"Un"Happy 20th Anniversary !!!........"0-21"

[Owen21]

I'll start by wishing a happy 20th to the starting 5 of Dave Schmidt, Mike Boddicker, Jay Tibbs, Jeff Ballard, and Jose Bautista !!! Hmmm......Cabrera,Trax,Guthrie,Burres, & Adam L...........maybe this year will be Loewen 21 !

[dsr42887]

Ok well you mention all these guys, let's get what their PECOTA and WARP stats are so we can get the real story on this. Let's get to the meat of this and find out the truth...

[cindyluvsbrady]

I jusy realized .That make it 20 years of loving My Os!:002_shappy:
I became a fan because of 0 and 21.I felt the poor Os needed SOMEONE to love them;)
Adam will bring us luck .He is a good boy!:)

[Moose Milligan]

<img src = "http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/sports-illustrated/1744-1.jpg">

It's one of my favorite photos of all time....a picture says 1000 words and this definitely does.

Think about Billy Ripken and he's just starting his career. He'd been up with the club in 1987, hit .308 in 50+ games and had big shoes to fill, seeing as he's Cal's brother and the manager, Cal Sr's son.

6 games into the season, your dad gets fired, and you haven't won a game. A week and a half later, you still haven't won a game and you're batting .183.

This picture totally wraps up not just Billy's frustration, but the frustration and helplessness of an entire team. 21 games into the season...and the season is effectively over.

I wasn't there for it, but one of my favorite moments in O's history was the fan appreciation night. The team could have easily come home off that road trip winless and been welcomed by an empty Memorial Stadium...but it was a packed house and they willed the Birds on to a win.

It's sad, but that would never happen these days.

One thing that cracks me up about the 1988 year is that there's a Cooperstown collection hat with the cartoon bird on it, for 1988 was the last year the O's used that hat. IIRC, they used it some in 1989, but by the 2nd or 3rd week of the season, new hats came out...making 1988 the last full season that hat was worn.

I have no idea who'd want to commemorate that horrid season with that on their hat ;) ...but every year at the Yard I see people with it on...it always makes me laugh.

<img src = "http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GYECSP86L._SS400_.jpg">

[IHeartMASN]

I'd swear on a stack of bibles that the Orioles never wore the cartoon hat in the regular season in 1989. They did wear the old uniforms during spring training, but that was it. Watch the opening day segment from "Why Not?". They were wearing the new uniforms then.

My biggest 1988 memory was having to follow Headline News for score updates. The game they won in Chicago for their first win wasn't on TV, but at 20 and 50 past the hour I would turn it to cable channel 21 and get the latest score update. As the score got bigger and bigger I felt such relief that I could go back to 7th grade the next day not having to hear about the losing streak anymore.

These kids don't know how good they have it with the internet. Back in the day it was hard finding scores for games not on TV, at least here in NC. I used to have the 800 number for WBAL and I would occasionally call to get the score. The board op would get mad and tell me turn on the radio and I'd tell him "I'm in North Carolina! I can't get ya'll down here".

EDIT: Major props for the Tom Emansky Fred McGriff avatar. It took me forever to think of where I had seen that before. Well played!

[Moose Milligan]

I'd swear on a stack of bibles that the Orioles never wore the cartoon hat in the regular season in 1989. They did wear the old uniforms during spring training, but that was it. Watch the opening day segment from "Why Not?". They were wearing the new uniforms then.

My biggest 1988 memory was having to follow Headline News for score updates. The game they won in Chicago for their first win wasn't on TV, but at 20 and 50 past the hour I would turn it to cable channel 21 and get the latest score update. As the score got bigger and bigger I felt such relief that I could go back to 7th grade the next day not having to hear about the losing streak anymore.

These kids don't know how good they have it with the internet. Back in the day it was hard finding scores for games not on TV, at least here in NC. I used to have the 800 number for WBAL and I would occasionally call to get the score. The board op would get mad and tell me turn on the radio and I'd tell him "I'm in North Carolina! I can't get ya'll down here".

EDIT: Major props for the Tom Emansky Fred McGriff avatar. It took me forever to think of where I had seen that before. Well played!

The more I think about it, the more I think you're right about them wearing the new jerseys and hats by opening day. I don't know why I thought they wore the cartoon bird for the first few weeks of the season.

Glad you like the avatar, thanks for the rep :)

[SteveA]

The more I think about it, the more I think you're right about them wearing the new jerseys and hats by opening day. I don't know why I thought they wore the cartoon bird for the first few weeks of the season.

