Those of us in Baltimore have watched the Orioles scuffle this season while their $10 million leadoff hitter looks on from the dugout with a herniated disk.  Roberts’ absence isn’t the sole cause of the O’s struggles, but it sure hasn’t helped matters.  Ty Wigginton has filled in admirably at 2nd base, putting up great offensive numbers and limiting his defenses lapses.  But the club is still searching for a competent leadoff hitter.  Dave Trembley has settled on Adam Jones in the leadoff spot for now, but he can’t be happy with Jones’ production.  Adam and his .312 career On Base % are miscast in the top spot of the lineup.  Coming into 2010 Jones appeared to be a budding power hitter but his OBP and Slugging % are both down this year and he’s clearly frustrated.

The Orioles aren’t the only team missing a premier leadoff hitter.  The recently swept Red Sox are playing, and struggling, without Jacoby Ellsbury.  The perennial AL East power is off to a 12-14 start and is just 2-4 against the Orioles this season.  The Boston offense has struggled to consistently produce runs with Ellsbury’s career .350 OBP and base stealing abilities on the bench nursing a rib injury.  Terry Francona is using journeyman shortstop Marco Scutaro to lead off and converted infielder Bill Hall in left.  I wouldn’t expect the Red Sox to make a turnaround until Ellsbury returns, which may not be anytime soon.

Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies extraordinary leadoff man is out with a calf injury and may not return before the end of the month.  The Phillies are off to a 14-12 start, but are just 4-6 in their last 10 games.  Philadelphia had an excellent in-house leadoff candidate in Shane Victorino and they’re getting by with journeyman Juan Castro at short.

NL West:

Drew-
San Francisco
Arizona (Wild Card)
Colorado
Los Angeles
San Diego

Glenn-
Colorado
Arizona
San Francisco
Los Angeles
San Diego

NL Central:

Drew-
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Chicago
Houston
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh

Glenn-
St. Louis
Chicago (Wild Card)
Milwaukee
Houston
Cincinnati
Pittsburgh

NL East:

Drew-
Philadelphia
Atlanta
New York
Florida
Washington

Glenn-
Philadelphia
Atlanta
New York
Florida
Washington

Cy Young:

Drew-Dan Haren
Glenn-Dan Haren

MVP:

Drew-Prince Fielder
Glenn-Albert Pujols

Rookie of the Year:

Drew-Stephen Strasburg
Glenn-Jason Heyward

AL West:

Drew-
Seattle
Los Angeles
Texas
Oakland

Glenn-
Los Angeles
Seattle
Texas
Oakland

AL Central:

Drew-
Detroit
Chicago
Minnesota
Cleveland
Kansas City

Glenn-
Detroit
Minnesota
Chicago
Cleveland
Kansas City

AL East:

Drew-
Boston
New York (Wild Card)
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Toronto

Glenn-
New York
Boston (Wild Card)
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Toronto

Cy Young Award:

Drew-Justin Verlander
Glenn-Scott Kazmir

MVP:

Drew-Victor Martinez
Glenn-Mark Teixeira

Rookie of the Year:

Drew-Brian Matusz
Glenn-Austin Jackson

World Series:

Drew-Phillies over Tigers in 7

Glenn-Angels over Cardinals in 6

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Happy Monday……….I think.

Let’s just get this out of the way. Allow Michael Stipe and R.E.M. to set the tone for our day…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPZzWYkdS6Y[/youtube]

So….there you go.

Let’s see what everyone has to say….

1. The AP’s Nicholas K. Geranios says Korie Lucious’ heroics lifted Michigan State past Maryland in NCAA Tournament 2nd round

After avoiding SportsCenter and ESPNNews as much as possible yesterday-we will remember this once more, and then burn the tape….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxushE-OvYQ[/youtube]

6.6 seconds separated Greivis Vasquez from writing one more “greatest moment” in his own Maryland career.

Well, 6.6 seconds and the fact that Tom Izzo thought twice about taking a timeout in the background.

Spare me the “Maryland should have pressed there” comments. 1-Maryland’s press WAS successful late in the game, but had previously lead to a few hundred open looks from 3 for Durrell Summers. Maryland couldn’t have that there. 2-The ONE thing you CAN’T have there is a foul. If a kid hits a shot and beats you, so be it. But you CAN’T foul and give them free throws to win.

A lot of people think they know a lot about a lot of subjects. But yesterday’s game was fairly simple. One team nearly stole away a game with a miracle, the other team used a miracle to win. Read on…

2. WNST.net’s Glenn Clark says Lucious’ shot will be remembered amongst glorious March moments by hoops fans, yet will anger Terps fans for eternity

As I said in the blog, now we know how Kentucky fans feel every time they have to see a replay of Christian Laettner’s three ball.

If you’re not a college hoops fan, think about how Phillies fans must feel every time they see a replay of Joe Carter’s home run. Or how Bills fans feel every time they see a replay of the “Music City Miracle” against the Titans in Nashville. Or how Patriots fans feel every time they see a replay of David Tyree’s catch in Super Bowl XLIII. It HURTS them.

Prepare to deal with the hurt for some time. This time next week, CBS will be showing replays as Michigan State prepares to play Northern Iowa in the Sweet 16. This time next March, CBS and ESPN will be showing replays as Maryland (hopefully) and Michigan State prepare for the Big Dance. This time 5 years from now, there will be retrospectives and “Where are they now?” pieces on Korie Lucious.

