Is anyone else confused as to why the Orioles are shopping Oscar Salazar instead of Ty Wigginton?

I mean, I wouldn’t be stunned if Wigginton just had no value; but Salazar does WAY more for me than Wigginton does.

Let’s see what everyone else has to say……

Best of Tuesday’s WNST Blogs:

Nestor Aparicio says Scott had most RBI for Birds in single game since Ramon Hernandez in ‘06

Bob Haynie wonders if Birds should be interested in Halladay

Thyrl Nelson says ‘indifference’ issue for Birds

Marco Romanell says Birds have struggled vs. lefties

Cliff Saunders disagrees with how Jay Mariotti handled McNair death

Keith Melchior has had enough of McNair news

Rex Snider says Hall of Famers to participate in Curing Cancer One Win at a Time

Nestor Aparicio says WNST.net now home for AP stats

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Doug Miller says Scott (7 RBI) lead way as Birds trounced Mariners

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of win

The Official Site’s Doug Miller says David Hernandez takes mound tonight in series finale vs. Jason Vargas in Seattle

The Official Site’s Doug Miller says Trembley ejected for arguing early in win

The Official Site’s Doug Miller says Birds will listen to teams interested in Pie, Salazar

The Official Site’s Doug Miller says ‘flu symptoms’ kept Roberts out of lineup in win

Mariners Official Site’s Christian Caple says 19,000 saw M’s fall to O’s at Safeco Field

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Guthrie forced to leave in 3rd inning of win due to ‘dizziness’

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Trembley believed Reimold, defended him leading to ejection

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Birds had conversations with White Sox regarding Pie

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Scott finished double short of cycle in win

Seattle Times’ Tom Wyrwich says Bedard showed good stuff before leaving game after 4 innings

The AP says Jakubauskas took loss for Mariners in relief

Everett Herald’s Kirby Arnold says Hendrickson picked up win for Birds in relief

SI’s Tom Verducci has Bergesen 3^rd amongst American League Rookie of the Year candidates

CBS Sports’ Larry Dobrow has Birds 25^th in power rankings

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick says Reimold, Markakis, Jones give Birds ‘high hopes’ in OF

ORIOLES MINOR LEAGUES:

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Arrieta winner as Tides topped Charlotte

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Matusz threw 8 innings of shutout, 1 hit ball in win over Senators

MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Matusz added 11 strikeouts in win for Baysox

Frederick Keys Official Site says Widlansky homered twice for Keys in win over Kinston

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says McCurry loser as Shorebirds fell to Kannapolis

Aberdeen Ironbirds Official Site says Kantakevich loser as Ironbirds fell to Brooklyn

Bluefield Orioles Official Site says Jorge Almanzar loser as Bluefield fell to Burlington

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Izturis 2-3, with SB and 2 runs for Bowie in rehab assignment

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Ouellette pitched scoreless 9^th to finish off Bowie’s win over Harrisburg

Frederick News-Post’s Stan Goldberg says Caleb Joseph often sleeps at clubhouse instead of home

Frederick News-Post says Joe Esposito picked up first win of season for Keys

Virginian-Pilot says Jolbert Cabrera crushed 3 run homer for Tides in win

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Geoff Peckham says Mason remembers former teammate McNair’s ‘passion for the game’

The Official Site breaks down timeline of McNair incident

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says McNair ‘unlikely’ to get support for Hall enshrinement

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Mark Clayton remembered McNair as football camp opened at McDaniel

The AP says ‘lack of motive’ slowing ruling in McNair case

Tennessean’s Gary Estwick says McNair’s death ‘big blow’ to Mount Olive, Mississippi

Tennessean says Titans to hold tribute to McNair today and tomorrow at LP Field

Nashville City Paper’s Ken Whitehouse and Sam Claycombe say Kazemi’s ex wrote rap song about murder

Nashville City Paper’s Nate Rau says Nashville authorities awaiting ballistics test results to determine cause of Kazemi’s death

NFL.com’s Steve Wyche says McNair’s life ‘hard to decipher’

Fox Sports’ Jason Whitlock doesn’t think McNair necessarily ‘hero’

ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky says McNair had good fortune to not be forced to start on Day 1

ESPN.com’s James Walker says some in AFC North believe Flacco will ‘break out’ this season

ESPN.com Page 2’s Tim Keown says Holly Robinson Peete took to Twitter for McNair thoughts

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Good Counsel DE/TE prospect Vincent Croce camped with Terps (must subscribe)

Turtle Sports Report’s Allen Wallace says Havenstein was Maryland fan before becoming Maryland commit (must subscribe)

HOPKINS LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey says midfielder Drew Collins to transfer from Penn to Blue Jays

TOWSON FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says Ambrose, other Tigers coaches to make appearance in Federal Hill next week

NAVY FOOTBALL:

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina catches up with CB Blake Carter

SWIMMING:

SwimNetwork.com’s Andrew Silver says Phelps getting ‘all buzz’ in Indianapolis

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says struggles continued for Katie Hoff in Indianapolis

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee says Derby winner Mine That Bird breezed Tuesday at Churchill Downs

Thoroughbred Times says trainer Woolley thought Mine That Bird ‘looked perfect’ in workout

INDYCAR RACING:

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says potential Baltimore Grand Prix organizers believe race would be ‘safe’

SOCCER:

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd says 65,000 tickets already sold for Chelsea-AC Milan at M&T Bank Stadium

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Overpaying for a free agent pitcher > overpaying and overtrading for a current big name pitcher. I’d love to see Roy Halladay in Baltimore, but I don’t think they can afford to pay both costs.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

I’m not going to beat up Dave Trembley for pulling Brad Bergesen. There is no excuse for the fact that Jim Johnson and George Sherrill couldn’t get the job done in the 9th; and for the fact that the team couldn’t get a hit for most of the game.

It is much too easy to blame the manager when the team loses a bad game. Could Trembley have left Bergesen in the game to pitch the 9th? Sure he could have. Bergesen could have gotten into trouble and left the game rattled moving forward. But Trembley went to his reliable finishers, and they let him down. I’m not going to beat him up for that.

