If you thought that the Ravens' performance today was unimpressive, John Harbaugh and Ray Lewis don't want to hear it. The team is 8-3 and headed into a big showdown with the Steelers here next week, which is all that matters niow.

"For us to be 8-3 and to be fighting next week for the division, that's a huge, huge thing,'' Lewis said. "It's a beautiful thing to be playing for the division next week at home."

I suppose if Ravens fans are apprehensive about the pending arrival of Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, they should take some solace in the performance of the Steelers in Buffalo today. They should have lost the game -- which would have smoothed the road to the playoffs for the Ravens considerably -- but the Bills basically choked on a couple of occasions where they could have put the game away.

Oh well. It was always going to come down to next Sunday...and I bet you can't wait.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (100)
Categories: Just football
        

The officials called back that terrific catch and run by Ray Rice because of a supposed block in the back by Anquon Boldin, but the replay showed it didn't happen. He reached out for the defender, who fell to the ground and jumped up gesturing for a flag. Obviously, it was a pretty good acting job, but a disgraceful performance by the official, who called something he could not have seen and negated the most exciting play of the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

The thing the Ravens don't need right now are any significant injuries heading into next week's showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so what happens?

Michael Oher gets his leg rolled up and leaves the game limping noticeably and Dawan Landry suffered a concussion making a big hit on Bucs running back Carnell Williams. The team announced that Oher suffered a knee sprain and is probable to return to today's game. We'll wait and see.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

Joe Flacco just hit Todd Heap with a 65-yard touchdown pass to give the Ravens a 10-7 lead near the end of the first half.

It was a momentous play, since it was the longest play from scrimmage for the Ravens this year...the longest catch of Heap's career...and the 52nd touchdown pass of Flacco's career, which moves him to the top of the Ravens' all-time list in that department. He was tied with Vinny Testaverde at 51.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens are finally on the move as they move into the second quarter of today's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they sputtered again at the outset. The Buccaneers haven't done a thing offensively -- which is consistent with their performance against the other three winning teams they've faced this year -- but the Ravens need to make it clear right now that this is not going to be a game.

Now that the Steelers have survived a scary day in Buffalo -- thank you Stevie Johnson -- the Ravens much hold serve here to set up next week's showdown.

Instant update: Joe Flacco just got sacked and the Ravens had to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff. Sorry, that's not good enough.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm so confident that the Ravens will roll over the phony Tampa Bay Buccaneers today that I stopped worrying about the game and spent the morning raking up the rest of the autumn leaves that were blanketing my vast Millersville estate. Some neighbors were doing the same thing, but I'm hoping you spent part of the morning reading my Orioles column in today's print edition and right here.

The Winter Meetings are dead ahead and the Orioles absolutely must significantly improve their run-production potential to maintain the momentum they built up over the final two months of last season.

Clearly, Andy MacPhail has been more aggressive this November, moving very quickly to make a big bid for Victor Martinez, so maybe he has something dynamic up his sleeve. I'll be on vacation during that period, but Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly will be on the case, so stay tuned to the Orioles Insider blog for the latest developments.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I'm totally stunned by Boise State's loss to No. 19 Nevada late last night, and maybe it was my fault. I was watching the game, but went to bed when the Broncos took a 24-7 lead late into the third quarter.

I fully expected to wake up to a 38-7 victory that jumped them over TCU and into position to play in the BCS title game if either Oregon or Auburn stumble. Now, though I can't harp on the big-conference conspiracy to keep them out of the title game, I can start harping on the big-conference conspiracy to keep them out of a BCS bowl game.

Spare me. Boise State won 24 straight games, beat Oregon and TCU last year, and finally loses on the road against a Top 20 team because the Bronco's kicker missed what amounted to an extra-point-distance field goal, and they drop from possibly playing in the BCS title game to settling for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

Meanwhile, Alabama has lost three games and just blew a 24-point lead yesterday against Auburn, but the Tide will definitely play in a better bowl than Boise St.

It's playoff time.