It will still hurt then. It might not be the sting that it is today, but it will still hurt.

3. Spokane Spokesman-Review’s Steve Bergum says Spartans played 2nd half of win over Terrapins without former Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas

And clearly, it made a difference down the stretch-which we all knew it would. If Lucas was on the floor, it is likely that the Terps would have NEVER gotten back into the game late, as he would have been a crucial part of beating the Gary Williams press.

That being said-and we talked about this on “The Comcast Morning Show” this morning on AM1570-the players on the floor have to be able to beat the press. When Duke came back from down 10 in the final 54 seconds to beat Maryland at Cole Field House, Terps fans bellyached that things would have been different had Drew Nicholas not been forced to run the point with Steve Blake disqualified by fouls. That’s absolutely true, but Nicholas NEEDED to be able to make free throws-even as a sophomore-or he shouldn’t have been on the floor.

Whoever was on the floor for Michigan State-no matter the reason-SHOULD have been able to break the press. They couldn’t. Had they lost, there would have been plenty of people that would have said “they wouldn’t have lost had Kalin Lucas not been hurt.” They would have been right, and it would have been irrelevant.

Before I move on, I’m reminded of a REALLY good song by Unwritten Law. The spelling’s different, but the name remains the same….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaRW0EKqCuA[/youtube]

Of course, that song name would have worked in this classic Family Guy scene that always makes me giggle.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErPsx8zdnX4[/youtube]

(Edit from GMC: On days like today, it’s good to giggle.)

4. Washington Post’s Mike Wise says ‘stake through the heart’ necessary to end Greivis Vasquez’s tenure in College Park

Allright, I guess we have to move on from the subject-as what else can be said about the end to a TREMENDOUS career for Greivis Vasquez. The sad part about it is that for as good as he’s been, he played only 6 NCAA Tournament games in his 4 year career. That isn’t a great number. Juan Dixon played six….teen.

Before I move on, some quick thoughts on how I spent my first post-Maryland season Sunday night. As you all know, baseball doesn’t do a whole hell of a lot for me, and there is no lacrosse on Sunday nights. While we’ll still get one late-afternoon basketball game next week, this is really when Sunday nights go south until the fall.

I watched some of the UFC Fights, although I thought at one point that even I was going to be elbowed by Cheick Kongo in the process. My roommate made me watch some of the healthcare coverage, which only lead to my poor girlfriend (you know her, “The Luckiest Dang Gal on the Face of the Planet”) getting REALLY confused. I watched Family Guy, and did my damndest not to laugh at the Terri Schiavo musical scene. I really did.

I also watched a replay of another Andy Roddick failure (this time in the finals at Indian Wells) and some of the Tiger Woods interviews. It all left me wanting some more quality Sunday night television. Like, isn’t it about time this gal got a new show…

5. Inside Lacrosse’s Tommy Kehoe says hat tricks from Christian Pastirik, Matt Hughes not enough as Towson fell to Virginia at Unitas Stadium

Clearly, this lacrosse season is starting to shape up as a small group of “haves” (Virginia, Syracuse, North Carolina, Maryland, maybe Princeton, Cornell and Hofstra as well) and a big group of “have nots.”

A shakeup in my “OldLineLax7″ Poll….

1-Maryland
2-Loyola
3-Johns Hopkins
4-Navy
5-Towson
6-Mt. St. Mary’s
7-UMBC

If you would have told me the Mountaineers would have had more wins than either the Retrievers or the Tigers at this point, I would have said you were INSANE. Of course, they have played an easier schedule.

6. Maryland Official Site says Terps women topped East Carolina, advanced to third round of WNIT

So….yay!

Next up for Brenda Frese’s team is a Thursday night matchup against the Old Dominion/Providence winner at Comcast Center.

So….yay!

(Edit from GMC: I’d like to be excited about this. I really would. And for the record, I’m rooting for them. I’m also rooting for Syracuse, because…well….I could use the cash.)

7. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki says Kevin Millwood solid as Birds topped Phillies in Clearwater

Which means that between the Orioles’ Top 2 pitchers in the rotation, 1 has had a good start during Spring Training.

One good start.

(Edit from GMC: I’m really not freaking about Kevin Millwood’s struggles during Grapefruit League play. I’m MUCH more concerned about Jeremy Guthrie’s struggles. He DOESN’T have the track record. I’m also MUCH more concerned about figuring out how a girl like the one pictured below could be from Philly…)

8. The Sun’s Peter Schmuck and Dan Connolly say Brian Roberts had ‘no problem’ taking swings from left or right side of plate

Please, please spare me the “switch hitter” jokes. Mostly because I’ve already thought of ALL of them.

I’m sure it goes without saying that the O’s are MUCH better off if B-Rob is in the lineup 2 weeks from tomorrow night at Tropicana Field. But….I’ll say it anyway, because that’s why I’m paid the big bucks.

That and because I was once again crowned the king of duckpin bowling Saturday night at Stoneleigh Lanes. I took 2 out of 3 games from Nestor Aparicio spawn Barry Aparicio…and he’s from Dundalk!

