Maybe Mark Clayton took all that T.J. Houshmandzadeh free agent speculation personally. He sure looks like a big-play receiver right now. He also showed what a fine all-around athlete he is with that long touchdown pass to Derrick Mason in the third quarter.

Guess this wasn't a trap game. Flacco has done more than just take care of the ball. He has taken care of business and delivered one of the best performances of his surprising rookie season.

Obviously, I was never terribly worried, since I picked the Ravens to win big, but I felt even better when I watched the Bengals come out of the tunnel before the game. There was as little pre-game emotion as you might have expected from a 1-9-1 team. Some of the players actually looked like they were bothered by the misty, 40-degree weather.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Just football
        

If you've been reading The Sun the past few days, you know that I picked the Ravens to win today's game in Cincinnati, 30-10, so you know I'm not going to suddenly wax pessimistic now. But I will point out that there is only one way the Ravens lose this game, and that is if Joe Flacco (left) fails to take care of the ball.

Flacco has had his erratic moments this year, but he has matured rapidly and he quickly overcame an early season rash of turnovers (six interceptions in his first five games, just the two against the Giants since). He still makes the occasional bad read -- and has flirted with disaster a couple of times in the past few weeks -- but he's as steady as you could expect a young quarterback to be at this point in his career.

Still, stuff happens, so I agree with my colleague Jamison Hensley that Cam Cameron will reduce the variables today and depend heavily on his three-headed running game to get this week's must-win game into the left column.

Getty Images

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

Today's featured comment comes from Jeff V., who is not enamored with the idea of trading Garrett Olson for Felix Pie, which is pronounced Pee-Ay even though he's not from Pennsylvania:

Jeff V.'s take: No, we should be working on getting guys on the team that work the count and have a high OBP and Pie is not that guy. The only way getting Pie makes sense is if they put him in left field and move all the outfield walls back 20 feet.

Pie has all the makings of a bust, last year he put up .287 .336 .466 on his third trip to AAA in the PCL. Ror all the talk about his speed, he has a 63% career stolen base percentage, this is NOT someone you want running wild on the basepaths.

I don't see it, you don't trade a need (pitching) for a strength (left field) this is even more true when you consider the holes that may be in the O's infield after next season.

Pete's take: I have to say, I'm a little surprised at all the O's fans who are falling back in love with Olson. Everybody wanted to run the kid out of town on a rail last year. And I don't see how you view LF as a strength, though Luke Scott played okay there. The only place where 65 RBI from a corner outfield position is a strength is last place.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

The possible acquisition of multi-tool outfielder Felix Pie is intriguing, to say the least. If the Orioles end up being the third team in a proposed three-team deal to send marquee starting pitcher Jake Peavy from the Padres to the Cubs, they'll be in a position to field one of the youngest -- and most versatile -- starting outfields in the game.

Pie (right) has not developed quite the way the Cubs had hoped when they signed him as a teenage free agent out of the Dominican in 2001, but a lot of people still think he has the potential to be a very productive major league player. It wouldn't be a big surprise if the O's threw him out there in left field regularly the way they did with Adam Jones in center.

Of course, Luke Scott might have something to say about that, but he still would fit as the primary DH, with Aubrey Huff getting most of the playing time at first base.

The deal probably would not affect the Orioles' pursuit of free agent slugger Mark Teixeira. If they were to succeed in signing him, Huff would be the DH and Scott would likely share time with Pie, though both are left-handed hitters.

Don't hold your breath on this. There are some complicating factors, primarily the three-year, $52 million contract extension Peavy signed that guarantees him an average of $16 million per year from 2010 through 2012 (on top of his $11 million for 2009 and including a $4 million buyout if his $22 million option for 2013 doesn't get picked up). Taking on that contract probably is going to require approval from whoever makes the highest bid for the Cubs franchise, which is being sold by the Tribune Company. The deadline for bids is Monday.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (56)
Categories: Just baseball
        

News this week that Andy MacPhail has hired former Reds GM Wayne Krivsky as a special assistant probably didn't register very high on the fan excitement meter, but it is just another example of the way Andy does business.

He's a stickler for getting every ounce of information he can get before making a decision, which can be frustrating for fans who want to see dynamic action this offseason. The addition of Krivsky, with 27 years in the business and experience in both leagues, gives the Orioles front office a much broader perspective as MacPhail moves into what looks like another transitional year in his rebuilding plan.

Somebody wrote in to ask how that affects Mike Flanagan, and it's a fair question. I don't think it affects him much at all. I believe Andy looks to Mike for help evaluating the organization's pitching depth, which probably won't change. Mike remains a favorite of Peter Angelos, so I think he's probably safe in his current position.

Radio Free Schmuck: I'll be talking sports from noon to 3 on The Peter Schmuck Show today on WBAL (1090AM). If you're out of the listening area, you can log on to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The Maryland Terps made a statement against No. 5 Michigan State on Thursday at the Old Spice Classic, but they could not follow it up tonight against No. 9 Gonzaga. The Zags were just too big, dominating the offensive boards and taking control of the game in the second half to send Maryland to its first loss in five nonconference games.

The Terps, who shot so well on Thanksgiving, hit just one of 12 three-pointers tonight and shot just 37 percent from the field. Gonzaga shot 51 percent and outrebounded Maryland 39-29.

Still, Terps fans can't complain about the performance of Gary Williams' young squad at Disney's Wide World of Sports. The Terps showed they can play with anyone -- despite tonight's seemingly lopsided final -- and have a lot of room to grow. It would have been a lot to ask for them to beat two top 10 teams on back-to-back nights.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

It's almost showtime at WBAL and -- for reasons I cannot explain -- Clarence Mitchell IV has engaged me in an argument over Easy Cheese and Cheez Whiz. He claims that Cheez Whiz also comes in an aerosol can, which is ridiculous.

What's more ridiculous is the notion that anyone would challenge my expertise on processed foods. If you don't know the difference between Easy Cheese, Cheez Whiz and, for that matter, the cheese they put in those little individually wrapped Cheez and Cracker Snacks (all of which are Kraft/Nabisco products), you don't deserve to have a radio talk show.

I'm pretty sure this will come up on The Week in Review, but I just had to get it off my chest, and there isn't anything new on Mark Teixeira, so why not?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

OK, I take it back. I'm no longer thankful for the three NFL games -- if you can call them that -- we got on Thanksgiving Day. I didn't last 'til halftime in any of them.

