Happy Monday!

It’s a Happy Monday for me because after a weekend in Ocean City, I spent the evening literally BATHING in aloe vera. I’m not kidding, I think I looked like Justin Bartha in “The Hangover”…

The thing is, it doesn’t hurt until you’re sober.

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. The AP’s David Ginsburg says Miguel Tejada singled home winning run to lift O’s to sweep of Nationals

I didn’t think it was possible.

I especially didn’t think it was possible after Julio Lugo doubled with one out in the 8th and then proceded to get picked off 2nd base by Wil Nieves.

Shows what I know.

I’m well aware that it was the Nats, but it’s still a sweep. Around here, that’s almost as good as winning the World Series.

It’s been particularly nice to see the Birds put together some rallies and come back from early deficits in these games-but it would be nicer to see starting pitchers be a bit more effective. We’ll get back to that.

2. The AP/WNST.net provide numerical evidence of sweep

Jeremy Guthrie wasn’t bad yesterday. 6 innings, 3 earned runs on 3 hits with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts. He certainly wasn’t GREAT, but he wasn’t bad. Compared to some of the other starting efforts we’ve seen at Camden Yards recently, it was really good.

Only Tejada had two hits amongst Orioles players yesterday, but that’s all that was needed. Maybe these guys are hitting better because Nick Markakis called them out publicly. Maybe they’re hitting better because they know the July 31 trade deadline is coming up and this is their chance to get out of Charm City.

I don’t really care why they’re hitting better. I just want them to keep doing it.

3. WNST.net’s Luke Jones says Buck Showalter told ESPN Orioles have ‘some great pieces’

Yeah…like Markakis…and….ummm….Adam Jones for a week?

Clearly having watched the New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks win World Series titles AFTER he left has made Showalter badly want another MLB gig. Of course, if he thinks he’s going to reach that level under Peter Angelos, he’ll probably be disappointed.

You know who DOES have some great pieces? Zaira Nara. (Thanks Guyism/Remix Magazine!)

4. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Andy MacPhail finally cut ties, DFA’ed Garrett Atkins

I’m trying to figure out the right way to say this. Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts were here before MacPhail got here. Adam Jones has been marginally successful. Matt Wieters, Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta all look like they’re talented but haven’t necessarily shown it yet.

As far as a “face” of the MacPhail era is concerned, umm….Atkins is about as good a choice as any.

This was a failure from Day 1. It represented the fact that the team decided to sign a lesser player instead of going out and actually signing a real impact player. That’s the real impact of the MacPhail era.

Maybe the marketing folks at the Warehouse should put together a “Mt. Rushmore”-type photo of Atkins, Rich Hill, Adam Eaton and Koji Uehara (who returned with the Atkins DFA). Could be a hot seller this Christmas. If I was better at Photoshop, I’d do it for them.

5. The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Felix Pie 2-4 with RBI, two runs for Frederick Keys on farm

Me, I’d put Felix Pie on the “Mt. Rushmore”, but someone would try to convince me that his 8 hits earlier this season mean he’s a good player. If Jake Fox was an offseason acquisition, he’d make it for sure. In the meantime, a few more things before we move on from the Orioles…

-Congratulations to our “Apologist of the Morning”, as selected by “The Great Arbitrator” Drew Forrester. “Heath” from Dempsey’s Army is no stranger to the AOTM-but this morning he received the award for citing Fangraphs in opining that Juan Samuel was wrong for trying to have Matt Wieters bunt last week. I don’t often credit Drew for being funny, but labeling a group of people as “Fangraph-sexuals” was pretty damn humorous.

-The Orioles are off today, but return to action tomorrow night opening a 3 game series against the Oakland Athletics at OPACY. Matusz, Kevin Millwood and Arrieta take the hill for the Orioles; Dallas Braden, Ben Sheets and Trevor Cahill go for the A’s.

-Thanks to Joe Sheehan from Baseball Prospectus for joining us this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST to talk some baseball. If you missed it, head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today to check it out. Other guests this morning were SI’s Jon Wertheim (live from Wimbledon) and UMBC soccer coach Pete Caringi (who went around the World Cup). It’s all up in the Audio Vault.

6. National Football Post’s Matt Bowen says Ravens without Ed Reed would be like Pittsburgh Steelers without Polamalu

As a commenter eloquently scribed after Bowen’s piece (why do all of the good commenters post at NFP?), the Ed Reed situation really IS the “elephant in the room.”

If the Ravens are going to be Super Bowl contenders (and I believe they will be), it is hard to imagine them doing it with Dawan Landry and Ken Hamlin at safety. They need Reed to be some sort of difference maker in the secondary.

My assumption remains that Ed does intend to come back, and will sit out the majority of Training Camp-part for health reasons and part because he probably doesn’t have that much interest in spending his August sweating it out in Westminster.

We know Ed WANTS to return. It SEEMS like he’ll be healthy enough to return. Now we just need to keep our fingers crossed that he IS.

7. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Ryan Mink says new LB coaches Dean Pees, Ted Monachino making impact in offseason

Maybe so, but even the Arizona State connection couldn’t help Monachino get Terrell Suggs to Owings Mills this offseason.

You know who’s REALLY made an impact this offseason? Wendy Braga. (Thanks Don Chavez/Busted Coverage!)

8. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens has Maryland 68th in offseason college football rankings

Boy.

I have had a bad feeling about this Terrapins club since the end of last season.

I know that luck played a role in 2-10 last season. I know that they lost close games throughout the season, and certainly had a chance to beat the likes of Middle Tennessee State, Rutgers, Virginia, Duke, etc. That being said, they still have a real lack of talent at crucial spots (namely O-Line and D-Line), and Jamarr Robinson is unproven at best under center.

There is talent on this team. A team with as many decent running backs (Da’Rel Scott, Davin Meggett, Caleb Porzel, D.J. Adams, Gary Douglas) and WR’s (Torrey Smith, Emani Lee-Odai, Tony Logan, Quintin McCree, LaQuan Williams, Ronnie Tyler, Adrian Cannon, Kevin Dorsey, Kerry Boykins) as Maryland does, they should really be better offensively.

If this IS Ralph Friedgen’s last season in College Park-it COULD be a long one.

9. Testudo Times’ Ben Broman says Eric Hayes will join Washington Wizards’ Summer League roster, Landon Milbourne joins Atlanta Hawks’ Summer League roster

And as I passed along yesterday via Twitter (follow us @WNST), Morgan State’s Reggie Holmes will join Greivis Vasquez with the Memphis Grizzlies’ Summer League team in Las Vegas. I should also know about Jermaine Dixon (who graduated at Pitt but is from Baltimore and is the younger brother of Juan Dixon) and his NBA future later today.

I will obviously be rooting for all of these guys this summer, but understand it will be a longshot for any of them to end up on a roster (other than Vasquez of course). The one thing that could help Hayes or Holmes is if their respective squads just simply want a player who can come off the bench and provide deadly accuracy from beyond the arc. I don’t know how those guys would do defending NBA guards, but I certainly know they can shoot against anyone.

And geez-the ‘Zards have Quinton Ross and James Singleton on their roster. You mean to tell me Eric Hayes isn’t better than THEM?

10. The AP’s Samuel Petrequin says Michael Phelps received ‘wakeup call’ at Paris Open meet

I’d personally prefer my own wake-up call in France to come from Emanuelle Chriqui from “Entourage” (Thanks Barstool Sports!)…

And finally, I leave you with this.

I know that Team USA’s loss to Ghana in South Africa really limits the excitement fans have about soccer; but I’ll pass along these YouTube clips anyway for the 4 or 5 of you who haven’t already seen them.

Here’s the epic “world reaction” to Landon Donovan’s goal against Algeria. ABC used it in the setup for the Ghana match…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbn3rOPmR9w[/youtube]

Now here’s Andres Cantor calling the Donovan goal…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__vpoPMOKfg[/youtube]

Is the awesome Andres Cantor GEICO commercial available on YouTube yet? I could really use it.

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Ravens rookie tight end Dennis Pitta lived in California a 49ers fan, and growing up as a wide receiver-tight end prospect, one of the people he idolized was Ravens tight end Todd Heap.

Now, the former BYU tight end is not only a teammate of Heap’s, he is trying to pick his brain at the team’s mini-camps in Owings Mills before Pitta signs before training camp.

“I have Todd Heap as a mentor and someone to look after,” Pitta told Drew Forrester this morning. “I feel fortunate to have him ahead of me to learn from.”

And if Pitta can learn from Heap, it could make him one of the best, complete tight ends in the league if he progresses well.

Pitta has no where to go but up.

In 2003, Pitta walked on to BYU as a wide-receiver/tight end prospects and earned himself a scholarship. Backing up starting tight end Daniel Coats, he got his opportunity when Coats got hurt, and Pitta saw more action.

After taking a two year Mormon mission to the Dominican Republic, he returned to the Cougars better than ever. In 2007, he recorded 59 receptions for 813 yards and five scores, earning himself all first-team Mountain West honors.

2008 was an even better season for Pitta, who went over 1000 yards and added six TDs. He was a Biletnikoff and Mackey Award finalist. He was named a third-team All-American.

