It was a huge victory, no matter what the circumstances involving the opposing team. Though I don't doubt a healthy Ben Roethlisberger would have affected the way the game played out, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Ravens would not have beaten the Steelers. There's just no way to know that. They might have done better for all anyone can say for sure.

I know that I had already picked the Ravens to win (and by more than they did) before it was announced that he would not play, but -- to be fair -- I was factoring in the fact that he was banged up into my prediction.

Now, the focus shifts to the Green Bay Packers, who will have a healthy big-play quarterback waiting for the Ravens at Lambeau Field. To win, the Ravens have to continue to get well on defense and get more efficient in the secondary. It's going to be tough, but I believe a win in Green Bay would put them in pretty good position to make the playoffs even with a loss at Pittsburgh if they take care of business with the lesser teams left on their schedule.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Just football
        

John Harbaugh and his team made one thing clear after the game. They didn't want to hear about how they won because the Pittsburgh Steelers were without superstar quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and defensive star Troy Polamalu.

"First of all, what a game,'' Harbaugh said. "We've had a few of these this year. We've had a few where we've walked in here, been in this kind of football game, and they're not perfect, and they don't lay out exactly the way you might plan them, and we come up on the short end. I was proud of them in those other situations when we didn't win, and I'm proud of them in in this situation when we did win. Maybe just a little bit more, I'm proud, to be honest with you."

There's probably someone out there who could make the case that this should have been a much easier win for a quality contending team, considering what Harbaugh and Company didn't want to consider about the relative strength of the Steelers. Ray Lewis didn't want to hear that either.

"I think it's huge,'' he said. "This is a team that beat us three times last year. We were close but we didn't get it done...When it came down to the end, every conversation was about "Let's finish," and we did that."

The game ebbed and flowed in the final minutes of regulation and in overtime, and there were a number of occasions when the Ravens were well aware that their playoff hopes were hanging over a precipice.

"We understood the situation,'' said receiver Mark Clayton. "We know what it is. Right now, it'a one play at a time and one game at a time. We needed a play and thank God we got one and were able to capitalize on it."

Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just football
        

Billy Cundiff delivered the game-winning field goal after Paul Kruger's first career interception put the Ravens in position to avert a potentially disastrous defeat. They're 6-5 and can now turn their attention to the Green Bay Packers, who await them at Lambeau Field next week.

Just another must-win situation in the making, but aren't they all?

The planets seem to be lining up for them, but Aaron Rodgers may have something to say about that. The Ravens have had trouble with the big-slinging quarterbacks this year and he'll be in his comfort zone at Lambeau.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

Joe Flacco and Ray Rice kept hope alive with a clutch fourth-down play that set up a game-tying field goal by Billy Cundiff, but the remaining couple minutes of overtime were a montage of penalty flags (thrown against both teams) and missed opportunities.

The play that will have Ravens fans tossing and turning tonight if the overtime doesn't go well was the near interception by Lardarius Webb on the Steelers' final possession of regulation. He jumped the rout and had the ball all the way, but it bounced off his chest and he couldn't gather it in.

Then came the long punt return by Chris Carr that was called back and a variety of other mishaps that teased the crowd but ended in futility.

Overtime beckons.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens just made a big play on special teams to get into great field position, only to have Joe Flacco fumble the ball away at the Steelers' 46 yard line. Forget about how comfortable the Ravens looked during the first half. Things have gotten very scary here in the fourth quarter.

Don't want to be too fatalistic, but the Ravens playoff chances are hanging by a thread and Dennis Dixon is just close enough to the goal line to yank their chain if they don't tighten up right away.

It wasn't' supposed to be like this, but when has anything gone according to plan over the past couple of months for the Ravens. You're just going to have to sweat this out.

Instant update: What do you know. Dixon just scampered 24 yards for a touchdown to give the Steelers the lead with 6:24 left. We're talking about a disaster in the making here, but what else is new. I'm starting to think the fourth quarter should be renamed the Ravens' Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

It may sound a little odd, but you have to wonder if the absence of Ben Roethlisberger from the Steelers active roster actually translated into a more confident Ravens offensive unit in the first half.

Sure, you could point to the fact that Troy Polamalu was not in the Steelers' defensive backfield -- which would make a lot more sense, but the Ravens came out much more relaxed and quickly ended their long first-half touchdown drought.

Maybe the offensive would have performed better anyway, since there was plenty of room for improvement after five losses in seven games, but I don't think so. I think the concussion that sidelined Big Ben provided a huge mental boost for everyone in a purple shirt, including those in the crowd of 71,314.

Trouble is, it didn't translate into a big early lead. No. 3 Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon, who was supposed to be overmatched with just one brief NFL appearance, held his own and took advantage of a porous Ravens secondary to keep the game close at intermission.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Derrick Mason's touchdown catch was his first in 21 career games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's not because he has been shut down. That was his 81st career reception against Pittsburgh, which makes that statistic even more amazing.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

If you weren't worried about the supposedly toothless Steelers, you can start worrying now. Dennis Dixon just completed a couple of long passes, the second a 33-yard scoring strike to Santonio Holmes to tie the game.

The Ravens have had secondary issues throughout their 2-5 slump, and the ease with which Dixon hit Hines Ward for 19 yards with Dawan Landry in unsuccessful pursuit, then caught Dominique Foxworth toe-tied on the touchdown, doesn't exactly instill confidence that the Ravens will have an easy time improving to 6-5.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens drove 73 yards on nine plays on their first possession of the game to score a touchdown for the first time in their last 35 first-half drives. It took exactly five minutes and Joe Flacco (No. 5) was 5 for 5 passing. Maybe he should change his name to Joe FlaccoCinco.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Ben Roethlisberger, as previously announced, tops the list of inactives for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that doesn't mean he won't show up in the game at some point. He's listed as the third quarterback, so if something happens to Dennis Dixon and Tyler Palko, it is possible he could show up on the field before the game is over.

I doubt that's going to happen -- and hope, for Big Ben's sake, that it doesn't -- but the Steelers really didn't have any other alternative after losing Charlie Batch last week.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Sorry for my inactivity earlier today -- had some computer issues which required the combined technical knowledge of me and my son to rectify, which explains why it took all day -- but I'll be making up for it tonight and I'll have a whole bunch of help.

The Schmuck Stops Here will be one of three Baltimore Sun blogs running live throughout tonight's game between the Ravens and Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. You can get my take on the action, them jump over to Ravens Insider for info from the beat guys and then on to the Toy Department. Then you can do it all over again.

Should be fun, though I'm actually going to miss Ben Roethlisberger. He obviously made the right decision by not playing -- and that should make it easier for the Ravens take a step forward in the AFC wild card race tonight -- but in a rivalry game like this, I want to see both teams close to full strength. Don't you?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

Ben Roethlisberger apparently won't play in tomorrow night's game against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, but I'm wondering why there was ever any doubt about that. I'm not a neurologist -- I just play one on this blog -- but I bet I'd have a hard time find one who thinks it would be a good idea for anyone who has had four concussions to come back from the fourth one in just a week.

If you want a more expansive opinion on Big Ben and the way NFL teams and the league handle concussions, you can check out my column for the Sunday print edition right now by clicking here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just football
        

Today's featured comment comes from a poster who likes to be called Waspman. I'm not sure if he's a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or the latest superhero from Marvel Comics, but I do know he's a pretty smart guy with some interesting information to impart here:

Waspman's take: This just in from the Land of Irony ...

