As we move closer to the start of the 20th season at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, I take a look back at the top 20 moments in the history of the ballpark. Selected moments had to relate directly to the action on the field at the time. No orchestrated events such as World Series anniversary celebrations or Orioles Hall of Fame inductions were eligible.

Previous selections:
20. Wieters’ debut
19. Nomo tosses only no-hitter in Oriole Park history
18. Orioles rally from nine-run deficit against Boston
17. 30-3
16. Showalter takes the helm
15. Palmeiro homers in Oriole debut
14. Griffey’s Warehouse shot
13. Sparring with Seattle
12. Davis defies the odds

11. Hoiles’ dreamlike slam stuns Mariners - May 17, 1996

A unique moment in sports is occasionally so memorable that it takes on a life of itself.

An event where only several thousand were present gradually transforms into an occasion witnessed by hundreds of thousands, if only for its improbable nature and the euphoria its aftermath creates.

There’s nothing more cliched in sports than the boyhood dream of stepping to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with your team trailing by three runs.

Full count, two outs, and the bases loaded.

It’s the stuff of wide-eyed boys playing in the backyard on a July afternoon, dreaming of one day playing in the big leagues.

And it was the exact scenario presented to Chris Hoiles, who capitalized on that dream in one of the wildest games in Orioles history.

It was a typical slugfest that characterized the 1996 season. Both the Orioles and Seattle Mariners were short on pitching but could mash opponents into submission with an offensive onslaught — the two clubs hit a combined 502 home runs in 1996 — that wore out scoreboard operators around the league.

After jumping out to a 7-2 lead through five innings, the Orioles bullpen proceeded to surrender an inexcusable 11 runs in four innings of work. A grand slam by 20-year-old Alex Rodriguez off Alan Mills had given the Mariners an 11-9 lead in the eighth, and the lead grew to 13-10 as Seattle closer Norm Charlton worked in the bottom of the ninth.

Many of the 47,259 in attendance had gone home after the game had eclipsed the four-hour mark and appeared destined to be a deflating loss thanks to the ineffective bullpen. Even more at home had surely turned off the television set as the clock approached midnight.

Yet, what happened next would have many more thousands claiming they were there, or had at least hung on to watch the bottom of the ninth on TV.

The erratic Charlton — who would bring his high-wire act to Baltimore two years later to the tune of a 6.94 earned run average in 1998 — walked Roberto Alomar, allowed a Bobby Bonilla double, and issued a free pass to Cal Ripken in the process of getting the first two outs of the inning. Hoiles came to the plate with a chance to become the 20th man in major league history to hit a walk-off grand slam to erase a three-run deficit.

The count went full as the several thousand still in attendance rose to their feet with the imagined scenario playing out before their eyes. Then, Hoiles deposited the 3-2 pitch into the left field seats to give the Orioles an inconceivable 14-13 victory as the stunned Mariners walked off the field.

His teammates mobbed him at the plate as Hoiles became the only known player in history to hit his “ultimate” grand slam with a full count and two outs. The select fans who had stuck around Camden Yards that night had seen one of the most exciting moments in franchise history.

And thousands more would learn of it the next morning, kicking themselves for heading home early or turning off the tube the previous night.

Myself included.

Just a small list of stories and issues that we’ve covered on the “Afternoon Drive” over the past couple days …..

-  If you were among the 111 MILLION people watching the Super Bowl, there is a good chance you caught the shot of Cameron Diaz feeding A’Rod in a luxury suite.  Evidently, the Yankees star didn’t think it was very cool to televise it and he “flipped out” on Fox executives.

My blunt advice to A’Rod and other celebs – if you’re gonna take free tickets to sit in a suite, you’re fair game for any and every camera.  If you weren’t comfortable with such a reality, I know of at least 400 people who would’ve traded places …..

-  My latest on-air conversation with Allen McCallum regarded a plethora of different topics.  However, our most spirited conversation regarded “who bats 2^nd in the Orioles lineup”.  Al and few callers like the prospect of slotting Adam Jones in the spot.

I can’t agree with the logic.  Jones carries a .319 career OBP, and he averages 124 strikeouts, per season, while only walking 30 times.  Show me a team with a #2 hitter meriting such numbers and I’ll guarantee you they’re a LOSER. 

