The Orioles had the greatest comeback in team history on Tuesday night bailing out Rich Hill who was once again ineffective. Today the Orioles placed Koji Uehara on the DL while Brad Bergesen was once again stellar.

Here are some thoughts on Koji, Bergesen and other Orioles musings:

Changes likely plentiful in the Orioles rotation:

Earlier today news came in that Koji Uehara would be sidelined for 7-8 weeks all but ending his stay as a fixture in the Orioles rotation, for the present and future. Koji is not scheduled to return until early September and by that point the Orioles will likely just decide to shut him down for the season. As of now David Hernandez will take over for Koji but if he struggles, he may be moved down.

Koji may not be the only starter that will not be in the rotation by season’s end ; in fact I believe that nobody but Brad Bergesen is “safe” to keep their spot. Rich Hill has been flat out awful of late and a few more poor outings could land him in the bullpen.

The most intriguing situation is that of Jeremy Guthrie. Anointed the Orioles’ “ace” before the season( a role now occupied by Brad Bergesen), Guthrie has been incredibly inconsistent but could be a major trade tool for the Orioles. Guthrie has won his last two starts and will only cost a team $650,000 if they were to acquire him. With pitching being at a premium throughout the league it is likely many teams will be calling Andy MacPhail asking about Guthrie. If the Orioles like what they hear, don’t be surprised to see Guthrie dealt.

If Guthrie is dealt and Berken continues to struggle expect Chris Tillman and Troy Patton to be in the rotation earlier then expected, probably  sometime in early August. In addition to these two there are any number of pitchers at Norfolk and Bowie like Jake Arrieta that could be September call ups.

Who is the Orioles best trade chip?

By no means are the Orioles going to have a Florida Marlins like fire sale but they will be sellers as opposed to buyers at the deadline. Many names like Aubrey Huff, George Sherrill, Danys Baez, Melvin Mora and Jeremy Guthrie have all had their names floating amidst trade talks. Andy MacPhail is not going to give these players away for nothing but I expect to see at least two players that are starters or major contributors to the club, playing elsewhere come August 1^st.

The players that the Orioles are likely to get offered the most for are Aubrey Huff and Jeremy Guthrie. Huff is power left handed bat that has shown he can play first base better then people expected which now has him garnering interest from National League teams. One of the teams supposedly interested is the Mets, who have the reputation of parting with prospects to win now. If the Mets are in contention for the Wild Card and the Division and Carlos Delgado is still on the DL expect them to offer a lot to the Orioles to acquire Huff.

Jeremy Guthrie, as I mentioned earlier, should peak the interest of many teams due to his low salary and the fact that pitching is at a premium. Despite being 6-7 with a 5.11 ERA Guthrie is more then a serviceable major league pitcher who could be a very effective 3rd or 4th starter for a contending ball club.

Is Ty Wigginton the answer at hot corner?

Ty Wigginton hit another home run on Wednesday afternoon giving him six on the season which is four more then Melvin Mora. Wigginton has 16 fewer at bats then Mora and has the same number of RBI’s on the season. Wigginton is starting to look like the 20+ home run bat that the Orioles hoped he would be, while Mora is having his worst year in an Oriole uniform. I do not believe Wigginton is the 3^rd baseman of the future but he is better currently then Melvin Mora and he should play more because of this. Mora will continue to start because of his tenure with the club, but how long can his anemic run producing bat be plugged into the number 5 hole in the lineup before the Orioles realized it is time for a change.

Base running blunders galore!!

Felix Pie was thrown out by five feet while trying to “stretch” a first inning single into a double, quelling any chance for a big inning. Pie joins the long list of Orioles that have made base running blunders to run the Orioles right of the inning, a problem that looks to be getting worse before it gets better.

Poor fundamentals are a direct result of poor leadership and I believe Dave Trembley is a major part of the Orioles poor fundamentals. I know every big league player should know how to run the bases, but if they can go out there and continue to make mistakes with out repercussions from the manager, then they will continue to make those same mistakes. Maybe instead of having the promotion where the kids run the bases after the game, the Orioles should be the ones running the bases instead.

There are still many questions marks about the ball club and it will be interesting to see how things play out after the deadline.

It was an awesome weekend for sure. I enjoyed every moment of watching the Orioles this weekend (other than Danys Baez’s pitch to Ryan Howard); and LOVED texting my friends from Philadelphia to rub it in.

Keep it in perspective, but enjoy the weekend.

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

Best of Sunday’s WNST Blogs:

Nestor Aparicio says Adam Jones added RBI for Birds in win

Luke Jones says Tides may have better staff than Orioles

Nestor Aparicio enjoyed winning in front of Phillies fans Saturday night

Glenn Clark doesn’t think Ripken was sweating Ryan Howard’s consecutive games streak

ORIOLES:

MLB.com’s Kevin Roberts says Guthrie sparkled as Birds swept Phillies

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of sweep

MLB.com’s Kevin Roberts says Brian Roberts coming up ‘clutch’

MLB.com’s Kevin Roberts says Trembley believes Andino ‘seizing opportunity’ to play every day

Phillies Official Site’s Andy Jasner says Hamels strong, but Phils couldn’t provide offense in loss

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Patton went 6 innings to lead Tides past Lehigh Valley

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Mariotti took loss as Baysox fell to New Britain

Frederick Keys Official Site says Keys fell to Myrtle Beach in final game before All-Star break

Aberdeen Ironbirds Official Site says Steven Bumbry scores run, drives in another as Ironbirds beat Hudson Valley for first win of season

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says Oliver Drake winner as Keys topped Hagerstown

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Roberts gets winning RBI again as Birds top Phils

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Norfolk pitcher Arrieta okay with being seen as ‘cocky’

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Alberto Castillo sent back down, Chris Ray recalled

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Birds won first Sunday road game in last 10 tries

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd says Trembley believes pitchers have good reason to worry about sign stealing

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Jeff Fiorentino went 3-4 with homer in Tides’ win over IronPigs

Examiner Jay Trucker says Birds have benefitted from playing down NL East

Examiner Steve DeClue says Birds just 5 games under .500 after sweep in Philly

Carroll County Times’ Rich Dubroff says 45,256 saw Birds sweep Phillies at Citizens Bank Park

Carroll County Times’ Rich Dubroff says Markakis sat Sunday

The AP says Sherrill picked up 15th save for Birds in win

Frederick News-Post’s Adam Pohl says Waring picked up 6th RBI of series in Keys’ loss to Pelicans

Washington Times’ John Taylor says Birds still in AL East basement despite sweeping defending World Series champs

Virginian-Pilot’s Rainer Sabin says Justin Christian stole two bases for Tides in win

Philadelphia Inquirer’s Ray Parrillo says Greg Dobbs’ HR only run for Phils in loss

RAVENS:

ESPN.com’s James Walker says former KR Sams selected in UFL Draft

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says target Justin Coleman amongst ‘hottest players in country’ after NBPA Top 100 Camp