But there are PLENTY of other things to beat him up about-like the miserable lineups he manages to put together. Oscar Salazar hit a pinch hit 3 run homer on Tuesday night. Where was he in Wednesday’s lineup? I understand Ty Wigginton has a good history against Josh Beckett (and playing him paid off); but Salazar should have found his way in somehow.

Let’s see what everyone else has to say……

Best of Wednesday’s WNST Blogs:

Drew Forrester says ‘jealousy’ of Red Sox made Tuesday’s comeback win even better

Nestor Aparicio can’t take much more Trembley

Luke Jones says Berken, Hill have to ‘prove themselves’ in upcoming starts

Marco Romanell says Tillman, Patton could be headed to Birds ‘sooner than later’

Tom Clayton says Jones, Sherrill deserve to be All-Stars

Lawson Lambert thinks Reimold deserves to be Rookie of the Year

Ed Frankovic says Caps sign former Flyer Knuble

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Brian Eller says Johnson, Sherrill can’t hold lead in 9th as Sox beat Birds in 11

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of loss

The Official Site’s Brian Eller says Guthrie takes ball tonight for Birds in Los Angeles vs. Lackey, Angels

The Official Site’s Brian Eller says Uehara to miss 3-5 weeks with partial elbow tear

The Official Site’s Brian Eller says Jones sat out Wednesday’s finale as ‘precautionary’ measure

The Official Site’s Brian Eller says Birds partnering with Baltimore City schools

Red Sox Official Site’s Jeff Seidel says Youkilis, Baldelli provided heroics for Sox in 9th

Angels Official Site’s Lyle Spencer says tonight’s game vs. Birds first of 10 straight at Angel Stadium for Halos

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Birds couldn’t finish off win after Bergesen’s stellar start

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Wigginton continued mastery of Beckett with homer

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd says Birds go through emotional swing with Tuesday’s comeback, Wednesday’s loss

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Tuesday’s comeback still resonated at OPACY Wednesday

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says David Hernandez will take Uehara’s roster spot ‘indefinitely’

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says loss to Red Sox resembled “Mother’s Day Massacre”

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says nearly 30,000 at Camden Yards saw Birds drop finale to BoSox

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Uehara may not pitch again for 2 months

The AP says Baez took loss in finale

The AP’s David Ginsburg says Trembley reports surgery ‘not required’ for Uehara

Boston Globe’s Amalie Benjamin says Varitek, Beckett thought BoSox got ‘character’ win after bad loss

Boston Herald’s Steve Buckley says Lugo hero for Red Sox in victory

Providence Journal’s Joe McDonald says Papelbon finished off win with 20th save

Sporting News’ Stan McNeal says Markakis deserves to be All-Star

ORIOLES MINOR LEAGUES:

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Valido homered in win over Akron

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says Allar took loss as Shorebirds fell to Hickory

Aberdeen Ironbirds Official Site says Erbe lost rehab start to Oneonta

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Michael Abreu, Jonathan Tucker, Perrault, Oullette all named Eastern League All-Stars

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Wilfredo Perez got win in relief for Baysox

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Steelers coach Tomlin called out Oher at Rookie Symposium

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Rice, McGahee lead backfield competition

The Official Site’s Geoff Peckham says ESPN thinks Mason, Gregg ‘underrated’

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says Ravens installing grass at M&T Bank Stadium before AC Milan-Chelsea match

ESPN The Magazine’s Anna K. Clemons says Ravens 29th best franchise in all of sports

ESPN.com’s James Walker says players think Reed better ‘all-around’ safety than Polamalu

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ravens have 2 weeks to get Suggs’ deal done

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says Matt Robinson following in footsteps of Atholton coach Kyle Schmitt with commitment to Terps

The Diamondback’s Jakob Engelke says Terps featured on ESPN Wednesday

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Virginia TE prospect Josh Lovell still high on Terps (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem breaks down secondary with Don Brown (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says DT commit Andre Monroe chose Terps over New Mexico (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh says Suitland DB commit Jeremiah Johnson ‘lifelong Terps fan’ (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says Vasquez spouting off again

Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Terps staff ‘satisfied’ with roster even without Stephenson

Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman says Vasquez expects to win ACC regular season and Tournament titles

TOWSON FOOTBALL:

Examiner Matthew Schlissel says home opener vs. Coastal Carolina Tigers’ only night game of season

HOPKINS LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Jon Brand says former Jay Rabil helping producers of film “Crooked Arrows”

NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says Slotback Chris Hill ‘most looking forward to’ Ohio State game

The Official Site says Niumatalolo announces class of ‘09

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina says Park City prospects interested in Naval Academy (must subscribe)

GOLF:

The AP says Tiger played with Cowboys QB Romo in Pro-Am Wednesday

Frederick News-Post’s Greg Swatek says House minority leader Boehner played in same group as Tiger, Romo

Frederick News-Post’s Greg Swatek says Lucas Glover hoping to build on U.S. Open win at AT&T National

Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga says following AT&T National, U.S. Open next big event at Congressional

Washington Post’s Thomas Boswell says Glover trying to avoid failures of former U.S. Open champs like Steve Jones, Michael Campbell

Washington Post’s Tracee Hamilton says Barnes hasn’t had chance to settle down since strong finish at Open

Washington Times’ Barker Davis says defending champ Anthony Kim brings ‘love-hate’ relationship with putter into AT&T National

Washington Times’ Ben Goessling says Romo hit at Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am

Washington Times’ Ryan O’Halloran says Caps coach Boudreau also played Pro-Am

Washington Times’ Barker Davis says Mahan, Furyk have next best odds (behind Tiger) to win AT&T National

Washington Examiner’s Craig Stouffer says Fairfax golfer Steve Marino expects big crowds at Congressional

Washington Examiner’s Rick Snider says Jessica Simpson also amongst highlights at AT&T National

Washington Examiner’s Kevin Dunleavy says PGA Tour Commissioner Finchem reports ‘no positive tests’ since drug testing policy began about a year ago

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee says Borel no longer rider for Mine That Bird

Thoroughbred Times’ Ed DeRosa says Woolley, owners looking for jockey to commit to Derby champ through Breeders’ Cup

SWIMMING:

The Sun says Phelps not happy about swimsuit ruling

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-I’ll take Tiger Woods to win the golf tournament this weekend. Mostly because he’s playing in it. If he wasn’t playing in it, I doubt I’d bother to pick a winner; because no one would care.

