Saturday February 22, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3834

nothing beats "that" moment

OK, so I suspect this category will be one that winds up being hotly debated here at #DMD today.

It's not a "Most Valuable" discussion but, instead, focuses on the "Best Sports Moment" of the last 30 years. Yes, that covers an incredible amount of territory, games, instant classic finishes and so on.

I started off with a list of about 10 candidates for this category. Along the way, I came up with a handful more that I considered.

There are a lot of them to think about.

Here's one clarification before I get to it. You can't say "Ravens win the Super Bowl" as your top moment. I mean, you can say that if you like, but it won't count. You know what I mean.

Now, if you wanted to say, "Justin Tucker's game winning field goal in Denver in overtime in the 2013 playoffs", that would count. It has to be something you can pinpoint and say, "that moment, right there..."

In order, here are my "Honorable Mention" final four.

Mark McGwire's 70th home run on September 27, 1998. I know he was on the juice. We all knew it then, too, but it didn't matter. McGwire's historic home chase of 1998 (along with Sammy Sosa) had the networks cutting into their regularly scheduled programming for his late September at-bats.

The David Tyree "helmet catch" in the Super Bowl on February 3, 2008 that helped the Giants shock the Patriots. It was 3rd and 5 from the NY 44 yard line. The Patriots were two defensive stops away from winning the Super Bowl. Eli Manning was nearly sacked, but still managed to get into position to make a downfield throw to try to keep the game alive.

Tyree was heavily guarded but somehow pinned the ball against his helmet on the way down to the ground and not only held on to the ball, but "completed the catch" in the same motion. The Giants would score a touchdown moments later and win the title, 17-14.

The Kris Jenkins buzzer-beater in the 2016 NCAA championship game that gave Villanova a 77-74 "instant classic" win over North Carolina. It was Villanova's second national championship. The Jenkins shot has been replayed thousands of times during March Madness ever since.

It's every basketball player's dream. The ball in his or her hands with a shot to win the title. And Jenkins nailed it.

Brandi Chastain's penalty kick goal that gave the U.S. Women's soccer team the 1999 World Cup. Sure, it's a kick from 12 yards out that virtually every pro soccer player makes 85% of the time, but this one, in particular, was more than "just a kick".

Chastain not only made it to win the World Cup for the U.S. women, it started a two-decade run of dominance for that program and also generated interest in women's soccer with millions of little girls all over America.

The top sports moment since 1995 is the Tiger Woods chip-in behind the 16th green at the 2005 Masters. It is, based on the moment, degree of difficulty and impact on the outcome, the greatest single shot ever hit in major championship golf.

I'll admit you have to be a golfer to understand the difficulty of the shot. If you don't play golf, you definitely don't get it.

But this shot was probably 1 in 500. Maybe even 1 in 1,000.

And those are numbers for Tiger Woods.

For you, me and the rest of the great unwashed, it might be 1 in 5,000.

Woods actually went on to bogey #17 and #18 to fall into a playoff with Chris DiMarco, which he eventually won anyway.

But that shot, where he went from likely making bogey-four instead of birdie-two, was the reason he even made it into the playoff with DiMarco in the first place.

It also helps if you've been to Augusta National and seen the layout of the hole to understand just how incredibly difficult the shot was in the first place. Then add on Sunday afternoon, Masters on the line, etc., and you get a much better feel for the shot.

Tiger's chip-in is the best sports moment of the last 30 years.

Friday February 21, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3833

u.s. hockey needed a better man

Well, that really was, by anyone's definition...an instant classic.

I'm talking about last night's hockey game between Canada and U.S., won by our friends from the 51st state, 3-2 in overtime.

Connor McDavid notched the game-winner for Canada after U.S. scoring star Auston Matthews had three unreal chances in sudden death but couldn't solve Canada's rock star goaltender, Jordan Binnington.

There's a saying in hockey about a goaltender who is playing out of his mind: "The goalie is standing on his head."

Binnington did that and more last night, particularly in overtime, when it looked like the Americans were going to put the game away. He robbed Matthews twice within a minute, including a remarkable save off of his right shoulder from close range followed by a terrific glove save from 20 feet out on the Maple Leafs' standout.

That all set the stage for McDavid to deliver the game-winner on a nifty pass from Toronto's Mitch Marner. McDavid ripped a shot into the upper left corner of the goal from about 15 feet away and Canada gained revenge -- and then some -- for last Saturday's 3-1 loss to the U.S. in Montreal.

Unlike that game, though, last night was just about hockey. The fans in Boston were were remarkably (surprisingly?) docile during the Canadian national anthem and there were no fireworks or tension on the ice at the outset. Canada went up 1-0, the Americans eventually led 2-1, and Canada tied it in the 2nd period on a goal by Sam Bennett.

There were chances in the 3rd period but no goals, paving the way for overtime and Binnington's outrageous play in net for the winners.

No one's All-Star Game really works any longer. There was a time, of course, when athletes played for equal parts money and pride and playing in an All-Star Game meant something to an athlete, no matter the sport.

Those days, sadly, are gone. All-Star Games are largely looked at as an obstacle, not a privilege.

Hockey, though, might have figured out something with the birth of the 4 Nations tournament. It wasn't an All-Star Game, on the record, but it was a de factor edition of one, minus the league's talented Russian players. And it worked, big time, but mainly because the U.S. and Canada worked their way into last night's final game in Boston.

You couldn't run the 4 Nations event every year, clearly, but you could run something similar to it every other year, perhaps.

Whatever the NHL decides to do moving forward, they know a mid-season multi-country event can work. The other sports would love to have that same level of confidence in their All-Star Game.

We're stepping away from sports today in our "Most Valuable" series we're running this week. As promised, this morning's content focuses on the "MVMA", or, the Most Valuable Music Artist over the last 30 years.

This one is probably going to one that yields the most discourse because, of course, music does that to people. There was really no debating Ray Lewis (Wednesday) or Tiger Woods (Thursday), but today's entry is likely to create some water cooler discussion.

That said, my #1 rule when evaluating the various artists and bands I considered in this category starts with this: I put a significant amount of stock in longevity.

Someone who has been in the music scene for 30 years immediately got more "points", if you will, then someone who has been in the industry for 15 years. Or 10 years.

I also put a lot of stock in what I consider "music that matters". What was the cultural impact of an artist's music? I asked myself that as I evaluated my final 6-8 candidates.

Record sales mattered. But only a little.

The sale of albums over the last decade is kind of like attendance in sports. It used to matter. It no longer does.

Concert attendance and tour revenues mattered, too, but those were not overly important. I mean, you can find 15,000 people in Washington D.C. to come out and see R.E.O. Speedwagon and they haven't been relevant for 20 years.

"Music that matters" is hard to define, but it generally connects mainly with song writing and lyrical content.

So, without further adieu, let's get to it.

The four Honorable Mention finalists are: U2, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift and Eminem.

I don't think you need me to justify any of those four.

Swift would be the one you could pick apart and say, maybe, someone like Garth Brooks could be part of the Honorable Mention four and Swift would have to sit this one out.

While it might be true that several of Brooks' biggest hits actually came out before 1995, he remains the top selling solo artist in the history of music.

Alas, we went with Swift based mainly on both album sales and quality of her music, plus her incredibly successful world wide tour in 2024.

Swift's 15 year run is incredible.

U2, Springsteen and E have stood the test of time..

U2 and Springsteen have both made music that mattered for 30 years.

Eminem is, without question, a cultural icon who has also produced some of hip-hop's most memorable and important music over the last 30 years.

In case the headline of today's #DMD didn't give it away, Pearl Jam is our selection as the "MVMA" over the last 30 years.

Everything they've done since 1995 has been remarkable.

Album sales, tour revenues, "music that matters", incredible song writing and production. They have been the best of the best over the last 30 years.

And here's something that resonated with the committee (well, me) when I got down to the nitty gritty of picking the winner of this particular category.

Their two most recent albums have been exceptional.

It's very rare that a band or artist puts out better (or equal to) studio music as their career rolls on. Pearl Jam has done that.

Their 2024 album, Dark Matter, is as good as anything they've ever done. The song below, Scared of Fear, is the first tune on that album.

U2, Springsteen, Taylor Swift and Eminem have all "made a difference" with their fan bases and audiences all over the world.

So, too, has Pearl Jam. Over the last 30 years, no one has done it quite as well as they've done it.

faith in sports

In keeping with today's (mostly) non-sports theme, our "Faith in Sports" segment will spotlight Jim Carrey, the actor and comedian, who delivers an incredibly powerful 12 minute video (below) on how his life has been transformed through Jesus Christ.

The tag on the video says "Must Watch", which is kind of like seeing "New and Improved!" on dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, etc.

But this video with Jim Carrey is "Must Watch" content.

It's incredibly powerful to listen to Carrey talk about his struggles and how faith helped him get back on level ground.

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

Thursday February 20, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3832

the g.o.a.t. -- of them all

The term GOAT in sports is very touchy.

I mean, by definition, the GREATEST of all-time is singular, right?

For example, if Tom Brady is the quarterback GOAT, then Joe Montana can't be. Johnny Unitas can't be. Peyton Manning can't be.

Right?

But we throw that term around -- GOAT -- to pretty much say that he/she belongs in the discussion.

You might think Brady is the GOAT I might think it's Montana. But we'd both agree that Brady and Montana are viable GOAT candidates.

Right?

This one, today, was much more difficult to finish off than yesterday's "BMVA" award.

There are, honestly, five or six people worthy of discussion for the GOAT Of All GOATS.

Oddly enough, the only baseball player I might have considered as a finalist would be Mike Trout. Shohei Ohtani will eventually be considered a GOAT in MLB. No two ways about it.

But the only baseball player over the last 30 years who has been dominant enough to be even remotely mentioned as a GOAT would be Trout.

Alas, he's not an Honorable Mention finalist.

Over the last 30 years, there are really only two NBA players worthy of discussion in this debate. LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

In the NHL, you have Ovechkin and Crosby. McDavid is the current best player in hockey, for sure, but he hasn't played nearly enough to have the same stature as Ovi and Crosby.

NFL wise, there are a number of potential candidates. Brady, Peyton, Ray Lewis, Patrick Mahomes. Those five would be worth discussing.

In individual sports, there are numerous possibilities: Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic in tennis. Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky in swimming.

In golf, there's Tiger Woods. And Annika Sorenstam. Those two were head and shoulders better than everyone else in their respective sports.

So who are the four Honorable Mention finalists and who is the GOAT of The GOATS?

It would be easy to just throw Djokovic and Serena in there. They are the best of all-time, tennis wise. No two ways about it.

But in a tennis tournament, you're generally only beating six players to win a title.

We're not taking anything away from how great they've both been. Not in the least. Just trying to compartmentalize their greatness, that's all.

If there's one basketball player who deserves to be a finalist, it's LeBron. There isn't anything he hasn't done in his career.

Yes, that first departure from Cleveland and the whole "Taking My Talents To South Beach" saga was a bit cheesy. And not cool. But years later, LeBron acknowledged that was a bush league way to go about it.

Other than the Miami move, there was pretty much nothing else about LeBron's career you could criticize. He was a GREAT player in Cleveland the first time around, a great player in Miami, a great player back in Cleveland, and he's been great in Los Angeles, despite the shift in conference power throughout his Lakers tenure.

He's done it all. He might not be Michael Jordan. But he's LeBron James. And he's arguably the 2nd best NBA player of the last 50 years behind Jordan.

Tom Brady is also a "must" finalist. I mean, there's an argument he's the GOAT of all the GOATS, right? He won in New England. Forever. And then he went to Tampa Bay -- without Bill Belichick -- and somehow took the Buccaneers from the outhouse to the penthouse.

If he's NOT the best quarterback since 1995, who is? And if quarterback isn't the most important position in sports, what is?

When you're the best of the best, at the quarterback position, you're a friggin' GOAT.

Back to Michael Phelps for a second. He earns Honorable Mention status, too. 23 gold medals, a gazillion world records (most of which have been eclipsed, in fairness) and a dominance in the sport unlike almost anything else we've seen in ANY sport.

I ran this particular category past a very good sports-minded friend of mine that I trusted to give me unbiased commentary on six different names.

"Phelps was great," he said. "I'm not going to take away from what he did. But in a lot of cases, he beat the 2nd place finisher by less than a half-a-second. Michael was probably a total of 4 seconds away from winning 16 gold medals instead of 23."

"And some of his golds were relay events, don't forget," he concluded.

Fair enough. Those two objections were noted. I'm not sure they moved me very much, honestly, but they were fair observations about Phelps and his success.

There's three Honorable Mention finalists. Phelps, Brady and LeBron.

The fourth finalist is Patrick Mahomes. There will be arguments FOR Peyton Manning over Patrick Mahomes, but those arguments are quickly mitigated when you take into account that Mahomes has been to SEVEN consecutive AFC Championship Games, played in FIVE Super Bowls and has won championship rings in that time.

He's already done more than Peyton Manning did, winning wise, and Mahomes still has at least six good years left in his career.

Based on what you've seen, would you rather have Peyton Manning in his prime quarterbacking your team...or Patrick Mahomes?

And before you answer, please remember who Manning threw to (real receivers who were for their careers) and who Mahomes has thrown to (someone different every year except for Kelce).

I'll take Mahomes at the height of his career over Manning.

There are our four Honorable Mention finalists.

Brady, LeBron, Phelps and Mahomes.

When I first started thinking about this category, Tom Brady was the initial winner.

I was always going to consider Tiger and LeBron. And Mahomes. But Brady was the initial winner.

A day later, I also thought very hard about Phelps as the GOAT of all GOATS.

For a second or two (hours), I was trying to convince myself that it was Phelps.

Brady?

Phelps?

Either would be fine.

In the end, though, neither of them won.

The GOAT of all GOATS is Eldrick "Tiger" Woods.

The wins...82 of them.

The majors...15 of them.

The number of people around the world who took up golf because of Tiger? Millions.

On the course, no one in the last 50 years has sniffed what Woods did.

He won 3 straight U.S. Junior titles and then 3 straight U.S. Amateur titles. Never been done before -- never going to be done again.

He turned professional in 1996 and less than a year later he won the Masters.

From 1997 through 2008, no one could beat him. He won the "Tiger Slam" in 2000 and 2001 and won the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg at Torrey Pines.

His career from 2009 until 2014 was littered with injuries and surgeries and incomplete seasons. But he won 8 tournaments combined in 2012 and 2013. There are GREAT PGA Tour players who won't or didn't win 8 tournaments...in their entire golf career.

But the biggest push for Tiger comes from the 82 wins and the fact that golf tournaments often times feature fields of 100 or more players.

Sam Snead won 82 times. Tiger has won 82 as well. No one else has many wins as those two guys.

Tiger has more wins than Jack. And Arnie. And Hogan. And Nelson.

And...in order to win a golf tournament, you have to beat all 100 of those guys over FOUR days.

Winning a tournament on the PGA Tour requires almost error-free golf. Sure, you can make a bogey here and there. You can 3-putt from 20 feet once every four days. Maybe twice.

But you can't -- with very rare exceptions -- shoot 76 and win a golf tournament. All you need in professional golf is one bad round, which 76 is, and you're done.

Tiger beat everyone for the better part of 14 years in a sport where you just don't see that kind of dominance come along except two or three times every century.

And the guys who are beating him on the PGA Tour now? Tiger's the reason they started playing golf in the first place 20 and 25 years ago.

Scottie Scheffler? Because of Tiger.

Tom Kim? Because of Tiger.

Ludvig Aberg? Because of Tiger.

Patrick Cantlay? Because of Tiger.

Xander Schauffele? Because of Tiger.

Brooks, Bryson and Reed? Because of Tiger.

So Tiger's the GOAT of All GOATS.

The more I went through the list of candidates, the more obvious it became.

Tiger's the GOAT.

Of all of the best of the best, he's the best.

On Friday, we're going to shift to music. Who is the "MVMA" of the last 30 years? That is, the "Most Valuable Music Arist" since 1995. We've left this one open intentionally to inspire all of you deep thinkers. No, that doesn't automatically disqualify fans of the Beatles or the Flyers. You guys and gals can still join in.

Go through the albums, the songs, the shows, the tickets sold -- however you decide to judge it, it's up to you. Who is the "Most Valuable Music Artist" of the last 30 years? That's coming on Friday.

This Saturday, we move to iconic sports moments of the last 30 years. What is the very best "Sports Moment" you saw? Go through the memory bank and think about NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, plus golf, tennis, and anything else in sports. Which one single moment stood out to you the most?

I have a list of about 10 I'm already considering. This one's a tough category.

And then, on Sunday, we'll wrap it all up with the king of them all, the "MVP" in sports over the last 30 years.

Except the "p" stands for "person", instead of "player". Who, over the last 30 years, has been the absolute top dawg, the #1 "person" in all of sports? Owner, player, coach, executive. That's a lot of folks to consider. Who is #1?

Wednesday February 19, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3831

was there ever any doubt?

As you're going to see over the next five days, I've put considerable thought into my various winners of this week's "Most Valuable" content here at #DMD.

Each category will include four "Honorable Mention" finalists, but I won't put them in order nor will I offer much explanation on how they got into the final 5.

I figure it like this: You're either going to agree with the Honorable Mention list or you won't. And I doubt you'll be swayed to change your mind if you read something from me defending my choices.

As always, you're welcome to provide your own finalists and your own winners below.

Today's entry is, honestly, probably the one I spent the least amount of time evaluating.

When I first created this particular contest -- Most Valuable Baltimore Athlete -- I had someone in mind from the start and said to myself, "Find someone to beat him, if you can."

I never found someone to beat him.

I'll explain my reasoning below. Your mileage may vary, but I'm assuming most of you believe the guy I have at #1 is the right choice.

Picking out five "MVBA" finalists since 1995 was more difficult than picking out the actual winner.

I had to consider Cal Ripken Jr. even though the bulk of his career came before 1995. He broke Gehrig's record in September of 1995, yes, but most of his greatness came before 1995.

In terms of "value", though, Cal Ripken Jr. certainly had a lot of that in his career and did maintain a level of it after 1995.

In the end, I didn't include Cal because his career ended in 2001 and I just didn't see enough value in that 6 years to include him in a 30-year window.

The four Honorable Mention finalists in this category are: Joe Flacco, Manny Machado, Lamar Jackson and Ed Reed.

Those four are tilted heavily in favor of football, obviously. The biggest reason for that? The Orioles were terrible for about 20 of the last 30 years and they really only had two great players in that 30 year period: Manny Machado and Gunnar Henderson.

Adam Jones was a great Oriole. So, too, was Nick Markakis.

But neither of those guys did more than Machado in his short stint in Baltimore, where he was part of the franchise's rebirth, if you will.

And even though Gunnar Henderson has only played two years in Baltimore, he's been far more valuable -- so far -- than Jones or Markakis ever were in orange and black.

Machado could do it all. He had a mercurial personality, sure, but he was a remarkably talented player in every facet of the game. Had he remained an Oriole throughout his career, he would have reached something short of Brooks status but bigger, probably than Eddie or Frank.

So there's our brief justification for Manny.

Flacco, Reed and Lamar need no defense or explanation.

The Ravens were annually a league-bottom feeder when it came to quarterback play. Joe showed up in 2008 and quarterbacking hasn't been a concern ever since, even though he hasn't been around since 2018.

Flacco is a Super Bowl champion. The current QB isn't, yet.

If Ray Lewis wouldn't have played in Baltimore, it's likely Ed Reed would be known as the city's best defensive football player ever.

And then there's Lamar Jackson, who is potentially going to wind up a Top 5 Baltimore athlete of all-time if his current pace plays out for another half dozen years.

He's likely going to be a first ballot NFL Hall of Fame selection.

It's one thing to make it. It's another thing, entirely, to get in the first time you're eligible.

Lamar is closer to being a first ballot guy than he is not being a first ballot guy.

So, there you go. There's your four finalists.

The winner of Baltimore's Most Valuable Athlete over the last 30 years is, of course, Raymond Anthony Lewis, Jr.

Who else was it ever going to be, right?

He showed up here in 1996 and retired in 2013 as perhaps the city's most warmly embraced athlete since Johnny Unitas and Brooks Robinson.

Ray Lewis was, in a word, a "winner".

Lewis took a moribund Browns franchise and turned it into an elite team in Baltimore within five years.

The 2000 Super Bowl team went five games without scoring an offensive touchdown. But Ray Lewis didn't mind. He pulled the defense together and the Ravens beat teams without needing to score many points.

The Ravens won two Super Bowls in his career and Lewis was widely regarded as the sport's most effective defensive player throughout the first 15 years of his NFL life.

He was a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection.

And there's even a statue of Ray outside of Ravens stadium.

Great players go into a team's Hall of Fame.

Historic players get their number retired.

Iconic players get statues.

Baltimore football has had two iconic players: Johnny Unitas and Ray Lewis.

There was never any doubt about this one. Right from the start, it was always going to be #52 as our Most Valuable Baltimore Athlete of the last 30 years.

Feel free to add your own discourse on today's topic below in the Comments section.

Tomorrow here at #DMD, we shift to the national scene. Who has been the "GOAT of All GOATS?" In other words, of those we all consider the "GOAT" (Greatest Of All Time), which one of them has been the best since 1995? You can throw in virtually anyone you want at that point, including Djokovic, Phelps, Tiger, Serena, Federer and then a number of guys in the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA.

Good luck with that one. Who is the Top GOAT of all the GOATS? I've already changed my mind 3 times on this one.

30 years is a long time. We've seen lots of individual greatness during that time frame.

Which one of the GOATS is the best of them all? We'll tell you tomorrow.

Tuesday February 18, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3830

maybe we jumped the gun?

OK, it's mea culpa time around here.

For me.

And maybe for you, too, if you're willing to do what The Fonz could never do and say, "I was wrong."

I'll do it today.

Or, at the very least, I'll say, "Maybe I jumped the gun..."

It happens. We're all in a world of hot takes and immediate-reaction and "tell me what you think, right now!" I don't know when this new social virus hit us, but we haven't found a vaccine for it yet, that's for certain.

Those vaccines, you know. They're tricky. You never know if they'll work. Or not.

Anyway...

No one likes to just say, "Man, I missed that one." Funny enough, even when you do miss one you don't have to admit that you missed o ne. The internet will be there to tell you that you missed one.

I see people on Twitter all the time pull up a "missed" or "wrong" tweet from 2017 from a reporter or analyst and say, "This aged well."

What loser sits around on the internet and does that? A loser, that's who.

But, as the great Bob Haynie likes to say, "I digress".

I've been wrong on a lot of things. I'd like to think I'm right more often than not, but I don't keep score.

Yes, I'm on a hot streak, having hand delivered you Ludvig Aberg last weekend at Torrey Pines, but I'm man enough to remind you that I thought the Ravens were going to beat the Bills in last month's playoff game.

I also thought the Orioles were going to win the A.L. East last year. But I failed to take into account their offense would collapse over the final 50 games of the regular season.

Now, I did tell you 3 years ago Tiger wouldn't win another golf tournament and would stay stuck on 82 for the rest of his career. So far, I'm bullseye on that one.

But I also thought the album Kings of Leon released in 2024 would contain their usual outstanding studio work and, man, was I wrong on that one. "Can We Please Have Fun" should have been titled, "Can We Please Find Three Good Songs On This Album?"

Editor's note: It really bothered me that there wasn't a question mark at the end of the album title. Shouldn't it be "Can We Please Have Fun?" I don't understand why there's no question mark on the end on the title. When you write, "Can We Pleave Have Fun" aren't you, in fact, asking me, if in fact, you're allowed to have fun? You know, "Can We Please Have Fun?" Anyway, it still irks me to this day.

Anyway, being wrong is part of the game.

Only Jesus has ever thrown a perfect game in life. If you're trying to be perfect, you only have one person who has ever attained that level of excellence and He is certainly a hard guy to beat.

Being wrong is part of life.

So...with that.

I might have jumped the gun on the TGL, the new indoor golf venture that Tiger and Rory created. I watched week #1 back in early January and thought it was very uninspiring.

I might have been wrong.

A month later, the TGL is starting to gain some steam. Sure, the TV ratings perk up big time when Tiger's involved, which is only natural since he's the biggest needle mover in the sport, still.

But the actual "golf", which is what I found to be very "meh" back in early January, has really picked up of late. Yesterday, taking advantage of the holiday, there were three TGL matches on throughout the day and early evening. I only saw the evening match in full, but all three of the competitions were...you guessed it...instant classics.

Maybe it just took the players two or three matches to get a feel for "indoor golf" played TGL-style.

Monday was spectacular. There were chip-ins, matches sent to playoffs with final hole heroics, a hole out from Tommy Fleetwood in the closest-to-the-pin sudden death scenario and a Wyndham Clark walk-off-eagle-for-the-win in the evening match between The Bay Club and Boston.

The golf on Monday was outstanding. The drama was intense. "Instant Classic" called and said, "Now those were amazing finishes!"

So, perhaps I was wrong.

I'm not rushing out to buy a replica Wyndham Clark Bay Club jersey or anything like that, but I have at least bookmarked the "TGL Apparel" page on my laptop.

Maybe I jumped the gun on TGL.

Tiger and Rory might be on to something.

When the Justin Tucker news first broke late last month, I thought there was a way the Ravens -- and Tucker, of course -- could soft-peddle their through the kicker's troubles and have him back in uniform in 2025.

That, obviously, was my position when we thought there were roughly "only" a half dozen women complaining about Tucker's behavior.

I figured Tucker would offer some sort of "generic" apology where he admitted to behavior he wasn't proud of and the Ravens would rally around him and highlight the incredible work he's done in the community over the last 5 years.

A day or two after the Tucker news broke, I thought the Ravens could figure out a way to keep him around if they handled it the right way.

It's apparent now that I jumped the gun on that one.

There's no way he can remain employed by the Ravens.

The 16 women don't deserve to have him trot out to the 37 yard line and be cheered and revered for kicking a football through the goalposts with eight seconds left against the Bengals next season.

The team's female fans and female employees don't deserve it, either.

Bringing Tucker back to the team in 2025 would be a direct slap in the face to every female who ever supported the Ravens franchise.

It would be offensive, potentially, to anyone -- male or female -- who has ever been the victim of sexual assault.

It's a shame Tucker's career in Baltimore has to end with this magnificent scarlet letter on his chest, but that's the way it has to be.

There's simply no way the Ravens can bring him back in 2025.

I was wrong on that one.

He has to go.

I'm not saying he should be kicked out of the league or anything like that. Time heals all wounds. And I'm sure another team in the league would be willing to employ him, as long as the league doesn't suspend him.

He just can't be employed by the Ravens.

When it comes to the Orioles, I'm pretty much an eternal optimist, which might say more about enduring a decade of despair than it does anything else.

When you've seen the O's wallow at the bottom of the American League for the better part of ten years, any success thereafter tends to be magnified out of proportion.

The arrival of Mike Elias seven years ago coupled with guys like Gunnar, Adley and Jordan kick-started a new wave of excitement in Baltimore. Then along came David Rubenstein to replace the Angelos family in the ownership box and everything was lining up perfectly.

I don't think I'm wrong about Elias. I do believe he knows how to build a baseball franchise from the ground up.

I still contend he's savvy when it comes to signing player "A" instead of player "B". I know this past off-season wasn't exactly headline-making stuff every week, but I'll trust Elias until proven otherwise.

That said, I might have jumped the gun on David Rubenstein.

I did offer a cautionary reminder when he took over last year: "Don't just assume he's going to be better than Peter Angelos."

But, deep down, I assumed he would be. I mean, how could he not be, right?

Well, I'm not convinced, yet.

For a guy with billions and billions of dollars who, as he told us, "will provide the resources necessary to build a championship team", I am starting to get skeptical that he's going to follow through on that prmoise.

This isn't so much about now. No, I didn't think, expect or even "want" the Orioles to be the high bidder for Juan Soto.

It's more about next year or the year after.

I'm just not sure Rubenstein is ever going to say to Elias, "Gunnar wants $600 million? Sure, give it to him. He's a staple in Baltimore and we absolutely can't lose him to the (Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Rangers)."

I might have jumped the gun on how great of an owner David Rubenstein is going to be.

Look, any owner is better than no owner. I get that.

But I think we all looked at Rubenstein like he was going to be the franchise's savior and I don't know if that's true.

I mean, eight months into his ownership tenure he approved a ticket price increase along with a benefits decrease for ticket plan holders.

What kind of friend does that?

I'd like to be wrong on being wrong. (Read that again, it will make sense).

But I'm starting to think I jumped the gun on David Rubenstein.

Monday February 17, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3829

odds and ends

It's hard for things in life to live up to the hype.

Everything has to hit on all cylinders.

I said last week there are only a few things I've encountered in the world of golf that lived up to the hype.

Augusta National definitely did. I haven't played it, but I've been there 11 times. However great you think it is by watching The Masters on CBS every April...you can double it.

Pebble Beach lived up to the hype.

So, too, did Bethpage Black.

Having children of your own, I say, lives up to the hype more than anything you can expect.

Jesus lived up to the hype. He was brought to Earth to live and teach and become the light of the world. That's a pretty tall task, when you think about it. But He lived up to the billing.

Last Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show was an obvious example of something falling short of the hype. Then again, you're putting musical artists in the awkward position of making them "up their game" on a one night basis. It's hard to do.

Anyway, your mileage might vary on things in your life that have either lived up to or failed to live up to the hype.

Last night's Saturday Night Live 50 Year Special was awesome. But only because it was always going to be awesome.

There was simply too much talent on hand to have it flop.

But, did it live up to the hype and the week of specials and interviews and guest appearances on late night TV shows? Maybe not.

To that end, SNL might have done themselves more harm than good by putting on the full court hype press over the last seven days. It almost became impossible for last night's 50 Year Special to ring the bell.

We got so amped up at the thought of a "Super Bowl of SNL" that it was destined to fall short of our expectations.

Alas, it was a pretty outstanding three and a half hours, with a bump in the road -- or two -- along the way.

Show organizers smartly waited until after 11:15 pm to have Paul McCartney sing. By then, most of the people watching had probably gone to bed, which, based on the way Sir Paul sounded, was apparently where he was until right around 11 pm.

Miley Cyrus and Brittany Howard teamed up for a rousing rendition of "Nothing Compares 2 U", which in the moment seemed like a peculiar song choice for those two to tackle, particularly given Sinead O'Connor's controversial appearance on SNL in 1992.

Then you realized that Cyrus and Howard were singing a song about the very show they were appearing on and it all made sense. 50 years later, as it turns out, nothing in TV sketch comedy has ever been comparable to Saturday Night Live.

Last night's show had lots of memorable moments. Adam Sandler really kick-started it with his song just before the 10 pm break. As I wrote on Twitter, it was like hitting a grand slam with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th.

The first couple of hours were good, not great. Then Sandler stepped in and saved the night.

There were some very funny sketches. Plenty of them, in fact, including "Questions from the Audience", "Scared Straight" and Eddie Murphy portraying Tracy Morgan when Morgan himself was standing right next to him.

And, like SNL in real time over the last 50 years, there were some swing-and-miss moments as well. "Trying too hard" is a legitimate concept in comedy. Ask Jim Carrey. He's made a gazillion dollars in his career despite trying way too hard to make people laugh.

There was more news about Justin Tucker on Sunday, as the Baltimore Banner reported 7 more Baltimore area massage therapists have stepped forward with stories about Tucker and inappropriate behavior.

It certainly feels like the whole situation is getting more ugly with each passing week.

I have no idea if there's a magic number for Tucker to be terminated by the Ravens. Was it 5? 10? Is 16 the end of it?

But there's no way Tucker can come back and kick for the Ravens next season if he's not able to somehow prove these stories are false.

Tucker's attorneys continue to direct the media to the kicker's original statement on January 30 when he claimed the original story published by the Banner was "totally untrue".

So, the 16 women say Tucker did it and Tucker said he didn't.

I don't know about you, but now that we've heard from those two, I think it's time we hear from one other entity.

It's time for the Ravens to say something other than the obligatory, "We take all of these allegations seriously and will let the league take its course of action as they gather more details."

In the end, maybe there's nothing the team can say.

They can't cut Tucker yet. Not until after the new league starts on March 12, at least. Once that day arrives, they can let him go and eat $7.5 million of his cap hit over the next two years instead of cutting him before March 12 and having to absorb all $7.5 million of it in 2025.

So. perhaps the Ravens are "saying something" right now by not making any public comment at all.

But it would be nice to hear an official statement with some meat to it, if that's possible, given that the news about Tucker continues to go from bad to worse.

It's going to be very interesting to see if a team will sign him immediately after the Ravens let him go in March or will Tucker have to wait until a kicker gets hurt or stops making kicks in the '25 season?

Have you started thinking about our "Most Valuable" content that's set to run later this week? We need you to chime in throughout the week with your own suggestions and nominations.

This Wednesday, we kick it off with our "MVBA". Who has been our "Most Valuable Baltimore Athlete" over the last 30 years? We picked 30 for this five-day exercise because that's essentially when the Ravens came to town. The "MVBA" is solely intended for someone who played in Baltimore, which does leave out Michael Phelps, for those thinking of voting for him.

Start thinking about that one and chime in with your thoughts in the Comments section. In Baltimore, over the last 30 years, who has been our "MVBA"?

On Thursday, we shift to the national scene. Who has been "The Top GOAT of the GOATS?" In other words, of those we all consider the "GOAT" (Greatest Of All Time), which one of them has been the best since 1995? You can throw in virtually anyone you want at that point, including Djokovic, Phelps, Tiger, Serena, Federer and then a number of guys in the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA.

Good luck with that one. Who is the Top GOAT of all the GOATS? I've already changed my mind 3 times on this one.

On Friday, we're going to shift to music. Who is the "MVMA" of the last 30 years? That is, the "Most Valuable Music Arist" since 1995. We've left this one open intentionally to inspire all of you deep thinkers. No, that doesn't automatically disqualify fans of the Beatles or the Flyers. You guys and gals can still join in.

Go through the albums, the songs, the shows, the tickets sold -- however you decide to judge it, it's up to you. Who is the "Most Valuable Music Artist" of the last 30 years? That's coming on Friday.

This Saturday, we move to iconic sports moments of the last 30 years. What is the very best "Sports Moment" you saw? Go through the memory bank and think about NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, plus golf, tennis, and anything else in sports. Which one single moment stood out to you the most?

I have a list of about 10 I'm already considering. This one's a tough category.

And then, on Sunday, we'll wrap it all up with the king of them all, the "MVP" in sports over the last 30 years.

Except the "p" stands for "person", instead of "player". Who, over the last 30 years, has been the absolute top dawg, the #1 "person" in all of sports? Owner, player, coach, executive. That's a lot of folks to consider. Who is #1?

	NOTES & COMMENT George McDowell
George McDowell is #DMD's foreign correspondent. His international reports are filed from a hardened outpost just across the U.S. / North Carolina border. He writes on sports topics that interest him that he feels might also interest some segment of the wildly esoteric #DMD readership. George has been a big fan of DF and his various enterprises since the last century, and for several seasons appeared as a weekly guest on his Monday evening radio show, Maryland Golf Live, delivering commentary as The Eccentric Starter. George also donates his time and talents to the less fortunate, and currently volunteers as secretary of the Rickie Fowler Fan Club.

then . . . and now

USGA official at 1953 National Open registration table: Name, please?

Hogan: William B. Hogan. My wife and my friend call me Ben. You call me Mr. Hogan.

USGA official: First time at the National Open?

Hogan: No.

USGA official: Have you recently played competitively at the championship?

Hogan: You decide. I won three of the last four in which I was physically able to play.

USGA official: Any other significant finishes at other events?

Hogan: I won the 1946 and 1948 PGA Championships and this year’s Masters. I’ve also won 36 other PGA Tour events since discharged from the Army after service in World War II.

USGA official: OK, I guess that gets you into qualifying for this year’s National Open. You and 298 others will play two rounds, one at Oakmont and one at the Pittsburgh Field Club. The top 156 will qualify to play in the Open.

Good luck, Mr. . . . Wogan, is it?

Hogan: That’ll do until you inscribe the trophy.

---

R & A official at 1953 British Open registration table: Name, please?

Player: William B. Hogan. I go by Ben. You call me Mr. Hogan.

R & A Official: First time at the Open Championship?

Hogan: It is.

R & A Official: I see. Have you competed in any significant professional events this year?

Hogan: Yes, I played in four so far: The Masters, the Pan American Open, the Colonial National Invitational, and the U. S. National Open.

R & A Official: And how did you place in those events?

Hogan: I won them all.

Official. OK. Those are sufficient to allow you to attempt to qualify for this year’s Open Championship. Please report to Burnside Links tomorrow at 5:30 am for your first qualifying round. If you make the cut in that round, your second qualifying round will be on the championship course, Carnoustie.

Good luck, Mr. . . . Bogan, is it?

Hogan: That’ll do until you inscribe the Claret Jug.

---

PGA of America official at the registration table for the 2021 PGA Championship: Name please?

Fowler: Rick Yutaka Fowler. Please call me Rickie. Would you like my autograph?

PGA of America official: No, thank you. Have you ever won the PGA Champinship?

Fowler: No.

PGA of America official: Have you won a major championship in the last five years?

Fowler: No.

PGA of America official: The Players Championship in the last three years?

Fowler: No.

PGA of America official: Where did you finish in last year’s PGA Championship? The Top 15 qualify for this year.

Fowler: Sadly, I was cut.

PGA of America official: Any wins in PGA Tour events in the last two seasons?

Fowler: No.

PGA of America official: Mr. Rick, do you get a sense of where this is going?

Fowler: Yeah, but hope springs eternal when you’re good for the game and great in the clubhouse. Please check the Special Exemptions List.

PGA of America official: Aha! Congratulations and welcome, Mr. Rick. Please give me your autograph on the official entry form. And good luck!

---

The modern trend of granting exemptions into what otherwise are events to which admission must by earned by the players using their clubs is beginning to rankle some PGA Tour players.

Some golf fans – such as this writer – also lament the fact that the modern Tour has become somewhat hybrid. Of course the cream of the world's best will earn invitations to the major championships and what are called signature events. These signature events have greatly-reduced fields and offer significantly greater purses and more FedEx Cup points than the usual tour stops.

But the inclusion of those golfers who haven't qualified waters down the events, and renders them as much exhibitions of popular players as highest-quality golf competitions. If forced to describe the process of selecting the fields for these events in philosophical terms, I'd call it Elitist Communism.

Last year little-known Tour player Dylan Wu courageously risked Establishment ire by calling into question the sponsors exemptions into signature events. He pointed out that multiple exemptions had been granted to several players who also held positions as Directors in the PGA Tour's Policy Board.

Wu pointed to Webb Simpson, a Director, who had already accepted sponsors exemptions into the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and had accepted an exemption into the RBC Heritage. [Simpson also accepted a fourth exemption later that year, into the Wells Fargo Championhip at Quail Hollow.] Kevin Kisner, a Director on the Policy Board and then Number 541 in the World Golf Rankings, also accepted a sponsors exemption into the RBC Heritage. But coincidentally, Kisner was acting as the lead analyst on NBC's golf telecasts.

Wu said, "Sponsor exemptions going to the same players every elevated event doesn’t seem to follow the 'play better' admonition we hear incessantly. Seems like 'be more famous' or 'know the right people' would be better advice."

The four otherwise unqualified players to receive sponsors exemptions into this week's [2025] Genesis Invitational are Jordan Spieth (former Director), Gary Woodland (former Director), Justin Rose (former Director), and Rickie Fowler (former Director).

Rickie tried to warm up for the event by accepting a regular sponsors exemption into the American Express championship two weeks earlier, where he finished 10 shots behind the winner, Sepp Straka, and by accepting an exemption into the WM Phoenix Open, where sickness forced his withdrawal after a 77 in the first round. Spieth, Woodland, and Rose missed the cut at the Genesis. Fowler finished T39, 14 strokes behind the winner, Ludwig Åberg. Rickie also received a sponsors exemption into another signature event this year, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where he finished T53, 15 strokes behind winner Rory McIlroy.

Having a maximum of four sponsors exemptions into signature events to award, the Directors faced a problem. Without question, Tiger Woods would receive an exemption into any event that he chose. Thus, the Directors would have only three exemptions remaining to award. So, to keep the full number of exemptions, yet another exemption was crafted, and this exemption applied only to one player – Mr. Woods.

Woods already has lifetime membership on tour because of his 82 career wins. But that status does not allow him to compete in the tour’s signature events, which have their own specific criteria for eligibility. Given the limited schedule that he plays, the only way for Woods to gain entry into them was to receive one of four sponsors exemptions offered into each event.

Rather than award one of these exemptions to Woods, which would be impossible to refuse, Woods now has his own personal invitation. Policy Board members approved the creation of a separate category of exemption for Woods alone into the tour’s eight signature events based on his “exceptional lifetime achievement.”

Dylan Wu lost his Tour card and is playing on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. He's played in three events so far, with a missed cut at the Astara Golf Championship, a T15 at the Bahamas Golf Classic, and he tied for second at the Panama Championship. I hope to see him in the U. S. Open this June.

Sunday February 16, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3828

"way to stand up, boys"

I'm the first one to admit that not much about this mid-season 4 Nations hockey tournament snagged my interest.

I love ice hockey. It's been a huge part of my life since the mid 1970's. I didn't cry when the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000 or 2013, but I definitely shed a tear in 2018 when the Capitals skated around the arena in Las Vegas with the Stanley Cup held up in the air.

That said, I'm admittedly old school. The Stanley Cup is everything in hockey and stuff like the Olympics, World Championships and this, the 4 Nations Cup, just don't garner my attention all that much.

But I had this weird feeling last night's U.S. vs. Canada game was going to be different. "Different" as in, worth watching. "Different" as in, something might happen that makes the last week of the tournament memorable.

I was right.

And it turned out to be something out of the blue that made the whole night turn into one of the more memorable "meaningless" hockey games we've seen in a long time.

No, it wasn't of the same weight as Lake Placid in 1980. That one will always stand above everything else.

But the U.S. winning 3-1 last night in Canada and setting the stage for a potential epic rematch in Boston next Thursday was a huge night for American hockey on several levels.

Most importantly, the guys in red, white and blue stood up for their country on foreign soil.

That's how it started. And the friction that was evident from the opening whistle only enhanced the play on the ice, which saw the U.S. cling to a 2-1 lead throughout the 3rd period before salting away the game with a late empty net tally.

Prior to the game, the fans in Montreal booed the Star Spangled Banner when it was played. And it wasn't just a few knuckleheads doing it, either. It sounded like a significant portion of the arena participated.

And that led to the fights.

Right away.

As soon as the puck was dropped, the Americans went after the Canadian players. And these weren't baseball fights, either. It wasn't guys standing around yelling and pointing at each other like you see in the summer.

These were fist fights.

The U.S. players were not happy at all about their national anthem being booed.

They were particularly disappointed because recently on a national podcast, Canada's Brad Marchand took offense to a situation in Ottawa recently where fans booed the U.S. anthem during a NHL game.

"I don't respect that at all," Marchand said. "The anthems are there as a sign of respect because of our veterans and all that they've sacrificed. That's the reason we even get to play this game and have freedom. For them to be booing, that is disrespectful to the veterans, which I don't agree with at all."

One interesting fight out of the three was between Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. Tkachuk is American and plays for Ottawa. Bennett is Canadian and plays for Florida. Tkachuk's brother, Matthew, is Bennett's teammate in Florida.

That should make for a few interesting plane rides and morning skates in the season's final two months.

After the three fights -- without 30 seconds of hockey played -- you could clearly hear one of the coaches on the American bench yell out, "Way to stand up, boys!", an obvious reference to the Star Spangled Banner being booed by 18,000 Canadians.

I'll admit, the whole thing kept me watching the game from start to finish.

The rest of the night was "just hockey", although there were several glass-shaking hits throughout the game and tensions ran high for all 60 minutes.

In the end, the hockey gods took care of things, as the U.S. pulled off an important-and-impressive win to advance to next Thursday's championship game.

The Star Spangled Banner has taken a beating over the last decade here in the U.S., whether it's from kneeling or some other sign of disrespect during the song.

I was at a high school basketball game recently where the host school didn't even bother playing the national anthem before the game. That's when you know you've lost touch with what's right and wrong.

"Just skip the national anthem before the game. We don't want to poison the young men at such an early age anyway."

The entire arena booing the national anthem last night was, of course, not about hockey, but rather about politics. We all know that. The U.S. and Canada aren't exactly sitting around the campfire sharing moscow mules these days.

But to boo another country's national anthem? Bush league called and said, "You guys have gone overboard."

Fortunately for the Americans in the Bell Centre last night, they were able to stand up for the old girl.

And it sets up a very interesting and potentially combustible situation in Boston next Thursday. If Canada beats Finland on Monday night, it will be a U.S.-Canada showdown for the title in Beantown.

There's no telling what the Boston fans are going to do when the Canadian national anthem is played. I think I know what they're going to do, but we'll see.

I'm hoping a few days of the U.S. players begging for "no booing" during the Canadian anthem will get the job done and the arena will remain silent and respectful while it's being played. That said, I can't imagine it's going to go like that.

Then again, Finland could spoil the party and win on Monday night and it wouldn't be U.S. vs. Canada on Thursday.

I'll admit it. I was proud to see our American guys throw the gloves off and get after it in the opening seconds of the game. I'm not huge on fighting in hockey, but it's been part of the sport in forever, for whatever reason.

But last night was like watching some nut-job burn the American flag. It just irks the living crap out of you.

And, so, the American hockey players did what they had to do. And I respect that of them.

Today is another huge opportunity for Denny McCarthy, as he sits one shot out of the lead heading into the final round of the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines.

McCarthy, in case you don't know, is our only "local product" currently playing on the PGA Tour. He grew up in Silver Spring, played his high school golf at Georgetown Prep, and later attended the University of Virginia before turning pro.

I've told this story here previously, but it always bears repeating. I played with Denny in the Maryland Open when he was 14 and after our round, I walked off the green and said to the other competitor in the group, "That kid will play on the TOUR someday."

You could just see it.

Everything about Denny, even at 14, looked like "professional golf".

The way he dressed, the way he warmed up, the way he hit the golf ball, the way he carried himself while he played. It was very obvious he was a different junior golfer.

McCarthy has been on TOUR for five years now and has never won. He did win the Korn Ferry Tour Championship a while back, but in terms of official PGA Tour wins...he has zero of them.

He's made a great living, though. No two ways about that. If his career ends tomorrow, he's in great shape.

But a win today would be career-changing for him, and that doesn't have anything to do with the $4 million first place check.

A win gives him almost 3 years of an exemption (the rest of this year and 2 more) plus he's in the four majors as well. As it stands today, McCarthy is not yet eligible for all four in 2025.

A victory could also launch him into the early discussion for this fall's U.S. Ryder Cup team. McCarthy once played for the "amateur version" of the Ryder Cup -- the Walker Cup -- while he was at the University of Virginia.

A win today would huge.

He's been close a few times in his career, including the 2022 U.S. Open at Brookline, where he was two shots out of the lead throughout the back nine on Sunday before eventually finishing T7.

Last summer, he birdied 8 of 9 holes on the back nine on Sunday to get into a playoff at the Valero Texas Open, but eventually lost to Akshay Bhatia. Two years ago at The Memorial, he fell to Viktor Hovland in a playoff.

Today is his latest-best chance. He's one shot behind Patrick Rodgers heading into the final round and Rodgers, like Denny, is looking for his first-ever win on TOUR as well.

It would be awesome to see McCarthy finally pull through and win.

A decade ago I watched him play and knew he was special.

Today he could prove just how special he really is.

Saturday February 15, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3827

just get us to...april

One of our chief antagonists around here and captain of the Troll Team, Billy, chimed in with some snark yesterday about the "dog days" here at #DMD.

I thought a funny memory of Greg Valentine on Valentine's Day was a good start, then we delved into the Ravens potentially facing off against Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers twice next year.

And then we wrapped it up with the feasibility of betting (wasting) $100 on Tiger Woods to win a golf tournament in 2025.

Three quality sports stories, if you ask me. That is, if you think wrasslin' is "sports".

Anyway, goofy Billy's take aside, we have entered a period of time where we reach a lull in hot-and-heavy sports action. Football has just ended and baseball -- and, no, the Orioles "B" squad knocking off Minnesota, 6-4, doesn't count -- doesn't start for another 6 weeks or thereabouts.

There's the NHL, which itself is even on a 2-week break right now, and any coverage we provide on that league is almost solely dedicated to the Capitals and, this year at least, Alex Ovechkin's pursuit of the all-time goal scoring record.

Ovi has to score 16 goals in the team's final 27 games to break Gretzky's mark. We'll be following it here, for sure.

We almost never write about the NBA here because, well, none of you follow the NBA either.

There is Maryland basketball and the Terps are on the fast track to either some March Madness excitement or the laying of a massive March Madness egg. We will be following the Terps hot-and-heavy over the next five weeks.

The period between the end of football and the beginning of baseball is always a "down time" in the world of sports. We like to think we don't let it get to us here, no matter what the trolls think.

So this is when we dig up fun, interesting things to (hopefully) keep you entertained at #DMD.

We'll keep you up to date on the PGA Tour, as we like to do. Two huge tournaments are in the offing; The Players in the middle of next month and then, of course, the best sporting event ever created by man, The Masters, in early April.

If something interesting happens to the Orioles, we'll be on it. Insert your own punch line there. They spent the entire winter actually trying their best not to be interesting.

Maybe we'll hear something about Justin Tucker's future with the Ravens. As I mentioned earlier this week, I'm hearing they're still "sorting through all the details" which -- who knows? -- could mean they're trying to figure out a way to soft-peddle this whole thing into keeping him around in 2025.

Ovi will be back soon and we'll cover his chase of the record. Someone asked me yesterday if I'd wager that he breaks the record this season now that he has 16 goals to go with 27 games remaining. It's going to be very close, barring injury. Unless something weird happens, he's going to score at least 10 goals in the team's next 18 games. That's my prediction, anyway.

Can he then score 6 in their final 9 games to break the mark this season or will he have to come back in '25-26 and do it?

If you gave me your $100 and asked me to bet it, I'd bet he comes up short this year, scoring 39 goals on the season to come up three shy of breaking the mark. The closer he gets, the more he's going to press, I think. The more he presses, the tougher the goals are to come by.

I'd love to see him do it this year, obviously. The Caps are having a remarkable season and could be a very tough out in the post-season.

Anyway, back to the dog days for a second.

It's time for you to put your thinking caps on. Flyers fans, find an extra one around the house and wear two of them if necessary.

Next week, on the heels of the highly controversial NFL MVP award, we're doing our own version of "MVP" awards, except we're doing it for the last 30 years.

We'll name one winner in each category and provide four "Honorable Mention" finalists as well. Come up with your top five and then chisel away at them until you come up with a winner.

On Wednesday, we kick it off with our "MVBA". Who has been our "Most Valuable Baltimore Athlete" over the last 30 years? We picked 30 for this five-day exercise because that's essentially when the Ravens came to town. The "MVBA" is solely intended for someone who played in Baltimore, which does leave out Michael Phelps, for those thinking of voting for him.

Start thinking about that one now. In Baltimore, over the last 30 years, who has been our "MVBA"?

On Thursday, we shift to the national scene. Who has been "The Top GOAT of the GOATS?" In other words, of those we all consider the "GOAT" (Greatest Of All Time), which one of them has been the best since 1995? You can throw in virtually anyone you want at that point, including Djokovic, Phelps, Tiger, Serena, Federer and then a number of guys in the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA.

Good luck with that one. Who is the Top GOAT of all the GOATS? I've already changed my mind 3 times on this one.

On Friday, we're going to shift to music. Who is the "MVMA" of the last 30 years? That is, the "Most Valuable Music Arist" since 1995. We've left this one open intentionally to inspire all of you deep thinkers. No, that doesn't automatically disqualify fans of the Beatles or the Flyers. You guys and gals can still join in.

Go through the albums, the songs, the shows, the tickets sold -- however you decide to judge it, it's up to you. Who is the "Most Valuable Music Artist" of the last 30 years? That's coming on Friday.

On Saturday, we move to iconic sports moments of the last 30 years. What is the very best "Sports Moment" you saw? Go through the memory bank and think about NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, plus golf, tennis, and anything else in sports. Which one single moment stood out to you the most?

I have a list of about 10 I'm already considering. This one's a tough category.

And then, on Sunday, we'll wrap it all up with the king of them all, the "MVP" in sports over the last 30 years.

Except the "p" stands for "person", instead of "player". Who, over the last 30 years, has been the absolute top dawg, the #1 "person" in all of sports? Owner, player, coach, executive. That's a lot of folks to consider. Who is #1?

So there you go.

Start getting your lists together and give it some analysis.

We need your input on these over the next few days to help us sift through all of the names.

Oh, and just because it fits...a little video for all of you below makes a special announcement.

Friday February 14, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3826

a valentine's day special

Throughout my 17 years of travel in the indoor soccer business, we were constantly in the midst of professional wrestlers, whether that was in the airport or a hotel.

These days, I assume most of the big timers in the WWE travel by private plane. But back in the 1980's and 1990's, they traveled just like the rest of the great unwashed. I saw Randy "Macho Man" Savage in first class once. And the "Honky Tonk Man" as well. I remember walking back to the bathroom on a TWA flight and there was the "Iron Sheik", in the last row, zonked out with a blanket draped over him.

In honor of today, let me tell you about the time I met Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. A lot of my wrestling stories are memorable, but my chance meeting with "The Hammer" was epic.

When a wrestling show would be held at the Arena, most of the wrestlers would show up at some point during the day for a walk through with the competitor they were wrestling against that night.

It was their version of a musical group's "sound check", if you will.

Editor's note: The first time you see that, a mid-day "walk through", it's really kind of deflating. I mean, you always knew it couldn't possibly be on the up and up, but actually seeing those guys get in the ring and go through what they were going to do later that night was pretty startling.

On this particular night, Valentine was wrestling Don Muraco. I don't remember what was at stake, but "The Hammer" was a big deal in the late 1980's. If he was on the card, it was a huge event.

I was walking back through the arena on this particular Friday after being out for lunch. As I glanced to my right, there were several wrestlers milling around the ring. From my vantage point, I could make a few of them out. There was Greg Valentine, with his flowing blonde hair, in a normal, every day track suit.

I stopped for a second and watched them. No one said a word to me. Valentine hopped down out of the ring and started walking in my direction.

There was some chatter from the ring that I couldn't quite pick up, but I heard Valentine say, clearly, "I'll be back. We'll get it right!"

He walked in my direction. And I was fearful he was going to yell at me for snooping.

"Hey!" he said to me. "Where's the nearest bathroom? I need to take a s**t."

Most people would sort of gingerly walk up to someone they didn't know and say, "Excuse me, do you know where the nearest men's room is?"

Not Greg Valentine. He asked me in, let's say, a more direct manner.

And with that, I walked Greg "The Hammer" Valentine in the direction of the men's room. "It's just past that curtain, to your right," I said.

I went back to the area next to the stage, curiosity again snagging me as I watched Cowboy Bob Orton and some other guy toss one another against the ropes and practice their moves.

"You work here?" Valentine said as he approached me after his bathroom visit.

"Sort of," I said. "I don't work for the arena. I work for the indoor soccer team that plays here."

"The toilet paper in this place sucks," he growled. "My a** is raw. I would have been better off using sand paper!"

I laughed.

"It's not funny," he said. It was then that I realized he wasn't a wrestler in that moment. He was just a guy, with an awkward, apparently somewhat uncomfortable trip to the bathroom.

Valentine didn't say anything else. He turned and walked back to the ring -- anger in his stride -- a distinctly "careful" gait on display.

As he got back to the ring, I could hear his voice rise as he told the wrestlers about his trip to the bathroom and the unfortunate turn of events that occurred.

They were howling in laughter, bent over in sheer delight at "The Hammer" telling them how the toilet paper in the Baltimore Arena tore him apart.

That's how I met one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Greg Valentine.

There's no telling if the career of Aaron Rodgers ended yesterday when the Jets officially told him they weren't bringing him back in 2025.

If he is done, let's tip our hat to one of the best signal callers of this generation. His halcyon days in Green Bay were truly magnificient.

Rodgers will probably try to do what most athletes in the December of their career feel they have to do -- end it all on a positive note instead of a negative one.