He wanted me to remind everyone that he actually posted the highest score of the night in the 3rd game. I reminded him that doing that is sort of like having a gal tell you that she thinks you look like Jack Black…..

I mean….it’s better than being told you like Ray Bachman….

9. Examiner Jay Trucker says Orioles sent Caleb Joseph, Blake Davis, Luis Bernardo, Miguel Abreu, Matt Angle, Michel Hernandez to minor league camp

And they’ll be missed.

It’s not REALLY all that bad going from Birds’ Spring Training in Sarasota to minor league Spring Training in Sarasota. I mean, other than the food. It’s sort of like going from Capital Grille…

to McDonald’s….

10. Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Ravens will learn whether they’re playing Monday Night Football opener/Thanksgiving night game, compensatory picks fate during annual NFL meetings in Orlando

No thanks to the trip to East Rutherford on Thanksgiving night. Yes please to a Monday Night Football game at M&T Bank Stadium to open the season.

That is all.

11. Baltimore Blast Official Site says regular season ended with 19-12 loss to KiXX in Philadelphia

Now the Blast open the playoffs Friday night in Monterrey-with Game 2 against La Raza next Monday in Charm City.

12. Fayetteville Observer says Baltimore Mariners roughed up Fayetteville Guard 59-0 at 1st Mariner Arena

It’s not that I’m NOT excited about Mariners football, I’m just MORE excited to find out if the Lingerie Football League team will be playing in the same building….

And finally, I leave you with this.

I won’t be able to watch Maryland anymore during CBS’ coverage of the NCAA Tournament, but I WILL be able to jam out to this Kevin Rudolf/Lil’ Wayne jam…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy9-c4MBzJI[/youtube]

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983….

-G

Happy Monday!

It’s a Happy Monday for me because-while my trip to Greensboro was disappointing (I know Georgia Tech is a tough team-but I did NOT expect a first round loss in the ACC Tournament), my trip to North Carolina was not.

First of all, kudos to WNST.net’s own Sam Angell-who directed me towards a place called Biscuitville. Much like many things in life, you don’t have to know you’ve been searching for something in order to find it….

I would also like to send a shout-out to a place called “The Cook-Out”, which was in the neighborhood of Elon University. How many freaking colleges are in that general area? And I’ll throw in a plug for Guilford Golden Ale….

…but I will not confirm nor deny that the current scrape on my nose has anything to do with trying to open a Guilford Golden Ale in my hotel room despite not having a bottle opener.

All rumors.

Let’s see what everyone has to say….

1. WNST.net’s Luke Jones says Terps get 4 seed, headed to Spokane to face Houston

The 4 is even higher than I thought they would get. I presumed there were a definite 5 after the loss to the Yellow Jackets.

That being said, there’s no doubt in my mind that they would GLADLY trade spots with a team like Notre Dame just to get out of the INSANE Midwest region.

Talk about a gauntlet…

Kansas. Ohio State. Georgetown. Maryland. Michigan State. Tennessee. Oklahoma State. UNLV. Northern Iowa. Georgia Tech.

I feel like taking a page from Seth Meyers and Jerry Seinfeld and saying “REALLY?”

For as much of a sting as it is for Maryland, it is clearly much MORE of a sting for the Jayhawks-as the best team in the NCAA Tournament deserves better. Much better in fact.

That being said, this is the NCAA Tournament. Nothing is easy. I never thought Maryland was a Final Four team myself, but I think getting back to the Sweet 16 is an important measure for this team, and that won’t be easy with the Spartans potentially looming in Round 2.

2. The Sun’s Ken Murray says Morgan State got 15 seed, headed to Buffalo to face West Virginia

Todd Bozeman’s club certainly deserved to not be doomed to a Number 16 seed. We talked to Reggie Holmes last night on our “Selection Sunday” special on AM1570 WNST; and we pointed out that there is something-mentally-to be said about going into a game like this knowing that you only have to win a game-not rewrite history.

I know there is a history of #15 seeded MEAC teams beating #2 seeds (Coppin State over South Carolina, Hampton over Iowa State); and there MIGHT be an argument that the ‘Eers are similar to South Carolina or Iowa State-as those were teams with great guards but not a whole lot of size (Iowa State had lost Marcus Fizer a season earlier).

That being said, this WVU team has HORSES. De’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks aren’t JUST good combo forwards. They’re absolute thoroughbreds. They control the offense and they’re 6’8″ and 6’7″ respectively.

There’s nothing the Bears can do to answer that, even if Kevin Thompson has some success inside.

3. CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd says Terrapins ‘dark horse’ candidate to reach Final Four from Midwest bracket

I guess.

I’ve never thought Maryland was a Final Four team myself-although I heard a few national analysts who were at the ACC Tournament tell me they were starting to think they might be.

If the Terps are going to be that “dark horse”, they’ll have to regain the emotional edge that CLEARLY was gone Friday night against the Jackets.

If they show up flat-they’ll struggle against Houston, and they’ll have no chance against Tom Izzo’s club.

If they show up with a chip on their shoulder, they’re capable of winning a lot of games.

But it will be hard to use the crowd at the Spokane Arena to try to create an edge.

4. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Gary Williams-Tom Penders provide intriguing coaching matchup

It is rare to get a 1st round matchup of coaches with 600+ wins. What makes this particular matchup special is the fact that you have two 600+ win coaches who have a history together.

