So, we now find ourselves stuck in a 6 game losing streak precipitated mostly by the old reliable Jim Johnson blowing 3 saves in the course of one week. These losses have all been UGLY, capped off tonight by the Orioles chasing Sabathia and going to the 9th with a lead only to have Johnson give up a homerun to Travis Hafner that retied the game. Facebook and Twitter (yes, I have a Twitter now- @ErichHawbaker) were flooded tonight by commiserating fans, some declaring that last year really was a fluke after all and others saying “this too shall pass, they lost 7 in a row twice back in 1983.” Forgive me, but I’m about to do something that I usually detest- I’m going to agree with sides of the argument.

First of all, it’s only May and this skid is only 6 games. If this were football, we’d only be at the end of the 1st quarter right now. The season certainly isn’t lost beyond all hope because the Orioles have managed to catch all their bad luck at once in the  second week of May. This team is practically identical to last year’s. and we know that that team was capable of making the playoffs and going the distance with the damnyankees in the ALCS.

However, it is also foolish to be overly optimistic and pretend that there aren’t issues here. Remember, I’m a realist. I was shocked and outraged that the front office sat on its hands during the offseason, which just further proved what we already knew. Even tho King Petey never gave a damn about fielding a winning team, he finally got one, and that still didn’t give him any motivation to improve on what fell into his lap last year. Anything the Orioles accomplish is in spite of the ownership, not because of it. That attitude will never change as long as he still plagues us with his presence.

On the field, the main issue is the relief pitching. Our offense is more than adequate, and capable of exploding into big innings and launching big comebacks at just about any time. However, the bullpen isn’t quite as sharp as it was last year, and for some reason they always seem to find the worst times to make mistakes. It’s a glaring contrast to last year, which culminated in that stellar record in extra innings. I knew going into this year that that at least was a feat that will probably never be repeated. Honestly, the bullpen might well have been the main cause of last year’s success versus the 15 years that came before it. Remember how poor Jeremy Guthrie couldn’t get a W to save his life when he was here?  That scenario has already played itself out a few times this year. If the we’re going to right the ship, the front office should be shopping for and/or bringing up some reliable middle relievers RIGHT NOW.

And then there’s what we fans can do. First of all, remember that baseball players are but mortal men like the rest of us. Losing isn’t fun for them either. For a long time, losing was just part of the job description if you played for the Orioles. But now, after years of futility and misery, that is no longer the case. This team does have the potential to make another playoff run in my humble opinion. With the exception of Toronto, anybody could win the AL East. I originally thought the Yankees were effectively out of it with all of their injuries, but now that they went out and bought a whole new replacement team, I guess they’re back in the race. The Red Sox aren’t as good as they look right now either, and Tampa Bay may or may not stay above .500 for long. Nobody’s running away with this thing yet, and there is still plenty of season left to play.

So, my advice is to go ahead and vent a little if you need to. This past week has been a tough one. Pour yourself a drink, watch hockey instead, or just be glad we’re not Blue Jays or Astros fans. But then, get down to the ballpark and support your team. We’ve finally managed to fill the place with our fans again when either of the evil empires are in town. That has to continue. Our team needs us.

If you’re there on Wednesday night, you can look for me.

The post Back from the Dead appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

10. 10 Years (Thursday 7:30pm Rams Head Live); 10,000 Maniacs (Wednesday & Thursday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Korn (Tuesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Kelly Rowland & The Dream (Sunday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Macy Gray (Thursday 7:30pm Birchmere); SWV (Friday 8pm Howard Theatre); Lonestar (Wednesday 8pm Strathmore); Trey Anastasio (Wednesday 8pm Kennedy Center); Shooter Jennings (Thursday 8pm State Theatre); Kenny Chesney/Eric Church/Eli Young Band (Saturday 5pm FedEx Field); Delfest feat. Del McCoury Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Jerry Douglas, Carolina Chocolate Drops (Thursday-Sunday Allegany County Fairgrounds); Daft Punk “Random Access Memories”, Darius Rucker “True Believers” and 30 Seconds to Mars “LOVE LUST FAITH + DREAMS” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

As far as country music goes, Eric Church ain’t too bad.

There’s so much I’d like to see at Delfest. I hope you know how great Jerry Douglas is.

Or how great Carolina Chocolate Drops are.

