Wednesday November 20, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3741

what's the best thing you've ever seen in sports?

That question in the headline above is very broad, I'll give you that.

But it was asked of me on Tuesday during a daytime media panel I was part of at a local school.

"What's the best thing you've ever seen in sports?"

The four of us on the panel looked at each other and smiled.

It was a great question.

There's no right or wrong answer, obviously. It's all about what makes your sporting heart flutter, I suppose. That UMBC March Madness basketball win over Virginia was something to behold. It's not my top moment, by any means, but I could see where it might be on the top of someone's list.

"I don't have an answer just yet," I replied to the young man who asked the question yesterday. "But give me a few minutes to think about it."

"Tiger Woods winning the Masters in 2018," one of the panelists said.

I quickly interjected. "It was 2019."

"Sorry, 2019. Tiger winning the Masters in 2019," he confirmed.

"I didn't even know you were a golfer or liked golf," I shot back. "That definitely was a memorable moment, though. I'd have to consider that one for sure."

We bantered back and forth for a minute or two amongst ourselves.

The consensus was no one really had their exact, "final" answer, although Tiger's Masters win in 2019 and Tom Brady winning the Super Bowl with Tampa Bay were two moments that were discussed by the panelists.

On the drive home, I finally figured out what mine is.

I came up with a list of four moments and bounced them around in my head as I watched maniac drivers on the beltway buzz in and out of standstill traffic in an effort to get somewhere 45 seconds earler than they otherwise would if they were just patient and, you know, "human".

Tiger winning in 2019 was actually on my "final four" list. Alas, it didn't win. His 2019 Masters triumph is certainly my favorite Tiger moment, but it's not my #1 "best thing I've ever seen in sports" moment.

So, what's the best thing you have ever seen in sports?

Feel free to provide your #1 moment in the Comments section below.

As for mine...

You'll have to come back tomorrow to find out what it is.

I had another question posed to me on Tuesday, although this one was just a casual conversation with a friend, not in a panel setting like the one I referenced above.

"What do you think the temperature is with Harbaugh?" my friend Mark asked.

Most times, I'd just shrug that question away and give a very simple, standard answer. "He's not getting fired, if that's what you're asking."

This time, though, I answered it differently.

"Luke warm, maybe," I told him. "And probably more than luke warm if they don't at least get back to the AFC Championship Game."

This whole thing could put Harbaugh in a tricky spot if the Ravens somehow don't win the division and have to play on the road throughout the playoffs.

As it stands now, this scenario is a very real possibility given the Pittsburgh win last Sunday: KC and Buffalo finish 1-2 in some order and the Steelers wind up the #3 seed, meaning they face the #6 seed in the AFC Wild Card round.

One of the 7 or 8 loss teams will be the #7 seed.

The Ravens and Chargers will be the #5 and #6 seed in some order.

If the Ravens get that 6th seed, they'd go to Pittsburgh for their playoff opener if, as noted, the Steelers finish with the 3rd seed.

A loss to the Steelers in the playoffs could take John's seat from luke warm to hot-to-the-touch.

Harbaugh's contract runs through 2025. He probably has an automatic extension built in; an extra year for making the playoffs.

So, in theory, he'd have a 2-year deal intact if Steve Bisciotti wanted to part company with him. And Steve isn't too keen on giving away $20 million-plus of free money, I'm guessing.

Then again, I'm also not sure Steve would ever outright "fire" John Harbaugh. They'd give him a fancy title and move him into some sort of football administrative role, where he'd still collect his salary and remain actively involved with the organization, albeit no longer serving as the team's head coach.

That's probably the way it will go down.

I just can't see Bisciotti walking into John's office in late January and saying, "Sorry, Harbs, I'm letting you go."

But I could see Steve going to John and saying, "I love what you've done for us and I want you here at 1 Winning Drive for the rest of your natural, working life, but I think we need a new head football coach."

Sure, it's a "firing".

But it won't be presented as such.

And that's if it comes to pass that John Harbaugh is under the gun at the end of the season. I don't have that crystal ball or I'd bet on what I see.

What I do know is Bisciotti, like the rest of Baltimore, has to be thinking, "How many of these MVP years by Lamar are we going to squander?"

And while no one asked me this, specifically, I'm seeing a lot of chatter on the internet about the Orioles and their off-season spending abilities.

Corbin Burnes? Maybe.

Juan Soto? No chance.

Clay Holmes? It looks like that one's going to happen, but I'm definitely hoping there's more to the off-season than him.

I'd still say I'll be in the "surprised" camp if Burnes winds up in Baltimore, but I'm guessing some of his future depends on where Soto winds up landing.

If the Dodgers get Soto, they probably can't splurge on Burnes, too.

But if Soto winds up with the Mets, as many are now saying he will, then the Dodgers might counter that move by forking over the big money for Burnes.

In the meantime, the O's could swoop in and overpay Burnes to keep him from getting pinched in the middle of that Soto-Mets-Dodgers triangle.

I'm not against Corbin Burnes, mind you. Or, as it is, "re-adding" him.

He's a heckuva pitcher. If healthy in 2025, pencil him in for 17-8 and a 2.95 ERA. He's a top 10 pitcher in all of baseball, maybe even top 5.

But what about the vacant right field spot if Anthony Santander bolts?

Why not give Santander his $125 million for 4 or 5 years and sign a 2nd tier starting pitcher for something far more affordable than the $300 million or so that Burnes is going to rake in?

And what's this fascination Mike Elias has with erstwhile Yankees reliever Clay Holmes?

Are the Orioles really on the verge of signing him, as many in New York say they are?

Eh, I don't know, man. He seems pretty much "just OK" to me.

The Yankees are essentially dumping him. If they wanted him back in the Bronx, they'd sign him for the paltry $12 million per-year the O's are going to have to give him.

Holmes had 13 blown saves in pinstripes last season and the Yankees moved him out of the closer's spot in September. Granted, he would shift to a set-up role for Felix Bautista in Baltimore, but the 2024 numbers don't support putting a whole lot of stock in Holmes as a top flight bullpen arm in the '25 campaign.

Maybe removing him from the "heat" of closing will refresh Holmes. But that one is a bit of a head scratcher to me.

Then again, Eloy Jimenez was a head scratcher to me last July and we see how that turne --- well, never mind, that's not a great example.

The O's could do worse than Clay Holmes. I'll give them that much.

But they could also do better. And I thought that was the idea in the off-season. Get better.

Tuesday November 19, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3740

themorningafterthemorningafter

So, let me say from the start here that I'm not trying to offend anyone, hurt anyone's feelings or otherwise "call anyone out" with today's entry.

I hope you know that.

I'm merely responding to what many of you wrote here yesterday and via e-mail with regard to yesterday's piece about the Ravens loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Connor e-mailed me with this quickie: "What, exactly, were you trying to do (today)? We all saw the same game that you did. Why did you present your game review like that?"

Bob the Idiot Caller submitted a comment below that read: "If you come here looking for any sort of coherent analysis of the game yesterday, evidently, you're out of luck. Instead we get 42 lines of being talked down to about keeping the loss in perspective."

Please note, I'm not calling Bob an idiot. He calls himself that. In this case, it might fit. I don't know Bob, so I have no idea if he's really an idiot or just a guy who likes poking fun at himself. Either way, I appreciate his support here over the years.

I have no idea at all how Bob felt like he was being talked down to, but if he did feel that way, I'm sorry. That wasn't my intention. I know what it feels to be talked down to. Recently, in fact. I felt that way every night in October when I turned on CNN and heard Abby Phillip or Anderson Cooper tell me if I didn't vote for Kamala Harris that must mean I'm a racist and a mysogynist.

I'm neither of those. Alas, that's how they talked to me in advance of the election and it offended me. So, yes, if Bob felt talked down to, I get it.

But I wasn't trying to "talk down" to anyone yesterday.

Some of you -- a lot of you, actually -- "got it", meaning, you understood what I was trying to do and complimented my work. That's nice. It's not necessary, per se, but nice nonetheless. I totally understand how journalism and creativity works. Some people get it, some people don't.

I read Ayn Rand's great work, The Fountainhead a long time ago and was so enthralled with it I gave it to a friend for his enjoyment. He gave it back to me a week later and said, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever read. I got through 50 pages before I sat it down on the floor hoping my cat would pee on it."

I assumed everyone loved Ayn Rand's work, but my friend Joel didn't.

Anyway...

Back when the Ravens were busy throwing away games earlier this season to Kansas City, Las Vegas and Cleveland, I circled back here the morning after and basically wrote the same thing time and time again.

"Turned the ball over at the worst time possible."

"Missed a field goal."

"Got flagged for a penalty or two they didn't deserve."

"Got flagged for a penalty or two they did deserve that came at a crucial moment in the game."

"Blundered a time-out situation, 4th down situation or some other game-management decision that came back to haunt them."

"Dropped a key pass or flubbed an interception that would have changed the outcome."

"Couldn't get a stop on defense when they needed it."

"Ran a puzzling series or two on offense that made no sense at all given their strengths on that side of the ball."

That's how they lost to the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns.

It's also how they lost to Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game last January, but that wound is almost healed now so I won't bring it up here this morning.

But all of the stuff I listed above is how the Ravens always lose.

I wrote that here after the Raiders game.

"The Ravens lose the same way every time."

I wrote that here after the Browns loss.

"Don't look now, but the Ravens lost the same way they always lose."

I even wrote, specifically, that I might rather see them just get blown out 38-6 and just have one of those days where nothing goes right instead of coughing up a game they shoulda, coulda, woulda won.

A loss is a loss, as Bob the Idiot mentioned yesterday. It can be 38-6 or 18-16 and it's a loss and it's only one of them.

There were certain things I referenced in yesterday's piece that were intended to come across as "coherent analysis" without coming across like I was stating the obvious. I was clearly trying to point out what you already knew: The Ravens lost the same way, again.

Some of you got it. For some of you, it went over your head. I've never been accused of being sophisticated, so please don't tell me I was being "too sophisticated" yesterday. If you didn't get it, so be it. I never got "The Simpsons", for what it's worth. It happens.

The Ravens lost on Sunday because these things happened:

They only scored 16 points. The other team scored 18.

Baltimore's field goal kicker missed 2 field goals. If you're a Flyers fan and you're rushing for your calculator, please don't. The math is quick and easy. If Tucker makes those two kicks, the Ravens win 22-18.

Alas, he didn't make them. Those points were critical when the clock hit 00:00 at the end of the fourth quarter.

The Ravens turned the ball over 3 different times, including once deep in their own end and once while driving and moving into Pittsburgh territory.

Baltimore was ahead 7-6 when they fumbled the ball away late in the first half and the Steelers connected for a late field goal to go up 9-7 at the end of the first half.

If they don't fumble there and all things stay equal, the Ravens win 16-15 instead of losing 18-16.

By the way, it's my opinion that was not a fumble on the play involving Isaiah Likely. He was clearly down before the ball was pulled away from him. But that's what happens. These refs, man. You never know what they're going to see that the rest of us don't see. Or do see. Anyway, that call was huge.

Speaking of the refs, they flagged the Ravens 12 total times on Sunday. A couple of them were ticky-tack. But a bunch of them were legit and the right call.

And this is one of those things I've never figured out about people who claim to "know sports" and (probably) played sports at some level in their earlier life.

People somehow think it's the head coach's fault when the defensive back holds someone or an offensive lineman moves too early or a linebacker hits the quarterback after he's thrown the ball.

"Why doesn't Harbaugh tell these guys to stop getting penalized all the time?" There are actually people on the internet who throw that one out there like it's a high-level-hot-take.

The Ravens have to cut down on the penalties. That's the truth. But you know who needs to stop getting penalties? The players. The guys on the field.

At what point do the football players have to take criticism for things they do on the football field?

A few years ago we at Calvert Hall Golf had a big late season match at Hunt Valley. The 11th hole there is a par 5 of 520 yards or that most high school players can reach in two shots.

In our pre-match discussion about the golf course, I told my players that the only way you can go for that green in two shots AND keep the ball on the green is if you're hitting that second shot from the fairway. With the rough up in late spring and the second shot playing 10 yards downhill, you weren't going to be able to get enough spin on the ball to hold the green if you tried to hit the green in two shots from the rough from 175 or 200 yards out.

Our day-of-match scouting told us the flag on that hole, #11, was in the back left portion of the green.

"You can not go for that pin in two shots if you're in the rough," I told my players before they teed off. "If you don't keep the ball on the green, you'll be long, behind the green, and you won't be able to get the ball up and down for birdie unless you make a crazy 30 or 40 foot putt."

"If you're in the rough off the tee," I told them, "lay up to whatever your preferred yardage is -- in the fairway -- and try to make birdie the old fashioned way or, at worst, get your par and get out of there."

As fate would have it, the match was close and our #5 player was faced with a 180 yard shot out of the right rough to that back left flag. Instead of playing smart and bumping his ball back into the fairway and giving himself 75 yards to the hole and a good chance for a birdie, he went for the flag out of the rough, hit the shot about 20 feet from the hole, and it careened over the green some 20 yards.

He then chipped the ball long, some 50 feet from the hole, and then 3-putted for bogey to give the hole to his opponent on a silver platter.

I told him not to hit the shot from the rough. I warned him and the others. It was a shot the best amateurs couldn't have pulled off.

He hit it anyway and pretty much exactly what I told him would likely happen wound up happening.

Who gets the blame?

I'm sure John Harbaugh tells Patrick Mekari to be careful with how far off the line of scrimmage he wanders on play-action in case Lamar decides to throw the ball late. Is Harbaugh to blame because Mekari gets flagged for that infraction almost every game?

Or is Mekari, you know, a professional football player, the guy who should know right from wrong?

And now we get to more of that "coherent analysis" you're here for: The failed Ravens 2-point conversion.

I'm not sure what happened there.

Whatever it was, it was a flop.

