Thursday October 17, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3707

is lamar a "winner"?

#DMD reader/commenter Rich checked in yesterday with an interesting question.

"Is Lamar Jackson a winner in your opinion?"

Rich said the topic was tossed around at last Sunday's Ravens-Commanders tailgate.

"There were 12 of us there. I think we were 8/4. 8 said he's a winner and 4 said he isn't," Rich wrote.

The easiest, most obvious way to answer the question is to sorta-kinda dodge it all together by simply saying, "All he's ever done in the NFL is win. He's won a lot of regular season games, he's won in the post-season and he's won 2 MVP awards. Oh, and he makes $50 million a year. Yes, he's a winner."

But that isn't really what Rich is asking.

He's wondering if Lamar is, you know, a "winner". Football being what it is and all -- a team sport -- Lamar hasn't won anything by himself. Those regular season and playoff wins were made possible by other players. So, too, were the MVP awards.

Rich wants to know if Lamar is a winner in the way, some might say, Joe Flacco earned that label while he was in Baltimore.

Or, maybe even someone like Philip Rivers, the longtime Chargers quarterback. I always thought Rivers was one of the only reasons why the Chargers won anything at all. Division titles. Playoff games. And so on.

I looked at San Diego (Los Angeles) like a middle-of-the-road franchise, at best, that were very fortunate to have Rivers as their quarterback. When they won, it was usually because of him.

The Ravens are a great organization. One of the "model" franchises in the league, you might say. They've won a lot over the last 25 years, before Lamar even arrived on the scene.

Lamar doesn't have a ring yet. What's that do for him?

Alas, Rivers never won a ring. So, was he a "winner"? Or no?

Flacco didn't have a third of the athleticism of Lamar, obviously, but he has the one thing that Jackson doesn't have. Now, it's very fair to point out that having a championship ring doesn't necessarily qualify you as a "winner". But Flacco won at every level of football he played.

And, no, I'm not comparing Joe to Lamar.

They're totally different quarterbacks.

For starters, Lamar is going to the Hall of Fame someday.

Joe is not.

Rivers might make it someday based on his career numbers, but he's no Lamar.

Teams game plan to stop Lamar and they still can't do it.

With all due respect to Flacco, it's doubtful any defensive coordinators ever burnt the midnight oil trying to figure out a way to make sure #5 didn't get the best of them on Sunday.

Let's get back to the question from Rich.

And the answer.

Let me give you two recent NFL players that I think were "winners" in the way Rich, I think, is trying to describe.

One of them you probably won't like. I always thought Ben Roethlisberger was a winner. It wasn't always pretty. He probably didn't build up a lot of style points in most of Pittsburgh's wins in his career. But Roethlisberger always figured out a way to win.

He reminded me of a golfer who didn't have the greatest swing or technique, but when the hole was over and you said, "What did you make there?" he would almost always reply, "I had a par."

Roethlisberger one-upped Flacco, of course. He won two rings in his Hall of Fame career.

Prior to his arrival in Baltimore, I always thought Derrick Henry was a winner in Tennessee. Now, he doesn't have a ring yet, so the jury's still out on his career body-of-work. But I used to admire Henry's work ethic and the way he played the game.

Ran for 12 yards on 3rd and 3 and handed the ball to the official and retreated to the huddle. No dancing around, no doing the "first down" point. The same thing happened in the end zone. If Henry scores a TD, he hands the ball off to the ref and that's that.

People will bristle at the idea that it might be Henry, not Lamar, who is actually the Most Valuable Player on the Ravens this season. There's a lot of football left to be played, of course, the Ravens wouldn't be the Ravens without Derrick Henry opening up the passing game for Lamar and his receivers.

I'm getting off track, though.

Is Lamar a winner?

That's Rich's question.

And here's the answer: "I think he is, yes. But I need to see him get to a Super Bowl, at the very least."

Your mileage may vary on the subject.

You might be sitting there thinking, "Of course he's a winner. He's the best QB in football not named Patrick Mahomes."

Or you might be thinking, "A guy with 2 career playoff wins in six seasons and a home loss in the AFC Championship Game is not a winner."

It's a team sport. The playoff losses are on the "team" the same way the regular season wins are also "on the team".

But because the quarterback is the central figure of the game and plays, arguably, the most important position in all of sports, we tend to put a much greater deal of emphasis on what he does in terms of wins and losses.

So, I think Lamar is going to be a winner. In a big way.

I believe he'll win multiple Super Bowls in Baltimore. I think there's a great chance he gets one of those next February, in fact.

But until he gets to a Super Bowl, at the very least, I think I'll abstain from a full answer to the "winner" question.

And that's not a slap at what Lamar has done in his (now) seven seasons in the league.

He has, after all, done everything a quarterback could do except........win.......a ring.

And you? What's your call? Is Lamar a winner?

The world of golf -- at least here in the U.S. -- has been turned upside down a bit by the recent release of Ryder Cup tickets for next September's event at Bethpage Black on Long Island.

General admission tickets are going for just under $750. And that's face value. As in, you're buying that ticket directly from the PGA of America.

People are outraged. 2021 tickets at Whistling Straits were $175 for general admission.

The PGA of America runs the event and they were prepared for the backlash, stating, simply, "We view the Ryder Cup as a similar sporting experience to the Super Bowl, World Series or a Final Four."

Here's the thing: In the golf world, the Ryder Cup is equivalent to a Super Bowl, except there are three days of the golf competition.

The Ryder Cup is Game 7 of the World Series, for the most part.

But there's a huge difference between paying $750 to see the Super Bowl or Game 7 and paying $750 to see the Ryder Cup.

You pay $750 for a seat at the Super Bowl or the World Series and you actually get to watch the game unfold in front of you.

You don't get that same luxury at the Ryder Cup. It's actually not the greatest spectator experience you'll ever have, sports wise.

Now, is it fun to be there, on site, with 40,000 other golf crazies, cheering on the U.S. (or Europe)? Of course. I've been to two Ryder Cups in my life and they were both incredibly memorable.

But I believe my ticket in 1993 at The Belfry in England might have cost me $50 and the '99 Ryder Cup at The Country Club in Boston was, I think, $75.

I don't mind spending -- in terms of 2025 dollars -- $250 for a ticket to something I can't fully "see" when I'm on the property.

But $750?

Could the PGA of America be endeavoring to ensure a certain demographic (people who have $750 to throw around) will buy the tickets and attend the event next year? In other words, are they quietly trying to sticker shock the rowdies and derelicts who tend to surface at the Ryder Cup every other year?

Are they caving in to the fear that a Ryder Cup in New York might explode into something that's borderline uncontrollable?

I think that has something to do with it, sure.

But mostly, I think it's about greed.

"Let's just charge $750. We know we'll sell all the tickets at some point."

They won't be getting my $750. But they'll get plenty of other golf nuts to scoop up those tickets at any price.

There's apparently still a women's professional soccer league and a new team in Boston will start playing next season.

The expansion club will be officially named "BOS Nation FC", which seems kind of dumb to me. But they pay marketing firms millions of dollars to come up with these team names, in all sports. So the joke's on me, not them.

Anyway, the rollout of the new name came with a fancy marketing and promotional campaign as well. It didn't go over very well.

The new name, an anagram of "Bostonian" that also played upon being a "boss," was announced a couple of days ago along with a video celebrating Boston's professional sports history -- mostly accomplished by men -- with the narrator saying, "Boston loves its balls" and "there are too many balls in this town."

It concluded with the narrator saying: "We are BOS nation, where anything is possible. No balls necessary," with the exception, the video noted, of a soccer ball.

The campaign went over like a lead ballon in the LGBTQ community.

Seattle midfielder Quinn, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary, took to Instagram and bristled at the marketing effort: "Feels transphobic. Yikes."

The team took the video down from its website, and its TooManyBalls.com website was a dead link Wednesday.

"We are proud to be part of the most inclusive sports league in the world and are committed to upholding the unifying values that define the NWSL and our club," the team posted on X. "Thank you to all who have held us accountable by calling for us to do better. We hear you and we will, together."

Colossus Creative Co, the agency behind the campaign, posted its own apology on Instagram on Wednesday, acknowledging that "our work missed the mark."

Here's what really happened in Boston this week.

People forgot to bring their sense of humor to work.

We've developed this bizarre trait in our country over the last "X number" of years where everything we don't agree with gets labeled as transphobic, racist, insensitive or offensive.

I don't know that the campaign in Boston would make me run out and buy season tickets to see women's pro soccer.

But I also know I can laugh at their attempt to remind me this is women's soccer, not men's soccer, with their crafty use of "balls".

Maybe there are too many balls in Boston.

Maybe there are also too many people who need a sense of humor up there.

No one -- absolutely no one -- was harmed by the campaign. No damage at all.

It's just another thing for people to be outraged about when outrage isn't necessary.

We spend enough time in this country getting ticked off about stuff. We don't need to let things irritate us that have no bearing on anything whatsoever.

Wednesday October 16, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3706

if it ain't broke...

Davante Adams went to the Jets on Tuesday.

And Amari Cooper was peddled from the hapless Browns to the Bills yesterday.

Both of the teams on the receiving end of the deals (likely) helped themselves with the acquisition of those wide receivers.

On cue, there was light bellyaching by some Ravens fans who thought the club was going to be a front-runner to acquire Adams from the Las Vegas Raiders.

As I opined here recently, the Ravens don't need any more pass catchers.

That is, unless you think a safety or cornerback who "occasionally" catches an errant throw would qualify as a pass catcher.

The Ravens have enough tight ends and wide receivers. They didn't need Adams and they didn't need Cooper.

They could, however, still use some help in the defensive secondary.

I don't want to put the cart before the horse too much, but I will. Just a little.

The Ravens are going to need to beat some combination of these teams in January: Buffalo, Houston and Kansas City.

They're going to win those games with defense. They have the offense. They need to clamp down on Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud and Patrick Mahomes.

The Ravens might even have to eventually shut down Aaron Rodgers, too. We'll see if the Jets turn things around and earn their way into the post-season.

But, for sure, John Harbaugh's team is going to need to beat the Bills, Texans and/or Chiefs in January in order to make the Super Bowl, and adding Davante Adams or Amari Cooper wasn't going to do anything to help boost their chances of doing so.

Acquiring a defensive back or another rush end is what the Ravens need to get over the hump.

Now, all of this presupposes that the Ravens stay healthy at the wide receiver spot. If something unforseen happens and they lose Flowers, Bateman or Agholor to injury, then not adding Adams or Cooper will be looked at as a lost opportunity.

But you can't play football like that.

You build the healthiest, best team you can and you roll on from there.

This Ravens team, right now, is almost perfectly constructed. Their offensive line could maybe use one more veteran who still has his sea legs. And, as we've mentioned, the secondary could also use one more helpful piece.

Other than that, this edition of the Ravens has almost everyone operating on all cylinders. Even if they don't add any veterans at the trade deadline, the purple birds are going to be very tough to beat over the next four months.

If ain't broke, don't fix it.

Or, as is the case with the Ravens, only fix it a wee little bit.

I couldn't tell if C.J. was trolling or not with his Tuesday e-mail, so I actually sent a reply and asked, specifically, "Are you serious?"

He replied, "Very much so, because I think your opinion might differ from a lot of other people's."

C.J.'s question was this: "Hey Drew, I assume you heard Tony Romo and Jim Nance (sic) on Sunday talking about Harbs and how he's going to the Hall of Fame someday. Romo even said, "100%, guaranteed" when they were discussing it. Do you agree with them? Or does Harbs have to win at least one more Super Bowl ring to be a guaranteed lock for Canton?"

Here's the deal. It's not really even up for debate at this point.

John Harbaugh is going to the Hall of Fame when his coaching career ends.

I'm not sure why people like C.J. get worked up about an announcer saying something like that, as if he (Romo) was fanning the flames of an actual sports "debate".

Harbaugh is going to the Hall of Fame in the very same way Aaron Rodgers is someday going to the Hall of Fame.

They're both slam dunks.

I'm not sure why C.J. felt compelled to throw that one at me. Like I said, I kind of thought he was trolling at first. "Is John Harbaugh really going into the Hall of Fame someday?" is as dumb as asking someone, "Is Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side of the Moon' a great album?"

Yes.

And, yes.

In light of the post-game incident on Sunday in Baltimore that has drawn national attention, Steve sent an interesting e-mail to me on Tuesday.

"Drew, do you think the Ravens should suspend the ticket buying or ticket owning privileges of the guy wearing the Lamar #8 jersey who assaulted those two Commanders fans? Some of us were talking about it earlier today (Tuesday) and we're kind of wondering if legally the Ravens could even do that?"

I have no idea what the legal remedy is for what happened on Sunday. I think if it would have happened in the stadium itself or on the property surrounding the stadium, then, yes, the Ravens could likely do something extreme like ban the guy from the stadium or take his tickets/PSL from him (if applicable).

I assume they can sorta-kinda "do whatever they want" with regard to future entry into the stadium. If they have the guy on some sort of "do not enter" list, that's on them to enforce and explain to him if the situation arises.

I don't know what they can and can't do legally. And I'm not sure wearing a Ravens jersey is "just cause" for banning him. But assaulting two fans of the other team and having it published on video is probably reason enough to not let him attend home games.

I think we all know the "easy" answer. He's done. But that might not be the legal answer.

And finally, two weeks after the fact, Tom T. checks in and re-visits the Orioles quick exit from the post-season.

"So, Drew, what do you think really happened with the Orioles? We've all had time to think about it. Where did it all go wrong?"

I think the easiest thing to say about the O's is also the most obvious thing we saw. They simply stopped hitting. And, worse, when they did hit and did have runners in scoring position, they couldn't produce the big hit when necessary.

Why did that happen? I guess you could say they were "pressing" over much of the last two months of the season. Look, they're not dummies. They knew they were struggling offensively. And each player who was struggling probably tried harder with each passing game and each passing series that didn't go their way.

Ultimately, their offense failed them.

Yes, they had injuries. There's no doubt losing Westburg definitely hurt them. But even when he returned in late September, the offense still sputtered.

I don't think there's one thing, exactly, that derailed them, but as we saw in the playoff series vs. Kansas City, they just couldn't produce runs using small ball, long ball or any kind of ball.

And let's finish up today with our highly-anticipated look through the NFC at the 33% mark of the 2024 NFL season.

NFC North --

Vikings (5-0) -- It's Sam Darnold's world and we're just living in it. I know conventional wisdom says he's going to become San Darnold once again, but what if -- just bear with me -- this is his "Nick Foles year"? Could the Vikings actually be a legitimate title contender? We don't think so. Playoff chances: 75% / Super Bowl chances: 30%

Lions (4-1) -- This is the team to beat in the NFC, don't get it twisted. Their defense will have an off day now and again, but their offense is almost always on full go every Sunday. Playoff chances: 80% / Super Bowl chances: 50%

Packers (4-2) -- Green Bay might also be legit. Jordan Love looks like he might be blossoming into a real QB and the Packers' defense is approaching "real deal" status. I'm not ready to book airfare to Lambeau Field in January, but I like Green Bay's lookl. Playoff chances: 50% / Super Bowl chances: 15%

Bears (4-2) -- Wait...all four teams in the NFC North are above .500? Including the Bears? That's beyond crazy. Thing is, Chicago might even be on their way to -- can we say it? -- chasing double digits wins in 2024. I don't see it happening, but I also wouldn't bet against it, either. Playoff chances: 25% / Super Bowl chances: 5%

NFC East --

Commanders (4-2) -- I didn't see much to worry about with these guys last Sunday in Baltimore, but it's fair to point out that Jayden Daniels is having a solid rookie season and they're probably going to win most of the games they're supposed to win, which means D.C. will stand a good chance of making the post-season. I don't see them as much of a threat, though. Playoff chances: 50% / Super Bowl chances: 10%

Eagles (3-2) -- Something is "off" up there in Philly. Maybe it's the quarterback. Maybe it's their defense. Maybe it's just a little bit of everything. But the Eagles are not very good. Playoff chances: 35% / Super Bowl chances: 5%

Cowboys (3-3) -- Another one of those "off" teams where they look like they have the makings of a nice roster, but all they seem to do is get clobbered. The Dallas defense is beyond inept. They do have Dak Prescott and his albatross of a contract. So, there's that. Playoff chances: 35% / Super Bowl chances: 0%

Giants (2-4) -- The Daniel Jones Experiment has to end soon, right? He missed so many open receivers against the Bengals on Sunday night that Kyle Boller called the Giants main number on Monday morning and laughed into his end of the phone. New York's defense isn't all that bad, but that offense stinks worse than my Aunt Betty's feet at our annual family picnic in August. Playoff chances: 0% / Super Bowl chances: 0%

NFC South --

Falcons (4-2) -- Frankly, I had no idea Atlanta was 4-2 until I started this segment. It just goes to show what a "decent" quarterback can do for you. Kirk Cousins isn't elite or anything close to that, but he's decent enough to win half the games for you. Playoff chances: 40% / Super Bowl chances: 10%

Buccaneers (4-2) -- Baker Mayfield wasn't "good" in Cleveland, but he's turned into a good one in Tampa Bay, somehow. He has some weapons down there, for sure, and the Bucs seem to enjoy having him at the helm, which also helps. In the soft NFC South, 10-7 is likely going to win the division. This Monday night vs. the Ravens will tell us a lot about this '24 edition of the Bucs. Playoff chances: 50% / Super Bowl chances: 15%

Saints (2-4) -- Speaking of "no defense", these guys don't have any and don't want to play any, either. They can occasionally score some points, but if they score 28 they're going to allow 31 and if they score 34 they're going to give up 37. These Saints aren't marching anywhere in January, that's for sure. Playoff chances: 10% / Super Bowl chances: 0%

Panthers (1-5) -- They're lousy, plain and simple. They need a quarterback, running back, two wide receivers and an offensive line. And that's just on that side of the ball. They also need help defensively. Come to think of it, they need help EVERYWHERE. Playoff chances: 0% / Super Bowl chances: minus 10%

NFC West --

49'ers (3-3) -- It feels like San Francisco should be better than "this" -- 3-3 after six games -- but injuries have hurt them, particularly the one Christian McCaffrey is dealing with. With him, they're a different team. Without him, they could lose any game they play. Playoff chances: 55% / Super Bowl chances: 20%

Seahawks (3-3) -- They are a bit surprising at 3-3, but have no fear, they won't be at .500 when Christmas rolls around. I'm expecting very little from them. Playoff chances: 30% / Super Bowl chances: 5%

Cardinals (2-4) -- I always secretly hope this is the year of the Cardinals, but it never is. It's the weirdest thing. They're just always ----- lousy. They do have a great stadium, though, which is nice. Playoff chances: 15% / Super Bowl chances: 5%

Rams (1-4) -- Losing Aaron Donald crushed them this much? I don't believe it. Now, they've also been wrecked with injuries to Kupp and Nacua, but it's hard to believe they're 1-4 with Sean McVay on the sidelines and Matthew Stafford under center. Something is wrong in L.A. Playoff chances: 10% / Super Bowl chances: 5%

Tuesday October 15, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3705

doxxing via the internet: good or bad?

In case you missed it on Monday, a sports story garnered national attention and it happened right in downtown Baltimore following the Ravens win over Washington on Sunday.

It was only a sports story because it happened after a football game and the soon-to-be-defendant was seen on video wearing a Lamar Jackson jersey. Otherwise, it was just a garden variety case of assault, albeit a heinous one.

If you saw the video making the rounds late Sunday evening, you were, I'm sure, appalled.

A 20-something male, with a friend/cohort filming the whole thing on his phone, wildly approaches two Commanders fans -- both male as well -- and brutally attacks them. He severely injures both men, quickly, before flexing for his friend-the-camera-man and boasting, "I don't lose."

The video started circulating on Twitter late Sunday night. By Monday, it had gained steam into a national story, published by the likes of Barstool, TMZ and other social media platforms.

Within minutes of widespread circulation, the man was identified by name and his various social media pages were then made public.

By mid-morning on Monday, #DMD has learned, the man was terminated from his position with a Baltimore based insurance agency.

We're not naming him here because the young man has a lot more problems on his plate than having #DMD reveal his identity.

But the incident begs two questions:

Should the internet be a place where "doxxing" someone is not only permissible, but actually encouraged?

And, as #DMD reader Brian Preller asked yesterday via e-mail, should the camera man be charged as some sort of accomplice?

I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know about the legalities of naming someone an accomplice who simply held up their phone and "caught" the fight on camera. It seems to me you might be a degenerate for doing that, but I don't know if that holds up in court.

Clearly, though, the man who assaulted the two Commanders fans was somehow enthused about being on camera for the incident. Again, whether that makes the camera man guilty of a crime or not is something I can't answer.

The first question, though, is the one that people on Twitter and elsewhere threw around on Monday.

"Dude gonna lose his job because you posted his name without his approval," someone wrote yesterday.

The guy who offered that opinion wasn't the only one to feel that way. I know you're probably shaking your head, but it's true.

"He hasn't had his day in court, but everybody always thinks he's guilty because that video got published," someone else wrote.

Let's make sure we get this right: The "dude" who threw the punchces and was doxxed on the internet didn't lose his job because someone posted his name without his approval.

He lost his job because he committed an assault on two people on video.

If his boss saw the video on Sunday night or Monday morning, he or she already knew the defendant's name. Doxxing wasn't necessary.

The community at large now knows his name, of course, which means he might have trouble landing a new job once he's free to move around the county again, which might not be for a while if the legal proceedings snag him along the way.

So, in that regard, social media did "out" him on Monday. His name and three or four social media accounts were the talk of the town.

The real benefit to social media "doxxing", of course, is there is now no real time required to identify the perpetrator of the crime and, I'm guessing here, the collection of evidence and the prosecution of the case is so easy Encyclopedia Brown would have the whole thing tied up in a bow by page 11.

Without social media -- and without the defendant filming and publishing his own crime -- there's no telling if the two men who were assaulted would ever have their crime solved. About 12 hours after their assault, the case was in the books.

So, yes, public "doxxing" when a crime has been committed is a good thing indeed.

I'm sure the Ravens are disgusted at the fact that this guy was plastered all over the internet on Monday wearing a purple #8 JACKSON jersey.

That these things happen every weekend at a college or NFL stadium is very well known. We could do a week's worth of #DMD on the "why" of it all.

In general, though, it's just a wanton disregard for humanity. There's something terribly wrong with us when we take joy in hurting innocent people for no real reason.

And now, we know the name of this individual, where he worked, and, at some point, we'll hear about the charges brought against him and how he fares when he gets his day in court.

The internet always wins.

The young man who threw the punches on Sunday night claimed he never lost, but he sure did this time around.

The internet doesn't lose. Ever.

Give or take a game, depending on your team of choice, we've reached the 33% mark of the 2024 NFL season. Time flies when you're having fun, huh?

I thought we'd take a quick trip around the league and summarize everyone's chances of making the playoffs and, for those that it applies to, chances of making the Super Bowl.

We'll highlight the AFC today and the NFC on Wednesday.

I feel like we're going to mostly be spot-on with this commentary. It's pretty obvious by now who the good teams are and who the bad teams are, right?

AFC North --

Ravens (4-2) -- If not for Kansas City, they'd be the best team in football. And, lean in closely so it's just you and I hearing this: They're actually better than the Chiefs right now. Playoff chances: 95% / Super Bowl chances: 60%

Steelers (4-2) -- Do NOT be fooled by their record. They're a paper tiger. The Ravens will chew them up twice. This is who they are, they beat up on lousy teams and lose to good teams. Playoff chances: 40% / Super Bowl chances: 10%

Bengals (2-4) -- Bengals are always gonna Bengals at the worst time possible. Don't let Sunday night's 17-7 win over the NY Giants lead you down the wrong path. Cincy's defense is terrible. Playoff chances: 30% / Super Bowl chances: 5%

Browns (1-5) -- The Deshaun Watson signing could be the worst contract in the history of sports. Not just in the history of the Browns. Or the history of the NFL. In the history of......sports. Playoff chances: 0% / Super Bowl chances: 0%

AFC East --

Bills (4-2) -- Buffalo's win last night over the Jets isn't quite enough to lock up the division just yet, but Buffalo -- despite losing their top wide receiver -- continues to chug-a-lug along nicely. That they might be overlooked by the likes of the Chiefs or Ravens is their only hope, otherwise, they're not a real threat this season. Playoff chances: 60% / Super Bowl chances: 25%

Dolphins (2-3) -- Their season imploded when Tua went out with his 84th concussion in week #3. If he returns and somehow, improbably, stays healthy, there's a chance for a slight revival in South Florida. Overall, though, it feels like Miami's fate has already been cast for this season. Playoff chances: 30% / Super Bowl chances: 10%

Jets (2-4) -- Boy, firing the coach really helped, huh? Granted, the refs didn't help matters on Monday night in the loss to Buffalo, but this is a Jets team in full disarray just six games into the season. We definitely expected more from these varsity lettermen. Playoff chances: 30% / Super Bowl chances: 10%

Patriots (1-5) -- I assume they'll beat someone else before the season ends, but it's possible that opening day win in Cincinnati will be their only victory of the campaign. Even the glorious Pat-the-Patriot helmet, the best logo in the history of sports, couldn't help them turn back the Texans last Sunday. When wearing that helmet doesn't help, you're done. Playoff chances: 0% / Super Bowl chances: minus 10%

AFC South --

Texans (5-1) -- They might clinch the division title by Thanksgiving. If they stay healthy, they'll have a shot at making some real noise in the playoffs. They have the Lions (home), Chiefs (away) and Ravens (home) left on their schedule. Those three games will tell us a lot. Playoff chances: 95% / Super Bowl chances: 40%

Colts (3-3) -- Is Flacco going to keep the job once Anthony Richardson returns? That will be a story well worth watching. With the Dolphins in the tank, that opens up another playoff spot in the AFC. Could Indy snag that one at 9-8 or 10-7? Playoff chances: 35% / Super Bowl chances: 5%

Titans (1-4) -- This once proud franchise hasn't been the same since the Ravens punched them in the mouth in Nashville a few years ago in the playoffs. They're going nowhere fast. Playoff chances: 0% / Super Bowl chances: 0%

Jaguars (1-5) -- The only reason Trevor Lawrence isn't the owner of the "worst contract in the NFL" is because Deshaun Watson already has that label on lockdown. But make no mistake about it, Lawrence is laying a colossal, epic egg in Jacksonville. The Jags are going backwards. Playoff chances: 0% / Super Bowl chances: 0%

AFC West --

Chiefs (5-0) -- They have four reasonably challenging games left: at 49'ers, at Bills, home vs. Texans and at Steelers. I don't see them running the table and going 17-0, but I think they're a 13 win team at the very least. One thing about them that can't be denied: they know how to win. Playoff chances: 95% / Super Bowl chances: 60%

Chargers (3-2) -- I feel like they're one of the teams we're still drawing an "incomplete" on when we attempt to grade the first 5 weeks of the season. They have a legit QB, but do they have anything else, really? It seems like they're just OK, nothing more than that. Playoff chances: 40% / Super Bowl chances: 15%

Broncos (3-3) -- I mean, they have 3 wins thus far, which is close to the "5" I assumed they'd win all year. I don't know how they've won 3, but they have. That said, I don't see them winning 9 or 10 and being a threat to make the post-season. They're at least a year away from that. Playoff chances: 25% / Super Bowl chances: 5%

Raiders (2-4) -- How on earth did these guys beat the Ravens? Or anyone else for that matter? Once Davante Adams is traded, they'll quickly fall into the regular season abyss. 7 wins for them would be a miracle at this point. Playoff chances: 10% / Super Bowl chances: 0%

Monday October 14, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3704

who is gonna beat these guys?

OK, so it's very obvious at this point.

As long as Lamar and Derrick Henry stay healthy, this Ravens team is going to waltz to the AFC North title. And, sure, K.C. is off to that 5-0 start thus far, but they better figure out a way to go at least 13-4 or the Ravens might actually snag that #1 seed from them by the end of the season.

I can't see the Ravens losing more than 2 additional games this season. That will put them at 13-4. K.C. owns the tiebreaker, of course, thanks to that season opening win.

But if the Chiefs stub their toe and somehow post a 12-5 mark, they won't be the top seed in the AFC. I don't see that happening, mind you, but it's the NFL and crazy things happen.

As for the Ravens, they're making mincemeat of everyone in their path these days.

And it just doesn't look like they can be stopped.

Who's going to beat them? Tampa Bay next Monday night? I doubt it.

The Chargers later this season in the Harbaugh-Bowl? I don't see that happening, either.

The Texans on Christmas Day? I could see that one being tight, for sure.

But all things being equal and looking at the remaining schedule for John Harbaugh's team, it's really hard to see more than two losses on the horizon.

Lamar and the Ravens made easy work of the Commanders on Sunday. Don't let the 30-23 final score fool you. The game was never in doubt. Washington's defense was borderline inept. They packed the box to stop the run and played man-to-man coverage almost all afternoon and Lamar had a field day with the D.C. secondary.

How is anyone going to stymie the Baltimore offense?

If you employ the Commanders' strategy and overplay the run to make sure Derrick Henry doesn't beat you, Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews are going to chew you up and spit you out.

If you go with five in the secondary and put three or four on the line of scrimmage, Henry, Lamar and Justice Hill will buzz through you for 225 yards on the ground.

There's no stopping the Ravens offense, especially the version we've been treated to over the last month.

One of the more underrated contributors has been Patrick Ricard. When he's in the game, the offense percolates even more. He might not get the box score glory, but watch virtually every big play on offense and Ricard's involved as a blocker, either for Lamar or for Derrick Henry.

Zay Flowers is also blossoming in a big way. Yes, pun intended. Flowers was unstoppable on Sunday vs. D.C. and is quickly starting to look like he might turn into the elite, #1 receiver the Ravens were hoping to get when they drafted Hollywood Brown and Rashod Bateman.

Brown's gone, of course, and Bateman is still in Baltimore and occasionally makes an impact. But Flowers is on a different level right now in just his 2nd year in the league.

In his last two games, Zay has combined for 16 catches and 243 receiving yards. There was a time, circa 2005, when 16 catches and 243 yards was a Baltimore wide receiver's haul at the midway point of the regular season.

Now, let's balance out all of this glee with a little bit of reality.

The Ravens need some help in the defensive secondary.

We saw it last week in Cincinnati when Joe Burrow sliced them up and Jayden Daniels and the Commanders had some modest success in the air yesterday in Baltimore.

Davante Adams, the mercurial wide receiver in Las Vegas, is apparently going to be shipped somewhere before the November 5 trade deadline.

It's a shame he doesn't play safety or cornerback.

While it would be tempting for Baltimore to acquire Adams, the suggestion here to Eric DeCosta is to pass on the wide receiver and get some secondary help.

The Ravens are on a collision course with the Chiefs again. Unless something weird happens to either team's quarterback, Baltimore and Kansas City are going to meet again in the AFC title game in late January.

Davante Adams isn't going to help the Ravens slow down Patrick Mahomes.

A veteran safety to help embattled veteran Marcus Williams would be a good idea. Or a reliable cornerback to take some of the heat off of Brandon Stephens and Marlon Humphrey.

The Baltimore offense is just fine.

The Baltimore defense is decent...but they could use a little help.

But even without any trade deadline activity, the Ravens are a juggernaut.

They're so good, even John Harbaugh, Todd Monken and Zach Orr can't mess 'em up.

Speaking of the three coaches, where are the folks who whine about them every week?

That's four straight wins now. And four weeks of silence, mostly.

There's a lot of football remaining, but fortunately for the Ravens and their fans, almost all of it is going to be a cakewalk.

That is, until a certain game against Kansas City at the end of January rolls around.

I can see it building up on the horizon, like one of those summer storms you see starting to gather steam around 3:30 pm that hits a couple of hours later.

Joe Flacco comes to Baltimore with the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs next January.

It almost happened last year, remember. Flacco and the Browns were destined for Baltimore until they got thumped by the Texans in the Wild Card Round.

I have a bad feeling it's going to happen this January.

In a weird twist of fate, Flacco was replaced by Lamar Jackson midway through the 2018 season. Borrowing a familar story from the world of baseball, you might say Flacco was "Wally Pipp'd" by Lamar and, of course, moved on from the Ravens after the '18 campaign and signed with Denver.

Now?

Flacco looks like he might be the one doing the "Wally Pipping", as the 39-year old is playing in place of the injured Anthony Richardson in Indianapolis. And when Richardson comes back, there's a chance the Colts will just stick with Flacco, the same way the Ravens kept on going with Lamar Jackson in 2018 once Joe recovered from his injury.

Wouldn't that be something?

Flacco comes to Baltimore next January, wearing those memorable white uniforms with that gorgeous horseshoe helmet.

There's a lot of football to be played between now and then, of course.

The Ravens are going to cruise to an easy playoff spot. The Colts are going to have their hands full, for sure. They'll have to sneak in as a Wild Card team and then beat someone on the road in order to even make it to the AFC Divisional Round.

But you know how the football gods work.

If they can make Flacco-and-Indy face Lamar-and-Baltimore, you know they're going to do their best to pull it off.

Sunday October 13, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3703

"it's a nice day for a thorough butt kicking"

With all due respect to the three D.C. teams currently in their regular season campaign, I'd like to see it finish up 0-3 for those fellas today.

Maryland football got shellacked on Friday night, at home, no less, 37-10 to Northwestern. I know what you're thinking:

Last night in their 50th anniversary season opener, the Capitals fell to the New Jersey Devils in D.C., 5-3.

And today, the D.C. football team plays in Baltimore, and they come to town with a swagger that might be justified...or not.

The Commanders are in town for a game that will tell everyone exactly what they are: contenders or pretenders.

Have you seen Lamar's record against NFC teams?

Jackson is 21-1 vs. NFC opponents as a starter, with the lone loss coming to the Giants in New York a few years back. Lamar is Justin Tucker from 40 yards against the NFC. Automatic.

Unless something really weird happens today, he's going to be 22-1.

The Commanders aren't ready for this step. Not yet, anyway.

Their three wins this season have come against a trio of powerhouses: Giants, Bengals and Cardinals. A win's a win, of course, but it's not like D.C. has just knocked off Kansas City, Buffalo and Houston. They're beating up on the patsies of the league.

Trust me, D.C. isn't ready for what they're going to encounter today.

And neither is Jayden Daniels.

Not having their top running back -- Brian Robinson Jr. is out with a knee injury -- isn't going to help matters for D.C. That puts even more heat on Daniels, who has certainly locked himself in as an early candidate for NFC Rookie of the Year honors.

Because they need something to talk about on sports radio down there, some folks around the 495 corridor are even throwing Daniels' name around for MVP. That talk will be brought to a halt, at least temporarily, later today.

Jayden Daniels isn't coming to Baltimore and beating the Ravens. Not in his rookie season. Not in his first time experiencing a real road stadium.

His last two road victories came in Phoenix, where there were more Commanders fans than Cardinals fans in attendance, and Cincinnati, where the Bengals are having a tough time keeping people in the stadium for four quarters.

This is Baltimore, today.

Jayden Daniels might have played a handful of "big" games in college where the environment was spine-tingling, but college football is a tailgate with white linens and a chef making your food for you and the pro game is a frat party where you make it a point not to wear a nice pair of pants and a nice shirt because you're likely going to get blood and vomit on them by the end of the night.

In other words, there's a huge difference between playing at Georgia on a Saturday night and at Baltimore on a Sunday afternoon.

If this were basketball, Lamar's going to throw up a 36-point game on Daniels.

I'm not trying to poo-poo Jayden Daniels and his potential to be a star in the NFL. The Commanders, almost against their front office abilities, might have hit a grand slam with the former LSU signal caller. Who knows?

But today he gets the Cleat of Reality in Baltimore.

He won't be the first one to come into Charm City with huge expectations and leave shaking his head like the Alonzo Mourning meme.

Jared Goff thought he was going to kick butt and take names last year when he brought the 5-1 Lions in Baltimore for an early-season showdown and it didn't go as well as he thought it might.

C.J. Stroud strolled in for last year's season opener and quickly found out what it's like to play in Baltimore.

An 80 degree day in mid-October? The stadium is going to be on fire today, even with 15,000 Commanders fans walking around thumping their chest because they've started 4-1.

Baltimore jumps out to a 7-0 lead on their first offensive series, with Lamar hitting Zay Flowers on a big pass play on 3rd and 8 and Derrick Henry rumbling in from 3 yards out.

The Ravens make it 10-0 early in the second quarter before the Commanders put together a decent drive that stalls on the Ravens 14 yard line. A field goal there makes it 10-3.

Lamar continues to be Lamar on the next series, running for 35 yards on three carries and then hitting Rashod Bateman for a 14-yard touchdown to make it 17-3.

The Commanders again move the ball nicely but they have to settle for a 40-yard field goal as the clock winds down. Ravens lead at the half, 17-6.

After a punt from each team, Daniels makes his first big mistake of the day, fumbling the ball after being hit on a blitz by Kyle Hamilton. The Ravens cash in from there to go up 24-6, marching 39 yards in four plays, capping it off with a Lamar touchdown run from six yards out.

Baltimore makes it 31-6 in the 4th quarter when Roquan Smith's 21 yard interception return takes the ball to the D.C. 19 yard line. Lamar hits Mark Andrews for a 10 yard touchdown with 5 minutes remaining.

The Commanders tack on a late "who cares?" touchdown with 50 seconds left to finalize the scoring at 31-13.

The Ravens win their 4th straight with ease and the Commanders meet face-to-face with The Cleat of Reality.

	WILL JACKSON and his weekly NFL picks
Will Jackson will be here every Sunday during the NFL season with his thoughts on games and prop bets that will hopefully yield positive results for you.

Hi football fans! We're still stuck in a rut with our game picks, going about .500 give or take a game either way. Our prop bets continue to profit for you. If we can just get some of the games and totals right we'd be in great shape!

I like this time of the football season. There is enough data and analysis in place to make some smart wagers. Five or six games is what it takes to know what a team does well and doesn't do well.

Here are my picks for today.

Games and totals

Cardinals (+5) at Packers

Colts (+2.5) at Titans plus Colts/Titans over 42.5

Texans (-6.5) at Patriots

Browns (+8.5) at Eagles plus Browns/Eagles over 42.5

Broncos (+3) vs. Chargers

Steelers/Raiders under 36.5

Giants (+3.5) vs. Bengals

Player props

Derrick Henry anytime touchdown scorer

Lamar Jackson over 203.5 yards passing

Jordan Love +1.5 touchdown throws

C.J. Stroud over 203.5 yards passing

Joe Burrow over 203.5 yards passing

Ja'Marr Chase anytime touchdown scorer

Dak Prescott +1.5 touchdown throws

Jared Goff +1.5 touchdown throws

Saturday October 12, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3702

reading time: 2 minutes

* This might have happened before, but I honestly have no idea, because I just don't dive deeply enough into Maryland football to know otherwise. But people in College Park are calling for Mike Locksley's job after last night's 37-10 home thrashing at the hands of Northwestern. It's one thing to lose by that score to Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. It's another thing to get whipped by 27 points in your own barn by......Northwestern? Yikes.

* The Dodgers are headed to the NLCS for a cross-country showdown with the New York Metropolitans after last night's 2-0 win over San Diego. Of all the things that were cool about L.A. winning a decisive 5th game in the best stadium in baseball, the coolest was "I Love L.A." booming over the loudspeaker as the Dodgers celebrated on the field. And the cameras panning over to see Manny and Fernando standing there brooding......very enjoyable indeed.

* Maybe I'm naive. If so, I'll own that. But I believe Aaron Rodgers when he says he was fond of Robert Saleh is disappointed at "upper management" (I love when players use that word...it basically means "ownership") for bailing on their head coach five weeks into the 2024 season. Rodgers looked disconsolate on Friday when he spoke publicly about Saleh's firing, even going as far as to say: "It's pretty much all on me. If I would have played better, he'd still be here." Stand up guy, it seems.

* For Flyers fans who are wondering, I got you. Disconsolate means, "without consolation or comfort; unhappy; distressed".

* The Capitals start their '24-25 season tonight at home vs. the Devils. I don't quite know what to make of the D.C. team this season. I like their goaltending (Charlie Lindgren and newcomer Logan Thompson) and their defensive side of the ice, but I just don't know where they're going to get their goals. Ovi needs 42 goals to surpass Wayne Gretzky's career total of 894. I think he scores 35 this season. I think it's going to be tight for Washington to make the post-season, but I'll throw them in as the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference when everything shakes out next April.

* Speaking of D.C. teams, the Commanders come to town tomorrow with the dangerous tag of "This is their Super Bowl" attached to the 1 pm battle with the Ravens. The Lions came to town last October at 5-1 and had that same sort of "big test" label attached to their visit and they promptly got battered, 38-6. Look for another clobbering to take place tomorrow in Baltimore. Jayden Daniels, meet The Cleat of Reality.

* I don't have a wagering dog in the race, but I'm really hoping Detroit and Tarik Skubal get past the Guardians today in their 5th and decisive game of the ALDS. For those who might not know, your TV listings could still be showing this as an 8:08 pm first pitch, but the game has been moved to 1 pm today due to potential weather issues in The Land of Cleve tonight. Here's hoping Skubal has one of his patented 7 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs, 8 strikeout performances ready for the Guardians. I'd love to see Detroit in the ALCS.

* The Wizards are +100000 to win the NBA title. So, too, are teams like the Hornets, Raptors, and Trailblazers. I don't follow the NBA a whole lot, but +100000 seems like the kind of odds you place on a team who actually has zero shot of winning the championship and you don't want to even entertain the thought of taking someone's money on the dumbest bet of all time.

What you just read, "Reading time: 2 minutes", was an ode to an old friend of mine who passed away earlier this week. Phil Jackman, former sports columnist at The Evening Sun in Baltimore, died at the age of 87. Jackman authored the column, "Reading time: 2 minutes" and it was always one of my favorite things he penned.

Jackman was, indeed, "one of a kind".

He was a Boston (area) guy by birth and never lost that familiar accent, but he blended in seamlessly in Baltimore and Maryland, where he was honored on 15 different occasions as the state's "Sportswriter of the Year".

"Reading time: 2 minutes" was actually a jab at his first boss in Worcester, Massachusetts, who once chided Jackman for his brief recap of Red Sox games by saying to him, "Put some meat on those stories, heck, people can read the whole thing in one minute. You'll never get anywhere writing stories that people can consume in one minute."

When Jackman moved to Maryland in 1965 to cover the Orioles for The Evening Sun, he created "Reading time: 2 minutes" to take a playful dig at his former editor.

"Reading time" turned out to one of Jackman's most popular pieces, appearing on a twice-monthly basis, probably.

I got to know Phil very well during my time as the Media Relations guy for the Blast soccer team. To this day, if you would ever ask me the question, "Who was the fairest sports columnist in town when it came to covering the Blast and giving them a fair shake?", I would immediately say, "That's easy. Phil Jackman."

Jackman loved hockey and so did I. So that, more than indoor soccer, bonded us when we'd share lunch together once or twice during every indoor soccer season.

"Who do you have that's interesting?" he would always say to me when we would hang out at our favorite place, Sabatino's.

I once told him about goalkeeper Cris Vaccaro, who often spent 30 minutes or more before the game "getting dolled up" as Phil would later write. Most players come to the game in street clothes and then simply change into their uniform for the game. Vaccaro would arrive in street clothes, but he'd shower and clean up (nicely) before the game, getting his hair to look just right before diving around on the field for 60 minutes.

Jackman loved covering interesting people.

"You should do something on Cris Vaccaro," I told him. A week later, Jackman and Vaccaro were breaking bed at Sabatino's and Jackman, who had a penchant for goalies via his hockey coverage, thought our soccer goalie was the cat's meow.

"I don't want to write about Eddie Murray hitting another home run," Phil would say to me. "Anyone can do that. Give me something interesting. Give me a weirdo."

On April 22, 2008, a bunch of us affiliated with the old radio station piled in a limo and headed to D.C. for Game 7 of the Caps-Flyers playoff series.

Along the way, we made a stop.

"We're picking up a special guest to join us," someone said. Minutes later, we stopped at a restaurant and out of a parked car stepped Phil Jackman.

Jackman was a former Capitals writer-turned-agonized-fan, so he fit right in with the rest of us who were heading to D.C. for the decisive game.

As fate would have it, the game went to overtime. For kicks, someone in the group grabbed their phone and started a video, asking the obvious question: "Who is going to score the game-winning goal?"

Everyone picked a Caps player.

Jackman was the last guy to give his prediction.

"Flyers on a cheapie," he said with his trademark smirk.

We all booed him and threw popcorn at him.

"What?" he said. "You really think these guys are going to win this game? It's the Capitals we're talking about."

Sure enough, the Caps picked up a (questionable) penalty in overtime and that rat-fink Joffrey Lupal scored in OT to give the Flyers an undeserved victory.

I never let Phil forget that one.

"You picked against the Capitals!" I said.

"I've seen too many games," he deadpanned.

Phil Jackman was an outstanding writer. And a fair writer. He gave indoor soccer a chance in Baltimore when other columnists wouldn't even bother coming to a game, yet were quick to trash us in a column.

"Reading time: 2 minutes" will become a regular feature here as an ode to him. But maybe we'll make it "3 minutes" instead of two, just to one up an old friend. He'd laugh at that one, I'm sure.

Friday October 11, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3701

mets vs. yankees would be.....good?

OK, let's start off with probably one of the more unpopular opinions you can find in these parts.

And, no, before you ask or say it: I'm not trolling for the sake of trolling.

The Yankees eliminated the pesky Royals in four games last night, winning 3-1 to advance to the American League Championship Series.

The Mets needed the same four game total to get rid of the Phillies.

Yes, that leads me to this: I'd be perfectly fine with a Mets vs. Yankees World Series.

I'm not necessarily rooting for it to happen. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing the upstart Tigers get there, but they still have to beat Cleveland tomorrow in Game 5 and then dispose of the Yankees in the ALCS. If it works out that way, I'm cool.

And the Mets still have to work their past either the Dodgers or Padres in the NLCS. San Diego is in Los Angeles tonight for the 5th and deciding game of that NLDS round.

But I'm just saying if it does wind up being New York (NL) vs. New York (AL), I'd be happy with that as a baseball loving fan who enjoys watching the World Series in October.

I realize it's sort of unconventional here to "hope" something good happens to a New York team, particularly the Yankees, but for some weird reason, I'm not nearly as anti-Yankees and/or anti-Mets as I probably should be.

There's something special about sports in New York.

Yes, they're passionate about their teams up there. Sometimes a little too much, even.

But I've grown to appreciate that over my lifetime, even if I've never really "rooted" for any of them to succeed.

There was a time, in the mid 1980's, when I cheered for the Mets, but that was because they were playing the Red Sox in the World Series. Back then, I didn't want Boston doing well at anything.

Overall, though, I've never adopted a New York team or anything like that.

Even when we didn't have football for 11 years, I didn't suddenly start wearing a Jets or Giants jersey.

Like most people in Baltimore, I've always been jealous of the Yankees and their "win at all costs" front office attitude. Most of that stemmed from the fact that the Orioles were lousy for 15 years and signed people like Javy Lopez while the Yankees were stacking up A.L. pennants and signing C.C. Sabathia and 12 other free agents.

The Jeffrey Maier incident didn't help. Neither did Mark Teixeira eschewing an Orioles offer and playing for the Yankees 15 years ago.

I was one of the few in town who didn't rail against Mike Mussina when he bolted for the big bucks in the Bronx. Angelos tried to low-ball and Mussina called him out on it. I probably would have done the same thing, honestly.

But that was then. This is now.

I don't find either the Yankees or Mets to be unbearable. Their fans might be a tad nuts, but if anyone listens to Baltimore sports radio or reads Baltimore-based commentary on the internet, I have to tell you, we're nuts too. I don't know if we're more or less nuts than people in New York, but we're pretty daggone close.

But the two teams are fine. At least by me.

I know the O's had some regular season issues with the Yankees, but a lot of that was based on that idiotic, insane "unwritten rules" thing in Major League Baseball that makes my head want to explode. And both teams were guilty.

"You threw inside, we're throwing inside."

"You hit our guy, we're going to assume it was on purpose and now we're going to throw at your guy."

"We didn't try to hit you but we did. You then hit us on purpose. Now we have to hit you on purpose to make up for you hitting us on purpose."

I can't stand that stuff.

But every team does it, unfortunately.

I don't really follow the Mets or the National League enough to know all the warts and flaws of the Mets, but I'm sure they have some.

The Yankees have a bunch of very talented players and then some guys, like Alex Verdugo, who seems like he's just riding on those pinstripe coattails. He prances around like he's the next coming of Mickey Mantle when in reality he's a lighter version of Cedric Mullins.

Gerrit Cole has an edge to him, for sure, but I kind of prefer my pitchers to be like that, truth be told. Pitchers need to be a little surly. They need to think every umpire in the league is squeezing them on balls and strikes. They should dislike every hitter who stands up there and faces them.

Cole reminds me a lot of erstwhile Orioles/Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina. Mussina was better than you. If you didn't think that was true, just ask him.

But other than Cole and Verdugo, I don't see anyone of real note that's easy to dislike. Aaron Judge seems like the nicest guy in the world, even when he's hitting 430 foot home runs off of your pitchers. Juan Soto can't play right field to save his life, but he seems like a reasonable guy as well.

Hey, maybe I won't even have to worry about this weird feeling of being excited to see a Mets/Yankees World Series. Those two teams still have to win four more games to get there.

But the planets are aligning for another Subway Series.

And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd be perfectly fine with it.

I know what you're thinking.

"Has this guy lost his mind?"

Maybe.

faith in sports

Ryan Ries is co-founder of The Whosoevers movement, a nonprofit organization that empowers students at public schools, colleges, and universities around the world to make positive choices no matter their circumstances.

Ryan teaches Bible studies at Calvary Chapel Golden Spring, and speaks to thousands of teens and adults at music festivals, concerts, skate parks, churches, juvenile detention centers, and rehabs each year.

He grew up as a well known skateboarder in the Los Angeles area who turned into a star in that arena.

He might not be a well known athlete, per se, but he's not afraid to speak the truth to athletes of all levels both here in the U.S. and abroad.

As someone who has passed the work of Ries along to young athletes I coach, I am excited to share his words and thoughts with you here today. Ryan Ries is an amazing man, as you will see in the 11 minute video below.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and our "Faith in Sports" segment we run here every Friday.

Thursday October 10, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3700

aren't they called starting pitchers?

Before we get to the good stuff, let's address something far more important than pitchers, baseball, games, scores and so on.

In these parts, given our relative close proximity to Florida, almost everyone reading this today knows someone that either lives there or does the half-here, half-there thing.

I probably have 10 different people I know who fit that profile. Some are in Florida full time and others have homes there where they spend the winter months.

I'm also involved in two "trips" to Florida in early 2025, one for Calvert Hall Golf and one for FCA Maryland Golf, and I've become friendly and familiar with the people in Ft. Lauderdale and Hammock Beach who serve as my point-of-contact at two golf facilities.

We all somebody down there, I'm guessing.

There are several nationwide prayer chains going on this week as people gather -- most electronically -- to pray for the victims of Hurricane Milton. One of those is at 9:00 am this morning and another is at 3:30 pm this afternoon. I'm sure there are plenty of others, but those are two I know about personally.

If at one or both of those times today you could just take a couple of minutes, pause what you're doing, and pray for everyone in Florida that is in Milton's destructive path, it would be appreciated by the people down there who are going through a life changing weather event.

Pray for their well being and that their state and national government will be on hand quickly to aid in the response to help keep everyone safe and start to restore some normalcy to the area that has been hit by the storm.

Thank you for doing that.

OK, so you might very well file this one under "Who cares?" and, if so, I definitely get it.

Wednesday was a great day to be a baseball fan, as all four remaining series' were in action, with the Mets eliminating the Phillies in four games, the Tigers going up 2-1 on the Guardians, the Yankees taking a 2-1 lead on the Royals and the Dodgers forcing a 5th and deciding game (at home) by beating San Diego, 8-0.

I know what you're thinking.

"Wow, who pitched so well for the Dodgers that they shut out that that red-hot Padres lineup?"

Eight guys did.

As in, eight guys pitched so well that they didn't allow San Diego to score a run.

And here's the thing: I'm not so sure that's the way it should be.

Editor's note: This is where you might be hearing that great tune from Bruce Hornsby, "That's just the way it is", in your head for the rest of the day. You're welcome.

But I'm serious.

Just like I wasn't quite sure if I really liked the infield shift (my final vote was, "I don't") or the 10th inning regular season rule that puts a guy on 2nd base to start the inning (I don't, but I see why they do it), I've never been all that certain that I like the idea of "bullpen games" where teams start a relief pitcher and he throws one inning, maybe two, to start the game.

After last night in San Diego, I'm definitely leaning more in the direction of, "I don't like it."

The Dodgers started Ryan Brasier. Now, it's fair to point out he did make 4 starts in 2024. But those were all in similar circumstances to last night vs. the Padres. In 29 appearances in the '24 campaign, he logged a grand total of 28 innings.

Last night, he went 1.1 innings before being lifted in the 2nd for another relief pitcher.

And so it went all night. No L.A. pitcher threw more than 1.2 innings on Wednesday.

I know there are some extenuating circumstances. The Dodgers thought Clayton Kershaw might be able to start Game 4 (if necessary) until he was shelved for the rest of the year earlier this week with a toe problem. L.A.'s rotation has been nicked with injuries all season and, of course, they also don't have Shohei Ohtani at their disposal to use on the mound because of his off-season Tommy John surgery.

But going through 8 pitchers in 9 innings seems a little cheesy to me.

I get it. "Them's the rules", people are going to say.

"Sour grapes from Padres fans," they're saying out in L.A. this morning.

It's just not the way baseball was intended to be played.

Just like they discovered "the shift" wasn't the way it was intended to be played, having relief pitchers start games isn't the way to do it, either.

Now, again, in fairness, Major League Baseball is considering a rule that forces teams to start pitchers and leave them in the game for an extended period of time, either 6 innings or 100 pitches, whichever comes first.

I can't imagine that specific rule will get passed, but I do think a rule of some kind is looming. Maybe 4 innings and 75 pitches (no, that's not a jab at Brandon Hyde, who took Zach Eflin out after those exact numbers last week in Game 2 against K.C.).

OK, maybe it is a jab after all.

Eflin was rolling along and, as we've seen with the Royals in this series against New York, K.C.'s offense is/was lousy.

But Brandon Hyde decided 75 pitches was enough. Jim Palmer almost fell out of his chair, of course. Palmer, for the young 'uns out there who don't know, had 211 complete games in his career.

I know what's going through your head right now.

"You mean he started 211 games."

"You mean he won 211 games."

"You mean..."

"No, son, I mean he threw 211 complete games.

He actually started 521 games and won 268 of them.

But of the 521 he started, he threw all 9 innings in 211 of them.

"Bullpen games" must make Palmer's head explode.

Anyway...

Maybe the new rule is 4 innings or 75 pitches. Or 5 innings and 80 pitches.

Whatever the final numbers turn out to be, I do see a rule coming along soon that restricts teams from doing what the Dodgers did last night in San Diego.

Some people out there definitely say, "Who cares? Someone has to pitch. When they throw the ball, you hit it. If you can't hit it, don't cry about it."

And to that, I say, yeah, OK, but part of the body of a baseball game includes the need for a pitcher to go through the opposing lineup two or three times.

I would almost be willing to predict that if the proposed rule doesn't get passed sometime in the future that some whiz-kid analytics-nerd is going to come along in 10 years and put their roster together with only relief pitchers and every game will be the proverbial "bullpen game".

You'd have 13 or 14 pitchers on the team, all of whom can throw 1, 2 or 3 innings before they run out of gas.

And you just start them every game.

Now, I get it, using that theory, and assuming you used the same 14 pitchers all year (which, you wouldn't), you might have 14 guys throwing somewhere around 150 innings.

And that's probably unreasonable to consider happening, even though 150 innings isn't going to cause anyone's arm to fall off.

But something "like that" could definitely happen, where a team uses 20-22 pitchers over the course of a season to get them through the 162 campaign.

It would require some magical use of the minor league option system, obviously, but where there's a will, there's a way, as the saying goes.

All of this is just a roundabout way of saying, "Bullpen games stink..."

Once upon a time in the NBA, your big guy could just stand under the basket and you'd throw him the ball and he'd dunk it over your guy and if you had the bigger "big guy", you were always going to win.

The powers-that-be figured that out and said, "We have to make a rule that eliminates that from happening." And they did. Now, big guys can still stand under the basket, but only for a short period of time.

Baseball is facing the same sort of thing with these bullpen games.

They're just no good.

I understand why they're being used. And I'd even go as far as giving the Dodgers a pass last night because their starting rotation has been clipped with injuries recently.

But baseball has to figure out a way to get rid of bullpen games.

Pass the rule and make these guys into Jim Palmer again.

Wednesday October 9, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3699

this is where we need a college football team

OK, so I'm not going to go as far as calling this period in our sports calendar year "dog days", even though it might come close to being a fit here in the great state of Maryland.

The Orioles are done.

And now all we have, until Big Ten basketball heats up in January, is Ravens football.

Like I said, not exactly "dog days", but in the neighborhood at least.

This is when we really miss having a college football team to call our own here in Charm City.

Your mileage might vary on this, admittedly. We've never really had a college team in our town that excited us the way the Colts and Ravens (and Orioles) have in my lifetime.

Maybe you didn't get a little jealous of the revelry we saw in downtown Nashville last Saturday night when Vanderbilt football fans treked a couple of miles with one of the goalposts in the aftermath of their shocking 40-35 win over Alabama.

I did.

Get jealous, that is.

Just a little bit.

And therein lies the rub here in Charm City.

We just don't have that here in the fall months. There's baseball until there isn't and, of course, we have the Ravens. But nothing else in these parts gets our collective sports blood boiling.

And occasionally, I'll think about how cool it must be to have a college football team you care about.

I was away in the great city of Philadelphia last weekend playing in a golf event and Saturday it was all anyone was talking about within our team of 16 guys who were there representing our Baltimore team.

Even while we played golf on Saturday, they were following along with what was going on with Alabama, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Ole Miss and so on.

Now, I'm assuming a wager or two might have been involved in those games and that's why my friends were so locked in on those games. But some of it was just good old fashioned passion for college football.

I've never had that about the University of Maryland football program.

This is the truth: I have absolutely no idea who Maryland plays this weekend. If you gave me $1 million to get it right, the only way I'd have a chance is by guessing. I know they lost to Indiana two weeks ago and I'm aware they also lost earlier this year to Michigan State. So I'd leave those two out.

But I have no clue who Maryland plays, because I just don't follow Terps football.

And, frankly, no one in my inner circle of friends -- nearly all of them are sports-loving fanatics like me -- follows Maryland football all that much, either.

OK, I'll take a wild guess just to see if I'd win the million bucks. I'll say the Terps play at home vs. Illinois this Saturday.

Anyway, I'm not trying to denigrate Maryland football here. I've written a number of pieces over the years lamenting how disconnected I've felt throughout my life with College Park, particularly when it comes to the football program.

Instead, I'm merely bringing up the fact that here, once baseball is over, we're in a bit of a lull as far as local sports goes.

Yes, there's the baseball playoffs to keep us interested. And they are worth following, for sure. There are some great storylines in play now that we're on the cusp of the ALCS and NLCS. Just because the O's got dismissed by Kansas City doesn't mean baseball isn't worth following.

And, sure, we have the Capitals hockey season starting up later this week. I don't see them being all that good in 2024-2025, but the Ovechkin goal chase is now officially "on" and we're going to be hearing a lot about that over the next eight months.

On a quick side note, I think it's going to be tight for the Caps to make the post-season in '24-25. It wouldn't shock me if they miss out. As for Ovechkin, I think he finishes the campaign with 885 goals and has to come back to collect those final 10 goals to surprass Gretzky in '25-26.

There's your Caps update. Probably not going to make the playoffs and no record for Ovi this season.

No one in town cares at all about the Wizards. They might as well just play in Buffalo as far as Baltimore sports fans are concerned.

Maryland basketball has a following in Baltimore, no doubt about it. But no one cares about Maryland beating Robert Morris 88-50 on a Wednesday night in November or the Terps clobbering UMBC by 44 over the Christmas holiday.

As far as we (Terps hoops fans, that is) go, Maryland basketball doesn't deserve our interest until Big Ten plays start in earnest in early January.

It's here where I'll point out that, yes, we do have local college football in these parts. Towson plays in the CAA and Morgan State plays in the MEAC. I "loosely" follow Towson. I know they beat William and Mary last Saturday and I know the Tigers were 1-4 heading into that game and William and Mary was 4-1 before getting upset by the Tigers.

But I couldn't name a player on Towson's team unless I just said, "John Smith?" and they just happen to have someone with the name John Smith on their roster.

The Tigers -- and Morgan State, too -- don't do any kind of real, heavy sports marketing to support their football program. I see a couple of billboards up on York Road here and there, but nothing else that I hear or see gives me information about Towson football.

Yes, for those saying, "Wait, what about Navy?", there is football in Annapolis and I think the team is pretty good this year.

But, again, I never get the impression Baltimore sports fans -- and, in particular, football fanatics -- are motivated to go down to Annapolis and watch a game.

Oh, and here's the shame of it. Annapolis in September and October is glorious. If you go down there on a Saturday in autumn, you're likely to consider moving there. It's beautiful.

But no one in Baltimore knows much about Navy football.

Editor's note: Maryland plays host to Northwestern this Friday. Who knew?

So this is all a round about way of saying, "Man, I wish we had college football in Baltimore."

To be ultra-clear and not be disrespectful to the likes of Towson, Morgan State and Navy, I guess I should edit that to read: "Man, I wish we had big time Division 1 football in Baltimore."

You know, like, hearing them say on SportsCenter, "There was bedlam in the streets of Charm City last night as fans of UMBC football tore down the goalposts and paraded them through Federal Hill and Fells Point after the Retrievers knocked off #3 Ohio State Saturday afternoon."

Alas, we've never had that here in Baltimore. Not in my 61 years, at least.

I can remember the feeling we (I) had when the Terps won the basketball title 25 years ago (almost).

I realize College Park is much closer to D.C. than it is to Baltimore, but it's our state school no matter its location and we all felt like one of our teams won a sports championship.

If Maryland football ever did that, I don't know what the reaction would be here in Bawlmer. Sure, everyone loves a winner and people in Charm City would react with the typical bandwagon fandom that comes with "sudden winning", but there's zero chance we'd be as hyped up about the Terps winning the football title as we were about Maryland winning it all in hoops way back when.

I wish it were different, especially now that the O's season came crashing to a sudden halt.

It would be so cool for all of us to pile in the car this Friday night and see "Baltimore University" play Northwestern at M&T Bank Stadium or, here's a dream, at their own 70,000 seat stadium on campus.

Without that, we're left to follow along with the likes of Nashville, College Station and Athens and watch their revelry and passion unfold on a Saturday night after a big football win by their local school.

The Ravens' 34-13 dismantling of the Commanders this Sunday will help a little bit, I'm sure.

We'll have plenty to get excited about after we send our friends back down 295 with their tail between their legs.

And the NFL being what it is and all, the Ravens and the league itself gets us through any down period. There is never a need for content in the fall and winter.

But other than the Ravens, the next few months are mostly bare around here, truth be told.

Jealousy is a bad thing indeed.

And on that note, if you've read this far, here's a question to answer in the Comments section, if you'll take just a second to do so.

Be honest: When's the last time you went to a Maryland football game in College Park?

Tuesday October 8, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3698

do we need a 24 hour rule like the team?

I was in and out of my car on Monday driving to various locations around town.

That gave me an opportunity to check out the local sports radio scene. What I heard wasn't at all surprising. It was a little distressing, I guess, but certainly not surprising.

I referenced this on Twitter early last night for anyone who follows me there.

Over the course of probably 80 minutes in my car at various hours of the day, I heard, I think, 16 people call in to the show(s) to talk about the Ravens 41-38 OT win over Cincinnati.

Out of those 16 calls, 14 of the people complained about some area of the win. Two of the 16 chimed in with something very similar.

"I don't care how it happened, I'm just glad we won."

"What a breath of fresh air," I said to myself when I heard that commentary.

The other 14 bashed the quarterback, the head coach, the defensive coordinator, the safety, and, yes, someone even took a shot at our kicker -- you know, the one who made the game-tying and game-winning kicks -- because, get this, "neither kick looked very confidently struck".

I think of all the calls I heard, that one, about the kicker, was probably the oddest one of them all.

Justin Tucker absolutely roasted that 56 yarder, into a left to right wind, starting it out just on the edge of the left goalpost and fading it into the middle of the "H" like a 175 yard 8-iron to a back right flag from Scottie Scheffler.

I bet you Tucker was so proud of that kick afterwards he wanted to cry. Not because he made it or it tied the game, but because it was difficult and it was definitely a kick that even a Hall of Fame kicker could have missed given the conditions at that end of the stadium.

The overtime kick was a chip shot that Billy Cundiff would have hit blindfolded.

But the game-tying kick from 56 yards was special.

And somehow, someone waited on hold for, I don't know, 10 or 15 minutes, just to offer that hot take on the game. "I know he made those two kicks but I didn't think he looked very confident in doing it."

The other calls were equally weird. Lamar made 18 great plays in the game and 2 or 3 misfires on passes and then had the botched snap/fumble in overtime. And that is what you're focused on? Sure, the fumble could have been game-deciding. But they don't get to overtime in the first place if not for Lamar.

The Harbaugh hate is old hat by now. Nothing John does is ever good enough. Mistakes are made by almost every staff at some point in every game. It's not something you have to sweep under the rug, mind you. But no coach throws a perfect game, especially in the NFL when the action is happening right in front of you and the clock is running and you're at the whim of down and distance for 60 minutes.

I don't think the time out before the end of the second quarter was a good one, but in their quest to "put the pedal to the floor" and not play conservatively, Harbaugh said on Monday they drew up a stretch play for Zay Flowers that, if completed, might have helped the Ravens pad their 14-9 lead.

Two weeks ago, Harbaugh and Monken got hammered for playing too conservative.

This week they got hammered for not being conservative.

But if Flowers catches that long bomb and the Ravens go up 17-9 or 21-9 at the half, you know what the narrative would have been?

"What a great throw by Lamar!"

"Flowers has that dog in him!"

Instead, Harbaugh's an idiot, even though his secondary and defensive line were the ones who actually allowed the 41 yard TD throw from Burrow to Chase to close out the first half scoring.

Marcus Williams also got lit up on the air yesterday. He was victimized by Chase on one of the TD throws, prompting one caller to say, "He's been horrible every year he's been here."

Except, you know, he hasn't actually been horrible every year. This season, he's struggling a bit and his ranking in the safety position is very low. But Williams has been a nice piece for the Baltimore secondary during his time in purple.

He had an "off day" on Sunday in Cincinnati. But that doesn't mean he's been horrible for three years here.

People just say stuff to say it, mostly. I get it. But it's also troubling to hear some of the things you hear because it just reeks of a general lack of sports sophistication.

You'd think guys (and gals) who played amateur sports in their childhood and, potentially, even into their adult years, would have a better grasp on how the games and seasons work.

The NFL is a wild place. You never know from week to week who is going to win, who is going to play well, who is going to stink it up and who will start to rapidly decline.

The Steelers started 3-0 and now they're 3-2 and, I'm guessing, will never even come close to reaching 10 wins this season. In late September, the towel wavers up there were already starting to save up for playoff tickets. Two weeks later, they'd be even money to beat the lowly Giants if the two teams played this week.

The Ravens won an instant classic on Sunday.

It wasn't pretty.

It had a bunch of mistakes, brain farts and, as I mentioned here yesterday, if we're being honest the Ravens probably deserved to lose the game based on the number of miscues they authored.

But it doesn't work that way every week.

In fact, part of the Ravens' DNA is winning those kind of games, where they're ahead, behind, ahead again, and so on.

That's actually the mark of a good team, I'd say. You know, when they're down 31-21 in the 4th quarter and the coach and quarterback actually don't panic and before you know it, it's 38-38 and you're headed to overtime.

But based on the callers I heard on Monday, you'd think the the Ravens built a 38-0 lead only to see Cincinnati storm back to tie it at 38-38 before they won in overtime.

One thing to add here that is very important. It's OK to scrutinize and criticize. If you want to pick on Lamar for a few bad throws and the fumble, have at it. If you want to knock Harbaugh around for the 2nd quarter time out, do your thing. If you think Marcus Williams had a lousy game, bring it up.

But bring balance with you. That's all. Lamar almost let the game get away with that botched snap in overtime, but in the end, the Ravens got what they wanted...a "W". Same with Harbaugh. Bad time out there, for sure. But he kept the team together in the second half when it wasn't looking all that promising. Let's beat him up for the time out and laud him for the 4th quarter comeback.

I could go on, but it's unnecessary.

You know how it works. Or, at the very least, you know how it should work.

Balance.

Let's not forget one other thing. If it weren't for crazy finishes and game management mistakes and fumbles in overtime and kickers hitting (and missing) big field goals, sports radio would die a quick death.

Everyone wants to be right.

As sure as the sun rises in the East, if the Ravens don't win the Super Bowl next February, scores of people in Baltimore and elsewhere around the country will say, "I told you Lamar can't win a championship."

If the Ravens somehow stub their toe in the playoffs again, it will be, without question, John Harbaugh's fault. It doesn't matter if the final score is 21-20, 44-41 or 10-9. If the Ravens lose in the post-season, Harbaugh will get the blame.

If the Baltimore offense sputters in the AFC Championship Game again, Todd Monken will be the goat. And not the good kind of goat, either.

Those are huge expectations to put on people when only one result and one team left standing will satisfy the fan base.

Sports radio flourishes whenever people get the opportunity to say, "I was right."

The Orioles and Brandon Hyde will face the exact same scenario in 2025. If the Birds don't make the World Series, everyone who said, "They should fire Hyde" after last week's loss to the Royals will be able to say, "I told you so."

I don't think it's just a Baltimore thing. Really, I don't.

But I have this weird feeling we rank near the top of natinoal goofy-ness when it comes to dealing with our two teams in town.

It's good for radio. And, probably, good for websites like the one you're reading right now.

In the end, though, it's kind of maddening. You'd think people would have figured it out by now.

It's sports. It's supposed to be crazy.

Maybe what we need, as fans, is the same theory the team employs. For one day after a win, you simply enjoy it. Don't bring up the bad stuff, the plays that didn't work, the kicks that were missed and the time outs that were or weren't called.

For 24 hours, just bask in the glow of the win.

Tuesday you can start bashing again.

Come on, it's only 24 hours. You can do it.

Can't you?

I am moved this morning to write about something here that is entirely NOT in any way sports related. If you're turned off by that, I understand and I'd urge you to move along and not read the rest of this particular entry.

I'd like to urge all of you to support our Jewish community here in Baltimore, and elsewhere, as our nation continues to be impacted by pro-terror groups representing Hamas and the destructive nature of their antisemitism.

Yesterday, on the one-year anniversary of nearly 1,200 innocent citizens of Israel losing their lives, colleges across the country allowed for pro-terror protests and rallies to be held.

Hamas terrorists -- and let's not be afraid to call them what they are, "terrorists" -- disrupted peaceful anniversary gatherings yesterday at various schools, including one at Columbia University in New York where several people were injured during violent attacks in public settings.

This is what we've come to in America. And it's sad, indeed.

And that we allow it to happen without intervention is the worst crime of the day.

Our Jewish friends deserve better.

I'm asking you to join me in denouncing the terror against the Jewish community in our country and abroad. Here in Baltimore, it's especially important -- to me, and you, I hope -- to protect our Jewish neighborhoods and afford them the most protection we can while also warning anyone who is seeking to harm them that attacks of a violent nature will not be tolerated.

I'm proud to be pro Israel.

Let's do our best to keep our Jewish friends safe here in our country.

Monday October 7, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3697

that one had everything

A few weeks ago here, after the Ravens pulled defeat from the jaws of victory in an astonishing home loss to Las Vegas, I wrote about "the pizza" that accompanies every Baltimore football game.

A lot of people in town who otherwise claim to know something about football only see one or two things: "Lamar missed that throw" or "Harbaugh can't coach", for example, are two narratives folks cling to even though there are often six or seven other "slices" -- if you will -- that also help determine the outcome of the game.

Fast forward to yesterday's wild 41-38 OT win in Cincinnati.

The pizza theory was there once again, in high definition, with seven or eight things that conspired against them contributing to a Ravens loss.

"We're gonna have plenty of fodder for discussion tomorrow," I thought as I followed along with the Ravens and their Keystone Cops moments from the Queen City.

But in a weird turn of events, the Ravens should have, could have and would have lost the game yesterday. They actually "deserved" to lose the game, if we're being honest.

Alas, they didn't lose. They won, instead.

And for the one of the first times in recent memory, all of the things that worked against Baltimore still weren't enough to offset a laughable Cincinnati defensive effort and the fact that they were gifted the win in overtime and still couldn't connect on the game-winning field goal.

As for the Ravens, they'll accept that "W" over the Bengals. Gladly.

Over the last couple of years, John Harbaugh breezed through Twitter on the flight home from (insert city here) and saw where people were crushing him over not utilizing first half timeouts.

"Does this moron coach know you can't take them with you into the third quarter?" folks would write.

So Harbs figured out a way to not take them into the first half intermission yesterday. He inexplicably used one in the final minute of the second quarter that gave the Bengals time to march down the field and score a go-ahead touchdown to lead at the half, 17-14.

Now, it's fair to point out that the home team had all three of their timeouts left and they, too, could have called a timeout after Justice Hill was stopped for no gain on 2nd and 10 with 55 seconds left.

But it looked like Zac Taylor was happy to just let the clock run out at that point and take the 14-9 deficit into the locker room.

We'll never know, I guess.

What we do know is Harbaugh called for a timeout to set up a 3rd and 10 playcall from his own 25, then Todd Monken went for the jugular with a deep throw from Lamar to Zay Flowers that fell incomplete.

Look, if you want to call a timeout with 49 seconds left on 3rd and 10 and draw up some sort of run play that might catch the Bengals off guard, I could at least consider buying stock in that idea. At the very worst, if you fail to pick up 10 yards, Cincinnati has to use a time out to stop the clock.

I'm not saying I think that's the right thing to do. But I'll at least sit and have coffee with you and listen to your logic on why a time out and a run play might have been the way to go.

Instead, though, the Ravens went to the air there -- again, perhaps to try and catch Cincy's defense napping, which definitely isn't hard to do -- and the pass to Flowers was incomplete.

So, after stopping the clock on 3rd down with 49 seconds left, that incomplete throw to Flowers forced Baltimore to punt the ball away to their opponent.

The Bengals got the ball back with 34 seconds remaining and Murphy's Law took over.

This, of course, is also where Harbaugh haters forget that he wasn't playing on the defensive line or the defensive secondary on the ensuing series, which saw Joe Burrow riddle the likes of Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith and Marcus Williams en-route to a 41-yard TD throw to Ja'Marr Chase.

We'll never know how the first half would have ended if Harbaugh didn't use that timeout with 49 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

But we know how it ended when he did use it.

"You people told me I can't take them into the locker room with me," you can hear Harbaugh say with a giggle in his voice.

But that was just one piece of the pizza.

There were plenty of other moments where the players themselves were responsible for their own undoing.

Dumb penalties. Again.

Fumbles. Again.

Blown coverage schemes. Again.

4th quarter defensive woes. Again.

This time, though, it turned out different.

Right on cue, the Bengals decided to Bengals.

And the Ravens were able to stay in it long enough to get a huge interception from Marlon Humphrey with 3 minutes left and that led to a Justin Tucker 56 yard field goal to send the game to OT at 38-38.

You remember Tucker, right?

He's the kicker a lot of people in town said was "washed" a couple of weeks ago because he missed a long field goal attempt in Dallas.

Anyway, you know how it ended.

The Ravens got the ball first in OT and were going to slice and dice their way through that awful Bengals defense right up until Lamar lost the ball on a shotgun snap and Cincinnati picked it up and moved to the Baltimore 40 yard line before being tackled.

A week's worth of sports radio content hung in the balance of the next two minutes of action.

If the Bengals could put the game-winning points on the board, Harbaugh, Lamar, Zach Orr and anyone involved on the defensive side of the ball was going to smacked around all week.

But then the Bengals-bengaled, as the holder muffed the snap and the game-winning field goal was badly missed.

The Ravens had life yet again.

And this time Derrick Henry made sure that the refs, his head coach and his quarterback couldn't mess up it up.

Justin Tucker's chip shot field goal to win it ended one of the more bizarre victories in recent memory.

