Baltimore's Inept Offense

Pictured is a custom TTM postcard that I made last season. I made one for most every player on the team last year and Wiggy was the only position player to autograph his and to send it back. The reason I chose this particular piece of O's memorabilia today is because Wigginton has been the most consistent hitter for Baltimore this year. It was painful last night watching the Oriole lineup just get completely shut down by the pinstrippers from the Bronx. 3 hits!!!

Hopefully Wigginton's hot start to the season will continue and and it will rub off on the other guys in the lineup. Maybe he should sneeze on some of the sleeping batters or show them what end of the bat to swing.

Also, Wigginton has been getting a bulk of the starts at second base while Brian Roberts has been out. If he continues to hit like he is now, where does he play when Bri-Rob returns( if he returns at all this season)? Does he get more starts at DH (Luke Scott, you are officially on notice. START HITTING!)? Or does he get some starts at 1st and 3rd(Atkins you have been on notice, keep up the smuggness and you'll be looking for new employment soon.)? Anybody have any thoughts?

Chris Tillman Ladies and Gentlemen!

This picture has a lot of good things in it.

1. This picture features me on the left and my girlfriend Ashley on the right. Today is 10 months that we have been together. I'm glad we went to the O's Fanfest this year along with all of the other great things we have done together. I want to thank her for her patience that day and her continuing patience with my hobby.

2. Obviously the third person in the picture is of Chris Tillman, an Orioles top prospect. Last night he pitched a no-hitter for Triple-A affiliate of the Orioles, The Norfolk Tides. He only needed 105 pitches to dispatch the hapless Gwinnett Braves enroute to a 6 - 0 win. He had started the year pitching pretty bad but has seemed to turn it around the last few starts. I'm sure we'll see him in Baltimore sometime this season. I'm sure he couldn't do any worse than Guthrie did last night.

3. The reason this picture was taken was for earthquake relief in Haiti. For a 5 dollar donation, you could have your picture taken with an Oriole of the hour. Tillman had a short line compared to the line for a certain Orioles HOFer that I also HAD to get my picture taken with. (More on that in the Future) The money was for a good cause so I said what the heck and paid the 5 bucks. I wonder if Chris donated his time or if he had to be told that he needed to go and do this. I'd like to think that he did it out of the goodness of his heart and wanted to be there. Judging by his smile and his overall demeanor, I would say he wanted to be there.

4. Tillman also looks a lot like my cousin, Chris. They are both about the same height with a similar build. Every time I saw Tillman pitch last year, I had to look twice. I'm not sure they share the same taste in clothes however. I remember Ashley saying that he could probably use a little help with his wardrobe. Maybe he just needs a girlfriend to keep him straight like I do. I don't think Amber Theoharis is seeing anybody. Go for it Mr. Tillman!

First Post, Outlook for the Future and What to Expect

"O" No! I have started a blog. This is my first shot at a blog. I haven't tried something like this so I think this is a new challenge for me in the world of baseball card collecting. Having done my homework by reading other's blogs and getting some good ideas to keep things interesting, I think I can make an entertaining read for people interested in what I may have to say about the Orioles or the card industry in common. Some may ask: "Why now start an Orioles Blog?, Your team is terrible!" I say, "Why Not." Orioles fans are the best in the game and really stick by their team through thick and thin. They are building for the future as am I. I look forward to giving my spin on the O's.

That being said this is what you can expect from me. I might not be able to post every day like some of the other guys here in the blog-o-sphere. I do have other obligations between family life, other hobbies and even actually playing baseball in an organized league. I will post my pursuit of all thing Orioles. I will show interesting Orioles cards that I have acquired, Autographs that I have gotten in person or TTM. I will also give my spin on the current card market and maybe even some box breaks and impressions of new or old products. I hope to throw in a few surprises here and there to keep it interesting.

I'm just getting started, so stay tuned.