As I said on social media immediately after the play blew up, I think having Lamar Jackson or any quarterback -- who throws right handed -- run to their left is silly. It's a right sided world we live in, especially if you're a right handed thrower of the football.

Mike Tomlin pretty much made fun of the Ravens for the play call in his post-game press conference, but I'll leave that up to John Harbaugh to take care of the next time the two teams meet up in Baltimore.

Something definitely happened on the play. As in, something "wrong" happened.

It was destined to fail from jump street.

I am not a football expert.

I'm certainly not an offensive genius.

In fact, I like/liked the idea of having Lamar Jackson involved in the 2-point conversion.

That said, not having Derrick Henry, Patrick Ricard, Rashod Bateman or Zay Flowers on the field for that conversion attempt pretty much flashed this to the Steelers: LAMAR IS GOING TO RUN WITH THE BALL ON THIS PLAY

I have no idea what Todd Monken was thinking on that play. I know the result. It failed. I think, based on the "analysis" I just gave, it was going to fail far more times than it was going to succeed.

The play was so wonky and so disjointed even the Ravens didn't know how to pull it off.

Players came to the line of scrimmage and tried to move others into different positions in order to make the play a success. It didn't quite look like a scene from The Three Stooges, but it might have been a dress rehearsal for at least one scene.

Remember that famous line from Bull Durham? "Don't think, Meat, just pitch."

That's basically what Harbaugh should have said to Monken. "Just run the simple, effective play with our best players."

Todd Monken's a smart man. I believe that. But if you need two yards and four of your most prolific offensive players aren't on the field for the play in question, I'll go ahead and call that one a brain fart.

Fortunately for Monken, my opinion doesn't matter. Harbaugh's opinion matters. I assume he wasn't pleased with the result. I have no idea if he thought the play call was prudent.

The Ravens lost on Sunday the same way they always lose.

They lost the game. Sure, Pittsburgh gets a "W", so if you want more coherent analysis, there it is. The Steelers did win, yes. But the Ravens lost the game far more than the Steelers won it.

As Aerosmith once said: "It's the same old story, same old song and dance...my friend."

I tried to present my Monday summary in a way that wasn't "the same old song and dance." Anyone can go on line and write the same stuff over and over.

I assume most of you are smart enough to know for yourselves how the Ravens lost.

They lost the way I described it above.

And they lost the way I described it on Monday as well.

You saw the game. You know what happened.

You wanted a blow-by-blow recap of how it all occurred, and why, but you knew before you logged in on Monday morning why the Ravens didn't beat the Steelers.

You don't have to be a genius to figure it out. I figured it out and I'm far from a genius.

Don't get mad at me because you didn't like the outcome. I didn't like it either.

---

Major League Baseball will get a new crop of Hall of Fame inductees next summer and there is only one no-brainer on the list that was released yesterday.

Ichiro Suzuki is a new name, eligible for the first time in 2025. He's in. If he's not on every ballot that's turned in, anyone leaving him off should be stripped of their voting privileges. Like, forever.

Other newcomers include familiar stars of the last two decades: C.C. Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, Carlos Gonzalez, Dustin Pedroia, Hanley Ramirez, Fernando Rodney, Ian Kinsler, Ben Zobrist, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin, Brian McCann, Curtis Granderson and longtime Oriole (and perhaps my favorite of all-time) Adam Jones.

Because the Hall of Fame has slowly morphed into the Hall of Very Good over the last 10 years, guys like Sabathia, Hernandez and Pedroia will get strong consideration. You can poke holes in all 3 of them if you so choose.

Here's how I see those three.

I think I would vote for Sabathia.

I'm a strong "maybe" but might need my arm twisted to vote for Hernandez.

I doubt I would vote for Pedroia.

In the Hall of Very Good, all three get in.

To me, in the Hall of Fame, perhaps only Sabathia qualifies.

And you can make a case against him, too, I think.

There are returning names on the ballot, as well.

Relief pitcher Billy Wagner, who barely missed out last year, returns for his 10th and final year on the ballot and needs to retain his 73.8% total of a year ago and find a few more votes to reach the 75% level required for induction into Cooperstown.

It's a shame the voting for the baseball Hall of Fame doesn't take place strictly in Pennsylvania or California. I hear they're good at finding a few more votes these days.

Other holdovers include steroids-tainted stars Alex Rodriguez (134 votes, 34.8%) and Manny Ramirez (125, 32.5%) along with Andruw Jones (237, 61.6%), Carlos Beltran (220, 57.1%), Chase Utley (111, 28.8%), Omar Vizquel (68, 17.7%), Jimmy Rollins (57, 14.8%), Bobby Abreu (57, 14.8%), Andy Pettitte (52, 13.5%), Mark Buehrle (32, 8.3%), Francisco Rodríguez (30, 7.8%), Torii Hunter (28, 7.3%) and David Wright (24, 6.2%).

From that list, you can scratch A-Rod and Manny Ramirez because of their steroid issues. So, they're out.

I personally think Andruw Jones was a Hall of Fame baseball player.

So, too, was Omar Vizquel.

And my underrated, take-a-deep-dive-into-his-stats candidate is lefthander Mark Buehrle. You want a hot take? I'll give you one.

Buehrle was on the same level, quality wise, as Sabathia and Hernandez.

Here's who would be on my ballot.

Ichiro

Billy Wagner

Andruw Jones

Omar Vizquel

Mark Buehrle

If you made me pick two more just for the sake of picking two more, I'd go with Sabathia and, against my better judgement, Carlos Beltran, who almost certainly used PED's in his career but was a remarkable hitter at the zenith of his playing days.

Monday November 18, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3739

shredded in pittsburgh

You knew it was bound to happen at some point.

The Ravens have been walking the tight rope all season, stealing a couple of wins they didn't deserve and doing "just enough to win" in another game or two.

Finally, it happened. A blow out loss.

It was so out of hand in Pittsburgh on Sunday that Derrick Henry didn't carry the ball once in the fourth quarter.

But why run him and risk injury in a meaningless final 15 minutes of a loss, right? I think we can all see the logic in that one.

12 Ravens penalties for 80 yards were a huge factor in the 42-16 shellacking at the hands of the Steelers.

Maybe I'm an optimist, but I'd rather get 12 penalties when the game is out of hand then to get them in a one-score nailbiter.

Am I right?

Speaking of penalties, I don't understand why John Harbaugh -- as the team's head coach -- doesn't tell his players to stop getting flagged for infractions during these games.

You know, gather them together before the warm-up, say the Lord's Prayer, and then offer them a friendly reminder.

"Hey, guys, do me a favor today. Do yourselves a favor, too. Stop getting so many penalties, would ya?"

But it wasn't just the occasional ineligible man downfield or illegal formation penalty that snagged the Ravens in the Sunday shellacking in Pittsburgh. There were other mitigating factors.

The Ravens turned the ball over three times in the game, including a weird-but-huge-cough-up-of-the-ball by Justice Hill with the Ravens trying to mount a late comeback.

Well, it wasn't really a comeback. I mean, the game was pretty much in the books when Hill had the ball taken from him in the 4th quarter.

One of those turnovers came right near the end of the first half when Isaiah Likely was down -- or, at least, his elbow was on the ground -- but both the officials and the dudes in the replay booth got it wrong. I know you're shocked by the fact that the referees missed a call, but, in a 42-16 blowout, one bad call that leads to the other team getting a free 3 points isn't that big of a deal.

Oh, and to rub salt in the wound, Justin Tucker missed two field goals.

We all know that's a recipe for a butt-kicking as well. When you have the chance to put points up, especially early, and you fail to do so, it usually comes back to haunt you.

That said, it wasn't like Tucker's two misses were the difference in the final result.

Instead of 42-22, the Ravens got throttled 42-16.

There was also a weird 2-point conversion play late in the game. If Lamar Jackson gets in the end zone there, it's 42-18 instead of 42-16.

That 2-point play was run without three of the team's most important playmakers on the field -- Flowers, Henry, Bateman were all on the bench -- but, again, you're risking a valuable offensive player blowing out his knee on a 2-point conversion that doesn't really mean anything at all in the big picture.

Prior to that play, the Steelers called time-out, which gave the Ravens an extra 45 seconds or so to discuss in more detail how they were going to successfully gain two yards.

Rather than go with something simple and easy, Baltimore's offensive coordinator, Todd Monken, drew up a complicated play that failed miserably.

That said, why score 2 insignificant points there when you can save that creative play for a moment and a game where it really matters?

Oh, and here's the other thing no one wants to talk about parties. Baltimore's defense needed to come up with a huge performance on the road on Sunday and instead, they laid an egg that Denny's could use to feed an entire restaurant.

What the Ravens needed to do was hold Pittsburgh, say, to under 20 points. If they were able to do that, a win would be all but guaranteed.

Instead, the Steelers tore the Ravens defense apart. Sure, Roquan Smith and Travis Jones were both removed from the game due to injuries, but just because they were both having All-Pro performances doesn't mean they were going to keep doing that for 60 minutes.

Baltimore's secondary got roasted like hot dogs on a fire pit by Russell Wilson and George Pickens.

The Steelers moved up and down the field so much that Chris Boswell, their kicker, booted the ball through the uprights SIX times on Sunday. When the kicker is out there six times, you know you're getting smashed.

In fact, it got so out of hand in the Steel City yesterday that Justin Fields came in for mop up duty on the final few offensive plays for Mike Tomlin's team.

The good news for the Ravens?

There's still six weeks of the season left and they have a fine record of 7 wins and 4 losses. Anything can happen from here on in.

Pittsburgh's 8-2, but they still have to tangle with the Browns twice.

This AFC North race is far from over, which makes Sunday's blow out loss to the Steelers a little easier to digest.

It was only one game.

No biggie.

Sunday November 17, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3738

i don't care what you say...

Looks like some #DMD folks are getting a little antsy about today's Ravens-Steelers game in Pittsburgh.

"We're on pins and needles" one of them wrote.

Really? Pins and needles? For a mid-season game in Pittsburgh? OK, then. Let's dive in.

If the Ravens secondary plays above their pay grade, Baltimore wins.

If the Ravens secondary stinks it up, Baltimore loses.

Now......

How about that Maryland football program, huh? Losing at home to Rutgers? You gotta be kidding me.

There's no way people can take Terps football seriously if they're going to lose at home to Rutgers.

So, let's dive in to what's going on down at College Park and see what changes need to be made in order to get things straightened out down there.

You can't lose to Rutgers and expect people to just accept it and move on.

I'm just having fun. "Trolling" as the kids like to say. We're not talking Maryland football here today, although losing at home to Rutgers should bring about a deep-dive into just what-on-earth-is-going-on with the program.

Alas, that's just not my thing. Maryland football is Maryland football. To borrow a line from the great movie, A Bronx Tale, "Nobody cares".

But people do care about what happens today in Pittsburgh. It's a big game, for several reasons.

The Ravens have 3 losses and, no matter what happens this afternoon, are probably a fairly safe bet to at least lose once more this season to end up somewhere around 12-5. But a loss today and a slip-up or two to someone else and an 11-6 record might make the AFC North a tight squeeze.

Pittsburgh -- by the grace of their cakewalk schedule to date -- has just 2 losses. They have two games left with both the Browns and Bengals. They also play at Baltimore and Philadelphia and home against Kansas City.

That looks like 4 or 5 losses, total, to me, not withstanding today's clash in Pittsburgh.

So, yes, this one is big today.

"Pins and needles"? I won't go that far. It's a regular season game. Nothing, to me, is "pins and needles" territory until mid-January when you win-and-keep-playing or lose-and-go-home.

But some people get anxious anytime the Ravens and Steelers meet up. I get it.

I referenced the secondary earlier and I'm guessing that's what it will come down to today in the Steel City. I have never been a huge believer in Russell Wilson, so I might have egg on my face at 4 pm this afternoon, but I don't think he's going to beat Lamar Jackson today.

I know it's not specifically Wilson vs. Lamar, but it is in my mind. If Wilson carves up the Ravens defense for 30, Lamar has to figure out a way to get the Ravens to 31.

This is very cliche, I know, but these games, today, are why Lamar gets $50 million to play football.

He has to go up there and pull off a win by any means necessary, kind of like the losing political side is trying to do now that the 2024 election is over.

"What can we do to win this thing, in any possible manner?" they're asking.

Well, Lamar should take note of that attitude.

"How do we win this game today, in any possible manner?"

I honestly don't care if it's 20-17 or 40-37.

I suspect there's a way better chance of it being 20-17 than 40-37, by the way, simply because that's "usually" how these Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh games turn out, but the Ravens haven't had a defense that was this suspect and this vulnerable since the Vinny years.

Here's why I think today's game tilts in "our" favor.

The Ravens have won these all season.

They shoulda, coulda, woulda lost twice to the Bengals, but didn't.

Granted, they lost the first game because the dude missed a game-winning field goal and they lost the second one -- in part -- because their moronic coach went for 2 points at the end of the game, but those were two high scoring games where Baltimore's defense got battered like Alonzo Harris in the "King Kong" scene of Training Day.

And, yet, the Ravens and Lamar -- most importantly, Lamar -- figured out a way to win.

I don't think Russell Wilson is beating Lamar Jackson today.

I know Lamar doesn't play defense. And Pittsburgh's defense isn't chopped liver. But I just don't think the Ravens go up there and lose.

Would I be shocked if the Ravens lose?

I would not.

Their defense, until proven otherwise, is a massive sore spot. They can give up 30 points as easily as the Orioles could leave the bases loaded with nobody out this past August and September.

But there's also something about Ravens-Steelers that seems to bring out the best in people. I suspect today's game looks and feels different than both Bengals game or that Browns game the Ravens defense gift-wrapped for Cleveland last month.

I won't go as far as saying, "I don't care what you say, we're not losing to Russell Wilson."

Despite his overrated status, Wilson is still (mostly) competent. He has a dangerous receiver or two. Their run game isn't great, but it's also not inefficient.