Talk to you this weekend.

-G

Last night was special. I mean, REALLY special.

I’m not going to say it can change the course of the season; because that just doesn’t happen in baseball.

But it was REALLY special.

Let’s see what everyone has to say….

Best of Tuesday’s WNST Blogs:

Nestor Aparicio says ‘Magic’ was in full display at OPACY last night

Drew Forrester went to sleep during rain delay, missed historic comeback

Allen McCallum says Red Sox attempted to walk off field with 2 outs, before Orioles put together ‘defining moment’

Bob Haynie enjoys ‘bandwagon’ Orioles fans

Luke Jones says Birds’ win big news on Facebook

Keith Melchior says Sherrill, Jones best Birds in June

Jerry Reinhardt says win should give Orioles fans ‘hope’

Marco Romanell hopes Birds can carry momentum through All-Star break, into 2nd half of season

Tom Clayton thinks Uehara needs to head to bullpen

Bob Haynie ‘hopes (Stephenson) found what he’s looking for’ at Cincinnati

Glenn Clark jokingly places Zaun amongst best hitters in MLB

Rex Snider working to raise money for cancer awareness

Ed Frankovic says Caps don’t think they’ll be heavily involved in free agency period

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Birds complete biggest comeback in team history to top Red Sox

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of stunning victory

The Official Site’s Brian Eller says Bergesen goes to hill this afternoon vs. Beckett, Red Sox

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Trembley thinks Sherrill, Jones, Jim Johnson all deserve to be All-Stars

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Jones forced to leave game early after collision with outfield wall

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Birds waiting for Uehara’s arthrogram results

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Markakis, Jones hoping to make All-Star Game with late push

Red Sox Official Site’s Jeff Seidel says Smoltz held Birds in check, but pen let game slip away after rain delay

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says 32,000 saw Birds pull off improbable rally at Camden Yards

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says O’s previous biggest comeback was from 8 down-also against Sox-in ‘56

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Izturis will travel with Birds to west coast

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says baserunning could be hurting Trembley’s chances of returning

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Salazar amongst heroes in comeback win with 3 run homer

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Markakis finished rally with game winning 2 run double

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Sherrill finished win with 17th save in last 19 tries

Examiner Jay Trucker says Birds were saved after Hill’s early struggles

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Roberts snapped 0-18 drought with RBI single in 8th

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Reimold amongst American League rookie leaders

Frederick News-Post’s John Cannon says former Frederick High pitcher Billy Gross to leave West Virginia, sign with Birds

Boston Globe’s Amalie Benjamin says Papelbon blew save, thought Sox ‘imploded’

Boston Herald’s Sean McAdam says Francona thought BoSox had ‘no answer’ for Birds

Providence Journal’s Joe McDonald says Birds got to Sox reliever Masterson in 7th after two perfect innings

The AP says Hendrickson winner in historic rally

SI’s Tom Verducci says Adam Jones should represent Birds in All-Star Game

Yahoo! Sports’ David Brown says Guthrie scored tying run as pinch runner

CBS Sports’ Larry Dobrow has Birds 24th in power rankings

NBC Sports’ Craig Calcaterra says Markakis was 0-7 against Papelbon before getting winning RBI

ORIOLES MINOR LEAGUES:

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Pauley winner as Tides topped Lehigh Valley

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Fausto Carmona shut down Baysox in Akron win

Frederick Keys Official Site says Tyler Henson homered twice for Keys in win over Wilmington

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says Kolodny tallied RBI for Shorebirds in win over Hickory

Aberdeen Ironbirds Official Site says Michael Mooney crushed 2 run homer for Ironbirds in loss to Staten Island

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Pinckney, Aubrey, Snyder all contributed offensively for Tides in win

Virginian-Pilot says Alberto Castillo tallied 3rd save of season as Tides topped IronPigs

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Harbaugh spending 4th of July with troops in Persian Gulf

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Ravens trying to snap streak of making playoffs then missing playoffs

Examiner Phil Macek says Ravens need to get Suggs deal done

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Flacco will be difference for Ravens trying to make playoffs in back to back years

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Ralph may want to remain head coach past date Franklin scheduled to take over

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Turner wants to leave ‘legacy’ in College Park

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says Yow doesn’t think transition ‘will be issue’

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh says Terps see ‘upside’ in commit Matt Robinson (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says St. John’s (DC) NT prospect Andre Monroe holds offer from Terps, nearing decision (must subscribe-where you will find updated news about commitment decision)

Turtle Sports Report’s Matt Alkire says Riverdale Baptist CB prospect Brian Burns ‘hearing from’ Maryland

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says Gary again joining coverage of AT&T National on Comcast SportsNet

The Diamondback’s Michael Katz says Stephenson saga ends with Cincinnati commitment

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh says prospect Mychal Parker has ‘high interest’ in Terps (must subscribe)

NAVY FOOTBALL:

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina catches up with Slotback Bobby Doyle (must subscribe)

NAVY BASKETBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says Calvert Hall star Donya Jackson headed to Annapolis

BALTIMORE MARINERS:

The Official Site says six Mariners playing tonight against Reading Express team they helped lead to conference title in ‘07

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee says Borel may snub Mine That Bird at West Virginia Derby

Thoroughbred Times’ Whitney Harrod says “Calvin Borel Day” celebrated in Georgetown, Kentucky

GOLF:

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says Woods wearing multiple hats during AT&T National week

Frederick News-Post’s Greg Swatek says Tiger didn’t have ‘fun’ watching last year’s event from home

Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon says Jim Brown ‘inaccurate’ with comments regarding Tiger’s social contributions

Washington Times’ Barker Davis says Tiger wants to be ‘greedy’ and win event he’s hosting

Washington Times’ Barker Davis says Tiger in 2nd half of career now after surgery

Washington Times’ Barker Davis says Paul Casey has quickly ascended rankings

Washington Examiner’s Kevin Dunleavy says PGA Tour to undergo more ‘Tiger-proofing’

USA Today’s Matt Poms says Tiger to play in Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am today at Congressional

ESPN.com’s Jason Sobel says Woods has won 29.1% of tournaments he’s played

Golf.com’s Alan Shipnuck says defending champ Anthony Kim not playing hottest golf coming in to AT&T National

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Matt Pilgrim would be a welcome addition to this Maryland team. Jordan Williams and James Padgett cannot be expected to be Lonny Baxter and Chris Wilcox, so frontcourt depth will be necessary in trying to build an ACC contender.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

If you’re not familiar with the phenomenon that is Facebook, this won’t be the blog for you.