If you get a chance, check out my column in today's print edition of the Sun, or click right here to read it on the Web site.

Shameless radio plug: I'll be whining about Boise State today from noon to 3 on "Sportsline" (WBAL 1090 and WBAL.com). Of course, I'll also be whining about the Orioles coming up short on free agent Victor Martinez and looking ahead to tomorrow's game between the Ravens and surprising Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'll be taking calls all afternoon, so you're welcome to join in the conversation.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Just football
        

Just wanted to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving today and thought that headline would get your attention. Of course, I'm thankful for a countless number of blessings. I'm even thankful for Wayne for keeping the blog going while I was getting some rest.

What, specifically, am I thankful for?

Let me count the ways.

I'm thankful for all the obvious things, but you didn't come here to hear that. I've got a great job and a great family and great readers (even you, Bob), but let's focus on sports, since I'm particularly thankful there are three NFL games today and every one of them provides some intrigue, if not a truly compelling matchup. Here goes:

I'm thankful that Baltimore has an elite NFL team that has an excellent chance to go deep into the postseason, even if the Ravens do have a maddening tendency to make bad teams look better than they should.

I'm thankful that Joe Flacco and Derrick Mason are still friends.

I'm thankful I'm not a Tennesee Titans fan right now, and I just texted Jeff Fisher to let him know I'm thinking about him. Haven't had an answer yet.

I'm thankful for the Boise State Broncos, who have exposed the BCS system as a ridiculous charade and continue to make a case for a college football playoff system.

I'm thankful for Buck Showalter, who has given Orioles fans a tiny bit of hope that there won't be a 14th straight losing season.

I'm thankful for "The Comeback" at College Park, though win No. 8 this weekend against North Carolina State would make me thankfuller.

I'm thankful that the blog format allows me to use non-words like thankfuller.

I'm thankful that Navy football continues to thrive under coach Ken Niumatalolo. (Be sure and read my upcoming Q&A with him in The Sun.)

I'm thankful that Ray Lewis can still find a way to be Ray Lewis in the fourth quarter after all these years.

I'm thankful I was never good enough to play sports at a high level. My knees feel great and I wouldn't know what to do with all that money anyway.

I'm thankful for -- wait for it -- Andy MacPhail's rebuilding program, which could start to bloom this year if he can get anyone to take all that Confederate money.

I'm thankful for the low-budget Tampa Bay Rays, for providing hope to baseball's hopeless, and might just provide us with Carlos Pena.

I'm thankful for Pam Shriver and all she's done for children's charities over the past quarter century.

I'm thankful for the start of college basketball season, and the fact that Maryland has two great head coaches.

I'm thankful that Tiger Woods feels he is a better person now, but I'd be even more thankful if he'd win something.

And I'm thankful for Bogie, who continues to pee like a racehorse.

Life is good.

Happy Turkey Day to all.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Buck Showalter has finalized his 2010 coaching staff and it is an interesting group, featuring two former major league managers -- Willie Randolph and John Russell -- and a wide range of experience. This should come as welcome news to all the Orioles fans who have been clamoring for years for a total coaching overhaul.

The only new coach that was fairly easy to foresee was Mark Connor, who served as Showalter's pitching coach at all three of his previous major league managerial stops. The choice of hitting coach Jim Presley also should not have come as a big surprise once Terry Crowley decided to accept a broader hitting consultant role in the organization. Presley served as hitting coach under Showalter for three seasons in Arizona.

Russell spent three seasons managing the Pirates and also brings 10 years of experience as a major league catcher to the staff, so he should be able to assist in the continuing development of Matt Wieters.

Showalter had waved off speculation late in the season that he would bring in his own people, saying that he really didn't have a bunch of his own people waiting to rejoin him in Baltimore, but most of the members of the new staff do have some past association with him.

There's nothing wrong with that, of course. The way the Orioles played the final two months of the 2010 season, it's hard to argue with anything that has Showalter's fingerprints on it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (52)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The free agent market will be buzzing soon enough, but I doubt there will be a lot of activity in the three days remaining before Thanksgiving. Many GMs will be traveling for the holidays, which will reduce it to a two-day week, and there really isn't a lot of incentive for agents to get anything done in a hurry.

