It’s August 17, 1996, and Ariel Prieto was finally able to derail the O’s offensive outburst in Oakland. The Cuban righty tossed 8⅓ innings, giving up just one run as the A’s won 3-1 and dropped the O’s two games back of the White Sox in the wild card race.

“We really needed to win that one,” said O’s first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, who hit a solo homer (his 30th of the season) to account for the team’s lone run. “We saw that the Yankees were getting beat bad. I thought that might be enough to get us going, but Prieto pitched a great ballgame.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 6D, August 18, 1996)

Baltimore rookie Rocky Coppinger also pitched well, going seven innings and giving up just three runs on three hits, but he had to settle for a hard-luck loss.

“Great job by both pitchers,” O’s manager Davey Johnson said to the Sun’s Peter Schmuck. “That’s the first time I’ve seen [Prieto] and I was really impressed with what I saw. Rocky pitched well, too, but he got a pitch out over the plate to the catcher and Terry Steinbach just crushed it.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 1D, August 18, 1996)

Steinbach’s 2-run homer in the fourth inning would prove to be enough for Prieto, who surrendered four hits and the only blemish was Palmeiro’s homer. The A’s lead the majors with 202 homers, and the O’s are second with 197 (see the Wall of Dingers below).

Prieto’s gem ended a five-game winning streak for the red hot O’s.

“I saw what happened [in the first three games], but I didn’t think about it,” Prieto said. “I’m a completely different person and I hoped it would be different. I thank God it was.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 6D, August 18, 1996)

The two teams will play for a fifth time in four days tomorrow.

Here is the box score with the not-so-lovely totals.

Raffy adds his 30th brick of the season.

Orioles (65-57) at A’s (61-65) 4:05 p.m.

Starting Pitchers
BAL – LHP David Wells (9-10, 4.62 ERA)
OAK – RHP Don Wengert (5-8, 4.78 ERA)

The American Cancer Society is going corporate. In an extremely questionable move from an ethics standpoint, the nonprofit group agreed to sell its name to two corporations. For a combined $4 million in sales royalties, the cancer advocacy organization offered an exclusive endorsement to NicoDerm anti-smoking patches and Florida orange juice.

“If they want to endorse products, they should do it in the spirit of an educational agency, not as a paid shill,” said Paul Root Walpe of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, per a front-page AP wire story.

Since it is the ’90s, there is a growing trend of nonprofit groups partnering with corporations. The org insists the money will help fund cancer-fighting programs now that “donations are stagnant.”

“After very serious consideration and review we determined that companies that are producing products that support the missions or programs of the American Cancer Society would be acceptable business partners,” said ACS spokesperson Elizabeth Bridgers.

Philanthropy has always in essence been marketing, but this new trend was put into turbodrive after American Express and the Stroh Brewing Co. saw increased sales after they donated a portion of their sales to the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Hooray, everybody wins. Or do they…?

“They’re saying, ‘OK, we’re no longer a place to go for counsel and advice on nicotine patches because we’ve been bought by this company on thai one issue,’” said Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy.

Makes you think… maybe relying on philanthropy for cancer research and other things an effective government should do is not the best approach.

Welcome to a recurring segment where I find fun things in today’s (in 1996) Baltimore Sun!

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