I'll say this: I had a feeling the Eagles would bounce back. Everyone was so convinced that the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb supposed rift would divide the team and lead to some kind of end-of-year meltdown, but that was based on the presumption that everything that went wrong during the Ravens blowout was because McNabb came unraveled during the eight-day period that also included the tie against the lowly Bengals.

I guess that seemed like a fair assumption, but the guy also was going against a Ravens defense that has made a lot of people look like that. The Cardinals defense was no match for the rejuvenated combination of McNabb (right) and Brian Westbrook, both of whom were involved in four touchdowns.

Can't say the Eagles are back, not at 6-5-1 in that division, but they've got nine days to get ready for the Giants and they've got a game against each division rival remaining. They would have to beat the Giants and Redskins on the road -- which admittedly seems like a stretch -- but they still have a mathematical chance to get to the playoffs. The second-place Cowboys, remember, have to play the Steelers, Giants, Ravens and Eagles to close out the regular season.

Schmuck on the air: I'm back on the radio today at noon, dueling with Clarence Mitchell IV and Kendel Ehrlich on The Week in Review on WBAL (1090AM). If you aren't in the listening area, you can go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ken Murray's account of yesterday's conference call with T.J. Houshmandzadeh (right) was enlightening. If the Ravens decide to add a thirtysomething Pro Bowl receiver after the season -- and that wouldn't surprise anybody -- he would figure to be near the top of their list.

My only concern: About the time I finally get the spelling of his last name down, he'll probably change it to Ocho Quatro.

I think he made it pretty clear that he won't be returning to the 1-9-1 Bengals, since -- at 31 -- he probably does not have time to wait around for them to get back into serious title consideration. But I don't doubt he could envision himself as a difference-maker in Baltimore.

Though I'm okay with the Ravens looking to upgrade their receiver corps, I'm not ready to give up on the big play capability of Mark Clayton and -- when he's healthy again -- Demetrius Williams. This team is in a serious growth phase, so I'm looking forward to next season no matter what else they do to upgrade the offense.

Getty Images

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Just football
        

Since we can all agree that there are some things that are not to be trifled with, let's just stipulate that God, country, family, good health, love, charity and Tina Fey's Sarah Palin imitation are already on everybody's primary Thanksgiving list. Here's a top 10 list of the lesser things for which I am thankful today:

10. Thanksgiving football: Never mind that you have to watch the awful Detroit Lions. If it wasn't for NFL football on Thanksgiving, you'd be watching some Mr. Magoo animated special about the Mayflower right now.

9. More Thanksgiving football: There actually is a third game tonight -- Donovan McNabb has a chance to get benched twice in five days when he faces the Arizona Cardinals -- though you have to have the NFL Network to watch it.

8. Easy Cheese: Don't laugh. I believe that the act of putting cheese into an aerosol can is, perhaps, the greatest single example of American ingenuity other than the moon landing.

7. Worldwide franchising: I ate at McDonald's in London, Paris and St. Petersburg during my recent vacation. It was just a bonus that there was a 7-11 store in the Copenhagen Airport.

6. Google Earth: You can go on the internet and see the roof of your house from anywhere on the planet. Dr. Pangloss was right. This is truly the best of all possible worlds.

5. Strato-matic Baseball: Can't tell you how many dateless weekends that game got me through when I was in high school and college.

4. Dancing With the Stars: I don't care for the show myself, but it keeps a lot of people who shouldn't be driving off the roads at night.

3. Joe Flacco and Mark Teixeira: If it wasn't for them, The Schmuck Stops Here would be a very dull blog right now (if it isn't already).

2. The Atkins Diet: Hamburger buns are overrated anyway. Pass the bacon.

1. The blogosphere: Can't believe I actually get paid to do this.

Feel free to chime in with a few of your own.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Baltimore Sun baseball writer Dan Connolly spoke by phone this week with Mark Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, who shot down a published report that the Los Angeles Angels have shelved negotiations for Tex in favor of a major push for free agent pitcher CC Sabathia. The reason this is relevant is because the potential withdrawal of the Angels from the Teixeira bidding would slightly improve the chances that the Orioles sign him.

Now, I don't know what else Boras could be expected to say under those circumstances, since he would be loathe to admit that there might be less interest in Teixeira than previously believed, but the logic of the situation supports his contention. There's really no reason why the Angels can't bid on both at the same time and see which pursuit bears fruit.

Boras would not say whether the Orioles had made any specific overture yet. That would indicate to me that they have not, since he generally doesn't mind talking about all the offers he's getting for his clients, but who really knows. The only thing that's clear is that this market is moving very slowly and might not pick up until the winter meetings, which start Dec. 8 in Las Vegas.

I'll be there along with O's beat writer Jeff Zrebiec. I don't relish the thought of spending six grueling days in Vegas in December, but -- in the interest of bringing you frequent updates on the Orioles and everything else going on there -- I'm going to try and bear up under the strain.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Just baseball
        

In today's featured comment, my blog friend Barry from New Jersey comes to the defense of me and my fellow Sun football oracles, some of whom came under fire here for picking the Eagles to win this past Sunday:

Barry's take: With all the silly stuff being said about the Sun writers failing as PR men in their prognostications, I'd love to see you guys all tab the Bengals this week. You could borrow the mantra from "Let it Ride" -- "You never know."

Pete's take: If nothing else, I appreciate Barry reminding me of one of my all-time favorite sports/gambling comedies. My favorite moment is when the suddenly red-hot, down-and-out horseplayer Jay Trotter (Richard Dreyfuss) is sitting in the Jockey Club for the first time and asks a beautiful stranger sitting next to him if he can buy her a drink.

Trotter: Can I buy you a drink?
Sexy woman: I don't see why not. I'm on the pill.
Trotter (looking right at the camera): I'm having a VERY good day.

I'm going to move it to the top of my Netflix queue right now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

Monitoring fan comments about the possibility of the Orioles signing big-money free agent Mark Teixeira, I'm reminded of a quotation from -- I believe -- Benjamin Franklin, though many have said essentially the same thing:

"I'm a pessimist. The optimist is too often disappointed. A pessimist is at least occasionally pleasantly surprised."

