The Orioles have come to terms on a one-year deal with veteran first baseman Derrek Lee, which will solidify the club's batting order and infield defense if he is able to bounce back successfully from recent thumb surgery. If you want the particulars, Jeff Zrebiec's story is right here.

It should come as no surprise to anyone here that Lee was not my first choice to fill the run-production gap, but I would rather see him at first base than Luke Scott. Obviously, it would have been better if the Orioles had been able to convince Victor Martinez to come to Baltimore, but they came up short there and apparently weren't sold enough on Adam LaRoche to pull out all the stops to get him.

I agree with that part of the equation. I'm guessing Lee and LaRoche will have similar numbers in 2011, which would vindicate the decision to take the one-year deal with Lee and keep the team's options open for next winter. If he doesn't drive in 80 or 90 runs, however, it'll be viewed in the rear-view mirror as another cheap front office trick. In the meantime, everybody can go to town in the comments section.

It's hard to argue against the notion that the Orioles continue to spend as little as possible, though they did make a legitimate offer for Martinez. I'm pretty sure O's fans would have been happier heading into the new season with Adrian Beltre at third and Mark Reynolds at first, but I really don't know if signing Beltre was ever a real possibility. He didn't want to come here last year and there was no evidence of a change of heart this winter.

The bottom line: The Orioles are a lot sounder than they were last year, but it remains to be seen whether they will be dramatically more competitive. If 80 wins floats your boat, I suppose that's possible, but the O's will need the core of their pitching youth movement to take a big collective step forward to be a plus-.500 team with any kind of illusions about playing meaningful games in September.

My bad: I want to thank everyone for pointing out my brain cramp on "Cliff" Lee. Must have been wishful thinking on my part.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (171)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If you read me regularly or listen to me talking sports on WBAL, you know that I've been highly critical of the NCAA and the bowl selection system -- particularly in regard to the way Maryland was dropped to the bottom of the bowl pecking order in the ACC.

My feelings haven't changed, but I'll have to admit that the soft matchup for Maryland created a nice opportunity for Ralph Friedgen to go out on a very high note. The Terps started off a little slow, but they took the ECU defense apart in the second half on the way to a very lopsided victory.

So, Friedgen gets to go out holding a trophy after a nine-win turnaround season. Guess that's about as good as it gets under the circumstances.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just football
        

Da'Rel Scott just broke off a 91-yard touchdown run -- on the heels of a 61-yard TD sprint near the end of the third quarter -- and is closing in on a 200-yard day. He has 193 yards in just 13 carries. What a great way to wrap up his Terps career.

The Terps are now doing what everybody thought they might do to ECU's unheralded defense. There are 11 minutes left to play and Maryland now leads 44-13.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Redshirt freshman D.J. Adams just landed in the end zone for his third touchdown of the game and now has 10 touchdowns this season, which is a pretty impressive total when you consider that he has carried the ball just 65 times this season. He came into the game with just 204 yards on 54 attempts.

The touchdown was set up by Davin Meggett's 31-yard catch and run on a swing pass from Danny O'Brien.

Late in the third: Maryland 30, ECU 10.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

The Terps kicked off to open the second half, but just four plays later, they were on the ECU 2 yard line, thanks to an interception and 35-yard return by David Mackal. D.J. Adams took it the final two yards for his second touchdown of the game.

This is starting to feel like a blowout.

It's Maryland 23, East Carolina 3 with about 12 minutes left in the third quarter.

Instant update: Or maybe not. The Pirates just took advantage of a long punt return and a great thrown and catch from Dominique Davis to Lance Lewis for ECU's first touchdown. It's now, 23-10 with just under 10 minutes left in the third quarter.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

The Military Bowl hasn't been a total offensive showcase for the Terps, but they are very much in control of the game heading toward intermission. D.J. Adams just scored on a one-yard blast to give the Terps a 16-3 lead with 2.57 to go in the first half. The score was set up by a 44-yard run by Davin Meggett.