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter says Terps have offered Mt. St. Joe’s Damontre Harris (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter says Richmond prospect Gbinije visited College Park (must subscribe)

NAVY FOOTBALL:

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina says Army coach Ellerson believes more kids interested in attending service academies

CRYSTAL PALACE USA:

Examiner Jeff Hemelt says Palace gets weekend win in Bermuda

VOLLEYBALL:

The Sun says Hyden, Sean Scott top Todd Rogers, Phil Dalhausser to win AVP Tour’s Ocean City Open

SWIMMING:

The AP says Phelps posted new personal best in winning 100 meter fly at Canada Cup

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s Marcus Hersh says Big Drama wins Red Legend Stakes in first race since finishing 5th at Preakness

Thoroughbred Times’ Myra Lewyn says Big Drama ‘star’ of Charles Town card Saturday night

BALTIMORE STALLIONS:

Washington Examiner’s Rick Snider says former Stallion Pourdanesh now operating mortgage business in Irvine, CA

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-When Cesar Izturis returns, I’d cut ties with Felix Pie. Nothing left for me to see. Joey Gathright can run if there comes a time when just having someone on the roster is necessary.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

You get props…..

1-David Duval

Did you say you’re NOT rooting for David Duval on Monday? You know, I guess I can understand that. I mean, if I’m qualifying my understanding by assuming that you also….

-Hate apple pie
-Don’t enjoy fireworks
-Are a communist
-Don’t know the words to the chorus of “Beer for my horses” by Toby Keith
-Haven’t seen the movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”
-Leave the 4th of July party before the fireworks

That’s right, if you’re not rooting for David Duval; you’re anti-American. How bout being a patriot, damnit?

2-Wladimir Klitschko

The least exciting great heavyweight champion of all time defended his belts again this weekend. You probably didn’t notice, mostly because the guy he beat wasn’t named “Ruslan Chagaev” instead of “Evander Holyfield.”

Here’s a list of fighters the great Wladimir Klitschko has faced in the last 10 years….

-Axel Schulz
-Phil Jackson (I’m surprised we missed that…..)
-Lajos Eros
-Paea Wolfgramm
-David Bostice (still claims he never used steroids…..)
-Monte Barrett
-Chris Byrd
-Derrick Jefferson
-Charles Shufford
-Francois Botha
-Ray Mercer (who was past his prime….7 years ago)
-Jameel McCline
-Corrie Sanders (who he somehow LOST to)
-Fabio Moli
-Dannell Nicholson
-Lamon Brewster (lost to this guy too!)
-DaVarryl Williamson
-Eliseo Castillo
-Samuel Peter
-Chris Byrd again
-Calvin Brock (who had a brief career as an Orioles reliever you may have missed)
-Ray Austin
-Lamon Brewster again
-Sultan Ibragimov
-Tony Thompson
-Hasim Rahman (how does he keep getting fights?)
-Ruslan Chagaev

I believe where I come from, we call that a “Who’s who”

3-David Villa and Luis Fabiano

Spain and Brazil are on a collision course for the Finals of the Federations Cup. Which means it is time for me to start thinking about Spanish WAGs. And the only thing I learned is that Spanish WAGs were PARTICULARLY disappointing. Fortunately defender Gerard Pique previously dated a gal named Lisa Lazarus; who lucky for us looks like this…..

4-Albert Pujols and Tony La Russa

Favorite prison rape joke in Family Guy history?

“Hey Brian, who’s your favorite baseball player, Albert Poo-holes?”

And since we’re here, let’s remember that while he HAS won 2,500 games…..he hasn’t always known all of the letters of the alphabet. (But frankly, who has?)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ckcw8hhwgE&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

5-Diego Sanchez, James Wilks, and Chris Lytle

It wasn’t a good night to be Kevin Burns. Or to be Clay Guida. Or to be Ryan Leaf. But I guess that’s unrelated.

6-LSU and Texas

How do you decide who to root for in the College World Series? Ummm……how else?

Here’s an LSU exhibit from “Poon of the SEC”…..

Then I Google image searched “Colt McCoy’s girlfriend” and found this…..I don’t know if she’s the one on the right or left, and I don’t care. I’m rooting for both teams…..

7-Kurt Angle

I think TNA was very clever in naming their biggest PPV of the year “Slammiversary.” You seem, because sometimes one wrestler slams another one!

One of my personal favorite “slammers” is Kurt Angle, who won TNA’s Heavyweight Championship Sunday night. Why do I love Kurt Angle? Little things like this…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvB9Li2rUoA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

8-Kasey Kahne, Richard Petty and Dario Franchitti

Now that Richard Petty has finally won a race, I believe the only other owner who hasn’t won in 10 or more years is this guy….

9-Joe Villasenor and Tim Kennedy

Tim Kennedy is officially my favorite solider since…..

“I want Holyfield!!!!!”

10-Jeff Fiorentino, Troy Patton, Eric Crozier, Brandon Waring, and Steven Bumbry

In Steven Bumbry’s first pro game he connected for a Home Run. He was applauded by fans and teammates alike, but his boss seemed uninterested, saying “Solo home run, huh? Let me know when you hit 400 more and play in 2,500 consecutive games.”

Speaking of which, Ryan Howard’s streak of consecutive games was snapped at 343. Upon hearing the news; Cal Ripken giggle and muttered under his breath “did they say streak?”

11-Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps went to Canada this week to kick everyone else’s ass in swimming. Montreal, huh?

In a completely unrelated story, the website WeBeHigh.com rates Montreal a 5 out of 5 in terms of pot “smoking tolerance.”

COMPLETELY unrelated.

12-Crystal Langhorne

I know, I included something from the WNBA. Look, it’s a rough time of year. I mean, it’s either the WNBA or like, minor league bullfighting. And I looked for the bullfighting, trust me.

How can I salvage this?

Let’s talk about Brittany Jackson. Brittany never made it to the WNBA; but she had a hell of a career for the Volunteers down at Tennessee. She then began a career as a model; where she posed for pictures like this…..

……which couldn’t confuse me any more. I mean, is she hot or not??? I hate it when chicks take pictures in little-to-no clothing and you can’t tell if it’s okay that you’re scrambling for a sofa pillow. I mean, don’t get me wrong; I’ve ripped apart my living room trying to find one-but should I be ashamed of this?

There, now I posted something about women’s pro basketball AND kept your attention. I’ll take my gold medal now thank you.

13-Fake Umpires

Look, if you’re at a baseball game; there has to be SOMETHING that makes you not want to jump from the rail of the upper deck, right? These guys are funny. And losers. But funny losers. Sorta like McLovin. Fast-forward a bit to get to them. And something about John Tesh….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF3Qmz7UoIM[/youtube]

14-Dan Jenkins

Here’s what you’re thinking:

“Glenn, who is Dan Jenkins?”