Pitta said the modeled his game after Heap, who was a similar kind of tight end when Heap was at Arizona State in the late 1990′s.

“I think Todd Heap was a player I looked at in college,” Pitta said. “He’s a great receiver and he catches the ball well. He’s a complete tight end.”

And with Heap being that complete tight end, if Pitta has to improve in some area, it would be in his blocking. They didn’t the run the ball that much at BYU, and the Ravens have always used that two tight end blocking scheme and run the ball out of it. That’s where Pitta will have to fit in.

“I think the bigger adjustment is mental,” Pitta noted. “Obviously there’s a physical adjustment as well, but the biggest part is the mental part cause you’re trying to learn a whole new system.”

Pitta was actually surprised to be a Raven, not because he didnt think he was good enough, but because the Ravens took another tight end before him in Oregon tight end Ed Dickson.

“After they took Ed, it was a little bit of a surprise coming back and drafting me. I’m now in a good situation and I’m excited to be a Raven.”

Something else Pitta has learned? To hate the Steelers with a passion. That seems fine for Pitta, who can continue being a 49ers fan.

“I haven’t had a taste of that rivalry,” Pitta said. “But I’m excited to play them. They’re telling me to dislike them, so I guess I have to.”

Happy Wednesday!

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because last night was the annual “Undie Run” at Arizona State University. As someone who lived right down the street from ASU for two years, I can’t even BEGIN to explain what a good idea this is…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRtPVxoB4AA[/youtube]

The failure to copy this idea at Towson University is absolutely UNTHINKABLE. The University of Maryland is putting together their first ever Undie Run in 6 days, and they’ll have a lot to live up to…

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. The AP says AJ Burnett shut down Orioles as Yankees won 4-1

AJ Burnett is a hell of a pitcher. He might not be Roy Halladay, but he’s pretty damn good.

That being said-it is UNACCEPTABLE to have runners on 2nd & 3rd base with no outs and then see Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters strike out. It’s just unacceptable. There’s no other way to put it.

What Gary Thorne, Mike Flanagan and Ben McDonald said during the MASN broadcast was telling however. With runners and 2nd and 3rd with none out, the pressure in that situation was somehow on the Orioles hitters and NOT on Burnett.

How could it have EVER come to this?

ALL of the pressure was on the Orioles hitters. Instead of going to the plate and thinking “cool, another spot to drive in some more runs”, Orioles hitters were thinking something along the lines of “oh dear God I better get a hit here because I have no idea if we’ll ever get a chance like this again!”

How telling was it that in the bottom of the inning; after Jones misplayed Francisco Cervelli’s single into a triple; Dave Trembley decided to pull the infield in.

In the THIRD inning.

Watching the Orioles is slightly less fun than going to the dentist at this point.

2. The AP/WNST.net offer numerical evidence of loss

Maybe I’m the one responsible for this. I went away to hang out at the Kentucky Derby over the weekend, and the Orioles swept the Red Sox in 3 games I couldn’t even watch on TV. I’ve been able to actually SEE the O’s win exactly FOUR games this season!

FOUR!

The Orioles had no RBI at all last night, and haven’t driven a runner in from scoring position YET through two games at Yankee Stadium.

Brian Matusz was by no means bad last night, although he did walk in a run.

It’s just like a continuous nightmare.

I know what will brighten our spirits….a picture of Serinda Swan from BarstoolSports.com…

…yep, I feel better already.

3. WNST.net’s Glenn Clark uncomfortably says Birds ‘could learn from’ Washington Nationals

And believe it or not, it ISN’T just by putting a Ben’s Chili Bowl inside the stadium…

I seriously credit Nats President Stan Kasten for saying the right thing when asked about low attendance. When you have a bad product (like the Nationals HAVE had; and the Orioles certainly DO have), it’s YOUR fault. YOU need to fix it.

And if Dave Trembley just said the wrong thing out of frustration when asked about attendance, Andy MacPhail just just make a statement to “correct” him.

Or the team can keep allowing the fans to be blamed for the bad product. That’s a good idea too.

4. The AP says former Tigers, O’s broadcaster Ernie Harwell dead at 92

While Ernie Harwell has very LITTLE to do with Baltimore, it is certainly worth discussing this. Harwell represented what fans used to LOVE about baseball-especially in towns like Baltimore. He will be SORELY missed.

Just try watching this without tearing up. Ernie Harwell was a SPECIAL man…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paWJl3qpUIM[/youtube]

5. The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Robert Andino, Josh Bell, Zach Britton, Billy Rowell all had big nights on farm

And before we move on from the Orioles, a few things…

-If you missed Zach Britton on with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST; you can check it out in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault at WNST.net.

-Congratulations to today’s “Apologist of the Morning”, Steve Melewski from MASN. He wrote a great piece talking about how Luke Scott had a better slugging percentage than Brian Roberts last year-so we should defend Scott’s poor play this season.

That’s right. Luke Scott’s slugging percentage was better than the team’s leadoff hitter last year. That makes him a good player who deserves to keep his spot in the lineup.

Christ.

-The O’s and Yanks are back at it this afternoon in The Bronx; with David Hernandez facing licensed Orioles killer Andy Pettitte. First pitch is at 1:05pm. Follow us on Twitter (@WNST) during the game for humorous updates.

6.Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Elizabeth City State WR Reggie Smith to try out with Ravens this weekend

Cool!

But…uh…what the hell is Elizabeth City State?

I mean, if it was Elizabeth BERKLEY City State I might be a bit more interested…

(Edit from GMC: I love NO ONE more than I love Jessie Spano. Okay, maybe Topanga. But that’s it.)

For the record, Smith is a 5’11″ receiver who put up good numbers in college. If he shows up in Owings Mills again after this weekend, I’d be STUNNED.

7. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Mike Duffy says Edgar Jones switching back to OLB

Maybe they should just throw him in the kicking competition too while they’re at it???

The Ravens have a TON of depth at linebacker. Terrell Suggs is backed up by Paul Kruger; Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe are backed up by Tavares Gooden, Antwan Barnes, Jameel McClain, Jason Phillips, Prescott Burgess and Brendon Ayanbadejo; and Jarret Johnson is backed up by Sergio Kindle. Now add Edgar Jones to that mix.

I don’t think they’ll all be in East Rutherford the night the Ravens play the Jets.

If you missed Ravens center Matt Birk or QB Coach Jim Zorn with Drew this morning, they’re both up in the Audio Vault.

8. The Sun’s Katherine Dunn says Notre Dame Prep lacrosse beat St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes in honor of former teammate Yeardley Love

I haven’t had a chance to say much about the tragic situation at Virginia, and I probably won’t say much about it here, as we are MUCH too light-hearted for poignancy. The Cavaliers are probably doing the right thing by playing in the NCAA Tournament, but you can’t imagine it won’t have an impact.

“The Luckiest Dang Gal on the Face of the Planet” is a NDP grad, and I know the community there has been TERRIBLY shook by the news. Prayers for all of them and blessings to the Love family.

9. UMBCRetrievers.com previews tonight’s America East Tournament semifinal against Albany at UMBC Stadium

For as bad a start as Don Zimmerman’s Retrievers got off to this season, they have a realistic chance of making the NCAA Tournament-although they would likely have to play the conference championship game at Stony Brook this weekend.

They certainly have a better chance of making the NCAA Tournament than I do of getting to know Tulisa Contostavlos on a more personal level (Thanks Guyism!)…

10. TowsonTigers.com previews tonight’s CAA Tournament semifinal against UMass at Unitas Stadium

The Tigers also HAVE to win their conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament, although it isn’t quite as steep a climb. They’ll be able to host the Championship game Saturday should they win tonight.

In a completely unrelated story, former Oregon cheerleader Amanda Pflugard is apparently a model now. I thought this was important enough to pass along (Thanks Busted Coverage!)…

11. Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee says Bob Baffert working with Lookin At Lucky in Louisville before making decision on Preakness

Rumor has it that when asked about what he’ll do differently this time after failing to win at Churchill Downs; I believe he may have said…”Well I’m sure as hell not going to talk to that clown Glenn Clark before the race this time.”

And finally, I leave you with this…

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEjOIVkvAIo[/youtube]

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Happy Tuesday!

It’s a Happy Tuesday for me because I forgot to name a “Greatest Song of All Time This Week” yesterday, which means I can give the nod today to Cypress Hill and Tom Morello for their tune “Rise Up.” It’s actually pretty good…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBPTFMjm_WQ[/youtube]

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. STATS’ Santosh Venkataraman previews Yankees-Orioles series starting tonight at Camden Yards

Well, the 20,000 fans of the Bombers who will descend on OPACY tonight will get some good news. The leadership of the Baltimore Orioles knew that there would probably be as many fans from New York and New Jersey coming through their turnstyles this summer as there would be folks from Parkville, Carney and Glen Burnie; so they decided that they needed to alter their catering options so that the patrons would have options besides crabcakes. With that in mind, one of these is now open inside the Warehouse…

That’s right. If you haven’t been to the ballpark yet this season; there’s an authentic New York Deli now out in Right Field.

And why shouldn’t there be?

If their fans are going to come stimulate our economy, I guess we SHOULD cater to them.

