Ozzie making me sweat!

I am thrilled to see that Terrell Suggs is finally locked down. I just hope they get things settled with Michael Oher and Paul Kruger. You pick people in the draft for a reason, and my faith in Ozzie Newsome is worth its weight in gold. So whats the hold up?

On another note, I'm settling down about the whole Mason retirement business. If he does then he does. The man was amazing and went above and beyond what we see most players do last year. How we cope with his retirement is something that I'm sure they are planning on (I'd put my name in the hat; I'm fast for a white boy!), but I know they probably already have things in motion for how to move on without him. I can't really say that I am all that pumped about going forward with what we have left, but I also feel that Cam Cameron won't let things blow up in our face either.

The two things I am most looking forward to this year are beating the Steelers (at least once... please, if there is a god, beat those sons a bitches) and watching Rex Ryan inevitably kiss Bill Belichick's rings (which he said he wasn't going to do, best of luck Rex! lol).

The Second Half Looms

Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!

Here be the thread where we predict the record for the Baltimore Orioles in the common tongue of wins and losses.

The honorable judge James Clayton Ephesius Wrathwright Baker IV presiding.

All honor to the majesty of the court, and Wieters save the King and country.


The Orioles march steadfast into the second half of the season seated, a now customary, eight games under the 500 mark. Bolstered by a solid performance from Adam Jones in the Mid-Summer borefes...I mean Classic and two wins against a Toronto squad that seems to be circling the drain - dare we say it - do Orioles fans actually have something to look forward this Summer? Is it possible? Could the Baltimore Orioles avoid their customary slide into the eighth circle of baseball hell in September?

I mean, this flies in the face of the Baltimore Inferiority Complex. What would we do if we became, gasp, good all of the sudden?

I am going to be brutally honest here, 500 is not out of the question. The Orioles have been playing right around 500 ball for the better part of seven weeks right now. And that play is in spite of massive offensive slumps in the names of Jones, Markakis, Roberts, Wieters and Reimold. Averages may be solid but power numbers have nose-dived and Luke Scott needs to have a second spine installed because he has been carrying this team for so long.

In the face of all that, the Orioles sit in a rather advantageous position - more advantageous than recent years at least. The Orioles are, arguably, UNDERperforming at the half and stand to only get better offensively. On the pitching side, the team ERA has been steadily falling since April and stands only to get better as the holy trinity of Tillman, Arrieta and Matusz continue to force the issue in the minors.

Thats right folks, I am upgrading the Orioles season one notch on the scale. If Tom Waits = ungodly depressing Summer and Ted Leo = Ultrafunawesome Summer, then I hereby upgrade the Orioles from Tom Waits to "Slightly less depressing Tom Waits".

Still, if everything breaks right for the Orioles the best we can hope for is to be over 500, but not significantly enough over 500 to consider making a run at the post season - not this year anyway.

Even then, I am optimistic. I am going to call it, I say the Orioles wake up on Halloween and are able to look back at an 81+ win season.

What say you BIC?

Suggs gets a long term deal.

Ahhh Ravens fans can breath a sigh of relief now that Suggs has signed a 6 year $63 million dollar contract with the Ravens. No worries about, are we going to loss him, how will the franchise tag effect his mentality. Personally I wish I had the problem of working a 1 year contract at $12 million dollars.

What does this mean in the long term though? Well as for this year it will help out with the Ravens cap space just a little bit. Money we could use on a WR, CB, or another position of need. By the way Ravens fans, lets no freak out about Mason's retirement, in Ozzie we trust. If we don't get Marshall or Boldin then there must have been a good reason.

However, lets think about the Cap, or no Cap of the future. If the Cap disappears after the 2010 season, then it wont really matter what Suggs gets paid for we can spend whatever we want. However, if a new cap comes along the Ravens may be in a position in a few years to make some painful cuts.

But that is later and this is America a what is going on now society. So I am happy to lock up Suggs for awhile. Now the clock is ticking on a deal for Ngata.

Enjoy the most boring day in sports, the day after the MLB all-star game. Less then 2 weeks till training camp. Who is going?

We want to win, right?

I'm glad Dr. FLK mentioned the Jamison Hensley piece in this morning's Sun, because I was going to do the same. However, I disagree with the premise that someone like Amani Toomer can come in and keep this franchise at "contender" level.

We can't win a Super Bowl if our two starting receivers are Mark Clayton and Amani Toomer. Sorry, ain't happening. Furthermore, I can't imagine a worse scenario to stunt Joe Flacco's growth than to equip him with such a shoddy group of pass-catchers.

At some point you need to get opposing defenses to start worrying about your passing game. We won't be able to run the ball if the other team is chuckling about our receiving "threats." We need to put someone out there that will loosen up the front 7 and keep secondaries honest. My ideal target is Anquan Boldin but Hensley illustrates the concerns there; he's not getting any younger and he wants to be one of the highest paid receivers in the league. Marvin Harrison is on his way to the Hall of Fame but the treads on those tires are pretty much bald.

This leaves, in my opinion, one solid option. Brandon Marshall. Look, I understand that he's of questionable character. What's not in question, however, is his ability. I've always felt that the Ravens can get away with bringing in questionable character guys because of the veteran leadership in the locker room. I have a hard time believing that a guy is going to cause problems off the field with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed looking over his shoulder. According to Hensley, Marshall would want a deal similar to Boldin. I would much sooner give Marshall that money -- he's younger and he's much more of a deep threat than Boldin is. Plus, all signs indicate that Marshall still wants to be dealt from Denver, so that at least gives the Ravens some small bit of leverage.