And the answer my dear friends, from Wikipedia:

Jenkins was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, where he attended R.L. Paschal High School and Texas Christian University, where he played on the varsity golf team. Jenkins has worked for many publications including the Fort Worth Press, Dallas Times Herald, Sports Illustrated, and Playboy. In 1985, he retired and began writing books full time, although he maintains a monthly column in Golf Digest magazine.

Larry L. King has called Jenkins “the quintessential Sports Illustrated writer” and “the best sportswriter in America.”

On top of that, here’s what Deadspin founder Will Leitch told Jenkins’ daughter Sally (who writes for the Washington Post) over the weekend about Jenkins “Twittering” at the U.S. Open….

“It’s kind of unbelievable Twitter existed without him. Proves my theory: Had he started a blog before Deadspin, I’d be flipping burgers.”

Now you’re thinking to yourself, “Gosh Glenn, I guess I really should have known who Dan Jenkins is, huh?”

And the answer my dear friends is….

No. He writes about golf. Who cares.

15-The Great Tom Clark

That’s my father and I posing before our upcoming showdown on HBO from Atlantic City. Dad, you’re a good man; but there’s zippy chance you can beat me at Tiger Woods 2010.

You got lucky:

1-Brad Bergesen, Danys Baez and Brian Roberts

Nothing like getting bailed out by a last strike home run. What a weekend in Philadelphia though! I don’t know how many trips to Geno’s it takes to get rid of the taste of a sweep at the hands of the Orioles; but deal with it. And oh yeah, there’s still this….

2-Roger Federer

The saddest thing about this is the fact that the toughest challenge to Roger Federer breaking Pete Sampras’ record may now be Andy Roddick.

3-The guy who hits the “Go Cubs Go” button at Wrigley Field

Lou Piniella says he doesn’t need to be a “dragon” to manage the Cubs; and they started to prove him right over the last few games. So sing along Cubs fans; elimination is still a few weeks to months away….

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS3llgyGZ68[/youtube]

4-Bob Bradley

Are you serious??????????

The Americans are on to the semifinals because they beat a squad from Egypt (who with a gun to my head I couldn’t have told you even fielded a soccer team about a month ago) and managed to score ONE GOAL in a blowout loss to Italy; who then somehow managed to figure out a way to LOSE to that same Egypt team. They might be uninspired and listless, but in 7 days they might be uninspired and listless champions.

5-John Hyden and Sean Scott, Jennifer Kessy and April Ross

Why are these people lucky? Mostly because the sand at the AVP Tour’s Ocean City Open probably made a beach volleyball tournament look more like a slop volleyball tournament. Of course, there’s nothing wrong about two women diving around in slop. And when I say “nothing” wrong, I mean “NOTHING” wrong….

6-Hold the Cruiser

Sometimes I don’t feel like carrying 100 pounds of weight on my back either…..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vd2VNpI00w[/youtube]

In other horse racing news; Churchill Downs began night racing Friday night. In a related story, Pimlico is considering racing at all in the future.

7-Sandra Bullock

She had never had a movie open with more than $20 million in her career until “The Proposal” this weekend; and that hardly counts because most of those ticket sales can be credited to Betty White and Ryan Reynolds’ abs.

Good thing I held on to that sofa pillow!!!!!

You’re a zero…..

Rain

I have huge news everyone! Over the next 10 days, Weather.com is only predicting rain for two.

Which means we will be enjoying it for at least 6.

How the hell can Eddie Bauer go bankrupt at a time like this??????

Could any good come from this misery?

Okay yes.

-G

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not very.

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

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

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

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

*****

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

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

Have a great Monday.

Thanks to everyone who came out to The Barn last night for the annual Ravens Rookie Show; both fans and the guys who made it out. It was a great night of getting to know the guys. Couple of quick notes on each guy….says Ravens not interested in Marshall

-Paul Kruger’s hair is awesome, and you can tell he feels like he has something to prove.
-Jason Phillips knew exactly how to play to the crowd, rocking an Orioles hat despite growing up as an Astros fan. Having dealt with injuries and missed the first OTA’s, he’s ready to see the field.
-Faith is a big deal for Cedric Peerman, who felt like playing for Al Groh at Virginia gave him a leg up on NFL preparation.
-Graham Gano appeared a little nervous, but is obviously excited about the chance to be the guy who replaces a legend. He hopes to stay in Baltimore just as long as Matt Stover did.
-Lardarius Webb is a BIG fan of Ed Reed, and has been particularly grateful for the chance to play alongside him.
-Davon Drew isn’t particularly loud, but knows he has a chance to make an impact on both offense and special teams. Coming from North Carolina, he was a big fan of Bojangles.
-Jason Cook is the entertainer of this rookie class. Good guy, very smart, and could very well end up on the roster with Lorenzo Neal gone. He also is a big music fan, including Kings of Leon.

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

Best of Tuesday’s WNST Blogs:

Drew Forrester

Nestor Aparicio says new Ravens Kruger, Phillips, Webb, Drew, Peerman, Gano, Cook ‘big hit’ at The Barn

Thyrl Nelson thinks Ravens should pass on Marshall

Luke Jones says former Terp Isaiah Williams dealing with hamstring injury at Ravens Rookie Camp

Glenn Clark says Gary told Bob Haynie Terps no longer pursuing Stephenson

Marco Romanell says getting Marshall would be ‘right move’ for Ravens

Glenn Clark thinks Adam Jones amongst best hitters in MLB

Lawson Lambert says Blair Peterson has ‘edge’ to be starting QB for Towson next season

ORIOLES:says defense costs Birds in loss to Mets

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of loss

MLB.com’s Brian Eller says Uehara goes to hill tonight for Birds vs. Redding, Mets

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Mora not happy about strikeout call

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Trembley thinks first inning ‘key’ for Guthrie

Mets Official Site’s Anthony DiComo says Pelfrey picks up win for Mets

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Troy Patton gives up 3 home runs, loses to Louisville in Tides’ debut

Bowie Baysox Official Site says John Mariotti got win as Baysox topped Reading

Frederick Keys Official Site says Sean Gleason took loss as Keys fell to Winston-Salem

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says Oliver Drake takes loss as Delmarva falls to Lakewood

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Roberts’ error in 4th cost Guthrie in loss

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Steve Bumbry, Mike Flacco amongst 8 Draft picks signed by Birds

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says single RBI not enough to salvage tough night for Roberts

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Trembley didn’t think Roberts could have gotten ball Huff dropped

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Roberts went 0-5 in loss

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Baysox giving away Wieters figurine tonight

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Gathright had 2 doubles for Tides in loss

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says 20,000 at Camden Yards see Mets top O’s

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Trembley not excited to see pitchers hit in Philadelphia

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Adam Jones returned to lineup in loss

The AP says Huff’s dropped popup hurt Birds in loss

Frederick News-Post says Caleb Joseph had only RBI for Keys in loss

Virginian-Pilot says Jolbert Cabrera, Carlos Rojas added RBI each for Tides in loss