Adam Jones simply lacks the eye and plate discipline of Nick Markakis – the obvious choice.

-  As you probably know, February is “Chick-Fil-A Month” at WNST.  Our friends at Chick-Fil-A are providing FREE BREAKFAST on Thursdays, throughout the month.  Everybody loves eating Chick-Fil-A, right?

Well, some of us LOVE the taste of Chick-Fil-A more than others.  In fact, some of us can probably be described as ADDICTS when it comes to the tasty menu.  This list would absolutely include Glenn Clark ….

During yesterday’s WNST Staff Meeting, I made the foolish decision of trying to eat a Chick-Fil-A breakfast sandwich in the presence of Mr. Clark.  For the first time in my life, I sensed what it must feel like to be a wildebeest in the world of a lion ….

It was “contentious” moment, to say the very least.  For a few moments, I was certain my Glock was going to make its first public appearance at the WNST studios.  The man is absolutely obsessed with Chick-Fil-A.

-  Admittedly, I’ve been a little surprised by the modest moaning and groaning over Vlad Guerrero’s age.  The newest Orioles designated hitter is 36 years old, and some fans want to hand him an AARP card.

Are they panicking in New York?  Alex Rodriguez will be 36 this season.  Are they panicking in Los Angeles?  Bobby Abreu will be 36, too.  Are they panicking in Boston?  Yep, David Ortiz will be 36, as well.

Give it a break, Vlad will be fine.  He is a consistent producer – period.

On yesterday’s program, former Orioles outfielder, Mike Young stopped by for a few moments and we chatted about his career.  One of the questions I asked regarded getting hit by a Major League pitch.

Mike was plunked 20 times during his career.  He couldn’t recall a specific incident that proved more painful than others.  As he said, “they all HURT ….”

But, this inspires me to ask, if you had to suffer one of these consequences, would you rather be drilled by an Aroldis Chapman fastball …..

Clocked by a Mike Tyson right jab …..

Or, sacked by a full speed version of Ray Lewis?

What a wild week.

The Ravens are preparing for an AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

Maryland football introduced former UConn coach Randy Edsall as Ralph Friedgen’s replacement after a very public flirtation with former Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach.

The Orioles (very unfortunately and tragically) saw pitcher Alfredo Simon turn himself into police as the main suspect in a Dominican Republic murder. This of course overshadowed their signing of reliever Kevin Gregg.

On top of that, we’re in the middle of BCS football games, the Washington Capitals won the NHL Winter Classic last Saturday night, and the Terps get their first crack at Duke this season Sunday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

In the sports media business, this is the type of week we love, as we spend much of the year looking for topics and storylines to write about and discuss.

Yet somehow this week, I’ve found myself captivated by the discussion surrounding the announcement of the 2011 induction class for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Much of my interest has to do with my personal affection for Roberto Alomar (the greatest Oriole I’ve been able to see play in my lifetime), but more of it has to do with my interest in the process itself.

(Photo courtesy: New York Times)

Former Houston Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell was up for induction for the first time this year. As someone whose height of baseball fandom (I’ve never hidden from the fact that I’m no longer a “baseball guy” at this point in my life) coincided with the peak of Bagwell’s career, there was no doubt in my mind that Bagwell was deserving of induction to the Hall of Fame.

He didn’t have the “can’t miss” numbers (2,314 hits and 449 home runs); but he was clearly amongst the dominant players of his era at his position (four time All-Star, six times a Top 10 finisher in National League MVP voting).

I couldn’t imagine Jeff Bagwell NOT being considered a Hall of Famer.

Yet when Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) voters made their decision, only 41.7% of them agreed with me; more than 30% less than the 75% needed for election.

Jeff Bagwell never tested positive for steroids and no positive link exists whatsoever. Yet the biggest reason Bagwell wasn’t elected remained…steroids.