Anyone keeping an eye on the popular social networking site while watching the Orioles’ miraculous comeback victory over the Red Sox on Tuesday night inevitably saw a variety of angry wall messages and statuses (10-1) that gradually transformed into reserved hope (10-6) and, finally, jubilation (Orioles win, 11-10!).

While viewing all of these messages, I imagined what the Facebook news feed would look like describing this wild game and the various people involved.  It might go a little something like this:

* 24,000 Boston fans are attending the event “Red Sox vs. Orioles at Fenway Park South.”

* 7,969 Baltimore fans are attending the event “Getting Drowned Out by Obnoxious ‘Sahx’ Fans in My Home Ballpark.”

* Adam Jones created the group “Outfield Walls Hurt.”

* Orioles fans ended their relationship with Rich Hill.

* Dave Trembley left the group “Give Your Pitcher the Quick Hook.”

* Luke Jones says it’s time to watch old episodes of The Office while keeping an eye on the game.

* John Smoltz’s status:  “I really hate rain delays.”

* Rich Hill’s status:  “I’m doing a rain dance and hoping the game and my stats are washed away!”

* Orioles fans and Felix Pie are now friends.

* Rich Hill updated his status:  “Well, so much for that.  I’m screwed.”

* Tony Randazzo’s status:  “I just don’t feel like calling a good game behind the plate tonight.”
- Jim Palmer: “Well, you better start. Richie Garcia is watching.”

* Orioles fans wrote on Oscar Salazar’s wall:  “Way to go…umm…what’s your name again?”

* Luke Jones is now giving his undivided attention to the Orioles game. 10-6.

* Terry Francona wrote on the Red Sox Bullpen’s Wall:  “Guys, anytime you feel like showing up would be great.”

* Hideki Okajima started the group “Why do the Orioles—that’s right, the ORIOLES!—absolutely own me?”
- Jon Lester: “I’ll give you some pointers.”

* Jim Palmer and 10 other pitchers joined the group “I’m against consistently inconsistent umpiring.”

* Jonathan Papelbon wrote on Nick Markakis’ wall:  “Dude, that’s not how the script is supposed to go!”

* Jonathan Papelbon and Nick Markakis are no longer friends.

* Jonathan Papelbon removed “chest thumping” from his favorite activities.

* Jim Hunter’s status:  “I think I just wet myself!”

* George Sherrill’s status:  “It’s Flat Breezy time.”

* Orioles fans created the group “There’s the Nick Markakis We Know and Love!”

* Terry Francona added “throwing things in my office” to his favorite activities.

* Rich Hill updated his status:  “I wonder if people will have a short memory…”

* 937 Orioles fans attended the event “Greatest Comeback in Orioles History!”

* 11,437 Boston fans attended the event “What the H*ll Just Happened??!!!”

* Dave Trembley posted the note:  “My players just saved my behind again!”

* It’s “complicated” between Orioles fans and the Baltimore Orioles.

* Luke Jones posted the video Orioles Magic.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mr7mQuGmp0[/youtube]

Do you want me to say something about Felix Pie? I already have. He has no business here. It’s borderline embarrassing. Joey Gathright can do the things Felix Pie does (and Joey Gathright is not a particularly good player either).

Do you want me to say something about Koji Uehara? I’ve already said plenty. The guy should go to the bullpen. It is tough to pay someone $5 million and then use them in relief; but it is tougher to watch a guy who physically can’t pitch the number of innings that are required from a pitcher.

Do you want me to say something about the Orioles? I’d much rather talk about soccer or Transformers.

Let’s see what everyone else has to say…..

Best of Wednesday’s WNST Blogs:

Luke Jones says Birds’ talent ‘improved’, but team still making ‘mistakes’

Thyrl Nelson wonders if O’s ‘owe’ Roberts anything

Drew Forrester not surprised to hear Uehara dealing with ‘fatigue’

Jason Jubb says Birds’ recent moves appear to set up Aubrey Huff trade

Bob Haynie says Birds stockpiling “Aubreys”

Marco Romanell says Adam Jones mired in funk

Keith Melchior wonders if Trembley has ‘earned’ right to return to Birds

Ed Frankovic says Brashear apparently not in Caps’ plans for next season

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says errors, defensive mistakes cost Birds in loss to Marlins

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of loss

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Rich Hill toes mound for Birds in attempt to avoid sweep against Sean West, Marlins

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Salazar showing value at big league level

Marlins Official Site’s Joe Frisaro says Nolasco dazzled for Fish in win over O’s

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Trembley appeared to be ‘losing patience’ with Pie after mistakes in loss

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Markakis picked up AL-leading 8th assist in loss, throwing out Hermida at plate

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Birds worked out 16 year old SS prospect Sano in Dominican Republic

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Uehara could miss next start with ‘elbow fatigue’

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd says Birds bad, but not as bad as Nats

The AP says Cody Ross, Hanley Ramirez each drove in 2 as Marlins topped Orioles

Miami Herald’s Clark Spencer says Fish back over .500 after win

South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Juan Rodriguez says Dan Meyer pitched 9th for save with Lindstrom on DL for Marlins

Palm Beach Post’s Joe Capozzi says Bonifacio showed off hustle in scoring run on Pie’s blunder

USA Today has Birds 23rd in power rankings

ORIOLES MINOR LEAGUES:

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Brandon Snyder lead Tides with 3 hits, 2 RBI in win over Pawtucket

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Perrault blew save as Binghamton rallied to top Baysox

Aberdeen Ironbirds Official Site says Garabez Rosa tallied walkoff hit in 10th in win over Staten Island

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says David Hernandez went 4 perfect innings, got no decision for Tides in win

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Shorebirds’ Zagone promoted to Frederick

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Birds trade for Indians prospect Aubrey, expect to assign him to Norfolk

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says first round pick Hobgood honored by USA Today

Frederick News-Post says Keys’ Florimon tripled, scored run in Carolina League All-Star Game