Lot of people who want to prove how cool they are have been trashing Darius’ version of “Wagon Wheel.” Not among that group of people, the band that first turned Bob Dylan’s half song into a full song.

9. Greg Proops (Tuesday 8pm DC Improv), Godfrey (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); Chris Hardwick (Saturday 6pm 9:30 Club); “The Hangover Part III“, “Epic” and “Fast & Furious 6” out in theaters (Friday); “Parker” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); Brew At The Zoo (Saturday & Sunday Maryland Zoo in Baltimore); “Arrested Development Season 4” debuts (Sunday 3am Netflix)

It’s kinda hard to remember just how great “The Hangover” ever was at this point. I THINK I’ll end up seeing the new one, but I’m not promising.

Also, you’ll be watching this video until 3am Sunday…

(Continued on Page 2…)

The post Top 10 Baseball Distractions appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

A number of Baltimore Ravens were in attendance for Saturday’s event, including WR Torrey Smith, K Justin Tucker, OT Michael Oher and G Kelechi Osemele. Smith posted this picture of the group hanging out with one of Charm City’s finest…

Smith also posted this picture of himself hanging out with former Ravens LB/future Hall of Famer Ray Lewis…

Ravens DL Arthur Jones was also hanging out with the group, he and Tucker ended up posing for this picture with KISS’s Gene Simmons. You read that sentence right.

This was just before Simmons managed to photobomb D. Wayne Lukas’ celebration on NBC after Oxbow won the race…

And to wrap up the Gene Simmons portion of today’s show, his model/actress long-time girlfriend Shannon Tweed posted this picture claiming how much money she won…

Ravens LB Jameel McClain was also in attendance and he made some interesting hand gestures…

Maryland football coach Randy Edsall attended the event with his wife…

New Orleans Pelicans G (and former Terp) Greivis Vasquez was also seen hanging out near the Under Armour tent Saturday afternoon…

“House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey was at Preakness and spent some time with Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley…

“The Good Wife” star and Baltimore native Josh Charles was also at Preakness, he even stopped to pose with our own Glenn Clark’s fiancé Margaret…

The Baltimore Sun snapped this photo of former Buffalo Bills quarterback hanging out at Preakness Saturday…

Other celebrities in attendance included Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, former NBA player/coach Avery Johnson, celebrity chef Bobby Flay, Towson football coach Rob Ambrose, former NFL coach/ESPN analyst Herman Edwards, former U.S. Olympic Gymnastics coach Bela Karolyi, Senator Ben Cardin, former NFL Coach/Terrapins OL Mike Tice and more.

Platinum artist Pitbull headlined the Infieldfest festivities as pictured below. Other performers included Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Chevelle and Florida Georgia Line.

The biggest star of the day was surprisingly Oxbow, who stunned the crowd by winning the race while Kentucky Derby winner Orb finished 4th. Perhaps the best photo of the moment was captured by ESPN The Magazine…

The post Photos: Preakness quite the star-studded affair in Baltimore appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

To me, the professional horse racing jockey might be the most interesting athlete in sports.

I mean that.

And please don’t be the nitwit who says “those little guys aren’t athletes”.

You bet your rear-end they are.

I recently went out to Pimlico with the family and , being a Sunday and all, we were able to get right down near the entrance to the paddock and watch the whole process of the horses getting prepared for the race and the jockeys saddling up.  Then, to watch them commandeer those horses around the track…a 100 pound guy in control of a 1,500 pound animal — well, it’s an amazing talent to watch in person.

Anyway — I’m guessing Joel Rosario is the winning jockey in Saturday’s running of the Preakness at Pimlico.

Yes, I’m picking Orb to win on Saturday.

I’ll go with the Orb-Goldencents-Mylute ticket and see if I can’t make a few bucks there.

Speaking of the Preakness, it’s just about time we “man-up” (as opposed to saddle-up) and tell Tom Chuckas and the people at Pimlico that they were right back in 2009.

It’s probably still not completely done to their liking, but the people in charge of running the Preakness have just about “fixed it” like they said they were going to when they announced five years ago you’d no longer be able to bring your own booze into the infield and act like a lunatic and endanger other race fans.