But when you've been canned by the Jets, of all teams, where else can you go?

During my weekly stint on Glenn Clark Radio this past Wednesday, the show host brought up the idea that perhaps the Pittsburgh Steelers would be one of those teams willing to take a flyer on the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

I mean, it's not totally crazy, right?

Russell Wilson is a has-been.

Justin Fields looks like a guy who will best fit in anywhere as a back-up, nothing more.

If the Steelers trot one or both of those QBs out there next September, they're staring 8 or 9 wins in the face once again.

What about Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh?

Sure, they might go 8-9 or 9-8 with him, too, but if Tiger can win a Masters at age 44 after 119 surgeries, Aaron Rodgers can engineer the Steelers to 10 or 11 wins and a playoff berth.

Right?

There are other teams where he might also make sense. New Orleans is one of them. Maybe the New York Football Giants? Rodgers could keep his stadium parking pass if that deal worked out.

The AFC East is set, with the Jets looking for anyone but Rodgers.

The AFC South is set, although the Titans QB situation is anything but solid.

The AFC West is set except for Las Vegas. But there's no way Rodgers would go out there and finish 5-12 while losing 5 of 6 games to Kansas City, the Chargers and Denver.

If it's an AFC team, Pittsburgh appears to be the one with the most obvious need. The Steelers might be, honestly, the only AFC squad that Rodgers would actually entertain.

As Clark pointed out, the NFC should be Rodgers' only consideration.

It's like in the old days in baseball - before the National League caved into the Player's Association and went with the DH -- when a free agent pitcher was looking at possible new teams to join. The really good ones almost always wandered over to the National League where they faced a pitcher at the plate 2 or 3 times a game and the catcher or one other hitter was also usually pretty lame.

In the NFC, there's the aforementioned Saints who could be a decent fit, but they do have Derek Carr slotted in there for 2025 already.

The Falcons have been looking for a quarterback since the Steve Bartkowski days. I know Matt Ryan was OK and all. But, seriously, Atlanta could use someone reasonably competent under center in 2025.

Is Aaron Rodgers "reasonably" competent? That's the big question.

The NFC West is set.

The NFC North is set.

The NFC South has two possible spots and the Giants are a possible spot in the East.

And then there's the biggest question of all.

Will Aaron Rodgers play somewhere for $10 million? $5 million? Would he lower himself to playing for that kind of money?

No one is giving him $30 million or $40 million any longer. He's not good enough to warrant that sort of payday.

Have we seen the last of Aaron Rodgers?

If so, he'll go down as one of the best and most bizarre athletes of the last 10 years.

He's a Hall of Fame quarterback. Almost certainly a first ballot guy.

But he's also become a first ballot weirdo, too.

Covid-19 was a game changer for him.

The talk of the virus and the vaccine and what not turned him into an internet meme.

The trip to a reservation in Costa Rica to try alternative medicines was a real hoot. And here's the funny thing. It might have actually worked for him to some degree.

Whatever happens, whether he's back or not, Aaron Rodgers has been entertaining, at the very least, over the last few years.

And upon a time, he was a true star in the league.

Next season, he might be just another guy trying to latch on with a team in August.

Nick in Owings Mills checked in with a question about Tiger Woods and his chances of winning a major this year. I hope I'm saving Nick some money today.

Drew, I can get Tiger at 150-1 to win a tournament in 2025. Convince me I shouldn't put $100 down to win $15,000 if the Big Cat gets back in the winners circle. Tell me I'm wrong. Convince me. Or else I'm doing it.

Nick, you're wrong.

You told me to tell you that you're wrong.

You are.

He's not winning.

First off, it's not like he's going to play 10 or 12 tournaments. If Tiger was set to play 10 or 12 tournaments, $100 might not be a bad investment.

He's probably going to play 5 or 6, at the most. And 4 of those will be majors.

And of the majors, the only one he can definitely-maybe win is the Masters.

Everything would have to line up right for him there, like it did in 2019, when he played well enough for three days to hang around the leaderboard and then everyone around him vomited on themselves on the 12th hole on Sunday.

It happened once. It could happen again. One thing Tiger knows how to do and that's "close the deal". But he has to get into that position, first, and I think it would be tough for him to do. Alas, if there's any course where he could -- it's Augusta National.

He can't win the PGA. And he can't win the U.S. Open.

Those courses are just too long, too arduous, and the four day grind is just too much for him given the effort he'd have to put in just to walk the layout, let alone play great golf.

He maybe, maybe, maybe could win the British Open if the course is flat, his chakras are in line and there was a good/bad weather draw and he got the "good" end of it.

Look, I realize $100 isn't a lot of money. And $100 to win $15,000 is a pretty good deal.

And he is, still, (generously) Tiger Woods.

But you'd be far better served to take that $100 and sprinkle it on Leon Draisaitl, Artemi Panarin or Sam Reinhardt to score two goals for the Oilers, Rangers or Panthers one night soon when the NHL starts up again.

You won't win $15,000 on any of those three but you also have a way better chance of one of those three scoring two goals in a game than you do of Tiger winning a golf tournament in 2025.

Draisaitl is usually somewhere around +850 to score two goals in a game. Throw your $100 on him and win $850 (plus your $100 back).

Draisaitl might score two goals in a game five more times this season. Here's a tip: Take your $100 and throw $10 on him to score 2 goals in each of Edmonton's next 10 games. I guarantee you'll have more than $100 in your hand after the 10 games.

Heck, if that $100 is burning a hole in your pocket and you want to go out on a real limb one night when hockey returns, take any of these six players and bet three of them to score 2 goals in the same game (assuming they're all playing on the same night, of course); DeBrincat (Detroit), Draisaitl (Edmonton), Pastrnak (Boston), Panarin (NY Rangers), Reinhardt (Florida), Thompson (Buffalo).

If you pick the right three, you could win a really nice chunk of change on a $100 wager if all three of them score twice on the same night.

But, if you're just stuck on golf wagering and you're looking for a big return on your investment, I'd look for the odds on one of these four longshots to win a major in 2025; Maverick McNealy, Min Woo Lee, Ben An or Sepp Straka. They're all going to range from 60-1 to 100-1. And any of those four could win a major.

It's all more efficient than betting on Tiger.

I'm sorry to report it that way. But Tiger can't win.

Would I like to see him win? You bet. It would be, in my world, akin to the U.S. Olympic hockey team beating the Soviets in 1980.

But it's not going to happen. There are too many good players, for starters, and Tiger can't play enough golf to be sharp enough to beat them on the toughest courses on TOUR.

I'd love to be wrong about your $100. But I'm not going to be.

Bet it if you like, Nick. But your wagering slip will ultimately be nothing more than a souvenir of wishful thinking.

faith in sports

Like most of you, I watched the Super Bowl on Sunday and took note of the commercials. Most, I thought, were guilty of "trying too hard". A few were decent, like the early Dunkin' commercial with Ben Affleck, the one presented by Pfizer -- "kid beats cancer" -- and the Stella Artois spot with Beckham and Damon near the end of the game.

When you're spending $8 million or more on a TV commercial, "trying too hard" comes with the territory, I guess. For $8 million, you better make that thing the very best it can be.

The video below, 5 minutes in length, could have been made into a Super Bowl commercial. I wish it would have been, in fact.

120 million people watching 30 or 60 seconds of these Philadelphia Eagles players talking about their love of God...better than the game itself!

And the best part of all? FOX would have taken the $8 million and the ad would have aired!

Check out these Eagles talking about their faith at the Super Bowl. It's an awesome video presented by Sports Spectrum.

Thursday February 13, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3825

not the red sox!

I think I've mentioned this here before, but Alex Bregman is one of my all-time favorite non-Oriole players.

I don't have many of those, frankly. I'm an Orioles fan first and foremost. But I do have a half dozen players that I always say, "Man, I wish that guy played in Baltimore."

Alex Bregman is one of those players.

I knew, as free agency kicked off back in November, there was almost no chance Bregman could wind up in orange and black.

The infield in Baltimore is locked and loaded. Westburg's at third, Gunnar's at short, Holliday is at second and Mounty and O'Hearn will split time at first.

Bregman just didn't fit in Baltimore.

Sadly, he apparently does fit in Boston.

The former Astros World Series champion inked a 3-year/$120 million deal with the Red Sox on Wednesday night.

Now, not only do I have to lament one of my favorites being available and not coming to Baltimore, I'll have to watch him compete against the O's a dozen times in 2025.

And in Boston, no less.

Anywhere but the Yankees or Red Sox.

Toronto? OK.

Tampa Bay? That's fine.

But potentially helping the Red Sox of all teams? Yuck.

Speaking of the Orioles, it's spring training time. Yes, really. I know it's not feeling much like spring right now, but Grapefruit League action starts next week.

We have plenty of time to go through the Birds hopes for 2025 and what we all think they're going to do this season.

Here's my question of the day for you: As it stands right now, on February 13, how many home games do you plan on attending this season?

Maybe you've already bought your mini-plan.

Maybe you've merely glanced at the schedule and figured out which games you hope to get to this season.

Maybe you just say, "I'll get down to the ballpark for 6 games somehow."

What's your projected, hopeful number of home game attended this coming season? Use the comments section below and tell the world.

J.C. reached out to me with a question about Justin Tucker this week and, well, you know, we haven't talked about Tucker in about 5 days so......why not?

J.C. basically asked if there was any way it might work to Tucker's advantage that all of these stories broke in January and there's eight months befoer training camp.

"Hey, Drew, is there a chance the Ravens can keep Tucker and just use the spring and summer to have the massage story go away? By next September everyone will be thinking about something else. And I am not trying to minimize what happened but he is a kicker. He's much less high profile than other star players on the team. Any way the Ravens can keep him?"

I hear the Ravens are "still sorting through the details" -- as was told to me by someone in the know at The Castle -- which I take as code word for, "He's gone. We're just waiting until the new league year to let him go and designate him as a post-June cut to split the salary cap hit."

What other details are there at this point? The women told their story. Tucker refuted it. Now what? I can't imagine those women are all going to come back around next month and say, "You know...we all sorta-kinda made up those stories for an attempt at fame and fortune."

Has stuff like that happened before? Yes.

Has it turned out some of the story -- or all of it -- wasn't exactly as originally portrayed or reported? Yes.

But this story seems fairly rock-solid. I don't see how the women are suddenly going to start saying, one by one, "I wasn't totally honest with what I told the Baltimore Banner."

Now, to J.C.'s point, time heals all wounds, as the saying goes. Could the Ravens try to use the spring and summer to help the fan base forget about Tucker's alleged inappropriate behavior? Sure they could.

Would it work?

I don't think so.

The fan base -- in particular, the large segment of female supporters of the team -- isn't going to let this one go away.

Eight months is a long time, sure. The Orioles will be knee deep in another hopeful playoff run by the summer and football will be on the back burner until early September. But I'm sorry. You're not getting people to forgive and forget anytime soon. I don't see Tucker returning in 2025.

They are playing the Genesis Invitational in a familiar place this week, as the PGA Tour moved the event from Riveria CC to Torrey Pines (South) because of the January fires in the L.A. area.

The event will resemble more of a U.S. Open, the PGA Tour says, with all four rounds being played on the more difficult South course and the rough being "up" to enhance the difficulty of the layout for players who don't keep the ball in the fairway.

It's a "signature event" for the TOUR as well, meaning there's an elevated winner's haul ($4 million) and all the best guys are teeing it up.

Tiger Woods was supposed to make his much-anticipated 2025 debut this week but withdrew on Monday while still mourning the sudden passing of his mother last week.

Here's who we like this week at Torrey Pines.

Tony Finau -- A lot of people in golf keep waiting for it, and so do we here at #DMD. "It", of course, is Finau breaking through with a huge win and then moving on to (finally) capture a major championship. He does have 6 career wins including a FedEx Cup playoff event in 2021, but he's been quiet of late. We're thinking Torrey Pines South meshes well with him this week.

Keegan Bradley -- Bradley is quietly having a remarkable last 24 months in the world of professional golf. He's 4-for-4 in cuts made so far in 2025 with a Top 10 and 3 Top 25's to his credit. His data in the early stages of 2025 is also promising; Top 15 in both "Total Driving" (combination of his rankings in accuracy and distance off the tee) and "Shots Gained: Ball Striking". The enhanced field and difficulty of Torrey Pines gives this week a bit of a "mini major" field and that fits Bradley perfectly. Could he win this week? He sure could.

Ludvig Aberg -- If Secretariat returned to racing this May, everyone would bet the horse. Aberg is Secretariat. He's playing this week, so you have to bet him. He might not yield as much of a return as some others we're listing, but a win ticket cashed is better than throwing them in the trash can. Aberg is a perfect fit for Torrey Pines. He'll be there on Sunday.

Collin Morikawa -- They're calling for crappy February weather out in the San Diego area this week and Morikawa, a California native, knows all too well how to handle the rain and fog and mist of the Southern California area. Few guys on TOUR drive it as well as Morikawa only a handful of players hit their irons with his precision. It's always putting with him. But he's familiar with the poa annua greens of Torrey Pines and Southern California and we love his chances this week.

Russell Henley -- If you press us to pick a winner this week, we're going with Russell Henley. He's also an awesome first-round leader wager for those who like that sort of thing. A lot of folks forget Henley was actually in the final group on Sunday when the U.S. Open -- won by Jon Rahm -- was played at Torrey Pines. He sets up camp in every fairway and his short game is outstanding. If he can compete against a U.S. Open field at Torrey, he can compete against this field this week.

And if you want a couple of quasi-longshots who would pay off handsomely if they won, we'll give you two Australians- Min Woo Lee and Adam Scott. Just sayin'.

Wednesday February 12, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3824

at least one lamar made super bowl news

OK, let's start with the good stuff.

The Super Bowl sucks.

There you go. I said it.

But it doesn't suck because of Kendrick Lamar. Not directly, anyway.

Welcome to Wednesday here at #DMD. You can file this one under "Ask and ye shall receive."

A few of you e-mailed me, some of you talked with me about this in person, and a couple of you posted comments below, all pretty much asking me the same thing: What did I think about Sunday night's halftime show? Like, really think.

Let me say from the start so there's no confusion: The actual show on Sunday night was not intended for me or folks of my ilk. I don't care about a rapper feud or the ongoing debate about what Drake or P Diddy did or didn't do.

I love music. If the show would have been about "music", I would have thought differently about it. It wasn't about music. It was about an agenda, both personal and political, and the artist's decision to use his platform to throw shade at someone in a venue that was completely one-sided in his favor.

I know the stories about Lamar and Drake are of interest to people. I get that. I have no way of knowing how many of the 126 million people who watched the game stuck around to watch the halftime show. And I certainly don't know how many of those people who did watch it fully grasped what they were seeing unfold in front of them.

That said, the halftime show on Sunday night was not really music. It was a theatrical performance that had music in it because it had to have music in it.

I should stop at this point and provide this piece of background information because I hope it helps you understand why I didn't care for what we saw on Sunday night.

I don't ever want it to be misconstrued that I somehow dislike or "hate" rap music and therefore I was always predisposed to giving a thumbs-down to what I saw at halftime.

That's simply not true.

I am a fan of rap and hip hop music. I have been for a long time. I'm the old, nerdy white guy who knows all of the words to 40 Eminem songs and 20 Dr. Dre songs. I've listened to more Snoop and Jay-Z in my life than I've listened to The Who, Rolling Stones and Eagles, combined.

I'm not a fan of all hip hop and rap music, in the same way I'm not a fan of all rock and roll music. I would say I'm not a huge fan of Drake, Kanye and Kendrick Lamar, although I respect their talents and what they've accomplished. Pushed to label one of those three "better" than the other two, I'm probably going with Kendrick Lamar. Some of his music appeals to me.

But my rap and hip hop tastes pre-date him by a decade or more. My affection for that genre of music are more reflective of 1995-2015 rather than 2015-2025.

I feel it's important to stress that I'm not anti rap music or Kendrick Lamar, even. That's always the first-blush reaction people have when you profess your dislike for something like what we saw on Sunday night: "You don't like rap music" or "you don't understand Kendrick" or the one tossed out their the most, "Sounds like you're racist to me."

None of that's true at all. I just don't think that performance belonged at the Super Bowl. That's all.

Because I have a general interest in rap music, I'm very aware of the ongoing feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake. It only took a couple of minutes on Sunday night to know he was bringing some of that to the halftime show.

That said, as someone who is familiar with their saga, I'm bored with it. I don't care about it. I know Lamar thinks he "has the goods" on Drake and I know Drake slams Lamar whenever he can in his music and shows.

If you know about the Lamar-Drake rivalry, you're bored with it by now.

If you don't know anything about it, you're certainly not to going to learn about it during a 15-minute halftime show where 99% of the lyrical inuendo and content is not something you would ever "get" without knowing anything about their relationship.

The halftime show used to be about music. Find a worthy artist and have them perform 4-6 songs for 15 minutes. Long before Kendrick Lamar, the halftime show went off the rails.

This year's artist/act has to somehow "outdo" last year's, whether that's with theatrics, pyrotechnics, dancers, props, etc.

It's no longer about music. It's about agenda. It's about bringing awareness and discussion to the water cooler, which, of course, is precisely what I'm doing today when I spend a couple of hours trying to put this together in a way I'm willing to personally endorse.

I'm chipping in to the stupidity of it all, I suppose, by even addressing it. Ultimately, the joke's on me.

But let me be clear: When I say "the halftime show was horrible", I'm not saying that because I dislike rap music or even Kendrick Lamar. I'm saying that because I don't think the message portrayed in the 15-minute show itself was something the Super Bowl should be involved with and/or publicizing.

Oh, and by the way, I think Kendrick Lamar doesn't belong on stage doing a show that strives to show the division in our country in the same way I don't think it would have been prudent to have our own President go up on stage for 15 minutes at halftime with the car maker stationed at his side making puzzling, controversial gestures to the crowd.

All that would have done is take away from the game, create more strife, and elevate the tension we're already experiencing because the price of eggs hasn't gone down over the last three weeks.

The NFL hosts a football game, not a propaganda filled infomercial disguised as a rapper flaming another rapper because they both want to prove they're better than the other guy.

Or at least the NFL used to host a football game.

I was beyond stunned that FOX and the NFL both pre-approved and allowed Kendrick Lamar's performance on Sunday night.

And with that, let's stop for a second and point the finger at the villain here. And it wasn't Kendrick Lamar.

He was asked to perform and given, apparently, liberties to create his own performance. I understand the nature of an artist wanting creative freedom.

I'm not an "artist" per se, but I do provide creative content and there are occasions when I write about something here because I'm interested in it far more than you might be interested in it. I think those instances are few and far between, but when they come up, I'm essentially saying, "It's my website and I get to decide what gets published and what doesn't and today...I'm publishing this."

There's the story of the 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa Bay where Bruce Springsteen and the folks at NBC got into a dispute about Springsteen's chosen set list for the halftime show. He had just released a new album, "Working On A Dream", and wanted to play a large piece of the title track during the halftime show.

NBC listened to the song and told him it wasn't going to keep people watching their TV and asked him to play something else instead (I think I heard somewhere they asked him to play "Dancing In The Dark") and Springsteen refused.

The network knew the song was terrible (which, it was/is). Springsteen, though, wanted to take advantage of the fact that he could showcase his new album to the 100 million people who were sitting there watching and listening to him at halftime.

He stuck to his guns and NBC gave in mid-week after The Boss said, "You brought me here to do my music and I'm going to do that. No one but me decides what I'm going to sing."

I get it.

The artist always wants the final say.

So, when Kendrick Lamar said, "This is what I'm doing on Sunday night," FOX and the NFL only had two options. They could have said, "No, you're not" or "Go right ahead".

They went with "Go right ahead".

Ultimately, FOX and the NFL are to blame for what Lamar put on the air on Sunday night.

And with that, it's just about official now. People have been hinting at it and saying it for a few years now and maybe I just ignored it because I like football.

The Super Bowl sucks.

And it doesn't just suck because of Kendrick Lamar. That was just sorta-kinda the proverbial last straw.

The Super Bowl sucks because it has most certainly become too big for its own good.

Like we tend to do here in the U.S., we took something that was organically awesome and we ruined it.

It used to be a championship football game. They've now made the game itself secondary to the rest of the day and night.

The hype, the pre-game nonsense, the commercials, the halftime show. It's all more than the game itself, which is really a shame.

The championship game of the NFL should be able to stand on its own two feet. You don't need to come on the air at 12 noon to start blabbering about it.

It's entirely unnecessary to be there all week to report on it.

You shouldn't need to have Katy Perry running around in shorts that fit her 3 years ago or Kendrick Lamar taunting a rapper no one cares about or the President of the United States on live television.

You don't need two washed-up ex-quarterbacks kicking field goals for some potato chip company and giving away $100,000 that could instead go to a homeless shelter in Philadelphia or Kansas City.

In no world should a 30-second TV commercial cost $8 million effing dollars.

I understand economics and supply and demand. It costs $8 million this year because, last year, those nitwits at Doritos and Pepsi and Budweiser all forked over $7 million.

And the league and the network charged $7 million last year because more people watched the game than the year before when they only charged $6 million.

I don't care how many people watch the game, charging $8 million for a 30-second commercials is borderline scandalous.

It's all become too, too much. And, yes, this is only my opinion and your opinion might be different and that's all good.

But I used to love the Super Bowl.

Now...I think it's stupid.

And it's been ruined by the very entity that runs the game in the first place.

That's probably the funniest part about the whole thing. The NFL took the marquee product of their entire enterprise and threw up all over it.

There has long been this bubbling theory in sports and it's loosely filed under "shut up and dribble", for lack of a better term.

In other words, the great unwashed don't want to hear which politician a basketball or football player supports.

They don't want to hear that a football kicker thinks a woman shouldn't have an abortion because that's what his religious convictions lead him to believe.

I could go on but you know the deal.

We want our shortstops and tight ends and point guards and goalies and golfers and tennis players to just play sports.

And to that end, "artists" and "celebrities" fall under that category as well.

Now, we all know how it really works. You're OK with an athlete or celebrity or musician publicly supporting a politician or a political strategy as long as it meshes with your personal convictions.

When you agree with someone else, it's all good.

But when they support, say, President Trump or former President Biden, and you don't, then you'd prefer they just "shut up and dribble".

I know very well what Kendrick Lamar was trying to say on Sunday night. The inclusion of Samuel L. Jackson as "Uncle Sam" was the obvious go-between, a character put in place to both revere and challenge the entertainer.

Lamar was endeavoring to remind us all that we're a nation divided and, given his position of authority at that moment on that stage, he was going to tell the story the way he believed it should be told.

Whether that story helped or further divided the country is the debate-worthy topic.

If the reaction of the media and the general public is any indicator, Sunday night didn't help at all.

All it did was divide the country even more.

Of everything I read about the role Samuel L. Jackson played and how it stitched together Lamar's performance, I'll provide an incredibly well-written and insightful piece from the website, "Screen Rant".

I couldn't say it better myself. Or explain it better myself. So I'll let their words take the stage now.

You can read the whole thing at www.screenrant.com -- they get the credit for this summary below.

Kendrick Lamar's half-time show notably begins with a close-up of Samuel L. Jackson, who's dressed as Uncle Sam. This character appears frequently throughout the show and offers crucial thematic value to the narrative Lamar weaves in his performance. Before diving deeper, it's important to note that Jackson's Uncle Sam character is reminiscent of his role in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. In the film, he played Stephen, an antagonistic house slave who's fiercely loyal to his monstrously racist owner, Calvin Candie. In the film, Stephen believes in a hierarchical order where white people reign at the top.

It's vital to Samuel L. Jackson's role as Uncle Sam that his character sounds like Stephen, as in both cases, he's playing a Black man who works against his own race in order to thrive in American society. It's also crucial to making this work that it's Jackson, specifically, in the role - a man who has a long history of political activism, even serving as an usher at Martin Luther King's funeral, serves to further highlight that Lamar is making a point here.

Jackson's Uncle Sam character is there to remind and try to enforce what the typical Super Bowl half-time show performer should be like, and of what certain sections of America expect from that, offering vibrancy and patriotism to contrast with Kendrick Lamar's subtle and understated performance. This is partially for Kendrick to acknowledge that he's not J-Lo or Rihanna and that his showmanship will offer a measured, more particular meaning instead.

With that in mind, it's easier to examine what Samuel L. Jackson was saying throughout the show. In response to Kendrick's performance of "Squabble Up," Jackson exclaimed, "Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto," and "Mr. Lamar, do you really know how to play the game?" His character is intended to challenge Kendrick Lamar's performance, suggesting that the songs aren't proper for a show like the Super Bowl; that he is telling this to Lamar and his dancers - a group of Black people forming the American flag - is also indicative of them being told their place. However, rather than submitting to Uncle Sam's request, Lamar continued to deliver tracks that were true to his reputation.

Similarly, this is true of Lamar stating: "The revolution 'bout to be televised... you got the right time but the wrong guy." As The Atlantic posits, this may be him again reckoning with his own place in America and the expectations placed upon him to make a political statement of some kind here, wanting him to "be more of a messiah than a musician." However, it's also apparent in this context that Lamar referring to himself as the "wrong guy" is countering Uncle Sam's demands. Underscored by referencing Gil Scott-Heron's Black Liberation song "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," he's saying that he will not just do what Uncle Sam's "America" wants and play its "game."

That said, Lamar knew he was on that stage to provide entertainment and that by delving too deep into certain elements of his discography, he might alienate a significant portion of his viewership, and the rapper's setlist finds a carefully constructed and considered balance. Ultimately, Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl performance is a self-reflective examination of his role as an artist on an entertainer's stage, with Samuel L. Jackson's Uncle Sam there to represent the prodding force of American media and politics.

All of that written above is an excellent synposis of what happened on Sunday night.

Kendrick Lamar didn't want to be "status quo". He didn't want to just get up there and play the hits, the way, say, Katy Perry did or Dr. Dre did or Stevie Wonder would, if he got the call to do 5 songs at halftime.

Therein lies one of the problems.

What's wrong with just getting up there and giving the people what they want?

Why all the inuendo and drama and subliminal messaging that you understand, because you created it, and then maybe another handful of people rally around you afterwards and say, "That was awesome, man. You really stuck it up Drake's rear end tonight!"

When it was over, were FOX and the NFL proud of what they aired on Sunday night at halftime?

Forget ratings and money and water cooler talk and social media posts and all that other stuff we've become intoxicated with over the last decade.

Were they "proud" of what they aired?

I bet they weren't.

But they allowed it because that's what you do when greed and catering to a (mostly) politically aligned agenda are the driving forces.

And so, when you ask me what I thought about the Super Bowl halftime show, I say, simply, "It didn't belong in the Super Bowl."

That's it.

It belonged in a concert hall somewhere. It didn't belong on a NFL field and it certainly didn't belong as part of their biggest night of the calendar year.

The message Kendrick Lamar was trying to convey? That's his message. He's an entertainer. An artist, if you will, and if wants that to be what he's remembered for, that's his call.

I don't care about the message, personally. It didn't bother me, per se. I wasn't "offended".

But I also don't think it belonged in the Super Bowl.

And that's not Kendrick Lamar's fault.

FOX and NBC could have told him, "That message isn't suitable for our audience, given that we're just trying to air a football game and would rather not have our programming contribute in some way to the (ongoing) division of the country."

If he wants to initiate a nationwide, 50-city tour and go out on the road and do that show plus other songs from his catalog, I think that's great. Charge $150 a ticket, sell out the arena, entertain your fans and provide to them whatever message you want.

Personally, I'm not a fan of when music artists take 3 minutes in a concert to pontificate about their political leanings or some other lightning rod topic.

I already know Eddie Vedder is a hard core Democrat who is the most liberal of the liberals. I knew that when I bought the ticket. I still love Pearl Jam and I revere what Vedder has done in his career as a musician.

That said, I'd rather just hear him sing "Daughter" and get on with the show. But, as I've pointed out here, he's the artist, he sets the night, and if he wants to bore everyone to tears with his rhetoric about how much of a bum the President is, he has the floor.

Kendrick Lamar would have been well served to do the same thing with his theatrical performance on Sunday night. Take that to the masses on your big tour and let them revel in it with you.

It didn't belong at the Super Bowl.

It was perhaps, ironically, the right guy.....but.....the wrong time. And definitely the wrong place.

Tuesday February 11, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3823

how much is "luck"?

#DMD reader Bill P. hopped in with a question in my e-mail inbox on Monday that was very interesting.

"Drew, I think you were right today (Monday) when you talked about the Chiefs not being able to do anything right last night (Sunday) and the Eagles doing everything right. How much of a team winning the championship is luck, do you think? The Ravens were really unlucky a bunch of times this past season I thought. With any better luck they were there last night instead of K.C. and maybe they win the Super Bowl instead of Philly. Thoughts on it?"

First, let me say this: I'm not sure "luck" is the right word. But we'll get back to that in a minute.

There is "something", though, that some teams seem to have on certain nights and some don't.

It's like the old Supreme Court commentary when someone asked them to define pornography.

"I don't know that I have a definition for it...but I know when I see it."

The Eagles had "it" on Sunday night and the Chiefs just didn't. Now, the sports analyst argument might say, "Philadelphia made Kansas City not have it. Maybe. That's fair, too.

But both teams show up hoping they have that intangible on their side. The intangible of things just going their way.

Often times, an outcome is based on the ball or some select measurement that turns winners into losers and vice versa.

Greg Norman's birdie putt at #18 in the final round of the 1987 Masters missed going in the whole by one-half-of-an-inch. It just creased the left side of the cup from 18 feet away. If that ball goes in, his whole career in majors might have been different.

Instead, he lost in a sudden-death playoff to Larry Mize and Norman's frustrating relationship with Augusta National started to take full shape.

We saw a significant sample of this last October with the Orioles and Royals. Sure, Kansas City pitched well and played very efficient defensive baseball, but it's not like they were Ty Cobb at the plate for two days.

It just seemed that all the little things in the two games went their way. Every close call worked out in their favor. Every seeing eye grounder they hit escaped the glove of an Orioles defender and when the Orioles hit one that looked promising, K.C. was able to scoop it up and turn it into an important out.

In that series last year, Kansas City had "it", whatever "it" was.

The ball -- in sports -- seems to sometime have a mind of its own.

Football is probably the sport where this sort of thing comes into play more than anywhere else because the ball isn't round.

You hear that a lot and, yet, it's very true.

The bounce of a basketball is very predictable.

The roll of a baseball is "mostly" predictable, give or take a bad hop once or twice a game. But even those are still generally fielded with efficiency.

A hockey puck glides in a uniform sort of way, even though occasionally it gets tough to handle when it bounces.

A football isn't round. And because of that, it does crazy things when it hits the ground.

So therein lies one of the interesting things about football that separates it from just about any other sport.

The word "if" gets used a lot, which sometimes takes away from the analysis. But "if" the ball bounces one foot right instead of one foot left, the other team recovers the ball and the whole game changes right there.

In no sport does the ball bounce around and "be available" more than in football. Remember that crazy play at the end of the Ravens/Bengals game a few years back when Tyler Huntley (I think?) threw a hail mary at the end of the 4th quarter that fell just in front of James Proche in the end zone?

If you watch the replay of that moment, Proche could VERY easily have caught that ball. It got batted around and fell RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM!

The bounce of the ball, man.

That said, I don't think what we saw on Sunday night had much to do with the ball bouncing correctly for the Eagles and incorrectly for the Chiefs.

There really wasn't much "luck" involved in the outcome.

Luck does play a role in sports. No two ways about that.

But it's not really "luck", per se. It's just the operative use of the word "if".

"If the Ravens get that 2-point conversion call go their way in Kansas City on opening night, what happens from there to both the Ravens and Chiefs?"

"If the Ravens don't lay an egg in Cleveland and Pittsburgh....and they finish as the #2 seed...what happens?"

Every team can do the "if" game.

"If" Mark Andrews doesn't fumble at midfield in the 4th quarter, I think the Ravens are going to win that game by double digits.

They were going to go down the field there and score for sure. Then I figured they'd get a defensive stop on the next series and score again thereafter to salt the game away.

The Bills were on their heels.

And then the ball got knocked out of Andrews' hands and that was a momentum-killer for sure.

The Ravens scraped their way back into it, obviously, but Andrews was involved in another huge play later on in the quarter that involved a ball and a bounce.

So, Bill, I know what you were getting at.

Everything bounced Philadelphia's way on Sunday night in New Orleans.

When that happens, there's usually not much the other team can do on that given night.

And that's how the Chiefs wound up losing, 40-22. Nothing went their way.

I don't think it was "luck", really. But everything that could have gone right for the Eagles did -- and everything that could have gone wrong for the Chiefs......also did.

Call that what you will.

I mostly call it: sports.

Monday February 10, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3822

the worst...maybe...ever?

I mean, look, you can't hit a grand slam every time you're at the plate and the bases are loaded.

Occasionally you're going to strike out.

The Super Bowl itself: A total snoozer. One of the worst ever. Kansas City couldn't do anything right and the Eagles had their chakras in line right from the start. I still think if they play 5 times that K.C. wins 3 and Philly wins 2, but they only play once and Philly won that one.

The commercials: Totally forgettable, save for the early Pfizer commercial with the kid who beat cancer and the Beckham/Damon Stella Artois commercial late in the game. Those two were great. Everything else was a fumble.

The halftime show: Milli Vanilli called and said, "That was horrendous." Kendrick Lamar is very talented, but a solo rap act at halftime of the Super Bowl ain't it. Last night's intermission show was fart-in-church stinky.

Now, in fairness, we tend to judge halftime shows against other halftime shows. A few years back, it was Eminem, Dr. Dre and Snoop.

I don't care who you put out there, nothing is ever beating that show. So, while Kendrick Lamar's performance last night woefully missed the mark, it was always going to come up short compared to what we saw in 2022, when Lamar actually played a smart part in the Eminem-Dre-Snoop spectacle.

It's like someone saying, "I know we just had a 12 ounce filet from Sullivan's last Friday night but tonight I'd thought we'd go down to the corner diner and try their meat loaf special. I hear it's great."

Meat loaf is fine. But not when it's competing against a 12 ounce filet at Sullivan's.

Kendrick Lamar was meat loaf last night.

The game and the commercials weren't much better tasting either.

It all added up to one of the worst four hours in the history of sports.

At least your company didn't pay $8 million for a commercial in the 4th quarter of a boring, blowout game.

What happened to the Chiefs last night? That's the question every talking head will be answering today and this week.

Some people think it's better to do the hunting than being the hunted and it certainly looked like last night was one of those games where the Chiefs knew they were expected to win and couldn't live up to that kind of pressure.

But it's not like they haven't been the hunted in previous years.

When you're the one getting chased after, though, sometimes you forget you have to do certain things to avoid getting caught. You're so worried about being hunted, you can't get out of your own way.

And that, I think, led in part to the Chiefs getting roasted last night. I don't think they took it for granted or anything like that.

I just think Philadelphia's desire to hunt down the Chiefs was more in play than the Chiefs desire to not get caught.

I've been on the good end of some blowout wins and on the bad end of blowout losses.

There's a theory about losing that varies based on your own tastes, I guess.

Would you rather be the Chiefs and lose 27-24 on a 51-yard field goal at the buzzer or get wasted 40-22 in a game where you were pretty much extinguished by halftime?

I see the merit in both.

When it's 27-24, you're right there, nip and tuck, and in the end you just get clipped by a field goal. One play goes in a different direction and you're a winner instead of a loser.

But when you lose 27-24, that's the agony of it. One moment, one decision, one play, one ball that hits the tight end in the chest and falls to the ground -- and you lose.

When you get roasted, 40-22, and it's apparent from about 20 minutes into the game that it's just not your day -- sometimes that's a far better way to lose.

It's much easier to digest a blow out as "one of those things" and just move on from there, like I'm sure the Chiefs said right after the game last night.

"Yuck. OK, that's over. When's training camp start so we can get right back here again next February?"

But having been on the bad end of a blowout last spring in the championship of A-conference MIAA golf, I can tell you firsthand it doesn't go away quite that easily.

It was easy to figure out.

Every big moment went against us.

When we needed to make a 6-footer on the first hole, we missed it.

When our opponents needed to make a 6-footer on the first hole, they made it.

And on it went throughout the first six holes. Every time we needed to do something positive to help tie or win a hole, we couldn't do it. And our opponents could.

The thing about it was the exact opposite scenario played out the year before when we beat the same team in the championship match.

Everything we did was right.

And under the gun, when they needed to do something right, they couldn't.

But last spring, we just didn't have the magic.

We prepared the right way.

We were locked in and loaded.

We warmed up well.

But when we needed to hit the right shot at the right moment, we couldn't do it.

The "why?" of that stays with you longer than the actual result itself.

We could have lost 11-10 or 14.5-6.5 and it would have been the same outcome. A loss.

But "why?" we didn't have it was the troubling question. We had it the year before. What was different this time around?

As a coach, you internalize the blowout more than you would the nailbiter.

"What did I do wrong?"

"What could have done to change it?"

"What was my role in the loss?"

Golf is unique in that there are no timeouts, no halftimes, no player substitutions and no strategy changes mid-match. When you're winning and on a roll, those things work in your favor. But when you're losing, you can't catch your breath.

I also witnessed Game 4 of the MISL Championship Series in 1985 when the Blast hosted the San Diego Sockers. The game was played on CBS Sports (the real CBS Sports, as in "national TV") as the league started to grow in stature and a regular "Game of the Week" package was being discussed between the league and the network.

We lost games 1 and 2 in San Diego, but returned home for a 10-6 triumph on Thursday night before a raucous home crowd. If we could even the series at 2-2 with the Sockers, there was no telling how the last three games would play out.

The build up for Saturday was intense. A number of local dignitaries were at the game and most of the MISL coaches and owners were there to be part of a CBS Sports event. The game was played at 2 pm to fit into their 2-4 pm window.

It was 6-1 San Diego at the half. Kenny Cooper stormed and stomped through a fiery halftime speech and implored the team to "get the first goal right away and send a message". The strategy was simple. Get the score back to 6-4 going into the 4th quarter and then let it all hang out from there.

Brian Quinn, San Diego's captain, scored 20 seconds into the 3rd quarter to make it 7-1.

There was another goal from the Sockers a couple of minutes later. It was 8-1 and the game was over.

We lost 14-2.

Didn't have it.

Never in it.

Everything we did backfired.

Everything San Diego did worked like a charm.

What's worse?

Losing 14-2 or falling 6-5 on a late goal by Steve Zungul where a man failed to mark Zungul on a simple give and go?

Blowout or nailbiter? Which do you prefer?

I have no idea what the Chiefs felt this morning when they woke up and their reign as NFL champions was not only over, but they were throttled in one of the worst losses in Super Bowl history.

Brush it off?

Let it eat at you for the next 6 months?

I've been on both ends. The blowout loss and the nailbiter loss

I think I'm better off with the nailbiter.

Nothing good ever comes from losing, I always say.

But I also think there's less long-term damage when it's a close one and you just got nipped at the wire.

How will the Chiefs recover from that massive egg they laid last night against the Eagles?

Losses can stay with you and your organization for a long, long time.

Just ask the Atlanta Falcons.

Sunday February 9, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3821

it's the eagles....right? please?

This feels very strange.

But here it comes: Go Eagles!

This might be about the 4th time in my life I've ever openly cheered for a team from Philadelphia to win a big time sports "event".

And, look, I'll confess right here I don't really care who wins tonight's Super Bowl.

I mean, in one way, it would be pretty cool to see the Chiefs win. No one's ever won 3 in a row. I love watching sports history be made. This -- a win for K.C. -- would be sports history like none of us have ever seen.

I also think a win tonight would push the Chiefs that much closer to not winning it all again next year, which could wind up helping the Ravens.

That said......

Do we really want to see Mahomes, Travis, Taylor and Andy parading around on the field, again, after the game, throwing on their championship tee-shirts and hats?

The rumor is Travis might propose to Taylor on the field afterwards if Kansas City wins.

Listening to a Beatles album front to back without skipping any songs might be worse than that, but nothing else could probably top it.

"And let's go down to midfield where Travis Kelce has something he'd like to say..."

Imagine that. On second thought, don't.

And then use your imagination and think about the Eagles winning. Philadelphia goes nuts. The champs have been dethroned!

Geez, is there any way at all this thing could end in a tie tonight?

I think I'm pulling for the Eagles, but only because it's the lesser of two evils.

I'm not betting a nickel on the game. That way, I really have no interest at all in who wins.

Truth be told, the game would be far more interesting had it been Buffalo vs. Washington. Or even Kansas City vs. Washington.

This match-up just doesn't do it for me. I know, I know. It's the Super Bowl. We're all going to watch.

But "watching it" and "being excited about it" are two totally different animals.

I'm just not motivated to sit there for 4 hours and hear how great Patrick Mahomes is (I know that already) or how the Eagles just shocked the world (who cares other than people in Philadelphia?).

Oh, and I heard there might be some TV commercials and a halftime concert of some kind.

I have no real feel for this game whatsoever. But if you gave me 50 dollars of your money and asked me to wager it for you, I'd pick the Eagles to win straight up. Something like 26-23.

One final programming note: Gran Torino, with Clint Eastwood, is on at 8:00 pm for anyone looking for an alternative that's likely to be better than the game.

A couple of people here have remarked about UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley and other coaches and their in-game behavior, which borders on out-of-control at times.

#DMD reader Mark Porcopich checked in with his thoughts on Hurley via e-mail with an interesting question: "At what point do players just say, "I'm out of here" when they're dealing with a crazy lunactic like Dan Hurley?"

It's important to remember that, say, 40 and 50 years ago, "screamers" were totally normal in sports coaching. Everyone did it.

Bobby Knight lost his job and a lot of his stature because he couldn't control himself.

So have plenty of other coaches.

Dan Hurley, I'd say, is a "new school screamer".

There are still some emerging these days, like Hurley, but they're becoming more of a rare find at all levels of sports coaching.

And to answer Mark's question directly, that's probably the biggest challenge college (and maybe even high school) coaches face these days.

If a kid doesn't like anything about your program, they'll just quit and go somewhere else.

There's not much "sticking it out" or "you signed up for this" going on. Kids just quit, now, if they don't like the way things are going.

So, yes, Mark, it's somewhat surprising when you see a kid getting yelled at these days because the backlash to that episode could be the kid sending you an e-mail at the end of the season to tell you he's transferring.

My biggest personal experience with coaching is unique in that high school golf is not a sport built for "screaming", whether it's at a player during a match or at the team after a match.

Golf is hard enough when you're screaming at yourself for four hours. You certainly don't need someone else yelling at you because you just missed another fairway or missed the green with a pitching wedge from 110 yards out.

Have I became frustrated with my players and/or team over the last 13 years? Of course.

But I can count on one hand -- OK, maybe two hands -- how many times I've raised my voice to a high level with my players.

We were farting around in a putting drill one day in between a loss to Spalding and an impending loss to St. Paul's and I got agitated, particularly with the leaders of the team.

"You guys gather around and wonder why you lose 16-5 and cry about a bad break you got or a 40-foot putt the other kid made on you!," I said, loudly. "You want to know why you're not winning? Because when it comes time for you to make a 6-foot putt in a match, you haven't even made a 6-foot in practice! Either dig in and make 10 of these in a row or go home!"

Dan Hurley probably screams at his team 8 times a day in practice. That was my one explosion for the season, perhaps, back in 2015 or 2016.

I also erupted once on the trip back from St. Paul's after we lost by a single point and the home team snickered and giggled at us in the handshake line.

On the bus ride back to Calvert Hall, there was, I thought, a little too much laughter amongst the team. I pulled the bus over on Goucher Boulevard and spent a minute lashing out at them about their ability to dismiss a loss right away and how angry I was that they weren't angry like me.

It was probably the most irate I've ever been with a team of mine. 12 seasons of coaching and one real blow up. I'd say that's OK.

But golf isn't built to scream. The other guy is trying to make birdie just like you are. I've had players on my team shoot 3-under par for 12 holes and lose -- on a number of occasions. What are you going to do when you shoot 3 under for 12 holes and lose? Shake the other guy's hand and try to make one more birdie next time around.

That said, I'll also say that the human impulse is to react when challenged.

We get challenged and it gets our attention.

And that's where "screamers" come in, because there are times, no matter what any therapist or mental coach suggests, where screaming at someone and getting in their face actually winds up "working", if you will.

Coaches know which kids it works with and which kids it doesn't. Some coaches methodically go about it and some coaches just scream and let the chips fall where they may.

Tom Izzo of Michigan State is a Hall of Fame screamer, yet he's been in East Lansing since Clinton was President and has been wildly successful.

Is he tough? Absolutely.

Overboard at times? Sure, he might be.

Have one or two kids along the way been unable to handle Izzo's in-your-face style? Without question.

But 95% of the kids who have played for Tom Izzo would take a bullet for him 10 or 15 years after they gradudate. It's only then that they see how much he was actually trying to build them up back in the day.

It seemed unconventional and "too personal" when they were playing for him. Ultimately, they needed to be disciplined in a certain way to get them to the level he wanted from them.

They see that a decade later. They understand it much better at age 30 than they did at age 20.

I remember sitting behind the Boston University bench circa 2005 when they were playing at UMBC and the great Dennis Wolff was coaching at BU. Wolff had a PHD in screaming. He was an all-timer as far as I could tell.

One of his best players was getting manhandled early in the game. Wolff pulled him out and laid into him about his effort. The kid went back in the game a couple of minutes later. His first trip down the court, he got the ball stolen from him and the UMBC player raced down court with it and jammed it in.

Wolff called time out and as the kid approached the huddle, I honestly thought the BU coach might punch him.

"You don't have a brain in your head!" he screamed. "Not one f*****g brain cell is up there! Not one!" And with that Wolff snagged a team sweat suit off the bench and threw it in the kid's face. "Put this on and sit on the f*****g bench, where you belong!"

The kid lumbered over to the end of the bench with the sweat suit in his hand.

Wolff started addressing the team in the huddle as the horn went off to signal the end of the time out.

He turned around and saw the kid sitting on the chair with the sweat suit in his hand. The BU coach raced from the huddle over to him.

"You better have that on in 10 seconds!" he said, grabbing the pants from the kid's hand and throwing them into chest.

The player obliged and put the sweat suit on and took a seat at the end of the bench.

In the second half, he scored 16 or 18 points and was a beast. BU picked up a much needed road win.

"The screamer" got to his player that night. I have no idea if it worked for Wolff all the time, but he knew how to handle his kid on that particular evening.

Screaming is also part of basketball because it's loud in the building. I think some people forget that. In the game, the ball is bouncing, the shoes are squeaking, the crowd is reacting. Just on the basis of that alone a coach generally has to be screaming almost the entire game.

And then during time-outs, there's music playing, ads running on the scoreboard, tee shirts getting shot into the crowd, and so on. You can't have a conversation with the guy sitting next to you in the stands. Imagine what it's like courtside with all of that going on.

The same general rule applies in football, too. The players are 50 or 60 feet away from you. How else are you going to communicate with them except to raise your voice?

But we all know the difference between screaming to communicate and screaming to discipline.

The Dan Hurley's of the coaching world succeed because they're good at what they do.

How they get it done is a whole other story.

Saturday February 8, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3820

spilled milk, basically

My friend Chris reached out via text just before midnight on Thursday to whine about the MVP award that Lamar Jackson didn't get.

Jayden Daniels.

Patrick Mahomes.

Josh Allen.

Lamar Jackson.

I sent him those four names. Just like that, with nothing else included.

I wanted to include Joe Burrow to make his head really explode, but I didn't. I just texted him those four names.

"What are they?" he asked.

"The four names of the guys who could have won the MVP award," I replied.

And then he went off.

I finally stopped him after about 8 texts.

"You're crying over spilled milk," I wrote.

"Lamar's better than all of those guys!" he barked, albeit in written barking.

I didn't want to debate it with him. So I didn't.

But no one is better than Mahomes.

I personally think Lamar is better than Josh Allen. The fancy buzz word these days is "dynamic". Lamar's more dynamic than Allen. Sure, the Buffalo QB might be a hair tougher, but that's basically eye wash when it comes to how you rank a QB to scale.

Josh Allen is a terrific quarterback.

So, too, is Jayden Daniels, although it's more than fair to shout "Beginner's Luck!" and urge him to do it again in 2025 to make us believe 2024 wasn't a fluke.

But in this past football season, Daniels could have laid a legitimate claim to the MVP award based on the fact he rose the Commanders from the ashes and had them one win away from the Super Bowl.

The award really needs a new name, which then will create an entirely new definition.

"Most Valuable" is simply too open ended.

No one in the entire league is more valuable than Patrick Mahomes. You could just give him the award every year.

What we're striving to ascertain, really, is "Who had the best season out of anyone in the league?"

That's when stats and data start doing their magic.

Heck, truth be told, Joe Burrow would be right up there in the argument for "best season" despite his team not even making it to the playoffs.

Let's all tell the truth about this and move on: Josh Allen won the MVP award for two reasons; First, he's incredibly valuable to his team. And second, he'd never won it before.

You can pick which one wins out over the other, but those are the two reasons why he won the MVP award.

Here in Baltimore, we got our feelings hurt because Lamar winning the MVP award would have been a nice consolation prize for losing to Allen and the Bills in that playoff heartbreaker.

My buddy Chris -- who swears he didn't bet on it -- was irate.

I didn't care one way or the other.

Lamar's going to the Hall of Fame someday no matter what happens from here on out. It would be great if he won another MVP award, or more, and it would be supremely awesome if he won a Super Bowl someday with the Ravens.

But he's already been fitted for the jacket in Canton.

I wish people like Chris could come to grips with that.

You can't win everything.

I realize the Ravens haven't really won anything since 2013 and people are starting to get antsy. But relax already.

Tiger Woods is back. At least for now. The 15-time major champion announced yesterday he would be returning to the PGA Tour for the Genesis Invitational on Feb. 13-16.

The tournament will be played at a familar place for Woods; Torrey Pines South. The wild fires in Los Angeles caused this year's event to be moved from its normal home of Riveria Country Club.

Woods hasn't played a competitive round on the TOUR since a missed cut at last July's British Open.

In September of 2024, he had surgery to help reduce pain in his back and started hitting balls again in late November. Woods and his son, Charlie, teamed up for a second place finish in the Parent/Child event in late December, losing to Bernhard and Jason Langer in a thrilling playoff.

Torrey Pines is the site of one of Tiger's more electrifying career moments, the 2008 U.S. Open, where he defeated Rocco Mediate in a Monday playoff.

	NOTES & COMMENT George McDowell
George McDowell is #DMD's foreign correspondent. His international reports are filed from a hardened outpost just across the U.S. / North Carolina border. He writes on sports topics that interest him that he feels might also interest some segment of the wildly esoteric #DMD readership. George has been a big fan of DF and his various enterprises since the last century, and for several seasons appeared as a weekly guest on his Monday evening radio show, Maryland Golf Live, delivering commentary as The Eccentric Starter. George also donates his time and talents to the less fortunate, and currently volunteers as secretary of the Rickie Fowler Fan Club.

history written by the victors

If you were to drive north on I-83 from Baltimore City, pick up I-81 northwest out of Harrisburg, then take the State Route 125 exit toward Echo Valley, you would – after two hours and 130 miles -- end up in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

If you were feeling curious, you could take State Route 61 north out of Pottsville and drive 25 minutes to Centralia, where you could travel down the deserted main street of this eerie, moon-scape ghost town where an underground vein of coal has been burning since 1962. But head back to Pottsville after only a few minutes, because the air is dangerously foul and smoky.

Pottsville was for a few decades the richest town in the country. As America’s industry ramped up in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the demand for energy skyrocketed. Pottsville and the surrounding area of Schuylkill County (the name of the county is the reason its inhabitants are called Skooks) held fabulously rich veins of coal just below the surface. These veins were pure anthracite, rock-hard coal with far fewer impurities that produced much more energy per pound than the soft and much more common bituminous coal, and which was much more valuable.

There are some things worth seeing in Pottsville today. There's the Garfield Diner, on Market Street, which is still open. John F. Kennedy spoke on the porch of the diner in 1960 to a large crowd as he was campaigning for the presidency against Richard Nixon. Kennedy won Schuylkill County by 243 votes out of 89,000 cast, contributing to his razor thin margin of victory in Pennsylvania, earning him the state's 32 electoral votes.

There is the Henry Clay Monument, a 15-foot tall sculpture of Clay mounted atop a 48-foot marble column near the northern base of Sharp Mountain, erected to honor the Kentucky congressman for his tariff policies that resulted in economic prosperity for Pottsville.

You could tour Yuengling Brewery, at 420 Mahantongo Street, also at a base of Sharp Mountain. The brewery was founded by German immigrant David Yuengling in 1829, and his now headed by David's third great-grandson Dick. Dick's four daughters all hold high executive positions in the company. There is a gift shop near the brewery's tasting room. But the fascinating aspect of the enterprise is the tour through the cavern dug out of Sharp Mountain.

Yuengling's advertises itself as America's Oldest Brewery, which is slightly misleading. Many breweries were founded prior to 1829, but Yuengling's was the only one that didn't shut down during Prohibition. The Skook coal miners' unquenchable thirst for good beer demanded that Yuengling supply it. The brewing process was relocated to the cavern dug into the mountain, away from the nosy eyes of Untouchables and other Revenuers, during the nation's worst failed experiment until the War on Drugs. Thus Yuengling is actually America's Longest Continually Operating Brewery, but that's a little much to print on every bottle and can of beer as well as on all the advertising and paraphernalia.

A simply must-go place is the Club 18. Everybody who's anybody has been there, or at some time will visit there. It's a bar at the intersection of Market Street and 18th Street, hence the name. It was owned by Tommy O'Reilly, who bought it more than 50 years ago after a stint in the Air Force. Tommy had a photographic (eidetic?) memory and an encyclopedic knowledge of sports and politics. Sadly, Tommy passed away in early 2024, but there's no doubt the character with which he enfused the establishment will be inherited by new ownership.

Tommy was also the unofficial mayor of Pottsville. He knew every citizen in his jurisdiction over the age of 21 [or who had a decent fake ID]. Tommy was recognized by everyone, in his unofficial capacity, as having the authority to grant honorary citizenship in Pottsville. My cousin Paulie, a resident since birth, proposed me for this high honor in the early 1970s. On a possibly momentous day, we ventured to the Club 18 for an audience with Tommy. Tommy had known my mom before she moved away from Pottsville, and was aware of her ancestors who had lived in Pottsville for generations. He said I had an acceptable pedigree and would be granted citizenship after passing the oral test, which consisted of answering but a single question. He told Paulie and me to grab a table and he would be there shortly to administer the test.

Here was the citizenship-test question that I got wrong: What team won the 1925 NFL Championship?

After some thought, I guessed the Chicago Bears. Tommy just rolled his eyes and shook his head. I asked Cousin Paulie if he knew who won the 1925 NFL Championship, and he said he had no clue. For the next half hour, Tommy held forth on a fascinating Pottsville history lesson. What follows is in essence what he said.

The Pottsville Maroons were the NFL Champions of 1925.

(Click or tap for full-screen image.)

In the early 1920s, the general consensus was that the best football was played by college teams, the next best by the teams in the Anthracite League in towns in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania, and the third-best football was played by teams in the National Football League.

In 1924 the Pottsville Maroons, owned by local surgeon Doc Striegel, won the Anthracite League title, with six wins, no losses, and one tie. In 1925, Striegel joined the NFL, which would allow him to make more money by playing in larger stadiums in cities with larger populations.

The Maroons rolled through their NFL schedule in 1925, losing only one game. In their final three games, they rolled over the 8 - 3 Green Bay Packers, 31 - 0; smashed the 13 - 5 Frankford Yellow Jackets, 49 - 0; and convincingly beat the 9 - 1 Chicago Cardinals, 21 - 7.

The NFL rules at the time specified that the team with the best record at the end of the season was the champion. Thus the Pottsville Maroons were the World Champions!

The Frankford Yellow Jackets ownership, assuming that their team would win the championship, had scheduled a game against the Notre Dame All Stars, a team composed of The Four Horseman and The Seven Mules. The game was scheduled in part to make money and in part to attempt to settle the question of by whom was the best football played. Because Pottsville had handily defeated the Yellow Jackets, the Notre Dame All Stars elected to play the Maroons.

