Right Off Russell

Rotoinfo.com released a list of baseball playerswho are rumored to have tested positive for steroids in 2003.  At this point, seeing any current or former major leaguers implicated as a steroid user is not all that shocking.  There are, however, a couple interesting things about this list.  There are a number of former and current Orioles on the list including Melvin Mora.  Perhaps we finally know the cause of the Mora quintuplets.

Secondly, there are more pitchers on the list than I would have expected.  It seems that the benefits of PED’s are often thought of in the way they benefit hitters, but clearly the use by many pitchers muddies the water in terms of how much of an advantage is gained.  If both batter and pitcher are juiced who has the advantage?  We often think of PED’s creating an uneven playing field, but perhaps the field is more level than we realize.

Courtesy of Ravens.com

The Baltimore Ravens website did a nice little, feel-good piece on Marcus Smith. The article talks about how Smith’s improvements and game experience give him a legitimate shot to play behind Mason, Clayton and D-Williams. The article quotes Harbaugh as saying

“Comparing to a year ago, it’s night and day. We talk to our guys about making the most progress between their first and second year, but Marcus just goes to work.

“The thing about Marcus is, you see a little bit of improvement every day because he works as hard, or harder, than anybody on the team every single day. So, you start adding all of that stuff up and you watch him out here at practice and you guys are like, ‘Wow, this guy is really playing well.’”

My gut feeling is that Washington is still the odds-on favorite to win the 4th spot. Any thoughts on who will make up the top 4 or 5 within the WR corp?

DC United- A little US Open Cup pregame info [Press of Atlantic City]
Ravens- Suggs using old school methods to stay in shape [The Sun]
Ravens- Responding to lunacy [Examiner.com]
Ravens- Kolko talks rankings [MASN]
Orioles- Lester just plain shut them down [Orioles]
Tides- Dorta’s grand slam helps notch win [Tides]
Baysox- 2 1st inning dingers help Bowie get by Altoona [Baysox]
Keys- Britton has good outing but Frederick loses in 10 [Keys]

The Orioles welcome the Boston Red Sox to Camden Yards tonight for the start of a three game series, which pits first against worst in this AL East match-up.  This is a big series for both clubs as the Orioles hope to stay strong at home as they prepare to embark on a heavy road schedule in July.  For the Red Sox they will look to maintain their division lead over the Yankees and the resurgent Rays. 

The Red Sox, fresh off an inter-league series win over the Atlanta Braves, feature the divisions best pitching staff led in the rotation by Josh Beckett and John Lester.  The Red Sox have also recently activated John Smoltz to build depth in their rotation.  Smoltz was unimpressive in his first outing, so it will be interesting to see if he can regain his previous form.  Boston’s bullpen is as deep as their rotation and perhaps the strength of the team featuring 5 bullpen arms with sub-3 ERA’s.

Read more »

Courtesy of ESPN.COM

This is the 3rd time Koji has been shut down since Spring Training. The first two times were due to a hamstring injury, and this time it is due strained elbow.

Let me say, I like this guy. I like watching him pitch and for 5 innings a game, he is usually wonderful. Then it goes downhill and guys start hitting him. Is it because he is fatigued? Is it due to his age? Is it hitters figuring him out? Whatever it may be, I wonder if he has the stuff to be a starter in this rotation.

At the beginning of the season, i would have said “yes” because the O’s were still looking at a rotation with Hendrickson  and Eaton. But now that Bergeson, Hill, Berken and Hernandez have filled in admirably, I think it might be time to reconsider Koji’s role.

During the winter, most teams saw Koji as a reliever and not a starter. I appreciate the O’s giving him the chance, but it bothers me when they are playing yo-yo with David Hernandez, AAA to MLB to AAA to MLB. He’s a solid, young pitcher who has played well, albeit one start, whenever he has pitched at the top level.

In the end, it’s more about Hernandez than it is Koji. I hope the O’s protect the prospect over the fading star.

