For the similarly named musician (coincidentally also from Cedar Rapids, Iowa), see Michael Boddicker

Michael James "Mike" Boddicker (born August 23, 1957) is an American former right-handed Major League Baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles (1980–1988), Boston Red Sox (1988–1990), Kansas City Royals (1991–1992), and Milwaukee Brewers (1993). He was the ALCS MVP in 1983 and was an American League All-Star in 1984.

Boddicker was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on August 23, 1957. His ancestors emigrated in 1861 from the Province of Westphalia, which was situated in current-day Germany, and were among the original settlers of Norway, Iowa, where he was raised. He was the youngest of five children to Harold and Dolly. His father, who was commonly known as Bus, operated a travelling hammermill for grain milling before becoming a custodian at the local elementary school.

Boddicker's pitching repertoire, once called "Little League slop" by Rod Carew, featured off-speed pitches and deception to compensate for a lack of power. He was able to throw from three different arm angles. He had a fastball that never came close to reaching 90 miles per hour. The one pitch that made him famous was the fosh, which he called "a glorified changeup." Another one he used with success was the slurve. Tony Phillips once commented, "What I noticed about him is that he lets you get yourself out. I find myself sometimes actually jumping at his pitches, being overanxious because he doesn't throw very fast, and I wind up popping the ball up."

James Alvin "Jim" Palmer (born October 15, 1945), nicknamed "Cakes", is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher. He played his entire 19-year major league baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1967 & 1969-1984). He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

As of 2008, Palmer and his wife Susan have homes in Palm Beach, Florida, and in California. In 2006, Palmer also acquired a penthouse condominium in Little Italy, Baltimore, which he uses while in Baltimore for Orioles' broadcasts.

Palmer was born in New York, New York; shortly after his birth, Palmer was adopted by Moe Wiesen, a garment industry executive, and his wife Polly from Harrison, N.Y. After his adoptive father died in 1955, the 9-year-old Jim, his mother and his sister moved to California, where he began playing in youth-league baseball. In 1956, his mother married actor Max Palmer, from whom Palmer took his last name. Showing talent at the amateur level, upon graduating from Arizona's Scottsdale High School in 1963, Palmer signed a minor-league contract at the age of 18. Before heading to the minor leagues, Palmer was initiated into the Sigma Chi Fraternity at Arizona State University, where he graduated in 1967.

Juan Milton Samuel (born December 9, 1960 in San Pedro de Macorís, Dominican Republic) is a retired second baseman who spent sixteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Philadelphia Phillies (1983–1989), New York Mets (1989), Los Angeles Dodgers (1990–1992), Kansas City Royals (1992, 1995), Cincinnati Reds (1993), Detroit Tigers (1994–1995) and Toronto Blue Jays (1996–1998). A three-time National League (NL) All-Star, he appeared in the 1983 World Series with the Phillies. He served as interim manager for the Baltimore Orioles during the 2010 MLB season. He is currently the third base coach for the Phillies.

In a 16-season playing career, Samuel was a .259 hitter with 161 home runs and 703 RBI in 1720 games

Samuel was originally signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980. A three-time All-Star, Samuel earned National League Rookie of the Year honors from The Sporting News in 1984, when he tied for the NL lead with 19 triples and placed second with 72 stolen bases setting a MLB rookie record (broken by Vince Coleman the following season).

John Rikard Dempsey (born September 13, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for 24 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1969 to 1992, most notably for the Baltimore Orioles. Dempsey was known for being one of the best defensive catchers of his era.

Dempsey was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the 15th round of the 1967 Major League Baseball Draft out of Crespi Carmelite High School. After two seasons in the minor leagues, he made his major league debut late in the 1969 season for the pennant-winning Twins managed by Billy Martin, however he didn't qualify for the post-season roster. Dempsey spent a few more seasons shuttling between the Twins and their minor league teams, before being traded to the New York Yankees in October 1972. During his tenure with the Yankees, he served as a reserve catcher to Thurman Munson, and received tutoring from Yankees coach and former catching standout, Jim Hegan. After three and a half seasons with the Yankees, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in June 1976, where manager Earl Weaver made him the Orioles' starting catcher.

Brian Robert Matusz (born February 11, 1987) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball.

Matusz attended the University of San Diego, where he excelled on their baseball team as a starting pitcher. Matusz, Josh Romanski and Matt Couch anchored the Toreros rotation.

Matusz was named to the West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year honors and finalist for the Roger Clemens Award.

Drafted fourth overall by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. Matusz signed a contract with the Orioles on August 15, 2008, the deadline to sign draft picks.

In spring 2009 he was invited to the Orioles spring training. In June 2009, he was promoted from high Single-A (Frederick Keys) to a starting pitcher for the Double-A Bowie Baysox. He struck out 10 batters in his first start for Bowie on June 17, 2009. Matusz was named Baseball America's ninth best overall prospect mid-season in 2009. Before the 2010 season, Baseball America named him the fifth best prospect in all of baseball.