The Maroons beat the All Stars, 9 to 7, before 10,000 paying customers at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

The Frankford Yellow Jackets ownership, angered at losing a nice payday (and perhaps still suffering from the 49 - 0 shellacking by the Maroons), filed a complaint with NFL headquarters, alleging that Pottsville had played a game in a location that violated Frankford's territorial rights. [Frankford is a neighborhood in North Philly, and Shibe Park did indeed lie in Frankford territory.] The Maroons asserted that the team had been given verbal permission by the league to play the game, to no avail. The Maroons were suspended and stripped of the championship.

The league championship was offered to the team with the second-best record, the Chicago Cardinals. Cardinals owner Chris O'Brien refused to accept the championship, saying it rightly belonged to the Maroons, who had beaten his team fairly and on the Cardinals' home field, Comiskey Park.

The NFL said it would re-visit the issue, but didn't. Nothing happened for a while and in 1933 the Bidwell family bought the Cardinals. Realizing the team had a technical argument for being league champion in 1925, they milked it for advertising purposes. Doc Striegel had sold the Maroons in 1929 to a partnership in Massachusetts who renamed the team the Boston Bulldogs. Then after a few years (rumor has it), the team moved to Washington, D.C., changing its name to the Redskins but keeping the distinct maroon uniforms. Thus there was no institutional structure to contest the Bidwell claim.

In 1963, the NFL created a special committee to investigate the 1925 controversy. The committee brought the Maroons' claim to a team-owners meeting that year, where the owners voted 12–2 in favor of keeping the championship with the Cardinals. In 1925 the town of Pottsville had presented the team members with a unique trophy, a football carved as a single solid piece out of a huge chunk of Pottsville anthracite coal. In it were carved the words, POTTSVILLE MAROONS N.F.L. AND WORLD CHAMPIONS 1925. On learning of the vote against restoring their championship, the surviving members of the Maroons donated the trophy to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where it can be seen today.

Thus ended Tommy's history lesson.

The issue arose yet again in 2003. Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell got involved in the Pottsville-NFL debate by enlisting city and borough councils across the state to lobby NFL owners to restore the Maroons' title. The NFL responded by holding a vote during at the October 2003 owners' meeting, where the team owners voted 30–2 not to reopen the case. Thus, the Cardinals are still listed as the 1925 NFL champions. Despite the long-time backing of Bears founder George Halas, Steelers founder Art Rooney and, more recently, Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeff Lurie, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, the NFL's other owners, unsurprisingly led by the Cardinals, continued to oppose any reversal.

Rendell responded with an angry letter to Tagliabue, calling the NFL owners a group of cowardly barons. Rendell berated the National Football League, and declared he would have no more communication with league officials until they granted the Pottsville Maroons the 1925 title. The governor ended the letter saying: I am closing with the wish that every NFL franchise except for the Eagles and the Steelers lose large quantities of money.

Friday February 7, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3819

"i've never talked with ray lewis"

Of all the Super Bowl weeks I worked, the one in February of 2013 was the hardest.

It should have been the one remembered as "the most fun", but there wasn't a whole lot of fun to be had that week. Well, until the game rolled around on Sunday, that is.

2013 was "New Orleans", of course.

Ravens vs. 49'ers for all the marbles.

The daily grind at the radio station was insane from the moment the Ravens clinched their trip by beating up on Tom Brady in New England.

"You guys will be taken care of, don't you worry about that," the station owner pledged on Tuesday morning at a staff meeting where he laid out the game plan for the next two weeks.

We all sorta-kinda knew that wasn't true, but this was no time to protest or react negatively. This was the moment of all moments. After years and years of going to the Super Bowl to talk about two other teams, we were blessed to be going to New Orleans to talk, in large part, about the Ravens.

It wasn't a home game, per se, but it felt like one. Everywhere we went, folks wanted to chat with us about "our" Ravens.

We got into New Orleans on Sunday. "We" included most of the on-air staff and a producer. For that week, though, there weren't really any "shows". We just opened the mics at 5 am and turned them off at 5 pm. Or 6 pm. Or 7 pm. It all depended on the day and the content that was available to us.

Our hotel was 4 blocks from the Convention Center. Bourbon Street was 10 blocks or so to our left. I think I saw that historic strip twice in 8 days.

We were there to work.

The first two days were lazy and typical of Super Bowl week. Then the story about Ray Lewis broke and the game became an afterthought.

Ravens star Ray Lewis used illegal substance to aid recovery

I don't know if that was exactly the headline but it was close to it.

Ray Lewis became the center of a controversial story, right there in New Orleans, in the middle of Super Bowl week, and it was all anyone wanted to talk about for 48 hours.

"Deer antler spray?," I asked on the air when the story broke. "Isn't that the stuff they just nailed Vijay Singh with?"

Singh was a wildly successful PGA Tour player who tested positive for an illegal substance that was derived from a product called "deer antler spray". It was thought to aid in recovery from injuries and ailments in the same way an anabolic steroid would.

The only problem?

Anabolic steroids do help with muscle recovery and injury rehab.

Deer antler apray was as effective treating muscle recovery and injury rehab as eating a Life Saver would have been.

But there the story was -- in Sports Illustrated of all places! -- and it was explosive.

"Ray Lewis uses illegal substance!" the headlines in S.I. cried out.

The man behind the controversy was an amusing snake oil salesman named Mitch Ross. I had the "benefit" (can't come up with another word) of spending probably 2 hours around Ross on Wednesday and Thursday of Super Bowl week. He stopped by our station not once, but twice, to take advantage of his proverbial 15 minutes of fame.

We had questions and Ross was happy to answer them.

I also stood directly next to him during his impromtu late afternoon press conference just outside of the Convention Center on Thursday.

Ross stumbled into a cash cow in New Orleans. The word in the Sports Illustrated story -- that somehow leaked out (most likely from Ross himself or an associate) the week before New Orleans -- was that Ray Lewis had obtained deer antler spray from Ross.

And, wouldn't you know it, Ross himself just happened to show up in New Orleans to make himself available to the media.

He was actually giggling as he sat next to us during a commercial break.

"This is crazy," Ross said, showing me his phone.

PayPal payment of $105.14 sent to Mitch Ross.

PayPal payment of $79.93 sent to Mitch Ross.

PayPal payment of $195.35 sent to Mitch Ross.

He snickered as he showed me his phone.

PayPal payment of $105.14 sent to Mitch Ross.

The orders for deer antler spray were coming in every minute.

Ray Lewis was making Mitch Ross a lot of money.

Except once the story hit in New Orleans, there was a problem.

Ray Lewis said he didn't take deer antler spray.

On Wednesday of Super Bowl week, Lewis finally addressed the rumors.

"I've never, ever took what he says I was supposed to do. It's just sad that someone can have this much attention on a stage this big where the dreams are really real," Lewis said. "I don't need it, my teammates don't need it, the 49ers don't need it. Nobody needs it because it just really shows you that people really plan things and try to attack people from the outside. It's just very foolish. The guy has no credibility. He's been sued four or five times over this same BS. I just truly believe he doesn't have the privilege for me to speak about it ever again."

On Thursday, word came out that Mitch Ross would entertain questions at a press conference later in the day.

I just happened to squeeze my way into the corner of a gathering area outside of the Convention Center and directly next to me was Mitch Ross. I mean, if you didn't know better, you would have thought I was his bodyguard.

My phone blew up with commentary from people back home watching the press conference on NFL Network as they saw me standing next to the man of the hour.

Ross was peppered with questions.

In a shocking turn of events, Ross contended that the Sports Illustrated story was a sham.

"I've never had a conversation with Ray Lewis," Ross said.

No one believed him.

"Never?" a reporter asked. "You're saying the S.I. story is completely wrong? You've never talked with Ray Lewis?"

"I have not," Ross said. "I'll show you my phone if you don't believe me," he said.

It was at that point that Ross took his phone from his pocket and waved it in front of people. For reasons I didn't know then and still don't know now, he then went to the chat screen of his phone, except he held it down to his side.

"I don't know where S.I. got their story from, but I've never talked with Ray Lewis," Ross confirmed once again.

I glanced down at his phone.

Almost like it was from a movie and it wasn't "real life", there was Mitch Ross's phone, in plain view of me, open to a chat message.

I couldn't make out what was communicated between the two people, but the phone number at the top said it all:

Ray Lewis, 305-xxx-xxxx

I did a double take.

"I've never talked with Ray Lewis," Ross had said one minute earlier.

Unless that was a different Ray Lewis, there was a series of text messages in plain view of my eyes between Ross and the Ravens linebacker.

In the end, it didn't really matter.

If Ray had been hoodwinked into taking deer antler spray in an effort to recover from his torn triceps, that was on him.

If he paid Ross a couple of thousand bucks for deer antler spray and Lewis thought that investment was the reason why he was able to return from what most people thought was a season-ending injury and play in the Super Bowl, what was the harm?

The story was blazing for a couple of days, until most people realized that, A) Ross was a complete nut case, and, B) deer antler spray was a nothing burger, and, C) If Ray Lewis was guilty of anything, it was of being gullible and nothing more.

Things simmered down by Friday.

The game was at hand, Ray had refuted the story so emphatically that most people assumed S.I. was guilty of publishing rubbish, and Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh was far more compelling to the smart, sophisticated football follower.

But for a couple of days in New Orleans, it was a wild scene. And we, as members of the Baltimore media, were knee deep in the middle of it.

---

There was a bit of controversy in Baltimore on Thursday and it involved the Ravens and a member of their website staff, who shared a brief but public tussle with the wife of Ravens GM Eric DeCosta.

It centered on Lacie Litz DeCosta's approval of President Trump's executive order banning trans athletes competing in women's sports.

"It's a great day for women's sports!" she posted on Twitter late Wednesday night.

"Trans women are women. Trans girls are girls." That was written by Ravens employee Ryan Mink, who has been with the club for more than 15 years.

DeCosta quickly shot back: "Ryan Mink we don’t have to agree. I have played sports my entire life. I was an All American lacrosse player. Many girls don’t see this as a trans issue but a fairness issue. I will always fight for fairness when it comes to girls in sports."

And that was that.

But the spat -- if that's the right word for it -- drew attention both locally and nationally.

"Fighting with the wife of your boss? Not a very smart move," someone wrote on Twitter.

For starters, the two weren't really "fighting", per se. They had a disagreement of sorts, sure, but it was hardly a fight.

And Eric DeCosta isn't Ryan Mink's "boss", either. That's not to say Mink -- or any other team employee -- should be running around disrespecting the wife of the GM or any other staffer's family member. But DeCosta doesn't supervise or oversee Ryan Mink.

Folks tried to stir the pot on Thursday when the online spat gained steam, but there wasn't really much there.

It's an opinion, nothing more.

I mean, I'm first in line to say "Trans females shouldn't compete against (natural) females". I've said that since this topic became relevant a decade ago. If you're born a male, you shouldn't be allowed to compete against females.

But that's what I think.

If you think different, good for you.

I don't want to change your mind.

And you're certainly not going to change mine.

I don't see why we need to scrap about it, either. But I realize that's what we do these days. If our opinions differ, I either "cancel" you or I spend a lot of time telling you why you're wrong.

So, as it turns out, the Ravens were in the news during Super Bowl week.

---

That was a tough loss for the Terps last night, as they squandered a 17-point first half lead in Columbus and fell to Ohio State in an instant classic, 73-70.

Bruce Thornton, who looked like a JUCO benchwarmer when the Buckeyes lost by 93 at College Park back in December, lit Maryland up last night, scoring 31 points in the win. He threw in an "excuse-me" banked-in three pointer with 7 seconds left and then the Buckeyes survived late misses by Maryland's Gillespie and Miguel to post the win.

Thornton was so good in the second half and Maryland was so bad that he had more field goals (8) than the entire Terps team (7).

So much for all that goodwill generated from the weekend road sweep of Illinois and Indiana and the home win over Wisconsin.

It's not "back to the drawing board" or anything like that, but the loss last night drops the Terps to 7-5 in the conference with 8 conference games remaining.

There's an automatic home win over Rutgers this Sunday. Then a road game against pesky Nebraska next Thursday night. The 'Huskers are a spirited group with several decent wins so far this season.

The Terps are then home for (expected) wins over Iowa and USC. Even if they were to fall at Nebraska -- and let's face it, winning away games in the Big Ten isn't a guarantee with this bunch -- that still puts Maryland at 10-6 with four games remaining.

They'll finish the season hosting Michigan State (toss up), visiting Penn State (haven't won at State College since Clinton was President, it feels like) and Michigan (very improved over the last month) and hosting Northwestern.

A 2-2 mark in those four would be more than acceptable. 3-1 would be great. 4-0 and Willard might be voted "Marylander of the Month".

It looks like the Terps are on the fast track to a 12-8 mark in the conference. They could go 14-6 if they win those two games against Michigan State and Michigan. They could go 13-7 if they split those.

Here's the one thing that's a bit of a silver lining as the Big Ten schedule moves from January to February and steamrolls in the direction of March: It's now not a 100% certainty that Derik Queen is one-and-done.

It was a no-brainer, "he's gone" assessment in December and early January.

He hasn't been terrible of late. Let's not go there.

But he also hasn't been nearly as dominant offensively as he was earlier in the season. Defensively, he's been great. Leading the club, he's been fine. Crushing the opposition in the offensive end? He's been decent. But not dominating.

"The only thing he has right now that screams NBA is his body," a local college coach told me on Monday night when I bumped into him at high school hoops game in the area. "He's going to be a good player in the league, don't get me wrong. But it's probably a toss up if he goes in the first round in the draft this time around. His offensive skills just aren't there yet."

This might be filed under "wishful thinking".

We all know if he gets the promise of a first round pick in the NBA Draft, he's gone.

But one of the only positive aspects of the "NIL era" is there's money floating around in the schools now that could keep "on the fence" guys in school for another year.

10 years ago, a guy like Derik Queen was getting a grand or two a month under the table from a booster and mysteriously drove a new Cadillac Escalade around town.

In 2025, a middle of the road player might be making $100,000 or more and someone like Queen is probably raking in $750,000 at Maryland.

The athletic department just received a $10 million donation specifically earmarked for men's basketball in College Park. They're not going to use that money for new sneakers, that's for sure.

So, maybe Queen gets a bump at College Park and it's enough -- coupled with the fact that he might not be a first round pick this summer -- to keep him around for one more season on Route 1.

In the meantime, this Maryland team is good enough to make some noise in March, last night's second half collapse in Columbus notwithstanding.

faith in sports

You might have heard. It's Super Bowl week.

And with that, hundreds of media outlets all over the country have converged on New Orleans to take in Sunday's showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

Our friends at Sports Spectrum were on the scene in New Orleans this week to interview athletes and celebrities who were open to sharing their faith with Sports Spectrum followers.

James Winchester is the Chiefs' long snapper and his week is blessed with God's presence as K.C. looks to become the first NFL team to ever win 3 straight titles.

The 4 minute video below is a great way to start your Friday morning.

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

Thursday February 6, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3818

reading time: 3 minutes

The last hockey game I ever saw with Phil Jackman was a Caps-Flyers game in D.C.

I don't want to go into the details because it still causes my stomach to hurt when I think about the refs gifting Philadelphia an overtime power play and those rat finks scoring the game winner on the power play to eliminate Washington Game 7 of the playoffs.

I was in the upper deck with Jackman for that one. It was memorable, despite the Flyers' lucky win.

So the Caps and Flyers are scheduled to do battle tonight in Philly, which seems like a good reason for me to bring you this edition of, Reading Time: 3 minutes.

Jackman, of course, was the longtime author of, Reading Time: 2 minutes, when he was a columnist for The Evening Sun.

Don't worry, Phil, the times have changed, pal. The Caps are having one of their best seasons ever and the Flyers are in last place again, which I know is music to your ears. We have this one covered up there this evening.

The Mets got their man yesterday when they were able to corral free-agent first baseman Pete Alonso on a 2-year, $54 million deal.

Alonso was a Met, of course, before testing the sign-anywhere-waters over the winter and finding them rather chilly.

$27 million a year for Pete Alonso seems like a win for the Mets, especially when they only have to obligate themselves to two years and $54 million in total.

Meanwhile, the Orioles signed someone named Ramon Laureano this week. You've heard of him mostly when the team he's facing is throwing a left-handed pitcher. He's pretty decent against lefties. Against righties, not so much.

Laureano signed a one-year deal with the O's because that's what you give a player when you're not sure he'll be around on July 1. In case you haven't noticed, the Orioles now have 21 outfielders. Or at least it feels that way.

Interestingly enough, Laureano's "Similarity Scores" -- a Baseball-Reference.com statistic -- are right in the neighborhood of three familiar names to Baltimore baseball fans; Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays and Nate McLouth.

So, the Mets got Juan Soto earlier this off-season and the O's snagged Tyler O'Neill, Dylan Carlson and Ramon Laureano. So we have that going for us.......which is nice.

Oh, and the Birds also signed Nick Gordon to a minor league contract. That makes it even more nice.

I do not follow the NBA anywhere near enough to judge the plethora of trades that have been made this week.

I saw this morning where the Warriors decided to take on the albatross that is Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat. I know the dude is a heckuva player when he decides the time is right to try hard, but I think I'd be passing on that trade offer. Anyway...

The one no one can still figure out is the Luka Doncic deal from Dallas to the Lakers.

I talked about this briefly with Glenn Clark yesterday on his show. When's the last time an elite player at the height of his career was traded in the middle of the season?

In any league in any sport?

Wayne Gretzky was still a premier player in the NHL back in 1988 when he was dealt from Edmonton to Los Angeles, but that trade was made in the off-season. And the Gretzky deal was all about money. It wasn't because the Oilers became disenchanted with his play. The owner, Peter Pocklington, needed the cash.

Doncic, depending on your own scale, is one of the top 5 players in the NBA. The guy the Mavericks picked up for him, Anthony Davis, isn't chopped liver, mind you. But he's not on anyone's top 20 list of current players in the NBA.

No one can figure out why this happened.

The most logical guess is that Dallas assumed Doncic would command the $68 million "supermax" contract this off-season and they just weren't going to pay him $68 million.

OK, that sorta kinda makes sense, but by doing that you're essentially telling your fan base, "We have one of the best basketball players in the world on our team but we don't want to pay him what he's worth."

It's bizzaro-world for sure.

The PGA Tour moves to the Valley of the Sun this week for the annual Phoenix Open, which is the site of golf's craziest hole.

After several years of lunatics doing insanely stupid and risky stuff on the property, PGA Tour and tournament officials have taken several steps to curb the maniacal behavior.

Most of the steps revolve around selling less alcohol.

The golf course is great. The 16th hole, where the debauchery occurs, is also awesome. Imagine playing a golf hole inside of a major 20,000 seats sports arena. That's what #16 is, essentially.

The 17th hole is also awesome. It's a hole players can drive (330 yards) if they're in the hunt and need a big moment or they can lay up and play it safe.

It's become a bit of a "mini major" over the last decade in that most of the players who win the Phoenix Open are either winners of a major championship or The Players. You don't see many no-names get in the winner's circle at TPC Scottsdale.

So, with that, we're going to give you a mixed bag of our favorites this week.

Billy Horschel has never won a major or a Players, but he does have a couple of big wins along the way (Memorial, Match Play) and the raucous environment at TPC Scottsdale fits his competitive personality. We like his chances this week, even if it's to lead going into the last day and then falling back to a T3 finish on Sunday. He'll be in the hunt.

Hideki Matsuyama checks off all the boxes. Major champion, former winner at TPC Scottsdale and a great driver of the golf ball and sublime iron player. When his putter is "on", he's a top 5 player in the world. It certainly wouldn't be a shock to see him win this weekend.

Tom Kim doesn't have a major or a Players yet, but give him time. He'll probably have both someday very soon. Kim is one of the most promising young players in the game today. And the electric surroundings at The Stadium Course will mesh perfectly with his bubbly personality. Kim and Matsuyama down the stretch, neck and neck on Sunday? Yes please!

Si Woo Kim is a former Players winner who is playing perhaps the best golf of his life over the last 18 months. He's still not Crenshaw with the putter, but it's much better now than it was, say, five years ago. Kim is one of those guys who only strikes a few times a year, but when he does, he's right there at the wire fighting for a title.

Wyndham Clark is our choice to win this week at TPC Scottsdale. The big stage won't bother him and the golf course was pretty much built for a guy who can drive it on a string and hit his irons straight up in the air. If his putter cooperates, he's your winner.

I've seen upwards of 20 high school basketball games this winter, mostly involving Calvert Hall, but a few others at Mercy, Loyola Blakefield and Concordia involving non-Calvert Hall competition.

I saw something last night at Calvert Hall that warmed my heart. And it's definitely the first time all season I've seen this happen.

Every spectator in the building was standing up for the national anthem.

It's become chic over the last few years for people attending sports events at any level to stay seated -- in protest of some sort, I assume -- during the playing of The Star Spangled Banner. My guess is most of the people who stay seated don't really know why they've decided not to stand up. Alas, it is what it is.

There's been a general lack of respect for the anthem -- at high school basketball, specifically -- for a while now. One elite high school program in Baltimore treats the National Anthem like they're listening to the morning announcements, giggling, pinching the guy next to him and fiddling with their own hair.

I've seen that team play three times this winter and all three times it's been the same behavior during the National Anthem. It's like they're out at recess.

So, this season -- and yes, it might be a character flaw of mine that I look for these things -- I hadn't seen one high school game where there wasn't at least one spectator who remained seated, checking their phone, while the anthem was being played.

That streak ended last night when Calvert Hall hosted McDonogh. Every spectator stood up for the National Anthem.

You love to see it.

Wednesday February 5, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3817

"hi, i'm frank"

As I mentioned here yesterday, all eight of my Radio Row weeks contained something memorable.

Most of the memories were fun and positive.

A few weren't so fun or positive.

And a couple of stories will have to remain in the vault because.....well....they can't be shared in this forum.

So, I'm reflecting almost exclusively on the positive memories here this week.

Glenn Clark pulled off an incredible coup for me, personally, at the Ft. Lauderdale Super Bowl (game played in Miami but all the media stuff happened in Ft. Lauderdale, hence the "Ft. Lauderdale Super Bowl" to me) when he arranged to have my favorite Raven of all time, Dan Wilcox, show up on my birthday, January 30, to do a 4-hour morning show by my side.

Best of all, Wilcox and his then-pregnant wife drove all night from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale to join me.

Clark and Ray Bachman promised for several days they had a "great birthday surprise" in store for me, but I would have never in a million years believed it would be an appearance by #83.

Dan Wilcox is one of the best men I've ever met. Forget about his role as a Raven and a professional football player. I'm just talking about his quality as a human being. He was a great friend when he played for the team and has remained my friend since his playing days ended.

Glenn Clark really got me that day. It made Ft. Lauderdale very memorable.

The Indianapolis Super Bowl was very interesting because no one really knew how a championship game in the heart of the great midwest would play out.

The actual setting of Radio Row was probably the most inconvenient and "worst", if you will, of the eight I covered. The room we used was very small, for starters.

This was also the year the NFL decided they'd allow the general public to walk around the room and observe "live media" on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. So you'd be on the air and some guy would walk by and say, "Baltimore sucks!" and then he'd laugh and keep going.

Indianapolis was also where Clark and I were doing the morning show on Monday when a short, stocky guy walked up to our table just before 6 am and plopped down in front of us.

"Hi, I'm Frank," he said.

Just like that.

"Hi, I'm Frank."

Clark and I laughed at him.

"Ummm, we know who you are," Glenn said.

"You guys getting ready to do radio?" Frank asked. "If so, can I hop on and do a few minutes with you guys?"

"Frank", of course, was Frank Caliendo, the ultra-talented comedian who was gaining widespread national popularity back then and was able to pull off some classic impersonations of guys like Jon Gruden, Bill Belichick and others.

And that's how it came to pass that Frank Caliendo did an hour of radio with Glenn Clark and I in Indianapolis.

Glenn and I still joke about it today. We couldn't get Caliendo to leave. Usually, the guests sit down in front of you and if you're lucky, you'll have them for about 12 minutes. 15 minutes tops.

Caliendo was like a stray cat that was fed warm milk. We said "Sure, sit down" and he wouldn't leave.

Later, we found out the story.

The comedian had arrived in Indianapolis in the wee hours of the morning after his flight from Phoenix had been delayed several hours.

He went right from the airport to the hotel, which is also where radio row was being staged. He got in at 5:00 am and wandered down for coffee and to see if anything was going on at radio row that early in the morning.

Clark and I thought it was because he liked us.

It was more about the fact that he couldn't sleep.

Alex Ovechkin scored career goal #878 last night and is now only 16 goals away from tying Wayne Gretzky's mark of 894.

Last night's tally was into an empty net with less than one second remaining in D.C.'s 6-3 win over the Florida Panthers.

That was either career empty net tally #63 or #64 for The Great 8. I have seen both of those numbers presented in my research.

Either way, though, it's fair to point out that Ovechkin will finish his career with more empty net goals than Gretzky, because the all-time leading goal scorer only registered 56 empty-netters in his career.

And that begs me to wonder if empty net goals should even count?

I mean, sure, sometimes an empty net goal is a huge part of a team's victory. Last night's wasn't that case, as Washington was up 5-3 already when Ovi tallied a meaningless goal to wrap things up. But if it's 4-3 with a minute left and Ovi launches one into the empty net, that's a big score.

That said, there's no one in the goal.

Is it really a goal that should be counted?

Me?

I don't think it should count. I mean, it should count as a goal, sure.

But I don't think it should count as far as "real goals" go and it definitely shouldn't count when it comes to all-time records and such.

That's just me.

Your mileage may vary on the subject.

But, to me, Ovechkin won't really break the goal-scoring record until he scores more non-empty-net goals than Gretzky. Right now, he has scored either 7 or 8 more empty netters depending on the correct number (63 or 64?).

Anyway, that's just me nitpicking, sort of like the way I take umbrage with the fact that Maryland athletics has the audacity to have a banner in the rafters at the Xfinity Center that reads: 2020 Big Ten Champions.

In the 2019-2020 season, Maryland finished 14-6 in the conference, which was the same record as Michigan State and Wisconsin.

That made Maryland "co-champions" for the year. Not "champions".

That inaccuracy on the banner drives me nuts every time I see it.

I'm not quite as maniacal about the Gretzky/Ovechkin goal scoring stuff. I mean, a goal is a goal is a goal. But your Aunt Betty could score an empty net goal.

Last night's tally was what my buddy Phil Jackman would have called a "cheapie". I get it, they count. But maybe they shouldn't.

Tuesday February 4, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3816

better than the game

This week was always the best week of the year back in the old days when I was on the radio.

Well, it was the second best week. "Masters week" is the best week of the year.

But the week spent on radio row at the Super Bowl was always the best "professional" week of the entire year.

It was a lot of work.

But it was, if I'm being honest, better than the actual game itself.

Honestly, if your team wasn't playing in the game, the Super Bowl was just another day at the office. I only saw two of them in person. The Bears and Colts in Miami and the Ravens and 49'ers in New Orleans.

It was problematic getting into the stadium and going through all of the bells and whistles of security and then your press box seat was so far up in the nosebleed section that you could have parachuted down onto the field.

Like any other NFL game, the experience of watching the Super Bowl at home far outweighed watching it in the stadium.

If ever radio was to be considered "work", Super Bowl week fit that bill.

Frankly, we were always overworked.

But we all knew that going in, so there wasn't any justification for complaining.

It's one thing if you don't know going in you're going to have to work 12 hour days for 5 straight days.

But when you meet at the airport on Sunday, the week before the game, and you know what you're in for and you've (kind of) signed up for it, there's no value in complaining.

I worked 8 Super Bowls. I know them all by city. In no specific order; Miami, Phoenix, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Indianapolis, New Orleans and New York.

I remember something about each one of them, oddly enough. And it was almost never about the game itself, other than that one in New Orleans, perhaps.

In Miami in 2007, a little man in black boots and a bright orange get-up of some kind (orange pants, orange shirt, orange sport coat) came into the bathroom and stood in the urinal right next to me. You know how it goes in situations like that. You generally don't look at anyone or say anything at all. You just get your business done and move on. As I finished, I glanced to my left. Orange man was actually Prince, the legendary musician.

What do you say to Prince as he finishes his duty and goes to the sink next to you? Especially in the men's room of the Miami Convention Center? I just said, "Hey, man, how's it going?"

A very large man with more tattoos than I've made right turns on red in my life stepped forward and said, "Don't speak to him, please."

I made a hasty escape.

Miami was also the place where our housing for the week was, ummmmm, interesting.

There were, I believe, five of us that initially made the trip down to South Beach to work radio row. The boss was excited to report he had rented a condominum for the week right across the street from the Convention Center.

When we arrived, we quickly discovered the property was rather small. I'm not very good at the square feet thing, so I can't give you those dimensions, but it was basically the size of large RV.

It had a bedroom with a king size bed. And a "Murphy Bed" that pulled out of the wall. And a couch. And.......that was it.

There were 5 of us. Adult men. And there were 3 places to sleep.

But that wasn't what was the most interesting aspect of the condominium. Our producer, Ray Bachman, slowly stepped out of the bathroom and said, "Ummmmm, did you guys bring any reading material for the bathroom?"

We all looked at him, puzzled, and everyone in unison said, "No, why?"

He started laughing and said, "Well, it's OK, because there's some reading material in there if you need some."

Let's just say the reading material was a magazine. Actually, several magazines. And they all featured ------- men, lots of them, without any clothes on.

The artwork on the walls also reflected a certain lifestyle as well.

That was a real ice breaker for the 3-beds-for-5-guys dilemma we faced. Everyone just burst out in laughter when Ray ducked into the bathroom and came out with one of the magazines.

That was Miami. I met Prince -- well, "sort of" -- and the place we stayed was big enough for......two men. Not five.

New York was filled with laughs. It was, as it turned out, the final Super Bowl I would work.

First was the Phillip Phillips story.

The way Radio Row is set up is like this: There are probably 30-40 radio stations from all over the country situated in this one big conference/convention hall and "guests" are shuttled in and out to talk about the Super Bowl and promote whatever product they happen to be aligned with that week.

Hines Ward strolls by with a "handler" from Sharpie pens. You want Hines Ward on your show for 10-12 minutes? No problem. He has to get 3 minutes of that time to talk about all the great charity work Sharpie is doing that week.

Often times, the show host has no real say or idea of the guest list for the day. That was true for us. Ray Bachman or Ryan Chell or someone else would "book the guests" and I'd simply be given a list in the morning.

"Bernie Kosar, 10:00 am, Valspar Paint"

"Paul Azinger, 10:22 am, Tropicana Orange Juice"

"Jerry Rice, 10:36 am, Bridgestone Tires"

On Thursday of "New York week", Glenn Clark and I were handling most of the on-air duties. I retreated to the men's room for a quick break. When I returned, there was a 20-something white guy sitting in the "guest chair".

He had a guitar with him.

I had zero idea who he was.

"30 seconds," Clark said as he put his headset on.

"Wait, wait," I said. But Clark was already fidgeting through papers in front of him and I was on my own.

"Dude, I have to tell you..." I said to the guy in front of me. "I have no clue who you are."

He let a huge laugh.

"You're funny," he replied.

"10 seconds," Clark said.

"I'm serious, man. I have no idea who you are," I repeated.

"I won American Idol in 2012," he said. "I'm Phillip Phillips."

"We're back," Clark said.

"Welcome back in here to radio row in New York, where we're having a great day, again. Drew Forrester and Glenn Clark with you, and we're joined now by a guy who blew us all away a couple of years ago in American Idol -- the great Phillip Phillips join us here today."

And with that, we buzzed through 8 or 10 minutes with him like he was our long lost friend.

When it was over, he had to hustle off to do the Cleveland station or Denver or somewhere. But as he got up, he smiled and said, "You almost got me at the beginning. You know, with the whole 'I don't know you are' thing. That was pretty good."

Truth? I had no idea who Phillip Phillips was. None.

New York was also the place where I got to meet Tim Tebow. He buzzed over to our table late one afternoon early in the week to talk about Dr. Pepper or something like that.

When he sat down at the table, he overheard Glenn Clark and I talk about our dinner plans for the night.

"You guys like fish?" he asked.

Before we could answer, he said, "There's this amazing place on 58th and (whatever). It's called (I don't recall). Go in and ask for Mariano. He's the manager. Tell him Timmy sent you in for the grouper. You guys like grouper? The grouper there is unreal, brother. Go there tonight. Ask for Mariano. He'll set you up."

We then did 10 or so minutes with the great Tim Tebow. It was awesome. "Get that grouper tonight," he reminded us one more time as he moved on to the next station.

The next day, I was in the media room early in the morning getting a coffee and a bagel and I hear someone behind me say, "Hey, Drew, did you get up to see Mariano last night? Please tell me you had the grouper."

I turned around and it's Tim Tebow.

I have no idea how Tim Tebow remembered my name or anyone else's name from the day before since he probably met, I don't know, 100 different people on radio row the day prior.

But he stuck out his hand and said, "Hey Drew..." like we were best friends.

I always remember that about Tim Tebow. He made it a point to make it feel like he knew you, even though he really didn't.

Tomorrow I'll look back on Dallas, Tampa Bay, New Orleans and more.

There was something about Super Bowl week that brought out the best in all of us, I always thought. Maybe it was the accommodations we had to share every year. Four or five of us crammed into a hotel room, air mattresses, cots, etc. scattered all over the place like we were in a rock-n-roll band and couldn't afford hotel rooms for everyone.

It might have been the whole idea of "competing" for guests with other stations, both near and far. We took great pride back then in going toe-to-toe with 105.7 when they were first in their infancy and trying radio row for the first time.

We'd compare guest lists at dinner and snicker like middle schoolers because we got Paul Rodgers from Bad Company or Jim Nantz from CBS or Jennifer Garner the TV/movie star and 105.7 didn't get them.

We took pride in going out to dinner and having one drink too many and getting in after midnight, only to be up again at 5:30 am to start the morning show, fueled with enough coffee to feed an Army batallion.

In Phoenix, we had to start the show at 4:00 am out there because of the time difference. But we did it, just to prove that we could and we would, more than anything.

Don't get me wrong, we all got the short end of the stick for the week. Our pay didn't change, the per-diem was flimsy and it was often times tireless, hard work.

But that's also why we loved it. We dug in for five days and did what we thought was great radio despite most of the odds being stacked against us.

Monday Febuary 3, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3815

definitely a record - for a kicker

Four straight days of anything around here is, I think, a record.

I mean, yes, we've done four straight days of Ravens and four straight days of Orioles over the last 10-plus years but I don't think we've ever done four consecutive days on the same athlete and/or situation.

But today is day four of Justin Tucker.

In fairness, though, you all prompted this.

I was going to tackle something else until a number of you rattled off commentary or questions in the Comments section below.

And I figured I'd go ahead and answer those queries here, today, since most of what you all asked is reasonable and/or of general interest to our readership.

The good news for Tucker? Sunday came and went without any further bashings from the folks at The Baltimore Banner. Small steps, I guess. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday were bad enough. A day off was much needed.

But you can bet the subject of Tucker and what to do with him is topic #1 at The Castle this week. We're still not fully aware of what, exactly, the Ravens knew about the whole story before it hit the internet on Thursday. Their reaction this week might be "ho hum" if, in fact, they knew about the Tucker saga months ago.

If, however, the organization just learned about the story last week when the rest of us did, they're going to spend this week mulling over their options. Which is where some of your questions come in.

One thing for sure. We're aren't going five straight days of Justin Tucker tomorrow.

We have lots of other things to prattle on about here. The big NBA trades from this past weekend, Rory McIlroy entering esteemed territory in his career, the Orioles announcing that Felix Bautista won't be ready to full-tilt in spring training and college lacrosse starting on February 1 because, well, I don't know why.

On second thought, anyone have a thought about Justin Tucker you want me to ponder here?

Steven Gordon said: "So much for the site owners Christian compassion and forgiveness for the sinner."

DF says: "We'll tackle this one first since it's at the top of the 'Silly List'. I am covering, if that's the appropriate word, a story about Justin Tucker. In that coverage, I'm chronicling what I think the Ravens are going to do with Tucker as a result of his behavior.

Me "forgiving" Justin Tucker? That has nothing at all to do with the story. I'm not "in" the story. Justin Tucker doesn't need my compassion and forgiveness. He needs to pray to God and ask for His mercy and His forgiveness which, as Tucker knows, if he prays for it and asks for it, he will receive it.

Justin Tucker didn't do anything to me. Had that been my wife, sister or daughter he was (allegedly) inappropriate with then, yes, I would need to find it within myself to forgive him. Alas, all I'm doing is covering the story as an outsider, opining on what I think the Ravens are going to do in the wake of this terrible story."

Kevin F. asks -- "What happened to due process and suspension in the interim?"

DF says -- "Fair questions. I think some of this falls under the umbrella of "What do the Ravens say they know and what do the Ravens actually know?" Let's work backwards.

I don't know how the CBA works in circumstances like this. What the Ravens want to do might be precluded by the CBA and/or the NFL's Office of Discipline. I have no idea. A suspension while all of this gets sorted out seems reasonable, but Tucker isn't getting paid now, anyway.

And, for sure, Tucker and his agent/attorney are going to say, "Why are you suspending me? I already said I didn't do anything wrong. How is it fair to suspend me?"

As for 'due process', I don't really even know how to evaluate any of this given that these allegations go back 8-10 years. I mean, it was wrong back then just like it would be wrong today and tomorrow. But how do you handle punishing something in 2025 that happened in 2016, particularly when it's nearly impossible to prove a crime occurred?

There are 9 women who say basically the exact same thing, with a small variance or two along the way. That's their evidence. I guess the 'due process' included Tucker and his attorney creating his public response last Thursday. If I'm the Ravens, what more do I need than what Tucker himself wrote and published last week?

What 'due process' does Tucker need from the Ravens? They can investigate their kicker all they want, but the reality is the Ravens aren't going to uncover anything different than the Banner was able to find, right?

In his "due process" period, Tucker published a public response, which was to say, "This is all not true."

The Ravens either believe him or they don't believe him. If they believe him, they can take steps to repair his image within their organization and he'll be kicking footballs again in Baltimore next September. That is, of course, providing that the NFL doesn't punish Tucker themselves, which they have the ability to do.

If they don't believe him, his due process will likely culminate in his departure from the Ravens."

JC asks -- "Here's my question, if Watson deal never happens would this be as big as its becoming? What Flowers was "accused of" was worse, or at least comparably as bad, as Tucker's issue no? The Ravens escaped issue with Flowers because "no charges filed". Same as Tucker, right? So, my question is, if not for all the massage hubbub with Watson, and the way media/fans treated Watson, is that making this a bigger deal than it is?"

DF says -- "I don't see how the Deshaun Watson question is germane to this at all. I mean, it did happen. Saying "what if it didn't happen" would be akin to saying "if Trump wouldn't have had to deal with Covid in the final 6 months of his first Presidency would he have won again in 2020?" The point is, he did have to deal with it.

And, yes, what Flowers was initially thought to be involved with was worse because, A) it was "now" and, B) it involved a weapon of some sort and C) could have been interpreted as a crime of domestic violence.

There haven't been any charges filed against Justin Tucker because, if you believe what some of the law enforcements folks have said recently, the alleged incidents occurred a decade ago and they are incredibly difficult to prosecute without eyewitness accounts. It's essentially Tucker saying "never happened" and the 9 women saying "yes it did".

Yes, it's a big deal. It wouldn't be nearly as "followed" if, let's say, it was the team's former kicker or former safety or former "anyone". But it involves a current player. One who might not be allowed to play for the team next year because of this situation."

Carmen asks -- "Drew, is there a reason for the Ravens to show latitude to Tucker because these stories transpired 10 years ago instead of recently, like they did in the D. Watson case? I'm not trying to negate what he did but I'm wondering if you were dealing with this with a soccer player on the Blast in the old days would have you have looked at it differently?"

DF says -- "I thought long and hard about this question, actually, and I did come up with something that might work as a comparison of sorts.

First, let me say that I do think the lack of recency bias here could help Tucker. Does he "deserve" latitude? We all make mistakes. None of us are perfect. But there's a fine line between "making a mistake" and making that same mistake constantly for a period of 4 years or more. I will say it would be a MUCH bigger story if, for example, these stories were from situations that took place this past September, October, etc.

Back in the mid 1980's, the Blast signed a player named Yilmaz Orhan. Orhan enjoyed a modestly successful career with Buffalo and Kansas City in the MISL, then got into some trouble after being pulled over on suspicion of drinking and driving and police found a small amount of cocaine in his vehicle. Orhan was sentenced to four months in jail for the DUI offense and was cut by his team in Las Vegas thereafter.

The Blast wound up taking Orhan as a free agent. We spent a lot of time talking about the public outcry of signing someone who had spent the off-season in jail, but since it didn't happen when he was a member of the Blast, we decided we'd go ahead and sign him.

As we saw with the Deshaun Watson situation, he was never going to be able to stay in Houston and play for the Texans once all of that stuff happened to him in Houston. Even though it was kind of insane for the Browns to pay him what they paid him, there was little doubt someone in the league was going to take a chance on him.

I can't tell you what I would do if the same situation happened today with the Blast and I was running the team. I think, in general, my first reaction is to almost always steer clear of troubled players. It just usually winds up not being worth it. That said, every situation is different. And if you're one of those teams who says, "We have a ZERO tolerance policy" and then your kicker does something he shouldn't have done, all the sudden you're pressed into the corner a bit."

J.K. asks -- "Do you think there's a chance Tucker makes a different statement this coming week and basically says "If I made any of those women uncomfortable I'm very sorry."?

Would you advise him to apologize now and get it over with?

That seems like the best course of action if he wants to save his status in Baltimore."

DF says -- "I don't see that apology coming. The flat out denial last week and the tenor of his published response would make him look a little wacky.

I mean, sure, he could say, "Look, if I made anyone uncomfortable, ever, I'm sorry for that," but I don't see any advantage to doing that from a public relations standpoint. That would open a window that doesn't need to be opened.

The time to say that would have been last week. It still would have sounded like an unofficial mea culpa, but had he given them the "if I made anyone uncomfortable" line last week, that might have curbed some of the animosity. "Might" is the key word there.

At this point, I don't think his status can be saved in Baltimore no matter what he says to the public.

Maybe if he kicks the game-winning field goal in the Super Bowl next year...but it seems unlikely he would do that as a member of the Ravens."

Sunday Febuary 2, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3814

which straw is the last one?

Another day, another addendum to the Justin Tucker story.

The Ravens are in the worst position possible.

They know they're going to have to cut their longtime kicker but they can't deal with the salary cap damage right now.

Without a post-June 1 designation, releasing Tucker would trigger a cap charge of $7.5 million for 2025.

By waiting until March (and the new "NFL season"), which activates the CBA rule that allows a team to sever ties after June 1 while spreading the dead money over two years, the Ravens would take a $2.9 million cap "hit" in 2025 and a $4.6 million charge in 2026.

Whether they can wait until March depends on how much more the story erupts in the next few days.

Without being snarky about it, the Ravens probably have to be asking themselves: "How much worse can it get? We'll just wait another month or so and deal with it then."

A lot of football fans in town are in the "cut him now!" camp, which is most certainly the popular verdict given what The Baltimore Banner reported on Thursday and again on Saturday.

It's just not that easy.

Tucker will never kick in Baltimore again. There's just no way the Ravens can wiggle out of this and look their fan base in the eye next September.

But "when" he gets the axe is really neither here nor there.

Once you decide to cut him, the next task is to figure out how Tucker's departure impacts the organization's salary cap in the least (best) way possible.

Cutting him now just for the sake of ridding your team of a "bad egg" is not the smart move.

Tucker has to go, though.

I hope the Ravens don't look at this with recency bias and say, "All of the allegations are from 2012 through 2016. We're confident the Justin Tucker you've seen in our community since 2016 is the 'real' Justin Tucker."

It's fair to point out, by the way, that those words and that sentiment could be true. Tucker might have been unprofessional around town until he settled down with a new wife, bought a home here, and blah, blah, blah. The Ravens could try to use that angle if, in fact, they plan on keeping him.

But...because he's a kicker and because he's in the November of his career, the Ravens are probably not going to keep him on the roster in 2026.

If Tucker were the starting quarterback or a high profile wide receiver, though, I could see the Ravens using the "he's been a model citizen since 2016" argument while they explained to their fan base how they're keeping a guy on the roster who has 9 massage therapists accusing him of unprofessional behavior 8 to 12 years ago.

And if you don't think teams are capable of forgiving star football players quickly, just remember what happened in Cleveland with the Browns and Deshaun Watson. Now, granted, he wasn't doing those things in Cleveland, but they were quick to say, "We need a quarterback, he's a quarterback and what happened in Houston, stays in Houston."

I just don't see the Ravens taking that same stance with Justin Tucker. Not after the Ray Rice saga. Not after what the team said in the aftermath of Watson signing with the Browns.

Tucker's popular, yes.

He's still a valuable weapon on the team, yes.

The Ravens are in business to win football games, yes.

But keeping a player who caused havoc in your own city? Not a great recipe for gaining favor with the fan base, especially those females in town who wear purple jerseys on Friday and tailgate in your parking lots on Sunday.

The question isn't "Are the Ravens cutting Justin Tucker?"

The question simply is, "When are they cutting Justin Tucker?"

Every time the PGA Tour stops at Pebble Beach, whether that's for the annual early-season event in early February or the occasional U.S. Open, I can't help but tell people the truth about that place.

I was at a birthday party on Saturday and the golf from Pebble Beach was on in the background. A few of us watched the last nine holes while others just casually glanced up from time to time and asked about the leaderboard.

I must have said this to six people yesterday.

"There aren't many things in life that wind up actually living up to all of the hype. Having children? That lives up to the hype. It's the greatest gift God can present to us."

"Fenway Park definitely lived up to the hype. Bruce Springsteen in concert...always lives up to the hype. You feel like you should leave another $50 in the tip jar at the end of the concert."

You can probably come up with some other things that live up to the hype.

As I told people yesterday, "Pebble Beach totally lived up to the hype." And that wasn't easy to do given that it was roughly $1,000 a day to make the trip out there for four days back in 2019.

The golf course layout itself isn't all that difficult, as evidenced by the fact that 16 under is leading this week's PGA Tour event, and that's with one day (out of three) playing at Spyglass Hill, which is 2 or 3 shots harder than Pebble Beach. If they played all four days at Pebble Beach, the winner would probably shoot -24 or lower.

But while it's not difficult, per se, it is absolutely, breathtakingly, gorgeous, particular holes 7, 8, 9, 10 and 18.

That four hole stretch, 7, 8, 9 and 10, is the most memorable hour of scenic golf I've ever played.

There's always discussion about the best golf hole in the world and all that jazz. I haven't played them all. Heck, I have probably played 3% of them, maybe, since I have had the privilege of playing places like Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham and Royal Liverpool, all of which have held multiple British Open events over the last 100 years.

But #8 at Pebble Beach has to be one of the best holes ever. The shot(s) required from each position on the hole, the view of the cove and the 9th and 10th holes off to your right. People walking along the shoreline.

"Majestic" called and told holes 8, 9 and 10, "You are so gorgeous, I can't stand it."

The 18th hole is also lovely. A lot of drama has happened on that hole over the years. The view is one thing. The playability of the hole is also outstanding. Rory McIlroy hit the par-5 18th green in two shots yesterday with a driver and a 6 iron. I played it on a perfect, Chamber of Commerce October Saturday and hit driver, 5 wood, sand wedge.

I'd go back to Pebble Beach, yes.

The problem? It's very expensive. I'd literally be saying, "Do I want to go to Pebble Beach for four days or do I want to pay for a semester of my son's housing in college?"

I think you know what that answer is.

Folks yesterday asked me, "Was it worth the money?"

For a one-time thing, knowing you probably are only doing it once, I'd say yes.

It would be akin to the Orioles making it to the World Series next October and playing the Dodgers.

Would it be worth spending $750 on airfare and another $1,000 on game tickets and probably $1,500 for three or four nights of hotel, plus rental car, meals, and so on? If the bill was $5,000 to see Games 1 and 2 in Los Angeles, or Games 3 and 4 out there, would that be worth it?

Answer: Probably, yes. You couldn't do that every year, obviously. But if the O's made it that far and you're like me (now) and you don't know if it would be another 40 years until you saw another World Series, you'd probably fork over the $5,000.

So, as I told friends yesterday, if it costs you upwards of $5,000 (prices have gone up out there in the last 5 years, as expected) to do the 4-day Pebble Beach trip, go ahead and suck it up and do it.

But I don't think I'd do it again right now given that I can use that money much differently in 2025.

That said, if you find $5,000 in your glove compartment tomorrow.

Book that Pebble Beach trip. Pronto.

I promise you. It will live up to the hype.

Saturday Febuary 1, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3813

the morning after...the morning after

OK, so here we are now, two days later.

It's Saturday. On Thursday, our purple world was rocked when The Baltimore Banner published a story that included allegations of inappropriate conduct by Justin Tucker as far back as ten years ago with various massage therapists in town.

We've had a couple of nights to let this all marinate.

What happens with Tucker as far as the NFL is concerned? They've been known to hand out harsh penalties of late when it comes to player conduct.

What about the Ravens? What will they do?

And what, if anything, happens to the folks at The Baltimore Banner?

#DMD reader Dan Handley checked in with a question on Friday that takes us into today, the "morning after" the morning after we learned of the story for the first time.

Drew, I was wondering (The Morning After the Morning After...) about the repercussions against Jonas Schaeffer and the Baltimore Banner with respect to the Ravens team officials and the players It's one thing if an outside entity (TMZ) reports on the Justin Tucker allegations - but if you're a local beat writer trying to report on the Ravens - I am sure it is not looked upon too well by the organization. Based on your previous radio experience - how do you think this will play out (regardless of the Tucker outcome)? Interested in your insight.

The answer to that question lies in what is eventually uncovered, if anything, as "the truth" in the story.

Well, it should, at least.

It's one thing if the Banner is found to be guilty of "story stretching", which is to say they took something that might have happened and turned it into something that they report did happen.

They would not only potentially face legal pushback from Tucker, I'm quite certain the Ravens media relations staff wouldn't be welcoming them back to the Castle with open arms anytime soon.

This wasn't "Justin Tucker said the F-word in front of some school kids".

This was a blockbuster story as far as NFL players go and it could cost Tucker both money and playing time in 2025. It could also force the Ravens into doing something they haven't had to do since 2012. That is, of course, "find a new kicker".

So, if the story is true, that's one thing.

If the story isn't true, that's another thing entirely.

That said, here's the deal: The folks involved with the story at The Baltimore Banner will never be graciously welcomed back to Owings Mills.

They had to know that going in and, I'm guessing, were willing to trade off whatever access they had in exhcange for publishing what they considered an important story.

But here's the thing no one wants to talk about parties.

The media access today is nothing at all like the media access of ten years ago. It's all changed, now.

Sure, you can still get into the locker room in 2025 and you can still occasionally get a player in a one-on-one situation, but was once "free and mostly unlimited" access has been greatly streamlined over the last decade.

Star players speak at the podium now.

Once upon a time -- and I did this at least 50 times, myself -- you could stroll up to Joe Flacco in the locker room and say, "Hey, Joe, got a minute?" and he was available to you right then and there.

You're not getting that sort of access to Lamar Jackson in 2025.

I bring up that small example to point out that The Baltimore Banner might lose access or privilege at 1 Winning Drive, but it's enough access or privilege to worry about over the long run.

Could they be kept out of the team's facility all together? I mean, told at the gate, "Sorry, you're not allowed in the building."?

I guess that's possible, but I don't know that the Ravens are willing to go quite that far.

There is a famous story in town about the Orioles "barring" a (then) media member from the press box by withholding his ability to obtain a media credential. It's not like that sort of thing hasn't been done before, in other words.

But I just don't see the Ravens taking this whole thing to those lengths, in part because they risk yet another story about their treatment of media members in the wake of an uncomplimentary story that was written about them.

Could I see the Ravens not giving Banner writers the warm-and-fuzzy treatment? Of course. I think it's human nature to pull away from someone who intentionally tries to hurt you or, in this case, your employer.

It would almost be, all kidding aside, like "A Few Good Men" and the code red scene.

"The Banner has applied for credentials for the season. What should we do?"

"We have to let them in the building," the decision maker would say. "And I want all six of you to treat them with kindness. You hear me?"

Minutes later...

"OK, look, as my two senior P.R. people, you know the drill, right? They never get to ask a question again in a press conference. Put them in the corner of the media room and pull out the light bulb from the socket above their work station so it's dark and gloomy over there. Monitor them like a hawk in the locker room. The second they walk up to a player to talk with him, you pull that player away for another obligation."

I have no way of knowing if it would all shake out that way.

I'm just guessing, of course.

But I'm pretty good with my guesswork on situations like this because I've seen it happen firsthand on other occasions in town.

The dirty little secret, though, is the Banner and other media outlets simply don't need full access any longer to do their job.

The Ravens helped create that with their set of rules and their ever-growing "media content" department where they publish their own stories and their own accounts of things that go on within their organization. They never would have authored the Justin Tucker story themselves, though. That's where folks like the Banner are still important, even in 2025.

And it's fair to point out the Banner published the story on Thursday and the only Ravens player involved was Tucker. They didn't need to go to the facility to hammer out the story. It was all done on the streets, so to speak.

The pressing question moving forward is going to be one of "knowledge".

How much did the Ravens know before Thursday's story was made public?

My quick prying on Friday told me the team knew Tucker was having marital problems during the season and that he was "working through some issues".

They apparently didn't know about the gravity of the story and the Banner's pursuit of it until very recently when they first asked for comment.

You're welcome to believe whatever you want to believe, of course.

Like I said yesterday, there's always "this side" of the story, "that side" of the story and the truth generally rests somewhere in the middle of those two sides.

What's going to happen to the writers at The Baltimore Banner is a whole other story. And it will play out in the future for sure.

What's going to happen to Justin Tucker?

That's an even bigger story.

I just can't see the Ravens bringing him back.

Another team in the league will take him.

But here, in Baltimore? He's done.

Friday January 31, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3812

troubling times in owings mills

In late October or thereabouts, a story started drifting around Baltimore that Justin Tucker was having "personal problems".

Someone alerted me and, I have to admit, I wasn't interested in the story.

As the (proper) saying goes...I couldn't have cared less about it.

The person in the know didn't tell me what was going on. All they said was, "Justin Tucker's having personal problems."

I remember where I was when the person gave me the news and I remember my reaction. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Aren't we all?"

"His kicking problems are directly related to the personal issues he's having," they assured me.

I didn't really give it much more thought. I just wasn't interested in delving into the personal life of a football player in town.

I assumed, right or wrong, that his personal issues were connected to his marriage. That's generally the first thing that comes to mind when you're discussing an adult male or female (who is married).

"Health problems" means someone is ill or battling a condition of some kind.

"Personal problem" is usually either marriage related or drug/alcohol related.

That's my take anyway.

So when I heard that, I assumed Tucker's issues had something to do with his marriage. "Justin Tucker? Personal problems? Eh, he'll figure them out."

That's pretty much the way I handled it.

A few weeks ago during one of my (mostly) weekly appearances on Glenn Clark Radio, the talented show host brought up Tucker as we discussed the Ravens season and what the team might do, kicker-wise, in 2025.

I took that opportunity to mention what someone-in-the-know had told me a couple of months ago.

"Tucker will be fine," I proclaimed on Glenn's show. "His issues weren't kicking the ball. They weren't about technique."

Clark prodded me for more, but I didn't have anything else to add.

"His issues aren't kicking. That's all I'm going to say."

That's all I was willing to say because that's all I knew at the time. I just knew, from someone who knew, that Tucker was having a "personal problem".

Let me repeat that for those of you in the back of the room with hearing (in this case, reading) problems.

I'm not here to say I knew about the Tucker story all along. I did not know about it. I didn't keep it a secret. I knew nothing. All I was told was he was dealing with some sort of personal issue and, putting two and two together, that personal issue was apparently hindering his ability to kick the football.

So, imagine my surprise yesterday when I, along with you, learned what the exact nature of those "personal problems" turned out to be.

It's not good.

If the story that was published yesterday by The Baltimore Banner is true, I assume Justin Tucker's days as a Baltimore Ravens employee are finished.

