10. Rihanna (Tuesday 7:30pm 1st Mariner Arena); P!nk (Thursday 7:30pm Verizon Center); Trapt (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head Live), Drive By Truckers (Sunday 8pm Rams Head Live); Better Than Ezra (Saturday 7pm Power Plant Live); Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (Wednesday 8pm Baltimore Soundstage); Dr. John (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Average White Band (Thursday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Marshall Tucker Band (Sunday 7:30pm Rams Head on Stage); Finch (Thursday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Dropkick Murphys/Carbon Leaf (Friday 7am 9:30 Club), Citizen Cope (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club); George Thorogood & The Destroyers (Tuesday 7:30pm Birchmere); Slick Rick/Rakim (Friday 8pm Howard Theatre); Shamrockfest feat. Sublime with Rome/Virginia Coalition/Carbon Leaf (Saturday 12:45pm RFK Stadium); Sound City: Real to Reel soundtrack available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

You already know damn well I’ll be wandering over to see Better Than Ezra after the Blast game Saturday night.

Despite not particularly enjoying much of anything else in the genre, I really flipping loved “What It Is To Burn” by Finch. I’d go see this show.

Spending a day in the parking lot at RFK Stadium? Ain’t nobody got time for that. Unless Virginia Coalition is involved. (Sorry for the video quality.)

I legitimately CANNOT get enough Sound City in my life. Dave Grohl is a rock God, but you already knew that.

9. Lewis Black (Saturday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Bill Bellamy (Thursday-Saturday  Baltimore Comedy Factory); Pablo Francisco (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); “Life of Pi” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 25th Anniversary Edition” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “Spring Breakers” and “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” out in theaters (Friday); Glenn Clark’s St. Patrick’s Day plans (Sunday parts unknown)

Yes. We ALL feel the same way about Jessica Rabbit. We just agree not to talk about it so that people don’t talk about us behind our backs.

We CAN however discuss the cast of Spring Breakers if you’d like.

And before we leave this part of the show, BANGERS AND EFFING MASH! ERIN GO BRAGH!

(Continued on Page 2…)

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10. Mos Def (Friday 9pm Rams Head Live), Fishbone (Monday 8pm Rams Head Live); ZZ Ward (Monday 7pm 8×10 Club); Johnny Winter Band (Friday & Saturday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Lupe Fiasco (Wednesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Erykah Badu (Thursday & Friday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Flyleaf & Drowning Pool (Saturday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Pat Green (Wednesday 7pm 9:30 Club), Eels (Sunday 7pm 9:30 Club); Bacon Brothers (Friday-Sunday 7:30pm Birchmere); Naughty By Nature (Friday 8pm Howard Theatre); Suzanne Vega (Saturday 8pm Sixth & I Historic Synagogue); Civil Wars & T-Bone Burnett “A Place at The Table” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

I’ll be at ZZ Ward Monday night. She’s just…excellent.

You may remember Lupe Fiasco as the guy that did that song you couldn’t stop listening to that one time…

Not everyone is a huge Flyleaf fan, but you cannot doubt that girl’s pipes…

There was a time when I didn’t know if new Civil Wars music was coming. This is one of the better Tuesdays of my life.

9. Jon Stewart (Friday 8pm Meyerhoff Symphony Hall); Sandra Bernhard (Saturday 8pm Howard Theatre); “The Master” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); “21 and Over” out in theaters (Friday); Baltimore Boat Show (Thursday-Sunday Baltimore Convention Center)

Politics aside, Jon Stewart is so F*CKING funny.

And while you’re at the Boat Show, if you happen to see one of these please go ahead and pick it up for me.

(Continued on Page 2…)

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10. Animal Collective (Tuesday 6:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion), Virgin Mobile Freefest feat. Jack White, Alabama Shakes, Ben Folds Five, M83, Skrillex, Nas, ZZ Top (Saturday 11am Merriweather Post Pavilion); Snoop Dogg (Thursday 9pm Rams Head Live), Mutemath/Civil Twilight (Saturday 8pm Rams Head Live); Cris Jacobs Band (Thursday 8pm 8×10 Club); The Ataris (Friday 7:30pm Ottobar); Sixpence None The Richer (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Herman’s Hermits (Saturday 6pm & 9pm Rams Head on Stage); Diamond Rio (Thursday 8pm Rams Head Center Stage); Switchfoot (Wednesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Waka Flocka Flame (Saturday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Disco Biscuits (Saturday 7:30pm Baltimore Soundstage); Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (Friday 7pm U Street Music Hall); Mint Condition (Saturday 8pm Howard Theatre), Emeli Sande (Monday 8pm Howard Theatre); Robin Thicke (Saturday 8pm D.A.R. Constitution Hall); Raveonettes (Saturday 9pm Black Cat); Muse “The 2nd Law” and Van Morrison “Born to Sing: No Plan B” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

