“I think the Orioles know that many fans connect with the cartoon bird [as a symbol of past success], so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if that’s the main reason (or one of the reasons) why ...

Mike Bennett’s piece he’s selling for charity is one of his first: the “Handsome Squidward” character from the T.V. show Spongebob Squarepants and meme fame.

The cartoon bird was thus demoted, an outdated symbol of another era. Over the next 23 seasons, the Orioles posted a record of 1,714-1,941 while wearing realistic-looking orioles on their caps.

BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Orioles are going retro in 2012, bringing back the cartoon bird for their caps as part of a uniform change for the upcoming season.

Illustrator Mike Bennett creates plywood cutouts of figures from "The Simpsons," "SpongeBob SquarePants," Pokémon and more and temporarily places them in parks, on sidewalks and other spots ...