Here’s what BBWAA voter Dan Graziano (who now writes for Fanhouse) said in his column explaining his decision to NOT vote for Bagwell…

“No, I didn’t vote for Jeff Bagwell for the Hall of Fame. Yes, it’s for the reason everybody loves to hate. I don’t know for sure that Bagwell took steroids or any other performance-enhancing drugs to help him attain his Hall of Fame-caliber numbers. I don’t have evidence, like we do against Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. But I’m suspicious. And this year, that suspicion was enough to make me send back my ballot without the Bagwell box checked. I’d rather withhold the vote based on suspicion than vote the guy in only to find out later that he cheated and I shouldn’t have.”

Graziano explained his decision in further detail Wednesday morning during an appearance with Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST.

“I’ve decided not to vote for the steroid guys” said Graziano. “Bagwell we don’t know. He’s not in the Mitchell Report, he hasn’t tested positive like (former Texas Rangers & Orioles slugger Rafael) Palmeiro did. But there’s enough suspicion on my part that I’m holding back. The suspicion in my mind overcomes his credentials for me as someone who doesn’t want to put cheaters in.

“If it turns out that I’m wrong and he was innocent then he has my apology” Graziano added. “There are people (like SI writer) Joe Posnanski and other high profile people that have written about the Hall of Fame that will tell you ‘I’d rather put in 100 cheaters than risk keeping one innocent guy out.’ I feel exactly the opposite. I’d rather risk keeping an innocent guy or two out than put in a single cheater. And if I find out five years from now, 10 years from now that there’s a guy in there I voted for that I shouldn’t have, that would be my bigger regret.”

That tells me just about everything I needed to know about how voting is going to go in the steroid era.

The BBWAA is going to punt.

Here’s a look at the night that was on Tuesday and the one that lies ahead on Wednesday along with a few random musings from the best seat in the house, literally, at home in front of the TV.

Yesterday, I speculated here that there was little chance that Pat Riley had any intentions of replacing Erik Spoelstra on the Miami Heat bench because their level of chemistry, commitment, and overall play, and the lack of assuredness that Riley himself would be able to get much more from this squad. With 24 hours to think on it, I might amend that line of thinking and say that Riley may replace Spoelstra, but he won’t likely jump back onto the bench himself. Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojinarski wrote this piece about how James’ me first act is a safe bet to wear thin pretty quickly, and speculates that it was James’ inner circle that began floating the “Spoelstra is panicking” rumors in the first place. With the Heat, and James headed to Cleveland on Thursday, the drama, and attention are bound to continue.

Speculation also abounds today that perhaps Roger Goodell’s main motivation behind not suspending Andre Johnson and/or Cortland Finnegan for their brawl on Sunday is because the Texans are playing on Thursday night. As it related to Johnson, Finnegan or even a possible James Harrison suspension (that won’t happen either), it would seem that the NFL’s appeals process would have allowed all 3 the chance to play this week, and every other until their appeals were heard. Maybe the NFL was afraid that Johnson would decline an appeal and serve his suspension to spite the league. I wonder if Goodell is compiling a manual of precedents for the punishments that the league is dishing out, seemingly at random, this season.

Jim Harbaugh, the Stanford coach, former Ravens’ quarterback and brother of Ravens head coach John Harbaugh projects to be one of the hottest commodities on the market as schools begin to make and fill coaching vacancies. Michigan seems like the natural fit, if they choose to part company with Rich Rodriguez, but some believe that Harbaugh would be crazy to leave Stanford, where success is measured in academics and his feet aren’t likely to be held to the fire anytime soon, even if his now successful program took a dramatic U-turn. I would be at least mildly surprised if Jim Harbaugh didn’t have at least one eye on the NFL if he has any desire to change jobs. It should develop into an interesting off-season story line.

With all of the purple towel resistance building before Sunday night’s game, crowd noise is becoming topical. Now there are talks of a “No means no” chant for Ben Roethlisberger. On the surface, it’s funny, hilarious actually, but that’s from my perspective. I’m guessing there’s another side of this issue that would find it tasteless and appalling. In other words, it might make the Steelers fans that are on hand a little more comfortable. Count me out on the “no means no” chant, but I’ll be listening, and laughing a little inside.