Gary Williams is 2-1 all-time against Penders (he’s also 2-1 against Izzo for the record); splitting two meetings with George Washington in the BB&T Classic, and topping Texas in the 1995 NCAA Tournament.

And before we move on from the Maryland-Houston matchup, let me point out that there are two things I DO like about Houston. One-their city is the home of this person….

AND….It is hard for me to have that much venom towards a team called the Cougars…

5. Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Selection Sunday was more ‘relaxed’ at Comcast Center this year than last year

And of course it should have been.

That being said, as there was less tension, there was also less jubilation in College Park-as no one was overly thrilled with having to take a trip to Spokane. Eric Hayes mentioned that last night when he joined our “Selection Sunday” special on AM1570.

It’s not just because Spokane is kind of a lame city-it’s because asking family, friends and fans to try to travel from Baltimore, Washington or other points in the area to Spokane is very difficult.

I’ve never understood why the NCAA continues to deliver events to places like Spokane, Boise and Buffalo. The HSBC Arena in Buffalo got Tournament games back this year after hosting them just 3 years ago!

These cities make places like Detroit and Cleveland appear downright appealing!!!

6. The Daily Athenaeum’s Brian Gawthrop says Mountaineers ‘disappointed’ to get #2 seed, opener against Morgan

And after winning the Big East Tournament, they probably deserved a #1 seed. That being said, they’re not in a TERRIBLE bracket, as I think Kentucky is just as vulnerable as Duke amongst the top seeds. When your team is lead by freshmen (as the Wildcats are), there is a chance you might well lose early.

And no matter what happens Friday in Buffalo, there are DEFINITE areas where Charm City > West Virginia….

7. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Brian Matusz went 5 innings as Orioles beat Phillies Sunday

Which is a GREAT sign, as he became the first O’s pitcher to work through the 4th inning in Grapefruit League play.

That being said, they need to be seeing 5 innings from other pitchers now as we’re about halfway through Spring Training. But if this is a sign that Brian Matusz is ready to REALLY pitch come Opening Day, that’s a MAJOR plus for the Orioles.

8. Carroll County Times’ Rich Dubroff says Brian Roberts headed back to Baltimore to see back specialist

We KNEW this was a bigger situation than Dave Trembley and the Orioles wanted to let us know.

What do the Orioles do now? Stacey Long from Camden Chat threw out Mark Loretta during her visit with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Comcast Morning Show” on AM1570. That name makes sense, as he is a player that could be acquired without having to give anything up anything. Mark Loretta could wear Orange & Black until B-Rob was healthy again, and then make a decision about what to do with Loretta.

My suggestion was this guy…..

9. The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says ‘crawling to Cleveland’ probably no longer an option for Troy Smith

Has any team ever made it more clear that they WEREN’T interested in a player than the Browns have with Troy Smith?

“Troy wants to come to Baltimore, huh? Let’s go get Seneca Wallace. AND let’s go get Jake Delhomme. Is Craig Krenzel available?”

I’m still surprised the Cardinals haven’t made a move to acquire some QB depth. Not that I think Troy Smith would necessarily be any sort of answer, but I do know that there are a bunch of Ohio State fans in the Phoenix area. It would likely be a popular move.

10. Maryland Official Site previews matinee lacrosse battle with Penn today at Ludwig Field

Dave Cottle’s squad is off to a great start this season, and certainly should continue today against the Quakers-even if the game comes during Spring Break.

Here’s this week’s “OldLineLax7″ Poll….

1-Maryland
2-Johns Hopkins
3-Loyola
4-Navy
5-UMBC
6-Mt. St. Mary’s
7-Towson

Hopkins is fortunate that everyone else lost….

11. Daily Racing Form’s Marcus Hersh says Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra won’t face Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Zenyatta at Apple Blossom Invitational

Which means that horse racing’s one shot at relevance outside of Triple Crown season is now gone.

In the meantime, enjoy pictures of Rachel Hunter….

12. WNST.net says Baltimore Mariners topped New Jersey Revolution at 1st Mariner Arena

I heard some reports that before the game, there was plenty of fist pumping in the New Jersey locker room…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UfYtmzCJGY[/youtube]

And finally, I leave you with this.

I love Steve Francis. He had a HELL of a year for Gary Williams, even if the Terps lost to St. John’s in the Sweet 16. BUT….clearly his lack of playing time in Orlando is effecting his sideline demeanor…. (Thanks Deadspin!)

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983….

-G

Welcome to the 2010 version of “Crabs and Beer.” Instead of the tedious process of linking EVERY.SINGLE.LOCAL.SPORTS.RELATED.STORY.IN.THE.WORLD., I will now focus on the most important “Bullet Points” of the day, commenting on them individually. It will mean more of me-which I think we can all agree is the best possible thing. Most days, I will bullet point 10 items-while on Mondays I will probably bullet point 15 items to recap the entire weekend. Here we go……

1. The AP’s Josh Dubow says Ravens clinched AFC Wild Card with win in Oakland

As I said yesterday here at WNST.net, it is a significant accomplishment to reach to the playoffs, an even more significant accomplishment to reach the playoffs for 2 straight seasons. Steve Bisciotti, Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh can all breathe a bit easier today, as the critics who have said “that’s nice, but let me see them do it consistently” can no longer point out that the Ravens haven’t reached the playoffs in back to back seasons since 2000 & 20001. They’re in, and it is a major statement.

2. NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora says Ravens will look for first ever win over New England in AFC Wild Card round

Obviously, everyone inside the building at 1 Winning Drive was hoping for a trip to Cincinnati instead of a trip to Foxborough-and for good reason. The Ravens are 0-5 all time against the Pats, including a 27-21 loss earlier this season at Gillette Stadium that Mark Clayton would rather forget. I’m well aware of Tom Brady’s 3 broken ribs and broken finger, but I’m also well aware that he’s REALLY good in January. Like, historically good. Like, 3 Super Bowl rings good. Like, 4 AFC Championships good. The only good news is that the game is at 1pm on Sunday, which EVERYONE in Owings Mills prefers. It also means the game will be back on CBS with Jim Nantz and Phil Simms on the call, so Drew Forrester needs to put his pants back on.

3. The Official Site’s Ryan Mink says Willis McGahee put Ravens on back for 3 TD’s in win

My buddy Bill Romanowski is a Raiders postgame analyst for Comcast SportsNet in San Francisco. I think he said it best on Facebook yesterday….

“Hiram Eugene just got bitch slapped on a 77 yd run by McGahee.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrs8ppgpbNo[/youtube]

It was a hell of an effort from Willis yesterday. There’s NO argument that he should be the starter over a Pro Bowl back like Ray Rice, and there’s little validity that he should be getting more playing time. But it’s nice to know that there is a quality NFL running back to go in when Ray Rice comes off the field.

4. Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Dannell Ellerbe “outstanding” with INT, fumble recovery in win

With no offense to JaMarcus Russell-the moment I saw Charlie Frye was going to be forced out of the game, my initial thought was “this one’s over.” JaMarcus Russell is just terrible, and obviously Dannell played the best game of his very short career here in Baltimore. Here’s a question for you-which was the better performance Sunday: Dannell Ellerbe or Charlie Daniels in the GEICO commercial???

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aZLw_KBdqc[/youtube]

Of course, the Ed “Too Tall” Jones one isn’t too bad, either…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEw87yeExZQ[/youtube]

5. The Sun’s Mike Preston says Ravens won despite fact that Flacco “looked lost” on field

It was NOT his best performance. But as Preston also accurately pointed out, at least he didn’t turn the ball over. 102 passing yards won’t beat the Patriots next Sunday, that much I can say with assurance. It was a rather pedestrian performance if not poor, and has become all too common during the second season of the “Joe Cool” era. The play where he ran past the line of scrimmage and STILL overthrew Ray Rice was pretty bad. But with all of that being said, Joe Flacco will be leading a team into the playoffs for the 2nd time in his 2 year career-which is twice more than Kyle Boller…..

6. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Terps blew out UNC-Greensboro in ACC Tournament preview trip

The only thing that really came from this win was the fact that the Terps were able to look at Greensboro Coliseum before they return in March. Greivis Vasquez and Landon Milbourne were outstanding, but they should have been-the Spartans stink. Maryland has a week off now to prepare for their ACC opener Sunday night against Florida State in College Park, and they will have to improve their play against better teams. They finish the bulk of their non-conference schedule 9-4, with the only win of note coming at Indiana-you know, the same Indiana that lost to Loyola. Ugh.

We do know that it is a MUCH nicer morning in College Park than it is for ACC for NC State, where the name Chandler Parsons will forever be remembered as a dirty word in Raleigh…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CE6x1GdfLY[/youtube]

7. Bob Haynie says Terps got better news Saturday than they did earlier in the week with commitment from Pe’Shon Howard

Does it make up for the loss of Terrence Ross? No, probably not. But certainly Pe’Shon Howard is a regarded talent out of Oak Hill Academy who would have been much more desired if not for his 6’2″ frame. He’s a natural point guard with the ability to play the 2 if necessary, although I’d be a bit worried he could be out-matched size-wise by a number of guards in the ACC. As I mentioned Saturday night (if you follow us on Twitter), the Terps will have 2 point guards in this class (Tucson’s Terrell Stoglin is the other), which has mostly worked with Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez.

The Sun’s Matt Bracken tracked down some Pe’Shon Howard highlights if you’d like to take a look.

8. Drew Forrester says Peter Angelos joined with Blow Horn Equity’s Jeff Seder in hopes to win Pimlico, Laurel auction

PLEASE.DEAR.GOD.NO.

How can on our ongoing civic nightmare get worse?!?!?

Look, I still think that in the end-it will either be David Cordish or the Penn National group that wins this auction, as the tracks are just MORE VALUABLE to someone who owns a slots license than they are to someone who doesn’t. But Peter Angelos won’t be short on cash (check your Comcast or DirecTV statement to see the money he’s scraping so you can watch the Orioles on MASN), and clearly wants in. Friday is going to be a VERY interesting day.

9. Philadelphia Daily News says former Oriole Danys Baez spent weekend moving boxes up I-95 after signing with Phillies

No word on whether or not he’ll just leave the “S” in his name here in Charm City.

Look, Danys was not particularly good for the Birds last season, but they DEFINITELY could have had worse. For example, they could have had this guy…..

