J.J. Hardy has found new life in 2011 with the Baltimore Orioles. Photo by Scott Salisbury.

J.J. Hardy was jogging to his spot along the first baseline for player introductions when a revelation struck him with the subtlety of a fastball to the ribs.

His childhood dream had come true. He was a Big League ballplayer.

That was opening day of the 2005 season and the Tucson native was the starting shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers.

Before long, Hardy bullet-pointed the term “all-star” onto his hardball resume.

Quicker than it takes a pitcher to pick a runner off of first base, the Sabino High School alum’s career began to founder. As Hardy soon found out, baseball can be as fickle as it is rewarding.

But if there’s one thing the storied game is notorious for, it’s its second, and sometimes third and fourth, chances.

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy slugged 30 home runs (career high) and 80 RBI (tied career high) for the Orioles in 2011, his first season in Baltimore. Photo by Scott Salisbury.

For Hardy, his quest back into baseball’s good graces took part in a city appropriately dubbed ‘Charm City’ as a member of the Baltimore Orioles.

“2009 was a rough season and I kind of got a new start in Minnesota,” Hardy said before the start of the 2011 season.

After five seasons with the Brewers, Hardy landed a gig as the Twins’ starting shortstop to begin the 2010 season.

But injuries limited him to 101 games — his lowest total since playing only 35 games in an injury-plagued 2006.

Minnesota promptly shipped him off to Baltimore in the off-season — his third team in as many seasons.

“I’ve got a new start here in Baltimore,” Hardy said at the Orioles’ spring training complex in Sarasota,Fla.

“Things are going really well.”

Hardy uttered those words before the season and before a strained oblique shelved him until early May.

The Orioles were so impressed with the Tucson-native Hardy, Baltimore signed him to a 3-year, $22 million contract this summer. Photo by Scott Salisbury.

Despite missing 34 games, Hardy enjoyed the best season of his seven-year career, hitting a personal-best 30 home runs and knocking in 80 runs.

His 30 home runs made him and teammate Mark Reynolds (37 homers) the first pair of Orioles to hit 30-or-more long balls in a season since 1996 when Brady Anderson (50) and Rafael Palmeiro (39) led the Birds.

His 30th home run, in fact, could be the biggest long ball of the season for the Orioles. It gave Baltimore two of the four runs they needed to upset the Red Sox in the season finale and knock Boston from postseason contention.

“We won’t have to stay up at night wondering if he gets it,” said Orioles manager Buck Showalter during spring training. “He gets the professional part of it. He’s obviously very athletic. At a very young age, he’s grasped the winning and team part of it.”

Showalter and Baltimore liked what they saw in Hardy so much, that they inked the 29 year old to a three-year extension in July that will pay him $22.25 million through 2014.

Aside from being skilled at the plate and in the clubhouse, he also saw a resurgence with his glove. Hardy led all American League shortstops in fielding percentage (.990) and range factor (4.70).

The Orioles, unfortunately, ended the year with their 14th consecutive losing season.

Hardy, however, is still optimistic about Baltimore’s future.

“Three teams in seven years but I feel like this is nice, it’s a good fit,” he said.

Good fit and quite possible a revelation.

“Growing up I always dreamed of being a ballplayer.”

“Culling the thoughts that occur when you’re standing around waiting for something to happen”

You think you’re an all-star every Thanksgiving when the family plays touch football on the front yard?

Try winning Turkey Day MVP honors in the Findley household.

Robbie Findley could use a big plate of comfort food after suffering what has to be one of the more devastating losses of his career on Saturday — much worse than losing out on the honor of licking the wooden, mash-potato-serving spoon.

The Shadow Mountain (Phoenix) High School grad was the starting forward for Team USA in Saturday’s World Cup, 2-1, loss to Ghana.

Ghana midfielder Anthony Annan (6) battles for the ball with USA forward Robbie Findley (20) during the round of sixteen in the 2010 World Cup at Royal Bafokeng Stadium. Christian Ort/GEPA via US PRESSWIRE

The former Oregon State Beaver returned to the lineup after sitting out the Algeria game (bummer) due to two yellow cards.

