles and surfing...sounds like a California guy through and through.

Triple Play:

1. Jeff's true claim to fame was small cameo roles in the films "Bob Roberts" and "Dave". In each of those movies, he was the Orioles' catcher tasked with snagging a ceremonial first pitch tossed by the fictional President of the United States. Chris Hoiles may have been a better hitter, but he was never in the pictures.

2. He pitched one inning of mop-up relief on August 11, 1993, as the O's were getting battered 15-5 in Detroit. He got Gary Thurman to bounce out to shortstop, walked Scott Livingstone on five pitches, induced a Rich Rowland lineout to right field, surrendered a bloop single to Chris Gomez, and then stranded both runners on a Tony Phillips fly ball to center field. He was the only Baltimore pitcher to go unscored upon that day.

3. Tackett's final big league game was August 2, 1994, the week before the players' strike that lasted until the following spring. He had the rare distinction of hitting a home run in his final MLB at-bat, connecting for a solo shot off of Mike Trombley of the Twins in the seventh inning.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I interpreted this photo differently as a kid. Tackett's open-mouthed pose and the ball flip projected an image of nonchalance.

Bill James Said: "He is a defensive catcher, and threw out 44% of opposing baserunners, which is excellent, although the ERA when he was catching was not good (4.75)." Catcher ERA has been discredited as an effective tool for evaluating backstops in recent years. If you're curious, Baseball Reference actually lists Tackett's C-ERA as 4.71, with starter Chris Hoiles at 4.08 and fellow backup Mark Parent at a ghastly 5.29.

On This Date in 1993: May 21. Dayanara Torres, an 18-year-old from Puerto Rico, was crowned Miss Universe.