He can't continue to kick for the team if the allegations of sexual misconduct are legitimate.

I use the words "if" and "allegations" because all that's out there right now are accounts from situations that took place roughly a decade ago.

I'm certainly not going to pronounce Justin Tucker "guilty" here today in the same way I'm also not going to say "Yeah, there's nothing to that Justin Tucker story."

I turned 62 years old yesterday and the more I'm on this planet, the more I realize the age-old theory is true: In every story, there's one side, another side, and the truth is generally somewhere in the middle of those two sides.

I learned a valuable lesson with the Duke lacrosse scandal and the Richard Jewell arrest in Atlanta in 1996. Let things simmer down, first. Then form your opinion, second.

I don't know what to make of the Justin Tucker story. It's definitely not good. If the allegations are true, it's a terrible, terrible story indeed.

I read his response last night, where he basically says "none of what the Banner reported is accurate".

That's a big hill to climb.

All of those eyewitnesses, all of those women, all of their testimony -- and all of it was untrue? All of it?

I just don't know that I can believe that.

That said, there were other massage therapists who were willing to go on the record and say Tucker was a model client.

So there's your "two sides" theory in high definition. There are six women saying he conducted himself inappropriately and other women say the Ravens kicker was professional and gentlemanly.

There's also the "bird in the street" angle to the story that surfaced yesterday. As far back as 2019, there were snippets and posts made on various social media platforms in Baltimore that hinted at the allegations that surfaced yesterday.

Posts made on Reddit and Twitter mentioned that Tucker had been asked not to return to certain massage therapy locations in town and there were allegations of inappropriate conduct on public forums, yet that's apparently as far as the story went.

Internet rumors are very dangerous, of course, but they can also sometimes be very true, as well. There was a certain former Orioles player who scooted off to a West Coast team several years ago who was notorious for running out on restaurant and bar bills in Canton while he played here.

Those stories first started circulating on social media. And they turned out to be true.

I didn't see the Justin Tucker rumors on Reddit or Twitter, but there are receipts, of course, and they were all brought up yesterday in the wake of the news that was published by the Banner.

Yes, the Banner broke the story on Thursday. But the streets really had the story first as far back as 2019, 2022 and 2021.

All of that, though, plays second fiddle to the big question of the day: How much did the Ravens know? And when did they find out about the story?

That's going to wind up being the story of this saga and the ripple effect could be huge.

How much did the Ravens know?

When did they find out?

Did Steve Bisciotti know?

Did others in the organization know and not say anything?

Was Tucker protected for years and years by the team and staff members who knew?

Has the NFL known about it? If so, when did they find out?

The Ravens, needless to say, are in a tough spot. They're now faced with having to discipline a long-standing player/employee who almost certainly will (maybe?) be invited into the team's Ring of Honor.

Their "out", if you will, could come in the form of punishment from the NFL next season. Perhaps Tucker gets suspended by the league for a number of games.

"The league has handled this situation," the Ravens will say.

But can they really keep Justin Tucker in their organization if the allegations are true?

They didn't keep Ray Rice.

That, of course, was a much different case in a number of ways.

The Rice story was fresh. It happened in February and everything "broke" over the summer. He was suspended in September.

The Tucker story is fresh to us...but in some cases it's a story that back dates 10 years or so.

I don't know the rules of the NFL anywhere well enough to know if they would punish Tucker on a 10-year old story the same way they punished Rice on a "fresh" story or Deshaun Watson on a story that was 2 or 3 years old.

Maybe they will. If so, that's the way it goes.

The big question, though, is how much did the Ravens know?

And here's the last piece of the puzzle that might not look good for them.

I think this one's so easy Encyclopedia Brown would have it figured out by Chapter 3.

If you read up on the Deshaun Watson story, once the Texans were made aware of some of the allegations involving their star quarterback, they went as far as hiring a professional massage therapist to work with him (and others on the team, one would assume).

That eliminated the need for Watson to seek out his own therapists and open himself up to more potential trouble.

The story in the Banner on Thursday indicated that at one point in the past, the Ravens hired at least two professional female massage therapists to work with Tucker and they both appeared in the story, on record, indicating that Tucker's behavior with them was "professional" at all times.

That's what the Texans did with Watson once they knew about the allegations surrounding him. They brought his treatment "in house", so to speak.

I have no idea if that's what the Ravens did. I'm just pointing out the similiarities in the story, that's all.

If it comes to pass that we discover the Ravens did, in fact, know about the allegations involving Justin Tucker, there will be bigger problems on their plate than trying to figure out how to get Lamar Jackson over the hump in the playoffs.

faith in sports

One of the things that seriously energizes me as I celebrate another trip around the sun is how much faith I'm seeing from our younger generation.

I see it constantly in my role with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Whether it's through the golf program I help run or in the camps I'm involved with or the weekly huddles I help oversee at Calvert Hall, there are young men and women in our world who are "locked in" on Jesus Christ.

I know there's a lot of craziness in our world and in society these days. I get it.

But I'm telling you, there's something else brewing as well.

That's one of the reasons why I get excited when I see and hear prominent athletes like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or C.J. Stroud, the guys at Ohio State football or the girls at Oklahoma softball stand up and say, "Yes, I believe in Jesus."

There's something brewing. Our young people in this country are getting "locked in".

Former Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson was a recent guest on a national sports show where he talks specifically about the growth of faith in college sports. He's seeing and hearing and experiencing the same things I'm telling you about.

Jesus is alive and well in college sports. Watch the 12 minute video below if you don't believe me.

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

Thursday January 30, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3811

prayers for those in d.c.

We'll get to sports in a minute.

I watched, like most of you I assume, in horror last night as news broke that a passenger plane collided with a helicopter at Reagan National Airport.

It was the worst of the perfect-storm scenarios, I suppose.

Nothing at all to prepare for, from a flight emergency standpoint.

9 pm at night.

And the two pieces of aircraft both plunged into the cold, icy Potomac River.

I think I heard someone on TV say last night it was the first major airliner "incident" in the U.S. since 2009.

All of that made me dive into a few moments of deep thinking last night.

I did some quick calculations.

For 17 years, when I was in the soccer business, we flew constantly from city-to-city for road games. In the last few years of my management career, we took a motor coach to some of our away games, but I'm going to guess that I flew on approximately 300 airplanes in those 17 years plus, since then, another 100 on various excursions and trips.

I experienced exactly two legitimate "scares" in that span of 400 flights.

Once, we emergency landed in Denver, circa 1984 or so, on a red-eye flight from L.A. to Baltimore. It was scary. Some of the guys on the team had their family pictures out of their wallets and were holding them. People were crying. And praying.

Another time, we had a scare flying into Islip on Long Island. That one wasn't nearly as life-threatning as the one in Denver, but it was still concerning nonetheless.

On both occasions, excellent work from the pilots helped avoid a life-ending disaster for all of us.

And that brings me to the point I kept coming back to last night while watching the coverage of the incident in D.C.

It's incredibly remarkable how safe air traffic is due to the incredible diligence of the people who build the planes, maintain the planes and fly the planes.

Last night's incident was terrible, obviously. It appears like there was some sort of error by "someone", but the investigation into how it all unfolded is just starting.

The FAA announced early this morning there were no survivors.

I'm not bringing up the safety angle to mitigate what happened last night.

May God have mercy on all of those who perished last night.

I bring it up to just remind all of us how fortunate we are when we fly. What's amazing, to me, is that we have planes in the air every day, thousands of them, and because of the hard work, acumen and excellence of everyone involved, the skies are as safe as any mode of public transportation, anywhere.

If you're a believer in prayer, please take a minute today to pray for the families of those who lost a loved one last night in the incident at Reagan National Airport.

And just like that, Maryland hoops has gone from on-the-bubble to a potential top 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.

There's work to be done, still, but the Terps picked up a great home win over Wisconsin last night, 76-68, to not only cover the 5.5 point spread -- to the delight of many -- but to win for the third time in six days in conference play.

Things change quickly in college basketball.

This time last week, NCAA tournament experts had the Terps on the proverbial tournament bubble, either as one of the last four "in" or one of the first four "out". Looming ahead was a tough road game at Illinois and a tussle with pesky Indiana on their home court, plus a return to College Park to take on a top 20 squad in the form of Wisconsin.

Most people would have said, "If Maryland goes 2-1, that's great."

Indeed, there were several possibilities at hand.

The Terps would have officially been in deep, deep trouble, tournament-wise, had they lost all three games.

Maryland wouldn't have helped themselves at all by going 1-2.

A 2-1 record would have been perfectly acceptable.

But 3-0?

I'm not sure even most ardent Terps basketball supporter would have thought that was on the horizon.

Alas, that's what they did.

Sure, they took advantage of an Illinois team that was fighting the flu/injury bug. Those things happen. You play who they put in front of you on the day they put them in front of you.

And, yes, they sorta-kinda "stole" a game at Indiana with a late 5-point flurry and last ditch 3-pointer to win 79-78. What's better? Stealing a road game with a late-scoring-flurry or losing a road game because you gave up a late bucket?

Last night's win was a hard-earned triumph. It was fully earned by Kevin Willard's team, who are now 17-5 overall and 7-4 in Big Ten play.

Best of all, I think, is the Terps once again triumphed and didn't need an all-world game from Derik Queen to do it.

Queen was held to just 12 points, but he did manage 12 rebounds on the night to help the Terps secure the big win.

The Terps now have a week off before they visit Ohio State next Thursday night. The Buckeyes, of course, will remember the December game in College Park when Maryland rolled to a 50-17 halftime lead en-route to an embarrassing loss.

There are still a few pesky games for the Terps between now and the conference tournament, including a home game with current Big 10 leader Michigan State plus visits to Penn State and Michigan as well.

But if Maryland keeps chugging along at their current pace, you're looking at a 4 seed or better, potentially, when the brackets are announced in mid-March.

The Kevin Willard critics are having a tough week.

The PGA Tour heads to Pebble Beach this week for the annual winter gathering at one of the nation's best resort properties.

As this is a "signature" event, you're seeing a great field that includes guys like Scheffler, McIlroy and Cantlay.

Our six plays this week are:

Denny McCarthy -- You know we're bullish on McCarthy, who still hasn't won on the TOUR but putts the ball as well as anyone in the world and has some previous favorable experience in this event. Could this be McCarthy's week to win? We think it could be.

Sam Burns -- Burns has quietly put together a nice run on poa annua greens in his career, although he's known more for playing well once the TOUR sets up shop in Florida in February and March. We're high on Burns this week as a possible winner and/or Top 10 finisher.

Justin Thomas -- It certainly "feels" like Thomas is set to break through at some point soon. His golf is much improved over what we saw from him two years ago and there's a thought in the world of golf he's close to returning to his "best" form of 2018-2020. Thomas is a great win and/or Top 10 bet.

Sahith Theegala -- Played his college golf at Pepperdine and grew up playing California courses and putting on poa annua greens out there. He's on his way to being a top player in the world. A win and top 20 bet for him would be smart this week.

If you're someone who loves a long-shot wager, you might want to throw a few bucks on Maverick McNealy and Beau Hossler this week. I know a few of my friends are going to do that.

Wednesday January 29, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3811

"if they don't change, what changes?"

#DMD reader and frequent comment-contributor K.C. submitted a question to me via e-mail on Monday that took me a day to think about before bringing it up here.

K.C. wrote: "If the Ravens bring back John Harbaugh as the coach next season, what expectations do we have that anything will change? Is Steve Bisciotti that blind to reality? Harbaugh is the problem, plain and simple. If John's the coach next season, the Ravens will go 12-5 or 13-4 again as long as Lamar is healthy and then they'll lose in the playoffs again like they always do. If the Ravens don't change the coach, what changes in the long run?"

I don't want to start off by nitpicking, but there's no "if" the Ravens bring back John Harbaugh about it.

Harbaugh is returning for the 2025 season.

The rest of the e-mail, though, I'll entertain, because it is an interesting question.

I used this saying once when I was contemplating dismissing a player in my golf program who wasn't, let's say, running with the pack.

"I don't know that I can change you," I said to him. "But I can change you."

He didn't get it.

"I don't understand," he said.

"Well, I might not be able to change people," I told him. "But I can always change people."

He got it that time.

A few weeks later, sadly, he was gone.

The Ravens might be in a similar situation.

They might not be able to change the way things go until they change the way things go.

I think John Harbaugh has proven himself to be an excellent coach since 2008.

That said, in general, you're either part of the problem or part of the solution, right?

People on the outside have no real idea how hard it is to win in sports. We see that every single day, whether it's the screaming maniacs on daytime TV, the talking heads on the radio, the wacky guys who call the talk shows and, sure, we might even see it right here at #DMD on occasion.

Most folks who talk as if they're sports experts have no real clue.

It's very hard to win in sports.

The fact that all the Ravens have done (in general terms) in the John Harbaugh era is win is a testatment to him, the players and the credibility of the entire organization.

But it's also a fact, as I wrote here in the aftermath of the Buffalo loss, that the Ravens have developed a problem in what we'll call the "Lamar era".

They can't put the finishing touches on outstanding regular seasons once the playoffs roll around.

And, please, I'm not identifying it as the "Lamar era" to somehow isolate Lamar Jackson as the reason the team doesn't win in the playoffs. It's the "Lamar era" because he's the franchise player and pretty much the reason why the Ravens have become a perennial title contender over the last seven years.

In the Lamar era, the Ravens have (mostly) been aces in the regular season and then bottomed out early in the post-season.

I think you can easily excuse the early-career playoff losses to the Chargers and Titans. Jackson didn't know what he was doing back then.

Most people conveniently blame the offensive coaches for those defeats anyway. Lamar was just the guy back there getting the ball snapped to him.

But thereafter, at least, Jackson has largely been in command of his own game and the offense and, for whatever reason, the post-season has become a puzzle he can't figure out.

John Harbaugh has been the one constant, besides Lamar, during the last 7 years.

The Ravens haven't been to a Super Bowl since the 2012 seasson.

Letting John Harbaugh go would test the theory if he, in fact, is "the problem".

What if Harbaugh gets rolled and those 12-5 and 13-4 seasons suddenly start becoming 8-9, 9-8 and empty January stadium dates?

Who would be happy then?

That's pretty much my question for K.C. and the rest of the haters.

"What if it's not Harbaugh?"

I mean, it wasn't just Kubiak. Or Trestman. Or Roman. It wasn't just Mattison. Or Pees. Or Macdonald.

The Ravens have won with those guys and they've won without all of those guys, too.

The one constant since 2012 has been Harbaugh. Well, and Justin Tucker, too, but we're not really going to count him, right?

Harbaugh's been here for all of the winning and all of the losing.

I'm not naive, by the way.

There's never been a perfect coach. Nearly every NFL team except the Patriots (so far) who have parted company with a Hall of Fame coach have, at some point, risen back to the upper echelon of the league.

Maybe you could make the argument that Dallas hasn't been "really" any good since Jimmie Johnson left thirty years ago, but they haven't been chopped liver down there, either.

But think about it.

For the most part, all the great coaches over the last 30 years have been replaced and their respective franchises have figured out a way to get back to the top of the pack at some point.

So it's not crazy to think the Ravens could move on from Harbaugh and in a few years, they'd be back there scratching and fighting for AFC supremacy.

But is that a gamble you'd take?

What if the Ravens become the Dolphins, who lost Don Shula and haven't done jack squat since then?

It's sorta-kinda the same question the Ravens asked themselves two years ago when Lamar's contract was the big story.

"We haven't won anything with him. Yet. But are we willing to gamble that we could win with someone else before we could win with him?"

K.C. isn't the only maniac in town who thinks getting rid of Harbaugh is the answer and the only way out of this playoff "funk".

There are some people, too, who think it's more on Lamar than perhaps anyone is willing to admit.

Until he gets to a Super Bowl, at the very least, Lamar is going to have to wear that scarlet letter. I said that before the playoffs began three weeks ago. "If he doesn't make the Super Bowl, Lamar has to wear that tag for another season at the very least."

Had Harbaugh not led the Ravens to the 2012 title, he'd be wearing that symbol on his chest as well.

It only takes one championship, though.

Win none and everyone is on your back.

Win one and you never have to hear about it again.

Sports is weird like that.

The difference between "none" and "one" is massive.

Harbaugh has one.

Lamar has none.

Will they eventually win one together?

They better.

Tuesday January 28, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3810

o's add.....someone

His name is Dylan Carlson.

He's 26 years old.

With all due respect to him, very few of us had actually heard his name before yesterday's announcement by the Orioles that Carlson has signed a one-year deal in Baltimore.

Carlson is an outfielder, in case you didn't know.

He's a switch hitter who is particularly adept at hitting left-handed pitching. No, he's not a Hall of Fame possibility from the right side of the plate, but he has produced a lifetime average of .285 against southpaw pitchers. That's decent enough.

That said, there are also right handed pitchers in baseball, still, and Carlson is not very proficient against them. His career average against righties is just .219.

Carlson can play a couple of different positions in the outfield, which makes him valuable.

He is what he is, which is to say, he's a journeyman kind of guy that Mike Elias and the Orioles covet.

Elias also saw something in guys like Ryan O'Hearn, James McCann and Jorge Mateo, you might remember.

But it's true, Carlson is very much an "Orioles move", which is to say he's cheap, somewhat versatile, and if pinched into the right spot against a favorable pitcher, could get a base in any given series this coming season.

Last year he split time between St. Louis and Tampa Bay and had 3 home runs and 2 stolen bases.

No, not in one game.

Not even in one series.

For the whole season. 3 homers. 2 stolen bases.

That's why you've never heard of him.

Baseball enthusiasts in Baltimore were pretty much unmoved by Monday's news. Some were downright disappointed. Others yawned and said, "Typical O's signing."

My friend Chris threw in a zinger on Monday night via text: "We haven't made one serious signing all off-season. And you wrote today at your site the Orioles might win 92 games? LMAO you're crazy."

Yes, I did mention yesterday I think the O's are capable of winning 92 games next season. Dylan Carlson doesn't change that one way or the other.

I guess Chris is sorta-kinda right when he says the O's haven't made a "serious signing" in the last couple of months. I mean, you might consider O'Neill or Charlie Morton a "serious" signing but I probably don't.

Saguno, the Japanese pitcher they signed, probably doesn't rank as "serious", either, even though they had to give him serious money to get him to come over here.

I think Nick Gordon is still with the team. He was signed back in December. I know what you're thinking: Who is Nick Gordon?

He's an outfielder, that's who he is.

So, yes, I don't see where Mike Elias (and since it's his money, David Rubenstein as well) has done anything of note to massively improve the team's roster for '24 to '25. I'll give Chris that much, at least.

Alas, it's here where I'll step in with an attempt at common sense while also admitting that signings like Carlson are hard to defend.

Mike Elias must see Carlson as someone who fills a specific role in his 2025 team.

What is that role?

I don't know. Perhaps against left handers it will be Carlson in left field, Cowser in center and O'Neill in right. Or maybe it's Carlson in right and O'Neill in left.

When the team faces a right hander, I don't know what they'll do. But we have lefties covered, it would appear.

But while I keep on being the optimist who says, "Elias knows baseball", it gets harder and harder over time to watch other teams sign real players while the O's go after junkyard dogs.

Maybe the combination of O'Neill and Carlson will equal what Tony Taters winds up doing in Toronto. I guess that would be a net-net win of sorts for the O's since they didn't have to cough up $90 million'ish for Santander.

Some baseball followers on the internet said yesterday that the Carlson signing could open the door for a deal involving Mayo or Kjerstad, although it seems like backwards thinking to keep a guy like Carlson over two players who have yet to prove themselves good, bad or indifferent.

The Orioles are nothing if not puzzling sometimes.

I don't get the Dylan Carlson signing, personally.

But I'm not running the team.

The guy who knows baseball is running the club.

I hope he's right.

When Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy sat around over a double espresso or whatever it was they were drinking when they were talking about developing an indoor golf league, Monday night's edition of TGL was what they envisioned.

The first three weeks? Not all that great, frankly. And that's coming from me. A golf guy, if you will.

I'd like to think I'm the fairest person in the room when it comes to evaluating things like "indoor golf". I wrote from the outset it wasn't for me but I'd give it a chance.

I wrote after week one that it wasn't for me and there were a few good things about it, but for the most part it was a flop in my opinion.

Week two was the same thing.

Last week was a little better, but only a "little".

Week four, though, was a hit.

It took Tiger vs. Rory with a splash of the ever enthusiastic Tom Kim to get things going last night, but in the end it was the best "match" of the young season to date.

Tiger's Jupiter Links team nipped Rory's Boston squad in overtime, so to speak, after Kim and Woods both pulled off some great heroics under the gun to pick up their first "W" of the season.

The golf, which I thought was less-than-mediocre in the first three weeks, was actually outstanding last night.

Maybe it was just as simple as not having Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick playing.

But the golf shots and the putts made on Monday night were a huge upgrade over what TGL produced in weeks 1 through 3.

I'm still unsold on the whole thing.

And Tiger and Rory can't play every night, obviously.

But last night's 2-hour show was a rousing success.

Finally.

On a 1-to-10 scale, with 1 being "couldn't care less" and 10 being "I watch every game", I'm about a .75 when it comes to the Wizards.

Yes. that's .75 as in "not quite a 1".

Editor's note: Other than the Flyers winning a game, nothing in this world aggravates me more than someone saying, "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less". I don't know why that drives me up the wall when I hear it, but it does. I heard a woman say it to her daughter a few weeks ago in a Towson store and it took everything I had to refrain from stopping her and saying, "Ma'am, if you're going to use the friggin' phrase, use it the right way."

Anyway, I just don't care about the Wizards. Or the NBA, for that matter.

Every time I stumble upon a game on TV somewhere, it's 99-79 and the losing team is only half trying with 5 minutes left in the contest.

Anyway, the Wizards lost last night in Dallas, 130-108.

It was 73-43 at the half. Washington was losing, in case you couldn't figure that out.

The defeat dropped the Wizards' record to 6-39 on the year. They're now 1-21 on the road in the '24-25 season.

This isn't about me complaining that the Wizards are 6-39. I couldn't care less.

But this is me asking the simplest of all questions: "How on earth can a professional sports team play 45 games and lose 39 of them?"

How is it possible?

By the way, with last night's loss, they've now dropped 14 straight games. They haven't won a game since Joe Biden was the President.

I have no idea what the Wizards roster looks like. I don't know which players are good (not enough, obviously), which are bad (most of them, apparently) or if some outside agency like injuries has corrupted their quality this season.

But when you're 6-39, something is really, really wrong.

Does anyone in Washington D.C. actually buy a ticket to a Wizards game? Like, with real money? Or are they all just companies in D.C. who were extorted into buying Wizards tickets as a means of also getting Capitals season tickets?

Why would ANYONE pay $50 to see the Wizards play a live basketball game in front of them?

Or is it always and only about the other team on the floor in D.C.? You wouldn't pay $50 to see the Wizards, for example, but you'd pay $50 to see the Lakers or Celtics?

I just can't imagine you and a few buddies shooting this series of texts to one another.

"Anyone up for the Wizards game tonight?"

"Yeah, maybe! Who are they playing?"

"Minnesota, I think. I don't know what they're called. But the schedule says Minnesota."

"I'm in."

"Yep, I'll go."

"I'm in as well. How much are tickets?"

"We can get good seats for $125 each."

Now, in fairness, I did some checking online and there are a gazillion Wizards tickets on sale on the secondary market for anywhere from $25 (upstairs) to $150 (downstairs).

That said, you'd have to give me $150, plus the ticket, to get me to plop down in my car and drive to D.C. to watch the Wizards play.

They're 6-39 for cryin' out loud.

How can they only have 6 wins?

Here's the funniest part of the whole thing. They started the season 2-2.

In fact, after losing their first two games of the season at home, they actually WON their road opener in Atlanta. Two nights later, they beat the Hawks again, this time in D.C.

They started 2-2. Now they're 6-39.

Their other four wins? Glad you asked.

They beat Denver, Chicago and Charlotte on two occasions.

I just don't understand it.

I could see a team being 12-33 after 45 games. Some years you have it, some years you don't.

But 6-39 in 45 games?

How does the league get so lopsided that one team is 6-39 and threatening to go 12-70?

It doesn't make any sense at all.

Monday January 27, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3809

another instant clas.....oh, never mind

Now that was a football game last night.

Sadly, one of the two teams had to lose and, of course, it wasn't Kansas City.

But that was a football game.

It had everything the NFL wants. The home team won, the game went down to the final minute, the lead changed hands in the 4th quarter and, while they might not want this, the officials also had a hand in things with a couple of curious calls down the stretch.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs prevailed, 32-29, and will now try to do the unthinkable in two weeks and win their 3rd consecutive Super Bowl.

Josh Allen and the Bills came up short, but provided an incredibly spirited effort for 60 minutes. Allen will probably finish 2nd to Lamar Jackson in the NFL MVP race this year, but there's little doubt he's a quarterback any team in the league would take.

"Warrior" is often a misused term in professional sports, but if it's applicable in football, Allen has earned that distinction. Nails called and said, "That QB in Buffalo is one tough dude."

The Chiefs will face the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Philly blasted the Commanders back down I-95 yesterday, 55-23.

I hope they relish that win, because it's the last one the Eagles will enjoy until next September.

The two best teams left standing in the post-season were on the same field last night in Kansas City.

The Eagles will find that out for themselves on February 9.

When the dust settles, the combination of the best quarterback in football (Mahomes) and the best coach in football (Reid) is simply too much for anyone in the league to overcome. Teams come close, like Baltimore, Denver, Tampa Bay and Buffalo did in Kansas City during the regular season and playoffs, but something always happens that separates the Chiefs from their challengers.

As I wrote on Twitter last night, the whole thing in Kansas City is both incredibly impressive and incredibly tiring.

When they need to win, they do.

When they need a score, they get one.

If it's 3rd and 8 and they need a first down to seal the game, they pick up 9 yards.

When you're faced with 4th and 2 and they need to stop you to finish things off, they get that stop.

If they have 4th and 2, they're getting that first down, no matter what you try to do in an effort to stop them.

Other teams are good. Some are really good. Buffalo gave Kansas City everything they could handle last night.

But the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl. Again.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

On to some questions that have been piling up in the inbox for a while now. As always, if you have something you'd like me to answer, please e-mail it to me: 18inarow@gmail.com

Jason Timmons asks -- "Hey Drew, long time Caps fan like you and just wondering what you think of their chances to win another Cup this year? Is it possible?"

DF says -- "They certainly are playing great hockey so far. It's not a fluke, Their defense is awesome, the rotation of goaltenders is working out perfectly and the growth of guys like Protas and McMichael is helping them overcome the departure of guys like Oshie and Backstrom.

I have no idea if they'll do anything at the deadline. Maybe they're not going to tinker at all. Maybe they'll try and add one more scoring forward? I'd be OK with anything they do. I think they're in a great spot right now.

Can they win it all? I think so. I don't sense that the league is all that strong, honestly. Florida's decent. The Devils are solid. A couple of Western Conference teams are reputable. But I don't see anyone that scares me.

If the Caps stay healthy, I'd say they have a very good shot at reaching the Finals at the very least."

Randy asks -- "I heard the guys on The Fan say last week that 2025 is the last year of John Harbaugh's contract. Is that true?"

DF says -- "The real answer is this: No one knows. The contract he signed several years ago was due to expire at the end of 2025, that much is true. But since then, the Ravens have made the playoffs and gone to the AFC Championship Game. I find it hard to believe there weren't automatic extensions that kicked in based on the team's success in 2023 and 2024.

My guess is John has at least two years left on his contract, if not three. I just can't imagine he is coaching in 2025 as a "lame duck" employee with the Ravens. There's just no way."

Benji G. asks -- "What do you think of the TGL indoor golf league so far?"

"DF says -- "Eh, it's not for me. I just don't think it's very captivating. Part of it might be connected to the rules they've developed for the matches. Those need to be tweaked so that a team is always "still in it" once they shift from "triples" to "singles".

The TV ratings dipped a lot in week three, but you didn't have the Tiger effect or the week one effect. You had Billy Horschel vs. Cameron Young last week and, well, that's just not a ratings grabber.

I think it "looks good" on TV. The building is dressed up nicely, the graphics and such are captivating and it's kind of cool to see those players up-close-and-personal in a setting like that.

But mostly, I just don't think the golf is all that good. I'm not seeing it from the players, either. I think they think it's hokey just like we do.

It would be similar to having Lamar Jackson "play" in a Madden League that's broadcast on live TV. It might be cool to see Lamar sitting in a chair making himself throw a football, but it's nothing like Lamar actually throwing the football for real.

That said, it's not fair to judge the TGL after 3 weeks. Give them a season to figure out. Let's see what they come back with in 2026. So far, I'm about a "4" on a 1-to-10 scale."

Aaron Gladfine asks -- "What would you say are the Orioles chances of making the playoffs next season given what they have done (or haven't done) in the off-season so far?"

DF says -- "Well, this time last year I would have said they were at 80% and then they went out and got Burnes in February and that increased it to 95%.

I'm probably at about the same spot right now, but maybe more like 70% instead of 80%. And I don't see how they really have room for any more pitchers (unless they trade one away), so I think the rotation is now pretty much set.

Losing Santander hurts, obviously. I'm not buying much Tyler O'Neill stock, so I think that's a loss in the negative for the O's offense.

I don't see Gary Sanchez doing what James McCann did, so that's also a marginal loss as well.

Now, they do get Bautista back and I'm going to assume he'll be the Bautista of old. That's a gain.

They're eventually going to get Kyle Bradish back and that's also a gain. So is Tyler Wells.

I think their chances of making the playoffs are good. But I also think they could finish 86-76 and miss out by a game or two.

I'll wait to make my official record prediction once I see who else they sign before spring training. I do think, on the whole, they're an 88 to 92 team win team as they're comprised right now."

Keith M. asks -- "Is there any credence at all to the idea that if one person doesn't vote for someone for the Hall of Fame that they should potentially have to explain their reasoning?"

DF says -- "Yes. Absolutely. You're obviously referring to the Suzuki Hall of Fame issue from last week. And, yes, the person who was goofy enough to not vote for him should have to step up and say, "Yes, it was me and here's what I was thinking."

Ultimately, how are we supposed to trust a voter who leaves Ichiro Suzuki off of their Hall of Fame ballot?

I mean, we turn over these voting rights to people who are supposedly smart, baseball-savvy and fair about the whole thing. We do that with our full confidence they know what they're doing.

And then you don't vote for Ichiro?

Or Derek Jeter?

Or Cal Riplen Jr.?

Yes, there should be a mechanism in place to have voters have to 'fess up and explain themselves. Let's figure out how to get that done."

Michael asks -- "Hey Drew, I'm in my late 30's and as crazy as this sounds, I've really just discovered Bruce Springsteen's music and was wondering if you could answer two questions. Why are some of his albums recorded with the E Street Band and some aren't? And what do you make of the last few albums in his catalog like Wrecking Ball and Western Stars?"

DF says -- "Welcome to the club, Michael! You have a whole lifetime of music enjoyment ahead of you given how much stuff Bruce has recorded over the last 50-plus years.

Bruce has talked about your first question quite a bit. There were times in his journey where he wanted to write and record on his own and there were also times when the band members were off doing other things and weren't available for session recordings with Bruce.

There was a 5-year period or so where he and Steven Van Zandt weren't on the best of terms so that left him out of recordings.

Over time, though, Bruce figured out his best "sound" always occurred when he had the E Street Band at his side.

As for his late-career work, I think it's just been "OK" since maybe the Magic album in 2007. That, in my opinion, was his last great album.

Kingdom of Days was decent.

Wrecking Ball was really close to being an excellent album, I thought. It featured some of Bruce's best song writing of the last 20 years.

As for Western Stars, I was probably in the minority on that one. I really, really appreciated the fact that Bruce said, "I don't care if you like it, here it is and I'm happy with it because it's something I've always wanted to do."

I don't know that it was a great album or even a "good" one, but it did have some outstanding songs on it and the western vibe that Bruce wanted everyone to feel came through loud and clear.

In the end, Bruce wanted a one-time pass, if you will, to produce music that meant something to "him" instead of his followers and supporters. When you've done what he's done for as long as he's done it, you've earned the right to say, "Here's my music. If you like it great, if not, that's OK, too."

I don't dislike Western Stars. There are 4 or 5 really good songs on there. It's more like a musical "book" if you will rather than a musical album.

I've included one of my favorite songs from the Western Stars album below."

Sunday January 26, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3808

rooting for.....washington d.c.?

OK, so figuring out who you're supporting in tonight's AFC title game is pretty easy, I'd say.

We've all seen just about enough of the Chiefs, right?

It's not just last year's conference championship game in Baltimore that still irks us.

It's the insurance commercials.

It's the smirk on the quarterback's face and the fact that the Kansas City head coach is actually too cool to be both that funny and that successful.

It's the calls from the refs, too, even though I personally think that whole saga is a bit overblown by people who always think "the league wants them to win".

It's everything.

Oh, and Josh Allen seems like the kind of guy you'd like to have on your team if at all possible.

So, yes, piecing that all together it's easy to figure out who you're rooting for tonight: It's Buffalo. All the way.

But the NFC?

Oh, boy. We have an issue there.

Are we, in Baltimore, really going to root for the Redskins-turned-Commanders?

Should we?

Can we?

Must we?

Now, because some of you love to troll and are also backwards thinkers, I know what you're going to say.

"Drew, you already root for a D.C. team. It shouldn't be that hard for you to support the Commanders."

In factual terms, I certainly do cheer for the Capitals, who were sadly 2-1 losers in Vancouver last night.

But they've only been D.C. in name for the 50 years I've known them.

They're actually the opposite of the football team down there. The Caps started out in Maryland but called themselves D.C.

The football started out in D.C., then moved to Maryland, and still called themselves D.C.

But the biggest distinction between the two and -- pay attention in the back of the room -- the reason it's perfectly OK to root for the Capitals if you live in Baltimore is because WE DON'T HAVE A TEAM IN OUR TOWN TO SUPPORT.

Baltimore has never had a NHL team.

And, so, when they plopped the Capitals in Landover, Maryland back in 1974, that 40-mile jaunt was as close as I could get to having my own team.

It never once, not even a smidgen of once, bothered me that they were called the "Washington" Capitals. It didn't bother me in 1976, 1998 or 2025. Never.

They're the only team "we", in Maryland, have ever had.

The football team, though?

Totally different.

Not only do we have our own team, but once upon a time the owner of the D.C. football franchise tried his damndest to keep the NFL from returning to Baltimore after the Colts moved to Indianapolis.

Memory like an elephant, as the saying goes.

So how, now, is it possible to root for the Commanders today when they face the Eagles?

Can you?

Will you?

I know my answer: Yes I can and yes I will.

It's weird, though. I'll admit that.

Maybe it's the fact that they aren't called the Redskins any longer. No, not because of that whole silly name change thing. No one cares about that.

I just mean because they're no longer called the Redskins, it feels like they're "something else", even though we all know it's the same franchise with just a different nickname.

I don't think it's because they play in Maryland, either. I don't see them as "regional" in that way and worthy of my support even though some of their tax revenue helps the state I live in.

I think it's a two-part story, really.

We here in Baltimore are too familiar with the manical owner concept. There were, as we all know, a lot of similarities between the "old Orioles" and the Daniel Snyder-run Redskins franchise.

Seeing D.C. go to the Super Bowl after Snyder turned the franchise over to others would be delightful karma to witness firsthand.

I know there's a little bit of evil in there and for that I bow my head and say, "I'm a sinner."

But knowing Snyder would have to endure his friends giggle in his midst at parties and say, "So, Dan, I don't follow it much any longer now that you're no longer the owner. How did the Commanders do this season?" would be more than enough for me to say, "Go Commanders!" today.

And then, there's Jayden Daniels.

How can you not like that kid?

I'm sure there are others on the D.C. roster worth liking as well, but their quarterback seems like Lamar 2.0 to me. He's fun to watch, of course, and seems to handle his success with a grace and dignity we're seeing less and less of these days.

Some of you might also be anti-Philadelphia.

It's funny for me, personally. Because for as much as I don't care for the Flyers, I don't really give a rat's rear end about the other Philadelphia teams. If the Eagles win, I don't care one way or the other.

I don't follow the NBA enough to care if the 76'ers win or lose.

And I'm not "anti-Phillies" in the way I'm "anti-Flyers". I don't openly root for the Phillies, but if they win, that's fine.

So if the Eagles win today, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

But I hope they don't.

I'm actually hoping a team from Washington D.C. wins today.

It feels weird, I know.

From a competitive standpoint, by the way, I don't know what to think. I can make an argument for all four teams and how they can win today/tonight.

If you gave me $50 of your own money to wager and I then didn't care if I won or lost, I'd take both road teams on the moneyline.

I think it's finally Buffalo's time, so to speak, and I think the Commanders are that rare team that actually believes they're "really" good even when they're just "good". And that kind of team is often very dangerous indeed.

I'd prefer not to endure two more weeks of Patrick Mahomes, though.

And if a Flyers fan in Philly who also happens to be an Eagles fan in Philly wakes up tomorrow and has to do the water-cooler-chat about losing the NFC title game at home, I'd be perfectly fine with that, too.

So, yes, Go Bills! And go Commanders!

Saturday January 25, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3807

will o's follow "twins tv"?

This was always going to happen at some point, particularly as more and more Americans "cut the cord" from those monthly cable TV bills where they pay a bunch of money for networks they never watch.

The Minnesota Twins announced on Friday they've created "Twins TV" and they'll air 150 of their 162 games in 2025. If you're a Twins diehard who wants access to those 150 games it will cost you $99.99.

You have to pay $100 (basically) to see an entire season of Twins baseball on your streaming device, whatever that might be.

If you're interested in a test run to see if you like the quality of the broadcast or if the Twins are competitive enough to spend your money on, you can also sign up for $19.99 a month and see how it goes from there.

This step was always the next one for teams to take as the regional sports network concept continues to struggle in the aftermath of government policies impacting how much money networks can receive from their local cable carriers.

And with more and more people leaving cable TV forever and going mainly with streaming options of their choice, baseball teams had a decision to make: Expose their product to fewer people every summer or figure out a way to make it affordable for their fans to watch the games and perhaps risk not making as much as they did in the past from rights fee payments.

The Orioles are no doubt facing the same questions in Baltimore.

It's a little murky in Baltimore because of the ugly decades-long lawsuit between MASN and the Nationals, but the rights fee for the Orioles (and Nationals) is about $60 million a year.

So therein lies the mathematical rub.

Keep taking MASN's $60 million or start your own team-run network (which, of course, we all sorta-kinda know was what was already going on in Baltimore with the O's) and charge the consumers directly to watch your games?

As it stands now, the O's pay no production costs or other broadcast-related expenses. They just get a $60 million (ish) check from MASN every year and say "thank you very much".

If they run their own show, they now have to bear all of the expenses related to getting the games on the air, which means if they charged $99.99 like the Twins did, they'd be taking their expenses out of that $99.99.

MASN is a "real" TV network. They do all of the work, get the games on the air, and write the O's (and Nationals) a "rights fee check"

But are teams going to continue doing business that way?

The real question in all of this, of course, is the one you're going to have to consider at some point: How much would you be willing to pay to have access to nearly all of the O's 162 games?

They'll still sell 8 games a year to one of the town's "network affiliates" like WJZ and 4-6 of their games will be broadcast by a league partner like FOX, Apple, Hulu, etc., but you'll probably be paying to watch at least 150 of their 162 games.

What would you fork over for that privilege?

If you're a current MASN app subscriber, you already sorta-kinda know how this works, except you're paying $239.99 a year for the app that allows you to watch any programming on their two channels.

The Orioles, of course, don't participate in the revenue sharing from that $239.99. They get their $60 million rights fee and that's that.

MASN used to make their money by simply syphoning $5.00 a month off of everyone's cable TV bill whether they watched the channel or didn't watch it. It was a great gig for a while. 12 million cable TV viewers at $5.00 each, every month, was quite the haul.

But as the government realized how dumb that was and more and more people backed out of their cable TV agreements and went full-time to streaming options, that money started to dry up and MASN wasn't raking in the dough any longer.

The Orioles are now going to face the same dilemma as the other MLB teams.

"Can we make more money by doing it ourselves?"

Is it worth the risk?

What will the baseball fan in Baltimore pay?

Would you pay $19.99 a month to watch the O's at your leisure on the device of your choice?

I would.

I don't care enough about spring training to sign up in February and March, but they'll get me for April through September at the very least. If it costs me $120 for a season of baseball, so be it.

You might be different, though.

What's your number?

What if, because they're the Orioles and all, they follow MASN's monthly subscription rate and charge $24.99?

What if it's $29.99 per month?

What's your number?

You better start thinking about it. Because it's coming soon.

Friday January 24, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3806

everyone can be quiet now

Maryland picked up their first quad one win of the season last night, roasting Illinois in Champaign, 91-70.

That should quiet everyone for a little while.

The anti-Kevin-Willard-club was starting a membership drive after the team lost an overtime decision at Northwestern a week ago and barely squeaked past a lousy Nebraska team in College Park last weekend.

Willard, of course, replaced a coach everyone wanted gone a couple of years back.

The bloom is pretty much now officially off of his rose.

If Maryland doesn't do something significant in this year's NCAA tournament -- assuming they get in, obviously -- the wolves will be lining up in bigger numbers than they already are.

Last night's 19-point win at Illinois was a thorough beating. The Terps were up 38-35 at the half and then poured it on in the final 20 minutes to give Willard just his 5th conference win in Maryland's last 26 Big Ten away games.

Julian Reese (27) and Derik Queen (25) accounted for 52 of Maryland's 91 points.

It's impossible to know if Willard reads the maniacal and derisive chatter on social media that accompanies each Maryland road loss, but the pressure was starting to build whether he knew it or not.

Facts are facts. Maryland has been very good at home under Willard's coaching and very bad on the road over the last two-and-a-half seasons. The Big Ten features several teams that are routinely favorable seeds in March Madness, which gives schools like Maryland a chance to make some noise with wins like Willard secured last night.

If you can win in Champaign, West Lafayette, Madison, East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Bloomington, where the Terps will play on Sunday, you can upgrade your status at the same time. Those buildings aren't easy to win in, no matter the year. The Terps lost at Purdue earlier this season but won at Illinois last night. 1-1 in those two games isn't half bad.

And, for now, at least, the Willard haters have been silenced.

Let's see what they're saying on Monday morning after the game at Indiana this Sunday.

Last year during the early days of the Shohei Ohtani gambling mess, there were a lot of people out there who suspected the current G.O.A.T. of Major League Baseball was himself involved in wagering and was merely using his interpreter as the fall-guy when it all eventually got uncovered.

Yesterday's press conference featuring federal prosecutors should quiet all of those non-believers quite quickly.

They have Ohtani's interpreter on tape recordings impersonating the star pitcher/hitter as he requests hundreds of thousands of dollars be transferred into the interpreter's bank account.

The federal government is asking for a 57-month prison sentence for Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara's attorney told the court his client has suffered from a gambling addition since age 18 back in Japan and asked for a reduced, 18-month sentence due to his cooperation with the investigation.

Mizuhara was fired in March 2024 after an investigation uncovered he had sent millions in wire transfers from Ohtani's account to an illegal bookmaker.

He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return last June, admitting that he stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts to the bookmaker.

There were times last summer when people threw Ohtani under the bus and suggested it was he, not Mizuhara, who was doing the gambling and paying the bookmakers, but doing it all through the interpreter.

The release of the audio recording yesterday gave a clear indication that Mizuhara was impersonating Ohtani in an attempt to move money from the baseball player's account -- which he had access to through his employment relationship with Ohtani -- to his own personal account.

Folks who thought Ohtani was involved and had direct knowledge of the gambling activities owe the player an apology.

In case you're wondering, "I'm sorry" in Japanese is: "Gomen Nasai"

Say it together now...

Mark Andrews spoke up yesterday for the first time since the loss at Buffalo last Sunday night and he essentially said exactly what we all knew he would say.

He was "gutted" by his performance and it took him a few days to gather his thoughts and face the music.

That should quiet everyone down who wanted to hear from Andrews in the wake of his 4th quarter fumble and dropped ball in the end zone on the late 2-point conversion attempt.

Alas, it probably won't.

No matter how many times people in Baltimore relive Sunday's game, it's always going to be remembered for the Andrews "drop" in the end zone, probably because that was the last "real" Ravens play of the night.

Sure, there was an onside kick attempt by the Ravens, but once that was recovered by the Bills, the game was pretty much sealed.

The three turnovers that happened earlier in the game? They were all more important than the Andrews drop, in fact.

Lamar throwing the ball to Buffalo and then later fumbling it resulted in a 10-point swing for the home team.

The Andrews fumble at midfield took the Ravens from trailing 24-19 -- and driving to go ahead -- to trailing 27-19 when the Bills cashed in with a field goal.

That's a 13-point swing, at the very least.

The Ravens turned the ball over 3 times and the Bills scored 13 points from those turnovers. That's what good teams do and that's also what bad teams do.

By the way, not that it matters in the aftermath, but Andrews didn't "fumble" the football in the 4th quarter. Sure, it goes down as a "fumble" in the stats and we're always going to call it that because of simplicity and laziness, but the ball was clearly knocked out of his hands.

Lamar Jackson? He fumbled the ball earlier in the game. He had the ball in his hands, tried to escape a potential sack, and the ball slipped out of his hands and was scooped up by the other team.

That, right there, was actually a fumble. An "unforced error" if you want to borrow a popular tennis term.

Andrews had the ball knocked out of his hands by a player on the other team making a big play.

I say this all the time and you know, in places you don't want to talk about at parties, it's very true: If Kyle Hamilton makes that exact same play on Dawson Knox, we, here in Baltimore, aren't talking about the Buffalo tight end "fumbling" the ball. We're talking about how great of a play Hamilton made to knock the ball out of his hand and change the tenor of the game.

But when it's your guy, he "fumbled".

Anyway, Andrews addressed it all on his social media page yesterday and said, on Thursday, exactly what we all assumed he would say on Sunday night.

He's crushed by it all.

Everyone can go back to beating up John Harbaugh now. Mark Andrews has confessed.

faith in sports

At the risk of spoiling a surprise with my Calvert Hall Golf team, I'll share a secret with all of you here today.

Before the start of each spring MIAA golf season, I give my players some sort of gift. Lately, it's been something they can read that somehow connects with their golf. Last year, it was a book called "Grit".

This year, I'm giving them another book, written by the man you're going to see in the video below.

Anthony Marinise is a cancer survivor (at a young age), an athlete, and a theologian. His book -- which I strongly encourage you to get -- on "faith in sports" is called, "Sport & The Spiritual Life" and it details how athletes can use faith, prayer and spirituality to help them grow in their respective athletic endeavors.

If you're not an athlete but you have someone in your family who is, pick up the book for them. It's very good. It's better than that, actually. It's impactful.

Please take five minutes to watch the video that introduces Marinise and his works. That's all you need. Just five minutes.

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

Thursday January 23, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3805

facing the music

A lot of the discussion here and elsewhere over the last couple of days has centered on Mark Andrews and his absence both in the post-game media setting and then again on Monday when the Ravens held "exit day" at 1 Winning Drive.

Glenn Clark and I discussed it for a lengthy period of time yesterday during my weekly appearance on his show.

This one is delicate.

And one of the reasons why it's delicate is because the times have changed so much over the last decade or thereabouts.

There was a time when I, as a credentialed member of the media, would go on the air and bust on a guy who didn't face the media after a game.

I'm here to tell you that the great Ray Lewis was an occasional post-game media dodger.

I took Ray to task for it on the air a couple of times because it seemed like "the franchise player" should always have to do his part and face the music after a game.

Chris McAlister was notorious for his routine. If he played well, he'd be doing jumping jacks in front of his locker after the game to remind you he was there.

When he didn't play well, McAlister would retreat to the privacy of the training room to "see the doctors" about an in-game injury of some sort.

Editor's note: He wasn't really doing jumping jacks, of course. But he would definitely hang around his locker after any game in which he played well and disappear when he didn't play well.

But Ray and McAlister -- and others back then -- were able to get away with that because no one really had Twitter or other social media options at their disposal to "out them" right after the game.

The only way I ever knew those two dodged the media was when I was there myself, in the locker room, and saw it unfold in front of me.

Now, in 2025, when you're not there at your locker after the game, everyone knows about it within one minute.

Players haven't really changed much over the years. They don't want to be put up in front of the media after a loss or a poor performance. But when they do well, they're eager to tell you how it all happened.

No, the players haven't changed much. But the media and the "instant news" angle has changed quite a bit.

But does post-game media availability really matter?

I mean, it didn't change the way we perceive Ray Lewis or Chris McAlister, right?

On the flip side, I wasn't a huge fan of Terrell Suggs "as a guy". I saw him do some pretty disrespectful things in the locker room to members of the media, including women. Over time, it got worse instead of better, and I thought he was given a pass by the team's media relations staff because of his stature as a player.

That said, I never, ever remember Suggs dodging the media after a game. If ever there was a stand-up guy no matter the score or his performance, it was Suggs. If you ask me what I remember about him, that's certainly one of the things that rests in my memory bank.

He might have been a goof and, at times, disrespectful, but after a game, no matter what, he would "face the music".

Billy Cundiff -- as Glenn and I discussed yesterday -- provided probably the most meaningful, memorable post-game media appearance that I can personally ever remember. And I've seen a lot of them.

In the aftermath of that field goal miss at the end of the 2011 (in 2012) AFC Championship Game, Cundiff stood in front of his locker and answered questions.

He faced the music.

I can remember someone -- it might have been Brent Harris, perhaps -- finally mustering up the courage to ask, "What happened on that last kick?". That was, of course, the ONLY question anyone could ask him or needed to ask him.

"What happened?"

And Cundiff paused for a second, swallowed hard, and said, "Nothing, really. I just missed it. I make that kick all the time. Every time. But I didn't make that one, obviously. I missed it."

A couple of other people tried to frame the question differently but Cundiff knew what they were trying to do and there was no other way to say it.

"Like I said, I just missed the kick," he said with a shrug of the shoulders.

Someone asked about the snap and the hold. And the wind.

Cundiff didn't budge.

"I just missed the kick," he said, his voice going softer with each reply.

I recall, very vividly, the entire thing.

I remember feeling sorry for Cundiff.

I remember being "proud" of him, if that's the right word, for standing up there and facing the reporters.

I also remember thinking to myself, "You might not ever be the same after this."

I hated being right about that. Cundiff was never the same.

But here's what's interesting, as Clark and I talked about yesterday.

The fact that Billy Cundiff stood up and talked to the media after the game didn't change anything at all about that kick, the result or his legacy as a Ravens kicker.

He will always and forever be known for that kick.

He is NOT known at all for talking to the media after he missed it.

He's known for pull-hooking a 33 yard field goal that would have sent the AFC Championship Game to overtime had he made it.

It's a sports-verb in Baltimore now when you badly miss a putt or a shot in pool or anything else that requires you to be accurate.

"You Cundiff'd that one."

Mark Andrews will face the same challenges as Billy Cundiff did back in 2012.

People in Baltimore won't forget it.

And, at least for the time being, his decision to not face the media on Sunday or Monday will also stick with folks around here.

I think, if I'm being honest, that has more to do with age than anything else. And I'm not trying to pick on young people when I say this even though I'm sure someone will take offense to it.

When you're younger and someone like Andrews doesn't stand up and take the heat, you tend to bristle at that as a sign he wasn't "accountable". It irritates you that he wouldn't just make himself available to bleed right there in the open, the same way it once irritated me that Ray and McAlister would occasionally dodge the media after a game.

As you get older -- as I have found out -- you discover that those things aren't really all that important, mainly because you're smart enough, now, to know just how painful it is to come up short in a big situation where the spotlight focuses solely on you. With age comes wisdom (you can sneer at this point if you'd like) and as the years go on you're able to discern more critically what's important and what's not really important.

Mark Andrews not catching the football on Sunday night was a significant error.

He also had a crucial fumble earlier in the 4th quarter that helped set up a Bills field goal. That was a huge gaffe as well.

Those were two important mistakes.

Mark Andrews not 'fessing up and admitting he dropped the ball or fumbled the ball? Not that important.

The drop on Sunday night in Buffalo will leave a scar. Andrews might wind up catching 10 touchdowns next year and the year after that and, who knows, he might even someday win a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens or some other team.

But that scar from last Sunday night will not go away.

He'll have that tag, always, the same way people in town still contend to this day that Lee Evans "dropped" that ball in New England when it was actually a great player by the Patriots defensive back to knock it out of Evans' hands in the end zone.

People remember Lee Evans as a Raven by that play only.

"Dropped the 2 point conversion that would have tied the game in Buffalo."

Right now, that's Mark Andrews in Baltimore.

And, so, because of all of that, I don't see why it's so important for Andrews to have faced the media on Sunday or Monday.

Trust me, I understand the optics of it.

I do, I do, I do.

I understand about accountability. And "facing the music". And being a leader and a captain and all that other jazz that people like to toss around in moments like these.

But Mark Andrews knows that no matter what he says to the media nothing at all is going to change.

He can't say anything that will change what happened in Buffalo.

He doesn't need to explain anything because there's nothing to explain.

He's not going to say, "Well, frankly, Lamar probably could have thrown me a better pass."

Or, "The field was kind of slippery, you know, and just as I grabbed the ball, I lost my footing and......"

There's nothing to say.

He dropped the ball.

What Andrews really needs is this: grace.

Grace is kindness extended to you when, perhaps, you don't necessarily deserve it.

I don't know that Andrews "deserves" kindness after messing up in one of the biggest games the Ravens have played in the last ten years, but I do know giving him grace is far more humane than piling on and sending him death threats on social media and calling his girlfriend ugly names and telling Andrews to find a new team because he's not welcome back in Baltimore.

If you're asking me if Mark Andrews deserves either grace or scorn -- and you can only pick one -- I believe he deserves grace the same way God gives all of us grace when we probably don't deserve it based on the amount of sinning we all do every day.

We all need grace.

It might not change anything about last Sunday's result, but it's what Mark Andrews needs and deserves, I think.

Scott Hoch missed a pretty famous 28 inch putt on the first playoff hole at the 1989 Masters. He makes it, he wins. He misses, they go on to another playoff hole.

Hoch makes that putt 9 out of 10 times.

Editor's note: Honestly, it probably wasn't a putt you make 90% of the time. It was probably more like a putt you make somewhere around 78% of the time. It was downhill and definitely had a ball of break on it that Hoch sadly misread. It was a putt most professional golfers make, yes, but it wasn't a kick-in like a lot of people try to contend it was.

In the aftermath of that loss to Nick Faldo, Hoch tried his best to explain how a guy could miss that putt and he never could come up with the right words.

"I didn't make it," he said. "That's all I can tell you. I hit what I thought was a good putt and it didn't go in."

Hoch faced the media after that Masters loss to Faldo, but no one is talking about that in 2025. All they're talking about is how Scott Hoch missed a 28-inch putt to win the Masters in 1989.

That said, most of the folks back then who covered golf gave Hoch some grace. No one picked on him. No one wrote scathing articles the next day about how Hoch's golf career might not ever be the same again.

They extended him the courtesy of space and grace and let him grieve about the missed putt and the Masters loss on his own terms.

"Those were the days..." as they used to sing at the beginning of All In The Family.

Now, it's one thing if Mark Andrews gets into some kind of alteraction with a Bills fan during the game and climbs into the stands and gets into a fight. That would be something totally unprecedented and would require an explanation from Andrews on what, exactly, took place that forced him to do something so crazy like fight a fan in the stands.

Dodging that sort of incident wouldn't be cool.

But we all saw exactly what happened in Buffalo.

Lamar hit him in the "89" right in the middle of his chest and Andrews didn't catch the ball.

I don't need him to tell me he dropped it. I know that already.

I don't need him to tell me he's really disappointed. I know that, too.

I don't need him to tell me how the thing that hurts the most is he feels like he let his whole team down. I know that as well.

I just don't need to hear it.

Maybe you do.

I could be in the minority on this one. And, if so, that's fine.

But it just doesn't seem all that important to me to have Mark Andrews tell me what I already know, in the same way I don't need the head coach who is losing 21-10 at halftime to talk with Erin Andrews or Tracy Woolfson and confirm to her that they have to do a better job of stopping the other team's passing attack when the opposing quarterback threw for 209 yards in the first half.