New York Post’s Bart Hubbuch says K-Rod struck out Adam Jones to finish off Mets’ win

New York Times’ Ben Shpigel says Markakis homered for Birds in loss

New York Daily News’ Adam Rubin says Wigginton added RBI walk in 9th before Mets closed out Birds

Newsday’s David Lennon says David Wright, Ryan Church, Brian Schneider had RBI singles for Mets in win

Newark Star-Ledger’s Brian Costa says Sean Green, Pedro Feliciano combined to throw 2 1/3 perfect innings of relief

RAVENS:says Ravens have not contacted Broncos regarding WR Marshall

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says former Towson WR Breaux brings 6’7” frame to Ravens tryout

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says K.J. Gerard could be next Will Demps

The Official Site says Harbaugh doesn’t consider WR ‘weakness’ for Ravens

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens ‘doing their homework’ with Marshall

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says comments about WR could just be part of poker game for Ravens

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck doesn’t think Ravens should pursue Marshall

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens ‘looking into Marshall’s background’

The Sun’s Ken Murray says Breaux working out with Ravens after previously working out with Redskins, Giants

The Sun’s Ken Murray says Yanda thinks PUP list ‘worst case scenario’

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Kruger got in small fight with O-Lineman

Examiner Tony Wisniewski says Brandon Marshall would be ‘perfect fit’ with Ravens

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Ravens trying to nail down role for Lardarius Webb

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Marshal Yanda expects to be ready by season opener

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Flacco, Delaware coaches took in Rookie Camp

CBS Sports’ Dave Richard breaks down fantasy value of Rice, Flacco, other Ravens

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:says ‘excitement’ finally back to Terps’ basketball program

Examiner Matthew Bouchard

The Diamondback’s Michael Katz says Gary enjoying Twitter

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says pursuit of Stephenson apparently over for Terps

Washington Post’s Mike Wise says Vasquez, Gary share ‘love’ affair

Washington Post’s Steve Yanda says Vasquez ‘wants to win’

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Burney out of walking boot

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Gary celebrated 20th anniversary over weekend

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Hipp 20th greatest player of Gary’s 20 years

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Gist 19th greatest player of Gary’s 20 years

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter says Terps ‘still in mix’ for prospect Oladipo (must subscribe)says Terps have offered Milford Mill WR Cheeseboro

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken

Washington Post’s Josh Barr says Terps interested in Dunbar (DC) DE Javarie Johnson

TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:says David Adkins rounds out Frese’s staff

The Official Site

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says former Terp Marah Strickland transferred to South Carolina

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says former Terp Coleman suffers injury with Mystics

TOWSON LACROSSE:says Tigers assistant Nadelen selected for National Training Team

The Official Site

NAVY FOOTBALL:says Greeley West (CO) prospect A.J. Frieler interested in all 3 service academies

Scout.com

NAVY LACROSSE:says assistant Stan Ross may still be candidate at Princeton

Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey

SALISBURY FOOTBALL:says Sherman Wood selected to participate in NCAA Football Academy

The Official Site

SALISBURY LACROSSE:says former Gull Eric Martin named to National Training Team

The Official Site

SOCCER:says 60,000 tickets sold for Chelsea-AC Milan at M&T Bank Stadium

Ravens Official Site

The Sun says tickets still available for World Football Challenge match

Washington Times’ John Haydon says Ravens VP of Ticket Sales Hotelman thinks sellout would be ‘tremendous statement’ to get future events

CRYSTAL PALACE USA:says Machel Millwood named Player of the Week by USL2

The Official Site

BALTIMORE MARINERS:previews Saturday’s trip to face South Carolina Force

The Official Site

SWIMMING:says Phelps signs endorsement deal with H20 audio

The Sun’s Candus Thomson

HORSE RACING:says Belmont winner Summer Bird to get next work Saturday at Louisiana Downs

Daily Racing Form’s Mary Rampellini

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Jeremy Guthrie wasn’t terrible last night, but that’s just not good enough. I don’t think the Orioles are going to be overwhelmed by anyone to get him.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

Are you going to the LPGA Championship? I would, if it wasn’t golf.

Sorry I don’t have more to add this morning. I recommend you go to the audio vault and listen to Drew’s interview with John Gilchrist. For a guy who got a bad rap at Maryland, John has really focused himself on becoming a better basketball player and human being.

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

Best of Thursday’s WNST Blogs:

Luke Jones says Birds’ effort ‘listless’ in losing to Mariners again

Nestor Aparicio says Wigginton, Zaun, Andino actually contributed from bottom of lineup

Luke Jones thinks Birds just as well to draft Flacco

Thyrl Nelson says Reimold, Scott only Orioles hitting

Bob Haynie celebrating at The Nest with Charm City Roller Girls tonight before Braves-Orioles

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Uehara struggled after rain delay as Birds fell to Mariners

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of loss

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says David Hernandez sent back down to Norfolk to make room for Uehara

MLB.com’s Brian Eller says Birds select 30 pitchers in MLB Draft

MLB.com’s Brian Eller says Tommy Hanson, Braves visit Jason Berken, Birds tonight

Mariners Official Site’s Pete Kerzel says former Bird Olson shakes off tough first inning to pick up win for M’s

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Chris Ray took loss as Tides fell to Indianapolis

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Mariotti tough luck loser as Baysox fell to Connecticut

Frederick Keys Official Site says Keys, Hillcats rained out

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says Oliver Drake took loss as Shorebirds fell to Lake County

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says 12,260 see Birds lose at Camden Yards

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Arrieta, Patton promoted to Norfolk

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Luke Scott homered in loss

The Sun’s Mike Klingaman says Mike Flacco hoped to go earlier in Draft

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Trembley trying to ‘stay with’ players even through slump

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says tonight floppy hat night at OPACY

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. collects more thoughts on Orioles’ Draft

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Brandon Snyder 2-4 with RBI double for Baysox in loss

Examiner Steve DeClue says Orioles made ‘mistake’ by going with Uehara over Hernandez

Examiner Steve DeClue says Mike Flacco has admitted to being ‘work in progress’

Examiner Steve DeClue says Bergesen ‘in groove’

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Branyan, Beltre, Lopez got RBI’s immediately after rain delay to put Mariners ahead

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Izturis set to rejoin Birds in Miami

Frederick News-Post says Matusz’s four scoreless innings wiped away by rain

Washington Post’s CJ Holley says Joe Jordan thought Hobgood selection ‘tough one’

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Birds drafted Terps pitcher Scott Swinson

Virginian-Pilot says Pinckney, Dorta had 2 run singles for Tides in loss

The AP says Branyan homered for Mariners in win

Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker says Mariners back to .500 after win over Birds

SI’s Ted Keith has Birds 26th in power rankings

Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown has Birds 29th in power rankings

