The Baltimore Orioles are now two games into the second half of the 2011 season. On Wednesday’s edition of “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST, Drew Forrester and I gave our grades for Orioles players during the first half of the season.

CATCHERS:

Matt Wieters-Glenn Clark B+, Drew Forrester B
Jake Fox-Glenn D, Drew D
Craig Tatum-Glenn C-, Drew B

INFIELDERS:

Derrek Lee-Glenn D+, Drew D
Brian Roberts-Glenn D, Drew D
JJ Hardy-Glenn A-, Drew A
Mark Reynolds-Glenn B-, Drew C-
Robert Andino-Glenn C+, Drew C
Blake Davis-Glenn C, Drew B-
Cesar Izturis-Glenn D, Drew D
Ryan Adams-Glenn C, Drew D
Brandon Snyder-Glenn C-, Drew C-

OUTFIELDERS/DESIGNATED HITTERS:

Luke Scott-Glenn D, Drew D
Adam Jones-Glenn B-, Drew B+
Nick Markakis-Glenn B-, Drew C-
Nolan Reimold-Glenn C+, Drew C-
Felix Pie-Glenn F, Drew D-
Vladimir Guerrero-Glenn D+, Drew D+

STARTING PITCHERS:

Jeremy Guthrie-Glenn C+, Drew C+
Jake Arrieta-Glenn B-, Drew C
Zach Britton-Glenn B, Drew B
Brian Matusz-Glenn D, Drew F
Chris Tillman-Glenn D, Drew D
Brad Bergesen-Glenn D+, Drew C-
Chris Jakubauskas-Glenn C-, Drew D

RELIEF PITCHERS:

Koji Uehara-Glenn B, Drew B+
Jim Johnson-Glenn B+, Drew B-
Pedro Viola-Glenn C, Drew C
Kevin Gregg-Glenn C-, Drew C+
Alfredo Simon-Glenn C-, Drew C-
Jeremy Accardo-Glenn D, Drew D
Mike Gonzalez-Glenn D, Drew D
Josh Rupe-Glenn D, Drew D
Jason Berken-Glenn C, Drew C-
Clay Rapada-Glenn D-, Drew B-
Troy Patton-Glenn D, Drew F

MANAGER:

Buck Showalter-Glenn C-, Drew B+

If you missed the breakdown of our midseason grades on Wednesday’s edition of “The Morning Reaction”, hit the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault at WNST.net!

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

When it rains, it pours.

Only it has nothing to do with the day-long rain that postponed the Orioles’ series opener against the Texas Rangers on Friday night.

There’s another name to add to the Orioles’ ever-growing infirmary report with the startling news of Brian Roberts being taken to a local hospital because of stomach pains. Roberts would have been the second starting infielder in as many days — the other being J.J. Hardy due to a ribcage injury on Thursday — to become a late scratch had the weather not forced a cancellation in what was supposed to be rookie Zach Britton’s home debut.

Roberts’ status for Saturday’s straight doubleheader is unknown, and Hardy was not going to be in the lineup for the second straight night Friday. Both Hardy and manager Buck Showalter said the shortstop’s status is day-to-day, and a trip to the 15-day disabled list does not appear to be necessary, but it’s hard to feel encouraged about anything given the recent chain of events in Baltimore.

If Roberts and Hardy are unavailable, the Orioles would be forced to go with the double-play combination of Robert Andino and Cesar Izturis.

This comes immediately after the return of left fielder Luke Scott who missed three games this week after going down with a groin injury last Saturday in Tampa Bay.

Roberts with stomach pain? Jeremy Guthrie with pneumonia? Brian Matusz going on the disabled list before even throwing a pitch in the 2011 season?

What’s next? Showalter tripping on the dugout steps making a pitching change?

The positive vibes of a 5-1 start only go so far before taking a look at the current state of the roster.

With Britton pitching the first game Saturday against Colby Lewis and Jake Arrieta taking the hill against Matt Harrison in the nightcap, the Orioles are desperately looking for two deep outings to save a tired bullpen that managed to receive a night off due to the rain. A heavy workload in the twin bill would place the bullpen in an even more vulnerable position than it was entering Friday. Troy Patton has been put on alert for a promotion, but the left-hander isn’t eligible to be recalled until Sunday due to the rule forbidding players on the 40-man roster to be recalled until 10 days into the regular season.

To further complicate the pitching situation, Guthrie’s status remains up in the air after he threw a successful bullpen session Friday. It’s unknown whether he’ll make his start Sunday as he continues to regain stamina after being hospitalized earlier this week.

If Guthrie is unable to go, the Orioles will likely turn to Norfolk pitcher Chris Jakubauskas to take the hill in his place. Who he replaces on the 25-man roster is anyone’s guess.

What a mess.

And with the powerful Texas lineup getting an extra night’s rest in rainy Baltimore Friday night, things could get ugly very quickly this weekend against the 6-0 Rangers.

Hold on tight.

Happy Wednesday!

It’s a Happy Wednesday for me because I get to name two new “Greatest Song(s) of All Time This Week.” There’s few things I enjoy this much in the world.

The Retro version? This is too easy. We went drunkpin bowling for my birthday Saturday night, and “Mo Money Mo Problems” nearly got me thrown out. Absolutely the greatest hip hop song of all time…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twkh0YiInPM[/youtube]

Here’s the NEW version of the GSOATTW…Lil’ Wayne & Drake…Language probably not safe for work…

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

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. WNST.net’s Glenn Clark says new Ravens WR Houshmandzadeh ‘entertaining’ during introductory press conference in Owings Mills

Just go ahead and say it. “Championship”…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs1N5NYyb24[/youtube]

TJ Houshmandzadeh was plenty entertaining at 1 Winning Drive Tuesday-whether it was saying Cincinnati Bengals coaches were “nervous” before facing the Baltimore Ravens or saying his departure from Seattle had “nothing to do with football.” He was intelligent and engaging, and made a press conference interesting.

Unfortunately, an impressive press conference doesn’t count for any wins in the AFC North standings. What happens on the field will matter MUCH more than anything that happens in any press conference.

Unless of course something like one of these happens at a Ravens press conference this season. That WOULD be newsworthy…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRBfZna8QlA[/youtube]

2. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Mike Duffy says LB Sergio Kindle believes he’ll be able to return this season

If the Ravens don’t get Sergio Kindle back this season, the decision to trade Antwan Barnes to Philadelphia looks more and more foolish to me.

I have a bad feeling that pass rush will be an area of concern within a month or so of the start of the season. Bringing in Josh Wilson improves the secondary, but the secondary will only be as good as the pass rush will allow it to be.

Terrell Suggs and Trevor Pryce are the most important puzzle pieces, but the team will need to be able to get a rush from elsewhere. The number of injuries the team could help Paul Kruger or Edgar Jones be active against the Jets Monday night, and if so they’ll need to show some ability to get to the quarterback to stay active.

I just feel like it’s going to be a concern. Getting Kindle back between Week 6 and Week 9 could help that.

3. National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson says Ravens worked out former Atlanta Falcons, LSU CB Chevis Jackson Tuesday

Jackson wouldn’t be a player they’d be looking at for the active roster (which could have something to do with why he didn’t join the team Tuesday), but instead to join the practice squad after Prince Miller signed with the New England Patriots.

