BALTIMORE — Jim Palmer posted some staggering
numbers during his 19-year Oriole career. He won 268 games, earned three Cy
Young Awards, finished eight seasons with at least 20 wins and made it into the
Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
But when the team
revealed a larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Palmer at Oriole Park
before Saturday’s game as part of the Orioles Legends Celebration Series, the
former right-hander made one point clear several times — he didn’t find this
success alone.
“To me, the theme of all these statues is
not about what I did, because I wouldn’t have won Cy Young Awards, and I
wouldn’t have been in the World Series, wouldn’t have won the Gold Gloves or
had the chance to be in all the playoffs if I didn’t have teammates,” Palmer
said. “I did my job. We were winning because of us — and it’s always about us.”
And the “us” came
in different forms. Palmer touched on a number of different subjects in this
area when speaking at the ceremony and then again to the media a short time
later.
He talked a lot
about how much Cal Ripken, Sr. meant to him as a Minor-League coach and
manager. Palmer mentioned how Robin Roberts mentored him during his early days
with the Orioles even though the veteran knew this kid could have an effect on
his job.