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed a QB to their practice squad (and in effect is now their #3 QB) after waiting 48 hours for him to clear waivers from the CFL's Montréal Allouettes. The Allouettes are the former Baltimore Stallions.

The QB happens to be Tyler Palko who was chosen by NFL failure, Dave Wannstedt, to be the starting QB for the Pitt Panthers. Palko's back-up was none other than Joe Flacco, who transferred to Delaware.

Palko has been sniffing around professional football still waiting to take a meaningful snap since being undrafted. He has been nothing but gracious whenever Flacco's name comes up in conversation and deserves high marks for at least sticking with his dream.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

There are 15 first-time candidates on this year's Hall of Fame ballot, including former Orioles second baseman Roberto Alomar, Edgar Martinez, Barry Larkin and Fred McGriff. But the Hall of Fame election always seems to be more about the holdovers than the guys under initial consideration.

The guy who has stood out for me for the past few years as the most notable HOF snub is pitcher Bert Blyleven, who has been passed over for more than a decade even though his numbers are comparable with a lot of pitchers already enshrined at Cooperstown.

I've been campaigning for Bert for a long time, because I covered him during the latter days of his career with the California Angels. He's a nut -- I always like those kind of guys -- and he might have had the best curveball of his generation. He's also very high on the all-time strikeout list (3,701) and won nearly 300 games (287), so I hope my colleagues will recognize him before his 15 years on the ballot run out next year.

I'll be curious if the voters are beginning to forgive Mark McGwire, who is returning to uniform as a coach with the Cardinals next season. I think he'll get a few more votes than last year, but I don't think he ever gets voted in if he continues to stonewall about the steroid issue.

The player with the best chance to make it on the first ballot is Alomar, one of the slickest second basemen of all time and was -- for awhile -- the best all-around player in the game. Edgar Martinez also is deserving if voters can get over the designated hitter thing (it's one of the positions in the lineup, so it shouldn't be stigmatized) and Fred McGriff should get some love for his 493 homers and 1,550 RBI.

Okay, now it's your turn. The voters can pick up to 10, but give me your top three:

Here's the whole ballot: Roberto Alomar, Kevin Appier, Harold Baines, Bert Blyleven, Ellis Burks, Andre Dawson, Andres Galarraga, Pat Hentgen, Mike Jackson, Eric Karros, Ray Lankford, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Mark McGwire, Jack Morris, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Tim Raines, Shane Reynolds, David Segui, Lee Smith, Alan Trammell, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (66)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Obviously, it's good to hear from various sources that Tiger Woods was not seriously hurt in an early morning car accident near his Orlando-area home, but that won't keep the supermarket tabloids from trying to turn it into some kind of huge family drama.

There's going to be all sorts of speculation about why he was leaving his home in the wee hours of the morning and how he could have hit a fire hydrant and a tree on his way out of the neighborhood. The police have ruled out alcohol as a possible factor in the accident, which has got to be a relief for his image people, but somebody is going to fill the information vacuum, and who knows where this story is going to go.

My advice: Let the facts come out and believe only the ones that come from reputable sources, and pray -- because he's a fellow human being, not because he's a famous golfer -- that he's okay and everything is all right at home.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

While you're waiting to find out for sure whether Ben Roethlisberger is going to play against the Ravens on Sunday night at M&T Bank Stadium, feel free to take a look at my column for Saturday's print edition, which already is up on the Web site. Check it out right here.

Don't get your hopes up too high. Big Ben is listed as probable and he has been practicing, so you have to figure on him being out there on Sunday night. I'm not sure that's the best thing for his long-term well-being, but he's one of those players who would go out there on a broken leg.

Loosely related historical trivia: The great Los Angeles Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood played in two playoff games and Super Bowl XIV on a broken leg.

I'm guessing the Ravens win either way, but I'd feel a whole lot better about things if Dennis Dixon was taking the snaps.

Radio, radio: There's no rest for the weary on Thanksgiving weekend. Join me, Kendel Ehrlich and Clarence Mitchell IV for The Week in Review at noon today on WBAL (1090 AM). If you're out of signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Just football
        

Let's just stipulate right here that we're all most thankful for our friends, family and the people who defend our safety and liberty at home and abroad. That way, I can get back to making wry observations that occasionally cause a huge political backlash on the blog. Fortunately for you, I'm going to try to stick to sports (and a little history) today.

The other thing I'm most thankful for today is that the Founding Fathers had the foresight to create a special football holiday in the middle of the week. Don't know how they knew, since football wouldn't be created for another century or so and television wouldn't be invented for another half-century after that, but that's the beauty of the American system. Somehow, they seemed to have everything figured out in advance..

Thanksgiving as a legal national holiday only dates to the Franklin Roosevelt administration, but Americans have been replaying the Pilgrims' first thanksgiving feast since that early colonial period. George Washington even declared a one-time official Thanksgiving holiday, though the timing wasn't really settled until Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday of November as the official day of thanksgiving for the nation.

It became an official football holiday nearly 20 years before it became an official national holiday. The founding fathers of what would eventually become the NFL played their first Thanksgiving games -- six of them -- in 1920. The first game listed on the Pro Football Hall of Fame Web site pitted the Akron Pros against the Canton Bulldogs. The only two current NFL cities represented were Chicago (the Tigers and Boosters) and Detroit (the Heralds).

Fourteen years later, the Detroit Lions made their first appearance on Thanksgiving Day and the Motor City would become the traditional site of the NFL's annual Thanksgiving game until the Dallas Cowboys became the second traditional Thanksgiving host team in 1966 (though the Cowboys have been off the Thanksgiving schedule a few times since then).

During the 1960s, the American Football League also started playing games on Thanksgiving Day, but the NFL returned to a two-game schedule after the merger. The NFL scheduled two games every year after that until 2006, when the Thursday night game was added.

Now, aren't you thankful for that history lesson?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

One more thing I'm thankful for this holiday season. Radhames Liz is going to get a chance to prove himself with another organization. Liz was plucked off waivers by the San Diego Padres this afternoon. I don't know if he'll be getting a break in the standings next season, but at least the weather will be better.

The Orioles now have a space open in the 40-man roster, which I suppose could mean somebody is headed this way, or could just mean they are clearing some room in case they take somebody in the Rule 5 draft.

The O's also announced that left-hander Chris Waters has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the Triple-A roster, so there's still a chance he'll turn up on the Orioles roster at some point in the future.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Just baseball
        

This is so much fun, I'm thinking of starting a political blog on the side. With one off-hand comment -- which was a bit of a joke within a joke -- at the end of an unrelated item I managed to anger both the "Birther" people and the anti-birther people who have happened upon the blog today. When you have the most strident people on both sides of an issue mad at you, I think that means you're doing something right.

Happy Thanksgiving in advance.

Here's the thing I'm most thankful for this week: That we live in a country where you have the right to make a joke about the most powerful politician on the planet and people have the opportunity to criticize you or applaud you for it in a public forum without fear of some government goon -- or political thug -- showing up on your doorstep to try and silence you.

Hope that's something we can all agree upon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Some of you are already commenting on this, so I thought I'd post a link to Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly's story about the signing of journeyman left-handed reliever Mike Hinckley.

It's a minor move, but looks like it might be a decent minor move. Hinckley's recent Triple-A numbers are pretty good and he has held lefties to a .161 batting average over his 28 major league appearances.