The bottom line is, this team was one game away from the Super Bowl last year. Losing Mason hurts and would put a huge black eye on the offseason. With no clear #1 WR, the Ravens would not be considered contenders to make the playoffs let alone win the AFC. We still have to deal with Pittsburgh, Indianapolis shouldn't miss a beat despite the retirement of both their Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator and New England gets the "Golden Boy" back. By the way, the Ravens play both the Colts and Patriots this season.

It's tough times in this conference and if you're going to war with Mark Clayton and Amani Toomer you may as well hang a big white flag from the upper deck of M&T Bank Stadium.

Send Help: Need WR

The departure of Mason has been discussed here since he announced his retirement. The typical replacement names include Marvin Harrison, Brandon Marshall, and Anquan Boldin. Each of those choices comes with issues - be it cost, age, declining production, or RAP sheet. Jamison Hensley of the The Baltimore Sun penned (typed?) an article this morning touching on this problem. In his article, he mentions some names in passing...one of which I find particularly interesting: Amani Toomer. He's 34 years old. He's steady and consistent. He stays healthy (missed only 9 games since 1999). He doesn't have off-the-field issues (that I am aware of).

In my opinion, this is the kind of guy the Ravens should look at. He's averaged 54 catches, 670 yards, and 4 TD over his last two seasons. He's a good, "veteran presence" who should be able to assist in the development of Flacco. He won't cost a ton (in terms of draft picks or cash), and he can fill the possession receiver void left by Mason's retirement...while still allowing Clayton to stretch the field vertically. Toomer hasn't been as productive as Mason (not many have). But Mason's late retirement left the Ravens in a tight spot. I hope they try to fill the void with someone like Toomer instead of mortgaging their future.

Adam Jones scored winning run for AL! Maybe someone will actually have something nice to say about the O's this week!

2009 All-Star Game Running Diary

Sorry this is getting a late start, but I'm not feeling 100%, and I overslept a little. So, we'll join this diary in progress, instead of where it should have started!

8:15: St. Louis really, really likes this Pujols guy. Much more than they like Ryan Braun. Also, I never in my life thought I'd use the words "Aaron Hill" and "All-Star" in the same sentence without the sentence being about Aaron Hill snapping and killing an All-Star.

8:23: Welcome to Barack Obama presents: The 2009 All-Star Game. (This is actually a really neat segment, and probably one of the first times I've seen something with every living president used).

8:27: Is it me, or does Lincecum kinda look like Mitch from Dazed and Confused? -Bart

8:30: The downside to having the All-Star Game in St. Louis? I've had to listen to significantly more Sheryl Crow than I'm prepared to listen to. That level is usually small anyway, but Fox is really pushing it right now. Does St. Louis not have any other famous music stars? Was Nelly busy?

8:34: Okay, while fly-overs are generally pretty cool (though a complete waste of money), a stealth bomber fly-over seems ridiculously creepy to me. Am I alone here?

8:41: Say what you want about Barack Obama, but that man just looked like he was living out a dream just now. The grin on his face kinda said it all. I can't remember Bush throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game (I know he has), but Obama wearing jeans kind of struck me as odd. Not sure if Bush did when he threw out the first pitch.

Oh, I just realized that I get to spend the next three hours with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver. This diary's gonna write itself from here on.

8:47: Quick thought about the AL line-up: Josh Hamilton and Michael Young haven't even been the best players on their TEAM, yet they're starting tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, the All-Star Game.

8:50: After 50 minutes, the All-Star game is finally under way. I thought the Super Bowl had the market cornered on pointless pre-game shows?

8:54: After an Ichiro single (with two strikes, no less... I mention this because McCarver's been obsessed about this so far), Jeter gets clocked in the hand/wrist by a fastball. Not going to lie. That was the most exciting moment of the night so far for me.

8:56: You know what's great about the All-Star Game? When the game is scheduled for 8:05, I get home from work at 8:45 expecting it to be almost two innings in, and instead the NL is just taking the field to start the bottom of the first. Seriously, ladies and gentlemen, the All-Star Game! --DJ (colorization brought to you by former Braves manager Ted Turner, to alleviate confusion)

8:58: Teixeira hits a ground ball right to Pujols for a tailor-made double play, except Pujols boots the ball over towards second base. This allows Jeter to score from second base, plating the first run of the game. It's 1-0 AL. I'm considering rooting for the NL because rooting for Teixeira and Jeter makes me feel dirty.

Bay follows with a single to load the bases.

8:59: Hamilton grounds to first. Pujols makes the quick throw to second, but Lincecum doesn't cover first, preventing the double play. Another run scores to make it 2-0 AL. Young grounds out to third to end the inning. Somewhere, Dan Uggla's chuckling to himself.

9:05: Tim McCarver just tried to explain to us what an I-Beam was, because Roy Halladay is apparently the I-Beam of the Blue Jays' staff. I can't really explain to you what Tim McCarver said about it. I wanted to write it down, but I found myself staring at my TV, mouth agape, unable to comprehend what was happening to me. Like a Nazi looking at the Ark of the Covenant.

9:08: The NL goes 1-2-3, in large part because the AL decided to play defense tonight. It's a novel concept, National League. You play solid defensively, you're going to get through innings quickly. You give the best hitters in the game (presumably... Yadier Molina is here, after all) extra outs, and they'll make you pay.