"Coach, Patrick Mahomes had a huge first half there. How do you quiet him down in the second half?"

"Yeah, you're right. We just need to do a better job of not letting him complete those passes."

"Thank you, Coach. Back up to you guys in the booth."

The coach faced the music at halftime. He was there, present and accounted for.

But if his team gives up another 200 yards in the air to Mahomes in the second half of the game, do you give a rat's rear end that he "faced the music" at halftime?

Of course you don't.

Let's be honest about this. You want the guy to face the media and answer questions -- even ones you already know the answer to -- because you think getting roasted and criticized comes with the territory of screwing up.

That's really all it is.

You already know Andrews dropped the ball and you can be pretty certain he feels horrible about it.

You just want to see him squirm a little, that's all.

I don't need to see that.

Because it doesn't change anything.

The Ravens lost 27-25 and one of the reasons they lost -- one of several, mind you -- is because Mark Andrews dropped a pass in the end zone late in the game.

I saw it with my own two eyes.

I don't need it explained to me.

And I certainly don't need to see or hear Mark Andrews squirm when he gets asked about it.

Because no matter what he says, he'll always be the guy that dropped that ball in Buffalo.

Wednesday January 22, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3804

au revoir, anthony

It is old news, of course, but today's really the first day we can sit back with a clear mind and think about Anthony Santander signing with the Blue Jays for $92 million for 5 years.

Frankly, I thought he'd finish up raking in somewhere closer to $100 million for four years, so $18-million-ish a year for Anthony Santander seems like a little bit of a steal to me.

The question, of course, is why didn't the Orioles just pony up that meager amount and keep him in right field at Oriole Park for the next five years?

I have no idea why they didn't keep him.

I'll sound like Jack Nicholson now, who once said, about Private Santiago, "I have no idea why he wasn't packed. Maybe he's an early riser. Maybe he didn't have any friends who were going to pick him up at the airport."

Maybe Mike Elias thought Santander couldn't do in the future what he did in 2024 when he enjoyed a career year for the Orioles.

Maybe Santander didn't like Baltimore after all. Maybe he wanted a change of scenery.

Maybe Elias was holding on to that $92 million for, say, Corbin Burnes.

Editor's note: Well, that one doesn't hold up to the sniff test because Burnes has said recently the Orioles didn't actually even make him a "bonafide offer" whatever that means.

Maybe, in the end, Elias thinks a few years of Tyler O'Neill will wind up being better than a few years of Anthony Santander.

I have no idea what Mike Elias thinks of Anthony Santander, but I'm guessing you can file it under "not much".

That he signed in Toronto is going to make the Santander departure a story throughout the 2025 season. Had he gone to Seattle or San Francisco or Arizona, where the O's hardly see him in person and most of their games are played while we're asleep, it probably wouldn't be much of a worry.

But now, not only do the O's face him a dozen times, but Santander also stays in this part of the country where he's playing regularly at Fenway, Yankee Stadium, and so on.

I like Santander.

But, honestly, I do think 2024 was a bit of an outlier for him. If I'm wrong on this one, please come around and remind me I whiffed on th is one, but I don't see him putting up 2024 numbers ever again.

That doesn't mean Anthony Santander is a bad guy to have on your team. And it doesn't mean he isn't worth $92 million over 5 years.

I just think you'd be paying $18 million a year for something like 27 homers instead of 40.

I do find it puzzling that Elias couldn't have found $92 million for him in Baltimore. $18 million a year is chump change. Heck, they gave freakin' Charlie Morton FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS for 2025.

Alas, we bid "au revoir" to Santander, as he heads north of the border to join the Blue Jays in Toronto.

Say hi to Geddy Lee for us, will ya?

A moron, a complete lunactic if ever there was one, left Ichiro off of his/her Hall of Fame ballot this year, which means Suzuki came up one vote short of being unanimously selected yesterday when the Hall of Fame inductees were announced.

Ichiro received 393 of 394 votes.

He would have been the first field player to ever be a unanimous pick. Alas, he now joins Derek Jeter as someone who came up one vote shy.

Perhaps the offending party will out him/her self in the not too distant future and beg for forgiveness. If we ever do find out who left Ichiro off the ballot, there's no telling how long they'll face scorn and ridicule for that omission.

What sort of maniac leaves Ichiro off the ballot?

They should never be allowed to submit a Hall of Fame ballot again. Not next year, not in five years, "not never", as Alan said in The Hangover.

C.C. Sabathia earned 86% of the vote and Billy Wagner finally got in with 82% of the vote. Those are your only three Hall of Fame inductees for 2025.

Just missing out were Carlos Beltran (needed 4 more votes) and Andruw Jones (needed 9 more votes).

The voters whiffed on Mark Buehrle, but they did get it right with Ichiro-Sabathia-Wagner, so all is forgiven for not giving Buehrle his due and spot in Cooperstown.

I just can't get over some goof who tells people "I know baseball and don't you ever forget it" left Ichiro Suzuki off the Hall of Fame ballot.

That would be like leaving Robert Plant off the "Greatest Singers Hall of Fame" when given the chance to vote him in.

"Let's see...Elton John, yeah, great singer, I'll vote him in. Freddie Mercury. Dang, yeah, he could really carry a tune. I'll vote him in. Luther Vandross. Holy cow, yes. What a great singer he was. Robert Plant. Hmmm. Robert Plant? No, not this year. Maybe some other time."

Insane. People are just absolutely nuts these days.

I appreciate the calmness of the group here yesterday (and Monday) in the wake of the Ravens loss to the Bills on Sunday night.

Other than one comment that I removed for what I thought was a little close to the "race card" bone, you all nearly threw a perfect game in your commentary on the 27-25 defeat.

It is what it is, right?

The Ravens have become a franchise that under-performs in the playoffs.

Someone here and on Twitter compared this edition of the Ravens to the Capitals franchise when they were perennial playoff "whiffers" despite having the best player in hockey on their team.

As someone who has followed the Washington Capitals every single day day since 1975, I can assure you that's a very fair comparison.

The Caps were known for, let's say, "not performing up to their standards" in the post-season.

That's a fancy way of saying, "The Caps were known for choking in the playoffs."

But I despise that word, so I don't/won't use it.

The Ravens, save for that magical post-season run early in 2013, have sputtered and fallen back in all of John Harbaugh's post season efforts.

They do have that ring, of course, and nothing will ever change the fact that John Harbaugh is a Super Bowl winning coach.

But their playoff failures and post-season whiffs far outweigh that 2012-2013 title run.

It is official: The Ravens have a problem.

They have the best player in the league and they can't win with him.

Now, I'm still going to say this so everyone hears it loud and clear in the back of the room.

The Ravens are going to win a Super Bowl with Lamar Jackson as their QB.

History tells us that will happen.

Go through the history of sports in our lifetime and tell me how many truly great individuals, in any sport, played their career and didn't win a title of some kind.

Go through any sport. Golf, tennis, baseball, basketball, hockey, football. Go through all of them and tell me how many iconic, "GREAT" players didn't win a title.

And by "great", I guess I'm talking about players that impact the game with their own abilities. Example, Joe Thomas was a legendary offensive lineman -- one of the greatest to ever play -- but he got stuck in Cleveland and therefore his fate was sealed. But he was also not someone who touched the football, either.

Anyway, go ahead. Give it a try.

I can tell you that in my lifetime, the only truly GREAT golfer who never won a major was Colin Montgomerie. Some folks would argue for Lee Westwood and some would also say Matt Kuchar and I'd say "fair enough" to those two, but in reality, Montgomerie was the one guy who should have won a major who didn't win one.

All the greatest golfers eventually win a major somehow.

The same goes for tennis.

Football quarterbacks are almost like golfers. Name the GREAT football quarterback in our lifetime who didn't win a title. There's Dan Marino for sure. Some would argue Jim Kelly and some would debate the merits of Philip Rivers or Dan Fouts. Fair enough on those three. But the only one we wouldn't debate would be Marino.

Other than Marino, every truly GREAT, Hall of Fame quarterback has a championship ring.

I'm going to stick with the idea that Lamar will get his and it will be in Baltimore.

He's just too good to not get one someday.

In the meantime, though, it's not easy to deal with this "problem" the Ravens have on their shoulders.

It's there, perched and heavy. They can't win in the playoffs. Everyone knows it now.

In the spirit of the PGA Tour's season starting to take shape and the grind reaching one of my all-time favorite courses, Torrey Pines in (suburban) San Diego, I thought I'd throw out four sorta-kinda longshots for this week's event and see if we can make you some early coin in 2025.

If I had your $20, I'd put $10 on each of these guys to win and $10 on each of them to finish Top 20. The odds I show are their win odds.

Aaron Rai, 50-1 -- Very, very accurate off the tee, which definitely helps at Torrey Pines. I think Rai is one of those guys who could win a couple of times on TOUR this year and start to become a bit more of a familiar name. 50-1 is a great number for him.

Gary Woodland, 85-1 -- Also a nice driver of the golf ball and someone who has historically putted well on poa annua greens. There's also that story about his brain surgery from a year and a half ago that will resonate well once he gets back in the winner's circle. I like his chances of winning an event before summer. This one is a nice fit.

Carson Young, 140-1 -- Not "Cameron" Young. Carson Young. That's why he's 140-1. This guy can flat out play. How funny would it be if he wins a TOUR event before Cameron wins one? I'm telling you, sprinkle $5 or $10 of win money on this guy every week. He's eventually going to come through.

J.J. Spaun, 60-1 -- Grew up in Southern California and has played Torrey a gazillion times while playing golf at San Diego State. Off to a red hot start in 2025. I love, love, love his chances this week.

My three personal win bets are Aberg (9-1), Finau (25-1) and Bradley (24-1). But throwing a few bucks on those four above can't hurt you, either.

Tuesday January 21, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3803

about those pardons we're giving out

I wasn't actually "in" Baltimore on Monday until about 11:30 pm, but based on what I could detect by perusing social media, today's edition of #DMD might be needed.

Folks around town took the 27-25 loss to Buffalo pretty hard, as far as I could tell.

And, sure, I get it. I mean, these kinds of chances don't come along all that often and, as Marlon Humphrey pointed out in the locker room after Sunday's game, this team will never again be together.

There will be some guys who played on Sunday for the Ravens that will play for someone else next season, either by their own choice or by the decision of the organization.

That's how it goes in a salary cap league.

But what makes the loss more difficult to swallow is knowing -- really, there's almost no doubt about this -- that the Ravens had every piece they needed in 2024-2025 to win the Super Bowl.

It's one thing if you scrape into the playoffs like Pittsburgh or Tampa Bay did and then get ousted in the first round. No one was expecting much from them, anyway.

But when you're the Ravens and you have nine Pro Bowl players, and one of the three most important players in the entire league on your team, and you were dismantling people left and right over the last month of the season, losing a nailbiter to a team you pretty much outplayed all night is harder to swallow than your Aunt Karen's potato salad that always has too much onion in it.

There's no real way to avoid this or get it to a simmering point on the stove.

It's a hot take with a burning flame.

The Ravens are now, officially, a team with "that issue" on their back.

That issue, of course, is failing to live up to expectations in the playoffs.

Lots of people around town and nationally used that "c" word that sounds like "blokes" to describe the Ravens in the aftermath of the loss to the Bills.

I don't like using it, myself.

But you are what you are.

The Ravens are a team that should win in the playoffs and, at least in Lamar's seven seasons in the league, they've been unable to do so, even when favored by people who supposedly know a thing or two about which team should win and which team should lose.

I don't think Lamar Jackson is a playoff choker. I just don't.

And I don't think Mark Andrews is a playoff choker, either.

But those two took the brunt of the "choker commentary" on Monday as everyone sifted through how it came to pass that the Ravens could outgain and (basically) outplay Buffalo and still not win.

Lamar turned the ball over twice.

Andrews turned it over once and dropped a key pass in the final moments.

Those things could happen to anyone.

Just ask Jared Goff about turning it over in a playoff game.

It happens.

But when it happens on a consistent basis, a pattern starts to form.

And that, more than anything, is what people are looking at now that the Ravens have failed once again to reach the Super Bowl despite another division title and a first round win over Pittsburgh.

"Anyone can win the division."

"Anyone can win a playoff game."

And while both of those things aren't necessarily as easy as "anyone" doing it (Cleveland, Jacksonville, Las Vegas -- they'd like to dispute that), we all know the point that's being made.

At some point, you have to shed that monkey that's on your back.

The Ravens -- right now -- have a monkey on their back. It's called "the playoffs".

Because he makes $50-plus million and is one of the league's fair-haired-boys, Lamar gets the brunt of the criticism. It comes with the territory.

Over the last couple of days, Presidential pardons have dominated the news circuit.

The outgoing administration handed out a bunch of them and then the incoming administration put the wheels in motion to do the same thing on Monday.

I assume everyone knows what a "pardon" is in the political world.

You're essentially saying to someone: "We know you did it and we're going to let you off the hook for doing it."

It's a professional way of saying, "We think your good outweighs your bad."

Shouldn't we give pardons to Lamar and Mark Andrews?

I mean, without those two, the Ravens don't even sniff 12 wins in the regular season.

Without those two, the Ravens don't even make it to play Pittsburgh in the first round, let alone toy with them like they did in the playoff opener in Baltimore.

Andrews will most certainly be in the team's Ring of Honor someday.

He won't make the NFL Hall of Fame, but he'd probably at least be under consideration for the Hall of Very Good.

Sure, he had a regrettable fourth quarter on Sunday night. He won't live it down, like, maybe, ever.

It was so bad that he eschewed his customary post-game position at his locker to meet with the media on Sunday night, then wasn't anywhere to be seen yesterday when the Ravens cleaned out their lockers at 1 Winning Drive.

For those two things, Andrews also got raked over the coals.

And I get that, too. You're the one that dropped the ball. You need to be available to talk about it.

If Andrews would have caught that 2-point conversion and then hauled in the game-winning OT pass to beat the Bills, 33-27, you can bet your purple-rear-end he would have been standing right there at the locker afterwards saying, "Anyone need to talk with me?"

So, yes, Andrew also "fumbled" the post-game media thing, too.

But it's a very complex situation these days with social media and such. A player knows one tear from the corner of their eye, one wrong thing they say, one sideways glance at a reporter -- it all has the ability to become a meme they'll never live down.

Is that what happened to Mark Andrews? I have no idea.

But I know that the whole things cuts a lot deeper than just suggesting Andrews was a wussy for not facing the media. I don't know much, but I know that.

I'm giving him a pardon, today. His good, in Baltimore, has far, far, outweighed his bad here.

And I know people are going to spend the next eight months roasting Lamar about his turnovers, losing to Josh Allen, and, once again, failing to reach the Super Bowl.

Those things, of course, all have merit to them.

But if we're going to pardon anyone on the team for what happened on Sunday night, it's Lamar Jackson.

I don't even think an explanation is needed.

He's the reason why the Ravens are what they are.

If Josh Johnson quarterbacks the Ravens in 2024, the announcer in April is saying, "And with the 5th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select, Will Johnson, offensive tackle, LSU."

Lamar Jackson is the franchise, plain and simple.

Does he need to win a Super Bowl in his career to fully cement his legacy as an all-time league great? He most certainly does.

Does he still have plenty of time to do that? He most certainly does.

And if our political leaders can pardon some of the riff-raff they're pardoning, we can certainly give two legitimate, worthy pardons to Lamar and Mark Andrews.

Can't we?

I know I certainly can.

Monday January 20, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3802

that one is gonna leave a mark

OK, I know we're all sour about the outcome of last night's game in Buffalo but give the #DMD headline writer a little credit this morning.

"That one is gonna leave a mark".

Mark.

You know, as in "Mark" Andrews.

Too soon?

Andrews got most of the criticism in the hours after last night's 27-25 instant classic loss to the Bills, but the reality was it didn't all come down to the tight end's drop of the two point conversion with 1:33 left in the game.

It mostly came down to that, sure. But even if Andrews catches that ball, Josh Allen had gobs of time and two time outs to go down the field and put Tyler Bass into position to kick the game-winning field goal.

Still, if you're the Ravens, you want that chance. So the Andrews drop was massively important indeed.

It's my nature to be more optimistic than pessimistic. I've always been that way.

A lot of people on the internet last night quit on the Ravens at halftime, which is more of a testament to how soft people are than anything else, I suppose.

I thought the Ravens would get back in it. I expected them to, actually.

In fact, while sitting with a group of friends on a golf trip and watching the game with them at a resort in Florida, I said right when Andrews fumbled, "You know exactly how this is going to go. We're gonna hold them to a field goal here, score a late touchdown and then have to go for 2 points."

I didn't say what would happen on that 2-point try. I let that one linger. But you could see the whole thing developing like a late afternoon thunderstorm in July.

Now, in reality, I suspect Josh Allen would have driven the Bills down field -- had the Ravens tied the game at 27-27 -- and pierced our purple hearts with a 3rd and 9 throw to Dawson Knox with 21 seconds left that set up Tyler Bass's game-winning 44 yard field goal.

That's also something you could see developing a mile away.

We got saved from that agony by the Andrews drop, though.

The loss puts John Harbaugh's team pretty much where they were after the 2023 season ended with a 17-10 defeat to the Chiefs.

Still searching.

Still trying to figure out why they can't put it all together for 60 minutes in January.

And still endeavoring to get their future Hall of Fame quarterback to the Super Bowl after 7 seasons in the league.

Lamar had moments of greatness last night but also had two huge blunders that were critical mistakes in what would eventually be a 2-point loss.

Quarterbacks aren't flawless, obviously.

But Jackson's two turnovers -- an interception thrown into no man's land and a huge fumble near midfield -- in a January playoff game were much more impactful than two turnovers in an October game against (insert team here).

Josh Allen didn't look like Joe Montana or Peyton Manning last night. But he also didn't give the Ravens the ball twice, either.

And whether the "better quarterback" prevailed last night is certainly a debate a lot of people will have today, tomorrow and throughout the off-season, but Buffalo's signal caller never once gave Baltimore's offense the ball. And that, more than anything, turned out to be the significant difference in the game.

Lamar Jackson is a great quarterback.

But last night was his chance to not only extinguish one of the league's top players in his own stadium, it was also the opportunity he needed to set up a sequel with Patrick Mahomes next Sunday in Kansas City.

Lamar will be watching next Sunday instead of playing.

And his critics -- of which there are many -- are going to point to the facts about his play in the post-season. He's now 0-3 against Allen and Mahomes. And he's 3-5 in his career in the post-season.

The good news? The Ravens are very much a perennial playoff team with Lamar Jackson under center.

The bad news? They're also a perennial playoff loser with Lamar in purple.

It is what it is.

Folks around town -- me included, actually -- will rush to his defense and claim that Lamar "can't throw the ball and catch it" or Lamar "can't play offense and defense". And those things are true. A quarterback is only one piece of the puzzle.

But those two huge mistakes by Jackson in the biggest game of the season are also indicative of something else going on with him.

He can't win the big one.

Not yet he can't, at least.

That's what his critics will say. And they'll say it loud and clear this week.

You can debate that with them if you so choose, but in the end, they're right. Until he gets past guys like Allen and Mahomes, he's going to get roasted with criticism.

It comes with the territory of making $50-plus million a year, I suppose.

My friend Tim sent me a text last night as Jackson and Allen hugged at midfield. "Better team didn't win tonight, I don't give a f--- what you say."

That might be right.

I don't think Buffalo thoroughly outplayed the Ravens despite winning.

I'm trying not to be a homer, either, but if last night's game was a prize fight, I'm thinking the Ravens might have won a controversial split decision.

Alas, it wasn't a boxing match and the deciding factor wasn't punches thrown, noses bloodied or anything else of that sort.

It was decided by points scored and points allowed.

Buffalo scored 27 and allowed 25. Therefore, they won.

I don't know that their football from top to bottom was that much better than what the Ravens produced.

The second half, in fact, was mostly all Ravens except for the ill advised Andrews fumble when Lamar and Company were driving downfield on the verge of taking a 27-24 or 25-24 lead over the Bills depending on the success of the 2 point conversion after the touchdown.

Alas, that Andrews fumble was huge. It allowed Buffalo to not only get into position to kick a field goal to make it 27-19, it also chewed up valuable clock time and forced the Ravens into calling a pair of timeouts down the stretch as well.

But the Ravens marched right back down the field and continued to throw haymakers at the wilting Buffalo defense, eventually scoring a TD on a Lamar to Likely throw that made it 27-25.

Then came the ill-fated short pass to Andrews that shoulda, woulda, coulda been caught and hauled in for the game-tying 2-point score.

When that ball fell to the turf, the game was all but over.

I'm sure John Harbaugh is going to say all the right things this week in the aftermath of more playoff heartbreak. He's well versed at how to handle these kinds of crushing, soul-smashing losses in late January.

He'll say the right things.

But the results are the results.

His quarterback has a problem.

His tight end has a problem.

They both don't come up big enough in the biggest moments of the biggest games.

They do make plays.

Andrews had a terrific, record setting season and Jackson is going to be the MVP for a second consecutive season.

In last night's game, Lamar thoroughly outplayed Josh Allen "tee to green", as we say in golf, but he couldn't make the big putt when he needed to make it.

So, it's fair to point out that both guys do make things happen in crucial moments.

But Lamar and Andrews also both have a tendency to make a critical mistake when their team can least afford it. Like, in January.

No one's perfect.

Under the gun, though, your best players have to come through.

And that means they have to come through "all the time", not just most of the time.

Last night, Lamar and Andrews came through "most of the time".

And the Ravens are packing up their stuff today at 1 Winning Drive.

Sunday January 19, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3801

ravens-bills - instant classic?

OK, so here we go.

The Chiefs, as we all knew, will be playing in their 7th consecutive (let that sink in for a second) AFC Championship Game next Sunday in Kansas City.

The only question left remaining is, of course, who will be there with them?

Ravens?

Or the Bills?

One league darling without a lifetime Super Bowl victory was extinguished last night when the Lions went ahead and Lions'd in a 45-31 loss to the upstart and very dangerous D.C. Commanders.

That leaves the Bills as the only remaining team still alive in the post-season without a Lombardi Trophy to their name.

Their path is currently obstructed by the Ravens, who have two of them since 2000. Kansas City kept the Ravens from getting to the final game last season by beating them in Baltimore, 17-10, in the AFC Championship.

As fate would -- or, might -- have it, John Harbaugh might just get to do to Andy Reid did to him last January next Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

But Harbaugh and the Ravens have to get past Josh Allen and a Bills team that looks like they're on to something special, perhaps.

It will, unless something wacky happens, come down to the play of the two quarterbacks.

One of them is likely to play great because they're both great and that's what great players do. They rise to the occasion.

And one of them is likely to stub his toe under the heat of the moment, like Jared Goff did last night for the Lions. Goff made some great throws and did his best to keep the Lions in the game until the 4th quarter, but his mistakes were also one of the reasons why the Commanders were mostly in command of the contest from the second quarter on.

Which QB in Buffalo blinks tonight?

Will the pressure get to one of them?

Lamar has been known for "spotty" post-season performances, that much is true, but it's fair to point out two of them came when he was a greenhorn in the league and was sorta-kinda "just a running back". See what I did there?

Allen will have the heat of being at home for this one. Sure, it sounds great to be playing at home and all, until you fall behind 13-3 and the fans boo on your next 3 and out and then you realize it's only easy if everyone's on your side.

The game-time weather is going to be an issue. Or will it?

Allen is used to playing in frigid conditions. But that doesn't mean he'll be 100% effective in it, either.

Lamar wears a winter beanie in mid-October games in Cleveland when it's 52 degrees at kick-off. Imagine what he's going to be wearing tonight in Buffalo in near zero degree "real feel" temperatures.

Alas, both quarterbacks won't have to do it all themselves.

The Bills have other weapons besides Allen as do the Ravens.

You have to assume Todd Monken is going to use a heavy dose of Derrick Henry to keep the Baltimore offense on the field as much as possible and limit the amount of offensive possessions Allen and the Bills enjoy tonight.

There was a stat published before the playoffs that said losing teams in the post-season since 2000 had fewer than 12.2 offensive possessions on average 93% of the time.

In other words, if the Ravens can only allow the Bills 12 offensive possessions or fewer tonight, they have a 93% chance of winning the game.

To wit, both losing teams yesterday failed to generate more than 12 offensive possessions (Detroit finished with 11).

So, there you go.

Keep Allen off the field as much as possible and try to have Buffalo in the 9-10-11 offensive possession range and you have a great chance of winning the game.

The Bills, obviously, will be attempting to do the same thing.

I'm a big believer in sports that sometimes it's just "your time". I've seen it over and over again in both team and individual sports.

Xander Schauffele was always going to win major championships in professional golf.

It was just a matter of time.

He won two of them last summer.

Shohei Ohtani was, at some point, always going to win at least one World Series if not several of them.

He won one last October.

Lamar Jackson is going to get to a Super Bowl in his career. He just is. Probably more than one, in fact. But he has to get to "one" before he gets to two.

I don't want to say the Ravens have "destiny" on their side tonight because the Bills can lay claim to that intangible as well.

But this is Lamar's year.

The Ravens go up 7-0 on the first series of the game.

Jackson hits Rashod Bateman with a deep 39 yard pass down to the Bills 3 yard line and Derrick Henry rumbles in from there.

Buffalo storms back to take 10-7 lead midway through the 2nd quarter but Lamar and the offense get right back at it and Baltimore leads 14-10 at the intermission after Jackson scampers in himself from 5 yards out with just under a minute left in the 2nd quarter.

The Ravens extend the lead to 21-10 after Roquan Smith intercepts Josh Allen and runs it back to the Buffalo 15 yard line.

Jackson hits Mark Andrews with the TD pass to put Baltimore up by 11 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

Justin Tucker hits a 33 yard field with 9 minutes remaining to make it 24-10, Baltimore.

Allen and the Buffalo offense chug right down the field and make it a one-score game with a touchdown of their own.

But Lamar wins the battle of the MVP's with a game-sealing 9-play, 75 yard drive, as Jackson hits Andrews again for a touchdown from 8 yards out with 2:40 remaining in the game.

And the Ravens are headed to Kansas City after a 31-17 win over the Bills in Buffalo.

Saturday January 18, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3800

most anticipated game since......

I'm usually the one receiving the hot takes from friends and faithful #DMD contributors.

But today, I have one of my own.

I shared this with a group of guys I'm with this weekend on an out-of-town (warm) golf trip with FCA Maryland Golf. It made for good coffee talk on Friday morning.

I think tomorrow's game in Buffalo is the most anticipated non-Super-Bowl playoff game since the 2006 AFC Divisional Game vs. the Indianapolis Colts.

That game took place in Baltimore on January 13, 2007. We all remember it all too well, unfortunately.

The Ravens cruised to a 13-3 regular season mark and earned a first-round playoff bye. The Colts would come to town in a game that was going to satiate the scores of ex-Colts fans still left in Charm City who couldn't stomach the thought of the "Indianapolis" Colts coming to Baltimore and ending the Ravens season.

The Baltimore defense stood tall against Peyton Manning and the high-powered Colts offense that day, but the Ravens offense couldn't do anything right in an eventual 15-6 loss.

I was on the radio every weekday morning back then. The level of enthusiasm and anticipation for that playoff game was unlike anything I had seen before and I don't know that I've seen it matched in the years thereafter.

Until now...

This game tomorrow in Buffalo rivals that home game vs. Indianapolis.

Sure, the times are different. Twitter and social media weren't a thing 20 years ago. They're more a "thing" now. They ramp everything up 10 fold, it seems.

I don't even think the city anticipated last January's AFC Championship Game the way they're foaming at the mouth for tomorrow night's 6:30 pm game in Buffalo.

Other than the two Super Bowl games, I can't ever remember a game bigger -- anticipation wise -- than tomorrow's game vs. the Bills or that awful 2007 playoff loss to the Colts.

I sure hope Lamar takes his long johns with him to upstate New York.

It only took two-plus seasons but we already have someone chiming in with their "I was wrong about Kevin Willard" admission.

You guys are unreal.

Matt sent me this yesterday in the wake of Maryland's 76-74 OT loss at Northwestern.

OK, DF, I was wrong. You were right and I was wrong. Willard has to go. I know I screamed about how awful Turge was as an in game coach but Willard is on a whole different level. He has to go at the end of the season. Now I know why Seton Hall was so excited to see him go a few years back. His record in the tournament and in conference games speaks for itself. Please tell me Maryland sees the same thing we all see. Please tell me that.

First off, I have no idea what Matt is referring to when he says "You (Drew) were right." I don't remember having much, if any opinion on the hiring of Kevin Willard if I recall correctly. He was pretty much an unknown to me.

I probably loosely defended Mark Turgeon during his final days at Maryland, but that had a lot less to do with Turgeon, himself, and more to do with the idea that people's first knee-jerk reaction in sports when things go poorly for a team is to just fire the coach.

Anyway, we are now starting to see some real rumblings about Willard on the internet.

Willard is now 6-21 in road games since joining the Terps for the '22-23 season.

He's 4-20 in Big Ten conference road games over the last 2-plus campaigns.

Neither of those are any good.

In fact, it's terrible basketball.

But we're ready to pull the trigger on firing him?

And this isn't just Matt before you say, "Who cares what one guy thinks?"

There are lots of people out there now saying, "Maryland made a mistake."

But here's the thing: The Terps aren't firing a guy who makes $4 million a year just so they can write him a free check for $16 million and then turn around and hire another guy and have to obligate themselves to $30 million for him.

I don't care that Maryland athletics gets $50-plus million a year from the Big Ten. They're just not firing coaches and paying them to not work for three years.

Willard will, though, need to start doing some winning on the road in conference games to keep the wolves quiet.

Those people aren't going away anytime soon, as Mark Turgeon once found out. If they smell blood on you, they're chasing you down until they get a taste of it.

Friday January 17, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3799

a "wasted" season?

Emmanuel Acho started a firestorm on FOX Sports yesterday. You won't be surprised by this. It involved Lamar.

Acho, who was involved in his own little controversy last week -- if you know what I mean -- made a comment about this Sunday's Ravens/Bills clash and said, "Lamar's season is wasted if he doesn't beat Buffalo on Sunday."

Naturally, Baltimore went nuts.

"Does Josh Allen have the same pressure?"

"You mean Mahomes can lose and his season isn't a waste?"

As Alan said in the movie The Hangover, "Classic mix up".

Let's just talk about Lamar Jackson.

If the Ravens lose on Sunday, is his season a waste?

I sort of file this one the same way some people file their John Harbaugh hot-take when they say, "If the Ravens don't make the Super Bowl, Harbaugh has to be fired."

If Lamar doesn't win on Sunday is his season a waste?

Well, what if Lamar goes 28 for 34 for 4 TD's and the Baltimore defense stinks like your Aunt Betty's feet at the summer picnic?

What if Buffalo wins 41-38 in overtime in what we all call an "instant classic"?

Is Lamar's season still a waste in that case?

I mean, on the surface, all things being equal, my personal answer is "yes".

If Lamar loses on Sunday in Buffalo, it's another failed attempt at getting to that elusive game in New Orleans.

As I've been saying here often, his "scarlet letter" is, now, his inability to reach the Super Bowl (so far) in his career.

And so, if he doesn't beat the Bills on Sunday, I'd say his season is wasted.

But, as I've also written here several times recently, even if the Ravens do win on Sunday in Buffalo, they're still going to have to go Kansas City and do it all over again next weekend.

And will folks like Emmanuel Ocho say the same thing next week, too?

"Well, if Lamar doesn't beat Mahomes and the Chiefs, his season is a waste."

We all know it's coming.

This game, though, feels different for some reason. Maybe it's the Lamar vs. Josh Allen clash that everyone's pointing to for obvious reasons.

It's one thing to lose in the AFC Championship Game. I mean, it's like American Idol anyway. Only one team can wind up being happy at the end of the season.

But going up there on Sunday and losing to Josh Allen? That's a waste of a season.

I know that's harsh.

But it "feels" like it's true.

You're the MVP of the league and your team rolled into the post-season by winning their last four games and then you didn't even get to the conference championship game?

Seems like it was a waste.

But, again, that also feels like a harsh commentary on what was an amazing regular season from Lamar.

I knew as soon as I heard Ocho say that this week that Ravens fans were going to go ballistic.

The truth hurts, sometimes, as your grandmother used to tell you right before she whacked you with a rolled up magazine.

Lamar needs to get to the Super Bowl.

Buffalo is in the way.

We are all hoping the same thing: Don't waste this opportunity.

faith in sports

I've been down on college sports for a while.

I don't know what could happen to change my stance on it, frankly.

But then I watch a video like the one you'll see below and I think to myself...

"Maybe there's a chance."

And, so, here I am, presenting this to you in advance of Ohio State's national championship clash with Notre Dame, asking you to watch the video below and be impressed with college football players.

I won't spoil it.

Please take 12 minutes today to watch it.

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

Thursday January 16, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3798

"i don't want to be one of them"

As the playoffs started and the games took on a new level of importance, the craziness, if you will, amongst NFL fan bases also sharply changed.

And, if you want us to be frank here -- which I assume you do -- it's not been for the better.

Yes, even in Baltimore.

Want the truth?

We've embarrassed ourselves.

I'm not the original developer of that theory, but I'll sign off on it. My friend Chris, as ardent a Ravens football fan as there is, first brought it to my attention the week of the Steelers home game in the penultimate week of the season.

"I used to think we were different," he said to me then. "But we're not. We're all the same. We say the dumbest things we can and act like it we're only saying it because someone in Pittsburgh or Cincinnati or Kansas City forced us to say it."

This week, he says, his head is about to explode with all the back-and-forth spewing of commentary between Ravens and Bills fans.

"I vowed earlier today (Wednesday) to just stop looking at X (Twitter)," he texted early last evening. "It's so stupid. We make ourselves look like idiots. My head is about to explode."

"I don't want to be one of them," he wrote to me last night.

He's right.

I mean, he is very accurate when he says "we make ourselves look like idiots".

I know we don't like to admit that we look like idiots. Who wants to do that, after all?

But we, here in Baltimore, have gone off the deep end this week defending our Ravens, our quarterback, our MVP, our coach, and so on.

I know I haven't even tried to get involved in a tense conversation with people about Ravens stuff and I got zinged with replies and DM's for a day or two over stuff I've posted.

It's one thing if I write stuff with the intent on creating a firestorm.

You get what you get, then.

Last weekend I brought up how the Bills were stupid for leaving Josh Allen in at quarterback with 8 minutes left in a game they were winning by 24 points and I casually mentioned how Harbaugh also has a tendency to do that very same thing with Lamar and it drives me bonkers when he does it.

And you would have thought I called Harbaugh and Lamar "Communists". The vitriol and pushback I got from that off-hand statement was unreal.

Part of this week's insane behavior in Baltimore and Buffalo is connected, of course, to the MVP award.

As I've chronicled here on numerous occasions, unless you have a wager on it (which, for the record, I do not), there's ZERO reason at all to make a fuss over or embarrass yourself over the MVP award of the National Football League.

The only thing anyone in Baltimore should care about is the final score of Sunday's game. Period. If the Ravens lose on Sunday night and Lamar wins the MVP, what's that get anyone?

So, yes, I do understand that this week's game is a unique situation and gives both fan bases the chance to show how silly and argumentative they can be.

It's effectively going to solve two arguments for the winning squad. "Our QB deserves to be the MVP" and "we beat you when the chips were down so we're better than you."

The reality, because of the way the NFL does their MVP voting, is that nothing MVP-wise gets solved this Sunday. The court of public opinion might render a different verdict this Sunday, but that won't change the fact that the votes are already in and Lamar has already won his 3rd MVP award (see what I did there?).

If Allen goes 22 for 30 for 288 yards and 3 TD's and Lamar goes 18 for 33 for 204 yards and throws 2 picks in a 30-17 Buffalo win, folks in upstate New York will whine about Allen "outplaying" Lamar in the post-season and how unfair that MVP award was/is.

You know it's coming.

As I told Chris last night during our text exchange, "If you think this week is bad, wait until next Monday or Tuesday."

Next week's going to be a hoot.

The losers will retreat like Roberto Duran as soon as the final whistle blows on Sunday night and the winners are going to gloat so much that Deion Sanders will have to tell them to take it down a notch.

It's not going to be pretty for the fan base that comes up on the losing end in Buffalo.

That is, of course, part of the game you decide to play when you run your chops on the internet.

When your team loses, you get what's coming to you.

No matter what happens on Sunday, though, Baltimore football fans have "joined the club", so to speak.

Along the way, we thought we were different, perhaps.

"Above the fray", as the saying goes.

But this week has showed, in high definition, that we're just as capable of being mean-spirited, stupid, confrontational and "ugly" as any other fan base in the country.

Well, maybe except for Philadelphia.

Speaking of Philadelphia, I brought up the incident from last Sunday's playoff game during my weekly visit on Glenn Clark Radio yesterday and asked the host if he thought the public doxxing of the man involved in that ugly situation was "right".

For those unaware, an older male Eagles fan berated a younger (20's? early 30's?) female Packers fan and bombarded her with ugly name calling while her fiance recorded it all on video.

Monday, the video was published on Twitter and within hours, someone had figured out the man's name, where he worked, his phone number, etc., and posted it on the world wide web for all to see.

The man was quickly fired from his job.

I asked Clark if he thought that was all OK.

Clark is -- and, please, this is a compliment to him -- a sensitive, well reasoned human being, I believe. He is a deep thinker on matters such as these.

And his response to me was a bit surprising: "That's an interesting one," he said. "I'm not sure what I think about it."

I assumed he would be against public doxxing.

Alas, he wasn't.

At least not to the point where he slammed his fist down on the table and said, "There's no way it's right to post that man's public information on the internet!"

Here's my position on it. A few of you reached out and asked me my opinion in the form a future Q&A entry here when I do a mailbag feature at #DMD.

I won't wait to address it.

I'll give you my stance now.

Remember that Baltimore guy who punched those Commanders fans after the game earlier this season?

Let me rephrase that, actually, for accuracy: "Remember that Baltimore guy who assaulted those Commanders fans after the game earlier this season?

He was publicly doxxed via the internet.

And that was OK.

You know why?

Because what he did was a crime.

If if took a video being published on the internet to figure out who he was, that was fine by me.

What happened on Sunday, though, wasn't a crime.

It was awful, don't get me wrong.

And the guy involved definitely should be punished for his actions. I do agree with that, even though some folks out there don't believe the man should be punished.

"If she comes to a football game wearing the other team's jersey, she's walking into the lion's den! She better be ready to take some abuse."

Wrong.

Dead-red wrong.

That's when you go from being a sports fan to an imbocile.

I'll agree it is part of it. But I'll sadly agree that it's part of it.

You should be able to go to a football game in Philadelphia wearing a Packers jersey and, as long as you're not causing trouble or creating an issue (which, this young lady wasn't), be able to fully enjoy yourself without being threatened, taunted or mistreated.

I'm aware of the story that's out there that the guy who did the video taping of the incident (the fiance) owns a popular Green Bay YouTube channel and might have been particularly excited to film Sunday's incident because it would generate content for his website.

That might be the case.

But that doesn't excuse the guy in Philadelphia for the way he treated that young woman.

All that said......

I'm not sure I agree 100% with "public doxxing" of someone on the internet.

Not because the guy didn't deserve what he got.

But because his family members and place of employment don't deserve it.

And that's where it gets dicey.

If that man has school-age children, imagine what their week is like.

Imagine what it has been like at his place of employment this week. Or, former place of employment, as it turned out.

Yes, the guy got what was coming to him. You started it, after all. There was always going to be a consequence for your actions.

But I feel bad for his family and employer.

They didn't do anything wrong.

And they also "got what they got", which isn't very cool.

The internet always wins.

It remains undefeated.

Wednesday January 15, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3797

what would your game plan be?

My friend Mark asked an interesting question yesterday. One, frankly, I hadn't given much thought to since the Bills sewed up their home encounter with the Ravens by beating Denver last Sunday.

"How are the Bills going to stop our offense?"

And then he followed up with: "What would you do if you were Buffalo's d-coordinator?

I hadn't thought much about it.

But it's an intriguing question for sure.

I mean, the Bills know they have their hands full on Sunday.

In reality, the Baltimore offense was really only stymied twice all season long: the loss in Pittsburgh and the loss at home to the Eagles.

In their other three losses, the offense was decent enough. The Baltimore defense didn't get the job done when needed.

So, we're 18 (counting playoffs) games into the season and only two defensive coordinators have figured out a way to squelch Lamar, Derrick Henry and Company.

How will Buffalo manage to do it on Sunday?

And what would you do if you were tasked with stopping Lamar and the offense?

Buffalo's run defense isn't great. They can, if they want, scheme up this Sunday and add an extra guy or two "in the box" and that will leave only 3 or 4 defensive backs to handle the Baltimore receivers and tight ends.

Maybe Derrick Henry can be diminished that way.

But won't that leave Lamar to pick apart the Buffalo secondary?

Who do you want to tussle with the least if you're the Bills? Derrick Henry? Or Lamar Jackson?

Look, it's damned if you do and damned if you don't.

The best way for Buffalo to win on Sunday might be by holding the Ravens to 30 and scoring 31 themselves.

But if you tasked me with drawing up the defensive play calls, I'd sell out to stop Derrick Henry and Lamar from running all over me and I'd force Lamar to beat me with the pass.

I'm not trying to be disrespectful by saying, "OK Lamar, beat me with your arm and your throwing acumen."

But I have to pick my poison and go with it.

And hope that what I decide is the best recipe for success.

I don't think Buffalo can win if Derrick Henry runs for 175 yards on Sunday night and Lamar adds another 70 on the ground himself.

But I do think they can beat the Ravens if they're able to hold Henry to somewhere between 85 and 105 yards.

Easier said than done, I know. But that's the way to approach it, I think.

Limit Derrick Henry -- and Lamar -- from running all over the place and say to Lamar, "OK, MVP3, you go ahead and beat us with your arm and your receivers."

It will be interesting to see how the Bills approach it on Sunday night.

That's the game within a game, as the saying goes. The Bills have to do "something" on defense. They either have to sell out to stop the run or they have to be willing to allow the Ravens to move somewhat freely between the 20's and then clamp down in the red zone and hope Lamar is shaky with his arm.

The Ravens, of course, have a similar issue with Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense. How do they stop him/them?

But as far as the Bills go, they have a huge mountain to climb on the defensive side of the ball. Their task is obvious. But it will be difficult to pull off, no matter what they decide.

I mentioned last week that last night's "episode" of TGL would be one of the few "must watch" moments of the new golf league I'd be compelled to watch.

It was Tiger's debut in the newly formed indoor golf league.

I put "episode" in quotes because the more I watch it, the more I realize it's really a TV show disguised as a golf tournament. And there's nothing wrong with that, per se. But it's more about TV and less about golf, as we're really starting to discover.

Last night's summary was as follows:

The "TV" portion of the 2 hour and 15 minute event was actually pretty good. Better than week one, I thought.

Tiger's player introduction was awesome. While the other guys are brought out by a loud PA announcer blaring their accomplishments into the microphone ("He is a 10 time winner on the PGA Tour, a 2-time U.S. Ryder Cup member", etc.), Tiger was ushered out to the "course" by the playing of the classic song, "Eye of the Tiger" and no words or accolades accompanied his entry.

There was smoke, music and Tiger just strolled out on his own. It was pretty cool.

The golf, though, was pretty lousy.

Now, it's not "real" golf, mind you. So when you see three elite, professional TOUR players bungle a relatively easy par 5, it's not like their respective games are eroding to the point where they can't par a hole.

But the golf looks a little more wonky than maybe they all first thought.

Kevin Kisner was last night's whipping boy. He played for Tiger's Jupiter Links team and hit roughly two decent shots all night. I assume next time around, he'll sit out and Tom Kim will be in the 3-team lineup for Tiger's squad.

Tiger's team lost, 12-1, but Tiger's performance was relatively inspiring, if you can be inspired by indoor golf, that is.

His "data" was really good. 120 mph swing speed, ball speed in the 160's, carry distances with the driver of 300 yards or more.

He was the best of his team, with Max Homa also hanging around helping out on occasion. Woods started the night off by making the first hole "double or nothing" (it's called "the hammer", if you care) which is what you can do when it's indoor golf and a TV show wrapped into one.

I'll spare you any further golf details.

It wasn't very good. From either team.

But the good natured ribbing and the occasional jabs to and from Tiger were a stark improvement from week one.

I'm still nowhere near a P1 fan of TGL. It's just not my thing.

But on nights Tiger plays, I'll probably tune in.

Next Tuesday, by the way, it's Atlanta vs. New York. I'm sure you can't wait for that one.

Tuesday January 14, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3796

who would you rather have?

The e-mail inbox is filled again. I'm doing my best to keep up with it and answer the questions I feel will be of most interest to the masses here at #DMD.

Tonight is the 2nd scheduled match of TGL and it's highly anticipated because it marks the "indoor" debut of Tiger Woods.

As I wrote here last week, there's not much that motivates me to watch the TGL other than seeing how Tiger and Rory both handle it given their respective ownership/management duties.

Trust me, when those two aren't playing, I won't be paying much attention to TGL.

I'll check it out tonight, though, to see how the G.O.A.T. looks down there in West Palm Beach.

Bill S. asks -- "Hey Drew, quick question about the Ravens. Who is the team's Unsung Hero for 2024 and who is the most disappointing player of the season? Thank you."

DF says -- "I think you have a few Unsung Hero candidates. Chris Board comes to mind. So does Roger Rosengarten. Either of those are legit options. So is Ar'darius Washington. He's probably #2 on the list. But I'd say the team's Unsung Hero for 2024 has to be Kyle Van Noy.

As for disappointing, I guess you'd have to throw Justin Tucker in there as the "clubhouse leader" just based on his struggles through the first three quarters of the season. I think the punter has been pretty disappointing as well. But it would be hard not to have Brandon Stephens in there, too.

I'm not sure how much we all expected of Stephens. But he's been very hot and cold all season long. And that's being kind, I guess. When he's been cold, he's been FREEZING."

Frank asks -- "What's your best guess on what time guys like Harbaugh, Monken and Orr get to the office every day (during the season) and what time do they leave at night?"

DF says -- "In by 7 am, out at 8 pm or so. There might be occasions when they go in at 6 am because they work out for an hour before starting their day. But for the most part, I'm guessing they're in by 7 am on game weeks and they're not out of there until 8 pm.

For the married guys, there might be one night during the week where they pledge to be home by 6 or 7 pm or so to have a "normal night" with the wife and family, but during the season, it's probably 12-14 hour days almost regularly."

C.J. asks -- "Sports wagering question for you. You can bet $500 of someone else's money on one of these three things to happen in 2025.

Ovechkin breaks Gretzky's record.

Tiger Woods wins a PGA Tour golf tournament.

Orioles win the A.L. East.

But here's the kicker. You get 10-1 odds with someone else's $500 but if the wager you pick doesn't hit, you have to donate $1,000 to charity.

Which are you picking to bet on?"

DF says -- "All three of them have big margins for error.

If Ovechkin gets hurt again and misses 2-3 weeks or 10 games, he's not breaking the record this season.

I don't see how Tiger would win an event given that he's only going to play the major championships.

I guess the Orioles could win the A.L. East again, but they'd have to get somewhere near 100 wins to do that, I think.

And they could win 97 games and still finish 2 games out of first.

Of all those choices you gave me, I'd wager that Ovechkin breaks the goal scoring record this season. He needs 23 goals to break it. He'll score 4 empty net goals between now and the end of the season. That means he only needs 19 "regular" goals.

He'll score 2 goals in a game at least 3 more times this season.

That leaves him with 13 "single goals" to score...which I think he'll do.

I'll take Ovi's record for $1,000. O's win the A.L. East would be my second choice. Tiger winning? I just don't see that happening at all.

E.M. asks -- "I have a question for you. If you don't want to answer it that's fine. I saw where someone recently mentioned that you do a lot of "preaching" at your website and I'm wondering if you ever get concerned that you might turn people off with that? Is there a time when you think it might be too much?"

DF says -- "Too much preaching? That's funny. I'd say the world needs a lot more faith and a lot more preaching. Have you seen the world we live in? It's a mess. We certainly don't need less God. We need more God if anything.

No one ever took a step back by following Jesus.

So, I guess that's my way of saying, "No, I'm not concerned at all." If anything, I'm sometimes worried I don't put enough of a spotlight on faith and God here. Everyone needs it."

Mike Alpren -- "Drew, here's a question for the Q and A that you post occasionally. If Maryland football played all of their home games in Baltimore instead of College Park, what would their attendance be per-home game in your estimation?"

DF says -- "I don't know. 25,000 probably? Maybe 30,000, tops. I just don't see or "feel" any real interest for Maryland football in Baltimore.

I guess when they play Ohio State or Michigan they might do 50,000 or something like that. But they might only draw 20,000 when they play Rutgers, Wisconsin, etc.

I don't know what the "real" attendance numbers are in College Park, for that matter. It just doesn't seem like there's a whole lot of enthusiasm for the football down there unless their opponent on that given day brings in a whole bunch of their fans."

Howard asks -- "What's the best sport to listen to on the radio?"

DF says -- "It has to be baseball, although I grew up listening to Capitals hockey on WTOP with Ron Weber and that had a lot to do with my own personal affection for radio in general.

Baseball is a radio sport, I think.

You don't need to see the game in order to appreciate what happened on the field. You can listen to it and visualize it yourself.

Those of us born in the 60's and 70's didn't have all the games on TV, so the radio was our only outlet.

I've never considered football a great "radio sport". Same with basketball.

But baseball and hockey...they're the best for listening instead of watching."

J.C. asks -- "What do you think the Ravens need to focus on with their first round draft pick in April?"

DF says -- "Holy cow, J.C., they're still in the playoffs and you're wondering about the draft?

They're always in need of more help in the rush-end spot. Oweh had a decent year but some of his sack numbers were inflated by what I call "fringe sacks" where he just happens to be there when the QB gets pushed into him.

I'd say rush-end is a priority. Another top cornerback would never hurt.

Wide receiver? Offensive left tackle? I know we're good there right now. But what about in 2 years?"

Dan asks -- "We just got our 11 year old son his first set of golf clubs at Christmas. I have two questions. What's your best piece of advice for him, golf wise, and when you were playing the best golf of your life, whenever that was, how many days a week did you play vs. how many did you practice? Thanks, Drew."

DF says -- "Best piece of advice for anyone, newcomer or not, is to always remember the game is very hard and there will be days when you think you'll never hit a bad shot again and days when you think you'll never hit a good shot again.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.

You'll learn something new about golf every time you play, if you allow yourself to think that way.

My golf "zenith" if you will was in the early 2000's. I touched a club every single day, in some fashion. I probably played 200 times a year in those days, but that's not to say I played 200 "rounds". I might have only played 9 holes at Mount Pleasant two times a week and then played full rounds on the weekends.

But on days I didn't play, I was practicing, somehow. I can honestly say I went months at a time and touched a club every single day."

Monday January 13, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3795

you wanted it and...

Well, a lot of people in town wanted this Lamar vs. Josh Allen showdown in the playoffs.

And.......you got it.

Me? Well, I'd rather be hosting Houston than going to Buffalo, but I'm not playing next Sunday and you wind up having to play the teams they put in front of you.

And in this case, the Ravens get Buffalo put in front of them at 6:30 pm next Sunday night.

Although it won't formally settle the raging MVP debate -- that's already been decided by the voters and if history repeats itself, Lamar's winning it based on the All-Pro results that were announced last week -- it will serve as the de facto "winner take all" in the court of public opinion.

Lamar goes into Buffalo and proves all the crazies in Baltimore were right all along and takes down Josh in his own building.

Or Allen and Bills fans get the last laugh. Jackson wins the MVP but the Bills and their QB keep him from reaching that elusive Super Bowl.

You know where I stand on the whole MVP thing.

I couldn't care less if Allen wins or Lamar wins. It's a nothing-burger to me.

But I do care about the outcome of Sunday's game. That one is far from a nothing-burger.

Speaking of which, things are starting to line up quite favorably for the Ravens if you're a believer in fate and the whole concept of history repeating itself.

This is looking a lot like the 2013 post-season.

Looking back on that run, the Ravens first had to eliminate a playoff nemesis from years gone by; the Indianapolis Colts. True, it wasn't the same Colts squad with their HOF quarterback, but beating the Colts in the post-season was something the Ravens hadn't been able to do until 2013.

That win earned them the right to go to Denver and knock off another longtime pain-in-the-rear-end; Peyton Manning.

And they had to go to Denver to do it.

That win -- with the Mile High Miracle and all -- got them a trip to New England where all that awaited them up there was a guy named Tom Brady and the Patriots.

So, fast forward to 2025.

The arch-rival Steelers come buzzing into town for the first time ever in the post-season. Bye bye to them.

That earns Baltimore a trip to Buffalo, where the Bills didn't lose a game all season. Buffalo is also the site of a Ravens playoff loss a few years ago where Lamar laid one of his playoff eggs.

And should they win up there next Sunday, the reward for that triumph is an expected rematch with the team that eliminated them the year before, only this time they'll have to go to Kansas City and beat the Chiefs in their own building to advance to the Super Bowl.

Yes, it's all lining up in a familiar way for the Ravens.

Next stop: Buffalo.

I don't pay much attention to the Commanders, in all honesty, and I don't play any fantasy football any longer, so I'm a bit out of touch with individual player performances on a week-by-week basis during the NFL season.

But, holy cow, I thought Justin Herbert was way better than that.

And I didn't realize how good Jayden Daniels is until I watched him for 60 minutes last night in D.C.'s instant-classic playoff win over Tampa Bay.

Herbert laid a massive egg in Houston on Saturday.

Daniels -- can we say it here? -- looked like Lamar Jr. in Tampa Bay on Sunday night.

And that win last night over the Bucs means that either the Lions or Commanders are going to be in the NFC Championship Game in two weeks.

Detroit hosts D.C. next Saturday night while the Vikings/Rams winner this evening gets to go to Philadelphia next Sunday to take on the Eagles.

I was really impressed with Daniels last night.

I'm sure glad he's not in Pittsburgh.

I've occasionally posted about some positive stories about my friend's wagering decisions. Generally the ones I post are the "good" results.

Alas, this apparently happened to him this weekend.

Last Wednesday, while trying to pick a winner for the PGA Tour's SONY Open, my friend narrowed it down to two players: Thomas Detry and Nick Taylor.

For reasons he can't explain, my friend decided that instead of just putting $10 on each player, he'd put $20 on one guy. His only method for breaking the deadlock was to flip a coin.

Heads he'd go with Nick Taylor at 110-1.

Tails he'd go with Thomas Detry at 70-1.

And......it came up tails.

Detry played well.

Taylor won the event in a playoff.

They say tails never fails, huh?

Not much was said here over the weekend about the Orioles signing of Andrew Kittredge, but it wasn't an intentional dismissal of the relief pitcher's news that he was coming to Baltimore. There was, you know, a football game in town and all.

Kittredge is a reliable arm.

Well, not against left handed hitters, but he won't be facing any or many of them, hopefully.

Everything else about his numbers bodes well for him in OPACY. He doesn't give up a lot of homers, induces a lot of ground ball outs and so on.

As far as grading signings goes, Kittredge gets passing marks.

He checks off the first box that is clearly important to the Orioles: He's cheap and he only signed for one year. I guess that might be two boxes, really, but you get the point.

The O's are definitely doing their best to avoid any long term deals that might hinder them in their pursuit of backing up the Brinks truck for Gunnar, Adley, Westburg, etc.

Kittredge made 74 appearances with the Cardinals a year ago after battling elbow ailments in '22 and '23 with the Tampa Bay Rays. If he can stay healthy in Baltimore, he's a guy you'll see 60 or 70 times next season.

He seemingly will replace Jacob Webb, whom the O's decided not to re-sign and now does his work with the Rangers in Texas.

It's a good signing for Mike Elias as far as 1-year, inexpensive pitchers go.

But it remains to be seen how the Baltimore pitching staff is going to fare in 2025.

Grayson Rodriguez moves up as the expected opening day starter/ace of the rotation, although that role might also eventually be earned by Zach Eflin.

You have the new Japanese guy in there. Dean Kremer returns. Cade Povich will get a serious look.

Albert Suarez is able to start or come in out of the bullpen, often times in the same week if necessary.