I have to say that no matter how the Derek Jeter negotiations work out, I am amused. I’m not sure what Jeter’s value might specifically be to the Yankees, but I’m pretty certain that 4 Derek Jeters wouldn’t be worth the kind of money that both sides are discussing to any other team. His legend is intact, his skill set is declining, and we’re talking about projecting him beyond his 40^th birthday. The one thing that has never failed Jeter in his opportunistic Major League career has been his timing. From the ball hit to Jeffrey Maier, to the inexplicable flip to get Jeremy Giambi at the plate, to seeking out his last payday with hit #3000 on the horizon, Jeter’s always been the guy in the right place at the right time.  

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As we know, sports can be a great motif for life in general. As a part of the oh-so-competitive corporate world, I’ve been told time and time again that it’s important to toot-your-own-horn when you do something good at work. If you don’t, they say, you’ll never be able to move up. I come from humble stock, and bragging about how great I am is just not something with which I’m comfortable. Having said that, I’ve seen less-than-qualified people be promoted over me, and I’ve even been threatened with my job for giving credit to others.

The purpose of this column is not to vent about my job. However if life mirrors sports, does the same theory or idea hold true? As a Washington Redskin fan, I hated Donovan McNabb for years. Not only did he play for the Eagles, but he had the uncanny ability to beat the Redskins whenver he needed to do so. However looking back on those games today (with McNabb now playing for the burgundy and gold), I can see that he played all of those games with the grace, class, and leadership that he exhibits now with the Redskins. He’s not an overly emotional player in that he never lets you see him sweat when he’s under duress. My point isn’t to bring up or discuss his benching last Sunday afternoon in Detroit, although I’ll say that I think it was a bad move. However that was only the latest instance in a long line of times where McNabb’s been embarrassed during his football career. He even refused to publically denounce T.O. when they were teammates and Owens saw fit to call him out. He was benched by Andy Reid in Baltimore a few years back at halftime, and he took his medicine without complaining. However each time his team wins or he makes a great play, he’s always up there saying how great of a route Chris Cooley or DeShawn Jackson ran on that play.

On the other hand, showboaters such as Michael Irving and Deion Sanders never seemed to struggle for respect. Both of them were great players without a doubt, however they never carried themselves with the humility or grace with which someone like McNabb does. Derek Jeter (as much as we hate him) is a quiet guy, but he plays for the Yankees so he’s essentially loud by association. Alex Rodriguez can be loud at times, and as we saw earlier this season he seemingly has no regard for the game’s unwritten rules (ask Dallas Braden). The league, media, and fans even swept Rodriguez’s steroid use under the rug. Yet a quiet type of guy like Rafael Palmeiro was villianized. (Granted Palmeiro lied to Congress, but on the field he was fairly mild-mannered.) So what am I trying to say here? To be honest, I’m really not sure myself. I guess what I’m trying to say is that for whatever reason, it’s easier for society to accept someone like a Michael Irving or Alex Rodriguez. The majority of society are emotional people; therefore they react and empathize with someone like that. When people see someone like Donovan McNabb or even Raffy, they immediately think that the guy has no moxie whatsoever. In fact, when they screw up people are potentially more likely to hold them accountable. McNabb was benched because he threw a horrible interception late in the game, or Palmeiro single-handedly ruined baseball with his steroid use. This, as opposed to Michael Irving may act like a thug and have a drug addiction but he’s a great receiver, or Alex Rodriguez took steroids, but so did everyone else.

What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong. Steroids are wrong no matter how you look at it, and regardless of who’s taking them. However I suppose what I’m saying is that people can accept the shortcomings of humanized athletes or public figures moreso than they can those of the quiet leaders. And I think that’s a horrible trend. We should all aim to be like Donovan McNabb, telling reporters how great his teammates are. Instead, as a society we’re more like Michael Irving, who never wasted an opprotunity to promote himself to the cameras or microphones. Nowadays NFL players are almost expected to do some kind of endzone dance when they score, whereas the true legends of the game such as Johnny Unitas simply walked off the field. Again, we all wish that we had that kind of class.

I don’t think for one moment that Donovan McNabb isn’t respected in the NFL, however I’ve heard that he wasn’t always liked by the fanbase in Philadelphia because of his professionalism. All jokes about that making sense for Philadelphia people aside, that’s a sad state of affairs. Is that why he was traded? I don’t know, however I would assume that had he perhaps spoken his worth from time to time, they might have thought twice about it. Instead, he motored along like a good soldier and propped people up around him. To me, that’s leadership much moreso than someone that steals the limelight on a continual basis. But yet, those are the people that seemingly make it in today’s society. What comes first, the chicken or the egg?