This is Birdland!

2. The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Miguel Tejada thinks O’s will be better when they face teams like Yankees, Red Sox

“The Great Arbitrator” Drew Forrester didn’t have much of a choice this morning when it came to deciding on “Apologist of the Morning” on AM1570 WNST’s “The Morning Reaction.”

This was your winner in a LANDSLIDE.

Here are some of Tejada’s thoughts…

“I know we are not winning, but we want to play the good teams right now. Play the good teams, and our pitchers are going to be more ready and our bats aren’t going to go away,”

Well, they DID score 13 runs between Saturday and Sunday; so I guess the bats CAN’T go away-can they?

“When we beat the good teams, when we beat the Red Sox and Yankees, our attitude is going to be much better.”

And if we’re being fair-once again, they do already have ONE win against the Sox this season, and I think I can tell that the attitude is ALREADY better.

I don’t really even want to pile on here. I PRAY TO GOD that the Birds figure out a way to win a couple of games against the Yanks and Sox. And I really don’t think this is “bulletin board material” either.

Mostly because I think your opponent has to be concerned about playing you in order for there to be bulletin board material.

3. Virginian-Pilot says Josh Bell homered twice for Norfolk Tides in loss

You see? It’s a good think Andy MacPhail didn’t go out and sign someone like Adrian Beltre! You can’t have someone like that block the path of Bell getting to the big leagues!

If I’m being serious, I’m happy to see Josh Bell break out of his early season funk. Hopefully he can continue to swing a hot bat. Hopefully it will be a bat so hot that he forces his way to the major league level and then begins a campaign to win Rookie of the Year.

Also, hopefully he can figure out a way to play both third and first base. I’m sure Rhyne Hughes is the next coming of Boog Powell, but I’d like an insurance policy.

Also, can Josh Bell close games? When I was covering Arizona State baseball out in Phoenix, I always thought it was cool to see an outfielder come in and close a game. It would be equally cool to see the Orioles pull their 3rd baseman over to do the same thing.

And can he manage? That would be really helpful too…

4. National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson says Weber State CB Josh Morris declined offer from Ravens, will join Eagles

“Hello? Arlington Sheraton? Yes, this is Glenn Clark. Please cancel my reservations for late January and early February. The dream is over.”

Since joining a team as a UFA is usually no more than a tryout, it isn’t strange to see something like this happen.

And since the team is losing Josh Morris, I was wondering if they might be able to sign Zack Morris…

…who might have been equally as helpful to the team.

5. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Ryan Mink says Sergio Kindle will wear #49, Terrence Cody will wear #63

If you missed Terrence on with Drew Forrester this morning, head on over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault; and you can hear from the Ravens’ 2nd round pick.

Semi-strange numbers for both. Presumably, other numbers could be available in the future as roster cuts are made or in future years-but if the Ravens are going to try to sell some Kindle jerseys right now, they probably wouldn’t want him to change his number before the Ravens battle the Jets on Monday Night Football.

I don’t believe there is any truth to the rumor that the Ravens first offered the number “163″ to Cody before he settled on 63.

6. NBC Sports/ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio says Cowboys, Bills had interest in Jared Gaither

As multiple members of the organization told me while I was out in Owings Mills this weekend, they received not a SINGLE OFFER for Gaither.

I firmly believe that teams are INTERESTED in Gaither-but given the level of talent in the early rounds of this year’s NFL Draft, they just weren’t comfortable with the idea of giving up a pick to acquire Gaither.

I’m not comfortable with the idea of finishing this post without positing pictures of Nadine Velasquez…

7. USA Today says Michael Oher to write book called “I Beat The Odds”, set for February 2011 release

I feel like I’ve read this book before. Wasn’t it called “The Blind Side”?

In fairness, it’s only right that Michael be able to write his own version of the book-with his own thoughts on what’s happened in his life. He didn’t like everything that Michael Lewis wrote-so it’s good that he is able to tell the story the way he wants to tell it.

I’m looking forward to writing a book one day too. Mine will be called “Steve Melewski & Me: How A Summer Of Orioles Love Changed My Views As A Broadcaster.”

8. Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Maryland assistant Chuck Driesell will take head job at The Citadel

A couple of things here:

1-While Driesell’s departure doesn’t exactly HELP the state of Gary Williams’ current staff, it does help Gary Williams indirectly-as he had only Mike Lonergan (Vermont) and Jimmy Patsos (Loyola) amongst former assistants who were head coaches at Division 1 programs. Dave Dickerson left Tulane this offseason and is now an assistant at Ohio State; Billy Hahn was dismissed from LaSalle quite some time ago and resurfaced as an assistant at West Virginia. This will extend the “Gary Williams Coaching Tree” to 3; which means a lot more to head coaches than you might realize.

2-There have been a TON of names floating around as potential candidates to replace Driesell on Gary Williams’ staff. Terrell Stokes (who previously interviewed for an assistant job in College Park and later served as an assistant at Loyola), Matt Kovarik (former Maryland assistant and current Loyola assistant), Matt Hahn (Vermont assistant), Duane Simpkins (St. Alban’s School Head Coach in DC), Byron Mouton (plays for the Maryland Greenhawks of PBL) and even Juan Dixon have been mentioned as possible candidates amongst former Terrapins. Of that list, Stokes has confirmed to me that he’s interested-and I’ll be poking around with some of the others today.

This isn’t a simple job. Working for Gary Williams never is. But it certainly isn’t a bad place to be for someone who is interested in moving forward with their coaching career.

9. Terrapin Trail’s Jeremy Schneider says Seton Hall Prep PG Sterling Gibbs commit to Terrapins

Which really is a pretty good get. You’re probably familiar with Sterling’s brother Ashton Gibbs-who plays for Pitt. He’s not big-we know that. He’s 6’1″, 180; and some who have watched him think those numbers are generous. But he can certainly play. Here’s a look…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqy0A7KsiXM[/youtube]

The only bad thing about the commitment is that it means more of a Jersey influence here in Charm City. There’s only so much of Chris Bonetti that I can take.

10. Inside Lacrosse’s Danielle Bernstein says RPI rankings released: Maryland 3rd, Loyola 7th, Towson 10th, Hopkins 14th

I came up with my own RPI rankings of gals I found over at Guyism.com. Kelly Brook got my top spot…

11. Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch says Lookin’ At Lucky put in final Kentucky Derby work Monday in Louisville

I’m limiting the amount of people who say “here’s 20 bucks, go bet it on a longshot.” I’m doing it for Tim Dotterweich because he’s letting me borrow a suit. If you let me borrow a cool hat, I’ll do it for you. You know, a hat like this…

And finally, I leave you with this…

The Milwaukee Bucks mascot is better than yours. Just trust me on this….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3umtw179KA[/youtube]

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Honorable Mention: Figure Skating-Smuckers Stars On Ice (Thursday 7pm Verizon Center); Soccer-MLS: DC United @ Philadelphia Union (Saturday 6pm from Philly live on Fox Soccer Channel); UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals 2nd leg: CSKA Moscow vs. Internazionale (Tuesday 12:30pm from Moscow live on Fox Soccer Channel), Barcelona vs. Arsenal (Tuesday 2:30pm from Barcelona live on Comcast SportsNet locally, Fox Sports Net nationally), Manchester United vs. Bayern Munchen (Wednesday 2:45pm from Manchester, England live on Fox Soccer Channel)

10. Arctic Monkeys (Wednesday 7pm Rams Head Live) Bone Thugs -N- Harmony (Thursday 7pm Rams Head Live), Temper Trap (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club), George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club), Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus (Wednesday-Sunday 1st Mariner Arena), US Air Guitar Championships-DC Regional (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club)

Maybe not the most overwhelming week of live music, but there’s good stuff there.

If you’re a fan of The Strokes or The White Stripes, you’d probably dig the Arctic Monkeys…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xm69M3jtZl4[/youtube]

This is technically Mo Thugs Family and NOT Bone Thugs, but does it really matter? This song RULES.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVm7Smq-T0c[/youtube]

And this song is either by Temper Trap or JESUS. I’m not 100% certain.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxKjOOR9sPU[/youtube]

9. Boxing: Evander Holyfield vs. Frans Botha (Saturday 9pm from Las Vegas live on Pay-Per-View), Andre Berto vs. Carlos Quintana (Saturday 10:30pm from Sunrise, FL live on HBO)

Umm….April Fool’s???

I seriously have no idea why (money) “The Real Deal” feels the need to step back into the ring at the age of 237; but if Bone Thugs -N- Harmony can play a gig in Baltimore this week, why shouldn’t we just go COMPLETELY 1996?

And since we’re thinking about 1996, I decided to Google Image search “Laura Winslow” (from the show “Family Matters”) to see how she was doing.

She’s doing well.

8. NBA: Warriors @ Wizards (Tuesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Wizards @ Magic (Wednesday 7pm from Orlando live on Comcast SportsNet), Wizards @ Celtics (Friday 7:30pm from Boston live on Comcast SportsNet PLUS), Hawks @ Wizards (Saturday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Wizards @ Knicks (Monday 7:30pm from New York live on Comcast SportsNet)

It is particularly cruel of NBA Commissioner David Stern to force the ‘Zards to finish the season. Seriously, couldn’t they just let them finish up after beating the Nets? They may be the Nets, but it ain’t getting any better the rest of the way.

