Maybe the Ravens' second-day pick Troy Smith will wind up as the team's quarterback of the future and go on to a Pro Bowl career, but there are parallels between the former Ohio State star and several prolific college QBs who were similiarly successful in the NCAA but had only so-so careers in the NFL.

I'm reminded of Don McPherson of Syracuse, Ty Detmer from BYU and Danny Wuerffel of Florida.

Like Smith, both Wuerffel and Detmer (but as a junior) won the Heisman; McPherson was a runner-up (to Tim Brown).

Smith is a fifth-round draft choice. Wuerffel went in the fourth round (1997), McPherson was a sixth-rounder (1988), and Detmer a ninth-rounder (1992).

Smith, as we know, is 6-feet. McPherson and Wuerffel were 6-1 and Detmer 5-11.

All four were penalized in the draft because of questions concerning their size and/or arm strength, although in Smith's case, he can get the ball downfield with authority.

However, does all this mean that Smith's pro career will follow that of those three who had careers of varying lengths but were still far from Prol Bowl caliber?

Or does he have a shot to emulate another relatively shorter QB, 6-foot Drew Brees, who has been a winner in both San Diego and New Orleans? Of course, coming out of Purdue in 2000, Brees was considered a better prospect going at the top of the second round.

Posted by Bill Ordine at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

That the Golden State Warriors are on the verge of knocking the Dallas Mavericks out of the NBA playoffs is one of those great underdog stories — No. 8 seed dumps No. 1 — but it’s potentially rotten TV box office for the league. The playoffs are when the NBA hopes to capture something that resembles a national TV audience and to do that, it needs to have its showcase players still being showcased.

Already, the defending champs, the Miami Heat along with Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade, are finished, dispatched by the Chicago Bulls.

Now, last year’s other finalist, the Mavs and Dirk Nowitzki, could be sent home by the Warriors. Forget about the exuberance and grit the Warriors are showing in trying to become only the third team to knock out a No. 1 seed in the first round. That storyline goes out the window as soon as Golden State runs up against a team it doesn’t match up with as well as it does against Dallas.

And the NBA is a league built on personalties. Without those big names in the playoffs, it’s a TV ratings problem.

Posted by Bill Ordine at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Steve Dannenmann, the Anne Arundel accountant who won more than $4 million for placing second in the World Series of Poker main event in 2005, just won a $10,000 seat in this summer’s big dance in Las Vegas.

Dannenmann got his ticket punched to the WSOP by finishing in the top two in a charity poker event at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles over the weekend that included several hundred players. Actress Shannon Elizabeth, a frequent poker player, won the other seat.

The Severn accountant and financial adviser also seems to have another partner, just like he did when he won the $4.25 million that he split with pal Jerry Ditzell who had put up half the buy-in back in ‘05. This time, it’s poker pro Annie Duke, who coached Dannenmann through the final stages of the charity tournament.

"I told Annie, ‘If I win a seat, I’ll give you 50 percent of anything I win’ … and by the way, I was drunk," Dannenmann said, laughing. Dannenmann earned — and I do mean earn — the nickname "Bloody Mary" during a crucial run in the 2005 tournament.

In May, he plans to play in another world series, the World Series of Golf, also in Vegas, a hybrid event scheduled to be televised in May on NBC. http://www.worldseriesofgolf.com/

Posted by Bill Ordine at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

My favorite quick take on Randy Moss being traded to the Patriots for John Bowie (that’s a cornerback the Raiders took with the pick they got from the Pats) is this headline from Deadspin: I Can’t Even Picture Tom Brady and Randy Moss Standing Next to Each Other.

So when did Bill ("Resistance is fu-tile") Belichick become Father Flanagan?

Meanwhile, in Boston, the welcome mat is already out for Randy.

This comes from Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe.

"Moss’s rap sheet goes back to his teen years. He went to jail for 30 days when he was a high school senior after pleading guilty to an assault charge. A positive test for marijuana while he was in jail added 60 days to his sentence. In 1996 he was charged with domestic battery after an altercation with the mother of his two children, but the charges were dropped (as they so often are in those cases). Then there was the Minneapolis arrest for nudging and knocking down a female traffic agent with his car in 2002"

Here's the full column.