Glad you like the avatar, thanks for the rep :)

Yes, the actual debut of the new "ornithologically correct" hats, oddly enough, was at a preaseason game played two days before 1989 Opening Day, at RFK Stadium vs the Seattle Mariners. I went to that game.

[TGO]

I'd swear on a stack of bibles that the Orioles never wore the cartoon hat in the regular season in 1989. They did wear the old uniforms during spring training, but that was it. Watch the opening day segment from "Why Not?". They were wearing the new uniforms then.

My biggest 1988 memory was having to follow Headline News for score updates. The game they won in Chicago for their first win wasn't on TV, but at 20 and 50 past the hour I would turn it to cable channel 21 and get the latest score update. As the score got bigger and bigger I felt such relief that I could go back to 7th grade the next day not having to hear about the losing streak anymore.

These kids don't know how good they have it with the internet. Back in the day it was hard finding scores for games not on TV, at least here in NC. I used to have the 800 number for WBAL and I would occasionally call to get the score. The board op would get mad and tell me turn on the radio and I'd tell him "I'm in North Carolina! I can't get ya'll down here".

EDIT: Major props for the Tom Emansky Fred McGriff avatar. It took me forever to think of where I had seen that before. Well played!

This reminded me of having to call the Sun's recorded news line in the early/mid 90s on the morning after a game that ended too late to print in the paper. Being in Baltimore I guess I could have turned on the TV or radio and gotten the score, but it would have taken longer. Now the Internet is probably the fastest way to get almost any score.

[CrimsonTribe]

One thing that cracks me up about the 1988 year is that there's a Cooperstown collection hat with the cartoon bird on it, for 1988 was the last year the O's used that hat. IIRC, they used it some in 1989, but by the 2nd or 3rd week of the season, new hats came out...making 1988 the last full season that hat was worn.

I have no idea who'd want to commemorate that horrid season with that on their hat ;) ...but every year at the Yard I see people with it on...it always makes me laugh.



I have that hat and wear it all the time. '88, '89, and '90 were the years that my dad got a Sunday ticket plan and took me to all the games. It's when I started loving the Orioles. After that, we moved to central VA and I've never gotten to go to as many games again. It kind of signifies my becoming an O's fan. I've also always loved the cartoon bird w/ the white backdrop so I wasn't going to let a little thing like 1988 get in the way. Plus, I feel a little ironic wearing it. ;)

[IHeartMASN]

20 years ago today the Orioles dropped to 0-4 thanks to a 12-1 drubbing at the hands of the Cleveland Indians.

Mike Boddicker, the Orioles opening day starter, was hit hard, giving up 5 runs on eight hits in a 1 and 2/3rds innings. Tom Candiotti went the distance for the Indians, losing his shutout in the ninth on an RBI single by Larry Sheets.

I remember people around baseball really thinking this was their year. Corey Snyder and Joe Carter were on the infamous SI cover the year before proclaiming the Indians to be their pick to win it all. This win made them 4-1, although they would finish the season in sixth place at 78-84.

[Col. Claypool]

It's so hard to believe that it has already been 20 years. Hats off to those guys for almost pulling off the impossible the following year. Going into that final weekend against Tor. with a chance to take the division was awesome. The ending was a bit sad, but the season was still inspirational. My how the years have flown by.

I guess I never thought of the cartoon bird as a icon for the 88 season. For me that bird was the Orioles. It was on their hats when they first became my favorite team, and later when they took the '83 series. I would be in full support of its revival. Then again, I have never been a big fan of the ornithologically correct version.

[cindyluvsbrady]

I became a fan in 1988 so I need one of thoose hats!:)

[Goop]

<img src = "http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/sports-illustrated/1744-1.jpg">

One thing that cracks me up about the 1988 year is that there's a Cooperstown collection hat with the cartoon bird on it, for 1988 was the last year the O's used that hat. IIRC, they used it some in 1989, but by the 2nd or 3rd week of the season, new hats came out...making 1988 the last full season that hat was worn.

I have no idea who'd want to commemorate that horrid season with that on their hat ;) ...but every year at the Yard I see people with it on...it always makes me laugh.

<img src = "http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GYECSP86L._SS400_.jpg">

Hahaha. It's funny you talk about that Moose, because I bought one of those hats on line. When I got it, I also was thinking "Why the heck did they put 1988 on the back of this?!" I figured out why, but I'm seriously considering taking a seam ripper and making the last 8 a 3 so that it'll read 1983 instead. :D

I also have one of the 1966 era hats. Luckily they put 1966 on the back of that one!

[lynseyskye]

I think they stopped wearing the cartoon logo in 1989 not 1988.