9:12: This is why I prefer the American League style of baseball. Roy Halladay is batting in an All-Star game. Wearing Evan Longoria's batting helmet with its sticker torn off, for added amusement. Can't we just throw in a "pitchers never bat in an All-Star game" clause? Halladay promptly strikes out. Compelling stuff. Joe Buck: "I know you all tuned in to watch Roy Halladay bat."

9:15: Hill, Halladay, and Ichiro go 1-2-3 in the 2nd. Still 2-0 AL.

9:18: Barack Obama has joined McCarver and Buck in the press box, which means that they won't be paying any attention to what's going on during this half inning. Obama on his White Sox jacket, "My wife thinks I look cute in it." Faaaantastic.

9:19: Anyone else find those "Bing" commercials disturbing? Does Microsoft really think that the people who have spent years using Windows and IE (and often times going out of their way to NOT use them) are going to want them making our decisions for us? --DJ

9:21: David Wright breaks through with the NL's first hit. Obama on baseball: "There's a lot of parity this year. Everyone seems to have hope... except the Nationals." Oof.

Shane Victorino follows with another single with 2-outs. The NL's showing a little life here against Halladay. Shame that Molina's up and Lincecum's on deck.

9:24: So, this is what happens when I pick on Yadier Molina... he smashes a ball up the middle that plates Wright. Hamilton threw to third to try to cut down Victorino, but the ball gets by Young, allowing the Flyin' Hawaiian to score and tie the game. Yadier Molina with the 2-run double. Prince Fielder's pinch-hitting for Lincecum

9:25: Whatever your politics are, you have to give it up to Obama for that "we're out of money" joke. -Bart

9:26: Fielder with a ground-rule double that bounces into foul territory. Molina scores to put the NL up 3-2. Mark Buehrle's warming up. Hide the women and children.

9:27: Hanley Ramirez grounds out, but not till the NL scores 3 off of Roy Halladay. He was cruising along until David Wright came up.

9:30: I bet people didn't expect Obama's Change message to mean the NL would have a chance this year. -Bart

9:30: Thinking that it's the 7th inning, Charlie Manuel brings in Ryan Franklin of the St. Louis Cardinals, and his furry alien friend that lives on his chin. He quickly gets the first two AL players out.

9:33: Ken Rosenthal tries to interview Roy Halladay, but his mic cuts off. Any situation in which Ken Rosenthal is prevented from speaking is a winner in my book.

Franklin finishes his 1-2-3 inning by retiring Teixeira.

9:34: Oh good, 6 umpires. now we can count on 2 more guys to screw everything up. -Bart

9:35: Is it a bad thing that I'm rooting for the AL but exceedingly happy when certain players fail?

(I'm looking at you, Traiter Mark!) --DJ

Well I'm rooting for the AL but am openly booing Jeter and Tex...is that bad? - Matt

9:36: Mark Buehrle is pitching to Chase Utley, and will finish this quickly. So this will probably be one long post, because Buehrle pitches like he has somewhere better to be. Utley flies out for out #1. That took all of three pitches and about a minute. Pujols grounds out to Teixeira for out #2. That took about 4 pitches and another minute and a half or so. Braun grounds out to Jeter for out #3. That took another minute and 3 pitches. Thanks for moving this along quickly, Mark!

9:40: I think the players are making up for that ridiculously long pre-game. Seems like we blinked and 2 innings went by. -Bart

9:42: Is this the AS Game or Obama Night at Busch Stadium? (wink) - Matt

9:46: Tim McCarver's rant for the top of the 4th? How Yadier Molina is the greatest catcher ever. Of course, the play that they showed with Molina backhanding what should've been a passed ball, then firing over to first to nail Ryan Theriot... is probably one of the best defensive plays I've seen a catcher make. But it's nice to know that McCarver still has no problem randomly rambling about a player for the duration of a half inning. This game has quickly gone from "Holy crap, it's only the first inning," to "Holy crap, it's already the fourth inning."

9:50: And finally, Zach Greinke, the guy who SHOULD'VE started the game for the AL, comes on to pitch the bottom of the fourth. Ibanez swings at the first pitch and fouls out. Are we going to talk about Zach Greinke's depression?

9:51: Yes, yes we are. At great length.

9:52: David Wright just watched a slider that was so nasty, it called him names as it went by him. I haven't gotten to watch Greinke pitch yet this season, but he's had, easily, the best stuff I've seen so far tonight.

To confirm this, Victorino swings at a ball that bounces before it gets to the plate for strike three. Greinke's through his half of the inning quickly as well. We're going to the fifth, folks!

9:56: Carl Crawford, winner of the 2009 Jason Varitek Award for least deserving All-Star selection, is up facing Chad Billingsley. I think Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Braun are in the game now. I'm going to start losing track, since Buck and McCarver don't really care to explain what's going on. They're too busy rambling about Crawford's speed.

9:59: Tim McCarver: "Lou Brock... was probably the fastest guy at accelerating from first base to second base. Crawford's probably a close second."

Joe Buck (after dramatic pause): "Imagine how much faster he'd be if he pulled his pants up."

Joe Buck with the "OH SNAP!" moment of the night.

Meanwhile, great play by Pujols to cut down Crawford at second. Now McCarver can talk about Ichiro's speed.

10:01: I just learned from Fox's profile on Derek Jeter that he cried when Chris Webber called a time out that he didn't have in Michigan's National Championship loss. I'm not really sure what I should do with that information.

10:03: Jeter cried at a timeout. This speaks for itself. -Bart

10:05: Mauer just shot a ball into the left field corner that, SURPRISE!!!, Ryan Braun had trouble fielding. Jeter scored all the way from first to tie the game at 3. Sadly, as he was rounding third, someone called time out, and Jeter wept. Openly.

