Friday, July 25, 2008

The 1983 O's

The last Orioles team to win it all got together for a tribute last night. Kind of like my thing with Mike Mussina that I mentioned yesterday, that 1983 Orioles team always snags me for half a second when I'm running down past World Series winners. I never forget them, really, but they don't spring to mind as readily as just about any other post-War World Champion.

Which is kinda strange, because I watched and listened to A LOT of American League baseball in 1983. As I sit here looking back on that team, however, I am surprised to see names like Aurelio Rodriguez and Tito Landrum on the roster. Sure, they played really minor roles, but I remember similar minor players for other teams of that era (Omar Moreno and Matt Keough on the Yankees, anyone?).

Maybe my blind spots are Baltimore-specific. I dunno.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

APBA Guy-

Eddie Murray and the young Cal, plus Jim Palmer, the last link to the great Robinson's O's of the 60's and 70's.

At the time, we thought there would be more pennants, but MLB economics were changing and the O's would not realize how to compete as a mid market team in the age of free agency.

The next year 84, they were a .500 team being carried by the starters (check out the IP totals for the front 4), and by 87 they were terrible.