Bricks from the Warehouse
Bricks from the Warehouse Archives

From 1954, when major league baseball returned to Baltimore, to 1999, when we often wondered if the Orioles belonged in the majors, the Os provided so many great memories in the 20th century. So, with months to go until the new season begins, we wanted to start our look back by recognizing some of the best of the last 46 years.

Who else could we have picked?

• 1990s: we also considered Brady Anderson, Cal Ripken, and Chris Hoiles. But none of them had the sustained excellence throughout the decade that the Moose had.
• 1980s: Eddie Murray came close, but ultimately we chose the player that peaked at a higher level
• 1970s: Unless you consider nonplayer Earl Weaver, this was a no-brainer.
• 1960s: This was a really tough call; how do you leave out Brooks Robinson? And Dave McNally wasn't exactly a pushover, either.
• 1950s: This wasn't exactly the strongest decade for the Os, but Bob Nieman got strong consideration.

We weighted length of performance highly, so Oriole greats like Frank Robinson and Rafael Palmeiro just couldn't quite make it, despite their high levels of play.

Finally, we wanted to provide honorable mention to Ken Singleton and Mike Flanagan, who both contributed so much to the Orioles but got shortchanged because their careers couldn't easily be pigeonholed into one decade.

Comments? Are we crazy? Did we made brilliant choices? Incredibly dumb ones? We want to know what you think. And if you can do better, show us! Good submissions are always welcome.