The real question is-if the Ravens are conducting tryouts, why wouldn’t they give Alyssa Pallett a look??? (Thanks, The Smoking Jacket!)

4. The Sun’s Tim Smith says Lyric Opera House to be renamed after former Ravens owner Art Modell and wife Pat Modell

I know nothing about opera and less about donating millions of dollars. With that being said, I think this is an awesome story shared between two Charm City institutions.

The first performance at the new Modell Center? A Ray Lewis/Old Spice musical extravaganza…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxqlw3cKZHA[/youtube]

5. Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer says Brian Baldinger, Steve Beuerlein, Ron Jaworski, Steve Largent, Joe Theismann, Marcellus Wiley amongst former NFL players who think Ravens will reach Super Bowl

A few things before we move on from the Ravens…

-As you already know, Jaworski will be part of the broadcast team Monday; as he, Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Suzy Kolber and Michelle Tafoya will have the call for ESPN from the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford.

-The Ravens return to the practice field today for a “bonus day” in Owings Mills. We’ll be out there live, and I’ll check back in with Thyrl Nelson at 12:30 on “The Mobtown Sports Beat” and Rex Snider at 4:30 on “The Afternoon Drive” to let you know what’s going on in Ravensland.

6. The AP’s Howie Rumberg says Orioles got to CC Sabathia early in win over New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium

Look-you don’t have to even bother asking if I watched last night. I played in my weekly Tuesday night Kickball/Ultimate Frisbee showdown in Bel Air, then I came home to watch Kim Clijsters and Rafael Nadal in Flushing Meadows.

And since I haven’t been watching the games, I will admit that I’m always skeptical when I check back to see the scores. I mean, the O’s can’t REALLY be on the verge of a sweep in The Bronx, can they? They couldn’t REALLY have beaten CC Sabathia last night thanks in part to a Nolan Reimold homer, could they?

There’s so much evidence that it almost HAS to be true, but I’ll continue to admit that I’m skeptical. Can you blame me?

7. The AP/WNST.net offer numerical evidence of win

So many good things to look at here:

-Jake Arrieta went 6 and a third last night, allowing just 2 earned runs on 8 hits. He walked 1 and struck out 3.
-Not only did Reimold homer, but Ty Wigginton went 2-4 with a double, run scored and RBI; Nick Markakis went 2-4 with a run scored and RBI; and Brian Roberts went 2-5 with a run scored.

So-as has become a new custom around here-I encourage you to ABSOLUTELY go look at the numbers, but then come back to check out Jodi Gordon courtesy of The Beer Goggler via Busted Coverage…

8. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Troy Patton, Pedro Viola called up; David Hernandez activated Tuesday

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

-The Birds and Yanks wrap their 3 game series this week with a matinee showdown at Yankee Stadium. Brad Bergesen takes the hill against Ivan Nova, first pitch is on MASN at 1:05pm.

-Did you miss Bowie Baysox manager Brad Komminsk wrapping up the season with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today here at WNST.net to check it out. Some other things you can find in the Audio Vault include…

• John Harper (New York Daily News)-who talked Orioles, Yankees and Buck Showalter with Drew Wednesday morning
• Justin Gimelstob (Tennis Channel)-who went around the U.S. Open with Drew Wednesday morning as well
• Lorenzo Neal (Former Ravens, Bengals FB)-who discussed his former teammate TJ Houshmandzadeh with Rex Snider Tuesday afternoon
• Bob Glauber (Newsday/ESPN First Take)-who discussed the New York Jets before the Monday Night Football showdown with Rex Tuesday afternoon
• Frankie Edgar (UFC Lightweight Champion)-who joined Thyrl Nelson and John Rallo on “The MMA Report” Tuesday
• The entire TJ Houshmandzadeh press conference (with an introduction from WR Coach Jim Hostler) from Owings Mills, and the entire Kevin Anderson press conference (with incoming school president Wallace Loh and acting president Nariman Farvardin) from College Park

It’s all in the Audio Vault, make sure you check it out today. Then you can send me a card. Or a fruit basket. I’d love a fruit basket.

9. The AP says new Maryland AD Kevin Anderson wants to take Terps from ‘good to great’

There’s no question that Debbie Yow left the Terrapins’ athletic program in very good shape-both on the field and economically.

That being said, the school would clearly like to see their “money” sports competing at a more consistent national level.

That’s where Kevin Anderson comes in.

There are two pieces in place now with Dr. Loh established as President and Anderson as Athletic Director.

Now everything shifts to the football program.

A win over Navy was nice, but Ralph Friedgen and James Franklin know exactly what they’re up against. The leadership of the school and the department will have to decide what they’re looking for, and whether the current head coach and/or the head coach in waiting can meet those expectations.

They might not be coaching for their jobs-but I don’t think it’s unfair to say they very well could be.

10. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Terrapins DT Joe Vellano, S Kenny Tate amongst ACC Players of the Week

Trust me, I asked-this type of honor is nice but does NOT earn you a date with Tal Berkovich. (Thanks Guyism!)

It really should though.

And finally, I leave you with this.

The Big Lebowski meets The Matrix. The Dude abides…

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

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Happy Thursday!

It’s a (semi) Happy Thursday for me, because the bad news is that Andy Roddick suffered his annual collapse last night at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows. My alcohol consumption during the match was at an all-time high. As soon as Tipsarevic went up 0-40 on A-Rod’s serve to close the 2nd I knew something bad was happening.

BUT…it isn’t all bad news. For example, if you happened to poke over to MASN2 last night, you might have seen something more awesome than even WWE can offer…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKZk88o4ppw[/youtube]

For the record, Gaby Sanchez’s clothesline > Edge’s spear.

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. The AP’s David Ginsburg says Orioles got to Jon Lester early, but Red Sox rallied to win at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

When the Orioles scored four runs in the first inning against Jon Lester, I thought to myself (and asked on via Twitter @WNST) if anyone had a weather report for hell. I was assuming freezing rain myself.

Sadly, Jon Lester turned back into Jon Lester at some point, and the Orioles bullpen that has been very good as of late turned back into the Orioles bullpen that wasn’t even a little bit good for stretches this season. Mark Hendrickson and Alfredo Simon were about as good as…Mark Hendrickson and Alfredo Simon.

(Edit from GMC: That’s not really fair. Mark Hendrickson was good for the vast majority of the season. But that doesn’t really help my point, so I won’t mention it.)

Remember August? August was really good for the Orioles. Maybe if we can find a Hot Tub Time Machine we could go back to then…

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

The good? Felix Pie had a pair of doubles and Adam Jones had a double, 2 RBI and scored a run. Also, Ty Wigginton went 2-3, scoring a run and driving in another.

The bad? While Jake Arrieta gave up just 3 earned runs on 6 hits and didn’t walk anyone, he was also pulled after 5 innings after having already thrown 95 pitches.

You don’t want to look at the numbers. Instead, check out Hope Dworaczyk. This will be much more fun. Thanks, The Smoking Jacket!