There is a lot of perfunctory business to attend to in November, like shoring up protected lists in advance of the Rule 5 Draft. The Orioles put three players -- Zach Britton, Joe Mahoney and Matt Angle -- on their 40-man roster Friday to protect them and left former first-round pick Billy Rowell available. No great surprise there. They'd probably be happy to take the $50,000 waiver price for Rowell and then buy him back for $25,000 after spring training.

That's what happened with Steve Johnson last year.

If you're looking for an indication that the Orioles really are planning on buying some free agents and making some deals over the next few weeks, they still have five spaces open on their 40-man roster.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Ignore the 30-16 final, because it might give you the impression that Florida State clearly outplayed Maryland tonight at Byrd Stadium. The Terps were their own worst enemy at times, but kept their wits about them and were in position to stage a last-minute drive that ended on a fourth-down pick six for the Seminoles.

This was really a one-score game that was decided by turnover ratio and a couple of defensive breakdowns by the Terps that led to big, damaging plays, but Maryland fans need not despair. The Terps have bounced back dramatically from last year's 2-10 collapse and still have a chance to finish with eight wins if they can knock North Carolina State out of the title game with a victory at Byrd Stadium

Head coach Ralph Friedgen clearly was disappointed, but not in his players.

“I’m proud of them,’’ Friedgen said afterward. “The biggest thing that could go wrong (four turnovers) went wrong and we didn’t flinch…They were planning on winning that game right until the end. I’m pretty proud to be their coach.

“I think that tells you what kind of people we have here. They’re disappointed because they didn’t get what they were coming after.”

The Terps rushed the ball very effectively and outgained the Seminoles by 78 yards (432-354). Redshirt freshman QB Danny O'Brien made a few mistakes, but it's obvious that he's going to be a major offensive cornerstone for the Terps for the next three years.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football
        

The Maryland Terrapins have made a series of fundamental mistakes and execution errors in the first half tonight, but somehow have managed to keep the game pretty much under control midway through the second quarter.

They gave up a 70-yard touchdown on a defensive breakdown and ceded another three points on a fumbled pitch in the first quarter, but young quarterback Danny O'Brien has kept his poise and kept the offense moving. The Terps defense has rebounded to make some big plays and hold the Seminoles in check.

In short, this thing could go either way.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

The Maryland Terrapins are about 90 minutes from kickoff at Capital One Field, where they can move one step closer to the ACC title game with a victory over the Florida State Seminoles. It's no longshot, but the Seminoles will enter the game as about a 4-point favorite.

The oddsmakers have set the over/under at 52 1/2, which means they are basically predicting this will be a 28-24 Florida State victory.

The Terps have been moving the ball well and playing some opportunistic defense. If they can hold onto the ball, they'll have a pretty good chance of advancing into a decisive game against North Carolina State next week for the Atlantic division berth in the ACC Championsip Game.

I haven't done a lot of college football since I started doing the blog, but I'm pretty excited to be at Byrd Stadium tonight.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

If you haven't already, check out my latest "News item" column in today's print edition or on the Web site right here. The beauty of the News item/My take format is that I have you a whole bunch of reasons to disagree with me on a variety of subjects, so go to town.

If you want a preview of tomorrow's column, I'll be headed to Byrd Stadium for the blackout. The Terps can move one step closer to the ACC title game with a victory over Florida State tonight. That's going to be tough, but who would have thought three months ago that it would even be an issue.

While I'm shamelessly plugging myself, I'd also like you to join me for "Sportsline" on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com today at noon. I'll be talking Orioles, Ravens and Terps and taking a ton of phone calls.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football
        

Jeff Zrebiec is on the case and his story in today's print edition about the potential acquisition of an offensive shortstop certainly piqued my interest. I'm sure you feel the same way.