It turned Harbaugh and Lamar from goat to hero.

It means the Bengals now have a 94% chance of missing the playoffs now that they're 1-4 and 0-3 at home.

And it means the Ravens are tied for first in the AFC North after their win and Pittsburgh's home loss to Dallas last night, 20-17.

All in a day's work.

And, thanks to the Bengals-bengaling, it turned a week of chaos and vitriol into a week of a triumph, albeit in an unconventional way.

It's a week to week league, as anyone who actually watches and follows along will understand.

Baltimore's defense was awesome last Sunday night vs. Buffalo.

It was dreadful yesterday in Cincinnati.

Next week, they'll post another outstanding performance vs. D.C., then give up 400 passing yards in the very next game.

The NFL is impossible to figure out, which is pretty much what the NFL wants, in case you haven't noticed.

One thing we know in Baltimore. It's not only week to week with the Ravens, it's quarter to quarter. Series to series. Snap to snap.

It's not for the meek of heart, that's for sure.

Sunday October 6, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3696

as far as early season showdowns go...

I got into a nice back-and-forth with a friend on Friday when we were discussing the Ravens game in Cincinnati later today.

"This is a big one for a couple of reasons," I said.

"Nah, not really," he shot back. "I don't know why the schedule makers didn't have these two teams play in like week 11 and week 17 or week 18. No matter who loses today, they're still in the race."

Well, that much is true. If Baltimore loses today they're 2-3 and if Cincinnati loses they're 1-4. Both of them are still alive with a loss today.

But I'll still contend this is a big game for both teams.

The Ravens don't want to fall back to below .500, particularly after two straight wins and Washington coming to Baltimore to get the Cleat of Reality next week.

And they certainly don't want to drop a division game. And to the Bengals, no less.

Oh, and a loss for the Bengals hurts them in the ego department as well. You just know Ja'Marr Chase is foaming at the mouth for the chance to prattle on after the game on his social media platform of choosing about how they "punched the Ravens in the mouth".

A Baltimore win today and they've all but extinguished the bad taste left over from that 0-2 start and that home loss to the Raiders in week #2.

It's a week to week league, as we all know, but a Ravens victory and Bengals loss today really puts Joe Burrow and Company behind the eight ball a month into the season.

And for those reasons, I say this game, today, is a big one.

The obvious question, of course, is "which Ravens team shows up?"

If it's the one that made quick, easy work of Buffalo last Sunday night, this one today will have a similar result.

But if Baltimore's offense turns touchdowns into field goals and the defense can't get off the field on third down against the Bengals' offense, then it might not be a warm and fuzzy plane ride home from southern Ohio early this evening.

I'm going to roll on with the Ravens until proven otherwise.

I think the team we see today is the one we saw last week against the Bills.

Burrow might out-throw and "out-quarterback" Lamar, but that's only because the Ravens lead 27-13 going into the fourth quarter and the Cincinnati signal caller is forced to go to the air on every possession in the final 15 minutes.

It's 27-20 after the Bengals get on the board on their first series of the fourth quarter, but Lamar moves the Ravens right back down the field and connects with Mark Andrews on his first TD catch of the season with 8:08 left in the game to make it 34-20.

The Bengals get a field goal on their next series to cut the lead to 34-23, but Lamar and the offense hold on to the ball until just inside the two minute mark before turning it over on downs on 4th and 2 from the Cincinnati 39 yard line.

Burrow hits Chase with a touchdown throw with 48 seconds remaining, but the Ravens deny the 2-point conversion try and the final from Cincinnati reads: Ravens 34 - Bengals 29

Baltimore improves to 3-2 while their AFC North rivals drop to 1-4 and put themselves in a precarious situation with 12 games still left to play in 2024.

Let's tackle a bunch of questions from the Q&A mailbag that have piled up for the last couple of weeks.

As always, if you have a question you'd like me to ponder and answer here at #DMD, please send it to me at: 18inarow@gmail.com

And here we go.

Brett asks -- "Hey Drew, what do you think it would take for the Orioles to fire Hyde after next season? I know every year they make the playoffs it virtually guarantees he's back the next season, but what would have to happen in order for Elias to pull the plug? Thanks."

DF says -- "A non-playoff campaign would probably do it, but you'd have to take into consideration their record and how they wound up not making the post-season. Do they finish 84-78 and miss it because, let's say, Henderson, Eflin and Cowser all miss the final month with various injuries? Or do they go 77-85 and stay mostly healthy but just fail to get the wins they needed to make the playoffs?

Without knowing how they'll miss out on the playoffs, it's almost impossible to answer your question.

But I'll just say, in general, if they don't make the playoffs next year and the season is "fairly normal" in terms of injuries and such, I could see Hyde being moved on after 7 seasons in Baltimore.

That said, if they make the playoffs again, I'm guessing he's back for 2026. It would be hard to fire the manager of a team that went to the post-season three straight years."

R.C. asks -- "Just for fun, I'm wondering what you'd pay Burnes if you were the O's GM and what would you pay Santander?"

DF says -- "No offense, this is kind of a goofy question because the offer I'd make the two of them is so far below what they're both going to wind up gettin. So in that way, it's a non-starter of a question.

I don't know what I'd pay Burnes, but I'm not giving the $50 million annually that he's likely going to receive. I think I'd be willing to give him $35 million or, if I have an extra glass of Silver Oak on negotiating night, maybe $40 million per-season. But I'm not signing a pitcher to one of those insane, 6 year/$320 million deals. I'm sorry, I'm just not doing it.

As for Santander, I'm not as high on him as others, but I do think he created an enormous value for himself this year with all of those home runs and some memorable late-game heroics.

I'm certainly not giving him a 4 year/$120 million deal that everyone seems to think might be coming his way. Sorry, but not sorry. I might be willing to something in the 4-year/$90 million range for him, but I know that's a fairytale contract (for me).

Other teams covet our guys far more than we do, I think. People think Santander is the next coming of Ryan Howard, but it's just not the case.

Santander has made himself into a nice ballplayer. No two ways about it. But he's also homer-or-bust, mostly. His defense has improved a lot, I'll give him credit there. But he's not a "franchise player" in my opinion."

Mark C. asks -- "Maybe I missed it, but I was wondering what your overview of the Presidents Cup was and who really stood out for the U.S. team?"

DF says -- "I thought the event provided for some great drama on Saturday, but the U.S. winning those two sessions by a 3-1 score om Saturday took away from what could have been an incredibly tense Singles session on Sunday.

I do like the extra golf that's played on day one and the one extra match they play (four instead of three). I don't think the Presidents Cup has reached "lame" status just yet, but if the International team doesn't win sometime soon, I think it might reach that description before this decade closes out.

I heard one interesting idea last week to help even things out and at first I thought it was dumb, but after thinking about it I can see some reasoning behind it. Of the 12 American players, only 4 of them can be members of the most recent Ryder Cup team.

That would mean 8 "newbies" (or at the very least, guys who didn't play on the American team in the Ryder Cup the previous September) would have to play the Presidents Cup. While it might bring down the quality of the U.S. team (and make the competition with the International team a little more balanced), it would also give the new players some exposure into team golf.

I'm not saying it's a perfect solution. But when the U.S. has a record of 13-1-1 in the event over the last 30 years, it has to be changed or tweaked to make the competition more balanced.

I thought Patrick Cantlay and Sam Burns both really stood out, which hopefully bodes well for next September at Bethpage Black when the Ryder Cup takes place in New York."

	WILL JACKSON and his weekly NFL picks
Will Jackson will be here every Sunday during the NFL season with his thoughts on games and prop bets that will hopefully yield positive results for you.

I'm still trying to have a good week on spreads and outrights for you guys but I hope you've been playing my props at least. I'm way up on the props, so I'll try to keep that good vibe going for you today.

I'm glad I don't dabble much in baseball wagering. I thought the Orioles, Astros and Brewers would win the series they played and all three lost.

Here are my game picks and props for today.

Games

I like the Jets (+2.5) and the over 40.5 today in the London game vs. Minnesota.

Bears (-4) over the Panthers is my play of the day pick.

Commanders/Browns over 43.5

Jaguars/Colts under 45.5

Texans (-1.5) over Bills

49'ers/Cardinals under 48.5

Ravens (-2.5) over Bengals

Cowboys (+2.5) and over 43.5 vs. Steelers

Props

Aaron Rodgers over 1.5 touchdown throws vs. Vikings

Sam Darnold under 203.5 yards passing vs. Jets

Ja'Marr Chase anytime TD scorer vs. Ravens

Derrick Henry anytime TD scorer vs. Bengals

Lamar Jackson over 59.5 yards rushing vs. Bengals

DeShaun Watson under 203.5 yards passing vs. Commanders

C.J. Stroud over 203.5 yards passing vs. Bills

Marvin Harrison Jr. anytime TD scorer vs. 49'ers

Tyreek Hill over 89.5 yards receiving vs. Patriots

Saturday October 5, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3695

no locker room? no big deal

The NFL Players Association is lobbying for a significant change to the post-game locker room scene and the story has the potential to blossom into something big in these early stages of the 2024 NFL campaign.

In summary, here's the beef. The NFLPA wants to discontinue the long standing practice of allowing media members into the locker room both after practices and regular season and playoff games. They're not looking to restrict members of the credentialed media from interviewing the players and asking them questions. They merely don't want those exchanges to occur in the locker room.

To the right is the statement released by the NFLPA on Friday.

The fine print basically suggests that players take matters into their own hands and ask reporters to move into a separate interview after the NFL and the Pro Football Writers Association failed to come up with a proper resolution to the NFLPA's request three years ago.

The story gathered steam on Friday when the NFLPA published their statement on various social media platforms.

Here's the deal.

Contrary to what the NFLPA believes or suggests, in-locker-room availability is important to the structure of the player/reporter relationship.

Anyone suggesting otherwise simply hasn't been in that setting to understand why it's important.

That said, the story, in general, is a nothing burger.

The locker room has its pros and cons.

In my best James Earl Jones voice, in a scene from the great movie, Coming to America, I'll say this: "I spent hundreds of days in the Ravens and Orioles locker rooms and let me tell you, it's a very overrated experience."

The truth is this: Players don't want the media in the locker room because they don't really want to have to deal with the media. The whole "privacy" angle is garbage. It has nothing to do with football players wanting privacy. That's just the easiest way for them to get what they want, which is to make a reporter's job just a wee bit harder.

And you know what?

The NFL and the Pro Football Writers Association should just give in and let the NFLPA win this one.

Conduct the post-game interviews in a separate room or out in the hallway and just move on with this new way of doing things. It does change the player-reporter dynamic a bit, but in the end the players and their teams have a barrel full of ink and the media members who cover the sport have a pen full of ink.

The guy with the barrel full always beats the guy with the pen full.

In the old days, the players cared what was written or said about them. So did the team. They don't any longer.

It's really not worth fighting over.

The players are all now starting to say less and less after a game, anyway. They're saving their best stuff for their podcast appearances on Monday or Tuesday. Or on one of the team-produced internet shows that the club's PR department helps distribute.

Marlon Humphrey of the Ravens is a perfect example of "the new way".

He's brief, terse and won't say much of anything in the aftermath of a game.

But put the internet or a podcast microphone in front of him and he'll yap for an hour or more.

The team doesn't really have a say in any of it. The players are going to do what the players want to do.

And, honestly, I don't see where it's that big of a deal.

The ship has sailed on media members "covering the team" the way they once did in the 70's, 80's, 90's, etc. And the reason "coverage" doesn't matter is because the team (and league) itself no longer needs or covets daily interaction with members of the media.

There was a time when the newspaper mattered. Above the fold was critical. Front page coverage was huge. The newspaper doesn't mean a hill of beans any longer. The Ravens couldn't care less what Mike Preston writes about this Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Don't get it twisted, there was a time when the Ravens very much cared what Preston and the beat reporters wrote. But that was before the explosion of "get your news right now" social media platforms and before the team was able to produce their own media content and tell the stories the way they want their stories told.

Now, "coverage" doesn't matter.

And because it doesn't matter, teams don't press their players to comply with media requests unless they're of the "national" variety.

When the players have the "option" to do something, they're always going to choose the option that requires the least amount of work or effort.

"It's optional that we talk with the media in the locker room after the game?" a player will ask.

"If it's optional, yeah, I'm gonna pass," will be the next thing they say.

And that's OK.

They don't really say anything of substance anyway.

Plus, the locker rooms are loud, players turn up the volume on objectionable music in an effort to lure someone into an argument, and "I'll be right back" turns into you waiting around 25 minutes for a player to stroll over and grace you with his presence for three questions before he says, "That's enough."

Times change.

20 years ago the locker room mattered.

10 years ago, even, the locker room still mattered.

It doesn't matter any longer.

The players and the teams have made it nearly impossible for a smooth transition from the end of the game to the moment quotes are collected and stories start being written or aired.

The only frustrating thing to me is that the NFLPA just doesn't tell the truth. It's not about privacy and "respecting a player's dignity". It's about not wanting to deal with the media after a game. And given the current state of coverage and how the teams basically cover themselves now, I don't see where it's worth getting all hot and bothered about.

I built great locker room relationships once upon a time with guys like Daniel Wilcox, Evan Oglesby, Matt Stover, Joe Flacco, Cary Williams, Sam Koch and Matt Birk.

But that was 2010.

Almost 15 years ago, now.

Things are different these days.

The NFLPA can talk about privacy and dignity all they want, but the real truth is they just want to get their way.

And, I'm telling you, this is one time when I think the NFL and the media who cover the league should let the players win.

There's a separate but similar story brewing in the WNBA, but in this case, specifically, the women in the league and the organization they've hired to represent them are dead-red wrong.

Players in the WNBA have suddenly created a witch hunt for Christine Brennan of USA Today, of all people. Why is that so odd? Because Brennan is one of the reasons why there's a WNBA in the first place. But we'll get to that momentarily.

The crux of the controversy centers on a question Brennan asked WNBA player DiJonai Carrington of the Connecticut Sun following a game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. It was in that game that Carrington struck Clark in the face -- inadvertently according to Carrington -- and that moment became a topic in post-game press conference.

After Carrington explained that the hit, which gave Clark a black eye, was unintentional, Brennan followed up by asking if there was a connection between the collision and a moment caught on camera later in the game in which Carrington could be seen laughing with a teammate on the bench.

That was it. The follow-up question about laughter on the bench triggered an entire episode where the WNBA players union asked the league to "review" the credentials status of Brennan because of her biased coverage. Included in the controversy is the fact that Brennan is writing a book about Clark and, some say, is predisposed to fanning the flames of anything that makes the content of the book more juicy for her readers to enjoy.

The follow up question to Carrington wasn't nearly damaging enough to warrant the outcry it created. Not even close.

All the player had to say was, "No connection at all. We were laughing about something else," and that ends everything. No need to blow the story up into something it wasn't.

But the "story" in the WNBA isn't about a player hitting another player in the face.

Christine Brennan is learning that the hard way.

The story is about a league that is going through an openly unique time of racial tension, diversity and the acceptance of the LGQTB community.

To wit, former U.S. soccer player Megan Rapinoe joined in on the blasting of Brennan earlier this week.

"I think it's so disingenuous for Christine Brennan and other media members to be like 'I am just asking the question,'" Rapinoe said.

"But really what is happening is your natural instinct to protect and narrate white players versus 'go after and narrate black players'. That to me is the issue."

I know what you're thinking.

Why is Megan Rapinoe yapping about this topic?

For starters, she's the partner of former WNBA player Sue Bird. And Rapinoe has confirmed herself as a person the world should look up to when it comes to matters such as racism and homophobic behavior.

Rapinoe is wrong, of course. But that doesn't stop her from getting involved.

She's wrong because Christine Brennan does have the right -- as a longtime, award-winning, national journalist -- to ask the question of Carrington, no matter what color Carrington is or whether Carrington is gay, straight or otherwise.

The WNBA has mostly become an organization that believes everyone who isn't one of them is, by default, against them.

That's simply not true. But that's the message they're ingraining into their younger players. "If they don't look like us or behave like us, they aren't one of us. Stay away from them."

It's an awful way to go about life and, if we're talking about this honestly, it's not doing anything at all to help the growth of racial and sexual diversity. It's actually hurting the growth.

Christine Brennan championed women's sports for decades and urged the NBA to create the WNBA in an effort to give the world's best female basketball players their own platform.

I might not go as far as saying "There would be no WNBA without Christine Brennan", but it's pretty daggone close to that. She pushed, pushed some more, and pushed again. She helped make it happen, if nothing else.

And now the WNBA wants her shoved to the side.

It's a sad story.

But it's not a basketball story at this point. It's gone way beyond that and Christine Brennan just happens to be in the crosshairs for now.

faith in sports

This is an incredible story. AJ Griffin played two years in the NBA and had everything he could possibly want out of his sporting life, then promptly retired to go into full time ministry.

Everyone was shocked at Griffin's decision.

But to the former Duke star, it wasn't that hard of a decision at all.

If you haven't heard Griffin's story, this 10 minute video below will paint the picture for you. It's an awesome testimony from the former NBA player and one that all of us should follow.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and our "Faith in Sports" segment here every Friday.

Editor's note: This video was published in the Friday, October 4th edition of #DMD, but a problem with the coding was misconfiguring the content on the website so we pulled the video in order to have the website run properly. We were able to fix the coding issue and wanted to run the video here again today for you.

Friday October 4, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3694

what's the message?

Orioles GM Mike Elias held his season ending press conference on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the Orioles were summarilly dismissed by a (more) gritty Royals team in two straight games in the AL Wild Card series.

It's not my time or my press conference, but I probably would have waited a day or three before settling in to meet the media. But Elias got it out of the way quickly.

Fortunately, as is his habit, he didn't say much of anything, good or bad. Elias is nothing if not smart about those kinds of things, particularly after the faux pas in the middle of the 2023 season when he sorta-kinda went public with his thoughts that the Orioles might not have the goods to be a playoff team.

Once bitten twice shy, I think the saying goes.

Elias is much more careful with his public commentary these days, which is very understandable.

But he did say a few things on Thursday worth noting, the most important of which was the status of manager Brandon Hyde.

Hyde will be returning for his seventh season in 2025.

I know what you're thinking.

"Holy cow, Hyde's been here for going on seven years now?"

"And, you're kidding, right? They're not bringing him back."

Yes.

And yes, they are.

The internet predictably erupted with anti-Hyde-venom within minutes of the Elias announcement hitting the streets.

I have no idea what the official percentages are, but a significant percentage of O's fans (here's where I'll take a guess and say 30%, maybe even upwards of 40%, would prefer Hyde to not be returning as the team's manager.

The number is "significant", let's just leave it at that.

Alas, Elias will be spilling no blood in the wake of the team's second straight playoff series loss without even registering a win.

Except maybe if you're a position coach, that is. Elias wasn't ready to announce a full return of the team's coaching staff on Thursday, only that his manager would be returning.

I suppose some of the post-mortem vitriol for Hyde connects to the Brewers-Mets series we all saw over the last three days, where both Milwaukee and New York produced late game magic to stave off elimination. New York started last night's 9th inning down 2-0, then produced two singles in the top of the 9th to give themselves hope and then Pete Alonso homered to give them the lead in a game they'd win, 4-2, to advance to the NLDS vs. Philadelphia.

It's tough when you watch the other teams churn out runs or have their star players come through under the gun when your top guys looked like Charlie Brown trying to kick a field goal with Lucy Van Pelt serving as the holder.

Editor's note: I've often wondered why Lucy and Linus Van Pelt were identified by their last names in the Peanuts comic strip but other prominent characters like Schroeder and Marcie went only by their first names.

So with Hyde returning in '25, we can officially enjoy another 12 months of "I told you so" unless, of course, the Birds do the unthinkable in 2025 and win the World Series. Anything short of that results in all of the anti-Hyde folks in town winning the proverbial argument of whether the team should have fired him after the two losses to the Royals.

I've been asked numerous times in the last two days what I think the Orioles should do.

Fire Brandon Hyde?

Keep Brandon Hyde?

I don't think firing Brandon Hyde is the answer.

Do I think Brandon Hyde could do a better job? Of course. Frankly, we probably all could do a better job at something, whether that's a better job at being a human being, a better job at being a husband, a better job at being an employee or the boss of employees or a better job at being a father, best friend, etc.

We could all use an improvement somewhere along the way.

But here's why I don't think firing Brandon Hyde is the right move. And it's a very simple concept to understand.

Firing Hyde would send the wrong message to the team itself.

"We think what happened in the playoffs the last two years was more about the manager than it was about you guys and your performance." That's what firing Brandon Hyde would tell the team.

And, ultimately, that's not only the wrong message, it's simply the wrong fact about the team.

The team went 0-5 the last two seasons in playoff competition because they failed to play at the same level in the playoffs as they did in the regular season.

Ravens fans are shaking their head right now like that Alonzo Mourning meme and saying, "We know all about that."

But it's true.

The Orioles blew through the American League in 2023 with 101 wins and then flatlined in the ALDS against Texas when Baltimore pitchers stunk it up in Game #2 and Game #3 and the offense sputtered in Game #1 and Game #3.

Brandon Hyde was good enough to help them win 101 games in 2023 but in those three games against Texas, he couldn't pitch the ball or hit the ball for the team.

Texas, let's not forget, was on the heater of all heaters last Fall. It wasn't like the O's lost to a team who then immediately flamed out in the next round.

And if you're being honest about the '24 team, their 91 win total was a bit of a semi-miracle given the plethora of key injuries the club sustained throughout the season.

They didn't have access to the game's (arguably) best closer because Felix Bautista missed the whole season.

They lost Kyle Bradish to Tommy John surgery in mid-June.

Jordan Westburg was having a terrific year until he went on the injured list with a broken hand and missed two months.

Jorge Mateo, Grayson Rodriguez, Ryan Mountcastle and Ramon Urias all went down with various ailments.

It's actually a testament to the players -- not necessarily Hyde, but everyone involved -- that they hung on and managed to win 91 games and make the playoffs.

Give the players credit. 2024 was a season when things could have easily unraveled for the O's, like they did in Minnesota, and they gutted it out. Sure, Hyde gets credit, too. He is the manager, after all. But it was a team effort.

Fast forward to Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

Here's the truth about the team. You won't hear people talk about this at parties because it's not the popular "fire the coach" kneejerk reaction that Baltimore tends to specialize in, for whatever weird reason.

The "field players" -- nearly every single of them, save for Cedric Mullins -- all gagged it.

No one had a great series vs. the Royals.

Heck, no one had a good series, even.

Except for Mullins, of course. He managed three hits in two games and was responsible for the team's only RBI in 18 innings.

But the reality is the offensive players all stunk.

Those two games were on them.

Yes, yes, yes, the other team tries, too. The K.C. pitching staff was exceptional. The Royals weren't exactly the '27 Yankees at the plate, let's not forget. Their offense looked like Cam Cameron was in charge. But they did manage to squeeze out the big hit at just right the time, which is not something the Orioles could do.

But the Orioles put up very little resistance at the plate over the two games because -- gather around so I don't have to yell -- the players who hit the ball with efficiency and productively in the regular season failed to do so in the playoffs.

Now, this does not absolve the team's hitting coaches.

I do believe their role -- both in '24 and moving forward -- is worthy of evaluation. But here's what people who howl at the moon about firing everybody because of two losses don't know. The hitting coaches might have been preaching "just put it in play" and "get the ball in the air here, the bases are loaded" and anything else that made sense.

People hate to admit this because it crushes their narrative, but the truth is none of us -- ZERO of us -- know what really goes on in the dugout, in the locker room, on the team plane, at the team hotel, etc.

We think we know, based on the results we see.

"They didn't drive in any runs with the bases loaded and no one out, therefore the hitting coach must not have told Anthony Santander to put the ball in play somewhere and make sure you drive in a run. It's the coach's fault because he didn't do any coaching."

That's how people in town think.

"I saw the result and can then assume the hitting coach didn't do his job."

The reality is the guy with the bat in his hand didn't do his job.

Over and over and over.

And that's why firing Brandon Hyde would have been the wrong move.

Is he a "big game manager"? You know what? I'm not sure he is.

But I don't think that question is more important than putting the blame where it rightfully goes in the aftermath of the 1-0 and 2-1 losses to the Royals: On the players themselves.

The pitching was great in the series. Does Brandon Hyde get any credit for that?

The bullpen moves he made all mostly worked out perfectly. Sure, the Royals nicked Cano and Perez for a run on Wednesday in the series finale, but five innings of work and only one earned run is very solid work.

Do we give Hyde the same credit for the pitching that we want to take away from him for the hitting and the in-game management blunders we "think" he made?

I don't subscribe to that, in general.

Players play, coaches coach.

You know who gets the credit for Corbin Burnes in Game 1? Corbin Burnes.

You know who gets the credit for Zach Eflin in Game 2? Zach Eflin.

You know who gets the credit for Danny Coulombe in Game 2? Danny Coulombe.

You know who gets the credit for Cedric Mullins? Cedric Mullins.

Sure, Elias and his staff need to do a deep dive on every coach in their organization to make sure they're still effective at their job. And the guess here is someone probably will be relieved of their duties because Elias and others might discover a flaw somewhere along the way they want to improve upon with a new hire (or two).

But when it comes to firing the manager, that would have been the wrong message to send to the players.

Yes, the offense stunk it up for the better part of the last two months. That much is true. But we also know that had the Orioles spanked the Royals 10-4 and 7-3 that no one in town would be lamenting those regular season struggles.

The two playoff losses are pretty much what we care about. If the O's would have lost those two games 7-6 and 9-6, we'd be bellyaching about the pitching staff and the bullpen and hammering at Elias for getting Trevor Rogers at the deadline instead of Kikuchi or Fedde or someone else other than the lefty from Miami who was a total flop for the O's.

I understand the need to complain. We didn't win. Someone has to get the blame.

But in the case of the Orioles and the 2024 playoffs, the players failed. Plain and simple. They're not JV hopefuls trying to make varsity. They're professional, big league players, making millions of dollars because they're among the best 1,500 at their profession in the world.

The Orioles failed this week.

Everyone, including the manager, failed.

But firing Brandon Hyde would have told the players "it was him" instead of "it was you".

And the players need to know: It was them.

Thursday October 3, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3693

swept and finished

Well...

That was a bummer, indeed.

There's so much unpacking to do from both Game 2 and the entire wild card series that we might have to come back later today for an "evening" edition of Drew's Morning Dish.

I'm kidding about that. All you'll get from me today is what you're about to read.

But I'm more than happy to dive in on everything, from the manager to the players who couldn't get a hit when it mattered to the lousy crowd of just under 37,000 to the question everyone is asking: "Now what?"

I don't know where to start, because every topic has meat on its bone.

Let's just go to the game itself.

It was actually a heckuva baseball game. Except the wrong team won. It went down to the last half inning and the last three at-bats before the O's were finally put away. No one likes losing. But it was "good baseball" to watch, albeit frustrating to endure if you were a fan of the home team.

Both bullpens were mostly outstanding. The managers pulled a lot of strings and nearly all of their decisions panned out favorably.

For example, I thought Brandon Hyde was insane for having Seranthony Dominguez pitch to Bobby Witt Jr. with a runner on second in the 8th inning after falling behind in the count 2-0, but Hyde stuck with his pitcher there and Witt eventually struck out.

Hyde even yanked Zach Eflin after 75 pitches and four innings of work and the Baltimore bullpen was mostly spot on, allowing just one run in five innings.

I didn't think it was wise to pinch hit Austin Slater for Ryan O'Hearn in the bottom of the 6th, but Slater actually delivered something very rare in the 8th inning -- a base hit.

Let's give the winning team credit. K.C.'s bullpen was also fantastic. Every managerial move turned into a blessing for them in Game 2.

The game turned on two separate occasions, and on both occasions, the Royals were the benefactor.

The Orioles got a leadoff homer from Cedric Mullins in the top of the 5th to tie the score at 1-1, then promptly loaded the bases with no one out.

This moment, as it turned out, defined the series. Santander popped out to first. Cowser struck out. And Rutschman grounded out.

Inning over. Season...sorta-kinda over.

The Cowser whiff was particularly painful because the left fielder actually swung and missed at a ball that hit him and would have produced the go-ahead run. You don't see that much in baseball. But we saw it on Wednesday.

One inning before that, Ryan Mountcastle popped out with runners on second and third and two outs.

Five base runners stranded in two innings. That's how you lose.

The game was also somewhat decided by two plays of almost identical nature.

In the bottom of the 4th, with Anthony Santander at second, Ryan O'Hearn sent a ball up the middle that shoulda-coulda-woulda rolled into centerfield and sent Santander home with the team's first run of the game.

Instead, K.C. second baseman Mike Massey made a remarkable diving stop and was able to get O'Hearn at first, but Santander moved to 3rd and Adley Rutschman scampered into 2nd base, only to set up Mountcastle's aforementioned pop fly out to end the inning.

Two innings later, Bobby Witt Jr.'s grounder at nearly the identical spot on the infield was gobbled up by Jordan Westburg, but he was unable to throw Witt Jr. out at first and the second -- and eventual game-winning -- Kansas City run scored on the play.

One guy made a great play and got a key out and the other made a really nice play but couldn't get the guy out. It's a game of inches, they say.

In the end, the O's managed a total of 6 hits and 1 run. You're simply not winning many games with that kind of production.

The series itself was largely an exercise in total team futility at the plate, as the O's scored one run in 18 innings, struck out 22 times, and left 16 runners on base.

There were multiple occasions when all the Birds needed was what they call in baseball "a productive out" and they couldn't even do that. No one did much of anything at the plate except, perhaps for Cedric Mullins, who had a double in Game 1 and a home run in Game 2.

If you want to see the ugly 2-game totals in black-and-white, here they are.

Gunnar Henderson 0-7, 4 Ks

Adley Rutschman 1-8, 2 Ks

Ryan Mountcastle 0-7, 4Ks

Anthony Santander 1-8, 2Ks

Jordan Westburg 1-6, 1 K

Colton Cowser 1-7, 3 Ks

That's 4-for-39 from your team's best six hitters.

No home runs from that group.

No RBI from that group.

Not one "big hit" from any of them.

Playing the blame game is kind of silly, because anyone and everyone who played or coached has a hand in every loss, but when those six guys go 4-for-39, you're not beating anyone.

But why?

That's the $64,000 question.

Brandon Hyde is the aftermath-scapegoat, of course. "It must be the way Hyde is preparing them," someone screamed on Twitter yesterday.

I don't know much, but I do know this: Brandon Hyde isn't telling guys to intentionally foul up.

I'm quite certain Hyde and his gang of offensive/hitting gurus are preaching and preaching some more about plate discipline, moving runners over, trying to make solid contact, and so on.

I have no idea why those six we listed above all went cold at the same time, but I have a hard time believing it was "managing" that suddenly derailed them at the plate.

And, please, don't take that as a blanket endorsement of Brandon Hyde or an attempt to overlook the mistakes he made in the series. He's a flawed "big game" manager, in my opinion.

But Gunnar Henderson didn't go 0-for-7 because Brandon Hyde somehow "managed him incorrectly".

If you want to pick at Hyde for certain things, by all means go right ahead. But let's put the responsibilty on the proper people. The guys with the bat in their hands failed. Over and over and over.

But why?

We're still back to that question.

And here's what I think.

I won't call it "choking". I don't like that word. And I don't think "choking" is what happened, per se.

I think what happened is the moment simply overwhelmed the team's younger players who were tasked with producing the big hit at just the right time.

I'm not piling on Gunnar when I reflect on his final at-bat in the bottom of the 9th, but it looked almost like he just swung three times to get it over with and bring the whole thing to its disappointing conclusion.

It was an at bat that a JV baseball player would produce. Listless, lazy, and wildly amateur'ish. And that was just one at bat, of course.

But it was also a huge moment since the season would end with an out of any kind. And Henderson looked no more capable of producing there than your Uncle Ted would have been had he stepped up to the plate.

Nothing in life -- not just sports, but life -- beats this word: experience.

You have to get there a time or two and fail, sometimes miserably, before you can learn how to produce. This core of the O's team has mostly been together for two playoff runs and they've yet to win a game. There are lessons to learn with each game. The higher the stakes, the more the lessons have to be learned and remembered.

This team's core of young players were not ready for the moment. Plain and simple.

The attendance on Wednesday was the lowest playoff crowd in OPACY history, a fact that can't make new owner David Rubenstein very happy.

The thing that no one talks about at parties is that crowds in Baltimore are generally boosted by the give-away of a tee-shirt, bobblehead or some other $8.50 trinket that motivates someone to stop what they're doing on a Friday or Saturday and go downtown to the ballpark.

Without some sort of give-away item to entice fans to attend, Friday crowds would be in the 20,000-25,000 range routinely instead of in the 40,000 range.

People are no longer going to games en masse just because they love baseball.

But playoff baseball should be different. The trade-off is obvious: We're not giving you a tee-shirt or bobblehead tonight. But you're going to see a baseball game that 16 other cities don't get the privilege of hosting this October.

The stadium should be full for playoff baseball.

Alas, the O's drew 41,000-plus for Game 1 and 36,000-plus for Game 2.

To call it "dreadful" would be hyperbole. But it wasn't good. It was, in a word, unsettling.

The blame falls directly on the team's clumsy, unprofessional rollout of their 2025 Birdland ticket program back in late August. It was there where the team and their front office honchos tried to pull the wool over their most important and loyal friends -- people who buy full and partial ticket plans -- by not only raising per-game prices in 2025 but also removing or altering the benefits they would receive in 2025.

There's no sugarcoating it. And there's no defending it. It was a terribly misplayed effort by the front office and the fans responded by saying, "I'm not going..."

They also created a scenario where some ticket plan holders who would have purchased tickets to wild card games were told they couldn't purchase them because their particular plan only called for them to purchase a maximum of three (3) playoff games. Given that option, a lot of fans chose the ALCS and World Series games, even though they might not have ever attended those games.

"Clumsy" might be a kind way of putting it. The Orioles completely botched the unveiling of their 2025 Birdland membership and alienated and angered a significant portion of their most loyal group of fans at the same time.

I know I'm sounding overly harsh when I write this, but it's true: They deserved to only have 36,000 people show up on Wednesday afternoon to see the season finale. They get what they get.

And what about the manager? He's public enemy number one after another winless post-season. Would the club actually fire Brandon Hyde?

I would be very surprised if Mike Elias and David Rubenstein relieves Hyde of his managerial duties.

These are the facts and they can't be disputed. Other things -- the team's approach at the plate, pitching decisions, and so on -- are filled to the brim with opinions and "maybe" or "could have".

These are the facts:

1. Brandon Hyde has managed the Orioles to 192 wins in the last two seasons.

2. He's managed the O's to a division title and a wild card playoff appearance.

3. The team hasn't won a playoff game in the last two years.

I don't see the Orioles firing him over five playoff losses.

Now, is 2025 a bit of a "make or break" season for Hyde in Baltimore? I don't know, maybe. In the back of his mind, maybe Mike Elias is thinking, "If we make it again next October and his team doesn't win a playoff game, I'll have enough ammunition to make a move."

I have no idea if Mike Elias thinks that way or not. But he might.

But 192 wins in two seasons and two straight playoff appearances is pretty good stuff on the back of your baseball card.

I'm very luke warm myself on Brandon Hyde. If it's possible to be competent most of the time but still be a guy that might not get you to the promised land, I feel like that sums him up nicely.

I also realize that my opinion doesn't mean jack squat, just like the people on Twitter howling at the moon about firing Brandon Hyde don't mean anything, either.

I don't dislike Hyde as a manager. I've said that here a lot.

But I do see what I believe are flaws in his ability to "read the room", so to speak. Baseball is driven by analytics these days. I get that. But analytics are definitely NOT perfect.

Hyde's inability to step away from them on occasion and play the odds his gut tells him to play are his biggest flaws, in my estimation.

All that said, the Orioles aren't firing him just because they went 0-3 last October and 0-2 this October.

The last piece of this puzzle is something that will become a bigger part of the story of the team's quick exit this week and it's the trade deadline acquisitions made by Mike Elias last July.

Those days leading up to the end of July are crucial. By then, teams and general managers can make honest assessments about where they are, where they think they might be able to go, and, most importantly, what they need to get over that hump.

It then comes down to three things. Who is available? And do you have the necessary pieces to give up in order to obtain the players who are your best fit?

And last but not least: Do you eventually make the right call on the players you pick up?

I won't say Mike Elias "failed" at the deadline. I think that's too harsh. But it was close to a failure.

The deadline acquisitions didn't help get them where they wanted to get, and I'm obviously saying that having watched them lose 2 straight to Kansas City.

One guy totally panned out: Zach Eflin.

Two guys were OK: Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto.

Two guys were complete flops: Eloy Jimenez and Trevor Rogers.

Two guys hardly did anything: Austin Slater and Livan Soto.

One guy didn't even make it a week: Cristian Pache.

We'll explore it in more detail this week, but you can't get a "C" at the trade deadline and expect people to be thrilled in hindsight.

Forget about Slater and Soto and, even, Pache. Those three were just fillers, anyway. No one expected anything from them.

The other five, though, needed to come through.

Three of them did.

Eflin was an "A" in his two month stint. Dominguez and Soto were both "B" guys.

Three of them panned out.

Two of them didn't.

With the team only scoring one run in two playoff games, a bat like the one Jimenez was expected to yield wound up being pretty important this week. Alas, Jimenez wasn't even on the WC series roster.

A lot of people will point to the fact they gave up 12 cases of Surfside Vodka and Tea to get him, but that's not really the point at all. You give up what you have to give up to get the quality you need. They gave up nothing for Jimenez and got nothing in return. What they got in return (nothing) was far more imporant than what they gave up (nothing).

Trevor Rogers was a disaster in August and never saw the light of day in September, or October.

Unlike Jimenez, Rogers came with a price. Sure, Norby and Stowers were both landlocked in Baltimore and weren't likely part of the future, although Norby certainly had a fair amount of promise as he continued to develop. Giving up those two guys for a pitcher who was terrible and then optioned to the minors was a total and colossal whiff.

Those were bad misses by Elias.

But enough of that for today.

For now, let's turn our attention to the Bengals and Sunday's game in Cincinnati.

It's now football season, full time, here.

But in case you're wondering. The Grapefruit League opener is on February 22.

Wednesday October 2, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3692

and just like that...it's a "must win" game

Well, that escalated quickly.

Yesterday morning, the O's were cruising into the post-season winners of 5 of their last 6 games and hosting a Royals team that needed to turn things around in their final week of the regular season just to make playoffs.

This morning, the O's are one loss away from their 2024 campaign coming to an end.

Life comes at you fast when you're held scoreless and can only manage 5 base hits in a playoff game.

It's worth noting, of course, that the Royals also only managed 5 hits in Tuesday's 1-0 win in Game 1 of the wild card series at Camden Yards.

But they happened to produce one RBI on the day and that was the difference.

And, so, here we go today. Win and there's a game 3 on Thursday in Baltimore. Or lose to the Royals again this afternoon and it's to the first tee you go.

As it turned out, the Birds actually lost twice on Tuesday. Once on the field and once at the box office.

Incredibly, the game was played before a little more than 4,000 empty seats at Camden Yards. Capacity at the downtown ballpark is 45,971 and Tuesday's announced attendance was 41,506.

The Orioles didn't sell out a home playoff game.

Frankly, that's more alarming than losing 1-0 and only generating five hits.

At least to me, anyway.

The O's and Major League Baseball grossly miscalculated everything about the playoff market in Baltimore. It's one thing if scattered single seats are available on game day. It's another thing entirely when 10% of the ballpark is unsold.

This all started with the O's and their clumsy rollout of their 2025 season and partial plan programs in late August. They not only raised prices for next season, they removed and/or reduced certain benefits to 2024 plan holders who were keen on renewing for next season in exchange for being guaranteed access to 2024 playoff tickets.

That fiasco, coupled with the high prices of the playoff tickets and the unknown starting times until this past Monday, led to an embarrassing sea of green seats on Tuesday.

You'd expect something like that in Miami or Tampa Bay. But not in Baltimore.

Alas, it happened. The O's and Major League Baseball scrambled yesterday morning and reduced ticket prices in certain areas and also offered partial refunds to the thousands of ticket plan holders they offended, but the result was a crowd of 41,000-plus in a stadium that holds 45,000-plus.

Back to the baseball game we go.

Corbin Burnes was remarkably fantastic on Tuesday, working into the 9th inning before he was finally lifted for Keegan Akin. Burnes' only real mistake of the game was surrendering a 2-out single to Bobby Witt Jr. in the 6th inning that paved the way for the game's only run.

Right on cue, the question boomed all over social media: "Why did Hyde pitch to Witt -- the MLB leader in hits in 2024 -- with first base open and two outs?"

It was a fair question, for sure.

Hyde took the question afterwards and quickly pointed out they gave Burnes the option of pitching to Witt Jr. or walking him in that situation. The veteran right hander said he wanted to pitch to him. And there you have it.

Critics of Hyde will say the same thing they say about John Harbaugh when the Ravens go for it on 4th and 2 and Harbaugh says afterwards that Lamar Jackson wanted the offense to stay on the field: "That's why you're the manager!! You make those decisions, not the pitcher!!"

This is a tough one.

You're talking about the second-best player in the American League in 2024. If not for Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr. is likely be the MVP of the league. He had the most hits in the sport this season. First base was open. There were 2 outs. And you had a guy on deck who hadn't played for a month due to injury.

But when your top pitcher looks back at you in the dugout and says, "I got this one, Skip", I think the logical thing to do is give him a thumbs up and then say a quick prayer.

It's one thing if that's Dean Kremer or Albert Suarez out there. You don't think twice about walking Witt in that scenario.

But it was your best pitcher and perhaps one of the top 3 pitchers in all of baseball.

If Burnes gets Witt Jr. and the Royals don't score, it's no harm, no foul.

But if what happened, happens, the pitchforks come out for Hyde.

I see the logic in walking him there. Me? I would have walked him, no matter what my pitcher said.

But it's hard to blame Hyde there. And it's hard to pin all the blame on Burnes, either. The guy with the bat in his hand tries too, you know.

Hyde also got some heat for not moving Cedric Mullins over from 2nd base with no one out in the 3rd inning and James McCann next up at the plate.

A bunt there made total sense. Get Mullins to 3rd with just one out and try to manufacture a run there which, admittedly, has not been a strength of the O's over the last two months.

Mullins eventually made it to 3rd base with two outs after a McCann strike out and a Gunnar ground out, but Jordan Westburg flew out to deep left field to end the inning and keep the game scoreless.

I'm sure Hyde didn't think his team was going to generate just five hits and no runs on the day when Mullins was camped at second base with no outs in the 3rd. Hindsight being what it is and all, moving Mullins to 3rd base via a McCann bunt was the prudent thing to do.

Hyde's learning a valuable lesson. His offense needs all the help it can get. The bet here is if the same scenario presents itself this afternoon in the 3rd inning of a 0-0 game, Hyde's bunting Mullins to 3rd.

But bunts and strategy and intentionally walking someone is only part of the story from Tuesday's defeat. The real issue was obvious. The O's can't produce the big hit when they need it. Or, at the very least, they couldn't do it on Tuesday.

They had the same ailment in September, too, remember. The problem is when you still have it in October, it can end your season.

So now, it all comes down to today's second game of the series.

Can the O's bats come alive and force a deciding Game 3 on Thursday in Baltimore?

Or is what we saw from the offense on Tuesday just part of their 2024 DNA?

All they needed on Tuesday was a big hit at the right time to open the floodgates.

They couldn't produce it.

Unless something really bizarre happens today, the Orioles will, again, have numerous opportunities to generate a big hit and send the stadium into a frenzy.

But the one thing about today that's different is this: If the ballpark stays silent in Game 2......it will be silent until next spring.

Tuesday October 1, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3691

the all-time hit king is gone

The ESPN headline summed it up best on Monday evening.

Embattled MLB legend Pete Rose dies at 83

He was, for sure, embattled.

Pete Rose never quite lived the life he imagined he might after his historic on field career concluded.

That pesky gambling-on-the-games thing got in the way and baseball, true to its word, never relented once they shunned him from the spotlight and the Hall of Fame.

Perhaps baseball doesn't deserve credit for this, but at least they never tinkered with Rose's on-the-field accomplishments when they banned him from the sport in 1989. Rose finished his career as a 17-time All Star while setting MLB records for games played (3,562) and base hits (4,256).

But his banishment from the game as a result of a gambling investigation turned out to be his scarlet letter.

I was a little lost for words on Monday night when news broke of Rose's death, so I took to Twitter with a simple message.

Pete Rose was a great hitter.

And he gambled on games in which he was managing.

There is no disputing those two facts.

How you judge him and place weight on those facts is your call. There's probably not a more polarizing argument in all of sports than the one centered on Rose: Does he or does he not belong in the Hall of Fame?

I have wavered on a number of much-discussed sports topics in my lifetime.

I always thought Joe Montana was the greatest quarterback I'd ever seen. And I held true to that belief until I saw the full body of Tom Brady's work. And then my mind changed.

I didn't think PED and anabolic steroid users belonged in baseball's Hall of Fame. I later changed my mind on that one, too, offering a spot in Cooperstown if those players would allow a notation of some kind on their plaque connected to either a failed steroid test, the era in which they played, and/or their appearance on the Mitchell Report.

Roger Federer was the greatest tennis player I'd ever seen. Until Novak Djokovic came along, that is.

I changed my mind on those things as time went on. It happens. With age and wisdom comes seeing things in a new way.

But age and wisdom haven't changed my mind on Pete Rose and the topic of whether he should have been enshrined in baseball's Hall of Fame.

The answer was "no" back then. And it's still "no" today.

Supporters of Rose will cling to the notion that the baseball Hall of Fame is a museum first and foremost. "You can't tell the story of the history of baseball without mentioning Pete Rose," they'll say.

And that is true. Very much so.

Pete Rose was a great hitter. If you believe the guy with the most base hits then becomes "the greatest hitter ever" by default, Rose is, then, the greatest hitter ever. I'll stop short of giving him that status, but I certainly won't argue his greatness in general.

But you can't earn a place in the most distinguished setting in baseball when it was proven -- and you admitted as much -- that you gambled on baseball games in which you were managing on the same day.

Some folks have long held the belief that it was the lying that got Rose in the most trouble.

"Had he just 'fessed up from the start and said, 'Yeah, I gambled on the games', he would have been treated differently," a lot of baseball followers suggest.

I don't subscribe to that theory, either.

Admitting you robbed a bank doesn't change the fact that you're a felon.

Rose bet on baseball games that he was managing, potentially impacting the outcome of both wins and losses because of his negligent gambling habit. There can be no worse sin in sports than playing a role in the game not being on the up-and-up.

There will be, of course, a strong push now for Rose's lifetime banishment to be lifted and for him to be inducted into Cooperstown posthumously.

I don't see the sense in that other than to graze the all-time hit leader with one final piece of chin music.

"We wouldn't let you in while you were alive because you would have capitalized on it. But now that you're gone, we'll open the doors for you."

That would be, in my opinion, bad form by Major League Baseball. You made the right call in 1989 when Rose admitted to betting on games in which he was the manager. There's no sense in turning back now.

None of that, though, takes away from what Rose did on the field when he played.

The fuzzy picture created by that dichotomy is what a lot of baseball fans can't grasp.

"Why not put him in for what he did as a player?" they wonder.

And the answer to that, of course, is simple: Because his baseball career included other moments. And those, sadly, were too damaging to sweep under the rug.

Greatest hitter ever? Definitely an argument for that, yes.

Greatest baseball player ever? Maybe. That, too, is certainly worth discussing.

Worthy of the Hall of Fame? Of course.

But the answer always was "no" once it was revealed that Pete Rose placed bets on games that he was involved in.

It's sad that it came to that.

There was no other way it could be, though.

The Orioles and Royals lock horns in their 3-game sprint to the ALDS starting today in Baltimore, and anything less than a series win by the Birds will make their 2024 campaign much more difficult to define.

There will be some folks, should the O's lose to the Royals, who will still claim that '24 was a "very good season".

Others, though, won't tag the team with that kind of positivity. Not after you scuffled for the better part of two months coming down the stretch and then dropped a home playoff series to a team that was barely adequate on the road during the regular season.

This is a huge series for the Orioles for a variety of reasons. If they win this best-of-3 round and then take the Yankees to the final out of Game 5 in the Bronx before being eliminated, that's one thing.

There'd be no real shame in bowing out in either the ALDS or ALCS.

But you can't lose to the Royals, especially when all three games are on home ice.

For the record, I don't see that happening. I think Brandon Hyde's team makes quick work of their visiting foes, winning Game 1 today, 10-4, and Game 2 tomorrow, 6-1.

I hope I'm right.

I noted in the Comments section where several people were bantering about Dean Kremer and the potential conflict he might face with this week's Rosh Hashanah holiday celebration.

There's still no official word on Kremer's status, by the way, so any discussion about it here or elsewhere is just speculation at this point.

But I don't need it to be "official" to know what's right and what's not right.

What's right is that Kremer should be allowed to fulfill whatever faithful obligations are in front of him. And if that means missing a game because he chooses to honor Rosh Hashanah, then so be it.

What wouldn't be right would be for anyone to criticize him for doing that.

Yes, baseball is a different "job" in that your teammates, organization and, by extension, city you're playing in (for) are counting on you and your performance.

To suggest that baseball isn't any different than working as a car salesman, I.T. expert or accountant would be naive at best.

Sports is very different. There's a game today. You have to play. There's a game tomorrow. You have to play. They scheduled a game on your child's 10th birthday. You have to play. Your wedding anniversary is July 10th and you have a game that day. You have to play.

But "have to play" stops when it comes to honoring your faithful obligation.

If Dean Kremer wants to abide by customary Jewish protocol and that means he can't "go to work" this week, then so be it.

My official guess is Kremer is going to take the mound on Thursday and pitch because that's what he does and the organization is counting on him. But I certainly wouldn't criticize him if he doesn't.

Your mileage may vary on this topic. And I respect anyone's opinion and, potentially, anyone's dissenting position.

But ultimately we'll just agree to disagree on this one.

	"Randy On The O's"
Randy Morgan takes #DMD readers through the recent week in Orioles baseball as the Birds try to win a second straight A.L. East title.

orioles weekly recap

Week Record: 5-1

Season Record: 91-71

AL East Finish: 2nd place, 1st Wild Card

Player of the Week: Ryan O'Hearn

After struggling for much of the last two months, the Orioles closed out the season strong with a 5-1 week to head into the playoffs with some momentum. This week saw a wave of key players return from injury, with Jordan Westburg, Ramon Urias, and Ryan Mountcastle re-joining the lineup and Jacob Webb and Danny Coulombe fortifying the bullpen.

The Birds entered the week with a small glimmer of hope to jump the Yankees and retain the AL East title, but after winning the first two in the Bronx the Yankees got the better of them in the finale to seal their division win. The O’s won the series opener in Minnesota on Friday to clinch the top Wild Card spot and secure home field in this week’s matchup, allowing them to give some key players rest on Saturday and Sunday.

With an off day on Monday, the O’s started the week in New York on Tuesday with a 5-3 win. Dean Kremer delivered another nice outing in his final start of the season, allowing just one run in five innings. Homers from Anthony Santander and Ramon Urias pushed the O’s lead to 4-1 by the 7th inning but the Yanks began to mount a comeback before Yennier Cano came on and got out of a jam, recording two key outs, followed by Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez going 1.2 scoreless innings to close the game.

On Wednesday Zach Eflin had his worst start as an Oriole, allowing three runs in 4.2 innings, but the bats picked him up. The offense put up three runs in the first inning with RBI singles from Cowser and Mountcastle, then added three more in the 4th with Gunnar, Santander and Cowser driving in runs. The Yankees rallied late off Michael Bowman, but couldn’t close the gap in a 9-7 O’s win.

The O’s had managed to delay the Yankees division championship celebration for two nights but finally relented on Thursday. It was a good start for Corbin Burnes, but he was pulled after five innings of one-run ball to preserve his arm for the playoffs. The bullpen then collapsed with Cano, Perez, Baker and Bowman combining to allow seven runs over the final four innings for a 10-1 loss.

Friday night was effectively the end of the season for the Orioles as they wrapped up the top Wild Card slot with a 7-2 win over the Twins. A Ryan O’Hearn two-run homer in the 2nd inning gave the O’s a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Cowser added a homer of his own in the 7th and they rallied for four more in the 8th. Cade Povich blanked his former organization for 5.2 innings, allowing just two hits and one walk in a solid advertisement for a spot on the postseason pitching staff.

The final two games didn’t matter for either team at that point, but the O’s completed the sweep with a 9-2 win on Saturday and a 6-2 win on Sunday. Many of the starters got some rest over the weekend and Hyde went with a bullpen game on Saturday. It was a positive sign to see Jackson Holliday get on base in seven of nine plate appearances over the two games while spelling Gunnar Henderson at shortstop. While Holliday isn’t likely to start in the playoffs he could be needed as a left-handed pinch hitter off the bench.

There was a curious decision on Sunday to start Albert Suarez and let him throw six innings and 71 pitches. That would seem to rule Suarez out for at least the first two games of the Wild Card series, if not the whole thing.

You would think that Suarez could have been useful as a long man out of the bullpen if any of the three starters had a poor outing, but it doesn’t seem he’ll be available now. Perhaps the thinking is Suarez will sit out the Wild Card series so he can be ready to start a potential game one of the ALDS in New York. It could be quite a risk to take though.

There were a few candidates for Player of the Week. In a great sign for the offense, Colton Cowser heated up this week, getting four hits in the five games he played, including two homers and five runs batted in. Jacob Webb was impressive in his return to the bullpen as well, pitching four scoreless innings in relief while allowing three hits, no walks and striking out five.

However, the award for the week goes to another lefty who looks to be getting hot at the right time. Ryan O’Hearn had a big week, hitting safely in five of the six games while batting .400 and hitting two homers.

If the Orioles are going to make a run in the playoffs they are going to need the offense to lead the way and if guys like Cowser and O’Hearn can get hot, that will go a long way towards accomplishing their goals.

Question of the Week --

How do the Orioles matchup with the Royals for the Wild Card Series?

In a final weekend twist, it was the Kansas City Royals sliding ahead of the Detroit Tigers to claim the second Wild Card spot and set up a rematch of the 2014 ALCS. As most will unfortunately remember, the Royals swept that series on their way to losing to the Giants in the World Series. However, Royals catcher Salvador Perez is the only player remaining on either team from that series.

The current version of the Royals limped into the playoffs even worse than the Orioles, finishing 11-14 in September with two separate seven-game losing streaks since late August. With their weekend sweep of the Twins, the O’s managed to finish September with a winning record at 13-12.

The Orioles took the season series between the teams winning four out of six and winning each series, home and away. While that record is better than the alternative, it may not be that informative for the upcoming matchup, since the teams last met in April.

The Royals finished the season with a record of 86-76, 6.5 games behind the AL Central winning Guardians and 5 games behind the Orioles, with a run differential of +91 (four better than the O’s). However, if you remove their games against the historically bad White Sox, the Royals were just .500. They went 41-40 on the road this season and were 45-54 against opponents with a winning record, compared to the Orioles 47-44 record against those opponents.

Offense --

The Orioles had the superior offense by a wide margin on the season, finishing with a 118 OPS+ and 235 home runs, both good for second best in MLB. The Royals on the other hand, finished near the bottom third in both categories, with just 170 homers (20th) and a 98 OPS+ (19th).

If we only look at the past month, both teams slide down the rankings but the O’s still hold the clear advantage. In September the Orioles were 7th in Fangraphs wRC+ and 11th in home runs while the Royals were dead last in the former and 2nd to last in the latter.

The Royals are led by their own superstar shortstop, Bobby Witt Jr., who is a near-lock to finish second behind Aaron Judge in AL MVP voting. Their problem is, after Witt, they only have three other players who finished as above average hitters (OPS+ over 100). That number includes Vinnie Pasquantino, who has been out injured and will just be returning from the IL for the Wild Card series. The Orioles, in comparison, have more than ten hitters who finished the season with an OPS+ north of 100.

Starting Pitching --

Each of these teams finished the season with strong starting pitching numbers. The Royals were 5th in the majors with an overall 113 ERA+ and 2nd with a 3.55 starter ERA on the year. Those numbers were slightly worse in September but still the top third of the league, with the 9th best starter ERA in September at 3.04 and the 6th best team ERA at 2.94.

The Orioles also boasted a strong starting rotation, with their 3.77 starter ERA coming in 5th in the majors. However, their team ERA+ was dragged down by the bullpen and finished at 96, 20th in the league. Their September pitching numbers were in line with the rest of the season, with the 6th best starter ERA in the month but only the 17th best team ERA at 3.85.

Relief Pitching --

As you might guess from the numbers above, the Orioles bullpen was their squeaky wheel. Despite quality starting pitching, the Orioles finished below average in team ERA due to a bullpen ERA of 4.22, which was 23rd in MLB. This was even worse in September, as their 5.31 bullpen ERA was second to last for the month.

Luckily for Birdland, the Royals had similar struggles for most of the season. Their bullpen finished the season with a 4.13 ERA, which was 20th in MLB. Though the Royals will hope they can carry over their improvements in September to the playoffs. Their bullpen managed a 2.77 ERA in the month, good for 5th best in the league, with trade deadline acquisition Lucas Erceg emerging as their closer and converting 11 of his 13 save opportunities.

Pitching Matchups --

Game one will see the two staff aces square off with Corbin Burnes lined up against breakout Royals ace Cole Ragans. Burnes finished the year with a 2.92 ERA and 128 ERA+, providing the O’s with the ace they desperately needed. Ragans was just as good if not better for Kansas City, pitching to a 3.14 ERA and 135 ERA+.

Ragans is the only lefty of the six projected starters, though he had reverse splits this year, with lefties hitting better off him than righties did. It will be interesting to see how Brandon Hyde manages the lineup for this first game given that.

Game two provides another marquee starter pairing with Zach Eflin against Seth Lugo. Eflin was incredible for the Orioles after his acquisition, finishing the year with a 3.59 ERA and 109 ERA+, but an even better 145 ERA+ in his time with the Birds.

A converted relief pitcher, Seth Lugo delivered an outstanding year for the Royals with a 3.00 ERA and 141 ERA+.

With injuries to multiple Orioles starters, most recently Grayson Rodriguez, the game three matchup will favor the Royals.

Barring a shocking surprise, the Orioles will send out Dean Kremer to duel against veteran Michael Wacha. Kremer had a strong September, posting a 2.25 ERA in the final month, but that only lowered his season tally to 4.10, good for a below average 92 ERA+.

Wacha finished the year with a 3.35 ERA and 126 ERA+ and likewise had a strong finish, with a 2.60 September ERA.

Outlook --

The tale of the tape shows the Orioles with a clear advantage with the bats while the Royals have the upper hand in the overall pitching matchup. However, when narrowed down to the top two starters, the Royals advantage dissipates as the combo of Burnes and Eflin can match up to any top two starters.

The Orioles hitting advantage should play across the series as long as they can regain their top of the league form and not suffer a cold snap as they did in August and early September. Throw in the fact that game one will be Ragans' first playoff appearance (we saw how that went for Grayson Rodriguez last year) and the O’s should have the upper hand.

As we know, virtually anything can happen in a condensed three game series. The outcome will largely be determined by which team shows up, the resurgent Orioles of the past week that was more in line with their season record, or the slumping team from early September.

The same goes for the Royals who had an even worse recent month. The return of productive starters Jordan Westburg, Ramon Urias and Ryan Mountcastle in the last week is a positive sign we could see the best version of this team.

The Orioles power bats could be the x-factor in the series, with history showing that teams that score more from the home run ball tend to have more success in the postseason (remember last year’s Texas Rangers).

The other major turning point will be the bullpens. These teams have frontline starters they trust, but each has a bullpen that has been unreliable for long stretches of the season. For the Orioles they will hope that the return of stalwarts Jacob Webb and Danny Coulombe can shift that balance in their favor.

That being said, the O’s will want to get this series wrapped up in the first two games, because there will certainly be some uneasy feelings if it comes down to a duel between Kremer and Wacha.

Hopefully the O’s take the series and I get to write another one of these previews for the ALDS. If not, thanks for reading all season. It’s been an honor and a pleasure to follow the Orioles with everyone this year.

Monday September 30, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3690

stomped

There are games that tell you more about the team that won and games that tell you more about the team that lost.

Last night in Baltimore, the 35-10 win for the home team told you much more about the Ravens than it did about the Bills.

Yes, the NFL is still very much a week-to-week league. None of us would be completely shocked if John Harbaugh's team goes to Cincinnati next week and lays an egg in a 30-24 loss.

But this Ravens team is going to be a very, very tough out as long as they stay mostly healthy and their quarterback can avoid a significant injury along the way.

Last night told us a lot more about the Ravens than maybe we already knew.

If your defense can't stop the run, you're in big trouble when you play Baltimore.

If your offense can't do something really well, it's going to be tough sledding against the Ravens defense.

Last night's 35-10 shellacking of the Bills was just that -- a mammoth beatdown of a previously undefeated team who showed very little heart early on, rebounded a bit in the third quarter, and then threw in the towel when things once again worked against them.

But it was the Ravens and their dominant first half play that zapped any life at all out of Sean McDermott's team. Buffalo entered the game high on the hog, ready to show the country and the league they are to be taken seriously. Instead, it was the Ravens who proved the latter point.

You better take the Ravens seriously or you're going to get punched in the mouth.

Derrick Henry exploded for an 87 yard running touchdown on the Ravens' first play from scrimmage and that was pretty much the ballgame right there. It eventually became 21-3 at halftime and the game was basically over at that point.

Buffalo started to unsettle the purple faithful in town when they scored an early 3rd quarter TD and got the ball back again after Lamar and the offense couldn't get a first down on their next opportunity.

The game certainly wasn't "on the line" on Buffalo's next offensive series or anything of that nature, but there was tension building as Josh Allen and the Bills offense moved to midfield.

But with one swing of the arm by Kyle Van Noy, the game ended. The veteran linebacker knocked the ball out of Allen's hands and it was scooped up by the ever-present Kyle Hamilton for a much-needed turnover.

The Ravens buzzed right down the field and scored a touchdown on a 9-yard TD run by Lamar.

Checkmate.

The rest of the night was just an effort by everyone on both teams trying not to get hurt. Even John Harbaugh got smart with 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter and pulled his 2-time MVP quarterback from the game to help preserve him for future battles in 2024.

Buffalo had gone a league-record 43 straight regular season games without losing by 6 or more points before getting run out of the gym last night in Baltimore. Most people don't care about those kinds of records. And rightfully so.

But for one night, at least, the Ravens showed the league they're capable of beating you and blowing you out if your chakras aren't in line. Buffalo's were out of whack last night in Baltimore and they paid the price.

And we can all say it now in our best Bill Belichick voice.

"We're on to Cincinnati."

The other bit of good news stemming from last night's game in Charm City? No one has anything to cry about on talk radio or Twitter this week. Both sides of the ball were incredibly effective, so both coordinators can keep their job for the time being, and Justin Tucker didn't miss a field goal on Sunday evening.

The Bengals are next up. They better be ready.

Cincinnati, that is. The Ravens will be more than ready.

Don't look now, but things fell perfectly into shape for the Orioles over the weekend as the Tigers did the improbable and choked away the #6 seed in the American League playoffs, losing back-to-back home games to the worst team in baseball.

With Kansas City winning Sunday's season finale in Atlanta and the Tigers falling to the White Sox, the Orioles will not go down 1-0 in their wild card series to Tarik Skubal on Tuesday in Baltimore.

Instead, they'll beat up on Kansas City 10-4 in Tuesday's opener and then polish off the Royals on Wednesday, 6-1.

I already sent Gavin Sheets a quick thank you text for helping out his hometown nine.

Oh, I almost forgot. The Birds ended their 2024 regular season with a 3-game weekend sweep of the Twins in Minnesota, winning 6-2 on Sunday and ending the campaign at 91-71.

We'd be naive to not recognize that the O's vastly underperformed over much of the final two months of the regular season.

But none of that matters now.

They're in the post-season for a second straight year and, no matter what the talking heads on the radio say, they have as good of a chance as anyone else in the American League entering the playoffs.

It will all come down to offense in October.

Baltimore's wild card rotation appears set; Corbin Burnes will go in the opener against K.C.'s Cole Ragans. Although the Birds haven't yet announced their Game 2 starter, it's assumed that Zach Eflin will go for the Birds against Seth Lugo. And then you'd assume Dean Kremer, if necessary, gets the Game 3 start vs. Michael Wacha.

Advantage, Orioles.

As long as the Birds' bats don't suddenly go silent this week, they should cruise through the Royals. K.C. is just too challenged at the plate themselves to mount much of a threat against the likes of Burnes, Eflin and Kremer.

But baseball is a funky game, as we saw last October when the O's flatlined against the Rangers in the best-of-5 ALDS and were quickly sent packing in a 3-game sweep.

This time around, I'm thinking it's going to be much different.

The Yankees should be very concerned.

They will have their hands full with Brandon Hyde's team starting this weekend in the Bronx.

The weather is starting to turn a little chilly and so, too, is the beer. There's playoff baseball once again in The Land of Pleasant Living.

Here we go...

The American squad won their 10th straight Presidents Cup on Sunday with an 18.5 to 11.5 win over the International team in Montreal.

It wasn't close. But then again, it was.

20 of the 30 matches played over four days went to at least the 17th hole, including nine of the singles matches on Sunday. But it was there, on the 17th and 18th greens in particular, where the U.S. team distinguished themselves.

The event was sorta-kinda over on Saturday afternoon (well, technically "early evening") when Patrick Cantlay rammed home an 18-foot birdie putt in the dusk to turn back the flourishing and flamboyant International duo of Tom Kim and Si Woo Kim.

It could have been 10-8 if Si Woo makes birdie there and Cantlay doesn't.

Instead, Cantlay rolled his putt in and Kim didn't. And that made it 11-7 and the gap was too much for Mike Weir's International side to overcome on Sunday.

Weir has been getting roasted for the last day for his Saturday pairings. Such is life when you're the captain. You don't hit a single shot, but you do decide who plays and who doesn't. And you better hope the guys you pick to play come through or you're getting a healthy dose of the blame.

In Weir's case, his biggest mistake was the one most people in Canada won't criticize. He played his three Canadian players far too much and let talented guys like Min Woo Lee and Jason Day sit on the bench while the U.S. squad piled up a big lead on Saturday.

The Americans played great golf for the most part, save for a Friday whitewashing that made things very interesting until the U.S. won 6 of 8 Saturday matches.

Xander Schauffele finished off his best year ever with a win over Jason Day and Patrick Cantlay was a winner over Canadian Taylor Pendrith. Just like that, the Americans were in position win their 10th straight competition.

And when Keegan Bradley held on for a 1 up with hard-charging Si Woo Kim, the U.S. had accumulated the 15.5 points necessary to retain the cup. It's fitting that Bradley was the deciding match -- albeit only by where he fell in the singles rotation -- since he will be the U.S. team captain at next fall's Ryder Cup in New York.

Most of the post-game chatter on Sunday centered on the lopsided nature of the Presidents Cup, which has the U.S. holding a commanding 13-1-1 lead over the International side.

"Something has to change," was the prevailing commentary on Sunday night.

That "something" could be the inclusion of select International candidates who currently play on the LIV tour and are not eligible to play in the Presidents Cup, namely Cameron Smith (Australia) and Joaquin Niemann (Chile). Although two players likely wouldn't change much overall, the availability of all International players would certainly give that squad a better chance of winning in the future.

What has to change, though, is the most obvious thing of all: The International team just has to play better golf, particularly in the closing stretch of holes.

This year's American squad was solid, but they weren't incredibly deep, throwing guys like Sahith Theegala, Brian Harman and Max Homa into the mix. Sure, there's Scheffler, Schauffele, Cantlay and Morikawa at the top of the U.S. roster and those four are very imposing in any format and on any course.

But the event gets "fixed" with better golf. Plain and simple.

It likely won't get much easier in Chicago in 2026. At least not for the International team.

Sunday September 29, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3689

is this one tonight as big as it seems?

Ravens vs. Bills.

Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen.

A potential tiebreaker game if the teams are deadlocked after the regular season.

On national TV, no less.

Oh, and Buffalo is a surprising 3-0 to start the campaign, while the Ravens are 1-2 and potentially in danger of falling three full games behind the Steelers if they lose to the Bills tonight and Pittsburgh wins at Indianapolis earlier in the afternoon.

This is a big one tonight.

Or is it?

Is it just another Sunday night game where the Ravens have a chance to flex their muscles to the rest of the football-loving country?

Or is it a statement game where John Harbaugh's team can officially dismiss the first two losses and hand the Bills their initial loss of the 2024 season?

The narrative with the broadcast team on NBC will be obvious from the moment Chris Collinsworth rolls into the middle of your TV screen around 8:02 pm.

Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson.

You can almost hear Collinsworth saying it now, can't you?

"And for the Ravens tonight, this one is all about number 8 and Buffalo's ability to reduce his impact on the game. If the Ravens get the good Lamar, Buffalo's in trouble. But if Lamar isn't spot on, the Ravens might be the ones in trouble."

Lamar Jackson will be mentioned far more than Josh Allen.

And if Lamar somehow doesn't guide the Ravens to a win this evening, he's going to get blamed. No two ways about it.

Fortunately for Lamar, I don't see him having to worry about that.

Buffalo gives up 118 yards per-game on the ground. That's the first stat that should concern them in advance of tonight's game. There's no telling what game plan Todd Monken throws at Sean McDermott's defense, but Derrick Henry and Justice Hill better carry the rock at least 30 times tonight.

The Bills are decent enough shutting down the opposition's passing game. They're 8th in the NFL in that category, allowing 168.3 yards per-game.

The wager here? Baltimore runs for 131 yards tonight and throws for 209 yards.

In other words, Buffalo's defense isn't going to hold serve against the run or the pass.

The Baltimore defense is interesting. They're #1 against the run -- averaging just 50 yards allowed on the ground per-game -- and #32 against the pass. Now, in fairness, they've played the Chiefs already. And Dallas had to throw the ball on almost every play in the 4th quarter of last week's 28-25 Baltimore win.

But the facts are plain to see. Ravens are great against the run and not-so-great against the pass.

I don't see any of that mattering tonight.

This one's sorta-kinda close at halftime, as the Ravens lead 17-13 after two quarters of play.

It's 24-16 heading into the 4th quarter.

Then it's 31-16.

And finally, it's a 34-16 Baltimore victory.

Josh Allen and Buffalo aren't coming to Charm City and beating the Ravens on national TV on Sunday night.

Sure, they're 3-0. And they're coming into the game on the heels of an impressive (maybe?) blowout of Jacksonville on Monday night.

But the Bills aren't winning in Baltimore unless something weird happens, like Lamar getting injured, for example.

Barring an odd occurrence happening, the Ravens cruise to a win tonight.

The Presidents Cup actually got quite interesting on Saturday, thanks in large part to the International team reversing an 0-5 hole on Friday and a handful of matches swinging in favor of the U.S. late on Saturday afternoon.

I've never been a huge fan of the Presidents Cup. To wit, I watched about 90 seconds of it on Thursday and maybe 10 minutes, total, on Friday.

But I got suckered into the alternate shot matches late Saturday afternoon and didn't budge from my recliner for a couple of hours. It was riveting golf theater, to say the least.

The U.S. leads the competition, 11-7, with 12 singles matches remaining to be played today.

The American side needs to win 4.5 points today to reclaim the Cup. The International side would have to pull off a semi-miracle and win 7.5 points out of 12 to capture the trophy.

American captain Jim Furyk is going for the jugular right away today. He's putting out his five top players from the start in an effort to squelch any hopes of the International team. Xander Schauffele, Sam Burns, Scottie Scheffler, Russell Henley and Patrick Cantlay will serve as the front side anchors.

If the International Team can somehow cobble together 3.5 points out of 5 in those matches, they stand a puncher's chance. But that's a big ask, particularly when it comes to beating the likes of Schauffele, Scheffler and Cantlay. Those three have been rock stars in the 4 matches played thus far.

Saturday's play was wild, particularly in the alternate shot format. The match between Cantlay/Schauffele and the two Kim's, Si Woo and Tom, had everything a heavyweight fight would bring to the table. The Kim's made putt after putt, taking the best shots from Cantlay and Schauffele, and staying alive with a miraculous run of spirited golf.

On the 16th hole, Si Woo hit an improbable pitch from a buried lie near the greenside bunker that rolled into the hole with perfect pace and precision. Mimicking his favorite NBA player, Kim ran around the green with his hands next to his ear in what Steph Curry calls his "Night Night" pose.

Undaunted, Cantlay hit an incredible chip from the rough on the 17th hole to keep the match even and then, at 18, in the dark, Cantlay rolled in an 18-foot birdie putt to steal the match from the two International stars.

The only blemish on the whole thing was Tom Kim whining afterwards about "sportsmanship" and some other stuff he let bother him; "staring", "swearing" and "talking down to me".

Kim -- Tom, that is -- jumps around like Kevin Bacon in Footloose every time he makes a putt of significance. And then he complains afterwards about shenanigans from the U.S. team? Kind of laughable, really.

But that's what happens when you pour your heart into a match and it doesn't go your way. Tom and Si Woo have been world beaters in the last two Presidents Cup events. It's been impressive to watch. Unfortunately, bellyaching about stuff in the press conference after losing is a bad look for Tom.

Jim Furyk and Mike Weir both rolled the dice as captains on Saturday. Furyk sat out Sahith Theegala all day, while Weir didn't get Min Woo Lee, Christian Bezuidenhout or Jason Day into one match on Saturday. Those four will all play in today's singles, of course.

It's going to require something special for the International team to come back and win today. The Americans have taken their best punches, over and over, and somehow responded almost every time. The final hour of Saturday's foursomes competition turned what might have been a 9-9 tie heading into Sunday into a commanding 11-7 USA lead.

Those four points could loom huge by the time Sunday's singles end around 6:30 pm.

	WILL JACKSON and his weekly NFL picks
Will Jackson will be here every Sunday during the NFL season with his thoughts on games and prop bets that will hopefully yield positive results for you.

I subscribe to an online NFL service that breaks down every league game in great detail for wagering purposes. Last week, their three points of contact were a combined 4-14 with their game picks.

The week before that I think they were 8-10.

This has been a very weird start to the 2024 NFL season. There are survivor pools that have already handed out money to a winner because no one can pick the winners correctly.

I hope I can get back on the winning side this week. My prop bets have been profitable so there's good news there. But my game picks are below the .500 level.

I did have the Ravens and the over in their win at Dallas. I'm going the same way tonight, Ravens and over. Ravens win the game 30-23 over the Bills.

I do feel good about my game picks. I think the season is starting to clear up and we now know who is good and who isn't and which trends are starting to carry over week to week.

Game Picks:

Steelers (-2.5) at Indianapolis plus the total UNDER 40.5 points

Packers (-3) vs. Vikings

Jaguars (+5.5) at Texans plus the total UNDER 44.5 points

Cardinals (-3.5) vs. Commanders is my play of the day game.

Raiders (+2.5) vs. Browns

Chargers (+7) vs. Chiefs

Prop Bets:

Patrick Mahomes over 229.5 yards passing

Saints, Bears, Eagles to score game's first points (all 3 have to succeed)

Marvin Harrison Jr. anytime touchdown scorer

C.J. Stroud over 203.5 yards passing

Anthony Richardson under 189.5 yards passing

Sam Darnold under 189.5 yards passing

Alvin Kamara anytime touchdown scorer

Lamar Jackson over 2.5 touchdowns throwing or rushing

Josh Allen over 203.5 yards passing

Isaiah Likely anytime touchdown scorer

Saturday September 28, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3688

o's vs. tigers 2.0 ??

The Orioles took care of a lot of business on Friday night in Minnesota and, in the process, gave manager Brandon Hyde some things to think about over the next 48 hours.

A week ago, the faithful in town were worried about the O's even making the playoffs. Now, the Birds are in, hosting the first series and, because of last night's win in Minnesota, even able to start trying to piece together their pitching rotation without worrying about today's game and tomorrow's season finale.

Oh, and the Birds also eliminated Minnesota with last night's 7-2 win.

Things change quickly in sports. On September 5, the Twins were rolling along nicely in the A.L. Central and had a 98% chance of making the post-season.

On September 27, that percentage went to 0%.

Now, in fairness to them, the Detroit Tigers helped them go from 98% to 0% by playing scorching baseball in September. But the fact remains the Twins squandered a post-season trip with their post Labor Day swoon.

Kansas City lost in Atlanta on Friday but still secured a playoff spot with Minnesota's loss. The Royals could still wind up in Baltimore for the wild card round but they now need help to do so.