10. Corey Johns says UMBC opened America East play Saturday with loss at Vermont

Very clearly, Mike Lonergan’s Catamounts are an outstanding team and they are going to beat a LOT of teams at home-but the Retrievers are going to have to start winning games soon if they’re going to turn things around at all this season. It’s not as if they don’t have good players-Chauncey Gilliam and Chris De La Rosa are both very good, and Robbie Jackson should be able to overcome what he might not have in talent with his overwhelming size. But they have to figure out how to win. A visit from winless Penn Wednesday night will hopefully provide an elixir.

11. Towson Official Site says Tigers dropped CAA battle at Georgia State Saturday night

The impressive thing about Saturday night’s game was that the Tigers rallied from down 15 to get back into the game in Atlanta. The unimpressive thing about Saturday night’s game was that Pat Kennedy’s team couldn’t keep it going down the stretch. The Tigers shot just 34% from the field, and no Tiger scored more than Josh Thornton’s 14. The Tigers get a chance to wipe the taste of that loss away quickly with tonight’s tussle with Old Dominion at the Towson Center.

12. The AP says Loyola got 1st MAAC victory of season Saturday over Rider

This is a VERY good win for the Greyhounds. The mark of a program that is establishing itself as a team to beat is that they beat the other good conference teams at home. Jimmy Patsos’ Hounds made a statement by beating the Hoosiers, but games against Rider (and tonight’s opponent Siena) at Reitz Arena are MUCH more important in the long run. If they can finish the sweep tonight, they’ll be in a good place to make a conference run.

13. Maryland Official Site says Terrapins Women wrapped non-conference schedule with win over St. Joseph’s

The Terps finish their non-conference schedule 12-2 with no particularly impressive wins (only Minnesota could even be considered) and 2 arguably bad losses (the loss at Mississippi State is “bad” because it came by 29 points, the loss at Towson is forgivable, but still bad). Certainly the development of Diandra Tchatchouang (25 points Sunday) has been nice for Brenda Frese’s club.

14. Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski details gun fun Washington Wizards are having

OH.MY.GOD.THIS.STORY.IS.AMAZING.

This isn’t technically “local” in my book, but I would occasionally mix in something about the Capitals-so I’ll give the same courtesy to the Wiz, especially considering the surreal nature of this story.

Thanks to Gilbert Arenas for making my “most overrated athlete of the decade” pick look better by the moment…..

15. Morgan State Official Site previews tonight’s trip to Robert Morris

Not much to accomplish here, but I feel bad for Todd Bozeman’s crew for having to make a trip to Pittsburgh this time of year…..or any time of year. Also, please to be checking this out.

I leave you with this……Kanye West doing “Heartless” on his Vh1 Storytellers show. The show is out on CD tomorrow. Spoiler alert: It’s really good.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz89AELIocE[/youtube]

Talk to you tomorrow.

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…..

-G

It was one helluva day to be a #1 starter in the big leagues. Three staff “Aces” are changing addresses and uniforms. Nothing creates a stir like a blockbuster trade and the Roy Halladay-Cliff Lee deal is no exception. It took 5 months, a World Series appearance, and the firing of JP Ricciardi but the Phillies finally got their man, Roy Halladay. In the rumored deal Halladay will go to the Phillies, Playoff hero Cliff Lee will head to Seattle and a slew of prospects will go to Toronto.

It may seem odd that the Phils are dealing Lee just a few months after acquiring him from Cleveland, but upon further review the deal makes a lot of sense for Philadelphia. Lee and Halladay are both free agents after the 2010 season. The difference is that Lee is apparently intent on testing the free agent waters while Halladay wants to play for a contender and will sign an extension. Rumor has it that Halladay will sign a 3 year extension with Philadelphia locking him up thru the 2013 season. Seattle will have Lee for just one season as they’ll need considerable funds to sign King Felix to a long term extension.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. comes out smelling like a rose. He drove a hard bargain with former Toronto GM JP Ricciardi by refusing to deal his best prospects for Halladay back in July, instead settling on a deal for Lee that included lesser regarded youngsters. Now he turns around and deals Lee for Halladay and has Doc locked up for 3 years. Christmas has come early for Phillies fans.

Santa also paid a visit to Fenway Park, but not before dropping a big bag of money down John Lackey’s chimney. The Red Sox answered the Yankees’ Granderson deal with the Lackey signing. Lackey does a couple of things for the Red Sox: 1) He closes the gap with the Yankees and provides insurance for Josh Beckett who is a free agent after the season. 2) His departure weakens the perennial contender Angels. 3) He frees up a young pitcher (re: Clay Buchholz) to be included in a deal for a big bat like Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres.