This is being discussed over at Orioles Insider, but I thought I'd weigh in, too. The Orioles apparently balked at giving up reliever David Hernandez for Jason Bartlett, who is a solid all-around player who definitely would enhance the Orioles' offensive chemistry. Hernandez has a great arm and is a potential closer, so I understand the hesitancy to send him to an AL East contender.

Still, I'd have to consider it pretty seriously. I like Hernandez, too, but you have to give up something to get something, and there's no guarantee that he'll be more than a decent setup man.

Today's plug: I'm putting on my political hat today at noon for The Week in Review on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com. Our guest on today's roundtable will be Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Murphy, who made national headlines when he received the endorsement of Sarah Palin before his primary loss to Robert Ehrlich. I wonder if he knows what he's getting into today. Tune in and find out.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (64)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Belated congratulations to my old friend Ron Roenicke, who was hired to manage the Milwaukee Brewers a couple of weeks ago. I didn't comment on it because I was headed off on vacation, but I got to see Ron while I was out in Southern California and -- as you might expect -- he's very excited about the new job.

Ron, who is the little brother of beloved former Oriole Gary Roenicke, played for the first Dodgers team I covered, along with Mike Scioscia and current Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher. He has done a great job as Scioscia's bench coach the past few years and is the third member of the Scioscia coaching tree to manage at the major league level.

If you're keeping score at home, the first two members of Scioscia's staff to manage -- Joe Maddon and Bud Black -- have done pretty well. Bud was just named National League manager of the year for taking the low-budget Padres to within a game of beating the world champion Giants into the postseason.

I also talked to Mike while I was out West and he told me that he takes a lot of pride in seeing those guys move on, though it doesn't make his job any easier. He just brought in former major league infielder Rob Picciolo to be his new bench coach, so you've got to figure Rob will be managing the A's in a few years.

Rob, by the way, was on an Angels team that I covered in 1984. I also was affiliated with the Angels during a large chunk of Joe Maddon's career and -- in a weird coincidence -- once bought a house in Long Beach that previously belonged to Bud Black's mother.

So, maybe it isn't Scioscia who has been such a great influence on these guys. Maybe it's me.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Don't worry, I know you already know that Buck Showalter did not get any votes for American League Manager of the Year and that Dan Connolly already blogged about it right here, but I thought I'd put in my two cents' worth.

I've got no problem with the voters requiring a manager to manage longer than two months to be eligible for the award. Ron Gardenhire managed the whole season and continues to do a superb job in Minnesota. He's very deserving.

And, anyway, I'd rather see Buck save those votes for next year.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I know that's what a lot of people were thinking when they heard that the Braves got power-hitting infielder Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins for Omar Infante and Mike Dunn. Uggla is the first second baseman in major league history to hit 30-or-more homers in four straight seasons, so he would have fit the offensive bill for the O's.

Of course, he would not have played second base here unless Brian Roberts went down again, so the net benefit would have been muted with him at third, especially when you consider that he's not a particularly good defensive player. Still, I'm willing to take any legit 30-homer guy and figure the rest out later.

The economics weren't great either. The guy already makes $8 million headed into arbitration and is a free agent after this season, so it comes down to how much you have to give up. I think the Braves gave up a lot for a one-year rental, but if it helps them get right back to the playoffs, it's a great deal.

Quick college basketball note: I've been hearing that San Diego State might be the NCAA sleeper team this year, so I stayed up to watch the Aztecs play No. 12 Gonzaga last night in Spokane. SDSU clearly is for real. They outplayed the Zags and then held off a last-minute charge to pull the upset. Very impressive. It'll be interesting to see where they go from here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (108)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I'm baaacccck...and you should be very afraid. It's time to get cracking on the baseball offseason -- the Florida Marlins certainly have -- but first I need you to read my first column since I returned from California and Las Vegas.

I take a look at how crazy the NFL has been the past few weeks and try to make some sense of the Super Bowl pecking order. Take a look at it right here and tell me what you think.
I've been resting the past few weeks, but I'm refreshed and almost ready to do battle on the comment board again, so gird your loins.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Just football
        

Obviously, I haven't been around for awhile. I'm in Southern California on some family business and soon will be headed for Las Vegas for a little R&R. Hope you understand. I'll also be taking a long vacation later in the month, but we're planning to juice up the blog again in December.