Speaking of the Tigers, all they have to do is hold serve against the lowly White Sox today and tomorrow and they're headed to Baltimore. If that happens, the Royals will play in Houston in the wild card round next week.

What's interesting about the Tigers is they look a lot like last year's edition of the Texas Rangers, albeit with a far less experienced lineup. Back in mid-July, there were stories circulating about the Tigers potentially "re-booting" and trading off the likes of soon-to-be Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal and other prominent young players.

Instead, they kept their roster intact, remaining virtually inactive at the trade deadline, and caught fire in September. The Tigers finished off their race to the post-season by winning two straight against the O's in Baltimore, three in a row over visiting Tampa Bay, and then last night's series opener vs. Chicago.

All of this activity on Friday opens up some interesting storylines for Brandon Hyde.

Who opposes Skubal in the series opener on Tuesday in Baltimore, assuming it's Detroit the O's face?

And who goes on Wednesday in Game 2?

Conventional wisdom says Corbin Burnes goes in Tuesday's opener and Zach Eflin starts Game 2 on Wednesday.

Hyde then has multiple options for a potential Game 3 starter, including Dean Kremer and Albert Suarez. Kremer last pitched on Tuesday in New York and was slated to start Sunday's season finale in Minnesota. Now, the O's Saturday and Sunday starters are officially slated as "undetermined" on the MLB website.

If Hyde decides now it's Kremer in Game 3, the Birds can use Albert Suarez today or tomorrow just to keep him on routine and throw anyone who can breathe for an inning or two to start Sunday's game in Minnesota.

By the way, Cade Povich was excellent last night in Minnesota. Naysayers will point to the Twins' woeful offense, of course, and it's true that Minnesota is so lifeless at the plate that Eloy Jimenez smirks in their direction.

But Povich was very good on Friday night.

The first series against (presumably) Detroit sets up well for the O's if they can somehow avoid that 1-0 hole with Skubal going on Tuesday in the opener. Detroit is playing with the hot hand right now, no two ways about it, but they're also a team that probably overperformed in 2024 and doesn't have much, if any, playoff experience on their roster.

They're a little like the O's of 2012, who beat the Rangers in that silly one-game wild card game before falling to the Yankees in a dramatic 5-game ALDS. That Birds team was young, with a few veterans who knew what they were doing in the playoffs, but they were certainly not "experienced" by any means.

This Tigers team will be especially dangerous in the quick 3-game wild card series because Skubal gives them a great chance to win the opener and put the pressure squarely on the O's shoulders right away.

And while the Birds did enjoy a nice final week of the regular season, perhaps going on to win 5 of their last 6 games if they finish with two wins against the Twins, the fact remains they scuffled throughout the last two months of the regular season, albeit with a roster dinged up badly with injuries.

If Kansas City somehow wins in Atlanta this weekend and the Tigers do the unthinkable and lose to the White Sox, it would be the Royals coming to Baltimore next week, which would be, in my opinion, a MUCH better matchup for the O's. Kansas City's suspicious home/away splits at the plate bode well for a quick 2-game O's sweep in Baltimore.

Alas, it's very likely the Royals will head to Houston for a series flooded with irony considering the storyline that's been hovering around Kansas City throughout the second half of the regular season.

And that means we'll get a rematch, 10 years later, of that epic Baltimore-Detroit 5-game series in 2014 when the Birds polished off Detroit in 3 games and Delmon Young produced "the hit that shook Camden Yards".

O's catcher James McCann remembers it well. He played for Detroit in 2014. Other than him, though, no one on either side played in that series a decade ago.

It will be very interesting next week, particularly because it's a 3-game sprint. Skubal vs. Burnes seems like a done deal. And if the O's can snatch that one, winning one of the last two with some combination of Eflin and Kremer seems like a near sure thing.

That said...

The O's had a great 2023 season and then completely flatlined in the series vs. Texas.

The pressure is firmly on the Birds next week, no two ways about it. They're at home, with three games to win two. And they're going to have their rotation set to whatever order they like.

Playoff baseball is back.

Friday September 27, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3687

a division dream dies

It turns out I was wrong about the eventual outcome of the American League East.

I thought the Orioles would win it. And I figured the Yankees would finish second.

It wound up the other way around, as the Yankees clinched the division title last night with a 10-1 win in the Bronx.

New York will now wait around for five to seven days to see who they play in the American League Divisional Series. It will either be the Orioles, Tigers or Royals.

Brandon Hyde's team might be waiting around, too. Just not for the same reasons.

The Birds still don't know who they will play in the wild card round and they're still not 100% sure they'll be hosting the three game series. Things could go sideways for the O's over the weekend in Minnesota and Baltimore could win up as the visiting team in that first series.

One thing is known: The Birds will face either Detroit or Kansas City in the first round that starts on Tuesday...maybe.

The Royals have a 3-game series this weekend in Atlanta. The Braves and Mets were postponed on Wednesday and Thursday due to rain and they'll have to make those two games up on Monday in Atlanta. If the Royals and Braves can't play all three of their scheduled games this weekend, that might push the A.L. playoffs back a day or two. Stay tuned.

But let's go back to the division title and how it unfolded.

I thought the O's were the easy favorite in mid-June.

The Yankees were scuffling at that point and we were still awaiting their annual flirtation with the injured list. The Bronx Bombers are nothing if not a sure fire bet to get wrecked with various ailments over the summer.

Instead, sadly, it turned out to be the O's who got into a fistfight with the injury bug and the bug wound up winning for the better part of two months. The O's started to sputter in July, then started a full tailspin in August when the likes of Grayson Rodriguez, Jordan Westburg and Ryan Mountcastle were missing from the lineup due to injuries.

September was much of the same, save for a 2-game run in New York earlier this week that gave the orange faithful in town some hope that perhaps things are on the uptick.

But the fact remains this: Without Westburg, Urias, Mountcastle, Webb and Coulombe, the O's wouldn't stand much of a chance in the post-season.

With those five guys back and presumably fully healthy, though, you never know what the Birds might be able to cobble together for four weeks in October.

I'm still waving the flag. I think the O's can do some damage in the playoffs.

If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Last night notwithstanding, the lineup with Westburg and Mountcastle on the card is much better than when those two weren't available for a month (Mountcastle) or two (Westburg).

I was wrong about the Yankees. I thought their June swoon would have been a major contributor to a summer downfall that would have gift-wrapped the division title to the O's.

New York hung on when the O's didn't. The Birds couldn't beat the likes of Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Detroit in September home series'. When they needed to win 7 of 10 to keep their head above water, they instead lost 7 of 10.

I'm still not 100% sure the Yankees are superior to the O's. We might even get to find that out for real next week in the ALDS. But the Bronx Bombers won the division fair and square. Hats off to 'em.

I'll finish up with some good news for the Birds. Corbin Burnes looked great again on Thursday night in New York and will be on schedule to start Game 1 of the wild card series if it's played on Tuesday as scheduled.

Brandon Hyde can fiddle with his rotation over the weekend in Minnesota if he wants to make sure Zach Eflin is his man for Game #2.

Despite last night's loss in New York and the division slipping away, officially, there are silver linings a plenty for the Birds as they head into October.

Here's what the playoff picture looks like this morning.

Current standings:

New York, 1st in the East at 93-66.

Wild Card #1 - Baltimore, 88-71

Wild Card #2 - Kansas City, 85-74

Wild Card #3 - Detroit, 85-74

(still alive) - Minnesota, 82-77

(still alive) - Seattle, 82-77

This week's remaining schedule:

Kansas City plays at Atlanta (3).

Minnesota hosts Baltimore (3).

Detroit hosts the White Sox (3).

Seattle hosts Oakland (3).

---

faith in sports

Their dream season might be over, but that doesn't mean the WNBA's Indiana Fever are out of the spotlight. Not at #DMD, at least.

Today's feature athlete is Fever star Aliyah Boston, who talks about her faith in the 7 minute below and tells us how her upbringing and connection to God helped fuel her in the direction of professional basketball.

Please take 7 minutes of your time today to here Ms. Boston talk about how her faith and how she's more and more comfortable in her career thanks in part to her relationship with God.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and our "Faith in Sports" segment here every Friday.

Thursday September 26, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3686

strange magic in late september?

There was some real irony in the air on Wednesday night as I watched the great Jeff Lynne of ELO fame roar through an incredible 95-minute setlist in Washington D.C.

The O's had 17 hits in New York in their 9-7 win and Lynne played 17 of ELO's hits before a wildly enthusiastic crowd who were on hand to see his final performance ever in the nation's capital.

Lynn is calling it a day once this "Over and Out" tour ends in a couple of months.

The Birds, thankfully, aren't over and out. Heck, they could still win the A.L. East if things continue to go sideways for the Yankees over the final four games.

The 9-7 win last night didn't come as easy as it did for Lynne and his band to tear through some of ELO's all-time classics like "Do Ya", "Evil Woman", "Turn to Stone", "Livin' Thing" and "Sweet Talking Woman".

A 9-3 lead in the 9th suddenly turned to 9-7 when Aaron Judge belted a 3-run homer, but Keegan Akin closed the door on a Yankees comeback and the O's moved oh-so-close to securing the top wild card spot in the American League. The Birds need one more win to earn home ice in next week's playoff series opener vs. either Detroit or Kansas City.

There was bad news to start the day for the O's, though, as the club announced that Grayson Rodriguez (lat strain) will not return to the mound in 2024. That wasn't a title-ending piece of information, obviously, but a healthy GrayRod in the post-season would have been huge for Brandon Hyde's pitching staff.

A 3-run first inning, 6 consecutive hits to start the game off of Marcus Stroman, and an eventual 8-1 lead in the Bronx helped ease the pain of hearing that news about Rodriguez.

It did get a little hairy later on in the night, though. New York loaded the bases down 8-3 but couldn't push any more runs across and then Judge poked his 57th homer into the seats off of Matt Bowman to make it a two-run game with 1 out gone in the 9th inning.

Bowman was removed in favor of Akin, and the lefty retired Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton to put another in the "W" column for the O's.

I have ELO on my mind this morning, so forgive the pun, but it does feel like the Orioles might be brewing a little late season "strange magic" with their healthy lineup intact and two straight wins in the Bronx.

Someone even had the nerve to throw it out there last night on X, so I'll go ahead and run with it: Could the Birds be the 2024 version of the 2023 Texas Rangers? You know, a team that scuffled in September and nearly gave away a sure-fire playoff spot before righting themselves and roaring through a 4-week playoff schedule to win the World Series.

I don't know. Neither do you. No one does, of course. But it sorta-kinda feels like maybe the O's are getting their mojo back now that Westburg, Urias, Mountcastle and a couple of valuable relief arms have returned with a clean bill of health.

It's OK to dream.

One more win in New York tonight and suddenly things start to get very interesting in the A.L. East. The O's will head off to Minnesota to face a Twins team that is on the verge of being eliminated from the wild card race and the Yankees will host the Pirates in a means-nothing-to-us series for Pittsburgh.

Remember what I always say, though: The toughest thing to do in sports is to stop losing.

Everyone who needed to win in the wild card race won on Wednesday. K.C. beat the uninspired Nationals in soggy D.C., 3-0. Minnesota pounded the visiting Marlins 8-3 and the Tigers made easy work of Tampa Bay, 7-1, in Detroit. Seattle is barely hanging on after an 8-1 win in Houston on Wednesday.

Oh, and the White Sox won their second straight game, 4-3, over the L.A. Angels. I thought you might want to know.

Here's what the playoff picture looks like this morning.

Current standings:

New York, 1st in the East at 92-66.

Wild Card #1 - Baltimore, 88-70, 4 games behind.

Wild Card #2 - Kansas City, 84-74

Wild Card #3 - Detroit, 84-74

(still alive) - Minnesota, 82-76

(still alive) - Seattle, 81-77

This week's remaining schedule:

Kansas City plays at Washington (1) and at Atlanta (3).

Minnesota hosts Miami (1) and Baltimore (3).

Detroit hosts Tampa Bay (1) and the White Sox (3).

Seattle hosts Oakland (3).

---

I know we tend to shy away from the word "privilege" these days, but it does occasionally have an appopriate connection to something that transpires in our lives.

I'm going to use it here today.

As I watched 76 year old Jeff Lynne slowly make his way off stage last night at Capital One Arena in D.C., it struck me just how much of a privilege it has been to see him and hear him play music four times in my life.

It led me down a rabbit hole on the ride home. How many people -- in what I'll broadly call the "entertainment world" -- have you felt an emotional reaction to that had you consider it a legitimate, outright "privilege" to be in their presence, albeit 35 yards away as I was last night on the floor of the arena?

I felt that way about Lynne last night. Now, sure, 16,000 people all gathered in one spot, singing his songs like they wrote them, contributed to that sort of feeling.

But I don't know that anyone else in the building had that feeling wash over them. "Man, what a privilege it is to see this guy play music."

And it led me to thinking about the question I posed above. "How many times in my life have I felt this?"

I definitely felt that in May of 2023 when I saw Shohei Ohtani pitch and hit in the same game for the L.A. Angels. It didn't hurt my perspective that on that night he threw a pitch that registered 100 mph and also hit a ball 457 feet that landed somewhere near Little Italy.

But I walked out of the stadium that night knowing I had seen someone play baseball who has a skill set far beyond what 99% of human beings might have. Ohtani is one-of-one. Like, actually, legitimately, the only man alive who can do what he does in Major League Baseball.

Lynne is a musical virtuoso. ELO was one of the greatest bands of my life and Lynne is one of music's all-time most respected song writers, producers and musical influencers.

When Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan started talking about creating the biggest "supergroup" in music history, Dylan reportedly told those two, "If we're serious about being the best band to ever make music and we don't ask Jeff Lynne to join us, we're missing out. And then the problem is, if we ask Lynne and he turns us down, we might as well fold up shop right then and there because we'll be missing the guy who puts us over the top."

Fortunately, Lynne agreed to join The Traveling Wilburys and Dylan got his wish.

When Bob Dylan says, "We need you to make us a whole", that's really saying something.

But as Snoop Dogg once said, "Back to the question at hand..."

How many people in the entertainment world have you seen, heard, etc. that left you with that "privileged" feeling?

I don't have many.

I saw Wayne Gretzky play hockey a bunch of times and I think I had that feeling with him. I've seen a lot of great players going back to the 1970's -- Lafleur, Bossy, Lemieux, Crosby, Ovechkin, etc. -- but there was always something different about Gretzky. There was, like I felt last night with Lynne, an "aura" around him that was just not something you felt with other players when you watched him play.

Ohtani, for sure, as I mentioned above. It is truly a privilege to watch him. Maybe you see another guy like him in your lifetime. But I'm not so sure.

And I didn't see Lynne at the top of his game last night, either. He's in the December of his musical run, for sure, but that band was incredibly tight last night and the hits sounded just like they did in 1975 and 1980. Lynne still has it. But, to use a baseball analogy, he now throws 90 mph instead of 100 mph. He can still sneak it past you, though, if necessary.

I saw Tiger Woods play golf, in person, four or five times. I know I was watching greatness. I could tell by the sound of the club meeting the ball at impact that Tiger was "different" than any other golfer out there. But "privileged" to watch him play? Sorry, I just never felt that kind of emotional connection to him.

I might have felt something close to that with Bruce Springsteen, but when you see someone 29 times it goes from "privilege" to something else that I can't describe.

I know I left that arena last night feeling privileged to see Jeff Lynne perform.

He is one incredibly talented musician.

Wednesday September 25, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3685

wednesday q and a

So you're saying there's a chance?

Those were the words once uttered by Jim Carey's character in the great movie, "Dumb and Dumber".

And they apply to the Orioles this morning as they find themselves 5 games behind the Yankees with 5 games to go after last night's 5-3 win in the Bronx.

Do I think they're going to pull off a miracle and steal the division from the Yankees?

I do not.

But do they still have a chance of winning the A.L. East? Math says "Yes, they do."

More important than chasing a division crown they likely can't win, the Birds are closing in on securing the top wild card spot in the American League, the benefit of which will be hosting the 3-game series against Detroit (likely) or Kansas City (maybe).

With last night's win in the Bronx coupled with Minnesota's home loss to the Marlins, the O's have clinched a playoff spot. They're in. Now they're just waiting to see who they play in their opening playoff round.

Oh, and don't look now, but if the Birds get through that first wild card series, their opponent in the best-of-5 American League Divisional Series will be --- yep, the New York Yankees.

A lot of people gave up on the O's in September when they couldn't knock in a runner from second or third base if their life depended on it.

I kept the faith, though. Mostly because I thought they'd be OK when/if they got their injured players back in the lineup. And I'm still of the mindset the Orioles can do some post-season damage with their "mostly healthy" roster intact for the post-season.

You might feel differently. And if so, that's fine. But I've seen enough weird stuff in sports to know anything can happen. Oh, and don't forget, in order to win the World Series you could go 13-9 in October and still be the one holding up the trophy. You don't have to go 14-8 or 15-7. 13-9 will do the trick.

The Birds can go 13-9 in the playoffs. At least I believe they can.

On to the mailbag we go. A few of the questions are of the sensitive nature this morning. I allowed them to be published here because I think they're questions people (not just one or two readers) are both familiar with themselves and interested in debating with others.

If it gets too testy in the comments section below, I'll shut it down for the day and let cooler heads prevail. As they post on the big scoreboard at Ravens Stadium -- Don't Be A Jerk.

---

Ben asks -- "Could you answer this in one of your DMD mail bag columns please. Do you think the reason Steve Bisciotti doesn't fire John Harbaugh is because he would have to pay off his contract? And Bisciotti doesn't want to just give away free money? Thank you."

DF says: "John's contract is believed to run through the 2025 season. He makes -- according to reports -- $12 million a year. I can't imagine Steve cares all that much about 12 million dollars. I know that's crazy to say, but 12 million to him is like $120 to you and I.

I don't think Steve is firing John because, you might want to check the stats, the Ravens have been a very good team for the last four years.

Last year, in fact, they made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game.

I'm still of the mindset that John could be dismissed after this season if things go sideways for the Ravens, but I don't see that happening. The AFC North isn't very good. Cincinnati is clearly done. Cleveland is a mess. The Steelers might be the worst 3-0 team of the last 10 years. They'll be 6-6 before you know it.

The Ravens will cruise to the division title, again, which won't make the Harbaugh Haters very happy."

Carl asks -- "I'm surprised we haven't seen coverage or comments from you about the Presidents Cup. Do you think the U.S. will win again?"

DF says -- "I've never been all that interested in the Presidents Cup. I love, love, love the Ryder Cup. But I've just never been motivated to invest myself in the Presidents Cup.

I'll go out on a limb here and say the International Team wins this one up in Montreal. I don't know why I feel that way. I just do.

I even think it would be good for the long and short term value of the event if the International team wins. I think the all-time record if 11-1-1 in favor of the Americans? That's not very exciting.

Sure, I want the U.S. team to win. But for the sake of the Presidents Cup, it would probably be good if the International Team comes out on top."

Marty asks -- "I'm curious about something, unrelated to sports. With your followers and readers here and on the X platform and any other social media avenues, will you pledge support for either of the Presidential candidates leading up to the election on 11/5?"

DF says -- "I will not. I don't see the value in that, frankly. There's no one who could change the way I'm going to vote. No celebrity, sports figure, TV ad, or "public endorsement" would make me change my vote. In that way, I assume no one would be swayed in any way by hearing me (or reading me) prattle on about who I'm voting for and why.

The only election comment I would ever make and potentially publicly endorse would concern the fairness and sanctity of the electoral college voting system.

It's archaic and convoluted, for starters. It does not represent the totality of the American voters. In short, we should be smart enough to figure out a better way to run a Presidential election.

The other thing we do that's completely bass-ackwards is allowing these TV networks with obvious political agendas to host and/or produce Presidential debates. It's beyond absurd. Here's how the debates should work. Each candidate gets a 2-minute "opening statement". They then get to ask one another 7 questions of their choosing. In the end, they get a 3-minute "closing argument".

I'd much rather hear the candidates ask one another questions than to have Wolf Blitzer, David Muir, or some other media member on the political payroll run the show and ask questions.

I'd also be willing to support any kind of policy change that mandates a government issued ID must be displayed in order for you to vote. This lunacy of having people mail in their votes is completely dumb. There's a Presidential election every four years in our country. The whole country should be off work that day, in fact.

If we, as a nation, really wanted to run the election the right way, we'd open the polls 24/7 for three days or a week even, and eliminate any excuse someone had for not being able to show up and vote.

If you're 90 years old and can't drive or somehow be transported to a voting site, we'll arrange for your vote to be obtained in some other fashion. But, in general, you should have to show up, at an election site, with your government issued ID, in order to vote for the President of the United States. No proper ID, no vote. It's not like we're voting for the Treasurer of the PTA. It's the President of the country. Bring your ID or you can't vote. Sorry, but not sorry."

In summary, I really don't care who you think should be President and I don't think you need to know -- or care -- who I think should be President.

But I do think we can both agree that our best national effort should be made to ensure the entire process is fair, equitable and "intelligent". I think the way we do it now is a complete s-show."

Reese asks -- "What's the future hold for Adley Rutschman now that Samuel Basallo is rising up the ranks and appears ready to start embarking on his major league career?"

DF says -- "I have no idea. But they can't both play catcher, obviously. The natural progression would be for Rutschman to follow in the footsteps of Joe Mauer and eventually move to first base. Mauer was able to play 15 years in the big league splitting his time that way.

For all I know, maybe Basallo learns how to play first base and that's his eventual spot. This one's tricky, for sure.

Or perhaps they can do the simple thing and DH/catch those two in Baltimore the way they've done this year with Rutschman and James McCann. Maybe that platoon system works for a year or two?

It's also reasonable to point out that Rutschman will be a free agent after the 2027 season. If Basallo comes up next year and plays a McCann role, the Birds will have two full years to map out a strategy of some kind for when Rutschman's rookie contract expires prior to the 2028 campaign."

T.J. asks -- "I read your story about the MSJ golf coach who passed away (condolences to all) and it got me to wondering. How close off the course are you and the other golf coaches and in general how close are high school coaches with one another? I assume you see each other out and about a lot? Thanks Drew."

DF says -- "We obviously know one another and are certainly cordial and friendly during the season but I wouldn't say any of us are particularly "close" with one another.

At one point the St. Paul's coach was a member with me at Eagle's Nest and we played a lot of golf together. But that was mostly out of season. We didn't connect much during the season.

I can't speak for the other high school coaches and their sports but my guess is most of them are friendly on a professional level but beyond that there isn't much there."

---

Here's your up-to-the-minute look at the American League playoff picture.

Current standings:

New York, 1st in the East at 91-65.

Wild Card #1 - Baltimore, 87-70, 5 games behind.

Wild Card #2 - Kansas City, 83-74

Wild Card #3 - Detroit, 83-74

(still alive) - Minnesota, 81-76

(still alive) - Seattle, 81-77

This week's schedule:

Kansas City plays at Washington (2) and at Atlanta (3).

Minnesota hosts Miami (2) and Baltimore (3).

Detroit hosts Tampa Bay (2) and the White Sox (3).

Seattle plays plays at Houston (1) and hosts Oakland (3).

Tuesday September 24, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3684

the morning after...the morning after

I probably laughed out loud on 10 different occasions yesterday as I listened to local radio and perused Twitter commentary that centered on the Ravens and Sunday's 28-25 win over Dallas.

People are nuts.

Just completely, out-of-touch-with-reality, nuts.

Here's the thing I can't shake for the life of me. And maybe my stats are wrong, but I'd bet I'm closer to being right than not.

90% of the people I hear call into sports radio played sports at some level in their life.

Now, I get it, there is a huge difference between the professional game and the rec, scholastic and amateur ranks when it comes to sports.

But when you play sports at any level you develop some sort of idea of how it all works. At least I assume you do.

There are several basic tenants of sports as we all know it.

* You win some and you lose some. No player is perfect. No team is perfect.

* You can game plan for the other team all you want. Sometimes it doesn't matter. You prepare the best you can and you lose. They out-game-plan-you. And, of course, sometimes you out-game-plan them.

* Other times it's just luck. The proverbial bounce of the ball. Or, I hope this isn't too soon, sometimes your toe is one inch over the line and it's not ruled a touchdown after all.

* For the most part, the team with the better players usually wins the game. It doesn't always happen that way, which is why you actually play the games in the first place.

But if the Chiefs and Panthers played 10 times this year, K.C. is winning 8 times, if not 9 or, perhaps, even all 10. Why would they win? Because they have better football players.

Winning is contagious and, sadly, so too is losing. When you're winning you think you'll never lose again and when you're losing, you think you'll never win again.

There are average players who are really tough mentally and that makes them better than their athleticism allows for.

And there are great players who are fragile mentally and that makes them worse than their athleticism allows for.

In the old days, we called it, simply, "heart". You knew who had it and who didn't.

When I hear someone on the radio jump in and say something like, "These coaches ain't teachin' Nate Wiggins anything about playing press coverage," the very first thing I say to myself as I hear that commentary is this:

"How, exactly, do you know that?"

Are you at practice with the team? Do you have some sort of inside access no one else does?

And do you say that because Wiggins got beat once or twice during the game on Sunday in Dallas?

From that, you suddenly jump to the conclusion the Ravens' secondary coach is somehow failing him?

You watch CeeDee Lamb beat Nate Wiggins on a pattern and catch a 15 yard pass and your take on that moment was the coach doesn't teach him the right way?

Maybe CeeDee Lamb went up against Wiggins 6 times during the game and went for 1-for-6. Who gets the credit for the 5 times Wiggins didn't allow the catch to happen? I'd generally give the credit to Wiggins. In my mind, players play and coaches coach.

But if the secondary coach is to blame for Wiggins getting beat, shouldn't that secondary coach get the credit when he wins the battle with Lamb?

This isn't to suggest that coaching isn't important. It most certainly is. But most of the coaching at the NFL level happens during the week, while the team and players are preparing for the next game. Once the ball is kicked off on Sunday, the player then has to assume responsibility for his performance.

Another caller on Monday indicated the Ravens "took themselves out of the game by ignoring Likely and Andrews" in Dallas.

Perhaps Dallas "game planned" to stop Likely and Andrews. And in doing so, it might have opened up bigger run options for the Ravens, which they clearly took advantage of in the win.

Maybe the Ravens intentionally moved away from throwing the ball to those two because they figured the Dallas defense would key on them.

The chocolate frosted icing of the comment was: "The Ravens took themselves out of the game..."

Ummmmmm, hello. The Ravens led at one point 28-6. They led the game from start to finish. It was over at halftime.

If they lose 34-13 and Likely and Andrews don't factor in the loss, I could see that comment having some merit.

The won the game, handily, and you're still bellyaching about Likely and Andrews? Weird, man. Just weird.

Someone else chimed in about the play of Daniel Faalele and how improved he was in the win over Dallas.

"He turned himself around," the caller said. "First two weeks he was chopped liver. Yesterday he was awesome."

Shouldn't Faalele's offensive line coach get credit for that? I mean, Faalele didn't fix himself between the Raiders loss and the Cowboys win, did he?

The reality is, there are a myriad of reasons why a player plays better this week than he did last week. It might not have one thing to do with coaching. It could just be that Faalele matched up better with his Dallas counterpart. Maybe he's more fit than he was in week #1 at Kansas City. Perhaps Faalele just had an off day against the Raiders. They happen to everyone, you know.

And then we get to Justin Tucker.

"I'm not a kicker," caller Brad said on Monday afternoon. "But I can tell you just from watching Tucker this season that he's spooked by something. He doesn't look the same as he did last year. I hope we're trying out kickers. It's one thing to miss from outside of 50, but when you're missing inside of 50 you have some real problems."

Brad was right about one thing.

He's not a kicker.

And neither am I. But I am good at math. Not great. But "good".

Here's how many kicks Tucker has missed this year inside the 50 yard line: One.

It came on Sunday.

Harrison Butker missed an extra point on Sunday night in Atlanta. That one came from 33 yards out. Is he washed? Of course not.

Now, Tucker might -- as John Harbaugh indicated on Monday -- be going through an issue with his technique and that's led to some early-season inaccuracies. Kicking is a very technical skill.

But Justin Tucker isn't "washed".

He's nowhere close to that, actually.

There's no doubt about it. He will make big kicks and important kicks this season. It's etched in stone.

The guy missed a kick. Sure, it was indoors. Climate controlled. Blah, blah, blah.

He missed a kick.

Scottie Scheffler missed a routine, 5-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the Valero Texas Open last May. The miss cost him a chance to be in a playoff.

I didn't hear anyone say "Scheffler's washed".

Athletes fail on occasion. It happens to all of them, including Justin Tucker.

If you played sports at all in your life, you know that athletes fail because -- try to think back for me -- you also failed as an athlete. You failed so much as an amateur athlete that the thought of being a professional athlete left you by age 16, most likely.

John Harbaugh and Zach Orr also got raked over the coals on Monday. You knew that was coming, of course, as soon as the Cowboys scored late in the 4th quarter to make it 28-25. That 19-point surge by Dallas was all the fans needed to start their weekly crusade against the coaching staff.

There's no doubt the 19 point run in the final quarter was unsettling.

There was Tucker's field goal. That would have made it 31-6. A four score game, at that point.

Zay Flowers somehow failed to collect a ball that went through his arms on the onside kick. The Ravens practice that stuff every single week. There's a reason why Flowers is the guy on the far edge, like he was on Sunday in Dallas, on the onside kick team. He's great at scooping up those loose balls and sewing up the game.

Except on Sunday, he didn't do it.

He wanted to. He tried to. He failed.

The next one that came his way was an easy one to pick up. He scooped it up and stepped out of bounds. Easy peasy.

It wasn't "coaching" on the first one that he screwed up in the same way it wasn't coaching on the second one that he perfectly collected.

The ball bounces in weird ways on occasion.

Players, sometimes, do let the moment -- whatever it is -- get the best of them. It happens to everyone.

Conventional description is "choking", of course, but I try my best not to use that word if I can avoid it. I'd rather just say, "Stuff happens" and leave it at that.

But maybe Flowers did choke on that first kick on Sunday. Nothing more, nothing less. Golfers do it all the time. They miss a putt they'd make 19 out of 20 times. Basketball players miss foul shots. Baseball players botch easy ground balls.

There's something really weird about football. I've never figured it out.

There always has to be something to blame or some other reason things happened other than, plain and simple, that guy either made the play or didn't make the play.

Is it Zach Orr's fault that Nate Wiggins twice fell for the same double-move by CeeDee Lamb in the first half?

The Ravens probably watched 6-8 hours of film on the Cowboys last week and every route Lamb ran in the first two games of the season was played and replayed for Wiggins and the rest of the defensive backs.

Did Lamb run a new route on Sunday that the Ravens hadn't yet seen? That's certainly possible.

Was Wiggins not paying attention in film study last week? That's also possible.

Or did Wiggins see Lamb line up and say to himself, "I know that double move is coming and you're not beating me with it", only to have Lamb beat him anyway? Sure, that could have happened.

The other guy tries, too.

Here's the other thing people who played sports seem to forget once they go from participant to spectator: Sometimes the other guy is just better than you at (insert sport).

Quick, answer this for me:

Who would you rather have as the quarterback of your football team? Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs or Daniel Jones of the Giants?

If you said anything except "Mahomes", you know you're lying.

But why did you say "Mahomes"??

Easy answer...

"Because Mahomes is better than Jones."

It's that simple.

I saw up close and personal just how good someone like Retief Goosen is at golf in 2021 when I was blessed to play a practice round with him at the U.S. Senior Open.

We played "real golf" for 9 holes and he shot even par 35 and I shot 3 over 38. But those 3 shots might as well have been 10 shots. He drove it 60 yards past me on every hole, hit his irons to 20 feet on every approach shot while I was more like 35 feet from the hole and he didn't miss a putt inside of six feet while I missed two from that distance.

In the end, it was very obvious. Goosen is better than me at golf.

That exact same thing happens every week in the NFL.

"Player A" is better than "Player B" and, therefore, Player A's team has an advantage in that match-up.

There's a reason why Tyreek Hill is, perhaps, the most dangerous wide receiver in the entire NFL. He's faster than all the other players.

People who follow sports seem to forget this stuff when they're busy crushing people on Twitter or calling in to radio shows on Monday to voice their displeasure with how things unfolded the day before.

Sometimes the players on the other team are better than the players on your team. And vice versa.

The Ravens win 90% of their games because Lamar Jackson is a superior athlete to anyone on the other side of the field. It's that simple.

We know this is true: If Lamar Jackson suffers a season-ending injury next week in the Buffalo game, the Ravens are only going to win 5 of their last 13 games...if they're lucky.

Lamar might not be the entire team. But he's as close as you can get to being the whole team without being the whole team.

Why can't other teams just "coach" or "game plan" and stop him? Because he's better than them, that's why.

Oh, and yes, coaches, too, can be out-coached. It happens all the time. Coaches actually will be the ones to say, "They outcoached us today."

But just because your team lost doesn't mean your coach didn't prepare the players the right way, execute the game plan to the best of their ability and pull the right strings during the game itself.

We seem to have a lot of that going on in Baltimore these days. It might be prevalent elsewhere, I don't know. I don't pay much attention to what happens in Philly, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and so on.

I just know that here, in Baltimore, we have a habit of blaming everything that happens on the coaches.

O's third base coach Tony Mansolino was under the gun on Saturday for two separate plays that both went against the O's in the 6-4 loss to the Tigers.

He sent Adley Rutschman on single to left and the O's catcher was thrown out at home plate. It took a perfect pick-up, throw and tag to get him at the dish, but that's what happened. Everyone in Baltimore haraunged Mansolino while the people in Detroit lauded the left fielder for his "great play".

Mansolino was, in hindsight, a tad ambitious in sending Rutschman, who is certainly not fleet of foot.

But if anything would have been off in the sequence from left-fielder-to-catcher, Rutschman scores and the stadium erupts and radio callers have nothing to gripe about.

Later in the game, Jackson Holliday was held at third base after a fly ball was caught in shallow left field and two Detroit players collided.

This time everyone was irate because he didn't send Holliday to home plate. Never mind that Holliday would have been out by 10 feet if the Tigers would have completed the catch-throw-relay-tag sequence correctly. Some folks on Twitter even used that as the reason why he should have been sent.

"It would have taken a perfect throw, relay and tag to get him! That's why T Mans should have sent him there!"

Alas, earlier in the game that's exactly what happened. And everyone went ballistic because Rutschman got thrown out.

In both cases on Saturday, what happened more than anything else was "baseball".

Mansolino didn't do anything completely egregious.

Rutschman gave everything he had.

Holliday didn't have a brain fart on third base.

Detroit players made professional plays and, on those two occasions, they wound up winning that small, individual game-within-a-game.

We could go through the same thing 20 times a game when the Ravens play.

Nate Wiggins locked horns with CeeDee Lamb on several occasions last Sunday and was successful in that one-on-one battle more times than not. Who gets the credit when Wiggins wins? Who gets the blame when Wiggins loses?

Coaching definitely does matter. Both during the week and during the game itself.

But if you have better players or, at the very least, players who are better match-ups in that particular game, coaching is only going to you so far.

The rumor is the Panthers want to trade Bryce Young, a former #1 pick, to the Ravens for Lamar Jackson.

How do you feel about that one?

You would never do that deal, of course. No one in their right (or wrong) mind would do that deal.

Why not?

Because, simply put, Lamar is better than Bryce Young.

Better players usually wind up winning in the end.

---

Game one of the pivotal 3-game series in New York takes place tonight for the O's and it actually is "must win" if they have any hopes of stealing the A.L. East from the Yankees.

New York owns a 6-game lead with six games left to play.

Zach Eflin goes for the Birds and Nestor Cortes gets the start for the Bronx Bombers.

For the O's, the more important task over the season's final week is to secure the top wild card spot and host that 3-game series in Baltimore next Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday.

Seattle kept their faint hopes alive last night with a win in Houston.

The interesting part about this week's slate of games is that only Detroit plays two teams with nothing to play for down the stretch.

Tampa Bay is technically still alive for the post-season, but it would take a crazy combination of 29 different things to happen for them to make it. The White Sox are, ummmmmm, not really alive in the playoff race any longer.

Kansas City plays D.C., who are done, but they face Atlanta over the weekend and the Braves are still in the hunt for a N.L. wild card spot.

Minnesota has the Marlins, who are out, but they then host the O's over the weekend. The Birds might actually wind up having nothing to play for or they might need to win a game, two or three, to secure wild card spot #1.

Seattle plays Houston tonight and tomorrow and the Astros have still not clinched the division title even though it looks like a done deal.

I know the schedule makers didn't plan it this way, but it's a heckuva final week in the American League, that's for sure.

Here's how things shape up heading into tonight's flurry of games involving the teams vying for wild card spots in the American League.

Current standings:

New York, 1st in the East at 91-64.

Wild Card #1 - Baltimore, 85-70, 6 games behind.

Wild Card #2 - Kansas City, 82-74

Wild Card #3 - Detroit, 82-74

(still alive) - Minnesota, 81-75

(still alive) - Seattle, 81-76

This week's schedule:

Kansas City plays at Washington (3) and at Atlanta (3).

Minnesota hosts Miami (3) and Baltimore (3).

Detroit hosts Tampa Bay (3) and the White Sox (3).

Seattle plays plays at Houston (2) and hosts Oakland (3).

Monday September 23, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3683

another fun week upcoming

OK, the good news is we have a lot to talk about over the next six days.

The bad news? We have a lot to talk about.

The Ravens nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Sunday before hanging on to a 28-25 win at Dallas that looked, smelled and felt more like a loss in the aftermath.

But it wasn't a loss. And John Harbaugh's team escaped with a huge win to move to 1-2 on the season and set up a fairly crucial early season showdown with Buffalo next Sunday in Charm City.

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry ran over and through a laughable Dallas defense for most of Sunday's affair, piling up yards and first downs with sublime ease. It was 28-6 in the fourth quarter and the Ravens were about to cruise to a walk-in-the-park win when Justin Tucker missed a 46 yard field goal.

That miss came with 10:41 remaining in the game.

The Cowboys then scored their first touchdown of the game on a quick 6-play drive.

Dallas then announced (new rule) and converted an onside kick when the ball mysteriously zipped right through the arms of Zay Flowers.

Dak Prescott then went to work on the tiring Baltimore secondary, eventually throwing another TD pass with 7:07 left in the 4th quarter.

Right on cue, as they have a habit of doing, the Ravens offense then stalled, running the ball twice with Derrick Henry before Lamar missed Mark Andrews on a 3rd and 3 throw.

The Cowboys then got back in the game -- officially -- when they were gifted with a completely laughable roughing the passer penalty on Odafe Oweh. That infraction moved the ball from midfield to the Baltimore 34. Four plays later Dallas scored another touchdown, their third in 7 minutes, and it was 28-25 after the made extra point.

All eyes were on Lamar Jackson with 2:36 remaining. Could he engineer two first downs and put the game on ice for Baltimore?

There's no telling where the Ravens go from here. There are 14 games left in the season. This is a very mercurial football team, as we've seen so far in the '24 campaign.

They might catch fire and bolt through the next 14 games with 12 wins and finish 13-4 for all I know.

Or they might battle every week and scratch together 9 more wins and make the playoffs on the final day of the season.

I could see that happening, too.

But if either of those scenarios turns out to be the reality of the 2024 season, the final 2:36 of the Cowboys win on September 22 might be responsible.

If Jackson and the offense would have gone three and out and the Cowboys would have somehow magically come back to win that game on Sunday, there's absolutely no telling what might have resulted from that disaster.

The head coach would be on the hottest seat of his career, for starters.

Zay Flowers and Justin Tucker would have been talk-radio fodder all week.

The internet lit up with "Tucker is washed" comments after his field goal miss. I'd pump the brakes on that one a little bit, but you'd have to be naive to not at least be a little concerned with Tucker's start to the 2024 campaign.

And, for sure, Lamar would have been raked over the coals for six days, along with Zach Orr and whatever defensive player factored into Dak's final touchdown throw with 23 seconds remaining.

A loss on Sunday in Dallas, up 28-6 with just over 10 minutes remaining, would have been among the worst regular season defeats EVER for the Ravens and John Harbaugh.

Alas, it didn't happen.

That final 2:36, where Jackson and the offensive unit did what they've been unable to do so many times in the 4th quarter, could turn out to be the biggest 2:36 of the entire 2024 campaign.

And all's well that ends well.

Almost.

It's still hard to wipe the taste of the final 10 minutes out of your mouth, no matter how hard you try.

It was all going to happen again. The same way it always does.

An onside kick mistake.

A questionable penalty.

A botched call earlier in the game on a safety that wasn't called a safety by the referees.

Justin Tucker missing a field goal.

And then, in the end, Lamar and the offense failing to sew up the game when they had it on their racket.

Except this time, Jackson got that elusive first down near the two minute warning and the good guys were putting up a "1" in the win column.

It was really pretty for about 50 minutes. And then it was really ugly for most of the next 8 minutes.

But the good part was especially good, I thought.

The game plan from Todd Monken was excellent and the Baltimore defense snuffed out any offensive energy the Cowboys tried to produce.

It was moving along perfectly until Tucker's field goal miss.

And then it all unraveled.

But a win, indeed, is a win.

On to Buffalo...

Speaking of things to talk about this week, we have six meaningful baseball games on tap for the Orioles, starting on Tuesday night in New York.

With Sunday's 4-3 home loss to the Tigers and the Yankees winning 7-4 at Oakland, the Yankees are now one win or one Orioles loss away from clinching the A.L. East.

I'll wait to do my formal "tip of the cap" to the Yankees when they officially sew up the division, but I give them full credit. I thought their mid-season swoon would have led them to fall apart at the seams when the schedule rolled into September.

Instead, it was the O's who fell apart after Labor Day.

Sunday's defeat to the Tigers marked the fifth straight 3-game series the Birds dropped, 2-games-to-1. It also kept Baltimore's magic number to clinch a playoff spot at 2...with now six games left to play.

The good news? It's still very likely Birds are going to get into the post-season. It would take a catastrophic turn of events for Brandon Hyde's team to get bypassed by three different teams over the last week of the campaign.

The bad news? It might be the Tigers, not the Royals, who come bouncing into Baltimore in two weeks for the wild card round of the American League playoffs. Detroit now has the same record as K.C. and has a much easier schedule this coming week.

All along, a lot of folks were concerned about the prospects of facing Kansas City. Instead, the O's might have to do battle with Tarik Skubal and the Tigers in the best of three series.

Current standings:

New York, 1st in the East at 91-64.

Wild Card #1 - Baltimore, 85-70, 6 games behind.

Wild Card #2 - Kansas City, 82-74

Wild Card #3 - Detroit, 82-74

(still alive) - Minnesota, 81-75

(still alive) - Seattle, 80-76

This week's schedule:

Kansas City plays at Washington (3) and at Atlanta (3).

Minnesota hosts Miami (3) and Baltimore (3).

Detroit hosts Tampa Bay (3) and the White Sox (3).

Seattle plays plays at Houston (3) and hosts Oakland (3).

The local golf community lost a significant contributor over the weekend when longtime Mount Saint Joseph head golf coach Mike Dooley passed away from complications associated with the West Nile Virus.

Coach Dooley will be sorely missed.

I had the pleasure of coaching and competing against Coach Dooley twice a year since 2011, first at John Carroll for two years and then over the last 12 seasons at Calvert Hall.

A few stories about Coach Dooley should highlight what kind of man and coach he was.

In the first match I ever coached at John Carroll, back in 2011, Dooley's Gaels team beat us 21-0 at our home course, Maryland Golf and Country Club. We only won four holes (out of six matches) all day. It was a complete and total throttling.

"I hope you know we weren't trying to bury you guys that bad," Dooley said to me as the team's shook hands afterwards.

I was a brand new coach in the A-Conference, but I knew good golf when I saw it and I knew bad golf when I saw it. Mount Saint Joseph was really good that year and we were really bad.

"Coach," I said. "It's golf. You're supposed to play the best that you possibly can. We need to get a lot better. Thanks for showing me how much work we need to do."

In my first year at Calvert Hall, we shocked the Gaels in the playoff semifinals at Rolling Road, becoming the first team to win at their home course in four seasons.

A couple of MSJ players took to the internet to "chirp" about how we got lucky and how it was a fluke that we beat them and so on.

The next day, Dooley called me. "I was disappointed to read what some of my players posted," he said. "I want you to know I don't condone it. You guys played great yesterday. You deserved to win. There was nothing lucky about it."

And then, a few years ago, we showed up at Rolling Road needing a win to clinch a playoff berth. It is not an easy course for inexperienced players to play, but we did just enough that day to pull out a narrow win to advance to the post-season.

As we boarded the bus for the ride back to Calvert Hall, Coach Dooley summoned me as he walked to his car. "We always seem to bring out the best in your team over here," he said with a smile. "I hope you guys do great in the playoffs."

Some coaches just say that to say it.

But Mike Dooley meant it. In a moment when he could have been down in the dumps about his team's less than stellar season, he took a minute to say some kind things to a coaching friend.

Last year, Dooley's Gaels finished the season at 8-4 and returned to the playoffs after a long absence. He was voted the A-Conference Coach of the Year by his coaching peers.

It was a fitting way for his run at Mount Saint Joseph to end.

He was a terrific coach and a gentleman both on and off the course.

Sunday September 22, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3682

ravens need to win one...for the boss

I thought long and hard about crafting a lengthy preview of today's Ravens-Cowboys game using as many Bruce Springsteen songs as I could within the piece.

Bruce turns 75 tomorrow.

But just when I thought to myself, "It would be nice if the Ravens won one for the Boss today," it dawned on me the "boss" they need to win for today is John Harbaugh, not Bruce Springsteen.

So I'm going to (mostly) skip the ode to Springsteen today and just stick to football.

I guess you could say Harbs and his football team are looking for one of those glory days when they step into the lion's den in Dallas this afternoon as they look for their first win of the '24 season against the Cowboys.

No pun intended, but the Ravens do have high hopes today.

The good news? The Dallas defense isn't very good. Or, at the very least, they weren't last Sunday when they were shellacked at home by New Orleans.

The bad news? The Cowboys offense can put points on the board in a hurry. And receiver CeeDee Lamb is going to be a handful for Nate Wiggins, Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens or whichever cornerback gets assigned to him today. Lamb, you could say, is born to run in a big way. He's very dangerous.

But it wouldn't take a leap of faith to think the Ravens are capable of winning today.

With any kind of magic at all in the first two games, they'd be 2-0 instead of 0-2. A toe in the end zone in the opener at K.C. and a questionable pass interference call in the 4th quarter against the Raiders are the difference between the Ravens having no losses instead of no wins.

So how could it all fall apart today in Dallas?

You want the menu?

Sure...here's how they lose.

With the Ravens already up 7-0 in the first quarter and at the Dallas 38 yard line late in the first quarter, Lamar gets the ball knocked out of his hand and the Cowboys recover it.

On 3rd and 13 from the Baltimore 40, Dak Prescott throws incomplete to Lamb, but Roquan Smith is flagged for a late hit on Prescott and the Cowboys are gifted a free first down.

Five plays later, the Cowboys score a TD to make it 7-7.

It's 17-13 Ravens in the 3rd quarter when Jackson finds a wide open Zay Flowers at the Dallas 25 yard line. Flowers escapes a would-be tackler and fights off another, but the ball gets punched out of his hand on the 10 yard line and Dallas recovers.

A Cowboys missed 48 yard field goal is nullified by a Ravens offsides penalty. Moments later, Lamb scoots past Brandon Stephens and races down the sideline for an easy TD throw from Prescott. It's 20-17 Cowboys heading into the 4th quarter.

On the first series of that final quarter, the Ravens have trouble getting the right personnel on the field for a critical 3rd and 3 play, so Lamar calls time out.

Three minutes later, the Ravens are at the Dallas 40 yard line facing a 3rd and 9 scenario. Jackson scrambles for 14 yards and a key first down, but the play is called back for holding on Ronnie Stanley. Baltimore eventually gets the ball back down to the Dallas 8 yard line but the drive stalls there and the Ravens get a Justin Tucker field goal to tie the score at 20-20.

Luck finally goes the way of the Ravens on the next series, when Prescott's pass on 3rd and 7 is tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Malik Harrison. Lamar and the offense take over with 6:25 left in the game and get the ball into the red zone, but Jackson tries to jam a throw into the end zone for Isaiah Likely and the ball is picked off.

Dallas then moves down the field, aided by an illegal contact penalty on Marlon Humphrey that looks very iffy on replay.

On 3rd and 8 from their own 49 yard line, Prescott scrambles out of trouble, beats a defender, and scampers all the way down to the Baltimore 37 yard line. He's hit as he's going out of bounds by Roquan Smith, who is flagged for a 15-yard penalty.

On the first play thereafter, Prescott finds Lamb across the middle and he's tackled at the 5 yard line. The Cowboys line up, first and goal, with 2:39 remaining, and the Ravens realize they only have 10 defensive players on the field. Harbaugh calls time out, using his team's second of the three available to them in the half.

The Baltimore defense holds Dallas on the ensuing three plays and the Cowboys kick a 22-yard field goal with 1:04 remaining to make it 23-20.

The Ravens immediately respond, moving the ball 45 yards in just four plays to advance all the way to the Dallas 30 with just 39 seconds remaining.

The next play from scrimmage is a deep ball that's perfectly thrown to Rashod Bateman near the goal line, but the ball inexplicably falls through his hands for an incomplete pass.

Jackson tries to surprise the Dallas defense and run with the ball on 2nd down, but is taken down for a loss of two yards. The Ravens burn their final time out with 22 seconds remaining.

On 3rd down, Jackson makes a great throw to Mark Andrews at the 20, but a Dallas defender, who looks like he got there a second early, knocks the ball out of Andrews' hands as the Baltimore tight end begs for a flag.

Justin Tucker's game-tying field goal attempt from 49 yards hits the left upright and bounces out instead of in, and the Ravens fall to the Cowboys, 23-20.

You already know what the internet is going to say.

"That's the price you pay for making those kind of mistakes again."

"These kinds of losses lead to a lot of restless nights."

"Justin Tucker is really a roll of the dice these days."

And the Ravens head home to face Buffalo with an 0-4 start staring them right in the face.

How do I know the Ravens are going to lose like that today? Well, for starters, I don't know it. It wouldn't shock me at all to see the Ravens beat the Cowboys, in fact.

For starters, they've been historically very good against the NFC under John Harbaugh and Lamar Jackson has experienced the same sort of success since 2018 against NFC opponents.

But the scenario I presented above is the way the Ravens lose. They don't always lose, obviously. But when they do, it looks a lot like the description you just read.

Sadly, I assume that's the way it's going to go today in Dallas.

There's trouble in paradise, indeed.

Speaking of an ode to Springsteen, the birthday boy, the O's squandered a chance to almost reach the promised land on Saturday when they dropped a 6-4 decision to Detroit in 10 innings.

Baltimore entered the day with a magic number of 3 to make the playoffs and looked like they were going push across the finish line when they tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th and had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out.

Alas, they made three straight outs and failed to score the winning run. And then Detroit scored twice in the top of the 10th to go up 6-4.

Undaunted, the O's pressured in the bottom of the 10th and had runners on 1st and 3rd with just one out, but Heston Kjerstad and some guy named Daniel Johnson made outs to end the game and snap the O's modest 2-game winning streak.

There were some highlights, yes, including Gunnar Henderson's stadium-rocking game-tying two run double in the bottom of the 9th, but there were far more bad moments than good ones, sadly.

Adley Rutschman was sent home by Tony Masolino and it probably ranks as one of the season's all-time worst "sends" of any player, as Rutschman was nailed at home in the bottom of the 4th with only one out and Detroit up 2-1.

Eloy Jimenez came in to pinch hit in the bottom of the 8th and promptly made an out. He's 1-for-24 in September, which probably isn't what Mike Elias thought he was getting when he plucked him from Chicago at the trade deadline.

In the bottom of the 9th, after Henderson's game-tying double, the O's needed any kind of hit or even a medium depth fly ball and they win the game. Instead, Mullins grounded out to second, Santander popped out to the shortstop, and Cowser flew out to end the inning and preserve Detroit's season at the same time.

Jackson Holliday then whiffed on a grounder in the 10th inning that should have been collected (and called an error, frankly) as the Tigers scored twice off of Yennier Cano.

It was, once again, a game where the O's just didn't have the magic at the plate when they needed it.

And now, with the Yankees winning last night in Oakland, the Birds are facing an almost "must win" situation today in the series finale vs. the Tigers.

Here, as we'll do every day until the end of the regular season, is what the A.L. playoff picture looks like.

New York, 1st in the East at 91-64.

Wild Card #1 - Baltimore, 85-69, 5 games behind.

Wild Card #2 - Kansas City, 82-73

Wild Card #3 - Minnesota, 81-73 (rained out on Saturday in Boston)

(still alive) - Detroit, 81-74

(still alive) - Seattle, 80-75

Kansas City host S.F. Giants today, then play three at Washington and three at Atlanta.

Minnesota plays doubleheader at Boston today, then hosts Miami (3) and Baltimore (3).

Detroit plays at Baltimore today, then hosts Tampa Bay (3) and the White Sox (3).

Seattle plays at Texas today, then plays at Houston (3) and hosts Oakland (3).

	WILL JACKSON and his weekly NFL picks
Will Jackson will be here every Sunday during the NFL season with his thoughts on games and prop bets that will hopefully yield positive results for you.

I've been solid on my prop bets for Morning Dish readers but my game picks haven't been all that hot, so I'll try to turn that around today for all of you.

I actually like the Ravens (-1) and the Over 47.5 total today in a 28-24 Ravens win.

Seattle (-4.5) over Miami is my Play of the Day.

Las Vegas (-6) over Carolina.

Chargers (+2.5) vs. Pittsburgh.

New Orleans/Philadelphia over 49.5.

Atlanta/Kansas City over 46.5.

Tennessee/Green Bay under 37.5.

Lamar Jackson over 1.5 touchdown throws.

Derrick Henry anytime TD scorer.

Rashod Bateman anytime TD scorer.

Patrick Mahomes over 1.5 touchdown throws.

Marvin Harrison Jr. over 79.5 yards receiving.

Tyreek Hill under 69.5 yards receiving.

Ja'Marr Chase anytime TD scorer.

C.J. Stroud over 203.5 yards passing.

Saturday September 21, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3681

birds get homer happy

OK, so we're back.

The O's, that is.

Brandon Hyde's team belted five homers on Friday night en-route to a cruise control 7-1 win over Detroit.

The only downer of the night came out of Oakland where the Yankees scored three times in the top of the 10th to nip the A's, 4-2, and maintain their 4-game division lead with 8 games left to play.

The weekend is far from over, though. The Birds still need to win at least one of the next two vs. Detroit if not both of the remaining two games of the series.

That is, if they harbor any hopes of winning a second straight A.L. East.

The playoffs? That's a virtual done deal at this point. Their magic number to clinch a post-season spot is "3". And it's looking more and more like the O's are going to hang on to that first wild card position and host 3 games (if necessary) starting on October 1 at Camden Yards.

I kept trying to give you guys the silver lining of all silver linings during their recent swoon. "Just let them get their injured players back and let's see what happens."

I'm still here, still saying the same thing. When Westburg returns, they'll be better. When Westburg and Urias return, they'll be even better than that. And when Westburg, Urias and Mountcastle all get back in the dugout, healthy, you never know what that might do.

A lot of people quit on the Birds over the last week or so.

You know who you are.

Who needs a mulligan?

Here's your up-to-the-minute A.L. playoff round-up.

The Yankees have clinched a playoff spot and are 90-64. Their remaining games are: two at Oakland, three home vs. Baltimore, three home vs. Pittsburgh

The O's are next at 86-68; two vs. Detroit, at New York, at Minnesota

The Royals, who lost again last night, are 82-72; two vs. San Francisco, three at Washington, three at Atlanta

Minnesota leads Detroit by one game in the chase for the third wild card spot at 81-73; two at Boston, three vs. Miami, three vs. Baltimore

The Tigers (80-74) have two more in Baltimore, three home vs. Tampa Bay and three home vs. the White Sox.

It's all going down to the wire, including the chase for the best record in the American League. The Yankees are one game up on Cleveland (89-65) in that battle.

If there's no more shift in positions in the standings, the O's will host Kansas City in the best of 3 wild card round and Houston will host Minnesota/Detroit.

The PGA of America made a change to their membership policy this week and, in doing so, have paved the way for American LIV golfers to represent the United States in future Ryder Cup competitions, as well as to participate in the PGA Championship.

By adding LIV golf to their "approved list of tours", the PGA of America has made it possible for LIV players to attain an A-3 membership level, which means they are permitted to accrue points and play in the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship.

This decision clears up the muddy space that existed in 2023, when only Brooks Koepka was added to the U.S. team by then captain Zach Johnson.

Next September, American captain Keegan Bradley will have his pick of any 6 Americans he wants, regardless of where they play, as long as they're approved members of the PGA of America via that A-3 membership level.

And that's the way it should be.

This doesn't exonerate any of the Americans who sold their soul to play for those charlatans who created and oversee LIV Golf.

They're still very much in the "reap what you sow" part of their association with LIV Golf. They knew when they took the money from the Saudi-based Public Investment Fund that a conflict with the Ryder Cup was part of that deal.

But if an American LIV golfer is either an automatic qualifier via the points they earn in major championships or a captain's pick, they should be permitted to play on the team.

Right now, Bryson DeChambeau -- a LIV golfer -- is 3rd on the American points list. He'll only have four tournaments next year to continue generating points; the Masters, PGA, U.S. Open and British Open. A win in any of those four majors would guarantee him an automatic spot. A top 3 finish in any of those would bring him very close to an automatic spot.

No one other than DeChambeau is a threat, as of now, to earn enough points to qualify.

Meanwhile, "alliance" talks between the PGA Tour and LIV continue to percolate, although nothing definitive seems imminent. Earlier this week, it was rumored that several members of the Tour's policy board want LIV players to return some or most of the "up front" money they received in exchange for signing with LIV golf if the PGA Tour is going to allow those players to return at some point in the near future.

I've heard of some dumb ideas in my life. That one's a cake topper.

There will be, I'm sure, some sort of modest financial penalty for LIV players who want to double-dip and play on the PGA Tour. But Phil Mickelson, for example, isn't "giving back" $100 million of the $200 million he received three years ago.

It's a very confusing situation. I'm still not 100% sure why the two tours feel like they need one another.

The PGA Tour is still doing fine even with all the players LIV mooched off of them.

And LIV is rolling along doing their thing, too, despite no one in golf giving a damn about them.

The two should just continue to forge their own paths and leave it at that.

Questions from the readers.

Darryl asks -- "Hi Drew, just wondering what you thought of Camden Yards as a concert venue for Bruce and how did you like the setlist at the show?"

DF says -- "Well, it was a Chamber of Commerce night, weather wise, so it was hard to top that. And I thought the whole place looked just awesome. The pit looked like a lot of fun!

I thought the setlist was "good", but nothing more than that.

"Hungry Heart" was an excellent choice to start the show. As I've said before, I'm just not a huge fan of the cover stuff ("Nightshift" by The Commodores) and some of the obscure songs like "Last Man Standing" and "I'll See You In My Dreams". But I also get it. Bruce is almost 75 (tomorrow) and he probably figures, "I'll play whatever I like, thank you very much."

I loved the inclusion of "Reason To Believe". That's a very underrated song off of Nebraska.

One thing I will give him credit for last Friday. There was no political pontificating during the show. It was all about the music."

Brian Preller asks -- "Is there any way at all that Bisciotti would ever fire Harbaugh during the season? Like, if the Ravens started 0-5, let's say. Any chance Bisciotti pulls the trigger at 0-5 or 0-6?"

DF says -- "Never say never, of course, but I just don't see that happening.

I think Steve has far too much respect for John to dump him like that in the middle of the season. If they start 0-5 or 0-6, they'll just ride it out, do the best they can, and then Steve will make that call right after the season ends."

Bart asks -- "If Brandon Hyde gave you the keys to the playoff pitching rotation, who do you start in the three wild card games?"

DF says -- "You're assuming they finish behind the Yankees, huh? I'm not ready to go there just yet. But I'll answer your question for kicks and giggles.

Burnes goes in Game #1. I know he had a rough August and wasn't all that great for a month or so, but he's my guy in the opener.

I'd love to start Suarez in Game #2 and have Eflin available, if necessary, for Game #3 or Game #1 of the ALDS, but I just can't do it.

Eflin gets Game #2 and Suarez, if necessary, goes in the 3rd and final game.

That gives us the benefit of having Kremer and G-Rod available for fill in, semi-long duty if needed."

Art asks -- "What do you make of the rumors that the Ravens might turn to Bill Belichick if they eventually part ways with John Harbaugh?"

DF says -- "I haven't heard that anywhere, but Belichick was pretty good, I hear, at that coaching thing. First of all, I have no idea if he's interesting in returning to coaching. Second, his hiring would go against the recent trend of hiring the new, young, hotshot coordinator.

But.....there are some pieces of the Belichick puzzle that fit in Baltimore.

He has an affection for this area having grown up in Annapolis.

He'd probably love to get his hands on a premium quarterback like Lamar who just needs a little push to get over the top.

And, much like Brady once did when he left and went to Tampa Bay, you have to assume Bill's ego craves a title somewhere other than New England and with someone other than TB12 at quarterback.

I'm not completely ruling out the Ravens pursuing Belichick somewhere down the road, but it doesn't seem like a Ravens-type hire, either. Bisciotti would want to hire a coach who will give stability and longevity to the organization. Belichick doesn't have 16 more years in him like Harbaugh has given to the Ravens."

Friday September 20, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3680

he is definitely the g.o.a.t.

Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player of my lifetime.

Now, if you want to argue and say I didn't really know anything about baseball in the 1960's and, therefore, I couldn't really make an accurate assessment on the likes of Mickey Mantle, I'll acknowledge that you're right.

But I don't care what Mickey Mantle did.

I know Babe Ruth was great. At least that's what they grainy footage indicates.

But what Babe did or Ty Cobb did doesn't matter.

With all due respect to the great Roberto Clemente, I don't care what he did, either.

And I saw Henry Aaron. And Ken Griffey Jr. And Barry Bonds. And lately, I've seen Mike Trout, whom many modern day baseball historians have said is the best "all around player" of the last 50 years.

Ohtani is better than all of those guys.

And, honestly, it's not even close.

Yesterday in Miami, Ohtani became the first player to ever hit 50 home runs in a season and steal 50 bases in that same campaign. He did it by going 6-for-6, hitting 3 homers and driving in 10 RBI in L.A.'s 20-4 win over the Marlins.

Oh, and don't forget, he did all of this in 2024 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

No UCL in his right elbow? No problem.

OK, so that's not exactly true. He does have an ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm. It's just not the one he was born with, that's all.

50 home runs. Actually, he's now at 51 after yesterday's hat trick.

50 stolen bases. Well, he's technically at 51 in that category as well after two steals on Thursday.

51/51. It's truly amazing.

Oh, and he's hitting .294 as well. With a .376 on-base-percentage.

He also has, get this, 120 RBI on the season. And he's spent most of the campaign as the Dodgers' lead off hitter, mind you.

We've never seen someone this athletically gifted in the sport of baseball. Ever.

Maybe this is just the East Coast bias in me coming out, but imagine for a second if he played for New York or Boston. The media coverage on him would be ten-fold what it is with Ohtani based out of California.

And, let's be honest, if Ohtani were American, there's no telling how much more adoration he'd receive in the U.S.

Not that we have anything against Japanese baseball players in these parts. It's just a fact that we're far more inclined to cling on to an American superstar, that's all.

Wait until next season when he returns to the mound and goes 17-5 with a 2.59 ERA, all the while hitting 62 homers and winning yet another MVP award.

The craziest part about Shohei is this.......

He could actually get better.

I received an e-mail from #DMD reader John that is worthy of public discussion, even though I honestly don't think there's all that much to talk about.

"Drew, I'm wondering if you're going to comment on the John Harbaugh press conference where he publicly tore down Ben Cleveland and I'm curious if you think that's a good strategy? Love the Dish."

First off, here's what Harbaugh said earlier this week when he was pressed by a reporter about Cleveland's lack of playing time through the first two weeks of the season.

"If Ben had earned the job at right guard, he'd be the starting right guard," Harbaugh said. "So, when you look at the tape, he didn't beat out Daniel Faalele or anybody. I think Ben is a good player. I like Ben. I want Ben to take the next step.

"He's in his fourth year. Ben knows what he needs to do. If he wants playing time, he knows how he needs to play, and he knows how he needs to practice when he gets that chance. So, our evaluation right now is that Daniel outplayed Ben – just a fact, straight up, matter of fact. If we had thought Ben had outplayed Daniel, he'd be the starting right guard."

Earlier this week here, I opined that Harbaugh is on borrowed time if the Ravens don't recover from their 0-2 start and things spiral downward over the last 15 weeks of the regular season. Like the words he used for Ben Cleveland, Harbaugh knows what he has to do in order to continue as the team's head coach.

So, while I poke at Harbaugh for the 0-2 start and the decisions he's made over the last couple of years with regard to both in-game strategy and the hiring of key coaching personnel, what I won't do is criticize him for the way he speaks to and with the media.

But the Ben Cleveland commentary is very interesting on its own.

One thing a lot of Harbaugh haters bang on with regard to John's style is his elusive nature with the media. "Just be honest," is what you'll hear over and over from his detractors.

And, in a rare step in that direction, John actually was honest about Ben Cleveland. Generally, Harbaugh would keep those words private and would likely only speak them to his offensive lineman in private. This time, though, Harbaugh let loose with a pull-back-the-curtain description of why Cleveland isn't playing over struggling Daniel Faalele.

Here, though, is the interesting part of the commentary. Harbaugh tells the whole story in 100 words.

"If Ben had earned the job at right guard, he'd be the starting right guard."

Coach code for: Cleveland didn't have a great training camp and couldn't even beat our Faalele. What Cleveland did a year ago or two years ago, even, doesn't matter. "Now matters", is what Harbaugh is saying. And this past August, Cleveland didn't perform well enough to start at right guard.

"So when you look at tape..."

A vintage Harbaugh swipe at people who just peruse the internet and pile on when it comes to a player, his playing time, or the role he plays.

Harbaugh knows he and his staff are the only ones who actually have the tape from training camp. No one else has it but them. So he says "when you look at tape" knowing full well the people in the stands who think Cleveland should be playing don't have access to the tape in the first place. Crafty, veteran move there, coach.

"So, our evaluation right now is that Daniel outplayed Ben – just a fact, straight up, matter of fact. If we had thought Ben had outplayed Daniel, he'd be the starting right guard."

There it is. It's really all John had to say. Football coaches, paid to evaluate and coach football players, believe Faalele outplayed Cleveland in training camp. They're either right or their wrong, of course, but it's not like Harbaugh is withholding playing time from Cleveland because he dipped a girl's hair in ink or something during recess.

But of all that stuff that was said, here's what's the most interesting thing: Even when Harbaugh is honest, people have their fangs out for him.

"Why doesn't John just be honest?"

"I can't believe Harbaugh undressed Ben Cleveland like that in the media. What a tool."

I've always said here and elsewhere that what a coach says to the media is all done for a reason, whether the coach wants to avoid speaking publicly about a topic or wants to let his public words fuel a player's performance. Most coaches shy away from the latter and use private moments on and off the field to energize someone.

What I said on the record, for example, to a couple of local reporters who covered last spring's MIAA A-Conference championship golf match that my Calvert Hall team lost was much different than what I said to my team afterwards and in our exit meetings the following week.

What Buck Showalter used to say publicly about Manny Machado was not what Showalter felt in reality.

In all of the years of hearing Bernard Pollard cry and whine about the way Harbaugh treated him in Baltimore, have you ever heard the coach flame Pollard publicly to the same degree? You have not. Even though, privately, Harbaugh would tell you Pollard was a selfish, vindictive player who was always concerned with the salaries of all of the other defensive players on the team.

So, you can't have it both ways.

You either want Harbaugh to handle the media "the right way" or you want Harbaugh to bash players when they don't perform up to their expected levels.

I assume John wanted to try and nip the Ben Cleveland stuff in the bud, which is why he jumped from the top rope on Monday afternoon and spoke the truth about Cleveland.

It certainly seemed out of character for Harbaugh, that much is true. He generally doesn't say much of anything when it comes to playing time, injuries, etc.

Alas, he's also trying to get the best out of Ben Cleveland. Because, like you and I, he "watches tape" and see Daniel Faalele is struggling.

And maybe Monday's public undressing of Cleveland was yet another attempt by Harbaugh to get his 4th year player to finally man-up and start living up to his potential.

faith in sports

As part of a men's faith group I'm in, we take turns sharing either a video or a story with the group every Wednesday and, this week, it was my day to share.

I've shared this video below here at #DMD on a previous occasion.

I'm sharing it again today because it's just amazing.

It's 5 minutes long. 300 seconds of your life. Please take 5 minutes to watch it.

That DeMario Davis took the time after a game to share this message rather than to talk about himself is what's most poignant of all.

And that he was willing to tell the media assembled in the room, "I know you want me to talk about football, but I'm going to talk about God instead" is incredibly heartwarming.

This is a great story. I hope you'll watch it.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of "Faith in Sports" here every Friday.

Thursday September 19, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3679

these are giant losses

I'm a silver lining guy, so this is for all of you who are despondent about the O's late season fall-from-grace.

At least they're not going to to lose 3-2 in 10 innings to the Twins on the final day of the campaign to gift-wrap the A.L. East to the Yankees.

I mean, they might lose to the Twins 3-2 in 10 innings on September 29, but the division title won't be lost that day.

You wanted a silver lining. There it is.

Wait. I have more silver lining commentary for you, particularly if you were no longer a card carrying member of the Craig Kimbrel fan club. The Birds released the embattled veteran pitcher on Wednesday, the day after he gave up 6 runs to the Giants in that 10-0 loss on Tuesday.

Kimbrel, of course, will be signed by the Twins later today and will blank the Orioles in the top of the 9th of a 2-1 loss in Minnesota next weekend. You just know that's coming, right?

The negative part of Kimbrel's dismissal was the arrival of Bryan Baker from Norfolk. I mean, I guess he's better than Kimbrel, but not by much.

When it rains, it pours, they say. And it poured again last night on the Birds, who managed just 7 hits in a 5-3 loss to the Giants at Camden Yards. That, coupled with New York's bizarre 2-1 win in Seattle, pushes the Yankees lead to 5 games in the division with 10 games remaining.

New York, in case you didn't see it, won the game in part because Seattle's Julio Rodriguez got picked off of third base in the 10th inning because he avoided a flying bat that soared out of the hands of Randy Arozarena.

That was a true "baseball gods" moment right there. Why they want the Yankees to win I have no idea.

So with their loss and New York's win, the Birds are now 5 full games in back of the Bronx Bombers.

It's not over, yet. But if the Birds were playing horse, they'd have O-V-E.

You want more silver lining? Here's another smattering of it.

The Royals keep losing.

Kansas City fell at home last night to Detroit, 4-2, so while the Birds now have 68 losses, K.C. has 71. And the Twins (72 losses) also lost on Wednesday, in Cleveland.

The Tigers are the team to watch now, though, as they are sitting at 80-73 and riding a 4-game winning streak as they head into......yep, you guessed it......Baltimore.

The O's and Tigers will battle Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Charm City, then Detroit ends their campaign with three home games against Tampa Bay and three against the Chicago White Sox.

Don't look know, but the Tigers could finish with 86 or 87 wins depending on what they do in Baltimore this weekend.

In case you're one of those -- like me -- who looks ahead, here's what Kansas City and Minnesota have.

Royals: vs. Giants (3), at Washington (3), at Atlanta (3)

Twins: vs. Cleveland (1), at Boston (3), vs. Miami (3), vs. Baltimore (3)

The Tigers probably have the easiest road, even though they're the ones with the most losses of the four teams in the hunt.

The O's desperately need this game vs. San Francisco this afternoon. That would give them 85 wins with 9 games remaining. Even if they just win 3 of their final 9, 88 wins would probably be enough to get them into the post-season.

But they're going to play three teams in the final week of the season who all have a reason to play. Detroit is hot, the Yankees still need to sew up the A.L. East title and home field in the league and Minnesota will likely need to keep playing well to clinch a wild card spot.

86 wins very well might not be enough for the Birds.

87 wins might not, either.

88, though, should do it.

Did I mention the Orioles could still win the A.L. East if they turn things around and the Yankees sputter over their final 10 games?

OK, maybe I should just focus on the wild card scenario.

I'll give you another silver lining effort real quick: Both Zach Eflin and Corbin Burnes are going to face the Yankees in New York next week. Eflin throws today vs. the Giants and Burnes pitches the opener vs. Detroit tomorrow. So we'll get to see both of them in the Bronx, which is really all you can ask for as an O's fan.

Unfortunately, the silver-lining-flip-side is neither of them are scheduled to pitch in Minnesota in the final regular season series. Unless something wacky happens, it will be Suarez-Kremer-Povich against the Twins.

But I'll end this with a final slice of good news: The O's are not scheduled to face Gerrit Cole in New York next week. So they have that going for them......which is nice.

It's pretty remarkable that I'm sitting here on Thursday, September 19 publishing playoff scenarios and being forced to paint various ways the O's can make the post-season and various ways they might not make it as well.

I'm still here, though, saying they are going to make the playoffs. They're not finishing 85-77 or 86-76 and missing out. They're just not. Like I wrote here yesterday, if that happens, the headine the morning after will be: Drew Was Wrong.

The more pressing question at this point is who will the O's play in the wild card series and will they play the three games in Baltimore or elsewhere?

Any of the three candidates could be pesky out for the O's. If the season ended today, it would be a 2014 ALCS rematch with the Royals. K.C. has tailed off of late and their home/away stats are massively different, but all they have to do is win is two games out of three.

If I'm the O's, I'm really laser-focused on securing home field in the wild card round, particularly if it's the Royals you wind up facing. K.C.'s offense at home is so good and their offense on the road is so average that it makes you wonder if they're borrowing a strategy created by Houston from five years ago. If you know what I mean.

With last night's defeat to the Giants, that's yet another home series the O's have lost since the All-Star break. There was a point in 2023 and 2024 when teams just didn't come to Baltimore and take 2 of 3 or 3 of 4 games.

Now, it's becoming a common theme.

One thing for sure: The Tigers better not come in here and win 2 of 3 or sweep the series at OPACY this weekend.

If they do, I might need to write that headline after all.

Oh, and here's one more thing to chew on. I saved it for the very end.

Let's just say the worst case scenario plays out and the O's somehow, almost beyond imagination, wind up missing the playoffs.

If that sort of thing occurs, they will have finished the season something like 14-30 or thereabouts. It would be, by anyone's description, a September collapse of historical proportion.

I don't want that to happen. I'm just saying....

If it does happen.

What do you do with the manager in 2025?

I'll step out for a cup of Royal Farms coffee on that note and allow you all to have the room to yourselves.

Wednesday September 18, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3678

ok, the "concern button" has been pushed

Rich sent me an e-mail minutes after last night's 10-0 O's loss to the Giants and asked the following:

"Are you ready to push the panic button now?"

The answer to that is "no". But not because it's the wrong thing to do. The reason I wouldn't push the panic button is because panicking isn't going to do any good at this stage of the season.

But..........

I have officially pushed the "concern button".

If Blake Snell shuts you down and it's one of those nights where you lose because "baseball happened" and it's a 2-1 or 3-2 final, that's one thing. But when you get blistered, 10-0, and you sorta kinda have the look of a team that doesn't really care all that much, it's time to be concerned.

The division title is mathematically still a possibility, but the Yankees are now up 4 with 11 to play after they thrashed the Mariners in Seattle last night, 11-2. But here's the -- no pun intended -- real concerning fact. Missing the playoffs is now also a mathematical possibility, as crazy as that sounds.

Now, look, I'll go ahead and say this now and if I'm wrong, I'll roll in here the morning after and the headline will read "Drew Was Wrong": The Birds aren't missing the playoffs.

They'd have to go something like 2-9 to finish the season at 86-76 and, quite possibly, miss out on the post-season.

And even at 86-76, the likes of Detroit, Seattle and/or Minnesota would have to almost run the table in order to sneak past the Orioles.

But let's not ruin the developing story in Baltimore. The O's are a mess right now. The Giants are playing not to get hurt and to pad a stat or two along the way over the last two weeks. Last night, they looked like the team that needed a win and the O's looked like the squad playing out the string.