Wednesday   March 3   Tampa Bay Rays   Sarasota    1:05
Thursday   March 4    Tampa Bay Rays    Charlotte County    1:05
Friday  March 5   Pittsburgh Pirates    Sarasota       7:05
Saturday   March 6   Detroit Tigers   Lakeland    1:05
Sunday   March 7    Boston Red Sox   Sarasota    1:05
Monday   March 8    Minnesota Twins    Sarasota     1:05
Tuesday  March 9    Tampa Bay Rays   Sarasota    1:05
Wednesday  March 10   Pittsburgh Pirates  Bradenton   7:05
Thursday  March 11    Minnesota Twins   Lee County   7:05
Friday  March 12   Florida Marlins   Sarasota    1:05
Saturday  March 13  New York Yankees   Tampa   1:05
Sunday  March 14   Philadelphia Phillies   Sarasota   1:05
Monday  March 15   Boston Red Sox    Fort Myers   1:05
Tuesday  March 16   Minnesota Twins   Lee County   1:05
Wednesday  March 17   Toronto Blue Jays    Sarasota   1:05
Thursday  March 18  Toronto Blue Jays   Dunedin     1:05
Friday  March 19  Philadelphia Phillies   Clearwater   7:05
Saturday  March 20  Pittsburgh Pirates (SS)   Sarasota    1:05
                                           Boston Red Sox (SS)   Fort Myers    1:05
Sunday  March 21    Philadelphia Phillies     Clearwater    1:05
Monday  March 22    off day
Tuesday  March 23   Florida Marlins    Jupiter    1:05
Wednesday  March 24    St. Louis Cardinals   Jupiter    1:05
Thursday  March 25   New York Yankees    Sarasota    1:05
Friday  March 26  Minnesota Twins    Sarasota    7:05
Saturday  March 27   Boston Red Sox   Sarasota    1:05
Sunday  March 28   Toronto Blue Jays    Dunedin   1:05
Monday  March 29   New York Yankees   Sarasota   7:05
Tuesday  March 30   Detroit Tigers   Sarasota   1:05
Wednesday  March 31  Boston Red Sox   Sarasota   1:05
Thursday  April 1  Tampa Bay Rays   Charlotte County  1:05
Friday  April 2   New York Yankees   Tampa   1:05
Saturday  April 3   New York Mets   Sarasota   1:05

-G

Just when you thought you heard every story, here comes one that’s fascinating.

A Philadelphia woman put an ad on “Craiglist” under: Tickets Wanted.

She said in the ad she was willing to “get creative.” She made an appointment with a sting officer and got arrested. The charge: “soliciting prostitution.” She says she never offered sex for the tickets.

Here’s a link to a video interview with her.

Crazy story. And one that there are clearly two very different sides.

Baseball makes people crazy, huh?

Of course, here in Baltimore nothing like this would ever happen. Because we’ll never see the World Series again.

7:53-Injury Report:

Ravens:
LB Tavares Gooden-DID NOT PARTICIPATE-Head
S Ed Reed-DID NOT PARTICIPATE-Illness
QB Joe Flacco-FULL-Ankle
OT Jared Gaither-FULL-Neck
LB Jarret Johnson-FULL-Shoulder
WR/ST David Tyree-FULL-Hamstring

Broncos:
DL Ronald Fields-DID NOT PARTICIPATE-Hamstring
S Brian Dawkins-LIMITED-Hamstring
LB Spencer Larsen-FULL-Shoulder

2:13-Don’t forget about “Billick 101″ tonight at Mother’s in Federal Hill. This is your chance to have a Super Bowl winning head coach teach you the X’s and O’s of football. You can just come out and ask Brian ANYTHING about the game.

2:03-Josh McDaniels is joining us for a conference call now. Here are some highlights:

-Pass rush has improved thanks to outstanding coverage defensively.
-Appreciates play of Champ Bailey, who he says is a “tremendous worker” and cares a great deal about winning
-Brandon Marshall “practicing hard”, “big part of our success.” He thinks Marshall situation “taken out of context” over summer.
-Says he took his name out of running for Ravens head coaching position 2 years ago (after Billick fired) because Patriots were in the midst of a perfect season and he needed to be more prepared to be a head coach.
-Broncos have succeeded in 2nd half because they are “smart, resilient football team.”
-Flacco a “smart football player”, “extremely tough”
-Brian Dawkins brings “incredible” energy and spirit to team. He practices “as hard or harder than everyone else.”
-Mike Nolan is an “excellent coach” who “calls games aggressively” on gameday.

2:00-In a humorous moment today, Ray Rice channeled “Wedding Crashers” in saying he knew that Maryland is all about “Crabcakes and Football”, but admitted that he was allergic to shellfish, so he had to stick with “salmon and football.”

1:58-Ravens DT Brandon McKinney will join Drew Forrester (swine flu pending!) tomorrow morning on The Comcast Morning Show on AM1570 WNST and WNST.net.

1:44-John Harbaugh:

-Ravens “always have a special sense of urgency”, no more this week because of 3 game losing streak. Game has “same importance” as other games.
-Brian Dawkins is a “Hall of Famer”, Champ Bailey is “absolutely” still a shut down corner
-Ravens’ pass protection “good……but it needs to get better.”
-Broncos’ pass rushers “beat blocks 1 on 1.”
-”Veteran players” have helped Broncos defensively, along with Mike Nolan’s “complex scheme.”
-As Lardarius Webb “continues to grow”, he’ll see playing field more.
-Elvis Dumervil is more similar to Steelers’ James Harrison than Vikings’ Jared Allen.
-Ravens “need to do everything better” defensively

1:42-Jared Gaither again told us that his neck was fine; and was out on the practice field. For the record, he WAS practicing at LT, and has been expected to re-claim the position with Michael Oher moving back to RT.