Of course, if you ARE headed to a Wiz game the rest of the way (which can only make me think you’re also a glutton for punishment); you might want to wear this (Thanks Bullets Forever)…

7. NASCAR Subway Fresh Fit 600 (Saturday 7:30pm from Phoenix live on FOX), IRL Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Sunday 3pm from Birmingham live on VERSUS)

I remember when I went to my first ever NASCAR race (in Dover) back in 2006, I was told that I would be impressed by the attractiveness of the females in attendance.

I was lied to. My ex-girlfriend (“The FORMER Luckiest Dang Gal on the Face of the Planet”) was BY FAR the most attractive gal there.

However, after moving to Arizona-I came to find out that there WERE tracks where attractive gals attended races. Of course, this is the place where the gals look like this…

6. Hockey-NHL: Capitals @ Penguins (Tuesday 7:30pm from Pittsburgh live on VERSUS), Thrashers @ Capitals (Friday 7pm from Verizon Center live on NHL Network & Comcast SportsNet), Bruins @ Capitals (Sunday 12pm from Verizon Center live on NBC); NCAA Frozen Four: Miami (Ohio) vs. Boston College (Thursday 8:30pm from Detroit live on ESPN2), Wisconsin vs. Rochester Institute of Technology (Thursday 5pm from Detroit live on ESPN2)

Ah…the Caps are playing. If you root for teams from Washington, you’ll be excited!

Meanwhile, the Frozen Four is awesome. Hopefully MASN gives Gary Thorne the weekend off so he can call the games, but even if he doesn’t-it should be a great weekend of puck. It breaks my heart that the Bemidji State Beavers didn’t make it; but there’s no DOUBT I’m rooting for this team, especially if they end up playing BC…

5. Harlem Globetrotters (Sunday 12pm & 4:30pm Towson Center; Saturday 1pm Verizon Center, Saturday 7:30pm Patriot Center)

The joke here is that while they’re over there, they might as well use Pat Kennedy’s Tigers as opposition. They’ll be about as effective as the Washington Generals, right?

(Edit from GMC: I’m kidding!!! Kinda.)

By the way-if you don’t love the Globetrotters, go ahead and move back to Moscow you commie…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyyZaJag2Fc[/youtube]

4. Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival (Friday 6pm, Saturday 12pm Timonium Fairgrounds)

Does anyone have a liver I can borrow this week???

Between our event Tuesday night at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Dundalk to celebrate the Orioles’ first game of the season; all of our Opening Day festivities Friday before the Birds play the Blue Jays (come by Luna Del Sea and I’ll allow you to buy be a few beers) and then THIS…BOY.

Seriously though; has any event ever been more appropriately named? You know what you’re getting here….

3. MMA: UFC 112-Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia (Saturday 10pm from Abu Dhabi on Pay-Per-View)

“The Spider” is one of the GREAT champions in Mixed Martial Arts history.

“The Black Widow” is a billiards player who looks like this…

So now you know.

2. College Lacrosse: Navy @ Maryland (Saturday 12pm from Byrd Stadium live on WMAR2 & ESPNU), Loyola @ Fairfield (Saturday 1pm from Fairfield, Conn. live on AM1570 WNST), UMBC @ Towson (Wednesday 7:30pm Unitas Stadium), Albany @ Johns Hopkins (Saturday 2pm from Homewood Field live on ESPNU)

Are the most important games of the weekend being played in East Rutherford? Yeah, no doubt about that. But since they’re happening in New Jersey-they really don’t count.

Unless of course it involves that gal “JWoww” from Jersey Shore…

1. Golf: The Masters (Thursday 4pm Friday 4:30pm live on ESPN, Saturday 3:30pm Sunday 3pm live on CBS. All golf from Augusta. Par 3 Tournament Wednesday 3pm live on ESPN.)

I’ve had plenty of fun with Tiger Woods’ whores in recent weeks. But if I’m going to have to watch golf this weekend, I hope this happens…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1I55z-x6zc[/youtube]

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Happy Tuesday!

It’s a Happy Tuesday for me because the people of Milledgeville, GA are much more intelligent and creative than I ever realized….

Clearly, this Roethlisberger issue is too serious to really be funny; but…..it’s also pretty funny. Sorry. (Thanks Deadspin.)

Let’s see what everyone has to say…..

1. Maryland Official Site says Vasquez unanimous All-ACC choice, Jordan Williams named to ACC’s All-Rookie team

And Andy Roddick’s wife is moderately attractive….

Look, we all knew these players were going to receive these honors, so it isn’t exactly earth-shaking. That being said, both are still very deserving. (Thanks Busted Coverage!)

The announcements for ACC Player of the Year, ACC Coach of the Year, and ACC Rookie of the Year come this afternoon. The answers are Greivis Vasquez, Gary Williams and Derrick Favors. Other answers would be inaccurate, which of course doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

2. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Maryland, Illinois, Texas, Pitt, Navy, Rhode Island, College of Charleston in field for 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic

Of course, this all sets up for the Terps, Illini, Longhorns and Panthers to meet up at Madison Square Garden early in the season.

I say “sets up” knowing damn well that a few of those teams could give the Terps some trouble early at Comcast Center, especially considering this team will be trying to replace Greivis Vasquez, Eric Hayes and Landon Milbourne. Adrian Bowie will likely be trying to prove himself for the first time at the point, while Sean Mosley will be trying to prove himself for the first time as a go-to scorer at the NCAA level.

It won’t be easy. It especially won’t be easy if they get to New York.

3. ESPN.com’s Joe Lunardi has Terps as 5 seed, facing Arizona State in first round of NCAA Tournament

As of right now, that’s about right. Due to the fact that their surge has come late, it is unlikely the Terrapins will be able to stay “local” (Providence or Buffalo), but they’re still likely to get a high seed. Should they make a run to the ACC Championship Game Sunday in Greensboro, that seed could be even higher.

And for the record, despite living in Tempe for 2 years-my allegiance is not even a BIT in question. Despite the aesthetics of Sun Devil Country….

4. Washington Examiner’s Kevin Dunleavy says Maryland, Notre Dame finalize deal for 2011 football game at FedEx Field

Awesome.

Of course, by next season-there is no doubt that Brian Kelly will have the Fighting Irish turned around, and this game will be even more of a disaster than the 22-0 loss at Giants Stadium in the Kickoff Classic a few years back.

This is a bit of a good news-bad news issue. The good news is that for a Maryland team that struggled to get ANY sort of TV coverage last season (not that I didn’t enjoy getting to know the broadcast staff of ESPN360), they’ll get a midseason primetime game televised nationally on NBC.

The bad news is that the game will be played only a few miles away from College Park, yet Irish fans will get to eat up the bulk of the tickets via a lottery. This isn’t like the Navy game in Baltimore-where fans of both schools have equal access to tickets.

But it’s still a good thing for the program, there’s no doubt about that. Hopefully we’ll feel the same way the morning after the game.

5. Johns Hopkins Official Site previews tonight’s contest with UMBC at Homewood Field

Your boy is headed over to Homewood Field tonight to FINALLY get his first look at the Jays this season. Let’s Tweet up (follow us on Twitter @WNST) if you’re going too. Let me know, and we’ll grab some sort of frosty adult beverage following the game.

Big game for Dave Pietramala’s crew after falling to Princeton Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. They want to prove that losing the Tigers was nothing more than a tough loss to a really good team. Taking care of business tonight against the Retrievers will prove that.

6. WNST.net’s Glenn Clark says Ozzie Newsome thinks he ‘made a mistake’ by not originally drafting Anquan Boldin

There are a lot of NFL GM’s who feel the same way, trust me. There’s a heart measurement that can’t be quantified when players run around in their underwear out in Indianapolis.

Anquan Boldin proved his heart just weeks before his trip to the NFL Scouting Combine, when his Florida State team went into the Sugar Bowl without starting QB Chris Rix and backup Adrian McPherson. The Seminoles tried 3rd string QB Fabian Walker, but had no success against a tough Georgia defense.

Knowing that he needed a good showing to help his NFL Draft stock as an undersized WR, Boldin was still more than willing to move under center (where he had played in high school) to try to help Bobby Bowden and the ‘Noles. They didn’t win the game-but it showed the type of player Anquan Boldin was.

It’s good that the Ravens have gotten a second chance to have a player like Anquan Boldin on their team. It’s not as good as having a career’s worth of Anquan Boldin, but hopefully it will help change the entire team.

7. The AP’s David Ginsburg says Harbaugh, Boldin believe acquisition perfect ‘fit’

And it really does appear to be that way. Boldin is a tough player, and will have no problem being part of a John Harbaugh team or a Cam Cameron offense. He’s the type of receiver that will immediately make Joe Flacco better, and he already has the respect of locker room leader Ray Lewis.

I’ve been hard pressed to find negative things to say about the acquisition. Boldin’s health will be a factor, but he’s never played fewer than 10 games in a season, and his only 10 game season came in 2004.