While we're doing some housekeeping here, congratulations to former bench coach Dave Jauss for catching on with the New York Mets in the same capacity he held with the Orioles.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just baseball
        

You know what. There's a time to take yourself seriously and a time when it's okay to joke around about stuff. I took a sideways poke at the Obama "birther" thing yesterday and a lot of people came out the woodwork to complain about how inappropriate it was to make a "snide" comment about the whole Obama birth certificate controversy in a sports blog.

Lighten up.

I've seen the Honolulu newspaper birth annoucement for President Obama. I know the birth certificate thing is silly. I was basically saying that with that wise crack, but there are a lot of people out there who are so consumed with their politics that they assume everything has some greater meaning or some evil intent. And there are a few who just don't have the gene that allows them to filter sarcasm.

It was a joke. There are going to be more. Laugh or don't laugh. Read this blog or don't. I'll also poke at Sarah Palin and Nancy Pelosi if I think I can get a quick laugh. If you can't handle that, you have my permission to move on.

I don't think politics or baseball is a religion and I'm not going to tiptoe around people who are too sensitive for their own good. I watched the Saturday Night Live skit the other night that was brutal to Obama and thought it was very funny. I also watched months of brutal SNL stuff on Sarah Palin and thought it was hilarious. It's great to see the humor on both sides of the aisle. You get double the fun. Some of you -- and you know who you are -- ought to try it some time.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

If you get a chance, I've got a new column posted on the Web site and in today's print edition about the amazing ability of the Ravens to lose five of seven games and still be in pretty decent position for a playoff berth. Check it out here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

The free agent market has been open for less than three business days so you're going to have to wait a while to get mad at the Orioles for not doing enough to upgrade their lineup. This is not to suggest that baseball front office people only work Monday through Friday from 9 to 5. I just wanted to stress the point that -- despite the anticipation that accompanies the opening of the free agent market -- not much happens on this side of the Winter Meetings.

The Orioles and a lot of other teams are playing phone tag right now with various agents, guaging the individual interest of targetted players and getting a feel for the overall market. There will be a lot of chatter over the next couple of weeks, but things will start to crystalize when everybody gets together in Indianapolis in early December.

Of course, I'll be there with O's beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec bringing you up-to-the-minute reports about the Orioles and any other interesting stuff that's going on. Roch Kubatko will be there, too, but this year I'll have two excuses for not being able to outsprint him to the impromptu Scott Boras press huddles. The Achilles is still a little sore and Roch claims he's 22 years younger than I am. I'd like to get a look at that birth certificate, but I'd probably have an easier time getting hold of Barack Obama's.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (63)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I've been ruminating on Carlos Delgado since it was reported last week that the Orioles will be following his performance in the Puerto Rican Winter League to see if he might be a decent stopgap at first base next season.

My first reaction was pretty dismissive. We're talking about a developing team adding a 37-year-old player who was limited to fewer than 100 at-bats last year because of a hip injury. What kind of message does that send?

Mind you, that was my initial reaction. My second reaction was more along the lines of "Why not?" The guy obviously is getting up there, but he's one year removed from a 38-homer season and -- even though he couldn't get healthy last year -- his ratios were still okay when he was at the plate. If you extrapolate his 112 plate appearances to match his previous season total, he would have hit 24 home runs and had 138 RBI. I'll admit that's not a legitimate way to analyze his statistics, but it is food for thought.

The Orioles need somebody to produce runs and protect the guys in the top third of the order while the organization waits for Brandon Snyder to graduate from the minor leagues. Delgado might be a decent short-term gamble if he shows he's healthy this winter.

What do you think?

Getty Images

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (139)
Categories: Just baseball
        

This isn't the first time all-everything safety Ed Reed has made a bonehead play that has come back to haunt the Ravens -- it's probably not the worst time, either -- but it's another reminder that there is a price to play for Reed's amazing talent.

Clearly, coach John Harbaugh wasn't happy that Reed's erant lateral on his last-minute punt return cost the Ravens a longshot chance to set up a sixth field goal that might have won Sunday's game. He refused to talk about it during his postgame news conference. I've heard that at least one of Reed's high-profile teammates got chippy with him in the lockerroom after the game for his ill-conceived attempt at a heroic play.

Still, you have to keep everything in perspective. Reed is a great player. He can be a self-centered player, but he's a great player. The Ravens probably wouldn't have been in any position to win the game if not for the role he played on defense all day, including a pivotal interception. And nobody would be talking about the lateral if he hadn't made a pretty good run back to create that situation.

So, Harbaugh and the rest of the Ravens can only cringe at Reed's occasional poor decisions and be resigned to the fact that the whole package is still well worth having on the field.

Kind of reminds me of that old joke about the guy who goes to the psychiatrist and tells him that he's worried about his friend because his friend thinks he's a chicken. The doctor asks the guy why he doesn't tell his friend that he's not a chicken. The guy answers, "Because I need the eggs."

That's it in a nut, er, eggshell if the Ed Reed conundrum..

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (47)
Categories: Just football
        

John Harbaugh didn't try to dodge responsibility for the challenge late in today's game that ended up costing the Ravens two timeouts that might have preserved enough time for a last-ditch comeback attempt.

He called a timeout before challenging the spot on the key third-down play by the Colts with 2:26 to play in the game, so when the call was upheld, he was charged with the Ravens' final timeout, too.

"I was trying to flip the timeout into a challenge and they wouldn't let me do it,'' Harbaugh explained. "They were right in not letting me do it. I tried to get too much done in that situation. That was a bad job by me in that situation."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Just football
        

Okay, I'm officially conceding that the Vegas oddsmakers are way smarter than me. If the Ravens do one more thing right -- or don't waste a couple of time outs -- there's a pretty good chance they would have lined up for a possible sixth field goal that would have put them ahead 18-17.

The oddsmakers originally posted the Ravens as a 1-point favorite, and I was one of the people who thought they were absolutely nuts. The betting public pushed the line toward the Colts, who went off at gametime as a 1 1/2-point favorite, which turned out to be an almost perfect line. The Colts won by 2. Can't get much closer than that.

I don't know what that means, other than that they have a better feel for the Ravens defense on the other side of the continent than I do here in Maryland. That's pretty humbling.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just football
        

Don't know what to say about the Ravens' 17-15 loss except this. When it came time to win the game, the Ravens failed on so many fronts that there's no reason to sit around agonizing about it.

Let's review:

-- Haloti Ngata committed that horrible personal foul, diving into the fallen Colt to negate a big defensive stop.

-- The toothless goal line push after the Ravens had a first-and-goal at the 1 yard line.

-- John Harbaugh's strange challenge that cost the Ravens not one, but two timeouts at crunch time.

-- Ed Reed's attempted lateral on the punt return with 17 seconds left in the game and the Ravens close enough to complete one 20-yard pass and maybe get a last-gasp field goal attempt for the win.

Sorry, the times they have come down to the final seconds with a chance to win this year, the Ravens have shown they are not ready to be an elite team.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Just football
        

We'll wait to see how John Harbaugh explains his decision to call a time out and then waste another one challenging the spot on that third-and-one play. You would expect, in that situation, for the coach to insist on a measurement before making any decision on a timeout or challenge. Instead, Harbaugh lost two timeouts on what was an ill-advised challenge, which probably cost the Ravens 35 seconds at the end of the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Just football
        

Maybe this is why I'm not a football coach. The Ravens had a first down at the Colts 1 yard line and Joe Flacco took it almost to the goal line with a QB sneak. The Ravens had two more shots and chose to hand the ball twice to Willis McGahee before taking the lead on the fifth field goal by Billy Cundiff.