10:07: I guess he just really doesn't like timeouts. - Matt

10:10: FINALLY!!! Carl Crawford's speed is in left field, while the Orioles' own Adam Jones takes over right field for Ichiro. And man, it's really nice to see someone wearing Baltimore on their chest in the All-Star game.

Edwin Jackson is on to pitch for the AL. For some reason, Josh Hamilton is still in this game. He's played all of 30 games all year.

10:11: Putting Adam Jones in right is like putting Slipknot at The Apollo. -Bart

10:15: Tejada's in at short, Hoffman's on the mound, and Adam Jones is up at the dish. And Jones swings at the second pitch to hit a loud fly out to right field that got Joe Buck all kinds of excited for a minute. Was good while it lasted, anyway.

10:17: And Oldfan's boyfriend Michael Young grounded into a double play...thought he was Mr. Clutch. - Matt

10:19: Taco Bell's "All About the Roosevelts" commercial actually caused me to black out for a moment. Sorry. I don't know what happened over the last minute or two.

10:20: Tim McCarver is talking about Tweeting. I will now go strangle myself with an Armando Benitez jersey. -DJ

10:20: Felix Hernandez is in to pitch, and Curtis Granderson is playing center. Orlando Hudson just flew out to Jones. In other news, Orlando Hudson made the All-Star team. I had no idea. None. Also, Jason Bartlett is playing short. Apparently, Buck and McCarver didn't care enough to mention him.

10:22: Can the Orioles start getting some of those good Norfolk players, since, you know, we now control the major team in the area? -DJ

10:23: Fox just showed a man in the crowd that was bald, expressionless, and generally creepy. He was wearing a suit, and he just kind of slowly turned his head as people stood up around him applauding. I need to wash the creepy off of me. Man. I'm going to have nightmares about that.

Meanwhile, Felix gets the NL three-up, three-down to push the game into the seventh.

10:26: Francisco Cordero takes over pitching, while Adrian Gonzalez takes over at first for Pujols. Meanwhile, Aaron Hill flies out. In case you missed that, it's the seventh inning, and AARON HILL HAS PLAYED THE ENTIRE GAME SO FAR. I have no idea what Joe Maddon's thinking is here, unless he just flat out forgot that Aaron Hill's still playing second.

Crawford grounds out quickly to bring up Morneau, who's pinch hitting for someone. I lost track. Morneau promptly lines out to third. Quick inning for the AL. Seventh-inning stretch time, which means a 20 minute delay in the game.

10:27: Has there been a bigger disappointment this week than Albert Pujols? Couldn't make the Home Run Derby finals last night, 0-3 with an error tonight? Yikes.

Bet tomorrow he becomes the next name from The 104. -DJ

10:29: I WAS going to say that the only good thing about the seventh-inning stretch is Sara Evans, but when did she go from hot country singer to Oompa-Loompa? -DJ

10:34: I'll say it. Sarah Evans just schooled Sheryl Crow.

Meanwhile, Jonathan Papelbon's in the game, and I almost threw up. Hawpe just crushed a ball to left field that Crawford jumped and caught to rob a homer. I'm torn about my feelings there.

10:35: Papeldouche is a douche. By the way is Jayson Werth's entrance music always Kings of Leon or was that just the people in St. Louis playing them? Either way, cool stuff. - Matt

10:36: Another ball gets crushed out to right. This time, Jones catches it near the wall for out #2. Red Sox fans are nodding to themselves that the "real" Papelbon's being exposed. Former Oriole Jayson Werth's up for the NL, and he strikes out, Making Papelbon look like the dominant closer that everyone thinks he is. We're going to the eighth!

10:40: How wrong is that I kind of like that DirecTV commercial? - Matt

10:43: Heath Bell is in now for the NL. He starts off by throwing a ball over Bartlett's head. Good stuff. On the next pitch, Bartlett grounds out to Tejada. One out, quickly. Quick being the theme for the evening.

10:44: Well, that could be the game-changer. Granderson crushes a ball to left that takes a funny bounce at the base of the wall and bounces back past Justin Upton. Granderson's speed allows him to stretch that into a triple. Runner on third with one out, and they're going to intentionally walk Victor Martinez to face... Adam Jones.

10:49: After a long AB in which Jones fought off a bunch of pitches from Heath Bell, Jones skies a ball deep to right field, driving in Granderson with the sacrifice fly. Sure, it's not a homer, or even a single... but it's the go-ahead run. Way to represent, Adam! 4-3, AL. Youkilis follows with a single. I just tried to break my TV.

10:50: If the AL wins 4-3, does Adam Jones win MVP for driving in the winning run? - Matt

10:52: If the AL wins, Curtis Granderson's probably put himself in position for the MVP with his triple. Zobrist goes down swinging to end the inning.

10:56: Brandon Inge made it into the game at third. Zobrist is going to hang around at second. Joe Nathan's going to pitch the 8th to bridge the gap to, I assume, Mariano Rivera. McCann's up for the NL. No sign of Chone Figgins or Carlos Pena yet.

10:58: McCann grounds out, then Zimmerman flies out to Jones to set down the first two NL batters. They're swinging at the first pitch now. Adrian Gonzalez steps in. McCarver and Buck tell us that Gonzalez walked 32 times... in the month of June. For a change, the dynamic duo actually tosses out an interesting and pertinent statistic.

