http://tinyurl.com/6z2k4k 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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