And let's not forget Charlie Morton. Where he fits into the pitching puzzle is anyone's guess, but the O's didn't give him $15 million to hang around and play Rummikub in the locker room.

Kyle Bradish will also be back for the second half of the season.

Now, whether that rotation can get the O's back into the post-season is anyone's guess.

The anticipated healthy return of Felix Bautista is probably worth 4 or 5 extra wins alone. There might be a stat nerd out there who can confirm or deny that, but Bautista's return is definitely a positive for the team's pitching staff.

Oh, and Anthony Santander is still unsigned.

Just sayin'.

OK, so it's time to remind everyone we're not going to do the political back-and-forth here on a daily basis.

At least not in the Comments section, anyway.

I don't even know what started it all, frankly. I know a week or so ago people took umbrage with what they perceived to be a dig (that I made) at Dr. Fauci and Covid-19.

And then late last week someone started rambling on about the President-elect and that led to a bunch of sniping in the Comments section.

Look, let's all be grown up about this.

No one here is changing anyone's mind about what they think or don't think about the President-elect.

If you're a Donald Trump fan, you're going to remain one no matter what someone writes here in opposition to him.

And if you're not a fan of his, you're certainly not going to be led to changing your mind on him because a supporter or two of his comes along in the Comments section and helps you "see the light".

So let's just all realize that and stop bickering about the President.

He's in. For four years.

Get used to it and move on to something else if you don't like it.

And if you do like it, revel in his victory quietly and keep it to yourself. No one likes a showboat.

No more political bickering in the Comments section, please and thank you.

Sunday January 12, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3794

hardly broke a sweat

Well, that was easy.

No one likes the guy who comes along and says "I told you so", but I assume, in this case, you're happy to hear me say it.

"Told you it would be easy..."

The Ravens eliminated the Steelers, 28-14, in front of a mostly full stadium in Baltimore on Saturday night. It was a night that Lamar needed, for sure, but it was also a night that Todd Monken will hopefully use to put together the blueprint for the remainder of the season.

What did Monken learn?

As Charley Eckman used to say: "Don't be cute."

Just give the ball to Derrick Henry.

Again.

And again.

Monken set up the Steelers for an early checkmate by having Lamar run with the ball himself five consecutive times early in the game.

And then he unleashed Henry right about the time the Steelers decided they weren't going to let Jackson run for 100 yards on them.

It worked perfectly for the Ravens and it exhausted the Steelers to the degree that Mike Tomlin didn't know what to say when asked, as he headed to the locker room, what Pittsburgh needed to do in the second to get back in the game.

"It's Lamar, man," Tomlin said. "He's just making plays."

It wasn't quite the white-towel-throw-in, but it was close. Tomlin knew the truth. You could see it in his face and hear it in his voice.

The Steelers knew they had to stop Lamar. The problem? They couldn't do it.

If Monken doesn't give Henry the ball 20 times -- or more -- next week against Buffalo or Houston, they should change the locks on his office door before the clock strikes midnight.

Everyone in town bellyaching about the MVP award saw last night just how valuable Lamar is to the Ravens but they also saw something else that can't be argued.

Derrick Henry is supremely critical to the Baltimore offense.

Like, Lamar is "1" and Derrick is "1A".

I've said in the past the Ravens can't win games without Lamar. They can withstand the loss of any other player on the roster and they could still cobble together enough quality to win just about any game, playoffs included.

I'd like to amend that, if possible.

They couldn't win the Super Bowl without Derrick Henry.

All along in Baltimore we've been searching high and low for receivers to compliment Lamar and, yes, they're important. We've seen firsthand how valuable Lamar is when he has reliable guys in the wide receiver and tight end position at his disposal.

But having Derrick Henry back there running the ball has changed Lamar's world.

Sure, Jackson has won two MVP's without Derrick Henry. That much is true.

But the best Lamar has ever played, by a longshot, is this season. And some of that has to do with Henry being back there to help keep the other team from pressing on Lamar for 60 minutes.

I'm sure Lamar will give his offensive line a watch or a snowmobile or something of value when he wins the MVP award next month. That's part of the deal. You reward the guys who kept you healthy all season.

But if he gives Ronnie Stanley a Rolex watch, he better give Derrick Henry ten of them.

Lamar's going to win the MVP in large part because of his running back.

We're not going to pile on the Steelers here, mainly because there's no real worthy discussion to be had.

They're done.

No matter if they dismiss Mike Tomlin or not, they're on their way down, not up.

They have no quarterback moving forward.

Russell Wilson is washed up. Justin Fields is a second string dude at best.

Their running back is decent, nothing more, and he's going to sign elsewhere this off-season.

Pittsburgh's best wide receiver is a complete nut job and he's actually all they have.

Their defense is old and vastly overrated.

They had two star players last night -- Fitzpatrick and Queen -- both throw in pedestrian efforts on the biggest night of their season.

It's over for the Steelers.

Time to rebuild.

And time to figure out how they're going to stop Lamar for the next five years or so.

Good luck with both of those things.

It remains to be seen who the Ravens will play next weekend, as they will host Houston if the Broncos upset the Bills today or they will travel to Buffalo if the Bills hold serve at home vs. Denver.

There's no sense in trying to downplay the two scenarios.

The Ravens are huge Denver fans today.

Things are infinitely easier if they host the Texans next weekend instead of having to visit Buffalo.

The Texans had their moment in the sun yesterday with their win over the Chargers.

The Ravens would light them up in Baltimore next weekend. 34-13 sounds about right.

But the Bills would present a mammoth challenge.

People in town will point to the 35-10 win over Buffalo earlier this year, as if that mattered at all. No game in September ever matters in the playoffs.

Next week's game in Buffalo would be a tough ask for the Ravens.

It wouldn't be impossible to win there. Not in the least. But it would be far easier for the Ravens to eliminate the Texans than it would be to eliminate the Bills in their home stadium.

Oh, and here's a nugget to chew on.

If the Broncos do win today, that means Denver goes to Kansas City next weekend.

They almost beat the Chiefs in K.C. earlier this year, you might remember. Denver had a last second 35 yard field goal to win the game, but it was blocked by K.C. and they held on for the victory.

Denver then beat K.C., 38-0, in the season finale, but K.C. played your Uncle Larry and two of your cousins in that game.

That's a short way of saying: If Denver wins today and the Ravens go on to win in Buffalo, you could see the AFC title game in Baltimore in two weeks time.

If the Broncos can go into Buffalo and win, they can win anywhere.

So don't make plans for that AFC Championship Game weekend just yet.

You might be going downtown to see a football game.

The best thing about sports is this: You never know.

Saturday January 11, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3793

it's all on lamar

OK, so it's not totally on Lamar tonight when the Ravens host the Steelers in the AFC Wild Card game.

And you can't consider that headline clickbait since you were already here and all. But the headline certainly makes you think that we believe it's all on Lamar tonight.

Well, it sorta-kinda is.

Unless the game winds up being a 33-30 shootout or something like that, there's really only one way the Ravens can lose tonight and that's if Lamar authors some kind of stinker and the Ravens don't score (much) and the Steelers scrap their way to a 16-13 or 17-16 win.

The game is on Lamar's racket, so to speak.

Everyone knows it.

I assume Lamar has been dealing with it all week. I have no idea if he reads social media during the season, but if so, I'm sure it hasn't helped his anxiety level.

The good news?

Lamar doesn't even have to play great tonight in order to help the Ravens turn back the sagging Steelers.

He will have to play great next weekend in Buffalo and the following weekend in Kansas City, providing the Bills and Chiefs get that far.

But he doesn't have to play out-of-his-mind-great tonight and the Ravens will still win.

People around town act like Lamar has been pitiful throughout his playoff career.

It's true he wasn't very good in his first two post-season games against the Titans and Chargers.

But those same folks forget he went to Tennessee and won a playoff game.

And they conveniently forget he beat the Texans in Baltimore last January and they seem to think he was "terrible" against the Chiefs in last year's AFC title game when he wasn't even close to "terrible".

People will always conjure up their own stories about Lamar. If he fumbles or throws an interception tonight, you'll read about 130 social media messages that all say the same thing: "Can't play in the playoffs".

Lamar's regular season performance -- no matter if he wins the MVP or not -- speaks far more loudly about his potential and productivity than does tonight's game or next week's game.

People like to cling to the playoffs as the barometer for measuring the value of a player's career.

What about the players who never even get there in the first place? What's that say about them?

Jackson gets there (almost) every single year.

And, look, there is something to be said about his play in the post-season. That shouldn't be ignored.

I've said this all season long as the dispute about the silly MVP award rages on.

If you're using the MVP award to justify how great Lamar Jackson is, you should stop doing that. It's a bad look.

Lamar is ultimately going to earn his spot among NFL greats on how many Super Bowls he wins. End of story.

He's already going into the Hall of Fame. That's a done deal.

He's going to be considered one of the top 10 quarterbacks of all time when the dust settles on his career.

But "he never won a Super Bowl" will be his scarlet letter if, in fact, he never manages to win a ring. He can win 5 MVP awards if he wants, but no Super Bowl basically makes him a better version of Dan Marino.

It will not mean he wasn't a great quarterback. He already is a great quarterback.

There's nothing more advanced than the Hall of Fame. There's no "Super Hall of Fame" for the great, great, great players. Once you get into Canton, that's as far as you can go.

He'll be in Canton.

But Lamar's place in the history of the league will be determined completely by how many rings he wins.

And, so, that's why tonight is critical for him.

It takes him one step closer to the title he needs and, frankly, deserves.

A loss tonight wouldn't change his 2024 "season", but it would be another blemish on "playoff Lamar".

If he eventually loses in Buffalo or Kansas City, it's not a shocking eye-opener. Those are good teams who are really tough to beat in their own building.

But if he loses to ancient Russell Wilson and a Steelers team that is teetering on a full collapse after losing their last four games to gift wrap the division title -- and a home game -- to the Ravens, it will be, without question, the worst post-season loss of his career.

You can excuse the Titans and Chargers home losses way back then. He was a greenhorn. He had no idea what he was doing.

You can excuse the loss in Buffalo. It was 10 degrees and he got hurt in that game.

You can excuse the home loss to the Chiefs, even. If Zay Flowers just holds on to that ball, well......

But tonight? Unless he puts up 30 and the Steelers somehow put up more than that, I don't see how you can excuse losing to this sputtering Pittsburgh team at home.

It's all on Lamar tonight to make sure the Ravens get to Buffalo.

Alas, if you're waiting for a score prediction, I think you know where I'm going.

Pittsburgh will gamely put up a fight in the first half and the Ravens will lead 13-6 at the intermission.

It's 20-13 in favor of the Ravens heading to the fourth quarter and then the fans start to get restless when the Steelers connect on a field goal with 8 minutes remaining to make it 20-16.

But the Ravens get a TD from Jackson to Andrews on the next series to make it 27-16 and then Malik Harrison scoops up a Russell Wilson fumble and rumbles into the end zone with 3 minutes remaining to finalize the scoring at 34-16, Baltimore.

On to Buffalo we go...

Where Lamar better not lose to Josh Allen.

More on that here next week.

Friday January 10, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3792

if it's in your heart to help

Over the last 10-plus years, I haven't done much "asking" here at #DMD.

There have been some occasional requests for donations or contributions to a charity effort I'm endorsing or involved with, but mostly we don't do much of that.

As you also know, we don't charge anything for this website. We never have.

All we've ever asked is that you support our marketing partners if you have the ability or need to do so.

The reason this website has remained free since 2014 is because of all of them, whether it's the current group you see or anyone else that's supported #DMD over the last decade.

Today, though, in addition to asking you to support them, I'm going to ask that you consider supporting me.

Just this once.

You can consider this my appeal for 2025.

As most of you know, I'm involved in FCA Maryland Golf. 2025 will mark the 4th year of our golf program at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. What started with 8 children attending a free junior clinic at Pine Ridge in April of 2022 blossomed into 267 junior golfers participating in our tournaments and clinics in 2024.

FCA Maryland Golf connects our junior (and adult) golfers to faith, plain and simple. It's not a Catholic group, a Lutheran group or a group developed for any religious denomination. It's simply a way for FCA Maryland Golf to bring anyone who joins us closer to God.

We raise our own budget at FCA Maryland Golf. Like anything, it requires hard work and leaning into friends and the local community who believe in what we're doing.

I could use your support today.

Each January, we launch one of our biggest fund raising efforts with the development of a twice-monthly raffle where we give away some awesome prizes.

It costs you $100. And you're in the for the entire year.

In 2022 and 2023, we produced a FCA golf calendar.

In 2024, it was a plastic FCA golf 16 ounce cup.

This year, it's a FCA Golf key chain.

For a $100 donation, you get a key chain. That key chain has a number on it. Twice a month, we put all the key chain numbers into a raffle and we give away a great prize.

It might be a free foursome at a local private country club.

It could be a $250 hybrid golf club or $250 putter.

It could be a $300 range finder (laser).

Or a $400 driver or 3-wood.

In almost every case, the prize we give away meets or exceeds the $100 donation you make.

If you have a group of golfing friends, it would be cool for everyone in the group to have a key chain!

Where does your $100 go?

It goes directly to my FCA Golf program. We use it to run our monthly free clinics and our 8-tournament junior golf schedule over the summer and fall.

Most junior tournaments charge their participants an entry fee of anywhere from $150 to $300 depending on the course, the length of the event and whatever amenities they provide to their players.

Our FCA Maryland Golf clinics are ALWAYS completely free. Our FCA Golf tournaments are always in the $60 range, which includes the tournament, lunch and prizes. One of the reasons we can provide a tournament at that low cost is because of the funding we receive through things like "key chain raffle" donations.

If you'd like to help with this year's FCA Maryland Golf program, a key chain purchase is all you really need to do for us.

You can Venmo the $100 to me: MarylandJuniorGolf

If Venmo isn't your thing, just reach out to me via e-mail and I'll get you my address and you can mail a check to me: 18inarow@gmail.com

If you use Venmo, please send me an email with your home address so I can put a key chain in the mail for you right away.

We don't ask for much around here. If you have it in your heart to help us, please know it's greatly appreciated.

It's only one e-mail, granted, but "Rob" sent me something yesterday that I've heard echoed around town this week as the Ravens prepare for the Steelers.

"If the Ravens lose on Saturday, they have to fire Harbaugh."

OK, fair enough. Lose and your fired.

You're saying it doesn't matter how they lose?

If it's 17-10, 24-7, 33-30 or 24-21 in double overtime, Harbaugh has to go?

What if Lamar just has a complete stinker, like's he done once or twice in the past? Harbaugh's out because of that?

What if the Baltimore defensive line somehow just gets run through all afternoon and the Steelers put up 201 rushing yards and scratch out a 13-10 win on a last second field goal? Harbaugh goes?

What if Lamar is his usual dazzling self and produces 4 throwing touchdowns and 390 yards in the air but the Ravens secondary gets pushed around in a wild shootout and the Steelers squeak out a 33-30 win?

I'm just asking.

To the people who say "Lose and Harbaugh's gone", does it matter at all how it happens or is he directly responsible for anything other than a victory?

People say (and write) some very weird stuff these days, all in search of the proverbial "hot take" that might serve as a merit badge of sorts for them when it turns out they were right and they can say, "See, I told you so!"

I don't think it's out of the question that John gets dismissed if the Ravens lose on Saturday, at home, to Pittsburgh.

Assuming he got one-year automatically added to his contract for making the post-season, he's either signed on through the 2026 season or perhaps 2027.

I don't think Bisciotti is in the mood to write $30 million worth of free checks to John, but I don't know the details of the contract so I'll stop speculating. We know, at the very least, that Harbaugh's deal runs through next season and it's likely longer than that given the team's success over the last few seasons.

But that doesn't mean the team's performance and John's employment tenure aren't connected, because I'm sure they are.

That said, I'll ask the question again: If the Ravens lose on Saturday and you're one of those who says, in advance, "If they lose against Pittsburgh, Harbaugh has to go", all I'm wondering is does the way they lose matter to you?

I've seen a number of comments bringing up the London kneeling incident and how that episode is/might be still haunting the Ravens seven years later.

I can -- but won't -- give you the names of six (6) former Ravens season ticket holders who swore off the team and the NFL in the aftermath of that incident in London.

They said, "I'll never go back to a game" and, to my knowledge, they never have.

I don't know how many people in Baltimore feel the same way.

My sense is the number is probably small.

Like, maybe a thousand people, tops?

But there are definitely plenty of folks out there who never went back.

I'm not here to say I like that, understand that, endorse that, or don't like that.

It's your money and your time. Spend those two as you see fit.

But I've never been afraid to say I was not pleased with the team kneeling in London. I thought it was awful.

I wrote here a month ago about attending a local high school basketball game recently and seeing people in the stands sitting down and talking on their phone while the Star Spangled Banner was being played.

It pains me greatly to see that sort of disrespect for our country.

But it is what it is. Some folks just don't know how good they have it here, no matter what's distressing them.

Alas, because I don't know everything that's distressing someone, I'll stop short of offering a full opinion on their decision to not stand for the National Anthem.

I also won't begrudge anyone who has vowed to "stay away" because of what happened in London.

Actions have consequences.

Sometimes those consequences are quickly felt and sometimes they take a while to come around.

Either way, it's your money and your support to give or not give.

I assume the Ravens are more worried about winning Saturday's game than how many seats are empty in the stadium.

faith in sports

A lot of people aren't aware that Russian born American paralympic swimmer Jessica Long grew up in Baltimore.

Indeed she did. In fact, she still swims for recreational and training purposes at a Towson area fitness facility.

She's Baltimore through and through.

If you have four minutes to spare today -- and don't we all? -- please check out the video below from the incredibly awesome series, "I Am Second", where you get to meet Ms. Long and hear about her journey.

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

Thursday January 9, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3791

where's the beef?

My buddy Glenn Clark brought this up during my (mostly) weekly appearance on his show yesterday. Funny enough, as I told him, I was planning on writing about it here today at #DMD.

"There's no feel around town at all for this game on Saturday night," he said.

He's right.

The Ravens might as well be playing the Titans or the Dolphins or the Raiders.

It's just another game.

Honestly, it doesn't even "feel" like it's a must-win, do-or-die game on Saturday night, even though it most certainly is just that.

There is ZERO emotional surge around town for the first-ever home playoff game between the Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now, let's not pretend like there aren't legitimate reasons for the luke warm enthusiasm level in Charm City this week.

The Ravens are going to clobber Pittsburgh.

The Ravens know it.

The Steelers certainly know it.

Our fans know it.

And their fans know it.

In the past, playoff games are always worth anticipating because there's always a chance "your team" might lose.

In Baltimore, going to a Ravens home playoff game was a bit of a necessity because the fans could very well make an impact on the game itself.

35,000 people could show up this Saturday night and the Ravens are still winning by 17 points.

As Clark and I discussed on Wednesday during his show, there's also this weird take around town that if the Ravens don't at least advance to the Super Bowl this January, the 2024 season shall be deemed a complete flop.

So to that end, Saturday night isn't all that important. If the Ravens win, nothing has really been gained from that except for an advancement to the next round where that Super-Bowl-or-bust theory gets put to the test in Buffalo (assuming they beat Denver).

And if the Ravens lose on Saturday, that's all anyone will talk about for the next 8 months.

"Yeah, Lamar had a great year. But he choked again in the playoffs."

"We won another division title. Big deal. We lost to the Steelers at home in the playoffs. Harbaugh has to go."

So no matter what happens this Saturday night, nothing is gained, really.

If the Ravens beat the Steelers and then stub their toe in Buffalo, it's back to "Lamar choked again" and "Fire Harbaugh".

The only thing that will satiate people is a Ravens trip to the Super Bowl. And, you just know, even then, some folks still won't be fully satisfied.

Beating the Steelers -- at least this version of our friends in Black and Gold -- isn't going to move the needle in Baltimore one bit.

There are other circumstances in play as well.

It's also going to be dreadfully cold and windy this Saturday night.

Fairbanks, Alaska called and said, "Dude, it's going to be freezing in Baltimore on Saturday."

And for the reasons I chronicled above, folks are more apt to stay home than go.

At 7:30 pm last night, I perused my Facebook page. I had 9 friends -- go ahead and chuckle, I know you want to -- selling their tickets for Saturday night.

I had to laugh at one guy. He has two upper deck seats in Row 28 (great seats, he says) and a parking pass "next to the stadium" (his words) and he wants $600.

Yeah, I'm going to give you $600 for two tickets that run you $300 plus a parking pass. Hold your breath. But not for too long.

The point to that, though, wasn't to belittle my entreprenurial buddy. I have 9 friends who are season ticket holders -- "P1" fans as the saying goes in the radio business -- and they don't want to go to the game on Saturday night. If they don't want to go, what's that tell you about the city's energy level for the game?

Now, maybe if game time temps were going to be 42 instead of 32 and if the "real feel" was 32 instead of 18, those guys might be going on Saturday evening. Weather plays a big part in the decision, I agree with that.

Have you looked at the secondary ticket market in recent weeks? Last Saturday at 12 noon, you could have bought a Ravens/Browns ticket for $24. They were playing for the division title in Baltimore and you could have purchased a ticket for the same price of a 16" inch pizza and two sodas at your local Italian eatery.

There are tickets out there to be had right now for this Saturday's playoff game for $90 in the upper deck. A good lower deck seat is basically in the $175-200 range.

Now, you might think $90 or even $70 is too much to spend to sit out in 30 degree temperatures with the wind chapping your face. I don't know that I'd argue with that.

Rest assured, unless something really, really weird happens in the next 72 hours, there are going to be a considerable number of empty seats on Saturday night.

It might not look like the Cleveland game from last week. But there will be a lot of empty seats.

For a playoff game.

Against the Steelers.

And depending on how things shake out within the rest of the AFC playoffs, it could be the last home game of '24-25.

But there's nothing going on around town that indicates Baltimore is excited.

Now, let me say this: Maybe there are going to be empty seats in Tampa Bay. And Philadelphia.

For all I know, maybe they're not fired up in Buffalo for Broncos vs. Bills. Perhaps there's no excitement in Houston for the thumping they're going to take at the hands of the Chargers on Saturday afternoon.

Maybe this is just what the NFL is during the playoffs -- more of a "TV league" than a "go watch it live league".

But I can't really speak for those other cities because I'm not there.

I'm in Baltimore. Where it just doesn't feel like a playoff game is in the offing.

I know talk radio isn't the end-all-be-all when it comes to evaluating matters such as these, but you can even "hear it" in the callers and the hosts. No one is amped up. There's just no juice for the game.

I think all 3 factors are piling up.

Everyone knows the Ravens are going to win.

Everyone subscribes to the "Super Bowl or bust" theory, which sorta-kinda renders Saturday's game somewhat meaningless in a weird way.

And it's going to be really cold and windy on Saturday night. Why sit there and deal with the two factors above and freeze your rear-end off for three and a half hours?

Times have changed in Baltimore, man.

I don't know if "spoiled" is the right word but if we're not spoiled, we're its first cousin.

I mean, heck, we couldn't even fill the baseball stadium on two Chamber of Commerce days last October.

But once upon a time a playoff game in Baltimore meant not a seat could be found.

Now.......

If you want a seat, you can have one. Or two. Or six.

Weird times.

The Ravens are playing the Steelers in the playoffs and hardly anyone seems to care.

Someone in the Comments section brought up Justin Verlander and his $15 million deal to sign with the Giants and wondered what I thought about that as it relates to the O's taking Charlie Morton for $15 mil instead of Verlander.

Glenn Clark and I touched on that as well yesterday.

Look, there's no debate about the quality of the two of them.

Justin Verlander is going to the Hall of Fame someday.

Charlie Morton might get in the Hall of Had A Decent Career.

But here's the thing.

For 2025, which is all we really care about when it comes to evaluating Morton and Verlander, I'd probably take Morton.

All you're looking for from a guy like that is innings.

Verlander isn't going to revert back to his Cy Young self in San Francisco, Baltimore or Timbuktu. He is what he is now, a 42 year old pitcher who has mastered his craft and can still get people out, albeit not in a dominating fashion.

Morton was never Verlander, obviously, but once upon a time he was a reliable arm.

And to that end, he's still reliable. And, frankly, probably more reliable at this point than Verlander.

Notwithstanding the Covid-19 season when no one made 30-plus starts, Morton has made 30 starts in six consecutive seasons.

That's why the Orioles signed him.

He's NOT going 17-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.110 WHIP next season. They know that. He knows that.

But he will give them 170 innings, I bet. And he'll probably win them 10 games. Maybe 12. And his ERA will be around where it usually is -- 4.15, 4.20, etc.

Could Verlander have a "Fountain of Youth" season out there with the Giants and go 15-9 with a 3.75 ERA and throw 180 innings? Of course he could.

But I'd say he's far more inclined to break down twice in six months and wind up going 6-5 in 19 starts than he is to make 30 starts and go 15-9.

Morton is a far better bet to do what the O's AND Giants need from their 40-something starters. Namely, make his 30 starts and throw 170 innings or thereabouts.

I'm not saying I love the Charlie Morton signing.

But if you said "Verlander or Morton" -- for the same money -- I'm probably taking Morton.

Wednesday January 8, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3790

it earned a second look

Imagine, if you will, mustering up the nerve to ask someone out on a date.

Traditionally, that would almost always be the guy asking the girl, but it's 2025. The girl can do the asking too, now.

Anyway, use the creative part of your brain and imagine you ask "them" out.

You get all gussied up.

New haircut. Eyebrows done.

Pick out a nice restaurant.

You enjoy a nice meal together and share in some intelligent, interesting conversation along the way.

Your date suggests dessert so you find a quaint pastry place in town for coffee and something sweet.

As you get seated, your date tells you're they're going to use the bathroom.

A second or two later, their phone buzzes with a text message. The screen lights up. You don't want to look, but you're unable to control yourself.

It's a conversation between your date and a friend of theirs.

"Well? How's the date going?"

"Good question. It's definitely not horrible."

"Well OK then!"

You turn away to make room for the coffee and pastries that are being delivered to the table.

Your date returns and the evening continues.

I settled in to watch the first night of TGL Golf last night with very little expectations, other than to assume I probably wouldn't care for it all that much.

It's just not my thing.

At least I assumed it wasn't my thing.

My phone lit up throughout the night from golfing-friends who were also giving it a look-see.

I wound up saying pretty much the same thing to every single one of them as the night went on.

"It's not horrible."

I just don't know if that means it's worth getting invested in or if last night was the only time I'll really sink in and give TGL a chance.

It wasn't great. I would never try to sell anyone that what we saw last night was going to "change the face of golf", even with Tiger and Rory involved.

I don't know what grade I would give it. The "production" of it was awesome. It looked like something you might even want to attend in-person.

Maybe I'd give the whole thing a "C"?

It wasn't spine-tingling entertainment.

But it definitely wasn't horrible.

In fact, there were some things to like.

The 40-second shot clock was definitely a winner. Golfers can play fast when they have to play fast. It makes it much more appealing to see more "golf" and less caddie chatter and throwing grass in the air.

Every year at our season ending MIAA golf coaches meeting, a number of coaches around the league complain about slow play. The irony to that is a number of them doing the complaining have the slowest players in the conference on their team.

Anyway, they bicker and whine about slow play and talk about how it's "on the coaches" to patrol it and remedy it. Every year I say the same thing.

"Why don't we just follow the rules of golf and make the kids hit their shot within 40 seconds of when it's their turn to play? If they don't hit it within 40 seconds, they get penalized."

No one wants to do that.

They dislike slow play but they don't really want to fix it.

There's no slow play in TGL. There's a 40-second shot clock. Last night it got down to 5 or 10 seconds several times, but no one failed to hit their shot within 40 seconds. That, I thought, was a "winner" for TGL.

The course itself was actually really cool even though they weren't playing a true course that you and I can pay $500 to play with the guys next summer.

It was, just like the golf, created for television, with wild holes that only your imagination could create. There was even one hole that was somehow made with burning lava rocks surrounding the fairway and green.

I have no idea if the course changes week to week. That's a part of TGL I didn't hear mentioned last night.

The chipping and putting -- played "live" into a huge green that moves around to create different undulations -- took a while for the guys to master, but by the end of the night, they were handling it quite well. I assume as time goes on they'll all figure it out.

Oh, I probably should mention that Bay Club beat New York, 9-2. I don't know if you could have bet on last night's event, but I have to assume New York might have been a 2.5 point favorite. They had Xander Schauffle, Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler, after all.

The golf itself was fine, but it wasn't "real" golf. That's where I lost a little bit of enthusiasm for TGL.

And I get it, it's not supposed to be "real" golf. It just didn't grab me the way, say, the final round at Kapalua grabbed me on Sunday as Matsuyama and Morikawa battled down the stretch.

But I'll say it again: It wasn't horrible.

What remains to be seen is the impact that both Tiger and Rory playing in TGL will have on the interest level within the golf world.

We see Rory all the time.

Tiger, we hardly ever see at all these days.

Me? I want to see Tiger play real golf.

But I'm not everyone. Others might get interested in TGL because it gives them a chance to see Woods compete again, albeit on a smaller scale without the career adulation attached to it.

Tiger still needs to win a REAL tournament on the PGA Tour in order to pass Sam Snead on the career wins list. An indoor league played on Monday night in the winter will do nothing at all for Tiger's place in the golf history books.

But you do get to see a side of the players in TGL that's new and interesting.

Everyone has a wireless mic on, of course, and there's plenty of chatter going on amongst players that's worth hearing.

It remains to be seen what motivates the players to compete week in and week out. Other than money, of course.

Everyone is friendly out there, so it's not like Xander Schauffele had a burning desire to beat Shane Lowry last night. At least it didn't come across like that to me.

So whether Tiger and Rory wind up being the straw that stirs the drink for the league remains to be seen. Interest will rise when those two play, for sure, but will millions more watch when those two tee it up like they might on a normal Sunday during the PGA Tour campaign?

I just don't see that happening.

Sure, I'll watch Tiger next week when he makes his season debut, but I can't imagine it's going to be appointment viewing for me week in and week out.

Tiger playing on the PGA Tour? Appointment viewing.

Tiger hitting balls into a 50 foot screen and bantering back and forth with the guys? Sure, if I don't have anything else to do. Maybe.

In the end, the best thing I can say about last night was that it wasn't horrible.

In some ways, it was entertaining and worth watching.

But in the end, it was a little bit like going to a karoake bar and hearing a young lady sing "Jesus Take The Wheel" by Carrie Underwood.

"She's not horrible," you say to your friends.

"Yeah, but she's not Carrie Underwood," one of them replies.

A lot was made this week about the abrupt firing of Jerod Mayo in New England after only season as the Patriots' head coach.

Some of that discussion was heightened on Tuesday when Antonio Pierce was relieved of his duties in Las Vegas.

Mayo and Pierce are both African American.

And there are some who believe their race and not their team's football record played a role in their respective dismissals.

I'm not a "fire the coach" guy, as most of you know, so it saddens me anytime I see a coach get fired.

Quick, name 5 players on New England's team.

OK, name 3.

One?

Right. You couldn't name 5. Or 3.

How is it Jerod Mayo's fault that the Patriots have the worst roster in the NFL? You could put Vince Lomardi in there and the Patriots wouldn't win.

Las Vegas isn't much different. Their roster does have some talent, but clearly not enough to win with regularity in the NFL.

Now, it's fair to point out that we -- on the outside -- have no idea what's going on within the clubhouse in New England and Las Vegas.

It might be a train wreck.

And part of the coach's job is to make sure it's not a train wreck in the locker room.

But it definitely looks odd when you see someone like Jerod Mayo get canned after one season while someone like Mike McCarthy keeps his job year after year despite the Cowboys not amounting to much of anything every season.

That, of course, might say more about how dumb Jerry Jones is instead of how backwards things are in New England and Las Vegas.

But only giving Mayo one year at the helm definitely looks odd.

Oddly enough, the Patriots won their final game of the season on Sunday against Buffalo. By firing Mayo immediately after the game, the Patriots were saying "We had made up our minds before today".

I'm not suggesting you keep a guy because of one win against a team (Buffalo) that wasn't trying.

But exactly when did you know you were firing your coach? October 15? November 15? December 15?

If you gave Mayo a real roster would he win with it?

Or did you, the New England front office, just whiff on the hire in the first place?

If that's the case, shouldn't someone else be held accountable above Mayo?

Someone in the organization -- if not multiple people -- said, "Mayo's our guy!" Where's their public slap on the wrist or termination?

Wait, it's apparently the owner who has decided to take the blame after all.

"This whole situation is on me," Patrios owner Robert Kraft said on Monday. "I feel terrible for Jerod because I put him in an untenable situation."

"I know that he has all the tools as a head coach to be successful in this league. He just needed more time before taking the job. In the end, I'm a fan of this team first, and now, I have to go out and find a coach who can get us back to the playoffs and hopefully championships."

There's your answer.

Kraft gave the job to a guy who he says, now, wasn't ready for it.

I'm sure the next coach in New England will take over feeling warm and comfy.

Tuesday January 7, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3789

will it work?

In April of 1996, I sat in a hotel room in Cleveland, Ohio and settled in to watch the first-ever game of Major League Soccer.

The teams were San Jose and Washington if my memory is (still) good.

Alas, the two sides playing in the game didn't matter at all. MLS was the new outdoor soccer league in the U.S. and there was, once again, hope that the outdoor version of the sport was ready to take on America.

I was working in the indoor game at the time and MLS was sucking up 15 or so of our top players, including a couple of guys from my Baltimore Spirit (nee: Blast) team who would have rather made $30,000 playing outdoor soccer than, say, $36,000 playing indoor soccer.

I remember one player in particular saying to me: "They're offering me $24,000. Honestly, it's probably $16,000 more than they have to offer me. I'm getting in on the ground floor of something that could be really big."

"Odds are it's not going to be big," I said to him in my office that day.

"It's outdoor soccer, John. Odds are it's going to fail in this country like all the other outdoor leagues have failed."

That night in Cleveland, I made the same proclamation as players gathered in a room to watch that first-ever MLS game.

"It's not going to work," I said to anyone who would listen.

Alas, John did leave for the MLS, where he had a very brief, fleeting career with (I think) the Los Angeles entry, where I believe he scored a grand total of one goal in his quick spell out there.

And I was dead-red-wrong about MLS.

The league is thriving and the San Diego expansion team just paid $500 million to join MLS.

Man, was I wrong.

Tonight in West Palm Beach, Florida, a new version of professional golf will make its long overdue venture into the world of professional sports as the "TGL" kicks off with a match between "New York" and "Bay Club".

The league was supposed to commence a year ago in January but the facility was damaged by a 2023 hurricane and the start was postponed by 12 months.

TGL stands for "TMRW Golf League".

Two guys you've heard of -- Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy -- are the co-founders along with a former NBC sports executive, Mike McCarley.

Here are the quick nuts and bolts of the league.

There's a 15-week schedule of "matches" (mostly on Monday once football season ends) and they are all played indoors at a huge built-for-indoor-golf facility on the campus of Palm Beach State College.

This is NOT a replacement for the PGA Tour. This isn't another LIV Golf attempt, where a new league tries to lure rival golfers away from the PGA Tour.

The honest truth is this whole thing was created by Woods and McIlroy to help the players who didn't defect to LIV make more money.

So, yes, the biggest names in golf are playing. Well, most of them, anyway.

TGL created "teams" to represent cities. Some of them are natural fits (McIlroy, an Irishman, will play for the Boston team, for example, even though Rory has no real connection at all to New England) while others are just part of whatever team needed a player.

They're playing "indoor" golf, which, in all fairness, has taken off over the last few years because, for example, I can play against you if I live in Baltimore and you're living in Kansas City. We share the same screen on the simulator and watch our shots as if we were standing right next to one another.

It's not for me. But I'm not the age demographic that enjoys and plays video games and the like.

Golf, to me, was always about playing the course and dealing with whatever conditions came about that particular day.

Mount Pleasant plays much more different in 50 degree temperatures than it does, say, in 90 degree temperatures. And if #1 and #10 play downwind, the layout plays easier than if the wind is blowing into your face on those holes (a rarity at the Mount).

I don't "get" indoor golf.

But I also thought the MLS was going to fail.

The action starts tonight with the kick-off match between New York and Bay Club. Three of the four players on each team are selected to play, which helps accommodates playing and travel schedules for the PGA Tour.

Here are the two teams competing tonight:

New York Golf Club: Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young (Young sitting out)

The Bay Golf Club: Ludvig Åberg, Wyndham Clark, Min Woo Lee, Shane Lowry (Lee sitting out)

Every match takes place at the same location.

The "arena", if you will, is equipped with a simulator screen that is five stories high, grass tee boxes for full-swing shots and bunkers that are filled with what is believed to be the same sand used at Augusta National Golf Club.

Once the players reach the area surrounding the green on each virtual hole, they’ll turn around to the rotating green to complete it. Nearly 600 hydraulic jacks will help change the undulation of the green to distinguish the holes, which were designed by various golf architects with no construction constraints.

It's not my thing.

But I'm going to give it a shot tonight.

How does scoring work? I'm glad you asked.

Three players from each four-man team will compete in each match-up. The matches will run for two hours and the players will play 15 holes.

It's not only an indoor sport, it's also a TV sport, hence the two-hour window to get everything finished up.

In the first nine-hole session, the players will compete in “Triples,” which is 3 vs. 3 alternate shot. Each team will alternate playing until they complete the hole, and the lowest score wins. No points will be awarded for a tied hole, just like in traditional match play.

In the second session, head-to-head play will begin with “Singles.” One player will face off against another player on the first hole, then the second set of players will go against each other, then the third set. That cycle will repeat once more for the full six-hole “Singles” portion.

Teams can increase the stakes of a hole by implementing a feature called “The Hammer.” If the opposing team accepts, the value of the hole becomes two points, rather than one. If they decline, they effectively concede the hole.

Overtime will be a 3 vs. 3 closest to the pin contest between the teams, until a winner is decided.

I'm not going to proclaim it won't work, this new indoor golf league.

I learned my lesson with MLS.

But I don't see how this particular brand of golf captures anyone's real attention.

Will I watch it tonight? Sure.

I'm essentially snowed in here in Baltimore and there's nothing else on TV, really. I love golf. So, yes, I'll give it the benefit of a one-night "chance" to get me interested.

I was wrong once about MLS.

I'm anxious to see if this entity, like the new outdoor league in 1996, can stand the test of time.

Monday January 6, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3788

wish granted

You play the team they put in front of you.

But truth be told, I'm pretty sure the Ravens would have preferred to not see Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and the L.A. Chargers next Saturday night in Baltimore.

They got what they wanted, though.

It's the Steelers who backed their way into a first round exit after they lost to the Bengals and the Chargers won in Las Vegas to close out the season.

The Ravens could, of course, wind up seeing the Chargers in three weeks time. And it's not all that crazy at all to imagine how it would unfold.

Baltimore will make quick, easy work of Pittsburgh on Saturday while the Chargers have more than a puncher's chance of going to Houston and winning in Saturday's early game.

If that scenario plays out, the Ravens head to Buffalo and the Chargers meet up with their division foes in Kansas City.

It's certainly not at all crazy to see both road teams winning there. The Ravens already laid waste to the Bills once this season and the Chargers are one of the rare teams the Chiefs would probably rather not face in the post-season. L.A.'s defense is definitely good enough to quiet Mahomes and his offensive teammates.

So, Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and the rest of the Chargers could eventually wind up in Baltimore, but it would be for the AFC title game.

If that happens, so be it. I think we'd all be thrilled to have a crack at the Chargers on home turf with the whole season on the line.

But if they took the truth serum, the Ravens would tell you they got what they wanted next weekend, which is the Chargers not coming to Baltimore and the Steelers making the 4 hour trip to the southeast.

I know the weather is looking a little crappy for Saturday night, but I'm not putting much stock in that somehow leveling the playing field.

The Steelers aren't coming to Baltimore and winning.

Russell Wilson is going to beat Lamar Jackson? Yeah, I don't think so.

The NFL might have to consider doing something about the Week 18 schedule in light of what we saw yesterday.

And, no, I don't have any fancy ideas on how to solve it, either. I know you're supposed to have a solution if you whine about a problem, but I don't have one just yet.

I should probably also say that perhaps a remedy to this delicate dilemma isn't required. I mean, you're always going to have something happen like what we saw on Sunday in the season finale, where Kansas City didn't try at all, thereby gifting the Broncos a playoff spot in the AFC.

The Bills didn't try, either, and it almost looked at the end like they might want to lose just to keep their division foes in New England from getting the number one pick in this April's draft.

That was actually a funny scene in New England.

The Patriots didn't want to win, for sure. They would have played Steve Grogan if they could have.

But the Bills didn't want to win, either.

"Here, you go ahead and win."

"No, no, please. We want you to win."

"Oh, no, no, no. We couldn't do that to you. Please, you win."

And, no, none of this at all has anything to do with gambling.

I mean, if you bet on the Chiefs or Bills yesterday, you're a complete moron.

It's just that rendering games meaningless at the end of the season that have some sort of impact on other teams is a quirk that needs to be addressed.

The NBA fixed their problem decades ago by creating a draft lottery since so many teams tried their best not to win in the final two weeks of the season.

I'm not sure the NFL has a problem of that magnitude yet.

Carolina sure did try hard yesterday in beating Atlanta.

And the Saints didn't have to try but they did anyway, almost beating the Bucs in Tampa Bay before eventually losing.

Football does seem different, I will say that.

I'm not trying to be overly judgemental here, but football players are built different than basketball players. Basketball players tend to come off like they don't care all that much as long as they get paid. See: Jimmy Butler.

Football players want to play football. Well, except for Tyreek Hill. But we'll tackle that issue -- no pun intended -- later this week when someone here asks if perhaps the Ravens should pursue the malcontent wide receiver this off-season.

Basketball players don't care if they lose. Football players, generally, don't want to lose. I don't know why that is, but it's just the way they're built.

So, maybe nothing needs to be fixed and what happened on Sunday is just part-and-parcel of a 4-12 team (New England) playing a 12-4 team (Buffalo).

What happened in Denver, though, is a different story.

And, no, I'm not saying you have to force Kansas City to use Mahomes, Kelce and other key players after they earned the right to sit those guys out by going 15-1.

Heck, now that I've written about it, I'm starting to convince myself to just leave it all alone and let the chips fall where they may.

Like I said at the outset, it's a delicate dilemma.

If a team wants to lose on purpose to get a better draft pick, you either figure out a way to balance out the losing (draft lottery) or you just say, "Go ahead and lose if that's what you want."

And if a team gets to coast into the post-season because their opposition rests all their best players, the team(s) crying about it should have, you know, won one more game during the regular season and they'd be in the playoffs on their own accord.

Oh, and week 18 also provides for some easy money if you play your cards right. Baltimore, Denver, Cincinnati and the L.A. Chargers made for a nice four-way parlay over the weekend.

At least that's what I heard...

We'll dig into this a little more later this week, but there was plenty of internet unrest on Sunday night following Maryland's 83-79 loss at Oregon yesterday.

"When is Kevin Willard going to win a road conference game?" someone asked on Twitter.

"Same s**t we saw with Turgeon. Can't win on the road," another frustrated Terps fan stated.

I'm not here to make excuses for Kevin Willard or the Terps, who, in fact, are 0-3 on the road thus far in conference play.

But two things stand out.

First, they lost at Purdue, at Washington and at Oregon. All three games went down to the final minute.

Second, as far as this past weekend goes, the only real blemish was the loss at Washington on Friday night.

Losing at Oregon is nothing at all to be ashamed of.

But that defeat to the Huskies on Friday night was the outlier of the three losses. Maryland has to go in there and win.

The reaction, though, is what makes me laugh.

People are now on Willard's case and it's barely the New Year.

Do the Terps (and Willard) seem to have trouble winning conference road games? Well, yes they do. That said, it's not easy to win road games in the Big Ten unless you count the visits to Rutgers, Penn State and Minnesota.

It's not easy to win in East Lansing, Champaign, Ann Arbor, West Lafayette or Madison.

And now, because there are 18 teams in the Big "Ten", you also have to win in Los Angeles, Eugene and Seattle.

Road wins in the conference are going to be difficult to come by no matter who coaches the team.

That said, the stinker on Friday night is what really has everyone on edge.

If Maryland wins 79-69 on Friday then loses 83-79 to Oregon yesterday, it's not that big of a deal.

But 0-3 to start the year on the road in conference play isn't cool.

That said, a lot of teams in the Big Ten would go 0-3 with that same slate of games.

It's just that we were hoping Maryland was better than that.

Sunday January 5, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3787

fire the coach

I'm not even sure Saturday's thumping of the Browns had ended when I saw the first curmudgeon on Twitter roll out a familiar tune:

"If this team chokes in the playoffs, Harbaugh has to go!"

I felt like being entertained so I asked the obvious question: "What do you define as 'chokes'?"

"Loses in the first round of the playoffs," was the reply.

I didn't want to ask if "how" they lost mattered.

Like, what if it's a 38-35 shootout and the team that gets the ball last winds up winning?

What if Lamar has a complete stinker for some bizarre reason and it's just a blowout? Like 24-7 or 31-10?

I don't see either of those happening, but is the head coach only to blame if the team loses?

What happens next weekend when they hammer the Steelers or Chargers by 24 points? Does Harbaugh get credit for that or is that one one of those "player wins"?

What a world we live in.

The regular season was barely over and the team had just won a division title out of nowhere with an incredible 4-0 run to end the season and you had people -- plural, not just one goof, but a whole bunch of 'em -- talking about firing the coach instead of applauding the coach, team and organization for a job well done.

This world, man.

Don't get me wrong. I love living and I am fascinated on a daily basis by people and the way things happen and don't happen that shape our every day experience.

But some of these people are nuts.

Dr. Fauci is now tracing some of our collective weirdness back to the explosion of day care for children starting back in the 1960's and 1970's when the traditional dad-works-and-mom-stays-home scenario began to change.

And, well, Fauci sure did nail that Covid-19 thing, remember. So maybe his day care theory isn't that far off.

Anyway, people sure are strange when it comes to this Ravens team. That's 12 playoff appearances in 17 seasons for John Harbaugh and 6 AFC North titles, with this one in 2024 being among the more impressive considering Pittsburgh was 10-3 and Baltimore was 8-5 a month ago.

The Steelers -- speaking of choking -- laid another massive egg last night at home in their regular season finale and will now most likely have to come to Baltimore to lose 34-13 next weekend in the AFC Wild Card round.

The Bengals' 19-17 win kept Pittsburgh from an easier bout with the Texans in Houston, although the Chargers could mess things up by losing today in Las Vegas, in which case it would be Jim Harbaugh instead of Mike Tomlin making the trip to Charm City for the playoff opener.

Either way, the Ravens have a walk-in-the-park scheduled for next weekend. Me? Personally, I'd rather see Pittsburgh than Los Angeles only because the Steelers are D-O-N-E and the Chargers have at least showed a little bit of life late in the regular season.

But, as we saw out in L.A. at the end of November, the Chargers are no match for Baltimore man-to-man. So, if it's L.A. that winds up coming to town next weekend, they're going home disappointed just like the Steelers.

The Zay Flowers injury notwithstanding, Saturday's romp over the Browns was everything the Ravens needed.

John Harbaugh needed a win and a home game next week and that's what he got.

Granted, the football was somewhat ragged and disjointed from the Ravens perspective. It was far from an "A" performance on both sides of the ball.

The Baltimore offensive line wasn't great and 7th string QB Bailey Zappe actually moved the Browns along quite nicely on a few drives.

Yes, a lot of Cleveland's offensive progress was helped by the officials, but Zappe didn't look like a guy who hardly plays in the league any longer. He certainly didn't shred the Ravens secondary or anything like that, but he made enough nice throws to at least get your attention.

Brandon Stephens didn't have the greatest game of his life, that's for sure. Then again, you're not talking about an All-Pro defensive back. You're just talking about a guy who occasionally makes a significant play but mostly gets picked on by the other team's offensive coordinator.

Some might point out that Jordan Stout didn't have his best punting day, again, and that's worth being concerned about. Maybe so. But the Ravens aren't bringing in a new punter now. That's something that needs to be handled this off-season.

But the only real blemish on the day was the injury to Flowers, who looks to have suffered some sort of injury to the LCL in his right knee. He'll get a MRI today and the Ravens will, I'm sure, go out of their way to disguise the severity of the injury this week, but it wouldn't be a surprise at all to see him miss next weekend's playoff opener.

Flowers is a big piece of the Baltimore offense, of course, but they're not losing to Pittsburgh or the Chargers because Zay Flowers can't play. There's only one player on the entire team that owns the label of "can't win without him" and we know who that is.

Lots of folks on the internet beat up the Ravens for their bland performance on Saturday night, but the reality is the game was never in doubt, even when Zappe brought the Browns to within 21-10 early in the 4th quarter.

The game was over at halftime.

It was really cold on Saturday and the game wasn't "do or die", which, to me explains why there were so many empty seats in the stadium.

"I can't believe how many people didn't show up for this," a fan next to me in Section 139 said. "There must be 15,000 no-shows," he said.

It was too cold for me to lower my neck gaiter and talk to the guy or I would have corrected him. There weren't 15,000 empty seats in the stadium. There might have been somewhere around 5,000. 7,500 tops. But anyway, it was too cold to talk, so I didn't even bother addressing it other than a polite nod of the head.

The game didn't really mean anything and the Ravens were always going to beat the Browns no matter if 65,000 people showed up or all 71,000 seats were filed.

The "real feel" temperature of 11 degrees at kick-off wasn't enough to make folks attend a game when they knew -- unless something completely wacky happened -- they were going to have to sit in similar cold weather next weekend for a game that will matter.

I went last night for one reason only: My 17 year old son wanted to go.

And, remembering that Harry Chapin song very well, I realized that my 17-year old son still thinks I'm cool enough to go to the game with him, so I'm going to the game, no matterw how cold it is.

We had a great time navigating the weather together. I'd do it all over again today if given the opportunity.

I've been to a lot of cold games in that stadium. The Monday Night game against the Redskins 15 years ago sticks out in my memory.

A night game against the Patriots was frigid as well.

Last night's game was right up there with "coldest ever", although I'm guessing folks in Buffalo and Green Bay would snicker and say, "That was a summer day in England compared to what we deal with up here."

So, yes, there were a lot of empty seats last night.

The folks who stayed home were actually the smart ones.

But they better show up next weekend when the game counts.

Saturday January 4, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3786

morton...worth his salt?

It came on a Friday afternoon but it certainly wasn't an attempt at the ever-famous "Friday news dump".

The Orioles got their guy. And it just happened to occur on a Friday.

41 year old Charlie Morton is coming to Baltimore.

I know what you're thinking.

Jamie Moyer wasn't available?

Tim Hudson didn't want to play for an East Coast team?

Felix Herndandez didn't want to come out of retirement?

Tim Lincecum might not have passed the physical?

Stop it.

Those guys are fossils in baseball terms.

Well, Hernandez (38) is actually younger than Morton. But anyway.

The internet lit up with flares for Mike Elias and the Orioles on Friday when the team released the news that Morton agreed on a 1-year, $15 million deal for 2025.

I didn't take a poll or anything, but I'd say it was 80/20 against the signing based on what I saw.

At first blush, I get the angst.

He's 41 and his numbers in Atlanta last year weren't great. He did make 30 starts with the Braves, but he went 8-10 with a 4.19 ERA and his WHIP was 1.325.

Those are just his raw, "normal" numbers, if you will.

Baseball nerds broke down his advanced metrics yesterday once the signing was announced and most of them were below average.

He is what he is.

Morton is someone who probably wouldn't even make the Hall of Very Good with a 138-123 record and lifetime 4.01 ERA. He's made $140 million and basically won one more game per-season than he's lost over the last 17 years.

Teach your kids to pitch. Right?

All kidding aside, there are positives to Morton's stint in Baltimore.

He's a guy who will make his starts and, in general, will get you at least five innings of decent work.

Morton has done something over the last four years that not many pitchers in baseball have done. And this includes the now-departed Corbin Burnes, actually.

He's made 30 starts, at least, in those four campaigns.

Disregard the shortened 2020 campaign and Morton has made 30 starts in six straight seasons.

I think they like to call that kind of effort a "workhorse" in baseball jargon.

Morton's fastball -- if you want to call it that -- gets pinged around the diamond like Charlie Harris in the 7th inning of the movie "Major League".

But his breaking ball and off speed pitches are still highly effective.

This is a roundabout way of stating the obvious: Charlie Morton is not a bum.

Is he a #1 or #2 starter? He most certainly is not.

Is he the marquee off-season pitching signing the O's were hoping for in light of Burnes signing elsewhere? He isn't.

Is it even a slam-dunk-lock that he finishes the 2025 campaign on the O's roster? Not at all.

But he does have pitching quality. And he is durable and reliable, at least when it comes to taking the mound every fifth day.

It's not the best signing in team history.

And it's certainly not the worst, either.

I guess it's fair to say, "It's a very Orioles-like signing". That's not really a compliment, either. But Morton is the kind of guy Mike Elias likes to find.

You know, someone on the 17th hole of his career, looking for one last summer fling before hanging up his spikes for good.

Oh, and $15 million for someone who makes 30 starts a season is -- I know you're going to shake your head at this -- actually a bit of a bargain.

I also know what some of you are thinking. "Why not just give Walker Buehler $20-plus million instead of giving Grandpa Charlie $15 million?"

That's definitely a fair question.

Alas, what's done is done.

I'm not hating on the signing and I'm not doing handstands about it, either.

There's still a month until spring training. Let's see what other tricks Mike Elias has up his sleeve before we make our final call on the 2024-2025 off-season.

The Ravens play for the AFC North today when they host the Browns, who will mostly be looking to get out of the game healthy so they can start their off-season tomorrow morning without the need for crutches, surgery or three months of rehab.

A win for John Harbaugh's team and they're the #3 seed in the playoffs.

A loss by the Ravens and a win tonight by Pittsburgh (against the Bengals) and Baltimore is the #5 seed and they head to Houston next weekend for the post-season opener.

The Ravens aren't losing today. I think we all know that.

They'll host the 6 seed in the AFC Wild Card round, which will be either Pittsburgh or the Chargers next weekend in Baltimore.

If Pittsburgh beats the Bengals, the Steelers go to Houston and the Chargers visit Charm City.

If Pittsburgh loses and Los Angeles wins in Las Vegas tomorrow, the Steelers will make another visit to Baltimore for the playoff opener.

If they both win or both lose, the Steelers are the 5 seed and the Chargers are the 6 seed.

The Steelers will have the benefit of knowing the Ravens/Browns result before their game tees off at 8 pm tonight.

If they don't mind coming to Baltimore, they're going to rest some key players, lose to the Bengals, and they'll have a short trip to The Land of Pleasant Living next weekend.

But they also know they're going to lose 38-14 next weekend in Baltimore.

So on the flip side, they can put their best foot forward tonight, try to beat the Bengals, and earn a much more favorable match-up next weekend in Houston.

The Steelers can't win in Baltimore. But they might be able to steal a win in Houston.

It will be interesting to see what Mike Tomlin decides to do.

The guess here is Tomlin and the Steelers give it their all tonight and try to win so they can grab that 5th seed and face the Texans.

They'll know by 8 pm where everything stands in Baltimore.

And speaking of that game, you'll be able to leave by late in the 3rd quarter if the 20-degree temperatures are too much for you.

Honestly, I think a great bet for the game is Cleveland's point total. Will they score more than 10.5 points?

I think I'd take the under on that one.

Unless something wonky happens like a kick return or a Lamar pick-six, I don't see how the Browns get in the end zone.

In fact, my call is they won't get in.

Lamar throws for three first half TD's (Likely, Andrews, Wallace) and it's 21-3 at the intermission.

He tacks on a running TD in the 3rd quarter to make it 28-3 heading into the 4th quarter.

Josh Johnson gets the Ravens in the end zone to make it 34-3, but Justin Tucker misses the extra point to give the internet a week's worth of fodder about his reliability in the playoffs.

The Browns get a late field goal to finalize the scoring at 34-6.

You'll be home and in your pajamas by the time that final Browns kick sails through the uprights.

Longtime #DMD reader Tim D. sent along something well worth reading yesterday and I wanted to pass it along to those of you who might be interested.

He starts off his e-mail with this: OK. It's Notre Dame. I get it. They have the stadium with Touchdown Jesus.