11:01: True to form, Gonzalez walks. That brings up Orlando Hudson (who plays for the Dodgers now, by the way). Hudson smokes a ball up the middle that hits off of the end of Bartlett's glove. Gonzalez goes to third. And that means trouble, as St. Louis native Ryan Howard heads for the plate.

11:03: (snoring) Huh? This thing is still going on?! Can we bring real baseball back please? - BPM

11:07: After another long at-bat, Howard strikes out on an ugly pitch that bounced into the dirt. Victor Martinez keeps the ball in front of him to tag Howard out. That AB could've made Howard even bigger than he already is. That likely means it's Rivera time in the 9th.

11:10: K-Rod's taking over pitching duties, and immediately gets Inge to ground out. Why K-Rod didn't pump his fist there is beyond me. When you have the chance to look like an idiot with your team down by a run on national TV, you just gotta do it.

11:12: Crawford strikes out, bringing up Morneau. The National League is sending up Justin Upton, Brad Hawpe, and Miguel Tejada in the bottom of the ninth against Rivera. That's not exactly the most imposing trio the NL could send up. Meanwhile, Morneau hits a rocket to center that Werth tracks down and catches back-handed on the run. A very, very underrated catch that was on par, difficulty wise, with Crawford's home run robbing catch.

11:14: That was a great catch but in what world is Jayson Werth a CF? - Matt

11:17: Enter Sandman. Rivera, with a save, will pass Dennis Eckersley for the most saves in All-Star game history. Because, apparently, he needed another record.

11:18: Upton grounds out weakly to Bartlett for one out. That brings up Brad Hawpe, who will be better known as the guy that had a homer robbed by Crawford.

11:20: Rivera gets Hawpe looking on an absolutely nasty pitch away. Just painted the corner there. You can't help but respect what Rivera does, even if he looks like a gremlin. Tejada up with two outs, and the AL on the verge of winning their 13th straight All-Star Game.

11:21: And Tejada hits a weak fly ball to shallow right. Zobrist there for the catch and the out. That's the ballgame! Papelbon gets the win, Bell gets the loss, and Rivera gets the save. That sentence actually caused me pain to type out. We're waiting for the MVP announcement, but I can't imagine that it's anyone other than Curtis Granderson. It couldn't happen to a nicer person. In case you're wondering, that game was finished in a brisk 2:31. That's the shortest All-Star game since 1988.

11:26: I'm sorry, what? Carl Crawford's our MVP? Because of the catch on Hawpe? That was more important than the triple that Granderson hit to set-up the win? I can't even begin to disagree. Crawford did NOTHING ELSE this game. Got on base once but got cut down on a fielder's choice. Guy shouldn't have even been on the team. Whatever.

This has been an interesting experience. Thanks to my random co-contributors for pitching in throughout! Any thoughts or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments!

11:28: And now it's time for another episode of "Really?!?" with DJ.

Really, MLB, really? Carl Crawford is the All-Star Game MVP? Really? I didn't know they started overrating defense here too. Torri Hunter would like a word with you from that catch he made on the Bonds should've-been-a-home-run a few years back.

And really? Are we that desperate for an MVP? Even the Super Bowl will award it to the opposing team if necessary to find someone who did something really important.

Really? The Ted Williams Award? This year it isn't the Ted Williams Award, it's more like the Tony Batista Award. Really, MLB. Yeah, really.

It's been fun (at least the posts I actually got posted between my internet and the clumsy way this ended up working). Good work to everyone. I give it the highest praise one can bestow on an internet site: I LOLed. -DJ

12:09: I just realized we have a "DJ" and a "JD" contributing to this blog. One of you will have to change aliases

12:44: Well I suppose you could go by J-Dizzle and he could go by D-Jizzle. I won't say which one I think is funnier. - Matt

We're Wacco for Flacco, but who is Flacco gonna be Wacco for now?

If this whole thing with Derrick Mason retiring comes to fruition, which even though many speculate is a play at a better deal, what are the Ravens going to do? I personally think that the damage to his shoulder is just too agonizing to bear another season. That, compounded with the emotional roll coaster he has been on after the loss of close friend Steve McNair, has led him to hanging up his cleats. But where do we go from here? I really felt that last year could have been a break out year for Demetrius Williams had he not gotten injured. Also, Marc Clayton definitely showed that he should not be underestimated by any corner in the league.

The Ravens wide-outs have never really been known for amazing speed or height, two things that generally make wide receivers into superstars. What we have prided ourselves on is possession receivers. I'm not sure I have ever seen one player make as many amazing side line catches in one season as Mason did last season. Clayton and Williams will definitely have to step up their game to fill this possible void.

I have one suggestion for the Ravens though. Marvin Harrison. Nobody has signed him and I think he could be a perfect fit to fill Mason's role. Harrison has been one of the most highly respected receivers in the league for years. His speed and hands made him Peyton Manning's top dog for a long time. But with age comes wear. Harrison is definitely not as fast as he used to be. But what Derrick Mason excelled at was the short underneath and slant routes. Something that an experienced receiver such as Harrison would be perfect for. He still has a nice burst off the line, and his hands are good as any other WR in the game. I feel his years of NFL experience would also help Flacco grow as a QB. Anyone who has played with Peyton Manning that long will help you're young QB mature. Brandon Marshall just doesn't fit the Harbaugh school of thinking and Anquan Bouldin is out of the picture. If the Ravens decide to work with what they have then I wish them the best, but if they want experience to help their young buck taking the snaps stay on his path to glory, I feel Harrison would be the man.

Running All-Star Game Diary... LIVE AND TONIGHT!!!