So, while people around town hammer the third of four nails in the Birds' coffin and claim "there's no way this team's doing anything in the playoffs", I'm going to keep leaning on the only angle I can lean on. They need to get their roster healthy and restored to what it was pre All-Star break.

They need Westburg back. Coulombe will help, too. If Mountcastle returns and he's even close to healthy, he can snag the at-bats that Jimenez continues to waste. More on that guy in a minute. Boy were they ever right about him in Chicago.

And If Grayson gets back before the end of the regular season, that's a plus as well, even if he just throws out of the bullpen in October.

Westburg's return would be huge. They've missed him terribly over the last two months. He's the one guy they need back the most.

I won't completely give up on the division title just yet, but I'll admit it's looking more and more like the Birds are going to come up short in that quest. And then it's a wild card berth and, hopefully, securing that first round home field advantage that comes with being the 2nd place finisher with the best overall record.

But here's something else I'm leaning on. As weird as it sounds, the O's might be better off playing the wild card series on the road. Home cooking just doesn't seem to fit that well with the Birds, particularly since early July, where they've lost series' to the Yankees, Cubs, Padres and Rays.

Maybe playing on the road is better in the long run.

Or maybe I'm just grasping at straws.

Whatever the case, it's getting tight in the American League and the O's are really scuffling.

The O's now have 67 losses. Kansas City has 70. Minnesota has 71. Detroit has 73.

What was once a "sure thing" is now an "it's gonna happen unless they collapse thing".

Like you, I'm not fond of that word, "unless". Because that means there's a chance, slight as it might be.

These are now officially "concerning days" for the Orioles.

No panic here. It wouldn't be a benefit anyway.

But I'm nervous, that's for sure.

Mike Elias is getting pounded on in town these days for his failure to dramatically improve the roster at the trade deadline.

There are now people smashing him as a know-nothing, a fraud and a GM wanna-be. "Just because it worked in Houston didn't mean it was going to work in Baltimore," someone wrote on Twitter last night.

It actually has worked in Baltimore.

Some of these internet guys must be from another planet.

Before Mike Elias got here, the Orioles were pretty much the worst franchise in baseball. They had no real front office or baseball ops direction and they were, without question, at the back of the pack as it relates to analytics and advanced statistics.

Over the last two years, the Birds have become relevant again. They're not only a blossoming product on the field, they're just now starting to see the fruits of their drafting prowess under Elias and his staff.

Now, it's very obvious this 2024 team has hit a major stumbling block at the worst possible time. There's no use trying to avoid it or act as if there's some other reason for it other than players who hit and contributed in the first half of the season tapered off in the second half and, as mentioned above, injuries to guys like Westburg, Mountcastle and, yes, even Mateo, have impacted the roster.

But to think Elias has suddenly "lost it" is patently absurd.

People don't like to talk about this at parties, but it's the truth: Mike Elias forgot more about baseball players and analytics and the like than all of us know. Combined.

Now, let's also state the other obvious fact. His work at the '24 trade deadline was less than stellar.

Trevor Rogers is in the minor leagues and will, barring something bizarre, not contribute to the team's upcoming post-season.

Eloy Jimenez is an all-time top 10 imposter. He smiles a lot and is apparently a real joy to hang around with in the locker room, but none of that matters when he gets to the plate. If he's half-trying when he's up there, that's a lot.

The White Sox weren't giggling or snickering when he cleaned out his locker in late July and headed for Baltimore. They were doing handstands and handing out cigars to celebrate.

That the Orioles didn't give up anything to get Jimenez is the only saving grace in the whole thing. But it was Elias who took him. And unless he somehow comes up with his Delmon Young moment in the playoffs, the Jimenez era in Baltimore will be brief and without anything tangible to reflect upon when he signs with the Nationals or Marlins in the off-season.

The rest of the guys acquired have been reasonably competent. Seranthony Dominguez isn't a closer, but he's playing the role of one because the guy who gave up six runs in the 9th inning last night was removed as the closer in July.

Soto x 2 and Austin Slater have been what we expected they'd be. Good one night, OK the next night and then not playing for two or three nights. As Judge Smails said in Caddyshack: "The world needs ditch diggers, too."

Mike Elias didn't know Westburg, Rodriguez, Mountcastle, Mateo and Urias were going to get hurt.

No one did.

To suggest the team hasn't been impacted by those injuries is silly. Are those guys worth four wins along the way? Sure, they very well might have been the difference between keeping pace with the Yankees and eventually wilting down the stretch.

It's easy -- and fair -- to hold him accountable for Rogers and Jimenez. Elias was, after all, the guy who pulled the trigger on those two deals.

But piling on the general manager and acting as if he's the reason the club has bottomed out over the last 6-8 weeks is #clownshoes stuff.

Tuesday September 17, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3677

how much sand is left?

You've played many a board game in your life, I'm sure. Some of them have dice, some have money and some have those glass products filled with sand. They're often called an hour glass, sand timer or sand clock.

You turn it over and the sand starts filtering from the top down to the bottom. Eventually, the upper half empties and the bottom half is filled.

At some point, all the sand from the top is gone and there's nothing left.

The Ravens, as you're well aware, have started their 2024 season with an 0-2 record.

The "if game" is easy to play.

If Isaiah Likely wears a size 11 shoe instead of a size 12, the Ravens might very well have won the opener vs. Kansas City.

If Brandon Stephens doesn't get nailed for a ticky-tack pass interference call in the 4th quarter on Sunday, the Ravens might have held on to beat Las Vegas.

Yes, they could easily be 2-0 instead of 0-2.

But they're not.

And it isn't just that they're 0-2, it's how they got there that's the bigger issue.

The head coach is the one taking the brunt of the criticism in Baltimore two weeks into the season. His most ardent supporters will point out the obvious: He didn't miss a wide open Zay Flowers in the end zone against the Chiefs. He didn't hit the Kansas City quarterback in the head after he released the ball. He didn't miss a 53-yard field goal. And he didn't get the ball knocked out of his hand and turn it over to the Chiefs.

Supporters of John Harbaugh would offer the same rhetoric from the Raiders game. On field mistakes, made by professionals earning millions of dollars, don't always correlate to trangressions authored by the head coach.

On the flip side, Harbaugh's critics -- and there's a growing legion of them in Charm City, in case you haven't noticed -- will dispute the idea that mistakes made by his players shouldn't be connected to the head coach. And at the same time, they'll point out game management and play style scenarios within each contest that should be directly attached to Harbaugh himself.

Who is right?

The supporters?

Or the critics?

In the mid 1990's, with team revenues stalling and expenses always creeping up, the owner of the indoor soccer team in town advised me to trim our team payroll by approximately 35% over a two year period.

He wanted me to shave the payroll by roughly 20% the first year and then another 15% in year two, hoping that would stem the tide of the financial losses he was incurring without impacting the on-field product all that much.

I wasn't thrilled with the idea.

But I was thrilled with the salary I was making and the new contract I had just signed, so I shook his hand and promised I'd do my very best.

As a result of our cost-cutting efforts, we turned our attentions to foreign players in places like Serbia, Croatia and even Brazil. There, we found, high caliber young players were eager to bolt for a chance to play in the United States, even for as little as $3,000 per-month.

The very first year, we identified three players from Serbia who came in at what we considered "discount prices". They didn't have any real indoor soccer experience, of course, but they had outstanding raw, technical soccer skills that we could refine over time.

And best of all, we could sign them for something like $24,000 for a seven month season as opposed to giving a veteran player in the league roughly double that salary.

On paper, it looked smart.

On the field, not so much.

The team's performance waned considerably as my head coach and assistant coach tried to turn the rookies into veterans overnight. The effort was there. The wins, unfortunately, didn't follow along.

We moved roughly a half dozen players in and out that first season, trying to find the right mix. The players came in from all over, including one from Brazil, one from Australia and others from Serbia and Eastern Europe.

Late in the season, the owner came to town for a weekend set of games and, as we would always do, the two of us caught up over lunch in Little Italy on a Saturday afternoon.

"So what's wrong with the team?" he asked.

Trying to tread as lightly as I could, I gave him an honest answer without trying to pile on about his pre-season edict to lower the payroll.

"Well, we signed Nesko, and he didn't really pan out. He was OK at first, but he just didn't pick up the indoor game like we thought he would. We basically signed him over Dan O'Keefe, remember. Dan was a goal-scorer. We thought Nesko would score goals. But he didn't."

"So we sent him home and brought Belic over," I continued to explain. "He didn't grasp the indoor game, either. Highly skilled. But not tough enough. Didn't like the contact."

I went on to go through the others we brought in and released, giving what I thought was a fairly reasonable explanation on each of them.

"So when I hear all of this," the owner said, "I keep hearing one common theme. You sign a player and then a month or so later, you cut him."

"Yeah, well, we're not having a lot of success with them, that's true," I stated.

"Who keeps signing the players?" he asked.

Checkmate.

I took a bite of my Sabatino's bookmakers salad and let the question linger for a second, hoping it would go away.

He looked at me.

I wanted so badly to say, "Had you not cut the friggin' budget, I wouldn't be chasing those guys all over Eastern Europe."

But I didn't.

Because the reality was the owner didn't tell me who to sign. He merely told me how much I had at my disposal to spend on the player roster.

The rest of the decisions were made by me, in concert with my head coach.

"Who keeps signing the players?" the owner asked again.

"I do," I replied.

"That's correct," he said, sharply. "I just want to make sure you know that."

And that was it. I didn't get fired or anything like that. It was merely an exercise to point out that someone, somewhere had to take the brunt of the blame for the underperformance of the team that season.

And the owner decided it should be the person who signed the players in the first place.

The Ravens have a coaching problem.

That's not a knee-jerk, two-game reaction, either.

It's a commentary made after years of watching the team play well most of the time but then stunningly falter at some of the most inopportune times possible.

Fourth quarter leads, squandered.

Playoff games, lost.

Individual player performances rapidly diminishing or, in some cases, never coming close to their expected level of fulfillment.

In game tactical and management decisions rendered puzzling at best, negligent at worst.

These are all by products, in some way, of one word. Do you know what that word is?

Here's where I stall for a second while you think about the word.

.

.

.

.

.

.

OK, do you have the word?

It's this: personnel.

Everyone associated with the organization can be filed under that word.

Front office "personnel".

Coaching staff "personnel".

Player "personnel".

So it's very apparent, at this point, that the Ravens have a personnel issue.

And while it might be true that the head coach doesn't actually go out and acquire the player personnel, that's really not part of this discussion today.

The Ravens have a lot of talented players.

They have one of the best quarterbacks in either league.

They have a dynamic tight end combination and a speedy #1 wide receiver who was a first round pick in 2023.

The defensive side of the ball boasts one of the top middle linebackers in the NFL, a former 1st round pick at cornerback, and an interior lineman they backed up the Brinks truck for last off-season.

Whether the Ravens have the most talented roster in the league is certainly a water cooler debate. But they aren't lacking in talent, that's for sure.

When the former President was shot at in Butler, PA back in July, the uproar over "who tried to kill the President" was the talk of the land.

I said this over and over to anyone who wanted to hear it: "Only two parties could have benefitted from Donald Trump being killed. The party opposing him. Or the party he represents, attempting to somehow marry an assassination attempt with a mental and physical toughness that voters should want to support."

Figure out who benefits the most and you'll figure out who likely ordered and orchestrated the events in Butler, PA. That's the way I see it, anyway.

I don't know much, but I know this: Some goofy 20-year old kid didn't just get in his car on a Saturday morning and drive an hour away from home with guns in his trunk and finagle his way around the best security professionals in the world and climb up on the roof of a building he knew nothing about.

Figure out who helped that kid get up there and you'll have your responsible party.

So why do I bring that up?

Because the situation involving the Ravens is oddly similar in nature. It can only be one of two things. Either the Ravens don't have the right players. Or they don't have the right coaches.

Is that right?

I mean, sure, you could say "It's a little of both", but in reality you either believe the Ravens have the personnel and player roster to win a title or they don't. And you either believe the coaching staff can coach them to a title or they can't.

It's either the players or the coaches.

Are the Ravens 0-2 because of the players?

Or are they 0-2 because of the coaches?

Did they lose to Kansas City last January because of the players?

Or did they lose because of the coaches?

I have never been a "fire the coach" guy. I fired one, once, in mid-season and it was a gut-wrenching thing to do. I've also been fired, not as a coach, per se, but fired nonetheless. It's an awful feeling.

Going all the way back to my days on the radio when people like Dave Tremblay, Juan Samuel and Sam Perlozzo were tasked with winning games with a roster comparable to The Bad News Bears, I never went on the air and said, "That dude has to go."

I didn't necessarily think Brian Billick deserved to be fired, either.

I thought Buck Showalter did an excellent job in Baltimore for the most part.

And even though I think Brandon Hyde does some really wacky stuff more often than I'd prefer, when he's been given a competent player roster, his teams have consistently won.

There are people in town who think Hyde should be fired. I'm certainly not one of them.

Coaches are always the low hanging fruit, mostly because all of the judging that gets done about coaches almost always, always, always happens after the play, after the game or after the season. In other words, once you know the result, it's then that you say, "Yeah, well, the blame there goes on the coach."

So, I've never been a "fire the coach" guy.

But as I watch the very early returns on the 2024 Ravens, I'd say this: They have a coaching problem.

I'm not a football expert. I didn't play in the NFL. Or in college, even. So my opinion might be as meaningless as it could possibly be.

I don't think Todd Monken is a NFL coordinator.

And I don't think Zach Orr is a NFL coordinator.

Not now, at least.

Monken was thoroughly out-foxed last January in the AFC Championship Game.

And Orr has appeared to be in over his head in the early stages of 2024.

Can you fire both of them right now? Of course not.

Should you fire both of them right now? Of course not.

But here's the question? The same one my owner asked me 30 years ago over lunch in Little Italy.

Who hired Monken?

And who promoted Orr?

If the answer is "John Harbaugh" and it was, in fact, the head coach's call to hire Monken away from the University of Georgia and gift Orr the job after Mike Macdonald left, then it's Harbaugh who should have to ultimately pay the price for their shortcomings.

The Raiders came to town on Sunday with realistically only one way to beat the Ravens. They had to throw the ball to two players, basically. Davante Adams. And Brock Bowers. Vegas has no running game at all. They can't really do anything offensively except try to somehow unlock Adams and Bowers.

Everyone in the stadium knew that on Sunday.

Who beat the Ravens? Adams. And Bowers.

That was either the team's defensive personnel not being good enough to contain those two players or it was the coaching staff not effectively scheming to stop those two.

It can really only be one of the two.

I think it was coaching.

Zach Orr is the guy coordinating the Baltimore defense. Therefore, it falls on him.

Or does it fall on the guy who hired him?

A defensive coordinator spot in the NFL is an extremely coveted position. You're not only raking in beaucoup bucks, but you're essentially one step away -- as Mike Macdonald showed -- from being an attractive head coach candidate.

The Ravens could have had their pick of the litter last January when Macdonald took the Seattle head coach job.

For reasons only they know, they went with Zach Orr.

I sure hope I'm wrong here, but I think they went with the wrong guy.

Nothing against him. He could turn into an awesome coordinator someday down the road.

But his hire, like Monken's in 2023, is a head scratcher.

Who hired those two guys?

Find that out and you'll start to see where the Ravens problems lie.

I am a card carrying member of the John Harbaugh fan club. I have been since the first day I met him. I've never been ashamed to say that or proclaim it here at #DMD.

He's a football guy, through and through. He loves Baltimore. He raised a family here and has been a critical contributor to our community since 2008.

In full disclosure, he's been a friend to me and has helped me with some personal endeavors with both Calvert Hall Golf and FCA.

In a nation with diminishing numbers of quality human beings, John Harbaugh is a stand out, stand up guy. If you don't think John Harbaugh is a high quality man, you're a really poor judge of character.

But the hourglass has been flipped over and the sand is starting to move from the top to the bottom.

And it's going to keep going until eventually there's nothing left.

Time and the movement of such always winds up winning. Nothing lasts forever.

If this Ravens season goes sideways, as I'm now suspecting it will, the ultimate solution is the obvious one, even though it might not be completely fair.

The head coach will need to be removed.

I can't see it happening during the season, mind you.

But if the offense continues to sputter and if the defense continues to fail under the gun, the only person left who hasn't been fired or replaced at some point in the last decade is the head coach himself.

It will be his turn, unfortunately.

And whether the word "deserved" applies or not, the reality is it will be justified by the team's performance and the simple fact that the same mistakes keep happening and the same losses keep mounting.

There's still a lot of football left, of course. A win in Dallas this Sunday and the Ravens are right back on track, sort of.

But my gut says even a win over the Cowboys won't stitch up the wounds that have been opened by some curious personnel decisions over the last two years.

Todd Monken might beat the Cowboys this Sunday, but he won't beat the Bills the following Sunday. And he won't beat the Chiefs, Bills, Chargers or Texans in January with the season on the line.

Zach Orr might befuddle Zak Prescott this week, but he won't confuse Josh Allen on September 29 in Baltimore. And he won't be able to nullify guys like Mahomes, Herbert or Stroud in the post-season when it matters most.

I sure would love to be wrong on those two. I'd proudly say, "I was wrong about Todd Monken" or "I was wrong about Zach Orr" in the same way I'm delighted to say "I was wrong about Anthony Santander in 2024." I called for Santander to hit 19 home runs and have a "down season". I was dead-red wrong.

I just don't see the Baltimore offense and Baltimore defense having what it takes to rise to the top.

The hourglass is almost empty.

And you know what that's going to lead to, I suspect.

My wish is simple: I hope the Ravens turn this around and Harbaugh sticks it up everyone's back side with a red hot poker.

I hope he's standing there on stage with the TV talking head in February, shoving the Lombardi Trophy in the air as if to say, "This is for you, Forrester, and you, Preston, and you (insert other critics here), and all the rest of you know-nothings in Baltimore who said I was the problem. How does that humble pie taste?"

Man, I'd give anything to see the Ravens do an about-face and roll through the season and into the Super Bowl.

If it happens, John gets the last laugh. And rightfully so.

But if it doesn't.......

The sand will have emptied from the top. And there won't be anything left.

And what do you do with an hourglass when it's no longer working?

You turn it over and start again.

Monday September 16, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3676

a bad day to be a bird in baltimore

Quick, what's the NFL record for sacks in a game?

Micah Parsons of the Cowboys wants to know.

He's absolutely licking his chops in advance of the Ravens visit to Dallas next week. After yesterday's stunning home loss to Las Vegas, the Ravens will visit the Cowboys trying to avoid an improbable 0-3 start.

Since the NFL schedule increased to 17 games in 2021, only 2 of 32 teams who started the season 0-2 went on to make the playoffs. Those aren't great numbers, but 0-3 is even worse. In other words, next Sunday might not be "must" win, but if we were playing horse the Ravens would have M-U-S at this point.

Before the 2024 campaign started, I called for an 11-6 Ravens season and an eventual playoff dismissal. My main reason for the "down" year? The offensive line, I said.

I'll play John Harbaugh's role for a second and state the obvious: The Ravens have 15 games remaining and they might wind up proving me wrong on that pre-season assessment. But for now I'll double down on it. The offensive line in Baltimore is a bottom tier unit in the NFL and, I'm fairly sure, is the worst (healthy) offensive line group in the history of the Ravens franchise.

Oh, the NFL record for sacks in a game is 7, held by former Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas in a game vs. Seattle back in 1990.

Micah Parsons might get 7 in the first half next Sunday.

Yesterday's loss in Charm City was much more of the same old, same old.

Bizarre play calling by Todd Monken.

Questionable penalty calls.

Inability to cover the opposing tight ends, again.

Ill-timed penalty on Brandon Stephens that probably could have been called either way, but was called against the Ravens cornerback.

Missed field goal by Justin Tucker.

Odd challenges that resulted in losing valuable time outs.

And Lamar Jackson having the game on his racket in the 4th quarter and being unable to drive the final nail in the Raiders' coffin.

I don't know that any of those outweigh the other, but Monken's failure to use Derrick Henry properly ranks near the top.

The Baltimore defense was gifted a 10-point 4th quarter lead and couldn't put the sleeper hold on Gardner Minshew and the Las Vegas offense, as the visitors connected for a field goal, touchdown and game-winning field goal to steal the 3-point win.

John Harbaugh said all the right things after the game, but the reality is an 0-2 start is almost season ending, as the stats above indicate.

The good news?

Cincinnati is also 0-2 and the Browns are 1-1.

Pittsburgh is 2-0 after beating a pair of JV squads on the road. Let's see where they are at the end of October once they start playing real teams.

In other words, if the Ravens can go 4-2 or 5-1 in the division, they're still likely going to win the AFC North.

And if they're going to lose a game to drop to 0-3, losing to an NFC team next Sunday would be the only reasonable way to fall to 0-3.

The only problem? Buffalo comes to town the following week. They won't be a walk in the park, either.

John Harbaugh gets raked over the coals after every loss, no matter the score, how it happened or which of his players were most negligent in the defeat.

Harbaugh, of course, wasn't the one who forgot to run Derrick Henry in short yardage situations. And he wasn't the one who got flagged for a crucial pass interference call late in the game. And he definitely didn't miss that 56 yard field goal in the first half.

But at some point, Harbaugh's going to have to pay the price for his team's inability to close out these double-digit 4th quarter leads.

I know what ardent Harbaugh supporters will say: "The team just went to the AFC Championship Game last season."

That's correct, of course. They did.

But at some point, the buck has to stop somewhere. And if the Ravens continue to drop these games they have in hand, like the one they squandered yesterday, Harbaugh's going to get the blame. It's just the way it is.

At some point, another guy is going to get blamed, too. The quarterback. We'll get to him shortly.

Look, here's the reality that the Ravens don't want to talk about parties. Their rock-star offensive coordinator they stole from the most high powered college program in the country hasn't done anything in two years to make you go "Wow!".

And their rock-star defensive coordinator they stole from one of the more prestigious programs in all of college football is now the head coach in Seattle.

Oh, and in an incredibly sad turn of events, one of the more respected position coaches in franchise history passed away during training camp.

If the Ravens have a "coaching problem", it extends well past John Harbaugh. The offensive coordinator is a dud, the defensive coordinator is a rookie who was basically gifted the position for some weird reason and, together, it's adding up to some unimpressive football.

Harbaugh's expiration date might soon be approaching. That much is true. But at least it took him the better part of 16 years to finally spoil.

Monken was just opened last year and people are already saying, "Maybe it's me, but this doesn't smell good."

As for Zach Orr, that one was a little weird right from jump street. It's spilled milk now, but it's hard not to believe someone with more experience and more know-how didn't want that gig last January.

All that said, here's the other guy now officially under the microscope. Lamar Jackson.

The Ravens rightfully rewarded him with one of the biggest contracts in league history a year ago and he responded with a MVP performance until the AFC Championship Game. And while he didn't play "poorly" in that game vs. K.C., he also didn't win that game, either.

And when you give a guy $52 million a year, you do so with the expectation that there will be games along the way that he just outright figures out a way to win all on his own.

Sure, football is a team game. Everyone has a role on every play and if someone botches their assignment, the chain of events thereafter might possibly lead to the whole play breaking down.

But there are situations where the quarterback has to be the difference. And in the Ravens case, they have perhaps the best athlete in the entire league on their roster.

Next Sunday sets up to be one of those occasions where Lamar has to be the reason the Ravens win.

While his contract is cap-friendly (this year and next), the Ravens have to make hay. Once the 2027 campaign rolls around, either the QB himself or others around him are going to have to restructure their deals to help keep the club competitive. In the meantime, though, the current (healthy) roster should be good enough to beat sorry teams like Las Vegas at home.

I say this all the time when dissecting losses and such. It's a pizza.

And in the Ravens situation, both because he makes the most money and plays the most important position on the field, Lamar always gets two or more slices when they don't win.

Next Sunday is a supreme test for him. Can the 2-time MVP go to Dallas and extricate his team from an 0-2 start with a win over a Cowboys squad that just got blistered at home by New Orleans?

He can't do it all. That much is true.

But next week he might have to.

Tomorrow here at #DMD, I'll be doing a deep dive into John Harbaugh and his future in Owings Mills. You might want to come around and check it out. You also might be surprised with what you read.

	"Randy On The O's"
Randy Morgan takes #DMD readers through the recent week in Orioles baseball as the Birds try to win a second straight A.L. East title.

o's week in review

Week Record: 2-4

Season Record: 84-66

AL East Standing: 2nd (3 GB NYY, 2 GA KC for WC1)

Player of the Week: Gunnar Henderson

Maybe you can remember back to September 17 last year, a magical day where the Orioles came from behind to beat the Tampa Bay Rays and start their surge for the division title at the same time the Ravens were beating the Cincinnati Bengals on their home field. Well, Sunday was the exact opposite of that, a sort of Black Sunday for Baltimore sports.

While the Ravens have plenty of season left to figure out their shortcomings, the Orioles are running out of time. Their defense of the AL East title is rapidly fading after another week of mediocrity. Unfortunately for the Orioles, the Yankees managed to win five of their seven games against the Royals and Red Sox, pushing themselves three games ahead of the O’s in the division.

At this point the Orioles may need to be more concerned with staying ahead of the surging Royals for the top Wild Card spot, as they currently lead by just two games. As someone who shelled out for the Birdland membership mostly for the priority on playoff tickets, I’m really hoping they can at least hold on to that to guarantee a couple home playoff games.

It will be an abbreviated recap of the games this week because honestly, I don’t want to relive them. The O’s got decent starting pitching but the offense was anemic, even with three games in the bandbox that is Fenway Park.

If you want to look on the brightside, Corbin Burnes appears to be back on track. His seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts in the win on Saturday was his third straight solid start after the calendar turned to September. If Burnes returns to ace form, sending him and Eflin to start any playoff series should put the O’s in good position, if the offense can score any runs.

The only other positive from the week was the first few reinforcements coming off the injured list. Heston Kjerstad and Jacob Webb both returned to the Orioles on Sunday, with Danny Coulombe close behind after two shutout innings this week in Norfolk.

One can only hope that Jordan Westburg, Grayson Rodriguez and Ramon Urias are close behind them. None of them have begun rehab assignments yet, so the time is winding down for them to get some reps before the playoffs. Westburg is reportedly fielding and hitting in the cage, Rodriguez is supposed to throw a “live bullpen” soon and Urias is “ahead of schedule.” It seems like there is no timetable for Ryan Mountcastle so he may be done for the year.

If you squint, you can imagine how the Orioles get back to health and make a run in the playoffs, but the time is certainly running out for them to turn the corner and get back to winning baseball.

They started off this week with a complete meltdown in Boston, losing 12-3 on Monday after a rough Cade Povich start and an even worse effort from the bullpen. Two homers from Cedric Mullins and a six inning one-run start from Albert Suarez got them a 5-3 win on Tuesday, but they dropped the series finale in Boston by the same score on a 10th inning walk off homer off Keegan Akin, spoiling another strong start from Dean Kremer.

Things didn’t get any better as they traveled to Detroit, where they managed just six runs in three games against mostly the Tigers bullpen. Zach Eflin took a frustrating loss on Friday after delivering 6.2 innings of one-run pitching, as Gunnar Henderson managed the only hit of the night with a triple in the 9th inning. On Saturday it was again Mullins and Gunnar who provided the only offense, but the four runs they generated were enough for a 4-2 win thanks to a gem of a start from Corbin Burnes.

On Sunday the O’s started a day of Baltimore sports misery with a 4-2 loss after a decent start from Cade Povich. Riley Greene played the role of Brock Bowers and Davante Adams, hitting two homers and driving in three while the Orioles only managed two runs on an Adley Rutschman homer.

It doesn’t feel like we should even award a Player of the Week today, but Gunnar Henderson did his best Lamar Jackson carry the team on his back this week, getting on base at a .370 clip with a home run, five runs and two RBI. The starting rotation also deserves a shout out, with Burnes, Eflin, Suarez and Kremer all producing quality starts on the week.

Down on the Farm --

With the season winding down the minors are becoming less relevant to the outcome of the team this year. The lower levels have completed their seasons with just Norfolk and Bowie still playing. The biggest news out of the minor leagues this week were the rehab appearances of Jacob Webb, Heston Kjerstad and Danny Coulombe, the former two who returned to the majors on Sunday.

In Norfolk, top prospect Samuel Basallo had a bounce back week as he adjusts to AAA pitching, batting .333 on the week with a double and two RBI. Brandon Young pitched 5.1 shutout innings with four strikeouts and one walk in his appearance and Trevor Rogers looked better with six shutout innings and seven strikeouts. However, at this point it doesn’t look like either will help the big league team down the stretch unless there are even more injuries.

At AA Bowie, outfield prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. hit safely in five of six games, batting .350 with his first AA homer along with four walks and four stolen bases. Fellow outfield prospect Dylan Beavers continued his strong September, pushing his OPS to .989 for the month and looking ready for a move up to Norfolk next season.

Question of the Week --

Who are the three starters for the Wild Card series?

With the Orioles falling three games behind the Yankees after Sunday’s results, it's looking more and more like they will need to be ready for a Wild Card series. Fangraphs gives them just an 11.9% chance to win the division now, but still a 99.7% chance of making the playoffs. Given that, let's consider what the rotation should look like for that potential series.

As it stands now, the O’s would be in position to host the two or three games against the Kansas City Royals. Assuming the Birds could arrange their starters as they prefer going into the series, how would that look?

It seems there are two locks to start in this three game series. Zach Eflin has been lights out since the Orioles acquired him from the Rays. He has been more than the front office could have hoped down the stretch and he has given no reason to doubt he’d give the team a great chance to win in any playoff game.

Corbin Burnes has been among the best pitchers in the league over the past few years and he was on track for some Cy Young votes before a disastrous August. After three September starts he appears to be back on his ace-level game and will surely start one of the first two games. While you could argue Eflin has been the better of the two since coming to Baltimore, my guess is Burnes will get game one, as a show of confidence in the veteran and top offseason acquisition.

After those two is where the tough decisions come in. Grayson Rodriguez has been the second or third starter for the Orioles all season when healthy, but given that he has yet to make a rehab start, huge questions remain about his readiness for the playoffs.

Would you trust Rodriguez to pitch a playoff game if he hasn’t made more than one start back in the big leagues before the finish of the regular season? He struggled massively in his one playoff start last year, not even making it out of the second inning.

If it’s not Rodriguez then that leaves either Dean Kremer or Albert Suarez. Both have been solid in September, with Suarez in competition for the Most Valuable Oriole this season, or at least the unsung hero award.

You would probably have more faith in Suarez in a decisive game three, especially after Kremer’s outing in last year’s postseason went even worse than Rodriguez’s. However, Suarez is the only one of the group that has experience pitching out of the bullpen. So Hyde and Elias may prefer to start either Kremer or Rodriguez and have Suarez ready to go if anything goes wrong.

GRod has an intriguing profile to come out of the bullpen. Perhaps his power arm could work well in a high leverage spot, but who knows how hard it would be for him to transition to that role at the most important point of the season. It may be more realistic to move Suarez into that spot and let Rodriguez or Kremer start a game three.

The other possibility would be holding Eflin for a potential game three and letting one of the aforementioned trio pitch game two. If you win game one that may be a gamble worth taking, allowing Eflin to start game one of the ALDS if the team wins the Wild Card in two games. However if game two is a must-win, then Eflin has to start.

We have a few weeks to see how it plays out, but this will be the most important decision of the season for Hyde unless the O’s can pull off the improbable and come back to take the division from the Yankees.

Sunday September 15, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3675

back on track......yes?

The Ravens and Raiders tackle today at M&T Bank Stadium and it's one of those no-brainer games for Baltimore that better well be a win.

An 0-2 start wouldn't be catastrophic, but losing at home to the Raiders would be.

I know there aren't style or blowout points available, but I'm expecting a Ravens romp this afternoon in sunny Charm City.

This feels like one of those games where the Ravens flex their offensive muscles and pour it on, adding more depth to the conversation that the two best AFC teams played in the Thursday night opener ten days ago, no matter what goofy Ja'Marr Chase thinks.

I don't see the Raiders offense being able to do much against the Baltimore defense. But this will be a good test for Zach Orr nonetheless. Let's see if he can dial up a winning game plan against Gardner Minshew, who was actually somewhat decent last week in the loss to the L.A. Chargers.

In the end, the game will hinge on the Raiders ability to stop Lamar, Zay, Likely and Derrick Henry.

And, no pun intended, it's very unlikely they'll be able to do that.

It's a semi-blow-out from the start, as the Ravens lead 10-0 after one and build a 20-7 halftime lead. It's 27-10 after three quarters and the Ravens add another TD and field goal in the 4th quarter to polish off a 37-13 home smashing of Las Vegas.

OK, it wasn't exactly an offensive explosion or anything like that, but four runs and three of them in one inning was certainly a welcome sight on Saturday night for the O's.

Their 4-2 win coupled with New York's 7-1 home loss to Boston moved the battlin' Birds back to within two games of the Bronx Bombers with 13 games remaining in the regular season.

Corbin Burnes threw what both Brandon Hyde and James McCann called his "best start of the year", going seven innings and allowing just two hits while striking out seven Detroit batters. Burnes has been scuffling for the better part of six weeks, so a return to form was not only a welcome sight but much needed on a night the O's entered the game knowing the Yankees had lost earlier in the day.

And give Hyde some credit, too. He somehow had a gut feeling that Livan Soto would be a reasonable choice to play second base on Saturday night and the little-used 24 year old responded with two hits and a sparkling play or two in the field as well. His double in the 7th inning moved Emmanuel Rivera to third base and Rivera would score on the very next at bat when James McCann lofted a sacrifice fly into left field.

Gunnar Henderson followed McCann's contribution with a 2-run homer to right field for his 37th dinger of the campaign. With Anthony Santander cooling off dramatically over the last few weeks, Henderson is now the obvious clubhouse leader for the team's MVP award and will almost certainly snag the honor barring something really weird happening in the final two weeks of the season.

Seranthony Dominguez made things interesting in the bottom of the 9th when he surrendered two runs, but it all ended well and the O's picked up that vital game on New York after all.

So there's one more with the Tigers this afternoon (early start, 12:10 pm) and then it's home for the final six games of the regular season against the Giants and that same Detroit club.

Looming in the distance, of course, is the pivotal 3-game series in New York against the Yankees in 10 days.

In the meantime, the walking wounded will start trickling back in this week, with expected returns by Jacob Webb, Danny Coulombe and Jordan Westburg at the very least. Those three alone should give the O's a big boost heading into that series with the Yankees.

A few weeks back, a potential MLB rule change was bandied about that would eliminate what the Tigers did the last two days. Detroit, in case you missed, it, started Beau Brieske on both Friday and Saturday. In the opener, he "worked" 1.1 innings and and then last night he was only able to hang in there for the first inning.

I say "hang in there" with a smirk, of course. But the whole thing is a joke. That said, if the rule is there to be manipulated, you can't blame teams for manipulating it.

To wit, there actually isn't a rule in the first place, which is part of the problem. And it's also why MLB is considering instituting a rule that says the pitcher who starts the game must complete six innings.

That move would/will get rid of so-called bullpen games all together.

There would be some exceptions to the 6-inning mandate, though. A starting pitcher can be removed prior to completing six innings if one of the following takes place:

* He throws 100 pitches

* He gives up four or more earned runs

* He gets injured (with a required injured list stint to avoid manipulation)

I don't know that I'm a huge fan of the 6-inning rule. But I do know I'm completely not a fan of the relief-pitcher-starting-a-game-and-throwing-one-inning option.

So I'd vote "yes" for the 6-inning rule on that principle alone. Much like the upcoming Presidential election, one option is better than the other simply because that "other" option isn't reasonable. That doesn't mean both options are great. It just means one is far worse than the other.

Given a choice between a 6-inning rule and allowing someone to throw just one inning to start the game, I'll agree to the 6-inning rule.

And I'm sure the Players Association doesn't like the bullpen game option. They want starting pitchers creating maximum benefit so they can earn bigger contracts along the way.

Alas, I don't care about contracts and such. Much like the infield shift took away from the game (and helped end some careers, like a certain $161 million first baseman in Baltimore), the bullen-starter concept takes away from the game, too.

I realize managers and stat nerds are in place to get creative and steal a win or three during the season with creative, outside the box thinking, but the bullpen game is stupid. It just is.

If the proposed 6-inning rule gets ratified at some point, I'd be in favor of it simply because I'm in favor of anything that eliminates what we saw from the Tigers on Friday and Saturday.

	WILL JACKSON and his weekly NFL picks
Will Jackson will be here every Sunday during the NFL season with his thoughts on games and prop bets that will hopefully yield positive results for you.

Happy football Sunday to everyone reading this. The Ravens host the Raiders, of course, and there's also a full slate of games and prop wagers to consider so let's get right to it.

One thing I want to say about making prop wagers that could help you. NFL players are definitely creatures of habit when it comes to individual performances against opposing teams. Josh Allen was a great prop wager against Miami on Thursday night because he always seems to play well against the Dolphins, whether it's home or away.

If you have time to kill during the week, just a little bit of research on how players do against certain opponents could benefit you in a big way. As you'll see below, I'm buying into the Ravens and their home opener success, especially against someone like the Raiders.

Here are my game picks for the week and some other prop wagers.

Game bets:

Ravens (-8) over Vegas

Ravens/Raiders over the total of 41.5

L.A. Chargers (-5) over Carolina

Denver (+2.5) vs. Pittsburgh

Jacksonville (-3) over Cleveland

Kansas City (-6) over Cincinnati

Kansas City/Cincinnati over the total of 48.5

Prop bets:

Lamar Jackson (Baltimore) over 203.5 yards passing

Justice Hill (Baltimore) anytime touchdown scorer

Zay Flowers (Baltimore) anytime touchdown scorer

Justin Fields (Pittsburgh) over 160.5 yards passing

Justin Herbert (L.A.) over 203.5 yards passing

Aaron Jones (Minnesota) over 61.5 yards rushing

CeeDee Lamb (Dallas) over 6.5 receptions

Jameson Williams (Detroit) over 44.5 yards receiving

Deshaun Watson (Cleveland) under 203.5 yards passing

At least one defensive score in Pittsburgh/Denver

Saturday September 14, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3674

the boss delivers, the o's offense doesn't

I guess there was some real irony in the air on Friday night in Charm City.

While Bruce Springsteen was playing all of the hits at the downtown baseball stadium, the Orioles were only able to record one hit in Detroit in a gut-punch 1-0 loss to the Tigers.

Is it too soon to make Bruce jokes at the expense of the O's? If so, I apologize.

Alas, it's true.

Springsteen tore through a remarkable 3-hour set at Camden Yards and the E Street Band was nearly flawless, as Bruce delighted the hometown faithful with "Hungry Heart" as the show opener to get the folks on his side right from the start.

The O's, meanwhile, were nearly no-hit by four different Detroit pitchers. Baltimore's only hit of the night -- I'd make a Beatles reference here but I'm giving up on low hanging fruit, doctors orders -- was a Gunnar Henderson triple that just snuck down the first base line with 2 outs in the top of the 9th.

That's it. Just one hit.

No, not the Beatles. The Orioles.

To make matters worse, I guess, Henderson was the game-tying run, on third base, in a contest the O's had zero business being in a position to win. And then Anthony Santander struck out to end the game and that was that.

Somewhere here yesterday I mentioned the Yankees would eventually see Aaron Judge break out of his 3-week slump and do something special. That's one I wish I would have been wrong on, frankly. Judge hit a dramatic 7th inning grand slam last night in the Bronx to give New York a 5-4 win over Boston and push them 3 games ahead of the O's with 14 games remaining.

I guess you could say Judge led the Yankees to "the promised land" last night at Yankee Stadium.

And so, the O's are now officially in a pinch in terms of the division crown. It's not out of reach or anything like that. They still have that huge 3-game series in New York in two weeks time that will probably decide the division one way or the other.

But they're starting to enter "can't lose tonight" territory if they want to win a second straight A.L. East title.

Meanwhile, the A.L. Wild Card race is getting very interesting now that Detroit has emerged as a late contender.

The O's are in good shape with 65 losses.

Next it's the pesky Royals with 67.

Minnesota currently has the third and final spot locked down with 69 losses.

Detroit has 72 losses, the Mariners have 73 and the Red Sox have 74.

Don't look now, folks, but the O's are on a collision course with the Royals in the first round of the playoffs. Yeah, I know what you're thinking and I'm of the same mindset. I don't feel great about that one.

I'm going to keep on saying the same thing I've said here for a while now. And, ultimately, I'm either going to be right about it and you'll be glad I was or I'll be wrong and we'll be sad together.

The return of guys like Westburg, Mountcastle, Urias, GrayRod, Webb and Coulombe is going to make a difference. I'm just telling you, they will.

Last night was clearly not a good night for anyone (from Baltimore) at the plate, but when Westburg returns perhaps that means we won't see much more of Jimenez as the designated hitter. I still think he's good for one moment of magic at the plate in the post-season, but having watched him for the better part of five weeks stroll around like he's the next coming of Roberto Clemente, it's easy to see why the White Sox were thrilled to dump him.

A quick look at the box score from last night tells you something indeed. In a game the O's "sorta kinda" had to win, they had Emmanuel Rivera (.223) start at 3rd base and had the likes of Austin Slater (.209) and the completely overmatched Coby Mayo (.091) come into the game as pinch hitters.

I get it. Every team has a Rivera, Slater and Nick Maton on their roster. I'm just not sure those clubs are fighting for a division title and using those three guys in games of huge importance.

Once the injured O's return, we probably won't see much of them in late September and October. Rivera, frankly, has been of useful service of late. Slater has done an Austin Hays thing or two since joining the club at the deadline, but by and large he's just a guy. Mayo, we now know, wasn't ready for the big leagues this time around.

It's a Saturday morning and I'm still flying high from the Bruce show last night, so I'll leave Jimenez alone for now. He was supposed to be a difference maker with runners in scoring position. Key word in that sentence: supposed.

Anyway, there was some good news on Friday night.

The Springsteen show was outrageously good.

And while the obvious main attraction at any Bruce concert is the man from Freehold, it's important to point out just how incredibly talented the entire E Street Band is on every song from start to finish. The band might not "make" the music, but they sure do make the show. Sure, Bruce, could just come out on stage by himself and sing for 3 hours and it would be an event worth attending, but when you mix in the E Street Band, something special happens.

Last night was show #29 for me. I have no real way of ranking them in terms of best, second best, etc., but I would say last night was as good as I've ever heard the band and Bruce produced a terrific set list, although it did get a little cookie-cutter in the last hour or so.

Kicking off the show with "Hungry Heart" and the mention of Baltimore was an obvious no-brainer way to get things started. I knew he'd play that one, but certainly didn't expect him to lead with it. Nice touch, indeed.

"Reason to Believe" -- one of the most underrated tracks of the Nebraska album -- has made its way to recent setlists and Friday night in Baltimore it was a roof-raiser. It seems like Bruce loves the song and loves playing it.

Everyone got their dose of the Born to Run album: The title track, Thunder Road, Backstreets, She's the One and Tenth Avenue Freeze Out were all part of the night.

Bruce still insists on playing something from that goofy Blues album he put out a couple of years ago, but the Commodore's "Nightshift" was well done and The Boss clearly enjoys both the singing and (light) dancing that accompanies the tune. I'd prefer he substitute a cover for something like "Jungleland" or "Kitty's Back", but it's called "artist's preference" for a reason. You're the artist, you pick what you want to play from time to time.

I'm all out of quips about the O's, one hit, and so on, but if there was ever a night where I'd swap the Birds almost being no-hit for something, it was watching Bruce for 3 hours at Camden Yards while the Orioles went down to the last batter before finally getting a base knock in Detroit.

I saw some people on Twitter actually "hoping" the Birds were going to get no-hit, but I don't subscribe to that theory. People were blabbering on about how getting no-hit would "send a message to Elias", as if the O's general manager doesn't already know the team's offense has been struggling for the last 8-10 weeks.

I'm sorry, I don't want my team getting no hit.

That said, I'm glad I did get to see some hits on Friday night.

They were in Baltimore, though, not Detroit.

The Boss ruled center field on Friday night at Camden Yards. It was, as expected, a night to remember in Charm City.

Thank you Bruce.

And, thank you Gunnar.

Friday September 13, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3673

the boss.....is back

OK, so I'm one that never believed in mulligans.

For those who aren't golfers, a mulligan in golf is basically a one-time do-over. It generally only occurs on the tee box and depending on the level of seriousness within your foursome, your opportunity for a mulligan might be on the first tee and nowhere else.

Even if I'm in a game at the club or with a foursome who says on the first tee, "Breakfast ball here if you need one", I never use one if I don't hit a good drive. It's not that I'm a golfing purist or anything like that. I understand the need for rolling the ball in the fairway and playing lift, clean and place in the sand traps. Sometimes they're raked, sometimes they're not.

But for some reason, I've just never been cool with taking a mulligan, even in a casual round of golf. I'd rather play my sloppy first tee ball, make a bogey (or worse) and "take my medicine", as the saying goes.

So..........that leads me to the NFL.

Can I have a mulligan, please, on the Miami Dolphins winning the Super Bowl?

Please?

I should have known better.

Not only did they get their rear ends handed to them at home by the Bills last night, 31-10, but Tua Tagovailoa suffered yet another concussion and left the game after throwing three interceptions.

Now, I'm smart enough to know how the NFL works when it comes to concussions. They act like they have it under control and there's an independent physician and all that other stuff, but I think we know the drill by now.

"What's your name?"

"Tua Tagovailoa."

"Excellent, excellent. Where did you attend college?"

"University of Nick Saban, sir. Roll Tide."

"Close enough. He's good for this week."

I assume Tua will return at some point, perhaps even as early as in ten days when the Dolphins travel to Seattle.

But maybe he won't, either.

Miami's two games after the Seahawks contest are at home vs. Tennessee and at New England. Then they have a bye.

Will they either sign a real veteran back-up or can they get by for the next three weeks with Skylar Thompson under center while Tua goes through the concussion protocol?

That's the $64,000 question in Miami.

Meanwhile, here in Baltimore, I need a mulligan.

I don't think Tua is going to finish the season. He might return at some point, but there's another knock on the head in his future and once he gets another concussion in 2024, he's done. Please know I'm not wishing that on the young man. I just fear that's the direction he's heading.

So, yes, I'll take a mulligan. And just because I'm that kind of guy, I won't even take my mulligan and go with the two obvious choices in the AFC; Kansas City and Baltimore. I'll replace a mid-longshot with another mid-longshot. Heads it's Buffalo and tails it's the L.A. Chargers.

The coin is in the air.

We'll go with Buffalo.

I can't believe I'm using my mulligan on a Super Bowl pick instead of a tee ball hit out of bounds.

The Yankees picked up a crucial half-game on the O's last night with a 2-1 "playoff like" win over visiting Boston in ten innings.

Juan Soto did it again, driving in the game-winning run for the Yankees, who saw Aaron Judge reach 16 straight games without a home run in the victory.

The Orioles and Yankees have now played the same number of games, 147. New York sits at 85-62 and the O's are at 83-64.

The Yankees will continue to host the Red Sox in the Bronx over the weekend while the Birds face the Tigers for the first time this season in a weekend series in Detroit.

While the Birds head home next week to face the San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers (again), the Yankees will head to Seattle and Oakland for three games out west.

Then it all comes down to the last six games.

The Birds will be in the Bronx for three games in the penultimate series of the season, then travel to Minnesota for a year-ending weekend series with the Twins. The Yankees host Pittsburgh for three games after entertaining the O's in New York.

Of huge importance to the O's is winning at least one game in New York in two weeks time. They need just one victory to capture the season series, which would be huge if the two teams finish tied atop the A.L. East after 162 games.

But worrying about that Yankees series is like worrying about how you're going to play your tee shot on that devilish par 3 eigth hole at Pine Ridge when you're standing on the first tee waiting to hear the starter tell you it's time for your group to play.

The O's likely need to go at least 6-3 against the Tigers/Giants/Tigers to be within striking distance (2 games) of the Yankees when they arrive in New York on September 24.

There's plenty of good news on the horizon for Brandon Hyde's team. They're likely getting guys like Jacob Webb, Danny Coulombe and Jordan Westburg back any day now. Once Grayson Rodriguez returns, it's all hands on deck for the final run.

But you also have to assume Aaron Judge is going to learn how to hit again, too. It's inevitable. And when he gets back in the groove, he's worth a win or two over the final two weeks of the season.

For those of you going to see Bruce Springsteen tonight at the ballpark, I hope you have a wonderful evening.

I'll be there. It's show #29 for me in my lifetime of chasing The Boss around the mid-Atlantic.

Anyone have a favorite song they want to hear this evening?

My list of hopefuls are all sort of obscure tracks that I know he won't play: Walk Like A Man from Tunnel of Love, Jackson Cage from The River and I'll Work For Your Love from Magic.

But of the songs I think might find their way to the setlist, I'd love to hear Blinded By The Light, Rosalita, Spirit in the Night and Prove it all Night.

If I get one or two of those four, I'll be thrilled.

No matter what he brings to the table, though, it's just good to have The Boss in Baltimore after a one-year delay.

faith in sports

Today's edition of "Faith in Sports" is one of my all-time favorites, mostly because I was always a fan of Drew Brees when he played in the NFL and the more I got to see him discuss the role faith played in his career, the more I grew to like him.

This video clip is short. You can watch it while your coffee is brewing this morning.

But Brees shares some important information in a short amount of time and you learn, quickly, why he became one of the league's all-time best quarterbacks.

Our thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of "Faith in Sports" here every Friday.

Thursday September 12, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3672

it's ok......just breathe

If not you're a fan of nailbiting, riveting baseball, these final three weeks of the baseball season are not for you.

That was a tough one to take last night in Boston.

Yes, the O's hopes for a division title are still very much alive. But Wednesday's 5-3 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park was one we won't soon forget.

And I'm sure Keegan Akin won't, as well, especially after the game-winning three-run homer he surrendered that went deep into the Boston night.

Sure, it was just one game. But with the rival Yankees beating Kansas City last night, the Birds are now 1.5 games behind New York in the division standings. Also, keep in mind the O's haven't won three straight games since the All-Star break and are now 41-42 in their last 83 games.

Losses like the one on Wednesday evening at Fenway make you head to the porch for a quick adult beverage before bed. At least that's how I handled it, anyway.

You can look at the glass and season 1/2 full if you want and say, "Yeah, well, that great start in April and May saved us", but those on the other side will laugh and say, "What about July, August and September?"

And it's true, of course. While I wouldn't say the last three months have left wreckage that can't be cleaned up, there's no doubt the Birds have come undone in a number of different ways since they got off to that sizzling start.

For a while last night it looked like trade deadline pick-up Emmanuel Rivera was going to be the man of the hour, with a home run early in the game and a 10th inning hit that put the Birds up 3-2.

But lefty Keegan Akin was alone out there in the 10th, with the O's already having used the likes of Perez, Cano and Dominguez earlier in the night. The Cano outing was particularly strange. He threw all of two pitches to get the Birds out of the 8th inning, then headed to the showers without even coming close to breaking a sweat.

That move...I just didn't quite understand. Some of the moves Brandon Hyde makes I treat with indifference and let the results tell the story. But that decision was weird from the minute the skipper made it. It's moments that backfire like that one that lead to a manager being unemployable sometime down the road.

It's easy to blame Akin. He threw the pitch. But one has to wonder if Cano sticks around for the 9th whether Seranthony Dominguez might not have been the better man for that bottom of the 10th inning. We'll never know, but it's safe to say Akin wasn't able to make the quick escape the Orioles needed.

There's more than a smidgen of hyperbole here, but I'm thinking local radio sports talker Jeremy Conn could have managed that 9th inning situation better than the O's skipper. Maybe, even, our very own MFC here at Drew's Morning Dish could have figured it out.

I know what you're thinking: No way.

But I'm telling you, an elderly woman behind the counter in a small town could have watched that 8th and 9th inning last night and said, "Cano only threw 2 pitches. Let him start the 9th and save Dominguez in the event you need him in the 10th."

It's easy to look in the rearviewmirror and see where you've been. It's not easy to forecast what's in store for you in the future.

The Orioles, I still contend, will be alright. I think the division is going to come down to those last six games; three in New York and three in Minnesota.

Buckle up, baseball fans.

The tension might might erase the smile from the face of the most faithful followers of the team.

Even my own daughter is feeling the heat. She came into the living room just as Tyler O'Neill's home run landed and consoled me. "Dad, don't worry. By seven o'clock tomorrow morning you'll forget all about this."

Well, here I am posting this at 7:30 am and I'm not over it yet.

My grievance with Hyde and his fumbling of the Cano/Dominguez situation is still there.

The O's only scoring one run in the 10th when they were in the garden spot with a runner on first and only one out still doesn't sit well.

The 10th inning error by Jackson Holliday was a low light, too. But who ever said playing second base as a rookie would be easy didn't know what they were talking about. That kid will grow up to be a baseball playing animal, I think, but the mistake on Wednesday night was a big one.

And so it's off to Detroit for a three game weekend series with a Tigers team that has moved themselves into the playoff picture and has the likes of Kansas City and Minnesota hearing footsteps. The Yankees, meanwhile, host Boston for four starting tonight.

All I know is this: No matter what happens in September and October, this is still better than what we watched from 2000 through 2011.

Mike B. asks -- "What do you think of your former radio boss's manifesto this week where he shredded Eric DeCosta of the Ravens for not helping him get his press pass back for this season?"

DF says -- "Didn't read it. I've seen enough of the reactions on social media to know it didn't go over favorably with the majority of people who commented on it. It's a losing battle at the end of the day. That's really all I can say.

"Never fight someone who has a barrel full of ink when you only have a pen full."

That theory seems to fit in this situation.

As someone who once lost his media credential, I know it stings. Alas, the Orioles had bigger muscles than me. They had the proverbial barrell full of ink and I had the pen full. I learned a lot back in 2007 about the way things work. And in the end, the truth is my life went on just fine without having a press credential from the Orioles."

Conway asks -- "In the old days of your morning show you used to say the Pledge of Allegiance on the air. I've always been curious about something. Why did you do that and did that violate some sort of FCC rule? I don't think I've ever heard any body else on the radio ever say the Pledge over the air. Thanks Drew and Go Hall!"

DF says -- "I honestly don't remember where it happened, but I remember reading something one morning about a school district in the U.S. being told by some local governmental agency they were no longer allowed to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school unless they would remove the words "under God".

I thought that was the most shameful thing ever.

So I started reciting the Pledge prior to my show and would always emphasize the words "Under God!" to get my point across.

It wasn't a violation of FCC rules. At least I don't think it was. Although, in this country today, it very well might be now.

The fact that students at all levels of education no longer stand up and recite the Pledge every morning is embarrassing. I know the tradition still carries on in many private and faith-based schools, which speaks volumes about the way they try to raise young men and young men.

Teaching children there's something wrong with the Pledge of Allegiance is pitiful. Alas, it's where we are in some parts of the country. Our government doesn't help either. But what's new?"

M.P. asks -- "What are your thoughts on the Orioles raising prices on everything for 2025 and making people put down a bunch of money now to get playoff tickets (if they make it) this season?"

DF says -- "I covered this a few weeks back when the news first broke. In general, I'd summarize it by saying "Nothing to see here", but I guess the one thing that sticks out is the new ownership group couldn't even go a full season without stepping on people's necks for more money.

Look, I get it. Baseball (and all sports) ticketing is all about leverage. You have to give people a reason to go to the games. During the season, you're getting 15,000 on a weeknight, 25,000 on the weekend, 35,000 if you give away a tee-shirt, floppy hat, replica jersey, etc. You have to leverage folks to come to the games.

Their October leverage is playoff baseball. Only 14 teams make it. That's the leverage the team needs to raise the prices and make you jump through hoops to get in the stadium to see the games.

And, remember, the O's don't set the playoff ticket prices. The league does. The O's do set the protocol by which they sell and distribute the tickets, and some of that is kind of heavy handed in my opinion, but they have the leverage come playoff time.

I'd rather have ticket gouging in October than no ticket gouging in October, if you know what I mean."

Wednesday September 11, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3671

a teaching moment

We use sports for a lot of things in this country.

On a number of occasions, we can use sports as teaching moments.

And you don't even have to be a sports fan or follower of the teams and players to learn something about life while watching sports.

There are instances, of course, where a sport-specific incident can be a teaching moment.

Each year at Calvert Hall, I tutor my players in both the varsity and junior varsity players about their expected behavior as a member of the golf program. I explain to them that upon joining the program, no matter if they're a freshman, sophomore, etc., they are, until their graduation (or untimely departure), expected to conduct themselves appropriately year around.

In other words, you can't throw clubs, wear your hat backwards, swear and be ungentlemanly any time, whether it's April and we're in season or August and we're out of season. There is no off-season for Calvert Hall Golf. If that doesn't align with you then, sadly, you won't be part of the program moving forward.

If you throw a club at Calvert Hall you get one warning and that's it. It's called the one-strike rule. Everyone knows it. First club throw is a warning, second club throw is dismissal.

To that end, I will soon show them a video of three PGA Tour players who were caught on film this past season throwing their golf club in frustration during a round of competitive golf. Each of the three are well known. Some, in fact, might even be the "favorite player" of some of my own players at Calvert Hall.

I show that video to, A) Let the players see how idiotic you look when you throw your golf club, and B) To reinforce to them that just because Rory McIlroy does it doesn't mean you're OK to do it.

I call it a "teaching moment".

I do my best to provide those kinds of moments whenever I can, whether it's about the golf swing, golf strategy, or, in this case, golf etiquette.

I'm very proud to say this: Over the summer, watching over 25 area junior golf tournaments in person, I've seen a player from every school in the MIAA (A Conference) except Calvert Hall throw a golf club during an actual round of competitive golf.

Your on-course behavior and attitude is learned. It's taught to you. Some people don't need it. Some people need a little teaching. Some people need a lot. But it is learned.

And that brings me to Tyreek Hill.

What happened to him on Sunday in Miami is a sports story that we can all use to teach our children.

I have discussed the situation with both of my children, in fact.

And I started the conversation like this, in simple terms: "No matter what you've read on TikTok or heard from your friends, please know this: Tyreek Hill was wrong. Period. End of story."

And then the discussion and "teaching" begins.

We all know what the complicated elements of the story are: Race, police using force, athletes getting preferential treatment and the power of social media to mold a moment into something that it wasn't.

But what's missing is the most basic element: Following a lawful directive by a police officer.

Your mileage may vary on this, but here are my statistics: In my life, I've been pulled over or otherwise stopped by a police officer while in my car 7 times.

I'm proud to say I'm 7-for7.

Seven times interacted, seven times the procedure and interaction went smoothly.

I've interacted with white officers, African American officers and, most recently, a Latino officer.

They all went off without incident.

You know why?

I followed the same general protocols that -- this is important -- my parents taught me when I was about 12 years old.

"License and registration, please."

"Sure, sir. Here you go."

"I clocked you going 40 in a 30 mile per-hour zone."

"Sorry. I didn't realize I was going that fast. When I saw you step out and flag me down I looked at my speedometer and I was going 37. But I guess you got me a few feet earlier on your radar."

"Sir, I'm going to give you a warning today. We're patrolling this particular area because we've received numerous complaints about people speeding through this neighborhood during school hours."

"Thank you, officer. Appreciate your service."

And off I went.

I'm quite certain nearly all of you reading this have had an encounter of a similar nature in your life. You get pulled over, you comply with basic, non threatening instructions, and you're back on the road ten minutes later, perhaps with a citation of some kind, but you're safe and unharmed nonetheless.

That's the teaching moment I shared with my two kids, who were in the car with me when Officer Silvera pulled me over.

"You see how easy that was?" I said to them.

"He was cool, I was cool, and everything went the way it was supposed to go. He's just doing his job. I was definitely going over 30 miles per hour. He knew it. I knew it, too. And while I wasn't aggressively "speeding" per se, he was doing his job by pulling me over and going through the process of warning me about my excessive speed."

I showed my two children the entire Tyreek Hill incident, from the very start where he was barreling down the road to the whole confrontation with the officers.

The entire thing started because Hill was speeding.

The NFL had a very high profile case a few years ago involving Henry Ruggs where he was speeding and killed someone. The officers in Miami had no idea if Hill was going to do the same thing when he raced by them on Sunday morning. They're out there trying to keep people from getting killed by maniacal drivers like Tyreek Hill.

I don't know how much self-awareness he has, but it all stopped and started right there. It doesn't matter if he's white, black, dressed for church or plays for the Dolphins. The police officers had no idea who Hill was, in fact. They just observed him speeding and then did what they have been tasked to do.

Had Hill simply rolled down his window at the very beginning and handed over his license and registation, the entire process would have been over in minutes.

Instead, he didn't roll down his window.

The police officer then knocked on his window in an effort to get his attention.

"Don't knock on my window like that," Hill then said to the officer.

It all went downhill from there, as you've probably seen by now.

The whole thing became a battle of wills. The police officer(s) wasn't giving in. And Hill upped his frustration level, at one point calling the officer "a cracker".

Can you imagine if Scottie Scheffler would have called one of the arresting officers in Louisville the n-word back in May when he was detained?

What happened throughout the situation with Hill was ugly. He didn't listen and the officers reacted. The more Hill didn't listen, the more their aggression levels increased.

The discussion about police using force and aggressive tactics is one that's also worth having. I'm not here to exonerate those officers. I'm sure their procedural applications will be reviewed by their higher-ups. I'm not a police officer, so I have no idea whether they will eventually be deemed to have been "right" in their treatment of Hill or "wrong" in said treatment.

But here's what I'm teaching my children.

"Just be accountable. You were speeding. You know you were speeding. When the officer says "License and registration, please", just hand him or her your license and registration. The game takes a different turn there. They see you're a reasonable, clear-thinking human being and they, in turn, feel much less threatened by you and the situation."

I'm 7-for-7 doing it that way.

"Yes sir, no sir. Yes ma'am. No ma'am."

It still goes a long way.

I saw a snippet online recently from a courtroom in Michigan where someone called the judge "Jenny". He did it once and the judge said, "Sir, please refer to me as 'Your Honor' during this hearing."

He called her Jenny again and she looked at him and said, "If you refer to me by my first name again, you'll be in contempt of court."

A minute later, he called her Jenny again and that was that. She had him whisked away for contempt and postponed his trial for disorderly conduct (I believe, if I read through the thread correctly, that he urinated by a car outside of a bar IN BROAD DAYLIGHT).

Two days later, he was brought back for a hearing on the charges he was initially facing and he received 6 months in the county jail.

I have no idea if 6 months is fair or not fair, but I know that his insistence on calling the judge "Jenny" instead of "Your Honor" probably didn't help him in the end.

I don't know why we've lost our way in this country when it comes to things like general, common decency.

But I do know it's up to us to teach our children about it.

Tyreek Hill started Sunday's incident.

And he escalated it into something it didn't need to be by continually failing to obey simple, easy directions.

That Hill is parading around the country on various internet platforms talking about how he was "treated" is laughable. And people are giving him an open forum, too, which is beyond bizarre.

He wrote something yesterday on Twitter to the tune of: "Change is needed".

Well, that's correct. The way we interact with one another might need to be changed. The way you interact with police officers who were initially just trying to get you to either not kill yourself or someone else needs to be changed.

This narrative from Hill and others that the officers were somehow supposed to "de-escalate" the situation is comical. How can you do that when the person you're dealing with isn't listening or complying?

Teach. Teach. Teach.

That's what we should be doing.

"Don't speed..."

There's a teaching moment.

"If you do speed and you get caught, own it."

Another teaching moment.

"If the officer asks you for your license and registration, give it to him or hier."

More teaching.

We have to stop making excuses for people. Everything's an excuse. Everyone gets offended by dumb stuff.

You were speeding.

You got pulled over.

You didn't listen.

You challenged the officers.

You wound up on the ground in handcuffs.

One action led to the next one.

All because you don't think the rules apply to you.

Tyreek Hill is a great football player. One of the very best in the NFL.

But he's not a very smart man.

There's the final teaching moment: Just because you're great at an athletic endeavor doesn't automatically mean you're also great at being a human being. Those two are not one and the same.

You actually have to work......at both of them.

---

I'm certainly not ignoring the fact that today is September 11 and it's a date all of us reading this will remember for as long as we live.

I remember where I was on that bright and beautiful Tuesday morning when the first plane hit the Twin Towers in New York.

I was devastated, like all of you were I'm sure.

I've been up to the 9-11 memorial site and stood there and looked up at the empty sky. It's an incredible scene.

May God grant those innocent people who perished that day eternal peace.

Those who carried out the acts that day have been judged accordingly and, I'm pleased to report, are not enjoying their afterlife.

God sees all.

Tuesday September 10, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3670

more than a feeling

"This thing isn't getting away from us, is it, DF?"

That's what regular #DMD commenter R.C. asked me last night via e-mail shortly after the O's were thumped in Boston, 12-3.

R.C. went on to list batting average and OPS numbers for guys like Santander, Rutschman and Cowser over the last 30 games and asked an obvious but painful question: "Is this the best they can do?"

Here's the reality.

The baseball season is 162 games in duration.

In their last 81 games -- hang tight, Flyers fans, no need for the calculator, that is half of 162 -- the battlin' Birds are actually an under .500 baseball team. Last night's drubbing dropped them to 40-41 in that span.

You could say "It's been such a long time" since Brandon Hyde's team played great baseball.

And to answer R.C.'s question, directly, yes, maybe it is the best they can do.

Now, for those looking for a little Tuesday morning peace of mind, here it is: The blazing start the O's engineered to start the season still counts, which is why they're 82-63 and still very much in the hunt for the A.L. East title. The playoffs aren't locked up just yet, but that could happen as early as next week if things work out for the Orioles and against teams like Detroit, Kansas City, Minnesota and Boston.

But these last two and a half weeks are going to be tough if the O's continue to sputter at the plate.

They have two more tough ones with Boston, who are on their last legs, and then the Birds buzz into the Motor City to take on a Tigers team that has roared of late and is now back in the playoff picture at 73-71.

These games aren't for the meek of heart.

Last night's contest in Boston wasn't, either. The Birds got shelled by a Boston offense that both hit them far and long and hit 'em where they ain't, as the old baseball saying goes.

Cade Povich is an interesting pitcher. He looks filthy in *this at bat* and then minor league'ish *in the next very at bat*. His slider will fall off the table and make one batter look foolish, then it hangs in the zone on the very next pitch and gets hit so high that Laremy Tunsil is jealous.

But I'll take Povich over Rogers and Irvin at this point.

In fairness, I'd probably take Tippy Martinez over Rogers. But anyway...

The O's offensive woes are both too numerous and too repetitive to list here.

Gunnar Henderson has found his footing again, which is good to see. His defensive challenges are still there, but at least his bat has started breathing again.

Anthony Santander hit his 40th homer last night, which seemed to really excite TV guy Kevin Brown, but Santander is on a two month feast or famine routine at the plate, as his .310 on-base-percentage tells us. This is an exaggeration, of course, but not much of one: Santander hits a home run and a double in tonight's game, then goes for 3 for his next 20 and leaves 8 runners on base along the way.

The stark reality to the O's offense is no one really hits for average except Gunnar. O'Hearn sits at .260, which is acceptable. Other than that, there isn't much dependability at the plate.

I watched the game last night and had to shake my head like that Alonzo Mourning meme. Here we are, 18 games left in the season, and some dude named Livan Soto is playing second base and Coby Mayo is playing third base.

I realize Mayo wouldn't be at third if not for the fact that both Westburg and Urias are injured. But you're playing Soto over Holliday at second for what reason, again? If it's just a "gut feel" thing, that's fine. But your gut was fibbing to you.

The Baltimore offense last night was basically a 6-man lineup if you throw Jimenez in with Soto and Mayo. But we'll get back to Jimenez in a second.

What about pinch hitting Austin Slater for Cedric Mullins in the 6th inning when Mullins has been one of the few reliable hitters you've had for the last three weeks? I didn't get that one.

In fairness to Hyde, his insertion of Emmanuel Rivera as a pinch hitter worked, as he slugged a ball off the wall for a double in his one at bat.

Craig Kimbrel made an appearance and did what he almost always does. Got two batters out. And.....promptly gave up two runs thereafter. At this point, it's not really Hyde's fault that Kimbrel's in the game. Mike Elias is the one who decides the roster make up, after all.

It's also not really Hyde's fault he was saddled with Eloy Jimenez at the trade deadline. And you'd think Fenway Park would be a place that has Jimenez foaming at the mouth. Kevin Brown and the rest of the broadcast team prattle on endlessly every game about how far Jimenez hits the ball during batting practice. Last night he only made contact once in four at bats and struck out three times. Jimenez, that is, not Brown.

So, the maladly lingers on, as the great ex-lead singer of The Smiths, Morrissey, once said.

It's going to be a battle down the stretch if this Baltimore offense continues to chug along and sputter like it has for 8 weeks now.

Their 40-41 record over the last three months tells the story.

So, with last night's 32-19 49'ers win over the Jets, we're one week into the NFL season. Here are your top 5 teams, bottom 5 teams and top 5 storylines from week #1 of the '24 season.

Best 5 --

1. Kansas City - Until they lose at least once, this is where they stay.

2. Detroit - Give them their due, battled back to tie and then beat a good Rams team in OT.

3. Baltimore - They were a toe away from either winning 28-27 or losing 27-26. Either way, they're solid.

4. Miami -- Not overly impressive against Jacksonville, but the mark of a good team is winning when you're "off".

5. Dallas -- It's hard to tell if their win was more about Dallas or more about Cleveland.

Worst 5 --

1. Carolina - We knew they'd be bad again, but getting shellacked like by that New Orleans? Yikes.

2. NY Giants - See above, except change New Orleans for Minnesota.

3. Washington - You already know they're going 6-11 or 7-10. But that was a bad performance on Sunday in Tampa.

4. Cincinnati - They lost to the team that was supposed to be #1 on this list. HAHA.

5. Cleveland - They're better than they showed on Sunday vs. Dallas. They have to be, right?

Top 5 storylines --

1. "Conditions" in the Green Bay/Philly game in Brazil - Just a reprehensible decision by the NFL to make those two teams play a game in Brazil among all the unrest and the treacherous field conditions. The next time "player safety" is ever mentioned by Roger Goodell, he should have his mouth stitched shut.

2. The Bengals losing at home to the Patriots.

3. Impressive start for Jim Harbaugh and his new look Chargers in their win over Las Vegas.

4. Stefon Diggs catching 2 TD's in his Texans debut as Houston wins big division game on the road in Indy.

5. Ravens take Chiefs to the wire and lose a chance to win the game by two inches on a last gasp throw by Lamar Jackson.

Monday September 9, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3669

monday stuff

My friend Chris -- the Orioles antagonist, if you will -- started peppering me with texts early Sunday afternoon.

"Told you a month ago, this team is out of gas."

"When will Adley make a difference in a game again? This season?"

"Wasting another great Burnes start. That's our Birds."

There were more messages, but I think you get the vibe by now.

The O's and their sputtering offense are low-hanging-fruit these days, scoring a grand total of three runs in three games against the Rays over the weekend. Sunday's 2-0 defeat saw Baltimore collect just five hits.

And now it's off to Boston for three games with the Red Sox, who are gasping for air in their quest to snag one of the three A.L. Wild Card spots. Baltimore (62 losses), Kansas City (65) and Minnesota (67) are all ahead of Boston (71) at this point.

The O's, of course, are still very much in the hunt for a second straight A.L. East title. With the Yankees losing on Sunday to the Cubs, New York owns just a half-game lead in the East.

While the Birds are in Fenway for their three games, the Yankees will be hosting Kansas City. The O's will then head to Detroit for three this weekend while New York will host Boston for four games starting this Thursday.

One thing for sure: The O's offense needs to start percolating. And soon. It's been a dreadful month at the plate for Brandon Hyde's team.

Here's Sunday's quick summary from the AFC North.

Bengals gonna Bengals.

Steelers gonna Steelers.

And Browns gonna Browns.

The Bengals looked a gift horse in the mouth with a home opening 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots.

Quick, name 5 players on New England's team.

OK, name 3 players.

Right, I can't name 3 players either. So don't feel bad.

I saw one NFL pundit last Thursday predict New England was going to go 2-15 this season. Several national wagering houses had the Pats' season-win total at 4.5. And a lot of people took the under.

All of that makes Cincinnati's loss on Sunday even more laughable. Some things in life are inevitable. Bengals gonna Bengals is one of those things.

The Steelers didn't score a touchdown on Sunday and somehow still managed to win in Atlanta, 18-10. If anything is "typical Steelers", it's Pittsburgh winning on the road without the aid of a touchdown.

Chris Boswell kicked six field goals to give Mike Tomlin's team the win.

There's a lot of football left in 2024, but you wagering types should probably zero in on the Steelers and the under anytime they play on the road. Steelers gonna Steelers, especially away from Pittsburgh.

And the Browns had a chance to make an early statement on Sunday when they hosted Dallas. And maybe they did make one. It just wasn't the statement they were hoping for, as Cleveland got clobbered by the Cowboys, 33-17.

Deshaun Watson went 24 for 45 for 169 yards in the loss. I'm sure that performance rubbed the Browns front office the wrong way.

For the Cowboys, it was indeed a happy ending in Cleveland. Dak threw for 179 yards and one touchdown and Zeke Elliott rumbled into the end zone in his return to the Dallas roster. Browns gonna Browns. Always.

So, after one week in the AFC North, you have three teams at 0-1 and the Steelers somehow at 1-0 despite not scoring a touchdown.

Let's get some questions out of the way in another installment of our Q&A segment here at #DMD. As always, if you have a question to be answered here, just e-mail: 18inarow@gmail.com

Ron asks -- "This might be a question you'd rather not answer on the website publicly. If you're not comfortable with that and you want to reply privately, please do. I'm not trying to stir the pot but I'm curious about your Friday "Faith in Sports" column where you show videos pertaining to Christianity. Are you not concerned about offending any of your agnostic or athiest readers? Further, what about your readers who are of Muslim or Jewish faith?

DF says -- "I'm happy to answer that question here. Nothing to hide. I want to highlight athletes who are proud of their faith and are willing to showcase it both on and off the field.

I want to promote God's great work to everyone here. If you read it and are so moved to learn more about Him, that's great. If you read it and you're not moved, maybe someday you will be. God works in mysterious ways, as you've probably heard a lot in your life.

I'm not looking to offend anyone, agnostic, athiest or otherwise. I'm willing to risk that no one is going to be offended in exchange for potentially someone finding their faith through #DMD.

And I have both Muslim and Jewish friends and none of them have ever said to me, "You know, I don't like that "Faith in Sports" segment you run every Friday on your website."

In general, I publish content about God and Christianity because I want to do my part to spread the good word. That's all."

Ed W. asks -- "With three weeks left in the season, who are the top 3 contenders for O's MVP?"

DF says -- "Well, that's a good question. From April through mid-June, it was definitely Gunnar. From mid-June through mid-August, it was definitely Santander. Heck, now you could make an argument that Albert Suarez has been the team's best performer over the last month.

It's very strange, indeed. Gunnar has had a terrific year at the plate but a pretty dreary last 50 games defensively. I don't know how much stock you put in defense when talking about a MVP award, but his defense has definitely impacted his overall season.

Santander has great power numbers, obviously, but the rest of his offense isn't very good. He's hitting .239 and his on-base percentage is only .309. He's fine defensively, but that's not nearly enough to sway the MVP vote, I wouldn't think.

Corbin Burnes would also receive some honorable mention type stuff, but his ragged August eliminated him from the "real" discussion.

In the end, the best hitter all season has been Gunnar. I know his defense has been shaky, but he's the MVP."

J.S. asks -- "Why is it so hard for the TV networks to come up with an outstanding color analyst for golf? I'm not sure what you think about Trevor Immelman but I wasn't very impressed with him. Same with Kevin Kizner and Brad Faxon on NBC. Neither of them were very captivating in my opinion. And you?"

DF says -- "Well, it's a hard sport to describe to people when you're in the booth at the 18th hole, for example, and you're calling a shot from the 15th hole that you're watching on a TV screen in front of you.

In general, though, I think it's hard to do "color" in golf because most professional TOUR players that you're seeing on TV are playing well and don't make a lot of mistakes. If they made a lot of mistakes, you wouldn't be watching them on Saturday or Sunday afternoons.

So the color analysts don't get much opportunity to really "analyze". Instead, they have to come up with stuff to say, which is how Johnny Miller would always get in trouble. A guy tied for the lead on the 16th hole on Sunday would hit what appeared to be a bad shot and Miller would say, "That was just nerves, there. His nerves got the best of him." When, in reality, the guy might have missed his target by a mere 8 feet from 160 yards and the ball wound up 40 feet from the pin instead of 10 feet from the pin.