Now, I realize I don't have to instruct Orioles fans on the importance of maintaining a healthy sense of fatalism. It has become a religion around here. But the likelihood of Teixeira (right) ending up in an Orioles uniform is -- in my opinion -- so slim that it isn't worth expending the last remnants of your Oriole optimism on it.

If, for whatever reason, the guy decides that playing near home is more important than winning right away and making the most money possible, then we can all party like it's 1989. But allowing yourselves to get your hopes up will only make things look more dismal when he signs with the Red Sox.

Getty Images

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I'm sure you're scratching your head at that question, but I believe the loss of the midseason bye week has actually helped the Ravens exceed preseason expectations, and all but assures that there will be no letdown this weekend in Cincinnati.

The hurricane-related postponement of the Week 2 game against the Houston Texans doomed the Ravens to play 15 consecutive weekends, which a lot of people thought would have them sucking wind about now.

Instead, they went 4-2 during the grueling six-game stretch that included five road games and came home to trounce the Eagles on Sunday. It seems like the bigger the obstacle they face, the more focused they become. The loss of a full bye week may have cost them a chance to lick their many wounds at midseason, but it seemed to reinforce John Harbaugh's intense this-week-only approach to the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Just football
        

Maybe this isn't necessary, but I'm going to explain something to the football fans on this blog who get testy when the reporters and columnists covering the team predict that the Ravens are going to lose a particular game.

It isn't personal. It isn't about supporting or not supporting the home team. I picked the Ravens to beat the Eagles this past weekend. I also picked the Giants to beat the Ravens the previous week. In each case, I tried to look at the matchup objectively and give my opinion about the outcome. The notion that anyone should predict the Ravens will win to show "respect" for the local team is absurd.

I can't speak for anybody else, but I think the weekly staff predictions published in The Sun are a lot of fun and -- judging from the comments I get -- of interest to a lot of readers. Of course, what else am I going to say when I'm on top of the standings and making my co-workers (especially my fellow columnists Rick Maese and David Steele) look like a bunch of rubes?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just football
        

Today's featured comment comes from Ryan, who is concerned about the pace of the Orioles contract negotiations with Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis:

Ryan's take: What have you heard about the SI posting that says the reason Markakis and Roberts are not yet signed to extensions is that both of their reps claim they will not decide what they are gonna do until they see what happens in the Teixeira and Burnett situations? If that is the case, I have come to the conclusion that beat reporting for the O's, going to games, watching games, and everything else is pointless. They just will never win. Can't sign talent, can't keep talent. What's left? People on the net are freaking out because nothing has been done yet. I think they are waiting for the Rule 5 before committing to a SS, to see who is available. I wonder what the excuse will be this year. Do you think local media is way too forgiving to the O's and way too hard on the Ravens?

Pete's take: Welcome to a special episode of Mythbusters. I don't doubt that Brian Roberts would like to see some sign that the O's will be more competitive next year, but Markakis has been waiting impatiently for the Orioles to sign him long-term. I have seen nothing from his agent (Jamie Murphy) to indicate he is hesitant to sign for that reason, and I believe he wants to get something done sooner rather than later. That only makes sense, since he has three more years under reserve. I don't share your fatalism about the future of the team, but I agree that it is difficult to sit through the offseason waiting to see if anything good is going to happen. Now, as far as the local media is concerned, I don't think that the Orioles get more favorable coverage than the Ravens. I just think some commentators are looking for any sign of hope with the Orioles, because fans have suffered so long, while being more analytical about the Ravens, because they actually have a chance to do something this year. I think that's fair.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

I really thought a resounding win against the Eagles would be enough to convince people that the Ravens are for real, but I've gotten plenty of e-mails and blog comments dismissing yesterday's victory because of the problems the Eagles have had the past two weeks.

Fair enough, I guess, but it's also fair to point out that the "last-place" Eagles would be just a half-game out of first place in a couple of other divisions, and would be in first place in those two divisions with the record they would have if they had won yesterday. So, you have to give the Ravens credit for beating them and beating them soundly.

Sometimes, you have to give a team a break. The rap on the Ravens was that they hadn't beaten any quality teams, but when you're assessing them you have to give them credit for coming very close to beating both the Titans and Steelers earlier this season. With a couple of notable exceptions, they have been highly competitive throughout a season of so-so expectations.

This is a pretty good team that has overcome a league-leading 16 players on injured reserve with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback. I'm ready to have a parade down Pratt Street right now, regardless of how the season ends.

To quote one of the truly great, phony musical groups -- The Partridge Family -- "C'mon, get happy!"

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)
Categories: Just football
        

Every game seems like a must-win game in the NFL, but today's Ravens victory really did bear added significance for a couple of reasons. First, it put them in excellent position to reach the playoffs if they win the games they should win the rest of the way. Second, because they gained added credibility by beating one of the beasts of the NFC East, though the Eagles didn't set the world on fire at M&T; Bank Stadium.

Still, let's not get carried away. It's not clear where the Ravens' great defensive effort started and the Eagles' abysmal performance left off. Obviously, Eagles coach Andy Reid was convinced the problem was on his side of the field, since he benched Donovan McNabb after his three-turnover performance in the first half. But Ravens safety Ed Reed had an all-world afternoon -- setting an NFL record with a 108-yard interception return at right -- and Rex Ryan's defensive unit made big plays all day.

One thing is certain: The Ravens sent a message today that they are a legitimate playoff contender and may be more than a one-round wonder.

Sun photo by Gene Sweeney, Jr.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
Categories: Just football
        

I can't believe I was so hard on Ed Reed in the first half. Guess I didn't expect him to pick off another pass and set an NFL record by returning it 108 yards for a game-clinching touchdown. No defensive player runs with the ball better -- maybe ever. It was his 10th career touchdown and fifth by interception.

I'm still trying to figure out what the Eagles were thinking. Backup quarterback Kevin Kolb had engineered a great drive to give the Eagles a first-and-goal at the 1. He failed to get in on a quarterback sneak, but the ball was just inches from the goal line with three shots to get in when he dropped back and threw the fateful pass.

This is going to be an ugly week in Philadelphia, where sports fans would be well advised to spend the next few days reveling in last month's World Series victory rather than replaying this game.