3. WNST.net’s Ryan Chell says O’s called up Brandon Snyder, Nolan Reimold, Robert Andino

And for some reason, Reimold was in the lineup last night facing Jon Lester. Luke Scott was not.

(Edit from GMC: I know there was a “reason”. Spare me.)

Word is that Chris Tillman, Rick VandenHurk and Troy Patton are going to follow this group. If this doesn’t sell tickets for Sunday afternoon against the Rays, I’m not sure what will. In fact, I’m pretty sure Rick VandenHurk bobblehead night will be September 15th.

It will be good to see these guys on the field a little bit for the next few weeks, at least for as much as I’ll actually be watching. My guess is that I won’t really be watching that much. I’ve got tennis for the next 10 days and college football starts tonight. You really think I’m going to bother with baseball?

4. WNST.net’s Drew Forrester says Birds playing games in September that ‘almost’ matter

I don’t think “almost” is an appropriate term here. I think the more appropriate term is “sorta.”

The fact is, the Orioles are 34 games behind the Yankees in the AL East. They’re not even in the REALM of “almost.”

But there are some things about this September that make it “sorta” meaningful. Extending a good month into a strong close to the season helps in changing the culture in Charm City. Having a good month and then tanking again anyway makes fans think to themselves “same old Orioles.”

It’s “sorta” meaningful. The games are completely irrelevant in terms of baseball, but the end of the season could help in trying to cultivate a dead baseball environment in this area.

To REALLY change the baseball environment in this town, a team would have to win THROUGHOUT the season. Not just for a month-or even two.

5. The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Joel Guzman crushed 32nd home run for Bowie Baysox in win over Altoona Curve on farm

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

-The Birds and BoSox wrap their 3 game series with a rubber match tonight at OPACY. Brad Bergesen faces Daisuke Matsuzaka, first pitch is at 7:05pm and the game can be seen on MASN.

-Adam Jones was forced to leave last night’s game with back pain still stemming from being hit by a Gavin Floyd pitch last week. It still doesn’t appear to be a long-term concern, but it’s still an issue a week removed.

-Multiple reports (including MLB.com) say David Hernandez is about a week or so away from returning. That’s good news. But you already knew that.

6. WNST.net’s Glenn Clark says Ravens placed Mike McLaughlin on IR to make room for Josh Wilson on roster

And if he hadn’t ended up on IR, the practice squad would have been the other possible destination for McLaughlin. He was an undrafted LB out of Boston College who the Ravens decided to move to FB-which he hadn’t played since high school. He was AT BEST a longshot to make the roster, but will buy himself some time to continue developing over the next year now that he’s on IR.

Of course, if the Ravens were going to make room on the roster for someone-I sorta wish it had been Izabel Goulart. Thanks, Guyism!

7. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Ryan Mink says Ravens’ game tonight big for bubble guys like Prince Miller, Demetrius Williams, David Reed

I will admit that I’d still be a bit surprised just to see Demetrius Willliams on the field tonight. I know he returned to practice this week and is sort of a “bubble” guy, but it looks more and more like he almost HAS to make the roster-and there doesn’t seem to be anything smart about playing a roster guy with a bad ankle on a terrible carpet.

Prince Miller’s road to the roster got much longer when the Ravens acquired Josh Wilson. Not only does Wilson give the Ravens necessary depth at CB, but he could free up Chris Carr to return punts. Miller will get the chance tonight, but Carr could very well end up being the guy in the regular season. Reed could be in trouble as well-as it looks like he’s behind both Williams and Marcus Smith on the depth chart.

8. National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson says Troy Smith fighting for final roster spot

And you will see PLENTY of the former Heisman Trophy winner tonight. As I’ve said throughout the week on AM1570, expect 4 quarters of Smith tonight-similar to how John Beck went 4 quarters against the Atlanta Falcons last year.

Before we move on from the Ravens, a few things…

-The Ravens and St. Louis Rams get together at Edward Jones Dome tonight. Kickoff is at 8pm and the game can be seen live on WBAL11 locally. I’ll be joining Thyrl Nelson at 12:30 pm on “The Mobtown Sports Beat” and Rex Snider at 4:30 on “The Afternoon Drive” to preview the game.

-Did you miss Rams color analyst (and former Super Bowl champion) D’Marco Farr with Drew Forrester this morning on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net today to check it out. Some other stuff you can hear in the Audio Vault includes…

• Brian Billick (Former Ravens coach and WNST part owner)-who joined Drew this morning to discuss his “man crush” on Aaron Rodgers (didn’t he have a man crush on another QB from Cal?) and all things NFL
• Mark Mravich (SI NFL Editor)-who discussed the SI NFL Preview Issue with Drew, including Peter King’s choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach the Super Bowl
• Paul Azinger (former PGA Championship winner)-who discusses his new book “Cracking the Code” with Drew-a book about being the captain of the 2008 Ryder Cup winning US team
• Peter Schrager (FoxSports.com)-who joined Drew to preview College Football season, which starts tonight.

It’s all in the Audio Vault. Get there today, and as always-YOU’RE WELCOME!

9. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens picks Navy to beat Maryland 31-24 Monday at M&T Bank Stadium

I haven’t decided exactly what my pick will be just yet (I’ll announce it tomorrow), but my guess is that I’ll end up picking the Mids by at least 10 points myself.

Speaking of the number 10, here’s a picture of Arianny Celeste from Maxim via NextRound.net….

10. TowsonTigers.com previews tonight’s season opener at Indiana Hoosiers

If this was Villanova or another good CAA team, the conference would have a real chance to score a major upset. However, it is not-so I’ll take IU at about a 31-6 clip.

The game can be seen live on the Big Ten Network. Matt Devlin, Derek Rackley and Stacy Paetz are on the call.

And finally, I leave you with this.

Via Deadspin, here’s a photo of Joakim Noah golfing. That’s all you need to know.

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Happy Monday!

It’s a Happy Monday for me because I was out of town yesterday-but had an outstanding experience. I poked my head into a random farmers market (for security reasons, I’ll leave the location undisclosed), and it was a magical experience. A friend of mine (I think for future reference we’re going to call her “Boomer Sooner” here) made a delicious concoction of beeksteak tomatoes, feta cheese, a multigrain baguette, lemon basil and pepper.

Seeing as how my meals are usually made up of frozen pasta or Chick-Fil-A, it was a refreshing change of pace. Unfortunately my phone was dead, so I failed to Twitpic the experience. I’m sorry everyone!

But as I pointed out yesterday on Facebook (search “Glenn Clark” and add the guy who is drinking orange kool-aid and shaking his head because he lost a bet to Ed in Park Heights), the highlight of the event was the fact that this vision of food took place in direct earshot of a group called the Second String Band. I wish I had their version of “If I Had a Boat” available, but instead you’re going to have to settle for Dave Matthews’ version. No offense to Lyle Lovett, it’s just that everyone else does his song better…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap1ruVdAwl8[/youtube]

And while we’re here, let’s go ahead and post Dave Matthews (& Emmylou Harris) covering “Long Black Veil”-most famously from Johnny Cash. I mean, as long as we’re here…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCLqphW77aA[/youtube]

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. WNST.net says Peter Angelos directly involved with Ravens, MASN divorce

My initial response? “Surprise, surprise.”