Sorry, but I don't know why Cam Cameron didn't send Flacco up there to sneak it at least one more time. The line surge should be enough to get another foot or two.

Now, it's fair to say that the Ravens should have been able to score either way, but they didn't and now they're much more vulnerable to the game-winning Matt Stover field goal everyone has been agonizing about for the past week.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

John Harbaugh has succeeded in both of his challenges, w hich means that the Ravens are entitled to a third if they need it. In essense, however, he may have gotten two extra challenges, because he threw the red flag another time during the second quarter and then chose to pick it up.

Didn't know you could do that. It was on a catch by Reggie Wayne at the sideline deep in Ravens territory and it initially looked like Wayne had not gotten both feet in. The first replay on the scoreboard showed that his second foot touched the sideline, but a later replay showed he already had dragged that foot in bounds. Harbaugh conversed with the officials and then decided he didn't want to challenge the ruling.

By allowing him to pick up the flag, the officials essentially gave him another challenge, because that would have been his last when the call was upheld. Then, when he used it successfully, he got another one under the rule that a coach gets a third if he gets the first two right and has any timeouts remaining.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens continue to own the turnover battle, recovering a funble inside their own 5 yard line after the big hit that Ray Lewis put on tight end Tom Santi. Now, they're moving the ball down the field, but a big gain was negated by the disputed fumble by Willis McGahee deep in Indy territory. The play is being reviewed, since McGahee's knee may have been down when he coughed up the ball. If not, a big gain turned into a big loss before the ball skipped out of bounds.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

The second half, which was slightly delayed to make time for Billy Cundiff's Ring of Honor ceremony, has not started off auspiciously for the Ravens. They went three and out on their first possession and the Colts have the ball at their own 33 yard line.

Just heard CBS analyst Dan Dierdorf say something all of us were saying at halftime. You don't beat the Colts kicking field goals. The Ravens have to make more happen when they get into Colts territory.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm betting nobody can identify the literary reference in the headline of this entry, but who cares? Billy Cundiff has become the Ravens offense, drilling three straight field goals to put them in the lead late in the first half.

You also have to be impressed with the secondary, which has intercepted Peyton Manning twice so far, but I've got to throw in a caveat at this point. The Ravens have gotten a pair of turnovers and gotten great field position off both and only have six points to show for those two possessions. That's not the way you beat Peyton Manning and the Colts. The Ravens need to get into the end zone.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

There has been more action in the first 11 minutes of this game than there was all night on Monday. The Ravens intercepted Peyton Manning and Billy Cundiff is already on the board again with a 43-yard field goal.

The Ravens really needed to make more out of that possession than three downs and a field goal, but the crowd definitely has been bouyed by Cundiff's successful debut.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens drive stalled, but you would never have known it by the raucous ovation that was showered on new kicker Billy Cundiff after he shoe-horned a 46-yard field goal inside the right upright to answer the Colts touchdown.

Cundiff's kick was only a foot or two inside the right upright, but that just shows the slim difference between success and failure in the NFL. Steve Hauschka's key misses were both only a few feet outside the goal post, but he's gone and Cundiff -- for the moment -- is a local hero.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Sure enough, Peyton Manning dropped a huge play on the Ravens on that first possession, the 66-yard strike to Pierre Garcon setting up a quick touchdown and putting the onus on Joe Flacco and the offense to answer.

The Ravens dodged a bullet on a Lardarius Webb fumble on the ensuing kickoff, getting the play overturned on replay, but need to do something with this first possession to change the early momentum. So far, they've largely kept the ball on the ground and have grinded out two first downs.

Footloose: The Ravens had to burn a timeout moments ago because Jared Gaither and Ben Grubbs both threw a shoe. When was the last time you saw that happen?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

I've been saying the same thing all week. If the Ravens win the toss, they have to take the ball first instead of automatically defering to the second half. If they can move the ball, they can move the ball right now. if they can't, they can't. But one thing is certain, if Peyton Manning pulls a Carson Palmer and drives the Colts right down the field, that puts a ton of extra pressure on Joe Flacco and the offense.

They won the toss and deferred.

Ouch.

Instant update: Double ouch. 7-0.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm going to walk around the parking lot trying to mooch tailgate food for the next hour or so, but I'll be here all day, spouting whatever comes to mind during today's game between the Ravens and Colts.

If you want go get an early start, you can go check out today's column in the print edition and on the Web site. I don't think the Ravens have much margin for error left, but that isn't exactly a revelation at this point.

Right now, I think it would help a lot if Peyton Manning got some bad sausage at the team hotel this morning.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

The Maryland Terps were in position to salvage some respectability with a road victory over Florida State today, but played it too safe at a critical juncture in the fourth quarter and ended up on the wrong end of a very painful finish.

The Terps score a touchdown to take a four-point lead with abouit four minutes left and made a big interception to get the ball right back at about midfield. If they had been able to get a first down or two, they might have been able to burn enough clock to hold on. Instead, they played if very conservative on the first two plays of the possession and ended up leaving the Seminoles with plenty of time to come back and score the winning touchdown.

It was just too early to get that defensive. The Seminoles had all their timeouts left at that point and -- with the first-down clock stops in the NCAA -- the Terps barely got any time off the clock.

It certainly didn't help that Maryland's attempt to pin Florida State deep evaporated in a flurry of missed tackles on the punt return that allowed the Seminoles to start with a very short field. It also didn't help when Maryland's three-man rush on that final drive could not contain quarterback E.J. Manuel, who broke off two big runs to set up the winning score.

Just been that kind of year.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Just football
        

I really do have a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack, but I think I was the only sportswriter around here who didn't go to see Bruce Springsteen on Friday night at First Mariner Arena. Made a pass at StubHub and found a single for $300, but I think you had to sit in your own car in the parking structure and feel the bass.

Check out Roch's blog for a rundown. He was there with Jim Hunter -- glad to hear they're dating again -- and they saw Ken Rosenthal a few rows away. I'll just assume he was standing on his chair.

Do I sound bitter?

All kidding aside, it sounds like it was another terrific show by The Boss. I've seen my share and never been disappointed. I'm glad my guys (though Roch, Jim and Kenny would probably bristle at that description) and any of you who were there had a great time.

Sun file photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

The Orioles claimed 26-year-old catcher Craig Tatum off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds today and designated left-handed pitcher Chris Waters for assignment. It's a minor transaction that gives the O's a good defensive guy to add minor league depth and maybe compete for the backup role behind Matt Wieters.

I still have to believe the O's will re-sign Chad Moeller to be the backup/mentor for Wieters. The club declined his option for 2010 to save room on the 40-man roster, but indicated that Moeller could come back under the same terms as last year. If that happens, it likely would be after the Winter Meetings in December.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The free agent market has been open for almost 12 hours and the Orioles still haven't signed John Lackey. What's the deal?

I'm just reinforcing the point that we wait breathlessly for the opening of the free agent market and then sit back and wait another month or two for something to happen. Of course, that didn't keep ESPN from trotting out baseball analyst (and former Sun reporter) Tim Kurkjian on SportsCenter right after midnight last night to kick off this year's free agent frenzy.