Gotta think there will be a lot of talk about the impending end of the Andy Reid/Donovan McNabb era.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

... but he sure does some stupid things. That "illegal forward pass" on the end of his interception return came very close to causing the Ravens to come up empty again on Donovan McNabb's third turnover. You wonder if he just doesn't care whether his recklessness hurts the team or if he's just prone to regular brain cramps.

It's not the dumbest play I've ever seen, but it was right up there. Reminds me of the stupid lateral by Reggie Bush in the BCS title game a three years ago. Bush's hubris cost USC a big scoring opportunity in a game that was decided by three points.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Just football
        

Though I picked the Ravens to win today (26-23), I'm not all that confident, especially since the Eagles made it clear during the week that they're willing to play six quarters if necessary to get this win.

Orioles manager Dave Trembley, general manager Andy MacPhail and center fielder Adam Jones acted as honorary captains for today's coin toss, which the Ravens lost. I hope that's not a bad omen for 2009.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Somehow, I managed to make it through the parking lot at M&T; Bank Stadium without being accosted by any of the Eagles fans who managed to get down here this morning without being arrested for DUI.

Oh, I forgot, I promised a year or so ago to lighten up on the Eagles faithful, since they've suffered enough, but some of those old feelings welled up when I passed a group of rather large Iggles fans who were heckling Ravens fans next to one of the collection points for the Maryland Food Bank's "Family Food and Funds Drive."

To be fair, it was relatively good-natured heckling, so they may have been imposters. Either way, we'll make up after the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

If you can disregard, for a moment, the fact that the Orioles are yet to do anything of great significance this offseason and simply focus on their need to find a serviceable shortstop, free agent Cesar Izturis is not a bad option. The Orioles need somebody who can field the position and do the fundamental things that a non-impact hitter needs to do to be of some value on offense.

Izturis has a Gold Glove (2004) and an All-Star appearance (2005) to his credit. He been banged up a lot over the past few years, but managed to hit above his career average (.260) and steal 24 bases last season.

I realize that a lot of fans are getting impatient with what seems to be a lack of urgency on the part of the front office, but there are 25 or so other clubs that appear to have the same infirmity. There'll plenty of time for cynicism if little happens by mid-February, but keep in mind that everybody reports to spring training at the same time regardless of when they are acquired or signed.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Just baseball
        

So, I returned from three weeks of self-imposed exile -- part of that time in Russia -- to find that the Orioles were nice enough to hold off on any important free agent signings until I got home. I think this was very considerate and don't understand why Andy MacPhail is getting toasted in some corners of the blogosphere for not being aggressive enough in November.

Andy has been true to the principles he outlined in September. He has made inquiries about the top free agents who might be geographically disposed toward Baltimore, but nobody seriously believes there's really such thing as a hometown discount when you're dealing with Scott Boras or even the agents who just wish they were Scott Boras. Sorry. You might want to go to Baseballreference.com and start reading up on Jason Marquis.

Quick global warming update: I got off the plane yesterday to find that it is much colder here than it was four days ago in St. Petersburg, and I'm not talking about the city where the Rays play.

Back on the air, too: Join me at noon today for The Peter Schmuck Show on WBAL (1090 AM). Hopefully, I'll be back up to speed on the O's and Ravens by then. The internet access in Russia was sketchy, and I was having too much fun in London to pay close attention the past couple of days, but I'll be prepping hard for the next few hours. If you're out of the listening area, you can go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon. Please do.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Looks like all you have to do is get drafted high by the Orioles to end up with major arm trouble.

Wade Townsend, who was the Orioles’ first round pick in the 2004 draft (eighth overall) but didn’t sign and ended up with the Tampa Bay Rays organization, is likely going to miss all of 2009 after recent shoulder surgery. That’s according to this story.

Townsend, 25, has had a rough go of it as a professional. He missed all of 2006 after Tommy John surgery and was shut down in 2007 also due to arm soreness.

The former can’t-miss pitcher out of Rice University was 7-20 with a 5.48 minor-league ERA in 208 2/3 innings spread over three seasons – none above Double-A.

Orioles fans surely remember the whole Townsend brouhaha. In 2004, the club was set to take high school shortstop Chris Nelson, when owner Peter Angelos intervened. He didn’t want another shortstop after signing Miguel Tejada to a six-year deal, instead insisting the Orioles improve their woeful pitching.

So then-scouting director Tony DeMacio, in his last draft with the club, took Townsend, a logical choice given his numbers in college. The Orioles couldn’t sign the big right-hander, though, so he went back to school and was drafted the next year in the exact same spot by the Rays.

He signed for $1.5 million, $350,000 less than what the Orioles had offered, but said at the time, “I’d much rather be with an organization that likes me as a player.”

The Orioles took their compensation pick the next year and drafted Garrett Olson, who has had his ups and downs with the Orioles.

Incidentally, Nelson has struggled some as a pro in the Colorado Rockies’ organization -- .267 average and .335 on-base percentage in five minor-league seasons, the last at Double-A – but he is still only 23.

I’ll let you make your own conclusions on which organization got the better of that mess in 2004. But I know a lot of you like to hear updates on Townsend.

-- Dan Connolly

Posted by Ron Fritz at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

Considering the fine job that Dan Connolly and Jeff Zrebiec have been doing here in my absence, I might have to consider staying longer on the continent, especially after the discovery that they serve beer at McDonald’s restaurants in some foreign countries. In particular, this revelation has given me a new appreciation for the French culture.

If that isn’t enough, I boarded an AirBerlin flight on Thursday and the flight attendants were handing out free copies of Playboy Magazine, which caused me to spontaneously blurt out “What a country!” for the first time outside the borders of the United States. Unfortunately, it was the German language version of Playboy, so it was useless to me.

I realize you do not come to The Schmuck Stops Here for a travelogue, but I promised to pop in on occasion and I have had so little Internet access in Russia that I really don’t know what has been going on in the world of American sports. Believe it or not, I spent today in St. Petersburg at The Hermitage, the Winter Palace of the Russian czars before the communist revolution and now one of the finest museums of art in the world.

It was a strange afternoon, because every time somebody mentioned Peter the Great, I turned around and said “What?”

Does this mean I have an ego problem?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Some of you have wondered why Jeff Zrebiec was credited with a bunch of excellent blog entries on Peter Schmuck's blog, but those blogs showed they were posted by Tim Wheatley. Well, here's the deal: Schmuck is such a hard worker that it takes two or three of us to do his job -- NOT.

