BALTIMORE ORIOLES (1973)
Three index cards bearing the signatures of 18 team members. Includes Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson and such longtime Orioles stars as Paul Blair, Bobby Grich and Boog Powell.
Collection including: 1) Signatures: "Enos Cabell", "Rich Coggins", "Paul Blair", "Larry Brown", "Bob Grich", "Brooks Robinson", 5x3 card, Pencil note (unknown hand) at bottom edge. 2) Signatures: "Boog Powell", "Ed Watt", "Mickey Scott", "Terry Crowley" "Sergio Robles" and 1 unidentified signer, 5x3 card Pencil note (unknown hand) at bottom edge. Fine condition. 3) Signatures: "Al Bumbry", "Orlando Pena", "Ellie Hendricks", "Don Baylor", "Grant Jackson", "Mark Belanger", 5x3 card, Pencil note (unknown hand) at bottom edge. In all 18 signatures. ENOS CABELL (b. 1949) played his first three seasons with the Orioles (1972-1974), and then with four other teams, principally the Houston Astros, through 1986. He was speedy base runner (238 career steals) who could hit for power, but he drew few walks. The versatile Cabell played 1B, 3B and the outfield. He played in the postseason with three clubs (Baltimore in 1974, Houston in 1980, and the LA Dodgers in 1985). Outfielder RICH COGGINS (b. 1950) played the same three seasons in Baltimore as Cabell, and had his best season in 1973, with offensive averages of .319 batting, .363 on base, and .468 slugging in 110 games. He had less success after that, playing a reserve role for three teams (Montreal, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox) in two more Major League seasons. An intuitive centerfielder whose speed going back allowed him to play unusually shallow, the loquacious PAUL BLAIR (1944-2013) won eight Gold Gloves. An Oriole from 1964 through 1976, he finished among Baltimore's all-time top five in a dozen offensive categories. His average was augmented by his bunting skills, and he had 171 career stolen bases. He had his best year in 1969 (.285, 26 HR, 76 RBI). In 1970, he suffered serious eye and facial injuries from a Ken Tatum beaning. Lingering fear at the plate caused him to seek help from a hypnotherapist. Blair was a key component of Orioles teams that won two World Series (1966, 1970), before joining a Yankees club that won two more (1977, 1978). Blair, an excellent bunter, played on two All-Star teams. Infielder LARRY BROWN (b. 1940) played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, most of it with Cleveland, but only appeared in 12 games for the Orioles (1973). Brown logged many games at SS, 2B and 3B. He didn't high for a high average, but walked often and was very good at advancing runners with a sacrifice. BOBBY GRICH (b. 1949) played in the Majors for only two teams: Baltimore (1970-1976) and the California Angels (1977-1986). A 4-time Gold Glove, he made six All-Star teams: the first as a shortstop, the rest as a second baseman. Grich, a slick fielder, had a consistently high on base percentage as well as some power. BROOKS ROBINSON (b. 1939) played 23 seasons for the Orioles (1955-1977), setting major league career records for games, putouts, assists, chances, double plays and fielding percentage. A clutch hitter as well as the best defensive third sacker in the game's history, Robinson hit 268 career home runs, at one time an American League record for the position. Robinson earned the league's MVP Award in 1964 and the World Series MVP in 1970, when he hit .429 and made a variety of sparkling plays in the field. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983. Lefthanded slugger BOOG POWELL (b. 1941) batted cleanup for the Orioles for over a decade and helped them to the World Series four times in six years from 1966 to 1971. The 6'4", 230-pound Powell batted behind Frank Robinson beginning in 1966 to form half of Baltimore's fearsome power combination. In the field he was a master at scooping low throws from the dirt. In 1968 he hit a career-high .304 with 37 HR and 121 RBI, and in 1970 he was the AL MVP, hitting 35 more HR with 114 RBI. Boog's Barbeque is a big attraction at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, especially when Powell is there in person. EDDIE WATT (b. 1941) spent 8 seasons in the Baltimore Orioles bullpen (1966-1973), years which coincide exactly with that teams glory era (4 AL pennants and two World Championships, and another AL East title). A workhorse, he appeared in 363 games for the O's over those 8 years, and pitched in three successive World Series (1969-1971). He spent two more seasons in the Majors with the Phillies and Cubs. Relief pitcher MICKEY SCOTT (b. 1947) pitched in 16 games for the Orioles (1972-1973) before moving on to Montreal and then to California, where he had his best seasons with the Angels, retiring after 1977. TERRY CROWLEY (b. 1947) was a left handed batter used by Baltimore's Earl Weaver in a platoon role and by Cincinnati's Sparky Anderson mainly as a pinch hitter. He played on World Championship teams in both cities (Orioles 1970, Reds 1975), two of baseball's greatest teams. He played 15 Major League seasons (1969-1983), twelve of them with the O's, and remains an Orioles batting instructor. A longtime catcher and manager in his native Mexico, SERGIO ROBLES (b. 1946) played on 16 Major League games, 12 of them with Baltimore (1972-1973). He managed Mexico's national team in 1975. AL BUMBRY (b. 1947), the AL Rookie of the Year in 1973, played all but the final 68 of his nearly 1,500 Major League games with the Orioles. The speedy outfielder, an All-Star in 1980, hit three triples in one day during his rookie season. Junk ball specialist ORLANDO PENA (born in Cuba in 1933), made his first big league appearance in 1958, his last in 1975, playing for 8 different teams. He was a reliever except for the 1963 and 1964 seasons, when he made the starting rotation for the Kansas City A's. Pena pitched out of the Orioles bullpen in 1971 and again in 1973. A fine defensive catcher also valued for his left handed batting in a platoon role, ELROD "ELLIE" HENDRICKS (b. 1940) spent most of his twelve Major League seasons (1968-1979) with the Orioles. He played a key role in the Orioles' 7-game World Series victory over the Cincinnati Reds in 1970. DON BAYLOR (b. 1949), who played 19 Major League seasons (1970-1988) with seven American League clubs, was the AL's Most Valuable Player in 1979 and hit 338 career home runs. He played in the postseason for five teams (Baltimore, California, Boston, Minnesota and Oakland), including a World Championship with the Twins (1987). Here's a stunning statistic: Baylor did not hit into even one double play in his long big league career. GRANT JACKSON (b. 1942) pitched in 692 games over 18 Major League seasons (1965-1982), mostly in relief. He appeared in three World Series - all losses - with the 1970 Orioles, the 1975 Yankees and the 1979 Pirates. An 8-time Gold Glove winner and an All-Star in 1976, MARK BELANGER (b.1944) was the starting shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles from 1968 to 1980. Although not an outstanding hitter, he was at the core of a great series of Orioles teams, playing in 43 postseason games. You didn't sneak many balls through the left side of the Orioles infield with Brooks Robinson on third base and Mark Belanger at short. A longtime player representative, he was hired by the Major League Baseball Players' Association after retiring in 1982. Three items.