The game could be tied 24-24 with two minutes left and T.J. Watt sneaks around the left side and knocks the ball out of Lamar's hand and three plays later, the Steelers kick a game-winning field goal to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

T.J. Watt is a baller. If the Ravens don't contain him today, watch out.

I'm guessing you're on "pins and needles" waiting for my official score prediction. Well, here you go.

I don't see this one being as high scoring as current circumstances might indicate.

Unless Pittsburgh's defense fails to appear, this one won't reach 60 points combined. Frankly, it might not even reach 50 points in total.

Somewhere around there looks about right.

Baltimore leads 17-7 at the half.

The Steelers cut it to 17-14 early in the 3rd quarter.

Pittsburgh then ties it up at 17-17 after Justin Tucker misses a 51 yard field goal.

The Ravens move back ahead 24-17 midway through the fourth quarter. The Steelers cut it to 24-20 with 5 minutes remaining, but the Ravens march down the field and Tucker connects on a 38 yard field goal with 1:57 remaining to make it 27-20.

Wilson and the Pittsburgh offense get the ball to the Baltimore 25 yard line with 30 seconds left but can't punch it in from there and the Ravens move to 8-3 with a 27-20 win.

In an ironic ending, most of you will, in fact, be on "pins and needles" in the game's waning moments.

But the Ravens prevail.

Now, about that Maryland football team.

Our friend Will Jackson is on assignment, which means he's on vacation (Aruba, that rat fink) and will not be publishing his picks today. He will return next week, he says.

Saturday November 16, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3737

be a man and show some pride

I see where the issue of the Ryder Cup pay-for-play idea got some people hot and bothered here at #DMD yesterday.

And that includes me, too, I suppose.

Look, I don't mind playing out of a divot in the fairway. It didn't get in the divot on its own. You're the one who hit it there.

If you hit your ball in a bunker and it was unraked by the group before you, it's still on you, not them. You hit it in there, after all.

Those are just two examples of things that bother other people that don't faze me at all.

But the Ryder Cup and the concept that American players are bellyaching to get paid to play in it? That bothers me.

For starters, they already do get paid. Bigly, as someone we all know might say. They all bonuses built into their sponsorship contracts for making a team, whether it's Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup. They might make another $500K or more depending on how many logos and sponsors they have in their stable.

They also get paid in future monies by making a team, meaning their stock, as a player, goes up considerably when they make a Ryder Cup team. Instead of getting $250K for a logo on their shirt, now they can ask for -- and get -- $400K or or more. The same goes with their hat and their golf bag.

Max Homa has a lot more prestige post-Ryder-Cup-appearance than he did when he was just a kid coming out of California trying to carve out a nice living for himself on TOUR. The profile of someone like Sam Burns is bigger than, say, that of Denny McCarthy or Chesson Hadley.

So, before anyone starts thinking Doug Ghim is going to have to eat ramen noodles if he somehow makes a Ryder Cup team in his career, relax. Making a team gets you big money in and of its own.

There seems to be this thought that the PGA of America makes a gazillion dollars on the event and, therefore, the players -- you know, the stars of the show -- should reap the benefit, financially, of their involvement.

It's true. The Ryder Cup is a huge money maker. Tickets are expensive, the whole thing is on TV, beers cost $15 at the venue and so on and so on.

It's also an expensive event to run, just like the Super Bowl is expensive to run.

But most importantly, the PGA of America needs money to do what they do. They run the Ryder Cup. And they're the ones responsible for helping grow the game of golf. They're not the PGA Tour. They're completely unaffiliated with the TOUR.

The PGA Tour grows the "sport" of professional golf.

The PGA of America grows golf. The golf you and I play. The golf your kids play. The golf your mom and dad played.

They train men and women to become PGA golf professionals. They do anything and everything under the sun to nurture, grow and promote golf.

Without golf professionals to run golf courses -- you know, the ones we play -- there would be no golf courses. Businesses don't run themselves, although the last four years might.....well, never mind, I'll just stop there. You get the point. You need trained professionals to run golf courses and country clubs and that's what the PGA of America does with some of their money.

Once every two years, they put on an event that is, depending on who you believe, the biggest event in the sport.

It's televised all over the world. Tickets are impossible to get. In golf terms, it's the Super Bowl on steroids that would make Barry Bonds blush.

For reasons I'm not smart enough to understand, the American players look at the Ryder Cup differently than the Europeans look at it.

The U.S. based players look at everything like it's an opportunity for a money grab.

European players don't look at everything in the same way.

I don't know why. I'm not saying that makes Europeans "better" than us. But they aren't nearly as hellbent on making money on anything and everything like American golfers are.

No one asked me, but the easiest solution to the Ryder Cup pay-for-play issue is to simply say to the Americans who make the team, "There's no compensation for you directly from the PGA of America. You can solicit your own stable of sponsors to "bonus you" if you make the team (which, almost every American player does with his various sponsors and marketing partners), but we're not paying you to play in the event."

And if, say, Xander Schauffele or Patrick Cantlay or Scottie Scheffler objects to that, they're simply not on the team and another player is added.

Let's be honest. The Americans haven't won on foreign soil in the Ryder Cup since 1993. So, you know, it's not like we've been exactly knocking them dead with our "best" players. If Cantlay says, "I'm not playing without getting paid", tell him to sit this one out and give his spot to Russell Henley or J.T. Poston and, guess what, they'll do just fine.

I don't see why that would be so difficult. There have been basketball players who opted out of the Olympics. Plenty of football players opt out of the Pro Bowl. Baseball players turn down All Star Game assignments, either for injury or other reasons of their choosing.

What's so hard about that concept with the Ryder Cup? "If you need money in exchange for playing in the event, we'll just replace you."

This idea of "playing for your country" used to be embraced with great enthusiasm, albeit two or three decades ago, at least.

Perhaps because they've made too much money in the first place, that concept is (mostly) long gone. At least here in the U.S., anyway.

A friend of mine asked me why I think it is that there's such a stark difference between the way American golfers look at playing for their country vs. the way Europeans look at it.

I gave him a one-word answer: Pride.

I don't know why Europeans have more pride in their country than U.S. players do in theirs, but they do. You see it in soccer, too. It's not just a golf thing.

It's weird to call an American out for a lack of pride. It feels like one of the most mean-spirited-things you can say about someone.

"This is your home. How can you possibly not love it?"

Alas, national pride has dropped off remarkably over the last 20-30 years. People bristle at flying the American flag in (American) schools. People reject the idea of having young boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance in schools. People don't think the National Anthem is worth standing up for.

We've lost it. Not everyone, mind you. But enough people have lost their sense of decency on these subjects that the minority is slowly becoming the majority when it comes to the matter of showing national pride.

And we'd rather not hurt someone's feelings than have them say the Pledge in school. They could be scarred for life, I guess.

A general lack of pride. I think that's really what irks me about the Ryder Cup saga.

Just once, once every two years, I think Patrick Cantlay should put pride over greed. He can be a greedy, money-grubbing, endorsement-filled athlete the other 103 weeks and I get it. It's part and parcel of being a sports entrepreneur, if you will.

And I'm using Cantlay as an example, only. I have no idea where he stands on this whole thing.

Patrick Cantlay -- and every American player -- owes everything he has to the sport of golf. He owes everything to the PGA professional who coached him when he was 6 years. He owes everything to the PGA section in his hometown who organized countless junior golf tournaments to play in every summer when he was 10, 12 and 16 years old.

Once every two years, Cantlay should say "thank you" by collecting a million dollars in bonus money from the cell phone company, mortgage lender and airline that he's aligned with and telling the PGA of America, "I'm honored to play in the Ryder Cup and represent the United States in an international competition."

It's not that hard to do.

Jack Nicklaus did it.

Arnold Palmer did it.

Tom Watson did it.

Tiger Woods did it.

Suck it up and be a man and realize how fortunate you are to lead the life you've built for yourself.

That's the way I see it. It's about pride. We don't have any. Or, at the very least, American golfers don't have any.

And as someone who loves golf and the United States, that's troubling to me.

Friday November 15, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3736

reading time: 3 minutes

I hope my old friend Phil Jackman is up there in the big lounge chair in the sky, enjoying a beverage of his choice this morning and checking in on #DMD.

This one's for you, Phil.

Oh, and the Redsk --- errrr, Commanders got roasted in Philly last night, 26-18. Washington led 10-3 at one point before Philly reeled off 20 straight points in something like 45 seconds. I know you were giggling as you watched that fourth quarter.

There's a lot of chatter on the streets about the Orioles and what they're going to do in free agency. Part of that decision making process will stem, I think, on what they plan on doing with Heston Kjerstad. Could they trade him? Sure. But I'm guessing they're going to keep him around to see if he turns into a real player. If Cedric Mullins is going to start the season as the every day centerfielder, I assume that means Colton Cowser is the regular left fielder. Kjerstad can either shift to right field, where his mediocre-at-best defensive skills aren't as (potentially) damaging as they would be in left, or he can DH. The problem is the O's tend to use Rutschman as a DH against righties. I'm not Mike Elias, but if I were running the O's, I'd make a play for Randal Grichuk and he and Kjerstad can platoon in right field.

If we're going to concede the AFC's top seed to Kansas City, which I think is probably reasonable to do at this point, the real focus for the Ravens should be on securing the #2 seed, which gets them a home game against the #7 seed to start the playoffs. Right now, the only team the Ravens need to be concerned with are the Bills, who are 8-2 and host Kansas City this Sunday. Let me just tell everyone this: Buffalo will finish the year with at least 5 losses. Maybe even 6. Unless something "weird" happens with the Ravens (and you know what that is...and I don't have the heart to say it here), they're not losing 6 games. So, the Ravens are going to finish as the #2 seed. Who will they face in the playoffs? You'll have K.C. at #1, Baltimore at #2, Buffalo at #3, Houston at #4. Wild cards will be the Steelers (#5), Chargers (#6) and.......Bengals? Broncos? Colts? Dolphins? Any of those four would be fine, but, you know, if we can somehow not have to see Burrow and Chase again, I'd sign off on that.

This Ryder Cup "pay-for-play" story is very unsettling to an old school guy like......me. I have no idea if the number floated on Thursday -- $400,000 for each player on the U.S. team -- is true, but the actual money amount isn't really what's important. Even if it were, say, $200,000, I'd still have a sour feeling about it. Why? Because just once every two years, playing for and representing your country should be an idea you're willing to embrace. I do not begrudge golfers whoring themselves to mortgage companies, financial advisors, automobile manufacturers, communications and wireless companies, apparel makers, watches, and so on. If they can make another million bucks wearing logos on their shirt and hat, more power to 'em. But once every two years, you, as one of the 12 best American golfers, should be willing to basically "work free of charge" for a week. You don't owe it to the PGA of America (the organization that runs the event). You owe it to golf. Without golf, you'd be selling insurance or owning a car wash (not that there is anything wrong with either of those two things).

If you're a believer in "good things happen to good people", you have to believe things are going to turn around for Zach Orr as the Ravens defensive coordinator. He might be a tad overmatched in this, his first season at the helm, but Orr deserves good fortune if anyone ever did. Here's hoping things turn around for him. Sooner rather than later. He's a solid man, is Orr.

I'm sure this was dumb, but it's not the dumbest way I've ever spent money. I was able to get Maryland at +7000 to reach the Final Four in men's basketball next April. If they make it that far, I'll be doing handstands out on Joppa Road. If they don't, it's basically one less "date night" for the wife and I in 2025. We'll just stay home and watch SNL reruns and have chinese food or something. But if the Terps do get to the final four.......we're going to Sizzler. Every month. For, like, 10 years. Now I have a vested interest in what Kevin Willard's team does this year. That's one way to get me to pay attention to the games.

If you're ever up in the wee hours of the morning or have reason to listen to overnight radio, I hope you get the opportunity to hear Amy Lawrence and her national sports talk show. Following in my footsteps, my son keeps his radio on all night, as I did when I was his age. And often times when I'm stirring in bed and can hear his radio in the next room, I'll hear her show. I met her once or twice during my radio days when we were both at the Super Bowl. She's an awesome woman and very good on the air. She's great with callers and just simply "knows her stuff". If you ever get the chance to tune in, please do. I promise you'll like her work.

That was a nice win for the U.S. men's soccer team last night in Jamaica, winning the first leg of their Nations League quarterfinal, two-game series, 1-0. The condition of the field was a total embarrassment. I totally understand a lot of the smaller Caribbean countries decimate their "pitch" on purpose in an effort to level the playing field. Trinidad and Tobago let their grass grow for 3 weeks before an important home game and then hose it down with 2 or 3 inches of water the day before the contest. But the turf last night in Kingston was horrendous. The soccer wasn't much better, frankly. The U.S. got a 5th minute goal from Ricardo Pepi, then held on from there. U.S. goalie Matt Turner saved a first half penalty kick to preserve the win. The two teams return to action in St. Louis on Monday for the final game of the quarterfinal series.

#DMD reader Ray sent me an e-mail on Thursday admonishing me for labeling Ben Roethlisberger a Hall of Famer in a piece I wrote earlier in the week highlighting main characters of the Ravens-Steelers rivalry. "Why would you endorse that (POS) for anything?" Ray asked me. If we started breaking down the human goodness of every NFL Hall of Fame inductee, there might only be 29 guys in the place. I mean, our very own treasured community son, Ray Lewis, had a brief fling with the law, as we all remember. Roethlisberger was no angel. I never claimed he was. I merely said he would someday be in the Hall of Fame because he was a great quarterback. It's weird how sports fans pick and choose the moments they want to recall and the moments they'd rather forget.