But when you think of “injury-prone” players, he’s not the type of guy who has a history of knee troubles-or who has had to miss a season due to an ACL issue.

It’s a great fit. It really is.

8. National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson says acquisition of Seneca Wallace makes it unlikely Troy Smith will end up in Cleveland

What’s funny here is that the one reason I thought Troy Smith might be a fit with the Browns is because of the affinity Mike Holmgren had for Seneca Wallace in Seattle. In fact, I just talked about that with Bob Haynie yesterday on AM1570.

Apparently, I was (sorta) right.

It’s just that instead of going to get a quarterback SIMILAR to Seneca Wallace, Holmgren just decided to go get Wallace.

This leaves Troy Smith in a tough spot. He and his agent (Ralph Cindrich) have done all of their posturing to try to get him to his hometown team, and calling it a “longshot” would now be kind.

The Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals, Redskins and Panthers are all likely still in the QB market. You would think that either Michael Vick or Donovan McNabb would probably end up in one of those locations. In others (like in Arizona), Smith wouldn’t be entering a competition for a starting job-but instead assuming the role of “the next guy to get a chance if our first guy screws up.” And a lot of people think a QB like Matt Leinart might screw up.

But we don’t have any real reason to assume a team like the Cards (or the Rams, or the Panthers, or whoever) is REALLY interested in Troy Smith-especially if they have to give something up to get him.

9. The Sun’s Mike Preston says Ravens should still pursue Derrick Mason or receiver in NFL Draft even after acquiring Boldin

Completely agreed. In fact, I’d say they still need to do both.

Remembering that Donte’ Stallworth and (likely) Mark Clayton would only be back on 1 year deals, and knowing that Marcus Smith, Demetrius Williams and Justin Harper are COMPELTELY unproven commodities, the Ravens can use more help at receiver.

They’d be much better off going into Training Camp with a group of 8 wide receivers that looks like….

Anquan Boldin
Derrick Mason
Donte’ Stallworth
Mark Clayton
Eric Decker (Minnesota WR coming off a foot injury-likely to be picked in the 3rd-5th round.)
Demetrius Williams
Justin Harper
Marcus Smith

From that group, they could keep as many as 5 receivers, try to release others and sign them back to the practice squad, allow injuries to play out as they will, etc. etc. etc.

Now-I’m playing fantasy football here. BUT-I don’t think the Ravens are dismissing Derrick Mason. I think they’re almost giving him the “Ray Lewis treatment” from a season ago. Remember, they made an offer to Ray and made it clear publicly they wanted him to return. They also said to him “go find out how much you’re worth.”

After Ray talked to teams that might be interested (presumably including the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets), he realized that his greatest value was still in Baltimore. He returned.

I get the feeling (although no one has confirmed this to me) that they’re trying something similar with Mason. “Go find out how much you’re worth.” Mason can talk to the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, etc. and truly gauge what his value is. If he finds out other teams value him as a #1 receiver, he might be able to cash in that way. If he finds out the 2 year deal he has on the table from the Ravens is fair-he has the option to come back.

10. The Sun’s Mike Klingaman says kids had serious questions for Michael Vick during appearance at St. Vincent’s Center Monday

I don’t want to get too deep into the Vick discussion here, as we spent the better part of four hours talking about it this morning on “The Comcast Morning Show.”

I do not support those of you who will choose to protest the Ed Block Courage Awards tonight because of Michael Vick’s attendance. That’s not because I support dogfighting, but it’s because I’m done with the part where we try to crucify Michael Vick.

If Vick’s teammates with the Philadelphia Eagles thought Vick was deserving of this type of honor, so be it. That’s not something ANY of us can speak to, as we don’t know the daily life of Michael Vick.

If you aren’t happy that he’s receiving the award, I understand your opinion. But I won’t support a protest of an event that is amongst the best charitable events our city holds. No thank you.

11. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Matt Wieters got first hit of Spring Training, but Birds fell to Twins

You hate to see a team get only three hits in a game whether it’s in the Grapefruit League, the American League, or even the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; but these things happen.

The O’s return to action today in Sarasota against the Rays, first pitch is at 1:05. Chris Tillman starts for the Orioles, Jeff Niemann for Tampa. I’d tell you where to see the game on TV, but………

12. SI’s Dan Shaughnessy says MacPhail, Wieters give Orioles ‘hope’

This looks pretty similar to the Tim Kurkjian story I commented on yesterday. Warm fuzzies are all well and nice, but it doesn’t explain how the Birds are going to compete against the Yankees and Red Sox in the AL East. It’s nothing more than warm fuzzies.

And finally, I leave you with this.

The presence of Scott Hall last night is part of why I think the “Hulk Hogan era” will ultimately doom TNA, but I couldn’t help but enjoy the return of the “Monday Night Wars”, especially when Rob Van Dam bumped into Sting….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0-m0tDCW8M[/youtube]

It WAS better than watching Criss Angel on WWE. That’s for sure.

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…..

-G

Happy Wednesday!

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because some of you have really jumped on the crusade to point me in the direction of attractive women on TV I did not know about before…Thanks to Chad Lamasa for letting me know about Yvonne Strahovsky from NBC’s “Chuck”…

…who seems nice. As does Constance Zimmer, who was on HBO’s “Entourage.” Thanks to Brandon Holthaus for pointing her out to me….

Is there someone I still don’t know about? Let me know via comments, Facebook, Twitter, or Pony Express. Preferably Pony Express, just because I think it’s an awesome way to do this.

Let’s see what everyone has to say….

1. Maryland Official Site previews tonight’s tilt with Clemson at Comcast Center

As the Terps play for things like a 1st round bye in the ACC Tournament, seeding for the NCAA Tournament, and still a shot at a regular season ACC Championship, this game is a “need to win” given their next three.

While the regular season finale at Virginia looks like the MOST winnable game of the bunch, the Terrapins have struggled mightily in season finales down in Charlottesville. Before that, the trip to Virginia Tech and home date with Duke are REALLY tough games; meaning the Terps can’t assume anything.

This is no easy task, either. Oliver Purnell’s Tigers haven’t exactly lived up to their lofty early season expectations in the ACC, but they still present a unique challenge in Trevor Booker, combined with plenty of talent in the backcourt.

I’ll say 83-79 Maryland, but it’s shaky. The good news is that the Terps will have had 75 hours between games to get ready, so the players who appeared to be fatigued late in the game Saturday against Georgia Tech should have fresh legs.

2. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Greivis Vasquez REALLY unlikely to reach Juan Dixon’s career record, but not impossible

As Patrick points out (and is anyone surprised that a topic about numbers was addressed by Patrick?), if the Terps play 10 more games (they have 4 regular season games left, so they’d need to reach the ACC Tournament championship game and the Sweet 16 to play 10) he’ll need to average 25.7 points per game to top Juan Dixon’s career record of 2,269.

Likely? Not at all. Impossible? Not at all.

As Patrick pointed out yesterday on his Twitter feed (@D1scourse), there IS something poetic about Juan Dixon being the school’s all-time leading scorer. He’s a Baltimore kid, he was an underdog, he lead the school to their first ever Final Four appearance and their first ever NCAA Championship. Does that mean that Maryland fans should root AGAINST the senior from Venezuela clipping Dixon’s record? Of course not. BUT-I don’t think Maryland fans would be too upset if Vasquez fell short.

3. Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says playing Clemson will help Terps ‘gauge progress’ since loss at Littlejohn Coliseum

Which is somewhat true. Maryland struggles on the road in general, so beating Clemson at home after a dismal performance on the road might be more of an indication of the way Gary Williams’ club just performs better in College Park than it is an indication of how much they’ve improved since losing 62-53 back on January 31.

The one area where Maryland can gauge progress is how they handle Jerai Grant; who scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the first meeting. If Grant has similar success this time out-that’s bad news for the Terps.

And before we get off the topic, we’re sure Terrence Oglesby has no eligibility left, right?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHPmrOcHtfk[/youtube]

Sorry to even bring it back up…

4. WNST.net’s Luke Jones says Terps don’t need to get to 11 or 12 ACC wins to reach NCAA Tournament

And as others (like SI’s Andy Glockner) have recently mentioned, teams that finish 9-7 or better in a league like the ACC will get IN. There just aren’t enough other teams around the country with legitimate NCAA Tournament resumes to take the spots. The ACC is the 3rd power ranked conference in the country RPI-wise, so the detractors that have claimed the league is “down” aren’t REALLY looking much past the fact that North Carolina has been dreadful and there is only one team currently ranked in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Top 25.

You know why else teams in the ACC will get the benefit of the doubt on Selection Sunday? Because this young lady exists…..

5. Towson Official Site previews tonight’s final road trip of regular season at William & Mary

William & Mary beat Wake Forest and Maryland this season. Towson lost games by 59 points and 42 points this season.

I’m not trying to say that I’m some sort of sorcerer, but I think I know how this one ends.

It would be tough to judge the Tigers by whatever happens tonight at Kaplan Arena, mostly because almost every CAA team would be expected to lose there. Pat Kennedy and his gang will almost certainly be judged by how they perform in Richmond during the CAA Tournament, where they put together a nice run a season ago.