I agree about Immelman, by the way. I don't think he's very good at all. I thought Kisner was OK. Faxon was OK as well. Neither of them were great, but I think you have to give them another year or two and see if they can improve."

Greg asks -- "I know you're a John Harbaugh fan, but what about Jim Harbaugh? What do you think of him?"

DF says -- "I don't know. I think he's kinda nuts. Definitely just a "football guy" through and through. I mean, he could coach college, pro, Canadian league. He doesn't care. If it's football, he wants to be around it.

I got a little turned off by the sign stealing stuff at Michigan. I mean, I know you want to win and all and there's pretty much no honor among thieves at that level, but having the assistant coach sneaking into stadiums and then finagling his way onto the sideline to steal signs and calls? Pretty bush league, for sure.

I do think he's a very good football coach, though. I know their saying out in L.A. is "The Worm Has Turned" and maybe it's true. Maybe the Chargers are actually going to be good this season."

	"Randy On The O's"
Randy Morgan takes #DMD readers through the recent week in Orioles baseball as the Birds try to win a second straight A.L. East title.

orioles week in review

Week Record: 3-3

Season Record: 82-62

AL East Standing: 2nd (0.5 GB NYY)

Player of the Week: Gunnar Henderson

The Orioles and Yankees each played six games this week and nothing changed. Both teams went 3-3, the Yankees against the Rangers and Cubs and the O’s against the White Sox and Rays. They remain the top two teams in the AL and the Yankees maintain their half game lead on the division heading into the final month of the season.

The O’s took advantage of the historically bad Chicago White Sox, winning two of three with a short-lived offensive breakout. The Oriole bats lit up in the first two against the White Sox, plating 22 runs to start the series. However, the bats then went cold for the remainder of the week, managing just four runs over the next four games.

While it was disappointing to finish 3-3 after winning the first two games, there were a few bright spots for the O’s this week. Corbin Burnes seemed to return to his quality start producing form with two positive starts and Gunnar Henderson saw the reemergence of his home run stroke.

As noted, the Orioles began the week with a blowout of the hapless White Sox. Burnes got somewhat back on track with his start on Monday. After surrendering two runs in the 1st on some weak contact, he shut the White Sox down to complete five innings with just those two runs, one of which was unearned. The offense also awoke against the paltry opposition, with a Gunnar leadoff homer kicking things off. The O’s then piled on with a six-run 6th inning and the route was on. Every starter got at least one hit, while Cedric Mullins and Austin Slater each picked up three hits and three RBI in the 13-3 win.

The offense kept it going on Tuesday with three runs in the 1st inning followed by four more in the 2nd. That was all that Cade (or was this Slim?) Povich needed, as he dominated Chicago, striking out ten and allowing just five hits in 7.1 shutout innings as the O’s cruised to a 9-0 win.

Unfortunately that is where the hitting stopped for the weekend, at least aside from Gunnar Henderson. Gunnar provided the only offense on Wednesday, with yet another leadoff homer, his 35th on the year. That was all the Birds could muster and Albert Suarez did not have his best stuff, with the White Sox tagging him for six runs before chasing him in the 5th inning, leading to an 8-1 loss.

The O’s got back in the win column on Friday with Dean Kremer delivering another strong outing, pitching six shutout innings, striking out seven while allowing just two hits and three walks. The bats were mostly silent except for Gunnar, who went 2-4 and homered for the third straight game to power the O’s to a 2-0 win.

For a couple of days the Orioles briefly held the top spot in the division, but that slipped away on Saturday. Zach Eflin had his first rough outing in an O’s jersey, although it still nearly ended with a quality start. Eflin managed to limit the damage to three runs in 5.2 innings despite giving up eight hits and a walk. That at least kept the O’s in the game, but the offense gave him no support, with a Cedric Mullins homer the only run in a 7-1 loss. The whole game turned in the bottom of the 4th when Jose Siri leapt over the wall to pull back a would-be three run homer from Gunnar that would have made it 3-2 in the O’s favor, it was all downhill from there.

Sunday was another frustrating lack of run support. Corbin Burnes got back on the quality start track, limiting Tampa to two runs in six innings. Sadly, the offense couldn’t do anything against Rays starter Zack Littel and the bullpen that followed him. Gunnar managed to go 3-4 and Cedric Mullins added two hits, but the O’s stranded runners in key spots several times and couldn’t dent the scoreboard for a 2-0 loss.

There were only two real candidates for the Player of the Week. Corbin Burnes pitched eleven innings, allowing four runs on thirteen hits with seven strikeouts. It was a nice return to form for the ace the Orioles need to peak in the playoffs. As nice as it was to see Burnes bounce back, Gunnar Henderson gets the Player of the Week honors. Gunnar posted a .481 OBP for the week to go with his three homers and five runs batted in. He also came an amazing Jose Siri catch from a fourth homer that would have been a game-changer on Saturday.

Down on the Farm --

It wasn’t a banner week down in the Orioles minors. Top prospect Samuel Basallo had some struggles adjusting to AAA pitching. The young catcher went just 3-21 on the week, but did hit a massive 455 ft bomb on Saturday. Brandon Young remains the top pitching prospect at Norfolk, but he also had a rough week, giving up four runs on ten hits in his five inning outing.

It was a little better at AA Bowie, where 2023 1st round pick Enrique Bradfield Jr. managed a .318 OBP with two doubles and three stolen bases. Outfielder Dylan Beavers was the hot player at Bowie, with a .364 OBP along with a triple and three home runs.

Question of the Week --

What does the stretch run look like for the O’s and Yanks?

After the completion of the games on Sunday, the Orioles were left with eighteen games remaining in the season. The Yankees, sitting a half game ahead of the O’s, have one more game, with nineteen left. Breaking down the remaining schedule, the Orioles play three games against each of the following: @Boston, @Detroit, San Francisco, Detroit, @NYY, @Minnesota.

The Yankees schedule shapes up with three games against each of the following, except a four game series with Boston: Kansas City, Boston, @Seattle, @Oakland, Baltimore, Pittsburgh.

Given the opponents and the home/road splits, the schedule slightly favors the Yankees. They have one more doormat opponent, with both Oakland and Pittsburgh, and they also have quite a few more home games (although they have a higher winning percentage on the road). The toughest opponent for the O’s aside from the Yankees themselves are the Twins in the final series. The Yankees have a tough matchup with the Royals this coming week before both teams play a few teams on the edge of Wild Card contention.

With the two teams floundering around .500 for the past couple months, a winning streak by either would likely tilt the balance of the race. Nonetheless, it is certainly set up well for the whole division to come down to the three game series in Yankee Stadium from September 24-26.

The one thing in the Orioles favor is they are just one win from clinching the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Yanks, however, given the schedule imbalance, the O’s will probably need to take at least two of three in New York to have a good chance at claiming their second straight division crown.

Sunday September 8, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3667

the first sunday of many

This first Sunday of September almost always used to be looked upon as the year's saving grace, but then our baseball franchise started trying to win again and now, today, we're excited about September 8 for a couple of reasons here in The Land of Pleasant Living.

We're not all that excited about the O's falling 7-1 to the Rays last night to drop a half-game behind the Yankees in the A.L. East.

But there will be October baseball and football in Charm City in 2024, so that's really all we can ask for at this point.

The Ravens are obviously not part of opening Sunday in the NFL after dropping their 27-20 season opener in Kansas City on Thursday evening. The last couple of days have been met with various forms of criticism and review in the wake of that defeat.

My friend circle had varying commentaries from the loss.

Some guys knew it was going to happen, some lamented the way it happened and some thought it was as close to a moral victory as you can get, if those things matter in any way.

"They weren't going to Kansas City and winning on opening night, who are you kidding?" Mike said yesterday. "That it was as close as it was in the end was a miracle."

"Is Harbaugh still the coach?" Sean asked, knowing the answer. "They're not winning anything with him."

"Lamar..." stated Matt. "He's like the baseball pitcher who throws 5 innings of one hit ball, strikes out 8, walks one, and then suddenly can't get anyone out in the 6th inning and throws a meatball right over the plate to give up a 3-run homer and turn a 2-0 lead into a 3-2 deficit."

"They'll be fine," Dan stated. "They just played their toughest game of the year probably and lost by a hair. How many home games will the Chiefs lose this year? One? Two at the most?"

I certainly am not trying to pick on one comment at #DMD because by and large I tend to agree with what "Benny" wrote here yesterday, but some parts of his contribution are sorta-kinda what's wrong with our country these days.

"So in all those wins the Ravens have had in the Harbaugh Era, are all those "same old same old" too? Again, the Legend We Call Monk used to say it all the time: the league is so balanced, every win or loss is based on one play here, one play there. Mistakes are magnified when they occur on those game changing plays. Likewise, yiou execute on those plays, you win. It's a simple formula. If any team executes on EVERY play, the odds of winning are what, 99%? But it's nearly impossible to have 11 guys on the field all do their jobs right. Not sometimes, but ALL the time. And it's never the same 11."

Talk about classic whatabout'ism...there it is in high definition.

OK, I'll agree to talk about this game but you have to be willing to listen to me tell you about other games.

In other words, "what about all the games the Ravens win?"

Except we're not talking about those games. And, remember, I'm a legion-of-Harbaugh kind of guy. Card carrying member of the fan club and all.

But he blundered that call with 6:34 remaining in the game when it was 4th down and he eschewed the field goal in a 27-17 game.

I can think John Harbaugh is an excellent football coach and still be critical of him for that mistake.

And I don't need to soften that criticism by bringing up the things he does well. He's supposed to do things well. That's why he gets paid $10 million a year.

This happens all the time here in town with Brandon Hyde.

People criticize him for an in-game decision then bring up something he did three weeks earlier that worked out well in an effort to provide balance.

Let's just call it like it is and stop worrying about whatabout'ism.

It's all OK anyway. John Harbaugh's getting $10 million whether you and I criticize him or not.

Jay Gibbons once said something to me near the dugout prior to a game at Camden Yards ("Are you ever going to stop sh*ting on me?") in response to some on-air criticisms I had lobbed his way in recent days.

I couldn't believe it.

I said, "Jay, you're hitting .207 and you have 3 home runs. What do you want me to do, tell people you're hitting .277 with 23 home runs?"

And then I gave him the Roddy Piper coconut to the head.

"Let's remember one thing, too. No matter what I say about you on the air, you're the one making $5 million. The joke's on me. It's definitely not on you."

And, as someone who once took (fair) criticism as the general manager of the indoor soccer team in town, you do realize, even if you don't care for it, that working in the public eye includes opening yourself up to public criticisms as well.

John Harbaugh doesn't like watching Sunday football and hearing about how the Ravens were outcoached or outschemed or outwhatever'd. But it's why he gets $10 million, also.

"Benny" is right, of course. There is a give-and-take you have to apply with wins and losses. You can't win 'em all, for starters. And the other team is trying to win, too. And it's almost mathematically impossible for every guy on the field to do his job to absolute perfection.

You just hope it all balances out in the end.

And it generally does.

I played a state senior team match yesterday where I missed a birdie putt from 8 feet on holes 2, 3 and 7 at Eagle's Nest. But I later made birdie putts of 12 and 15 feet and made a nice downhill par saving putt of about 8 feet to win a hole. I missed the three I thought I should have made and later made three I probably wouldn't make.

It all evened out in the end.

Harbaugh and the Ravens will beat up on the Raiders next Sunday and on Monday it will be "our turn" (as Harbaugh backers) to say, "Well, well, well, would you look at that..."

But Benny's comment yesterday is part and parcel with what ails us as a country today.

Our response to criticism is to say, "Yeah, but what about 'the other guy'?"

In the case of Thursday, as I noted here on Friday and Saturday, the slices of pizza, if you will, go to a number of people who were involved in the loss.

Lamar kept the Ravens in the game and then missed several big throws late. Not a low blow, just a fact.

Harbs not kicking the field goal was a mistake.

The dumb penalties on Mads and Williams were huge game changers. You just can't do those things.

Agholor missing his blocking assignment on that 4th down play. Huge.

Tucker's field goal miss.

Malik Harrison getting lit up time and time again like a doobie at a Dave Matthews Band concert. Not good at all.

Hopefully those things even out next Sunday when Las Vegas comes to town.

1-1 is fine.

An 0-2 start? Yeah, that wouldn't be so fine.

As you'll see below, we're welcoming a new member to our 2024 NFL game-day coverage. Please join me in giving a hand shake to Will Jackson, a 2017 graduate of Georgetown University who currently works in the law field and has been a #DMD reader, he says, for the last four years after moving to Baltimore from Ashburn, Virginia.

Each Sunday here, Will will provide us with some thoughts on game spreads, betting totals, etc. and also offer some favorable prop bets he likes from the slate of scheduled games.

Join me in welcoming him, please.

	WILL JACKSON and his weekly NFL picks
Will Jackson will be here every Sunday during the NFL season with his thoughts on games and prop bets that will hopefully yield positive results for you. And a gentle but important reminder to always wager within your means.

Hi everyone, I've been a reader of Drew's site since I came to town in the spring of 2021. I hope to bring some insight into the NFL to you to every Sunday. Most of my wagering interests stem with prop bets and such but I also look at spreads and point totals as well.

I will say that I had 2 right and 2 wrong on Thursday vs. K.C. I had Derrick Henry as a TD scorer and I had a field goal miss, but I lost on the Ravens (+3) and Travis Kelce as a TD scorer.

Here's what I like today in the NFL.

Game spreads --

Take Atlanta (-4) over the Steelers

Take Bengals (-7.5) and the over 40.5 total vs. New England

Take Colts (+3.5) and the under 48.5 vs. Houston

Take Cowboys (+2.5) vs. Cleveland

Prop bets --

Falcons, Kyle Pitts, anytime TD

Achane, Dolphins, anytime TD

Edwards, Chargers, anytime TD

Pickens, Steelers, under 52.5 yards receiving

Collins, Texans, over 66.5 yards receiving

Samuel, 49'ers, over 10.5 yards rushing

Jones, Vikings, over 2.5 catches, receiving

Good luck to all and remember to wager wisely and within your means at all times!

Saturday September 7, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3666

the morning after...the morning after

The great Pete Yorn once released a remarkable debut album called "Musicforthemorningafter", which included several hits along with one of my favorite PY songs, "Murray".

Around here, a couple of years ago I came up with "The Morning After...The Morning After" during football season, where I would revisit the most recent Ravens game two mornings later. I found there was sometimes more clarity and more, if you will, balance with what I (we) saw when I had a day to let things digest.

Here's what I can't shake from the 27-20 opening night loss in Kansas City.

It was almost the exact same way the Ravens have lost every big game over the last "X" number of seasons.

Before we delve into it, let me remind everyone here that "insight and opinion" is the template by which we operate this entity. In other words, yes, you are allowed to be critical of individual performances and moments in the game that went either positively or negatively.

I'll use Lamar as an example. As you'll see below, I give him a massive passing grade for his performance on Thursday night. I thought he was outstanding. That said, he whiffed on a potential game-tying/game-winning throw to Zay Flowers in the end zone on the game's penultimate play. I've looked at that play 20 different times from various angles and Rashod Bateman was not open, not close to open and, frankly, not really involved in the play at all.

I'm not saying Jackson was lying in the post-game press conference, either. I don't know what he was thinking. I just know Bateman wasn't open or even in the vicinity of being open when Lamar threw the ball.

Jackson missed a wide open receiver in the end zone. It happens. It's football. You can make 15 great plays in a game (which Lamar did) and make a couple of bad ones too. And it doesn't suddenly mean "you can't play in the big moments" because you missed that throw, as some nitwits on the internet contended in the aftermath of Thursday's loss.

Now...to the game.

Here's how the Ravens have lost big game after big game over the last "X" number of seasons.

Dumb penalties at the worst times.

Coaching/game management blunders.

Poor use of time outs.

Referee impact.

Missed opportunities for scoring plays.

QB turns the ball over.

Obvious misapplication of playbook.

Guess what?

Those are all the reasons why the Ravens lost on Thursday night in Kansas City as well.

I was chatting with my friend Pat about this very thing yesterday. It felt like deja vu all over again, as the saying goes.

"It's a pizza," I said to him, using one of my favorite sports analogies.

"Here are the slices..."

* The penalty on Marcus Williams was huge. Stupid, for starters, and came at a terrible time in the game. Same for the Madubuike penalty earlier in the second half. It's a pretty simple thing to remember: You can't hit the QB in the head or below the knees. Like, ever. Somehow, those two forgot that rule.

Madubuike's penalty took K.C. from 3rd and 20 to 1st and 10 on a series where they eventually scored to make it 20-10 in the 3rd quarter. A disastrous turn of events.

The Williams penalty took what would have been 3rd and 20 and made it 2nd and 10 because K.C. was also called for a penalty on the play. And even though K.C. didn't score on that series, the Williams infraction cost Baltimore almost two minutes because the Chiefs picked up a first down on the play after the penalty.

* Harbs going for it on 4th down in the 4th quarter with 6:34 left when the Ravens needed two scores and could have just kicked the field goal there and made it 27-20. Instead, the offense wasted 90 seconds going nowhere, kicked the field goal to make it 27-20, and gave K.C. the ball back with 4:54 remaining instead of 6:34 remaining.

* The sequence above was impacted by the fact that Baltimore only had 1 time out remaining at that point. And that's because they had to use two of them earlier when Zach Orr couldn't get the right defensive personnel on the field. After the game Harbaugh called it "communication issues", either because he didn't want to just flat-out bust on Orr in his coordinator debut (smart move) or he didn't want to harp on those two time outs as significant factors in the loss.

* People who don't really watch what's going on like to blame Harbaugh for everything bad that happens in the game, including things like those two time outs that had to be used. Zach Orr gets the slap on the wrist for those two, not Harbaugh. But, as I noted on Twitter, those are the things that happen to a rookie defensive coordinator. He'll get better.

But not kicking the field goal with 6:34 left, particularly with one time out remaining, was a blunder on Harbaugh's clipboard. Unless Lamar refused to come off the field there (which I don't think happened), that decision and sequence was on Harbs. Even if his analytics folks upstairs were telling him to go for it there, John has to know, with one time out, you get the points now and try to extend the game clock as much as you can.

* The officials were, as always, questionable. Everyone in Baltimore thinks they were only bad in situations involving the Ravens but that's not true. They missed some calls the other way as well. That said, the refs very obviously mishandled the illegal formation penalties in the first half. I don't know that any of those things cost the Ravens points or "the game", but it was glaring how off-kilter they were with that particular call.

* Justin Tucker's 53 yard field goal miss was big. No two ways about it. Hard to crack down on him too much, there, but he has to make that kick in the same way you'd say "Scheffler has to make that putt" if he missed one from eight feet for birdie on the 8th hole at Augusta National. It's not a "gimmee" from 53 yards. But it's a kick he should make.

* Lamar's aforementioned miss of Zay Flowers in the end zone was massive. He could have also hit Likely in the end zone on the play before, too, don't forget. But that throw was an "8" in terms of difficulty. The throw to Flowers was one Tyler Huntley could have made.

* Sticking with Lamar, getting the ball knocked out of his hand at least once-per-big-game has become a common theme now. It happened again on Thursday night. Sometimes it leads to points against and sometimes it doesn't. In this case it led to a field goal that gave K.C. a 10-7 lead. We can do the "if" game all day, of course, but "if" Lamar doesn't cough up the ball there and "if" Tucker makes that field goal, it's 24-23 on the last drive and all Baltimore needs is a field goal to win it instead of a touchdown to tie it.

* Nelson Agholor not knowing the playbook on the 4th and 3 situation after that field goal made it 10-7 was a huge gaffe on his part. Now, I think anytime it's 4th and 3 and you don't just give the ball to Lamar (or, you know, your 240 pound running back you signed in the off-season) you're asking for trouble, which is exactly what the Ravens got when Agholor missed his blocking assignment and Flowers was tackled for a one-yard gain and the Ravens lost the ball on downs.

Here's the other thing about that failed play I don't understand. Why on earth would you use that in game number one? It was such a great play design...save that one for week 16 or the playoffs, when you need it on 4th and 3 with 2:05 left in the game.

But that has nothing to do with Agholor not paying attention. Terrible moment in the game for him, especially when K.C. was able to turn that into 3 points with a field goal to make it 13-7.

There are other reasons why the Ravens lost. The other team tries, too, of course, and Mahomes is pretty good, you might have heard through the grapevine.

In the end, though, the game on Thursday night looked just like every family picnic you attend over Labor Day weekend.

Aunt Jenny makes her awesome pasta salad with mini shrimp.

Uncle Carl brings the same tangy barbeque sauce he's been bringing since you were 8 years old.

Your cousin Melissa always brings enough of her homemade chicken salad to feed a small army.

Aunt Carol tells everyone she's tweaked her potato salad recipe, but it tastes just like it has for the last 15 years.

Nothing changes.

It's good food and all, but it's the same old, same old.

That's the Ravens.

Because I know the league is week-to-week and how you win or lose this week has almost no bearing at all on what you're going to do next week, I might have preferred to see the Ravens get clobbered on Thursday night, 30-13.

Instead, I got to watch them lose in almost the identical fashion they've lost every big game they've played in recent memory.

The same mistakes. Again.

They don't even look all that different from previous years, just different numbers on the uniforms.

Just like Aunt Jenny's pasta salad.

You know what you're getting before you arrive at the picnic.

Friday September 6, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3665

game of "an inch", they say?

I know the saying in sports is, "It's a game of inches."

Last night, it turned out to be a game of "an inch", as Isaiah Likely looked like he scored a touchdown with no time left on the clock only to have the replay clearly show the tip of his shoe was on the back end zone line.

Euphoria turned to sadness, just like that.

The 27-20 loss to the Chiefs contained just about everything you'd suspect of a Baltimore-Kansas City game.

Mahomes was great, as he almost always seems to be.

Lamar was Lamar, but a late miss to a wide open Zay Flowers will haunt him for a few days.

Likely was amazing.

The refs were spotty, which is a pretty common theme in the NFL.

The Ravens were never done, chipping away at leads of 20-10 and 27-17 and having the game on their racket in the waning moments.

But in the end, it was another loss to the 2-time defending champions.

There were equal parts good, really good, bad and really bad for the Ravens on Thursday night.

Ronnie Stanley got flagged at least three times (maybe four?) for illegal formation penalties. I know the rule has been tweaked and the promise from the NFL is to "call it more aggressively", but Stanley has to get that straightened out after the first infraction or, at worst, after the second one (which came soon after the first one).

The offensive line was pretty dreadful in the first half, but perked up and had a better go of it in the final two quarters.

Lamar did his usual stuff both throwing the ball and running with it, but you have to wonder how much of that punishment he can take week-after-week over the next four months.

In an interview with the Washington Post recently, Jackson admitted he was banged up and far from healthy in the playoff games against Houston and Kansas City last January. That, of course, stemmed from 17 weeks of getting hammered in the regular season. The hope here is Todd Monken (and Lamar) can do a better job of keeping him out of harm's way in 2024.

Zay Flowers was excellent and shoulda-coulda-woulda caught a late touchdown pass to make it 27-26 but Lamar missed him, wide open, in the end zone.

Derrick Henry was OK. Nothing special. But he did score a touchdown in the first quarter and, at times, looked like his old menacing self while picking up an extra yard or three.

The Baltimore defense fought gamely and got a big stop late in the 4th quarter to give Lamar and the offense a chance to steal the game. But new defensive coordinator Zach Orr was responsible for two huge 3rd quarter time outs when he couldn't get his desired personnel on the field in a timely fashion. Those two burned time outs would have been useful in the 4th quarter when the Ravens were mounting their comeback.

Marlon Humphrey got roasted on an easy touchdown throw in the 4th quarter. Less time on Twitter, perhaps, and more time in the film room? Just a thought.

Mahomes and Andy Reid picked on linebacker Malik Harrison all night until Orr eased him out of the rotation in the 4th quarter.

There was a weird coaching decision with 6:25 remaining in the game when the Ravens eschewed a field goal to make it 27-20 and instead went for it on 4th down. They managed to get the first down there, on a Derrick Henry run, but took two more minutes off the clock but couldn't get in the end zone. So they settled for the field goal anyway to make it 27-20.

Why not just kick the field goal there with 6:25 remaining? You only have one time out left, remember. But if you get a defensive stop on the next K.C. series you're getting the ball back with 4 minutes left instead of 1:50 left.

That's not why the Ravens lost, mind you. But it was a weird set of circumstances there that could have used more thought (and excecution).

There was also a bizarre sequence on the final series where Lamar hit Rashod Bateman for a big gain with 43 seconds remaining and then inexplicably failed to spike the ball and let 10 seconds run off the clock before throwing an incomplete pass to Likely in the corner of the end zone.

The Ravens could have had 2nd down with 28 seconds remaining or 1st down with 18 seconds remaining. Lamar chose the latter option.

A quarterback in his 7th season who makes $50 million a year has to know when to spike it and when not to spike it. That was a case, with no time outs, where spiking it was the only real option. Alas, Lamar didn't do that and it cost the Ravens more time and at least one more play.

In the end, it was a spirited effort that came up an inch short. There were, as noted above, lots of promising things in the game and lots of things that are probably concerning to Harbaugh and his staff. It's still a loss, whether it was 27-20 or 37-10.

And they all count and potentially hurt, particularly when it comes to the Ravens and Chiefs in the event of a tiebreaker heading into the playoffs.

On to the Raiders we go.

You have to love those home lay-ups to start the season.

faith in sports

OK, I'll admit something.

It's the day after a Ravens game. The season opener, too, no less.

And if I've learned anything about #DMD over the last 10 years, I know the website traffic today will be bigger than a typical Friday.

Some new eyes to the site, hopefully.

And, so, I'm going to post one of my all-time favorite "Faith in Sports" submissions here today with the hope I capture one new follower of Jesus.

The Tim Tebow 3:16 story is remarkable.

I don't want to spoil the details, so I'll just say it's "remarkable" and that's it.

The video below is 9 minutes long. If you've seen it before, you can certainly enjoy it again. If you haven't seen it, please check it out and see for yourself how God impacted Tebow in his college and professional football career.

As Tebow says..."it's amazing".

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and our "Faith in Sports" segment every Friday.

Thursday September 5, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3665

opening night.......ruined?

That's a pretty nifty trick the O's played on the Ravens last night.

Ruining the opening night of the NFL season and all by losing to the White Sox, 8-1.

As the Birds prepared to fall to the worst team in the history of baseball on Wednesday evening, I remarked that losing to the White Sox was akin to having Charlie Brown hit both the game tying and game winning field goals against you when they came into the game 0-9 and you were sporting an 8-1 record.

I'm just gonna file that one under "the other team tries, too" and try not to think about it too much. Losing to the White Sox. Sheeeeeesh.

Tonight in Kansas City, the Ravens look for a morsel of revenge from last January's heartbreaker in Baltimore, where Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce danced at midfield after the Chiefs beat John Harbaugh's team in the AFC Championship Game, 17-10.

A win tonight won't do anything to change that result, obviously. But it would sting the Chiefs to lose their banner-raising home opener for the second straight year, I'm guessing. And it all happens in front of a national TV audience, too, if that matters in the least.

The best way to look at this game is simply through the lens of a 17-game season.

It's one game.

The Chiefs are favored.

Under almost any circumstance, barring an injury to Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are favored against most every team.

So beating them gives you a win in a game you were "projected" to lose, if you will.

That tonight's contest happens to be the season opener is neither here nor there, I'm guessing. The positive? The Ravens are (relatively) healthy with no major pre-season injuries. The negative? The other team is (mostly) in the same condition. The Chiefs are missing erstwhile Ravens wide receiver Hollywood Brown but I'm not sure anyone's going to notice.

Playing the Chiefs in the season opener is infinitely better -- in my opinion -- than playing them in late October or early December.

I love the Ravens chances tonight.

We also love several individual player prop bets this evening as well. I mean, if you're going to spend your valuable Thursday evening watching football, you might as well make some Christmas spending money along the way, right?

But before we get to the important football stuff, let's tackle a few important questions from the vault that have been piling up.

Anthony asks -- I realize this is not a political site but you do occasionally post non-sports stuff that centers on religion, music and your high school golf team. I'm curious why you don't endorse one of the Presidential candidates here and on your social media channels? Isn't the whole idea behind web sites like this and social media accounts to influence the people who follow you? I hope this question isn't too touchy for you to answer. Thanks for your time."

DF says -- "It's not too touchy at all. I have no problem discussing anything here or on X (Twitter). The reason I don't do it is simple. I don't like the backlash that comes with it. I personally couldn't care less who anyone votes for. It's none of my business, for starters, and I just don't care which of the two you like. I have lots of friends who are voting for Harris and I have lots of friends voting for Trump.

I like my friends no matter who they vote for.

Here, though, it's different. People get their feathers ruffled at the dumbest stuff. And as I've said here numerous times this year, the biggest problem in our country today -- as a society -- isn't the political divide that the people at CNN try to convince you of. In fact, they're one of the reasons why we're divided.

The biggest problem in our nation is that we forgot how to disagree on things and still be civil, reasonable, righteous human beings.

I have no idea how that happened or when it officially happened or any of the historical stuff but it happened. When we disagree on something now, as a society, we lose our ability to think clearly. It's sad.

So, no political endorsements from me. All that would do is lead people to being ugly. Good question, though. There's definitely an "influencer" element to our world these days that is front and center with things like the 2024 election."

Kris asks -- "Do you think Scottie Scheffler should get credit for a career win with the PGA Tour Championship? He didn't start with the same score as the other players in the field after all. Just curious about your thoughts on this as I respect your golf acumen and I know my foursome at Pine Ridge will talk about it this Saturday. Thanks and Go Hall!"

DF says -- "Fair question for sure. First of all, Collin Morikawa got credit for a win in the Official World Golf Rankings because he posted the best 72 hole score. I definitely think that's the right and fair thing to do, even if he didn't get credit for an actual win on his TOUR record.

I hate to ride the fence on this one. I see both sides of it. Scheffler earned his advantage, after all, and was merely playing by the rules. And let's say Xander Schauffele would have won instead of Scottie. Well, "X" started the event ahead of everyone in the field as well, except for Scheffler obviously. Does "X" get credit for a win?

This is my way of basically saying, "It is what it is and I'm OK with it." I see the logic behind NOT giving him credit for a win given that he didn't start at zero like everyone else, but I also think he earned that advantage over the previous 8 months."

Rick C. asks -- "One month or so after they arrive what do you think about the Orioles keeping Slater and Jimenez next season?"

DF says -- My quick research shows Slater is a free agent and Jimenez has a $16.5 million club option in 2025. I think both of them have added something to the team in their month or so in Baltimore, but I can't imagine the O's will pursue either of them for next season and beyond.

Every team has an Austin Slater or two already on their roster. He's like a coffee shop in Los Angeles. There's one on every corner.

Jimenez has seen his stock drop significantly over the last couple of seasons and not just because of his mercurial personality and the fact he doesn't own a glove. He's just never fulfilled the promise that accompanied him to the majors six years ago. Maybe I'm wrong on this one, but I'm guessing the O's cut him loose and he has a tough time signing any kind of long term deal in the winter.

Someone will give him a two or three year contract (he's only 27) and he might get $8-$10 million a year, but no one's paying him $15 million or $20 million a season."

Carl in Owings Mills asks -- "Did you agree with the two shot penalty on Sahith Theegala in the Tour Championship event?"

DF says -- "I'm not sure it's up to me to "agree" or "disagree" with it. The player himself called the penalty after feeling like he brushed the sand on his backswing. If your question is "Was that a fair penalty given that we hardly saw sand move?" then we'll discuss it. It sure didn't look like he improved his lie or path to the ball.

But absent a rules official, umpire or referee, golf has to continue to be a sport where the players police themselves. It's the only way to do it. Plus, as we've seen with these #clownshoes baseball umpires all summer, the more people you get involved in the application of the rules, the worse it tends to get.

I'd rather have Sahith Theegala call a (meaningless?) penalty on himself and know he's trying to uphold the integrity of the competition than have Patrick Reed openly cheat in a tournament like he did at Torrey Pines five years ago."

Steve Bartram asks -- "Would Harbaugh's tenure in Baltimore end if they somehow don't make the playoffs in 2024? One can only hope."

DF says -- Maybe. I think that would depend on how it happened. If they're 6-2 and Lamar gets hurt in the 9th game and they eventually go 8-9 or 9-8 and miss the post-season, I can't see John losing his job.

But if somehow they simply sputter along all season and wind up 8-9 or 9-8 and don't make it, I guess I could see Steve Bisciotti coming in and saying, "It's been great, but......"

In general, my answer here is "no". John's tenure isn't ending in 2024 unless he wants it to end to in 2024. But, sure, if the Ravens totally flatlined this season and was a 7-10 or 8-9 team, then maybe they make a change."

And so, speaking of the Ravens. Here's what I see happening tonight in Kansas City.

The Ravens new look (and concerning) offensive line has a solid night.

Derrick Henry makes an impact.

Lamar is...well...Lamar.

And for the second straight year, the Chiefs fall in their Thursday night home opener.

I like the Ravens in this one 23-20.

If you have $10 to throw on a 4-way prop bet, here's one I'm considering playing:

* Derrick Henry anytime touchdown

* Patrick Mahomes OVER 20.5 rushing yards

* Travis Kelce UNDER 57.5 passing yards

* Travis Kelce anytime touchdown

Are you ready for some football????? Let's go Ravens!!

Wednesday September 4, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3664

sox down...fins up...furyk weird

I'm definitely not trying to pile on or state the obvious with this one, but we're seeing baseball HISTORY in Baltimore this week.

We're not seeing a bad team who might threaten a record or two for season-long futility.

We're seeing the worst baseball team in all of our lives this week. Like, ever. We had some 50-win teams in Baltimore that were NOWHERE close to as bad as this White Sox team we're seeing in Baltimore this week.

13-3 on Monday.

9-0 last night.

Probably something like 11-3 tonight.

And that's ONLY if Chicago can score three.

Watching them for the better part of two nights has me thinking the obvious question: How on earth have they managed to win 31 games?

Last night was so bad, the JV coach called Grady Sizemore afterwards and gave him some suggestions.

Chicago's starting pitcher on Tuesday evening made Nuke LaLoosh look like Greg Maddux. Wild pitches everywhere, walks, doubles, balls flying all over the ballpark. He even walked in a run in the 2nd inning. Nick Nastrini couldn't throw a strike to save his life. And if/when he did, the O's pounded it.

The White Sox managed to somehow produce a base runner in the 2nd inning. He was promptly picked off but -- here's what's hilarious -- he wasn't even trying to steal a base.

And then their left fielder and shortstop collided on a fly ball that allowed 3 runs to score.

Grady Sizemore got thrown out for arguing with the #clownshoes umpire who missed a call at least once per inning throughout the game until the White Sox skipper finally called him out on it. Why Sizemore waited until the 6th inning to get thrown out was the question of the night.

Later on, the White Sox comically allowed yet another fly ball to drop in between three players in the outfield, almost in the exact same spot as the faux pas from earlier in the game.

I could be wrong on this because I really wasn't paying attention by the time the third inning rolled around, but I'm not sure Chicago ever got a guy to third base.

The game was so bad that the broadcast team on MASN spent almost the whole night interviewing some nerd about the way the baseball spins out of a pitcher's hand and vertical drop rate, whatever that is, and a bunch of other garbage no one cares about when they're trying to watch a game.

Alas, in mild defense of MASN, it was 9-0 and the game was over in the 3rd inning. You could either have Kevin Brown talk about Oasis (again) or have someone talk about spin rates on sliders.

It was dreadful.

The whole night...dreadful. The game was a nothing-burger and the White Sox are the worst team in baseball history.

Anything else I say would be piling on.

Let's just move on to football and my Ravens preview and the predicted Super Bowl champion for the 2024 campaign.

As you saw yesterday, I have the Ravens going 11-6 in the regular season and winning the AFC North title by virtue of a 4-2 division record vs. Cincinnati's 3-3 division record.

What games do I have the Ravens losing? At Dallas, at Cincinnati, At Los Angeles (Chargers), at Houston, home vs. Cleveland, home vs. Philadelphia.

Here's the thing: I think the Ravens have a much better chance of going 13-4 than they do going 10-7. I just don't see many dangerous games for John Harbaugh's team. And if they can, for example, pinch a road win at Dallas, Houston and/or Los Angeles, or avoid losing more than one home game, 13-4 is VERY much within reach for the Ravens.

But, as I noted here yesterday, I think their offensive line and run game are potentially problematic. It is certainly promising to note that Ronnie Stanley breezed through training camp without any issues. But we all know nothing gets solved or resolved in August. It's what Stanley does in the season that counts.

A lot of the Ravens offense in 2024 depends on Derrick Henry. If he's 80% of the old Derrick Henry, the Ravens should be fine. But if he winds up being 50% (or less) of the old Derrick Henry the running game could be their achilles heel.

That said, they have Lamar Jackson. He's not really a running back, but you might have heard he's pretty good at running with the football.

Baltimore's defense will lead the way in 2024.

I feel confident saying that.

The Ravens offense will be "good". Their defense will be "great".

Just like the old days.

The discussion in these parts throughout the season will be the same old song and dance. "Who cares about the regular season? The playoffs are all that matters."

Yeah, sure.

Lamar Jackson's level of prestige in the league is directly tied to his ability to finally play in a Super Bowl next February.

He can win all the MVP awards in the world, but it's definitely Super Bowl or bust for #8.

So we already know the blueprint for the '24 campaign. Jackson will get judged on how the Ravens fare against the teams with the best QB's. Mahomes, Prescott, Allen, Burrow, Herbert. Those games will be billed as "X vs. Lamar". It's just the way it is.

And no matter what the Ravens do in the regular season, they're going to be evaluated by what they do in January and January only. If they go 13-4 or 14-3 but don't make it to the Super Bowl, the season's a failure. That's the story. Better get ready for it.

Here's where I'll sadly tell you......the Ravens aren't going to the Super Bowl.

I wish I had better news for you.

But I don't.

In the NFC, the Rams will beat the Lions in the Championship Game, 30-23.

In the AFC, the Dolphins will beat the Texans in the Championship Game, 26-21.

And in the Super Bowl.......

It's Miami over the L.A. Rams, 27-23.

Fins up.

U.S. Presidents Cup captain Jim Furyk made his picks on Tuesday for the event that takes place later this month in Canada.

Furyk simply went right down the points list and went with players ranked 7 through 12.

We'll give him a "C" for effort and a "D" for logic.

I expected more from a varsity letterman.

Furyk added the following players as his captain's picks: Sam Burns, Tony Finau, Russell Henley, Keegan Bradley, Brian Harman and Max Homa.

I've said here and elsewhere on numerous prior occasions that the Presidents Cup should be treated as a mini-Ryder-Cup-tune-up when it comes to selecting the additional picks. Give guys a chance with no Ryder Cup experience who might someday make a Ryder Cup team. They'll be better served for it with some Presidents Cup experience, I believe.

No matter what the PGA Tour thinks, their event is not comparable in any way to the Ryder Cup. It's just not.

Quick, name your top 5 Presidents Cup moments.

Seriously. Name them.

OK, name your top 3.

Your top 1?

Over the last 50 years, the top Ryder Cup moments are too vast to even list here.

Jack's conceded putt to Tony Jacklin.

Europe finally winning at Muirfield Village in '87 and their whole team dancing around like Kevin Bacon in Footloose.

Christy O'Connor's 3 iron and winning hole at The Belfry in 1989.

The "War by the Shore" at Kiawah which included more memorable moments in three days than the Presidents Cup has ever produced: Ballesteros getting into it with Azinger after a wrong ball was played; Calcavecchia collapsing over the final four holes and shanking his tee shot on the 17th hole; Langer's miss from 6 feet that gave the U.S. the win.

The U.S. failing to make a par at #18 at Oak Hill in each of the last three groups in Sunday singles to give Europe the win in '95.

You get the picture, I'm guessing.

The Ryder Cup is the biggest event in golf and nearly every other year when they play it, some sort of golf history gets made along the way.

Rory vs. Reed at Hazeltine.

Mahan's career basically ending with his flubbed chip in Ireland.

The U.S. in those hideous shirts, winning at Brookline in '99 after trailing 10-6 going into the last day.

The Ryder Cup produces spectacular history.

The Presidents Cup is pre-season football in comparison.

And people like Furyk, who has been part of numerous failed U.S. Ryder Cup ventures, should know as well as anyone about getting younger players experience in team golf formats before unveiling the Ryder Cup to them.

That's why his picks on Tuesday were (mostly) lame.

Guys like Finau don't need to play in a Presidents Cup to get experience. Sure, maybe he gets an extra $250,000 from his sponsors for making the team, but $250,000 to Finau is like $25 to you and I. He loses that much money in the washing machine every year.

Max Homa labored through a pretty lousy year. He made the team mostly based off of a really good 2023. Why take him?

The same with Brian Harman. Great 2023. Good 2024.

I sorta-kinda understand the Keegan Bradley pick. He's the next Ryder Cup captain so getting him in that Presidents Cup room to learn more about the other 11 guys is important. But even Bradley was a weird add in that he didn't really do anything special in '24 but then squeezed his way into the FedEx Cup playoffs and won the BMW out of nowhere.

Why not give younger players with no previous Cup experience (Presidents or Ryder) a chance to see what it's all about in the event they're part of the team at Bethpage in '25 or Ireland in '27? Bhatia, McCarthy, Thompson (two of those guys won this year and McCarthy lost in a playoff and had his best season ever) would have been perfect additions in place of Finau, Homa and Harman and I'm pretty sure the golf drop-off wouldn't have been detectable.

It just doesn't make sense.

Then again, the U.S. Ryder Cup has bottomed out over the last 20 years or so in part because of peculiar picks by the captains, including the '23 edition that saw Zach Johnson embarrass himself by "friending" three picks to J.T., Rickie and Spieth.

Once the PGA Tour realizes the real value of the Presidents Cup is to make the U.S. Ryder Cup better, perhaps the event will finally have a level of importance that makes it worth following.

Tuesday September 3, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3663

are you ready for some football?

Yes, it's football season.

In these parts, at least, it's also still baseball season and will be for at least another five weeks or so.

But starting on Thursday night when the Ravens travel to Kansas City, the NFL is back to dominate the country's sports landscape through the middle of February.

And we're here to get things kicked off today with our annual NFL predictions effort, where we tell you who is going to be good, who is going to be bad and which two teams will play for the Lombardi Trophy in five-plus months.

As you'll see below, we're very bullish on the Ravens in 2024. Sure, they have some warts. But the pieces are once again in place to have John Harbaugh's team battling for the AFC title. We're excited. I'm sure you are as well.

I heard a funny joke about the Steelers on Saturday. Actually, to be exact, I read a funny joke about the Steelers. But I don't want to ruffle any feathers here. I sense people's nerves are getting frayed for whatever reason. So, I'll save it for sometime down the road.

Editor's note: It's a really funny joke. Maybe later...

OK, so here we go with the NFC.

NFC East:

1. Dallas, 11-6

2. Philadelphia, 9-8

3. Washington, 7-10

4. NY Giants, 5-12

The NFC East hasn't produced back-to-back division champions since the Eagles won it three times in a row from 2003 through 2005. Talk about a wild division, huh? That streak ends this year when the Cowboys repeat as East titleists with an 11-6 mark. Division Hot Take: The Giants might not win 5 games. They could be really bad.

NFC South:

1. Atlanta, 10-7

2. New Orleans, 7-10

3. Tampa Bay, 7-10

4. Carolina, 5-12

Atlanta figures to be better with Kirk Cousins at the helm, but they're VERY fortunate to be playing in perhaps the worst division in all of football. Division Hot Take: The entire South could finish under .500. Seriously. Atlanta could win the division at 8-9.

NFC North:

1. Detroit, 12-5

2. Green Bay, 10-7

3. Chicago, 7-10

4. Minnesota, 4-13

It feels weird to label the Lions as "can't miss", but as long as they stay healthy, they're as "can't miss" as any projected division winner in either conference. That said, they're still the Lions. You just never know. Division Hot Take: Green Bay is on the upswing in a big way. Don't be shocked if they're in the hunt for the North title with two weeks left.

NFC West:

1. LA Rams, 12-5

2. San Francisco, 11-6

3. Seattle, 6-11

4. Arizona, 6-11

If Stafford, Nacua and Kupp are all healthy for 17 weeks, there's no telling how many passing records the Rams might set in 2024. Their defense might not be great, but a 38-30 win is just like a 21-17 win. And they're going to have a lot of 38-30 wins. Division Hot Take: The Rams or 49'ers could have one of those special seasons where they go 14-3. Both of them are going to be tough to beat.

NFC Playoffs:

#1 seed, LA Rams

#2 seed, Detroit Lions

#3 seed, Dallas Cowboys

#4 seed, Atlanta Falcons

#5 seed, San Francisco 49'ers

#6 seed, Green Bay Packers

#7 seed, Philadelphia Eagles

And now, on to the AFC:

AFC East:

1. Miami, 12-5

2. NY Jets, 11-6

3. Buffalo, 9-8

4. New England, 3-14

The times are definitely changing in the AFC East. Buffalo's reign is ending, New England is a league patsy and the Jets are riding on the back of Aaron Rodgers for at least one season. But it's the Dolphins who enter the season as the definite team to beat. Division Hot Take: New England could go 0-17. Who are they gonna beat?

AFC South:

1. Houston, 11-6

2. Jacksonville, 10-7

3. Indianapolis, 9-8

4. Tennessee, 7-10

Maybe this is the year Jacksonville puts it together after a couple of seasons of high promise in '22 and '23. The Texans look legit, though, with a plethora of wide receivers, including newcomer Stefon Diggs. Division Hot Take: The division winner could end up at 9-8 and the other three teams could finish 8-9 each.

AFC West:

1. Kansas City, 12-5

2. LA Chargers, 11-6

3. Denver, 6-10

3. Las Vegas, 6-10

Yes, I'm buying stock in the Chargers. No, I have no idea why I'm doing that. K.C. and the Chargers will battle it out and both make the playoffs while Denver and Vegas will be out of the playoff race by Thanksgiving. Division Hot Take: Herbert could outplay Mahomes in 2024 and it could be LA winning the division and the Chiefs serving as the division's wild card entry.

AFC North:

1. Baltimore, 11-6

1. Cincinnati, 11-6

3. Cleveland, 8-9

4. Pittsburgh, 7-10

I think the Ravens offensive line and lack of a running game will be their biggest 2024 flaws. They should be very good defensively. But can they get by without being able to chew up yards on the ground? The key, of course, is Derrick Henry. If he rebounds to become "Derrick Henry" again, then 13-4 is a real possibility. But we're going to settle on 11-6 for now and see how things play out. The Bengals will be able to score points, but can they stop anyone? Cleveland will win 8 but no more than that. And the Steelers? Yes, indeed, it's time for a trip to the basement up there in the Steel City. Division Hot Take: The Bengals could be so bad defensively that they lose 31-27 all the time. Any chance the Ravens are the only team above .500 in the North? Definitely.

AFC Playoffs:

#1 seed, Miami

#2 seed, Kansas City

#3 seed, Baltimore

#4 seed, Houston

#5 seed, Cincinnati

#6 seed, LA Chargers

#7 seed, NY Jets

And we'll be back here tomorrow to tell you how the playoffs shake out and who we'll be watching in the Super Bowl next February.

---

OK, what the heck. At the risk of people getting their feelings hurt...here's the joke.

A first grade teacher in Philadelphia explains to her class that she is a Philadelphia Flyers hockey fan.

She asks her students to raise their hands if they were Flyers fans, too. Not really knowing what a Flyers fan was, but wanting to be like their teacher, hands explode into the air.

There is, however, one exception. A girl named Mary has not gone along with the crowd.

The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not a Flyers fan."

"Then," asks the teacher, "what are you?"

"Why I'm proud to be a Detroit Red Wings fan," boasts the little girl.

The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Mary why she is a Red Wings fan.

"Well, My Dad and Mom are Red Wings fans, and I'm a Red Wings fan, too!"

The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly. "What if your mom was a moron, and your dad was a moron? What would you be then?"

"Then," says Mary, "I'd be a Flyers fan."

Editor's note: A) Now that's a funny joke. B) It was originally published as a joke about the Steelers, but I substituted the Flyers in there because I didn't want to offend any Steelers fans we might have checking in here today.

	"Randy On The O's"
Randy Morgan takes #DMD readers through the recent week in Orioles baseball as the Birds try to win a second straight A.L. East title.

orioles week in review

Week Record: 3-3

Season Record: 80-59

AL East Standing: 2nd (0.5 GB NYY)

Player of the Week: Ramon Urias

It’s beginning to sound like a broken record here, but it was another mediocre week for the Orioles. The O’s again barely managed to tread water, with a 3-3 week against the Dodgers and Rockies. Zach Eflin returned on Sunday to salvage a .500 week.

Once again, the good news is that the Yankees were even worse this week, dropping four of six games against the non-contending Nationals and Cardinals. That leaves the O’s just a half game behind the Yanks for the division with the historically bad White Sox coming to Camden Yards for three games.

The week started off well when Cole Irvin delivered another decent spot start on Tuesday, limiting the NL leading Dodgers to two runs in just over four innings.

The O’s then got 4.2 shutout innings from Bowman, Perez, Cano and Dominguez out of the bullpen. A Ryan O’Hearn homer put them up early before Ramon Urias hit a two-run shot to put the O’s ahead for good in a 3-2 win.

On Wednesday the string of bad starts continued for Corbin Burnes. Though the defense was partially to blame with five unearned runs, Burnes continued to get hit by opposing bats, allowing six runs on five hits in five innings.

We’ll have more on Burnes' struggles in the Question of the Week, but this start put the O’s in a big hole. Three more shutout innings from the bullpen and another strong night from Urias helped keep the game close but the Birds couldn’t touch the Dodgers bullpen, falling 6-4.

In the rubber match on Thursday Los Angeles jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the 4th inning on another tough night for Cade Povich (or “Slim” if you prefer). The alter ego did not help the rookie at all on this night as he only lasted 3.1 innings, allowing five runs on ten hits.

With Eflin returning to the rotation it seems Povich’s time may be short in the majors. Colton Cowser hit a three-run bomb in the 5th to give the O’s some hope but that was as close as they would get in a 6-3 loss.

The Orioles left LA and traveled to Denver, looking to turn things around against the struggling Rockies. On Friday night they had the right man on the mound to facilitate that, as Albert Suarez once again threw a gem.

Suarez came up with his longest outing of the season, throwing seven innings and limiting Colorado to just two runs. The newly acquired Emmanuel Rivera had the hot bat on Friday, driving in a run in the 2nd to put the O’s up 1-0 then blasting a two-run homer in the 4th that gave them a 3-2 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

A Jackson Holliday triple in the stadium his father played extended the lead and Seranthony Dominguez notched another save for 5-3 win.

That was followed by a letdown on Saturday. The Rockies, in their well executed City Connect jerseys (as opposed to the local team), got to Dean Kremer early, pushing across three runs in the 2nd inning.

Kremer settled down but was unfortunately forced out of the game in the 4th after taking a line drive off his forearm. The Birds battled back with homers from Anthony Santander and Eloy Jimenez, then a two-run single from O’Hearn in the 5th. However, that only set up another meltdown from maligned former-closer Craig Kimbrel, who came on in the 8th and promptly allowed two runs, dooming the O’s to a 7-5 loss.

Luckily, Zach Eflin came off the IL on Sunday and picked up right where he left off. Eflin delivered a masterful seven innings, limiting the Rockies to one run on four hits with one walk and nine strikeouts.

He has been everything the O’s could have wished for in a deadline acquisition and more. At this point it would not be surprising if he is starting game one of a playoff series.

No player really jumped off the page for this edition of the Player of the Week. Albert Suarez and Zach Eflin certainly deserve consideration for their impeccable starts. Anthony Santander had a strong week at the plate with a crucial home run while batting .300 on the week.

But this week we give the award to Ramon Urias, who, despite missing Sunday after going to the IL with a sprained ankle, put up a .411 on-base percentage with a clutch homer and four RBI.

Urias has been absolutely crucial for the Orioles over the past few weeks, regaining his starting role when Coby Mayo was sent back to the minors and taking full advantage of his renewed status.

Down on the Farm –

There weren’t many standouts on the farm this week. The most notable development was the promotion of top catching prospect Samuel Basallo to AAA Norfolk. Basallo was adjusting to the new level this week, posting just a .512 OPS, but he did manage his first AAA homer in just his third game at Norfolk.

Coby Mayo did not have a banner week either, going just 2-15 but hitting his team-leading 22nd homer before being called back up to the Orioles with the September roster expansion.

At AA Bowie, 2023 1st round pick Enrique Bradfield Jr. cooled off after a hot start, going just 2-16 on the week. The big name at Bowie this week was 21 year old catching prospect Creed Willems, who went deep twice in just his second game in AA.

Question of the Week –

What is wrong with Corbin Burnes?

The ace the Orioles brought in over the winter had exceeded expectations through the end of July. Burnes finished that month with a 2.47 ERA and was among the favorites for the AL Cy Young award. Then what seemed like a couple of rough outings to start August spiraled into one of the worst stretches of his career.

After another poor outing this week (albeit with only one earned run), Burnes has allowed the following in his five August starts:

* 5.2 IP 3R

* 3.2IP 7R

* 6IP 5R

* 5.2IP 5R

That resulted in a 7.36 ERA for the month, and that is helped by the last start in which five of the runs were unearned.

This is easily the worst stretch of his career since the start of 2019, when he had a 10.70 ERA through his first five starts of the season and was demoted to the bullpen for the remainder of the year. Since then his worst month was August 2022, when he posted a 4.81 ERA.

Burnes was the picture of consistency through his first 22 starts of the season, where he delivered a quality start in all but three. So what changed for Burnes in August to cause this sharp drop off? Has he begun to get fatigued and lost velocity? Has he lost his control of the strike zone or command of his breaking pitches? Or has he just had a run of bad luck?

As stated above the numbers for August are pretty ugly. The 7.36 ERA along with a 1.60 WHIP. Looking at more advanced metrics, his Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) was 4.81, which suggests he deserved somewhat better than the 7+ ERA, but still not his usual self.

Perhaps the most worrying part of the FIP number is that it has gone up in each month this season, from 2.56 in May to 3.79 in June, to 4.02 in July. Opposing hitters have a .304 batting average against Burnes in August, which is significantly worse than the .231 in his next-worst month.

Diving deeper into the numbers, his strikeouts are down, with his 22 in August the lowest of any month and his 18.5% strikeout percentage his lowest by a good amount. While the strikeouts are down, his walk rate has been consistent, so it doesn’t seem that his overall control has fallen off.

In August, batters hit line drives 23.6% of the time, well higher than the rest of the season, where the previous worst month was May with 17.8%. Burnes has also allowed an elevated HR rate in August at 15.6% and his highest hard hit rate at 38.9%, though that number was only slightly more than in June.

The exit velocities off his changeup, sinker, slider and cutter have all jumped in August with his sinker showing the biggest drop in effectiveness.

One number that really stands out for the last month is a highly elevated BABIP (Batting Average on Balls in Play). Burnes has allowed a .277 BABIP in his career and prior to August his worst month this season was May, with a .294 BABIP.

In August that jumped to .341. Burnes has also struggled massively with runners on base in August, stranding only 38.2% of runners as opposed to over 76% every other month.

These stats may be partially explained by the increase in line drives and home runs hit off him, but given that the hard hit and exit velocities were only slightly higher, it may suggest Burnes has had some significant bad luck as well.

So it seems that Burnes has been both more hittable and more unlucky in the past month. That leads one to ask what might have changed about his pitches or approach that have enabled hitters to have more success.

Looking at this pitch data on Baseball Savant provides some insight. While Burnes had the lowest velocity of the year in his most recent start, the previous four were all in line with his average for the year. In addition, the velocity on all of his pitches has remained consistent throughout this season. So if this is fatigue, it doesn’t appear to be affecting his velocity to a large degree.

Maybe it could be related to the mix of pitches he’s throwing at hitters? Burnes has gradually thrown his cutter less over the course of the season, but it is still by far his most frequent pitch at 41.7% in August, compared to 46% in May.

In August Burnes has used slightly more of his changeup and sinker compared to his other offspeed and breaking pitches, but there’s nothing in the pitch mix that suggests the sharp drop off in effectiveness.

If his velocity hasn’t declined and his pitch mix doesn’t appear to be a major factor, perhaps the pitches he’s throwing are just less effective? This appears to be where we may find a clue to why Burnes has been struggling in August.

While the spin rates on all his pitches have remained consistent throughout the season, some of the other numbers have dropped. Both the Swing and Miss and Chase and Miss percentages have declined for his slider, curveball, cutter and changeup in August.

Additionally, the Whiff percentage and Put Away percentage are down for both his cutter and breaking pitches.

After delving into the advanced numbers for Burnes in August, it’s hard to draw any distinct conclusions. It’s clear hitters are having more success against him, but there isn’t a clear drop in his velocity or spin rates on his pitches.

He’s not walking more batters and he appears to have consistent location statistics with the rest of the season. Despite that, he has been missing fewer bats and getting less hitters to chase his breaking pitches. His slider in particular seems less effective.

Ultimately there isn’t anything in the numbers that suggests Burnes can’t turn this around. It would be especially concerning if we were seeing decreasing velocity or loss of control. Neither of these have caused the decline.

If there is any fatigue it isn’t showing up in obvious ways. Perhaps some arm fatigue is contributing to the reduction in swing and miss on his breaking pitches.

The Orioles have seemed reluctant to push Burnes up in the rotation to pitch on normal rest when off days have allowed, so they may be protecting his arm. However, any fatigue he has appears to be more mental than physical.

The issue may just be missing his spots in key moments and not locating his pitches as precisely as he needs to in high leverage situations. There also appears to be some bad luck baked in with where the ball is landing when hitters make contact, and that should regress to the mean sooner or later.

In the end there appears to be little reason for concern. The Orioles need Burnes to right the ship ASAP and there’s no reason to believe he can’t do that. From a velocity and stuff standpoint, Burnes looks to be the same pitcher he’s been all season.

That should give confidence he will get back to his winning ways in time to resume his ace role in the playoffs.

Monday September 2, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3662

worried? don't be

Happy Labor Day to all.

As is our annual custom here, we'll be offering a truncated version of #DMD today in honor of the holiday.

I know what Flyers and Beatles fans are thinking.

Truncated means shortened or curtailed.

You're welcome.

These are anxious days in The Land of Pleasant Living as the baseball schedule moves into September and the A.L. East steamrolls in the direction of a fantastic finish later this month.

The Birds are now a half-game out of first after Sunday's 6-1 win at Colorado coupled with the Yankees' 14-7 home loss to the Cardinals.

At stake over the final month? A division title and a (likely) first-round bye as long as the A.L. East winner finishes with the first or second best record in the league.

Some folks think the division crown is overrated. There are those who think a wild card berth isn't all that bad, particularly since it means you just keep on playing after the regular season concludes instead of waiting around the better part of a full week to resume your 2024 post-season.

What do we think here at #DMD?

We'll take the division title if we can, in fact, win it.

Not playing in the A.L. Wild Card series means you're one step closer to the World Series. You can't lose in the A.L. Wild Card series if you don't play in it.

So, our preference here is to see the O's win the division title.

But if it works out that Baltimore finishes second, then a wild card series it is.

And what do we think is going to happen? Well, we're glad you asked.

See below...

Yankees (79-58) remaining schedule and predicted wins/losses:

at Texas, 3 (W, L, L)

at Cubs, 3 (L, W, L)

vs. Kansas City, 3 (W, L, W)

vs. Boston, 4 (W, L, L, W)

at Seattle, 3 (W, W, L)

at Oakland, 3 (W, W, L)

vs. Baltimore, 3 (L, L, W)

vs. Pittsburgh, 3 (W, L, W)

Final record: 92-70

Orioles (79-59) remaining schedule and predicted wins/losses:

vs. White Sox, 3 (W, W, W)

vs. Tampa Bay, 3 (L, W, W)

at Boston, 4 (W, L, W, L)

at Detroit, 3 (W, L, L)

vs. San Francisco, 3 (W, W, L)

vs. Detroit, 3 (W, W, W)

at Yankees, 3 (W, W, L)

at Minnesota, 3 (L, W, W)

Final rercord: 96-66

So there you have it.

Rest easy O's fans.

This one's in the books.

A second straight A.L. East title, which will actually be clinched in New York in the penultimate series of the campaign in late September.

Won't that be something?

Celebrating with tee shirts and champagne in the Bronx.

Ain't the beer cold?

Enjoy your holiday and come back around tomorrow for Randy Morgan's weekly in-depth O's recap and our 2024 NFL predictions column where we tell you just how far the Ravens will go in this season's playoffs.

Sunday September 1, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3661

three things i believe in

That was amateur hour last night in Colorado.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the lowly Rockies who were the "amateur" part of that statement.

It was our Orioles who spit the bit.

Colorado won the game, 7-5, after Craig Kimbrel -- I know you're shocked -- came in to pitch the 8th inning with the game tied at 5-5 and promptly gave up two runs.

Kimbrel stinks. We all know that. Brandon Hyde knows it. But his options last night were limited because Dean Kremer left the game in the 4th inning after being hit by a line drive and the O's bullpen had to work overtime.

So, as much as it's easy to pin the defeat on Kimbrel, there were so many other moments-of-fault that I don't know where to start.

There were passed balls (Rutschman).

Failure to cut the ball off and allowing runners to advance (O'Hearn).

Laziness from/in the outfield that allowed Rockies runners to take an extra base (Cowser, Mullins).

Failure to drive in runners in scoring position (Rutschman, Jimenez, Holliday, Henderson (again), Cowser).

Stolen bases off of Kimbrel and Cano.

Incredibly inefficient trips at the plate (Cowser).

It all added up to a bad loss against a really bad team.

Kimbrel got most of the heat on social media after the game but he's low hanging fruit at this point. If he's pressed into duty, it's very likely he's going to give up runs and/or have a direct impact on the game.

All the other stuff, though, needs to be cleaned up so Kimbrel isn't in the game in the first place.

This, unfortunately, has been going on for a while now. Saturday night wasn't an outlier. The fundamentals and the approach at the plate have been "off" for the better part of a month.

Everyone scuffles at some point in a 162-game season. It's inevitable. Some folks scuffle for a series and some scuffle for a month.

Rutschman, Henderson and Cowser have tailed off over the last 30 games, even if their "slash line" doesn't totally reflect that.

All three are a strike out waiting to happen at the plate. And their defensive capabilities have also taken a hit of late.

There was a joke floating around on Twitter this week that depicted Rutschman as Matt Wieters 2.0.

A day later, someone chimed in: "You're being disrespectful to Matt Wieters with that comparison."

There is good news, though.

The schedule turns in the O's favor with three straight wins vs. the White Sox coming up this week in Baltimore, followed by a weekend visit from a Tampa Bay team that is pretty much done.

There's still one more game in Denver today. Let's hope the O's look more like a major league team in the series finale vs. the Rockies than they looked in last night's 7-5 loss.

Amateur hour.

---

Your mileage may vary on these three.

You can use the Comments section below to agree with my three. Or disagree with them. And you can also simply add three of your own and then everyone else can chop away at your three.

This all sorta-kinda started on Friday night when I told a couple of friends that I have this weird feeling Eloy Jimenez is going to have a big hit for the Orioles, either late in the regular season or in the playoffs.

"He's this team's Delmon Young from 2014," I told the two of them.

"He's a bum," my friend Mark countered.

Look, I understand why most O's fans aren't all that hot and bothered by Jimenez. Sure, he's hitting .300 for the O's in his one month with the team, but it's hard to feel all warm and fuzzy about the former White Sox slugger when you see him hit a grounder to shortstop and lollygag his way down the first base line before being thrown out by six steps.

He just has the look of a dude who only tries when he wants to try.

That said, I mentioned when he was acquired from Chicago that you can't ever under-estimate the value of a fresh start, particularly for someone like Jimenez who was rumored to be a clubhouse downer in the Windy City.

And one of the things I believe is Jimenez is going to have a big hit for the Orioles in September or October.

And by "big hit", I mean a hit that helps give the Birds a playoff spot or the A.L. East title or, like Young did in 2014, a Jimenez hit in the post-season carries the Orioles to a magical win.

Let's hope I'm right. Right?

I've thought long and hard about this one over the last few days. In my lifetime, I can think of only three athletes who immediately fulfilled their promise and, at the same time, changed their sport.

Not Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Neither of them did it immediately.

Not Michael Jordan, either. It took him a little while, as well.

Tiger Woods was the first one.

He won three straight U.S. Junior Amateur titles and followed that up with three straight U.S. Amateur trophies. No one ever did that before Woods, no one has done it since, and no one will ever do it again.

Tiger was going to turn professional and turn the world of professional golf on its ears.

And that's exactly what happened.

We've never really seen anyone like him. Showed up, beat everyone like a drum for the better part of two decades, and became the biggest needle-mover in the history of golf.

And the thing is, he was supposed to be that great. And he delivered.

The same goes for LeBron James.

He might not have revolutionized basketball the way Tiger changed golf, but James did revolutionize the position he played when he joined the NBA straight out of high school.

"The Chosen One" was the headline Sports Illustrated decided on when they profiled LeBron in his junior year of high school.

Imagine being a high school junior and the (then) top sports publication in America writes a story predicting you're going to take the NBA by storm. You're 16 years old and you're the "chosen one".

And then you go on to take the NBA by storm, just like they said you would.

Two decades later, you're one of the greatest players to ever play the game. Multiple championships. First ballot Hall of Fame inductee someday down the road.

It's rare someone comes along and delivers on all the promise, but James did it.

One of the things I believe is Caitlin Clark is going to have the same impact in the WNBA that James had in the NBA. But unlike James, who came into an established league and dominated, Clark is one-upping him.

Caitlin Clark has put the WNBA on the map.

Oh, sure, the WNBA has been around for 27 years. But no one cared about the WNBA for, oh, about 26 of those 27 years.

But people are starting to care now. And Caitlin Clark is the reason.

Is she the best player in the league? I have no idea. Like 95% of everyone else in America, I couldn't name 10 players in the league, let alone argue with you about who is the best player.

I know Caitlin Clark, though.

And I know she's great at basketball.

And I also know that prior to her showing up in the WNBA, the league was just a bunch of women playing basketball and no one knew who was winning the games, who was winning the MVP or who was winning the league title.

But everyone knows her. And they know she's a rock star.

Even the players in the league know it. They're envious of her, but, yes, they also know she's the straw that stirs the drink.

She was a world-beater at the University of Iowa, but there were a few people who scoffed at her talents and said, "Let's see how it translates to the pro game."

Well, here we are.

She's clobbering fools in the WNBA on a nightly basis.

And she's doing it -- most importantly -- in front of sold out arenas all over the country. She's appointment viewing, either in person or are on TV.

Caitlin Clark has changed women's basketball in this country.

The O's downturn over the last two months has been talked about here ad nauseum and has been dissected over and over (and over) on social media.

Injuries have hurt the club. No two ways about it.

The offense hasn't been very good since mid-June.

The team was struggling in July and people said, "That's what the trade deadline is for..."

Then the trade deadline came and went and the Birds made one really nice move (Eflin), a move that has paid "some" dividends (Dominguez) and a move that could turn into something down the road (Jimenez).

But there was also a trade for Trevor Rogers that backfired. And not just because Connor Norby has been tearing it up in Miami.

For all of those moments, though, one of the things I believe is the club's ultimate mistake in 2024 is/was keeping Craig Kimbrel around.

It's not the worst part of their season. The team's failure to drive in runners in scoring position trumps the Kimbrel decision.

But they "control" the Kimbrel decision.

I understand dealing Austin Hays for Seranthony Dominguez, although it's probably fair to remind you there wouldn't have been an urgent need for him had Kimbrel been effective in 2024.

Austin Hays was no world beater, obviously, but he was almost a regular, every day kind of player that you swapped for a relief pitcher with a spotty track record in Philadelphia.

I understand adding Zach Eflin, particularly pretty-much-knowing you're not going to be able to keep Corbin Burnes.

I even see the logic in adding the mercurial Eloy Jimenez. You didn't give up anything to get him. So why not? Sure, he could wind up being a clubhouse problem like he was in Chicago, but if that part of Jimenez shows up in Baltimore, you DFA him after a few weeks and no-fuss-no-muss.

And I know Rogers was terrible most of the year in Miami and in his limited time in Baltimore, but the Birds needed a lefty starter and they didn't want to give up a garage full of high-level prospects for Crochet or Skubal.

Yes, Kikuchi was available in Toronto, but the Astros gave up a treasure chest for him, don't forget.

All that said...

Elias should have cut Kimbrel loose a month ago.

Frankly, he probably should have DFA'd Kimbrel in mid-July when the GM still had time to find someone else.

I get it, he makes $13 million and no one likes paying a player while he sits at home.

But Kimbrel has been a massive liability.

I'm not trying to pile on the guy, by the way. He's had a very good career, has Kimbrel.

But the sun has set on his time in the big leagues.

Father Time always wins.

Saturday August 31, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3660

you're making it worse

I shared a late summer refreshment with two friends yesterday. We met up at a nice watering hole in the Towson area to chat about life, the O's, golf and anything else that came to mind.

As it happens these days, a couple of young adults came in and their appearance was, let's just say, "different".

And I don't mean "odd" different. I just mean they were dressed and looked different than the other 30 or so people who were in the place at the time.

They were male and female. The male had, by rough estimation, 90% of his visible body covered with tattoos. And he had at least a dozen piercings of some kind on his face, head, ears, etc.

The female was similar in nature.

I think, by today's standards, they're considering "alternative". Which is fine by me. I generally don't get worked up about tattoos and piercings and such.

In 1980 in Glen Burnie, if you were a guy with a piercing you were definitely considered weird.

In 2024, you're probably weird if you don't have a piercing or a tattoo.

Anyway...

Mark gestures in their direction and says, "What do you think happened to them?"

My other friend said, "Maybe they both got the score run up on them in a soccer game when they were 15 years old and never recovered."

We laughed.

Minutes before, we were talking about the incident from the night before when the Howard University coach took exception to a late touchdown from a Rutgers running back.

That's why Dan chimed in with his remark about the soccer game and the score being run up and how that might have impacted the two new visitors in the bar.

The reality, of course, is that it's highly unlikely a sports result of any kind "changed" those two. I have no idea why they dress and look the way they do but I suspect it's more personal preference and style than anything else.

This entry today isn't about two young adults and the ever-changing world we live in.

I brought that story up to highlight the Howard University/Rutgers incident from Thursday night.

I can't imagine one kid from Howard University is going to be scarred for life because a Rutgers running back bolted into the end zone with no time left to turn a 37-7 loss into a 44-7 loss in August of 2024.

I just don't think, five years from now, two young males will wander into a Washington D.C. bar with tattoos and piercings (or anything else that distinctively makes them look "different") and two guests will whisper, "Look, it's those two guys who were on the Howard football team the year Rutgers ran up the score on them. That game sure did change them."

This topic of "running up the score" in sports has been gaining steam for a long time in our country.

It's useless going into a wide ranging discussion about it here because ultimately the direction of the discourse changes from sports to the way children are being raised in this generation and then people's feelings get hurt and everything gets mucked up in the end.

Mark, Dan and I eventually did shift our get together to sports, like we always do, and I was adamant with them about one thing: Sportsmanship, for the most part, is a dying theme.

Every tackle or touchdown in football now includes a dance or some other 5-second "act" that is largely done to show up the opposing player or team. Every dunk includes theatrics and taunting. Every home run now includes a bat flip, which may or may not earn you a ball in the ribs depending on how "unsportsmanlike" the opposing team believes that stunt to be.

I say this all the time. Taunting is as much a part of the NFL and college football as are commercials about sports gambling. It's just the way athletes are conditioned these days.

"Look what I did to you..."

It's not a new trend, mind you. But it's never reverting back to what it once was. Isn't there a saying about not being able to put the toothpaste back in the tube or something like that?

And I'm not saying what happened on Thursday night was, in any way, unsportsmanlike. I'm actually saying the opposite.

It's a football game. People are trying to impress the coaches. They're athletes. They're conditioned by the coaches to pursue excellence.

What happened was Howard's defense couldn't stop the Rutgers offense on the game's final play.

That's actually what happened.

Whether Rutgers should have been "trying" to score at the end is the actual root of the discussion and that's where "sportsmanship" comes into the discussion. And you (and I) might have been raised to sit on the ball there and not score. I get that. But that was then and this is now.

I almost look at it like this: 50 years ago, men were conditioned to hold the door open for women because it was the "gentlemanly" thing to do. Heck, I'm old. I still do it if the opportunity presents itself.

But what we've discovered over the last, say, 20 years, is that we should simply be holding the door open for one another, no matter your gender. Or your race. Or the way you look or dress. Just hold the door open because it's the right thing to do, period.

I've never liked seeing blowouts in sports. I do understand how it looks when a football score is 55-0 or a basketball score is 98-34 or a baseball score is 18-3.

And, yes, I also understand that younger athletes -- in their teens, say -- are far more prone to emotional distress over a loss than an adult might be. But part of that is because of social media, instant reaction, pictures up everywhere, etc.

50 years ago if Glen Burnie soccer lost 10-0 to someone, it could be days before I was confronted with it once the story ran in the Maryland Gazette.

Today, you're on the bus riding home from the game and the score is posted about five minutes after the final whistle and your friends are hammering at you with laughing emojis because you lost 10-0.

Times are different.

But what's really happening is we're failing to coach these young boys and girls about the realities of life.

If you open a business at age 25, your competitors are going to want you to fail. They are going to try to stomp you into the ground.

If your business starts to flourish, rival companies will try to steal your best employees.

Competition is everywhere in life and you are going to lose and sometimes you're going to lose by a little and sometimes you're going to get completely squashed. And your job is to accept it and try to improve upon it.

The Howard University coach using his platform to whine about that final touchdown was useless.

Sure, he was trying to protect his players and all. I get that. But they're men. Young men, perhaps, but they're men. They get it. They're still getting their NIL money and their off campus apartment whether that kid from Rutgers scores to make it 44-7 or takes a knee on the one yard line to keep the score at 37-7.

And if the Howard players were that upset about the "extra touchdown", here's a novel idea: Someone tackle the dude before he gets into the end zone.

Blaming the other team's coach because their football team was better than your football team is #clownshoes stuff.

My very first MIAA match, back in 2011 when I was coaching for John Carroll, came against Mount Saint Joseph, who at the time were one of the league's golfing powerhouses.

They beat us 21-0 and my six players won a total of 3 holes on the day. Three holes. It was a blowout of epic proportions.

When we finished the match and I gathered my team together, I said to them: "That team we played today...is exactly the kind of team and program I want to build here at John Carroll. We have a lot of work ahead of us to get there. I'll see you guys tomorrow at practice and we'll start working towards that."

What was I going to do? Beat up their kids and coaching staff for not "letting" us win at least one point? Scream about how unfair it was for one of their guys to make a 20-foot putt on the 12th green to make the final 21-0 instead of 20-1?

"We need to get better..."

That's the only message those kids from Howard needed to hear on Thursday night.

Taking a minute of your time in the press conference to cry about a meaningless touchdown was a minute you could have used to speak glowingly about the performance of a player or two on your team who were excellent despite the loss.

I don't know, man. I just don't understand what these coaches are thinking about when they complain about late baskets, late home runs or late touchdowns.

You spend 60 hours a week telling your players to never quit, never back down and never take the opponent lightly.

And then, when the other team does that exact same thing to you -- because their coach was telling them to do it -- it's somehow wrong and unsportsmanlike?

Just go get better and stop being so soft.

Friday August 30, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3659

i'm not dodging the questions

They've been piling up and I'm here to answer them.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm going to briefly mention the game last night in Los Angeles.

The O's collected a grand total of 4 hits in the game, sports fans.

Colton Cowser provided the only big moment of the night with a 3-run homer to cut a 5-0 lead to 5-3, but Brandon Hyde fell asleep in the 8th inning and left Matt Bowman in the game to load the bases and the Dodgers tacked on a final run in a 6-3 victory.

Cade Povich wasn't very good. That is, unless you think allowing 11 base runners in 3.1 innings is "good".

But the bullpen was actually very efficient until Bowman -- pitching for the 3rd time in 4 games -- completely ran out of gas in his second inning of work. Keegan Akin came in and promptly gave up a first pitch, run scoring, sacrifice fly, but those who followed Povich on Thursday night were in no way responsible for the 6-3 defeat.

This one -- stop me if you heard it before -- was on the bats. Period.

4 lousy hits. We call that a "Depeche Mode" around here.