The Terps have left a few points on the field, but they've achieved almost perfect offensive balance. O'Brien has thrown for 103 yards and Meggett, Adams and Da'Rel Scott have rushed for a total of 99.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien came out flinging in the first quarter, but his attempt to overfly the Pirates defense on the first offensive play of the game didn't stay up in the air quite long enough and was intercepted.

The second time was the charm. He delivered a perfect ball to receiver Kevin Dorsey on a third-down play for a 45-yard touchdown. O'Brien also drove the Terps deep into ECU territory on their next possession, but came up empty when kicker Travis Baltz missed on a 25-yard field goal attempt.

It was the second hiccup by the kicking team. The Pirates blocked the extra point attempt after the touchdown.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

This is set up to be a major showcase for freshman quarterback Danny O'Brien, who is coming off that great game against a North Carolina State defense that just suffocated No. 22 West Virginia on Tuesday in the Champs Sports Bowl.

This ECU team isn't in the same universe as NC State. The Pirates are ranked last in Division 1A in total defense, so it'll be a major surprise if they throw a serious roadblock in front of O'Brien and the Terps offense. ECU will score some points, however, so O'Brien will need to be on his game.

The oddsmakers and betting public certainly think it will be a high-scoring affair. The over/under number is 69, which is the second-highest of the remaining bowl games, behind only the BCS title game between Oregon and Auburn (74). In other words, this might not be a great matchup, but it's probably going to be fun to watch.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Just arrived at RFK Stadium to prepare for today's Military Bowl between the Maryland Terrapins and East Carolina Pirates, and you couldn't ask for a much better day for a college football game.

You could ask for a better stadium and you could ask for a better matchup, I suppose, but that can't be helped. The Terps deserved to be higher in the bowl pecking order -- by virtue of their record, not their fan support -- but they probably couldn't have picked a better matchup to allow Ralph Friedgen to go out on a high note.

No, I'm not assuming a Terps victory. The bowl season has already produced a few unexpected results. But the Pirates don't play a lot of defense and the Terps probably will be able to move the ball pretty well against them.

I'm guessing the players will be fired up to give Fridge a big send-off, and I think he deserves that. He oversaw a major uptick in the program when he arrived here a decade ago and he also brought the Terps back from last year's 2-10 trainwreck to make a legitimate run at first place in the ACC Atlantic Division.

I've already weighed in on the decision to replace him. I think the whole thing went down awkwardly, but I can't argue with the need to move the program in a new direction. Ralph deserved better but, as a practical matter, it would have been hard for AD Kevin Anderson to justify giving him a long-term extension.

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

I don't know about you, but I woke up this morning thinking about what a great guy Peyton Hillis is, and how Colt McCoy is such a nice young fellow, and how Josh Cribbs is just a fine human being.

The Browns made a few mistakes yesterday -- well, more than a few -- but they deserve a lot of credit for getting so fired up for a game that really didn't mean anything to them. That showed character.

That's why I'm not giving up on their game next week against the Steelers. Eric Mangini has stuck it to the Patriots this year and the Browns have also beaten the Saints. I think the Browns would love to knock the Steelers into next week, and I don't think it's entirely out of the question.

Of course, if you're a Ravens fan, you're wishing your biggest wish, because the alternative is a first-round playoff game for the Ravens in Indianapolis. In that case, they would have been better off finishing behind the Jets in the playoff seedings and heading off to Kansas City for the wild card round.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Just football
        

First of all, let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. I got a lump of coal this morning, but with energy prices what they are, I will be able to trade it for something really nice.

I'm going to spend the day remembering the reason for the season, which apparently is to watch five consecutive NBA games. If that doesn't float your boat, you can take a look at my colunn in today's print edition, in which I implore Santa to fix college football -- since the NCAA apparently can't. Of course, you can also read it right here.

I'm pretty sure we're not going to get any Orioles news today, so Wayne, I think you should take the day off and try to get into the spirit of the season. No matter how much the Orioles have disappointed you, I think you owe it to yourself (and maybe your employer) to pursue some other interests before your head explodes.