Ravens- Foxworth giving back [The Sun]
Ravens- Will the Ravens sign Sims [Ravens24x7]
Orioles- Just another Sunday loss [Orioles]
Orioles- Hobgood signed and ready for Bluefield [The Sun]
Tides- Tillman was cruising till he hit a brick wall [Tides]
Baysox- Bascom has a rough day [Baysox]
Keys- Frederick spots 7 runs in final 2 innings to lose game [Keys]

According to Terrell Suggs, in a report posted on the Baltimore Sun website, said that he and the Ravens are close to a long term contract extension.  This news is excellent for Ravens fans who, despite both Suggs and the Ravens saying they were confident a deal would get done, speculated that it might be difficult to extend Suggs after placing the franchise tag on the OLB 2 years in a row.  Apparently, this did not frustrate Suggs enough to make him look elsewhere.  Suggs has continually expressed his desire to be a Raven and the club wanted to keep around one of its’ top defenders.  Read more »

Here’s some perspective on the next opponent for the O’s. Thanks to Ed at Federal Baseball.

1. The Nats are making good efforts to build around pitchers like, Lannan, Martis, Zimmermann and Detwiler. What is your impression of this group? Who sticks/who doesn’t stick and is there enough there for the Nats to succeed with?

Jordan Zimmermann’s clearly the best prospect here, with a lively, heavy mid-90’s fastball and a tight slider that’s just brutal at times, while Ross Detwiler’s beginning to show everyone why he was a #1 pick back in ‘07. John Lannan’s ascent is somewhat miraculous, an 11th Round pick in ‘05, (324th overall), he pitched just one full season in A ball before rising through every level of the organization in ‘07 to make his MLB debut, so you can’t count out anyone whose poise and ability to throw strikes has allowed him to succeed where so many others have failed. Shairon Martis worries folks because he lacks the “stuff” to really put batters away, and he’s struggled as a contact pitcher who doesn’t have the best defensive team behind him…I’d say Zimmermann, Detwiler and Mr. Strasburg are the core here, with the 4 and 5 spots, when and if the Nationals actually start to compete, coming down to a battle between Lannan, Martis and some of the other prospects who are still working there way up like Jack McGeary, or working their way back up, like Collin Balester (who’s currently on fire in Triple-A Syracuse). Read more »

The good news is that the Nationals, owners of baseballs worst record (21-49), are coming to town.  The bad news is that the Orioles had breakdowns in every phase of the game while being swept by the Marlins in Florida and we have to wonder what it is going to take for this team to settle down and play consistent ball for longer stretches.  I am not asking for perfection, but it seems that something is lacking when you have a team that has a new identity from one week to the next.

The Orioles have to hope that a return trip home will help get them back to playing with focus and consistent effort.  The O’s will need to step things up because after the Nats series the club faces tougher competition in July including another west coast trip.  Of interest this weekend will be the availability of SP Koji Uehara.  Uehara is schedule to meet with a doctor today to determine what the cause of his elbow soreness is.  At that point the Orioles hope to know whether or not Uehara can pitch on Sunday or if David Hernandez needs to be re-called from Norfolk. Read more »

Ravens.com

If you haven’t had a chance, check out Ravens lineman, Jared Gaither, on his new website.

In his first blogpost he starts talking up some of culinary skills.

What I’m really looking forward to is spending some more time in the kitchen. Cooking is my second passion in life after football. I don’t like to eat just anything that’s put in front of me. I like to cook and eat GOOD food.

I make a great steak and shrimp. I can cook a mean Jambalaya. Red beans and rice … everything. I did a Jock Chef video last year for ESPN where I made steak and eggs.

This is my kind of man.

There’s nothing better than barbecue when my teammates come over. Three packs of chicken … a couple of packs of hamburgers … a couple of packs of ribs … and my special sauce. Always gotta have that special sauce from scratch.