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Mike Flacco will be ‘instant fan favorite’ due to last name

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Marshal Yanda to miss Training Camp while rehabbing knee

The Official Site’s Geoff Peckham says Joe Flacco casts ‘big shadow’ over new Oriole, younger brother Mike

The Official Site says tickets on sale Tuesday for 2010 lacrosse Final Four at M&T Bank Stadium

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Harbaugh seeing ‘respect’ amongst coaches

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says OL Faiella left program

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich wishes Terps, Penn State would re-start series

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh says Terps interested in Pittsburgh LB/RB prospect Bruce Patterson (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Terps pursuing Linganore OL Havenstein (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Maryland, Louisville, Rutgers, Syracuse amongst schools showing interest in WR prospect Kai Dominguez (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

Washington Post says Terps to face Villanova in BB&T Classic

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Terps to visit UNC-Greensboro for ACC Tournament preview

HOPKINS LACROSSE:

The Sun’s Edward Lee has Jays 5th in early 2010 poll

NAVY FOOTBALL:

Examiner Tom Flynn says Senator Mikulski thinks Army/Navy game return ‘great news’ for state

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina says future FB Jarred Mack good be next in great line of fullbacks in Annapolis

MCDANIEL BASEBALL:

The Official Site says Terror’s Baines Jr. selected by White Sox; first player in McDaniel history to be drafted

BALTIMORE MARINERS:

The Official Site says Mariners aiming for AIFA Championship

GOLF:

LPGA Official Site says Castrale opens LPGA Championship with 7 under 65 to take lead

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd enjoys ‘drama’ of Wie

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says Shanshan Feng struggled putting due to crowd noise playing with Wie

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says rookie Nordqvist 1 stroke off Castrale’s pace

The AP says Castrale leading Bulle Rock event after 1 round for 2nd time in last 4 years

The AP says keeping Wie near top of leaderboard will improve crowds in Havre de Grace

Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga says Wie center of attention despite being 5 shots back

Washington Examiner’s Kevin Dunleavy says veterans Pressel, Kerr, Creamer, Lincicome, etc. all struggled in Round 1

Washington Examiner’s Jim Williams says LPGA should reach out to Donald Trump

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Of course the Orioles should draft Mike Flacco. It is ABSOLUTELY the right thing to do. They should have drafted Harold Baines Jr. too.

Talk to you this weekend.

-G

Felix Hernandez was good last night, but he wasn’t great. The Orioles had plenty of runners on base (including 7 hits), and had multiple runners left in scoring position. They failed to get productive outs; and they SERIOUSLY failed to drive home runners who advanced. Brian Roberts should have been going on contact on Nick Markakis’ double, but instead stopped either A-because he thought the ball would hit him (it wouldn’t) or B-he forgot there were 2 outs.

This is the most baseball analysis you’ll get from me in a while. I went to the game last night (and hello to the hundreds of my friends who were also there), so I guess I was just particularly frustrated to have paid money to see a team that couldn’t do the little things. This is why I don’t spend more money to watch the games.

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

Best of Wednesday’s WNST Blogs:

Drew Forrester thinks Gano will be Ravens kicker

Bob Haynie will talk to Orioles pick Steven Bumbry on today’s show

Glenn Clark says Drew Nicholas’ shot favorite ‘game-ending moment’

Jason Jubb remembers Memorial Stadium fan Pat “The Bugler” Walker

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Guthrie gives up pair of homers in loss to Mariners

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of loss

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Ray ‘progressing’ at Norfolk

MLB.com’s Brian Eller says Virginia Tech’s Steven Bumbry highlights Day 2 of Orioles’ MLB Draft picks

MLB.com’s Brian Eller says Uehara returns from injury tonight to face Garrett Olson, M’s

Mariners Official Site’s Rick Eymer says Jose Lopez hits two home runs for Mariners in win over O’s

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Baysox split doubleheader with Connecticut thanks to 3 RBI in Game 1 from Brandon Snyder

Frederick Keys Official Site says Billy Rowell had RBI double in loss to Hillcats

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says Xavier Avery homered for Shorebirds in win over Lake County

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Trembley thought Guthrie gave up home runs on ‘mistake’ pitches

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says David Hernandez expected to be sent back to Tides to make room for Uehara

The Sun lists every Orioles draft pick thus far

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Roberts had 3 hits for Birds in loss

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Trembley thinks Guthrie has been done in by breaking balls

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Guthrie maintains he’s ‘100 percent pain free’

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Patton didn’t factor in decision as Baysox won game 1 of doubleheader

Examiner Jay Trucker breaks down beer selections at Camden Yards

Carroll County Times’ Rich Dubroff says 12,770 see Mariners drop Birds at OPACY

Carroll County Times’ Rich Dubroff says Birds play 15 straight vs. National League teams after tonight’s game

The AP says Wieters went 2-4 with double in Birds’ loss to Mariners

Frederick News-Post says Matt Angle went 4-5 for Keys in loss

Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker says Felix Hernandez gave up 1 run in 7 innings of win over Birds

RAVENS:

The Official Site says Training Camp opens at McDaniel College Tuesday, July 28

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Pryce displaying ‘freakish’ athleticism

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd says Ravens ‘inspired’ by visit from wounded soldiers at Walter Reed

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Ravens wrap OTA’s, Harbaugh expects team ready for Training Camp

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Fabian Washington ‘not 100 percent healthy yet’, but took off red jersey in OTA anyway

Examiner Tony Wisniewski says Stover not ‘best man’ for Ravens kicking job

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says rookie LB Jason Phillips expects to be able to participate more in rookie camp this week

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Ravens to break Training Camp August 22

ESPN.com’s James Walker says Ngata ‘most athletic and versatile’ of AFC North DT’s

Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager says Ngata, Suggs, Reed, 52 amongst top 100 players in NFL

Sporting News says Harbaugh doesn’t think Ravens need to use AFC Championship Game as motivation

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

ESPN.com’s Heather Dinich says Terps have 5th toughest non-conference schedule in ACC

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says target Jonathan Graham amongst participants in NBPA Top 100 Camp

Examiner Steve DeClue says Stoglin-Ross class of ’10 already being praised

Yahoo! Sports’ Josh Peter says target Stephenson will face ‘intense scrutiny’ at Maryland or wherever else he ends up

TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says former Terp Doron leads Team Israel in scoring at EuroBasket event

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut and Michael Lemaire say Chinn ‘willing to fill any role’ on Frese’s staff

Washington Times’ Ryan O’Halloran says former Terp Coleman having hot start for Mystics

TOWSON BASEBALL:

The Official Site says RHP Squatrito drafted by Cardinals

TOWSON FOOTBALL:

The Official Site’s Pete Schlehr remembers Tigers’ win over UMES (formerly Maryland State) in ‘76

UMBC LACROSSE:

The Official Site says Retrievers to play in International Friendship Games in Japan