Virginian-Pilot’s Rainer Sabin says Hernandez pulled after 4 in case O’s need him to make Uehara’s next start

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy breaks down competition for CB jobs

The Official Site says Ravens, M&T Bank team up for annual Honor Rows Program

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says Ravens fans pocketing profit from PSL sales

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Flacco ‘better’ this season

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

The Official Site checks in with former Terp, Seahawks UFA Dave Philistin

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says commit Delic improved stock by putting on weight

Yahoo! Sports’ Charles Robinson says former Terp Merriman ‘on mission’

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Milford Mill WR Cheeseboro ‘really likes’ Terps (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem breaks down LB’s with Seamonson (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

The Sun’s Jeff Barker thinks Terps ‘could be’ Top 25 team

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Steve Francis 8th best player of Gary’s 20 years

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Johnny Rhodes 7th best player of Gary’s 20 years

Inside MD Sports’ Seth Hoffman says Stoglin finally made first visit to future home College Park

Scout.com’s Evan Daniels says not everyone surprised with rise of target Justin Coleman (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site offers opportunity to camp with Frese, players

The Diamondback’s Brian Kapur says former Terp Langhorne improved in 2nd season with Mystics

The Diamondback’s Brian Kapur says Langhorne, Toliver, Coleman, Frese were all reunited last weekend for WNBA game at Verizon Center

The Diamondback’s Michael Lemaire says Mincy joins Alyssa Thomas, Natasha Cloud in Terps’ class of 2010

Washington Post’s Camille Powell says Mincy ranked 13th best prospect by ESPNU

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter says two years of recruiting finally landed Mincy in College Park (must subscribe)

NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says trip to Ohio State gets noon kickoff, ESPN treatment

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Mids have just two games left on schedule without kickoff time determined

TOWSON FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says opener at Northwestern gets noon kickoff, Big Ten Network treatment

CRYSTAL PALACE USA:

Examiner Jeff Hemelt says Val Teixeira honored by USL-2

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s David Grening says Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra won’t run in Breeders’ Cup

Thoroughbred Times’ Steve Bailey says owner Jess Jackson nixes possible showdown between Rachel Alexandra, Zenyatta on ‘plastic’ surface at Santa Anita

Thoroughbred Times’ Mike Curry says after skipping Belmont Stakes, Rachel Alexandra makes track debut in Mother Goose Stakes

The AP says Borel supportive of Jackson’s decision to keep Rachel Alexandra off synthetic tracks

SWIMMING:

The AP says Phelps nominated for 4 ESPY Awards

GOLF:

The Sun says Fred Funk commits to Constellation Energy Classic

Washington Examiner’s Kevin Dunleavy says Funk finished 2nd at last year’s Constellation Energy Classic

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-I’ve never been to the Horseshoe before. I doubt that will change when Navy visits Ohio State; but I’m certainly tempted. A trip to Berkley probably will be out of the question given the expenses I’ve taken on in buying a new whip (thanks Koons Ford); but a trip to Columbus sounds like a lot of fun.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

Everyone knows that Aubrey Huff is a free agent at the end of the season, so the rebuilding Orioles have a choice to make.

Either deal him for prospects or offer him arbitration with the thought that he will sign elsewhere at which point we would receive draft picks as compensation. Most likely Huff would be a Type A free agent which would mean we would get two picks before the second round.

The decision may not be that easy. Over the past couple years, teams have been reluctant to sign some lesser valued Type-A free agents, because of losing their 1^st round pick (see Juan Cruz) in the following Amateur Draft. This fear of being in “no man’s land” could lead to Huff accepting arbitration at which point we could have him back at one year for $10 million +.

In years past, no player would ever think of taking this type of arbitration, but with the economic downturn in baseball it may prove to be a viable option in the winter of 2009. Therefore, it may be in the Orioles’ best interest to take what they can get for Huff at this point.

Recent developments also suggest the Orioles are ready to jettison Huff. Last week, the O’s promoted top hitting prospect Brandon Snyder after only 201 AB’s at the AA level. At first glance, it seemed a little out of character with the current front office; bumping a hitter up so fast, but it makes sense if Huff is on the move. Plain and simple, they probably want to see if Snyder could be an option at 1^st next year.  So, they need to get him 250 AAA AB’s to gauge his overall development.

Then you have yesterday’s acquisition of Michael Aubrey. Aubrey is a left handed hitting 1^st baseman who came out of the same draft as Nick Markakis, and many felt that he was a better pure hitter after batting .420 his senior year in college. As a pro, Aubrey has been dogged by injuries but has still managed to hit .295 over his minor league career while showing below average power for a 1^st baseman.

Is Michael Aubrey the future? No, but he could be part of an adequate platoon with Ty Wigginton or Oscar Salazar for the remainder of the season.

There are 5 weeks until the July 31^st deadline and from the look of things Aubrey Huff may be in the playoff hunt, but with a different team.

The Orioles certainly didn’t show the Phillies any “Brotherly Love” by completing a three-game sweep this weekend.

I attended the first two games of the series on Friday and Saturday night and had a great time.  Citizens Bank Park may lack the charm of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, but the wide-open concourse is an excellent feature for those wanting to grab a snack or cold beverage without missing a pitch.

It was a pleasure meeting many of the rabid Orioles fans on the WNST/Miller Lite Bus Trip, and it was even better high-fiving and celebrating the closing moments of Saturday night’s comeback win with them!

Here are the 5 W’s and 1 H for the week:

1.  Who will be the best player not named Blake Griffin to come out of this year’s NBA Draft?

The 2009 NBA Draft takes place on Thursday night, and the Los Angeles Clippers have already committed to taking power forward Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), the surest thing in this year’s draft class, with the No. 1 pick.

After Griffin, there is plenty of talent but many question marks.  From Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet to international point guard Ricky Rubio to Davidson’s Stephen Curry, there is potential, but none are regarded as a sure thing.  Some NBA executives are calling this one of the worst drafts in recent memory.

If I had to choose a rookie from this class other than Griffin, I’d take a chance on Curry.  His heroic run in the 2008 NCAA tournament put him on the map, and he followed it up by leading the nation in scoring last season (28.6 points per game).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9vmoQ5WABU[/youtube]

Though Curry lacks the ideal size (6-3) and athleticism for the NBA, his strong pedigree—he’s the son of former NBA player Dell Curry—and fundamentals will allow him to become a successful pro.  He won’t become an All-Star, but Curry will be a solid addition to an NBA team.