As Tom Chuckas noted with me on Thursday during an interview on The D&L Window Tinting Morning Reaction, they’re now able to sign sponsors like the watch maker Longines, something they couldn’t have done in 2005 or 2008 when the race at Pimlico on the 3rd Saturday of May featured derelict behavior, upwards of 300 hospital admissions and countless arrests for drinking too much and acting like a buffoon.  The only national company that would have sponsored the Preakness back in 2008 would have been Tylenol.  Now, upscale companies and products see the Preakness as a chance to market their product to a group of people who are of sound enough mind to actually see, hear and absorb the message.

Arrests, hospital visits and shameful behavior by infield-goers is down, significantly.  We all know it’s tied into alcohol, which proves once again that Chuckas and his group were right for eliminating the “bring your own booze and get so hammered you lose control of your faculties” crowd.

I don’t have to tell Chuckas he was right.  I was one of the few in the market who applauded The Maryland Jockey Club for their decision back in 2009.  I figured they were doing the right thing back then and now, in 2013, it’s apparent they were.

If you haven’t been to the Preakness in a decade or so, give it a shot next year.  I think you’ll find it much more to your liking.

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Chad Johnson – ex-Bengals receiver – has a warrant out for his arrest after failing to abide by the requirements of his probation.

Oddly enough, the Bengals themselves used to file warrant requests for Johnson nearly every Monday morning.  Their charge against him?  ”Failure to appear” in the game the day before.

The post Drew’s Morning Dish — Fri., May 17 appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

This is one time where Dan Duquette’s love for bargain-hunting didn’t work out for the Orioles.

We might discover the same thing in a week or two once Jair Jurrjens has made three or four starts.  Sure, these reclamation projects occasionally pan out, but more often than not, a pitcher who was once decent and then becomes mediocre-at-best  usually doesn’t return to glory.

In defense of Jurrjens, he’s much younger than Garcia and has some tread left on his tires, even though he doesn’t have any cartilage in one of his knees.

I’d give Garcia two more starts, max, to see if he can rightfully claim one of the starting rotation spots.  If we don’t see any improvement, bid him farewell and move on.

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I don’t know what to make of the Rolando McClain “retirement” other than to say he probably saved the Ravens and Ozzie Newsome a lot of heartache.

I subscribe to the age-old theory: “A leopard’s spots never change…they just fade a little.”

McClain hasn’t displayed any ability to stay “incident free” with the police over the last couple of years, unless you count the last month or so since he was last arrested in Alabama.  He’s been fine in the month of May, I suppose.

Anyway, he wasn’t going to succeed here.

More than anything, I hope he turns his life around and goes on to do whatever makes him happy.

If it takes retiring from the NFL to get himself straightened out, then we should all applaud McClain for doing the right thing before he hurt himself or others.

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I heard a caller yesterday comment on Bernard Pollard’s decision to not attend the Ravens’ formal ring-presentation ceremony.  Said caller opined that Pollard was right to not show up and “be forced to act like he respected Harbaugh when Harbaugh disrespected him so much”.

I assume lots of folks around town will carry the same opinion on this subject.

First, let me say this.  Bernard Pollard has every right to show up – or not – for the ring ceremony.  If he decides to just have the Ravens “ship it to me” – as he said in a recent interview – that’s his choice.  But, if he literally can’t fly to Baltimore and join his now ex-teammates (and some of those guys are now ex-Ravens like him) because of a dislike for John Harbaugh, then he’s probably proving a point the Ravens were forced to make by letting him go in March.

I know this for sure about John Harbaugh:  If Bernard Pollard showed up in Baltimore to get his ring, Harbaugh would greet him with a professional handshake and a hug and say, “You were an important part of the championship team, Bernard.  You deserve that ring.”

I don’t think Harbaugh would ask Pollard out for a steak dinner while he was in town, but John would be respectful enough to welcome him back for the ceremony.

I also heard a caller offer this gem:  ”Harbaugh can’t just start cutting players because they like to have a say about how the team is run.”

Wrong, kid.

The head coach can make whatever judgment he wants about HIS locker room.  If, in his expert opinion, “Player A” isn’t a good fit anymore, the head coach has the right to dismiss said player.

If you don’t like the job the head coach is doing – which includes the decisions he makes – then you can always dismiss the head coach.

Let’s think about that for a second…

John Harbaugh.