Nobody is being played. Everybody here knows what they're getting with the Orioles organization, but a lot of fans still find a way to be hopeful because that's they way they're made. They choose not be be miserable, so if they can't hack the inability of the O's to sign the best free agents, they refocus on some other aspect of their lives.. I believe you could learn something from them.

I don't say that to be nasty and I certainly am not saying that your criticisms and gripes are not legitimate, they're just redundant and give the impression that you're somehow superior to everybody else because of your insight and outrage. I hope you -- and everybody else -- has a very happy day today.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Just football
        

This traditionally is the start of about a week of quiet time in the middle of the baseball offseason, which is fine with me. I've been on Fridge duty the past few days and -- because of my lengthy (and well-deserved) vacation -- I really haven't been in a position to weigh in on much of what has been going on with the O's lately.

I made an exception, however, with my column in today's print edition, which you can also read right here if you haven't already.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend, though you can keep the white Christmas. I'm so cold that I'm considering going on the internet and buying a Snuggly, which I'm sure would look just great on me.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (112)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Hate to blow my own horn, but I was one of the few people saying the Ravens defense would come up big today. I realize the Saints scored 24 points, but when it counted, the Ravens stuffed the Saints deep in their own territory a couple of times. It was a big win at a time when the Ravens needed one, and it was the 60-minute performance everyone -- at least around here -- wanted to see.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens are giving the defending Super Bowl champions a lesson in offensive football, mixing the run and the pass very efficiently on the way to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter. Ray Rice has been all over the place, scoring on a 10-yard run and catching a 17-yard TD pass from Joe Flacco.

The last touchdown was set up by a nice punt return by Lardarius Webb to start the possession in Saints territory.

Of course, it's still the first half and the Saints are one of the most explosive teams in the NFL. There's also the small matter of the way the Ravens played with a big lead against the Houston Texans in the second half, so we'll just have to wait and see what happens, but the offense has been executing very well and the defense has held Drew Brees in check so far.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens didn't exactly get off to an auspicious start, going three and out on their first possession before falling behind on a touchdown pass from Drew Brees to tight end Jimmy Graham, but their second possession was much more impressive.

They ran right at the Saints and moved the ball down the field to set up a nice third-down throw to rookie Ed Dickson on a tight-end delay for Dickson's first NFL TD.

Ravens 7, Saints 7. The Ravens defense has stopped the Saints quickly on two of three New Orleans possessions, which is a pretty good sign, but not as good as the ability of Ray Rice and Willis McGahee to move the chains on the ground. That shortens the game and keeps Brees off the field, which should be Job One.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Just football
        

Though a lot of you have already done so, I would encourage everyone to take a look at my column on the unfortunate Ralph Friedgen situation. It's a shame that his career as Maryland football coach came down to this.

Don't misunderstand, I'm not dismissing the notion that a new high-profile coach might take the Terps up a level, but what happened in this situation shows a lack of appreciation for the way Fridge took the Terps to a whole new level of national respectability when he arrived here 10 years ago. Maryland hasn't been an ACC dynasty since then, but the Terps have gotten seven bowl invitations in 10 years.

To be fair, I didn't put the hammer down on Steve Bisciotti for doing essentially the same thing to Brian Billick, giving him a vote of confidence and then deciding to fire him anyway after the 2007 season, but it was a much different situation. Billick was coming off a very disappointing season and Bisciotti still had to pay him for the next three seasons at $5 million per year.

By the way, Brian is scheduled to be the FOX analyst for today's game between the Saints and Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. It will be only the second time he has been back to M&T to do a FOX broadcast.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Just football
        

Do you remember how much abuse I took at the beginning of the NFL season for my prediction in the Sun's preseason football preview section that the San Diego Chargers would win the Super Bowl? And that was before their first-half collapse that almost took them out of playoff contention.

Obviously, I'm some kind of prognostication prodigy, because the Chargers are building momentum for the playoffs and are starting to look like a very formidable contender for the Super Bowl title.

I know, there are some people who are shaking their heads and saying that this is just typical Chargers football. Slow start. Fast finish. Quick postseason exit. Maybe so, but there's something about this Chargers team that makes me think this year might be different.