Findley is cousins with former University of Arizona star and current Atlanta Hawk Mike Bibby as well as with former Pittsburgh Steeler and Detroit Lion wide receiver Shaun McDonald.

He’s also related, through marriage, to New York Knicks’ guard Eddie House. 

…

Speaking of World Cup soccer, there are whispers that Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, oil tycoon and owner of Manchester City of the Premier League, is looking to sign Team USA star Landon Donovan.

That’s Manchester City, and not their fabled, cross-town rival Manchester United. Big bucks abound, nonetheless.

Do you think Donovan drives a hybrid car? The answer is: not anymore. 

…

As long as we’re on the subject of money grabbing…

When Donkey from Shrek does a television commercial for Royal Caribbean cruises, is it Donkey or Eddie Murphy who is the one selling out?

…

Colorado Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

As the Major League Baseball season progresses, one race to watch is that of: Ubaldo Jimenez verses the Baltimore Orioles.

Through Sunday’s action, the Colorado Rockies ace (13-1 on the season) has as many road wins (8) as the entire Oriole team. 

…

Dallas Braden of the Oakland Athletics hurled a perfect game on Mother’s Day (May 9). His grandmother, the one who raised him, was in attendance.

On Father’s Day (June 20), Toronto Blue Jay infielder John McDonald (he of 14 career home runs in nearly as many seasons) hit a pinch-hit dinger in his first plate appearance after burying his dad, who succumbed days earlier to liver cancer. The dinger was a dying request from McDonald’s ailing father.

This kind of stuff only happens in baseball.

Omar Vizquel used Brother’s Day (May 24) to tie his fellow Venezuelan countryman Luis Aparicio for second on the all-time hits list for shortstops. The Chicago White Sox infielder, who grew up idolizing Aparicio, collected the 2,764th hit of his career on May 24 to move behind Derek Jeter (2,835+) for hits by a shortstop.

Some future holidays, teams and players to keep an eye on the rest of the season:

WORK-A-HOLICS DAY               July 5

Tune in to see if notorious slacker Manny Ramirez will show up and actually play hard for all nine innings.

DISOBEDIENCE DAY               July 3 

See Manny Ramirez and July 5

AUNT’S AND UNCLE’S DAY               July 26 

Tune in to witness free agent Gary Sheffield pay homage to his uncle, Dwight Gooden, by getting arrested during his first game of the season with his new team. 

TAKE YOUR PANTS FOR A WALK DAY               July 27 

Tune in to watch Atlanta Braves pitcher Derek Lowe, the league leader, by far, in intentional walks (8), to see if he intentionally keeps his pants on as another batter takes a free stroll to first base.

MUTTS DAY               July 31 

Not to be confused with the New York Mets, who have been accused in the past of dogging it late in the season.

MORE HERBS, LESS SALT DAY     Aug. 29

The ideal day for Barry Bonds to return after a 2.5 year furlough from the game.

NATIONAL BEHEADING DAY               Sept. 2

Otherwise known as the annual day when the Kansas City Royals fire their manager.

LABOR DAY               Sept. 6

Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers takes the field for…nah, too easy.

GRANDPARENT’S DAY               Sept. 12

Watch to see how many innings the Big League’s oldest player, Jamie Moyer, 47, of the Philadelphia Phillies, can throw without breaking a hip.

DEFY SUPERSTITION DAY               Sept. 13

See if Pedro Martinez can step on the chalk baseline without getting injured.

FELT HAT DAY               Sept. 15

The Pittsburgh Pirates try to get a win wearing actual feather-laden, buccaneer hats. Answer: The Bucs lose no matter what kind of hats they wear.

ASK A STUPID QUESTION DAY               Sept. 28

Is anyone still reading?

CONFUCIUS DAY               Sept. 29

Seasoned baseball guru Joe Torre explains to his young team why ‘man with four balls cannot walk.’

…

The NBA draft has come and gone and, once again, I went un-drafted. Maybe it’s because I’ve got a Dr. J ‘big-man’ attitude in a Spud Webb body.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve got an ultimate little-man’s complex and the intense desire to grow a killer afro. Call me Napoleon Dolemite.

…

 New word I learned this week: the plural of people from Ghana is Ghanaians.