Bernard Pollard.

Who stays?

Who goes?

We won’t embarrass Pollard with the answer.

The post Drew’s Morning Dish — Thurs., May 16 appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

The post Ovechkin says playoff failures fall on entire team, not just him appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Who woulda thunk it?

Sure, it was surprising to see his 9th inning meltdown on Tuesday night, but those things don’t happen often.

We should all do what he’s forced to do.

Forget about it.

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The Red Sox are on the verge of a real free-fall.

I know, you’re heartbroken.

After last night’s loss in Tampa Bay, Boston now sits at 22-17, losers of six of their last seven and just 4-9 in the month of May.

I shoveled a lot of dirt on them back in March when we made our season predictions.

I looked foolish in late April when they roared out to that 18-8 start.

I’m going back to the shed to grab the shovel again.

I might have more work to do.

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Alex Ovechkin did what comes natural to most athletes when they failed in the clutch.

He blamed someone else.

Predictably, in this case, it was the officiating.

Ovi went back to Game 6 in New York for his bellyaching, talking about how the Rangers got all the calls and the league might have secretly wanted a Game 7 for TV ratings and “escrow”, whatever the hell that means.

Yeah, I’m sure that’s it, Alex.  After all, that Game 7 Caps-Rangers thriller probably drew, what, a few million homes?  More kids watched a rerun of “The Fresh Beat Band” at 7am before school on Monday morning.

Talking all of that goofy stuff after Game 7 was an attempt to deflect the attention away from what actually transpired on the ice just minutes before.  Ovechkin and the team he leads shot blanks once again in a do-or-die game at home.  It had ZERO at all to do with the referees, unless one of them played in goal for the Rangers on Monday night.

Ovi’s other great line:  ”Nobody remembers losers…”

Oh, Alex, I think you’re wrong on that one.

We remember losers quite well.

And years from now, when you’re long gone, I have a hunch we’ll be remembering you.

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I love getting e-mails and comments from people who have no experience at all in a given subject, but somehow feel inclined to add their opinion as if it counts.

A couple of Tiger-haters lashed out at him for a variety of perceived transgressions during The Players Championship — and in both cases, they started off their communication with “I don’t play golf, but…”

I try to be nice when I say (write) stuff like this, but there’s no easy way to say it:  If you don’t play golf, and more importantly, if you haven’t played golf at a reasonably high level, you have zero understanding of what really went on Saturday with Tiger and Sergio Garcia.

It would be akin to me going on the air and debating the nuances of some sort of strategical decision made by Carl Edwards in last weekend’s NASCAR race.

I’d be foolish to do that.

Now, because I like teaching you people stuff, here’s all you need to know about the Garcia/Woods “flap” from Saturday.

Sergio wasn’t anywhere close to hitting his shot from the fairway when the “supposed” faux pas occurred in the Woods gallery some FIFTY yards away.  He was still in his pre-shot routine, at least 10-15 seconds away from pulling the trigger.

He then hit a bad shot.  And needed someone to blame it on.  So, he pointed the finger at Tiger and his gallery.

If you think Tiger Woods needs to resort to trickery or chicanery to unnerve or beat Sergio Garcia,  you’re really exposing yourself as a neophyte.

Tiger has OWNED Garcia – and everyone else on TOUR since 1996 – since the two started competing in 1999.  To borrow a NASCAR term, Woods has lapped the field twice over the last 17 years.

And he will continue to do so, much to Garcia’s chagrin.

The post Drew’s Morning Dish — Wed., May 15 appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

I figured it was over as soon as the Caps fell behind 1-0 last night.  You remember that sequence, right? Mike Green had a glorious scoring chance at the one end, failed to convert, and the Rangers went right back down the ice and connected on a somewhat-lame shot to go up by a goal.

I assumed that was all New York would need, but I hung around long enough to watch them go up 2-0 and 3-0.

I knew it was over at that point.

And the Caps squander yet another 2-0 playoff series lead.

Give them credit, at least, for sticking around and making it interesting for the better part of ten days, something Montreal and Minnesota couldn’t do in their respective series’.

But, in the end, the Caps inability to win a crucial Game 7 on their home ice was the story, just like it was when they let the Flyers, Canadiens and Penguins eliminate them in DC in the do-or-die 7th game during this, the “Ovechkin Era”.