6. UMBC Official Site previews America East regular season finale tonight at New Hampshire

Not a whole lot else to say here. I hope Randy Monroe’s Retrievers team can squeak out one more win this season (either tonight or in the America East Tournament) to build some spirits over there in Catonsville. If I had to guess though, they probably won’t.

While we’re on the subject of UMBC, what is the point of Drew Forrester hanging out with Phil Stern if Phil hasn’t introduced me to Kim Browning yet???

7. Inside Lacrosse says Michael Kimmel, Kyle Wharton and Steven Boyle had big days as Johns Hopkins crushed Delaware 15-7

This is a very impressive victory for Dave Pietramala’s Blue Jays, as the Blue Hens were coming into the game off a win at UMBC Stadium on Saturday. To push past a Delaware team as easy as Hopkins did yesterday makes a statement about just how much separation there is between them and other teams in college lacrosse.

The Jays return to action Friday night at Homewood Field against Siena, another game that can be seen on ESPNU. If I wasn’t headed to Indianapolis, I’d be there.

8. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Chris Tillman to throw side session today, Brian Roberts expects to be able to take live batting practice next week

Both of these things obviously appear to be good signs, but we should probably let them play out before we assume that everyone is out of the woods. If Tillman or Bergesen has long term effects from their injuries, it will hurt a team that for once appears to be coming into the season with a set rotation.

9. The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Tejada reported to Spring Training Tuesday ‘comfortable’ at 3B

Good to know.

(Sorry, it doesn’t move me much to know that a player feels “comfortable” coming into Sarasota needing to move positions. Glad he’s there. Not much else to say.)

10. Ravens Official Site says team hires Monachino as OLB Coach, reuniting him with Terrell Suggs

I really think this is a sign to me that John Harbaugh and staff are serious about getting T-Sizzle in shape. The team was NOT happy with Suggs’ conditioning after getting hurt in Training Camp, and bringing in a coach he worked with at Arizona State is a likely sign they need more from him this season. They believe in Suggs (to the tune of 60 million dollars), but they’re not going to give him a free pass anymore.

11. NFL.com’s Vic Carucci says Ravens have needs at WR, TE, CB, DE going into NFL Draft

Agreed. In fact, I’d bet 4 Chinese lunches that their first round pick is at one of those positions.

As Drew Forrester and I discussed this morning, there is one player on the Ravens board that will NOT be available at 25-but I wouldn’t be even a BIT surprised to see them move up and get. I’d tell you who it was, but I’d have to kill you.

(Hint: It is NOT Jimmy Clausen.)

12. The Sun’s Glenn Graham says despite Josh Selby’s 45, Edmondson stunned Lake Clifton to win Baltimore City hoops title

Josh Selby is a hell of a player, and that’s a hell of a win for Edmondson. Congratulations to both.

And finally, I leave you with this.

Have you seen this? Scott Van Pelt duped live on SportsCenter last night by Captain Janks from the Howard Stern Show, claiming to be Brian Westbrook? No idea how ESPN got had like this….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1cQ-3IQKx8[/youtube]

Talk to you later.

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…..

-G

Welcome to the 5th installment of my NFL Draft profiles for 2010. If you missed my first 4 installments, I previewed players who participated in the East West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl; then recapped those performances in Orlando and Mobile, as well as those who participated in the Texas vs. The Nation game in El Paso.

Here are the players you can go back and read profiles of if you check my previous installments…

QB’s Daryll Clark (Penn State), Sean Canfield (Oregon State), Max Hall (BYU), Jarrett Brown (West Virginia), Jonathan Crompton (Tennessee), Ryan Perrilloux (Jacksonville State)
RB Dexter McCluster (Ole Miss), Trindon Holliday (LSU)
WR’s Freddie Barnes (Bowling Green), Mardy Gilyard (Cincinnati), Verran Tucker (Cal), Blair White (Michigan State), Jeremy Williams (Tulane), Taylor Price (Ohio), Marcus Easley (UConn), Juamorris Stewart (Southern)
TE’s Andrew Quarless (Penn State), Richard Dickson (LSU), Jimmy Graham (Miami), Riar Geer (Colorado), Ed Dickson (Oregon)
OG’s Mike Iupati (Idaho), Jeff Byers (USC)
OT’s Vladimir Ducasse (UMass), Rodger Saffold (Indiana)
C John Estes (Hawaii), Kevin Matthews (Texas A&M)
DE’s Greg Hardy (Ole Miss), Brandon Graham (Michigan), Alex Carrington (Arkansas State), E.J. Wilson (North Carolina)
DT Travis Ivey (Maryland)
LB’s Ross Pospisil (Navy), Jason Beauchamp (UNLV), Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri), Daryl Washington (TCU)
S’s Kam Chancellor (Virginia Tech), T.J. Ward (Oregon), Myron Rolle (Florida State), Van Eskridge (East Carolina)
CB’s Devin Ross (Arizona), Brian Jackson (Oklahoma), Trevard Lindley (Kentucky), Javier Arenas (Alabama), Alterraun Verner (UCLA), Kyle Wilson (Boise State), Cornelius Brown (UTEP)
K’s Leigh Tiffin (Alabama), Hunter Lawrence (Texas)
P Brent Bowden (Virginia Tech)

Draft season now heads to “The Friendly Heart of the Midwest” as our buddy Merton would say, with the annual NFL Scouting Combine at LucasOil Stadium in Indianapolis. The hottest words around Draft season right now are “Will he or won’t he?”, with players deciding whether or not they will work out in Indy. It is mostly quarterbacks who choose to pass, but injuries could keep other players from taking part in the weekend.

The Ravens DID see some player movement since my last update (signing Donte’ Stallworth and releasing TE Quinn Sypniewski), but my team needs remain the same…

1-WR
2-TE
3-CB
4-OLB/DE
5-S
6-G/C
7-OT
8-QB
9-K
10-P

Here are the next 10 players worth taking a look at during the NFL Draft. Thanks to CBSSports.com, NFLDraftScout.com, The AP and Wikipedia for help in research, as well as the individuals  players’ respective collegiate athletics websites. Starting with this update, I will also include a brief note on the players involved from Joe Hortiz-Director of College Scouting for the Baltimore Ravens. I asked Joe to give me a Twitter-style (140 characters or less) statement about potential Ravens targets.

OT Bruce Campbell (Maryland)

I don’t know how many teams will have to protect their QB’s from rogue monster truck tires in pursuit, but the team that selects Campbell will be happy to know that he is all too capable of handling the job.

Terrapins strength coach Dwight Galt told ESPN.com last year that Campbell was “the offensive line version of Vernon Davis.” If that’s the case, NFL scouts watching Campbell this weekend should be prepared for a VERY impressive workout performance, as Indy was where Davis set himself up to be selected 6th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in 2006.

Campbell is a monster, measuring in at 6’7″, 310 pounds; and it’s almost all muscle. The obvious comparisons will be to current Ravens OT Jared Gaither, and no NFL source I’ve talked to about Campbell has felt the need to dismiss the comparison.

While some analysts believe he is a Top 10 talent, others say he’s only a borderline 1st round pick. The biggest red flag on Campbell’s resume is his health-he was able to start only 17 games during his career in College Park due to turf toe and a knee injury. Drafting Campbell would have be a sign that the Ravens can’t afford to keep former Terp Gaither in Charm City long term.

Joe Hortiz says: “Athletic kid, can function at LT. Health not a major concern. Tall, long frame.” Hortiz also felt that it was fair to compare Campbell to Gaither, and other OT’s with big builds.

What might hurt Bruce Campbell’s draft stock? He’s been known to keep some questionable company…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve_as9k6PvI[/youtube]

TE Rob Gronkowski (Arizona)

Like Bruce Campbell, Gronkowski departed school a year early, and the Combine will be very important as he was unable to participate in any all-star games. However, the Combine (and the rest of Draft season) will be even more important for Gronkowski, as he missed his entire junior season in 2009 due to back surgery. The man known as “Gronk” around Tucson has to prove not just that he’s healthy, but also that he’s ready, and that missing the entire season didn’t cause him to fall off in football ability.

He is part of football blood, as his brother Dan Gronkowski previously played for Maryland and is now with the Detroit Lions; and his brother Chris Gronkowski just finished his own Wildcats career after transferring from Maryland.

Gronkowski’s size is what immediately jumps out (no pun intended), as he measures in at 6’6″, 265 pounds and he turned plenty of heads during his two seasons with the Cats, making 75 catches for 1,197 yards and 16 TD’s. Some might compare him to Todd Heap when Heap came out of Arizona State-and while he might not be quite the big play guy Heap was early on in his career, he’s bigger and might be a more consistent target.

Joe Hortiz says: “Really good year as a sophomore, understood how to get open. Better than his brothers, and it’s probably not even close.”

WR Dezmon Briscoe (Kansas)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5x7WIGuBM4[/youtube]

The best thing about potentially drafting Dezmon Briscoe would be the opportunity for the Ravens to have him and David Tyree hold a helmet catching competition in Training Camp. I’ll go with Tyree, but Briscoe’s was pretty good too.