Jeff was filling in for Peter while he's on his European Vacation and as a first-time poster Jeff doesn't have blogging software. So his editor did the posting. And his editor has enjoyed editing in a few shots at Pete in the blog. It's our national pastime in the office, but rarely do we get to take shots in public. Maybe next year they'll invite me to the Schmuck roast.

Schmuck will be back next week handling the blog all by himself. We hope that clears up the confusion, but with Schmuck writing the blogs you never know!

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

The Orioles traditionally announce their minor league signings later in the offseason when they unveil the list of players getting major league invites to spring training. Expect former Oakland Athletics utility man Donnie Murphy to be on the list.

Murphy’s agent, Jim Kuzmich, said today that Murphy agreed with the Orioles on a minor league deal with a major league invite. Murphy, a 25-year-old who made the A’s Opening Day roster last year, hit .184 (19-for-103) with three home runs and 13 RBIs in 46 games for the A’s. In parts of four major league seasons, Murphy, who plays second base, shortstop and third base, has a career .195 average with 10 homers and 45 RBIs.

"Donnie is looking for a place to play much more consistently than he was in Oakland," said Kuzmich. "You’re talking about a kid that came up playing in the Kansas City organization every day. The Orioles expressed that should Donnie’s bat develop into what we think it could develop into on the major league level, they see him having a more-defined role."

Kuzmich said that the Orioles have also expressed interest in another of his clients, catcher, Chris Stewart. The 26-year-old backstop hit .279 last with 2 homers and 24 RBIs in 86 games last year for Scranton-Wilkes Barre, the New York Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.

Oh, I heard from the Schmucker today. He's a little worried that I'm setting the bar too high for his blog. . . .sorry, but when there's news, we're gonna report it here. He'll still gets the credit since it's his blog. And I'm just doing what he asked me to do.

-- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

Still haven't heard from the Schmucker, but I've done 7 blogs in the past 17 hours. It's not that hard after all. I don't know why he's complaining about how hard he's working.

I spoke to left-hander Brian Burres at the fan rally Wednesday and he said that he had gotten LASIK eye surgery earlier this offseason. Burres, who was miffed by his struggles last year, knows that his location will have to be far better to maintain a major league roster spot in ‘09. But being able to see the catcher’s signs won’t hurt either. He admitted that his vision was so bad last year that his catcher at times had to use different signs just so he’d be able to see them.

--- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Though much of the offseason focus has been on the Orioles’ rotation and rightly so, the competition to make the club’s bullpen is shaping up to be one of the most interesting spring story lines. A lot can happen in the weeks before pitchers and catchers report in terms of both trades and injuries, but you have to figure that George Sherrill, Chris Ray, Jim Johnson and Dennis Sarfate are pretty much guaranteed bullpen spots (yes I realize all four are coming off arm or shoulder injuries). That doesn’t leave too many vacancies for a group of relief candidates that could include Matt Albers, Danys Baez, Brian Bass, Randor Bierd, Brian Burres, Alberto Castillo, Lance Cormier, Jim Hoey, Radhames Liz, Bob McCrory, Kam Mickolio, Jim Miller, Hayden Penn, Garrett Olson, Jamie Walker. Of course , several of the above-mentioned pitchers – mainly Albers, Bass, Liz, Penn and Olson – are viable candidates for starting rotations, either in Baltimore or Triple-A Norfolk. And a couple of the other candidates would probably be better served learning the craft on minor league mounds for a little longer.

Andy MacPhail’s offseason wish list includes a right-handed hitting outfielder to potentially platoon with Luke Scott, who hit just .215 against southpaws last year with a .300 on-base percentage. Lou Montanez would seem to fit the bill, but team officials remain very concerned about his defense, which Montanez is working on this offseason. As comfortable as he looked at the plate after his promotion last season, Montanez’s throws and routes to the ball didn’t exactly instill a ton of confidence. And prospect Nolan Reimold? Barring a jaw-popping hitting spree in spring training, Reimold will be manning a corner outfield spot for Triple-A Norfolk to start the season.

-- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

Starter Jeremy Guthrie is the hyper sort, unable to sit still for very long before he’s ready to try something new. So it’s probably no surprise that the Stanford-educated right-hander constructed a pitcher’s mound in the yard of his Utah home. He’s already been on it several times just to get a feel of the slope.

-- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

I don’t know for a fact if Andy MacPhail has had any extensive talks this offseason with New York Mets GM Omar Minaya about reliever Aaron Heilman, though the Orioles have inquired about the much-maligned Mets reliever before. There was some discussion last year during the height of Heilman’s struggles about a Heilman for Chad Bradford swap, but the potential deal never gained much traction. He still makes plenty of sense. Heilman has expressed interest in starting before and he probably would benefit from a change of scenery.

-- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Jeff Z. again filling in for Schmuck. I'm new to blogging, but I think I'm outworking him already.

The Manny Ramirez-Orioles rumors don’t appear to be dying anytime soon. We traditionally don’t write stories in the paper debunking rumors unless they become so out of control and impossible to ignore. The Manny talk hasn’t gotten to that point yet, but I will say this: Every Oriole official I’ve talked to this offseason has unequivocally denied that the club will be in on the Ramirez bidding. I’ve even been playfully chided for posing the question, as if to say, ‘I should know better.’

-- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

I’m going to be honest. I really, really thought Nick Markakis would have been signed to a long-term contract extension before the free agency signing period begins tomorrow. Boy, was I wrong. As of yesterday, the Orioles hadn’t even made the right fielder a definitive offer. I think club president Andy MacPhail’s deliberate nature serves him well in a lot of cases. I don’t hear too many people complaining about the returns in the Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada trades, which took quite a while. But this is one case where I think MacPhail and the Orioles would be best served throwing caution to the wind. Use the seven-year, approximate $70 million deal that the Toronto Blue Jays signed outfielder Alex Rios to as a model and get it done. Markakis wants to be an Oriole long term and though he won’t say it publicly, the closer he gets to free agency and the more both sides spend mulling over concepts and parameters, the more of a chance that the young outfielder changes his mind.

-- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 8:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

Before Peter Schmuck so generously volunteered the services of Dan Connolly and me this week to post in his place sans the obnoxious Hawaiian shirts and enormous ego, I had never blogged before. And I was perfectly fine with that continuing, but no such luck. I’m not even sure how to go about it really, so I think the best way to do it is to offer some facts and some opinion and you guys can take it from there.

There was a popular theory floating around The Gallery at Harborplace that Brian Roberts’ absence from the fan rally on Wednesday meant that he’d definitely be traded. Not so. Roberts’ had a prior travel engagement and couldn’t make it. Roberts was pictured wearing the team’s new alternate jersey in a promotional packet for the uniforms, though Guthrie, Adam Jones and Nick Markakis figured far more prominently in the material. That’s quite understandable considering Roberts’ status. Remember, the Orioles’ media guide last year pictured just Markakis, club president Andy MacPhail and manager Dave Trembley on the front. The main reason? The media guide front is designed earlier in the offseason and with the team in the midst of a rebuilding process, few players were definite to be Orioles on Opening Day. It’s a good thing that Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada didn’t make the final cut. By the way, I still think Roberts is traded in early January after attempts to reach a contract extension with the second baseman go nowhere.

-- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 5:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Jeff Zrebiec here filling in for The Schmucker who is stopping in some town in Europe today.

By now, most people are probably all-uniformed out. I know I am after writing stories about the uniform changes the past couple of days. Nobody asked for my opinion on the new jerseys, but I’ll briefly share it anyway. Overall, I liked the changes. I thought the road jerseys looked real sharp and the addition of orange in several spots – down the pants and on the sleeves - was a good decision. I also like the Maryland patch on the sleeves even though I overheard several complaints about it at yesterday’s fan rally. Was I overwhelmed by any of the changes? Nah. But I didn’t need – nor expect - to be.

Anyway, I’m sure you’re far more concerned with the opinion of the players on the new jerseys.

Manager Dave Trembley: "I think a lot of time and thought was put into this and I think they look very nice. It’s something that the fans want which is the most important thing and it’s kept alive a significant part of Orioles’ tradition."

Right fielder Nick Markakis: "I like them. They touched them up. It’s something different. It has Baltimore written across it so it’s something that is good for the fans and good for us."

Reliever George Sherrill: "We really don’t care what we wear one way or the other. But sure, if it is something that [fans] want, we’ll wear it with pride. We’ll back the city and whatever the fans want, it’s something that we want to give them. They’ve taken the steps to change the [uniforms] and here we are showing them off. It’s a good feeling to have this kind of support for something like this. If this is the kind of support we’re going to get for this, we’re looking forward to being good next year and bringing some fans out."

Reliever Dennis Sarfate: "To see Baltimore across your chest is special and it’s special to these fans. They haven’t seen it in a while. Hopefully we can put wins with the new uniform. I think we’d all rather win if we wear nothing. But this is a start in the right direction. I think it’s going to be a great thing next year."

How about you? What do you think of the new uniforms?

-- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

Special thanks to Dan Connolly for holding down the fort yesterday while I was en route to France, where the only thing bigger than The Schmuck Stops Here is International Obama-mania. There weren't many magazines on the news racks at Charles DeGaulle Airport that didn't have our new president-elect on the cover and I haven't run into many locals who didn't want to talk about him.

The first thing I saw when I got an Internet connection was that the Oakland A's are close to acquiring Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies. If the O's weren't so busy trying to sign Manny Ramirez, they might have been in on that. (Sarcasm alert). In reality, the Orioles don't have two major league-ready young pitchers to spare for a free agent short-timer, but Holliday certainly would have looked good in orange and black.

Don't want to get maudlin here, but I'm spending today and tomorrow in Normandy touring the site of the D-Day invasion. Very humbling to be here on Veterans Day. My father was in the South Pacific, but I have several uncles who fought in Europe in WWII and I know that many of you have fathers and grandfathers who crossed these beaches on one of the most important days in the history of the world. This is truly a holy place.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Dan Connolly here. I decided to jump in and be a Schmuck today while Pete is doing his best to destroy renewed hope in international relations.

I’ll take Ugly American for $100, Alex

Anyway, you all can catch me at Connolly’s Bar on Tuesday. We’ll be open again, and the septic system is cleared, I’ve been told.

I just received my Baseball America’s annual American League East prospects issue, which will be on sale through Nov. 30. In it, editor Jim Callis ranks his Top 10 lefty/righty pitching duos throughout the majors, and get excited O’s fans.

Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman are fourth, behind David Price and Wade Davis of Tampa Bay, Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz of the Texas Rangers and Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill of Oakland. Callis picked the Washington Nationals’ Ross Detwiler and Jordan Zimmerman seventh.

If you haven’t seen BA’s Top 10 Orioles prospects for 2009, here they are in order: C Matt Wieters, RHP Chris Tillman, LHP Brian Matusz, RHP Jake Arrieta, OF Nolan Reimold, RHP Brandon Erbe, 3B Billy Rowell, LHP Troy Patton, 1B Brandon Snyder and RHP Kam Mickolio.

Some quick thoughts about that group:

1. No internationally signed players. In contrast the Boston Red Sox have three in their Top 10 and the New York Yankees have two. The Rays and Blue Jays also have none.

2. Six of the Orioles’ 10 weren’t in their farm system 18 months ago.

3. Eight of the 10 are 6-foot-4 or taller. Joe Jordan has always said he likes his players big, and apparently Andy MacPhail is on board with that.

4. Does Rowell, who batted .248 with just seven homers and 104 strikeouts in 375 at-bats at Frederick, still belong on the list? The club’s No. 1 pick in 2006 is only 20, but he has struggled as a pro. Is it true there are only six better prospects in the Orioles’ organization? Do you think his inclusion is more about his upside or the Orioles’ farm system in general?

-- Dan Connolly

Posted by Tim Wheatley at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

The Ravens just put together their most complete performance of the year, an all-around butt-whipping made all the more impressive because it was their third consecutive road victory and improved their record to 4-1 in this grueling span of six games that includes five road stops.

Trouble is, the last stop will be at the Meadowlands, where the Ravens can either bridge their narrowing credibility gap or fall victim to the same fate they met in Indianapolis.

My gut tells me they'll give a decent account of themselves -- that they really are a much better team than they were a few weeks ago -- but they haven't beaten a playoff team yet and they're going to play the defending Super Bowl champions on the road.