Look, the NFL is king and there's nothing that's really going to change that anytime in the near future. But these game officials and the calls they make and don't make are really starting to look borderline corrupt. Every team has a gripe. In almost every game. The Bengals certainly had reason to whine about a few non-calls last Thursday night. Oh, and that game should have ended on the 4th and 10 throw that gained 9 yards, except they gave the dude who caught the ball an extra half yard and a first down and Cincinnati almost stole the game. Week in and week out, the calls are, let's say, mysterious. Is that the right word? Last night was another semi-fiasco. It's not getting any better. I'm not sure what else to say about it other than......it has to improve at some point in the next year or two. Then again, this might be what the league wants. Just like when Stone Cold posed as a nurse and hit Vince McMahon with a bed pan. "People are talking about it."

faith in sports

Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 at age 20 and the first thing he said into his radio wasn't, "Let's go party!" or "Who has it better than us??" or "We're the racing champions of the world!"

So what did Bayne say after he became the youngest driver to ever win the biggest stock car race in the world?

You'll see and hear it in the video below.

Even if you're not a NASCAR or racing fan, 6:25 of Trevor Bayne this morning is a good thing. He took on the world starting at age 15 when he moved, by himself, to North Carolina to start racing.

The rest is history.

If you'll give him 6 minutes of your time this morning, you'll appreciate this young man in a new way.

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

Thursday November 14, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3735

can you explain it? (yes)

Completely independent of one another (I believe), I have three e-mails in my inbox that contain almost the exact same theme.

"Can you explain?"

Rather than dodge the question like Colonel Jessup (in some places on the internet, it's spelled "Jessep") did in A Few Good Men -- "maybe Private Santiago was an early riser, maybe he didn't have any friends" -- I'll answer the three questions here today.

One of the questions, centering on the Capitals, has been answered here before. But I don't mind revisting it because the easy is actually quite simple.

We might as well start with that one.

Phil sent me an e-mail earlier this week: "Hey Drew, what's with all the love for Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals? You do know they play in Washington D.C. and not Baltimore right? Do you think people in Baltimore care about the Capitals?"

They play in Washington D.C.? Really? I had no idea.

#clownshoes

OK, this one's easy. I've discussed it here before.

Baltimore doesn't have a NHL team. They never have, in fact.

And, so, when I first started playing hockey in the mid 1970's, the Caps were the only "local" team, albeit down the road 50 minutes or so at the Capital Centre.

It never really dawned on me the Capitals were "off limits" because they were in Washington D.C. In fact, they were only "called" the Washington Capitals. But the games were in Landover, MD.

Anyway, I've always loved the Capitals. My dad and I went to almost every game in their second season, 1975-76, and I'd say I've attended in excess of 500 Caps home games -- and dozens of away games in Philly, New Jersey, New York and even Boston twice.

It would be totally different if Baltimore had a NHL team to call their own. Alas, we don't.

I'd love to have a NHL team playing downtown somewhere. That would be the coolest thing ever. But it will never happen.

So, I keep on rooting for the Caps, even now.

I have little interest in the NBA so it doesn't dawn on me to root for the Wizards. We have a football and baseball team in Baltimore that I root for, so the Commanders and Nationals are rivals, not favorites.

But I love hockey. And with no team in Baltimore, the Caps are the closest team to me. Some of my fondest memories in my life center on the Caps, going to games, cheering for them, etc.

I even once got to meet and interview my childhood idol, Caps radio broadcaster Ron Weber. Talk about feeling like a king.

That would be me feeling like a king. Not Ron Weber.

And, yes, I do think there are a lot of Capitals fans in Baltimore. The TV numbers also reflect that opinion. People in Baltimore watch hockey, whether that's the Caps or the Stanley Cup playoffs."

Carl Willimas asks -- "If someone totally unfamiliar with golf asked you to explain the downfall of Tiger Woods, what would you say to them?"

DF says -- "I don't know exactly how to put it in percentages, but I'd say 70% of it was injury related (which includes the car accident and the aftermath), 20% of it is the natural aging process and how it's a "young man's sport" and 10% of it can be traced back to the 2009 incident involving his then-wife.

A lot of people think he was "never the same" after the 2009 issue, but he won a lot of golf tournaments in the four years that followed, just no majors in that time span.

Once the injuries and surgeries started to pile up starting in 2014, that's when he started to really decline.

The car accident in 2021 was the worst injury of them all, though. The others -- knee, back, achilles, neck -- were all relatively minor compared to almost losing his leg in the one-vehicle accident he was involved in.

That's the one injury from which he couldn't and won't fully recover.

Even now, Woods plays very occasional solid rounds of golf, but they are of the one-and-done variety. He can no longer put together consecutive rounds in the 60's, which he used to do with one arm tied behind his back.

He has two significant challenges these days: His inability to play enough tournament golf to be "game ready" for the four majors. And the reason he can't do that is because he can't practice enough to get ready for those 10-12 events he needs to play to stay sharp for the Masters, PGA, U.S. Open and British Open.

Yes, even Tiger Woods needs practice. Lots of it, in fact. And the injuries he has sustained over the years no longer allow him to be competitive.

There's no telling how many tournaments and majors Woods would have won had it not been for the rash of injuries he suffered a decade ago.

100 regular TOUR wins? 20 majors? Those two numbers seem very possible given that he's currently at 82 TOUR victories and 15 majors and he's only won 3 tournaments, including one major, over the last 10 years.

The funniest part of the Tiger saga is that even after three surgeries from 2014-2018, a limited playing schedule, and a game that was about 75% of what it once was, he still won the Masters in 2019, which is one more major than these guys managed to win in their entire career: Lee Westwood, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Colin Montgomerie and, currently, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Patrick Cantlay.

I'm sure those guys don't find that stat very funny."

M.J. asks -- "Hey Drew, for your Q&A column, can you explain how the Turkey Bowl works between Calvert Hall and Loyola? Who sells all the tickets? Do the schools split the money that's made from the game or does that go to a promoter? Who is the favorite in this year's game? Thanks!"

DF says -- "The game is run by both schools, although the designated "home" school (this year it's Loyola) is responsible for extra duties like working with the stadium and their operations people to have everything ready for game day, securing the officials for the game, etc.

The visiting team's fans get to sit on the "sunny side" of the stadium, which is the non-press-box side.

I'm not in a position to discuss the financial arrangements of the game. I know nothing about it. Sorry.

And I'm not all that familiar with Loyola's team this season, so I can't help with handicapping the game. Calvert Hall had some "up" moments this past season, that much I do know. They made the MIAA playoffs and beat the likes of Gilman and Mount Saint Joseph along the way.

I'm sure both teams will be ready on Thanksgiving Day, like they always are."

Wednesday November 13, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3734

confession time

If you're a Ravens fan and you're nervous about this Sunday, that's totally understandable.

You're probably sitting around thinking to yourself, "Please, please, please let me get what I want."

And what you want, obviously, is a Ravens win over the Steelers.

Lamar Jackson isn't worried, I wouldn't think. "All you need is me," he's saying. And guess what? He's probably right. When Lamar is "on", that's all the Ravens need.

Oh, and let's not forget, these Steelers haven't seen Derrick Henry in purple yet. You know Derrick Henry. He's the guy Lamar refers to as "My best friend on the payroll". He's ready to run through and over Pittsburgh up in the Steel City on Sunday.

Now, there are certain people I know who think the Ravens are in trouble because their secondary stinks.

And what might John Harbaugh's message be to his secondary on Sunday? I hope it's something with a little more meat to it than, say, "Do your best and don't worry."

As for Justin Tucker, I sorta-kinda hope Sunday's game goes down to the wire and he trots on the field for a game-winning 49 yard field goal attempt and nails it right down the middle. I just want to see the boy happy.

Speaking of things Harbs says to his players, what do you think he would whisper to Tucker as he puts on his helmet and steps on the field for that game-winning kick attempt? "No one can hold a candle to you" is my best guess.

Or, maybe Harbs pats him on the backside and says, "To me you are a work of art."

I mean, you just have to stay positive with Tucker, right?

But if Tucker misses that kick and the Ravens somehow fall to the Steelers on Sunday, we should be prepared for bedlam here in Baltimore.

I know what to expect.

People are the same everywhere, after all. But I don't think I want to see the overreaction if it's an "L" and not a "W" up there.

"You were good in your time," people will say to Tucker on social media.

Or, "sorry doesn't help".

Tucker will hopefully take it all in stride. He's been great, after all.

"I'm not sorry," he might say, defiantly.

Let's hope it doesn't end like that on Sunday.

I don't want to see Tucker miss a huge kick in Pittsburgh.

I'd be disappointed if that's how it ends.

---

This one might not be easy for you to complete today.

If so, I understand.

I mean, frankly, if you asked me to list any Flyers players I've secretly coveted over the years, I couldn't do it.

I wouldn't do it, actually.

Well, I'd take Travis Konency on my team any day. If the Caps acquired him, I'd be OK with it.

The rest of those rat finks you can have. All of them. Since the 1970's, I mean. They're all charlatans.

So, if you say, "There's no way I can admit to having a fondness for anyone who played or plays for the Steelers," I get it.

I'll go ahead and lead off the exercise.

Because, over the years, there were definitely players in black and gold I would have loved to cheered for in Baltimore.

Now, understand something. I'm not suggesting a swap or trade. In other words, when I say, "Hines Ward could have played for my team any day," I don't mean I'm taking him over Todd Heap. I'm simply saying I would have loved to have seen Ward in purple.

So, yes, let's start there, officially.

I always thought Hines Ward was a heckuva wide receiver. In fact, he "played like a Raven", I'd say. He could throw out the occasional cheap shot, sure. But he was also a big time player who came through in the clutch time and time again.

On the flip side, I thought Joey Porter was an overachieving showboat. He was a decent player. Nothing more than that, really. I was always unimpressed with him.

The same with Plaxico Burress. He had his moments. He certainly did his fair share of torturing the Ravens. But all in all, I though he was just an OK player. Not much more than that.

I always liked Heath Miller. He was basically their version of Todd Heap and Dennis Pitta. Or Mark Andrews, today. He was reliable, made tough catches, and always seemed to come up with that one big reception on 3rd and 7 that kept a critical drive going.

Ike Taylor was hilariously inept. I loved when the Ravens matched up with him in the secondary. Despite our general lack of quality at the wide receiver spot, the Ravens always seemed to get the best of Taylor. Then again, so did most everyone else in the league. He'd prance around back there like he was the next coming of Deion Sanders and then give up 9 catches and 2 touchdowns in the game.

Troy Polamalu was obviously a player every team coveted. I mean, he's a Hall of Famer. And he played the game the right way, too. He was, of course, their version of Ed Reed. If possible, I thought guys like Polamalu and Reed were actually underrated in their careers. Polamalu was great.

T.J. Watt is legitimately a game-wrecker. Can you imagine if the Ravens had a guy like that on this year's defense? I don't follow the games, the Steelers or the stats close enough to know if he's a Hall of Famer in the making or not, but it certainly feels like he's probably on the path to Canton.

I saw the value in Jermome Bettis even though I always thought he got a little more spotlight than his production otherwise warranted. But, sure, he filled a nice role for them and certainly played a huge role on their offense during his time in Pittsburgh. I was never a huge Bettis fan. He was football's version of The Kinks. Good enough to stand out, but a tad overhyped.

I'm obviously leaving out the one name that is sure to create the most chatter.

Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger played 18 seasons for the Steelers, won 2 Super Bowls, and will someday soon be in the NFL Hall of Fame.

"Big Ben" was a massive force in his career.

Personally, there was quite a lengthy period of time during their respective careers where I would have taken Roethlisberger over Peyton Manning. Not because he was a "better" quarterback than Manning. But because he could win the games that Manning couldn't.

In the last 25 years, I'd say there were only three quarterbacks I saw/have seen that I'd definitely take over Big Ben: Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers.

Sure, newer guys like Lamar, Josh Allen and even Justin Herbert look like they might be comparable to Ben someday, but none of those three have made it to a Super Bowl yet, let alone win two of them.

In his era, though, during his zenith, Roethlisberger was a beast. The eternal "pain in the rear". He looked like he was down, only he wasn't. He looked like he was going to get sacked on 3rd and 8, only to somehow escape it and hit (insert receiver here) for a 13 yard gain.

Roethlisberger might be my all-time favorite non-Ravens quarterback.

He could have played for my team any day.

I also think Mike Tomlin is a terrific football coach, even if he did definitely try to trip Jacoby Jones in Baltimore.

Tomlin will obviously join Andy Reid, Bill Belichick and John Harbaugh as "current" coaches who will make it to the Hall of Fame someday. And rightfully so.

OK, then. As Ravens-Steelers week hits the midway point, it's time for your confessions.

Come on, you can do it.

No one knows but us.

'Fess up.

---

OK, so while we're confessing stuff, let's do this.

Who is one musical artist you like and/or listen to that your friends would say, "What on earth? You're listening to that?"

My friends know I have a wide range of musical preferences.

I can listen to late 1970's Jeff Lorber Fusion for 40 minutes and then throw on Eminem's "Recovery" album immediately thereafter.

I'll listen to AC/DC's "Back in Black" followed by Steely Dan's "Aja".

If you brought a Katy Perry CD with you, we can give that one a spin and then finish up with Warren Zevon's incredible album, "Excitable Boy".

I'll sing every lyric to every song on Live's "Throwing Copper" album, then do the same thing with one of my personal top 5 favorite albums of all time, "L.A. Woman" by The Doors.

Those albums were released about 32 years apart, mind you. But they're both timeless to me.

OK, so here's my confession. And yes, I know what you're thinking.

No, it's not that I've been listening to "Abbey Road" recently and have shockingly found it appealing.

I've never owned a country album in my life. I listen to virtually any and all kinds of music except country.

But my confession is: I am totally blown away by Sierra Ferrell.

She's incredible.

And while I don't think country music has been "dead" or anything like that, she's a huge spark to that genre of music.

When you get me to pay attention, that's saying something.

Maybe it's that I don't consider her out-and-out "country" music, even though I know she is. I view Ms. Ferrell as a cross between Michelle Branch (who didn't really start out as a country singer) and Michelle Shocked (who also didn't).

No matter the comparison, Sierra Ferrell is amazing.

Tuesday November 12, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3733

how can it be?

