That winter the two developed a strong friendship, and when the Orioles returned to Baltimore in 2004, Bogdan became a fixture at Camden Yards.
He wore Bigbie's jersey, parked in the players' lot, helped Bigbie with errands and picked him up after road trips.
Bogdan even gained entrance into the team's clubhouse about 10 times after games, as various players would open the side, unguarded door for him.
Some players wondered what Bigbie, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound professional athlete, was doing with a 5-9, 160-pound regular Joe who was a dozen years his elder.
But other players - such as Grimsley, Sidney Ponson and Tim Raines Jr. - embraced Bogdan into their fraternity, Bogdan said.
He said he received cell phone numbers and memorabilia from various pro athletes.
In one of the two framed pictures in the living room of Bogdan's Dundalk home, he is posing with then-New York Yankees stars Derek Jeter, Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams at Rick's. The other photo is of Bogdan with Orioles Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson and Eddie Murray at a local crabhouse.
"I was just a fortunate person who happened to meet some good guys and become friends with guys who just happened to be [baseball] players," Bogdan said.
Bogdan was with Bigbie the day the outfielder met his future wife at a White Marsh bar. They were friendly enough that Bigbie said he knows Bogdan saw him with steroids on several occasions and he's sure steroid tidbits made there way into conversations.
"It's always been my personality. I have always been the trusting kind," Bigbie said. "I think this is the one time it really burned me."
Feeling the pressure
The 21st pick overall in the 1999 draft out of Ball State, Bigbie made it to the majors in 2001, his third year in professional baseball. From then until 2003, he and Roberts lived in the home of Orioles veteran first baseman David Segui, who became like a big brother to them.
Toward the end of 2001, Bigbie said he was feeling the pressure of being a top pick and realized he needed to get stronger and develop more power if he was going to avoid being a bust.
"I just felt being a first-round draft pick and playing in a division like the AL East you had to produce as a hitter," he said. "I didn't want be that guy who just made it to the big leagues."