It’s frustrating to read this story, but it is by no means stunning. MASN has been nothing short of a trainwreck since it’s inception (that’s not a low blow), even when one Glenn Clark was briefly part of the programming. In fact, if you ever needed proof that MASN was a trainwreck from the go, the fact that Glenn Clark was ever part of it has to be absolute proof!

The good news that comes from the MASN/Ravens divorce? We’ll NEVER have to watch Tom Davis have to talk about a franchise he so clearly despises. The guy was almost comical in his snide comments regarding the organization-which was a bit interesting considering his over-the-top love affair with the Major League Baseball team in town. You know, the Major League Baseball team that employed him.

There was a sense that the Orioles finally came around to working with the Ravens out of necessity. The Ravens pep rally and giveaway nights at Camden Yards would attract the biggest crowds of the season; and it was always fun to see the likes of John Harbaugh, Steve McNair and Willis McGahee throw out the first pitch at a game.

I hope the Orioles don’t really think they don’t “need” the Ravens anymore. I hope they’re not foolish enough to think that they’ve fixed their problems and don’t need the help. I’m as excited as anyone else about the 5-1 start under a new manager, but this is still a desperate situation.

2. WNST.net’s Luke Jones says Tavares Gooden, Chris Carr amongst Ravens who missed practice Sunday

The good news? Tavares Gooden returned to practice Monday, according to our own Luke Jones-who is reporting from the practice field at McDaniel College.

The bad news? Chris Carr did not practice again Monday morning. He wouldn’t answer questions about the injury (believed to be his hamstring) after practice Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, and John Harbaugh dismissed questions as well.

I’m not sure what there is to know, but I know that an injury to Chris Carr is reason for concern. With Domonique Foxworth out for the year and Lardarius Webb on PUP, Chris Carr is a very important part of this football team. Hopefully the injury is not significant.

Luke passed along a few more notes from this morning-as OL’s David Hale & Stefan Rodgers as well as safety KJ Gerard WERE practicing, while Ramon Harewood, Tony Moll and Marcus Paschal were again NOT practicing.

Talking about football is just so great…

3. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Mike Duffy says ‘cutting down penalties’ area of concern for Ravens in Training Camp

An area of concern for Glenn Clark? Finding more pictures of Nikoleta Rali (Thanks Don Chavez!)…

And a few more Ravens notes before we move on…

-Remember, today and tomorrow are the only days this week you can go watch the team practice at McDaniel College. The team will have a walkthrough Wednesday that is closed to the public, and are off Friday following Thursday night’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

-Our own Luke Jones is back out in Carroll County all day today, keeping you updated with Thyrl Nelson and Rex Snider every hour on AM1570 WNST.

4. The AP’s David Ginsburg says Jeremy Guthrie out-dueled Mark Buehrle as Orioles topped White Sox at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Who in the hell are these guys?!?!?

I had a TERRIBLE feeling when Ramon Castro crushed the home run in the 9th off of Alfredo Simon to make it 4-3. But much like when I had a terrible feeling as the team tried to blow a 9-1 lead against the Los Angeles Angels last week, the team managed to hold on.

And with that in mind, I say “Buck Yeah!”

It doesn’t REALLY matter what happens in these games the rest of the way as the season ended before even Memorial Day; but it is nice to actually win some of them anyway. What happens from April-June of NEXT year will be significantly more important, but I’ll continue to enjoy it for now. It certainly beats the alternative.

5. The AP/WNST.net offer numerical evidence of another win

And once again, I’m left without my tag line here.

Guthrie was absolutely stellar, allowing one run on 6 hits and just one walk over 8 innings. Felix Pie homered, and just about everyone in the lineup (including Cesar Izturis) had a double.

I CANNOT figure out who these guys are.

But just to keep up appearances, take a look at the numbers and THEN take a look at this picture of Shanna McLaughlin hanging out in the Central Florida locker room. I don’t know why she did it, but I’m glad she did. Thanks Busted Coverage!

6. The Sun’s Steve Gould says Troy Patton optioned to Norfolk, Craig Tatum expected to take his place on O’s roster

Apparently Buck Showalter went to Andy MacPhail and said he wanted another position player for the bench. I’m sure Andy MacPhail was happy to have someone offer him thoughts about personnel.

When Tatum officially gets called back up, make sure you’re signed up for the WNST Text Service. You’ll find out the news as soon as it happens.

I’m guessing Jake Fox will be happy to not have to catch anymore. Or at least I am…

7. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Buck Showalter wants to give Jason Berken ‘a break’

And given how he’s struggled recently after lighting the world on fire earlier in the season, it is apparent that his workload (leading the league in innings pitched) has caught up with him.

Now it is a bit strange that the team would option Troy Patton at the same time that they’re giving Jason Berken a break-but I will admit that the starting pitching has been pretty good recently. When Kevin Millwood wasn’t hammered in the first inning Saturday night, I thought it a minor miracle.

That doesn’t mean that I’m convinced that the starting pitching is somehow “fixed.”

I have a bad feeling that the team will end up getting at least a few rough starts soon (maybe not against the Cleveland Indians-they’re terrible; but possibly against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend despite the fact that everyone else has no-hit them this season). It is probably a risk worth taking though, and hopefully Berken will be ready to go before too long.

8. NorfolkTides.com says Zach Britton roughed up in Tides’ loss to Louisville Bats on farm

And a few things before we move on from the Birds…

-They’ll close up their 4 game series with the Pale Hose tonight at OPACY, Brian Matusz takes the hill against Edwin Jackson. First pitch is at 7:05pm and the game can be seen on MASN.

-Did you miss Jay Jaffe from Baseball Prospectus this morning with Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today to check it out. Some other things you can hear in the Audio Vault include…

• Mark Kelso (Buffalo Bills Color Analyst)-as Drew continued to preview the teams on the Baltimore Ravens’ schedule this season
• Rex Hoggard (Golf Channel)-who broke down Tiger Woods’ struggles in Akron and previewed the PGA Championship this weekend
• A live check-in from Luke Jones this morning from Westminster at Training Camp
• John Harbaugh’s Sunday press conference
• Lomas Brown (ESPN Analyst and former NFL O-Lineman)-who joined Eric Aaronson to look around the league.

Now you have your day planned. You can thank me later.

9. UMTerps.com says 22 Maryland freshmen reported to College Park Sunday before practice begins Tuesday

Overheard from Ralph Friedgen’s tour of the area Sunday…

“This is Route 1. Never go here. I know you will anyway, so when you do-don’t act like an idiot. Don’t let me find out how stupid you are. Don’t get arrested at Cornerstone. Don’t bother women at Bentley’s. PLEASE and Thank You.”

Hopefully the young Terrapins were listening.

10. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Terps trying to break streak of 6 straight seasons scoring 25 or fewer points per game

You know what would help this team offensively? A little photographic inspiration. May I suggest Pia Muehlenbeck? (Thanks Guyism!)…

And finally, I leave you with this.

As I said yesterday via Facebook, I’m not sure if it even technically counts as a board game, but I know what the greatest board game of all time is…

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

A lot of the buzz today was around the Orioles hiring Buck Showalter as manager.