Briscoe’s decision to leave Lawrence following his junior season with the Jayhawks was a bit puzzling, especially considering he claimed it had nothing to do with Mark Mangino’s firing. That being said, Briscoe’s size (6’3″, 200 pounds) and numbers (218 catches for 3,240 yards and 31 TD’s) make him look a LOT like a player who is ready for the next level. The issue is his speed-as he’s projected to only run a 4.62 40.

With the acquisition of Stallworth not addressing the Ravens’ need for a big receiver, Briscoe could be the type of player available on Friday night (or even Saturday) with sleeper potential they could consider should they go elsewhere with their first few picks.

Joe Hortiz says: “Good speed, big guy. Had a really good year. Not a blow by you burner, but good stride.”

WR Riley Cooper (Florida)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuFI2X64YoQ[/youtube]

I have no reason to believe that Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta are looking for the ability to make circus catches in players they scout, but if they are-both the aforementioned Briscoe and Cooper would be solid choices.

Cooper is a tough case to fully understand, as he didn’t become much of a numbers guy in the Gators’ offense until 2009, when he grabbed 51 balls for 961 yards and 9 TD’s. However, his 6’4″, 215 pound frame always made him a potential redzone target for Tim Tebow in Gainesville, as he finished his career with 18 TD grabs.

Cooper is a hell of an athlete, as he was also selected by the Texas Rangers in the MLB Entry Draft, but he chose to pursue an NFL future instead. An impressive weekend in Indianapolis could help bump him up from the later rounds to a Thursday or Friday night selection. Much like Briscoe, he could be a value to the Ravens if they look at another position on Thursday night.

Joe Hortiz says: “Tough kid. Really good baseball player-a lot of upside from being able to dedicate himself to football.”

RB Toby Gerhart (Stanford)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjLh_yO41jw[/youtube]

There is no NFL team that will have as much information on Gerhart as the Ravens will, as John Harbaugh can turn to his brother Jim Harbaugh-who is of course the head coach in Palo Alto. Harbaugh’s father Jack Harbaugh was also Gerhart’s position coach for the Cardinal leading up to their loss to Oklahoma in the Brut Sun Bowl.

The obvious thing that jumps out about Gerhart is his size-as he measures in at 6’1″, 235 pounds; and uses every pound effectively in running the football. His tremendous senior season (1,871 yards and 27 TD’s) made him a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, which many Pac 10 and West Coast analysts felt he deserved to win.

Gerhart will inevitably be compared to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers back Mike Alstott, but multiple league scouts have told me they believe he deserves the chance to play a more natural running back position before being converted to fullback or a 3rd down/goal line specialist. Without a natural fullback last season (and with Lorenzo Neal having handled the position quite well in 2008), the Ravens could consider Gerhart as part of a bigger backfield alongside Le’Ron McClain should he stay on the board until late Friday night.

Joe Hortiz says: “Really good career-runs hard, needs to get lower. Doesn’t lose a lot of yards. Similar to Le’Ron McClain.”

RB Ben Tate (Auburn)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfBkonPBFGY[/youtube]

As much as it had to have pained a Crimson Tide legend like Ozzie Newsome to have selected Auburn OG Ben Grubbs in 2007, I think it is quite evident that the pick worked out. Now, should the Ravens choose to add Ben Tate to a backfield that includes Alabama’s Le’Ron McClain, there could be some awkward moments around Thanksgiving next year leading up to the Iron Bowl in the Ravens locker room.

If Willis McGahee’s future in Baltimore is in question, Ben Tate might be a similar running back for the Ravens do add into their backfield mix. Tate isn’t quite as big as McGahee (5’11″ to McGahee’s 6’1″); but he is a similar back in that he can both wear down the middle of a defense and then break out for yards to the outside.

Tate finished his SEC career with an impressive 3,321 yards and 24 TD’s; and he has respectable speed (he’s expected to post a 40 in the range of 4.50). He’s expected to be available Friday night or Saturday, and could be even more intriguing for the Ravens considering he lived on the Eastern Shore and played his high school ball at Snow Hill.

Fellow Auburn alum Joe Hortiz says: “Really good year (in ’09), between the tackles runner. Not game breaking speed.”

DE Derrick Morgan (Georgia Tech)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10cTyF6CxOE[/youtube]

Could Derrick Morgan slip to the Ravens at 25? Probably not. Could he slip a little bit and the Ravens move up to grab him? Maybe. It certainly worked out for the Ravens in their pursuit of Michael Oher a season ago.

The comparisons with Morgan will be to Michael Johnson-the former Yellow Jackets DE drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals a season ago. And while Morgan isn’t quite as big up and down as Johnson (Morgan is 6’4″, 272 pounds to Johnson’s 6’7″, 266 pounds), he has an even better motor.

Morgan was especially impressive during his senior season, posting 12 sacks and forcing 2 fumbles in helping the Jackets win the ACC Championship and advance to the Orange Bowl. However, Morgan will have something to prove in Indianapolis after struggling against the Iowa Hawkeyes’ O-Line in Miami during the final game of his college career, and not being able to participate in any other postseason events due to leaving Atlanta a year early.

Joe Hortiz says: “He’ll be gone early. Grinding player, works his ass off.”

DE Carlos Dunlap (Florida)

While the bulk of the NFL scouts I’ve talked to have said they don’t think Dunlap’s DUI arrest prior to the SEC Championship Game will prevent him from being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft; many of the same scouts have admitted to me that they thought it would impact whether or not the team they worked for would select Dunlap.

Arrest aside, Dunlap is a tremendous football player. He’s a beast on the outside, measuring in at 6’6″, 290 pounds. He collected 18 sacks over the last two seasons (before leaving a year early), including 2 in a blowout win over Cincinnati in January’s Sugar Bowl. He is deceptively quick for his massive frame, and is a blocking nightmare for any team that faces him.

ProFootballTalk.com/NBC Sports’ Mike Florio recently mocked Dunlap to the Ravens, which makes sense considering the fact that the Ravens need to upgrade their pass rush in the offseason, preferably with an end that can excel in a Greg Mattison scheme that doesn’t rely on blitzing.

Joe Hortiz says: “Compares to (Arizona Cardinals DL) Calais Campbell. Great frame, really good athletic traits. Still had 8 1/2 sacks despite up and down season.”

WR Danario Alexander (Missouri)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfO3XOv0oEw[/youtube]

Alexander recently underwent a 4th knee surgery, which will keep him from working out at the Combine or his own Pro Day in Columbia. This is absolutely THE biggest red flag for a player that might otherwise be an interesting prospect for the Ravens. Alexander will still attend this weekend’s Combine even if you don’t see him working out during the televised portion of the Combine on NFL Network. He’ll be there to participate in interviews and to take the Wonderlic test, but clearly teams will be most interested in his knee.

The good news about this most recent surgery is that it will likely keep him on the board until Saturday of Draft weekend. The Ravens will be hard pressed to find any other 6’5″, 215 pound receivers that are coming off a season with 113 catches, 1,781 yards and 14 TD’s that late in the Draft.

At the Senior Bowl, the biggest knock on Alexander was his inability to change directions quickly. This often happens when players who are #1 receivers in college are forced to move into more flexible roles at the next level. If the knee makes Alexander tentative, this will only get worse.

Joe Hortiz says: “Knee is an issue. Good run after catch ability.”

WR Brandon LaFell (LSU)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtix6FfAKuA[/youtube]

If not spectacular, LaFell’s career in Baton Rouge was certainly solid. He finished with 650 or more yards in each of the last 3 seasons, including a career high 929 during his junior year. He caught 23 TD’s during his Tigers career, including 11 as a senior.

The biggest question mark surrounding LaFell has to be whether or not it is worth spending a high draft choice (either a 1 or a 2) on a player who may or may not be a prototypical #1 receiver at the next level. This is an especially big question mark for a Ravens team that desperately needs a go-to #1 receiver. LaFell has the size (6’3″, 206 pounds) and appears to have the speed (he’s expected to post a 40 in the range of 4.54), but doesn’t necessarily have the pedigree to just be expected to assume a #1 role in Cam Cameron’s offense.

An inevitable comparison will be made between LaFell and former Louisiana State WR Devery Henderson. Henderson had another solid season for the New Orleans Saints en route to winning Super Bowl XLIV, but he has been by no means spectacular at any point in his career despite being selected in the 2nd round of the 2004 Draft. Same for Bucs receiver Michael Clayton (also from LSU). LaFell will hope scouts notice that he is more similar in size to Kansas City Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe, who has been better (numbers wise) during his NFL career, despite a down season in 2009.

Joe Hortiz says: “Would have liked to see him show up at the Senior Bowl. Not a burner, but he’ll get by you. One of the better route runners.”

-G

The Ravens have hired former Jaguars D-Line coach Ted Monachino as their new OLB Coach. I guess the easy assessment to make here is that they wanted someone who could work personally to shape up Terrell Suggs, as the team didn’t really hide their disappointment with the shape T-Sizzle was in after returning from injury in Training Camp last season.

-G

Here is the official release from the team….

For Immediate Release

RAVENS HIRE OLBs COACH MONACHINO

The Baltimore Ravens have hired Ted Monachino as their new outside linebackers coach, head coach John Harbaugh announced Tuesday afternoon.