I mean, I hope Jack White doesn’t walk off stage a few songs into his set Saturday at MPP like he did this weekend in New York. Although in fairness, this is hilarious…

This song kicks ass…

Also, Alabama Shakes…

And if I’m not in Columbia Saturday night (or at ALDS Game 1), I hope to be at RHL…

You may have heard me play the new Muse track a couple of times on the show. Listener Bobby described it as “hot fire”, but I thought that was reserved for Dylan Dilinjah…

9. Maryland Renaissance Festival (Saturday & Sunday Revel Grove); Jim Florentine (Thursday-Saturday Magooby’s Joke House), Tom Papa (Thursday-Saturday DC Improv); “Taken 2″ out in theaters (Friday)

You’re thinking “why would someone take another member of Liam Neeson’s family”, but then again…

Also, here’s a preview of the film…

The post Top 10 Baseball Distractions appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Since the 19th century, baseball players have used different methods of cheating or getting around the rules. Mike “King” Kelly, one of the greatest players of that era, was notorious for his cheating exploits, outsmarting umpires at every opportunity.  Ken Burns, in his “Baseball” series, stated that Kelly would skip bases behind the umpire’s back, going from first straight to third. He was also known for, in an era where players or managers did not have to report substitutes into the game, yelling out from the bench “Kelly in the game” and catching a pop-up for an out.

Burleigh Grimes and Ed Walsh were noted spitballers in the early 20th century when the pitch was still legal.  When the spitball was banned in 1920, pitchers who were already throwing them were allowed to until they were out of the league. Grimes was the last, retiring after the 1934 season. This, however, did not stop pitchers from trying to get any advantage they could.  Hall of Famers Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton were accused of doctoring baseballs.  Although it was never proven, their reputations, especially Perry, were slightly tainted.

Pitchers are not the only guilty parties, as we all know. But it’s not just steroids, or PEDs.  Sammy Sosa and Albert Belle were both caught using corked bats. Infielders, especially second baseman and shortstops, get away with not touching second base on force outs.  Strike zones change daily, or even worse, by inning. I’ll never forget watching Lee Smith when he played for the Orioles, hitting the so-called “outside corner” to strike out a batter. When the replay was shown, (overhead replay) you could see that the pitch was so far outside it seemed like it was in the other batter’s box.  Is this cheating? Taking advantage of what is given, or both?

Football players are also very good at this.  Artie Donovan, in his autobiography ”Fatso“, spoke of a game against the 49ers at old Kezar Stadium, where there had a been a circus the day before. He said that the once the offensive players were set, and weren’t allowed to move, that the defensive line would pick up manure from the circus animals that had not been cleaned up and throw it at the offensive linemen (who, because of this, became VERY offensive, but in a different way).  It is said that there is a holding call on practically every play in today’s game.  Anything that a player can get away with, they will do.

Basketballers have made “Flopping” an art form, using it to draw charging fouls.  Have these forms of cheating had an impact on the integrity of the games, or on the games themselves? I would say no.

Other than golf (which has an apparent code of ethics different from any other sport), cheating has become commonplace in major sports worldwide.  But is that any different from society in general? The 2000 presidential election for example. No one will ever know the truth about the votes in that election, and whether or not George W. Bush actually won. (It usually depends on which side of the political spectrum you fall). Not necessarily the fault of the candidates, but a system that was and is flawed when it comes to voting and counting votes.  In many colleges, including military academies, there have been numerous cheating scandals on finals.  Cheating is not only a sports issue, it’s a life issue.