I like to make big entrances, so I'm going to start right off by trying to cobble together an entry that takes up most of the front page.

It's the B.I.C.'s first-annual running All-Star Game Diary, written and sponsored by me, J.D. And it all starts here at 7:30 PM, Eastern time. So, while you're watching Major League Baseball's most important exhibition game EVER!!!, settle in with us and follow along. Feel free to comment and complain about exactly how unfunny I am, and I might even listen and reply to you.

And who knows, maybe I'll join in. -Bart

8:03 Pm: Already way too much reverence for me. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball, sometimes it rains. Stop over complicating it, will ya? -Bart

Why I feel Inferior...

Quick. Off the top of your head, think of 1 or 2 of the most prominent teams in Major League Baseball. By "prominent" I mean past success, size of fan-base and media coverage mainly. Now do the same for the National Football League and NCAA Basketball.

I'll give you a second.

Ok, if you're like most, you probably named all or some of the following teams:

-New York Yankees
-Boston Red Sox
-Pittsburgh Steelers
-Duke Blue Devils
-North Carolina Tar Heels

Since this is a Baltimore-based blog, I probably don't need to tell any of you with an IQ over 10 what those teams have in common.

Baltimore/Maryland sports fans have spent years seeing their teams live in the shadow of superior rivals, both on the field/court and off. It's bad enough that these teams have taken a liking to kicking our collective rear, but we also have to hear about them on almost a daily basis. During baseball season, you can't get away from Yankee/Red Sox rivalry talk, ditto for UNC/Duke during basketball season. The NFL is slightly better, the Ravens haven't been completely owned by the Steelers, but the fact remains that Pittsburgh is one of the storied NFL franchises, and we as Ravens' fans have to deal with hearing about them.

The most sobering statistic, in my mind, is the total number of titles won by our rivals since 1983 (the last year the Orioles won the World Series for those of you that shouldn't be reading this blog). Between the O's, Ravens and Terps, there have been 3 titles since that year-- one for each team. Between the Yankees, Red Sox, Steelers, Duke and Carolina? 14. And that's if my memory serves me correctly (which it tends not to do, maybe I've successfully erased a few of those titles from my memory bank?). Sickening.

In 26 years, Baltimore fans have had to deal with their hated rivals winning 14 championships. We've had to deal with Dick Vitale, Peter Gammons and the rest of the folks at ESPN who forget sometimes that Baltimore exists. Most importantly, though, we've had to deal with our hated rivals enjoying the constant success that most sports' fans from this area would give a kidney for. We're a passionate group, but we also bleed when we're cut. And this is why we feel inferior.

I'll enjoy posting here, and I thank Bart for the opportunity to do so.

The All Star Game...And Stuff

Is pretty lame so far. I can't believe Brandon Inge went 0'fer. That is just embarrassing. Does the MLB All Star game mean anything really anymore? Perhaps I am becoming jaded into my 26th year on the planet but I am just not excited for this game.

Perhaps it is because MLB has tried to make it something it's not. the All Star game should NOT determine homefield advantage in beer-league softball let alone the WORLD SERIES. It is an exhibition, a fun diversion and a needed break in the middle of a long season, but nothing more than that.

It will be very cool to see Jones wearing the new away jersey on National TV. Hopefully he has a huge game and gets some people looking at us in a more positive light.

MacPhail had some interesting things to say on Steve Majewski's blog:

http://masnsports.com/2009/07/macphails-take.html

MacPhail on the first half: "You'd like to see more victories. But at the same time, realistically assessing our progress, there is a lot to be optimistic about. We had to introduce more rookies in the equation early on then I'd hoped or expected. But they've really, by and large, performed well and that I'm very happy about.

"Over the last 46 games or so, we are 23-23. We've essentially played .500 baseball over the last six or seven weeks.

"One of my goals for the next half is not to go through that swoon at the end of the year that we've gone through the last several years of this franchise. To me you avoid that by depth. And I'm hopeful that we've added to the depth of the franchise and hopefully we'll have a better finish in the second half than we've had the last several years."

I too am hoping for a much better finish. Also it seems Tillman getting called up soon is a foregone conclusion. Hopefully MacPhail can have another blogger night and break the news then, as he did with Wieters. Good man AndyMac - keep the faith.

Prince Fielder gives all us fat guys a chance.

Watching the Home Run Derby last night I couldn't help but notice, besides the awful commentary I swear if I heard "bat off" one more time, any way I noticed Prince Fielders swing.

What I noticed was the man swings a bat like a fat guy on a beer league softball team. He puts every pound of "muscle" he has into his swing and I swear I was waiting for him to spin himself completely around. When he made contact, he crushed the ball.

Of course if I swung like that I would either A. Pull my back out B. Fall down or C. Hit a weak pop up to the third baseman. So big ups to Prince I am glad to see Milwaukee get some press.

Oh yeah, they said last night that lefties have a natural upper cut swing. I thought that they were full of it then I remembered all those times in the sand lot when I thought I was a switch hitter and would have an at bat or 2 as a lefty and sure enough, major upper cut swing. I wonder why? If any of our readers have an idea post it in the comment section for this blog.

"From chaos comes clarity"

A Team, A City and the Intertwined Reputations of Both

Brandon Marshall has been suspended by the NFL for violating the Personal Conduct Policy. He has been questioned or arrested by police 13 times since 2004. He has been arrested (with charges later dropped) in domestic violence incidents with his girlfriend and fiancee; they were different people at different times. He received a year of probation for "driving while ability-impaired" after pleading down from DUI.