As expected by the WNST staff, mostly from our own Glenn Clark, the Orioles did this one day before the initial full Ravens practice at McDaniel College on Friday.

And then, the Orioles management must have felt that Showalter’s hire was garnering enough attention. We knew it was going to happen, but we didn’t feel like the Orioles were going to beat at it some more and pound it on us Baltimore fans.

So of course, what did they do?

Orioles owner Peter Angelos and Andy MacPhail “huddled up” and said, “Hey people aren’t turning their heads. We have to do something else.”

So hours after the Showalter hire, the Orioles shipped third baseman Miguel Tejada to the Padres around 4:30 PM for minor league pitching prospect Wynn Pelzer.

And while this wasn’t the biggest trade going down of the day(Astros ace Roy Oswalt was traded to the Phillies for J.A. Happ and others,  Marlins INF Jorge Cantu went to Texas for two Double-A pitchers, Nationals reliever Matt Capps may be packing his bags for Minnesota), this certainly is news here in Baltimore showing that the Orioles management is getting things rolling.

Which way though is yet to be seen.

The Orioles had talks with the Cardinals early this morning about moving Tejada, to either put him at shortstop instead of Brendan Ryan or at third base instead of a scrappy hitter like Felipe Lopez.

The Padres meanwhile sit atop the NL West this year(3.5 games ahead of the Giants), and are one of the surprise teams out there, given their struggles from a year ago.

Bringing in a veteran hitter like Tejada, and one who has made the move to third base productively, is certainly a valuable addition to the team.

“This move was made because we feel it makes us better,” Padres GM Jed Hoyer told the Associated Press. “It gives us a player in several positions and it gives us a veteran leader.”

What the Orioles get in return for this is not a top prospect like pitchers Mat Latos, Simon Castro, Corey Luebke or OF Donovan Tate, but a Double-A pitcher in Pelzer who was the seventh-rated prospect in the San Diego’s system.

He is a guy known for his plus-fastball, but since being taken in the 9th round of the 2007 draft, the former closer at South Carolina has been inconsistent, has a tendency to walk guys, and has seen his velocity drop each year in the minors.

He can hit as high as 97 MPH on the gun, and also has a good slider and a change-up that could be effective given his velocity if he fine-tunes it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nLP3qKuLjc&feature=related[/youtube]

And on top of all this, the Orioles sent in excess of a million dollars to help the Padres clear the rest of Tejada’s 6-million dollar contract.

A former starter, Pelzer would appear to have a better psyche and makeup to be a reliever. The Padres saw this as well at times.

Pelzer was 6-9 for San Diego’s Double-A affiliate, San Antonio, this year with a 4.20 ERA and a WHIP of 1.66. Not exactly the best numbers in the world.

Pelzer will fit right into the other question marks most likely at Double A Bowie, including the likes of Steve Johnson, who the Orioles got in a trade last year with the Dodgers for George Sherrill.

What this really does is give the other piece of the Sherrill trade, Josh Bell, his chance to shine.

Bell has already been with the big league club twice this year in two different stints. He likely will be with the team the rest of the way, with rosters expanding in a month.

Andy MacPhail said that was another motivation for making this trade.

“The primary motivation was to get Josh Bell back up here,” MacPhail told MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli Thursday night.

And now, through two trades of Tejada to the Astros and the Padres over the last several years, the Orioles have brought in:

• Matt Albers,
• Troy Patton
• Luke Scott
• Dennis Sarfate
• Michael Costanzo
• Pelzer.

As of now, Costanzo is the only one of the six not still with the Orioles.

Tejada was deeply discouraged to be leaving this team yet again, but he is happy to be back in a pennant race.

“It’s a good chance at being in the playoffs,” Tejada told the AP before tonight’s game against KC. “And that’s always good.”

And who knows, with Tejada only on a one-year deal at the moment, he could very well be on borrowed time with the Padres, and back with the Orioles a third time next winter.

And Tejada told Ghiroli that idea isn’t out of the possibility.

“I’ll always be interested in coming back here.”

“I love it here. In my heart, I’m one of the Orioles.”

We could be hearing more of these stories the next couple of days with guys maybe like Ty Wigginton, Jeremy Guthrie, Kevin Millwood, Luke Scott, and Will Ohman maybe following Tejada out of Baltimore.

Tune into WNST and WNST.net over the next couple days as we keep track of the Orioles’ attempts at rebuilding-and trying to top the Ravens in the area while doing it. WNST-We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports!

Happy Thursday!

It’s a Happy Thursday for me because after a one day hiccup yesterday (thanks to our buddy Dan Dinkin at Cobalt Consulting for getting us back up and running); I’m back at it today. It’s ALSO a Happy Thursday for me because my pal Barry Aparicio grabbed me this tasty adult beverage during his trip to New York…

Nicely done Barry.

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. The AP’s David Ginsburg says Rafael Soriano came through as Rays held on to beat Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

I’ll be forced to admit that I watched absolutely NONE of the game yesterday.

Sorry.

I was out looking at potential new places to live yesterday, and the O’s game just wasn’t destination viewing for me. Or just about anyone else for that matter.

I remember there was a time back when Nestor Aparicio was on in the afternoons that if the Orioles were playing, he’d be off the air knowing no one would be listening. Now if the Orioles are on in the afternoon, we don’t really even think about it in terms of programming. In fact, I’d imagine there might be MORE folks listening as they’re trying to find an alternative to garbage.

The Birds did rally from down 4 runs again; they just couldn’t hold off Tampa Bay after that. Keeping it close yesterday actually might well have been enough to get a “bravo” from myself and others.

Of course, if I didn’t care enough to even bother to watch-it’s hard for me to consider caring enough to offer praise to losers.

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

Brad Bergesen survived the need to drop a starter (he should have thanked Chris Tillman on his way down), then turned around and gave up 5 earned runs on 9 hits and 3 walks over 5 and a third innings.

Don’t look at it. Just don’t. It will REALLY only cause you headaches. Instead, look at this picture of Carla Ossa. She’s a swimwear model from Columbia; which seems like a nice place. Report back after viewing. (Thanks NextRound.net!)

3. WNST.net’s Luke Jones says Mike Gonzalez back, Josh Bell sent down, Kevin Millwood activated, Troy Patton promoted and demoted

I wonder if they even bothered giving Troy Patton a locker yesterday…

The roster flux isn’t over yet. Brian Roberts is set to return before the end of the week, and Matt Wieters should be just after that. Someone’s going to have to go, and there don’t appear to be trades on the immediate horizon.

A lot of folks believe Matt Albers will be one to go. Scott Moore could be another. Or maybe Jeremy Guthrie COULD end up being dealt. Someone is going to have to go, and it’s hard for me to imagine anyone being missed too terribly much.

Yeah, it’s one of those mornings when it comes to the Orioles. I just don’t have much positive to say. They’re 30-64. What the hell positive IS there to say?

Maybe I should say “Thank God for the Pittsburgh Pirates.” If it weren’t for them, there wouldn’t even be a RACE for the worst record in Major League Baseball. The Bucks are currently 4 games in front of the Birds-not that they’re in a rush to pick up too many more W’s.