If they pull the upset, the debate will be over. No one will be able to deny that they are a legitimate playoff contender ... and perhaps more. If they battle to a respectable loss, they'll still be more than viable. If they unravel the way they did against the Colts, then there's still reason to wonder whether they can get to nine wins with their difficult late-season schedule.

Let's be honest. If I had told you after the Colts game that the Ravens would win four of their next five games, every one of you would have signed an ironclad contract to accept that outcome. Now they have four wins in the bank and a chance to make a major statement next weekend. Nothing wrong with that, especially with rookie quarterback Joe Flacco (shown at left about to make a throw in today's win) seeming to make a developmental leap with every game.

The thing that has impressed me the most is the way Cam Cameron has turned the Ravens' offensive game plan into a weekly guessing game for opponents. This week, Joe Flacco went vertical and Todd Heap re-emerged as a major factor downfield. Troy Smith lined up in the Suggs Package, then fooled the Texans with a standard throw for a touchdown.

It'll be tougher next week, but the Ravens seem to have new offensive weapons at their disposal every week. If the defense can hold the Giants to 20 points, the Ravens have a chance to show the rest of the league that they can beat anyone, anywhere.

The Continental: My vacation continues tomorrow on a new continent, which will limit my participation here for about 10 days. I'll pop in when I can, and my baseball teammates, Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly, will drop in an item here and there to keep the well primed with Orioles info. Your comments will continue to be posted regularly, but the level of interaction will be limited. I hope everybody understands.

Getty Images

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Just football
        

My gosh, I leave town for a few days of golf and extended family and my blog has developed a split personality. There is comment after comment that merges post-election angst and free agent speculation. Maybe you really can't get this stuff anywhere else.

I'll tell you this. I think the offer the Dodgers made to Manny Ramirez the other day was a brilliant public relations move and could turn out to be a very impactful event in the overall development of this year's free agent market.

Of course, Ramirez isn't going to accept the reported two-year, $50 million offer that apparently includes an option for a third season. The question is how a pre-emptive $25 million-per-year offer (of any length) affects the other teams that are expected to be involved. It's just possible that the offer was a poison pill that will make some of those teams back out before open bidding even starts.

The Dodgers, in effect, have established $25 million per year as the starting figure. The Yankees might be the only team irrational enough to entertain the possibility of a five or six-year contract for Manny at that salary, and I'm not sure they're that interested. I don't believe the rumors of Orioles interest for a second, but if Peter Angelos really was considering an offer, he probably isn't anymore. And there's still the issue of Scott Boras' other client, Mark Teixeira, who's hoping to get close to $20 million per year.

The Dodgers offer might have been a wakeup call for the rest of baseball. I'll be interesting to see how many teams hide under the covers.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Today's featured comment comes from somebody who goes by a single letter -- "B" -- but is not so economical with his words. He's on a rant about my entry explaining how player agents are already planning to steer around the Barrack Obama's proposed tax increase on wealthy wage-earners, but his post eventually evolves into an interesting analysis of late-career hitters:

B's take: So instead of paying $3.4 million in taxes, these guys are going to pay $3.95 million in taxes. Instead of making $6.6 million PER YEAR they're going to make $6.05 million PER YEAR. How are they going to cope?

And by the way, that last little fraction in the $6.05 million figure is about what the average American HOUSEHOLD makes in a year.

This is the one thing that kills me about baseball players. You have guys who are already set for life talking about how they need these six, eight and ten year contracts so they have "security". I really would love to know what these $10 million plus per year guys do with their money that makes them so insecure about their future.

This brings me to the most recent owner/player match made in Hell: Scott Boras and Manny Ramirez. I don't know how Manny become so greedy and manipulative, but it that fact that his new personality came about when he signed on with Boras is no surprise. The only thing that would make me feel good about the Boras/Manny story is if Manny was unable to sign a contract this offseason because Boras's demands are so outrageous. Sure, Manny's an all-time great. One of the best, if not THE best, right handed power hitters in the history of the game. But if anyone honestly believes that he's going to hold up for six more seasons (he'll be 37 in May) certainly isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. That said, I'm sure that Boras honestly believes that Manny will continue to perform into his early forties. But that's because Boras's brain is actually made up of tightly wrapped wads of hundred dollar bills.

Just for for, here's some history on 40+ year old right handed power hitters (based on the top 20 players on the all-time home run list):

-Hank Aaron: After his 40th birthday, Hammerin' Hank never hit more than 20 home runs or batted over .268 in a season. His batting averaged in his last two seasons were .234 and .229, respectively. He played in 137 games in 1974, but only 112 in '74 and just 85 in '76.

-Willie Mays: Turned 40 in 1971, hit .271 with 18 homers and 61 rbi in 136 games. '72? 88 games, .250 average, 8 homers, 22 rbi. '73? 66 games, .211 average, 6 homers, 25 rbi.

-Frank Robinson: Turned 40 in August of 1975. 1976 stats: .224, 3 homers, 10 rbi in 36 games.

-Frank Thomas: Turned 40 last May. Hit .240 with 8 homers, 30 rbi and a torn quadriceps in 2008.

-Ernie Banks: Turned 40 in January of 1971. Hit .193 with 3 homers and 6 rbi in 39 games that season.

Jimmie Foxx, Harmon Killebrew, Mike Schmidt, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire didn't play into their 40's.

Of the lefties on the list, only Ted Williams, Reggie Jackson and Barry Bonds played well into their forties. While Williams and Jackson were still productive, they were shells of their former selves. And even a roided up Bonds never hit over .276, and didn't eclipse 28 homers or 77 rbi in his last two full seasons after five consecutive seasons of 40+ homers and 90+ rbi. And we're currently witnessing the massive decline of Ken Griffey Jr. And he's only 38.

Wow. That was long. And pretty off topic. Either way, I wish owners and GMs would read this instead of listening to Boras's garbage about how Manny should get a Bonds/A-Rod contract despite the fact that Bonds declined when he hit 40 and A-Rod's only 32.

My take: I'm on vacation and I just missed my tee time reading this.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

Ron Blum of the Associated Press sent out a story today outlining how baseball player agents might push for bigger signing bonuses on contracts signed before Jan. 1 to avoid paying the higher income tax rates proposed by President-Elect Barack Obama.