He is not a good guy. Yet all many fans see is 226 catches over three seasons (100-plus each for the past two), and a dynamic receiver to replace Derrick Mason*.

*Assuming he retires, which is still up-in-the-air at this point. I won't even bother with how insulting it would be to replace someone of Mason's character with someone as obviously flawed as Marshall.

Baltimore does not have a good reputation around the country; that's part of the reason for this blog. Thanks to movies and television and even the news media we are seen as a city filled with criminals and drug-addicts, the lowest form of thugs. Unfortunately, this is reinforced at least in-part by the reputation of our football team.

I love the Ravens. They are the team I grew up watching, rooting for in the Super Bowl, complaining about through years of offensive ineptitude, and just supporting against those horrid Steelers fans.

However, the team is looked upon in the same vein as the city, a group of thugs whose issues are overlooked by a fanbase who cares only for wins. Part of it is the focus on dominating defense that tends to be the cause of most of the violence in the sport on the field. But, the incidents involving Ray Lewis and Jamal Lewis, as unfair as it may be, have clouded the minds of many.

Both of those guys came from questionable backgrounds, but at the time of their run-ins with the law had not shown any real character problems over several years playing for the Ravens. That knowledge, I would like to believe, is why most in Baltimore from those times to the present have defended those players. It wasn't something known nationally, though, and along with the previous civic perception gave the team a bad reputation.

Marshall, on the other hand, would not have the same well of support to draw from.

He would be a guy that we know what we are getting into, and that the national media and fan base would see as a desperate move only for a shot at winning. When, not if, he has problems, it would be under our watch and so we would get a further hit nationally.

In addition, the risk is not worth the cost to the team's long-term ability to compete. Any deal would likely cost several draft picks, including at least one first-round pick. When Marshall ends up suspended, you not only end up right where you were before in the receiver situation, but worse off with the loss of the value the picks have.

Baltimore fans have even spent the better part of a decade mocking a franchise that was too willing to take chances on players with questionable character: the Cincinnati Bengals. They managed one playoff appearance before returning to the level of a national punchline, only with the added burden of a criminal reputation.

An attitude of "win at any cost" works when you are talking about cutting players who aren't producing, or bringing in the veteran with the known value to start over the rookie full of potential. When you start talking about the kind of desperation where you start overlooking sociopathic behavior for the shot at a title, it fails.

There is no fun in winning a championship if your fans are too embarrassed to celebrate it to the fans of other teams. At best, you get the problems of your team shoved back in your face. At worst, you get the problems of your team shoved back in your face with laughter and disgrace.

Following Your Team to the Bitter End

In today's Baltimore Sun, Kevin "Don't You DARE Call Me Colin!" Cowherd wrote a column about the Orioles and the near-future for the franchise in flux. The main theme was the upcoming decisions that need to be made by the team (and overall make for a fairly throw-away column even for a guy who likes Cowherd). However, he opened with several paragraphs on the one thing I despise among the excitement of the opening of the NFL season and the MLB playoffs: the marginalization of the Orioles by the sports fans and media of the region.

The media has a fair excuse on the subject, because even though they cover both they focus on what gets attention from the readers.

However, this leaves the fans themselves to blame for the sudden dearth of attention on the Orioles.

Now, I'm sure many will say, "Now DJ, the Orioles have done this to themselves," and to a certain extent I agree. The Orioles have not made the playoffs or had a winning season since the Ravens were in their SECOND season in Baltimore. They have not had a relevant September since 2004* when the team finished with 78 wins on the backs of recent free-agent signings Miguel Tejada and Javy Lopez, and the quality pitching of ace Rodrigo Lopez, closer-in-waiting B.J. Ryan and young talent Erik Bedard and Daniel Cabrera.

*Read that last sentence again. Doesn't that feel like so long ago, yet at the same time just like yesterday? Remember when Larry Bigbie was the Great Right (Field...actually, left field) Hope? It just is a continual reminder of how far we have come and how far we still need to go.

However, there is a reason why I don't blame the Orioles for this problem. Following the Orioles and following the Ravens are not mutually-exclusive: you aren't rooting for one at the expense of the other. You can be a fan of both teams, and many of us are or at least profess to be.

This means that the start of the Ravens' season does not prevent fans of both teams from following the Orioles. So, why are fans willing to hide behind the Ravens as an excuse for not watching the Orioles?

I don't have an answer; that's part of why it upsets me so, because there IS no answer. If you don't want to follow the Orioles anymore, just admit it. Don't hide behind the Ravens. If you want to root for both, then admit that as well and maybe we can keep some attention on what we want to see. Both teams getting their coverage, and fans watching both all the way to the end.

The Orioles have young talent both ready to come up and already adjusting to the majors. The Ravens MAY have just lost their best (and possibly only) receiver. Things can change quickly in sports, and some of us will be there for both teams no matter what.

7/13/09 ZOMG!!!

Derrick Mason may announce his retirement within minutes! Dana White has threatened Brock Lesnar and Dan Henderson with their jobs for inappropriate conduct after their fights! I'm scared to close my laptop cause I might miss something! Gotta poop brb!

Don't Lose The SIZZLE!!!

The Ravens have a little over a week to re-sign Terrell Suggs. In my opinion, if they don't give him the deal that he DESERVES, he's gone next year. You can't franchise Pro Bowl quality players year after year. Haven't we lost enough? Ozzie and Steve need to get this done now!

Huh??!?