4. Orioles Hangout’s Tony Pente says “actions speak louder than words” with Andy MacPhail

This is a great read.

Tony received the “Former Apologist of the Morning” award today from “The Great Arbitrator” Drew Forrester. Tony really did a great job of breaking down the MacPhail era; and the fact that MacPhail really does care as much (if not more) about his bottom line than he does about wins and losses.

Of course, I feel like I’ve heard this point before. Somewhere on the AM dial I think. Or on a website…maybe the website you’re on currently.

Maybe.

5. The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Armando Gabino strong, Michael Aubrey crushed grand slam for Norfolk Tides on farm

Before we move on from the Birds, a few things (mostly because we have to)…

-The Orioles are back in action tonight; as they open a 4 game set with the Minnesota Twins at OPACY. First pitch between Carl Pavano and Kevin Millwood is at 7:05pm and the game can be seen on MASN if you’re interested. Ron Gardenhire may or may not be with the Twinkies for tonight’s game; he missed Wednesday’s series finale with the Cleveland Indians as he dealt with a personal matter.

-Did you miss Delmarva Shorebirds manager Ryan Minor with Drew Forrester today on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST? Make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault today to check it out. Also up in the Audio Vault are our chats with USA Today’s Jarrett Bell about Joe Flacco & the Ravens, FoxSports.com/CollegeFootballNews.com’s Pete Fiutak about Reggie Bush & USC; and our morning “Cheap Shots from the Bleachers.”

-Juan Samuel is still the interim manager, and Buck Showalter is still unemployed. I’m not trying to say that either thing should or should not be the case; I’m just letting you know that it IS still the case. That’s all.

6. National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson says Ravens QB Troy Smith ‘a fan of’ new teammate Marc Bulger

Which is the right thing for Troy to say, clearly. That’s sort of refreshing, because Troy Smith hasn’t exactly made a career of saying the right things. Maybe going through an offseason of not being wanted by any NFL team-including the hometown team you grew up with (Cleveland Browns) and needed a QB might be a humbling experience.

Maybe.

A number of players on the team appear to be a bit less than ‘thrilled’ about the addition of Bulger. Joe Flacco was the first to speak up about it, followed by Ed Reed this week. It’s clear that the players on this team felt as though the backup QB position WASN’T a position the team needed to upgrade.

I’ve stated before that I think Marc Bulger is probably a BETTER quarterback than Troy Smith; but I was “unmoved” by the addition. I didn’t feel like this was a place where the team needed an upgrade-and that Bulger wouldn’t make a difference in whether or not the team could win a Super Bowl should Flacco get hurt.

It’s clear I’m not the only one who felt that way.

7. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Ryan Mink says Ed Reed wants more ‘support’ from Ravens

Which all kinda dates back to when he initially suffered the neck/back injuries that now haunt him in his career. Ed very clearly wants a new contract (which he first told us in an interview on July 2nd); and the Ravens very clearly won’t give him one.

Ed’s said a lot of stuff this week to just about anyone who would listen. I’ll be forced to admit that I’m unmoved by most of it. I’m really getting to the point where I’m a bit surprised Ed hasn’t just gone ahead and retired. He’s not overly passionate about the game itself, and he IS genuinely risking his health to play.

More “support” from the Ravens, huh? Well…there’s plenty of things I want myself if we’re talking about it. For example, I want Busted Coverage to link to more pictures of Alyssa Sutherland…

8. WNST.net’s Ryan Chell says Eric DeCosta thinks Ravens ‘in a position to win’

Anyone gonna argue with him? I know I’m not.

DeCosta’s appearance was with our own Rex Snider over the last weekend, as part of our “Curing Cancer One Call At A Time” marathon to raise money for the Cancer Center at Harbor Hospital. If you missed it, it’s in the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net.

And if you haven’t donated to the cause yet; please make sure you click on the “Events” tab here at the top of the page and PLEASE DO SO.

9. Fox Sports’ Adam Caplan says Ravens cut C Digger Bujnoch

And as I said via Twitter this morning (follow us @WNST), that would mark the first time a lot of folks have known that there is a player named Digger Bujnoch was with the Ravens.

I would assume Digger Bujnoch is probably plenty disappointed today; but I think he should probably cheer up. Now that he doesn’t have football to worry about, he’ll have PLENTY of time to look at pictures of Jessica Hart and Ashley Hart (Thanks Guyism!)

10. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Navy to visit Penn State in 2012

I’m a BIT surprised that Navy would take a one-off game in Happy Valley without getting some sort of return (clearly not in Annapolis-but maybe at M&T Bank Stadium or even in Washington).

This has sorta been the biggest block to getting the Nittany Lions back on Maryland’s schedule; as the folks in State College have been more than willing to offer a game at Beaver Stadium, but haven’t been willing to commit to a game in College Park.

Navy got a return from Ohio State (I believe the location of the return is still undetermined), which makes me wonder why they couldn’t get a return from PSU. Maybe it’s something that could still be negotiated in the future, or maybe the Lions just feel like they don’t need the recruiting help in this area and drew a hard line.

The schedule will be particularly tough for the Midshipmen to open the 2012 season; as the Sept. 15 date at Penn State will be just 2 weeks after a season opening trip to Dublin, Ireland to face Notre Dame.

Does Roger Staubach have any availability left?

And finally, I leave you with this.

Don’t bother me at 10am Saturday.

I’ll be busy trying to track down tickets to the annual (free) Virgin Mobile Fest. T.I., Ludacris, Temper Trap, and the GREAT Jimmy Eat World?!?!?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmCka47FIWU[/youtube]

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

With the bullpen completely spent after extensive work in the last three games, the Orioles needed immediate relief help.

The Orioles announced a series of roster moves prior to Wednesday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez has been reinstated from the 60-day disabled list, left-handed pitcher Troy Patton has been recalled from Triple-A Norfolk, and third baseman Josh Bell has been optioned to the Tides. To make room for Gonzalez on the 40-man roster, Jim Johnson has been moved from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list.

Gonzalez was placed on the disabled list on April 10 with a strained left shoulder. At the time of his injury, Gonzalez had recorded one save in three appearances, much to fans’ chagrin.

Patton was 6-9 with a 4.91 ERA in 18 starts for Norfolk this season. He posted a 3.44 ERA over his last nine outings for Norfolk. This will be Patton’s first stint in the big leagues since 2007. Patton’s stay with the Orioles could be brief, as Kevin Millwood is expected to return from the disabled list to make the start on Thursday night. Patton will wear uniform No. 54.

Bell batted .263 (6-19) in six games for the Orioles and had been rotting away on the bench in his latest stint with Baltimore.

Johnson has been on the disabled list since May 28 with right elbow inflammation. He was 1-1 with one save and a 6.52 ERA in 10 games for the Orioles.

UPDATE: As expected, the Orioles optioned Patton back to Norfolk following Wednesday’s 5-4 loss to the Rays. Kevin Millwood will be activated Thursday to make the start in the first of a four-game set against the Minnesota Twins.

Happy Thursday!

