There’s a joke that floats around online about a certain kind of sports fan who can be perfectly happy just sitting around for hours naming random athletes from an earlier point in their lives. The people who used to make the website Deadspin a special place and now keep that spirit alive at their own website Defector have given this activity a name: Remembering Some Guys.
It’s very easy. If you are involved enough with baseball or sports generally that you would think to read a place like Camden Chat, you probably already do it. You take some guys and you remember them. Everyone else around you does the same.
One thing that makes Remembering Some Guys special is that a lot of the time in our lives it’s not actually appropriate at all to do. If you were making chit-chat before or after a meeting at work, and asked the group, “Do you ever think about how Matt Angle hit his only major league home run off of Justin Verlander?” they would probably look at you like you’ve grown a second head. The average person does not think about that. They don’t remember him at all. You’re a freak for remembering Matt Angle, and especially for remembering that he hit only one MLB home run and that it was off of Verlander.
On the other hand, when you’re Remembering Some Guys, it’s perfectly normal to remember Matt Angle, that he hit only one MLB home run, and that it was off Verlander. You’re not a freak at all, and everyone is delighted. There are a lot of ways to Remember Some Guys, but that’s the best one for me, where you get a little burst of joy about a time you were excited about something such-and-such player did, or even a time where you were excited about what they might do.
With that in mind, here’s my list of Some Guys I Remember from the 21st century, all Orioles edition:
So why did I Remember these Guys? I’ll tell you:
I feel that it is very important to close by noting that, in other situations, you do not have to be limited to the 21st century in Remembering Some Guys. That’s just the theme of this particular exercise that’s been put together by Defector and Immaculate Grid. You don’t have to be limited to baseball players, men, or even athletes generally. You can Remember anyone or anything that makes you and the people you are around happy.
Who do you remember from the 21st century on the Orioles? Drop into the comments to Remember Some Guys with us.