Obviously, the Orioles aren't in on Lackey, but they'll be in a lot of rumors. They'll be used by some teams and they'll have a legitimate shot at some medium guys if they really want to sign one or two of them.

I'll be interested to see if they are aggressive with some of those comeback pitchers like Erik Bedard. That's where a team could catch lightning in a bottle and be much more competitive than they might appear on paper. But it'll be awhile before we have a real clue.

Today's shameless plug: You need to rush to the radio right now and tune into WBAL (1090 AM) or WBAL.com for The Week in Review with me, Clarence Mitchell IV and state senator Jim Brochim. We'll be butting heads from noon to 3 p.m. on a variety of subjects, from Sheila to Oprah and everything in between.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (64)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Actually, I am a little worried about the direction the Orioles may take this offseason, because Andy MacPhail has painted himself into a corner with his stated desire not to trade any of the top prospects for offensive help. That wouldn't bother me if the free agent market -- which opens for business tomorrow -- was heavy with run-producing corner infielders that could be had for reasonable years and salary, but the choices are fairly limited and none of them is a slam-dunk fit for this team going forward.

I believe the Orioles have to go out and get at least one decent middle-of-the-order bat, and I'm starting to wonder if they're willing to spend even the medium money it would take to do that. I'm afraid there might be a disconnect between the front office, which may be dispassionately looking at the team and figuring that there's no point in spending much if there is little chance of competing for a wild card berth next year, and a disintegrating fan following that wants to see the team take a tangible step forward in 2010. In which case, we may see another half effort to upgrade the batting order.

There may be some nuts and bolts logic there, but you can't remove the fans from the equation. They need to be reassured that the club is really moving forward, and you're not going send that message by conceding another 90-plus loss season. That doesn't mean you have to throw the plan out the window, but you can't steer around every opportunity to improve because a player might block one of your unproven prospects.

The Orioles need to upgrade offensively at first and third base and they have prospects who have a chance to pop over the next two years at those positions. That is an argument against giving out big multi-year deals to fill both holes, but in the DH league, you still have the flexibility to sign or acquire one quality corner infield guy without really blocking anyone.

If we wake up in February with Michael Aubrey projected at first base and Ty Wigginton at third, it's going to be very hard to convince the paying customers that the team will ever be willing to do what it takes to really compete in the American League East.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (67)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Okay, you all know I'm not a negative guy. Just ask the unwashed horde of angry baseball posters who have been accusing me of shilling for the Orioles all year. But three days shy of the Ravens' upcoming showdown with the Indianapolis Colts, I just don't see how this team can walk out of M&T Bank Stadium with a win.

I suppose it's possible I'm being too pessimistic, because the Vegas oddsmakers opened wagering on the game Tuesday with the Ravens a slight -- very slight -- favorite. The line has moved back in favor the Colts, but it's still being bet as a surprisingly even game. I can't see it being particularly close. Sorry. I hope I'm wrong and everyone gets to take a shot at me here Sunday night for jumping off the bandwagon.

In the meantime, here's my full column on the subject, which appears in today's print edition and is up on the Web site.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

The Orioles moved six players onto the 40-man roster today in anticipation of Friday's deadline for submitting their protected list to MLB. The O's added pitchers Brandon Erbe and Luis Lebron and infielders Josh Bell, Brandon Snyder, Rhyne Hughes and Pedro Florimon, bringing the roster to a full 40.

That leaves a few recognizable players exposed to the Rule 5 Draft -- including shortstop Blake Davis and recently acquired pitcher Steve Johnson -- and leaves room to question why certain journeyman-type players are still on the 40-man. The Orioles kept pitcher Chris Waters, for instance, even though he didn't seem to be on the radar when the Orioles needed help at several points last season.

There is a plausible explanation: If there are some players still on the 40-man who seem more expendable than some who were left unprotected, keep in mind that somebody is going to have to be moved off the roster for every player acquired or signed during the offseason. If the entire roster was filled out with young players the team does not want to risk losing on waivers, that would create a disincentive to upgrade the roster through free agency.

The team instead is gambling that -- in the case of Johnson -- no major league club is going to pick up a pitcher who has never played above Double-A and keep him at the major league level for the entire 2010 season. That's probably a fair bet.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Believe it or not, most of the oddsmakers opened the action on the Ravens and Colts game with the Ravens posted as a one-point favorite. The line has fluctuated over the past 24 hours, with the early bettors moving the Colts up to -1 today and some outlets listing the game as dead even.

I'm obviously missing something. If you had told me yesterday that I could get the Colts as an underdog in Sunday's game -- or a pick-em -- I would have taken out a huge home equity loan and bet the house on them. I figured the Colts would be about a 6 1/2-point favorite, and I would have considered that conservative.

But the guys in Vegas are a lot smarter than me -- either that or somebody didn't get the memo on Terrell Suggs -- so that line should bouy the spirits of Ravens who could not take a lot of solace in Monday night's 16-0 victory over the Browns.

I scanned some of the internet betting sites, to see if I could get the lowdown on this, but I still don't see it. There's just no way to look at this from a pure football perspective and see it as an even game, though strange stuff happens every week in the NFL.

The only bit of gambling information that I found to support a line like this is the fact that the Ravens have been strong against the spread (13-5 in their last 18 games) after a straight up win the past couple of years. But that should be offset by the fact that the Colts have a similar recent percentage in the same situations. To further offset that, the Ravens are 0-5 against the spread in their last five Sunday games coming off a Monday night game.

All I can say is that I hope the oddsmakers are right and I'm wrong. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Colts will be listed as a 3 1/2-point favorite by Sunday, which would be a pretty significant four-day shift in an NFL betting line.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Just football
        

The opening of the free agent market on Friday won't generate nearly the same level of anticipation around here as last year, when fans could fantasize about big-ticket players Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett before the Yankees had time to snap them up. The Orioles have the same basic needs this time around -- a big-swinging corner infielder and a frontline starting pitcher -- but the dynamics of the market are considerably different.

Here's the latest list of free agent corner infielders that Andy MacPhail has to choose from if he doesn't want to give up any of his core pitching prospects to make a trade:

First base

Hank Blalock TEX
Russell Branyan SEA
Carlos Delgado NYM (B)
Nomar Garciaparra OAK
Jason Giambi COL
Ross Gload FLA
Aubrey Huff DET
Nick Johnson WAS (B)
Adam LaRoche ATL (B)
Kevin Millar TOR
Robb Quinlan LAA
Matt Stairs PHI
Mike Sweeney SEA
Jim Thome LAD
Chad Tracy ARZ

Third base

Adrian Beltre SEA (B)
Geoff Blum HOU
Craig Counsell MIL
Joe Crede MIN
Mark DeRosa STL (B)
Pedro Feliz PHI
Chone Figgins LAA (A)
Troy Glaus STL (A)
Jerry Hairston NYY
Mike Lamb MIL
Melvin Mora BAL (B)
Juan Uribe SF

If you recall, the name that was buzzing around late this last season was Nick Johnson, but I'm trying to figure out how to cast a guy who has a total of 13 homers over the past two years and has never driven in 80 runs in a season as an upgrade.

Personally, I'd like to see the Orioles make a real play for third baseman Adrian Beltre. The guy is coming off an injury-diminished 2009, but hit at least 25 home runs the previous three seasons. He'll be in some demand, but might consider the Orioles because of his close relationship with shortstop Cesar Izturis.