But Boise State? Ohio State? Penn State? They're not Catholic schools. LOL.

Faith in sports. It works. And it's growing.

And then he links to this article that you can read by clicking here that highlights Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.

I agree with Tim.

Faith in sports does work.

Given their extensive platform, nothing is better than seeing or hearing an athlete give praise and Glory to God or Jesus when the microphone is put in front of them.

Let's be honest about something. Kids these days -- well, even adults, if we're being honest -- want the spotlight to be on them so they can tell everyone how great they are.

It's human nature.

Social media and the internet have increased that desire over the last decade or so.

"Look at me," everyone wants to say.

So when the camera and/or microphone gets put in front of an 18, 19 or 20 year old and he or she says, "Look at Jesus!", that's a sign that faith in sports is working.

I don't follow college football all that much any longer, but I think I'm pulling for Notre Dame now.

But no matter if Riley Leonard wins or loses in the semifinal, I know his message will be the right one.

Friday January 3, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3785

a sign of the times

Some things happened this week in the world of sports that I'll just file under "interesting" and you can chew on it in whatever fashion best suits you.

These stories might not even interest you. In that case, come on back tomorrow for Ravens-Browns chatter.

But first, just a quick note that Maryland lost a Big Ten thriller last night in Washington, 75-69.

I'm sure you saying the same thing a lot of people said last night: Washington's in the Big Ten?

Indeed they are. It's now no longer the Big Ten. It's like the Big 24 or something like that. But, yes, the Huskies are in fact now members of the Big Ten. And they did nip the Terps last night by six.

It was the first forgettable night in the brief college career of Derik Queen, who finished the game with as many fouls (4) as he did points (4). There won't be many of them, fortunately, but last night was a giant stinker-roo for the talented freshman.

You lose a game or two like that along the way, I suppose, but Thursday's defeat to the Huskies was a "bad loss" for Kevin Willard and his Terps. They get the chance to rebound -- no pun intended -- on Sunday when they play at #9 Oregon.

And now, on to those juicy stories.

If you already know the answer to this question, I apologize for spoiling the fun.

But if you don't know, let's have some fun.

The National Women's Soccer League awarded an expansion franchise to Denver this week. I know, you didn't even realize there is something called the National Women's Soccer League. Well, there is.

And Denver got a team this week.

The question: How much did it cost them to get in the league?

What's the expansion fee, in other words?

Take a guess.

We'll get back to that in a minute.

At the end of the Boise State/Penn State game on Tuesday night, several things happened that drew the ire of football fans.

Those things were: prayer and God.

"Someone tell this Jesus freak to talk about football!" someone wrote on Twitter in response to a video posted where Boise State's coach started his post-game press conference by talking about his faith and the enthusiasm his team places in "playing for the Glory of God".

Spencer Danielson is the coach at Boise State. Faith is a signficant part of his life. He shares that with his players. It's probably fair to say that Boise State wears their faith on their sleeve more than most college football programs. No one hides from that.

But folks on social media weren't thrilled with it.

"Why don't the bowl officials tell him he's not allowed to talk about God?" someone else asked. "The media wants him to talk about losing to Penn State."

Boise State also drew the ire of people on the internet when they prayed as a team at midfield after the game.

To that end, the broadcast team glossed over the gathering as well.

It's apparently "not cool" to pray at midfield after the game. People on X took exception to it and the broadcasters acted like it wasn't happening.

Faith is an integral part of sports. It might not be integral for everyone, but there's no denying faith plays a huge role in both the college and professional games.

If your high school has a faith-based curriculum, faith can be important at that level, too.

Even there, sometimes peoples are afraid of it.

I think I've told this story here before.

Several years ago, a parent from an opposing school approached me on the 2nd tee at Country Club of Maryland.

"Coach, can I ask you something?" he said.

"Sure, what's up?" I replied.

"I'm just curious about your team praying before the match. Does the school know you do that?" he asked.

It took everything I had to not laugh.

"Yes, they're aware we pray before the match," was all I could say.

"What would happen if someone on your team didn't want to pray?" he asked.

"I have no idea. Because that's never happened," I said as I started to walk up the fairway.

He didn't take the hint, shuffling quickly next to me stride for stride.

"But what would happen if one of the kids didn't want to pray? What would you do?" he asked.

"Sir, I'm coaching. I need to get up with my two players in the fairway," I stated.

"I hope you'll give it some thought," he said as I hustled off. "Because not everyone might want to pray."

The funniest part of the whole thing?

His son, on the opposing team, was attending a school with a faith-based curriculum.

The point of that and the Boise State example above was to simply ask the question: Why do people get so offended when others express their faith?

At the end of the Ohio State/Oregon game on Wednesday, Buckeyes QB Will Howard was quick to thank Jesus in the on-field interview.

Moments later, bowl officials and the announcer handling the trophy presentation duties wouldn't allow the QB on the stage.

"ESPN is afraid he'll get up there and thank God again!" someone wrote on X.

"Good for them!" another person shot back. "I'm sick of hearing it."

It's amazing that so many people who are completely not-impacted-in-the-least by someone spending 5 seconds expressing their faith get so outraged by it.

I just don't get it.

But I do get it.

It's taken the better part of 40 years or so, but the erosion of our society can be traced, in part, to the media's portrayal of faith as a "bad thing".

Rather than brag, boast and applaud teams like Boise State, coaches like Spencer Danielson and players like Will Howard, the media goes out of their way to nullify their actions.

That leads to folks on social media piling on.

Some would call that outspoken opposition a "satanic attack", which I sorta-kinda tend to agree with.

There is a force at work in our world that opposes God and the great things He does for us. While satan never actually wins, he does put in hard work to try to turn people away from God.

Will Howard wears a tee-shirt around campus at Ohio State that reads: Jesus Won.

Yes, indeed. He sure did.

And He still does, no matter what the networks and the folks on social media think.

OK, we're back to the question I posed at the top of today's piece. How much did Denver pay to get in the NWSL?

Before I read the article, I assumed it was $25 million. Which, frankly, seemed like $15 too much. But anyway.

I was off.

By a lot.

What was your guess?

The answer...

Is.....

$110 million.

No, there's not a dot missing. It's not $11.0 million.

Denver paid $110 million to get into the NWSL.

Boston paid $53 million last year to get in the league.

Suddenly, somehow, Denver paid twice that amount.

The average attendance for NWSL games in 2024 was 11,250.

The top drawing home team was San Diego at 19,575. Houston was the lowest draw at home (6,194).

They must have some deep pockets out there in Denver.

There are rumors swirling that the Orioles have offered a package of players to the Mariners for starting pitcher Luis Castillo.

I have no idea who the pieces of that deal would be; Ryan Mountcastle, perhaps? Coby Mayo? Heston Kjerstad?

The Mariners are in a position of power. They don't have to get rid of him. They're looking to fleece someone is what they're looking to do.

But they have reportedly been looking at first basemen this off-season. They were apparently interested in Christian Walker before he signed in Houston, so Mountcastle would be a reasonable fill-in on that quest.

For starters, Castillo has a no-trade clause in his current contract. So, even if the O's try to swing a deal for him, the right handed pitcher could say "no" to Baltimore.

He's owed $68 million over the next three years, which seems very un-Orioles-like. $23 million (almost) a year for a baseball player? Not in Baltimore.

I don't know what the future holds for any of the three O's listed above. Mountcastle has been equal parts hot-and-cold.

Mayo is highly regarded but very much unproven at the big league level.

And Kjerstad has displayed some offensive talent but his defense is suspect and his work with the bat is far from polished.

It's fair to wonder if Mike Elias has a small case of seller's remorse after dumping Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers to the Marlins and watching Norby prosper -- albeit only over a two month period -- down the stretch for Miami.

Might he be hesitant to move on prospects like Mayo and Kjerstad?

The Blue Jays are also apparently interested in Castillo.

I say let them have him.

The O's have GrayRod, Eflin, Kremer and the Japanese pitcher. Trevor Rogers will get a shot at starting again. Cade Povich can make 15 starts until Kyle Bradish is ready to return.

If you have to give up high level prospects for Dylan Cease, that's one thing.

But for Castillo?

No thanks.

faith in sports

Ashton Jeanty is the seriously talented running back from Boise State who nearly eclipsed Barry Sanders' single-season college rushing record in 2024.

If you don't know about his life off the field, take a little over 3 minutes today to discover what makes this kid special.

Someone in the NFL will someday get a great player and a grounded, well-intentioned young man.

I hope you'll give this video your time this morning. While your coffee is brewing, you can take in this entire video and learn more about Ashton Jeanty.

When you're finished, you'll think the same thing I thought after watching it: "I hope the Ravens can somehow get him."

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 January 2, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3784

q and a thursday

OK, so I have more e-mails piled up in the inbox (18) than the Philadelphia Flyers have wins (17) so far this season.

For those wondering, 17 wins isn't great, but because the Eastern Conference is filled with mediocrity, the Flyers are somehow officially in the playoff hunt with half the season still to play. Usually by now they'd be almost eliminated from the post-season.

The Capitals have the 3rd most points (52) in all of hockey, I'm pleased to report. They've done that on the heels of breakout seasons from McMichael and Protas and sharp, rotational goaltending from Logan Thompson and Charlie Lindgren. There are other pieces performing well, too, including ageless Alex Ovechkin, but those four mentioned above have been the main reasons why Washington has 52 points and looks like they might make some noise this spring.

One looming concern -- and, yes, I'm getting way ahead here -- is that the Flyers might sneak into the playoffs as the number 8 seed and face Washington in the first round of the post-season. You play who they put in front of you and all, but I would be as nervous as all get-out if that playoff match-up comes around in April.

Alas, the Caps are in and the Flyers still have to play well to get in, so I'll worry about that when the time comes.

On to the filled-to-the-brim inbox we go.

Brian asks -- "Hey Drew, I'm reaching out again this year for help with my golf contest. I have to pick three players for major championships plus the Players (most money wins) and then I need to pick someone who has never won a major to both win a tournament in 2025 and also finish top 10 in a major and I need a player to win for the first time on the PGA Tour. Please help! Thanks. Go Hall!"

DF says -- "Brian, I seem to remember that last year at this time I gave you Schauffele, right? I hope you spoke fondly of me at Christmas parties in December. Back to work I go. OK, your three players for majors/Players are obviously Scheffler and Schauffele. Both of those guys are threats to win multiple majors. I think Schauffele could be on the verge of a Scheffler-like run while Scheffler continues his Tiger-like run.

DeChambeau seems like the natural third pick except he never plays the Masters well and he's not in the Players, of course. So if you're going to make the smart pick, you go with Rory. He plays well at Augusta, has won the Players before and obviously can win any other major title along the way. I know that's chalk -- Scottie, Xander and Rory -- but I think those three will accumulate more money than any other three players combined and that's your goal.

Your next pick is interesting because you probably want to pick someone who is going to win one of the signature events because they pay out the most money. So, someone that has never won a major and will also finish in the top 10 in a major would be Akshay Bhatia. I think he's on the verge of stepping into the "elite" category on TOUR. It wouldn't shock me at all if he makes the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

And for your last category, it's definitely Denny McCarthy. This is his year. I know he's been close a few times and lost in a playoff last year. He finally gets that first win in 2025. Book it."

D.J. asks -- "Got into a good New Year's Eve debate with fellow O's fans. What's your off-season grade for them thus far?"

DF says -- "Interesting question. Do you take into account the players they lost as well as the players they acquired? I mean, they lost their best pitcher, best power hitter and competent back-up catcher. Those are two huge defections and a "meaningful" departure.

I guess so far you'd have to give them a "C".

They effectively replaced Santander with O'Neill. That's a net-net loss.

They replaced Burnes with Saguno. That's a net-net loss.

They replaced McCann with Sanchez. I think that's probably a wash, at best, but the burden is on Sanchez to turn that into a "win".

How can you give them anything but a "C" at this point? They haven't done anything of note to improve their roster from '24 to '25."

I think you could give them a "D" and not be off base. But I'm a soft grader. I'll go with "C" and hope they do something between now and April to pick that grade up."

Patrick Jensen asks -- "If the Ravens win the division, play the Steelers in the playoffs, and lose to them, is that enough to warrant John Harbaugh's firing?"

DF says -- "I feel like I've answered this exact question once or twice already in the last two months. Sounds like hopeful thinking to you, right?

The answer is: No.

I think Harbs might have been in trouble had the Ravens scuffled to a 10-7 finish and then lost to, say, Houston in the first round of the post-season.

But if they finish 12-5 and somehow the Steelers come in to Baltimore and win that playoff opener, I don't see how that gets Harbaugh fired. You're gonna fire the coach of the team that just won their division (again) and made the playoffs (again)? It doesn't make sense."

Scott P. asks -- "2025 is my big year, Drewski. I'm a 15-handicap and going to get to single digits by July so I can play in a couple of club events up here in PA this summer. Putting is my biggest issue. Can you give me a couple of drills to make more putts, especially the ones in the 10 foot range. Thanks! Have a great golf year!"

DF says -- "Well, are they 10 foot birdie putts or 10 foot par putts? I know that sounds like a dumb question. A 10-footer is a 10-footer. But I'm guessing based on your handicap that they are 10-foot par putts (or bogey putts).

Anyway, the reason I ask is because I'd need to know what happens after the 10-footer. Do you just barely miss it and tap the next one in or do you miss it from 10-15 feet that you might three-putt more often than not from there?

I'm not trying to avoid your question. But it needs more context than just "I miss a lot of 10 footers."

Also, do you miss most of your putts high of the hole or low of the hole? That's also important. Missing them high of the hole generally indicates a speed issue. Missing them low of the hole generally indicates a green reading issue.

But if you're looking for a drill for 10-15 foot putts, specifically, I'd work strictly on your speed. Figure out how hard you have to hit the ball to miss the hole by no more than 15-18 inches if the ball doesn't go in. Then, just try to make that putt using that speed. If if doesn't go in, that's OK. what you don't want is to leave the putt short from that distance. Like, ever. You have to hit the ball hard enough to get it past the hole.

Without seeing you putt and knowing those other parameters I outlined, that's about the best I can give you. Work on your speed and hit the ball hard enough to get it past the hole if it doesn't go in. Tighten up the line and hit the putt."

Carl asks -- "Let's say Lamar doesn't win the MVP. Who do you think should get it? Allen? Barkley? Burrow? Someone else?"

DF says -- "All of the above? A tie between 5 guys? I mean, you can say "Without Allen, the Bills would stink" just like you can say "Without Barkley, the Eagles would stink" and "Without Mahomes, the Chiefs would stink."

They are all most valuable to their respective teams.

Jared Goff's team might finish 15-2 and somehow no one mentions him. Without Goff, the Lions would be 5-12.

Part of the problem with the MVP award is that it's called "MVP". They should just call it "Player of the Year" and then figure out what the qualifications are for the award. It's almost always going to go to a quarterback, of course.

Why not "Quarterback of the Year"? Then spinkle other awards in there: Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, etc.

Anyway, I honestly think Patrick Mahomes is the most valuable player in the entire league. His team wins the Super Bowl every year. The parts around him tend to change but he always gets the job done. He won the Super Bowl last year throwing to wide receivers who wouldn't be All Stars in the Arena League.

This year, you can make an argument for any of those guys you listed. Allen, Barkley, Burrow. Lamar is obviously going to be right there in the mix as well. If you made me pick one of those besides Lamar, I'd go with Barkley in Philadelphia."

Chris asks -- "OK, Drewski, I'm going to give you the freedom to tell me one sporting event I have to watch in 2025 and I will obligate myself to do it. Pick it and I'll report back to you with my findings and thoughts."

DF says -- Well, how do I know you don't already watch it? I could pick the Masters and you might be an ardent golf watcher/follower.

But, sure, I'll play along. Maybe you're already a NASCAR fan, I have no idea. But I'm going to task you with watching the Daytona 500.

It's the only race I'll watch in 2025, but it's "appointment" viewing for me. I love it.

Watch it and report back and let me know what you think."

Wednesday January 1, 2025

#DMD

Issue #3783

looks like we made it

If you're reading this, you've made it to 2025.

Congratulations!

I hope you're headache-free this morning (today) and ready to tackle the new year with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.

That's a Harbaugh family line, as most of you know, although I can't imagine Jack Harbaugh came up with it himself. Not because he isn't smart enough to craft something of that substance. It just seems like something someone else might have first authored.

Anyway, I hope your New Year's Eve festitivies were fun. Mine were.

We spent it with friends enjoying food, drink, games and I even watched my first college football game of the year last night when Penn State eliminated Boise State from the football playoff.

I was very moved by what I saw.

No, not because I had Penn State and the points.

I was moved by seeing Boise State's entire team gather at midfield after the loss, in prayer, to share a quick moment together.

It wasn't 8 players. Or 12 players. Their entire team, led by their coach and someone who appeared to perhaps be the team chaplain, were on a knee at midfield after the game.

Boise State came under some criticism for being a 3 seed in the 12-team playoff after they won the Mountain West conference title.

That didn't stop them from putting up a valiant effort against the Nittany Lions, who now move on to play the winner of today's Notre Dame-Georgia game in the semifinal next week.

In the end, watching them kneel in prayer at midfield after the loss was akin to winning to me. If it's about building a program, Boise State coach Spencer Danielson has done a great job of doing that.

OK, as I like to do at the start of each new year, I'll save you the trouble of watching the games and events and tournaments on TV and tell you who is going to win what in the world of professional sports in 2025.

Feel free to hold me to these things. And if you want to place a $5 bet and parlay all of these occurrences and win $5 million or something, I wouldn't turn down your generous "finder's fee" of $100,000.

After all, if you're so smart, you pick all of these winners and place $5 on them.

Here we go.

NFL Super Bowl -- Unless something wacky happens, it's going to be the Chiefs again, right? I mean, they have home field and all and only need to win two games to get back to the big game. And if they get there, they're going to wallop Detroit or Minnesota or whomever it is that represents the NFC. However -- I'm taking the Ravens to win it all. Yes, OUR Ravens. They're the champs.

Daytona 500 -- He's the hot thing in NASCAR these days, so let's go with Joey Logano to win his second Daytona 500.

NCAA men's basketball -- I'm going with Marquette over UConn in the final. Shaka Smart finally gets his title.

Masters -- He's due. Overdue, in fact. Patrick Cantlay finally breaks through to win that elusive first major title in golf.

PGA Championship -- How about Bryson DeChambeau to overpower Quail Hollow and win his 3rd career major? You like that? Yeah, me too.

U.S. Open -- Oakmont CC in Pittsburgh is a big ballpark. You need to take someone who smashes it off the tee, keeps it straight and can handle the pressure of major championship golf. Yes, that means Scottie Scheffler wins his 3rd career major.

NHL Stanley Cup -- In a bit of an upset, how about the Minnesota Wild breaking through and winning their first title?

NBA Finals -- Let's go with some chalk now and take Oklahoma City to win it all in the NBA.

British Open -- It finally happens. After 11 years. Rory McIlroy wins a major for the first since 2014 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. What better story could their be than for an Irishman to win on home soil?

Baseball World Series -- Come on. You already know who's going to win. We all do. The Dodgers win 107 regular season games and lose just three total post-season games in romping past Boston to win their second consecutive title.

So there you have it.

Send that $100,000 along to me when you cash your parlay ticket.

ESPN.com's David Schoenfield authored a column a week ago that just yesterday caught my eye. It didn't impact me because of who was on the list, but rather who wasn't on it.

Schoenfeld authored a piece titled: MLB Aggrieved Fan Index: The 10 most frustrated fan bases of 2024.

He listed the ten baseball fan bases with the biggest axe to grind in 2024.

The Orioles fan base, once a perennial contender for the #1 spot on that list, wasn't even listed in the top 10.

My, my, how things have changed.

In case you care, the L.A. Angels were number one. Seattle was number two. And the White Sox were number three.

But reading the list at the end of 2024 got me to thinking.

Will the Orioles (and their fan base) be placed in the top 5 on Schoenfield's list at the end of 2025 if the O's continue to regress this coming year/season?

Just how close are we, the fans, to a dramatic reaction if the team doesn't win and spend money on free agents and otherwise acquire significant, quality players to add to the already impressive roster?

Those are generally the only three complaints fans lodge.

"The team stinks, fix it."

"Spend some money on players, would ya?"

"Make some trades and improve the team for crying out loud!"

So far this off-season -- and, yes, I'm stressing "so far" for those of us with patience -- the O's a haven't really done much of anything to get better.

They've replaced a piece (Santander) with a piece (O'Neill).

They replaced a potential Cy Young candidate (Burnes) with a guy who was really good in Japan (Sugano).

They replaced a versatile, decent catcher (McCann) with a guy who had a really good season ten years ago (Sanchez).

And that's about it.

If you believe the rumor mill, they were interested in Cody Bellinger.

And Nathan Eovaldi.

And Teoscar Hernandez.

But just like I was once interested in Jennifer Love Hewitt and didn't land her, the O's weren't able to bring any of those guys to Baltimore this winter.

There's still time to get better, although it's looking more and more like that might require a trade of some sort and then, of course, you're giving up something that could potentially help you to get something that might potentially help you.

Maybe Anthony Santander winds up back in Baltimore somehow. That, at this point, would serve as a significant signing.

Alas, I'll go back to the original question.

If the O's regress in 2025, will the fan base have a right to be "aggrieved"?

Might we make the 2025 list at ESPN.com?

Tuesday December 31, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3782

best and worst of 2024

I tend not to get too worked up these days about ushering in another new year. If I make it to see the ball drop later tonight, that will be a major "win" for me.

To that end, I also don't put much stock in looking back and saying "Wow! Remember that?", although I will admit to spending a little time on my drive home from Pinehurst last night thinking about today's column and what I would consider the best and worst sports moments of 2024.

When you have a 6 hour drive ahead of you, a lot of things race through your mind.

One thing I thought numerous times last night as we cruised up I-85 and I-95 is this: "It's really remarkable how many people God grants divine safety to on the roads."

People are NUTS behind the wheel of a car.

Like, certifiably insane kind of nuts.

Incredible high rates of speed.

Darting in and out of traffic like they're on the last lap at Talladega.

Coming up behind you (when you're already going 72 mph) and flashing their high beams at you when you're in the middle lane minding your own business and they have two passing options if they're really in that much of a hurry.

Those folks are fortunate God grants them divine safety. That's all I have to say about that.

Anyway, as I drove home, I raced through the various sports and teams and games in an effort to come up with the best moment and worst moment of 2024.

Sadly, I sort of settled on the worst moment right away.

And "moment", to me, means a "happening". In other words, the Orioles getting swept by the Royals in front of 10,000 empty seats within 36 hours in Baltimore doesn't count.

Now, if you wanted to say Colton Cowser somehow striking out on a ball that him in the face in a 1-0 game (with, I think, the bases loaded, right?) is your worst "moment" of the year, that would count.

But the O's failing to sell out a playoff game and losing 2-1 and 1-0 doesn't qualify as "worst moment" material.

Sadly, though, the worst moment of 2024 does involve a Baltimore team and it also happened in Baltimore.

As you'll see below, I provide the video of the "best" moment I saw in 2024.

I just don't have the heart to show you the worst moment, but you remember it all too well, unfortunately.

The absolute worst thing I saw all year, in 2024, actually happened last January 28 at Ravens Stadium.

It was the Zay Flowers fumble on the goal line in the AFC Championship loss to the Chiefs.

I'll refresh your memory, as if you need it.

It was 17-7 Kansas City, but the Ravens were about to put the finishing touches on a scoring drive that would make it 17-14 with the entire fourth quarter still to play.

This impending touchdown was going to change the game. You could feel it in the stadium. The Ravens were going to pull to within a field goal and once Kansas City got stifled again on offense, the Ravens were going to wind up taking the lead and winning the game.

There was zero doubt that once Baltimore got the game to 17-14 that they were going to win.

All they needed to do was get into the end zone from 11 yards out and the game, as they say, was "on".

On second and 9, Lamar hit Flowers in stride and the former #1 pick was set to reach the end zone when the ball was knocked out of his hand and recovered by Kansas City.

The entire stadium (minus the 5,000 K.C. fans who were there) was in shock.

There would be a later interception by the Chiefs that would also be a back breaker of sorts, but it was nothing compared to that fumble by Flowers.

All of the wind -- and I mean, every morsel of it -- was taken out of the Ravens' sails after that Flowers fumble.

And to be fair, the Chiefs defensive back -- L'Jarius Sneed -- made a whale of a player there. If Kyle Hamilton does that this January to Hollywood Brown in the AFC Championship Game, everyone in Baltimore will be talking about how great of a player Hamilton is, not how much of a bum Brown is for fumbling the ball on the goal line.

But that moment, right there, was the worst thing I saw all year. It hits close to the bone in Baltimore because we wanted our Ravens to advance to the Super Bowl, where they would have coasted past the 49'ers, 33-21.

So, no, I won't post the video of that moment here. It's just too tough to look at.

But for those of you who are gluttons for punishment, you can watch it by clicking right here.

Now, the "best" moment of 2024? That wasn't a tough choice at all. In fact, it probably classifies as one of the best moments I've ever seen in sports in all of my 61 years.

Freddie Freeman missed two weeks of the 2024 campaign to be with his wife and son after his 3-year old boy was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.

He also missed two weeks late in the season with a bad ankle sprain and was questionable to play in the post-season.

In Game 1 of the World Series, the Dodgers gave up a run to the Yankees in the top of the 10th and trailed 3-2 in the bottom half of that inning.

Los Angeles loaded the bases with 2 outs and Freeman came to the plate.

You know what happened from there.

"Gibby....meet Freddie....in Game 1 of the World Series!"

That, of course, was a reference to the game-winning homer Kirk Gibson hit in the 1988 World Series.

Freeman took that Nestor Cortes pitch and hit it to Inglewood.

A game-winning grand slam. In the World Series. At home, no less.

Was there a better moment in 2024? Not even close.

The PA system blaring the great Randy Newman tune, "I Love L.A.!" was icing on the cake.

Monday December 30, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3781

so weird, man

I know TV rules everything in the NFL.

The networks pretty much decide the playoff match-ups until the respective conference title games. Those are set in stone. But other than that, the honchos in TV tell the league "we want Baltimore and Pittsburgh at 4:30 on Sunday" and that's how it will go.

So you have to understand that last night's news about the Ravens/Browns and Steelers/Bengals week 18 games is pretty much predicated on television and nothing more.

The Ravens and Browns will meet on Saturday at 4:25 pm in Baltimore. The Ravens win the AFC North with a victory in that game.

The Steelers host the Bengals at 8 pm on Saturday. Pittsburgh needs a Baltimore loss and they also need to beat Cincinnati in order the win the North and earn the #3 seed.

John Harbaugh will have to play the game to the fullest.

Mike Tomlin will have a decision to make based on the result in Baltimore.

It doesn't seem right.

If the Ravens win, the Steelers have two options; play that game with the Bengals as if everything's on the line, knowing the only thing they can do at that point is win and face the Texans in round one or lose and face the Ravens.

Their second option, should Baltimore win, would be to not risk injury to any of their key players (the four that they have) and pretty much lose on purpose, thereby earning a third game against the Ravens in their playoff opener.

It's worth noting that if Pittsburgh loses on Saturday, the Chargers could lose on Sunday in Las Vegas and the Steelers would finish as the 5 seed and play in Houston and L.A. would travel to Baltimore. Just to be clear on that.

But all things going as expected, the Chargers aren't losing to the lowly Raiders in Las Vegas.

So, once the Ravens wallop the Browns on Saturday by 21 points, the ball goes in Mike Tomlin's court.

Play it out?

Rest your key players?

Think about how the Ravens would potentially handle it if the games were reversed and Pittsburgh, playing at 4:25 pm, lost to the Bengals in the early game. Harbaugh would almost certainly not play Lamar and several of the team's top veterans in an effort to give them an additional week's rest and avoid the embarrassment of having a key player get hurt in a game he didn't have to play in the first place.

Pittsburgh now gets that luxury, for reasons only the league knows.

My guess?

Tomlin would much prefer to play in Houston in the AFC Wild Card round. He knows he's getting blistered if he comes back to Baltimore again. No two ways about it.

So the logical route for the Steelers, if Baltimore wins, is to give it everything they have in an effort to play at Houston instead of at Baltimore. And for those wondering, the Bengals still have a faint chance of making the post-season, so they have to play it out on Saturday as well. Cincinnati needs to win and they need Denver (vs. KC) and Miami (at NY Jets) to both lose.

But all things being equal, the Steelers will have a big decision to make at 7:30 pm on Saturday. Rest their key players for Baltimore or play everyone for Houston.

The Steelers would at least have a puncher's chance in Houston, what with the Texans injury list growing on a weekly basis and all.

Once they sneak past Houston -- or, to be fair, if they sneak past Houston -- Pittsburgh then gets to go to Kansas City, assuming the Ravens take care of the Chargers.

Either way, Pittsburgh's getting clobbered in the post-season. They're either losing by 24 in Baltimore or 24 in Kansas City. But the question is, who would you rather play in the first round -- Baltimore or Houston?

It doesn't seem quite fair that Tomlin and the Steelers get to navigate that dilemma based on what the Ravens do on Saturday vs. Cleveland.

Both games should start at the same time. Or, if nothing else, within 35 or 65 minutes of one another, so that both games are in the balance throughout most of the contests.

If the NFL cared about "fair", that's what they would do.

What they care about, unfortunately, is TV money.

"Fair" comes way down the list.

Someone will no doubt point out the Ravens aren't really impacted by this silly decision to start the games three hours apart.

Well, they are and they aren't.

The Ravens have to play all of their players on Saturday in an effort to win the division.

The Steelers might get to rest their players and they'd be resting them for a game against the Ravens. A double-whammy of sorts.

I'm sure the league is going to send out a carefully worded memo asking teams to "keep the integrity of the league in mind" when making roster decisions this weekend. There are gamblers involved, of course.

But the Sunday games involving Miami/NY Jets and Denver/KC aren't really impacted by what happens between Cincy and Pittsburgh. If Cincy loses, they're eliminated and Denver gets in if they win and Miami gets in if they win and Denver loses. If the Bengals win, they still need both the Broncos and Dolphins to lose the next day in order to make it.

So, in a weird twist of fate, the only teams impacted by whatever the Steelers decide to do (assuming the Ravens win, of course) are Houston, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

L.A. can't make travel plans until they see what happens on Saturday.

They're either going to Baltimore or Houston.

Houston doesn't know if they're playing the Steelers or Chargers (or, even still, perhaps the Ravens if things really go sideways this weekend).

Those playoff oddities happen all the time. There's nothing that can be done about that.

But having the Ravens play first gives Pittsburgh a distinct advantage.

And what's fair about that?

I don't know about you, man, but I think I'd rather complain about Lamar losing out on the MVP to Josh Allen.

Sunday December 29, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3780

ovi returns!

It was a few days late, but that was a nice Christmas gift the Capitals gave their fans last night.

Remember the old song, "My boyfriend's back (and you're gonna be in trouble)" by the Angels?

Well, you can sing it with me now.

"Ovi's back and there's gonna be trouble, hey now, hey now, Ovi's back!"

The soon-to-be all-time leading goal scorer in NHL history returned after missing 6 weeks due to a broken leg and snagged a late empty net goal in Washington's 5-2 win at Toronto.

The Caps went 10-5-1 in the 16 games without Ovechkin, who now has 16 goals on the season, and didn't really need him last night, either, as Logan Thompson was outstanding in goal and the Leafs offense struggled without their own star, Auston Matthews, who was out with an upper body injury.

Ovechkin needs to score 25 goals in the team's final 37 games to tie Wayne Gretzky's career mark of 894 goals.

The chase is officially back on.

Yesterday's NFL results in the AFC helped bring the playoff picture into better focus, but it's still going to take Week 18 to sort it all out.

The Ravens are in the playoffs (again), of course. We know that. Once they roll past Cleveland next weekend, they're going to be the #3 seed in the AFC.

Note: There is a way the Ravens could be the #2 seed, but we're going to assume that Buffalo will beat either the Jets or Patriots in one of their final two games to wrap up the #2 seed in the AFC.

So, after the Bengals beat Denver yesterday, two things are now known in the AFC: The Broncos can only finish as high as the 7 seed in the AFC and they could still miss out on the post-season entirely if they lose at home to KC next weekend and the Bengals beat the Browns. In that case, both Denver and Cincy would finish 9-8 and the Bengals would be the #7 seed thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Chargers are now in the playoffs after the win at New England yesterday. They're either going to be the #6 seed or the #5 seed depending on what they do next weekend and what the Steelers do vs. Cincinnati in their final game.

Here's how it all works out if the Ravens win the AFC North and finish as the #3 seed:

The Ravens face Pittsburgh in the AFC Wild Card Round if the Steelers beat Cincinnati and the Chargers lose at Las Vegas.

The Ravens face Pittsburgh if both the Steelers and Chargers lose next weekend.

The Ravens face Los Angeles if the Chargers beat Las Vegas and the Steelers lose at home to the Bengals.

The Ravens face Los Angeles if the Chargers and Steelers both win next weekend.

So, there you have it.

Either scenario works favorably for the Ravens.

They're going to batter either the Steelers or Chargers by double digits in the first playoff round.

And then it's on to Buffalo for the "MVP Bowl" (even though votes will already be in...) between Lamar and Josh Allen.

Yes, that's assuming Buffalo beats Denver or Cincinnati in the first round. I know that.

Speaking of Cincinnati, they're the proverbial "team no one wants to play" heading into the post-season, but they're probably not going to get there to cause any trouble.

Denver plays host to Kansas City next weekend and the Chiefs have zero to play for, which means the Broncos will face Carson Wentz in the season finale instead of Patrick Mahomes. Advantage: Broncos.

But if Denver somehow does slip up and the Bengals beat Pittsburgh, Cincinnati will roll into the post-season with one of the league's more high powered offenses and perhaps the best quarterback in the league in Joe Burrow.

You play who they put in front of you and all, but I'd prefer the Ravens not see the Bengals again in January.

Folks around here and elsewhere on the internet are split on the Orioles in the wake of Friday's news that Corbin Burnes signed a deal with Arizona.

Some people are totally "done" with the O's after yet another failed off-season of false promises about "lift-off" and such.

Others want the off-season to play out in its entirety before laying waste to Mike Elias and his work in the Hot Stove season.

It's more than fair to be critical of the O's this winter. Not because of this off-season, per se, but because of their long-standing tradition of not doing much of anything in the off-season to sign quality free agents.

In the old days of Dan Duquette, it was known as "Confederate money".

But it's also fair to take the "wait it out until it's done" stance since, yes, there's still time to make the team better, like Elias did last off-season when he snagged Burnes in a deal with Milwaukee two weeks before spring training.

Baltimore baseball fans are a weird group.

Once you dig your heels in, you're never willing to concede that the "other side" might have a valid point.

It's a little like the political climate in this country. If you're on the right, the left has nothing to offer. If you're on the left, the right has nothing to offer.

You can be both disappointed in Elias to make the team better and also be willing to give him another month of leeway, which is precisely where I rest on the whole situation.

I'm very "meh" about Sanchez and the 35-year old Japanese pitcher. Those two are not needle movers at all.

The Tyler O'Neill signing is nice if he can stay healthy for the whole season. That's on him to prove, not on me to rationalize.

If the O's don't do anything else of real note this off-season, the winter will pretty much be a bust.

But I do think Elias has something else up his sleeve. I know he knows baseball. And I know he knows his starting rotation isn't as solid as it needs to be with the departure of Burnes and the uncertainty of guys like Bradish and Rogers.

So, I'll wait it out. It's only fair.

But it's also worth mentioning that this off-season, so far, has been a nothing burger in Charm City.

Maybe Barstool's Dave Portnoy can help keep the O's alive with a $60 million donation instead of the $60,000 he gave to Tiny Brick Oven in Federal Hill.

Saturday December 28, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3779

let's do some quality hand wringing

So here we go.

Where's that panic button?

Got it?

Go ahead and hit it if you want.

Corbin Burnes left for greener pastures last night. And by "greener", you know what I mean.

$210 million worth of greener pasturers, in Arizona, for the next six years.

There's no telling what the Orioles offered, but I heard from a reliable associate of the club they had floated a 3-year, $110 million offer to Burnes and his people with a one-year player option if he wanted to sail the free agent waters again next winter.

Burnes instead took $210 million from the Diamondbacks.

The O's have now let two pitchers escape them for the paltry sum of $220 million or thereabouts. Burnes and Max Fried ($218M), who joined the Yankees this winter.

It will be interesting to see how Birdland accepts this latest news. $220 million (ish) would have kept Burnes in Baltimore, maybe. David Rubenstein couldn't come up with that?

Or did Mike Elias not think Burnes was worth $220 million?

Perhaps Burnes simply didn't want to pitch in Baltimore. We think we're the cat's meow, of course, but maybe he didn't. If the West Coast was his number one priority, he's out there now, sorta kinda, in Phoenix.

And maybe Elias has something bigger and better on his plate that he's working on. A trade with San Diego for Dylan Cease? Some other deal that nets the O's a quality starting pitcher and thins out the team's roster somehow so younger players can take their turn?

I don't know any of the answers to those questions.

If you made me hazard a "quality guess", I would assume it's pretty simple. The O's didn't want to obligate themselves to a $220 million contract for a 30-something pitcher.

I'm not saying I agree with that, by the way. It seems to me Corbin Burnes is a $30 million-plus pitcher per year given what others of his ilk make.

But the O's either didn't think he was a $30 million-plus pitcher and didn't offer him that or they offered him that and he said, "No, thanks, I like Arizona's money better."

I'll go with they didn't offer him that, which seems weird to me given what he did here last year.

#DMD contrarian "Billy" was first with a comment warning of "hang wringing" by O's fans once the news of Burnes' signing in Arizona hits the internet at full speed this morning.

I understand this is the internet and "hang wringing" is everyone's specialty. But in this case, not signing Burnes is a pretty major blow to the O's off-season because virtually every other quality pitcher has been scooped up at this point. There weren't many to start with, actually, and now they're all gone.

That doesn't mean the O's rotation is terrible. But you are taking away a guy who had a remarkable year and replacing him with someone like Trevor Rogers, who was acquired at last year's trade deadline and didn't even make it to Labor Day in Baltimore.

Maybe Rogers discovers something in the off-season and returns to reasonable form in 2025. That would be huge if it occurs.

But as it stands now, the O's are not going to enter spring training with the kind of starting rotation that will worry folks in the A.L. East.

All that said, don't count out Elias just yet.

I know it's easy to do that given the relative lack of activity this winter.

And if we were giving the O's GM a standing eight count, we'd be waving "5, 6" in his face right about now.

But if he pulls off a deal for Cease or someone else I'm not thinking of at the moment, the off-season won't be a complete bust.

No, I don't think Cease is as good as Burnes. But I do think he's better than Trevor Rogers.

Not signing Burnes was always likely going to be the result. Until proven otherwise, no matter who owns the team, the O's simply don't spend big bucks on baseball players.

My final thought is this: I'm hoping their reluctance to spend on Burnes is tied directly to Rubenstein's future effort to give Gunnar Henderson with $500 million or so it's going to take to keep him in orange forever.

"You want $220 million for Burnes, now? Or $500 million for Henderson next winter?"

If that's the scenario, I'll take the $500 million next winter to lock up Gunnar.

Let the hand wringing begin.

Just a friendly reminder here that we do have some very simple rules when it comes to posting comments below.

The comment from "Larry" about Jim Larranaga that was removed yesterday fell far outside of our very easy-to-follow rules regarding use of foul language here.

If you can't make a comment without using the f-word or the b-word, please don't comment at all. And if that offends you and you decide to no longer visit the website, we'll miss you around here.

It's simply not necessary to use that kind of language here. We ask nicely for you to avoid foul language. Please avoid it.

Remember the scene from "A Bronx Tale"? Those guys were asked nicely by Sonny not to tear up the bar.

When they did, he locked the door and told them, "Now youse can't leave."

Don't make me break out the baseball bats, guys.

Follow the rules here. Please and thank you.

Friday December 27, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3778

"we've all thought about it"

One of the challenges of a 10-day late-season layoff for the Ravens is finding interesting fodder for this very website.

The Orioles could help, but they won't sign anyone of note.

To that end, by the way, I did hear an interesting tidbit from a bird on a tree earlier this week. He said the O's have made Corbin Burnes a very lucrative 3-year offer that includes the "Tyler O'Neill option" of getting out of the contract after one-season if the player so chooses.

Burnes, who has seen the market dry up quickly this off-season, could potentially command a 3-year deal from the O's for north of $110,000 million and then opt out at the end of the 2025 campaign to chase another big dollar five or six year contract.

That's just one potential remedy for the Birds according to the source I spoke with a few days back.

But with the Ravens on a brief holiday after their pasting of the Texans, we're working hard to find things to keep you interested.

Thankfully, Jim Larranaga took care of that for us yesterday.

The longtime, highly-respected college basketball coach stepped down on Thursday with his Miami Hurricanes sitting at 4-8 on the young season.

Why is that a story, you ask?

Because of the "why", not the "when".

Larranaga is getting out because it's virtually impossible to coach big time Division I sports any longer.

"I'm exhausted," he said at a hastily arranged press conference yesterday. "18 months ago we reached the Final Four. In the days after that, I had 8 kids come to me and tell me they were entering the (transfer) portal."

"I asked them, 'Why? Don't you love it here?' and they all said, "No, coach, I love it. But I have to make money now while I can."

"I can't figure out how to navigate through it any longer," Larranaga said.

"And to be fair to the players, it's not really their fault. The system has failed them. The system has failed all of us."

"I'm exhausted," stated the 14-year Hurricanes coach.

I reached out to one local college basketball coach that I chat with frequently about matters such as these. His first comment was to remind me of our conversation earlier in the fall.

"I told you more of this was going to happen," he said.

"Remember? I told you every coach of an elite program has thought about quitting over the last 2 years. We're not running college programs any longer. We're running glorified AAU teams. Tony (Bennett of Virginia) did it in basketball, Saban did it in football. Now those guys have made enough money that when they go home to their wife and tell her they just quit their job, they can get away with that. Their wealth does matter when it comes to making a decision like that."

"But this whole thing is getting worse, not better," the coach continued. "You're getting demands in the season now. You're starting to hear little rumors about certain big time players telling their coach, 'Is there going to be anything extra for us once we get to the tournament?'"

"You're seeing players opt out of bowl games. You're going to see kids opt out of the tournament in March unless they get something added to their package. Watch and see. They're very crafty now. They have agents. Agents know they have to strike when the iron is hot and the college basketball iron is hot in March."

"I had a player's father approach me to ask if we planned on putting together a "package for the kids" for the conference tournament."

"The dad said, 'You gotta keep 'em motivated, coach. You know, they're kids. They need a carrot dangled in front of them.'"

"And his son," the coach explains. "He hardly plays. He's a 7th or 8th guy for us. Imagine what Kevin (Willard) is dealing with at Maryland."

When I asked him last night about Larranaga, he pointed to his age (75) and Miami's priority always being football.

"Jim thought making that Final Four would get him a bigger seat at the table down there," the Baltimore based coach said. "But all it got him was more money in his contract and a lot more headaches. He thought the administration might look at basketball differently, but they're never going to be on par with football down there. It's like Kentucky in reverse. Their football team could go to the playoffs and it wouldn't matter, they were never going to overtake John (Calipari) and the basketball program."

"Maryland has a different set up in that Kevin has a great group working with him to help build his roster. I hear they're spending money in football now too. That kid from Archbishop Spalding (Malik Washington) turned down a lot of money from Michigan and Tennessee to go to Maryland so you know they're starting to open things up down there. And he could have played Division I basketball too. Maybe not at Maryland but he could have played mid major for sure."

"But Kevin is already under stress and he's only in year three. Most coaches get at least five years to get the program on solid footing. He's in year three and people are asking for results because they've stepped up their game in the portal. Queen didn't pick Maryland because he likes the soup at Bentley's."

"I just don't see Jim (Larranaga) as a portal guy," the coach concluded. "Forget the money for a secnod. Just the thought that you bring him down there and then a year later he wants to leave. I mean, it's Miami for crying out loud. You don't want to play at Miami? Have you been to Miami? You're turning away from Miami? Once a kid tells Larranaga he'd rather play at Xavier or Wisconsin instead of the U, he knows it's time."

"If the NCAA doesn't figure out a way to keep kids locked in for at least two years, we're all in trouble. And I mean we're in trouble very soon. Within 3 to 5 years. This can't go on like this."

"What Jim did, we've all thought about it. He's just the next guy to do it."

faith in sports

If we had a "Faith in Sports" greatest hits edition, the George Foreman video would be part of it.

Once a year, we bring this one back, hopeful that newcomers to the site will see it and be impacted and #DMD regulars will revisit this awesome testimony and be moved, again, by the former boxing champion.

This 7 minutes of Foreman talking about the night he met Jesus is like Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven. It's a must-listen, in other words.

"You never forget the smell of death," Foreman says in the video. And then he goes on to explain how he handled that smell. By turning to God.

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

Thursday December 26, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3777

some real questions for you

OK, be honest. You're not fibbing to anyone but yourself.

Around 7:30 pm last night, did you sneak a peek at the Southwest Airlines website to see what the flights look like for the weekend of the AFC Championship Game?

I did.

There's a Saturday afternoon non-stop, BWI to K.C. for $180.

The AFC title game on January 26 is the late game on Sunday (6:30 pm), so you'll have to come back home on Monday.

There are a variety of one-stop flights returning to Baltimore on Monday. You can leave virtually every hour between 7 am and 2 pm.

Are you in?

Still thinking about it?

If you're not a frequent flyer, you might be taking the "wait and see" attitude.

You can do that if you want, but that's a mistake. You're going to pay a much higher price for the airfare and you're also risking not getting into K.C. and out of K.C. at a favorable time.

If you buy the plane ticket(s) and somehow the two teams don't play in K.C., you just bank the airfare and use it at a later date. No harm, no foul.

Hotels are plentiful in K.C. that weekend. I checked those yesterday, too.

I've been to K.C. a lot. My personal advice? Stay at a hotel out near the airport. It will make your departure much easier on Monday, trust me.

If you get in early enough on Saturday, I suggest a trip to the Negro League Museum in downtown Kansas City. If you've never been, it should be a bucket list item, particularly if you're a baseball junkie. I've been three times. I love it.

If you are thinking about going out to K.C., like I am, you're going to need tickets to the game at Arrowhead.

That's where I might be able to help you.

You'll recall that I secured 60 tickets to last year's AFC Championship Game in Baltimore and we had a whopper of a pre-game party at the downtown football stadium. The result didn't go the way we hoped, but it certainly was an incredibly memorable day in the history of Baltimore sports.

I can't promise I can get 60 to the game in Kansas City, but I will get as many tickets as I can for those of you interested in going out there.

Yes, it's early. I get it. The Ravens still have to beat the Browns next Sunday, which, of course, they will do with ease. And they have to work through two playoff games before heading to Kansas City.

They'll make quick, easy work of either Denver, Los Angeles or Pittsburgh in the first round. Then they'll have a tough task in Buffalo, but they can certainly go there and win.

Editor's note: For those wondering, here's the quick summary: If the Steelers beat the Bengals on January 5 to finish 11-6 and the Chargers win their last two games (at New England, at Las Vegas) to also finish 11-6, the Ravens would host the Chargers in their playoff opener. If Denver wins their last two games (at Cincinnati, home vs. KC) and the Chargers lose one of their last two, the Broncos would come to Baltimore. The only way the Steelers can play in Baltimore is if they lose to the Bengals in their last game, the Chargers lose their last two and, the Broncos win their last two. If Pittsburgh, Denver and the Chargers all finish 11-6, the Chargers are the 6 seed and they come to Baltimore to lose 33-17.

BTW, here's something crazy: The Bengals can still make the playoffs. And it's not all that confusing, really. If Cincinnati beats visiting Denver this Sunday and then beats Pittsburgh in their finale to finish 9-8, the Broncos will have to beat the Chiefs at home in their final game or the Bengals get the last playoff spot and Denver stays home.

Anyway...back to the AFC Championship road trip to Kansas City that I'm trying to prepare you for today.

These sort of treks are best handled by preparing early for them. You save the most money that way, for starters, and you get to make the travel plans that best suit you and your schedule.

If the Chiefs somehow stub their toe in their opener and don't make it to the AFC Championship Game, your consolation prize will be a second straight title game in Baltimore instead of Kansas City. You win either way.

Reach out to me via e-mail (18inarow@gmail.com) if you're interested in a trip to Kansas City. I might even be able to swing a group airfare deal if we all agree on taking the same flight to/from K.C.

That performance by Houston yesterday was one of the most heartless efforts I've ever seen from a professional team.

You know my saying: The other team tries too.

Yeah, well not so much yesterday. The Texans didn't try. Hardly at all. It was a gutless performance.

If the league could fine a team for not trying, that effort yesterday deserved whatever the maximum fine would be.

To that end, the Ravens weren't exempt from puzzling behavior during yesterday's 31-2 romp over Houston.

Why John Harbaugh would leave Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry in the game in the 4th quarter of a 29-point game is so far beyond me, I can't even begin to understand it.

There was zero reason to have them on the field risking injury in a situation where they had no reason to be playing.

It was akin to a pre-season game.

And, please, don't even bring up statistics or anything like that. The Ravens are trying to win a Super Bowl. If Derrick Henry gains 128 yards or 148 yards but blows out his knee on a meaningless 4th quarter carry, what's the benefit?

The same for Lamar.

All's well that ends well, of course, and since neither of them were injured this amounts to a colossal nothing-burger.

But why have them out there? It's 31-2 and the Texans haven't looked like a real team since Kamala still thought she might win the election. Where's your coaching brain? If Lamar can't play in January, the Ravens season is over. I'm not sure it's over if they lose Derrick Henry, but they'd certainly have a much more difficult road to navigate without him.

Come on Harbs. Be smarter, bruh.

The TV ratings for the PNC Championship came out earlier this week and they were incredibly eye-opening.

Saturday's play, which did have a NFL lead-in, drew 2.9 million viewers, up 147% over 2023.

On Sunday, with Tiger and Charlie tied for first and guaranteed to receive huge amounts of air time, the numbers were up 32% over a year ago with 1.42 million golf enthusiasts tuning in.

The week before, only 655,000 folks bothered to watch the much-discussed PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf showdown between McIlroy/Scheffler and Koepka/DeChambeau.

And that brings about the obvious question: Is Tiger still that much of a needle mover or are the other guys just not capable of catching people's attention?

McIlroy and DeChambeau are arguably the two most popular non-Tiger-golfers in the world.

No one really cares about Koepka. Scheffler is a huge piece of the PGA Tour puzzle, for sure, but no one is rushing out to buy Nike apparel because Scheffler wears it.

But you had Rory and DeChambeau in prime time TV and basically the city of Boston (650,000) watched it and that was it. For the entire country.

When you break it down like that, it's really scary. Take the entire United States and rope off Boston and that's how many people watched the PGA Tour vs. LIV event.

Maybe it's just "golf on TV". And maybe it's also just "silly season golf on TV". Perhaps people just weren't interested, no matter who played last Tuesday night.

But Tiger and Charlie sure drew a decent crowd last weekend.

Imagine what would happen, ratings wise, if Woods somehow put together two rounds at the 2025 Masters and the leaderboard looked like this on Saturday morning.

1. Cantlay, -10

2. Schauffele, -9

3. Clark, -8

Woods, -8

5. Koepka, -7

The folks at CBS would all be buying new cars and swimming pools when those Saturday ratings were eventually revealed.

And then imagine if somehow, almost beyond realistic belief, Woods entered Sunday's round with a remote chance of winning.

Tiger and his son drew almost 3 million viewers playing in a scramble last Saturday.

Let me rephrase that.....

Tiger drew almost 3 million viewers playing in a scramble last Saturday.

Beat up, broken down and surgically repaired and still the biggest draw in the sport.

I'm just not sure if that says more about Tiger or more about the rest of the guys.

Wednesday December 25, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3776

merry christmas!

There's an awesome scene in the movie It's A Wonderful Life in which......wait.

The entire movie is filled with awesome scenes.

This one I'm going to mention just happens to apply today.

There's a scene where George Bailey looks at a sign on the wall in the Building and Loan office that reads: "All you can take with you is that which you have given away."

His dad, Peter, was the author of that quote.

A lot of things about that movie have stuck with me over the years besides Donna Reed.

That sign is one of those things.

Life is a precious gift, as we all know. George discovered that in the movie, helped, of course, by Clarence the angel, who was sent to Earth to help George understand what was important in his life and what was merely eye wash.

It wasn't until George muttered the words: "I wish I would have never been born," that Clarence really put his wheels in motion.

But that sign, just sitting there on the wall, with no other purpose in the movie, is something I always look forward to seeing when my family watches the movie.

Truth of the matter, we leave the movie on at my house, non stop, on a loop, on December 23 and December 24 every year. It's just always on.

I got up yesterday to publish #DMD and enjoy some coffee. It was on.

I went out to do a little last minute shopping with my son and came home about 1 pm and it was on.

It stayed on while I took a quick 45 minute nap before church last night.

We left it on for Knox, our dog, to enjoy while we celebrated Christmas at Immaculate Heart of Mary's 9 pm mass.

It was on last night while we put gifts under the tree.

The movie has become a constant Christmas companion for our family. To borrow a familiar phrase: "It's a tradition unlike any other."

I hope you get the chance to watch it over the holiday break.

And remember, please, that God created you in the image of his son, Jesus. You're here for a reason.

And don't forget: "All you can take with you is that which you have given away."

The Ravens are in Houston today to take on the Texans in a game of zero importance for the home team and mega-importance for Baltimore.

The Ravens need a win to continue on their quest of snagging the AFC North away from the Steelers, who host Kansas City today as well.

Both teams are 10-5. The current tiebreaker falls to the Steelers, but that won't matter if they lose today and the Ravens win in Houston and then again at home vs. Cleveland on January 5.

K.C. plays in Pittsburgh at 1 pm. The Ravens tee it up in Houston at 4:30 pm.

Have no fear, folks. This is all going to work out well for John Harbaugh's team.

Kansas City beats Pittsburgh 27-24 on a late Harrison Butker field goal. The Steelers aren't beating the Chiefs. Not with that defense.

And then the Ravens will post a 30-20 win in Houston against an injury-riddled but still spirited Texans squad.

There's just no way Houston is winning with A) nothing to play for and, B) the back ups to the back ups who are going to see the field today.

If the Texans had a healthy roster, who knows?

But they don't.

And the Ravens will take advantage of that to lead 10-0 after the first quarter and 13-7 at the half.

It increases to 23-7 in the third quarter before Houston cuts the lead to 23-13 heading into the 4th quarter.

Baltimore scores another TD to make it 30-13 and then the Texans post a garbage time TD to finalize the scoring at 30-20.

Lamar throws for 227 yards and rushes for 68 more.

Derrick Henry picks up 115 yards on the ground and a TD.

Patrick Ricard gets into the end zone for a rare TD, much to the delight of prop bettors everywhere.

And the Ravens now control their own destiny at 11-5 vs. Pittsburgh's 10-6 mark.

On to the Browns we go.

Many of you know who Dave Portnoy is and some of you probably don't.

No, he's not the drummer for the band Dream Theater. That's Mike Portnoy.

Dave Portnoy is the founder and "El Presidente" of the incredibly popular internet-based sports media entity, Barstool Sports.

Like most people who spend their time in the public eye and create something out of nothing, Portnoy is a bit of a lightning rod. He has been on top of the sports media world for well over a decade now and with that comes both adulation and criticism.

There's no sense in trying to "balance" things out here today with equal parts praise and blame. That's not my intention at all, so I'm not going to do it.

Today, Portnoy's getting over-the-top credit for a recent visit to Baltimore where he saved a local pizza stop in Federal Hill.

And by "saved", that's what he did. Here's the story.

For years, Portnoy has traveled around the country testing out "mom and pop" pizza shops, taking a film crew with him and buying a pizza as "Dave". He then grades the pizza and posts the video of his stop and his taste test at Barstool.

It's become his "thing", so to speak. He has 50 employees at Barstool producing content for their website. A lot of it is great. Some of it, not so great. But Portnoy's shtick is the pizza rate. If you get him to stop in your shop, you're already a winner.