Gunnar Henderson came up with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the 7th inning and struck out to end the inning. He doesn't get all the blame, of course. But that was a big moment in a (fairly) big game and he totally whiffed...no pun intended.

There were also a couple of defensive miscues, including Adley Rutschman inexplicably picking up a ball that was CLEARLY going to roll foul in the first inning (fortunately no runs scored as a result) and Colton Cowser fiddling around with the ball in the 4th inning and allowing a base runner to go from first to second (and he eventually did score).

There was a comical botched run down later on in the game where Jackson Holliday couldn't make a 15-foot throw to Ryan O'Hearn at first base.

Shaky starting pitching.

4 hits.

Indifferent defense (and that's being kind).

Failure to drive in runners in scoring position.

It all added up to another loss.

Editor's note: I think Depeche Mode had a lot more than four really good songs. I love their Greatest Hits CD. But I think they pretty much had 4 hits; Enjoy The Silence, Personal Jesus, Strangelove and Policy of Truth. Further, "Violator" is one of the best 25 albums of my life. Maybe even top 15 if I really tried to put the list together.

On to Colorado the Birds go. They're playing a bad team in a stadium where the ball travels. There better be a double-digit offensive eruption in one of these upcoming three games.

For the Orioles, that is.

And now...we tackle your questions.

Mark asks -- "I know you wrote earlier this week that Dodgers Stadium is the best baseball ballpark you've ever been in but what's the best football stadium you've ever been in?"

DF says -- "I've been in fewer football stadiums, for starters. I think I've been to 22 or 23 baseball stadiums. Here's the NFL football stadiums I've seen games in:

Baltimore, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Meadowlands, Philadelphia, New England, Buffalo, Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Kansas City, Arizona, Indianapolis and Nashville.

I tend to rate stadiums based on the "experience". I'm generally not big on the "cosmetics" of stadiums. For instance, I think the baseball stadium in Pittsburgh is the best "facility" I've been in. I'm not talking about the view of downtown and that kind of stuff. I'm talking about just sitting in the ballpark and looking at the way it was built. I think Pittsburgh's awesome.

To me, football stadiums are just big circular buildings with seats in them where people convene to watch football. There's not really much to them.

I'm working hard to answer this question. I think the best stadium I've been in -- for football -- is Atlanta. And I'm not a huge indoor stadium guy, either, but that one has the retractable roof that makes it at least "feel" outdoorsy when it's open."

Tim in Hunt Valley asks -- "I haven't seen your Presidents Cup captain's picks. Who do you think the U.S. should add to the team?"

DF says -- "I'll be honest. I'm pretty removed from the Presidents Cup. It's not appointment viewing like the Ryder Cup is, at least not to me. I just pulled up the names of the six automatic guys, so here's who I would add.

But first, let me also say this, and then I'll tell you who the other six should be. I believe the Presidents Cup should attempt to serve as a bit of a feeder system for the Ryder Cup. I realize the PGA Tour runs the Presidents Cup and the PGA of America runs the Ryder Cup and the two events are really in no way connected at all.

That said, I think it would help our Ryder Cup chances if we gave some younger players (without Ryder Cup experience") a chance to get their feet wet in the Presidents Cup. A great example of this would have been someone like Sahith Theegala had he not made the team automatically on points.

Anyway, with all that on the table, here's the six I would add if they gave me the keys: Keegan Bradley, Russell Henley, Akshay Bhatia, Sam Burns, Davis Thompson and Billy Horschel.

Thompson would be the most controversial of those picks because he's in 22nd place in the standings with 2800 points, but he's somewhere around 10th or 11th in 2024 points. He didn't really register any points a year ago. He's a very nice young player who played well in the U.S. Open in June and also won his first TOUR event a few weeks later."

Dan Fink asks -- "You can't pick Mahomes or Lamar. Who is going to be the NFL MVP in 2024?"

DF says -- "Can I say "no one"? If not Mahomes or Lamar, then who? Wow. It can't be Josh Allen. It can't be Justin Herbert. (I'm just thinking about QB's at this point, obviously). It could be someone like Cooper Kupp or Tyreek Hill, I guess.

And I'll give you a crazy pick that might not be that crazy because, A) He's probably still pretty good and, B) If it's not Mahomes or Lamar, he's the one QB who could lead his team to 13 wins.

Yes, I'm talking about Aaron Rodgers.

Look, he could be washed up for all we know. Would it shock me if he's incredibly mediocre in 2024? Not at all. But he's been off for a year, lots of time to recover, and the Jets will certainly throw the ball a lot.

But if you're pressing me for one guy other than Lamar and Mahomes, I'll go with Tyreek Hill. If he stays healthy, he's virtually unstoppable (assuming his #1 QB also stays healthy)."

Rick asks -- "What is the 2025 fate of these Orioles? McCann, Burnes and Santander. Thanks, Drew, Go Hall!"

DF says -- "Keep, gone and gone. And don't forget, they have to do something with Ryan O'Hearn as well. They have a club option on him for $7.5 million. I assume they're keeping O'Hearn, especially at $7.5 million.

I think they like what McCann gives them. He's a solid stop-gap until Samuel Basallo is ready. Personally, it feels like he plays a little too much given his general lack of offensive production, but maybe they're trying to ease the burden on Rutschman.

Anyway, McCann's a keeper, for now, until the aforementioned Basallo is ready to make the move to the big leagues. He'll be up soon, but it feels like next April might be a tad too soon. And they can give McCann a one-year deal worth $5M or $6M and he'll be pleased as punch. Every year in the majors is a golden parachute for him at this point.

Burnes will most certainly sign somewhere else. The usual suspects will be in play; Dodgers, Yankees, Rangers, Astros, Mets, etc. My wild card would be the Giants.

Santander will also sign elsewhere. He just feels like a perfect L.A. Angels signing, doesn't he? 4 years, $100 million or something along those lines. Way overpaid. Just a typical Angels free agent signing. I could also see the Red Sox sniffing around Santander. Switch hitter and all. Might be a good fit at Fenway."

Kevin Jerns asks -- "I'm a 15 handicap golfer who just picked up the game 2 summers ago, but I spend a lot of time watching You Tube and videos of the PGA Tour stars. How does Scottie Scheffler play the way he plays with his right foot moving in the down swing like it does?"

DF says -- "Interesting question. Quick answer is this: It's not really moving in the downswing. It moves at impact or just a millisecond before. It probably looks like it's moving in the downswing, but it isn't. He's using the movement of his right foot at impact to get all of his weight moving forward and left.

The other interesting thing Scheffler does in his swing (and this does happen in his downswing) is he's one of the only players on the TOUR who actually moves his head back as the club approaches the ball. It's very hard to see at regular speed, but if you get a good down the line view of his swing in slow motion, you'll see that his head moves back as he swings down to the ball."

T.J. -- "Hey DF, I assume you'll be doing NFL predictions for the season before the Ravens/Chiefs so maybe you'll answer this then but do you have two teams that will be surprises in a good way and two teams who are going to be surprises in a bad way for the upcoming football season?"

DF says -- "Sure. Buffalo will be down. Won't make the playoffs. The Browns will also decline. They won't make it, either.

On the good side, I think Houston is going to be very good (I know they made it last year, but that was because no one else in the division was all that good) and I suspect the Chargers are also going to be surprisingly good, despite their maniacal head coach."

Oh, and, yes, I'll have my season predictions early next week here at #DMD."

G.M. asks -- "I know the O's are loaded with minor league prospects itching for a chance to come up and play regularly but do you see any free agents worth pursuing this winter if you're Mike Elias?"

DF says -- "I sure do. I have no idea what Max Fried (Atlanta) will want money/years wise, but I'd love to see him in Baltimore next season. We need a real lefty starter after the Trevor Rogers debacle. I'm not writing off Cade Povich just yet, but I don't see him being someone to make 32 starts in 2025.

Fried would be a nice addition in Baltimore and would help ease the pain of losing Burnes.

That said, he's not signing with the Orioles. He'll be in Boston or Chicago (Cubs) or Philadelphia, probably."

faith in sports

We don't post many 18 minute videos for you here, but this one day is WELL worth your nearly 20 minutes of time.

C.J. Stroud is an extraordinary young man.

The Texans quarterback talks at length in the video below about his faith, his identity as a NFL player and how he has changed for the better since his days in the spotlight at Ohio State and now with the Houston Texans.

It's 18 minutes, but it's a GREAT 18 minutes. You'll be very impressed with Stroud, trust me.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and our "Faith in Sports" segment here every Friday.

Thursday August 29, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3658

slump or market correction?

OK, so do you want the bad news? Or the bad news?

The O's lost to the Dodgers last night, 6-4. That's the bad news.

Hey, it happens. The O's are 77-57. You can't win 'em all.

You want the bad news? Corbin Burnes was pretty much lousy again.

The O's defense wasn't great behind him, but the Dodgers teed off regularly on the first year O's right hander. Shohei Ohtani and Teoscar Hernandez both homered off of him, with the Hernandez shot landing somewhere near Anaheim.

Burnes took umbrage with errors by both Urias and Henderson, but he was also the guy the Dodgers stole bases on left and right and it was his 58-foot pitch into the ground that allowed Ohtani to scoot from first to third in the 5th inning that eventually helped L.A. to increase their lead to 6-4.

There were some good moments, for sure. He threw a total of 94 pitches in six innings and 63 of them were strikes. But overall it was another concerning start for Burnes, who has suffered through five straight ineffective outings.

Everyone struggles at some point. No athlete is immune to a period of time when things just don't click for whatever reason.

Heck, the O's broadcast team even had themselves a blinder on Wednesday night, stumbling through several innings of bad broadcasting, including a dreadful in-game interview with super-boring Eloy Jimenez and an entire half-inning gushing over and discussing the Shohei Ohtani bobblehead that was distributed before the game in L.A.

If you thought Jimenez wasn't interested in running out ground balls, he's even less interested in putting on a headset and talking to broadcasters during the game itself. And it didn't help that his middle-school teammates were throwing sunflower seeds at him during that time as well. Anyway...

Back to Burnes and baseball and the 6-4 loss.

Would you rather lose to the Dodgers, 2-1, but Burnes throws a 7-inning gem, allowing 3 hits, 0 runs and striking out 8?

Or win the game but have Burnes stink it up?

It's a fair question.

Here's another fair question.

Is Burnes simply in a slump?

Or is this what he is?

Are we seeing a pitcher who might be tipping his pitches somehow? Or struggling through a mechanical flaw he hasn't yet discovered?

Or is this the market correction that comes with a pitcher who was so good earlier in the campaign that there was simply no way he could continue that level of quality for five more months?

It's definitely a "decline" of some kind.

Burnes is simply not the pitcher he was eight or twelve weeks ago.

But why?

I assume he's wondering that very thing himself.

I'm guessing the Birds are, too. This is their ace. Their stopper. Burnes is the guy they brought to Baltimore to anchor a post-season pitching staff.

Right now, he's an anchor alright. But not the kind the O's want.

I'm no pitching guru. Far from it. That said, I'm of the mindset there's something going on with Burnes that we can't see with the naked eye.

He's either hurting, tipping his pitches or something has changed in his delivery that is contributing to his recent downfall.

I don't buy the "market correction" angle. Burnes is a very good pitcher. Sure, a bad game or two along the way is part of every pitcher's campaign, but guys like Burnes don't have months like he's having in August.

Something else is going on.

A couple of O's followers on Twitter have been leaning on the "new father" story. Burnes and his wife had twins recently, which definitely changes everyone's life at home. Fatherhood has a way of making you see things differently, but I doubt his recent struggles on the mound are connected to the twins.

I'll stick with my theory; injured, tipping or mechanical flaw.

It needs to get turned around, whatever it is.

Sooner rather than later.

He'll get an automatic win next week against the White Sox in Baltimore, so hopefully that starts the turn around for Burnes.

But September is going to be a pivotal month for the Birds and it's unlikely they can win the division if we continue to see their number one starter scuffle like he has this month.

One other part of his recent downturn can be filed under the nature-of-unintended-consequences. The performance he's authored in August has probably been the last piece of information Mike Elias needed to make a decision on attempting to get in the mix to resign Burnes this off-season.

Sure, you never say never. If Burnes returns to form in September and is outrageously good in the post-season and the Birds fly into the World Series, you might at least have to consider joining the fray and throwing big bucks at him in free agency.

But that's not really the O's business model, as we all know. And his performance in August has made it easy for Elias to say "no thanks" at the thought of throwing $200M or $250M -- or more, perhaps -- at Burnes in December.

By the way, Burnes is far from the only Oriole who is going through a rough patch.

Both Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman are struggling.

Henderson has looked "off" at the plate since mid-July and his defense has slipped big time in that span as well.

Rutschman still has time to shed the Matt Wieters 2.0 label that many baseball followers are sticking him with, but, if the shoe fits and all.

If Santander doesn't homer, he doesn't do much else. The good news is he homers a lot. The bad news is the O's need more out of him than they're getting.

Those three have to start clicking on all cylinders again, preferably all at the same time.

But first, let's get Burnes fixed.

Wednesday August 28, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3657

hey now!

What a Tuesday that was!

The Orioles beat the Dodgers in last night's series opener in L.A., 3-2, getting home runs from Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Urias and nearly flawless bullpen work to support a productive start from Cole Irvin.

And, with all due respect to the likes of The Smiths, Simply Red and New Order, the best rock-n-roll band to ever hail from Manchester, England announced on Tuesday they are reconvening for a summer of '25 European tour.

Heck, I'd go as far as saying they might be the best band to ever hail from England, period, except Led Zeppelin might not stand by me on that one.

Yes, that was a big Tuesday indeed.

Some might say the O's played in Major League baseball's best stadium last night. I've been blessed to attend two games in Chavez Ravine. I realize you probably don't want me to reminisce about that right here in these parts, but I'm telling you it's one incredible place to watch a baseball game.

My big mouth might get me in hot water over this but I'll put it out there anyway: Dodger Stadium is the best place in America to watch a game. Yes, it's a better "baseball experience" than what we have in Baltimore. Sorry, not sorry.

Anyway...

The O's offense, again last night, wasn't anything great. They managed just 7 hits on the evening in total -- matched by the Dodgers, who were mostly going nowhere as well -- but got the aforementioned dingers from O'Hearn and Urias, who has quietly been one of the team's unsung heroes during the five weeks they've spent without Jordan Westburg.

"I'm seeing the ball better than maybe anytime ever in the majors," Urias said afterwards. "I have a lot of confidence, which is always good."

Seeing the ball well.

Confidence.

Whatever it is, Urias is probably doing enough these days to secure his spot on the roster when Westburg returns later in September. There will be tough decisions to be made, for sure, but Urias will likely not be one of them.

You couldn't have blamed southpaw starter Cole Irvin for walking around looking like a guy who was asking, "Who put the weight of the world on my shoulders?" He was, after all, cut from the team last month, but passed through waivers and was reassigned to Norfolk from there.

And then, after the recent Trevor Rogers debacle, Irvin found himself once again collecting that nifty $108 a day of major league per-diem and there he was last night, starting one of the team's more important games of the last six weeks of the regular season. And it was, for the most part, a blessing of a start, as he helped keep the dream alive of a second straight A.L. East title with a solid 4.1 innings of work.

I'm not here saying Irvin is a better man than Rogers. But as pitchers go, he seems to have a certain level of grit that Rogers doesn't. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I'll take the guy who fights over the guy with style. Irvin's a fighter. You might not get his best stuff every time out, but you're always going to get his best effort.

The rest of the bullpen were the real heroes last night.

Someone named Matt Bowman pitched 1.2 innings of shutout ball to pick up his first win of the season. His funky delivery and drop-off-the-table breaking ball were tough to hit last night. I'll take more of that magic pie tonight if he happens to get in the game.

Cionel Perez (1.1 innings), Yennier Cano (1) and Seranthony Dominguez (1) combined to allow just 2 hits and, little by little, the Dodgers' chances dimmed as the night went on. Dominguez did put runners on first and second in the 9th and Shohei Ohtani lurked in the on-deck circle when Chris Taylor approached the plate with 2 outs in the last frame.

But Taylor drilled a fly ball into deep left field right into the glove of Colton Cowser and the tension was gone. All part of the masterplan, I guess.

Speaking of Cowser, it wasn't all wine and roses for him on Tuesday evening, as he botched a ball hit into the corner and turned a double into a triple that helped the Dodgers put a run on the board on a sacrifice fly. Right on cue, of course, the official scorekeeper eschewed the reasonable wisdom of scoring it a double and an error and instead labeled it a triple. It's a crime that these scorekeepers across MLB won't give errors to professional players who make routine mistakes.

Maybe it's just my generation. If so, I'll own it. But when a major leaguer misplays a ball he should and would normally come up with, it's an error. I guess the answer is either learn to accept that scorekeepers have turned soft over the years or, simply, stay young.

So the O's snagged game one of the three-game series last night and the Yankees fell in D.C. to the Nationals. The Birds are going to need to keep on winning, apparently, because it seems like the Bronx Bombers aren't going to be falling down anytime soon. And there is that September series in New York to circle on your calendar as well, don't forget.

Oh, and Corbin Burnes goes for the Orioles tonight.

I know he hasn't been good for the last three weeks or so, but you'll get no sad song out of me on this one. If you want anyone on the mound in a big game situation for the O's these days, it's still Burnes.

Now, if we can just get those Baltimore bats to perk up, right?

I hope, I think, I know, even, that if the O's can get going offensively again, September and October could be really fun here in The Land of Pleasant Living.

Tuesday August 27, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3656

playoffs? playoffs?

If you're like me, any time you read the word "playoffs", don't you always say it in your head in Jim Mora's voice?

I know I do.

#DMD reader Gary reached out to me yesterday with an e-mail about Orioles playoff tickets. In case you haven't heard, information has been released about the 2024 post-season and how playoff tickets can be obtained in Baltimore.

Gary called it "confusing" in his e-mail.

I wouldn't call it confusing at all. I'd call it elaborate, sure, but far from confusing.

Here's the quick, easy summary: If you're not a 2024 Birdland member (code word for: season ticket or mini-plan owner), you simply have to sign up to be a 2025 Birdland member and place a deposit on your '25 seats. If you fit into one of those two categories (2024 or 2025), you'll have access to Orioles post-season tickets before anyone else.

"The prices are outrageous!" Gary wrote.

Of course they're outrageous. It's the playoffs. Major League Baseball is looking to make as much money as they can on the post-season, no matter the city.

There are lots of things to get agitated about with regard to the Orioles.

Playoff ticket availability/distribution and pricing, though, are not two of those things.

Now, the process has probably changed a bit last September when I was easily able to score individual game tickets for Game 5 of the ALDS and Games 6 and 7 of the ALCS. I was able to go online, sit in the "room" for 10 minutes, and then get seats to all three of those games. Alas, they never happened. But I was able to secure the seats without being a plan holder of any kind.

I assume the Birds and Major League Baseball have come up with a mechanism to reduce the number of available "public" tickets this year, but who knows?

But I'll take my chances once all the ticket-plan folks have had their opportunity to cough up big bucks to "secure the privilege" of buying tickets to O's post-season 2024.

There was a time, honestly, when one of the only reasons I even entertained the thought of buying a 13-game or 29-game plan mini plan was because I knew it guaranteed me post-season access. I had a mini-plan for five straight years starting in 2013 and it was almost all about playoff tickets.

But even that benefit has gone by the way of the 8-track. You have to be a "Diamond" level plan holder to get tickets to all 14 possible home games and a "Black" level member to get 8 of the 14 games.

That's why I called the whole thing "elaborate" instead of "confusing".

There are lots of moving parts to securing your playoff tickets, but it isn't all that hard to understand. If you're a mini-plan holder, you'll get "some" of the games. If you're a full plan holder, you'll get either "most" or "all" of the games.

"But what about the great unwashed?" Is that what you're wondering?

Look, you have to understand how priority works. You don't have to like it. But you do have to understand it.

People who fork over their money in January deserve more benefits than someone (like me, and maybe you) who doesn't fork over any money. It's just the way it works.

But I'm still here to tell you not worry. There will be tickets to be had in mid-September once all the ticket plan holders have paid for their playoff seats.

At least that's what I think and hope.

News flash: An O's associate tells me they expect roughly 80% of the ticket holders to renew for the playoffs. Lots of people apparently can't obligate themselves to games at the increased prices with the "pay up front, all at once" payment scheme the Orioles and Major League Baseball utilize for the post-season.

In other words, as I've said, there will be tickets available to "normal people" who just want to go see a game or two in October.

There might not be a lot of them available, mind you, but you'll be able to score a couple of tickets.

Of course, the Birds still have to make the playoffs for all of this to matter.

I get a little antsy even authoring a column like this given the team's level of play over the last two months. I mean, I think they're going to make the post-season, but they still need to win 17 more games, at least, to make it.

In mid-June when the Birds were healthy and clobbering teams left and right, the post-season looked like a done deal. 12 injuries and a mostly ineffective trade deadline later, it's now a dogfight to reach October.

That said, if they make it and you want to see a game or two in Baltimore, I have a feeling you're going to be able to do that.

As long as you can afford it, that is.

The tickets aren't for the meek of heart, price wise.

But it's the post-season. And as we know, there's zero guarantee you're going to get there again next October. So, enjoy it while you can.

Take out a loan and...Go O's!

The Scottie Scheffler Invitational Tournament disguised as the TOUR Championship has hit a snag. Golf showed up and decided not to let Scheffler run away with it, in other words.

Because of his dominant regular season play, Scheffler starts this week's final playoff event in first place in the staggered scoring format they use to determine the season-long champion. He'll begin Thursday's first round at 10-under par. Some of the players near the back of the pack will start at even par.

A couple of weeks ago, Scheffler bristled at the idea that he could actually wind up not being the 2024 "champion" despite winning more events (6) than anyone else and easily outdistancing his fellow TOUR brethren in the points race.

In one way, he's right. Scheffler had the best PGA Tour season of anyone. It wasn't even close. But, just like every other sport rewards their playoff champion, the PGA Tour has developed a creative way to stage their post-season so it's not a foregone conclusion of who will ultimately win their season long championship.

In another way, the TOUR is doing the right thing by keeping all 30 players in the final tournament still mathematically alive for the championship.

There was a time when the TOUR went by points and points alone and, for instance, Justin Rose won the FedEx Cup without having to win the final event, instead finishing T4 to claim the title.

That wasn't the best way to do it, the TOUR figured. So they came up with the staggered scoring format where the points leader starts out ahead of everyone else, the 2nd place guy begins the final event two shots behind, and so forth.

The guess here is that at some point soon, the TOUR is going once again tweak the scoring system somehow to reward a guy like Scheffler who builds such a commanding lead. Now, Xander Schauffle (2nd place currently), has enjoyed a remarkable year himself, but both of his wins were majors. Nothing against that, obviously, but his regular season wasn't anywhere close to as strong as Scheffler's 2024 campaign.

No one asked me, but here's what I would do if they gave me the keys to the FedEx Cup.

I'll start by saying that American professional golf could use more match play events. As we've seen with the Ryder Cup over the last 25 years, the European side has our number when it comes to match play.

So, if they gave me the task of fixing the TOUR Championship and the FedEx Cup, I'd integrate a match play competition into the final week of golf.

The top 30 players -- just like now -- would qualify for the final event and would receive all the bells and whistles they're getting now (2-year exemption, invites to the majors, a million bucks, etc.).

The players ranked 3 to 30 would play a 36 hole stroke play qualifier, with the best 14 scores from there advancing to a match play format to determine the FedEx Cup champion.

To keep the integrity of the regular season intact and force players to covet the top 2 spots in the standings, I'd give the #1 and #2 ranked players (as of the final playoff event) a bye into the match play. There's their bonus for playing well.

From there, the bracket is set and off we go. #16 plays #1, #15 plays #2, and so on.

Winners move on, losers go home.

It's true that Scheffler's season could end with one "off" round, where he loses in match play, but the same can be said for this week's TOUR Championship at East Lake. If he shoots 76 on day one and Schauffele, for example, shoots 68, Scottie's quest for the title is probably cooked.

But the other good thing about match play is actually the opposite. Scheffler could have an "off" day and still win, keeping his season alive.

I'm not as critical of the current format as are some golf analysts. I think the staggered scoring system is a solid and unique way to reward the leader from the regular season. If I could tweak it just a little, I might give Scheffler an even bigger lead to start round one based on how far ahead he is in the points race.

A two shot lead is nothing.

He probably deserves a four shot lead over Schauffele, if we're trying to showcase just how good his regular season was.

Match play is a riveting form of championship golf. The PGA Tour had a match play championship for two decades until discontinuing it recently due to the loss of the title sponsor of the event.

Bringing it back to cap off their season long points race would be a great way to end things.

Monday August 26, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3655

two lousy, stinkin' hits

OK, so if last night's game where the O's mustered just two hits was a "Gary Wright", what are we going to call it this week when the Birds only manage one hit in a 4-0 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles?

And no, smart guy, we can't call that a "Beatles". You're funny.

Anyway, two hits it was last night in the 6-3 loss to Houston, and they actually both came in the same inning (5th) when Eloy Jimenez (single) and Ramon Urias (home run) became the only Orioles to put up a (1) in the "H" column.

Editor's note: For the uninitiated, or those of you reading this who were born after 1980, let's say, Gary Wright had two huge hits in his career; Dream Weaver and Love Is Alive. They were both awesome songs. But that was about all we heard from the New Jersey native.

So, the Birds fell once again in front of a national TV audience on Sunday night, with the Astros earning a split of the four-game series in Charm City.

If we're being honest about those four games, the Orioles were very lucky to win any of them, let alone two. They got a grand slam from Anthony Santander on Friday night after a weird set of circumstances loaded the bases and then Jackson Holliday rescued the hosts with a pinch-hit bases clearing double on Saturday in the 3-2 victory.

Sure, a win's a win and all. They count, no matter how you post 'em. But the O's were *this close* to losing all four games to Houston.

The Astros are not chopped liver, by the way. If you gave me $100 of your money to wager, I'd plunk it down on them to go to the World Series, particularly if Kyle Tucker returns to the lineup and is healthy for the post-season.

Speaking of health and the post-season, it's certainly worth keeping in mind that the Birds are -- fingers crossed here -- going to be getting four fairly important pieces back before the end of September: Zach Eflin (perhaps as early as next weekend?), Danny Coulombe (mid-September?), Grayson Rodriguez (mid-September?) and Jordan Westburg (late September?).

Getting those four back on the roster will be huge.

I realize there's three weeks of baseball -- or more, perhaps -- before those four all return to action. And those games over the next 21 days will play a huge role in where the Birds finish up, playoff wise.

But at this point, the only real goal for the team is to make it to October. That's it. Winning the division would be nice, sure. The playoffs, though, are priority number one. Get in and take it from there.

Something has to give with the offense, though, no matter how many of those four get back or when they return.

Rutschman has one home run in his last 29 games.

Henderson perked up last week with a couple of home runs but he's definitely been "off" since the All Star break.

Holliday had the big hit on Saturday night and was really good when he got promoted from the minors earlier this month, but he's still trying to figure things out at the plate.

And let's be really honest about Anthony Santander. He's having a great year in the home run department. But that's about it. He's hitting .235 and his on-base-percentage is .305. Aaron Judge he ain't.

The reality is no one in Baltimore is tearing it up offensively, with perhaps the exception of Henderson (.282/.369/.545, 33 HR), who was a legitimate league MVP candidate through the first three months of the regular season.

There's some power in the lineup, that's for sure.

But with runners in scoring position, the Orioles are as useless as a Flyers fan making room on top of his fireplace for a replica Stanley Cup trophy.

Baltimore's offense is.....mostly......offensive.

And the defense hasn't been all-world recently, either. Austin Slater took a weird route to a ball in the 4th inning last night that sailed over his head and helped Houston jump out to a 3-0 lead. A lot of folks on Twitter barked something akin to: Austin Hays would have caught that. And it was hard to disagree with that claim.

Ramon Urias threw a ball away in the 8th inning that contributed to the Astros' 6th and final run of the night.

"Stuff happens", I get it, but both of those blunders were key moments in a game the Birds didn't really deserve to win, but nonetheless could have won with more tidy defensive work and better efficiency with the bats.

You might have noticed something. I haven't brought up the bullpen.

Why haven't I?

I want you to enjoy your morning coffee, that's why.

The bullpen is just not that good.

Now, no one's perfect. I get that. But we had the Seranthony Dominguez flops in New York last week and then last night, again, the Birds wasted a nice outing from Dean Kremer when Burch Smith gave up two quick home runs in the 7th inning.

Cionel Perez came on in the 8th and was betrayed by his own wildness and the aforementioned Urias error, as he surrendered Houston's final run of the night.

Perez is great at catching home runs with his hat. If he were a tick better at getting people out, the O's might have something special there.

Hey, they do have Craig Kimbrel. Let's not forget that.

OK, well maybe now you're no longer enjoying your coffee all that much after I mentioned the embattled veteran reliever. My bad.

Oh, and speaking of pitchers, Trevor Rogers made his first start down in Norfolk yesterday. I won't publish the results here. Just trust me on this: It was really ugly.

The Birds now head off to Los Angeles (Irvin, Burnes, Povich) and Colorado for six games before returning home for three automatic wins vs. the White Sox and a weekend series in Baltimore vs. depleted Tampa Bay. Yes, I'm being overly optimistic here, but I'm thinking there's a chance the O's can go 8-4 in those 12 games.

Key words in that last sentence above: Overly optimistic.

So, you're looking for some good news?

Here it is: The Red Sox lost three straight at home to Arizona and they're now officially starting to wobble at 69-62. By the time Brandon Hyde's team gets to Fenway for a series on September 9-10-11, I assume Boston will be mailing it in.

You want more good news?

As the Birds embark on this 6-game road trip out west, it's fair to point out they're better away from home (37-26) than at home (39-30). So they have going for them...which is nice.

But no matter where or who they play, one thing is for certain. The Orioles need to start hitting. Their offense looks like Cam Cameron is calling the shots. It's very concerning.

The Ravens are closing in on the start of the 2024 regular season, with a Thursday night season opening encounter with Kansas City all set for Thursday, September 5.

We'll start getting amped up for football season early next week, with our annual predictions issue almost assuredly giving you an excellent idea of which teams to fade during the upcoming campaign.

Quick hint: We have a shocker playing in the Super Bowl.

That's all I'm telling you for now.

As for the Ravens, the pre-season definitely gave some insight into potential problem areas for the club. The offensive line is potentially a trouble spot. So, too, is the wide receiver position. I realize the Ravens have talented tight ends who can catch the football, but in terms of actual field-stretching wide outs who can come up with big plays, the Ravens are fairly limited.

I sure hope Derrick Henry is still a capable running back. If he is, the Ravens should be fine in that department. But if Henry is somehow in the December of his career, running the football could be a problem for Todd Monken's offense.

I won't render a verdict on pass rushers like Ojabo and Oweh until we see a medium-size body of work from them in the regular season. If we're six or eight games in and they're getting to the quarterback and disrupting opposing offenses, I'll rest a little more easy. I don't put any stock in the pre-season, as most of you don't, I assume.

This might be one of those seasons where the Ravens mosey through a regular season at 11-6 or 10-7, get in the playoffs with a week to spare, then pull a Counting Crows and catch lightning in a bottle in January. We saw firsthand last season that securing home ice for the playoffs is nice and all, but it doesn't guarantee you anything except home games and (potential) heartache.

If the Ravens go 10-7 in the regular season but win the Super Bowl, who cares about those 7 losses? Exactly no one.

	"Randy On The O's"
Randy Morgan takes #DMD readers through the recent week in Orioles baseball as the Birds try to win a second straight A.L. East title.

orioles week in review

Week Record: 3-4

Season Record: 76-56

AL East Standing: 2nd (1.5 behind NYY)

Player of the Week: Dean Kremer

Once again the Orioles barely managed to tread water, dropping four of seven games against the Mets and Astros and losing a game on the Yankees in the process.

The O’s were on both sides of late inning drama this week, surrendering two walk-off homers to the Mets before producing their own comebacks in the two wins against the Astros.

The Yankees went 4-2 on the week against Cleveland and Colorado, with Aaron Judge seeming to hit one or more homers every night. While a 3-4 week is obviously not ideal for the O’s, at this point it feels like the best fans can hope for is keeping the Yankees within reach until the plethora of injured players begin to return.

On Monday the Orioles traveled up to Queens for a three game set with the New York Mets. Trevor Rogers started the first game and delivered another stinker that ultimately saw him demoted to AAA.

Rogers allowed three runs but didn’t make it out of the fifth inning, giving up five hits and three walks. Despite Rogers putting them behind the eight ball, the O’s battled back and a three run homer from Ramon Urias tied the game in the 7th. However, Francisco Alvarez then took Seranthony Dominguez deep for a walk-off homer in the 9th for a 4-3 loss.

The O’s righted the ship on Tuesday, jumping to an early lead on an Anthony Santander two-run homer. James McCann homered in the fourth inning off his former team to extend the lead to 6-1, as Dean Kremer pitched his second straight quality start, going six innings with one run on two hits and seven strikeouts. A rough appearance from Burch Smith made it interesting but the O’s prevailed 9-5 in the end.

Wednesday followed a similar script to Monday, with the same 4-3 losing scoreline. Cole Irving gave the Birds a decent effort in a spot start after Rogers was sent down and Zach Eflin headed to the injured list.

Despite that effort, the O’s fell behind early, but an Austin Slater two-run homer tied it in the sixth inning. That was followed by Craig Kimbrel allowing yet another home run in the seventh before Dominguez was taken deep for a second walk off win in a row, this time by Jesse Winker.

The Orioles returned home on Thursday for four games with the suddenly red-hot Houston Astros. They got that series off on a bad foot, as Corbin Burnes suffered his third straight poor outing.

Burnes actually started well, looking good through the early innings before falling apart in the sixth, ultimately allowing six runs in 5.2 innings. Meanwhile the O’s bats were silenced by Houston starter Spencer Arrighetti, who entered the game with an ERA over 5.00. Houston won easily, 6-0.

Things began to look very bleak on Friday, when the Astros rallied in the third to take a 4-1 lead off Cade Povich. Just as it seemed the O’s were heading for their fourth loss of the week, Anthony Santander delivered one of the biggest hits of the season, driving a high fastball deep into right-center for a grand slam that gave the O’s a 6-5 lead.

Ramon Urias would triple to add another run to the score and Dominguez came on and got the save in a perfect 9th inning.

Hoping to build off the momentum from Friday’s comeback, Albert Suarez took the mound. However, the Astros had other ideas, as Jose Altuve went deep on the second pitch of the game. Suarez was generally good once again, but Jeremy Pena also homered in the 6th to make it 2-0 Astros, as Framber Valdez held the Oriole offense in check for the first five innings.

That’s when the magic struck again. The seemingly untouchable Valdez crumbled in the bottom of the sixth, leaving the bases loaded for the bullpen to take over. Jackson Holliday came on as a pinch hitter and drove the first pitch he saw into the gap in right-center to drive in all three runs and give the O’s a 3-2 lead.

Keegan Akin, Yennier Cano, and Dominguez pitched three scoreless innings to close it out and help salvage the week.

Dean Kremer posted another solid start on Sunday, with only a poor fifth inning holding him back. In the end it was still a quality start, surrendering three runs in six innings.

Ramon Urias got Kremer off the hook for the loss with another timely homer, this time an Earl Weaver special that tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth.

This time the bullpen couldn’t hold out, with Burch Smith allowing two runs in the seventh and Cionel Perez another in the eighth as the Astros cruised to a 6-3 win to split the series.

There weren’t many good options for Player of the Week. Ramon Urias had several big homers and finished the week with a .286 average and six RBI. Anthony Santander had the highlight of the week with his grand slam and another homer earlier in the week, but only tallied four hits total.

So we give the award to Dean Kremer this week, for his two quality starts. Kremer combined for twelve innings pitched, while allowing only four runs on nine hits and five walks, striking out twelve in the process. The Orioles desperately needed these outings from Kremer as the rest of the rotation succumbs to a rash of injuries.

Down on the Farm –

After oddly missing Norfolk’s games last week, Coby Mayo returned to the Tides lineup this week and picked up where he left off. Mayo posted a .375 OPS on the week with a triple, a homer and five runs batted in. Jud Fabian made his AAA debut and posted a .736 OPS in his first action at the level. He also showed off his glove in center field.

Current top healthy pitcher in Norfolk, Brandon Young, had another solid start on Saturday. Young only made it 4.2 innings but managed to strike out ten while walking only one and allowing two runs.

Unfortunately Trevor Rogers only exacerbated his struggles in his first AAA start since his demotion. Rogers was tagged for ten runs in 4.1 innings, allowing nine hits and three walks.

The big minor league news of the week broke on Sunday, when it was reported that the just-turned 20 year old catcher, Samuel Basallo, will be promoted to AAA Norfolk. Basallo has been crushing the ball as one of the youngest players in AA, notching a hit in every game this week while posting a .560 OBP with three doubles and a homer.

Basallo will now get a new challenge with AAA pitching, where he will be among the youngest in that league.

Replacing Basallo at Bowie is 21 year old catching prospect Creed Willems. Willems has been a hot hitter at Aberdeen to earn a promotion to Bowie. Elsewhere on Bowie’s squad this week, recently promoted 2023 1st round pick, Enrique Bradfield Jr., continued to hit well this week.

Bradfield Jr. went 10-25 this week, with two doubles, two triples and four stolen bases. Bradfield Jr. could be an interesting piece as a defense/speed substitute in the playoffs if Jorge Mateo can’t return.

Also at Bowie, 24 year old 2021 19th round pick Alex Pham had another strong outing to complete a hot August. Pham went 5.1 shutout innings, striking out seven while walking just two and allowing one hit. That lowered his August ERA to 0.99 with 23 strikeouts and seven walks in 27.1 innings pitched.

Question of the Week –

How did Elias and Company do at the trade deadline?

It has been about a month since the trade deadline closed and while that is still a dangerously short sample size, it provides enough to start evaluating the return the O’s front office received.

We’ll start with the good. Zach Eflin appears to have been a coup for the Orioles, especially given what they sent to the Rays compared to what a pitcher like Yusei Kikuchi went for.

Eflin has been arguably the best acquisition any team made at the deadline.

His 2.13 ERA in 25 innings with 25 strikeouts and 2 walks has easily made him the O’s best starter since he joined the team. As long as he returns to the same level after his IL stint, he should give the team a confident game two starter in the playoffs and can anchor the rotation next season if Burnes leaves in free agency.

Likewise, Seranthony Dominguez has quickly risen to the top role in the bullpen since his acquisition from the Phillies. Dominguez has an electric arm and despite his two walk-off homers surrendered this week, has been very strong.

He has registered a 2.77 ERA in 14 games for the O’s, with five saves and two losses, striking out sixteen in thirteen innings.

The two platoon bats picked up at the deadline have also been solid additions to the team. Eloy Jimenez has posted a .309 average and .703 OPS while Austin Slater has been even better, with a .313 average and .874 OPS, while playing solid defense in the outfield.

That brings us to the more negative moves from the deadline. The main problem with the O’s deadline is they did not acquire a sure-fire closer or a second high leverage bullpen arm or starter.

Trevor Rogers was a deadline-day deal that was puzzling at the time and has only grown worse. Costing two near major-league-ready prospects, Rogers has flopped so badly he was sent to AAA this week, where he promptly allowed ten runs in his first start.

The main problem with the Rogers deal is that it was unnecessary. The team had already obtained Eflin and Rogers seemed to offer very little for a steep cost. He pitched to a 7.11 ERA in four games, allowing a whopping 25 hits and 10 walks in just 19.2 innings.

Gregory Soto has been the bullpen version of Rogers. Acquired in the final hours or minutes of the deadline, Soto has posted a 12.71 ERA in 5.2 innings pitched. A number only brought down by a few quality low leverage appearances. Soto has to be on the verge of getting DFA’d sooner rather than later.

The latter two pitching acquisitions really drive down the average. I would give the Elias front office a B+ for the trade deadline after one month. Overall, they manage to hold on to their most important prospects while adding one of the top pitchers available (who is also on the roster next year) and a pair of useful platoon hitters.

Unfortunately they didn’t stop there and their wild swings at another starting pitcher and a lefty reliever proved to be a large negative, costing the team several games in a tight division race.

With Rogers having minor league options, maybe the Orioles can fix him in Norfolk and he can be a key contributor next season, but as for now, he greatly drags down the average here.

Sunday August 25, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3654

that 10 years went by fast

10 years.

A decade.

As the issue number above indicates, it's been exactly 3,656 days since we started publishing #DMD on August 25, 2014.

Had you told me back then that we'd still be doing this a decade later -- let alone never once missing a publishing day in ten years -- I would have checked your temperature.

That's not to say I didn't have high expectations for Drew's Morning Dish when it all started. I most certainly did. But I had no real clue what was in store for me as the proverbial "next chapter" of my life kicked off on that very first day when the grand total of 1,711 people showed up to read our content.

Today, we're routinely drawing 9,000 people here on any given day, depending on the topic, games of relevance, and so on.

It all started, as I pointed out last Thursday, when the radio station where I was working suddenly decided I was no longer going to be working there. I did my normal 6 am to 10 am shift on Friday, August 22, 2014 and around 9:15 am I saw a text from the station owner that read, "I need to have a quick chat after the show. 5-10 minutes tops."

As I finished up the on-air shift and tried to send an email just before 10 am, I received an "error message" and couldn't send it. I didn't really think anything of it.

At 10:01 am I walked downstairs.

At 10:02 am I was back upstairs, with no job, looking for a box to clean out my mailbox.

There are lots of other moving parts and stories associated with that day and the days that followed. There was some tension, some negotiating and a few other things that are part and parcel of a company summarily dismissing employees without regard for their well being or the well being of their families.

But in the end, it was OK. And I'm speaking only for myself when I say that it was "OK". Others who were eliminated that day might not have the same response or reaction to their dismissal.

As fate would have it, a station listener, Tony Young, reached out to me just after 12 noon that day after news of the firings had started circulating on social media.

"Meet me at Panera in White Marsh at 5:30 pm tonight," Tony said. "You're not going to be unemployed for long."

If you're a believer in such things, God's providence was at work. Earlier that day, I sat in the parking lot at Calvert Hall and prayed for strength and guidance. Hours later, God intervened, sending Tony my way.

Back then, as the radio station started to emerge into the digital world, I would author a very brief 300 word "blog" each morning that either detailed something I was going to talk about on the show or recapped something I wound up talking about on the show. There was no set publication time or anything like that. It was very much "write at your leisure" kind of stuff.

Needing a name for it, and doing a 6 am to 10 am radio show, I came up with "Drew's Morning Dish". I don't remember when we started it, but it was probably sometime in 2013, perhaps.

Tony and I exchanged greetings at Panera and started talking business.

"I'm going to build a website for you over the weekend and on Monday morning you're going to publish Drew's Morning Dish like nothing ever happened," he said to me.

"You need to get the sponsors so you can make a living," he continued. "Leave all the technical stuff to me. Monday morning, you're back in business."

From that very seat at Panera, I sent an e-mail to my friend Frank Schilling at Royal Farms. I told Frank what I was going to attempt to do and asked if Royal Farms would be a sponsor of #DMD.

It was Friday at roughly 6 pm. I thought I might hear back from Frank on Monday.

While my first cup of coffee was still hot, Frank e-mailed a reply minutes later and told me Royal Farms would happily serve as a sponsor of my new endeavor.

So there's where it all started. With two friends who came to my aid in a time of need.

God's providence was at work.

Without Tony listening to the radio station, Drew's Morning Dish is never born. And if Tony doesn't reach out to me, I'm not reaching out to Royal Farms that night to generate the website's first sposnor.

Want more of God's providence?

When Glenn Clark and I started our annual coat drive in December of 2011, I went on the air and asked for a place to donate the coats to and it was Tony Young who called the station and said, "You need to get them over to Helping Up Mission."

14 years later, we're still donating winter clothing to Helping Up every December.

God sure is great!

True to his word, Tony built the very first guts of Drew's Morning Dish, taught me "computer science" in 4 hours at that same Panera Bread on Sunday afternoon, and on August 25, 2014, just after 7:30 am, I hit the "publish" button and #DMD was alive.

I had absolutely no idea how many people might visit that first day, but I seem to recall telling Tony if a thousand people showed up, that would be awesome. We did some social media "blasts" and such and wouldn't you know it, 1,711 logged in over the course of that first 24 hours.

And here we are, 10 years later.

There are soooooo many people to thank that I don't know where to start and I'm not going to violate the simplest rule in the "thank you" world and attempt to name them all because I'll miss someone (or two, or three) and they'll be hurt.

But I will mention those people who have been "overly instrumental" in the last 10 years.

Royal Farms, of course, continues to be our title sponsor and great friend here at #DMD.

Freestate Electrical, Jerry's Toyota, Jay Pivec and his awesome people at 186 Advertising, The Archdiocese of Baltimore, Kelly Benefits and Kelly Payroll, Matt Crow and Bond Distributing, Chris Saffer and Saffer Plumbing, Classic 5 Golf, Eagle's Nest Country Club and Glory Days Grill.

We've had over 40 corporate partners over the last 10 years and they're the most loyal and faithful group of local businesses anyone could ever associate with.

We've really had three people who have been incredibly important from the "back room" standpoint. The aforementioned Tony Young, our local expert-in-the-bullpen, Mike Herb, who is always on call in the event of a technical crisis, and my longtime friend, George McDowell, who built the current computer and server we use today to publish #DMD from anywhere in the world.

God's providence.

I know next-to-nothing about computers. I know how to type on one and that's about it. But God sent three people to me who handle the tech part and I just do the rest.

And then we have the writers here, all of whom have added something of importance to Drew's Morning Dish. If there's anything at all I'm disappointed in with #DMD, it's that we haven't been able to attract more writers, because I thoroughly enjoy giving people an opportunity to express themselves here.

Those that we've had...have been awesome.

Bo Smolka, Matt Carroll, Randy Morgan, Dale Williams, Brien Jackson, The Stats Nerd, David Rosenfeld, Mark Suchy, Greg Trehane, "Regular Joe" and "Bet it all Paul" have helped make this place what it is today.

I owe a special thanks to Steve Rouse and 1370 AM for getting me back in the radio game in 2016 and allowing me to do morning sports updates for a year or so. Our numbers perked up during that time period for sure.

The same goes for Chuck Sapienza and 105.7 The Fan, who have allowed me to host a weekly golf radio show for the last three summers and fill-in occasionally on the air to talk sports. #DMD has benefitted from that exposure as well.

I should even offer a thank you to the radio station where I once worked for 12 years. Those days were mostly great, surrounded by mostly great people who had a real passion for excellence and honesty about sports. That it all got torn apart is sad, indeed, but God's providence, you know? All of those people who once worked there have gone on to enjoy successful careers and occupations elsewhere.

And a huge thank you to my great friend and former co-worker, Glenn Clark, who has always been willing to help out in any way possible and still has me on his show on a weekly basis to tear down the great product he's built and promote #DMD at the same time. Glenn is one of the very best sports talk hosts I've ever been around. In another life, without a wife and two children in Baltimore, he'd be a major player in the sports radio business in this country, trust me. He's very talented and smart.

The biggest thank you, though, goes to my family, who trusted me in 2014 when I told them I wasn't going to go get a "real job" and that I'd become some sort of hybrid entrepreneur/golf coach/church employee.

I remember my father in law asking me "what's next?" when we told him I was no longer employed back in 2014. When I explained Drew's Morning Dish to him, he looked at me with one of those fatherly looks that said, "You better know what you're doing, buddy."

Thank you to my wife, Joanne, for allowing me to work every single day for the last ten years.

She'll often look over at me while I'm publishing #DMD at 7:30 am and say, "Aren't you tired of writing about sports?" and I always use the line that Bruce Springsteen gave to 60 Minutes when they asked him why he continues to write music, publish albums, and tour all over the world playing songs at age 70: "What else am I'm going to do?"

I hope this website has been for you what you need it to be. A place where you can come and read about sports -- mostly Baltimore-centric -- and offer your opinions and insights.

It's really nothing more complicated than that.

As I often say here, it's like a neighborhood bar, without the beer, pool tables and dart boards. You come by, pull up a seat, enjoy a beverage in peace and quiet or, if you like, chime in with the others at the bar.

Occasionally it gets a little rowdy in this bar and we have to move a patron or two out, but those moments are very few and far between given the volume of readers and commenters we have.

I thank each and every single one of you for coming here whenever it is that you come here.

Everyone I've mentioned today is the reason why #DMD exists.

I didn't set out to publish every day for 10 straight years. That was never really my goal or my "secret intention". It just happened.

There have been several close calls, including one back in May, actually, when I thought there was a chance we weren't going to be able to publish one morning.

God's providence, though. Somehow, it always worked out.

And here we are, today, ten years, every day, every morning. I can honestly say, "If I had a dollar for every consecutive day we published, I'd be rich!"

Actually, in a lot of ways, I already am rich because of #DMD.

Thanks again to all of you.

You are appreciated.

Friday August 24, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3655

o's get a "windshield" victory

Once again on Friday night, the Orioles offense pretty much stunk.

They were a lousy 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position.

Through 7 innings, they had, again, just 3 hits, which has been a very common theme of late.

But an 8th inning uprising that featured just about everything 15 minutes could produce turned a likely loss into an improbable win, as the O's took advantage of some timely hitting, a seeing-eye single, a miraculous catch and botched double play and then, a dramatic grand slam from Anthony Santander to turn a 5-2 deficit into a 6-5 lead.

Just like that, with one swing, the Birds went from being the bug to being the windshield.

Oh, and despite doing what he always does -- putting runners on base -- Craig Kimbrel somehow wound up the winning pitcher after an inning of scaring-everyone-to-death.

Friday night was indeed one wild evening at the ballpark.

The Santander swing on that 8th inning grand slam was something baseball hasn't seen since the days of Barry Bonds. A fastball, up at shoulder height, that the O's slugger turned on so quickly you didn't actually see the ball and bat head meet.

Please know I'm not suggesting anything when I say this. I'm merely trying to emphasize how much bat speed was generated on that swing from Santander. But if that sort of swing came from Barry Bonds circa 2003, everyone in the baseball world would have said, "That's what being on the juice gets you."

I'm not trying fill the room with hyperbole when I say this, either. That might have been the most impressive swing of a bat I've seen all season. By any player. On any team.

Editor's note: The Ohtani walk-off grand slam swing later on Friday night might have been just as good. Thanks for ruining a good story, Shohei.

The 8th inning started with Colton Cowser working through a difficult pitch sequence to rip a single into right field.

Adley Rutschman followed with a single that barely alluded a diving Jose Altuve.

With Cowser at third after Rutschman's hit, Gunnar Henderson drilled a ball back to Houston pitcher Bryan Abreu, who miraculously snagged the ball between his legs without even looking or trying to do it. All he had to do was turn and throw the ball to second and the Astros would have had a likely double play and Cowser would have scored to make it 5-3.

Instead, Abreu tried to catch Cowser off third base and he failed. The bases were loaded with no outs after that miscue.

Cue Anthony Santander's music.

Bye-bye, baseball.

Game over.

Ramon Urias knocked in Austin Slater with a triple moments later to seal the deal, but it was Santander's blast that put the game on ice.

It was a great night in Baltimore, for sure.

And, yes, it was a "big win". No two ways about it. But I'll stop short of saying what a lot of folks on the internet said in the aftermath of Friday's victory. I have no idea if this is the win that propels the Birds to some sort of September run where they go on a tear and never look back.

It was one game.

Everything that could have gone right for the O's in that 8th inning went right for them. Some nights that works for you and some nights that works against you.

They might lose 9-2 today and everyone will start driving nails in their coffin again.

But man, that was some kind of special game on Friday night in The Land of Pleasant Living.

During my weekly visit on Glenn Clark Radio we do a fun-but-serious segment called "That's What's Wrong With This Country.

The University of Colorado will be next week's topic in that segment, I can tell you that right now.

Yesterday, the school announced -- get the language here, it's hilarious -- that Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler will no longer be allowed to ask questions of head coach Deion Sanders or any of the team's players.

They didn't announce they were no longer going to answer questions from him. That in and of itself would be bush league.

The athletic department announced Keeler isn't even allowed to ask a question.

The powers-that-be at the school must be ardent CNN watchers. That's all I can figure.

This, of course, is right out of chapter 1 of the new way of doing public/media relations: Control the message.

Teams (and schools) no longer need or want the media to even be there, unless of course you're saying or writing something positive about them. Teams now employ 4-6 public relations "specialists" who handle the social media posts, press releases, TV game notes, etc.

Colorado, you might have noticed, also tried the age-old trick of releasing their news on a Friday. The "Friday news dump" used to work in 1990. It's now 2024. Friday is Thursday. Friday is Wednesday. Every day is the same in the world of Twitter and "talk about it now".

The entire fiasco with Sanders and the football program centers on one theme: We don't like what you say about us so we'll just lock you out and see if that gets you to play nice.

Here's the statement the athletic department released on Friday: "After a series of sustained, personal attacks on the football program and specifically Coach Prime, the CU Athletic Department in conjunction with the football program, have decided not to take questions from Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler at football-related events. Keeler is still permitted to attend football-related activities as a credentialed member of the media and other reporters from the Denver Post are welcome to ask questions of football program personnel made available to the media, including coaches, players and staff."

OK, who wants to nitpick with me? You do? OK, let's go.

After a series of sustained, personal attacks...

You mean, a reporter examining the behavior of your (model) student-athletes and looking into their academic excellence or lack thereof? Yeah, heaven forbid someone poke around to see how many of your college football players are, you know, actually going to college.

Coach Prime...

What are you people, 12 years old? His name is Deion Sanders. Or, if you want, Coach Sanders. Or, even, Coach Deion. Unless I missed something and he pulled a Prince and changed his name to a symbol or his nickname, you referring to your head football coach as "Coach Prime" makes you look like a fan boy. #clownshoes

Have decided not to take questions from Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler

Who runs the athletic department there, Anderson Cooper? Are you people nuts? He's an accredited member of the media. Actually, prior to your grandstand move of barring him from doing his job, he was a well respected journalist who, by his own admission, has the potential to jab extra-hard at sports personalities who put themselves above the game.

If you want to say "we've made it known to our coaches and players they have our permission to refuse to answer Keeler's questions", you can go ahead and do something goofy like that and it at least allows for people to make their own decision(s).

Saying "he's not allowed to ask questions" is bizarre. And, frankly, sort of un-American. Where is the University of Colorado located, anyway, Moscow?

Now, in fairness, Keeler went at Sanders pretty hard over the last 18 months. "Planet Prime" was the one moniker Keeler gave him that apparently aggravated the former NFL star. He also wrote that many of the Colorado players had to drink the "Deion Kool Aid".

There were other jabs, but I think you get the message. Keeler was doing -- or trying to, anyway -- his job of showing readers how much the program centered on Sanders and Sanders alone. The school and the head coach, obviously, thought it was overboard.

Speaking of overboard...

That's been "Coach Prime" throughout his entire sporting career.

Everything he did was overboard.

He was a great, great player. No two ways about it.

But he also manufactured a brand for himself that grew and blossomed at each stop he made. The teams he played for and schools he coached didn't create and showcase that brand. Sanders himself did that.

Someone in Denver/Boulder finally called him out on it.

And the school reacted with their ultimate teaching moment.

"Don't like the way someone associates with you? No problem. Just ghost them. That'll take care of it."

Tune in on Wednesday to Glenn Clark Radio for the next installment of "That's What's Wrong With This Country."

Friday August 23, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3654

so...what do we call it?

My friend Chris, who can quickly jump off the bandwagon with the best of them, sent this along last night after the O's failed to score in the bottom of the 8th inning in their eventual 6-0 home loss to Houston.

"This team is a mess."

He went on for a few more texts.

"No offense. A manager who has no idea how to use his lineup. And an awful bullpen."

And then.

"Lunch at Ichiban says they don't make the playoffs."

Ichiban Sushi, for those that don't know, is the out-of-this-world Chinese food restaurant across from Calvert Hall. I pay the monthly light bill there. When I go in, the young lady at the counter always greets me with a smile and says, "How's the golf team, Mr. Drew?"

You know you're more than a regular customer when that's the greeting you get.

Anyway...

Chris is down on the Orioles.

And rightfully so. Last night was another offensive disaster, with just 3 hits and zero runs.

The pitching can't be ignored. Corbin Burnes didn't have it again last night. He gave up 5 earned runs and allowed 10 runners to reach base in just 5.2 innings of work. I wouldn't say I'm worried about Burnes, but he, like the offense, has struggled of late.

Now, in fairness, Houston came to town riding an 8-game road winning streak and they're probably playing as well as anyone in the A.L. over the last four weeks.

But, still. 3 hits? 3 hits?

Around here, we call that an "Al Stewart" kind of night.

(Year of the Cat, Time Passages, Song on the Radio -- for those unfamiliar with his work back in the 1970's).

Chris calls it a "mess".

I think that's an overreaction, which is sorta-kinda one of his specialties. It's hard to be a "mess" when you're 19 games above .500 and 1.5 games out of first place.

But it is something, I'll agree with that. I won't go as far as saying "mess", but something is definitely off with the Orioles.

Now, let's get the most obvious -- and very legitimate -- excuse out of the way first. They are definitely being impacted by the myriad of injuries they've suffered from in 2024.

For a while, they could overcome losing Means and Bradish and Coulombe. They could manage without Mateo, too.

Then they lost G-Rod and, this week, Eflin.

Yesterday, they even shipped veteran pitcher Trevor Rogers to Norfolk. You might remember Rogers was the guy they just acquired four weeks ago from the Marlins at the trade deadline. So, yeah, that one isn't working out so well.

So, injuries, poor performance, lack of production in the big moments. That's the recipe the O's are cooking with these days.

It's starting to unravel just a bit here in The Land of Pleasant Living.

You know what I'm going to say, because I've been saying it for almost 10 years now here at this very location. The hardest thing to do in sports is to stop losing.

The Birds are in that kind of funk, where things just don't go their way. And the harder they try (presumably), the more things don't go their way.

I wouldn't call it a "mess". But it's probably time to hit the "concern" button. I will at least admit that.

I'm not one that's prone to panic when it comes to sports and games and seasons.

Maybe that's just the golfer in me. I use this saying a lot any time I go through a patch of three or four bogeys over a 9 hole span.

"This is nothing that three birdies won't fix..."

In other words, there's always time to get it turned around.

The Orioles still have time. Plenty of time, really. They have 33 games remaining, after all. If they "just" go 20-13 over that span they'll hit 94 wins and potentially win the division. At the very least, 94 wins sends them to the post-season again, which is really all that matters in the long run.

I know what you're thinking. And I'm sure Chris is saying the same thing if he wanders over here today to read #DMD.

"They're not going 20-13, Drew! Have you seen this team play over the last month?"

Maybe they won't. But even if they go 17-16 or 16-17, they're still likely going to make the post-season.

The pitching staff is depleted. That much is true.

But it's really the offense -- relatively healthy minus Westburg and acknowedging the departure of Hays -- that has set them back this last month. They've simply stopped hitting.

All this said, let me once again remind everyone that the team that won last year's World Series also suffered through a (very) sluggish August and September and barely made the playoffs before going on the run of runs in October.

Spare me the snark and biting commentary, please. The very same thing could happen to the Orioles this year. They could right the ship over the last month and finish 20-13 over these last 33 games and then steamroll into the World Series if their offense comes together and the pitching evens out.

You never know...

But we'd all be naive to not be concerned at this point. Something is definitely "off" with the ballclub.

It might just be the injuries have simply overwhelmed them, finally.

It could be the inevitable market correction that occurs with almost every team over a 6-month marathon-of-a-season. At some point, your record eventually does tell your story.

And it could just be a slump. You press a little too hard and more bad comes from it than good. Eventually, though, even that turns around and you're back on solid footing.

I won't go as far as calling it a "mess".

But I am looking for the broom and dust pan.

faith in sports

With football season on the horizon, we'll take this opportunity today to mix sports and faith in an awesome way.

We're going to bring a long snapper to you. You know, the guy you never hear about unless something wacky happens and he fails to do his job properly.

Clint Gresham dealt with that very pressure in his NFL career. Fortunately, his faith helped him navigate what it is a very underrated and underappreciated talent in the world of professional football.

This is a great 8 minute video. You'll have a new respect for Gresham after you hear him talk about his birth, childhood and rise to the NFL.

And you'll hear how his faith has helped him journey through life.

Thanks, as always, to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and "Faith in Sports" here every Friday.

Thursday August 22, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3653

"you never know"

You can categorize today's lede entry at #DMD as a public service announcement.

The kind, you know, that is essentially offered to everyone and, if it applies to you, could be both useful and important.

Twice during my days on the radio, I authored a show that wound up possibly saving three lives.

It wasn't my intention to do that, mind you. It just happened that way.

Once I did a show where a local urologist joined me to talk about men's health and, specifically, prostate awareness. It was during that show I had the doctor reveal my PSA to the listening audience from a previous screening and I urged every male listener tuned in that day to go get their prostate and PSA levels checked.

Wouldn't you know it...

A listener followed my request and learned he had prostate cancer in his early 40's. It was successfully treated and he has lived a happy, healthy life thereafter.

Some things are more important than talking about the baseball or football teams.

A couple of years later, early in the summer, I had a dermatologist on the air to share a discussion on sunscreen, skin cancer and the like. He urged listeners with "questionable" spots on their skin to get them checked by the end of the summer.

Wouldn't you know it...

Two listeners later reached out to me to share they were being treated for skin cancer.

Today's entry won't necessarily be life or death, mind you. But I hope you'll find it important nonetheless.

One of the coaching axioms I stress with junior/amateur golfers is the theme which drives the sport from a competitive standpoint. Three words.

You. Never. Know.

It's probably the most alluring and frustrating thing about golf, frankly. You can hit the ball great today and look like someone who has never touched a club the next time out.

You can play great for 9 holes and then on the following 9, everything goes sideways.

You can hit a great drive and then totally chunk, blade or otherwise mishit your very next shot.

You never know.

And because you never know, the sport requires your utmost attention at all times. The minute you take it for granted that you can hit the next shot without concern or study, that's when it all goes wrong.

There's also the great side of "you never know". You're standing there with 160 yards to the hole. You have a 7 iron in your hand. You actually have no idea at all what might happen in just a few seconds. For all you know, you might actually hit the next shot in the hole. Or hit it to 3 feet and leave yourself a wonderful birdie opportunity.

One of my go-to-lines that all of my Calvert Hall players playfully repeat to me years after they graduate is this one: "You can make par from there."

That's right out of the "You Never Know" book.

I use that line when a player hits a bad tee shot or a wayward second shot on a par four hole. "You can still make par from there," I always say to them.

Realizing that and believing it are steps one and two to making par. You've hit it in the woods off the tee. That's only one shot. You can still make par from there. Now you just have to go about doing it.

So, "You Never Know" has made a major impact on me in life, I can assure you of that.

And it's not just a golf axiom. No, no, no.

It's much more than that.

10 years ago today, August 22, 2014, my 12-year radio career ended in a 25-second impromptu meeting after a Friday morning show.

"We're parting company today," I was told.

There was a silent period of about 5 seconds, I seem to recall.

And then I got up and said, "OK".

That was it.

From the time I entered the room until the time I started back up the steps took a total of 25 seconds.

I was one of five people summarily dismissed that day. It was advertised publicly as a "shift in on-air philosophy" with a bunch of other fancy buzzwords mixed in but the real, honest truth is it was done to cut costs at a time when the station was absorbing financial losses due to ownership neglect.

The station was struggling and someone -- in this case, five "someones" -- had to pay for that. That it all ended so abruptly and with such disregard for the very people who had helped keep the station afloat for a couple of tough years was probably the most disappointing element of it all.

That said, you're hired to be fired, as the saying goes. Nothing lasts forever. All good things must come to an end. And so on and so on.

My entire life changed that day. I had no way of knowing it, but it all changed.

I drove to the parking lot at Calvert Hall and sat in my car near the football stadium. The team was practicing. I could hear the whistles and the chatter from the field.

There was something odd about that moment. Here I was, trying to figure out how to give my family the bad news, and there were kids just 100 yards from me laughing, playing and doing something they truly enjoyed. But it was "odd" in a good way. Just like those high school football players had no idea what was ahead for them in life, I had no idea what was ahead for me, either.

The contrast in that was something I took in as I sat in my car.

And then I prayed.

"God, I have no idea why this happened today, but I need some strength. I'm not asking you to give me a new job or anything like that. I just need you to give me some strength and help me handle this. Whatever you have in store for me, I'll take it. Just give me strength."

Later that day, at roughly 5:30 pm, Drew's Morning Dish was born.

I'll save that story for this Sunday, but roughly 8 hours after getting fired I had a new gig.

You Never Know.

And that really is the theme of life. All of our lives. Every single person reading this has a "You Never Know" moment (or 10) they can reflect on, no matter their age.

Had that guy not listened to my radio show that morning, he might not have discovered his prostate cancer until it was too late.

You Never Know.

Had you not decided to go into that coffee shop at precisely 9:30 am on that Saturday morning when you were 22 and hung over, you might not have met your future wife and mother of your children.

You Never Know.

Had you not been fired, you might have missed out on that great opportunity with the company you've now worked at for the last 20 years.

You Never Know.

Everything is an opportunity to do something special.

Last month, I attended the PGA Jr. Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD.

This event featured the cream-of-the-crop high school golfers from all over the country. I was following and watching a group of three boys, one of which is the most recent Virginia State Open winner.

On the 10th hole, one of the young men had a second shot on a large, sloping hill, with roughly 160 yards to the hole. I wasn't there to watch him, per se, but since he was in the group we were following, I glanced over to watch his shot.

He swung awkwardly at the ball, which was well above his feet, and did something I've never seen a highly competent golfer ever do.

He slipped and fell on his downswing.

To the ground.

The ball shot off his club wildly, careening across the fairway to the right. Almost inexplicably, the ball actually went backwards. His next shot from the right rough was 175 yards away from the hole.

He got up slowly. I was maybe 40 yards away.

He was rubbing his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" I yelled over to him. He waved politely as if to say "I'm good" and kept rubbing his shoulder.

"Did anyone see where my ball went?" he asked.

We showed him the location of his ball and he started walking over. I again asked him if he was OK. He assured us he was fine.

Trying to find something to say to him to help alleviate the obvious humiliation he was feeling, I went into coach mode.

The competitors in that event are playing without the aid of a caddie. It felt like the right time to say something to him knowing he was out there all alone, so to speak.

"Hey, you can still make four from there," I said to him as he walked within ten feet of me.

"And when you do, that might be the best par of your entire 2024 season!"

He smiled and kept walking.

I assume you know how this is going to end.

He hit his 3rd shot to within 12 feet of the hole. People near the green applauded. He walked past me again.

"I told you," I said to him. "You're going to be talking about this par for a long time! Go make that putt."

I made a fist and reached out to him. He gave me a friendly bump.

"Thank you, sir," he said.

Minutes later, he rolled in that 12 foot par putt for one of the most bizarre and improbable pars I've seen in a long, long time.

I had looked at one of the player information sheets a friend of mine had and saw he was from Tallahassee, Florida.

"Make sure you tell everyone in Tallahassee about that par when you get home," I said as he walked past us to the 11th tee.

He smiled broadly. "I will sir. I definitely will."

You Never Know.

---

I'm not going to spend a lot of time on yesterday's Orioles loss in New York because the entire game can be summed up quite easily.

The Orioles had 3 hits.

And they lost, 4-3.

Yes, Seranthony Dominguez surrendered yet another game-winning walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th. I saw it.

Do the Orioles have a bullpen issue? Of course they do. They can't get 27 outs. They can get 18. Some nights even 21. But getting those pesky 27 outs is becoming more and more problematic.

Dominguez is serving as the team's closer because the guy the team thought would be the closer can't effectively pitch any longer. So there's that. Someone has to try and shut the door in the 9th inning when the team is tied or the O's are ahead.

So, yes, Dominguez looked like the goat yesterday.

Alas, he wasn't.

The Orioles managed three hits. All day.

In the top of the 8th inning, they loaded the bases with no outs thanks to a fluky infield single and two walks. They managed to score one run in that sequence, and even that was lucky.

Instead of going up 4-3, 5-3 or 6-3, the game was knotted at 3-3, paving the way for the Mets to walk-it-off in the 9th.

As Forrest Gump once said, "That's all I have to say about that."

The offense was lousy, again.

They failed to drive in runners in scoring position, again.

And they lost, again, because they didn't score enough runs.

The pitching was fine on Wednesday. Sure, Kimbrel allowed a 7th inning home run and then Dominguez coughed up the game-winner.

But overall, the pitching was fine.

The Orioles generated three hits.

That was the story of the game.

Wednesday August 21, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3652

odds and ends

Hey, that Craig Kimbrel guy isn't so bad after all, huh?

I mean, he got two -- not one, but two -- outs last night in the bottom of the 9th to preserve the O's 9-5 win over the Mets in New York.

No one was on base when he entered the game, mind you.

But if there was ever a night to put him in, it was Tuesday. The Mets had scratched their way back into the game with a 4-run 8th inning, only to give up two runs in the top of the 9th on some of the worst baseball ever played at the Major League level.

By the time the bottom of the inning rolled around and they were down by four runs, the Mets had pulled the plug.

That said, I have to admit when I saw Kimbrel warming up I thought to myself, "Oh, man, please tell me this dude isn't going to come in and torch this game."

Alas, Yennier Cano got the first out of the 9th and then Brandon Hyde summoned Kimbrel to get the final two outs.

No fuss, no muss.

And the O's moved back into first place by a half-game after the Yankees gave up six runs in the 12th inning last night en-route to a 9-5 home loss to Cleveland.

Everything went well for the Birds on Tuesday except some potentially really bad pitching news. Starter Zach Eflin, who has been magic some coming over from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline, was placed on the 15 day I.L. with shoulder inflammation. If he is somehow lost for an indefinite period of time, the battlin' Birds are in trouble.

But the rest of Tuesday was a blast. A nice start from Dean Kremer, a productive night from erstwhile Mets catcher James McCann, and two hits each from Austin Slater and Cedric Mullins were the background highlights of the 9-5 win.

After seven awesome years of covering Terps basketball for #DMD, our intrepid Maryland hoops writer, Dale Williams, is hanging up his pen. So to speak.

So...we're in need of someone to take over as our Maryland basketball writer.

If this interests you, I'd be happy to share the details. It's a great gig for someone who loves Maryland and Big Ten basketball, has some free time to watch the games, and needs an extra $100,000.

Disclaimer: We all need an extra $100,000. I was just pointing that out for the sake of pointing it out.

If you're interested in discussing the Maryland hoops position, just send me a quick e-mail (18inarow@gmail.com) and I'll get back to you with details.

And it goes without saying but we'll say it anyway: We offer our sincerest "thank you" to Dale for his tireless work from November through March every year chronicling men's basketball at College Park. Nobody did it better.

Julian Edelman got the pre-season fire going over the weekend when he prattled on about Lamar Jackson and his lack of success in the playoffs during his NFL career to date.

To no one's surprise, the purple faithful in these parts exploded on social media in defense of #8.

Everyone else around the country pretty much either agreed with Edelman who threw out the obligatory "LMAO" to sorta-kinda agree with Edelman without actually agreeing in full with his opinion.

It was such a moronic "take" I didn't even bother diving in.

Lamar Jackson has not been "on a milk carton" during the playoffs.

I realize Edelman and the rest of the sports media operate in a world of "hot takes". You can't just say, "Lamar Jackson needs to be better in the playoffs."

You have to say something like: "If the Ravens could have gotten any kind of decent play from Lamar in the playoffs, they might have THREE Super Bowls by now."

Or, "Look, it's just a fact. Lamar Jackson stinks in the playoffs. He's terrible."

The reality is, Lamar, like a lot of quarterbacks, has taken a little bit of time to find his stride in the post-season. Anyone remember Peyton Manning?

People like Edelman conveniently forget things. Like, for instance, Jackson's four TD game against the Texans last January that moved Baltimore into the AFC Championship Game vs. Kansas City.

They look at the 17-10 loss to Kansas City in that title game and say, "The quarterback didn't get it done."

Those same people also forget to mention that Zay Flowers fumbled the ball on the goal-line in the 4th quarter or that Ronald Darby got beat on a high school floater pass that sealed the game in the final minute.

Lamar, Lamar, Lamar. "He" didn't get to the Super Bowl.

But I understand what Edelman's doing. He's generating interest and clicks and, frankly, trying to get people like me in Baltimore to engage with him somehow.

I can hear his bosses now: "Your job isn't to be right. It's to create discussion. Whatever the craziest thing is you can say about a player, figure out a way to increase the level of crazy by 10 or 15 percent."

Suggesting that Lamar has "been on a milk carton" discounts his performances in Nashville and vs. the Texans last January.

And it also undermines the importance of regular season play, too. But most people who don't know sports tend to put very little stock in the regular season. "Anyone can play well in the regular season," they think.

Alas, it's not that easy. Winning is hard, indeed.

Jackson is clearly living in the (big) shadow created by Patrick Mahomes. No matter what Jackson does, if it's not better than Mahomes, no one will give him his due.

It's not all that different than what Phil Mickelson faced 25 years ago in the world of professional golf.

Mickelson was great. But he wasn't greater than Tiger. And because he played in the same era as Woods, he was always going to be second fiddle. Always.

Sure, Phil beat Tiger head-to-head on occasion and won five of his six majors during Tiger's career, but Tiger was Patrick Mahomes x 10 and Phil was Lamar Jackson.

But Lamar's record in the NFL, so far, speaks for itself. He's the most dynamic individual player in the league, a 2 time MVP, and, most importantly, he appears to be improving a little bit year-by-year.

He'll need at least one Super Bowl ring, though, to keep the critics from chirping.

And the longer he goes without one, the more goofy the "hot takes" will be.

With the PGA Tour season winding down, I'll dabble in the final two tournaments of the year and give out some thoughts on potential winners and high finishers.

This week's BMW Championship is being played at an unfamiliar (to most) venue, Castle Pines, in Colorado. It's an 8100 yard course that measures out to roughly 7300 yards when you take the altitude into account. The greens are new there, so every player in the field is putting on surfaces they've never before encountered.

The top 50 players in the FedEx Cup standings play this week. Next week, the top 30 play in the TOUR Championship in Atlanta.

So, while winning is important this week, what's really critical is making the Top 30 for next week's season finale. A lot of perks come along with that Top 30 finish.

Because it's a playoff event and the big dogs are in the field, we don't really have much in the way of surprises to hand out.

A few guys we're leaning on "off the radar screen" are Akshay Bhatia (+6000), Taylor Pendrith (+6600) and Nick Dunlap (+6600).

Pendrith, in particular, has really taken off in 2024. He's currently near the top of the TOUR's putting and ball striking categories and looks like he's starting to make a move in the direction of "elite" status on the PGA Tour.

Those three give you a nice chance at a reasonable payday if you sprinkle win, top 10, and top 20 wagers on them.

I know Patrick Cantlay hasn't played well this year, but Castle Pines seems like a place where he might prosper. At +1800, he's a nice investment if things work out.

Then you have the usual suspects. I'm guessing Scottie Scheffler will wind up winning, somehow. And if he doesn't, then Xander Schauffle will. And if he doesn't win, then probably Collin Morikawa will. In other words, if you're just looking to win a bet for the sake of winning a bet, throw $20 down on those guys and one of the three is more likely than not to win.

If you gave me $20 of your money and said, "Do whatever you want with it", I'd just play $20 to win on Pendrith.

Tuesday August 20, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3651

it happens

I'm not trying to deny that Monday's 4-3 O's loss to the Mets wasn't a tough one to take.

The Birds battled back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game at 3-3 in the 7th inning before Francisco Alvarez connected for the game-winning homer off of Seranthony Dominguez in the bottom of the 9th.

Watching Alvarez hop around like Kevin Bacon in Footloose as the ball soared over the wall was a bad way to end the night.

But those things happen over the course of a 162 game season.

Remember last month when the O's stole the Sunday afternoon thriller with the Yankees right before the All Star break? Sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather watch Dominguez challenge Alvarez and lose on one (good) swing than to sit there and endure an 11-minute inning where Craig Kimbrel walks two guys, scrapes together two outs somehow, then loses on a line drive into the gap.

The Orioles collected 6 hits on Monday night. I'd say "you can't win many games when you only record 6 hits" but the Mets also had 6 hits last night.

That said, you can't expect to win when you only produce 6 hits in 9 innings.