Our beat guy, Jeff Zrebiec, thinks that Pedro Feliz is the most likely third base possibility. The best player available at third is Chone Figgins, who would be an interesting choice if there was any chance he would consider Baltimore.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (95)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Well, I guess somebody was impressed with the Ravens' 16-0 road victory over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, because they moved up from 14th place to 11th place in the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings.

Of course, those are the same Power Rankings -- along with SI.com -- that had the Ravens as the best team in the NFL after Week 3 but who's counting. This week, ESPN ranks the Ravens as the best 5-4 team in the sport, jumping ahead of the Eagles, Texans and Falcons. They could jump back to No.6 or 7 with an upset victory over the Colts this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

If you're holding your breath on that, you might turn blue.

My first take of the week on the Ravens/Colts showdown will be posted on the Web site later today.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Just football
        

Though no one can be shocked to hear that Steve Hauschka was released by the Ravens today, I also don't think anybody should be happy about it. He's a good kid and he just had his NFL dream shattered, so there is nothing to celebrate here.

This is the point where everybody knows that the Ravens should never have let Matt Stover get away, even if the logic of moving ahead with a young kicker made perfect sense last summer. The fan emotion attached to the situation is further magnified by the fact that Stover will be coming home on Sunday in an Indianapolis Colts uniform. Talk about your worst nightmare if you're an old Colts fan here in Baltimore.

I really hate to see the Ravens give up on Hauschka, but I don't see how they could get around it. That missed field goal in Minnesota put him on notice. His miss during the Ravens attempted comeback against the Bengals last week put him on double secret probation. And last night's early miss (combined with a blocked PAT) left the team little alternative going into back-to-back games against the Colts and Steelers that team officials -- at this point -- can only hope come down to a field goal.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Just football
        

Okay, I know nobody came here to read me gloat about that unlikely Cal State Fullerton victory over UCLA early this morning on ESPN, so let's resume the conversation about the Ravens' 16-0 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

There are two pretty clear sets of people here. Those who think the Ravens proved they are not a playoff-caliber team by failing to score in the first half against the feeble Browns, and the glass-half-full crowd that thinks any road win is a good win.

I'd like to be in the glass-half-full crowd, but after watching the Ravens manage one significant offensive play in 60 minutes of what could loosely be described as football, I can't even find the glass.

That's right, the long pass to Derrick Mason that set up the only Ravens offensive touchdown was really the only play of any consequence by Cam Cameron's offense, which is going to have to look a lot more like the Ravens did in September to have any chance of competing with Peyton Manning and the Colts this weekend.

Whenever the Colts come to town, it opens old wounds for football fans in Baltimore, but I doubt anybody's going to have time for that this week. There's plenty to worry about right in the here and now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

Frankly, I wasn't all that excited about ESPN's 24 straight hours of college basketball...until my Cal State Fullerton Titans upset UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in last night's double-overtime midnight matchup. I'm still yawning after staying up until nearly 3 a.m. to see the end.

Got to wonder about UCLA. The Titans were picked to finish seventh in their conference and UCLA got just about every call from the Pac-10 offciating crew and still couldn't outlast one of their cannon fodder preseason opponents. The Bruins are in a rebuilding year, but that still shouldn't happen to a program of that magnitude.

I'm not whining after a victory, but Fullerton was smothered under the rim down the stretch and UCLA did not get called for a single personal foul for the first 15 1/2 minutes of the second half. If they were that good, they wouldn't have been behind almost the entire game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

I'm sure there's a way to spin last night's game at Cleveland Browns Stadium as a something other than another less-than-satisfying performance by a Ravens team that needed to make some kind of statement in advance of back-to-back home games against the Colts and Steelers. But I can't come up with anything off the top of my head.

The Ravens played one of the worst teams in the NFL and managed just one offensive touchdown, which doesn't bode well for what might happen when Peyton Manning starts flinging the ball around M&T Bank Stadium. Everyone seemed to agree that the Ravens needed to start quick against the hapless Browns, but neither team scored in the first half -- the first time that has happened in the NFL this season.

Once again, Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense got things going early in the second half, but nine of their 16 points came off Browns turnovers. The inability to make an offensive statement in this game left MNF analysts Steve Young and Matt Millen wondering -- like the rest of us -- just how the Ravens expect to compete against two of the best teams in the AFC the next two weeks.

The Ravens again had trouble moving the chains in the first half. Steve Hauschka missed another field goal. The defense pitched a shutout, but I'm even sure what to make of that after watching Brady Quinn struggle all night.

I'm not trying to be negative. Really, I'm not. But in this case, I don't think you can say that a win is a win and ignore the obvious.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (46)
Categories: Just football
        

Obviously, no one should be surprised that Andrew Bailey was just announced as the American League Rookie of the Year after the great season he had out of the Oakland A's bullpen, but I am a bit surprised that neither Brad Bergesen nor Nolan Reimold registered a single point in the balloting.

Reimold either led or ranked highly among AL rookies position players in all the Triple Crown categories for much of the year, but his final numbers weren't impressive enough to get any love from the BBWAA selection committee. I think Brad Bergesen would have been in play if he had not had his leg cut out from under him late in the season.

You could have made a case for the second and third place guys (Elvis Andrus and Rick Porcello), but there was no room for such ambivalence on the National League side, where Chris Coghlan's terrific offensive stats made him the third Florida Marlin to be named Rookie of the Year.

Oh well, maybe those guys will have an easier time sneaking up on the rest of the league next year.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The American League Rookie of the Year is about to be announced by the Baseball Writers Association of America, but there's no sense anyone here getting their hopes up. The Orioles had a couple of legitimate candidates emerge during the season, but Brad Bergesen's season was cut short by injury and Nolan Reimold's raw numbers -- though solid in relation to other rookie hitters this year -- just aren't impressive enough to overcome the big pitching performances from Rick Porcello, Jeff Niemann and Andrew Bailey or top position candidate Elvis Andrus.

I'm guessing Reimold finishes fifth in the balloting and Bergesen sixth.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Everybody's saying basically the same things about tonight's game between the Ravens and Cleveland Browns. The Ravens need to re-establish their identity and play more consistently.

Trouble is, there'll be no way to really know if that happens tonight, because the Browns are such a supposedly unimposing opponent. If the Ravens win, 37-7, which is the score I predicted over the weekend, it will only prove that they are way better than the Browns, and we can only hope that already has been established.

The Ravens will get pressure on Brady Quinn, but that doesn't mean they'll get any on Peyton Manning on Sunday. The Ravens likely will have success moving up and down the field tonight. That doesn't mean they can do that against the Steelers the Sunday after next. So what are we to look for to get any indication if they are ready to turn things around in the second half of the regular season?

Personally, I'll be looking for more variety on the offensive side of the ball. Marvin Lewis exposed how predictable the Ravens can be in the Bengals' victory last week. When Derrick Mason turned right, there was somebody waiting there to shut him off. When the Ravens went underneath on key move-the-chains situations, the Bengals seemed to know what they were going to do. Give the Bengals credit for being very well-prepared, but that can't be a blueprint for the good teams on the way to Baltimore.

Last year, the Ravens slipped in the occasional trick play or used Troy Smith to force opposing defenses to work harder to prepare for them. This year, they've tried to establish a more dominating attack, with mixed results so for. Look for a few new twists from Cam Cameron over the next few games.