If you share my hatred for the New York Yankees, are you optimistic about their potential demise in the upcoming American League Championship Series?

I think it’s quite possible …..

Admittedly, I have a very soft spot for the Tampa Bay Rays. They exist in Major League Baseball’s most competitive division and they’ve assembled a collective group of ballplayers capable of beating the very best teams. Their cast of talent championed the American League’s Eastern Division, which is a huge accomplishment.

But, last night, I steadfastly rooted for the Texas Rangers in the finale of the teams’ five game series. I wanted to see Nolan Ryan advance to the next round. I wanted to see Josh Hamilton on a bigger stage. I wanted to see Cliff Lee, again.

Oh yeah, and I hope to see Mark Teixeira beaten by his old team.

Most of all, I think the Rangers stand a better chance of beating the Yankees, in comparison to the Rays. While realizing the Rays handled the Yankees during the regular season and they’re very familiar with their divisional rival, I think they’re quite evenly matched. Whereas, I think the Rangers might have the respective strengths to exploit the Yankees weaknesses, especially in a short series.

We all know the Yankees vulnerability is the starting pitching. They’re forced to add A.J. Burnett and his 5.26 ERA and 1.51 WHIP to the postseason roster; he’ll likely pitch Game #4. Burnett joins C.C. Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes in rounding out the rotation. Aside from Pettitte’s postseason resume’, the Yankees staff is not overly impressive.

Maybe it’s just me, but I like the Texas lineup against New York’s staff. The Rangers can hit. Better yet, they can MASH …. and the power potential in that lineup exists from top to bottom. They’re also aggressive on the basepaths, as we saw in last night’s win over the Rays. On two occasions, the Rangers scored from 2nd base on ground balls to the infield.

At the same time, I respect the Yankees lineup. However, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter have suffered through less than stellar seasons. And, we may very well see the Yankees finally paying the price for an assembled outfield that includes Nick Swisher, Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner. Not exactly a vintage Yankees cast, huh?

If I look at these teams with a sobering view, the impressions are pretty simple …..

Yankees lineup vs. Rangers lineup – Advantage Rangers

Yankees starting pitching vs. Rangers starting pitching – Advantage Rangers

Yankees bullpen vs. Rangers bullpen – Advantage Rangers

Yankees intangibles vs. Rangers intangibles – Advantage Yankees

I’m certain some readers will think I’m crazy and making conclusions exclusively with my heart, while hoping the Yankees get smoked. Well, I’m certain that figures somehwere into my perspective – I’m only human. And, I do hate the Yankees.

However, I think the Texas Rangers are a more complete ballclub. They just beat the team that outlasted the Yankees through 162 games. And, they rose to the occasion when it mattered most.

When these two teams meet, the Rangers will feature the best player of the two rosters, thanks to Josh Hamilton. They’ll also feature the best pitcher on both clubs, as Cliff Lee has proven. The Rangers are a better team and they’ll prove it in 6 games.

You heard it here …..

When Chris Tillman takes the mound in tonight’s game at Rogers Centre, he’ll be facing a distinct first …..

That’s right, in his brief professional career, he’s never faced a hitter with 50 homeruns pegged to his season resume’.

Tonight that will change …..

In yesterday’s matinee against the Seattle Mariners, Jose Bautista stroked his 50th homer of the season. In nailing Felix Hernandez’s 96 mph fastball into the Blue Jays bullpen, Bautista joined a very distinct group of players.

He is officially the 26th player to hit 50 homers in a single season.

And, he’s unofficially just the latest in a line of players we will gauge with a discerning eye.

Is it fair? I don’t know. Is it justified? Absolutely.

We’re still living in the era of mistrust and suspicion, as it relates to gaudy statistical accomplishments by Major League Baseball players. As much as we would love to rave about a player reaching a previously heralded plateau, things have simply changed in relation to our comprehension of the game.

When you hear about a player hitting his 50th homerun of the season, what is the first impression that crosses your mind?