The biggest impact that cheating has had on baseball recently has been the issue of PED’s. Many of the greatest baseball players of my lifetime will not make the Hall of Fame any time soon because of their use (or supposed use) of HGH/steroids.  Not only does this affect the integrity of the game in my opinion, it will make it difficult for any player who all of a sudden becomes a 40+ home run hitter with a .300 average after posting career totals much lower, to not be accused of cheating.  Players such as Asdrubal Cabrera, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Jose Bautista would be prime examples.  The increase in home run and batting average statistics of these players leads some fans to believe that they were somehow “juiced”, instead of becoming better players through practice, strength, and ability.

From King Kelly to Dewayne Wise, from Artie Donovan to any wide receiver who supposedly catches a pass when they know it hit the ground first, from any basketball player who draws a charge or takes that extra step driving to the basket, cheating is and will always be a part of sports. But also a part of life.

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10. Zac Brown Band (Thursday 5:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); Capital Jazz Fest feat. Indie.Arie, Bill Cosby (Friday-Sunday Merriweather Post Pavilion); Radiohead (Sunday 7:30pm Verizon Center); Miranda Lambert/Jerrod Niemann (Sunday 4pm Jiffy Lube Live);  City and Colour (Wednesday 7pm Rams Head Live); Smile Empty Soul (Saturday 5pm Recher Theatre); Crossfade (Monday 7pm Baltimore Soundstage); Dandy Warhols (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club); The Used (Wednesday 7:30pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Victor Wooten (Thursday 8pm Howard Theatre); Dr. John (Friday 7:30pm Birchmere); Rhett Miller (Monday 8pm Jammin Java)

I’d watch ZBB do just about anything, but this was as good as anything I’ve seen them do…

My favorite tune from Thom Yorke and the boys?

For more traditional country folk, I sorta dig this Jerrod Niemann tune…

I wish I didn’t have to admit to digging this tune…

9. Great Grapes Wine & Food Festival (Saturday & Sunday 12pm Oregon Ridge); Guy Torry (Thursday-Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Corey Holcomb (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); “Man on a Ledge” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); Glenn Clark’s first ever “Hogfest” (Saturday)

That’s right. For the first time in my (still?) young life, I will be roasting a pig Saturday. It’s all thanks in part to ABC Rental Store in Rosedale. A talented young man I listen to on the radio is always talking to me about them. I think his show is called “The Reality Check.” I PRAY my results make me as happy as George W. Bush…

Also, I will be hosting a qualifier for the Olympic KanJam team Saturday (more on Twitter @OlympicKanJam). I expect the day to look much like this…

The post Top 10 Baseball Distractions appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

10. Drake (Friday 7pm Verizon Center); One Direction (Thursday 7:30pm Patriot Center); Corey Smith (Friday 8pm Rams Head Live); Jason Isbell (Saturday 1pm Rams Head on Stage); Garbage (Wednesday 7pm 9:30 Club); Collective Soul (Wednesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Thrice (Wednesday 7:30pm Howard Theatre); John Mayer “Born and Raised” and Garbage “Not Your Kind of People” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

You know that I’m a “money over everything, money on my mind” type of guy, right?

I used to have the biggest crush on Shirley Manson. Hell, I probably still have  huge crush on Shirley Manson…

If you don’t want to go see Collective Soul we probably wouldn’t be much of friends…

John Mayer is apparently doing country music now. This is a classic example of when “success just simply isn’t enough.” See below.

9. “Men in Black III” and “Chernobyl Diaries” open in theaters (Friday); Bob Marley (Wednesday-Sunday DC Improv); Cedric The Entertainer (Saturday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Brew at the Zoo (Saturday & Sunday Maryland Zoo in Baltimore)

There’s simply no chance MIB3 is something I’ll want to go see. And while Cedric the Entertainer is funny, I’d rather talk about beer.

I have no idea whether or not Flying Dog Brewery will be unleashing canned Underdog Atlantic Lager on the Zoo this weekend, but I DO know that the campaign they used to roll it out in our nation’s capital was simply fantastic…

Brilliant.