It’s a Happy Thursday for me because I realized earlier this week that I forgot to post the AMAZING 4th of July scene from The Sandlot. I know I’m 4 days late, but deal with it. This is the greatest 4th of July moment in pop culture history…

[dailymotion]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xdwnck_the-sandlot-4th-of-july-tribute_people[/dailymotion]

And yes, while I was out on Navy Pier Sunday night watching the fireworks in Chicago; I DID put “America The Beautiful” by Ray Charles on my IPod. Immediately followed of course by “This Is Our Country” and “Pink Houses” by John Mellencamp. Don’t try to tell me I don’t love America.

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. The AP’s Larry Lage says Scherzer, Tigers shut down Orioles to finish sweep at Comerica Park

And as I said last night on Twitter (follow us @WNST)…

“At least the Orioles didn’t bother wasting too much effort in this one.“

It’s really hard to put a wrap on this one last night. Max Scherzer was really good, and the Birds really never had a chance. Brad Bergesen gave up 14 baserunners and was fortunate to only be charged with 4 runs.

It was exactly the type of effort you’d expect in Birdland. And by that, I mean it was a loss.

They’re 25-59 now. So…there you go.

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

Hey, Felix Pie tripled! And Adam Jones doubled AND tripled, even after he fell down rounding first base!

But really…you DON’T want to look at this. Trust me on that. Instead, look at this picture of Francoise Boufhal from Guyism. We’ll regroup after that.

3. MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli says Chris Tillman likely to start Saturday in Texas

Which everyone knew, but will still wait for it to be official. The only other real options were to either let Jason Berken or Mark Hendrickson make a start. With both of those guys having been effective, it makes no sense to screw with what they’re doing right now.

And…ummm…”the cavalry” doesn’t have anything else left. Zach Britton will almost certainly reach the MLB level EVENTUALLY, but he’s clearly not ready yet.

Tillman gets the chance to prove he should stick, at least for one night. Of course-facing a lineup with the likes of Vladimir Guerrero, Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz may not be the best way to do that.

4. The Sun’s Dan Connolly says O’s could become first team to have no pitcher with four wins before All-Star Game

This is almost impossible.

It really is almost impossible.

Jeremy Guthrie, Brian Matusz, David Hernandez and Matt Albers all have the chance to get their 4th win this weekend in Arlington…but…ummm….is anyone confident that they will???

Orioles Baseball 2010: You never know what might happen. As long as you know that what’s going to happen is bad.

5. Virginian-Pilot says Troy Patton won, Nolan Reimold homered for Norfolk Tides in win over Gwinnett Braves on farm

Before we move on from the Orioles, a couple of things…

-The O’s are back in action tonight; opening a 4 game series against the Texas Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington. Jeremy Guthrie faces Tommy Hunter at 8:05 tonight on MASN2. Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta go the rest of the weekend for the Birds against Scott Feldman, Matt Harrison and C.J. Wilson.

-Congratulations to our “Apologist of the Morning”, WNST.net’s own Tom Clayton. Tom suggested the Orioles package Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara or Julio Lugo to get Chris Davis from the Rangers. I couldn’t agree more. Of course, I’m reasonably certain ol’ Koji would first have to prove that he could SURVIVE the Lone Star State to make it happen.

Sadly, the Orioles just don’t have the veterans required to obtain high-level prospects from anyone in baseball. They have the exact opposite: they have prospects that could HOPEFULLY land them some established veterans from other teams. Credit to Tom Clayton for already accepting the award, as picked by “The Great Arbitrator” Drew Forrester.

6. BaltimoreRavens.com’s Ryan Mink says Ravens made Walt Harris signing official

Like I said when the teams first agreed, I know the Ravens needed CB help. I just don’t know that a 5’11″ corner that turns 36 during Training Camp qualifies as the “help” the team needs.

Of course, I’m not exactly even keel in all of this. I was hoping Ozzie Newsome would acquire Anna Sedokova, who already had a helmet! (Thanks Uproxx/NextRound.net!)

7. ProFootballTalk/NBC Sports’ Mike Florio says WIP’s Howard Eskin linked Troy Smith to Philadelphia Eagles

This would certainly make sense for Philly, as they are in a tough spot when it comes to Michael Vick. They are probably going to HAVE to acquire another quarterback; and Troy Smith’s game is probably more similar to Michael Vick’s than a lot of other QB’s the Eagles could acquire.

That being said, Troy Smith CLEARLY doesn’t have Michael Vick’s size, speed or arm. It’s a significant drop-off in natural talent from Michael Vick to Troy Smith.

But it’s still a logical move. And it shouldn’t be a move that costs the Eagles much. After signing Marc Bulger, the Ravens are going to have to move a QB; and they know John Beck isn’t getting them anything. The Ravens MIGHT be able to get a 6th or 7th round pick because they sense the Eagles have a need, but the Eagles know the Ravens have to make a move.

It won’t be easy negotiating for either side.

8. Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Ed Dickson given $662,500 signing bonus

And also yesterday, the team announced that they finalized a 3 year deal with 6th round pick Ramon Harewood; which they agreed to last week.

Sergio Kindle and Terrence Cody remain unsigned, but with the New York Jets signing 2nd round pick Vladimir Ducasse yesterday; we should start to see the dominoes fall amongst 2nd round picks; and those deals should be done well before the Ravens report to Westminster.

9. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says experience could pay off for Terrapins OT Justin Gilbert

I hope so, because Ralph Friedgen needs SOMETHING to pay off on the Terps’ O-Line this season.

And…you know…just about everywhere else on the field.

And speaking of “experience paying off”….here’s a picture of Jessica Hall (Thanks Busted Coverage/Don Chavez)

10. Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Maryland AD Search Committee to hold first meeting July 15

Of course, with no President in place; I’m not sure what exactly the search committee will be doing. The word is they’ll be discussing the qualities that make up a good Athletic Director. I get the feeling Gary Williams’ first addition to the conversation will be “they won’t be Debbie Yow.”

College Park isn’t the only place where they’re looking for an Athletic Director. They’re looking for one at Towson as well. If you missed Tigers interim Athletic Director Ted Zaleski Jr. today on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST; make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault here at WNST.net today to check it out. Other guests this morning included:

-Catonsville’s own Jeff Nelson (XM Radio), who went around the world of baseball
-Former Orioles Play by Play voice Michael Reghi (now with WKNR Cleveland), who gave us the pulse of “The Comeback City” before LeBron James potentially rips the heart from the town
-PFT’s Mike Florio, who talked all things NFL-including Ben Roethlisberger and JaMarcus Russell
-and Baltimore Municipal Golf’s Jon Ladd-who previewed our upcoming putting contest.

And finally, I leave you with this.

For all of you weirdos who have been clamoring for it, here’s the video of me shoving 12 hot dogs down my gullet in 10 minutes. Some of you still owe us money for Harbor Hospital and Rex Snider’s “Curing Cancer One Call at a Time” marathon next weekend; PLEASE make sure you get it over here to 1550 Hart Rd. I can’t “stomach” the idea of having done this to myself in vain…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVqIvM8Wbas[/youtube]

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G

Happy Tuesday!