On defense, if the secondary can't totally stifle the Browns passing game, I don't want to think about what Peyton Manning might do this weekend or Ben Roeslisberger in two weeks.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Really, how often has anybody been able to second-guess a decision by Bill Belichick in a big game? He's one of the best strategists in the history of the NFL and there he was last night, looking like he was going to turn green after going for it on fourth down inside his own 30-yard line with a six-point lead and two minutes left in a great showdown against the Indianapolis Colts.

The Pats came up short and basically served up the game on a silver platter to Peyton Manning, who was in the process of directing one of the greatest comeback victories of his career.

The postgame analysts, including former Colts coach Tony Dungy and NBC rookie Rodney Harrison, unanimously blasted the decision. Harrison, who played for Belichick called it the worst decision he ever saw his formere coach make, and -- based on the outcome -- it certainly might have been. Belichick basically gave his defense a huge vote of no confidence by choosing not to punt and force Manning to go the length of the field.

What's worse, he burned his final timeouts unwisely, leaving him unable to challenge the spot on a very close fourth down play.

I can't defend the decision, but I think I can understand it. Manning had just turned the momentum in favor of the Colts with a lightning-quick drive for a touchdown. He made the Patriots defense look tired and helpless. Belichick gambled that Tom Brady could get him two yards and put New England in a position to burn most of the remaining two minutes. He gambled and lost very big, but it's very possible Manning would have gone right down the field again.

One thing is certain. It was a truly great game between the two best teams in the AFC. And the Colts will arrive in Baltimore next weekend still undefeated and working on an 18-game regular season winning streak.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens don't play until tomorrow night, of course, but Sunday has been a pretty good day for them so far -- at least from the standpoint of projecting wild card possibilities. The Broncos have now lost three in a row and are beginning to look like they might be a nine-win team with the Ravens holding the head-to-head tiebreaker against both them and the San Diego Chargers. The Jets also lost today, dropping to 4-5 and making their road to the postseason a lot longer.

The Houston Texans had a bye today, but they may be the team that ends up standing in the way of a Ravens playoff berth. They're 5-4 and they appear to have the easiest remaining schedule of any of the potential AFC wild card contenders.

The Bengals' victory over the Steelers also helped, since it gives the Ravens a little bit more control over their chance of finishing second in the AFC North. Long way to go, of course, but at least the other dominoes are falling in the right direction.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

One of the first players to surface in Orioles trade speculation this offseason was Florida Marlins infielder Dan Uggla, who would certainly add some pop to the O's lineup, but probably wouldn't be joining Adam Jones on next year's list of Gold Glove winners after reluctantly switching from second to third base. Which brings us to an important philosophical question that some posters already have been trying to answer.

Which is more important at third base -- offense or defense?

It's a complicated question, because it has to be answered from a local rather than a general perspective. Obviously, you'd like to get both run production and solid corner defense from your starting third baseman, but the Orioles aren't exactly ordering from a menu here. Andy MacPhail has to decide whether it's more important to protect his young pitchers with a great glove or get some protection for his top hitters with a big bat.

I suspect that when you throw price into the equation -- and by that I mean the price in both salary and what it will take to get a decent player to replace Melvin Mora -- the Orioles will go for the glove and rationalize that's the best thing for the successful development of Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, Brad Bergesen and Jack Arrieta. Don't know that I agree.

Some posters here have rightly pointed out that the connection between pitching and winning in the DH era is not quite as strong as it was in the past, as evidenced by the fact that only four of the playoff teams this year ranked among the top 10 major league teams in ERA, while 7 of the eight ranked in the top 11 teams in runs scored. The Angels, if you want the most glaring example to illustrate this point, ranked 20th in team ERA, but first in batting average and second in runs scored (behind only the Yankees.)

Based on what I've heard from our beat guy Jeff Zrebiec, I'd have to say that Uggla would be third or fourth on the Orioles' wish list, behind Pedro Feliz, Garrett Atkins and the most expensive option, Adrian Beltre.

What do you think?

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (88)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Sorry, but I've got to start the day off with all my shameless plugs. If you read my last blog entry about the Orioles' latest overture to Cuba, you might want to check out my column for the print edition and Website on the same subject right here. And I've also put up my weekly "News Item" column, which you can check out over here.

If that doesn't put you in Schmuck overload, I'm also doing the Saturday Sportsline show on WBAL (1090 AM) starting at noon and taking you up to Navy football pregame coverate at 2:35 p.m. We'll talk about the opening of the free agent market next week and also preview the Ravens' Monday Night Football matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

Out of radio range: Go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon. It's a good day to call in because the show is twice as long as on weeknights and you won't have to squeeze your comments in between traffic and weather.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football
        

Really can't say I'm surprised that there is talk of the Orioles making another goodwill trip to Cuba next spring. Owner Peter Angelos savored the opportunity to engage in some baseball diplomacy back in 1999, and I was there with the delegation in Havana that negotiated the terms and arrangements for the goodwill series.

It was a hot-button issue then and it would be again. The Clinton administration was amenable to the trip, though it did not lead to any concrete changes in Cuban-American relations. Now, the Obama administration is making noises about improving relations after nearly a half-century of isolating the communist island nation, and Angelos told the Associated Press that he'd like the Orioles to play a role this time, too.

"Hopefully as next spring approaches, both governments will see clearer to improve the relations and make it rather easy for there to be a reciprocal arrangement," Angelos said. "Personally, I think the relations between the two countries should be clearly and emphatically re-established."

The initial delegation included Angelos, his son Lou, Sandy Alderson and a contingent from the Commissioner's Office, Tony Bernazard (representing the players union), B.J. Surhoff, Tom Garafalo of Catholic Charities (which was to be a beneficiary of the event), Washington-based consultant Scott Armstrong and me, masquerading as a club official since the Cuban government did not want any media to be involved in the negotiations.

The Cubans, however, were not fooled, and sarcastically referred to me during the official welcoming ceremony at the Havana airport as "Peter Schmuck, special advisor to the Orioles for the Baltimore Sun."

It was the first of two trips to Havana. The team arrived in late March for the Cuban half of the home-and-home series. The Cuban All-Stars then traveled to Baltimore early in the regular season and defeated the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Who knows where this will go from here, but the last overture sparked protests in Miami during spring training and garnered criticism for Commissioner Bud Selig and Angelos for sitting with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro during the game at Havana's Latin American Stadium.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Everybody likes to play on a national stage on Monday night, but a lot of players still try to downplay the MNF hype. Take Terrell Suggs for instance:

"All I think about it is, all my ex-girlfriends are going to be watching me play,'' he said, "and be sorry they dumped me."

It's not exactly a premier matchup, since the Ravens have slumped to 4-4 and the Browns are just 1-7, but Todd Heap thinks that the atmosphere at Paul Brown Stadium will still be super-charged.

"Us going into Cleveland...the background that goes with it...the history, it's going to be crazy."

The Ravens can do a lot to quiet the crowd by putting up some points in the first quarter instead of stumbling out of the gate and playing catch-up all game long like they did against the Bengals and Vikings in their last two losses.

"That's going to be one of our goals during the second half of the season,'' Heap said, "getting off to a faster start."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

Sorry, but I was on my flight home yesterday when the announcement came down that Adam Jones had won his first Gold Glove -- and the first by an Orioles outfielder since Paul Blair won the last of his eight in 1975 -- so I'm a little late to this party. It was no surprise, of course, since Adam's brother spilled the beans on his MySpace page last week, but it has generated quite a bit of conversation about the selection process.