Better yet, when you hear of a player swatting his 50th homer, and he’s never hit more than 16 homers in a single season during his 7 year career, what is your immediate thought?

BINGO.

Yet, Jose Bautista doesn’t want to hear it. In fact, he’s suggesting he hasn’t heard any flak regarding performance enhancing drug usage. “Nobody’s said anything to me, and I don’t see why they should. Baseball has a strict policy against those performance-enhancing whatever you want to call them,” Bautista said during a recent interview.
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Jose Bautista is not the typical meathead, strapping muscle bound figure we encountered on the big league stage during the height of the steroid phase. He weighs a little less than 200 pounds and his body frame is reminiscent of our favorite players of the 1970′s.

And, for Cito Gaston, the physical appearance is resounding proof of innocence. He has defended his star player during every pointed opportunity. I don’t blame him, that’s what he’s supposed to do.

Jose Bautista’s accomplishment should be pretty extraordinary. But, it’s not. If he’s clean, and nobody will ever really know, he has reason to feel pretty proud of his season. If he’s not, we’re likely to eventually find out.

But, as we sit here on a Friday morning, with more than a week remaining in Major League Baseball’s regular season, Jose Bautista is not being celebrated. He’s not being villified, either. His feat is a non-story.

Homer #50 is not the lead story on Major League Baseball’s website. It’s not the lead story on ESPN.com. It’s not even the lead story on the Toronto Sun’s page. How’s that for lack of coverage?

I distinctly recall the day George Foster hit his 50th homerun of the 1977 season. I thought it was a HUGE deal. I was 10 years old and living the game of baseball. It was also the first time a big leaguer hit 50 homers in my lifetime.
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And, it would be another 13 years until it happened again.

Yet, since 1990, the threshhold of 50 homeruns has been reached 24 times. You got that? It’s happened 24 times over the course of the last 20 years. This is why we’re suspicious of Jose Bautista’s season total.

To his credit, Bautista has handled the steroids-related questions in stride. In my opinion, he’s been somewhat evasive – especially when he displays ignorance toward the topic of “performance enhancing whatever you call them.” Please ….

I suppose Jose Bautista is doing the only reasonable thing, possible. He’s just doing his job and letting his career season develop naturally. He’s not fighting the suspicions or rendering a contentious denial. And, he’s not getting angry at those who suspect or ask questions.

That’s a good thing.

If he does end up harboring some eventual anger, I would hope he’ll direct it at the responsible individuals. Blame Mark McGwire. Blame Sammy Sosa. Blame Barry Bonds, Blame Roger Clemens. Blame Rafael Palmeiro. Blame Alex Rodriguez.

After all, they’re the reason we don’t care about Jose Bautista’s accomplishment.

We all know what happened last night; Alex Rodriguez hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth inning off of Koji Uehara to give New York a 4-3 win over the O’s. The fact is that superstars like ARod make those plays when they need to, so that doesn’t tick me off per se. However what does frost me is the fact that Koji appeared to have ARod struck out on a called strike three, however home plate umpire Ted Barrett inexplicably called ball two. Bad calls happen, although it seems that they generally benefit players of ARod’s stature. My real problem is with what ARod did after that; he looked towards the Yankee dugout with a grin on his face. In other words, he knew darned well that he got a gift.

After hitting what’s being touted as the biggest home run since Bobby Thompson’s shot heard ’round the world, ARod proceeded to round the bases pretty slowly. In all seriousness, I think Cal’s lap around the ballpark after breaking the record in 1996 might have been quicker. Especially against a team that’s playing for nothing but pride, taking your sweet time to round the bases and show them up is a bush league thing to do. And let us not forget that ARod’s already had one run-in with this kind of thing this season, when he ran across the mound in Oakland (drawing the ire of Dallas Braden).