Trevor Rogers wasn't great, again, but at least this time his performance helped keep the O's in the game. He allowed 8 base runners in 4.2 innings of work (not good) and 3 earned runs in 4.2 innings of work (not good), but if we're doing the silver lining thing here this morning, it was "only" 3-1 when he left in the 5th inning.

A ball over the right field wall that Anthony Santander appeared to give up on in the 1st inning resulted in a 2-0 deficit. I realize Santander is a hitter first/fielder second, but that one deserved a little bit more of an effort, I thought.

In the end, though, Rogers, Santander and yet another sketchy performance from a home plate umpire weren't really the reasons why the Birds dropped the series opener.

Sure, the umpire behind the dish had an off night, which oddly seems to happen to the O's a lot for some reason. Corbin Burnes got into it with the umpire, which was probably something the manager should have been doing. Alas, it's typically not Brandon Hyde's style to bark at the umps. Burnes, though, had no problem doing it.

But the game wasn't lost because of some missed calls behind the plate.

The O's lost because they generated just 6 hits and were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. It's been the same old song and dance for a while now. The offense either looks like a world beater or they can't do a thing at the plate. There's almost never in any between, at least not over the last 6 weeks or so.

All the games are important, obviously, but the three with the O's this week are critical to the Mets as they try to climb into a National League wild card spot. These three games in Queens aren't chopped liver for the Birds, either. But the Mets -- now at 65-60 -- need every win they can get.

Sometimes the other guy gets you.

It happens.

For reasons I don't know or haven't followed, there's been some chatter this week about Orioles home attendance. Even the team's flagship station, WBAL, spent chunks of time talking about it on Monday.

I see an average attendance of 28,374 and all I can say is, "Wow!"

But there are folks in town chirping about it, citing the team's inability to move into the top 10 of league wide attendance. Baltimore currently ranks 18th overall in home attendance this season.

A few baseball followers were critical of the 4-game totals for the recent Red Sox series at OPACY. For reference, the Birds drew (roughly) 25,000, 28,000, 34,000 and 27,000.

OK, so 115,000 might have been 5,000 or even 10,000 short of what would have been considered a "great four game total", but the weather was a little iffy, we're getting to those last weekends of summer where folks are scurrying for that final hurrah and maybe there's still a lingering bitterness about the old days when Red Sox fans would take over the ballpark and make it miserable for anyone who wasn't one of them.

Me, personally? I think 115,000 is fine. And, yes, I do realize a significant portion of that 115,000 total were there to cheer for the visiting team. I know that.

I got into a brief one-on-one on Twitter with someone who was barking about the O's attendance.

"It says a lot when we can't even get into the top 10 or 15 in attendance," he wrote.

Here, quickly, are the top teams in attendance, in order, thus far in 2024.

1. Dodgers, 48,000

2. Yankees, 41,000

3. Phillies, 41,000

4. Padres, 40,000

5. Braves, 37,000

6. Cardinals, 37,000

7. Cubs, 36,000

8. Astros, 34,000

9. Blue Jays, 34,000

10. Giants, 33,000

To me, there are only two outliers/surprises on that list. The Padres averaging 40,000 and in 4th place and the Blue Jays averaging 34,000 and in 9th place.

Everyone else on the list is both expected and agreeable.

Dodgers, Yankees at 1-2 isn't a surprise in the least. For starters, they're the two biggest cities, population wise, in the country.

They're also two great baseball towns.

Philadelphia is (I'm sober when I write this, yes) perhaps the best sports city in the country. But the Phillies drawing 41,000 per-game is a by-product of the team being good.

And then you have places like Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis and Houston, all of which have good track records of support for their baseball franchises.

San Diego drawing 40,000 to anything not associated with the beach, golf or La Jolla is definitely a surprise to me, but if you've ever been to that ballpark, you know why people want to go.

And Toronto averaging 34,000 for their sorry team is probably the most impressive thing, attendance wise, you can find in MLB this season. I don't follow Toronto sports all that much. Maybe it really is a great sports town after all.

I just don't see where there's any reason for chatter about the Orioles and their average attendance of 28,000.

They're a middle of the pack team, numbers wise, which is roughly where I'd expect them to be given the dwindling number of people living in the city itself, the (still) lingering animosity from two-decades-plus of mostly losing, and the fact you don't EVER have to go to the games in person in order to have a great seat and watch all the action.

Oh, and don't look now, but they were averaging under 20,000 just five or six years ago when basically NO ONE was going to the games except when they gave away a bobblehead, tee shirt or the Yankees/Red Sox were in town for a series.

People like to say dumb stuff like "attendance doesn't matter" but it does, for sure. It's an indicator of a city's interest in your product, no matter the level or the sport.

The 2024 Orioles are enjoying a very acceptable season at the gate.

Anyone who doesn't think 28,000 per-game is "acceptable" wasn't around in 2018 when 5,000 people would be in the building on a Tuesday night for a mid-June visit from the (pick any team except Boston or New York).

Monday August 19, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3650

dead even with 37 games to go

Orioles: 73-52.

Yankees: 73-52.

Baltimore split their 4-game (long) weekend series with Boston while the Yankees were dropping 2 of 3 to the Tigers.

And now it's a 37-game sprint to the finish, with one of those teams winning the A.L. East and the other, presumably, making the playoffs as a wild card entry.

At present, the wild card teams and their loss totals are: Orioles/Yankees (52), Twins (54) and Royals (55). Boston sits on the outside looking in with 58 losses. They're far from out of it, obviously.

Holding serve over the weekend against the Red Sox wasn't anything to brag about, but it did manage to pull the Birds back into a first-place tie with New York. The series -- which Randy Morgan examines in detail below -- created more pressing questions about the O's offense, which either seems to fire on all cylinders like Scottie Scheffler at Augusta or sputter along like side 2 of any Beatles album your Uncle Al used to own.

The Orioles were outhit in yesterday's series finale, 11-3, and somehow managed to win, 4-2. I'm sure there are other occasions in baseball history where such a drastic difference in hits per-team occurred with the 3-hit team winning the game, but they don't come along very often.

The Corbin Burnes start on Friday night wasn't nearly as troubling as some on the internet made it out to be. Now, if he replicates that effort another time or two in the next couple of weeks, I'll get concerned. For now, nothing to see there.

And, yes, I realize Trevor Rogers has been Jack Flaherty 2.0 since arriving here at the deadline, but in my mind that gets mitigated by how awesome Zach Eflin has been since coming over from Tampa Bay.

A lot of people expect the team's general manager to be perfect when it comes to acquiring players that other teams no longer covet. They were all available for a reason of some kind, remember. There's a reason why the Orioles didn't trade Colton Cowser at the deadline. And there's a reason why they did trade Connor Norby.

Occasionally it's performance related (and the team trying to ship the player out doesn't walk around saying, "Hey, we privately think Trevor Rogers stinks. You guys interested in him?") and often times at the deadline it's about player control and future planned use.

Perhaps the Marlins finally came to the conclusion that Rogers just wasn't going to ever get any better. And, so, they found a willing partner. But the Rays moved Eflin because, per their business model, the investment required to keep him around simply wasn't worth it.

You can't get every trade right. But sometimes the ones you do hit are the unexpected ones, too.

At this point, Eloy Jimenez looks like a nice addition in Baltimore and almost everyone who knows anything about his past in Chicago thought Mike Elias was absolutely crazy for bringing him into a well-oiled clubhouse in Baltimore. Delmon Young looked like Theodore Cleaver compared to Jimenez. The White Sox held a 24-hour party complete with pin-the-tail on the donkey when the Jimenez-to-Baltimore deal was announced in late July.

Alas, as we hinted here that it might, a change in scenery seems to be just what the doctor ordered for Jimenez. Now, there's still time for the deal to work out or not work out, but the early returns are promising. Of course, some of the "early returns" were promising from states like Georgia and Wisconsin in the 2020 election, but things changed dramatically overnight once more votes came rolling in.

Early returns are good. But the full body of work is what matters.

We'll see about Jimenez. But so far, you have to give Elias a thumbs up for that one.

Gregory Soto (from Philly) looks like a whiff three weeks into his O's tenure, but let's give that one a little more time to marinate before pronouncing that deal a bad one.

Seranthony Dominguez, now apparently the team's de facto closer, has been almost surprisingly reliable since arriving from Philadelphia. That could change, of course. He was pretty much given away by the Phillies, who were apparently set to DFA him before extracting Austin Hays from Baltimore in exchange for the right handed reliever.

For kicks and giggles, here's what the remaining 37 games look like for both the O's and Yankees.

Orioles --

at Mets (3)

vs. Houston (4)

at Dodgers (3)

at Rockies (3)

vs. White Sox (3)

vs. Tampa Bay (3)

at Red Sox (3)

at Tigers (3)

vs. Giants (3)

vs. Tigers (3)

at Yankees (3)

at Twins (3)

Yankees --

vs. Guardians (3)

vs. Rockies (3)

at Nationals (3)

vs. Cardinals (3)

at Rangers (3)

at Cubs (3)

vs. Royals (3)

vs. Boston (4)

at Mariners (3)

at Athletics (3)

vs. Orioles (3)

vs. Pirates (3)

The Orioles play 7 teams who will (likely) still be playing for their playoff lives and/or positioning between now and the end of the season.

The Yankees play 5 teams with that same definition.

I'm no crystal ball carrying website owner, but the A.L. East is almost assuredly coming down to what the O's doing vs. Boston (3) and the Yankees (3) and/or what the Yankees do against the Red Sox and Orioles. Everything else will likely even out or swing things by two games either way.

If the O's go 5-1 in those 6 games, they win the division.

If the Yankees go 6-1 or perhaps even 5-2 in those games, they win the division.

That's just my guess.

And let me say this, too. I'm not really all that concerned about who wins the division and who finishes second. Sure, finishing second means it's harder to get to the World Series, if not for the simple fact you have to win more baseball games to reach that point. I get that.

But there's also something to be said for finishing the season on a Sunday and playing baseball on Tuesday instead of waiting around a week to ramp it up again.

Coughing up the division on the final weekend of the season and sputtering into the post-season as a (road) wild card team definitely didn't impact the Texas Rangers a year ago.

Sure, that could have been an outlier. In fact, it almost definitely was an outlier. No team in our lifetime will likely replicate what Texas did last year; making the playoffs as a wild card team and then winning every road playoff game en route to the World Series title.

But the whole point of dissecting the schedule and looking at what might happen is more about examining the possibilities and less about worrying who wins the division and who plays as a wild card team.

I know the cosmetics of a division crown look nice and all and you get that flag to wear and you can sell some extra merchandise with "A.L. East Champions" on it, but if you allowed me to actually choose the O's post-season "place", I'd love to see them be the #1 wild card team and host the three game series to get things kicked off in October.

But that's just me.

Winning the division would be awesome, particularly if it comes at the expense of the Yankees winning it. That's akin to beating out the Flyers for a division title. Yes, yes, and yes.

But the ultimate goal is to get to the World Series. And I'm of the mindset that it's likely just as easy to do that as a wild card team than it is as a division champion. I just don't see a discernible difference in the two routes.

And you?

Share your opinion below. Dissent if you so choose. Agree if you wish.

Or do nothing at all and just enjoy the commentary.

As I tell people all the time who are conflicted about voting for these two Presidential candidates in November, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."

By the way, that's not an original.

That phrase comes from the great Neil Peart of RUSH, who wrote those lyrics for the song "Freewill".

Have a great Monday, all.

	"Randy On The O's"
Randy Morgan takes #DMD readers through the recent week in Orioles baseball as the Birds try to win a second straight A.L. East title.

orioles week in review

Week Record: 3-3

Season Record: 73-52

AL East Standing: 1st (tied with NYY)

Player of the Week: Gunnar Henderson

The Orioles completed another mediocre week, salvaging a .500 record with a win over Boston on Sunday.

There was potential for more but the O’s squandered a brilliant start from top pitching prospect Cade Povich and saw ace Corbin Burnes struggle through his worst start of the season.

The truth is the team is scuffling just to go .500 these days, but the Yankees are struggling just as much and the O’s have built a big enough lead on the rest of the Wild Card contenders that they should survive until they get some reinforcements off the injured list.

The team remains tied for first in the AL East after the Yankees went 3-3 against the bottom dwelling White Sox and Tigers. Despite their issues, the joint AL East leaders are still tied with the Phillies and Dodgers for the most wins in the league.

On Tuesday, the Nationals made the short trip up I-95 for a two game series. Trevor Rogers was a punching bag once again, surrendering five runs in five innings on seven hits and two walks, running his ERA to 7.53 in his Orioles tenure.

If you thought the Flaherty trade was bad last year, avert your eyes from the numbers on Rogers. But hey, at least he isn’t a free agent for two more years. The bullpen wasn’t much better in this one, with Bryan Baker and Keegan Akin giving up four more runs for a 9-3 loss.

Dean Kremer started on Wednesday and had a nice bounce back after several rough outings, helping to save a split of the series. Kremer held the Nats to one run on five hits over six innings while striking out three.

Yennier Cano, Cionel Perez and Seranthony Dominguez combined for three scoreless innings out of the bullpen and Gunnar Henderson launched his first homer since the All-Star break to get the offense going. Jackson Holliday and Adley Rutschman drove in two more runs in the 7th for a 4-1 win.

After the short series with the Nationals, the Red Sox came to town for a four game set. Zach Eflin started the opener on Thursday and delivered another gem, going six innings and allowing just one run on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks.

At least the Eflin trade has turned out as good as the Rogers deal has been bad. Gunnar homered again to put the O’s up 2-1 in the 4th inning and Cedric Mullins added his own homer in the 5th on the way to a 5-1 win.

That seemed to set the Orioles up for success on Saturday with Corbin Burnes pitching, but the ace had his worst start of the season and probably one of the worst of his career. Burnes was bitten by the long ball in what turned into a slugfest, giving up eight runs in four innings.

The Birds were still in the game thanks to three hits and five RBI from Ramon Urias and four hits from Holliday. Then the bullpen let them down again, with another Craig Kimbrel implosion, allowing three runs on two homers to put the game out of reach in a 12-10 loss.

Saturday was the polar opposite of Friday, with both starters dominating. Cade Povich was called back up for a spot start and was masterful, blanking the Red Sox for five innings before finally surrendering two runs in the 6th and 7th. He finished with 6.1 IP, allowing two runs and striking out six.

Unfortunately Boston starter Brayan Bello was even better, holding the Os hitless until a 6th inning homer from Gunnar that tied the game. That was all the scoring for the O’s as Cano and Burch Smith allowed three more for a 5-1 loss, but at least Gregory Soto pitched a scoreless inning.

Needing a win to avoid a losing week, Albert Suarez came to the rescue again. The veteran journeyman continued to be the unsung hero of this team, throwing six more shutout innings, scattering seven hits and striking out six.

This was his third straight scoreless outing, a stat which he remarkably leads the majors in. Adley and Gunnar both went deep to power the offense and Seranthony Dominguez worked out of a jam in the 8th then closed out the 9th for a four out save in the 4-2 win.

Gunnar Henderson found his power stroke again this week and that earned him the Player of the Week honors. The All-Star shortstop hit four homers, drove in eight and got on base at a .333 clip. He also had a clean week defensively after some error issues in previous weeks.

Zach Eflin, Albert Suarez and Seranthony Dominguez all deserve mentions for their pitching performances this week. Eflin and Suarez have been monumental since the loss of Grayson Rodriguez to injury and Dominguez appears to have secured the closer role for now, even if Brandon Hyde won’t officially give him the moniker.

Down on the Farm –

Norfolk was especially light on prospect action this week with Cade Povich coming up to pitch for the Orioles. Coby Mayo was sent back down to AAA but oddly did not appear for the Tides all week. I couldn’t find any explanation for his absence, but it is something to keep an eye on.

The other notable arm in Norfolk, Brandon Young, had a strong start on Sunday, throwing 5.2 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts and just one walk. With some of the current bullpen struggles, you wonder if the front office may consider trying Young out of the pen to see if he could help in that role in Baltimore.

Double-A Bowie saw some roster reshuffling this week, with 2023 first round pick Enrique Bradfield Jr. and 2023 third round pick Tavian Josenberger both getting promoted from Aberdeen. Making room for those two in the Bowie outfield, Eastern League home run leader Jud Fabian was promoted up to Norfolk on Sunday. The 23 year old 2022 competitive balance pick has really taken off in the past couple months and will now get the chance to prove himself at the highest level of the minors.

It was a nice week for Bowie pitching prospect, 24 year old Alex Pham, who threw 12 innings, allowing just two runs while striking out nine and walking just one.

Question of the Week –

How long until the front office has to make some tough cuts?

As the Orioles continue to tread water and the division race remains neck and neck with the Yankees, the front office may have some difficult decisions on the horizon. The team can only go so long allowing the same players to continually tank their chances.

Two of the largest problems were introduced at the trade deadline. Trevor Rogers has been a disaster in his three starts since joining from the Marlins. One of the main selling points for shipping out Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby for Rogers was the team control he came with, not hitting free agency until 2027. However, that only matters if you’re good enough to warrant remaining on the team.

While I couldn’t find anything to confirm, I believe Rogers still has minor league options, so he may not force as difficult a decision as the next two.

Especially after the exquisite start from Cade Povich on Saturday, the front office has to seriously consider sending Rogers down for a spell if he has one more poor start. Povich can’t come back up for fifteen days after being sent down Sunday, unless he returns for an injured player, but he seems like a better option than Rogers at this point.

They could also move Rogers back to a long man role, since Albert Suarez has secured a place in the rotation for the time-being. Though Roger’s inability to limit baserunners may prohibit his use as anything other than a mop up guy in blowouts.

The other deadline acquisition that has backfired is lefty reliever Gregory Soto. Though he did have a couple of scoreless innings this week, he has looked like a loose cannon, setting fire to most games he enters. It was bad enough that Jim Palmer commented on Saturday that Soto should just aim right down the middle every time because it wasn’t going to go where he’s aiming anyway.

Soto would probably need to be DFA’d if the Orioles wanted to get him out of the bullpen, and another team may take a shot on his lively arm. Maybe he gets one or two more chances, but if he can’t be trusted in any kind of high or medium leverage situations, the team needs to move on.

It may seem hard to do since they gave up a once-promising pitching prospect to get him, but that is a sunk cost at this point and they need to do what’s best for the current division battle.

That brings us to the most difficult of the three problem children. Drew discussed this a bit last week, but how much longer can the team keep risking Craig Kimbrel in important situations?

Removed from the closer role for the second time this season, Kimbrel has mostly seen low leverage action recently, but called into the game on Friday with the Red Sox still within reach, he completely imploded.

At this point it seems he might be able to harness his experience and ride luck for a few appearances in a row, but overall his stuff is just not what it used to be and he overcompensates by trying to be too precise and ends up walking too many hitters.

It seems unlikely at this stage of his career the Orioles staff will be able to unlock some hidden ability on Kimbrel.

Though there was a large monetary commitment to Kimbrel, if this is all he has left, Elias may need to soon come to grips and make the tough choice to send him packing. Maybe they can arrange something less embarrassing like an invented injury to allow Kimbrel to exit with grace, but it’s getting close to time up.

Sunday August 18, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3649

yet another ravens "win"

To most everyone in town who supports the Ravens, the story probably isn't a big deal.

No, I'm not talking about yesterday's 13-12 preseason win over Atlanta in front of an old Skipjacks crowd at M&T Bank Stadium.

The only person in town who probably cares about that game was Josh Johnson, the backup QB who went 11-for-11.

I'm talking about the team naming its recently refurbished press box after longtime P.R. guru, Kevin Byrne.

The press box was moved this season to accommodate changes to stadium's suite and seating structure. And the club figured there was no better time to honor the man who moved with the team to Cleveland and guided them -- public relations wise -- through their first two decades in Charm City.

“The respect Kevin earned was built on integrity, reliability and consistent professionalism,” longtime Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome added in a news release. “He was a trusted advisor and extraordinary friend to many, especially me. When we talk about potential Hall of Fame players, coaches or contributors, we always ask: ‘Is he one of the best to ever do it?’ In Kevin's case, for his profession, he certainly was."

Byrne was the best.

Plain and simple, he was the best.

That the Ravens did the right thing and honored him this weekend with the unveiling of the "Kevin Byrne Press Box" isn't a great shock. The Ravens do a lot of smart, wise things off the field. They always have, in fact.

One of the reasons why their track record in town is so solid? Kevin Byrne.

I started my own career in professional sports in the public relations/media relations side of the soccer business. I remember those days fondly.

And I remember my constant mission statement: Protect and support the organization, coaches and players. Always.

Byrne and the Ravens came to town at a time -- 1996 -- when the Orioles were in full swing, competing for American League division titles and basking in the glow of Cal's record consecutive games streak, in addition to play in a fancy new downtown stadium.

The football team was insanely envious of the way Baltimore loved the Orioles.

Byrne and I would laugh about that on occasion when I'd have him on my morning radio show or talk privately for a few minutes at 1 Winning Drive.

Imagine that: the Ravens jealous of the Orioles.

Times changed very quickly in Charm City, obviously. The Orioles started to decline in the late 1990's and the Ravens started to climb. Just as the baseball team morphed into a laughingstock for a decade, the football team won a Super Bowl title and became one of the NFL's marquee franchises.

From a P.R. standpoint, the football team got it right almost every time. And the baseball team -- during that down decade -- got it wrong almost every time.

Off the field, the Ravens were guided by Byrne and his lifetime spent working in the NFL.

He was, by my account, fair and equitable at almost every turn. If something came up he needed to address with you, he did it privately and with facts at hand.

Kevin and I only had one or two of those moments in my 12 years on the air. One of those came when John Harbaugh bristled at a question I asked at a Monday press conference. I didn't think anything of it until I was home and, an hour or two later, I looked down at my ringing phone to see "KEVIN BYRNE" flashing.

Kevin calling me at 5:00 pm on a Monday? Something was up, I figured.

He explained to me that John wasn't happy with the way I tried to "corner him" with a question about the team's struggling offense on the road. I wasn't trying to corner him. But John thought I was. And, so, Kevin was now forced into doing his job, which was to call me and let me know John wasn't happy.

I understood.

On more than occasion, I had to be the go-between between Kenny Cooper and Bill Free or Kenny Cooper and Bill Glauber when one of them would write something in the newspaper he didn't particularly appreciate.

Kevin told me he'd arrange for John and I to get a few minutes together the next time I was at Owings Mills and we'd hash it out -- in Kevin's presence, obviously -- and all would be well.

And that's what happened.

John told me why he thought my question was "lame" and an effort to make him look bad and I told John if "I can't ask you a football question about the team you coach, why should I bother coming to the press conferences?"

Kevin served as the guest referee for about 60 seconds. I did see John's point about the question I asked, but I wanted to assure him I was not trying to make him look back or pin him in a corner.

Byrne handled it all perfectly, speaking briefly on John's behalf, from a P.R. standpoint, but also acknowledging my general fairness with the team on the air (this was sometime around 2012).

John and I shook hands and that was that. We're still friendly to this day and the event was, really, a blip on the radar.

But it was Kevin Byrne who helped navigate me through that scene in such a way that I was able to maintain my professional "integrity", if you will, while he was still able to show support and protection for one of his club's most treasured assets, the head coach of the team.

Never once did I feel like Kevin (or John) attacked me, put me down or treated me any differently thereafter.

He knew, I think, that I genuinely wasn't trying to embarrass Harbaugh with my press conference question.

But he also had a head coach who wasn't happy with me and Kevin had a job to do.

It was like that scene at the end of Training Day where the gang member Alonzo hired to kill Jake Hoyt pulls him up out of the bathtub when he learns that Hoyt beat up two guys earlier in the day who were trying to rape his 14-year old cousin.

Minutes before, the gang member had a gun to Hoyt's face and was going to blow his head off.

He picked him up out of the tub, told him he wasn't going to kill him, and said, "You know this was just business, right?"

With Kevin, it was always just that: Business.

But he did it in such a way that you always felt like he was a friend, too.

I know I'm far from the only media member in town who appreciated him while he worked for the Ravens.

And I know I join a lot of other folks in town who see the new "Kevin Byrne Press Box" and say to themselves: "Now that's a perfect ending to an outstanding career."

Saturday August 17, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3648

still here...

I got four e-mails immediately after Craig Kimbrel imploded last night urging me -- almost begging me, in fact, like Santiago looking for a transfer -- to "crush" Kimbrel in today's edition of #DMD.

There will be no such crushing here today.

Sure, the O's lost 12-10 and Kimbrel was right in the middle of an 8th inning uprising by the Red Sox. But Corbin Burnes, the starter, wasn't any good either.

That said, Burnes has been great all year. He's allowed an "off" start every month. Kimbrel? He's been "off" for the better part of 8 weeks.

I wrote here two months ago that it "looked like Kimbrel is no longer useful" and then, four weeks ago after that episode in Miami, upped the ante by writing "it's now time to part company with Kimbrel."

Nothing has changed.

Except now you can actually blame Mike Elias.

I'm going to assume Kimbrel gets DFA'd sometime today. Or perhaps tomorrow. But I'm guessing it's coming soon.

There was a time when you could blame Kimbrel himself for his performance. I mean, you are a professional, after all. You are what your record says you are, and all.

Then came the point when Brandon Hyde was in the crosshairs for the occasions in which he inserted Kimbrel into the game. 9th inning with the game on the line eventually wasn't the spot.

8th inning trying to protect a lead wasn't the spot.

Anytime you put Kimbrel in the game eventually became a liability.

Last night's foray into the game when it was 8-6 in favor of the Red Sox most certainly had to be the final straw.

After getting an out to start the inning, Kimbrel promptly walked the next hitter, who then, of course, stole second base. Fred Flinstone could steal second off of Kimbrel, frankly.

And then, right on cue, a 2-run homer, followed by an out, followed by another solo home run. 8-6 turned into 11-6...just like that.

If Kimbrel pitches another inning for the Orioles, he nor Hyde can be blamed. This, now, is on Mike Elias, plain and simple.

I totally understand that it's hard for Elias to cut Kimbrel given Elias sunk $13 million into him last winter and has obviously watched his former closer crumble like the rest of us.

It's not about the money, I'm guessing.

It's all about pride.

Elias doesn't want to say "I was wrong about this guy."

I brought in a player in the indoor soccer business once and paid him $5,000 a month, which at the time was one of the higher monthly salaries in the league.

Something happened to him between St. Louis and Baltimore, unfortunately. In St. Louis, he was a goal scoring machine. In Baltimore, he was a dud.

I didn't want to cut him and tell my owner I made the wrong call and I paid him $5,000 a month. Imagine how Mike Elias must feel when he's giving Kimbrel the equivalent of one million a month.

But that's on Elias now. He made the mess. He has to clean it up, too.

The Craig Kimbrel experiment is over. I thought it was over two months ago. And then again, a month ago. And then two weeks ago as well. It's been over since late June.

Elias, sadly, seems to be the only person who doesn't know it.

So the next time Kimbrel enters a game, don't blame the pitcher or the manager. Blame the guy who keeps paying him.

ESPN's Dan Orlovsky generated some not-needed-content for the sports and entertainment network on Friday when he deleted a tweet that read "Protect Our Daughters" in an apparent response to gender transitioning commentary from media stars Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit earlier in the week.

Leery of ESPN's social media policy -- "stick to sports", they call it -- Orlovsky removed the three-word message and tweeted a quick update: “When you’re an employee of a big company, your social media page doesn’t just get to be your social media page,” Orlovsky said. “That’s a fantasy, so you have to represent yourself and the company that you work for in the proper way.”

The issue, in this case, is that "transgender" and "sports" have been colliding for a few years now.

Are sports people not allowed to have an opinion on transgender athletes unless that opinion coincicdes with their own corporate stance on said subject?

I don't think a transgender female (born a male, identifies and "transitions" to female) should compete with naturally-born females. That's my opinion. I'm not changing. And I'm honestly not all that interested in even discussing it.

That said, if any #DMD writer felt differently and wanted to share their opinion on the topic here, I would allow that.

As I have written here a bunch of times recently, our biggest problem in this country is now our inability to disagree with one another. We've lost the ability to do it. When we disagree on something these days, it evolves into an ugly scene, where one person and probably both people wind up crossing the line of decency, all in the name of "being right".

ESPN doesn't want Dan Orlovsky to share his opinion unless it also happens to be their opinion.

And even when it is a sports story of sorts, ESPN would rather you just skip over it and move on to that White Sox/Astros game or the Vikings rookie quarterback who will miss the season with a knee injury.

That is, unless your (liberal) agenda happens to mesh with ESPN's agenda. Then you can go ahead and walk on that slippery slope.

"Protect our daughters..."

You're telling me those three words crossed the line at ESPN?

Oh, and let me mention this because it's important: ESPN denies that they asked Orlovsky to remove the (offending) tweet and now even says Orlovsky, when commenting on it, wasn't actually referring to his "daughters" tweet, but social media in general.

Yeah, sure. We believe you.

No, really. We do.

I mean, ESPN would never stoop as low as to tell one of their employees what to post and what not to post. Right?

There is that pesky "stick to sports" edict, but other than that, they'd never stoop that low. That's what I meant.

So, Orlovsky is now probably on some sort of probationary period where all of his social media messages get checked by a 22-year old intern at Syracuse or Northwestern.

When ESPN says "stick to sports", they mean it.

Kind of...

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

english premier league preview

The English Premier League is back this weekend. Manchester United will host Fulham on Friday afternoon to begin the new season in the top league in the world. The favorites are mostly unchanged from last year. While things could change with the transfer window still open for a few more weeks, thus far there have been no real game-changing moves. Manchester City returns as the favorite to win the league once again, after winning their fourth in a row last year and sixth of the last seven.

The betting odds see it as a two team race, with last season’s runners-up, Arsenal, looking to push Man City for the title once again. Today we’ll take a look at the top eight contenders, placing them into three tiers: the favorite, the title contenders, and the Champions League contenders. We’ll also take a quick look at the small American contingent playing in the league this season.

The Favorite

Manchester City

Last Year: Won 4th straight title

Arrivals: Savinho (LW/LWB - Girona)

Departures: Julian Alvarez (ST/AM - Atletico Madrid)

Manchester City is once again the favorite to win the league. They enter the season at +140 to take home their fifth straight title. They bring back largely the same team that won the title last year in what could be Pep Guardiola’s last season at the helm. This is the last remaining year on the contract for the long-tenured all-time great and while a renewal could occur at any time, this may be his last run before taking on a new challenge.

The main concern in City’s bid for a fifth straight title is depth at key positions. Though they received a large payment from Atletico Madrid for Alvarez, he could be sorely missed. While he wasn’t a full time starter last year, his versatility was crucial, as he was able to fill in for both Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne when they missed time. There is still time for City to build some depth before the end of the transfer window and they could use some pieces behind those key stars as well as irreplaceable center midfielder Rodri.

The Title Contenders

Arsenal

Last Year: 2nd place

Arrivals: Riccardo Calafiori (CB - Bologna)

Departures: None

Once again Arsenal will be the top contender for Manchester City. They have pushed them the past two years but came up just short again last season, falling two points shy of the perennial champs. They enter the season at +160 to win the title. With another year of experience under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal will hope to continue their improvement to catch City.

There haven’t been any major moves for the London-based club. They have brought in left-footed centerback Riccardo Calafiori who helped lead Bologna to a surprise run to fifth place in Serie A last season. Calafiori combined with the return of Jurrien Timber from a long-term injury should bolster a defense that was already the stingiest in the EPL both by goals allowed and expected goals conceded.

Similar to Man City, Arsenal’s only minor flaw is a lack of depth behind some of their key starters. Bukayo Saka is their most dynamic attacker and they currently don’t have a suitable replacement if he goes down. The team is also rumored to be pushing for a deal for Spanish Euro star midfielder Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad to add depth to their midfield.

Liverpool

Last Year: 3rd place; Won the Carabao Cup

Arrivals: None

Departures: Jurgen Klopp (manager); Fabio Carvalho (AM - Brentford)

Liverpool begin their new era after Jurgen Klopp stepped down at the end of last season. They enter as the only other serious contender for the title, but well behind Man City and Arsenal at +650 to lift the trophy.

New coach Arne Slot comes over from Dutch club Feyenoord and brings a possession based style of play. The arrival of Slot may see Liverpool move to a more methodical build up attack with less direct attacking play.

As it stands, the roster is more or less the same as last season when they finished third, seven points behind Arsenal but fourteen points ahead of fourth place Aston Villa. Liverpool will once again look to star wingers Mo Salah and Luis Diaz to run their attack and they will hope Darwin Nunez can turn his ability to get to dangerous positions into more balls in the back of the net.

Last season they were just behind City and Arsenal on offense and defense, finishing third in both goals scored and goals conceded, although they did lead the league in expected goals, suggesting they left some opportunities on the table. They are rumored to be in the market for a defensive midfielder who can enable them to play out of the back more consistently and allow Alexis Mac Allister to move higher up the field to be more involved in attacking sequences.

Champions League Candidates

Chelsea

Last Year: 6th place

Arrivals: Enzo Maresca (Manager - Leicester City); Pedro Neto (RW - Wolves); Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (CM - Leicester)

Departures: Connor Gallagher (CM - Atletico Madrid)

This next tier represents teams that are real longshots for a title run, but have their sights set on finishing in the top four to earn a spot in the Champions League. Chelsea is perpetually a club in turmoil. American owner Todd Boehly took over after Russian owner Roman Abramovich was forced out and tried to put his stamp on the team by buying every player under the sun. The strategy has largely failed however, as the club has burned through coaches and failed to form a cohesive unit.

Chelsea doesn’t lack for talent, so new manager Enzo Maresca will have plenty of pieces to work with. Maresca comes to Chelsea after leading Leicester City to promotion back to the Premier League last season. He will have his work cut out for him to fit the puzzle together.

This season the team will need to revolve around 22 year old Cole Palmer, who had a breakout season in 2023-24, scoring 22 goals with 11 assists, followed by a wondergoal in the Euros for England. Palmer has a chance to be one of the best players in the league this year, and if Chelsea can figure out the supporting cast, they can be a dangerous team.

Tottenham

Last Year: 5th place

Arrivals: Dominic Solanke (ST - Bournemouth); Archie Gray (RB - Leeds); Lucas Bergvall (CM - Djurgarden)

Departures: Emerson Royal (RB - AC Milan); Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (CM - Marseille)

Tottenham just missed a spot in the Champions League last season, finishing two points behind fourth place Aston Villa in their first year under coach Ange Postecoglou. In their second season under the Aussie manager, they could be a team to watch. They had a lot of success early in the season before coming back down to earth a bit. Another year of comfort with the system could be what Tottenham needs to jump back into the Champions League or make a dark horse title run.

While they won’t have Champions League games to worry about, they will be in the Europa League, so there will be extra games to manage and put stress on the squad. Tottenham was seventh in both goals scored and goals conceded last season. So they were quite a balanced team with room for improvement on both sides of the ball. They will again be led by star South Korean attacker Heung-Min Son who had 27 goals and assists last season.

Manchester United

Last Year: 8th place; Won FA Cup

Arrivals: Noussair Mazaraoui (RB - Bayern Munich); Matthijs de Ligt (CB - Bayern); Leny Yoro (CB - Lille); Joshua Zirkzee (ST - Bologna)

Departures: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (RB - West Ham); Raphael Varane (CB - Como)

Manchester United finished a disappointing eighth place last season, with a negative goal differential. However, they managed to win the FA Cup, likely saving Erik Ten Hag’s job in the process. The Dutch manager will get at least one more chance to prove he can recreate the magic he conjured at Ajax in the Premier League.

Ten Hag has reunited with two stars of that Ajax team in Mazaraoui and de Ligt, who both had less than impressive stints at Bayern Munich. United has been more active than most of the other top contenders, also adding defender Leny Yoro and striker Joshua Zirkzee, who impressed at Bologna last year while on loan away from Bayern Munich.

Manchester United was better defensively than in attack last season, but left a lot to be desired on both ends. If they are going to push for Champions League or title contention they will need a bounce back season from attacker Marcus Rashford, who had a rough campaign last year. They will also need start midfielder Bruno Fernandes to continue his stellar play after leading the team in both goals and assists last season.

Newcastle

Last Year: 7th place

Arrivals: William Osula (ST - Sheffield United)

Departures: Yankuba Minteh (RW - Brighton and Hove); Elliot Anderson (CM - Nottingham Forest)

Last season Newcastle fell back from their previous run in the top four. The club struggled to manage two intense competitions dropping back to seventh place in the Premier League, eight points out of the Champions League spots. While they had some impressive moments in the Champions League, they eventually faded down the stretch.

Thus far they haven’t made many additions to improve their depth this season. Without European matches they may hope their core players will hold up better. Newcastle will also welcome back high-priced midfielder Sandro Tonali, who came over from AC Milan only to get suspended for the majority of the season for a gambling scandal. He can provide a boost to the midfield if he returns to form.

Aston Villa

Last Year: 4th place

Arrivals: Amadou Onana (CM - Everton); Jaden Philodene-Bidace (LW - Hull); Cameron Archer (FW - Sheffield United); Ross Barkley (CM - Luton Town); Enzo Barrenechea (CM - Juventus); Samuel Iling-Junior (LB/LW - Juventus)

Departures: Moussa Diaby (FW - Saudi); Douglas Luiz (CM - Juventus)

Aston Villa was the Cinderella story last season. Manager Unai Emery led them to a fourth place finish, earning a spot in the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. Although they finished in the top four, Villa was closer to the pack between 5th-8th than they were to the top three, finishing fourteen points behind Liverpool.

In order to brace for the difficulty of balancing two major competitions, Aston Villa has been active in the transfer market. They have brought in a range of youth and experience to bolster all levels of their squad. Amadou Onana was the key piece, coming over from Everton to provide an anchor in midfield and Ross Barkley will bring experience and provide depth after a banner season at Luton Town last year.

Villa will miss their two major departures, as Diaby and Luiz both played critical roles in their successful season last year. However the money brought in for that pair should help fund their existing transfers and potentially a few more before the deadline.

With the step up in competition and expectations, Villa are more than likely to regress this season. They will need a sustained effort from breakout star Ollie Watkins, who scored 19 goals and added 13 assists last season.

Americans in the EPL

The American contingent in the Premier League is quite small this season. Tim Ream has moved on from Fulham, joining MLS side Charlotte FC in the past few weeks to continue his career back in the US. Gio Reyna returned to Borussia Dortmund after his short-lived loan at Nottingham Forest.

That just leaves Antonee Robinson at Fulham, Chris Richards at Crystal Palace, Tyler Adams at Bournemouth and Matt Turner at Nottingham Forest. Among those, only Robinson and Richards look to make much impact early on in the season.

Tyler Adams was forced to get surgery just after the Copa America ended this summer and will miss the early part of the season. It will be an important year for him when he returns, as he will need to establish himself at the club after missing much of last season due to injury as well.

Matt Turner’s situation isn’t much better. He transferred to Nottingham Forest from Arsenal last year seeking more playing time but was quickly benched and replaced. Turner may be better off making a move to a lower league in order to find a starting job and rebuild his reputation.

Antonee Robinson is by far the top performer among this group. As of now he will start the season with Fulham after finishing among the top left backs in the league in most statistics last season. There has been a lot of noise about Robinson moving to a bigger club, so we’ll see if he ends up at Fulham for the entire season.

Chris Richards saw his situation improve vastly last season, as he gradually earned a more prominent role at Crystal Palace, starting most of the games down the stretch. This season he will have to fight to keep a starting spot, but he could be in line for increased responsibility with potential sales of more veteran centerbacks Marc Guehi and Joachim Anderson.

It will be an important season for Richards after a rough summer with the US team. The US needs him to establish himself as a locked-in starter and continue to smooth out his rough edges so he can help lead the back line in 2026.

Friday August 16, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3647

let me get this straight

A story circulating in college sports has to be one of the decade's top #clownshoes moment to date.

Notre Dame has shut down its swimming program because of gambling.

Hang on and I'll get to the good part in just a second.

The NCAA, caving in to pressure from both the courts and the kids, has essentially become an athletic version of The Wild Wild West.

Everyone's collecting money. Or, at the very least, everyone has the ability and option to collect money. And you can collect a lot of it, too.

You can take $500 or $1000 from the local car wash or pizza place in town. You can bring in $25,000 from a car dealer in town who loves to see his alma mater win on Saturday afternoons in the fall. Or, heck, you can go on TV and social media and brag about how great someone's sandwiches or sports drinks are and you can haul in a million bucks.

There's some fine print from the NCAA you have to follow, but as long as you're willing to do that, the idea that college sports are for "amateurs" is gone. Like, long gone.

And the schools, of course, know this as well. Just like in Major League Baseball where it's tough to outspend the Dodgers or Yankees, it's tough to pay more than schools like Alabama, Clemson, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Oregon are willing to pay.

At Maryland, for example, they will simply always spend less on football players than their conference friends like Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State pony up. It just is what it is. You can't spread $25 million around 90 football players if you don't have $25 million in the first place.

So the whole thing is basically a joke. I'm talking about when it comes to money and paying kids and the rich getting richer and "whoever has the most toys at the end, wins". It's all a joke.

College sports sorta-kinda sucks now.

There was a point in my life when college sports was the last hope for something at least "semi decent". Sure, there's always been cheating and wink-wink-nudge-nudge "how did he get that kind of car as a college student?", but the NCAA also did a fairly good job of keeping schools and kids on the up and up.

Key words above: "Semi decent". And "fairly good job".

The NCAA has its own warts, too, don't get me wrong.

And all of that brings me to Notre Dame swimming.

They've suspended the men's swimming program for one year.

Ready for the reason?

They set up an internal betting system where the swimmers on the team would BET ON THEMSELVES or TEAMMATES in swim meets.

The highest wager ever? $50.

Most wagers were either $10 or $20 according to people who shared that information with the NCAA.

The participating members created an online internal sportsbook where swimmers would bet on their time or a teammate's time at an upcoming meet. Payout odds were established and you wagered accordingly.

They also included Super Bowl block pools and March Madness bracket contests in their hub. You know, the two gambling related options that probably 75% of the Notre Dame administrative staff participates in from the comforts of their own office.

The swimmers got caught, somehow, and the result of the NCAA's "independent investigation" showed a massive gambling ring of, probably, somewhere near $1,000 or so.

That was sarcasm. "Massive", that it is. Schools are giving kids $5,000 to play basketball or lacrosse, but a kid betting $20 on his time in the upcoming swim meet vs. Pitt and South Florida is somehow going to ruin college sports.

These people, I swear.

Oh, and I'm not here to say that Notre Dame shouldn't be concerned about the swimming team developing an online gaming portal.

Next thing you know, kids are betting on basketball games and football games with people like DraftKings and FanDuel. You might have heard of them before. Or, at the very least, you've seen their ads on TV when you've been watching -- wait for it -- COLLEGE SPORTS.

It's not about catching the swimmers and punishing them.

It's about shutting down the program over something so (relatively) minor as "I did the 100 butterfly in 1:02:05 last month against Purdue. I'll put $20 down that says I beat that time tomorrow against Georgia Tech."

If nothing else, I think Notre Dame should almost be proud of the kids for coming up with some novel ways of challenging themselves to compete at a higher level.

At least they're not taking PED's or trying to cheat the system in some other nefarious way. Not that we know of, at least.

We're in a world where the NCAA allows a swimmer to compete as a male one year and then, a couple of years down the road, that same swimmer can compete as a female. Or the starting quarterback at "school X" can receive a million dollars a year to throw the ball around the stadium. Or coaches are making $10 million annually to figure out how to score more touchdowns than their in-state rival.

There's that. And then there's 15 kids on a swimming team betting $20 on themselves. And the NCAA believes the gambling story is so heinous and so potentially threatening to the integrity of their athletic department that swimming has to be discontinued.

"The integrity of their athletic department".

I'm sure you're LOL'ing at that one.

I know I am.

Here's an idea. Let's just give them cars and clothes and places to live and, heck, throw in five grand a month as well.

Tell the swimmers at Notre Dame they can have the car of their choice, a $1,000 gift card to Target and a monthly "living expense" that gets direct-deposited right into their account.

In exchange, though, they have to curtail that pesky gambling they've been involved in.

Got it?

There we go...

Notre Dame and all of the other schools are now once again in good standing.

	RANDY MORGAN on American soccer
Americans are playing more and more of a vital role in international soccer these days, and Randy Morgan has his eyes on all of them for #DMD. Each week here, he looks at recent performances of American players and highlights upcoming games of importance.

u.s. soccer gets their man

On Wednesday night it was reported that Mauricio Pochettino had agreed to join as the new US Men’s National Team coach, replacing Gregg Berhalter. The 52 year old Argentine is an impressive hire for US Soccer. Pochettino rose to prominence in the English Premier League with Southampton before taking over Tottenham for a long stretch. He then moved on to Paris St. Germain and most recently Chelsea.

Pochettino’s most successful tenure occurred at Tottenham however, where he pushed them among the elite Premier League clubs. He led Tottenham to a second place finish in the 2016-17 season, their best since 1963 and followed that up by taking them to their first ever Champions League final in 2019, where they lost to Liverpool.

Pochettino is known for a high-pressing and attack oriented style and was lauded for his development of young players in his time at Southampton and Tottenham, most notably Harry Kane. While Tottenham is a large club, they do not have quite the financial power of Manchester City or Manchester United, so Pochettino was forced to be resourceful, relying on tactical acumen and player development to push them to competition at the top of the league.

Pochettino is truly a hire from the elite tier of European club managers. I’m honestly surprised US Soccer was able to sell a manager at that level on the job. I guess we’ll see what the contract looks like, perhaps there were enough dollar signs to motivate him. He comes with a much higher pedigree than any former US men’s coach and is more in line with current women’s coach Emma Hayes, who was among the top in the game as well.

Pochettino should continue the work Berhalter did to move the US to a more possession based style, focused on playing out of the back and then pressing aggressively. What he may bring is an increased attention to detail and better ability to put players in positions to combine effectively in the attacking third.

The only real question around Pochettino will be his ability to adjust to managing a national team instead of a club team. While a club coach has preseason and endless training sessions to drill their principles into players, a national team coach only has limited time in international windows. This may require him to pare down his tactics to those that can be absorbed in these short bursts.

The other significant difference with a national team is the inability to supplement your team with transfers. The pool is largely set and Pochettino will need to adjust to the players he has. Perhaps his experience working with a team with a slightly less than top tier budget will help him with this limitation. He may bring a new set of eyes to the player pool as well and could find overlooked players or new roles for existing players to enhance the team’s performance.

The former Tottenham manager surely has a tall task ahead of him, to prepare the team in a relatively short time period for the biggest tournament in US soccer history, where there will certainly be outsized expectations. However, this hire seems like a slam dunk by the US Soccer leadership and it's hard to believe they could have found anyone with better experience to take on this challenge.

Tomorrow here at #DMD, Randy Morgan previews the new English Premier League season, which starts this weekend.

Thursday August 15, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3646

and here they come.......

I didn't see one pitch of last night's 4-1 Orioles win.

I can read the internet, though.

Dean Kremer was solid.

Coby Mayo finall got a major league hit.

Gunnar Henderson hit a home run again...finally.

And now the varsity team from Boston comes to town and the Red Sox have what might be a last gasp effort to close the gap on the O's in the American League East.

I assume the city will be packed with "Sawx" fans over the next four days. There was a time, circa 2008, when any Orioles home game against the Red Sox was 70/30 in terms of fan representation.

70 for Boston.

30 for Baltimore.

These days, the stands will still be filled with Boston fans. It's a great time to visit Baltimore, there's a long weekend ahead and the Red Sox are actually semi-decent this year.

But it won't be 70/30, no matter how many Red Sox fans find their way into the ballpark.

I'm just guessing here, but if there are 120,000 fans in the ballpark this weekend, it will be 90,000 in orange and black and 30,000 in dark blue and red.

It used to be awful in the "old days". Frankly, I always thought Boston fans were way worse than Yankees fans back in those times when the Orioles were getting clobbered a combined 30 times a year by those two.

Yankees fans just came to town to see their heroes and watch a win.

Red Sox fans showed up to watch their team and rub it in after Boston won 10-2.

New York fans back in those days were semi-tolerable. There were a few outliers who spoiled the bunch, but for the most part I always found them to be decent.

Boston fans weren't anywhere close to tolerable. They were out of control. All of them.

The times, though, they have changed.

These Orioles are excellent.

Boston is trying to be excellent.

It used to be the other way around.

But these four games are important, for sure. The O's are 6 games ahead of them in the loss column. If they can beat the Red Sox 3 of 4 this weekend, that extends their lead to 8 games with 37 games remaining.

Anything can happen, obviously, but an 8 game lead with 37 games left is a pretty tough hurdle to overcome.

It would be like having a 4-shot lead with 3 holes to play on the PGA Tour. Sure, every blue moon someone will squander that kind of advantage in the closing 3 holes but, for the most part, that's always a done deal.

Now, if Boston somehow wins 3 of 4 and cuts the lead to 4 games, we have ourselves a horse race.

I don't see the Red Sox winning more than 2 games. And, honestly, 2 is a stretch, I think. But these are most certainly big moments for the Orioles as they try to turn a 3-team race into a 2-team race.

While the Red Sox and Orioles do battle, the Yankees will be in Detroit for a weekend series with the Tigers.

As we saw on Monday night in Chicago, you never know what the Yankees might do. But I'd say it's likely that New York wins 2 of 3 in the Motor City.

Oh, and in case you don't have a schedule handy, the O's and Bronx Bombers only play three more times this season; in New York in the penultimate series of the season, September 24, 25 and 26.

These next four are the ones the O's should worry about the most. At least for now.

Speaking of the old days, if what Scottie Scheffler said yesterday would have been mentioned by Tiger Woods 25 years ago, the bet here is something would have changed.

Scheffler, speaking on the eve of the first FedEx Cup playoff event on the PGA Tour in Memphis, essentially challenged the TOUR to come up with an improved plan for their 3-week post-season.

Or, even better, simply change the way they explain it to the players and the fans.

"They say it's a season long points race," Scheffler said. "But it all comes down to the last tournament, basically. You can be 25th in the standings heading into that tournament and got there by not winning one tournament all season long. And then if you win the final tournament, you're the FedEx Cup champion. I just don't see how that's right."

Scheffler is saying that from the comfort of his perch, high above the rest of the players on TOUR. He is easily the points leader with his 6 victories and various other high finishes in 2024. Unless something crazy happens, he'll enter the TOUR Championship in a couple of weeks as the leader in the standings.

But if he doesn't win that final tournament, he loses out on being the FedEx Cup champion.

It is a weird way to do it. But the TOUR had to come up with a new way to crown their "season long" champion after players were piling up enough points in the regular season and playoffs that they didn't have to win one of the playoff events (back then there were four) and they could still come out on top.

It made for anticlimatic television when, say, all Dustin Johnson needed was a 4th place finish in the final event and he was going win the (then) $10 million first place FedEx Cup check.

So the TOUR changed it up a few years back and created a system where the guy with the most points started the final tournament ahead of the others on the scoreboard. Scheffler, to wit, will start the Tour Championship (assuming he's the points leader, still, after the first two events) at 10-under par and the second place player will start at 8-under.

"It doesn't seem like a two shot lead on the best field the Tour can produce is much of a thank you for the golf you play to get into the lead with one week left," Scheffler said on Wednesday. "Maybe I'd like the format better if I weren't winning. But it just seems like it's not really a season long points race if one tournament decides the winner."

What will be interesting this off-season is to see the TOUR's reaction to Scheffler's commentary.

Does he have the cachet necessary to have the TOUR consider altering the format moving forward?

Tiger's commentary on the same subject back in the day would have generated discourse, that's for sure. But what about Scheffler? Has he earned enough power in the sport to help the TOUR tweak their rules in 2025 and beyond?

Wednesday August 14, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3645

maybe it's time to.......pray?

There was some delicious irony in the air last evening at the downtown baseball stadium.

It wasn't the good-tasting kind of delicious, unfortunately, but there was irony present nonetheless.

Tuesday night was "Faith Night" at Camden Yards as the O's offered discount tickets to local churches and religious groups and then hosted a post-game concert with a Christian band following their game with the Washington Nationals.

When the front office organized the event back in the off-season, I'm sure Tuesday, August 13 made a lot of sense. The team would be returning to Charm City after an extensive road trip, the Nationals are terrible, the weather should be just about perfect, and, a good time would be had by all.

Nine Orioles players are apparently regulars at "team chapel", which is a pretty nice number on a 26-man roster.

Based on last night's 9-3 shellacking at the hands of the Nationals, perhaps more than nine should be showing up regularly. The team could use the help, if you know what I mean.

On "Faith Night" at the ballpark, that was probably what was needed most as the visitors stormed past the now 2nd place Orioles. People in town are losing faith, no pun intended.

It was another listless effort from recently acquired Trevor Rogers, who got battered by a Nationals team that is mostly going through the motions at this point in the campaign. That was the main storyline, of course, but it was far from the only one.

The Orioles are also listless at the plate these days, particularly in the power department. Maybe Anthony Santander has been praying a lot more than the others, because he's still producing home records on a regular basis. Others, though, are not.

Since the All-Star break, now a month ago in the rear view mirror, these three players have one home run each: Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle.

Juan Soto hit three home runs last night in Chicago. The aforementioned three "power hitting" O's have three, combined, in the last four weeks.

Talk about losing faith, huh?

Gunnar is a regular at chapel. If I'm him, I'm asking the guys to gather 'round this afternoon and ask God for a little extra something-something. This is getting ridiculous.

Their actual hitting numbers aren't terrible, mind you. Henderson went 0-for-5 last night and is still hitting .287 and getting on base at a .372 clip.

Rutschman is hitting .269, although his on-base-percentage of .335 is a smidgen under what you'd like to see from a guy with that batting average.

And Mountcastle is right where you figure he'd be, at .272, but his OBP is definitely low at .311.

But it's the home runs and the "big hits" that are alluding those three, although in fairness to Mountcastle he did have one of the team's 3 RBI last night in the loss to DC.

There's a scene in the great movie "The Legend of Bagger Vance" where Matt Damon's character is sitting in the locker room after shooting 12 over par in the first round of a big tournament and Bobby Jones walks past him in the locker room, pats him on the back and says, simply, "It'll come."

In the golf world, that's all you say to someone who is struggling. "It's in there somewhere" is what you're basically saying to them.

I feel like that's the message for Gunnar, Adley and Mountcastle.

"It'll come."

There are times to press and times to relax. Perhaps the three of them are in one of those times where they're pressing too much and not relaxing nearly enough. I don't know. I'm not a baseball player. But I see numbers, like everyone else, and I know they're not good, at least not when it comes to power, that is.

And if pressing and/or relaxing doesn't work, those three can always try prayer. I know for a fact that works.

Oh, and speaking of numbers and pressing and things not working, Trevor Rogers is, so far, showing an eerie resemblance to Jack Flaherty 2023.

It's not pretty.

The southpaw was once again unproductive last night, allowing 9 base runners in 5 innings of work and giving up 5 earned runs along the way.

His 2-11 record is mostly a by-product of toiling with a lousy Marlins team for the first four months of the season, but his performance in Baltimore hasn't really improved all that much; 20 hits allowed in 14.1 innings of work, to go with surrendering 12 earned and walking as many guys (12) as he has struck out in orange and black.

In fairness to Jack Flaherty, I'm not even sure he was that bad a year ago.

People around town are comparing Rogers to the erstwhile Oriole lefty Cole Irvin and it's an incredibly fair comparison. Again, if we're calling it like it is --- you might even want Irvin over Rogers.

And don't forget, the Birds had to give up two relatively-decent prospects to get him from Miami, although neither Stowers or Norby are doing anything even close to "positive" in South Florida thus far.

But if Rogers was acquired to be a big time contributor to the O's 2024 post-season run, that effort, thus far, has been a collosal swing and miss. He's allowed 12 earned runs in 14 innings of work. There's no way to sugarcoat those kind of numbers. They're bad.

Maybe he needs to pray more, too.

As far as the fan base goes, faith in this edition of the O's is definitely starting to waver. And while it's true that fans have a tendency to move with the team as the wind blows, the warning signs are there for everyone to see. Some people tend to put more stock in them than perhaps they should and others are definitely guilty of ignoring them, pointing to the marathon nature of the season and saying, "It'll come."

Me?

I'm more in the "It'll come" camp, for sure, but I also know we're into mid-August now and when the dust settles in another six weeks, it's likely that two or three games are going to separate the division winner from the runner up. Every game counts, of course, which is why a win squandered in April or May is just as critical as one squandered in August or September, but we're getting to the point now where the stakes are high and people need to produce.

If nothing else, though, it's a lot more fun than what we saw in Baltimore for the better part of 20 years, which was none of the games in August and September mattering one bit to the Orioles.

Keep the faith.

That's probably the best message from Tuesday night.

In every way possible.

Faith, after all, is the answer.

Tuesday August 13, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3644

what happened to going with your gut?

#DMD reader Kyle Pressler reached out with an interesting question on Monday in the aftermath of the O's 2-1 loss at Tampa Bay on Sunday and the plethora of dialogue here on Monday with readers bashing Hyde and defending him.

Kyle didn't specify his age in the e-mail, so I have no way of knowing if he's a 20-something who happens to be old school or a 50-something who hasn't merged with the times.

But here's his full e-mail nonetheless. You can chew on it, like I did, and opine in whatever way you want below.

Drew, I've been following baseball for a long time. I'm a die hard O's fan. Lived through the bad years before Buck and then the downfall that led to Elias and Hyde arriving. I go to 20 games a year and recently went to the road games in Texas and Miami. Brandon Hyde is baseball's version of Mark Turgeon at Maryland. He has absolutely zero feel for the game while it's going on. I have no doubt he prepares well, puts the best lineup out there he can on any given day or night and I believe he is probably popular with the players in the locker room. But in the game, he's completely clueless, just like Turgeon used to be at College Park. After every game, he talks about "the numbers" and "the data" and shoves that down our throat as his reason for doing everything. Just once I would like to hear him say, "I know the numbers said we shouldn't let Cowser hit there, but I just had a funny feeling he was going to come through for us and he did thankfully." Instead all we ever get are numbers and stats and computer talk. Whatever happened to going with your gut, Drew?

"Going with your gut."

That's an interesting concept indeed. And, it's true, "going with your gut" is probably a thing of the past in today's ultra-computerized world of high level amateur and professional sports.

And it's also worth noting that I'm not exactly sure when we know Brandon Hyde is using an instinct or using the data he has at his disposal. I mean, how do we know?

Maybe his gut told him to continue pitching Albert Suarez on Sunday but the books said get him out and turn the game over to Cionel Perez. Or perhaps his gut told him to pitch Craig Kimbrel in the 8th inning and the data said "absolutely NO Kimbrel in this situation."

I have no way of knowing when Hyde's gut speaks to him and when it doesn't.

But one easy answer to Kyle's question is the most obvious one: "Going with your gut" is also never a 100% guarantee that your decision or move will be the right one. "Gut feelings" fail, too.

Now, I don't have a lot of fancy, computer generated data at my disposal, but I've definitely made a number of Calvert Hall golf lineup decisions based on a "gut feeling" I had about a player against a certain school or at a certain course.

Two years in a row, in fact, I played two different players at Rolling Road against Mount Saint Joseph specifically because I had a gut feeling they would play the course well, even though neither of them were "regulars" in my lineup. And wouldn't you know it, on both occasions they came through with huge putts and holes down the stretch to help us win.

I'm sure my players wondered if I'd lost my mind when I announced the lineup the day before, but I fortunately got vindicated by both of the new guys I inserted into the lineup. I'd be fibbing if I said I wasn't worried about their potential performance(s). But I also had thought long and hard about the decision to play them at Rolling Road and basically convinced myself I was right before the match started.

I've been wrong on other "gut" player decisions, too, of course.

Back in 1996 when I was running the indoor soccer team in town, I let my gut tell me that former San Diego Sockers star Branko Segota would be a good fit for our team in the '96-97 season, particularly because the league at the time was seeing about 30% of the goals scored on "set pieces" (dead ball situations) and I knew Segota was a master at those.

What Segota wasn't a master of, unfortunately, was staying healthy. A swollen knee this week, a strained hamstring next week, turf toe after that. It was always something. He had flashes of the "old Segota" during the season, but by and large he was a disappointment and I spent a considerable amount of money on him only to find out my gut feeling was wrong.

But back to Brandon Hyde and baseball.

I would say, thinking about Kyle's e-mail a lot on Monday, that "gut feelings" are probably more useful in baseball than in any other sport.

I don't know why I think that, even. Maybe it's just the pedestrian nature of the games and how there's a lot of time spent just standing around and thinking things through.

Football is a whirlwind. It's fast and furious, there are all kinds of coaches and coordinators yapping on the internal communications system and it's probably hard to "find your gut" while the game is going on.

The same with basketball.

But baseball, I think, lends itself to "gut feelings", because they can develop throughout the game.

"If we can get this thing to the 7th inning tonight and it's close and they bring in a left handed pitcher, I have a weird feeling Jorge Mateo might get us going with a hit and a stolen base."

On the whole, Mateo might be the 2nd or 3rd best non-playing right handed "hitter" on the bench in that given game, but Hyde would just have a feeling -- along, perhaps, with some stats to support his move.

I don't know when this sea change occurred in baseball, but it's probably a decade old by now. A batter can go 0-for-4 in the game but the TV guys prattle on about silly stuff like "exit velocity" and "batting average on balls in play" and other stuff that has no bearing on the fact the guy has been up four times and hasn't produced a base hit.

It's fair to point out, of course, that the Orioles are one of 30 teams in Major League Baseball who uses advanced data and statistics the way you use gasoline in your automobile.

"Metrics" tell the story these days. The reason they've become all the rage isn't necessarily because they've made players all that much better. They've simply made predicting what a player might do in any given situation a little easier to forecast.

You can produce any kind of data or statistics you want on, say, Austin Slater, but nothing you can show me will change the fact that he's a lousy hitter.

He has 25 hits in 120 plate appearances this season. His batting average is .208. I don't care how hard you hit the ball or how far you hit it on the off-chance you connect with it. What I care about is you're going to get 2 hits every 10 times you record an at bat.

That's lousy.

His on base percentage of .327 isn't anything to write home about, either. But when you're hitting .208, your OBP is going to be in the .320/.330 range and that's about it.

So when Brandon Hyde inserts Austin Slater into the game, is he doing so because the stats tell him that or he has a "gut feeling" that Slater might actually, contrary to logic, produce a hit in that at bat?

I don't know the answer to that.

But my own gut feeling tells me that Hyde, like most managers, probably over-relies on data, either because he himself believes in it or he's instructed to believe in it by his boss, Mike Elias.

Elias, of course, is a strategist of the higher order when it comes to putting weight on measureable statistics and advanced metrics. He and others of his ilk will tell you that, over time, the data almost always wins.

So if the data says this, right now, is the moment to pull Jackson Holliday and insert Austin Slater, you simply disregard whatever your gut might be whispering to you and Slater gets his at bat.

There are managers, of course, who will fight the system. "Statistics be damned," they'd say. "Slater is not a better hitter than Holliday, no matter who is pitching, what inning it is or how many men are on base." I don't think Brandon Hyde is that kind of manager, though.

So, yes, some managers would go with their gut in that situation. And I'm probably in the camp of the "gut" manager more than the "stats" manager, if you want the truth.

But I also understand the value of the advanced statistics that are being used in all sports these days, not just baseball.

Right handed golfers, for instance, are far more likely to miss a green from the left rough than the right rough. That's not me saying that or claiming it to be a "gut feeling". The data that the PGA Tour has kept for the better part of the last seven seasons confirms it.

So if you're looking to use that data to your advantage, the best way to do it is take the left side out of play on your tee shots, either by playing a left-to-right ball flight off the tee or aiming more down the right side if your tendency is to hit it straight or a little bit right to left.

If you're in the fairway, all good. If you miss it in the right rough, that's still better -- data wise -- than missing it in the left rough.

No gut feelings needed in that case.

I don't think I disagree with Kyle on the whole. Hyde doesn't seem to go with his gut very much. Or, at the very least, he doesn't have a "feel for the game" that allows for more use of his instincts than the statistics he's provided before every game.

All that said, I don't think Brandon Hyde is a terrible manager.

I think he's a manager of the times, though.

Whether that fits with your personal preference is up to you. In the end, it always comes down to results. If the team wins, the manager doesn't really matter anyway. He's not going to get much of the credit for the wins, but will always get more than his fair share of the blame after losses.

That theory -- wins are created by the players, losses are created by the manager (coach) -- has been a central theme in sports for a long, long time.

And there aren't any statistics or advanced metrics that will change that theory anytime soon.

A few folks reached out to me via e-mail and social media asking for my take on Matt Kuchar and the stunt he pulled on Sunday/Monday at the Wyndham Championship.

For those unaware of the story, Kuchar, with NO chance to win the tournament and NO chance to make the FedEx Cup playoffs, declined to play the final hole of the tournament on Sunday in Greensboro, NC due to darkness and, instead, opted to return on Monday morning to play the 18th hole.

Everyone else in the field finished the tournament on Sunday. Kuchar was the only player to opt out of the last hole when darkness set it at roughly 8:30 pm.

He could have played the 18th hole in the same general darkness that others did, of course. Kuchar would have then finished on Sunday night like they did. Instead, he hit his tee shot on #18 in the darkness and then informed TOUR officials he would return on Monday to conclude his round.

First, it's important to note that Kuchar apologized on Monday afternoon.

He knew it was a bush league move to make course and TOUR officials return on Monday to oversee the 9 minutes of actual golf he played en route to a closing par.

But he knew that after the fact.

Had he been smart about it on Sunday, an apology wouldn't have been necessary.

That said, had the eventual winner -- Aaron Rai -- and a few others in the final couple of groups on Sunday played at a more reasonable, "professional" pace, Kuchar would have finished on Sunday. In the daylight, no less.

It might not be the most reasonable of excuses ever crafted, but it's also the truth. The PGA Tour has a pace of play problem, particularly on courses like Sedgefield CC in Greensboro that have difficult greens. Mix that with the playoffs looming and players vying for a spot in the 3-tournament-post-season-money grab in Sunday's final round of the Wyndham and you have rounds of 5 hours-plus.

In the end, what happened was more about "who" did it than "what happened".

Kuchar, you might know, is a mercurial personality. No one familiar with the world of golf was actually surprised at the stunt he pulled on Sunday night. He definitely marches to the beat of his own drummer.

In the grand scheme of things, what happened on Sunday and Monday was a colossal nothing burger. A player, seeking to potentially make another $100,000 (with a birdie) or lose another $60,000 (with a bogey), opted to return in the daylight and play the final hole of his golf tournament.

Give me one hole to win $100,000 and I'd like to do it in the daylight, for sure, even if I've won almost $60 million in my career.

That it was Kuchar was the story.

If it would have been Cink, Rose, Matsuyama or Day, I can't imagine the outcry and social media outrage would have been that loud and long.

But Kuchar has been a convenient whipping boy for a while now, including a few years back when he won $1.5 million at an event in Mexico and gave his caddie the $5,000 payment he promised him before the tournament started.

A year or so later he whined about an embedded-ball-that-wasn't and pitched such a fit that two rules officials finally came out and told him to pipe down and play golf.

Matt Kuchar just isn't a popular TOUR player. While he might not be generally disliked, he's also not generally liked, if that makes sense.

But my "take" is pretty simple. He apologized. He thought about it overnight. He showed up on Monday and was the only guy there and looked around and said, "Well, aren't I a horse's ass?"

And he apologized.

What more do we want from him? Perhaps he'll donate a piece of his prize money to a local charity or something similar to that. And if he does, that would be a nice gesture indeed.

But in the end, it was a bad decision and Kuchar eventually figured that out for himself.

On we go to the playoffs.

Well, Kuchar isn't going. Which is one of the reasons why what happened on Monday was so weird in the first place.

	"Randy On The O's"
Randy Morgan takes #DMD readers through the recent week in Orioles baseball as the Birds try to win a second straight A.L. East title.

orioles week in review

Week Record: 3-3

Season Record: 70-49

AL East Standing: 1st (tied with NYY)

Player of the Week: Albert Suarez 11.2 IP 0R 6H 3BB 11K

The Orioles managed to tread water this week, going a disappointing 3-3 against trade deadline sellers Toronto and Tampa Bay. The .500 week was good enough to keep them tied for the AL East lead as the Yankees similarly went 3-3 against the Angles and Rangers.

They are not only tied for the AL East lead, but the best record in the entire league, after becoming the first team to reach 70 wins on Saturday.

The week started with more bad injury news for the O’s as starter Grayson Rodriguez was scratched just before his start on Tuesday and later went on the IL with a lat strain. In addition, Jacob Webb went to the IL as well with a mild elbow injury. The good news is both are expected back before the end of the season, but the Orioles will have to continue to search for answers down the stretch without two more key pitchers.

Albert Suarez was the last minute replacement for Rodriguez on Monday and once again answered the call exceptionally, tossing five shutout innings. A Jackson Holliday homer in the sixth broke a scoreless tie but the Blue Jays then rallied in the bottom of the inning, as new acquisition Gregory Soto once again struggled to even get an out, surrendering four runs en route to a 5-2 loss.

The Birds bounced back with a 7-3 win on Wednesday led by two homers from Anthony Santander and another from Holliday. Trevor Rogers produced a decent outing, limiting Toronto to only two earned runs despite surrendering seven hits and two walks. The bullpen was better in this one, as Burch Smith, Yennier Cano, Cionel Perez and Seranthony Dominguez combined for four shutout innings to close out the win.

Dean Kremer had a second rough start in a row in the finale with the Jays, giving up five runs in just over four innings of work. Keegan Akin failed to stop the bleeding out of the bullpen as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued to terrorize the Orioles with three hits and four RBI. The O’s rallied in the 9th to cut the lead down to one but couldn’t get over the line and fell 7-6.

From Toronto the O’s traveled to Tampa Bay for another three game set with a division rival. They got off on the right foot down in Florida thanks to a masterful start from Zach Eflin against his former team. Eflin threw seven shutout innings, striking out seven while allowing just four hits and one walk. Colton Cowser and Cedric Mullins each homered to provide the bulk of the offense alongside Eloy Jimenez who registered three hits in the 4-1 win.

The team followed that win with another strong offensive showing on Saturday. Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle powered a 1st inning rally, driving in three runs between them to stake Corbin Burnes to a lead. Burnes pitched four no-hit innings before unraveling a bit in the 5th, but still finished with another quality start.

Jackson Holliday belted his third homer of the week to extend the lead but the Rays managed to come back and tie the game. It was Ramon Urias who broke the tie with a two-run homer in the 8th inning before Dominguez came on to close the game out and earn the save in a 7-5 win.

The Birds were unable to complete the sweep at the Trop on Sunday despite a second strong outing from Suarez. After shutting down the Rays for 6.2 innings, Suarez was pulled by Hyde and Cionel Perez came on to get the final out of the inning.

That move proved to be the deciding factor in the game as Perez quickly gave up two hits and surrendered the 1-0 lead that a Santander homer had built. Kimbrel then came out the following inning and walked three batters before allowing the eventual winning run in a 2-1 loss.

As Drew discussed yesterday, the pitching changes were not the only questionable decisions from the manager this week. Earlier in the Toronto series Hyde took some heat for pinch hitting Coby Mayo and Austin Slater for two of the teams hottest hitters, Cowser and Holliday. Those moves did not work out in the eventual 5-2 loss.

At times Hyde has seemed overly reliant on lefty/righty matchups for pinch hitting, ignoring the actual players involved or whether their specific stats support the decision. It's certainly hard to see two of your best hitters removed for guys struggling just to get the “matchup advantage”, especially when Holliday blasts a homer off a lefty later in the week.

However, in Hyde’s defense, the O’s pinch hitters have largely been effective this season. I can’t find the exact stat but saw it posted earlier in the week that the Orioles have one of the highest pinch-hitting averages in the league this season. So it's hard to argue against that, except maybe hoping that Hyde could have a little better “gut feel” in those situations, which is not easy to quantify.

The decision to remove Suarez on Sunday was the most questionable of the week. The guy had given you 11.2 innings of shutout ball this week and the bullpen has been shaky at best. Cionel Perez was coming off a poor showing as well, so while Suarez was already past his max pitches and innings in any start this year, there was good reason to trust him to get one more out. Perhaps the team has some data or saw something the fans couldn’t, but that one in particular was puzzling.

The move to Kimbrel in the next inning was somewhat unavoidable. I’ll discuss a bit more in the Question of the Week section, but to some degree the poor bullpen management is just down to not having enough reliable arms.

If Kimbrel is going to be on your roster, you have to be willing to use him in some tough spots because Cano and Dominguez can’t pitch every inning.

Albert Suarez made the Player of the Week award simple with his outing on Sunday. Plucked from the bullpen for an emergency start on Tuesday, he delivered more than the team could have hoped with almost twelve shutout innings.

Unfortunately the bullpen squandered both starts, but that's not his fault. Suarez wasn’t just lucky either, limiting the Jays and Rays to just six hits and three walks while striking out eleven. If they can get efforts like that even just two out of three turns from Suarez then it will go a long way to keeping them in the division race until Grayson Rodriguez returns.

Honorable mentions go to Colton Cowser, who continued his hot hitting for most of the week before taking an 0-5 on Sunday and Jackson Holliday, who only had three hits, but they were all important home runs. Also, have to mention Zach Eflin, who dominated his former team and thus far has looked like a deadline steal.

Down on the Farm –

The injury to Grayson Rodriguez creates a renewed interest in some of the arms down at Norfolk. Pitching prospects Chayce McDermott, Cade Povich, and Brandon Young are the only currently active AAA prospects anywhere close to helping the O’s with Mayo and Holliday with the big league team and Heston Kjerstad on the IL with a concussion.

The bad news is that McDermott was also placed on the IL this week with a shoulder injury that will likely keep him out for at least several weeks. So that leaves Povich and Young. Povich was less than impressive in his last few outings for the Orioles. He was a little better for Norfolk on Saturday, though not exceptional. Povich made it through seven innings but allowed four runs on eight hits and three walks and had just three strikeouts.

Young fared better in his start on Thursday, allowing just two runs in six innings while striking out four and walking three. He may be the next to get an opportunity if Dean Kremer or Trevor Rogers continue to flail.

There was better news at AA Bowie, where the O’s top remaining prospect continued to excel. Samuel Basallo batted .455 on the week against Harrisburg, with a hit in five of the six games. Basallo has been red hot in August, with a 1.230 OPS in the month. Based on his bat alone, he looks ready for a promotion to Norfolk, however the front office may give him the rest of the season at Bowie as he works on his defense at catcher.

His teammate, 23 year old outfield prospect Jud Fabian, also had a strong week, reaching base at a .565 rate with two doubles, a homer and six RBI. Fabian has a .971 OPS in August and is tied for the Eastern League home run lead with 17.

Question of the Week –

Can the pitching staff hold up down the stretch?

Last week brought more attrition to the Orioles pitching staff with news that Grayson Rodriguez and Jacob Webb were both heading to the injured list. The blow was softened a bit later in the week when Mike Elias said both are expected back before the end of the regular season, but the timeline, especially for Rodriguez, isn’t clear.

Given the current state of the Orioles rotation, any time missed by Rodriguez will be critical, as it was already thin from the injuries to Kyle Bradish and John Means.

Thankfully Albert Suarez gave them two strong starts this week and proved he may be able to prop up the staff in the near term. That still leaves two starts out of every five coming from Dean Kremer and Trevor Rogers, who have both been subpar this season.

The acquisition of Zach Eflin is looking even more vital now, as the team is relying on quality starts from him and Corbin Burnes to keep them afloat. After those two the O’s will have to hope they can get one or two decent starts out of the back end of the rotation each time through, otherwise the offense will need to carry the load.

As mentioned above, Brandon Young or Cade Povich could become options if one of the backend options can’t right the ship. Aside from tha, there really isn’t anywhere else to turn with the trade deadline past. Maybe the Orioles can unlock something in Rogers to make him more effective down the stretch.

It's certainly worked for most of the season for Suarez, but there are also the counterexamples of Jack Flaherty last year and Cole Irivin over the past two years. If Rodriguez can’t return until September he will likely miss five or six more starts, so someone will need to step up as the O’s battle the Yankees in a tight division race.

The other issue is that the bullpen doesn’t look much better right now, in fact it may be in a worse state than the rotation. At least the rotation has two reliable arms. Currently in the bullpen there is Seranthony Dominguez and Yennier Cano and after that not a lot of guys you trust.

While fans have questioned some of Hyde’s recent bullpen management, the main problem is just a lack of quality arms.