I am by no means going to try to discredit or belittle any of the other bloggers here. I am, however, very disappointed to come from work home just to find that two of the newest posts are about the Nationals. Granted, we are in such close proximity to D.C., that it is hard to ignore the goings on of our neighbors in the nation's capital. I just don't understand why it should be relevant here. Our city's name is in the title of the page for Christ's sake. I was excited to see that someone had the gumption to start a webpage dedicated to our underrated sports franchises. The Ravens have consistently eaten every broadcasters' and media venues' collective shit for years. Don't even get me started on the O's. Baltimore needs a voice. Here we are given the chance to give our opinions and relay sports news to people that actually CARE about OUR teams. I will not make another post about this topic again, but please, Charm City lets keep it real.

Oscar Salazar Fan Club

What else does Oscar Salazar have to do?

It took him the better part of 11 minor league seasons to prove that he deserved a shot in the big leagues (11 seasons where he compiled a 287/343/469 stat line). He’s made the most out of every chance that he’s gotten. He has come off the bench. He’s pinch hit. He’s played 1B, 3B, LF, SS, DH. He’s been given 133 ABs, and he’s put up an impressive 301/369/511 line (with a 130 OPS+). Granted, it's a small sample size. But he certainly hasn't provided any evidence saying he can't handle ML pitching.

And isn’t he the kind of guy that Baltimore fans would love to rally behind? He’s worked his tail off at every stop he’s been at. He doesn’t have this sense of entitlement that seemingly every pro-athlete has. He isn’t the big name, overpaid athlete who under performs. He doesn’t come with media hype, fanfare, and drama. He just LOVES baseball. He doesn’t whine if he’s benched…or dropped in the lineup…or shifted to another position. He accepts every challenge, and he’s risen to the occasion more often than not.

Will he be a superstar? Probably not. But how sexy would a DH-platoon of Luke Scott and Oscar Salazar look? I’d sure like to find out.

So join me in the Oscar Salazar Fan Club.

Manny Acta Fired - A Rant

Quick first rant.

Many Acta has been fired from the woeful Washington Nationals. Now, of course, the insane ramblings of the collective group-think of the internet is churning. And that is never a good thing. Some of the less-intelligent among us are calling for the Orioles to pick up Acta and send Trembley on his way.

I love the way these people make Trembley sound. To some out there Dave is not human, rather, Trembley is some sort of shambling homunculus suffering from some sort of extreme mental disturbance whom can barely be expected to tie his shoes in the morning let alone coordinate a Major League Baseball team.

Of course Manny Acta is some sort of sabermetric genius who was sabotaged by horrendous players and a patchwork of uninterested, greedy owners.

Now as the latter may be closer to the truth than the former, just stop it all ready. Dave Trembley is a fine manager and he isn't going anywhere.

"But But But JAMES!"

yes, rabble

"Trembley hits-and-runs too much and fundamentals and VORP! VORP!!!!"

I will speak on the following in this order:

1) Trembley's propensity for the hit-and-run and the outs on the basepaths. Bad teams make managers look bad. There is a reason why overnight baseball Jesus Manny Acta was let go. The old adage of "you can't fire the players" is so stupid. If the organization felt that Manny Acta was still the guy that fit for that team he would still be there. Outs on the basepaths are annoying but if the players executed them just a bit better then we would be cheering the efforts and the baseball genius of David Trembley!

Actually no we wouldn't, because a hit-and-run only really gets noticed when it fails. When it succeeds the runner was being "smartly aggressive" and "running-hard" to go first to third.

2) Fundamentals. Let us not forget that Dave Trembley has had a lot of turnover from last year. Jones, Markakis and Mora are the only people from last year's team that remain in their same positions. The lapses in defense are largely thrown off by an awful April but it has been much MUCH better since then. Trembley has his team practice more often than most other teams in the ML, that is a fact and I frankly don't know what else he could do.

"HE COULD BENCH THEM!"

Yes, that's great. But this isn't High School ball, its the big leagues and on a team where every win counts you can't just go around benching star players willy-nilly for every mental miscue. Trembley prefers to handle things behind closed-doors and in doing so maintains a level of professionalism and respect in the clubhouse.

3) Sabermetrics. I love stats, stats are great. But god-damnit shut up all ready with Sabermetrics being the new bible of baseball. Along those same lines, could we please stop invoking Earl Weaver's name like the Holy Ghost please. Metrics are what they are, metrics. But some of these things, especially the defensive metrics, have holes big enough to drive a Mac truck through. Markais has had an off year in right field so far, no arguing that, but any stat that puts him in the same universe as Adam "Oh crap that's a ball coming right at me duck!" Dunn has to be flawed in some weird way.

Final thought: Until someone can show me concrete evidence how Manny Acta makes us a better team, and by concrete show me things he did in Washington that can be proven to work demonstratively better here to an extent it would require making a managerial change ousting a well-liked, well-respected, manager in the middle of a rebuilding effort that is finally starting to bear fruits after a decade's worth of anguish and agony - well then I will drive him to the airport. But until then, just let it be.

Nats fire Acta

So, the Nats have fired Manny Acta at the all-star break. While not a shock to me I have to wonder was it really necessary? The team is on pace to be one of the, if not the, worst team in MLB history. Firing Acta now wont get the Nats into contention, or even a winning record.

All this will do is force ownership to pay Acta the rest of his contract plus whoever they bring in to take the bench coaches spot.

In these tough economic times the Nats should have worked smart, not hard. You know you are going to stink so ride it out with Acta, don't bring him back, and save yourselves a few hundred thousand dollars and put that towards signing Strasburg, one of the most over-hyped pitching prospects since Ben McDonald.

Oh well, is it hockey season yet???