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Retrievers to visit Tokyo, Nagoya on trip to Japan

COPPIN BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says former Eagle Tywain McKee worked out for Knicks

The Sun says McKee to work out for Wizards today

HOPKINS LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Sean Burns says Pietramala not surprised by Tierney’s move from Princeton to Denver

NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says ILB Haberer would love shot to play at Texas A&M

Go Mids says Moorpark kicking prospect Picchini likes Midshipmen (must subscribe)

BALTIMORE MARINERS:

The Official Site says Mariners offering 2 for 1 $8 tickets for Saturday’s game vs. Harrisburg Stampede

GOLF:

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says LPGA could use victory from young American star like Creamer or Wie this weekend at Bulle Rock

The Sun’s Glenn Graham says Christina Kim to wear mic for Golf Channel coverage of LPGA Championship today

The AP says Ochoa ready to go for LPGA Championship after taking vacation

Washington Post’s Barry Svrluga says future of LPGA Championship up in air without McDonald’s sponsorship moving forward

Washington Examiner’s Kevin Dunleavy says LPGA players will miss playing in Havre de Grace

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s Mary Rampellini says Belmont winner Summer Bird to run next at Haskell at Monmouth Park

BALTIMORE COLTS:

NFL.com says Unitas amongst Top 10 most clutch quarterbacks in NFL history

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Drew is right. Graham Gano WILL be the kicker for the Ravens when they play the Chiefs. I mean, I have no inside information; but he’s just the best fit.

-Surprised Joe Flacco didn’t crack Peter Schrager’s “Top 100 Players” list, especially considering he had 3 quarterbacks at the top of the list. Very surprised in fact.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

I was surprised to see the Orioles take a high school pitcher; but clearly pitch count is an issue for them. College pitchers often throw 100+ pitches more than once in a week, and their arms are already a bit worn down by the time they get to the Major League Level.

That will be just about the last you’ll hear from me about baseball statistics.

Welcome to Baltimore Matt Hobgood.

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

Best of Tuesday’s WNST Blogs:

Drew Forrester would handle O’s same way today

Nestor Aparicio says Birds got ‘necessary’ win over M’s

Nestor Aparicio offers pictures, video of Hobgood

Nestor Aparicio says city, state, Stadium Authority, others all worked to bring back Army-Navy game

Glenn Clark says Adam Jones still amongst top hitters in MLB

Keith Melchior says Andy MacPhail ‘getting pass’

Ed Frankovic says Moose top Bears to force Calder Cup Finals back to Winnipeg

ORIOLES:

MLB.com’s Brian Eller says Bergesen throws 8 shutout innings to lift birds past Mariners

The Official Site provides numerical evidence of win

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Birds select California High School pitcher Hobgood in 1st round of MLB Draft

MLB.com’s Brian Eller says Mora had early home run overturned, called out

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Luke Scott, Jason Berken examples of Orioles selected on 2nd day of MLB Draft

Mariners Official Site’s Pete Kerzel says Jason Vargas gave M’s ‘decent outing’ in loss

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Jolbert Cabrera drilled homer, but Toledo topped Tides

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Troy Patton, Sean Gleason to pitch today in doubleheader vs. Connecticut

Frederick Keys Official Site says Luis Lebron blew save in Keys’ loss to Hillcats

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says McCurry shaky, but Shorebirds top Lake County

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Reimold drove in 2 for Birds in win

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Birds’ Guthrie battles Mariners’ Hernandez tonight

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Trembley swapped Adam Jones, Nick Markakis in lineup

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Norco pitcher Hobgood named Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year Sunday

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says scouting director Joe Jordan ‘seemed pretty comfortable’ with Hobgood pick

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Birds selected Tampa HS player Michael Givens in 2nd round, FIU 1B Tyler Townsend in 3rd round

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says Bergesen impressing with ‘poise, pace of game’

The Sun’s Mike Klingaman says Birds impressed by Mike Flacco’s ‘athleticism’

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. pulls thoughts on Hobgood

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Jeff Fiorentino went 3-4 with two doubles in Tides’ loss

Examiner Steve DeClue says MASN commercials ‘embarrassing’

Examiner Steve DeClue says Hobgood’s changeup, command ‘need some work’

Carroll County Times’ Patrick Stoetzer says Sherrill gave up run, but notched 12th save of season

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Birds selected Hobgood over Zack Wheeler

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Sarfate throwing in hopes of returning

The AP says Adam Jones added RBI groundout after double by Brian Roberts

Frederick News-Post’s Adam Behsudi/AP say Birds selected Hobgood because Ackley was gone

Frederick News-Post says Caleb Joseph extended hit streak to 10 in Keys’ loss

Virginian-Pilot’s Rainer Sabin says Waters roughed up by Mud Hens in loss

Seattle Times’ Geoff Baker says Jose Lopez got only RBI for Mariners in loss

Sporting News’ Michael Huang says future rotation of Matusz, Arrieta, Tillman, Hobgood ‘looks awfully good’

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Heap got out of red jersey, practiced in full

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Harbaugh believes Ravens ‘have to’ win AFC North

The Official Site says Harbaugh taking USO trip to help ‘morale building’ in Persian Gulf

The Official Site says Ravens using this week’s Passing Camp to prepare for Browns, Bengals, Steelers

The Sun’s Edward Lee says L.J. Smith trying to shed ‘injury-prone’ reputation

The Sun’s Jamison Hensley says Mason not setting timetable for return

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Sypniewski made first appearance since knee surgery

The Sun’s Edward Lee says DC Mattison, CB Oglesby first to pond for fishing tournament after practice

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Heap intends to be ready by Training Camp

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says McGahee ‘OK’ working behind Ray Rice

SI’s Peter King says Eric DeCosta had travel issues

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s David Grening says Dunkirk needs surgery on left hind cannon bone

Thoroughbred Times says Dunkirk came out of 2nd place finish at Belmont with condylar fracture

Thoroughbred Times’ John Scheinman says Laurel hoping for reinstatement of slots bid

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says Terps interested in Loyola QB Bruns

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Bishop McNamara WR Brandon Coleman wants to get offer from Terps (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says St. John’s (DC) D-Lineman Andre Monroe likes Terps (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says DeMatha DB Jeff Knox Jr. to visit Terps (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Don Bosco Prep (NJ) DT Kittredge has Terps near top of list (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter says Northern High School DE prospect Tre’Van Dorsey visited College Park (must subscribe)

Turtle Sports Report’s Kenny Gartner chats with DB prospect Cullen Christian (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Vasquez worked out with Bucks yesterday, working out with Raptors today

TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says Frese adds former Seton Hall assistant Marlin Chinn to staff

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says Dave Adkins could still be in line for spot on staff

Washington Post’s Camille Powell says Chinn previously worked at Mt. St. Mary’s

TERRAPINS LACROSSE:

The Sun’s Edward Lee has Terps 8th in early ’10 poll

TOWSON FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says former Tiger Landeta chairing Tiger Club Annual Appeal

MORGAN FOOTBALL:

Football.com’s Jeff Glatzer says Bears D-Lineman Justin Lawrence ‘strikes fear’ into opponents

HOPKINS LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey says Tierney move as big if not bigger than Haus, Pietramala moves in ‘01

The Sun’s John Weaver says Jays had approached Tierney about taking job before

NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says M&T Bank Stadium awarded 2014, 2016 Army-Navy games

The Official Site says FedEx Field, Lincoln Financial Field also get future Army-Navy Games

The Official Site says Mids to sign autographs at Camden Yards this weekend

The Official Site says FB Jack Hatcher looking forward to Army most this season

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says ’14 game will come at same time as bicentennial celebration of “Star Spangled Banner”

Examiner Steve DeClue says Ravens ‘very proactive’ in bringing Army-Navy game back to Baltimore

Washington Post’s Camille Powell says Philadelphia gets 5 of next 8 Army-Navy games

Washington Times’ Tim Lemke says ’11 Army-Navy game to FedEx Field

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says ’10, ’12, ’13, ’15, ’17 Army-Navy games in Philadelphia

Go Mids’ David Ausiello says football ‘king’ at Navy

BALTIMORE MARINERS:

The Official Site previews Sunday’s contest vs. Harrisburg Stampede

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Clearly the Ravens are putting a significant importance on winning the AFC North; which makes sense, as the road to the Super Bowl is SIGNIFICANTLY more difficult when you have to go on the road for 3 weeks AND then try to win the Super Bowl. Just getting in isn’t enough; even though two teams have won Super Bowls that way.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

My mock Orioles pick? Try Mike Leake from Arizona State. He’s come on during the College World Series; and would presumably be more Major League ready than Matzek or Wheeler.

But what do I know?

Let’s see what everyone else has to say:

Best of Monday’s WNST Blogs:

Drew Forrester thinks Patton, Tillman, Arrieta will be September call-ups

Glenn Clark surprised to see SI report about Vasquez

Jason Jubb would want $25k or interview on WNST for Wieters’ first home run ball

Mark Suchy wishes Happy Birthday to father, former Terp Bob Suchy

Glenn Clark says LPGA bringing hot chicks to Harford County

Ed Frankovic says Alzner making impact in Calder Cup Finals with Bears

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Huff, Mora, Roberts, Markakis all slumping right now

Mariners Official Site’s Jim Street says Vargas goes to mound for Mariners tonight vs. Bergesen, Birds

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Bobby Livingston gave up 1 run over 7 innings to lift Norfolk past Toledo

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Arrieta named Pitcher of the Week again by Eastern League

Delmarva Shorebirds Official Site says Kolodny homered to lift Delmarva past Lake County

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Arizona State’s Mike Leake, Vanderbilt’s Mike Minor could be options for Birds with 5th pick in MLB Draft

The Sun’s Dan Connolly says Keys’ Matusz on ‘fast track’ to Baltimore

The Sun’s Mike Klingaman says former Oriole Pappas appearing at Sports Legends Saturday

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Justin Christian drilled 3 run homer to lift Tides past Mud Hens

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says Shorebirds’ Zagone, Welty named South Atlantic League All-Stars

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck details slumps for Roberts, Markakis, Huff, Mora, Wieters

Examiner Jay Trucker says Trembley, players share blame for bad baserunning

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Birds need improved offense, pitching during homestand with Mariners, Braves, Mets

Frederick News-Post’s Stan Goldberg says Matt Angle ‘heating up’ for Keys

Virginian-Pilot’s Rainer Saibin says Norfolk manager Gary Allenson ‘not really’ surprised by how quickly Tides players have advanced to Baltimore

Fox Sports’ Dayn Perry says ‘even bottom feeding Orioles on the rise’ in AL East

Fox Sports’ Aram Tolegian has Orioles 29th in power rankings

Sporting News’ Ryan Fagan has Birds 29th in power rankings

Sporting News’ Michael Huang mocks Matzek to Birds

Yahoo! Sports’ Steve Henson mocks Matzek to Birds

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Ravens want ‘consistency’ from Gano, Hauschka

The Official Site’s Geoff Peckham says Foxworth, Ngata, Harbaugh amongst Ravens building playground at Good Samaritan Hospital

The Sun’s Mike Preston says Ravens ‘need’ Demetrius Williams to become deep threat

The Sun’s Kevin Cowherd says Harbaugh joining Gruden, Cowher, Fisher, Coughlin on USO tour

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Fabian Washington trying to improve hands to hold on to interceptions

HORSE RACING:

Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch says Preakness 5th place finisher Big Drama headed to Charles Town

Daily Racing Form’s David Grening says Belmont did good business despite no Triple Crown chance

Daily Racing Form’s David Grening says Quality Road getting back to work after missing Triple Crown

Daily Racing Form’s Jay Hovdey says Woolley, Ice examples of ‘parity’ in horse racing

Thoroughbred Times’ Steve Bailey says Derby winner Mine That Bird returned to Churchill Downs Monday

Thoroughbred Times’ Ed DeRosa says ABC’s ratings for Belmont down from ’08 (when Big Brown went for Triple Crown), up from ’07 (last time no horse had shot at Triple Crown)

Thoroughbred Times says Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra breezed 6 furlongs Monday at Churchill Downs

Thoroughbred Times says Borel supports expanded gaming in Kentucky

The Sun says Jess Jackson may start Rachel Alexandra next in Mother Goose Stakes

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says suites, mezzanine level seats set to debut Sept. 12 with opener vs. James Madison

The Sun’s Jeff Barker hopes ‘rivalry’ with West Virginia grows

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut thinks Ralph has done solid job of scheduling ‘competitive, attractive nonconference games’

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem says Terps interested in RB prospect Khalek Shepherd (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Keith Cavanaugh says Terps interested in Potomac High DE Brockenberry (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says Stoglin commitment may have hurt Terps’ chances at Bartons

Examiner Steve DeClue believes Greivis Vasquez is returning, despite SI report

Washington Post’s Josh Barr says Montrose Christian coach Vetter denies report Greivis has already decided to stay in NBA Draft

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter says prospect Oladipo unlikely to come to Maryland (must subscribe)
                                                                                      
TERRAPINS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says former Terp Coleman now blogging for Mystics

UMBC LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Terry Foy says Rob Grimm amongst best freshmen in country

The Sun’s Edward Lee has Retrievers 16th in early ’10 poll

TOWSON FOOTBALL:

Washington Post’s Josh Barr says Tigers interested in Arundel QB Billy Cosh

HOPKINS FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says Jays ranked 18th in preseason D3 poll by Sporting News

NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says safety Iwuji wishes Mids could play Texas

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina says Phil Steele believes Midshipmen will retain C-I-C Trophy

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina says prospect Austin Beaty could be next Adam Ballard (must subscribe)

NAVY LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey says Stan Ross won’t be leaving Navy for Denver with Bill Tierney taking Pilots’ job

MT. ST. MARY’S BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says Croatian forward Krajina committed to Mountaineers

GOLF:

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says LPGA marketing itself with Twitter
Washington Examiner’s Kevin Dunleavy says former Maryland coach Funk qualifies for U.S. Open

BALTIMORE COLTS:

The Sun’s Mike Klingaman remembers former Colt Bill “Iron Horse” Pellington

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-If you have any idea of how I can get in touch with Merton from Indianapolis, please let me know. I’m starting to worry about him.