2.  What was the best Orioles game you ever attended?

Saturday night’s win has to be one of the top five or six Orioles games I’ve ever attended.  Yes, that’s pretty sad, but when you consider I was two weeks old when the Orioles last won the World Series, you can probably begin to understand.

My choice for the best game I’ve attended was a 7-5, 10-inning victory over the New York Yankees on June 3, 1997.  The Orioles were in the midst of their wire-to-wire run for the American League East title, and Rafael Palmeiro hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to put the Orioles ahead by 8.5 games in the division.

Walking out of the ballpark while gloating among the Yankees fans was a great feeling—and is nearly a forgotten one 12 years later.

3.  Where is the best starting rotation in the Orioles’ organization?

Though the starting pitching in Baltimore has improved, I am still eagerly looking at the rotation in Triple-A Norfolk.  The Tides currently have four of the top pitching prospects in the organization with Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta, David Hernandez, and Troy Patton.

While it’s doubtful that all four will crack the starting rotation by season’s end, I wouldn’t be surprised to see these four, along with Brad Bergesen, making up the starting rotation by this time next season.  Obviously, there’s no guarantee—and it’s quite unlikely—they’ll all become successful big league starters, but it’s clear the Orioles have come a long way from the days of counting on one prospect like Rocky Coppinger or Matt Riley to save the rotation.

We’ve heard quite a bit about these names over the last two years, so it’s exciting to see them at the Triple-A level and on the verge of making the jump to the big leagues.

4.  When was the last time the Orioles earned an interleague sweep on the road?

Before this weekend’s sweep of the Phillies, the Orioles last completed an interleague road sweep against the Atlanta Braves in June 1999.

The Orioles completed the three-game set by beating the Braves, 22-1, on a nationally televised Sunday night game.  This was Cal Ripken’s famous six-hit game that earned several standing ovations from the Turner Field crowd over the course of the night.

Mike Mussina earned the win over Atlanta’s John Smoltz, capping off one of the few highlights of the 1999 season.

5.  Why did Dave Trembley allow Danys Baez to pitch to Ryan Howard in the seventh inning on Saturday night?

I certainly was celebrating the exciting comeback win on Saturday night, but it didn’t excuse Trembley’s terrible decision to pitch to Howard with a base open and two outs in the seventh inning.  Yes, walking Howard would have put the go-ahead run in scoring position, but the pitcher’s spot was on deck, and the Phillies sent Carlos Ruiz to the plate after Howard’s three-run shot.  Howard is hitting .299 against right-handed pitching, so the matchup against Baez wasn’t favorable in that regard either.

Just a hunch, but I’d take my chances facing Ruiz with the bases loaded instead of Howard.

I was sitting with Nestor Aparicio and my friend Mike—two of the most knowledgeable baseball fans I know—and all three of us immediately said it was the wrong move.  A few moments later, Howard confirmed our fears.

Saturday’s win was a great example of a team bailing out its manager.  The decisions to allow Gregg Zaun and Oscar Salazar to hit in the ninth inning worked out, but they did not cancel out the decision to pitch to one of the best power hitters in the game—whether he had the flu or not.

I hope Trembley personally thanked Brian Roberts for saving his bacon.  Regardless of the big win, it was the wrong decision.

6.  How likely are the Ravens to make a serious play for Brandon Marshall?

Not very.

John Harbaugh, Ozzie Newsome, and the Ravens are very serious about avoiding players with questionable character, and Marshall—regardless of his immense talent—fits that description.  When you also consider the team would have to surrender high draft picks and doesn’t have the salary cap room to afford the $7-9 million per year Marshall is seeking, it really becomes an easy decision.

Marshall’s dispute with the Denver Broncos is different from quarterback Jay Cutler’s, because it is not based on a conflict with new head coach Josh McDaniels; it simply comes down to wanting more money.

The Pro Bowl receiver is scheduled to become a free agent after the season, but an uncapped year in 2010 would change his status dramatically.  Since an uncapped system would change the number of years before free agency from four to six, Marshall would remain under the Broncos’ control for two more years—as a restricted free agent—and would not become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2011 season.  The Broncos hold all of the leverage in this situation, so Marshall desperately wants a new deal before that happens.

When you consider all of these factors, I would be surprised to see Marshall in Baltimore—or anywhere else other than Denver—this September.

*****

I hope all of the fathers out there had a great Father’s Day.  This is a tough day for me after losing my dad in 2004, but I have numerous great memories—many centering around the Ravens, Orioles, and Terps—to cherish.

He deserves more credit than anyone for cultivating my passion for Baltimore sports.  I’m sure he would have loved this weekend in Philadelphia.

Have a great Monday.

The Orioles were terrible this weekend; but that will happen. Some teams are deep enough that when their best hitters aren’t hitting, they can come through-or pitching can carry them through. On the flip side, some teams are the Orioles.

I feel like Drew when I say this, but “I don’t know what else you want me to tell you.”

They’re really bad.

Let’s see what everyone else has to say……

Best of Sunday’s WNST Blogs:

Nestor Aparicio says Birds bring 5 game losing streak back to Camden Yards

Nestor Aparicio sick of seeing Pittsburgh fans around Baltimore

Bob Haynie wonders if Ravens fans want Stover back

Glenn Clark says Desormeaux pulling upset in Belmont takes some air out of horse racing

Cliff Saunders says wife wanted to bet on Summer Bird

Ed Frankovic says Hershey Bears one win from Calder Cup

ORIOLES:

MLB.com’s Rick Eymer says Brian Bass, bullpen pick up Rich Hill; but Birds swept by A’s

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of loss

MLB.com’s Rick Eymer says after day off today; Vargas, M’s to face Bergesen, Birds

MLB.com’s Rick Eymer says Pie ‘feels good’ despite being hit in throat will foul ball

MLB.com’s Rick Eymer says Salazar ‘comfortable’ back with O’s

Athletics Official Site’s Jane Lee says Mazzaro throws another shutout, remains scoreless as big leaguer

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Tillman gave up three runs over 5 innings in loss to Toledo

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Arrieta’s complete game shutout paced Bowie in doubleheader sweep of Erie