The post Top 10 Baseball Distractions appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

10. Infieldfest feat. Maroon 5, Wiz Khalifa, Little Big Town, The Darkness (Saturday 11am Pimlico Race Course); New Edition (Sunday 7pm 1st Mariner Arena); Black Keys/Arctic Monkeys (Friday 6:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion), Lucinda Williams/Drive-By Truckers (Saturday 6:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion), Lady Antebellum/Darius Rucker (Sunday 5:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); Styx/REO Speedwagon/Ted Nugent (Friday 7pm Jiffy Lube Live); Buckcherry/Foxy Shazam (Thursday 7:30pm Power Plant Live), Mr. Greengenes (Friday 8pm Power Plant Live); 2 Skinnee J’s/All Mighty Senators (Friday 8pm Rams Head Live); Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage, Thursday 8pm Howard Theatre); Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (Tuesday 7pm 9:30 Club), SOJA (Friday 7pm Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club); Fishbone (Thursday 7pm State Theatre); Less Than Jake/Ballyhoo! (Friday 8pm Rock N Roll Hotel); Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival feat. Jonny Lang, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Saturday & Sunday Sandy Point State Park); Justin Jones & The Driving Rain (Monday 7pm Ottobar); Night of 1000 Dylans (Friday 7:30pm Creative Alliance); Tenacious D “Rize of the Fenix” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

Totally underrated Black Keys tune? “I Got Mine.” See you at MPP Friday night…

If Maroon 5 promised to not play a song they’ve released in the last 10 years I’d be excited to see them Saturday. But if they did nothing but tunes from “Songs About Jane” I would be in…

If you haven’t seen Darius Rucker play country music, you’re going to have to trust me. He kicks a little ass…

I’m hoping Justin Jones will stop by the studio Monday. He’s quite talented…

9. Brian Regan (Friday & Saturday Warner Theatre); John Henton (Thursday-Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Bobby Slayton (Thursday-Sunday DC Improv); “The Dictator” (Wednesday), “Battleship” and “Crooked Arrows” (Friday) open in theaters; “The Grey” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); Preakness Crab Derby (Thursday 12pm Lexington Market); Preakness Frog Hop (Wednesday 12pm Patterson Park)

Crab races? Okay I guess. MUCH more kickass? PIG races.

And as far as the frog hop goes, I think you already know which frog I’ll be pulling for…

The post Top 10 Baseball Distractions appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers (Thursday 7:30pm Verizon Center); Avett Brothers (Friday 8pm Patriot Center); Go-Go’s (Tuesday 7pm Rams Head Live), Andrew Bird (Wednesday 7pm Rams Head Live); Eve 6 (Saturday 7pm Recher Theatre), Lit (Sunday 5:30pm Recher  Theatre); Fear Factory (Saturday 7pm Sonar); ALO (Saturday 8pm 8×10 Club); Mike Doughty (Wednesday 8pm Rams Head on Stage), Dar Williams (Saturday 6pm & 9pm Rams Head on Stage), Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Monday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); M83 (Saturday 7pm & 11pm 9:30 Club), Cranberries (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); The Maine (Saturday 7pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Esperanza Spalding (Saturday 8pm Howard Theatre); Carolina Chocolate Drops (Thursday 7:30pm Birchmere), Chris Isaak (Monday 7:30pm Birchmere); The Gourds (Wednesday 8:30pm State Theatre); Feist (Wednesday 8pm Strathmore); M3 Rock Festival feat. Night Ranger, Kix, Ratt, Queensryche, Skid Row, Warrant, Quiet Riot, LA Guns, Great White (Friday & Saturday Merriweather Post Pavilion), Rob Zombie/Megadeth (Sunday 3pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); DC101 Chili Cook-Off feat. Incubus, Cake, AWOLNation, Angels & Airwaves, Airborne Toxic Event, Neon Trees (Saturday 11am RFK Stadium); Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (Thursday 7pm Friday & Saturday 8pm Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts); Glenn Frey (Monday 8pm Warner Theatre); Silversun Pickups “Neck of the Woods” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

One of the highlights of my life was getting a MySpace message from the Eve6 drummer. Seriously.

Mike Doughty is super talented.

I’m not really a Rob Zombie type of guy. I’m such a Rob Zombie type of guy though.

I know a guy who worked as a telemarketer his senior year at Perry Hall High School and sang “Short Skirt Long Jacket” by Cake into multiple answering machines. That guy was me.