It’s a Happy Tuesday for me because I really find Aziz Ansari from “Parks and Recreation” to be quite funny. Not enough to spend hours watching the MTV Movie Awards, but certainly enough to head over to YouTube and giggle at this clip of him and Zach Galifianakis…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4T__lCzZgk[/youtube]

Let’s see what everyone has to say…

1. WNST.net’s Luke Jones says Orioles picked Miami Brito HS SS Manny Machado with 3rd overall pick in MLB Entry Draft

It isn’t that I’m not excited about Manny Machado, it’s just that I’m not really excited about any 17 year old anywhere.

(Edit from GMC: Please spare me your “Jailbait” comments. I’ve already thought of all of them.)

I hope that at some point Machado becomes a Baltimore Oriole, and if he does I hope he turns out to be a really good player. I also hope that Machado isn’t sitting in Frederick in 4 years the way Billy Rowell currently is.

I guess I’m just trying to keep things in perspective. Believe me, even I think it’s crazy that I’M trying to offer perspective-but getting excited about a kid who isn’t even old enough to VOTE might be okay for NBA fans, but not for baseball fans.

Hopefully we’re ALL excited about him in a few years though. It burns the HELL out of me that fans in Washington have something to be excited about tonight.

2. Miami Herald’s Manny Navarro says Machado has been compared to A-Rod, will now try to be next Cal Ripken

I pray to God that Manny Machado is a THIRD of the player either one of these guys has been.

The Orioles will continue making picks in the MLB Entry Draft today, starting with the 85th overall pick-the 3rd pick in the 3rd round. Luke Jones will check in with profiles on the players the team selects throughout the day.

I would do it myself…but…umm…I’d rather sit and watch clothes circle around my washing machine??? Hell, I’d rather watch the Orioles play.

If you need a distraction, consider Lorraine Van Wyk-who Busted Coverage let me know existed yesterday…

3. STATS’ Kate Hedlin previews O’s-Yankees series starting tonight at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

First pitch tonight is at 7:05pm at OPACY, Phil Hughes faces Kevin Millwood-if you’d like to avoid the 20,000 New York fans who will be in attendance you can check the game out on MASN. Luke Jones will be hosting our “Orange Crush” chat tonight at WNST.net.

I’d say I was picking the Orioles to win tonight…If I thought the Orioles were capable of winning tonight.

If you missed YES Network Yanks analyst Ken Singleton this morning with Drew Forrester on “The Morning Reaction” on AM1570 WNST, make sure you head over to the BuyAToyota.com Audio Vault and check it out. Other guests this morning included Baseball Prospectus Draft analyst Kevin Goldstein and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who won his first Belmont Stakes (or Triple Crown race at all) with Drosselmeyer Saturday.

4. The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Troy Patton, Rhyne Hughes had big night for Birds on farm

And before we move on from the Orioles, a couple of things:

-Brian Roberts’ return has been delayed…again…and I get the feeling I’m not the only one who’s wondering if Brian Roberts will EVER be the same. In his Sun blog, Peter Schmuck pointed out that surgery is commonly an option with those dealing with herniated discs. If surgery is an option for B-Rob at this point, I have NO IDEA why the organization wouldn’t just have him go ahead and get it done.

-Congratulations to our “Apologist of the Morning”, from the Weaver’s Tantrum Blog…”Dave Mc”, as selected by “The Great Arbitrator”. Dave wrote something comparing Will Ohman this year to George Sherrill last year in terms of trade value. Here’s what he said in closing…

“I think we will find that Sherrill gets a healthier return than Ohman, but there are still plenty of teams that will put together a quality package for Ohman this year.”

And if by “quality package” he meant “player to be named later”, I think I’d agree with him.

5. WNST.net’s Drew Forrester says Ravens lose a week of OTA practices due to ‘inadvertant’ whistle-blower

Well…this is weird.

There was rampant speculation yesterday about who in the locker room out in Owings Mills may have been the one to blow the whistle on John Harbaugh and staff; with guesses ranging from Jared Gaither to Willis McGahee to even Rex Ryan. The word is that NONE of them were the guilty party, and that’s why I was a bit uncomfortable with speculating to begin with.

I’m really unmoved by this. A number of teams have been accused of running practices too long, or being too tough in practice, or something along those lines. In fact, a number of Cleveland Browns players were unhappy with Eric Mangini for something along those lines.

The only real issue here is whether or not John Harbaugh has run the risk of losing the locker room by being particularly tough in practice. It doesn’t appear as though that’s the case, so this shouldn’t REALLY end up being much of a big deal.

Credit where credit’s due: there’s a fake Juan Samuel on Twitter (@NotJuanSamuel) who Tweeted us last night (follow us @WNST) to say “Do not think too much “intensity” in practice will be a problem for my team. Or games for that matter.”

Well done.

6. National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson says Jared Gaither signed one year restricted tender

Which means Gaither should get a week of practice in now after injuring his foot, and before the team heads over to McDaniel College to get back to work at Training Camp in late July.

Apparently Gaither’s deal is worth $2.396 million. If I had $2.396 million, I feel like I could impress Catrinel Menghia. Maybe??? (Thanks Guyism!)

7. BaltimoreRavens.com’s John Eisenberg says Lardarius Webb looking at injury as ‘blessing in disguise’

There’s always a right way to say everything.

Before we move on from the Ravens, a reminder that we’ll be out there today at 1 Winning Drive for Passing Camp; and you will be able to hear all of the thoughts from John Harbaugh, as well as the players who are gathered out there today. Make sure you’re tuned in with Rex Snider and Ray Bachman throughout the day. Despite it now being the final week of OTA practices, I’m not expecting to see the likes of Ray Lewis and company present today.

8. D1scourse’s Patrick Stevens says Cornell’s Jeff Tambroni off Maryland lacrosse candidate list

Which will be a sign to some that maybe the Maryland job wasn’t quite the “anyone would want this job” gig some in College Park thought it might be.

In fact, in talking with Patrick and others who cover lacrosse, I’ve heard a few times that folks really believe the Big Red job is a BETTER job than the one that Dave Cottle just left.

It might be tough to stomach, but considering the fact that Cornell has reached the last two Final Fours and has clearly shown they are capable of winning a NCAA Championship; I think I might believe it.

9. The Sun’s Mike Preston says Stevenson coach Paul Cantabene has not been contacted regarding Terrapins job

Most in the lacrosse circles believe Cantabene, Albany coach Scott Marr and Syracuse assistant Lelan Rogers to be the three top candidates now that Tambroni and Mike Pressler have passed. I would assume that Maryland will get ONE of those three guys, but I’m guess Cantabene is probably third on the list.

My guess? Scott Marr gets the gig.

10. Testudo Times’ Ben Goldstein says former Terps forward Tahj Holden taking assistant job at Monmouth (via Adam Zagoria)

With Holden being a New Jersey guy, everything about this makes sense. Tahj is VERY bright, and should do a good job transitioning into the coaching profession.

A better fit than Tahj Holden taking a gig in the Garden State? How about the bikini Hayden Panettiere wore to the beach? (Thanks again, Guyism!)

And finally, I leave you with this.

Deadspin posted some sort of video of Mexican Wrestling today. I don’t understand it, but I love it…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH7SXtpj9SE[/youtube]

Flexing my mic muscles since 1983…

-G