OK, so I heard this on the radio yesterday and immediately researched it when I got home.

"There's no way that's right," I said to myself.

And look, I have a lot of respect for Rachel Steele, the gravelly voiced on-air host on Sirius XM. I know she knows her stuff.

But I still didn't believe it.

"Queen has never won a Grammy award," she said on Monday afternoon.

I almost drove off the road.

There's no way that's true.

Right?

Queen. Freddie Mercury. Bohemian Rhapsody. You're My Best Friend. Another One Bites The Dust.

Come on, they have a Grammy or two. Maybe three. Right?

Nope. Rachel Steele was right. They don't have a single Grammy award to their name.

Queen.

Your mileage may vary on where, exactly, Freddie Mercury ranks on the all-time greatest rock vocalist list, but he's definitely top 10 and, perhaps, even top 5.

How on earth is it possible that Queen doesn't have a Grammy award?

---

You know who else doesn't have a Grammy award? Supertramp.

Well, technically they won one back in 1980 for a music video, but they've never won a Grammy for their music.

Breakfast in America was one of the best albums of 1980, if not the best. Alas, it didn't win.

Supertramp...no Grammy awards.

That one's hard to figure out as well.

Oh, and one quick note about Supertramp: Contrary to popular belief -- and album sales numbers -- their best album wasn't Breakfast in America.

Their best album was released in 1977 and it was called Even In The Quietest Moments.

Trust me on that one.

---

Billy Joel has been nominated 23 times and has won 6 Grammy awards for his music in his storied career.

I bring him up just in case you thought I was only centering on artists without Grammy awards.

Frankly, I would have thought Joel might be in double digits.

The Stranger and 52nd Street were/are arguably the best back-to-back albums in rock-n-roll history. Some folks would say Led Zeppelin put out five great albums in a row. Springsteen did himself proud with Born to Run and Darkness On The Edge Of Town.

But you'd be hard pressed to find two albums ring all the bells in succession like The Stranger and 52nd Street.

Billy Joel had a remarkable career.

---

OK, you mad yet?

"It's Ravens-Steelers week and this buffoon is talking about Queen and Grammy awards?"

Is that what you're thinking?

Relax. I'm just having fun.

Speaking of things you can file under: "How can it be?"

Glenn Clark and I will probably bring this one up tomorrow when I make my (mostly) weekly appearance on his show from 10 am to 12 noon (go to www.glennclarkradio if you'd like to tune in).

I do NOT remember the year this happened, but it was definitely at the peak of Ravens-Steelers sometime early in the Harbaugh/Flacco era.

It was a summer morning when Clark fielded an obscure call during my show. He came into the studio during a commercial break.

"Have you heard about this charity basketball game at North Harford High School?" he asked.

I hadn't heard about it.

"Someone just called the hotline and said the Pittsburgh Steelers have a team of players who are playing the North Harford High School faculty in a charity basketball game tonight."

It was the summer. Back then, the Orioles were horrible. And, by sometime in early June, the baseball team was a non-factor both on the field, in the stands and on the air.

I'd open the microphone every morning and rehash the 9-3 loss from the night before. If you think you're bored a week later listening to the folks on CNN still bellyaching about last week's election result, imagine how bored I was going on the air five mornings a week having to recap another O's home loss in front of 9.400 at the ballpark.

So when Clark delivered the news about the Steelers -- not the Ravens.....the FREAKIN' STEELERS -- invading Harford County and playing in a charity basketball game, we dove in with feet and arms flailing.

We got four days of content out of that incident.

"Phone lines are open," I would say all morning. "How do you feel about the Steelers being invited to North Harford High School this week?"

And we took call after call from irate Ravens fans who couldn't believe the school had the audacity to bring in the Ravens' #1 rival into our community.

True story: We had the County Executive of Harford County call into the show to defend the school and their right to have "anyone of their choosing" on their campus for a charity basketball game.

"No, you're wrong," I said to the County Executive. "You can't bring the Pittsburgh Steelers into Maryland and into Harford County and make them into a favored son."

That exchange got testy, as did the exchange we had with the school's principal, who also called into the show to defend the school and their decision to bring the Steelers to Harford County.

It was, of course, nothing more than a quasi-wrestling-skit.

The folks at North Harford High School were the heels and Clark and I were trying to be the baby faces.

We did find it kind of crazy that the Steelers were ushered into Harford County under a shroud of secrecy, but our bark on the subject was far worse than our bite.

It was the middle of the summer and the Orioles were awful.

What else were we going to talk about?

So we piled on the Steelers as much as we could and we crushed North Harford High School.

Four days of content we generated from the whole thing.

As they said at the beginning of All In The Family -- those were the days.

Back then, Ravens-Steelers was almost life and death.

Alas, this Sunday in Pittsburgh it will just be a football game.

Monday November 11, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3732

back to work "we" go

The Ravens will return to action next Sunday in Pittsburgh with first place on the line.

It's one of those games where people all week in Baltimore will be saying, "I hope we go in there and kick the snot out of those Steelers."

Harold brought up an interesting topic in the Comments section in regard to my use of the word "we" in yesterday's edition of #DMD.

It's something that used to bother me a lot when I was on the radio. Bob Haynie and I often talked about it. That is, the use of the word "we" by fans who were referencing their favorite team.

Alas, there is no "we", really.

There was a "we" when I worked for the Blast and Spirit indoor soccer teams. I could certainly use the word "we" to say, "We beat the Cleveland Force last night" or "We leave for the road trip tomorrow at 2:00 pm."

But "we", as it relates to the Orioles, Ravens, Capitals, etc.? It doesn't work for us regular folk.

In yesterday's piece about the history of the Colts in Baltimore, I included the move of the Browns to Baltimore in 1995/1996 and wrote about a conversation I had with my son recently when we (yes, the real "we") were watching the Colts play.

"Didn't we do the same thing to Cleveland in order to get the Ravens?" my son will then ask, bringing up another topic I'd rather not address.

"Well, yes we did," I say. "But that was different. We didn't take their uniforms, colors and history. We let Cleveland keep the "Browns". We did take their franchise, yes, and that wasn't very cool. But we did leave them with their history."

Funny enough, he also used the word "we" in the same way I did, referring to the body of Baltimore and the fan base as if we were somehow all responsible for the Browns moving to Baltimore.

---

This is where it gets sticky, because as Harold noted, there wasn't a vote.

There wasn't a vote to steal Cleveland's team from them.

There wasn't a vote to call the team the Baltimore "Browns" or some other name. In fact, you might recall, at the very first press conference announcing the move, there were shirts and other items sold bearing the name: Baltimore Browns.

Harold is right. "We" didn't vote. But "we" certainly didn't stand up and say, "No way, we're not being a party to a stolen team. We know how that feels. It ain't right."

We -- see, I still keep doing it -- got turned away at the altar by the NFL when they gave expansion teams to Jacksonville and Charlotte in 1995. Our presentation was supposedly "the best of them all", but the league went with two new cities instead of one proven city that deserved another franchise.

Jacksonville, as we now know, was an awful decision by the league. The team has never made an impact in that community, plays several games a year overseas now, and in various times in its history they draped off seats in the upper deck because they couldn't sell them.

Charlotte, everyone would admit, was a great decision back then. Charlotte was then what Nashville is now, meaning it was a growing, bustling city with a delightful climate and industrial and commercial opportunities that were bringing 20-somethings to the area in droves.

The Panthers have been very good for the league. Jacksonville, not so much.

But I digress.

When "we" didn't get an expansion team, it appeared to us at that point that the only way we were going to get a NFL team would be to steal one.

I don't know if that was accurate. Perhaps if we waited around a few more years, we would have been awarded the team in 1999 that the city of Cleveland got to replace the Browns. I have no idea, nor do I care to reflect on it all that much.

We stole the Browns from Cleveland in 1995 and football came back to Baltimore in 1996.

I say "we" stole the Browns even though it was really Art Modell who moved his team here. Indianapolis didn't really "steal" the Colts from us, per se. Bob Irsay moved his business -- a football team named the Colts -- from Baltimore to Indianapolis.

But it's all in the way its perceived.

And in our case, in 1995, we did to them what had been done to us.

I got a lot of heat when I was on the radio and the subject of the NFL Hall of Fame came up and we would do our own "mock voting" and I would refuse to vote for Art Modell.

To this day, I won't do it.

I said it back then and I will still say it today and I'm never going to change: "I won't vote for an owner to make the Hall of Fame who moved his team."

Hence, I would never vote for Modell. Not back then, not today and not tomorrow.

I know he let the Browns keep their history and that was very noble of him given what other franchises who moved did with their history, colors, etc.

But that was after he told Cleveland, "Sorry, next fall you're not going to have a football team to cheer for."

I know there are owners in the Hall of Fame who moved teams. That's all well and good, but that doesn't mean I have to support their inclusion and place in Canton. I wouldn't vote for Al Davis or Bob Irsay and I wouldn't vote for Art Modell, either.

But I'm grateful that Modell moved his Browns to Baltimore, which is always part of the odd juxtaposition I deal with when it comes to "cheering" for the Ravens.

I don't know that I've ever felt totally at peace with the Ravens, if I'm being honest, which I expect you want me to be here. I love the team and have a lot of friends in their front office, past and present.

Most times I'm perfectly fine with cheering for them and all.

Every once in a while, though, I remember...

And sometimes I don't like remembering that we took the Browns from Cleveland and turned them into the Ravens.

My son and daughter know nothing of the Colts in Baltimore. They only know the Ravens in Baltimore. Their respective lifelong positions on the Ravens will be different than mine.

---

That said, the one thing I will rail against forever is the history of the Baltimore Colts being identified with the history of the Indianapolis Colts. It drives me nuts to hear Johnny Unitas referenced as a "Colts record holder" or "it's the most catches by a Colts tight end in a game since the great John Mackey did it in 1967."

Right now, in fact, if you go to John Mackey's Wikipedia page and note his "Dates Joined" column, it reads: 1972 Los Angeles Chargers (wrong), 1963 Indianapolis (wrong).

They list Mackey's career in the NFL as "Indianapolis" even though he NEVER PLAYED A GAME IN THAT CITY.

It's maddening.

And if you were going to ask me what the biggest ownership mistake Steve Bisciotti ever made might be, I would tell you that it might of been his reluctance to fork over the reported $10 million the Colts wanted in exchange for returning the history of the pre-Indianapolis team back to Baltimore and the Ravens franchise.

$10 million is a lot of money to you and I. $10 million is a lot of money to most people, frankly.

$10 million to Bisciotti is (was) like your cousin Stacy asking you to loan them $500 so they can put a downpayment on a new condo in Ocean City.

It would have been the greatest investment of his life, with potentially no real return on it other than a portion of the fan base sleeping better at night knowing we'd never again have to hear a TV announcer say, "And with that completion, Andrew Luck has now surpassed Johnny Unitas as the Colts all-time leader in touchdown passes."

Editor's note: I'm have no idea if that actually happened. I'm just using it as an example.

Anyway, Harold's commentary about the use of the word "we" was interesting. "We" do it all the time. It's our team, after all. We don't own it, per se, but we do help fund it and keep it afloat.

And in the case of the Browns and the city of Cleveland, they got something that "we" didn't get it.

They got to keep their football legacy intact, albeit with a brief 3-year break in between.

If only "we" would have been that fortunate here in Baltimore.

Sunday November 10, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3731

on days like today, always remember

This one, today, is something you've seen in the past if you're a longtime visitor to #DMD.

I file it under "consumer service".

It's my favor to you.

Not all of you need it, mind you. Some people reading this today who are, say, in their 50's and 60's, will "get it" far more than will folks who are in their 20's and 30's.

But it's reading material for everyone because it's true. It's not fiction. It's not a story intended to shake you up. It really happened.

Today in the NFL, teams will play football and games will go on.

But on this Sunday, Baltimore won't have football. Washington D.C. will. Kansas City will. Charlotte will. Indianapolis will, too.

Baltimore, though, will be just a cozy east coast town with temperatures dipping down into the 40's and rain, finally, expected in the area sometime later today.

You might get out and do some yard work.

Maybe, like me, you'll find an hour or two to head the practice range or even get in 9 holes after church.

Perhaps you and your family are starting the early preparations for the holiday season today, getting the tree and light fixtures out of the basement.

One thing you won't be doing, though, is watching the Baltimore team play football this afternoon or tonight.

And that's how it was here every Sunday from 1984 through 1995.

It's here where I'll acknowledge we did get "football" back in Charm City in the aftermath of the Colts leaving, as the Canadian Football League spent two years in Baltimore in 1994 and 1995.

But no one really cared about the Stallions. It was like losing the Orioles and getting the Norfolk Tides to move to Baltimore and play their Triple A season(s) in Charm City.

Technically, it was football, but only because they used a football in the games.

---

We lost the Colts in March of 1984 and the Ravens didn't show up in Charm City until the 1996 season. Every Sunday in between during those 12 years, the rest of the country played NFL football and Baltimore didn't.

There are a lot of people in this town and perhaps a lot of people reading this today who have no real idea what it's like to not have football. My own children are prime examples. They know nothing but the Ravens.

My son never understands when I wax poetically about those gorgeous blue and white uniforms the Colts wear and he doesn't understand when I do a quick fist pump and say, "Way to go, Houston" when the scores roll across the bottom of the screen and it reads: Texans 23 - Colts 17 (F).

"What do you have against the Colts?" he'll ask.

"It's a long story," I always say. And then I leave it at that, mostly because I don't have it in me to go through the whole thing once again and, honestly, because it gets me agitated to a point I'd rather not show my children.

"We didn't have football here for 12 years because the owner moved the team from Baltimore to Indianapolis," I say. "So there's always a smart part of us here that still resents Indianapolis and the Colts."

"Even now?" he'll ask.

"Even now," I say, a little bit apprehensively and with shame in my voice.

But it can't be helped.

The Colts were everything to Baltimore.

Some people think Baltimore is a baseball town.

