Catching up with ... former Orioles reliever Don Aase

Former Orioles reliever Don Aase, in 1988.Come Tuesday and the All-Star Game, Don Aase's memories will come rushing back: his selection to the 1986 American League team, that ninth-inning call to the bullpen and the plaudits the Orioles pitcher received for saving a 3-2 victory.

"That game was a highlight for me," said Aase, 62. "It was something I really appreciated, especially years afterward."

His performance that night at the Astrodome in Houston was the apex of Aase's best year in baseball. A mustachioed reliever for four seasons in Baltimore (1985 through 1988), he went 6-7 with a 2.98 ERA and 34 saves, then a club record, in 1986. His effort softened the blow of the Orioles' last-place…