Talk to you tomorrow.

-G

Here are my top 3 for the Belmont….

1-Chocolate Candy
2-Mine That Bird
3-Mr. Hot Stuff

But what do I know?

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

Best of Thursday’s WNST Blogs:

Mark Suchy gets chuckle out of MASN’s “Wired Wednesday”

Peter Dilutis doesn’t agree with Brady Anderson

ORIOLES:

The Official Site’s Spencer Fordin says Sherrill locked down closer job again before ‘committee’ could show up

Athletics Official Site’s Mychael Urban says Braden goes to bump tonight to open series vs. Guthrie, O’s

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says MacPhail views Birds as ‘improving organization’

The Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec says Birds ‘smart to be patient’ with top prospect Tillman

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says PETA thinks Camden Yards amongst most veggie-friendly stadiums in MLB

The Sun’s Dean Jones Jr. says McCrory threw 2 scoreless innings in relief in Tides’ loss

The Sun’s Peter Schmuck says O’s don’t want to ‘eat’ Jamie Walker’s contract

Carroll County Times’ Josh Land says Scott only Oriole who has maintained hot bat during team slump

Norfolk Tides Official Site says Waters’ four shutout innings not enough as Buffalo wins 1-0

Bowie Baysox Official Site says Patton takes 2nd loss of season as Thunder top Bowie

Virginian-Pilot’s Rainer Sabin says Alberto Castillo informed he’d be coming up to Baltimore

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says Birds would have to be ‘overwhelmed’ to trade Guthrie

Yahoo! Sports’ Tim Brown has Birds 28th in power rankings

AOL Sports’ Will Brinson has Birds 21st in power rankings

AOL Sports’ Andrew Johnson says Angelos maybe not as bad as he’s made out to be

RAVENS:

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Davon Drew first rookie to sign contract

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says Phillips, Oglesby, Martin amongst CB’s fighting to make roster

The Official Site’s Mike Duffy says health of Terry, Cousins ‘critical’ to O-Line depth

The Official Site says Flacco, Terry to participate in opening ceremonies of Special Olympics

The Sun says Drew signed 3 year deal

The Sun’s Aaron Wright says Birk made college scholarship announcement

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Cam Cameron, Jim Hostler fired up during OTA’s

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Hauschka, Gano forced to kick vs. crowd noise from teammates

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Drew received roughly $140,000 signing bonus

Sporting News Real Scouts says Harbaugh 10th best coach in NFL

HORSE RACING:

Belmont Official Site’s Jenny Kellner says Mine That Bird takes first gallop at Belmont Park

Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman says Woolley hasn’t ‘lost focus’ during Triple Crown season

Daily Racing Form’s Jay Privman says IEAH sued by David Lanzman over I Want Revenge

Daily Racing Form’s Marty McGee says Borel to appear on Letterman tonight

Thoroughbred Times’ Frank Angst says Pletcher ‘optimistic’ about Dunkirk

Thoroughbred Times’ Jeff Lowe says Borel has more ‘confidence’ than ‘experience’ at Belmont

Thoroughbred Times’ Bob Ehalt says Summer Bird possible ‘value play’ at Belmont

Thoroughbred Times’ Tim Nichols says publication staffers pick Charitable Man to win third leg of Triple Crown, not Mine That Bird

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says Lukas feels no ‘pressure’ at Belmont

The Sun’s Kevin Van Valkenburg says expensive Dunkirk hoping to bounce back from disappointing Derby, skipping Preakness

Washington Post’s Andrew Beyer picks Dunkirk to win Belmont

SI’s Tim Layden says Borel is captivating Belmont storyline

AOL Sports’ Lisa Olson says Borel ‘not backing away’ from guarantee Mine That Bird will win Belmont

TERRAPINS FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says Terps’ visit to Cal to kick off at 10pm EST

The Sun’s Jeff Barker says no TV for James Madison game, Middle Tennessee game on ESPN360

Examiner Matthew Bouchard says home opener vs. James Madison to kick off at 6pm

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says Cal game on ESPN2

The Diamondback’s Aaron Kraut says Phil Steele thinks Terps will go through rebuilding year

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Middle Tennessee State game to kick off at 3:30

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter profiles George Washington (Philadelphia) RB prospect Martin Haynes (must subscribe)

Terrapin Times’ Mark Clem profiles St. Anthony’s (NY) DE prospect Rob Welsh (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS BASKETBALL:

Terrapin Times’ Dan Painter says former Xavier commit J.D. Weatherspoon wants to visit College Park (must subscribe)

TERRAPINS LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Christian Swezey says 7OT loss to Virginia best game of season

TERRAPINS SOCCER:

Washington Times’ Patrick Stevens says Maryland 2nd best program over last decade

LOYOLA LACROSSE:

The Official Site’s Chris Hurst (middie) checks in from Chester, UK on European trip

Inside Lacrosse’s Terry Foy says loss to Syracuse amongst better games of season

HOPKINS LACROSSE:

The Sun’s Edward Lee says Jays will bring back ‘dangerous offense’ in ‘10

UMBC LACROSSE:

Inside Lacrosse’s Terry Foy says loss to Princeton amongst best games of season

TOWSON FOOTBALL:

Examiner Matthew Schlissel says former WR Mark Orlando headed to school’s Hall of Fame

NAVY FOOTBALL:

The Official Site says Middleton, Posposil amongst 6 Mids named to Phil Steele’s preseason independent All-America team

Go Mids’ Adam Nettina profiles incoming LB Nurthen

NAVY BASKETBALL:

The Official Site says Billy Lange expects Romeo Garcia to be ‘100 percent’ by October

MT. ST. MARY’S BASKETBALL:

The Sun’s Matt Bracken says back to back postseason appearances have helped Milan Brown, ‘Eers’ profile

CRYSTAL PALACE USA:

The Official Site previews tonight’s trip to Western Mass

BOXING:

Carroll County Times’ Aaron Wilson says Eldersburg fighter Tucker could improve to 10-0 vs. Andre Hemphill

SOME QUICK THOUGHTS:

-Could Alberto Castillo being told he was being called up be the flipside of an expected Jamie Walker move? I mean, there has to be a corresponding move, right?

Talk to you this weekend. Enjoy Dudefest.

-G