[外電] Closer Olson to enter O's Hall of Fame
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Closer Olson to enter O's Hall of Fame
Righty began career with Baltimore, playing from 1988-93
By Amanda Comak / MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- Gregg Olson's journey back to the mound in Baltimore has been a
long one, to say the least.
Eight different teams, nine years and thousands of miles separate one of the
best closers in Orioles history from his last trip out to the rubber strip in
the middle of a baseball field in Baltimore.
But on Saturday night, Olson will make that trip. This time, however, there
won't be a jam waiting for him when he gets there. Instead, Olson will be
inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame. The right-handed pitcher, who became
the first reliever to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award in
1989, will be honored by the Orioles for his five impressive seasons as
Baltimore's closer.
"I looked at [Baltimore] as the team that was probably my favorite place to
play," Olson said. "And to go in with the people that are in this Hall of
Fame -- Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray
-- to be associated with those names, it's a tremendous honor.
"This place is just different. It's not your typical Major League Baseball
city. The fans adore their players, whether it be the Ravens, the Colts or
the Orioles. It's just a special bonding with the people here in Baltimore,
and I never found that anywhere else -- maybe because it was my first place,
but I don't think that was what it was. They just have a special fan base
here and it meant a lot to play here."
The closer, who dominated with his 90-plus-mph fastball and a devastating
curveball, established the club record for saves in a season (37 in 1990) and
over a career (160).
But despite that stellar 1990 season, Olson's most memorable year in
Baltimore was arguably his rookie campaign, in which the Orioles rebounded
from a 107-loss season to make a run for the AL pennant.
"Any time you're in a pennant race, it's fun," Olson said. "But to be in a
place like Baltimore and to do what nobody remotely expects you to do, and
then you couple it with your rookie season -- so everything is new and fun --
it was a great, great season."
He had no trouble picking out his most memorable of the 160 saves he racked
up for Baltimore: in Oakland in 1989.
"I got my first real save," Olson said. "I had the middle of the lineup with
a one-run lead, and it was [Mark] McGwire, Dave Parker and Dave Henderson.
And I struck all three of them out, and I said, 'All right, this stuff
works.'"
The A's went on to win the World Series that year, but Olson and the Orioles
would get a bit of history of their own two years later when he, along with
Bob Milacki, Mike Flanagan and Mark Williamson, combined for Baltimore's
first no-hitter since 1969. The Orioles have not thrown a no-hitter since.
Olson suffered a torn ligament in his throwing elbow in 1993 and struggled to
regain his prowess on the mound for the next five seasons -- all after
leaving Baltimore. The constant shuffling over the next few years didn't
dishearten the hurler, who took them all in stride and reestablished himself
as a closer with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998. His curse, it seems, was
leaving teams as they were on the brink of greatness.
"That ended up being my M.O.," Olson said, recalling tenures with the Braves,
Indians and D-backs. "I went somewhere, and then the next year or two years,
they went to the World Series or won the World Series."
Ultimately, though, Olson -- who now resides with his wife and four children
in Newport Beach, Calif. -- has always reserved a special place for
Baltimore, the city and team that gave him his start. And on Saturday, 15
years after his departure, Olson will retake the mound and take his place
among the Orioles greats.
"My favorite place to play was probably Memorial Stadium," he said. "You
almost knew all the fans because they were accessible. Half the time, the
players' parking lot was in the middle of the regular parking lot, so you go
to know everybody outside the park after the game. ... You weren't above --
you weren't anything. You were just somebody they came to watch."
Also being honored before Saturday's game will be traveling secretary Phil
Itzoe and the late superfan William "Wild Bill" Hagy, who will be honored as
the first recipient of the Wild Bill Hagy Award, to be given to longtime
dedicated fans.
Itzoe, who has been traveling secretary for 41 years -- longer than any
person in any of the four major sports -- will receive the Herb Armstrong
Award, given to non-uniformed personnel who have made significant
contributions to the team and the game.
"I try not to dwell on it, but I'm truly very honored that these people would
do this," Itzoe said. "I knew the guy that the award is named for, Herb
Armstrong, and there aren't many people left in the organization who knew
him. That's an added significance to the award itself. He was a remarkable
person, and it's -- I hate to use the word humbling, but it is. I looked upon
him as sort of a demigod. He was a remarkable individual: teacher, educator,
athlete, mentor, coach. He touched so many lives, it was unbelievable."
The pregame ceremony will begin at 6:40 p.m. ET.
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