This is all part of a growing trend that I’m seeing in sports and it’s not a good thing. People such as myself might as well be speaking Japanese when we talk about unwritten rules in games. (In fact, it’s all Greek to me!) Nowadays we hear so many players, coaches, fans, and commentators talk about how if you win the game who cares what the unwritten rules are. I see that as misguided. In my opinion this really started in college football when the current BCS system came into play. The UPI rankings are no longer about just winning, but also by what margin you win. If the #1 team wins 14-13 and the #2 team wins 35-3, the #2 team will probably be the new #1. I see this as incredibly misguided and wrong, because it effectively encourages teams to run up the score. In baseball the rule has generally been that if you’re up after the sixth inning by five or more, you don’t steal or try to manufacture runs. Nowadays you see teams like the Boston Red Sox who would argue that you never know when a team’s going to come back, so why shouldn’t they try to score. Bill Belichek has routinely said that it’s not his job to stop his offense, it’s the other team’s defense’s job. It almost seems that winning isn’t good enough anymore, you have to punish the other team for having the nerve to step onto the field with you.

Ultimately, I do put winning above sportsmanship in a sense. However once the game’s won, I see no reason to rub salt in the wound unless it’s done as an act of retribution. As an example, if the Orioles have a sizable lead against the Yankees in tonight’s game (in the wake of ARod’s antics last night), I’d have no problem with throwing down a bunt to move a runner over. I remember in 1987 when the NFL players were on strike, and basically the entire Dallas Cowboy team crossed the picket lines. They beat a Philadelphia Eagle team full of scrubs, and did so by a wide margin. Philadelphia head coach Buddy Ryan felt that the Cowboys unnecessarily piled on the score at the end, so when the two teams met again in Philly (after the strike had ended), Ryan returned the favor. There were only about thirty seconds left and Philly had the ball first and goal at the one (up by two TD’s). Buddy Ryan called timeout to run one more play to rub it in. I was never a Buddy Ryan fan, but I have no problem with someone returning the favor if they were shown up. In other word, if ARod gets plunked tonight, I wouldn’t see an issue with that.

Ultimately, you have to have a respect for your opponents and the game when you play a sport. I don’t see running up the score or showing up your opponent as having respect for the game. Call me old school or a mastedon if you want, but that’s just how I see things.

During yesterday’s AFTERNOON DRIVE, I came across a list of “Most Disliked Athletes In America,” as reported by CNBC. The list was actually compiled through a public survey by the Q Scores Company (www.qscores.com); a firm that conducts a variety of different consumer studies.

I considered broaching the topic during yesterday’s show. However, I was uncomfortable with the list, because it only contained the TOP-6 most disliked athletes and I noticed an immediate distinguishing theme …..
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Hmmm ….. do you notice any similar visual characteristics? Without really looking at the featured “bad guys”, I wasn’t going to broach the topic with my audience. I have a responsibility to myself and YOU when it comes to talking about a subject from an informed viewpoint.

That said, I’m really wrestling with the notion that the half dozen most despised athletes are all African American. And, if the survey is accurate, does racial makeup play a part in it?

Of this group, 4 of the 6 have never been charged with a criminal offense. So, that can’t be a social discriminative factor. While some of these players have an animated streak to their personality, none of them are known for being “dirty” competitors on the field, nor have they been censured for performance enhancing drug usage.

So, what makes them so hated? Is it their flamboyance or self indulgent ways? All of them have egos; some have huge egos. But, an overwhelming amount of pro athletes have egos.

Are they selfish toward fans or charitable causes? I don’t see that, either. Perhaps, it’s their wealth? Nah …. once again, most pro athletes are wealthy.

Hmmm ….. all of them are or were at the top of their respective games within the past decade. Maybe that’s it. However, if that’s the case, how does top billing of the infamous not include Peyton Manning, Albert Pujols, Jimmie Johnson, Alex Ovechkin and Drew Brees?

I’m just asking …..