1:32-Derrick Mason:

-”We understand what’s at stake” Sunday against Denver
-”You can’t teach” toughness like Flacco’s
-Champ Bailey “is the best” Cornerback in the NFL
-To beat Bailey, you have to “go out there and play hard.”
-Offense is “like a thermostat”….they’ve been starting games set at 65 or 70 and then turning up; but they “need to start at 100.”

1:22-Elvis Dumervil is joining us for a conference call. Here are the highlights:

-Pass rush is better because they are “working together.”
-Mike Nolan and Josh McDaniels have done “tremendous job”; Nolan “simplified things” defensively
-Says Flacco “big, strong kid with strong arm.”
-He says he goes “all out” in pursuit of quarterback
-Expects Ravens to have “great week of preparation” after 3 straight losses
-”Conditioning” has allowed Broncos to be great 2nd half team

1:17-Joe Flacco:

-Broncos are “capable of making you feel uncomfortable” with their pass rush
-Broncos defense is “most similar” to Ravens’ own defense
-Offensively “we’ve evolved as a group.”
-Flacco also pointed out that he’s be rooting for his hometown Phillies in the World Series, and thought Cole Hamels was a key to the series.

1:13-Todd Heap:

-Brian Dawkins is a “definite leader:, “brings passion”, and has been “playing all over the field” this season.
-Broncos defense will be a “huge challenge”
-Said he recognized some of what the Broncos do defensively because of the time (Broncos DC) Mike Nolan spent in Baltimore
-Ravens “DO need to start better” offensively in games
-Team used bye week to “take stock of where (they) are”

1:08-Some thoughts from around the locker room today:

Ray Rice:
-He was asked if he is underestimated due to his size, and quickly responded “not anymore.”
-He said that in his 2nd NFL season, he can now “read a defense”, “read a coverage.”
-After making an appearance this weekend at “Shogun Fights” at 1st Mariner Arena and receiving a standing ovation in the cage, Rice commented that the experience in Baltimore has been “everything I’ve dreamed of.”

1:02-Hear from the following NOW in the Audio Vault at WNST.net:

Coach John Harbaugh
QB Joe Flacco
RB Ray Rice
WR Derrick Mason
TE Todd Heap
OT Jared Gaither
LB Ray Lewis
CB Domonique Foxworth

11:10-Greetings from 1 Winning Drive, where the Ravens are gearing up for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium. The great news for the Ravens is that everyone is practicing right now, meaning a healthy roster can be expected for Sunday’s game. John Harbaugh told us Monday that Joe Flacco looked “great” recovering from a swollen ankle. Jared Gaither said a week ago that he was ready to come back from his neck injury, and there is no doubt the time off was beneficial for Haloti Ngata and Jarret Johnson in recovering from their back and shoulder injuries respectively.

We are scheduled to hear from Harbs, Flacco, Ray Lewis, Derrick Mason and a number of other players today. Josh McDaniels and Elvis Dumervil are scheduled for conference calls with the Baltimore media. I’ll be back shortly with more.

-G

4:19-One more thing John Harbaugh mentioned today was regarding the practice schedule. Coach told us that the team was planning on practicing this week regardless of what might have happened over the last few weeks. In fact, the team originally planned on practicing tomorrow as well, but they decided against that to allow the players on the team to rest and get healthy.

Could help but see a noticeable limp from Willis McGahee today, and Todd Heap icing his upper arm. Clearly there are guys on the team beyond Jared Gaither, Jarret Johnson and Haloti Ngata who can use the time off health-wise.

1:51-Hear from John Harbaugh and Joe Flacco NOW in the Audio Vault at WNST.net!

1:45-Coach Harbaugh used the last part of his final press gathering of the week to publicly defend Michael Oher-who was criticized Monday by Jared Allen for comments he made after the loss to Minnesota.

Harbs described Oher as “a great kid” who has “tremendous respect” for Jared Allen and the other NFL players he’s gone up against. He believes Michael is just proud to have “held his own” thus far in his NFL career.

Harbaugh made these comments without being questioned about the topic.

1:24-John Harbaugh told us that Joe Flacco hadn’t practiced the last two days due to the ankle injury he suffered Sunday in the loss to the Vikings. Harbaugh said Joe would be good to return to practice on Monday in preparation for the game against the Broncos.

We caught up with Joe before he left the locker room today, and he said his ankle felt “great” today when he was doing dropbacks, and said he would have been playing Sunday if the Ravens had a game (he actually said he could have played today if they had a game).

Joe explained that the injury happened in the 1st quarter-Jared Allen stepped on his left foot, which threw his step off and caused him to “roll” his right ankle. Neither he nor Coach Harbs appeared concerned about the injury.

For the record, Joe is attending Game 5 of the NLCS tonight in Philadelphia. He confirmed he would be rooting for the Phillies.

12:12-Greetings from 1 Winning Drive, where the Ravens are out on the practice field for the final time before having the next 4 days off due to the bye week. A number of players mentioned yesterday that they were most concerned about staying in shape during the time off; as they recognize the fact that their families will probably try to make them food. For the Ravens’ 1st and 2nd year players (including Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, Michael Oher, etc.), this is their first ever NFL bye week-as they lost theirs last year due to the Hurricane in Houston.

The only real storyline is the lack of activity before the trade deadline from Ozzie Newsome and company, but we expected that. John Harbaugh is scheduled to talk at 12:30, and hopefully we will catch a few players before they take off for the long weekend.

-G