In the meantime, if you haven't already, you can take a look at my lengthy Q&A with Maryland womens basketball coach Brenda Frese, which was in yesterday's print edition. I would have posted a link sooner, but we originally planned to run the package leading up to Saturday's opener against Monmouth and I got caught flat-footed when it was moved up on the schedule.

Anyway, if you missed it, you can take a look right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Today's featured comment comes from somebody who calls himself G2 and wants to know my current reading list:

G2's take: Mr. Schmuck, I just read your side blurb there for the first time I believe. Reading any good history or biographies at the moment?

Peter's reply: Thanks for asking. I'm reading the David Halberstam history of the Korean War right now, which I got on the bargain rack at Barnes. It's going slow, but I'm interested because my dad was a career Marine during WWII and Korea (though I believe he was in Japan during the Korean conflict). I'm also trying to get through Dickens' Bleak House, but it's killing me.

If you want a recommendation, one of the best biographies I have ever read -- and it's about 10 years old -- is A. Scott Berg's Lindbergh. Really fascinating look at the early aviation era and a very complicated American hero.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: Today's featured comment
        

The free agent market opens at midnight tonight and it should be an interesting time to be an Orioles fan. Andy MacPhail is expected to make a run at a middle-of-the-order hitter and a starting pitcher, but he is not likely to be the first guy in line to make an offer on Adrian Beltre or Cliff Lee or whoever.

I'm already on record saying the Orioles should be aggressive enough to turn up the heat for their division competitors. They may not be able to outbid the Yankees for Lee, but they no longer can afford to just concede the point and stay out of play. If nothing else, they ought to make it hard for their divisional competitors at every turn, which might make it easier to sign a top-flight player a year from now.

Whether you want to believe it or not, everybody has a budget, so making the Yankees spend more on Lee or Derek Jeter actually could impact their ability to run up the price on somebody else down the road.

Shameless plug: If you want to voice your opinion on the Orioles' and their possible offseason machinations, tune in to WBAL (1090AM) or WBAL.com at noon for Sportsline. We'll talk baseball, preview tomorrow's game between the Ravens and Miami Dolphins and break down the news of the day.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (77)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The Orioles coaching staff continues to come into focus. Rick Kranitz has been named the new organizational pitching instructor for the Houston Astros, making room -- apparently -- for Mark Connor to become the new O's pitching coach. And, in a somewhat surprising development, The Sun is reporting that Juan Samuel will return to the third base/infield coach job he left to become the interim manager in June.

If you want my take on the Kranitz situation, I've got a new column up on the web site right here, or you can wait for tomorrow's print edition and enjoy the comforting sensation of holding a piece of organic material in your hands while you read. Either way works for me.

Since I don't weigh in on Samuel, I'll do so here. I think he was doing the organization a favor by holding down the fort while the club worked out the details and timing of Buck Showalter's arrival, and I think his heart was in the right place when he chose not to stay on the coaching staff for the final two months of the season. But he is well-liked inside the O's organization and he is quite respected around the major leagues.

There are a lot of people who think he'll get another chance to manage, hopefully under better circumstances than the first time.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Well, at least the AFC North. The Ravens are in first place in the division, thanks to last night's loss by the Steelers and the tie-breaker win over Pittsburgh in Week 4. Doesn't mean much right now, but I'm hearing no complaints.

The Ravens are out as a five-point favorite to defeat the Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, but that seems like a big spread when you consider that Miami is undefeated on the road and the Ravens were not able to dominate the winless Buffalo Bills at home last week. If I were a betting man -- and I most definitely am not -- I probably would take those points and figure on a field goal victory for the Ravens.

I'm at The Castle right now, waiting for practice to be over so we can talk to the players. Coach John Harbaugh meets the media for his weekly news conference at 4. Stay tuned.

Buy Ravens Gear

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