Baltimore is a football town, plain and simple. And when the Colts were here and the days were good and the owner was sane, Baltimore loved the Colts five times more than it has ever loved the Orioles.

And that's not being disrespectful to the Orioles. That's showing the old Colts the ultimate level of respect.

"Didn't we do the same thing to Cleveland in order to get the Ravens?" my son will then ask, bringing up another topic I'd rather not address.

"Well, yes we did," I say. "But that was different. We didn't take their uniforms, colors and history. We let Cleveland keep the "Browns". We did take their franchise, yes, and that wasn't very cool. But we did leave them with their history."

And Cleveland, of course, went three years without football. Baltimore went twelve years without it. That might be splitting hairs, but three years and twelve years are vastly different.

---

Fast forward to now.

Baltimore has had the Ravens since 1996 and anyone, let's round it off, who was born in 1985 or later never really knew the Colts as "our team" anyway.

If you're 40 years old this year, the Ravens is all you know, football wise.

If you're 30 years old this year, you've only ever rooted for the Ravens (presumably) if you were born and raised in Baltimore.

You're lucky.

And, so, today, use the occasion of the Ravens having an "off Sunday" to feel what it must have been like in 1992 when there was no football team here.

The games were still on television, except, as a sample of what you're going to watch today, you'd be forced to view the Steelers/Commanders game from D.C. at 1 pm and then, at 4:25 pm, you'd be force-fed the Eagles/Cowboys clash from Dallas.

Fall and winter were lonely times around here, trust me.

And they were particularly lonely for people who are now in their 60's and beyond because our Sunday afternoons were filled with trips to Memorial Stadium to watch the Colts or family gatherings around the TV or radio to take in away games.

When they took football away from us in 1984, the city didn't know what to do.

Ironically, the team I worked for at the time, the Blast, didn't really benefit from the Colts leaving. If anything, it hurt us. Our best attendance years were in 1981, 1982 and 1983, when we sold out the arena 56 straight times during that span.

Our crowds were still in the 10,000 range in 1985 and 1986 when the first years of no-football-in-Baltimore were felt, but a big piece of Baltimore died when the Colts left in 1984.

Fortunately, this history lesson ends on a good note.

We have the Ravens.

They're a great franchise.

They win almost every year.

And, for a lot of people, they don't know about the pain of losing a beloved team.

That said, people tend to get out of hand when things don't their way.

Look no further than what happened in the aftermath of last Tuesday's election, with thousands of videos popping up of people reacting angrily and "losing their minds" because they didn't get their way when the results were announced.

Everyone knows how to win.

Very few people know how to lose.

And, so, when the Ravens do lose improbably to someone like the Raiders or Browns, folks can't handle it. And they say and do things they shouldn't do as a reaction to that.

Sometimes, even when the Ravens win, people do dumb things, as we saw a few weeks back with the incident near the stadium that landed a local man in jail.

But the premise of this piece today is to simply remind you that above all, more than anything else, you should simply always give thanks that we have a football team here.

Sure, you can rail against the secondary when they drop a sure-fire interception or you can howl at the moon about the defense giving up two late touchdowns in a (rare) loss to a division rival.

But don't let that ever be more important than the fact that you, me, us -- we have the Ravens.

Today, there are no games.

Not for Baltimore, anyway.

We felt "like this" for 12 years.

Just always remember that.

Having a team, no matter their record, is always better than not having a team.

	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 closing in on having a good week against the spread for everyone, but my prop bets features are doing very well so far in the 2024 season. I'm now a 64% for props. I hope to continue that for you today and get my game picks right as well.

Game picks

Carolina +6.5 vs. New York Giants

Bears -6 vs. New England

Colts +4 vs. Buffalo

Broncos +7.5 at Kansas City

49'ers -6.5 at Tampa Bay

Commanders -2.5 vs. Pittsburgh

Lions -3.5 at Houston

Prop bets

Caleb Williams (Chi) over 203.5 yards passing

Josh Allen (Buff) over 203.5 yards passing

Travis Kelce (KC) anytime touchdown scorer

Patrick Mahomes (KC) over 0.5 touchdown passes in both halves

Baker Mayfield (TB) over 1.5 touchdown passes

Russell Wilson (Pitt) under 203.5 yards passing

Jayden Daniels (Wash) over 1.5 touchdown passes

Jared Goff (Det) over 203.5 yards passing

Saturday November 9, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3730

saturday q and a

It's been so long since I've done a mailbag piece I have questions in the folder from late September.

I'll try to do this more regularly in the future, but, you know, baseball playoffs and the Ravens defense giving up 30 points per-game gets in the way.

There was an interesting story that developed late Friday afternoon when it was learned that the Auburn basketball team's chartered flight had to return to their original airport in Alabama.

No, they didn't have mechanical issues or some other plate-related emergency. Everything was fine in that regard.

Instead, they had to return to the airport mid-flight because a fight broke out within the team and the flight attendants were concerned for their safety.

I know what you're thinking: Aren't they all on the same team?

Indeed they are.

Auburn officials aren't saying much but one story reported by a school-centric website says there was "general horseplay" in the back of the plane that somehow got out of hand and escalated into a scuffle among two players.

The Tigers were headed for Houston for a game with the Cougars tonight when the plane was diverted back to the airport. A replacement flight took off without incident later on Friday and the team arrived in Houston just before midnight last night.

The times sure have changed.

I traveled by air for 17 years when I was in the soccer business and all any of the players ever wanted to do on the plane was sleep.

Some of us played cards or chess, but for the most part, catching up on sleep was the favorite activity on our flights.

Imagine being the coach of the team and having one of the flight attendants come up to the front and tell you there's a fight in the back of the airplane.

It would be like the famous Charley Eckman scene when he got fired in Fort Wayne and the owner said, "We're making a change in your department" and Charley quickly realized he was the only person in his department.

"Sir, we have to turn around and go back to the airport. There's a flight on the plane."

"Oh for heaven's sake. That's absurd. We have a basketball game to play tomorrow night and a 7 pm walk through tonight in the arena. Who are the idiots that are fighting? Can't we just cuff them to the seat and keep on flying to Houston?"

"Sir, they're apparently your basketball players. You're the only people on the plane, remember?"

"Oh, yes. You're correct."

Kids, huh?

G.M. asks -- "Jayden Daniels of the Commanders is starting to draw a lot of MVP talk. Is there any way he's a better candidate for the award than Lamar?"

DF says -- "First off, let me state the obvious. We don't like to admit this at parties, but it's true. We always value our players on a different level than we value others.

I don't follow the Commanders even remotely as close as I follow the Ravens. On a scale of 1-to-10, I follow the Ravens about an 8.8 and I follow the Commanders about 1.1.

Daniels is certainly having an excellent season. He is, for sure, one of the top new players in the league. And it's definitely fair to say that without him, the Commanders would look a lot more like the Saints and Giants.

And to that end, maybe he is the most "valuable" player in the league. But all we're doing with that award is splitting hairs, anyway.

No player is more important to his team than Mahomes is to Kansas City. Shouldn't he be the MVP?

But, wait. No one is more important to their team than Lamar. I mean, without him, the Ravens lose every game. I would think that makes him the MVP.

Hold on, though. Could you imagine where Buffalo would be without Josh Allen? They'd be 4-13 at best.

You get the picture.

To me, the MVP award is really the "This guy had the best season of anyone in the league" award. It's not about "valuable", it's about "excellence in performance".

That's how I see it.

And that's why Lamar should win it.

Jayden Daniels is a nice player, for sure. But he's not a better quarterback than Lamar Jackson. Not this year, anyway."

Rob asks -- "Hi Drew, I saw you at the Calvert Hall vs. McDonogh soccer game last night (Oct. 25) and had a general soccer question I thought you could answer. What could be done to create more scoring in the game? I'm not a soccer expert by any means. My nephews plays for McDonogh and I've been to several games this year and it seems like only 1 goal or 2 goals are scored every time. Is there something that can be done about having more goals scored?"

DF says -- "I'm not going to push back hard on your "we need more goals" request, but I've said this forever about soccer. I'm not sure we -- the American sporting public -- want to see more "goals", per se. What we want to see are more goal scoring opportunities. More action in front of net. More chances to score.

If they go in, that's great.

But what we're really looking for, in simple terms, is more action.

Now, as a result of what I'd offer as a remedy, more goals would be scored, I think. But more than anything else, it would create a lot more action in and around the goal box (within 18 yards).

This one is easy: Get rid of offsides if the ball is played within your half of the field.

Offsides in soccer is not only stupid, it actually happens more than shots on goal in almost every game.

Look at most stat sheets of high school soccer games. There are 6 or 8 shots on goal and at least 10 offsides calls. And don't confuse shots on goal with "shots taken" (balls that are blocked, go wide, go over the bar, etc.).

Offsides might be the dumbest rule in all of sports. Like, ALL sports. Everywhere.

"Hey, let's create a rule that routinely diminishes goal scoring chances in every game by, oh, 75%."

Without those ticky-tack offsides calls where the offending player was drawing no real advantage, anyway, you're keeping the game moving and creating more action in the final third of the field. It's a no brainer to get rid of offsides. But they never do."

Ray asks -- "I have reached out to you before with this request. In fact last year at this time you gave me Xander Schauffele and the year before that you gave me Wyndham Clark. So I'm coming back to you again for your help. Every December my golf group friends (15 of us now) get together for a holiday party and we all put a $100 bill into an envelope and pick four players who have never won a major in golf and then we total up how much money they win in majors next year and all of the prize money goes to the guy who picks the best four man lineup. Who would your four players be for next golf season?"

DF says -- "So you're really trying to figure out which player without a major might win one because he'll almost assuredly win you the most money. That's what it seems like. So let's come up with four guys who could win their first major next year.

The most obvious and easiest guy that will probably be on everyone's list is Ludvig Aberg. He's going to win several of them in his career. As long as he's healthy moving forward (he had some knee issues in 2024), he's a no-brainer for your list.

The other name almost everyone will put on their list is Patrick Cantlay. He has to win one soon and a couple of major courses in '25 (Oakmont CC and Quail Hollow) are big ballparks where he can air out the driver. Putting has always been his achilles heel in majors, but that was also Schauffele's issue and he fixed that in 2024.

Aberg and Cantlay are "chalk" picks, but they're also guys who are likely to win a major. It's hard to leave them off the list.

For the third pick, how about Rickie Fowler?

(I'm kidding. I just wanted to make George spit out his coffee).

I'll give you two semi-long-shots. Both are familiar names. And they potentially won't be on the list of others in the group which could help you if they have high finishes in majors but don't win.

Akshay Bhatia is the first one. The PGA is in Charlotte. He lives in the Wake Forest area and has played a lot of his golf in the state of North Carolina. Bhatia is a terrific player.

And I think Sam Burns is potentially the 2025 version of Wyndham Clark-2023. Burns is a very nice player who hasn't always hit on all cylinders during major championships. He's too good to not win one. Let's go with him to finish out your four-man team.

Matt Elmore asks -- "Hi DF, any chance the Ravens are going to fire Zach Orr during this 10-day period between last night's game (Thursday) and the Steelers game in Pittsburgh. He has to go."

DF says -- "I'd be very surprised if he gets fired. It's just not the Ravens way of doing things. They brought in Dean Pees to help Orr, obviously. That was a big enough admission from the Ravens that something is wrong defensively.

But firing the coordinator mid-season seems like a bit of an overreaction.

Now, they do have Pees in-house right now, so if they decided to pull the plug on Orr, Pees could slip right in and take over. What that move would yield is anyone's guess.

The reality is this: I don't think Zach Orr is the reason why Marcus Williams, Eddie Jackson and Brandon Stephens have all been lit up this year. I don't think Zach Orr is the reason why Kyle Hamilton didn't seal that Browns game with the interception in the final minute.

Is Zach Orr "struggling" with his schemes and in-game-play-calls? Maybe. I don't have that kind of discerning eye.

But his players are letting him down, big time, as Marlon Humphrey mentioned earlier this week when he met with the media.

I don't think they're firing Zach Orr. Would I be "stunned beyond belief" if they fired him? No. But it just doesn't seem like the sort of move the Ravens make, particularly with someone they just gave the job to last January."

Friday November 8, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3729

take the win and move on

Yeah, it was a tad lucky.

I've never been afraid to embrace good luck when it comes my way.

The refs helped us late in the game, which is far better than the refs hurting us late in the game.

And Cincinnati's goofy coach lost his mind with 38 seconds left in the game when the Bengals scored a touchdown to make the score 35-34.

All of those things added up to a nailbiting 35-34 Ravens win over the Bengals, which pretty much extinguishes Cincinnati's fire for the '24 season. And the victory moves the Ravens to 7-3 and gives them a 10-day recovery stretch before they head to Pittsburgh for a showdown with the overrated Steelers on November 17.

Zach Orr...

Zach Orr...

Are you there, Zach?

The embattled defensive coordinator once again got his hat handed to him on Thursday night, as this time it was the only guy on the Bengals he needed to focus on -- Ja'Marr Chase -- who tortured the Ravens for 60 minutes.

Chase caught 11 balls for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns.

I know what you're thinking. And you're wrong.

Chase didn't catch 21 balls for 464 yards. It just felt like that.

Joe Burrow went 34/56 for 428 yards and four TD throws. He got hammered all night but stayed the course and earned some bonus points for taking a beating and bouncing back up every time. But in the end, it wasn't enough, despite Zach Orr's flimsy defense and a secondary that was once again throttled time and time again.

A win's a win, of course. And Burrow and Chase are perhaps the league's most impressive QB-WR combination in all of football.

But something has to happen with this Ravens defense. And quickly.

I mean, unreliable called the Ravens today and said he was losing faith in their defense.

It's not good.

Dean Pees was brought in last month to help Orr find his way in his rookie campaign as the team's defensive coordinator, but that hasn't done much of anything.

What's Greg Mattison doing? Is he around?