Since I used to handle the balloting in Baltimore for The Sporting News (which distributed the ballots for Rawlings), I think I can give some decent insight into the situation.

The process definitely is flawed, though that doesn't mean the vast majority of players aren't very deserving. I think Adam Jones is a terrific center fielder and will go on to win a lot more Gold Gloves, but he does benefit from a format that awards three Gold Gloves to outfielders in each league without respect to their specific outfield positions.

That means there is a natural predisposition toward center fielders, who are generally considered the best all-around athletes in the outfield, and that predisposition has been magnified during the ESPN era. Since the managers and coaches who vote cannot vote for their own players, they depend on a variety of sources for information on opposing players. There is some direct observation, of course, but you can't discount the impact of the nightly highlight shows on the outcome of the voting.

In short, the guy with the most Web Gems is going to have a big advantage, and the outfielders with the most Web Gems are usually going to be center fielders. That's just the way of the baseball world right now. I don't know if that qualifies as injustice, but there are a lot of corner outfielders who get overlooked, and Nick Markakis has been prominent on that list the past couple of years.

The first year of the Gold Gloves in 1957, separate awards were given for left field, center field and right field. I think they should go back to that. If they awarded the infield Gold Gloves the way they award the outfield Gold Gloves, you'd have three shortstops and a third baseman winning in each league every year. Where's the sense in that?

But, in my opinion, the real problem with the Gold Glove selection process is the surprising weight that -- intentionally or subconsciously -- has been placed on reputation and offensive production. Past winners have a huge advantage in ensuing seasons, as evidenced by the time Rafael Palmeiro won one at first base during a season when he was the everyday designated hitter.

It's basically proof that some managers and coaches take the balloting very seriously, perusing the defensive stats carefully before making their choices, and some others take a more casual, instinctive approach that favors higher profile players.

In short, I applaud Rawlings for deciding a half century ago to create a high-profile award to reward excellence at each defensive position, but it's high time to perfect the selection process.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (52)
Categories: Just baseball
        

It's pretty tempting to look at Monday night's game against the Cleveland Browns as a break in the schedule, but you might want to check with the Green Bay Packers and their fans about the folly of assuming that a struggling team will continue to struggle.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the longest money-line bet on the board in Las Vegas over the weekend, paying 4-1 for a straight up victory. The Packers were about a 10-point favorite going into Sunday's game in Tampa. The Ravens are listed as a 10 1/2 to 11-point favorite Monday night in Cleveland.

Strange things happen on Monday nights, but the Ravens should be able to handle the Browns before a short week of preparation for a visit from the Colts.

Browns coach Eric Mangini said on his conference call today that the Ravens are pretty much the same team that trounced the Browns earlier this year at M&T Bank Stadium, even though they've lost four of their last five games.

"They present a lot of the same challenges,'' he said. "I really like the (offensive) system that they run. They've got a lot of good skills players."

The defense certainly doesn't look like the same one that stifled Browns quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson the first time around, but Mangini dismissed the notion that the Ravens will be more vulnerable this time.

"You go through different periods,'' he said, "but that is a good defensive football team."

Guess we'll see.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football
        

Good to see the home fires are still burning here in spite of my recent disappearance. My travels took me to Southern California and Nevada (I'll admit it, I still love the Southwest) and allowed me to recharge my batteries for the baseball offseason and the second half of the Ravens schedule. I'm boarding a plane (Southwest, of course) in a couple of hours and will be back on the job in time for tomorrow's Ravens workout.

What did I learn over the past 10 days? Sadly, I learned that the Ravens may not be a playoff team, which would be a great disappointment after their 3-0 start. I learned I'm not a jinx -- I think it's been the defensive secondary all along. I learned that traffic in Maryland is never really that bad, at least in comparison to Los Angeles. I learned that playing golf on a repaired Achilles tendon is the best excuse yet for the way I play golf.

Believe it or not, I ran into a few of our regular contributors on the blog while I was out West, which made me feel pretty good. Marshall McLuhan's "global village" is a reality, and the proof is right here, from Jim Doss out in LA to our European Prof in Latvia to Kevin in Iraq and all the great local sports fans that have made this one of the top regional blog destinations.

Thanks for carrying my water for the past 10 days. If you spent some of that time over at the School of Roch looking for dating tips, that's fine too. I'm just glad the blog will still be here when I get back tonight.

By the way, just heard the Orioles claimed right-hander Armando Gabino off waivers yesterday. Don't know how I could have missed that.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football, Schmuck being Schmuck
        

The Rawlings Gold Glove Awards probably will be announced early next week, and there are rumblings that Adam Jones is about to become the first Orioles outfielder to win a Gold Glove since Paul Blair back in 1975.

We've made some inquiries to try and confirm that, but the best info anybody has at the moment was a MySpace entry by Adam's brother Jonathan the other day saying how excited he was about his little brother winning a "Golden Glove 4 his Baseball Team, the Baltimore Orioles."

If it's true, and I don't think that would surprise anybody who has watched him glide around the outfield the past two years, Adam would be the first Oriole to win a Gold Glove since Mike Mussina in 1999 and the first Orioles position player since Roberto Alomar and Rafael Palmeiro each won one in 1998. The Orioles are currently tied with the Yankees for the most American League Gold Gloves all time. Blair won eight of them during his reign as the league's best defensive center fielder from 1967-75.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (53)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Now that the Yankees are world champions for the 27th time and all is right with the world (Sasrcasm alert!), we can get on with our lives -- and our offseason. If there is a bright side for the Yankee haters, it is that -- for the first time since 2000 -- there will be no postseason panic period in the Big Apple, which has generally been followed by an attempt to corner the free agent market.

The bad news, of course, is that the free agent market isn't really worth cornering, but there are players that could make a difference for the Orioles, especially if they are willing to consider moving Nolan Reimold to first base.

Sorry, I'm not sold on getting somebody like Nick Johnson, who wouldn't even replace the run-production potential of the departed Aubrey Huff. If it were my money and my team -- oh yes, it will be mine -- I would take the best bat possible in either the free agent or trade market and figure it out from there.

Not that anything's going to happen real soon anyway. There's still the free agent filing period to wait out before the Orioles can make any offers, if that's the direction Andy MacPhail decides to go. He can talk trade any time, but the end of the World Series is sort of the traditional time to start doing that kind of thing.

Make no mistake. Though the landscape isn't terribly promising, the Orioles have to make some significant moves to keep people interested. That doesn't mean throwing the youth movement under the bus, but it will require some flexibility if MacPhail wants to do anything dynamic. I said this in a column last week. MacPhail has delivered on the foundational aspect of his rebuilding program. The time has come to start the next phase in earnest.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (103)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I've been concerned that I might be putting the whammy on the Ravens by hanging around town during the football season, so I decided to play it safe and fly to the West Coast yesterday afternoon. Sure enough, the Ravens rolled over the previously undefeated Broncos, so I'm going to stay away through next Sunday. I realize the game is in Cincinnati, but you can't be too safe with the team's playoff future in the balance.

If you recall, the only Ravens victory I've been in town for was the the opener against the Chiefs, who were without starting quarterback Matt Cassel and still somehow made it interesting. Then I went overseas and the Ravens beat the Chargers on the road and hammered the Browns at home. I returned to join the team in New England and you know what happened from that point on.

After the Ravens defeat the Bengals, I think it will be safe to come home. Even a Jonah like me can't jinx them badly enough to lose to the Browns.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Just football