Dominguez stepping into the closer role solves one problem, but Kimbrel now looks shaky no matter the situation. He’s been a streaky pitcher the last few years so you have to hope the veteran can figure it out. Cionel Perez is similarly streaky, mixing stretches of dominance with periods where he can’t find the strike zone.

Yennier Cano is still a reliable option, if not the lock down reliever he was early last year. Beyond that, Burch Smith has looked serviceable recently, but the loss of Jacob Webb hurts immensely, as he was perhaps the best reliever on the team this year.

The Gregory Soto experiment threatens to tank the team’s division hopes if it doesn’t turn around quickly. One or two more disastrous outings may see him sent off the roster. Keegan Akin is the only other lefty in the pen and though he had a solid July, he was hit hard in his last appearance and doesn’t have the electric stuff you like to see in the back end of the bullpen

The Rodriguez injury forcing Suarez back to the rotation robbed the bullpen of a potential power arm and/or long reliever, which could require them to bring back Cole Irvin. Perhaps it's one of the Norfolk arms that gets a chance to prove it at the big league level. Though many of the top pitching prospects have the same issue of limiting walks, which is hard to work out at the big league level.

At this point it’s anyone’s guess how it will shake out.

The good news is Webb’s injury did not sound serious and he may be back sooner than later. The bullpen can also expect Danny Coulombe back before the end of the season, who was one of the team’s better relievers before his injury. Similar to the rotation, they are going to need some guys to find the right tweaks and step their game up in the meantime in order to bridge the gap.

One last positive for the Orioles division hopes is that the Yankees are having pitching problems of their own.

After looking unhittable to start the season, their closer Clay Holmes has fallen off a cliff and their rotation has been horrendous since the start of July, with a 5.59 starter ERA. Gerrit Cole hasn’t been his usually dominant self since returning from injury (though his last two starts were good), Nestor Cortes has been downright awful since July, and Carlos Rodon has been inconsistent. Their deadline acquisition, Mark Leiter Jr., has given up four earned runs in his 6.2 innings since joining the team.

All this means is that the Orioles have some leeway to figure things out, but they can’t afford to have two or three lousy starts per week or to continue to waste strong outings from Burnes, Eflin or Suarez due to bullpen malfunctions. We’ll see if Hyde and Elias can find enough answers to toe the line until the returns of Rodriguez, Webb, and Coulombe.

Monday August 12, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3643

pressure starting to build

Our intrepid #DMD writer, Randy Morgan, was on vacation last week and just returned home late on Sunday. His regular Orioles week in review that generally appears here on Monday will instead be provided to you on Tuesday this week.

That means I get the (unfortunate) benefit/task of raking Brandon Hyde over the coals this morning. I was hoping Randy was going to do it and I could address other things.

Alas, it's on me to do it.

If I'm being honest, it's starting to get tiring. I'll offer this qualifier right out of the gate, as I always do: Hyde does plenty of good things in the dugout. The baseball team he manages has a league high 70 wins on the season. If he were a complete boob and a senseless leader of men, I don't think the Orioles would be a 70-win team at this stage of the campaign.

That said, his in-game decisions of late are starting to rankle even his most ardent supporters. Sunday's 2-1 loss at Tampa Bay was (mostly) squarely on his shoulders.

Yes, the O's only scored one run.

The players have to do their part as well.

But you'll have days and nights like that, where the other team's pitchers try, too, and you have to figure out how to get your team into the win column when you're clinging to a 1-0 lead througut the bulk of the game.

Hyde again made several puzzling in-game decisions on Sunday that contributed to his pitching staff frittering away that 1-0 advantage and turning it into a frustrating 2-1 loss.

And the internet roasted him in the aftermath. My e-mail inbox and cell phone had six messages afterwards and none of them said, "I hope you take it easy on the manager tomorrow at Drew's Morning Dish."

Rob wrote to me: "How much longer are you going to defend that clown of a manager? Please get this guy out of here in the next year or two before we squander our window for titles. Doesn't M. Elias see Hyde is a joke?"

Joe wrote: "I hope you take Hyde to task (tomorrow) on his use of Perez the last two days. He got lucky on Saturday when he inexplicably took Cano out after two soft hits and Perez immediately walked two guys in a row and then today (Sunday) he has a whole bullpen to use and he brings him back out and promptly gives up the tying run. I worry about Hyde in a close playoff game."

Alex wrote: "Please shoot Brandon Hyde to the sun. Like, right now. He has now cost the Orioles seven (yes, seven, Drew) games this sesason with his idiotic management of the bullpen. I know you'll say, "Who are they going to hire?" and the answer is, "I don't know, but he has to be better than this bumbling fool that we have now." O's aren't winning anything with him managing the team."

Phil wrote: "Kimbrel again? Is Hyde a secret agent for the Yankees? You pull Suarez for no reason and the lead immediately disappears and then you go with Kimbrel? Kimbrel? FIRE THIS MAN. Now."

I'd go on but there's no need.

And I'd also defend Brandon Hyde, because I think that's fair, but I know there's no real need for that, either.

Because on this occasion, the angst towards him is generally well aimed.

Yesterday was another occasion where he pulled the strings and they weren't the right ones to pull.

Most baseball people call it "over managing".

And I do understand it's August and the season is wearing on people and sometimes you go to a guy like Perez yesterday because you're just hoping he can get you an out or two in a critical situation and then you can breathe a sigh of relief and move on.

Or perhaps you have the same philosophy with Kimbrel that I have with six foot putts that I can't make in a round of golf: I just keep telling myself, "You can't miss them all."

When Hyde called the bullpen and told them to get Kimbrel up and ready for the 9th inning, I'm sure he was thinking to himself, "The guy can't squander every game he pitches."

Kimbrel walked three batters and then surrendered the eventual game-winning run via a sacrifice fly in that 8th inning.

When it rains, it pours.

In (moderate) defense of Hyde, he made the decision a few weeks back to remove Kimbrel from the closer's role. He was, at least, smart enough to do that.

But putting him into yesterday's game was a recipe for disaster.

And it's now starting to become a common theme for Brandon Hyde as the calendar moves in the direction of September and (more) meaningful games that will potentially decide the team's fate in 2024.

The moves he makes are just as prone to failing as they are succeeding. No manager will be perfect, of course, but you can't make 5 bad moves and 5 good moves. Your senses have to be better than that.

Now, the only real evaluator that matters is Mike Elias. If he thinks Hyde's doing a fine job, all's well that ends well.

But a pretty big portion of the fan base is starting to question Hyde's ability to skipper the club effectively. I know that doesn't really matter, but it is a thing, at the very least.

And there's more fun to come this week, don't worry.

I wanted to quickly touch on something that I wrote about here yesterday and make a comment on something "Mike" contributed in the comments section.

I answered a question about a 105.7 radio personality and talked about the internet vitriol he encounters on a regular basis.

Mike replied with this: Seriously? "People will type or write awful things and there's no recourse or accountability for it"???? This is EXACTLY what loser JLC does! The "internet vitriol" is 100% reactive based on JLC's persistent profane critiques of the Orioles. To say it is "unprofessional" does not do justice to how childish and immature that guy's tweets are. If it is not a "bit" to pretend he is SAS or Cowherd (which means vitriol is what he wants), then the guy needs some counseling. If he was a random dude on X, no problem, but the guy represents 105.7 does he not? Unreal that the station is ok with his shtick.

I just want to say this and it will be the last comment I make on it.

When you feel a need to respond to someone on the internet by bringing up their weight, their looks, their wife or their family, you've gone from "reacting to someone" to "internet vitriol".

I'm not saying Mike does that. I have no idea. But responding to someone on the internet with a commentary about their weight or appearance is "vitriol". And it's not only unnecessary, it's very unproductive.

For kicks (and research purposes), I went back and looked at ten tweets from that radio personality from this past weekend. EVERY tweet I saw (and I know he had more than 10) contained at least one ugly reference to his weight, his appearance, his family, etc.

Every tweet contained replies that included foul language, vulgar terms and so on.

I don't think anyone, including the 105.7 personality, asks for "vitriol". They might want discourse. And they might be OK with that discourse getting heated, even.

But what doesn't come with the territory is having your weight or appearance brought up. Or your wife and kids.

I wrote here a while back that the biggest problem in our country these days isn't politics or Donald Trump or the stock market crashing or any of the other "issues" that we encounter on a daily basis in the United States.

Our biggest problem is that we no longer know how to disagree. We simply can't do it. There used to be an "art" to debate. Now, if we disagree with you, the only method of discourse we know is to simply crush you with personal attacks, vendettas and "ghosting" you.

We can't have civil discourse. We've lost our ability to disagree, somehow. I don't know when it happened, exactly, but it's been building up for a decade or more at this point.

And the 105.7 situation is a perfect example of that.

The radio personality says the general manager made a mistake by not adding better players at the trade deadline and the response from people (who claim to be reasonably intelligent) is to poke at him for his weight or use a slur of some sort.

That's "vitriol". And it's uncool.

And we should be better than that, as a country and as human beings.

Alas, we aren't.

So I'll just task you with it: Be better yourself. In whatever way you can. That, I think, will help in the long run.

Sunday August 11, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3642

just keep stacking those wins

If they gave style points for last night's 7-5 win over Tampa Bay, the O's wouldn't have received many.

It wasn't the prettiest of wins.

But it was a win nonetheless, and the O's became the first team in the majors to reach 70 wins with their second straight victory at The Trop.

Things got hairy in the 9th inning when Seranthony Dominguez put a runner on, but Cedric Mullins made a legitimately nice catch to seal the win for the visitors.

I write "legitimately nice catch" because our TV guys tend to over dramatize any catch in the outfield where someone's legs are moving. Mullins' grab was a good one. Worthy of gushing over, even, particularly when it helped preserve a victory.

Corbin Burnes was staked to an early 4-0 lead last night and cruised into the 5th inning with a no-hitter intact, but he eventually fizzled out and it was 4-4 late before a big 2-run dinger from Ramon Urias turned out to be the difference.

In a pleasing twist, Urias misplayed a ball earlier in the game that helped the Rays rebound from that 4-0 deficit. It should have been ruled an error, but in typical scorekeeper's fashion, home cooking prevailed and a hit was awarded. Maddening stuff.

Jackson Holliday hit yet another home run. And, buckle up for this one, sports fans, it came against a left handed pitcher, even. You'll remember in a recent game in Toronto that the rookie was lifted in a late-game situation because of the dreaded "lefty/lefty" match-up. No such move was required last night in St. Petersburg.

And while we're discussing hitters getting lifted in late game situations, it's worth noting here that Brandon Hyde -- who got lathered by the fans for those decisions in Toronto -- eschewed pinch hitting for Urias in the 8th inning last night when he had a rested Eloy Jimenez sitting next to him on the bench.

Hyde gave Urias the go-ahead to hit and he did just that, with a long home run to put the Birds up, 6-4.

Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make, right skipper?

Gunnar Henderson broke out of a weeklong slump with a nice 3-for-5 night at the plate. Those 3-for-5 numbers were duplicated by both Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle.

Holliday went 1-for-4 to raise his average to .171. I know, I know...an average of .171 is terrible. I get it. But the kid is hitting like Rod Carew since his return to the big leagues two weeks ago. Give him time, he'll be above .200 in another few days.

I wouldn't go as far as saying Burnes' start was "disappointing". He did, after all, carry a no-hitter into the 5th inning. But when you're given a 4-0 lead and you're facing one of the lightest hitting teams in the American League, you should be able to put that one away with ease.

Alas, it wasn't easy.

Nor was it particularly "pretty".

But it went into the "W" column, again, and the Birds have a shot at the weekend sweep later today when Albert Suarez takes the mound.

The beer has been pretty cold all summer here in The Land of Pleasant Living. Let's keep it on ice.

---

On we go to the maibox for a bunch of stacked up mail that needs to be answered.

Ramey asks -- "Two weeks into the Olympics, Drew, I wondering what your overall impression has been? Favorable? Not favorable?"

DF says -- "I haven't watched much of it. If it was a pizza, I had "turned off" slices pertaining to the opening ceremonies, the gender-controversy in boxing, the goofy sports they included (break dancing, wacky kayaking) and the real sports (baseball, softball) they didn't include and the time difference where we already sorta-kinda knew the results before the events were televised.

But I did get into the golf, obviously, and thought that was great theater. I also enjoyed the women's soccer and the team handball, plus some of the swimming. I watched the last half of the men's gold medal basketball game yesterday. That was the only occasion at all I watched either men's or women's basketball.

If I'm guessing, I watched a total of about 8 hours of the Olympics NOT including the golf."

Conway asks -- "Kind of a personal question but I think your readers would like to know. Do you have any kind of regular communication with the various hosts on 105.7? I know you're aware of the internet vitriol against Jason La Canfora. What advice would you give to him?"

DF says -- "Other than some occasional texts with Jeremy, I don't talk to any of the hosts. Not because I don't want to or anything like that. I'm just not in communication with them. I know them all. They're good guys. I think they all do a good job. I'm just a part-time guy there with a golf show.

My advice to Jason? Don't read the internet. I'm kidding, sort of. But the internet is a very dangerous place because people will type or write awful things and there's no recourse or accountability for it.

I realize he's in a polarizing spot in that half the people like what he says and half the people don't. Internet trolling comes with the territory, unfortunately. I hope he's handling it well."

Brad asks -- My 14 year old son has just picked up golf this summer after 6 or 7 years in baseball. He hits it off the tee about 200 yards. Is that considered long for a 14 year old? And his last 18 hole score was 111. I know that's high but how many 14 year olds are able to break 100 regularly do you think?"

DF says -- "It's tough to answer these questions without knowing your son's size, because for most junior golfers, their length off the tee is directly connected to their height and their wing span.

And there's no answer for the other question. There are lots of 14 year olds who can't shoot 111. But I have 14 years in my Calvert Hall program who shoot 75 or 80 routinely. It's all about experience. If your son picked up golf this summer and he's shooting a "real" 111 (no mulligans, all putts holed, etc.) and he's only hitting his tee shots 200 yards, I'd say that's a pretty good start for him.

Don't put a lot of stock in his scores. Just let him enjoy the sport and get better along the way."

Cameron asks -- "Help settle a friendly bet between friends regarding golf. What sport best connects with the ability to have a good golf swing? Baseball or Hockey? Thanks, Drew. And Go Hall."

DF says -- "How about neither of them? The best sport for replicating the golf swing is definitely tennis. The movement of the body and swinging of the racquet is incredibly similar to golf. The body is closed to the target, the racquet is moved behind the body, the body then opens up as the racquet lags behind. It's very similar to golf.

I also think bowling has some similarities as well. Golf, as I always tell juniors, is an "aim" sport. Bowling is the very definition of an aim sport as well. So is darts. Bowling has a similar "release pattern" to a golf swing.

If you've never had a golf club in your hand in your life but you're a good tennis player or a good bowler, I believe you have the inherent ability to be a good golfer."

Mark asks -- "How much pre-season football do you think Lamar should play?"

DF says -- "I mean, I guess the real answer is "absolutely none", but perhaps he wants to play a few quarters just to get the speed of the game down again.

There's nothing worse than a "regular" player getting hurt in a meaningless preseason game and missing "real" games in September, October and so forth.

And I'm not trying to denigrate these guys when I say this, but if Andrews, Stanley or Flowers gets hurt in a preseason game, the Ravens season isn't "over" just because they'll miss some time. If Lamar gets hurt and he's out for 6 weeks, I don't think the Ravens can recover from that."

Will asks -- "I have an honest question and thought maybe you could give some insight at The Dish. Melanie Newman has never improved in the three years she's been broadcasting Orioles baseball. She was terrible when she started and she's still terrible now. Do the on-air announcers get any kind of feedback or training from the organization during the season? In other words, are they evaluated and do they listen to their own work for improvements?"

DF says -- "I don't have any idea. My guess is they don't get any kind of formal "guidance" during the season. They're professional broadcasters, after all. Other than last year when Kevin Brown got suspended (or, if you will, decided to take a 2-week vacation in the middle of the season, LOL), I can't ever remember an Orioles broadcaster being openly evaluated by the organization in the season.

Something obviously happened to Gary Thorne (the best TV broadcaster in franchise history, period) and we all know Jon Miller was terminated for failing to "bleed orange and black". But in terms of in season evaluations and "here's what we think you can do better", I doubt very seriously the club does that.

Newman, by the way, reportedly got into hot water last year for not wearing the right shirt or something like that in Philadelphia. I don't remember the exact details, but it somehow tied into Kevin Brown's "vacation" if I remember correctly.

I don't find Newman's work to be all that great on the air, but, if I'm being honest, I don't know that I find Brown's work all that great, either. Too much of a homer for me."

Alan Drovey asks -- "I'm a longtime Rush fan like you and was wondering what your five favorite songs are? I loved your column earlier this week where you discreetly hid all of the songs. I think I counted 25!!"

DF says -- "I thought there were 26. But maybe you're right. Maybe it was 25. Picking five favorite Rush songs is hard. I know what my #1 is because it's been #1 for a long time. It's funny, because with Bruce Springsteen, my favorites from him are some of his more obscure songs. Whereas with Rush, I think most of my favorites are the ones everyone knows.

OK, here goes: #5 is "Finding My Way". #4 is "Spirit of the Radio". #3 is "Limelight". #2 is "Red Barchetta". And #1 is also from the "Moving Pictures" album. I'll include it below so you can get your morning Rush fix, how's that?"

Saturday August 10, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3641

more splash = more cash

OK, Brian, Ed, Kathleen, Trex, Dave, Anthony, Jonathan, Rich, Lisa and Ben. This one's for you.

Those 10 #DMD readers reached out to me on Friday with complaints about their Orioles season ticket program(s) -- better known as "Birdland Membership" -- for the 2025 campaign.

The times.....they are a changin'.

Let me start by saying this: The trick the Orioles pulled on Friday would have infuriated me beyond belief 15 years ago when, in another life, I was on the radio five days a week and forced to talk about them.

Now?

Given a new ownership group and their ability to parlay a winning team into leverage with the fan base, I find it predictable.

And, in some ways, even "sensibly predictable", if such a term actually exists.

I say this about the Ravens all the time when they raise prices after another winning season. If you can't raise the cost of doing business when you're doing things well, when can you do it?

The difference between the Ravens and Orioles is massive, of course. The Ravens are a perennial title contender and have delivered two Super Bowl trophies to Baltimore in 25 years.

The Orioles haven't been to a World Series since 1983 and have just recently become relevant again in Baltimore after 20 or so years of toiling at the bottom of baseball, notwithstanding those '12, '14 and '16 seasons.

For years -- decades, really -- the city of Baltimore begged for new baseball owners.

And, now, they have a new ownership group.

It's early and the jury is still firmly out on what David Rubenstein and his business partners will do with the franchise. We got what we wanted, after all. Let's see how it all unfolds, I say.

So you're not going to find me jumping up and down and screaming like Kevin Bacon in Footloose over what the O's announced yesterday. Do I find it disappointing? Sure. Unfair? Yes. But my blood isn't boiling over it.

In case you're in the dark, here's the nuts and bolts of the news that was distributed on Friday.

Prices are going up. Benefits are being removed.

There you go.

Not earth shattering, right? Some levels of season ticket plans are going up by $200 or so. Some are going up by $500 or more.

Ticket exchange policies have been changed to make it more difficult to "piece together" a plan that fits your own individual lifestyle schedule.

Beer and concession discounts have been reduced or, in some cases, removed in their entirety.

Prices are going up. Benefits are being removed.

And people are not happy.

I don't know where to start with this, but let's state the obvious.

The timing of the announcement was intentional. VERY intentional, in fact.

Ben's e-mail to me said, "Why do they do this now, in the middle of the season? Why not wait until the off-sesason to spring this on us?"

Of course they're going to announce it now. The team is in first place. They're likely going to make the post-season again. Why wait to take advantage of the team's good play when you can capitalize on it now?

And, heaven forbid, what if the O's flatline(d) in September and somehow missed the playoffs and the organization waited until November to announce these changes to the season ticket programs?

So, the smart thing to do is announce it now. Waiting until November? Not smart.

Announcing it on a Friday is also the oldest PR trick in the book, except that chapter was torn out about 10 years ago when Twitter became all the rage.

Teams and organizations used to announce bad news on Friday because people tuned out of the news over the weekend and tried to enjoy themselves for 48 hours. So if you had something disconcerting to release, you did it on Friday right around 3 pm.

The Friday news dump is no more, though. Anything that gets announced gets pushed out to the masses right away. It used to be a fun little trick. Not so much these days.

But here's the thing I can't wrap my head around. The new ownership group took over in March. They couldn't even make it to Labor Day before they started gouging the very group of people who stood behind the franchise the most over the last decade or more.

I'm rattled by that more than anything.

There are thousands of people in the community who put up their money year after year while the team was an embarrassment and you can't even wait one full year before you stick them with a red hot poker? Shameful. Absolutely shameful.

I guess maybe the new owners thought funny internet skits, dancing on the dugout and squirting people in the bleachers with a fire hose would curry enough favor for them that raising prices and reducing benefits would be offset by their fandom.

Those things never felt genuine to me in the first place. Now, they all make a lot more sense.

But what does it say about an organization who lost 100 games year after year after year and couldn't draw 10,000 fans on a weeknight or 20,000 on a weekend that they couldn't wait for the first opportunity to upcharge the baseball fans who stuck by them while they were a national laughingstock?

It's bad form. Period.

But it's predictable. Senisbly predictable, even.

The fans always get taxed.

It's like the scene in Training Day when Denzel Washington orders the hit on his pot-selling friend -- Roger -- so they can "tax him" and steal a bunch of his money to help pay off one of Alonzo's debts.

No one is above getting taxed, even by your buddies. In this case, by the guy who bought your section a beer, threw out Orioles hats and squirted you with a hose after an Anthony Santander home run.

And here you thought this ownership group might be different, huh?

Moving the goalposts on the season ticket holders is beyond ballsy. You're basically saying to them, "You're not going to dump your tickets. Not now, when the franchise might be on the verge of a World Series trip or two in the near future. We know it. And you know it."

Lisa had her plan changed to the extent that World Series tickets are no longer going to be available to her "level" of committment.

I mean, what other reason would you own season tickets in this day and age? There are really only about ten games a year that matter: Opening day and however many home playoff games your team plays. Why on earth would you punish your most valued customers by removing or reducing their access to the only games they care about?

"Either pay more money to move up a level" or take your chances when the rest of the great unwashed gets to log on and see that spinning wheel that tells them they're "in the room" and waiting to be selected.

That's some kind of special thank you for years of watching the team lose 9-2 to the Red Sox in front of 24,300 in Baltimore, 14,300 of which were there for the weekend in dark blue cheering for Boston.

"Hey, we might make the World Series soon but unfortunately you can't buy tickets to those games because you don't spend enough money with us." How delightful.

The Orioles -- according to experts on the internet -- generated $264 million in revenue in 2023. They spent $71 million on baseball players last season.

That, of course, was under the Angelos ownership group. Those numbers sorta-kinda no longer matter.

This year, they're projected to generate $280 million in revenue and their player payroll, now 25th in the league, is $103 million.

You don't have to do a lot of math to know the ballclub is making a lot of money.

And that's OK. They're a business. They're allowed to make a profit.

But shafting the season ticket holders should be the LAST thing they do. If they want to raise game-by-game individual tickets by 20% next season and leverage you and I into considering a ticket plan of some kind, I see the logic there. It's like buying an airline ticket. If you wait until the last minute to buy it, you pay the highest price. I get it.

Sticking the ticket plan buyers with more of the responsibility to help you make a profit is an awful way to treat people.

Here's a novel idea: Sell more advertising in the stadium. Oh, here's a good one: Sell more TV ads instead of making us watch the same four we see night in and night out for Sarasota, Southwest Airlines and whatever the other two are. Tell your sales folks to get out there and sell more and earn their keep instead of taxing the fans.

And please spare me the whole "Someone has to pay for the contract extensions for guys like Gunnar, Adley, Westburg, et al." It's true, yes. Someone does have to pay for them: The owner and the organization.

Hoodwinking the season ticket holders into doing it is not cool.

Ticket revenue is a slice of the team's pie, of course, but in the grand scheme of things it's a nothing burger. The club will do an estimated $50 million in ticket sales in 2024. If you bump the ticket packages up and reduce the benefits, how much more can you make, really? Another $5 million or so?

$5 million won't pay for Gunnar's house in four or five years. Who cares about $5 million?

One of the reduced benefits is the removal of beer from certain packages. Do you know how much a beer actually costs the Orioles? We're not talking about what they would get if you bought one. How much is an actual beer that they give away costing them? About 70 cents, that's how much.

You're worried about giving someone who attends 29 games a year (at an average price of $25.00 per-ticket) $21.00 worth of beer? Come on Scrooge, pick another fight.

Oh, and we haven't even mentioned the $600 million golden parachute in the form of free money for stadium improvements and upgrades. Actually, we won't mention those. Promise.

Jonathan is irked about the uniform advertising and the double-dip of raising his Birdland membership by $500 and taking away pre-game access and some of his ticket exchange privileges.

"They just slapped me in the face," he wrote yesterday. "Seven years as a plan holder and they slapped me in the face and said, 'Thanks for nothing.'"

"And they put those stupid patches on their uniforms and look like race car drivers in the process," he added.

I'll defend them on the T. Rowe Price patch. That's actually the very party who should be paying the freight. Take their $10 million and give it to Westburg or Adley. I'm all for that. Put four patches on the uniform for all I care.

But upcharging the fans is a rotten maneuver. It's dirty pool, especially when you just bought the team in the spring and can't even get to football season before you start taxing the poor.

I expected more from this ownership group.

Then again, you might remember, I was one of those in town who told you to relax and let things play out before you celebrated someone else owning the team other than Peter G. Angelos.

The grass is always greener...

Until it isn't.

All that said, you'd have to be naive to not think this was always going to happen.

If you're shocked by it, you haven't been paying attention to how sports organizations work.

You fund their fun for them, whether by buying tickets, jerseys or watching the games on television.

It really is that simple.

Friday August 9, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3640

did you pray for rain?

A few years ago I was working at a golf camp and as part of our daily morning routine, we did what we call a "popcorn prayer" where everyone in the camp got to quickly pray for something as we stood around in a large circle.

Most of the prayers were personal; "I'd like to pray for my grandmother Irene, she's not feeling well." Or, "My brother Eric broke his leg skateboarding and has to get surgery today. I'd like to pray for him."

One of the young girls in the camp said, "Please God, give us great weather this week at camp!"

Immediately a couple of other campers agreed. "Yes," the next camper said. "God, please keep us safe and, please God, NO THUNDERSTORMS while we're here at camp!"

At least four or five of the campers prayed for good weather.

On Wednesday of camp week, it started raining at 11 am and didn't stop until 3 pm. And it didn't just "rain". It was one of those crazy four-hour downpours. The camp retired to our indoor facility and we did plenty of golf stuff inside, but our day on the course was shelved due to the rain.

As we sat around at the end of the day and shared our daily devotionals together, one of the girls from earlier in the week said, "Coach Drew, I guess God wasn't listening to us earlier in the week when we asked for great weather until Thursday."

I said to her, "Oh, no, Katie, He heard you. Loud and clear. And He was thankful you took time to pray to him.

But you know who else prayed to him on Monday? The farmers here in Central Pennsylvania. They hadn't had rain in 33 days and their crops were dying.

So on Monday while you were praying for it not to rain, there were hundreds and hundreds of farmers in this area praying for God to provide rain for their crops."

Katie smiled and said, "Well, they needed it to rain more than I didn't need to rain, I guess."

So that begs this morning's question.

Which one of you out there prayed for rain earlier this week?

So that loss in Toronto got interesting last night, but in the end it still goes in the "L" column after the O's fell to the Blue Jays, 7-6.

It was 7-2 heading into the 9th inning before the battlin' Birds rallied for a 4-spot and had Anthony Santander at the plate with a runner on and 2 outs.

Alas, there was no magic in Santander's bat and the Birds lost 2 of 3 to the lowly Blue Jays.

There was magic in the bat of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., though, as the Toronto slugger came within a single of the cycle, with 3 hits and 4 RBI on the night.

O's skipper Brandon Hyde was again in the internet crosshairs for pitching to Vlad Jr. twice in consecutive innings instead of walking him, but at some point pitchers need to get batters out, don't they? I realize Hyde is low hanging fruit this week because he's whiffed more times than Chris Davis during a 2017 homestand, but let's get someone out, huh boys?

Hyde also got raked over the coals for having Ryan O'Hearn in right field. And that debate, I guess, might have some meat on it. O'Hearn couldn't come down with a ball hit by Vlad Jr. in the 6th inning that resulted in a triple and the eventual game-winning run for the Blue Jays.

That said, O'Hearn playing right field was one of the by products of Hyde's biggest challenge these days, namely, getting playing time for everybody. With Kevin Gausman on the mound for the Blue Jays, Hyde wanted to get O'Hearn's left handed bat in the lineup, along with Cedric Mullins as well. That decision meant Santander moves to DH, Eloy Jimenez sits on the bench, and O'Hearn has to go to right field because you can't have Mountcastle's bat in the dugout against Toronto.

O'Hearn is a good, professional baseball player. He's also not a right fielder.

And, because Hyde is in the middle of Murphy's Law Week, the only thing he didn't need was for O'Hearn to make a miscue in the outfield.

The ball hit over his head wasn't an "error", per se, but it was a ball that nearly all competent outfielders haul in.

When it rains, it pours. Who prayed for rain, again?

Jackson Holliday had one of those forgettable rookie games that comes along once in a while, as he went 0-for-4 at the plate and looked shaky defensively on several occasions, including a throwing error in the 7-6 loss.

There was good news for the Orioles last night, though.

The Yankees lost to the Angels in New York, 9-4.

So it wasn't all bad for the Birds, who now head to Tampa Bay for a weekend series with the Rays, who are 58-56 and starting to face "must win" territory in almost every series they play if they hope to get into the playoff race in September.

Zach Eflin will get to face his old teammates tonight and Corbin Burnes will go for the O's in Tampa Bay on Saturday. That smells like two quick wins to me.

Series sweep? I'm praying for it.

As the Olympics start to wind down, there was yet another gender controversy on Thursday and it happened during the women's shot put competition.

Raven Saunders, an American, identifies as "non-binary" and uses they/them pronouns, according to the official Olympics media guide.

During Thursday's competition, one of the TV announcers said about Saunders, who had missed time earlier in 2024 with an injury, "It's good to have her back."

That, of course, was a very natural comment to make since Saunders was competing in the female shot put division.

But the announcer was quickly corrected by a fellow broadcaster: "They are actually non-binary."

And that, of course, led to a natural internet uproar: If "they" aren't a female, why are they in the female division of the Olympics?.

It is confusing, truth be told.

But it's also a common issue in 2024, worldwide.

Defenders of Saunders explained it like this: The female category in the Olympics is designed to include all females by birth, regardless of their identity, and it excludes male athletes, which eliminates any sort of competitive advantage.

Those objecting to Saunders' inclusion in the female division state the obvious: Saunders doesn't claim to be a female.

I guess we're splitting hairs on this one, but in this case, in my opinion, Saunders is a female and, to me, has the right to compete in the female division. What she considers herself is her business. But if she has not gone through any sort of medical transition from female to male, she is a female.

Ms. Saunders can claim she's a turtle for all I care. But she's a female. And, so, competing in the Olympics as a female is acceptable to me. Your mileage may vary on it.

faith in sports

With Steph Curry's dramatic 36 point effort in yesterday's thrilling U.S. basketball win over Serbia, we thought we'd honor the future Hall of Famer here today with one of our favorite "Faith in Sports" videos ever.

Curry is filled with faith and great basketball talent, of course. But in this 10-minute video below, you'll hear how he has combined those two in his illustrious career.

Thanks to our friends at Freestate Electrical for their continued support of #DMD and our Friday "Faith in Sports" segment.

Thursday August 8, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3639

baseball is.....hard

Jackson Holliday learned his lesson the hard way back in April when he arrived in the big leagues for the first time.

He got humbled.

When he returned last month and was apparently a different player the second time around, the former #1 pick admitted that his first go-around taught him something.

"I think I thought it would be easy when I first came up," he said recently. "It was the exact opposite."

To his credit, Holliday has taken the second trip to the big leagues much more seriously and it's paying off in a big way. His two-run homer last night paved the way for an O's 7-3 win in Toronto.

That lesson he learned earlier in the season isn't something you can talk about with rookies or make them understand unless they actually experience it. Like any sport or skill, baseball is about "doing".

Coby Mayo is finding that out himself over the last week. Big league baseball is different than AA or AAA baseball. It's like comparing the varsity to junior varsity.

He's 0-for-13 at the plate thus far with 8 strikeouts, including two more last night. To say he looks overmatched at the plate would be an understatement. He looks -- wait for it -- almost exactly like Jackson Holliday looked back in April when he came up and experienced his own whiff-a-thon night after night.

But Mayo doesn't just look overwhelmed at the plate. He is a borderline detriment at third base, which isn't all on him because the only reason he's there in the first place is because of Jordan Westburg's injury.

Prior to his call-up, Mayo was working out at first base and has also spent some Triple A practice time in the outfield. Because he can hit -- I know it doesn't look like he can, but trust me, he can -- the Orioles will have to find a defensive spot for him that gets his bat in the lineup every day. It's not going to be third base, though.

Meanwhile, remember, the Birds are locked in a playoff chase with the Yankees and, on the fringes, the Red Sox as well. How much longer they can keep putting Mayo out there remains to be seen, but the Birds recently signed free agent third baseman J.D. Davis to a minor league and will have him at the ready if Mayo continues to struggle.

If Davis is eventually moved to Baltimore, that would mean -- barring an infielder injury -- either Mayo returns to the minors or Ramon Urias gets DFA'd. I most certainly don't have a direct connection to Mike Elias, but I'd be surprised if they cut the versatile Urias loose this late in the season.

It might be different if Mayo was hitting .230 and had a few homers to speak of, but he's at 0, 0, 0, 0, 0. He does have two walks and a run scored, for those who find those things important for whatever reason.

As Mayo tore up the minors this summer, Oriole fans shredded Elias and his staff for not recalling him from Norfolk.

There were media members in town who also took the O's GM to task for his decision to leave Mayo at AAA.

A week or so into his first big league stint, it's fairly obvious: Mayo wasn't ready.

He wasn't ready with the bat or the glove.

And that's not to poke holes in the armor of Mike Elias, either. He was pretty much out of options, no pun intended, and Mayo had done so much at the minor league level that it was almost malpractice to not give him a shot in the majors.

But Mayo has proved the point Jackson Holliday made recently when he admitted his first trip to the majors was an eye-opener.

Just because you hit the cover off the ball in the minors doesn't mean the same thing is going to happen in the big leagues.

Coming up and going 0-for-13, 2-for-20 and 4-for-32 is part of the necessary routine that all "kids" have to endure before they settle into their big league routine. It sounds weird to say this, I guess, but you almost secretly want them to scuffle for two or three weeks when they first come up.

You want a player to realize how difficult it is in the majors. It might be great for the short term if they're promoted and they go 8-for-13 and look like the next coming of Ty Cobb, but that might not be what's best for them in the long haul.

Jackson Holliday is proving that point all too well right now.

He's back for his second stint and he looks more than capable this time around. If you just flew in from Pluto and watched him play the last six games against Cleveland and Toronto, you'd think he he's been in the majors for two or three years instead of two or three months.

I have no doubt that Coby Mayo will be an excellent big league baseball player.

He just needs to find the right spot in the field and learn the most valuable lesson of them all, as tough as that might be for a while: Baseball is hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would be able to do it.

To the mailbox we go for some more Q&A from #DMD readers.

BR asks: "So, Drew, what do you make of (Jason) LaCanfora apologizing on the air to Mike Elias (Wednesday) today? Did that come from the station or the Orioles?"

DF says -- "I honestly didn't know what you were talking about so I had to do a little bit of research. I have no idea what happened there, but perhaps it came from Jason himself. Maybe he simply realized some of his social media and on-air criticisms had gone over the line.

I doubt very seriously if the station or the company asked him to apologize. Maybe the Orioles did as part of the "deal" to get Elias on the air, since 105.7 is not the flagship station and an appearance by the team's GM would almoost assuredly irritate the folks at WBAL/Hearst.

But I don't know that and I have no reason to suspect it, either. That said, only one of three things happened. Either the station suggested it, the Orioles asked for it or Jason himself simply realized it was the right thing to do.

I'll go with the last option. I think Jason knows he was too harsh on a GM who pretty much turned the entire course of the organization around over the last six seasons."

Eric asks -- "I stumbled on a women's golf tournament today on TV (Wednesday) and saw a score of "3&2" on the screen and I don't understand how golf scoring works so can you enlighten me? I thought the scoring was like 70, 72, 74, etc. Thanks!"

DF says: "I'm guessing you found the U.S. Women's Amateur, which is a match play event. If a match ends 3&2, that means the winner was 3 holes ahead with 2 holes remaining.

It might be better said "3 with 2" instead of "3 and 2", but it's the same either way. The winner was 3 holes ahead with only 17 and 18 to play, so she couldn't be tied. The match ends...3 and 2."

Scott Prinky asks -- "Other than the Capitals beating the Flyers in Game 7 of the playoffs, what is your one dream scenario of a local team beating their rival in the playoffs? O's over Yankees? O's over Red Sox? Ravens over Steelers? Ravens over Chiefs? Is there one I missed? Thanks! Love the Dish!"

DF says -- "You left one out. Calvert Hall over St. Paul's in golf. But we'll get to that one some other time when I feel like sharing all of the stories. This is a good question, though, Scott.

I would probably go with the Orioles beating the Yankees, if I could create one scenario myself. O's trail in the ALCS, 3-games-to-1. Game 5 is in Baltimore and it's 4-2 New York in the bottom of the 9th.

The Birds magically score three in their final at bat to stave off elimination and win, 5-4.

In Game 6 in New York, the Yankees lead 2-0 in the top of the 8th before Baltimore scores 3 runs to go up 3-2. New York scores a run in the bottom of the 8th to tie it at 3-3. And then the O's get a run in the 9th and hold on to win there, 4-3.

The next night, again in New York, the Birds score 6 runs in the first inning off of Nestor Cortes, tack on 3 more in the 4th inning, and win 11-1 in a laugher.

That would be just as good as winning the World Series to me. The Yankees have two chances to clinch in Game 5 and 6 and can't do it, then have to sit through a 3-hour blowout in their own stadium in Game 7.

One can dream, right?"

Casey asks -- "Do you see the Ravens having any real weaknesses this season?"

DF says -- "Sure. I don't think they're going to flat-out "stink" at any one position, but I still think pass rush is always a concern for them, particularly with two guys like Oweh and Ojabo who haven't come close to being standout players in that spot.

And I know we're all giddy about Derrick Henry at running back, but there's a smidgen of a chance -- maybe more, actually -- that he's on the downside of his stellar career and might not be anything close to the guy we saw in Nashville. If that's the case, then what? Justice Hill? Keaton Mitchell? Can you really win the Super Bowl with those guys as your primary running backs?

Oh, and let's not forget about the wide receivers. They have Zay Flowers. He's good. They have Rashod Bateman. He's hurt. And they have.....they have......ummmmmm.....oh right, Nelson Agholor, who was actually pretty decent a year ago. My point? It's the Ravens. Wide receiver is always a potential belly flop for them.

So, sure, there are potential weak spots for the Ravens. There always are. But I hear they have a guy at quarterback who can help patch those up."

Wednesday August 7, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3638

not the skipper's best night

Gather around if you're one who is prone to picking on the manager.

It's that day of the week again.

Now, there are going to be goofs here today who get offended at the mere thought of challenging a "professional manager" like Brandon Hyde. But they're the same people who howl at the moon when Todd Monken doesn't run the ball enough or John Harbaugh throws a challenge flag that backfires on him.

And I'll remind all of the critics of Hyde that the O's are 67-47, not 47-67.

But.......last night was a weird one for the manager.

It was one of those "when it rains, it pours" occasions, where almost everything he did either didn't work out or just plain backfired in his face.

He didn't lose the game all on his own last night. Let's make sure we're clear on that one. Hyde didn't pitch in the 6th inning and get smacked around like The Brooklyn Brawler. That was Gregory Soto. And Hyde didn't come up in the 8th inning with the bases loaded and fail to deliver a big hit, that was Austin Slater and Coby Mayo.

But Hyde put those guys in. And even though Slater managed to coax a walk in his plate appearance -- that base on balls actually plated the team's 2nd and final run -- there's no telling what Jackson Holliday might have done in that spot. Maybe he would have struck out. Or perhaps he would have laced a 3-run double down the right field line to make it 5-4.

What we do know is this: Hyde -- perhaps following along with the data he's handed before every game that details his team's performance against opposing pitchers -- decided to pinch hit for the team's hottest hitter (Holliday) and a guy with a 17-game hitting streak (Cowser) when a big hit there could have changed the entire inning and game.

I'm a dummy just like you and your Uncle Ned but I would rather have Jackson Holliday bat than Austin Slater and I'd rather have Colton Cowser bat than Coby Mayo. And if the argument is, "They don't hit lefties very well", perhaps it's because Holliday and Cowser don't get enough chances to hit lefties in the first place.

Or maybe Hyde misread his pre-game info sheet. Slater, the guy who pinch hit for Holliday, is hitting a robust .193 against southpaws in 100 plate appearances this season.

Oh, and even better, Cowser is actually OK against lefties. So that move was even more puzzling, particularly with Mayo having a grand total of -- checks notes -- ZERO career hits.

How are guys like Holliday and Cowser going to get better and build confidence if they're yanked when the bases are loaded and the game is on the line? They're in the major leagues for a reason. Let them go up there and swing away and let's see what comes of it.

Instead, two guys with as many hits as The Wallflowers get inserted into the game there and nothing (really) comes of it.

Now, if Slater rips a 2-run single into the gap and Mayo knocks in two more with a double of his own, Hyde's a genius and we're looking for something else to whine about.

Alas, there was no 2-run single or 2-run double. Hyde's moves didn't work.

And it was also Hyde who removed some guy named Burch Smith, who actually looked sharp in the 6th inning, and replaced him with Gregory Soto, the recently acquired southpaw from Philadelphia. Soto got lit up like a doobie at a Dave Matthews concert, taking a 1-0 lead and turning it into a 5-1 deficit quicker than you can say, "The Flyers haven't won a Stanley Cup in 50 years."

I realize Twitter is filled with lunacy. One look at yesterday's VP announcement gave you hours of content, for example. But "Adam" sent this to me last night after the loss and it's so good and so incredibly accurate I had to post it here today:

Omg imagine if this were Harbaugh tonight. He would need a security detail to get home. The AL East may come down to 1 or 2 games. What Hyde did tonight is something you would see the Browns and Kevin Stefaski do. You say Browns are going to Browns. Well the Orioles just Orioled.

What Hyde did tonight was take out Derrick Henry on 1st and goal from the 1 and put in Keaton Mitchell and went Incomplete, Incomplete, Incomplete, Run for no gain. Harbaugh would be fired and stoned to death.

Browns gonna Browns. Orioles just Orioled. Something about that phrase makes me shudder a little, if only because I'm afraid a wee bit of it might actually be true.

But the team is 67-47, I keep reminding myself. They just need to minimize events like the one we saw on Tuesday and they'll be fine. At least until October, that is, when games like the one they gifted to the Blue Jays might leave more than just a bruise.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

You make 'em and then you live by 'em.

Last night, the ones authored by Brandon Hyde all flopped.

But who knows what tonight might bring? Hyde might make 3 or 4 similar in-game decisions that all work out. And if they do, I'll come back around here and give him his due, which is only fair.

The other bad news on Tuesday wasn't something in Brandon Hyde's control. Grayson Rodriguez was scheduled to start but couldn't get loose in his warm up session, told the pitching coach, "I don't feel right", and was pulled from the game with what was later called "lat discomfort".

Hyde didn't have much news to offer on that front after the game, using the wise line of, "He'll get it checked out and we'll go from there." Similar injuries in the past have kept pitchers -- including Rodriguez a couple of seasons ago -- out for three weeks, six weeks and, well, let's not talk about the rest of the "what if?" scenarios.

On the good news front, Albert Suarez got the emergency start and was awesome. If GrayRod can't make his next start, go ahead and give the ball to Suarez again. He earned it with that performance on short notice last night.

And if you're looking for more good news to offset skipper Hyde's whiff-of-a-night, newcomer Eloy Jimenez had one of the O's three hits on Tuesday evening and Craig Kimbrel came in for an inning of exercise and didn't give up 7 runs.

The jury is still (way) out on the trade deadline deals engineered by Mike Elias. For starters, we need to see what the pieces he acquired wind up doing and we also need to see what guys like Kjerstad, Stowers and Seth Johnson become in the Majors.

But the very early returns are simple: Eflin, Dominguez and Jimenez are hopeful contributors. Slater: probably not. Soto: doesn't look like he's going to last long. Pache: He plays for the Marlins now.

Let's hope things get turned around tonight in Canada. The Blue Jays are tossing out a Triple A lineup of sorts and are there for the taking.

Wednesday's game is one occasion when we can all say, "Let's Go Brandon" and actually really mean it.

Tuesday August 6, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3637

on to toronto they go

When the Birds landed at Toronto's international airport on Sunday evening -- YYZ is the airport's 3-letter code in case you're unaware -- they had to be feeling pretty good about their weekend in Cleveland as a whole.

The Guardians looked like world beaters on Thursday and Friday in winning the opening two games. But then the circumstances changed and it was the Orioles who looked like anything but a fly by night club while coming out on top on Saturday and Sunday.

And so, they're now in Toronto for a 3-game mid-week series that starts tonight.

Toronto...

Home of one of the greatest bands of my lifetime.

And home to a Blue Jays squad that has essentially packed it in for the rest of the 2024 campaign. They are, as the saying goes, officially out of the limelight at 51-61 and in dead last place in the A.L. East.

Yes, it's true they're no longer playing for the big money up there, and it's also true the Birds have had their way with the Blue Jays over the last couple of years. Just last week, remember, Brandon Hyde's team took 3 of 4 from Toronto in Charm City.

So while Toronto's vital signs are seemingly dangerously diminishing, it's up to the Birds to take advantage of them up there over the next three days.

In the end, anything less than 2 Baltimore wins in 3 games up north would be bad. A 3-game sweep for the O's is far more likely, I'd say. The Blue Jays winning 3 games straight over this O's team? They could probably play until 2112 and not sweep this edition of the Orioles.

What will be interesting is to see how the team's newcomers continue to fit in on this road trip. Sure, we've all been thinking Craig Kimbrel is the enemy within, but you have to like what you've seen thus from Seranthony Dominguez, who closed out Sunday's win in Cleveland with an efficient 9th inning performance that looked almost second nature to him.

And how about Eloy Jimenez, who seems to have found new life in Baltimore? He looks driven. Like a guy in search of everyday glory, you might say. He went from being on a team with 27 wins in four months to a team that will win probably 27 games between now and the end of September.

And let's not forget Zach Eflin, who has pitched well in both of his Baltimore starts thus far and might just have the secret touch the O's need for a sweet miracle in October.

The Orioles mission from here until the end of the campaign is clear, I'd say. Beat up on the teams like Toronto, Tampa Bay and Washington (their next 8 games in total) and then hang on and fight like the devil against Boston, the Mets, Houston and the L.A. Dodgers to close out the month.

Over these next 22 games, starting tonight, a mark of 14-8 for the Birds would be more than suitable. 15-7? Awesome. 16-6 would start the countdown towards another A.L. East crown with one month left in the regular season.

I realize baseball is a marathon. 6 months. 162 games. But along the way you have moments where you try to make time stand still. Seeing the new kids like Gunnar, Colton and, now, Mayo doing their thing out there helps the most ardent O's fan get rid of those scars left by awful teams in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

As for the Yankees? I wish them well. They get to feast on some lousy teams too over the next couple of weeks, but I still think they're in limbo moving forward because of the injury bug that always seems to hit them at the worst time.

When it's all said and done, the O's will win out because of their chemistry and bravado. I don't want to rush to judgement, but I'll just cut to the chase and say it. Baltimore is still the team to beat in the A.L. East.

On to the mailbag we go for some Q&A with #DMD readers. As always, if you have a question you'd like me to answer here, send it along to: 18inarow@gmail.com

Rick J. asks -- "I know you focus a lot on the Orioles during baseball season but I'm curious how you think the Ravens are going to do in 2024? Another playoff berth? Super Bowl?"

DF says -- "I'll be around with my formal pre-season picks before Labor Day, but I think the Ravens are going to once again be the team to beat in the AFC North.

The other 3 teams are easy to read.

Cincinnatil will be decent as long as Joe Burrow stays healthy but their defense isn't going to be any good and there's a 50% chance, at least, that Burrow misses at least four games with an injury of some sort. I see Cincy as a 9 or 10 win team, max.

Cleveland will be Cleveland. Like always. Defensively they're solid. Offensively they're a crap shoot. I'm not sold on Deshaun Watson at all. They'll be just like the Bengals, I'm guessing. They'll fight and scrap to win 9 or 10 games.

And the Steelers will be the Steelers again, meaning they have zero business winning 9 games and being a playoff contender but that's what will happen. They don't have a "real" quarterback, which is why they can't possibly win more than 9 games. Their defense is shaky. And scoring points on the road will once again be a problem for them. They have a way better chance of only winning 8 games than they do of winning 10 games, I'd say.

The Ravens, if they stay healthy at quarterback, should cruise control their way to at least 11 wins. And I just can't see any other team in the division being able to go 11-6. I'm figuring this Ravens team is a 12-5 club that could finish 11-6 or 13-4. But I'm thinking 12-5 is the ultimate number, with a 4-2 record in the division and other losses to the Cowboys, Bills and Texans."

Mark Corcoran asks -- "Are you for or against re-signing Corbin Burnes this off-season if the rumored price tag of $350 million for 6 years is the real number?"

DF says -- "That's easy. Against. I think he's an awesome pitcher, don't get me wrong. And I know I'll sound like Peter Angelos when I say (write) this, but it's partially true. Why give a dude who only plays 34 times a season $60 million (ish) when you can give that same money (basically) to a guy who plays 150 games?

I know you need starting pitching. I get it. But I'm just not shelling out $60 million (or even $50 million) for a starting pitcher.

I'd much prefer to hold that money for the inevitable Brinks Truck drop-off at the homes of guys like Gunnar, Adley and Jordan Westburg.

In all honesty, I even think, looking ahead, like there's a possibility the Orioles won't resign Adley when his rookie deal is up. I think they're going to have give Gunnar one of the biggest deals in MLB history to keep him and by the time Westburg is a free agent he'll be a $35 million a year guy, at least.

So, no, I'm not in favor of retaining Burnes at $360 million for 6 years. That's a hard pass, in fact. Love him. But I'll miss him."

J.J. asks -- "What's a fair number of major golf championships a player has to win in this day and age to be considered one of the all-time greats to ever play the game?"

DF says -- "Hmmmm, that's a great question. I mean, Phil has six, which is the most of any active player other than Tiger, obviously.

And while I think six is clearly a significant number of majors, it's also fair to point out that Phil coughed up 3 or 4 others along the way.

He could have ten.

Rory could very easily have six or even eight by now. He only has four.

Anyway, the answer to your question is: Eight.

There's a subset of greatness, if you will, that is probably more like 3. A lot of guys have won 2 majors. I don't want to say "anyone can do it", but Andy North, Zach Johnson and Lee Janzen each won two of them. I think you get my point.

Winning 3 takes you to another level. Nick Price won 3. Vijay Singh won 3. Padraig Harrington won 3. Payne Stewart won 3. It's hard to win 2, sure. But it's really hard to win 3 or more.

Now, back to your question. How many majors do you have to win to be a truly historic, iconic figure in golf?

Tom Watson won 8. Arnold Palmer won 7. Lee Trevino won 6.

Those three are iconic players in the history of golf.

Five -- which is what Brooks Koepka has currently -- puts you right on the cusp of being an all-time great, historic golfer.

Here's the deal: Eight is one more than Palmer. That, I think, is very significant.

So there's your answer.

Of the current group of players, the only guys with a "real" chance at eight are Rory and Scheffler and I just don't see Rory overcoming the failures he's endured to win four more before his time is up. I do think Rory will win at least one more, maybe even two, but it also wouldn't shock me if he finishes with 4.

Scheffler, I believe, will win at least 6. He could also win 8. Let's see how he does over the next 5 years. He has 20 chances in that time. Can he win 4 of them? That would be a lot. But I think he can do it."

Ed Crisp asks -- "I've been a Morning Dish reader for probably 5 or 6 years now and I've never seen you make an official comment on why you dislike The Beatles so much. Care to explain one day for those of us who don't know?"

DF says -- "I think what they did for music and the explosion of English groups here in the U.S. was awesome. I don't argue that they were a very influential band. Donna Summer was also very influential. So, too, was Nirvana. Influence doesn't necessarily connect with greatness.

I've always thought the Beatles music was boring. I never really liked "pop" music all that much anyway, so it just never really appealed to me. Contrary to what people here think, I don't "hate" them. They have a couple of good songs. But I've always found their sound to be boring.

To each his own. I've never owned a single Grateful Dead album, but I have lots of friends who love, love, love them. I am a huge Dave Matthews Band fan and a lot of my friends think they stink.

The Beatles, to me, were simply overhyped. They came along at the right time and were the new thing in town. They remind me of a Keurig machine. In the end, it's just coffee."

Monday August 5, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3636

discussion ended

I'll let Randy Morgan handle the heavy lifting from the O's week that was in his column below. But yesterday's 9-5 triumph over the Guardians was, I think, more significant than we realize.

I have no idea how the entire season is going to play out for Brandon Hyde's team but if they go on to do great things in October, an honest guy in the locker room might point to a pair of weekend wins in Cleveland way back in early August as a key 24 hour period in the team's campaign.

They went from getting roasted two straight nights by Cleveland to holding their own with the Guardians in their ballpark and, at the same time, seeing the fruits of two deadline acquisitions rise to the occasion. Zach Eflin was solid on Saturday and Eloy Jimenez enjoyed a productive weekend at the plate.

When I wrote about Jimenez's arrival last week, I considered the move "puzzling" given that I wasn't sure where he'd fit into the lineup and how many at bats Hyde could get for him over the last two months of the season. But I also noted that nothing beats a fresh start and perhaps that's what the former White Sox slugger needed to once again become one of the A.L.'s more feared hitters.

If Hyde can fit him in, is there a chance that Jimenez is this team's version of Delmon Young circa 2014? One never knows.

Randy handles everything else in his weekly review below. I just wanted to point out a couple of things on my end.

Those two wins in Cleveland over the weekend shouldn't be looked at as "normal" wins. They were bigger than most, I believe.

And seeing Eflin and Jimenez shine in their new uniform is a positive sign, albeit only in a brief spell.

Now if we can just get Coby Mayo to get a hit, right?

Prior to the start of the Olympic golf competition, the only real storyline left for the 2024 PGA Tour season was the circuit's Player of the Year award.

Would it go to Scottie Scheffler, who won the Masters in April and scattered five other huge wins over a 4-month period in the spring and early summer?

Or would it be Xander Schauffele, who won the PGA Championship and British Open for his first two major victories?

Some in the golf world thought the FedEx Cup playoffs would decide the debate. Scheffler and Schauffele will enter that event in two weeks ranked 1-2 and if either of them were to go on and win the TOUR Championship, they'd get the Player of the Year award by default.

Scottie Scheffler took care of the debate yesterday in a historic way.

The discussion ended when Scheffler reeled off 6 birdies on the back nine to shoot 62 and collect the gold medal in Paris with a one-shot win over Tommy Fleetwood.

Scheffler is the Player of the Year. Done deal.

And while Scheffler was sizzling on the final day of the competition, Schauffele was careening off the leaderboard in a way reminiscent of his past. At one point on Sunday, "X" had climbed to within two shots of the lead and was one shot out of a medal when he suddenly lost his way. He tumbled all the way down to a 12-under par finish, shooting 73 on the last day and owning the distinction of being the only player in the Top 15 to not break par in the final round.

Scheffler, meanwhile, proved once again he's the best player in the world. And it's really not all that close.

Having grown up in a time when folks have tried to compare the likes of Montana to Unitas and Brady to Montana and, now, Mahomes to Brady, I understand all too well how hard it is to link generations to one another.

The inevitable comparison these days is Scottie to Tiger. And while one of those guys has 82 wins and the other has "only" 12 so far (in 3 years, basically), I'm in the camp that says the golf we've seen from Scheffler over the last 16 months is as good as the golf we saw from Tiger when he was at his zenith.

I'm not here to say Scheffler is a better player than Tiger was during the height of his career. Woods was a MUCH better putter than Scheffler has been over the bulk of his career.

But the golf, from tee to green, that Scheffler has produced since the late winter of 2023 has been everything Tiger did and, in some ways, even better.

Ben Hogan used to say putting should only count as half a shot. He said that mainly because he wasn't a great putter during certain periods of his distinguished career. But he also said that because "anyone can roll a ball into a hole from 10 feet away" but very few people can hit an iron shot from 175 yards to a back left flag to within 10 feet.

And right he was indeed.

While many say "it's a putter's game", the reality is golf is mostly about the ability to combine power with accuracy. If you're willing to remove putting from the discussion just for the sake of detailing the talents of Tiger and Scheffler, I think you could make a very valid argument that what Scheffler has done over the last 16 months is every bit of what Tiger did when he was on his best career run in the early 2000's.

Tiger was always a good driver of the golf ball and a good iron player. Scheffler is a great driver of the golf ball and a historically great iron player.

Here's a stat that is incredible. In this PGA Tour season to date (not counting the Olympics), Scheffler has had 283 occasions where he has had 20 feet or less for birdie.

The next closest guy in that category has had that same look 156 times and the third place guy has had that look 132 times.

Scheffler has had nearly twice as many putts for birdie from 20 feet and in (283) as the next two guys combined (288). There are stats that stand out and stats that EXPLODE. And that one explodes in favor of Scheffler.

Sunday's final round of the Olympics also showcased a back nine collapse by Jon Rahm, who was perhaps perplexed at having to play four rounds of golf instead of the three he routinely plays on the LIV circuit, and yet another rise-and-fall moment from Rory McIlroy, who blistered the first 13 holes with 7 birdies before dumping an innocent 150 yard wedge shot into the water to once again come up short on the big stage.

Rahm's putter was on fire on the front nine when he rattled off 5 birdies to take a 4-shot lead heading to the back nine. That same putter was ice cold over the final nine holes and a pair of short misses from inside of five feet sent the Spaniard backwards and eventually out of medal contention.

McIlroy pulled himself to within two shots of the lead at one point and stood on the 14th tee just one stroke out of a possible medal. But he somehow dumped an easy shot into the water in front of the green and wound up making a double bogey there to end his chances.

Golf Channel host and Sirius/XM contributor Gary Williams had an interesting comparison to McIlroy on his show early Sunday evening.

"It's like Rory is Charlie Brown and the sport of golf is Lucy," Williams said. "We have all been conditioned to think this is the moment Rory is finally going to kick that ball through the uprights. But then, golf pulls the ball away at the very last minute and we're left with failure and disappointment yet again."

That, I thought, was a perfect description of what we've seen from Rory over the last few years, particularly in major championships and significant events.

Something always happens.

Back in June, it was the shocking short miss from 26 inches at the 16th hole on Sunday. Then, with a possible U.S. Open playoff on his racquet, he couldn't make a tricky 4 footer from above the hole on the final green.

He was in the hunt at L.A. Country Club in June of 2023 at the U.S. Open, but badly misplayed an easy par 5 hole on the back nine to lose by a shot to Wyndham Clark.

Two years ago at the British Open, he hit all 18 greens in regulation on the final day but didn't make a birdie as Cam Smith pulled out a late win to capture the Claret Jug.

There's more, but I think you get the message.

Rory is "Rory" for most of the time and it's glorious golf to witness. But then, he slips up and misplays a hole or two that takes him from winning to being the loveable loser that he's become.

It's hard to watch because he's such a valuable part of the golf world. He deserves better. But he can't bring himself to produce it at the time he needs it most.

Scheffler, on the other hand, can and does bring his best golf to the forefront all the time.

He did it again yesterday on one of the biggest stages the world has to offer, particularly when you consider it's a once-every-four-years opportunity and no one is guaranteed a return trip to the field in Los Angeles in 2028.

Once again yesterday, we saw who the best player in golf is and, like Tiger in his heyday, it looks like Scottie Scheffler isn't going to give up that title anytime soon.

And that Player of the Yard debate? Scheffler's not giving up that award, either. The discussion ended yesterday in Paris.

orioles week in review

Week Record: 5-3

Season Record: 67-46

AL East Standing: T-1st (tied with NYY)

Player of the Week: Colton Cowser .486 OBP 2HR

So maybe the sky isn’t falling after all. The Orioles closed out the weekend strong with two wins to split the four game series with the Guardians and finish off a winning week. It was a bit of a rocky road through what was probably the most eventful week of the O’s season.

The Birds completed eight games in seven days with the doubleheader on Monday. In addition, they made a flurry of last minute acquisitions at Tuesday’s trade deadline.

That wasn’t all. The team recalled top prospect Jackson Holliday to replace the injured Jorge Mateo at second base, then proceeded to lose All-Star infielder Jordan Westburg to a broken hand that will keep him out most of the rest of year.

They responded to that by calling up the newly acquired Livan Soto, before promptly returning him to Norfolk and summoning their next top prospect, power hitting third baseman Coby Mayo.

It was quite a whirlwind.

The week started with a doubleheader at Camden Yards against the Toronto Blue Jays as they were in the midst of selling off several of their key pieces. The Orioles wasted no time, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning. Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle each went deep and Jordan Westburg pitched in three hits as the offense gave newly acquired Zach Eflin plenty of support in an 11-5 win.

They couldn’t complete the doubleheader sweep as Cade Povich struggled and received little help from his defense while surrendering six runs, three unearned, in just over four innings. Homers from Cowser and Westburg kept it close for a while but the Blue Jays pulled away for an 8-4 win.

The O’s rode solid starts from Corbin Burnes and Grayson Rodriguez to take the final two games of the series with Colton Cowser and Anthony Santander leading the offense. Though it was a fifth inning Eutaw Street grand slam that put Wednesday’s game out of reach, from the bat of newly recalled Jackson Holliday.

The Birds headed to Cleveland on Thursday for a four game series with the AL leading Guardians. The momentum from the Toronto series was lost almost immediately with Cleveland tagging newcomer Trevor Rogers for five runs in 4.1 innings. Albert Suarez fared no better back in the long man role, surrendering three more out of the bullpen as the team fell 10-3.

Dean Kremer started the following day and was let down by his defense, giving up four runs in five innings. That led to an unfortunate debut for Gregory Soto, who was lit up for four runs while recording just a single out. The offense couldn’t recover and the O’s fell 8-4.

The defensive lapses and bullpen ineptitude provided a dire outlook heading into the weekend but the team turned things around and managed to split the Cleveland series. Eflin delivered a second quality start as an Oriole while Santander, Gunnar and Holliday led the offense and Cleveland helped with some defensive miscues of their own in a 7-4 win.

On Sunday the offense picked up Corbin Burnes who ended with his worst start of the season as it spun out of control in the fifth inning, allowing Cleveland back in a game where the Birds led early.

Both Holliday and Gunnar homered to build that lead then Adley and Mountcastle came through with big hits to extend the lead after Burnes left. The bullpen was superb in this instance, throwing four shutout innings to complete the 9-5 win.

There was strong competition for this edition of Player of the Week. Anthony Santander continued to rake as his hot streak extended into August.

Tony Taters hit three homers and batted .344 on the week.

Gunnar Henderson hit a somewhat under the radar .393 on the week with a triple and his first home run since the All-Star break, though he continued to have some defensive lapses.

Jackson Holliday looks ready to make the most of his second chance in the big leagues, kicking it off with that grand slam and finishing the week batting .389 with three homers.

Ultimately though, it was Colton Cowser who took the prize. Cowser has surged in the second half and powered the offense to the tune of a .486 OBP this week, including two home runs, all while playing stellar defense in center and left field.

Down on the Farm –

There isn’t nearly as much to watch for in Norfolk with both Holliday and Mayo now in Baltimore. However there are still three intriguing pitching prospects in AAA, even if they are more likely options for next year than this. Cade Povich, Chayce McDermott and Brandon Young all have a chance to be part of the rotation next season.

Povich started this week in Baltimore, with a rough outing in the Monday doubleheader. He returned to Norfolk after that start and managed a good start on Sunday, limiting Charlotte to two runs in seven innings while striking out eight and walking only one.

McDermott and Young both had strong starts this week as well. McDermott went six innings on Tuesday, allowing just two runs on five hits with ten strikeouts and three walks. Young threw on Thursday and went five innings of one-run ball while striking out ten and walking none.

At AA Bowie, the top remaining prospect in the Orioles minor leagues continued a power surge. 19 year old Samuel Basallo went on a tear this week, batting .563 with two home runs and just three strikeouts. Basallo seems to be reaching the point where AA is no longer testing him and may be a candidate for promotion before the end of the year. He currently sports a .809 OPS and is second in the league with fifteen home runs. This all as the youngest player in the league.

Question of the Week –

Can the roster shuffling put the Orioles back on course to win the division and top the AL?

As mentioned above, the Orioles underwent a significant roster reshuffle this week. They lost both Jorge Mateo and Jordan Westburg to long term injuries that optimistically may see them return just in time for the playoffs.

They traded away veteran outfielder Austin Hays as well as newly arrived infield prospect Connor Norby and part-time outfielder Kyle Stowers. In return they have brought in starters Zach Eflin and Trevor Rogers, relievers Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto, and right handed bats Eloy Jimenez and Austin Slater.

In addition to that, they have called up two of their top three prospects with infielders Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo joining the team from Norfolk.

Several of the lineups this week would have looked unrecognizable just ten days ago. Aside from Eflin, most of the trade acquisitions are more of the speculative variety than slam dunk difference makers.

Early returns have been positive for Dominguez but not so much for Rogers or Soto. The Rogers move was especially puzzling, with the Orioles appearing to greatly overpay by sending two of their Major League ready prospects out.

We’ll have to trust that Elias and Company see something in Rogers beyond the publicly available statistics and have a plan for him. Otherwise, it's hard to understand the need to bring in a starter who by all available statistics appears highly mediocre, with little upside.

The bats came alive this week to keep the Birds atop the division, but the pitching outside of the top three starters has become more of a liability recently. That has only been exacerbated by a defense which has been afflicted with a rash of errors, making every pop up feel like an adventure.

The addition of Eflin provided the upgrade the Orioles needed, giving them a third reliable starter who could start in a playoff series and solidifying a rotation that was beginning to unravel.

He appears to be one of the most impactful starting pitchers acquired at the deadline and the Orioles got him without giving up any significant prospects. However, the back end of the bullpen threatens to undo any good those top three starters provide.

Closer Craig Kimbrel has been shaky at best of late and there aren’t many lock down arms to find in the rest of the bullpen. The O’s have to hope that between Dominguez, Soto and Albert Suarez, they can find another impact arm for the late innings, but there is surely no surefire upgrade at this point.

The additions to the pitching staff may have been quickly offset by the injury to Westburg, occurring just after the trade deadline. The return of Jackson Holliday and promotion of Coby Mayo may be enough to replace the production of Westburg, but it's no certainty.

Holliday looks much more comfortable this time around, jumping out to a great start at the plate, but Mayo appears to be in an adjustment period. Neither may quite replicate the defense of Westburg either. Though, with the resurgence of both Colton Cowser and Cedric Mullins, the offense should sort itself out.

The good news is that every contender is flawed at this point.

The division rival Yankees have faltered just as bad as the Orioles in recent weeks and even the NL leading Phillies have rapidly fallen back to the pack. As much as it would behoove the O’s to win the division and secure home field advantage, we know from last year that it guarantees nothing.

The Orioles remain in great position to make the playoffs, and once they're in, they have as good a chance as anyone.

At the end of the day, their season will likely come down to getting solid starts from their newly formed top three in the rotation and hoping that the bats don’t go ice cold at the wrong time and the bullpen doesn’t explode in critical moments. There are certainly reasons to doubt this team can make that run, but there are just as many to be optimistic that they can beat any team they’ll face.

Sunday August 4, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3635

a week later, how much have you watched?

Ten days ago here at #DMD, a reader asked a question that a lot of us answered in advance of the Olympic games in Paris.

"How much do you think you will watch?"

We're more than a week into the competitions now, so here I am, back again, asking the same general question: How much have you watched thus far?

I've watched very little of it, honestly. I got wrapped up in a ping pong battle between China and Taiwan one night and that was interesting. And a few days ago I watched about 30 minutes of a handball game between Egypt and France. But other than that, and a swimming race here and there, I haven't seen much from Paris.

And, no, it's not as a result of that opening ceremonies embarrassment. That has, perhaps, a little something to do with my viewing habits over the last week, but it's most certainly not the reason why I've hardly watched.

The controversy with the Algerian and Chinese boxers might also have something to do with it. Again, it's not the main reason I haven't watched, but it might be, in small part, a factor as well. I just don't understand how you have all this time over the last four years to "get it right" and you suddenly have two boxers in the competition who don't belong in their gender classification.

I scoffed last week when I saw the preview for "Break Dancing". Four years ago, skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing were added at the 2020 Games. I get those. Break Dancing, though, I do not. Not in the least. What's coming up in 2028, Corn Hole and Kan Jam?

I certainly don't "care" that Break Dancing is now an Olympic sport, but it also serves as a reminder to me that this competition is no longer about identifying the best athletes in the world and it's more about placating everyone who thinks their sport of choice should be included "just because".

Trap Shooting is also now an Olympic sport. Who knew?

There probably should be a place in the world for a Break Dancing competition, by the way. I don't disagree with that. But it's called a "Dancing Contest". The same goes for those games I mentioned tongue-in-cheek above. Corn Hole doesn't belong in the Olympics but there probably should be some sort of international championship. Corn Hole folks would love it.

By the way, while we're featuring games like 3x3 basketball, Skateboarding and Break Dancing as Olympic sports, here are the actual, real live sports, that we're not including in 2024: Baseball, Softball and Bowling.

Yeah, Baseball isn't an Olympic sport but Surfing and Trap Shooting are. OK, then.

And Baseball actually was in the 2020 games in Tokyo and they didn't approve it for 2024. But Break Dancing somehow got approved.

The whole thing is just weird.

As someone who appreciates that Golf is now an Olympic sport for the 4th straight year, I'm certainly OK with adding niche sports to the field. But the key word there is "sports".

Break Dancing isn't actually a sport. It's -- wait for it -- dancing.

I realize this paints the Olympics with a very broad brush and that's a dangerous thing indeed. But here goes: The competitions that feature an out-and-out "result" are really the only ones worthy of our total and complete conviction. Anything left to a judge or judging panel is simply not something I can totally believe in.

Swimming? My time beats your time. I'm better than you.

Golf? My score beats your score. I'm better than you.

Soccer: Our team beat your team. We're better than you.

100 meter dash: My time beats your time. I'm better than you.

In boxing now, we not only have judges but we have controversies about the competitor's gender. That's a double whammy.

Diving, gymnastics, etc. They all feature judges. I still watch and still buy in, but I also do so wondering about the potential inequities of those competitions.

Say what you will about ping pong, but at least there's a result.

I said before these games started I didn't think I'd be watching a whole lot of it. And, if you want the curtain pulled back in full, my viewing schedule this time around has been largely predicated on a jam-packed "real life" schedule more than my disdain for the Opening Ceremonies, Break Dancing, Archery and the Boxing sham.

Archery actually looks kind of fun. I'm not sure why I just included Archery in there.

Anyway...your mileage may vary on the Olympics. You might be glued in every single night. I'll do my best to catch the final round of the Golf competition today since that's the one thing I care about the most.

But all in all, it's just not been all that interesting to me.

I'm anxious to hear (read) what the rest of you think.

And, speaking of golf, don't forget I'll be on the air today at 105.7 The Fan from 4-6 pm talking golf on "Fairways and Greens". I hope you get the chance to tune in.

Saturday August 3, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3634

maybe losing is contagious

If you were a regular listener of my morning radio show 15 years ago you often heard me recite this discovery I made while I worked for the indoor soccer team in town from 1981-1998. I've repeated it here at #DMD quite often as well.

The hardest thing to do in sports isn't hitting a baseball thrown at you 100 mph.

It's not hitting a golf ball dead straight 300 yards.

It's not throwing a basketball through a hoop that's barely as round in circumference as the basketball itself.

Those things are hard, don't get me wrong.

But the hardest thing to do in sports is to stop losing.

Once it starts happening, all the bad things that could happen as a result of it tend to occur.

The Orioles are in one of those funks in Cleveland.

No, the O's aren't losing at the same rate as, say, the White Sox are losing. They dropped their unthinkable 18th straight game last night in Minnesota.

But the Birds are scuffling for sure. Last night's 8-4 defeat in Cleveland was their 13th loss in 21 games and, don't forget, 5 of their 8 wins in that span came against a pair of lousy teams; Texas and Toronto.

It is not going well for the Orioles since the beginning of July.

Now, these last two losses in Cleveland can be excused-away by simply pointing out that the Guardians might just be the best team in all of baseball (thus far), let alone the American League. They are certainly very good, there's no argument there.

And perhaps this recent offensive rut can also be connected in-part to the loss of Jordan Westburg. We told you that one was going to leave a mark.

The Birds managed just 4 hits last night in their Friday night loss in Cleveland. They had a chance in the 2nd inning to get things going when they put runners on first and third with no outs and later loaded the bases with two outs, but that frame produced just one run and Brandon Hyde's team didn't score again until the top of the 8th. And by then, they were done, trailing 8-1.

Hyde had an interesting night.

The O's were once again rattled by a shaky home plate umpire who didn't quite have the strike zone down pat, particularly on rookie Jackson Holliday, who is already struggling enough at the dish without having blue call strikes on him that are two inches outside.

I'm sure Hyde is as frustrated as everyone else is with the 8-13 mark over the last 21 games, but at some point he needs to go on a tirade -- similar to what happened in that Yankees game a couple of weeks back -- just to show his troops he's there in the foxhole with them.

Granted, those sorts of explosions are more cosmetic than anything else. But there comes a time when the manager has to send the proverbial message to his players, the umpire and the umpire coming in behind the plate in the next game that he's not going to take these calls any longer.

And, no, the Orioles didn't lose last night because of the home plate umpire.

But the manager has to unturn every rock to figure out how to get his team back on track and that's certainly a rock he should be picking up.

Right now, the TV cameras pan over to Hyde and he's standing there looking perplexed and frustrated by what's going on. Emotion, skip. Your players need to see some emotion out of you.

What's troubling the Birds more than anything else over the last month or so is their inability to come up with the big hit at the right moment. Now, granted, last night they managed to go 2-for-4 with runners in scoring position, but the problem with that scenario is they only had four runners in scoring position in the first place.

In most games over the last month, they've been going something like 3-for-12 or 2-for-10 in that category. They've been getting guys on base and they've been setting the table for big innings on several occasions in each game, but they just don't come up with the big base knock when they need it.

The worst part of all is the Cleveland pitching staff is "just OK", really. The Guardians can hit, for sure, but last night's starter, Carlos Carrasco, came into the game with a 5.87 ERA and the Birds had him on the ropes early. They let him off the hook in that 2nd inning, though, and the rest is (was) history.

Coby Mayo made his much-anticipated big league debut last night and went 0-for-2 at the plate, but he did manage to pick up a couple of walks and even scored a run along the way.

Mayo did screw up a pop fly double that nearly created what could have been a disastrous collision with Colton Cowser but all's well that ends well and no one got seriously hurt. It was kind of like getting shot in the ear. There's blood, lots of blood, blood everywhere, but if that was the worst thing that happened you'd call it a win.

The bloop into medium-left field shoulda, woulda, coulda been snagged by Cowser, but with Mayo buzzing around trying to haul it in Cowser lost his momentum and concentration and the ball fell in front of him for a 2-run double that pretty much sealed the game.

In the 6th, the O's had an embarrassing defensive moment when they caught Steven Kwan in a rundown but couldn't get him out between first and second and, on that play, Austin Hedges scored from second base on what was a routine sacrifice fly (one run had already scored from third).

When it rains, it pours.

If you were looking for one moment in time to showcase the troubles of the O's over the last few weeks, that failed-rundown-play would be the clip to use. High school teams can complete that sequence and get the baserunner out. The O's, at least last night, couldn't do it, and allowed a runner to score from second base in the meantime.

Zach Eflin goes for the Birds tonight, so let's see if one of Mike Elias's trade deadline gems can right the ship, at least for one night.