Orr, of course, isn't entirely to blame. Brandon Stephens was lit up like a doobie at a Dave Matthews Band show and Roquan Smith lumbered around the field like he had a piano on his back all night. Coaches coach and players play. That's what they say, anyway. And the Ravens are struggling, personnel wise, on the defensive side of the ball.

If Kyle Hamilton's injury is serious, the Ravens are in deep doo-doo.

In hockey and basketball, players can get assists on scoring plays.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor should get an assist from the Ravens for the completely bizarre decision to go for 2 points on the Bengals final touchdown of the night with 38 seconds remaining.

No matter if the Bengals kick the extra point to tie it there and convert the 2-pointer to go ahead, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense were still going to get the ball back and would only need a field goal to win the game.

There was only ONE way you could lose the game: By going for two and not getting it. That was it. You weren't going to win the game outright by going for two points there. You were only giving yourself the lead. But while you couldn't win the game right then, you could definitely lose it right then.

Editor's note: Yes, I'm aware the Bengals could have recovered an onside kick and scored thereafter.

There were two ways you could win the game: Convert the 2 point conversion and hold the Ravens offense in the final 38 seconds.

Kick the game-tying extra point, hold the Ravens in the final 38 seconds, and then win the game in OT.

Either way, you were still going to have to hold the Ravens for the final 38 seconds.

Goofy Zac Taylor went for two, didn't get it, and the game was over.

If there's 5 or 10 seconds left, it's a different story.

There were 38 seconds left no matter if you kick the extra-point or go for two. So you kick it and play defense, hoping to hold them off and get the game to overtime, where anything could happen.

I mean, yes, I'm glad Zac Taylor flubbed that one. But I'm amazed by it, still. These dudes get $5 million or more to coach and then the simplest thing(s) are impossible for them to grasp in the heat of the moment.

You know what they say: Bengals gonna Bengals. Always.

We'll go back into the stall for a minute and beat the horse a little more to make sure he's dead.

This Ravens defense is beyond inept.

If not for Lamar, they'd be a 2-8 team.

While they did get some decent pressure on Burrow throughout Thursday night's game, he still embarrassed Zach Orr's group time and time again, playing pitch and catch with Ja'Marr Chase like you throw the baseball to your 10-old nephew Nico at the family picnic in August.

They better figure something out.

Or, as I wrote here earlier this week, they need to simply score 35 or 40 points every week and hang on for dear life like they did on Thursday night.

And let's remember this: They won't go up against an overmatched coach every week, either.

Things need to shape up on defense or the Ravens are going to waste a 3rd MVP campaign by Lamar Jackson.

faith in sports

Once a year, I show you this video featuring Inky Johnson.

We listen to albums all the time. Same songs. Same music. Same lyrics. But we listen over and over.

Sometimes we watch the same movie numerous times.

I probably watch something from Inky Johnson once a month. This one, which centers on his "life story" and how he grew in his faith after a life changing incident, is my favorite of them all.

If you've never seen it, please give this video 10 minutes of your attention. You won't regret doing that.

If you've seen it before, you know it's worth watching again. And again.

Please carve out 10 minutes of your day today and watch the video below.

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 November 7, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3728

"we're on to pittsburgh"

A lot of my friends are worried about this Thursday night home clash with the Bengals.

I had to remind them yesterday they were also worried about the Broncos on Sunday and, well, we know how that one went.

This one should be a "W" for the Ravens, all things being equal.

Sure, they might have a better wide receiver (Chase), but that's about the only key piece in Cincinnati that is a notch above what the Ravens offer. And Zay Flowers, while perhaps not being Ja'Marr Chase, isn't chopped liver, either.

Our quarterback is better. Our running back is way better. Our tight ends are better and, in general, everything about the Baltimore offense is better.

Neither defense is great. I think we all know that. But in Baltimore, tonight, I suspect Zach Orr's rises to the occasion in front of a national TV audience.

And by "rise to the occasion", I'm talking about only allowing, say, 20-something points in 60 minutes.

It's funny how times change, huh? The Baltimore defense allowing something around 24 points is now known as "rising to the occasion".

Anyway...

Be honest. If I told you I saw the script for tonight's contest and the Baltimore defense allows, say, 24 points, you'd think the Ravens were going to win. Right?.

I just don't see how Cincinnati comes into Baltimore and wins.

Could they? Sure. Unlike Denver last week, who had zero chance, the Bengals, if their chakras are in line, can put up a lot of points. And they do have enough prior success in the Joe Burrow era to know how to win games, even games against upgraded opponents like Baltimore.

It won't happen, though.

I can see this one being somewhat close. It's a divisional game, after all. And at 4-5, while it's not "must" win for the Bengals, they're starting to see how the season unfolds and, given their upcoming schedule, they know a win tonight would be huge for their playoff hopes.

I could be wrong on this and the 60 minutes of action on the field will prove me right or not. I think Cincinnati mans up tonight.

It's 7-7 after one quarter as Lamar hits Mark Andrews for a TD pass and Burrow finds his favorite target, Ja'Marr Chase, on a TD throw of his own.

The Ravens lead at the half, 21-14, with Derrick Henry scoring a touchdown for the 10th straight game late in the second quarter.

A Tucker field goal makes it 24-14, but Burrow again hits Ja'Marr Chase with a TD throw against embattled Brandon Stephens, making the score 24-21 heading into the 4th quarter.

Justin Tucker hits an early 4th quarter field goal to make it 27-21. The Ravens then intercept Burrow on the ensuing drive to get the ball right back.

Lamar leads the Ravens on a 10-play, 5-minute drive and scampers in himself from 5 yards out to make it 34-21.

The Bengals connect on a 48-yard field goal with 6:30 left in the game to make it 34-24.

Cincy then gets a turnover of their own and they march down the field, only to be stopped on the 12 yard line. The field goal makes it 34-27, Ravens in front.

The next drive decides the game. On 4th and 2 from the Cincinnati 40 yard line, Lamar and Harbaugh decide to go for it, and Derrick Henry bulls his way to 3 yards as the 2 minute warning hits.

The Bengals use their time outs wisely and Baltimore faces a 4th and 2 again as the two minute warning hits. This time, Harbaugh sends Justin Tucker on the field for a 47-yard field goal attempt. Tucker connects to make the score 37-27 and that's how it ends on a warm November night in Baltimore.

Ravens 37 - Bengals 27.

We're on to Pittsburgh.

I'm starting to think there's actually a good chance that Alex Ovechkin is going to break Wayne Gretzky's career goal scoring record this season.

Honestly, I didn't think there was any way possible Ovi would do it in '24-25. He went into the season needing 41 goals to tie the mark and he already has eight this season after tallying the game-winner in last night's 3-2 home triumph over Nashville.

He's 23 games ahead of his goal-scoring pace from a season ago. He didn't score his 8th goal until the 35th game in 2023-2024.

His current pace puts him at 55 goals for the '24-25 campaign, but I don't see that happening. If he breaks the record, that's impressive enough.

What's interesting about this season, per se, is that Ovi is well known for his slow starts. I fully expected him to be at 5 goals at the 15 game mark and, maybe, 10 goals at the 30-game point of the season. I assumed Ovi would score 35 this season and need 6 more in '25-26 to tie the mark and 7 to break it and he'd get those early next season.

If he can get to 20 goals by the 35-game point of this season, he definitely stands a chance of scoring 21/22 more in the final 47 games of the season. And all of that, obviously, is barring some sort of injury that derails him.

Oh, and here's the oher thing: The Caps are actually pretty good. Better than "pretty good", actually.

Maybe it's just early-bird-gets-the-worm or something of that nature and they're playing over their heads while the other teams in the league find their sea legs, but this D.C. team looks like they might make some noise. I didn't see it coming. Not this season, anyway.

A solid team and an historic goal-scoring chase. All in one season? This really is The Land of Pleasant Living after all.

For starters, other than one or two jabs in the comments section below, most of you stayed away from political commentary here yesterday in the aftermath of Tuesday's election.

I thank you for that.

I'd like it to stay that way, too, please.

Now is the time for all of us to get together, accept what happened on Tuesday, and try to make this country the place we want it to be.

How you decide to do that is, of course, up to you.

But what won't get us anywhere is being uncivil to one another.

So let's not do that here. Or anywhere, for that matter.

But here, in particular, it's important for all of us to just move on and let the powers-that-be handle the transition.

Thank you, again, for keeping this place relatively clean and free of political ramblings over the last six months.

Wednesday November 6, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3727

just score more points than the other guy

So, it's safe to say the Ravens philosophy for the rest of the 2024 season is this: Offense first.

Eric DeCosta did make a deal on Tuesday afternoon but it was for oft-injured ex-Rams cornerback Tre'Davious White, who was a healthy scratch in L.A.'s four most recent games.

Twitter and Ravens-centric websites lit up with criticism for DeCosta after the 4 pm deadline passed yesterday, but the reality is White, much like Diontae Johnson last week, didn't cost the Ravens much of anything. DeCosta swapped 7th round picks to get White, who suffered a torn achilles with the Bills last season and simply never fit in out in Los Angeles.

The issue, of course, is just how much will White help the struggling Ravens pass defense, which currently ranks last in the NFL through nine games?

And on top of that, why didn't DeCosta add a pass rush specialist or even an interior defensive lineman instead of a defensive back?

Did Las Vegas not want to part with Maxx Crosby or did the Ravens pass on him because the price was too rich for their blood?

Only the GM knows the answer to those questions.

Maybe the price tag was too steep. Perhaps no one in the league wanted to go out of their way to help the Ravens. Perhaps DeCosta, Harbaugh, Monken, Orr, et al simply believe the way to go is to emphasize offense to the hilt and take what you can get on defense.

I'll do what I generally do in situations like these.

That is........

I'll trust the guy who does it for a living and eats, breathes and poops football.

I'll trust the guy who thought Derrick Henry would be a great addition to the Baltimore offense.

I'll trust the guy who picked up Roquan Smith at the deadline last season.

I'll trust the guy who picked Zay Flowers #1 in the draft a couple of years ago.

Sure, DeCosta is also the guy who brought in Earl Thomas. He has a few whiffs here and there as well. Every GM does, in fact.

But in the end, I'm going to assume the Ravens and their GM have a plan in place.

My guess is they're just going to try to out-Lamar-Jackson everyone. And here's the thing. I'm all for it. They might have to win big games 33-30 or 34-27, but so be it. It's not "how" you win games. It's "how many" games you win.

So, if you came around here today to see me beat up on Eric DeCosta, you're going to be disappointed.

I reacted the same in late July when Mike Elias added his pieces for the final two months of the regular season.

Zach Eflin was a winner. Eloy Jimenez was a loser. Trevor Rogers was a flop. A couple of other guys helped out here and there, but for the most part, Elias added pieces he thought would help and then Jordan Westburg got hurt and everything changed.

DeCosta added two pieces. I didn't think either of them were "necessary", per se, but if Diontae Johnson hauls in a 33 yard game-winning touchdown pass with 1:30 to go in the AFC title game in Kansas City, his addition was beneficial.

I'm going to trust the guy who forgot more about football than you, me, and all of our friends will ever know.

The Ravens have the best quarterback in football and the best running back, too.

If those guys stay healthy and the likes of Flowers, Andrews, Likely, Bateman don't get hurt, the Ravens are going to put up 30-burgers on almost every team they face.

As long as they only give up 20-burgers along the way, we're fine.

Speaking of the Orioles and their roster, there's probably no real reason for any of us to get overly excited about the upcoming hot stove period.

Here's the deal: Unless they're willing to give up on some veterans, they simply don't have many open spots to fill. Right field is obviously vacant at this point unless the O's somehow convince Anthony Santander to return.

And maybe they are going to part ways with guys like Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle, but who comes in when those two depart?

Here's the quick position-by-position look at the '25 Orioles.

Catcher: Rutschman returns, obviously, but he's not "full time" behind the plate.

They need a competent back-up. James McCann is a free agent now, but if the O's want him back, I'm guessing he'll return. If 2024 is any indication of what the club will do in 2025, they need someone to catch 75 games while Rutschman picks up the rest of them.

First base: Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O'Hearn will likely continue their platoon formula. That is, unless Mountcastle gets dealt in the off-season.

Second base: Jackson Holliday

Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson

Third base: Jordan Westburg

Left field: Heston Kjersted/Colton Cowser.

Center field: Cedric Mullins/Colton Cowser.

Right field: vacant

Now....

Coby Mayo is going to be a popular discussion point in the winter. What to do with him?

And there are a couple of right field free agents available who would fit in with the way Mike Elias likes to compile his roster: Randal Grichuk and Max Kepler are two names you're going to hear and read as potential Orioles over the cold months ahead.

There are numerous quality free agent pitchers available. Guys like Max Fried, Walker Buehler, Blake Snell and Yusei Kikuchi are going to be expensive, but they have lots of life left in their pitching arms.

Others like Jose Quintana, Alex Cobb and Patrick Corbin are old, but probably willing to sign one or two year deals just to make one more financial splash before hanging 'em up.

The Orioles are in good shape for 2025.

They need a starting pitcher or two, and don't forget Kyle Bradish is set to return sometime after June 1st.

They could always use a "real" right fielder, but if it turns out they go with someone like Grichuk or Kepler (or both), it wouldn't be the end of the world.

I wouldn't be opposed to seeing Pete Alonso in Baltimore.

Max Fried is my personal pick for a free agent pitcher.

If we got those two, I'd be thrilled.

But I'll trust Mike Elias to piece it together the best way he sees fit.

One thing I'm not counting on is some kind of huge financial splash where the Orioles pony up $400 million for Soto or $300 million for Burnes. That's just not his, or the organization's, style.

Tuesday November 5, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3726

today, november 5, is the day

Today is the big day.

All I can say is this: I hope we get the right guy.

We've been talking about it for a while now: "What are we going to do on November 5?"

I guess some of it depends on what happens in places like North Carolina and New York. There's even a chance California and Nevada are going to matter this time around.