But seriously, Ravens fans … this is not particularly good news. The Patriots nearly advanced to the Supe again last year with a receiving corps they got in a rummage sale. Now they have Moss and Donte Stallworth, who’s another big-play threat (when he’s healthy). And, of course, they signed ex-Raven LB Adalius Thomas.

Posted by Bill Ordine at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Good morning, Bal-tee-more, or Bal'mer, or -- simply Baltimore.

And welcome, truly welcome, to your hometown newspaper's latest patch of cyber real estate.

Some of you, I'm figuring most of you, don't know the dopey-lookin' guy with the mustache pictured here from a rock.

A few -- close friends and relatives -- know that I'm a sports writer at your Baltimore Sun. If the mug looks familiar, you may have seen it affixed to a column I used to write on poker in the sports pages. You may also recognize the byline from stories on pro football or sports business.

Beginning today, though, I'll be here most weekdays, several times a day, passing on what we hope will be interesting bits of flotsam and jetsam from the world of sports, and particularly sports as it applies to our city, region and state. The goal here is to keep you up to date with stuff that may be essential or provocative or just quirky. But, bottom line, I hope that you're entertained.

A couple of things I want to get out right away. This sports blog is part of a nascent but ambitious effort on the part of The Sun, a paper born well before the Civil War, to remain relevant in the 21st century. Elsewhere on baltimoresun.com you'll find other new features, including news updates and videos, helpful lists of events going on in the city and suburbs, blogs on arts and entertainment, dating and food.

And one more thing. It's a big world out there and we, or at least I, don't pretend to know everything going on out there. There's no crystal ball sitting on my desk. So, if you think you know something that other sports fans might also like to hear about, let me know. 

Look, we know this is just a beginning and, quite likely, six months or a year from now, The Sun's presence on the Internet will look much different than it does today. For most of us who came into the news business daubed in ink, it's a journey fraught with both mystery and promise. I -- and all of us at The Sun -- look forward to your company.

And now, for my first trick ... the NFL draft (no, we're not letting it go)

The Monday after the draft sort of feels like the day after Christmas, doesn’t it? There’s all that anticipation, dreaming about the hot new toys, then finally the rush you get from finding out what’s under the tree.

Sometimes, it’s the bike.  And sometimes, it’s the reindeer sweater (recently, that would be Detroit, although the Lions are getting early praise for taking WR Calvin Johnson Saturday).

So, after it’s over you’re left with either a sweet afterglow or a hollow disappointment. But one  thing we can always count on about the draft, as soon as it’s over, there’s no shortage of second-guessers with marginal standing on the subject – and I count myself in that group – ready to opine and attach a letter-grade to the draft.

So as silly and futile as that process is, let’s look at what some other folks are saying about the Ravens’ draft.  First, remember that the Ravens are a gold-standard team in this area. Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome is indeed The Wizard, having already drafted at least two likely Hall of Famers and Pro Bowlers galore.

And, for the second year, the Ravens picked an interior lineman with their top pick.  Last year it was defense (DT Haloti Ngata) and this year it’s on offense.  It may not be sexy but when done right, it’s the way to stay competitive in the NFL.

So far, this year’s Baltimore picks are getting decent to good grades.  And they should. Few outsiders handing out these letter grades have any clue about guys like Ben Grubbs and the Ravens’ third-round offensive lineman, Marshal Yanda.  (The Ravens also took WR-return guy Yamon Figurs in the third round and Heisman QB Troy Smith in the fifth.). And who in their right mind would strongly question Newsome and his scouting department at this point.

Opinions elsewhere and annoying pop-ups are not the responsibility of the management.

Baltimore’s own, Mel Kiper Jr., gave the Ravens a B, which for Mel was above average in a narrow range of grading. In his analysis for ESPN.com Insider, Mel said, Ben Grubbs is a great pick and pure guard. Yamon Figurs has speed to burn and will be the returner the Ravens need with B.J. Sams coming off an injury and being a free agent after 2007. Grubbs will start right away, and Marshal Yandapossibly also could start at guard or right tackle.”

The Dallas Moring News' Rick Gosselin called the Ravens above average.

The Chicago Tribune's Don Pierson puts them in the middle of the pack.

So does The Sporting News.

Ditto at CBS SportsLine.

FoxSports.com's John Czarnecki gives the Ravens a C-minus.  I like Czar but he's forgetting the Wizard's track record.

Posted by Bill Ordine at 2:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)