Heartbreakiing Surprise

The other day, along with 2 packages I was expecting (the Eddie Murray goodness featured yesterday), there was a 3rd package I was not. It was from Matt, of Heartbreaking Cards of Staggering Genius AND A Pack to be Named Later fame. You wouldn't think a guy from Kansas could be so cool, but somehow Matt gets the job done. He's extremely generous, and a Pavement fan as well, which makes you a cool cat in my book, no matter what state your from.

These cards are heartbreaking for one reason, they are from one of the best modern Orioles seasons to date (1997), and one of the most frustrating (2000). 2000 was the beginning of the bad in Baltimore, and the O's still haven't managed to claw their way back to the top.

Let's start with the wire to wire AL East champion Orioles:

1997 Topps Stadium Club Brady Anderson. Tell me this guy wasn't a juicer. 1 year removed from his 51 homer season in 1996, he only managed to jack 18 in '97. Regardless, the ladies loved Brady about as much as they love Grady these days.
1997 Topps Stadium Club Chris Hoiles. I always liked this dude. He was a decent enough catcher, and was always good for a clutch hit when you needed one. It looks like he might be grabbing the crotch of that baserunner though.
1997 Stadium Club Jimmy Key. This guys is gonna kick off a plethora of pitcher cards. Not much to say about Jimmy, he had a solid year for the Birds in '97, going 16-10.
1997 Topps Stadium Club Rocky Coppinger. I remember this guy. Despite being a 19th round draft pick, the Baltimore media hyped him up, and he failed to meet expectations. Not sure where he ended up after leaving Baltimore.
1997 Stadium Club Nerio Rodriguez. I don't remember this guy at all, and his Baseball Reference page pretty much explains why. Very forgettable.
1997 Stadium Club Randy Myers. Closing out the '97's with the closer. Myers had a great year in '97, picking up 45 saves and carrying a 1.51 ERA. If you're gonna go wire to wire, you need a good closer, and there were few better than Randy Myers in 1997.

Ok, now we'll move on to the miserable 2000 Orioles. All of these cards are 2000 Upper Deck HoloGrFX, which I'd never seen before this little surprise package from Matt. They're pretty cool looking.

2000 Upper Deck HoloGrFX Albert Belle. What a mistake signing this guy turned out to be. I think the Orioles just finished paying his salary off last year. He sucked here, and had a terrible attitude to boot. The first of many mistakes the Orioles would make in the "new millennium".
2000 Upper Deck HoloGrFX B.J. Surhoff. Beej! He's still well liked in Baltimore and was a solid player for what seemed like forever. Rarely spectacular, but always steady, B.J. played in Baltimore for 7 or 8 seasons before being released in 2003 at the age of 83. He is in the Orioles Hall of Fame.
2000 Upper Deck HoloGrFX Cal Ripken Jr. A man who needs no introduction. He was a third baseman at this stage of his illustrious career, and is still a God among men in Baltimore.
2000 Upper Deck HoloGrFX Stars of the System Matt Riley. This is a really sweet looking card of a not so sweet player. 3rd round draft pick in 1997, and much touted prospect who ended up having 2 Tommy John surgeries. Pretty much all you need to know right there. Man, this is a good looking card though.

Thanks Matt! Expect some Royals and xfractors heading your way in the near future.