9. Brad Sherwood/Colin Mochrie (Friday 8pm Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric); Christopher Titus (Friday & Saturday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Colin Quinn (Tuesday & Wednesday DC Improv); “Dark Shadows” in theaters (Friday); Baltimore Tattoo Arts Convention (Friday-Sunday Baltimore Convention Center); Preakness Celebration Balloon Festival (Thursday-Saturday Turf Valley); Foodie Experience feat. Andrew Zimmern (Saturday 3pm France-Merrick Performing Arts Center at the Hippodrome)

Colin Quinn is pretty funny. That said, Colin Quinn was never really all that good on Weekend Update…

Hey! Kat Von D has tattoos! Why don’t a post a picture of her here and just move on already…

The post Top 10 Baseball Distractions appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

10. Lynyrd Skynyrd (Friday 6:30pm Pier Six Pavilion), Chicago (Sunday 6pm Pier Six Pavilion); Lupe Fiasco (Thursday 8pm Patriot Center); Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators (Thursday 7pm Rams Head Live), George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic (Friday 8pm Rams Head Live), P.O.D. (Sunday 6pm Rams Head Live); Marilyn Manson (Tuesday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring), Korn (Friday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); The Bad Plus (Tuesday 8pm Howard Theatre); fun. (Thursday 7pm Friday 8pm 9:30 Club), Eric Hutchinson (Saturday 8pm 9:30 Club), Rusted Root (Sunday 7pm 9:30 Club), Willie Nelson and Family (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); Bob Schneider (Wednesday 7:30pm Birchmere), Mint Condition (Thursday & Friday 7:30pm Birchmere); Norah Jones “Little Broken Hearts” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

If I were going to be in town, I’d head to the Inner Harbor to check out Chicago. Honestly…

I like Eric Hutchinson. I also like women. I understand this comes as a surprise to many.

Bob Schneider made one of the best tunes of 2012…

“This is a fun tune from Norah Jones” uttered the man for the first time EVER…

9. Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL (Saturday & Sunday 1st Mariner Arena); D.L. Hughley (Friday-Sunday Baltimore Comedy Factory); Gilbert Gottfried (Friday-Sunday DC Improv); “The Avengers” in theaters (Friday); “Haywire” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday)

I don’t like to speak out of line, but if you don’t go see “The Avengers” within hours of its’ release, you are almost certainly a terrorist.

Tony Stark is the greatest fake human being of all time.

Oh-and did you not remember Haywire? Haywire was the one where Gina Carano…you know I’m just going to go ahead and stop there.

The post Top 10 Baseball Distractions appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

10. Rammstein (Wednesday 8pm 1st Mariner Arena), Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Sunday 8pm 1st Mariner Arena); Shinedown (Wednesday 6pm Rams Head Live), All-American Rejects (Sunday 7pm Rams Head Live); Bob Schneider (Saturday 8pm 8×10 Club); Pat McGee Band (Friday & Saturday 8pm Rams Head on Stage); Punch Brothers (Friday 8pm 9:30 Club); Creed (Tuesday 8pm Warner Theatre); Kottonmouth Kings (Wednesday 6:30pm Sonar); Chuck Berry (Saturday 8pm Howard Theatre); Mac Miller (Thursday 6:30pm Pier Six Pavilion); Nellie McKay (Thursday 6:30pm Birchmere); Candlebox (Monday 8pm Fillmore Silver Spring); Sweetlife Festival feat. Kid Cudi, Fitz and the Tantrums, Fun. (Saturday 12pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); Death Cab For Cutie (Monday 8pm Strathmore); Nickelback/Bush/Seether (Monday 6pm Verizon Center); Jack White “Blunderbuss” available in stores/on iTunes (Tuesday)

TSO didn’t post in Charm City this Christmas, and you know someone who was bitter. I’d be willing to go see them Sunday night though, their Beethoven stuff is also awesome…

Does anyone just want to GIVE me tickets to the Punch Brothers show Friday night? Most of you haven’t given me a birthday present in years.

Enjoy skateboarding? Hip-hop? Marijuana? Here’s Kid Cudi…

Jack White is sorta becoming that “I don’t care what he does I’m just going to like it” man for the 21st century. Are we still in the 21st century?

9. “The Raven” and “The Five-Year Engagement” out in theaters (Friday); “Contraband” available on Blu-Ray/DVD (Tuesday); Tom Brokaw (Tuesday 8pm Meyerhoff Symphony Hall); Sugarloaf Crafts Festival (Friday-Sunday Timonium Fairgrounds)

I’d love to dissect Jason Segel’s new flick (I think it actually looks good) or try to figure out what the hell they do at the Sugarloaf Crafts Festival, but I don’t know where else in T10BD I’d be able to post this picture of a frog sitting on a bench like a human…

We all agree this is the greatest picture of all time, right?

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