Whatever the case, I suspect some people in those places are going to be happy and some are going to be disappointed.

I know, selfishly, I just hope we pick the right guy.

Like, prying Maxx Crosby away from the Las Vegas would be ideal. He'd be target #1 if I'm Eric DeCosta.

The Ravens might have to settle for someone like Jadeveon Clowney from Charlotte to fill their pass rushing needs. If so, that's fine. But I'd like to do better.

Clowney instead of Crosby would be akin to going down to Pinehurst for golf and having the pro shop tell you #2 is closed for maintenance but you can still play #7. #7 is excellent. But #2 is the mecca.

Editor's note: If you do get down to Pinehurst to play golf, please do play #7. It's the second best course in their rotation at the resort (although, admittedly, I haven't played the new, ultra-private #10).

There are other pass rush options available to the Ravens today and perhaps DeCosta winds up snagging one of them instead of Crosby or Clowney. If so, that works as well.

But the Ravens need to get someone today and he needs to be the right choice.

Like that other "thing" going on in our country today, talk is cheap. Eventually, someone is going to get elected to run this place and then we'll see if he or she are full of hot air with all of their campaign promises or if they really can do the things they say they can.

The same goes for the Ravens and their quest to get to the Super Bowl. Talk is cheap. You're 6-3 and clearly on a collision course to play Kansas City for the AFC title in January. Are you going to put your best foot forward today, in the waning hours of the trade deadline, or are you going to say, "We're good enough right now, thank you very much."?

You would hope the Ravens learned something from the Orioles this past July.

Given a chance to take their team from modest contender to big time contender, the Orioles flopped at the deadline.

Let's hope DeCosta doesn't face the same fate after today.

Go get a couple of defensive pieces and let's sew up this trip to the Super Bowl.

Please.....let's get at least one thing right on November 5.

The Orioles made some news on Monday by keeping a few veteran pieces for 2025 and declining the option on a reliable relief pitcher.

Seranthony Dominguez, Cionel Perez and Ryan O'Hearn all had their options picked up for next season. No great surprise on any of the three. They're (relatively) cheap and moderately productive. Perez might have been the one thought to be the most expendable given his hot-and-cold performance, but at $2.2M next season, he's a baseball bargain.

Perez is like an Oakmont CC Peter Millar shirt you find at a thrift shop for $10. It looks fine. Almost brand new, in fact. It's your size. At some point it cost someone $125 in the pro shop at Oakmont. You can buy it for $10. It's not brand new, but it will do the job.

That's Cionel Perez. He's a $125 shirt you can get for $10.

Seranthony Dominguez showed some good signs after coming over from Philadelphia at the trade deadline, but he's no Mariano Rivera. That said, he comes in at $8 million. "Cheap" by Major League standards.

O'Hearn is a reasonably competent Major League player. He can hit both right handed and left handed pitching and has some occasional pop in his bat. He's no Pete Alonso, but he also costs about $20 million less than Alonso, don't forget.

The odd guy out was the most surprising of them all. Danny Coulombe is now a free agent after the O's declined his $4 million option for 2025. When healthy, Coulombe was outstanding.

Those two words, "when healthy", were apparently what scared Mike Elias off.

"He's 35 and he's dinged up," an O's associate told me on Monday when I asked about the decision on Coulombe. "In fairness to the player, Mike (Elias) isn't going to broadcast that. But there's some concern about his arm moving forward."

The O's also haven't written Coulombe out of their 2025 picture entirely.

"He's probably going to get a deal with someone," the associate tells #DMD. "But if he doesn't get anything there will always be a low risk opportunity with us next spring in Sarasota."

The O's also made qualifying offers to Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander, both for just over $20 million annually.

Neither of those will be accepted, of course, and both Burnes and Santander will hit the free agent market later this month.

Burnes will wind up in California at (at least) $40 million annually, either with the Dodgers (70%) or the Giants (30%).

Santander might -- look away if this bothers you -- be the next right fielder for the Yankees if they fail to keep Juan Soto. Failing that, Santander finishes in San Francisco at $27.5 million a year for 4 years.

It's good work if you can get it, folks.

Last but not least, please remember to get out and vote today at your nearest polling place.

There's no need to take your ID with you, as we somehow don't require you to prove who you are in this state.

But please get out and vote for your candidate of choice, both in the Presidential race and in the local races of importance.

Monday November 4, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3725

another pretender exposed

Sure, the Broncos pressed the Ravens early-on yesterday and it coulda, shoulda, woulda been a lot closer if not for a couple of failed 4th down conversions.

But you know the joke about "if" and my Aunt Betty, right?

Of course you do.

The Broncos came to town with a 5-3 record and the opportunity prove they might be a legit quasi-contender in the AFC.

They hopped on the plane back to Denver early Sunday evening with a 5-4 record and the knowledge they're far from being a prime time player.

I know it's a week-to-week league and anything can happen on any given Sunday, but if Baltimore and Denver played 5 times, the Ravens win all 5. And if they happen to only win 4 of the 5, it would be because the Ravens defense has one of their filed-for-patent 4th quarter collapses that always lurking in the back of our minds.

The Ravens are much better than the Broncos, as the 41-10 thumping in Baltimore showed yesterday.

Denver, in fact, should enjoy being above .500 while they can.

After next week's loss in Kansas City, they'll be 5-5. They then have the Falcons at home, which is definitely a toss-up. The Broncos will need to get to 10 wins to make the post-season, you would think. They do have the Raiders, Browns and Bengals left on their slate which might get them to 8 wins, but they'll need to beat some real teams, too.

I might be wrong, but I don't see Denver beating anyone of substance.

But enough about the visitors and the Cleat of Reality they encountered on Sunday.

The Ravens are rolling.

They'll clobber the Bengals this Thursday night, of course, to get to 7-3, and then it's on to Pittsburgh for the November 17 showdown with the Steelers, who will have their hands full next Sunday vs. Washington.

Sunday's throttling of the Broncos didn't come without a couple of asterisks, though.

The Ravens defense still doesn't have its chakras in line.

There's very little pass rush to speak of.

Baltimore's run defense wasn't great, allowing 122 yards on the ground.

Denver was 6-of-14 on third down.

And even though Bo Nix looked like a rookie on a few occasions, he also did a nice job under the duress of a big-time mid-season game on the road. Whether Nix someday leads Sean Payton's team to the promised land is obviously not known, but he doesn't look like a scrub, either.

All of that points to tomorrow's NFL trade deadline and the question continues to loom: Will Eric DeCosta make a deal or two that helps bolster Baltimore's occasionally soft defense?

It would sure help if he acquired a pass rusher, for starters.

What the Ravens have now in that category isn't good enough.

But back to Sunday for a second: the Broncos were what we thought they were.

And the Ravens are what we think they are.

They are so explosive on offense that any defensive warts are all but forgotten.

Yes, they're still in need of tightening up on the defensive side of the ball. They need one or two guys on the edge to chase the quarterback and they still need some secondary help.

But on a great day the Ravens can tack on 40 or more points against you.

On a good day, they're hitting 30 or more almost every time.

And if somehow the Ravens offense sputters, they're still going to put up somewhere in the 24-point range against you.

That 17-10 playoff to the Chiefs last year?

There's just no way that can happen this January. I'm not saying the Chiefs can't beat the Ravens. We know they can.

But they're not holding the Ravens to 10 points. Or even 17 points.

Baltimore is going to put points up, in any game, home or away, against any opponent. You'll have to outscore Lamar Jackson to beat the Ravens.

I'm not sure if you've checked airfare to New Orleans for that first full week of February, but you might want to start looking into it.

Hotels down there are going to be expensive. Just be prepared.

Game tickets will be through the roof, especially if the Lions get in for the first time ever.

Start saving your money.

There's still football to be played, obviously, and one wrong step, one knee injury and one "bad" MRI, and everything changes.

But all things being equal and the Ravens staying relatively healthy gives them a simple, easy path to the AFC title game.

From there, it's just exorcising those demons against the Chiefs and then it's on to New Orleans.

You remember New Orleans, don't you? The last time the Ravens won a Super Bowl, that's where the game was played.

A tip from the top: Make your travel plans early to get the best deals.

Even though the Caps lost yesterday in Carolina, 4-2,, Alex Ovechkin notched his 7th goal of the season to hit the 860 mark for his storied career.

The chase, now, is officially on.

Starting tomorrow, we'll be following along here with our "Ovi Goal Chase" box on the right side of #DMD.

Wayne Gretzky's career record of 894 goals is going to be eclipsed by Ovi, barring something really bizarre happening.

The only question is.....when?

He's now 34 goals shy of tying the mark and 35 away from breaking it.

Based off of last year's pedestrian performance and 31 goal output, it seemed almost a certainty he would need all of this season and a month of the '25-26 campaign to surpass Gretzky.

Now?

There's at least a chance he can reach 895 this season, albeit in late March or early April.

Some folks in the hockey world are starting to put their tickets for those games on the secondary market and prices are booming. Six of the team's last 9 games in '24-25 are on the road, too, so even the schedule makers assumed Ovi wouldn't hit the mark this season.

Washington's final home game of the year is on Sunday, April 13 vs. Columbus. You'll have to make a choice that day, perhaps. Stay home and watch Tiger Woods tie Jack's mark with his 6th career Masters win or head to D.C. to see Ovi score career goal #895 and break hockey's most illustrious individual record.

It's a good choice to have.

Sunday November 3, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3724

broncos looking to nix the ravens

This one, today, could be interesting.

After last week's fiasco in Cleveland, I'm starting to give up on trying to figure out these Ravens.

I mean, they lost to Jameis Winston, for crying out loud.

But what should be a 34-17 win for Baltimore could turn into one of those 23-20 nailbiters because the Ravens do what they always do, which is to say, they turn the ball over at the worst time, pull on the quarterback's facemask in 4th quarter, miss a 48 yard field goal and, well, you get the picture.

I can't believe I'm going back to this well again, but I am. "You can't play scared", I tell my Calvert Hall golfers all the time. And you can't be scared to say this, either: Some dude named Bo Nix isn't coming to Baltimore as a rookie quarterback and beating the Ravens, particularly a week after the Ravens lost to the Browns, of all teams.

Yeah, there it is: Bo Nix isn't beating the Ravens today. I don't care what you say. He's not.

That said, this hard-to-figure-out Ravens team can simply not afford to lose this one, especially with the Bengals coming to town next Thursday night with their season pretty much on the line.

There's also that pesky trip to Pittsburgh in two weeks time that would look a little different if the Ravens lose today and then beat the Bengals to head to the Steel City at 6-4.

Every game is important, obviously. But these "cakewalk" games at home, you know, where you're basically a touchdown favorite over a club that is definitely more of a paper tiger than a roaring lion, are super important.

The Ravens lost one of those games earlier this year when the Raiders somehow won in Baltimore. It's one thing to lose at home to a team like Buffalo or even the Eagles later on this season. It's another thing, entirely, to lose to Las Vegas or these Broncos today. You just can't drop those kind of games.

Alas, the Ravens aren't losing today.

I realize Sean Payton is a terrific coach and Denver, at 5-3, is already well ahead of what most people thought they'd do in 2024.

But let's be honest about this: They're 5-3 because they've pretty much defeated the dregs of the league along the way. I know, I know. "You play who they put in front of you." I get it.

But Denver's five wins are against: Tampa Bay, NY Jets, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Carolina.

When they've played a decent team this year, they've lost: Pittsburgh, LA Chargers, Seattle.

Their five wins have come against the league's JV.

They're going from winning six furlong races and thinking they're the next coming of American Pharoah to lining up against Secretariat today in a mile-and-a-quarter race.

The Broncos are not beating the Ravens today. Bo Nix isn't coming to Baltimore and getting the better of Lamar Jackson. You can make book on that.

It might be closer than we all think it should be because that's how "our" Ravens do it, but a win is a win is a win.

I'm going the other way, though. This one, today, will expose the Broncos for what they are. An improving team who can beat some of the low-lifes in the league but can't hang with the big dogs.

Lamar throws for 229 yards and runs for 68 more. He scores a touchdown on the ground and throws for two more, one to newcomer Diontae Johnson and the other to Mark Andrews.

Derrick Henry has 43 yards at the half, then piles up another 66 in the second half to finish with 106 yards of rushing on the day.

It's 20-7 Ravens at the half.

Denver makes it 23-17 heading into the fourth quarter.

Lamar engineers a nice drive to start the final 15 minutes and the Ravens go up 30-17.

A late Denver turnover in their own territory provides for a Justin Tucker field goal inside of two minutes and the Ravens win, 33-17, to improve to 6-3 on the year.

"On to Cincinnati" we go.

	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 hoping last week's improved record is a good sign of things to come. I'm at almost 62% on my prop bets but I'm at 43% on my game picks for the year. I want to turn that around for everyone today.

Game picks

Falcons -3.5 over the Cowboys

Bills -6.5 over the Dolphins

NY Giants +4 over Washington

Bronwns/Chargers over 42.5 points

Bills/Dolphins under 49.5 points

Carolina +7 over New Orleans

Seattle +2 over LA Rams

Indianapolis +5.5 over Minnesota

Prop bets

Josh Allen over 1.5 passing touchdowns

Justin Herbert over 1.5 passing touchdowns

Lamar Jackson over 1.5 passing touchdowns

Derrick Henry anytime touchdown

Marvin Harrison Jr. anytime touchdown

Jared Goff over 203.5 yards passing

Kyler Murray over 203.5 yards passing

David Njoku anytime touchdown

Amari Cooper anytime touchdown

SCOREBOARD
Monday, November 18
AT UTAH HC 2	CAPITALS 5
CAPS GOALS: Ovechkin 2 (14, 15), Strome (6), Dowd (5), Duhaime (4), Protas (7) GOALTENDER: Lindgren RECORD: 13-4-1 NEXT GAME: November 21 vs. Colorado

#DMD Corporate Partners

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