On we go to part three of the eight-dollar lot of Oriole cards I got off of the Bay. This time, it's cards from Pinnacle. Once I have this done, it's on to the "Big Five" - and I might have to split things up into more than one post per manufacturer.

Let's start things off with this '92 Pinnacle Joe Orsulak. There's nothing really special about the card, per se. It's just a base card from the junk wax era with nothing to really make it stand out:

So why the heck am I showing it? It's because of the subject. Joe Orsulak, to me, symbolises the Orioles of the late '80s and early '90s. Even though 1992 was his last year with the Birds, I'll always identify him with the Orioles for some reason. Don't ask me why.


Here's a '94 Pinnacle Big Ben McDonald. Before Mr. Roethlisberger, the boy from the bayou was the original "Big Ben," not counting that clock in London. I scanned this card in because I liked the full bleed photography and the shot of Ben's pitching motion. Then, I looked at his '93 Pacific card en español:


It's virtually the same picture, only substitute a home uniform for a road uniform and change the arm slot a little bit. Even Ben's necklace is all akimbo in both pictures. Oh well.


A 1995 Pinnacle. It's interesting, and a bit weird and stiffly formal, how the front of the card simply reads "Palmeiro." It reminds me of the kid who got Bobby Knight fired from Indiana after he simply called the coach "Knight." Of course, The General went into a blind rage due to the lack of proper respect and deference that young whippersnapper showed.

Going back to the Palmeiro card, if I had a duplicate, I'd modify it slightly:


1996 B.J. Surhoff Pinnacle Aficionado. It's all metallic and speckled, plus B.J. is a fellow Tar Heel. And honestly, how can you not like a product line called "Aficionado"? It sounds like it should be marketed to rich, fat old white guys who can afford it at $50 a pack.


This is a 95 Pinnacle Select Bobby Bonilla. The front has him in a Mets uniform, but the Orioles logo technically makes it an O's card, I guess. The uniform is one reason why I scanned the back of the card instead of the front.


The other reason is the cool way that they did his season stats, breaking it up by opponent. An interesting idea with really nice presentation. Although nowadays I can't help but think that instead of hits and RBI the card companies would include OPS and runs scored instead.

Finally, this Gregg Zaun '96 Select card, which is fairly unremarkable except for one tiny thing. Can you spot it? You might have to click on the larger view...