As for The Great Eight, he was more like The-Great-Can’t-Get-A-Shot-on-Net in Game 7.  Nothing there.  Just a bunch of skating and wild hits and oooh’s and ahhh’s from the crowd, but no red lights to help the cause.

I’ve said this for about five years now and I’ll keep saying it:  Ovechkin is a very good player.  But he’s not a winner.

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In the on-going aftermath of Sergio Garcia’s epic meltdown at Sawgrass on Sunday, he said Tiger Woods started his shenanigans on the first hole Saturday when he bit into an apple as Garcia was addressing his opening tee shot.

Consider me shocked.

I assumed Tiger had someone slice the apple up for him prior to play.

As for Garcia…give it a rest, bro.  You tried hard.  You played well.  You lost.  It’s golf.  Crazy stuff happens.  People eat apples, for instance.

Tiger, though, is getting smacked around a little bit for evidently stretching the truth in his post-round interview on Saturday.  When asked about the incident involving Garcia on the 2nd hole, where the Spaniard was upset because of noise from the gallery connected with Tiger preparing to hit his 2nd shot, Woods said, “I couldn’t even see Sergio because of the crowd around me.  The marshals told me it was OK to hit, so I pulled my club and got ready to do that.”

Maybe not.

Tiger’s story doesn’t jibe with the stories now being shared by the two marshals who were there, patrolling the hole.  Neither of them said a word to Woods – according to both men – and he didn’t ask them any questions about Garcia.

One of them has been quoted as saying, “To me, it shows a lack of integrity from Tiger.”

Gee, I’m stunned by that.

The post Drew’s Morning Dish — Tues., May 14 appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

10. ZZ Top (Sunday 7:30pm Pier Six Pavilion); The Band Perry (Saturday 5:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); Luke Bryan (Saturday 4pm Jiffy Lube Live); Infieldfest feat. Pitbull, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Chevelle, Florida Georgia Line, Afrojack (Saturday 12pm Pimlico), Goo Goo Dolls/Rodney Atkins (Friday 2pm Pimlico); Alkaline Trio (Friday 8pm Rams Head Live); Ghostface Killah (Tuesday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Lee Brice (Wednesday 9pm Rams Head Center Stage); Paramore (Saturday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Mickey Hart Band (Tuesday 8pm Howard Theatre), Brian McKnight (Friday 8pm & 10:30pm Howard Theatre), Blind Boys of Alabama (Saturday 8pm Howard Theatre); Joe Bonamassa (Tuesday 8pm France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at The Hippodrome); Chicago (Wednesday 7:30pm Meyerhoff Symphony Hall); Youngblood Hawke (Wednesday 6pm U Street Music Hall); Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival feat. Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (Saturday & Sunday Sandy Point State Park); Anti-Flag (Monday 7:30pm DC9)

I haven’t seen Macklemore & Ryan Lewis yet. Looking forward to seeing what they bring to the table Saturday.

Chevelle is a rock and roll band I regularly find myself enjoying.

Goo Goo Dolls are a band I really used to find myself enjoying.

I’m going to the O’s game Sunday but I’m awfully tempted to duck out early to see Mavis.

9. Lewis Black (Sunday 8pm Sixth & I Historic Synagogue); Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling (Thursday 8pm Baltimore Comedy Factory); Aries Spears (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); “Cloud Atlas” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “Star Trek Into Darkness” out in theaters (Thursday); Preakness Hot Air Balloon Festival (Thursday-Saturday Turf Valley); Wine In The Woods (Saturday & Sunday Symphony Woods)

I’ll just go ahead and say “yes” to Lewis Black.

If they haven’t brought back Rachel Nichols to play the Green Girl in Star Trek I might boycott going.

(Continued on Page 2…)

The post Top 10 Baseball Distractions appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Belfiore, 24, was recalled prior to Sunday’s game but did not pitch. Belfiore was 1-0 with a 5.52 ERA (14.2IP, 9ER) and 17 strikeouts in 10 games for the Tides. In 2012, with Double-A Bowie, Belfiore was 5-1 with a 2.85 ERA (47.1IP, 15ER) in 28 games.

A corresponding roster move will be announced Tuesday.

The post Orioles option LHP Belfiore back to Triple-A Norfolk appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.