Obama promised during his campaign to raise the top marginal tax rate by about four percent, which would cost your average $10 million player $400,000 per year if the increase is enacted for next year. Conceivably, a player such as Mark Teixeira could save millions by convincing a team to give him a huge signing bonus and a much lower annual salary over the life of a long-term contract.

“There's some consideration to be had with the impact of the election,” said Scott Boras, who represents both Teixeira and Manny Ramirez.

It's not an entirely new concept. High-paid celebrities do all sorts of things to avoid taxes. If a player has his primary residence in Florida, for instance, he can avoid a bunch of state income tax in the city where he plays by getting a big signing bonus during the offseason. Money earned in-season can be -- and generally is -- taxed on a pro-rated basis by the states where the games take place.

“It's something we'll consider,” agent Craig Landis told Blum at the general managers' meetings. “Besides the federal issue, we have a state issue in some cases, anyway, where it's advantageous to take signing bonuses because of the state income tax."

Tax implications actually caused Rafael Palmeiro to leave the Orioles years ago to sign with the Texas Rangers. The Orioles actually offered him $5 million more than the Rangers, but Palmeiro wanted to play near his home and the lower taxes in Texas allowed him to take a lesser deal and end up netting about the same as he would have staying in Baltimore.

Obviously, these guys weren't listening when vice-president-elect Joe Biden said on the campaign trail that it's "patriotic" to pay more taxes.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The Ravens' big comeback victory in Cleveland got the attention of the people who do NFL Power Rankings for the various sports publications and Web sites. I really have no idea who most of those people are, but I still have great respect for their ability to put the 32 teams in their proper order. Take a look:

ESPN: The World Wide Leaders has the Ravens 13th, up from 14th. Not a dynamic move, though better than nothing.

CBSSports: The eyeball rates the Ravens 14th, which is up significantly from 17th.

The Sporting News: TSN has the Ravens all the way up to 11th after ranking them 17th last week.

USA Today: The win over Cleveland gained them only one rung on the ladder. Ravens inch up to 17th.

FoxSports: Ravens rank 16th after ranking as low as 29th this year.

NBCSports.com: NBC posts a collection of rankings, but all of them this week have the Ravens 13th.

Pro Football Weekly: Joe Flacco has them convinced ... to a point. Ravens rank 12th.

Schmuck's poll of polls: The average Ravens ranking on the aforementioned list of Power Rankings is 13.7, up from last week's average ranking of 16.8.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just football
        

I've been in Southern California for a couple of days and have had a chance to schmooze up some of my old friends in and around the Angels organization. The sense I'm getting is that Angels owner Arte Moreno will be in the hunt to sign free agent Mark Teixeira, but only to a point.

Moreno paid just $180 million to buy his team from Disney five years ago, so it's hard to imagine him agreeing to spend a similar amount to sign one player. Of course, nobody knows what Teixeira will get, but the numbers that have been floating around point to a contract worth at least $150 million.

If the Angels aren't willing to go the distance, there still will be plenty of interested teams to drive the price through the roof. The Orioles probably will be among them, but there has been little indication Peter Angelos would be willing spend up to $20 million per year for a single player...even one who grew up almost in the shadow of Camden Yards.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Just baseball, Just baseball
        

Joe Flacco answered another in a series of questions that will confront him during his development into a top-flight NFL quarterback. With some motivational help from undisputed team leader Ray Lewis, he brought the Ravens back from a substantial deficit against a divisional rival on the road.

No, it wasn't the Steelers, but the Cleveland Browns have been playing a lot of teams very tough this year, and the Ravens are in the midst of a stretch during which they are playing five of six games on the road. They've responded with three straight wins and can make another major statement if they can win their third straight game on the road at Houston next week.

If it seems like every game gets tagged as the one that will determine whether the Ravens are a potential playoff team, it's not your imagination. If the Ravens beat the Texans, they'll be a very solid 6-3 going into the final road game in that grueling span -- against the imposing New York Giants.

I suppose it would be fatalistic to say they could afford to lose that game if they win in Houston, but let's put it another way. If they lose to the Texans, then the Giants game could be a make-or-break situation with a string of other tough opponents to follow.

This much is pretty clear. If Terrell Suggs (right) can score a touchdown a game, I like their chances.

Baltimore Sun photo by Elizabeth Malby

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Just football
        

Thought I would expand a bit on my column for today, which you can read here. The odds have been set at 100-1 against the Orioles winning the World Series next year, according to one of the internet gambling sites, which would seem to indicate that not much has changed since they were a 100-1 long shot before the 2008 season.

Of course, it depends on how you look at it. Since the Tampa Bay Rays have stepped up and you can be sure the other teams in the division are going to be active this winter, the chances of the Orioles making a big move in the American League East appear slim unless Andy MacPhail goes on a lavish free agent spending spree. I just don't see that happening.

I used the odds from a site called BetOnline.com, but they're probably pretty similar to what you would find at a sports book in Vegas. In case you're curious, here are the early odds on every major league team to win the 2009 World Series. I forgot to mention in the column that the Nationals are off the charts at 300-1.

Boston Red Sox 3/1
Chicago Cubs 5/1
LA Angels 5/1
Philadelphia Phillies 6/1
New York Yankees 6/1
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10/1
Chicago White Sox 10/1
New York Mets 12/1
Milwaukee Brewers 15/1
Minnesota Twins 15/1
LA Dodgers 15/1
Toronto Blue Jays 20/1
Detroit Tigers 25/1
Florida Marlins 30/1
Houston Astros 30/1
St. Louis Cardinals 30/1
Cleveland Indians 30/1
Atlanta Braves 30/1
Arizona Diamondbacks 40/1
Colorado Rockies 40/1
Texas Rangers 50/1
Cincinnati Reds 50/1
Oakland Athletics 50/1
San Francisco Giants 80/1
KC Royals 100/1
Baltimore Orioles 100/1
Seattle Mariners 100/1
San Diego Padres 100/1
Pittsburgh Pirates 200/1
Washington Nationals 300/1

Just a heads up: I'll be on vacation for a large chunk of November. I will continue to update the blog and post comments for the next week or so from California, but probably not with the same frequency as I normally would. Later in the month, I'm going overseas, so we'll just have to see how that works out. Might have to bring in a guest blogger for a few days.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just baseball