In part four of my (hopefully) 52 part series, Better Know a 2012 Oriole, I take a look at Nate McLouth... the fightin' incredible dasher*!

* Nate, and Dash, from The Incredibles.

"'I've seen Pirates fans complain about Nate McLouth, and I've seen Braves fans complain about Nate McLouth, and I've seen some Orioles fans be confused when the team signed Nate McLouth this year. Many a joke was made by people (including me) about the O's - the contending O's, fighting for a playoff spot - counting on a guy who hadn't done anything in the Majors since 2009."

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In part three of my (hopefully) 52 part series, Better Know a 2012 Oriole, I take a look at Jim Johnson... the fightin' unusual closer*!

* JJ had the lowest strike-out rate in the Majors for any pitcher with more than even one save.

"I've spent years arguing that Jim Johnson could be an effective closer. Years. It used to be taken as an article of faith amongst fans (as well as some people with the team), that JJ just didn't have the "stuff" to close. Not his stuff - the hard sinker, curve, and change-up - but his "stuff". He just didn't have that "closer's mentality". Seriously."

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In part two of my (hopefully) 52 part series, Better Know a 2012 Oriole, I take a look at Mark Reynolds... the fightin' judge dread*!

* Reynolds' is often referred to as the Sheriff (of Swatingham) and, in Scotland, sheriffs are actually judges. Dread is also what many feel when they see Reynolds out in the field, or at the plate in a situation where you just need a ball put in play. I spent longer on this part than on the post itself.

"Mark Reynolds did not have a particularly good 2011. Though he hit pretty well, his atrocious defense at third-base ate into his value enough that he ended up being only barely above replacement level. With a dearth of good options coming into this season though, Reynolds was sent right back out to the hot corner. 6 errors in 15 games quickly put that effort to an end; especially since he wasn't making up for his lead glove with his bat (just .143/.260/.206 in April, as he K'ed a ton and hit for no power)."

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In part one of my (hopefully) 52 part series, Better Know a 2012 Oriole, I take a look at Jason Hammel... the fightin' new sinkerballer!

"When Dan Duquette traded Jeremy Guthrie to the Rockies for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom, a lot of Orioles fans were not particularly pleased. "Guthrie's the team's only real starter." "He's the O's #1 guy." And so on. Hammel didn't do much of anything in Tampa Bay, and then followed up two solid seasons in Colorado with a down year in 2011. I thought that Guthrie and Hammel could be expected to be about equally good in 2012, but that Hammel had a better chance of providing the O's with above average production. And I still ended up underestimating Jason Hammel. Boy what a difference one pitch can make."

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"The Orioles offense was not very good in the post-season - that can't be denied. Almost nobody hit, and they only scored 2.5 runs per game (that obviously didn't get it done). One sort of interesting aspect to the playoffs though, was how topsy-turvy everything went for the O's. Down was up, up was down."

Guys who hit, didn't hit. Guys who didn't hit, hit. The dependable blew games. The worrying were steady. Not quite dogs and cats living together, but there were some select instances of mass hysteria.

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"Couldn't bring myself to write something up about the Orioles losing Game Five of the ALDS. Instead, a look back (in no particular order) at some favorite memories from 2012, courtesy of O's fans on Twitter:

* The best moment of season for me - the one that was the pinnacle of the "is this even real?" feeling that permeated everything - was Chris Davis on the mound in Boston. Not only did he pitch 2 scoreless innings, but he'd struck out 2 - including Adrian Gonzalez, on three pitches! And not to be forgotten, it was an Adam Jones three-run homer that gave the O's the 9-6 win."

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Nate McLouth! Joe Saunders! Darren O'Day! Pedro Strop! Manny Machado! Jim Johnson! Orioles win! Game wrap!