Frederick Keys Official Site says Britton gave up just one run over six innings in win over Salem

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Trembley tried playing Wigginton at 2nd; giving Roberts, Huff day off

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says even with Jamie Walker released, Wieters doesn’t plan on switching from 15 to 32

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Birds have scored 12 runs over last 7 games; 6 of which have been losses

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Birds haven’t lead in last 33 innings of play

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Roberts, Markakis mired in ‘funk’ as Birds return home

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Baysox’ Ryohei Tanaka got first save in 2nd game of twinbill

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. mocks UNC’s Alex White to Baltimore

Virginian-Pilot’s Rainer Sabin says Tides have scored just one run in last 3 games-all losses

San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser says A’s extended streak to 6 straight wins

Oakland Tribune’s Joe Stiglich says 17,000 at Oakland Coliseum to see A’s sweep O’s

The AP says Andrew Bailey finished off Birds in 9th for 4th save of season

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Geoff Peckham cleans up after me

Examiner Tony Wisniewski pining for Ravens season while watching O’s

Examiner Phil Macek says fans have Super Bowl aspirations for Ravens

SI’s Peter King says Harbaugh to visit troops in Persian Gulf later this month

Sporting News RealScouts has Reed 7th on list of players expected to be most ‘dominant’ in NFL this season

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman says Belmont winner Summer Bird, Derby winner Mine That Bird heading back to Churchill Downs today

Thoroughbred Times’ Bob Ehalt says trainer Tim Ice plans to run Summer Bird in Travers Stakes, Jim Dandy Stakes

The Sun says Woolley eyeing Breeders’ Cup Classic for Mine That Bird

SI’s Norman Chad says average sports fans not captivated by Borel

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

Examiner Steve DeClue says Will Barton’s commitment to Memphis ‘major disappointment’ for Gary

LOYOLA LACROSSE:

The Official Site’s Jake Hagelin checks in from Dublin during European trip

GOLF:

The Sun’s Candus Thomson says LPGA Championship leaving Bulle Rock after this weekend’s event

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd says In-Kyung Kim comes to Harford County off win in State Farm Classic

SWIMMING:

Washington Times’ Harrison Goodman says Phelps ‘most accomplished active male athlete’ (ahead of Woods, Federer)

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-It is a shame to see the LPGA Championship leaving Havre De Grace (or is that Aberdeen up there?) after this weekend. I don’t really care much about the event itself; and I certainly don’t plan on attending, but I support the idea of having major events in the area. Hopefully Terry Hasseltine is working to bring other major events to the area to replace the LPGA Championship, Tiger Woods’ event, and the Dew Action Sports Tour; which have all left or are leaving since his office was created. A single soccer match is nice-very nice even-but does not replace all of those events.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

The Orioles completed a 1-5 road trip with a 3-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics on Sunday afternoon.

Oakland rookie Vin Mazzaro was outstanding, stifling Orioles hitters for 7 1/3 innings and scattering five hits.  He is now 2-0 and has yet to allow a run in 13 2/3 innings of major league work.

Here are a few thoughts, as the Orioles will make their way home to start a three-game series with the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday:

- The good vibes of Matt Wieters’ major league debut last Friday have quickly faded away.  The rookie catcher is hitting .143 (4-for-28) and has yet to drive in a run.  The Orioles are 2-7 since Wieters was promoted.

- To say the Orioles are slumping offensively would be an understatement.  The offense has managed just 13 runs in their last eight games.  I don’t care if you have the 1971 starting rotation; you’re not going to win many ballgames with that output.

The hitters’ approach at the plate varies from listless to trying to hit a five-run homer with the bases empty.  It’s painful to watch, quite frankly.

- Who would have thought Brad Bergesen would be the team’s most reliable starting pitcher at the beginning of June?  With Koji Uehara on the disabled list, Bergesen hasn’t been great (2-2, 4.64 ERA), but he’s been a steady contributor to the rotation—something that’s been sorely lacking.

- Six Sunday losses in a row.  I suppose the Orioles are the anti-Tiger Woods; Woods always shows up on Sunday (as he did at the Memorial today) while the Orioles…well, at least nobody got hurt today.

*****

Update (4:35):  If you just turned on MASN and wondered what happened to Rich Hill, no, he wasn’t a late scratch or injured in the first inning.

Hill lasted just 2/3 of an inning, surrendering three runs, walking four batters, and throwing 39 pitches (15 of them for strikes).

This was the type of start that infuriated Cubs manager Lou Piniella last season and landed Hill in Triple-A Iowa.

The Orioles have now had two starters—Jeremy Guthrie on Friday and Hill today—fail to make it out of the first inning this weekend in Oakland—not exactly the way to keep fans interested for late West Coast games.

Thankfully, Brian Bass came on and stranded the bases load, keeping the early deficit at three runs.

*****

Adam Jones – CF
Nolan Reimold – LF
Nick Markakis – RF
Luke Scott – DH
Melvin Mora – 3B
Oscar Salazar – 1B
Matt Wieters – C
Ty Wigginton – 2B
Robert Andino – SS

No, there are no typos, glitches, or errors in today’s lineup.  Maybe Dave Trembley is taking a page from Billy Martin and drew the names out of a hat.

Brian Roberts and Aubrey Huff get the day off, and we get our first look at Oscar Salazar in 2009.  Let’s hope the new lineup can generate some much-needed offense.  Of course, it’s Sunday, so I wouldn’t expect too much, especially with the “B” squad lineup.  The Orioles have scored just 13 runs in the last seven games.

Rich Hill (2-0, 4.15 ERA) goes to the hill against Vin Mazzaro (1-0, 0.00 ERA) who pitched brilliantly against the White Sox in his first major league start on Tuesday (6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER).  On a positive note, at least he isn’t left-handed.

The Orioles will try to snap a four-game losing streak while Oakland hopes to continue its trend of five-straight victories.

In case you were keeping track, the Orioles have lost five Sunday games in a row with their last victory coming on April 26 against the Texas Rangers.

Suddenly, I’m having visions of Bill Murray and Punxsutawney Phil.

It’s getting close to silly season again. I’m not surprised by the struggles of some of the guys in the Orioles lineup the way some people are. It is difficult to get amped up for baseball games that don’t really matter.