A four-year NFL coaching veteran, Monachino has spent his entire pro career with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2006-09). For the past two seasons, he was Jacksonville’s defensive line coach after serving the previous two years as their assistant defensive line coach.

“Ted comes highly recommended from every person we spoke with, and he backed that up while interviewing with us,” Harbaugh stated. “He brings with him an impressive wealth of knowledge and an intense passion for the game. Ted will work with our outside linebackers under Dean Pees, and he will have a tremendous impact on our defense, primarily through the pass rush. We are fortunate to add a coach of his level to our team.”

In his four seasons with Jacksonville, the Jaguars allowed just 103.7 rushing yards per game, ranking as the NFL’s sixth-best run defense during that span. The Jaguars’ defense ranked 14^th overall during that time, permitting 320.2 yards a contest.

Prior to joining the Jaguars, Monachino, 43, worked as the defensive line coach at Arizona State University (2000-05), where he helped guide Ravens OLB Terrell Suggs’ stellar collegiate career.

Baltimore’s first-round draft choice (10^th overall) in 2003, Suggs played under Monachino and set the NCAA single-season record for sacks (24) and tackles for loss (31.5) in 2002. Suggs earned several national honors that season, including the Bronco Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player and the Lombardi Award as the best lineman.

“I am really looking forward to the opportunity to work with my former college coach,” Suggs said Tuesday. “Coach Monachino challenged me to be the best I could be every practice, every game and every day. He is a perfectionist who will get the best out of all of us. I am really excited to work with him again.”

A native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Monachino was a three-year letterman as a defensive lineman at the University of Missouri, where he graduated in 1990.

Born Oct. 15, 1966, Monachino and his wife, Amy, have three children: daughter Mikalee, and sons Sam and Michael.

Happy Friday!

It’s a Happy Friday for me because it’s a big weekend. I think I might check out Carmelo Anthony against the Wizards tonight (not because I give even a HALF a crap about the Washington team, but because I love all things Baltimore-and ‘Melo is Baltimore); I’ll definitely be at the Maryland-Georgia Tech game tomorrow afternoon, and I’ll either be at John Mayer tomorrow night at Verizon Center or I’ll be checking out Minotauro Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez at UFC 110.

And while part of the reason I’m excited about UFC 110 is because I got to know Velasquez a bit when I was working out in Phoenix (he wrestled at Arizona State), but also because I am a BIG fan of Octagon Girl Arianny Celeste (thanks to NextRound.net/UFC Magazine)…

I wonder if she’s Team Lysacek or Team Plushenko?

Let’s see what everyone has to say….

1. Georgia Tech Official Site previews tomorrow’s trip to College Park to face Terps

Georgia Tech is the type of team that Maryland SHOULD be able to have success with. While they’ll be tough inside with Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal (similar to how Duke was tough inside a week ago), but they just don’t have the guard play and shooters to carry them on long scoring runs that finish off the Terps. In fact, if Maryland is able to get up by 8-12 points, I think it will probably be ballgame.

Of course, Paul Hewitt is a MUCH better coach than some in the ACC (specifically Sidney Lowe and Dino Gaudio; he’s also a MUCH better in-game coach than Roy Williams), so the Wreck will make the adjustments they need to compete.

My call? 80-74 Terrapins.

2. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens thinks Terps need 3 more wins to feel ‘really safe’ on Selection Sunday

I think we’re discussing semantics here. I’ve maintained that Maryland will get in the NCAA Tournament if they go 10-6 in conference play (and 9-7 if the other win comes against the Blue Devils). However, if they want to feel SAFE, getting another win would be helpful; especially considering that the committee won’t even look at their win over Division II Chaminade out in Maui.

But they’ll get in at 10-6. With the Pac 10 likely being a 1 bid league this year and other leagues not being as deep as most years, the committee won’t be able to turn down a 10 win ACC team. Also, to get to 10 conference wins, they’ll have to beat Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson or Duke-any of which would be a better win than their best two currently (the Florida State sweep).

3. Murray State Official Site previews tomorrow’s ESPN BracketBusters showdown with Morgan State on ESPNU

This is a REALLY tough task for Todd Bozeman’s Bears. The Racers are 25-3 on the season, they’re perfect at home in front of the Regional Special Events Center crowd; they’ve won 16 in a row, and their only losses are to Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech and a 5 point loss to Cal. They’re good. My guess is that they’ll beat Morgan State. But Reggie Holmes and company have surprised me before (even though both Drew Forrester and I picked them to win at Arkansas).

All of this being said, I think it’s fine time that a local sports hero had a University named after him….

4. LaxPower previews Johns Hopkins’ lacrosse opener tonight vs. Manhattan at Homewood Field

I love this idea. A 5pm start against the Jaspers, then a night out on the town. In fact, if you were looking for a cheap date tonight, I’d suggest taking a gal over to the Walters Art Museum around 3:30, then going to see the Blue Jays open their season with a win, and adding dinner (wish the Spice Company was still open) after the game. I’m starting to question whether or not my decision to see the Wiz and Nuggets tonight was a good idea after all.

For the record, Dave Pietramala’s Jays SHOULDN’T struggle tonight at all. That being said, Duke shouldn’t have struggled with Bucknell last week either.

5. The Sun’s Mike Preston says Loyola, UMBC will need strong 1st quarters in tomorrow’s lacrosse openers against Navy, Delaware respectively

I think the Retrievers have a really good chance to beat the Blue Hens and open the season 1-0. I’m not sure if I feel the same way for the Greyhounds against Navy. The Midshipmen remain a tough defensive squad under Richie Meade, and while the Hounds will likely have more success than the 5 goals VMI scored in Annapolis last week; it won’t be easy.

The real shame is that somehow this is the first time the Mids and Hounds have met since 1993. Good for Coach Meade and Charley Toomey for getting these teams back together.

6. The Diamondback’s Kate Yanchulis previews Maryland’s lacrosse opener at Belarmine tomorrow

Did you know that lacrosse was played in Louisville, Kentucky? Neither did I!

This season begins very similarly to last season for Dave Cottle’s team. They have plenty of talent, and they have to translate it into victories. They were able to save some face by beating Notre Dame in the first round of the Tournament last year, but they were a team with Final Four talent. They’re plenty talented again this year, and they’re back inside Byrd Stadium, which should allow them to get a bit more comfortable.

The talent in College Park starts with attackman Will Yeatman, a monster of a man who should be an offensive superstar. But he’s not the only one, and it is Dave Cottle’s responsibility to make the unit work cohesively.

7. Stevenson Official Site says season opener at Widener pushed back to Sunday, moved to Eastern University due to lingering blizzard effects

Does this have any impact on the Mustangs? I don’t think so. BUT, the weather (at least temperature wise) will effect every lacrosse team that plays this weekend, as having cold fields will change the way the ball bounces for sure.

The ‘Stangs shouldn’t have much of an issue in their opener, but sometimes less talented teams can win games in weird situations. This might be a weird situation Sunday.

8. Ravens Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Derrick Mason will only return to Baltimore if he gets 2 year deal

Derrick Mason has EVERY RIGHT to look at Ozzie Newsome, Eric DeCosta and John Harbaugh and say “I’m not Patrick Johnson. I’m not a scrub. You HAVE to show me some respect.”

And on the flip side, the Ravens brass has every right to either say “okay, no problem; we want you here” or “sorry, we just can’t do it.”

My guess will still be that he ends up coming back.

9. ProFootballTalk.com/NBC Sports’ Mike Florio mocks Florida DE Carlos Dunlap to Ravens

What an interesting mock this is. This is the first (legitimate) NFL source that has mocked Dunlap to the Ravens, and there’s no doubt he’d be a hell of a talent. Given his personal issues, I don’t think he’d be a guy the Ravens would take-but they just signed a player in Donte’ Stallworth after a DUI manslaughter.

It will be interesting to see how Dunlap’s personal troubles affect where he ends up in the NFL Draft. My guess? He slides into the second round.

But he’s intriguing, no doubt about that.

10. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Orioles 2B Brian Roberts expects to be ready for Spring Training next week after battling back spasms

What a weird story. ESPN.com’s Buter Olney reported B-Rob had kidney stones? Then Dave Trembley said “no, I think it’s back spasms”?

I’m not sure there isn’t a level of truth somewhere in between. If Roberts is ready to go in Sarasota next week, I guess this isn’t an issue. But it sure seems strange.

11. USA Today’s Michael McCarthy says Michael Phelps signs endorsement deal with Under Armour

The ONLY thing I could think when I heard this was “What took so long?” I would have assumed Kevin Plank would have sunk his teeth into a sports star like Phelps from Charm City some time ago.

If he’s smart, Plank will gobble up Amanda Beard next….

12. The Sun’s Glenn Graham previews Blast’s matchup with Monterrey La Raza tonight at 1st Mariner Arena

This is pretty close to “must win” for the Blast, who are mired in a really troubling losing streak.

And finally, I leave you with this.

I have a new clubhouse leader for “Best Song of the Decade.” It’s “In My Head” by Jason DeRulo….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyG1FG3H6rY[/youtube]

Absolutely excellent.

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983….

-G