I’ve taken the time to really think about the athletes who are disliked in our sports society. Of course, I’m relying on personal conversations, negative publicity, public perceptions and simple common sense. I came up with this group …..
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Ben Roethlisberger – I guess women weren’t surveyed? Maybe, the study was done a year ago? Roethlisberger is universally disliked in our sports society, and his infamy really has nothing to do with his play on the field – outside of Baltimore.
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Jeff Gordon – If you’ve never attended a NASCAR event, you’ll simply need to trust me on this one. Jeff Gordon gets bombarded with the most resounding course of BOOS I’ve ever witnessed at a sporting event. And, it happens every single week. He’s never done anything to anyone. He was an “outsider” and he dominated an era. Those days are over, but the HATE lingers on.
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Alex Rodriguez – He, too, was disliked for being the greatest of his generation. But, when the steroid allegations became truth, A’Rod’s popularity among most baseball enthusiasts sank below the Mendoza line. He’s brash, conceited and surly, at times. He’s a guy that opposing fans love to taunt.
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Tom Brady – Here’s a guy who is HATED and we all know it. Is it the envy? He’s done it all …. Super Bowls, movie star looks, smokin’ hot wife. Yet, fans outside of Beantown hate Tom Brady. How do I know? Well, I’ve always liked him. But, if I mention his name on-air or in conversation, the hate starts pouring out of people.
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I suppose these lists can really be taken as pure subjective matter. We see a few of them, annually. Such studies are compiled and released by Forbes, GQ, Mens Daily and others. However, this is my first experience in seeing a list unanimously devoted to one race.

Believe me, I’m not one who hypes bias of any kind, to include racial considerations. When race is arbitrarily injected into issues or recklessly expolited by persons who just want to provide a convenient excuse, people become divided. That’s not my intent.

However, I do think the Q Scores list is questionable and I just felt compelled to write about it.

The 11th hour nearly became the 12th and final hour for the Orioles last night in their pursuit of #1 draft pick Manny Machado, but the Birds made a last minute deal with Machado and agent Scott Boras and all’s well that ends well.

And it ended well for the Machado/Boras combo — to the tune of $5.25 million to put his name on the bottom of the contract.  It also ended well for the Orioles, who would have faced great scrutiny and, perhaps, even more criticism had they allowed Machado to remain unsigned, thereby losing the rights to him.

Everyone got what they wanted.

Machado got paid even though he’s never done anything – which happened a lot around baseball yesterday – and the Orioles forked over enough money to show that they aren’t going to let a million or so dollars get in the way of progress.

Let’s hope they won’t let $90 million get in the way of their pursuit of Carl Crawford this off-season.  I assume it will.  But that’s a story for November.

Today, we celebrate the fact that the Orioles came through in the final moments and signed Machado. While they were in a no-win position (lose him and you’re not willing to do what it takes to win — sign him and you absolutely pay more for him than you feel he’s worth), losing out on Machado would have been far more damaging than signing him and watching him turn into Manny Alexander instead of Hanley Ramirez.

Personally, I don’t think signing kids right out of high school is smart.  But that’s not me making a judgment on the Orioles and their drafting of Machado, because lots of major league teams take high school players.  That’s me making judgment on kids who haven’t made a car payment in their life.  A lot can go wrong with an 18-year old.  Depending on their upbringing, it might take until age 18 for a young boy or girl to discover such unique things as…sex…rock-n-roll music…marijuana…staying out late…alcohol…and the rest of that stuff you did when you were younger and didn’t know about the real world and mortgages and cable TV bills and health insurance premiums.

I would hope $5.25 million worth of found money would keep someone like Machado from wrecking himself and setting fire to that investment the Orioles made in him.  But kids will be kids.  Just ask Maurice Clarett.

It’s a slippery slope indeed when you write a young man a check for $5.25 million and he’s never swung at a pitch in anger in his life.  It’s also that way in college football or college basketball, but the level of play at the intercollegiate closely rivals that of the pro game.

High school baseball, even at its highest level, is a juiced up version of really good Little League and nothing more.

For OUR sake, in Baltimore, we need Machado to be the real deal so he can replace Cesar Izturis in a few years.  Most draftniks have Machado not being major league ready until AT LEAST 2014.  That’s a lot of Cesar hitting .241.  Too much, if you ask me.  And as we’ve seen with the likes of Josh Bell, tearing it up at AAA and coming north to Baltimore and lighting it up in the majors are two different things.  Only  the band “When in Rome” had less hits than Bell.  But if Machado fulfills his A-Rod-Lite comparisons, we’ll all be thrilled to death when he shows up in a few years and starts replicating #13 in both style and substance.

Let’s hope Machado doesn’t pick up on that “other” A-Rod habit…if you know what I mean.

Giving a high school kid $5.25 million.  Right thing to do?  Wrong thing to do?

We won’t know for three years or more.

By then, that money will be spent.

Let’s hope the kid is worth it.