Earlier this week, Portnoy stopped in at the Tiny Brick Oven on 1036 Light Street in Federal Hill.

When he left, he had provided the store with an impressive 7.9 rating on the pizza and a pledge for $60,000 to keep the store open for at least 2025.

Tiny Brick Oven was set to close on December 25.

Not close for the day, but close for good.

Portnoy was so moved by Will, the owner, that he gave him $60,000 to keep Tiny Brick Oven open.

OK, so, yes, Portnoy is worth $150 million. I get that. His critics have pointed that out time and time again whenever the Barstool head honcho hands out money, which he does often.

"What's $25,000 to him?" they'll say, even though they're not donating $25,000.

During the Covid-19 crisis in the spring of 2020, Portnoy distributed millions of dollars to small businesses, including several in the Baltimore area, to help them survive the pandemic.

This time around, it was $60,000 to save a Baltimore pizza shop.

"All you can take with you is that which you have given away."

Portnoy is definitely a "giver".

And his generosity is much appreciated in these parts.

Here's the video for those who want to see how it all unfolded.

Tuesday December 24, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3775

how important are you?

So, I brought this question up recently during a men's fellowship group I participate in a couple of times a month.

How important are you?

Or, I guess, how important do you think you are?

I asked them to think about that question for a minute. And then consider it on a variety of levels.

How important are you at home? If you're single, your importance is different, obviously. If you have a family, and your work helps pay the bills, you're important on a different level.

How important are you at work? Is the quality of your work critical to the success of the company? Can you afford an "off day" or do you need to be on point and on ten every moment of the work day?

How important are you to your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.? Are you there for them? Can they call on you when they need a helping hand?

Have you ever really thought about your importance?

And now, as you mull over your importance, I want you to think for a second about the most important person ever born.

It's not you.

It's not me.

It's not your favorite athlete, politician, musician, entrepreneur or family member even.

The most important person ever to walk the face of the earth celebrates his birthday tomorrow.

Jesus was, then, and still is, today, the most important person God ever created.

He created all of us, that's true.

But none of us have been able to do the things that Jesus did in his 33 years.

God sent Jesus to earth for a reason. He needed someone, in layman's terms, to "spread the news" and change the world in a way He wasn't able to do by just talking directly to people like Moses or the angels.

So, Jesus was born to lead the people -- everyone -- to God.

And we think we are important, huh?

Jesus was born to change the world.

His task: Change the way people live.

We all get some things thrown our way at times and we think, "Wow, you really want me to do that?"

Or, better yet, "Wow, do you think I'm capable of doing that?"

Jesus was sent here by God to change the entire world.

"Hey there, nice to meet you. What do you for a living?"

"I'm a doctor."

"That's an awesome profession. Thank you for helping people."

"And what do you do?"

"I'm a school teacher."

"That's so great. Education is the foundation of life. Thank you for your duty."

"And, you, sir, what do you do?"

"Well, a little bit of everything, I guess. I was born to change the world. So I'm trying to change the world, little by little."

Imagine people asking you what you do and you say, "Well, I was born to change the world."

The most important person to ever walk the face of the Earth celebrates His birthday tomorrow.

Think about what we do to celebrate our own birthday or the birthday of family members or friends. Some of those milestone years are treated with new cars, new clothes, trips to interesting places, and so on.

We celebrate birthdays to commemmorate the birth of someone and to honor them, if that's the right term, for making it another year on their journey.

And we're a gazillion light years less important than Jesus.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve and a meaningful, joyous Christmas morning tomorrow.

We'll be around tomorrow with our annual Christmas "gifts" edition, so tune in here when you get a minute, please.

In the meantime, today, please ponder the question of "importance" while you're chatting with your family, friends, relatives, etc.

And do me an important favor, please.

Just mention that tomorrow we celebrate the birth of the most important person ever created.

Some people in sports are known as game changers.

Imagine what it must have been like to have been tasked with changing the entire world.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

And here's to many, many more...

Monday December 23, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3774

april can't come soon enough

My golfing friend Jason started sending texts on the 8th hole of yesterday's PNC Championship, where Tiger Woods was teamed up with his son, Charlie, in the annual hit-and-giggle parent/child event.

"I really wish this wasn't happening," Jason wrote.

"What?" I asked.

"That he looks this good," Jason replied. "He's striping every shot. I wish he was stinking it up so we wouldn't get our hopes up for next year."

I hadn't really thought of it like that.

"He" that Jason was referring to, of course, was Tiger.

"There's a big difference between this and playing a TOUR event," I wrote back.

"I know there is," Jason replied. "But have you seen his numbers? They're all way up. His ball speed numbers are off the charts. He was playing coy last week when he said he wasn't sure if his game was sharp enough."

Jason was right about that part. Tiger's clubhead speed, ball speed and the ever-important "smash factor" -- which is all the rage these days in professional golf -- were all significantly up over this time last year according to Golf Channel data collectors.

And, yes, Tiger's golf was solid. There were a couple of mishit wedge shots on the back nine on Sunday, but Charlie was already in there 6 to 8 feet for birdie. It's not necessary to dial it in from 100 yards when your playing partner has already left you with a kick-in.

Overall, though, Tiger looked very good for someone who just 14 days ago told the assembled media in the Bahamas he wasn't even sure if he would be "game sharp" enough to play.

We've seen this act before, though. That's always worth mentioning. Several times over the last 5 years, Tiger has looked good in spots throughout the off-season, only to then experience another physical ailment in the spring that derails him for another year.

Only time will tell if somehow, this time, Tiger's off-season surgery really did fix an ongoing problem.

This weekend's tournament eventually came down to two teams, Team Woods and Team Langer, comprised of 67 year old Bernhard Langer and his son, Jason, a mid 20's financial analyst who played college golf at the University of Pennsylvania a few years back.

When I had the fortunate pleasure of playing two rounds with Bernhard at the '21 U.S. Senior Open, I asked him about his children as we strolled down the fairway. "I have a son who is a decent player," the 2-time Masters champ told me. "But he doesn't take his golf very seriously these days. He's trying to find a job in New York after graduating from college."

Well, maybe Jason Langer didn't take golf seriously in the summer of 2021. But he sure has taken it seriously recently. Yesterday's playoff win over the Woods team was just as much about Jason and as it was Bernhard, although the elder Langer had an almost laughable difference in course yardage over the 18 hole layout.

Langer's course measured just a hair over 6,000 yards. Woods played a 7,000 yard course. The amateurs -- both Charlie and Jason in this case -- played a 6,700 yard track.

If you think Langer's yardages were unfair, consider how far both Charlie and Jason were carrying it. Both of them hit several drives in excess of 310 yards, with the younger Woods pounding his driver right down the middle late in the game when his dad needed him most.

In the end, the event ended on the 2nd playoff hole when Bernhard rolled in a 16-foot eagle putt.

"I know you'd rather have Tiger and Charlie up here holding the trophy," he said, jokingly, to the crowd who stuck around for the trophy presentation. "They'll win plenty of these together, don't worry."

Alas, everyone won on Sunday.

Golf won. Tiger and Charlie headlined the show, while the Langer team fought valiantly all afternoon to keep the outcome in doubt.

Tiger won, too. He walked 36 holes in two days and showed small glimpses of his former putting greatness. He and Charlie shot 59-57 to finish 28 under par for the two day scramble event.

Charlie was a huge winner. In some ways, what he's doing, golf wise, is almost as impressive as what Tiger did when he was 15.

Yes, Tiger was winning U.S. Junior titles when he was 15. That's true. But he also grew up "just" being Tiger Woods.

Charlie has grown up trying to be a competitive golfer who also happens to have the most famous athlete in the world today as his dad.

There are certainly perks that come with that, yes. But it's never easy to be "the chosen one", which is what Charlie has been ever since he started teeing it up in this event 5 years ago.

His golf has improved incredibly over the last 12 months. His average carry off the tee over the two day tournament was 292.5 yards. And he's 15 years old.

The tournament itself is mostly a nothing-burger in terms of importance within the world of golf. There are no ranking points available and it doesn't "count" as a win or anything like that.

But it's important to the players, obviously, and, in particular, the dads. Fred Couples had tears in his eyes when he talked about getting to tee it up with his step son for the first time.

David Duval said on Friday afternoon that he'd consider a win at the PNC every bit on par with his British Open championship because of the fact he'd be sharing it with his son and beating a variety of legends of the sport.

And then Tiger, of course, got to share an incredible moment with Charlie on Sunday when the 15-year old made a hole in one, his first ever, in front of his dad and the TV audience.

There's something about watching your son reach a golfing goal in your presence that's hard to describe unless you, yourself, have a child involved in athletics.

Late this summer, I got to watch my son break 80 -- legitimately -- for the first time ever. I wrote about it here the day after because it meant so much to me to be there when he did it.

He had been talking about shooting in the 70's all summer and had a couple of chances to do it and squandered them. But on that day, he played the last four holes in even par and made a great up and down from just in front of the green on the last hole, rolling in a four foot putt to shoot 79.

No mulligans. No touching the ball in the fairway. No 2 foot putts missed that were counted as "in" anyway. No "rake and place" in the bunkers. He hit the ball 79 times. I'll never forget it.

I'm sure Tiger won't forget this weekend, either. His daughter, Sam, was on his bag as the caddie. Even Tiger's ex-wife Elin showed up to support Charlie -- and maybe even Tiger, who knows -- and the four of them, Tiger, Elin, Sam and Charlie enjoyed a quick "family" hug, if you will, afterwards.

I've given up trying to figure out if Tiger can ever again be competitive in golf. I'll just keep on saying what I say year after year.

"If he can stay healthy and can play in some tournaments leading up to the majors, he might -- key word: might -- have a shot at winning again."

He certainly looked very good this weekend, albeit in a low-stress situation where you were able to basically play lift, clean and place all over the course due to the scramble format.

If nothing else, we all got to rush to our calendars and circle that week in April where the golf world heads to Augusta National for the best tournament ever created.

April can't come soon enough.

Sunday December 22, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3773

that's settled (for now)

I told you it wouldn't be close.

Even Justin Tucker was on his game yesterday.

In a late-season showdown that sets up a wild final two weeks of the regular season, the Ravens embarrassed the Pittsburgh defense in a 34-17 win in front of 50,000 Ravens fans and 20,000 people waving yellow towels.

John Harbaugh started off his pre-Christmas post-game press conference with a reflection about the birth of Jesus and the upcoming celebration this Wednesday.

He should have also thanked God for all the fortunate bounces his team took advantage of in yesterday's 34-17 thumping of the Steelers in Baltimore.

Pittsburgh fans were lamenting "coulda, shoulda, woulda" afterwards and rightfully so. If those two early Baltimore fumbles bounce into the hands of the team in white, you never know how things might have turned out.

Alas, those early gaffes were recovered by the Ravens. And even though Pittsburgh did turn a 17-7 deficit into a 17-17 tie in the third quarter, the Ravens turned it on when they needed to en-route to a huge win that makes the AFC North a two-game sprint for the two teams.

Advantage: Ravens

Baltimore will beat up on an injury riddled Texans team this Wednesday, probably by about the same score they whacked the Steelers.

And that will leave only a home finale win over the Browns to sew up a 12-5 campaign.

Pittsburgh would have to win their final two games in order to stave off the Ravens. And that's not going to be easy. The Steelers host the Chiefs on Wednesday and K.C. still has to play hard in order to stay in the #1 spot in the AFC. And then they host Cincinnati in the final week of the regular season.

Advantage: Ravens

Two Baltimore wins and a Pittsburgh loss will give the Ravens a home game against either Denver, Los Angeles or, yes, the Steelers.

There's also this wacky stat: The Steelers could have sewed up the division yesterday with a win in Baltimore. But they can't sew up the division on Wednesday if they beat K.C. And the Ravens can lose on Wednesday in Houston and still win the division, even if the Steelers beat the Chiefs.

Sounds weird, right? Go ahead and check it yourself. I know you want to. But you're wasting your time.

If the Steelers beat the Chiefs but lose to the Bengals, they finish 11-6. If the Ravens lose in Houston but beat the Browns, they also finish 11-6.

The Ravens would then win the AFC North by virtue of a 4-2 division record. Pittsburgh, by losing to the Bengals, would finish 3-3 in the AFC North.

It's a crazy league.

One thing we saw for sure, though, on Saturday. Pittsburgh's defense is pretty lousy.

Derrick Henry just picked up another 11 yards off tackle.

Zay Flowers just caught another 17 yard pass over the middle, unmarked and untouched.

And Roger Rosengarten just shoved T.J. Watt off the edge and out of harm's way yet again. Rosengarten made quick, easy work of Watt all day yesterday. It was the JV vs. the Varsity.

This, as I wrote all week, was always going to be a blow out of sorts.

Pittsburgh's just not that good.

And here's where I'll even stop for a second and applaud Russell Wilson. He gave it a total letterman's effort yesterday. There was a point early in the 4th quarter when I even remarked on Twitter: "Russell Wilson outplaying Lamar today wasn't on my bingo card."

Wilson had two huge mistakes, though, and both were game changers. His fumble at the 3 yard line in the second quarter was the bigger of the two. If he gets down unscathed there and the Steelers score to make it 14-7, who knows where the night might have gone?

The pick six he threw in the 4th quarter was the game "sealer", if you will, but the fumble in the second quarter was a massive mistake.

Other than that, though, Wilson had a really nice afternoon. "Golf clap" for him. I was impressed.

And now it's on to Houston to smack around the depleted Texans on Christmas Day.

Tiger Woods lugged his son Charlie around for 18 holes yesterday and the result was a nifty 13-under par score of 59 in the opening round of the PNC Championship in Naples, Florida.

OK, so Tiger didn't "lug around" his very-capable 15-year old son. But the elder Woods hit a lot of great shots along the way, as the two of them are tied for the lead with 18 holes to play this afternoon.

You might be wondering, "59...isn't that a remarkable score for two players to shoot?"

Well, yes it is. But this event utitlizes the popular "scramble" format, where you and your partner both hit a tee shot. You then pick the best one of those and you both hit from that spot. You then pick the best one of those and you hit from the next spot. And so on.

It's the kind of format you play at every summer charity event you participate in.

Except you and your other three players work hard to shoot 13 under.

Tiger and Charlie, together, made 13 birdies and just 5 pars.

The younger Woods is legit. Whether he ever plays on TOUR or not remains to be seen, but he certainly has the basic skill set to start on the path to professional golf. His ball speed off the club is faster than roughly 30% of the players already on TOUR, according to testing numbers at least year's PGA Championship.

And, Tiger, of course, is just trying to figure out if there's anything left in his soon-to-be-49-year-old-tank.

As I wrote here yesterday, there's a huge difference between a scramble and, say, the first round at TPC Sawgrass or Augusta National.

But his play yesterday, where he walked all 18 holes (albeit on a flat, Florida course), was definitely "above par", no pun intended.

There's no telling what other ailment will rear its head to derail him in 2025, but if Woods can stay healthy (and that's a bigger if then saying, "If the Dems can just accept their November loss and move on"), perhaps he can produce some good golf next year.

The other interesting part of today's final round will be the TV numbers. Going up against the NFL, what will NBC draw for their window of coverage that will feature Tiger and Charlie?

Tuesday night's fiasco in Las Vegas that pitted four of the biggest names in golf (Rory, Scottie, Bryson and Brooks) drew a paltry 625,000 viewers.

What will today's final round of the PNC bring, numbers wise?

Frankly, that question is more interesting than tonight's Sunday Night NFL game between Tampa Bay and Dallas.

Saturday December 21, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3772

today's the day

We've been waiting for this day all the way back since the summer months.

Your mileage might vary, but I've had, "Saturday, December 21" circled on my calendar throughout the fall and early winter.

It looks like the weather might impact play today, which means performance might take a slight decline.

But they do play an outdoor sport, for the most part, although some cities will have an indoor version of it over the next month or so.

So, you take what the weather gives you and you go from there.

You might be the kind of fan that enjoys going out there today and watching. Me? I'll watch it from the cozy confines of my couch.

I just hope we get to see Tiger Woods hit some great shots. And enjoy the day with his son, Charlie.

He hasn't teed it up in a golf tournament of any kind since a 36-hole effort at last July's British Open.

If Friday is any indicator, Woods has once again won in the game of "cat and mouse".

Last week at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, Tiger avoided questions about his health and playing status for this weekend's PNC Championship in Orlando. He was cryptic with his answers. "I haven't played at all," he told reporters. "So I have to figure out if I can even be competitive with (him) out there. I won't play if I can't help him."

If Friday's practice round is an indicator, Tiger will help. He walked all 18 holes with Charlie, made several birdies along the way, and didn't look like a guy who underwent a 4th back surgery four months ago.

Now, it's fair to point out several things.

1. A Friday practice round in a hit-and-giggle golf tournament isn't anything to get overly worked up about.

2. Playing decent or even "very well" at a hit-and-giggle golf tournament is nothing like shooting 68 on Thursday at the Masters.

3. Tiger has played this tune in the past, teeing it up at the Parent/Child (PNC Championship) and looking a little bit like "the old Tiger", only to have his body blow up on him in the spring and another season goes by without the 15-time major champion staying on TOUR and playing a limited but regular schedule.

So, Tiger will tee it up today and tomorrow with his son in what has become a highly competitive silly-season event over the last 10 years because so many great players have children or grandchildren who are excellent players in their own right.

We -- that is, people who care about golf -- will be watching intently to see how Tiger handles it all.

The weather is going to be very unseasonable down in Florida today. It will be in the mid 50's when the players tee off this morning and the high will "only" reach 62 degrees. Tiger would prefer 90 and breezy to keep his surgically repaired body loose and limber.

No matter what, though, it's just good to see him back, hitting balls, playing golf and giving us all that annual small glimmer of hope that maybe next season will be the one we've been waiting for since he won the 2019 Masters.

Here in The Land of Pleasant Living, it's not going to be so pleasant today as well. Unlike Florida, though, if you go to the Ravens/Steelers game at 4:25 pm, you'll be encountering "football weather", with temps in the low 30's by late afternoon.

Some people on the internet are trying to create a "Lamar can't play in the cold" angle for this one today. OK, then. Have at it, as Brian Billick used to say.

Sure, Lamar would probably prefer 55 and sunny today. So would every player. But 35 degrees is fine. It's not like the game is being played in Fairbanks, Alaska.

We've seen Jackson have some stellar performances in cold and "really cold" weather. A lot of people are pointing to the playoff stinker in freezing temps in Buffalo a few years ago.

Yeah, and you're telling me other visiting quarterbacks haven't gone into Buffalo and had an "off day"? Give it a rest.

The big news on Friday involved a former Steeler and, now, former Raven, as wide receiver Diontae Johnson was summarily dismissed after a two week "layoff" for insubordination.

The Ravens gave up a late round draft pick for Johnson, so it's not like they're losing much by casting him aside, but, man, when you get fleeced in a deal by the Panthers, you know you've screwed the pooch.

Johnson might be able jump on with a receiver-starved team for the final stretch run of the regular season and playoffs, but you can totally have that dude if you want him.

When you tell a player his number is up and he's going in the game and he says, "Nah, dawg, I'm good right here on the bench," he has to go. Like, immediately.

Why the Ravens even kept that dude around for two weeks is wildly bizarre.

His locker should have been cleaned out at Owings Mills two hours after the loss to the Eagles, when he was asked to enter the game and refused.

Harbaugh to the equipment guy: "Hey, Schmedley, what's your schedule tonight?"

Schemdley: "Well, we have about 2 hours of laundry to do here. Clean up the locker room for 40 minutes or so. I was hoping to grab a bite to eat with the trainers and equipment guys about 9:30. Maybe Little Italy."

Harbaugh: "Yeah, I need you to run out to Owings Mills. You'll have to do dinner with the guys some other time."

Schmedley: "Owings Mills, boss? Tonight? Why?"

Harbaugh: "Clean out Diontae Johnson's locker."

Schmedley: "Can't that wait until we're back in there tomorrow morning at 7 am?"

Harbaugh: "No. It can't wait. Tonight. Right now. As soon as you can, clean out his locker."

If you're a regular visitor to #DMD, you know there's a lot on the line tonight in Baltimore.

The Steelers can win the division by defeating the Ravens. That would be the worst of the worst. It's one thing to have the Steelers win the division and the Ravens have to head to the road for the playoffs. That's bad enough.

But to have Pittsburgh win the division on your home ice? That wouldn't be cool at all.

I also have something on the line. Ten days ago, I told Glenn Clark on his daily show there's no way "a guy with manicured and painted fingernails is coming to Baltimore and beating the Ravens in a football game."

I was referring to Steelers QB Russell Wilson, of course.

And, so, if the Ravens somehow stub their toe and lose tonight, I'm obligated -- with Clark in attendance watching and heckling -- to "get my nails done" at a local salon.

I have zero worry about the game. A lot of the doom-and=gloomers around town are concerned because that's how they are. But I'm not worried in the least.

There's no way Pittsburgh's coming to Baltimore and beating the Ravens.

I originally called it 27-16, Baltimore, but amended that on Friday when the Steelers announced George Pickens was calling out sick with a supposed hamstring injury. I now have it 27-10, Ravens.

That will put both teams at 10-5 with two games to play.

The Steelers have Kansas City and Cincinnati at home.

The Ravens are at Houston and home vs. Cleveland.

There is a lot riding on this one today.

Friday December 20, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3771

bills beat lions...again?

Longing for mid-week content to satiate people like you and I, the folks at ESPN.com on Wednesday ran some sort of "simulated league" and projected the final three weeks of the regular season and playoffs.

I have no idea how they run a simulation of games when, for example, they had no idea on Wednesday if George Pickens, Patrick Mahomes and, here at home, Rashod Bateman, are going to play this weekend.

I totally understand it's just a shot in the dark sort of process. They're looking for content. I get it. And I also clicked on it, just to see how crazy it all was.

It's crazy.

They have the Ravens losing to Pittsburgh this Saturday, 30-24, and then losing 34-14 to the Texans in Houston on Christmas Day.

I already have a manicure and fingernail painting on the line (see this past Monday's #DMD), but I'll go a step further and say I'll get a pedicure as well if the Steelers score 30 points on the Baltimore defense without George Pickens in their lineup and then Houston tacks on 34 (or more) next Wednesday.

Their simulator must be nipping too much Christmas egg nog.

The Steelers aren't scoring 30 on the Ravens (and winning) and the Texans aren't scoring 34 on the Ravens (and also winning). It's just not happening.

Anyway, ESPN.com does have Baltimore bouncing back to beat Cleveland in the season finale and they also have the Ravens going back to Houston for their playoff opener and beating the Texans.

And then, get this, they have the Ravens shellacking the #1 seed Chiefs in Kansas City, 27-7, in the AFC Divisional Round.

That earns the Ravens a return trip to the AFC title game, except this time they're facing the Bills in Buffalo, where ESPN.com's "single simulator" (whatever that means) has the Bills winning an instant classic, 24-23.

They went with chalk in the NFC, as #1 seed Detroit beat #2 seed Philadelphia to make their first ever trip to the Super Bowl.

In the big game, they have the Bills finally winning their coveted first ever NFL title, 27-13, over the Lions.

Look, if it's not the Ravens in the Super Bowl, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing ESPN.com be right. I have no issue with the Bills and Lions and either of those teams winning a championship ring would be a cool story.

So there you have it. You're a winner in two ways today.

1. You now know who ESPN.com says will make the Super Bowl, which means there's probably an 80% chance that match-up isn't going to wind up happening.

2. You don't have to click over and give those guys some traffic they definitely don't need.

Baseball Hall of Fame voting is now officially in full swing, with ballots due in by December 31. You can vote for no more than ten (10) players.

Before I tell you my selections for 2025 (No, I'm not an official voter or anything like that), let me again make my annual stand against the way the Hall of Fame does their voting.

This nonsense about percentages and being on the ballot for multiple years and falling off the ballot and so on...it's silly. Very silly.

You're either a Hall of Fame baseball player when you become eligible or you're not. It doesn't matter -- or, rather, shouldn't matter -- if 14 guys get in on the same ballot one year. If 14 guys are good enough, vote them all in. Right now, the max you can vote for is 10.

But not voting for a player this year but then voting for him next year makes zero sense. He wasn't a Hall of Fame player last year but now he's a Hall of Fame player this year? How dumb is that?

Alas, that's the end of my soapbox rant.

Let me tell you who I would vote for if they gave me a ballot.

Ichiro Suzuki -- If he doesn't get in, you should just go ahead and change the locks on the doors at Cooperstown and turn the place into a craft beer brewery. There's a chance he gets voted in unanimously, which would make him the first field player to ever achieve that honor. But you know some goof will leave him off of his or her ballot "just because".

Billy Wagner -- Everyone thinks closing games is easy right up until their team doesn't have a reliable closer and their "committee" blows a save every 6 games.

C.C. Sabathia -- I've gone back and forth on him recently, but in the end, based on the data, he has to get in. He was one of the best pitchers of his era. Not the best. But one of them.

Andruw Jones -- Only a career .254 hitter but had 10 straight years with 25 or more home runs.

Omar Vizquel -- I honestly thought he was a .240 or .250 career hitter. He actually hit .272 for his career. His glove alone probably should get him in, but the rest of his numbers support a Cooperstown call as well.

Mark Buehrle -- My favorite "push" for this class is Buehrle. He made 30 or more starts in all 15 of his "full" Major League seasons. He pitched 200 or more innings in 14 of those 15 seasons. His career ERA (3.81) wasn't spectacular, but it was still a half-run below the league average. He finished his career with 214 wins. He was a massively underrated pitcher.

And that's it for me. I came close to voting for Chase Utley and and Torii Hunter, but I put my pen away after those six.

It pained me to not vote for my favorite Oriole of all-time, Adam Jones. Alas, he's not a Hall of Fame player.

Sammy Sosa said "I did steroids" yesterday without actually saying it, and by finally admitting it and apologizing for it, he's now back in the good graces of the Chicago Cubs organization.

Sosa offered the classic, "I made mistakes" line in advance of the Cubs offering him a spot in their annual off-season Cubs Convention, where he has not appeared since retiring 17 years ago.

"I never broke any laws, but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize," Sosa said.

Sosa, along with other power-hitting steroid users Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, never made the Hall of Fame.

At least now, if nothing else, he's back in the Cubs "family" after Thursday's mea culpa.

And it begs the question.

What would the last 17 years have been like for Sosa had he just admitted his steroid use back in 2007 when he retired?

I mean, the Cubs made a lot of money off of Sosa during the big home run chase and in the few years thereafter. It's not like they wanted him to go away. They could have kept him around for "Sammy Sosa Day" every year and made more money off of him. But his reluctance to come clean left them no choice.

It's also fair to point out that baseball -- as in Major League Baseball -- cashed in big time during the McGwire/Sosa home run chase and with the Bonds run at 715 as well.

Everyone knew those guys were on the juice. But while the balls kept flying out and the tickets kept getting bought, no one said a word.

But back to the Sosa situation and whether the last 17 years would have been different for him had he just spilled the beans in 2007.

Pete Rose, of course, encountered the same sort of quandary when he refused to admit that he did, in fact, gamble on baseball. Rose's refusal to acknowledge his mistakes led to a lifetime ban from the sport and no trip to Cooperstown.

What if Sosa would have retired in 2007 and then said, immediately, "Look, I did what I thought I had to do back in the late 1990's, but I obviously used performance enhancing drugs and I now realize that was a mistake."

I guess the prevailing thought is by saying that in '07, he would have been virtually guaranteeing he'd never earn entry into the Hall of Fame.

But he was never getting in anyway.

I guess this one gets filed under "hindsight is 20/20", but why wouldn't Sosa have just confirmed what we already knew and let the chips fall from there?

McGwire?

Bonds?

As Judge Smails said in Caddyshack -- "Well.......we're waiting."

I already told you on Monday of this week that I see the Ravens beating the Steelers quite easily tomorrow, 27-16.

I'm amending my score based on Pickens not being able to play for Pittsburgh.

Ravens 27 - Steelers 10

It won't be close.

I mean, it might be 17-7 at the half, which is still a ballgame, but there won't be a point in the 4th quarter when the Ravens are officially "worried" about the outcome.

But here's what I will say about the game.

It's a very important contest for the Ravens.

Not just because Pittsburgh wins the division if they win the game.

It's important because it's at home, where the Ravens should hold serve.

Lamar's playing.

50,000 of the 70,000 in the stadium will be wearing purple.

The Ravens -- as they've been all season -- are mostly healthy at all the key spots. There's a chance Rashod Bateman won't play, but Pickens being out for Pittsburgh is a far bigger bruise than Bateman missing the game.

This battle needs to go Baltimore's way, even if the Steelers somehow wind up hanging on to win the AFC North in the final two weeks of the regular season.

John Harbaugh's team simply can't afford to hand over the AFC North trophy to the Steelers in their own backyard tomorrow.

The heat is more on the Ravens than it is the Steelers.

I'll stop short of calling it (potentially) "one of the worst losses of Harbaugh's tenure", since the current records indicate Pittsburgh is on par with the Ravens, quality wise.

But it would be a massive slap in the face to the Ravens to see Pittsburgh hopping around on the midfield logo around 7:30 pm on Saturday night.

It just can't happen.

faith in sports

Luke Weaver was a big part of the Yankees late season run to the A.L. East, taking over the closer role out of nowhere just after Labor Day and shining brightly for the Bronx Bombers.

But it hasn't been very easy for him over the last couple of years.

In today's edition of "Faith in Sports", he talks about his struggles and how he read the Bible daily to help navigate his way through the tough days of professional baseball.

This is an awesome 10 minute video. Luke Weaver really has his act together, as you'll see below.

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

Thursday December 19, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3770

"what's happened to the rivalry?"

A friend asked me something on Monday that, at first, I didn't even think was worth pondering.

"What do you think has happened to the Ravens/Steelers rivalry?" he asked.

I just sloughed it off with the usual commentary.

"No more Roethlisberger to hate."

"No more Baltimore defense vs. Steelers offense."

"Ray's gone."

"Hines Ward is gone."

"Joey Porter is gone."

"Terrell Suggs is gone."

Sure, Harbaugh and Tomlin are still around and there's probably equal parts respect and animosity shared between those two. But they're hardly "worst enemies" or anything even close to that.

There was that time the Steelers won a big game in Baltimore and Harbaugh barely made contact with Tomlin's hand at midfield afterwards before peeling off to the locker room.

The next time the Ravens won in Pittsburgh, the handshake was again perfunctory at best, with Tomlin's feet staying in motion the whole time as he rolled out quickly without even looking Harbaugh in the eye.

But that's about as much friction as those two will create. They know both the game and the rivalry isn't about them.

Alas, something has happened to the Ravens-Steelers rivalry.

I don't know that I can put my finger on it, exactly, but there's something missing.

Now, don't get me wrong. The stadium will be juiced this Saturday afternoon in Baltimore. The tailgate lots will be packed and the energy level will be through the roof once the game starts.

15,000 Steelers fans will weasel their way in, somehow, and the environment in the stadium will be "classic", I'm guessing.

But leading up to the game? This week? I'm missing it.

I thought about my friend Jim's question yesterday and even chatted a bit with a couple of other Ravens enthusiasts to bounce my thoughts off of them.

All of those things I referenced above? The players and what not? They're part of "what's missing", for sure.

But here's another culprit, I believe: Social media.

I spent some time yesterday around 3 pm perusing Twitter and went down a rabbit hole searching for 8 or so of what I consider the best Ravens "follows" on that social media platform.

Only one of them had anything Steelers-Ravens related within the last 8 hours.

Here's their content, in short.

Lamar vs. Josh Allen MVP.

Ravens "All 22" defensive review from last Sunday's game in New York.

Why isn't Keaton Mitchell playing?

Lamar vs. Josh Allen MVP.

Steelers edge rushers vs. Ravens offensive line.

Early lines on prop wagers for this weekend's games.

Ravens offensive play calling breakdown so far in '24.

"By the numbers" look at Ravens punting woes this season.

Twitter, on the Wednesday before the Ravens-Steelers showdown, was filled with stuff not pertaining to the game on Saturday.

Now, let me say this: I'm not suggesting the content was "bad" or uninformed. The punting data was quite interesting, actually. Jordan Stout is having a very sub-par season to date. I probably wouldn't have known "how sub-par" until I read the Twitter thread.

So I'm not suggesting the content is lousy.

I'm merely saying none of it has much at all to do with the Ravens and Steelers on Saturday.

And that just seems weird.

It also might explain, in part, what's happened over the last, say, 6 or 7 years of the rivalry.

People on the internet these days are looking to be unique. Sure, they're all searching for "hot takes" and stories they dig up on their own, but for the most part content providers just want to be providing something no one else can or will provide.

I couldn't care less why Keaton Mitchell isn't playing. I assume it's because the coaching staff feels like the guys who are ahead of him on the depth chart are better fits for the roster.

But, sure, it is a story of sorts, even if it's a nothing-burger to me.

That person probably says to themselves: "I can either write about the fact that the Steelers have owned the Ravens for the last four years or I can write about something that no one else in town is really talking about."

But doing that eliminates Ravens-Steelers content that might very well stoke the fire of the rivalry for those who are consuming it.

I'm not saying I have the answer to the question of, "what has happened?"

I do think, though, that social media influence, or lack thereof, does get a slice or two of the pizza.

We'd rather argue about whether Lamar is a better MVP choice than Josh Allen than look at ways to slow down George Pickens on Saturday in Baltimore.

The internet, man. It has definitely helped ruin a lot of things in the world.

#DMD reader "BJ" reached out to me yesterday with a bit of a confrontational e-mail in connection with something I wrote here on Wednesday about college athletes.

"Your (sic) out of line saying those college football players have no shame just because they're looking to make better for themselves. I'd like to hear what you have against all of them. You act like they should play for free."

There was more. But the meat of it was what you saw above. He took umbrage with my commentary about college players having no shame with regard to their transfer habits.

The reality is this: Everything about high level college sports is pretty much broken.

Everyone involved has little or no shame.

They play football and basketball games on weeknights, which means the big schools leave the day before the game and often times return the day after the game, which pretty much means those "student-athletes" are missing bits and pieces of three days of classes.

The Ivy League still almost does it all right. They play on Friday and Saturday and their travel is such that they probably don't have to miss class except for Friday.

But these college basketball teams flying all over the country and playing at 8 pm or 9 pm? It's outrageous.

You can blame the schools for that. Or their conferences. There are a lot of tentacles attached to it. The TV networks tell the conferences they need content on Wednesday night and since the conferences like those $300 million checks they receive, they tell the schools "you're playing on Wednesday night a bunch of times this season".

Everyone is to blame for the erosion of college sports at the Division I level.

We're even to blame, as crazy as that sounds. By "we", I mean you and I. How do you think these schools are gathering up all of that N.I.L. money they're throwing around to the athletes? It's coming from their alumni base, the local business community, and any other entity they can shake hands with and score another $25,000 "donation".

If you've ever donated, you're complicit.

You're not a bad person or anything like that. But you're helping speed along the erosion.

That said, maybe the current business model the NCAA is utilizing is the way it should work, with a tweak or two to help make it balanced and accountable.

Maybe the college athletes should get paid to play.

Perhaps they should have to sign a contract and bind themselves to a school, in the same way a drafted baseball or football player has to sign a contract with their team that keeps them there for a limited amount of time.

And maybe the student-athlete should have to pay for their schooling, in the same way just a regular kid from the neighboring town has to pay for their tuition.

They get, say, $80,000 to play football at Maryland. They sign a 4-year agreement. Tuition, room and board costs them $30,000 anually. They're in the black by $50,000.

That's pretty good work for an 18-year old.

They'll have to file taxes and do everything else a normal working man/woman would have to do, but that's part and parcel with being employed.

I'm not saying that's precisely the way it should work, but something of that sort, perhaps. In the "old days", you got that $30,000 education free and clear in exchange for playing sports for the school. No debt.

That system is actually sorta-kinda still in play at the Division III level, where athletic scholarships are a no-go and academic monies are distributed based on your admission scores. A lot of Division III kids seem to deal well with the exchange of sports for a free education.

It's also fair to point out that Division III sports pale in comparison -- revenue wise -- to Division I sports.

But it used to be that way at the Division I level, too. Go to school, get a free education, play football, leave happy.

Along the way, people deemed that "unfair", somehow.

So, now, to make it fair, maybe the model should evolve into paying the players a contracted salary and charging them the tuition rate for the school year.

That removes any argument and counter-argument regarding compensation for players. And it also teaches them about personal finance and business and the life lesson of how to manage your money and your brand.

I don't like college sports all that much any longer, but there might be hope yet.

I know you're probably thinking the same thing I'm thinking: No chance.

Wednesday December 18, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3769

i just don't understand

I hate getting irritated around the Christmas season. It feels wrong to be walking around on edge because of things going on in the real world, particularly when almost all of them don't really impact me in the least.

People getting shot on the street in New York. A juvenile opening fire in a school classroom in Wisconsin. A chaotic, deadly scene last night about 200 yards from Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

Those things bother me.

But when I stop to think about it even more, they do impact me. And they impact my children in the future. People in our society with no regard for decency impacts us all. And, as the saying goes, there but by the Grace of God go I. You never know when you might be the target of someone else's anger or frustration.

I also get bothered by the fact that people get irritated by the use of the word "Christmas".

I said "Have a great Christmas" to a woman working the register at Target on Sunday and she snarled and said, "Yeah, or holiday. Maybe I'll have a great one of those."

If not for the fact that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, there wouldn't be a Christmas. It's a day to honor, remember and celebrate HIS birth. He wasn't named "Holiday".

So I'm already slightly aggravated at how petrified we've become in this country to say the words "Merry Christmas" when that's precisely why there's a holiday in the first place.

And then, on top of that, I run across these stories below and I really get on edge.

In case you missed it this week, the PGA of America announced they are going to compensate U.S. Ryder Cup players to the tune of $500,000 next September when the bi-annual event is played at Bethpage Black in New York.

Each player will receive a $200,000 personal stipend and also be permitted to designate $300,000 to a charity/charities of his choice.

The charity part, sure, I'm good with that. Prior to 1999, there was no charity angle involved at all, and then the guys in '99 made a stink and the PGA of America ponied up $100,000 for each player to give to his charity of choice. Fair enough.

But this latest chapter, where the players are begging and whining to be paid? It's clownshoes stuff.

That said, the PGA of America has done a poor job over the years of explaining exactly where the Ryder Cup revenue goes and how it directly helps fund the rest of the business they run over the next 23 months. So, part of this fiasco is on them, for not being more transparent with the allocation of their revenues.

Even still, though, no one should be getting paid to represent their country and play in this event next September.

I just don't understand why the PGA of America wouldn't say to all of the American players, "We're not paying you to play. We'll give you the $300,000 donation and you can distribute that however you wish. But we're not paying you to play. And if you can't accept those terms, you can step aside from the competition and we'll offer your spot to another player."

For the life of me, I can't figure out why that is so hard to do. Sure, DeChambeau or Cantlay or Schauffele might pitch a fit and say, "Well, then, I'm not playing!" and if that happens, so be it. Give their spot to Russell Henley or Harris English or Akshay Bhatia and, guess what, the team will probably be just fine either way.

Greed, man. I can't stand it.

Last weekend, Marshall's college football team pulled out of the Independence Bowl vs. Army due to a mass exodus of players to the transfer portal.

From December 9 through December 14, 29 players from Marshall exited the program and entered the portal.

It's also worth noting the team's former head coach bolted for the vacant Southern Mississippi job early last week after Marshall completed a 10-3 regular season.

The school itself isn't blameless here. The football coach, Charles Huff, attempted to negotiate a contract extension with the Thundering Herd in the summer of '23 and '24 and was unable to get that done. He then coached a lame duck season in 2024, produced a 10-3 record, and rolled on to greener pasturers as soon as he could.

The whole thing is a mess.

I just don't understand why the NCAA would ever create a transfer portal window that starts in a time when football teams are playing games still. What moron in the NCAA office said, "You know, I think December 9 would be a great day to allow football players to leave for other programs."?

Why not wait until, say, February 1st? Or, you know, how about this novel idea? START THE TRANSFER PORTAL WHEN SCHOOL ENDS IN MAY.

It's hard to blame the kids. We all know they have zero shame when it comes to packing up and leaving.

Those Marshall kids would sign on at UConn or Western Michigan for an extra Keurig machine and $44 in cash every week. If the transfer date is December 9, they're opting out on December 9. It's not the fault of the athletes that these goofs at the NCAA made December 9 the start of the portal window.

There are people making hundreds of thousands of dollars running the NCAA and they can't even tie their own shoes. It's amazing.

If we're doing year-end awards here at #DMD, the award for the most tiring, lame, exhausting topic for 2024 goes to this on-going debate about whether Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen should win the NFL MVP award.

Who gives a flying-eff who wins it?

What it is with this inferiority complex we've developed in Baltimore? We sound like 10 year olds complaining because recess got cut short due to drizzle.

Now, yes, I'm aware some people bet on it. I get that. You can bet on anything these days. But who really thinks whining on the internet about Lamar being the MVP is actually going to, in any way, connect with Lamar winning or losing the MVP vote?

And these talking heads around the networks and online who offer their opinion are doing so with three games left in the season. Sure, there's a lot of data already in the books and it's probably a two-horse race between Allen and Lamar unless Barkley does something totally crazy in Philly over the last 3 games.

But all people are doing for the most part is telling you who they like now. It's hardly a done deal.

And yet, Baltimore football fans have this completely bizarre infatuation with arguing about the MVP race with anyone who says or writes anything except, "Lamar is the MVP."

I just don't understand why the MVP award means so much to people. It's a no-calorie nothing-burger. If Lamar wins the MVP award and the Ravens lose to, well, anyone in the AFC playoffs, who gives a frig that he won the award?

In the grand scheme of things, Lamar winning a 3rd MVP does NOTHING for him. He's going to the Hall of Fame with 2, 3 or 5 of them, if he should win that many.

But if Lamar wins 5 MVP awards and fails to win a Super Bowl, his career will be incomplete.

On the flip side, if he never wins another MVP award and wins a Super Bowl or two, his curriculum vitae will need nothing else.

Super Bowls matter now. MVP awards do not.

This one is admittedly personal to me and your mileage may vary and I get that, totally. It's not a new story, per se, but I got smacked in the face with it recently and it has irked me ever since.

I attended a local high school basketball game where one of the teams blatantly disrespected the national anthem.

It started at the top, with their head coach, who stood on the sideline like a statue with his hands in his pockets staring up at the ceiling throughout the entire song.

His team wasn't any different, not surprisingly, as they stood on the sideline as well and did everything they could to not pay attention to the 90 second national anthem.

Almost every team (that I've seen, anyway) stands across the court, in unison, while the anthem is played. This team stood on the sidelines like they were waiting at the Good Humor truck in the summer.

They got their cue from their head coach, quite clearly.

He doesn't give the anthem any respect. Why should they?

There were also, by my unofficial count, 9 people in the stands who remained seated and breezed through their phone while the anthem was being played.

I don't know which team they were affiliated with, so I'm certainly not going to make any kind of speculation on that subject.

But they're adults. If they want to be disprespectful to their country, so be it. I don't like it. But it is what it is.

I just don't understand how a coach -- in position to mold and mentor young men -- could be that blantantly uninterested in the national anthem and, at the same time, incredibly uninterested in teaching his players about the importance of taking 90 seconds out of their day (night) to show some appreciation for the freedom they have as citizens of the United States.

Coaches are teachers.

They're "teaching" sports, of course, but coaching is teaching.

If you, as the coach, stand on the sideline and aren't engaged, your players are going to follow suit.

It's a terrible look. The school should be ashamed.

Tuesday December 17, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3768

well...you wanted a pitcher

OK, so I'll take the contrarian position today when it comes to the big news out of the Warehouse on Monday night.

It's human nature to be nonplussed by the O's and their signing of a 35-year old guy who has never pitched a day in the big leagues.

If you're one of those folks left scratching your head at yesterday's news, I'm not going to go out of my way today to convince you that you're wrong.

You could be right and your cynicism may very well be completely justified. This is the Orioles we're talking about, after all.

That said, I'd like for you to hear me out.

Hang with me for a minute or two and let me explain it in a way you might understand.

When you have children who grow an inch every couple of months, you become oddly dependent on thrift stores or consignment shops, particularly when it comes to one-off things like sport coats (boys) and formal wear (girls).

Not only is it a prudent way to spend money, there's something uniquely thrilling about finding an item that, brand new, would cost maybe $200 and the tag you're staring at says $20. And you know you might only wear it once or twice and then you'll thrift it back to them for $8.00 or so a few months down the road.

God's providence took me to a store called "Savers" in Towson with my son last month. He was looking for a pair of dress shoes to wear to a senior dance.

"Dress shoes" and my son don't go together very well. So we went thrifting hoping to find a cheap pair he could wear once and either keep around for another day or turn back in for store credit a week or two down the road.

While he sorted through the shoes, I naturally wandered over to the polo shirt rack. I expected nothing.

Ten shirts in, I caught the flash of a familiar logo. It was the famous "Masters" logo on a beautiful white shirt with a kelly green collar.

There's a dirty little secret I'll share about Masters apparel. They sell a variety of shirts, pullovers and jackets in the Augusta National souvenir stores during Masters week. Some are manufactured by names you've heard of; adidas, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger and others.

They also sell their own "Masters" brand of shirt. For roughly 10 years, a company named "Fairway and Greene" provided their shirts to the folks at Augusta and they then had the "Authentic Masters Apparel" tag sewed into the neck of the shirt. You were, at that point, buying a Fairway and Greene shirt, unknowingly, that happened to have the Masters tag on the back as if they made it.

There's nothing wrong with that practice. It's not illegal at all. And Fairway and Greene is a nice, reputable brand of golf shirt.

For some reason, though, I always found Fairway and Greene shirts to be about 15% too small. I don't know why. They just always seemed to be a smidgen tighter than, say, Foot Joy (15% too big) or Greg Norman Collection (15% too big). In stock terms, a Fairway and Greene "XL" was really a "large and three quarters" and the Foot Joy/Greg Normal XL was really an XL and a quarter. Make sense?

Anyway...(Yes, there's a point to this. Hang tight. It's better than hearing about my favorite Hall and Oates show. Which, for those of you who are curious, came back in February of 2016 when I saw them play at Madison Square Garden and they played my two all-time favorite H&O songs back to back; "Did It In A Minute" and "Say It Isn't So". I think I saw H&O 10 times. Maybe 11. And I think I only heard them play "Did It In A Minute" in 4 of those shows.)

And while we're on the subject of Hall and Oates, if you can ever get your hands on Daryl Hall's second solo album, "Three Hearts In The Happy Ending Machine", get it! It's a great piece of music.

OK, back we go to the Orioles and their signing of the Japanese pitcher.

Five years ago, Augusta National abruptly and discreetly changed their "licensed apparel" brand to Peter Millar which, if you ask just about anyone, is one of the best, if not best, golf apparel brands in the world. At Peter Millar, a Medium is a Medium. A Large is a Large. And so on.

Peter Millar is the best when it comes to golf shirts and general apparel.

Then, last year, a company called "Greyson" secured the contract and they started supplying the shirts for Augusta National.

No one knew Peter Millar was the shirt brand. And no one really knows Greyson is now. And, please, don't ask me how I know. If I told you how I know, someone would lose their job and you'd have to hire protective security for you and your family.

So now you know why, last month, when I saw that Masters shirt in the thrift store, I was over-the-moon with excitement. Why? Because it was a Peter Millar Masters shirt. The tag along the bottom of the shirt had a "SC23" notation, which stands for "Summer Comfort 2023".

Summer Comfort is Peter Millar's annual brand of summer golf shirts.

I pulled the hanger out of the shirt, took off my hoodie, and tried the shirt on. It was a perfect fit. My size.

I fished for the tag again to check out the price.

It was marked $24. But the $24 was scratched out. And underneath it was scribbled, "$18".

A $120 shirt -- maybe $150 -- at the 2023 Masters was mine for $18.

I have no idea why that shirt was at Savers. It looked like it had been worn once. Twice maybe. Did the person who bought it not fit it in any longer? Did he not like white shirts? Was he not a golfer and someone gave it to him as a gift?

I was beaming with pride as I approached the cash register.

It's one thing if it's a ratty, worn out looking shirt. This thing looked like it just came off the rack at Augusta National.

As someone who has been to the Masters eleven times and has purchased, roughly $1,500 or more of Masters merchandise, finding a Masters shirt for $18 was a special kind of highway robbery.

I know what you're thinking: "What on earth does this have to do with anything?"

Thrifting, I'm telling you, is a blast. Even if it winds up not being exactly as good as the same thing brand new, you also didn't pay brand new prices.

And sometimes you stumble on to something that's such a good deal you almost feel embarrassed about it.

The Orioles went thrifting yesterday when they signed that Japanese pitcher.

He's 35 years old.

He's never pitched in a Major League Game.

I've never heard of him. You've never heard of him. He was apparently very good last season in the Japanese league.

Late last night, an intrepid O's fan posted a video of the O's new pitcher striking out a bunch of Major League players back in 2017 at the World Baseball Championship.

You remember 2017. Joe Flacco was still good. Corey Kluber was the A.L. Cy Young winner.

This new Japanese pitcher was evidently also really good in 2017.

There's no telling if he's worth the $13 million the O's had to give him to pitch in Baltimore in 2025.

He might be a flop. Or the Orioles might be getting Wei-Yin Chen 2.0.

None of us know, really. The new guy from Japan might be a Masters shirt on a rack at a thrift store for Mike Elias.

Admittedly, you'd rather have them spend money on Blake Snell or Max Fried. They were the O's version of the brand new shirt.

But they didn't want to spend $150 on a brand new shirt.

Or, as it turned out, $200 million on a brand new shirt. Spending that kind of money is just not what they do.

Instead, they found this dude from the Japanese league, Tomoyuki Sugano, and got him for $18.

Who knows, he might be a Peter Millar. A perfect fit. The right size. And the O's get him on the cheap.

Or they might discover a coffee stain near the back collar they didn't even know existed, which would partially explain why he only cost them $18.

He also could be the first step in a Japanese off-season parlay, if you will. A daily double of sorts. The O's have reportedly been interested in signing 23-year old phenom Roki Sasaki, who could, perhaps, want to sign with a team in the Majors who has some sort of Japanese presence already in the clubhouse.

Sasaki, though, isn't cheap. He'd be a $150 Masters shirt and a $90 Masters blanket and a wildly overpriced $280 Masters Zero restriction waterproof rain jacket.

The O's aren't going to find Sasaki in a thrift shop, which is is where they tend to browse most of the time.

I know we are expecting more.

There's no sense in beating that dead horse. They're running the team the way they want to run it.

Other teams spend $150 on a shirt. The O's are looking for a bargain.

Which is the best way to go?

We won't find out until next summer.

In the meantime, just cling to this and remember it's true: You never know what you might find when you go thrifting.

Monday December 16, 2024

#DMD

Issue #3767

manicured nails?

On any occasion you make a statement of opinion around Glenn Clark, he almost always responds the same way.

"What are you willing to put on that?"

I made that mistake last week on his show during my (mostly) regular appearance on the Wednesday edition of Glenn Clark Radio.

We were discussing the Ravens-Steelers game when I made a proclamation.

Editor's note: Yes, I realize we were two games ahead, but we both had already written off the Giants game as an automatic win and were on to previewing the big showdown in Baltimore on December 21.

"There's no way a quarterback with manicured and painted fingernails is coming to Baltimore and beating the Ravens in a football game," I said, referencing Russell Wilson of the Steelers.

Clark let the dead air strangle me for two or three seconds.

"Is that so?" he asked.

It was at this point where I could have laughed and deflected my way out of the comment.

Instead, I doubled down.

"Come on, man," I said to Clark. "Some dude with nail polish and perfectly manicured fingernails isn't beating the Ravens at football."

And then came the challenge.

"Will you get a manicure and get your nails done if Wilson beats the Ravens?" Clark asked.

I was in no-man's-land at that point.

I had to stay the course.

If I tried to duck out of the moment, Clark would have grilled me for the rest of the show.

"Sure," I said. "I'll get a manicure and the whole nine yards if Wilson beats the Ravens. But I don't have to worry about it. Because it's not happening. No man with painted fingernails is beating the Ravens."

And, so, that's where we are today.

Wilson and his perfectly manicured fingernails will be in Baltimore on Saturday. I'm not worried at all.

Ravens 27 - Steelers 16.

There. It's done. You don't have to wait until next Saturday to find out what I think is going to happen.

Pittsburgh's not coming to Baltimore and winning that game.

On to the Texans.

So this AFC playoff race is really starting to round into shape, and it's taking on the exact look we said it would here two weeks ago.

The Bills managed to pull out a big road win in Detroit yesterday, which really helps them, particularly in light of the injury to KC quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who might very well miss his team's next two games (home vs. Houston, at Pittsburgh) in order to rest for the post-season.

The Ravens are in good shape heading into Saturday's big showdown with the Steelers. They need to beat Pittsburgh and Houston and hope the Steelers fall to either K.C. or Cincinnati in one of their final two games. If that happens, all the Ravens would have to do is beat Cleveland in the regular season finale to claim the AFC North title and the (likely) #3 seed in the AFC.

If Pittsburgh finishes 12-5 by losing to Baltimore but beating K.C. and Cincinnati to finish the season, they will win the AFC North.

The Ravens don't totally control their own destiny, obviously, but a home win over Pittsburgh will then put the Steelers in a squeeze by forcing them to win their last two games, assuming John Harbaugh's team wins in Houston and beats Cleveland.

There is a wacky way that Baltimore and Pittsburgh could finish 11-6 and the Texans also finish 11-6 and the Ravens would then be #5 seed and travel to #4 seed Pittsburgh in the first round.

Every game between AFC teams in the final three weeks has playoff implications, it seems.

Kansas City can't afford to lay down -- at least not yet -- because the #1 seed is at stake with three weeks left in the season. The Chiefs are 13-1, but their only loss came to the Bills, who are now 11-3.

Buffalo finishes with the Patriots (home), Jets (home) and Patriots (away). It's likely they'll end the campaign at 14-3, which means the Chiefs can afford one loss, but not two.

There are still a bunch of goofy scenarios at play in the AFC playoff picture, including the Bengals or Miami making it at 9-8 and the Colts actually making it at 8-9 (or 9-8).

The Chargers and Broncos are in the driver's seat(s) for the 6th and 7th seeds, but they both still play one another (this week) and they also have to finish out their regular season with at least one win in the final two weeks.

If the Ravens win out and capture the division title, there's no telling who they might host in their playoff opener. It could be the Chargers, Broncos or Steelers. Denver would be the most favorable of those to the naked eye, but if the Ravens could pick their poison, it would be best to have the Chargers in Baltimore for the AFC Wild Card round. L.A. isn't beating anyone of substance on the road.

It all starts this Saturday in Baltimore.

A Ravens win and it's a free-for-all in the final two weeks of the regular season.

A Steelers win and the Ravens are probably heading to the road for the playoffs.

Ravens and Steelers for, let's say, most of the marbles. What, you wanted it some other way?

We'll delve into this a little more mid-week, but there was a pretty substantial golf accomplishment in the area on Sunday.

2022 Loyola University graduate Brandon Berry successfully worked his way through two sets of PGA Tour Q-School and finished T43 at the final stage that ended yesterday in Ponte Vedre Beach, Florida.

That T43 finish gives Berry full status and unlimited starts on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2025, paving the way for him to not only make a living playing golf, but also moving him on step closer to full time status on the PGA Tour.

120 players teed it up at the Final State of Q-School, with the top 5 finishers (and ties) earning their PGA Tour card for 2025. Those, of course, are very lucrative and, with only 5 spots for 120 players, very difficult to obtain.

Players finishing 6th through 45th (and ties) gain their Korn Ferry Tour card for the year. The Korn Ferry Tour is the first step below the PGA Tour. It's Triple-A baseball, effectively, although it's fair to say nearly every player on the KFT is capable of competing at some level on the PGA Tour, while the same might not be said for Triple-A baseball players.

Korn Ferry Tour players actually have a lower scoring average for their top 30 players than does the PGA Tour, but players on the KFT aren't playing the same quality of golf course as those do on the PGA Tour.

In short, it's a great first step to the PGA Tour. Berry had to make a 6 foot par putt at the last hole to secure his Korn Ferry status for the year.