Jeff Seidel - Baltimore Orioles: Where Have You Gone? Cal Ripken Jr., Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer, and Other Orioles Greats

Copyright 2006, 2014 by Jeff Seidel

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eISBN: 978-1-61321-663-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-61321-634-7

Printed in the United States of America

For my home team. Nadine, Zach, and Kara.
Youre still all winners .

And for Alan Bieler, the very definition of the word friend.
We miss you .

T his is an update of the book that I wrote nine years ago. Weve added some new information to it, updating some old things and giving it a bit of a different look. First, my thanks to folks at Skyhorse Publishing for wanting to do this update. Julie Ganz guided me on this, answered my endless e-mails, and brought the project to the finish line. It was a pleasure to work with her.

Baseball has been a big part of my life since the age of seven. Ive learned that its like life; youve just got to keep on pushing and trying. One person who taught me that lesson was my good friend Alan Bieler. A huge Red Sox fan, he always knew how to do keep battling, spending the last three years of his life in that mode when it came to cancer treatments. I never saw anyone so tough or determined. He lost that battle about a year ago, but his lessons will never be forgotten.

He also was the godfather to my daughter, Kara. She battles through various things also and keeps on going in a way that makes me shake my head every day. This skinny 17-year old has the toughness of an NFL line-backer. Thanks to Kara and my wife, Nadine, and son, Zach, for still dealing with me. They both are tough cookies, too. Dont get in their way. Trust me on that one.

Thanks also to Neil Rubin, the biggest baseball freak I knew as a kid. Sorry, now its Dr. Rubin. Im having a hard time with that one. And thanks to Ari Rubin, one of the smartest teenagers Ive ever met when it comes to baseball. He really knows his stuff, and they both helped me with this update. My good friend, Todd Karpovich, is a pleasure to work with and one of the best sounding boards any person could have.

My two nephews, Matthew and Jeremy Enslin, live in New Jersey and arent Oriole fans, but we can only do so much. Now, my nephew who lives in Baltimore, Maxwell Jolbitado, is a big Oriole fan. Hell like reading this more. My nieces, Lily and Jenna Handwerger, also fall into that category. Or so I hope.

Thanks also to my mom, Elaine Seidel (never a baseball fan, but thats life), and my in-laws, Muriel and Leroy Handwerger for all of their kindness and support. Its very much appreciated.

Editors Note:

This book was originally published in 2006. Though weve worked to bring the book up to date, most of the information and player quotes come from the 2006 text.

E rnie Tyler was a baseball oxymoron. Hes the man who everybody who follows Orioles baseball recognizes but nobody knew.

Orioles fans witnessed Tyler sitting on his stool by the dugout for years. They know that hes the guy who ran out and handed the home plate umpire baseballs when the need would ariseyet nobody realized exactly what he did, and many didnt know exactly who he was.

Or how very long hed done it.

Tyler started his job as the umpires attendant during the 1960 season when the Orioles played at old Memorial Stadium and hasnt missed a game since. At the end of the 2005 season, that meant that Tyler had worked 3,686 consecutive games, a number that far passed Cal Ripken Jr.s famous streak and helped Tyler gain induction into the teams Hall of Fame during the 2004 season.

Changes in Oriole Park and Camden Yards moved Tyler from a stool by the third-base dugout to stand next to the home teams dugout on the first base side. In 2004, Baltimore honored him with the Herb Armstrong Award, given to non-uniformed personnel whove made a significant contribution to the ball club, community, or sport of baseball.

Many people came out on the day that Tyler got the award in 2004big-name peopleto pay tribute to the man whod been helping them around the clubhouse and the man theyd seen for, well, a few decades.

Its a tremendous honor, Tyler said. It doesnt really fit until right now. I just think its a super honor.

And what did Tyler do in the minutes before getting the honor? The same thing as alwayshe worked. Standing in the hallway that leads to the tunnel behind home plate where the umpires and anyone else can go, Tyler treated the day he made his mark in Orioles history the same as any other. He kept going in and out of the umpires room to make sure the men in blue had all that they needed to work that days game.

ERNIE TYLER UMPIRES ATTENDANT

Best Season with the Orioles: All of them

Highlights: Tyler put together a Cal Ripken Jr.-like streak, having compiled 3,819 consecutive games for the Orioles. Hes the guy you saw running out to hand the umpires baseballsand also was there way before the game to help the men in blue get everything they need to call the game.

Meanwhile, Tylers large family celebrated in a room just a few feet away. Sitting with famous Orioles such as Jim Palmer, Cal Ripken, Earl Weaver, and others, the 43 members of the Tyler brigade relaxed. They sat in what serves as the stadiums auxiliary clubhouse to have a dinner before that days late afternoon game. Tyler and his wife, Juliane, had 11 children, and there were many Tylers talking with the man of honor while he worked.

Palmer and others complimented Tyler before, during, and after the ceremony that day.

Its great to see that smiling face, Palmer said. He has so many friends.

But everyone with the Orioles family often compared him to Ripken for several reasons. Both had connections to Harford County, which is north of Baltimore. Ripken is from there, and Tyler lived in the county.

And everyone knows about Ripkens streak. But Tylers isnt bad, either, something that Ripken paid tribute to during the season.

We... know who the true Iron Man is in Baltimore, Ernie Tyler, said Ripken, whose record streak of playing in 2,632 games probably wont ever be passed.

Much like Ripken, Tyler made his mark with very hard work. The best-known parts of Tylers job were the bringing of baseballs to the umpires and the way he sat and rubbed mud on the balls before the game to get them ready for play. Hed often seat himself in the umpires room at Oriole Park under the stands and actually not very far from home plate to cover the balls with a layer of mud.