Let’s see what everyone else has to say….

Best of Wednesday’s WNST Blogs:

Nestor Aparicio says Birds ‘sloppy’ in loss to Mariners

Drew Forrester says Trembley should have used Pie as pinch runner in 9th inning of loss

Rex Snider feels ‘slighted’ by Brady Anderson’s Angelos comments

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Bergesen solid, but Mariners rally to beat Birds

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of loss

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Uehara has good side session, could return next Wednesday

MLB.com’s Doug Miller says Huff’s would-be home run overturned in first inning

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Trembley to ‘consider’ Walker’s status today

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says after day off today; Guthrie, Birds visit Braden, Athletics tomorrow

MLB.com’s Doug Miller says Beltre hits 2 run homer, gets game winning RBI for M’s in win over O’s

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Jolbert Cabrera’s 2 run double lifts Tides past Buffalo

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Deza hit hard as Baysox fall to Trenton

Frederick Keys Official Site says Nery falls to 0-3 as Lynchburg sweeps Frederick

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Jim Johnson takes loss in relief

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Moeller cleared waivers, sent to Norfolk

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Mora was forced to swing at every pitch in 9th

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Trembley’s decisions ‘knocked the wind out of potential rallies’

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Reimold, Huff each made baserunning blunders in loss

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Birds have ‘little interest’ in bringing Glavine to Baltimore

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Birds now 0-8 in series finales on road this season

The Sun’s Mike Klingaman remembers Jim Palmer’s pancakes

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Bobby Livingston threw 7 scoreless innings for Norfolk, but Tides took loss

Examiner Jay Trucker says Mariners take 2 of 3 from Birds in Seattle

Examiner Steve DeClue says Birds ‘scuffling’ offensively

The AP says 18,650 see Mariners top Birds at Safeco Field

Frederick News-Post’s Stan Goldberg says Caleb Joseph’s 3 run homer not enough as Keys fell to Hillcats

Virginian-Pilot’s Kyle Tucker says Salazar extended hitting streak to 10 in Tides’ loss

Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker says Aardsma got win in relief for Mariners

The AP’s Gregg Bell says Scott homered, added RBI double in loss

Everett Herald’s Kirby Arnold says Franklin Gutierrez scored winning run after hitting triple in 9th

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Ravens working on contract with Oher’s agent Jimmy Sexton

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Ngata’s return to OTA’s ‘bumpy’

The Official Site says Ravens partnering with Good Samaritan Hospital, KaBOOM! to build playground

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd says Ray Rice thinks OTA’s like Owings Mills ‘Summer Camp’

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ngata finishing sociology degree

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Ngata taking classes at University of Utah to finish degree

HORSE RACING:

Belmont Official Site’s Jenny Kellner says Woolley ‘fine with’ starting 7th in third leg of Triple Crown

Belmont Official Site’s Jenny Kellner says Belmont jockeys Prado, Velasquez, etc. to visit Ronald McDonald House

Belmont Official Site’s Jenny Kellner says Woolley, Borel, Mine That Bird owners to ring bell at NYSE

Belmont Official Site’s Francis LaBelle Jr. says Borel ‘in the zone’ right now

Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee says Derby, Preakness loser General Quarters underwent surgery to remove chip from right knee

Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman says Kieran McLaughlin hoping ‘patience’ will pay off with Charitable Man

Daily Racing Form’s David Grening says Borel has stayed ‘busy’ since winning Preakness, Derby

Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman says Chocolate Candy to start on rail Saturday

Thoroughbred Times’ Jeff Lowe says Mine That Bird flew to Belmont after taking van to Pimlico, Churchill Downs

Thoroughbred Times’ Frank Angst says Lukas’ Flying Private only horse besides Mine That Bird to run in all three legs of Triple Crown

Thoroughbred Times’ Frank Angst says Mine That Bird trying to become first favorite to win Belmont since Afleet Alex

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says Charitable Man 2nd pick for Saturday with 3-1 odds

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says internet gambling bill could be favorable to MJC President Chuckas

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says Dunkirk to start from 2nd position with 4-1 odds

The AP ‘s Richard Rosenblatt says Mine That Bird trying to become first Derby-Belmont winner since Thunder Gulch in ‘95

Washington Times’ Ryan O’Halloran picks Mine That Bird to win Belmont

Washington Examiner’s Rick Snider picks Charitable Man to win Belmont

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

Examiner Steve DeClue says Gary’s ‘hopes’ for Vasquez to return may be factor in his prediction on whether or not he will stay

Examiner Steve DeClue says PBP voice Holliday to enter Maryland Hall of Fame

TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says former Terp Toliver took part in “Battle of the Sexes” in Chicago

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

Contra Costa Times says former Terp Heyward-Bey getting healthy, trying to solidify job with Raiders at same time

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh chats with Paint Branch WR/DB prospect Tagoe after campus visit (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem profiles Coolidge prospect Avery Williams (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem profiles New York prospect Dominique Easley (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS LACROSSE:

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Phipps to undergo surgery to repair torn ACL on June 16

The Sun’s Edward Lee says return of Farrell will help Terps defensively in ‘10

The Diamondback’s Michael Katz says ’09 season ‘defined by uneven play’

NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says former Mid Jim Carrington passed away at 84

Annapolis Capital’s Bill Wagner says OLB Sudderth dismissed by Mids

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina profiles future SS/OLB Keegan Wetzel (must subscribe)

Scout.com’s Rusty Mansell says Mids interested in Pepperrell (GA) star Marcus Jackson

NAVY LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey says assistant Stan Ross has interviewed for Denver job

HOPKINS LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey says Syracuse’s NCAA Championship tying goal reminiscent to Jake Byrne’s goal in ’05 Final Four

FROSTBURG LACROSSE:

The Sun says Gettysburg assistant Tommy Pearce to coach Frostburg in 2011 return to lacrosse

CRYSTAL PALACE USA:

The Official Site says Palace to open U.S. Open Cup at Ocean City Barons

BALTIMORE MARINERS:

The Official Site says playoffs ‘goal’ for Mariners

BALTIMORE COLTS:

The Sun’s Ken Murray says former Colt Mike Woods lived ‘positive life’

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Good for Haloti Ngata getting his degree. Maybe I should go finish mine….

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G