For one thing, it's still a team with some talent in reserve. There are some quality players -- like tight end Antonio Gates -- who aren't even in the picture right now, and receiver Vincent Jackson has hit stride with a fury. Phillip Rivers hooked up with him three times for touchdowns last night against the San Francisco 49ers and that was before the Chargers shut down the offense early in the fourth quarter.

The 49ers are no great shakes, but the Chargers defense ran off seven straight scoreless quarters before San Francisco scored a meaningless TD last night. Everything seems to be falling in place, though there's still the small matter of overtaking the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Details. The Chargers will win their last two road games against the lowly Bengals and Broncos, leaving the Chiefs needing to win their last three games to hold them off for the division title. That's not going to happen, and the Chargers will either get to the playoffs on the division tiebreaker (if the Chiefs lose to Oakland), the common opponent tiebreaker (if the Chiefs lose to the Rams this weekend) or the conference record tiebreaker (if the Chiefs lose to the Titans next week).

The Chargers also have a chance to overtake the Jets for the last wild card spot if they can win out and the Jets lose two of their last three, which is possible with road games remaining against the Steelers and Bears.

Shameless plug alert: If you don't have anything better to do this afternoon, join me at noon for "The Week In Review" on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

Okay, let's just assume that the Orioles sign either Adam LaRoche or Derrek Lee and come to terms with reliever Kevin Gregg. Will that be enough to make them a .500 team in the American League East?

There's no question they will be a more exciting offensive team, for better or worse. The addition of Mark Reynolds adds some real punch to the lineup and LaRoche or Lee would create the possibility of 60 home runs from the two corner positions -- which would be quite an improvement over last season -- but those power numbers would not come without some obvious drawbacks.

The addition of two power bats would likely make life easier on Nick Markakis and Adam Jones, but whether it's Lee or LaRoche (and there is no guarantee it's either), you're also talking about the likelihood of 300-plus strikeouts from the corner infielders.

Manager Buck Showalter said the other day that he still would like to go into spring training with more rotation depth, but the Orioles will have enough good young arms to fill five spots, and that's with promising Zach Britton waiting in the wings.

Still, I think the Orioles chances of finishing above sea level are questionable unless the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays backslide considerably in 2011.

What do you think?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (205)
Categories: Just baseball
        

When I saw the video of the Metrodome roof collapsing and dumping all that show on the Minnesota Vikings' home field, I had to wonder what else could go wrong for the Vikings. The roof already had fallen in on them in a figurative sense with the Brett Favre cell phone scandal and the Randy Moss mutiny, so this was just icing on a rotting cake.

The situation did bring back some memories, however, since I was in the Metrodome for the only time the roof failed while there was an event taking place underneath it. That was on April 26, 1986, when a severe windshear tore the roof above the bleachers in right center field and dumped rainwater into the stands during the ninth inning of a game between the Twins and California Angels.

The tear caused the light standards to swing toward the seats and created some panic in the stands, but the roof did not deflate and the game resumed after a short delay with the Twins leading, 6-1. The evening became even more memorable when the game was restarted and the Angels proceeded to hit three two-run home runs in the ninth inning to win the game -- the final blow a two-out shot into the upper deck in right by rookie first baseman Wally Joyner.

My other memory of that game came afterward. Reggie Jackson, nearing the end of his great career, did not start the game, but came on as a pinch hitter in the top of the ninth. He walked and scored ahead of Joyner, but complained after the game (perhaps only half-seriously) about manager Gene Mauch's decision to send him in to play right field in bottom of the ninth inning -- right under the spot where the roof was damaged.

Joyner went on to have a terrific season and help lead the Angels into the playoffs, but that was the year of the famous Game 5 collapse against the Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series. The Metrodome game was quickly lost to memory in a season that included several big events in Angels history -- including Don Sutton's 300th career victory.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

I know there are a lot of people looking at Mark Reynolds' .198 average and huge strikeout total from last year and wondering why the Orioles acquired such a flawed player to start at third base, but it's not that complicated.

Andy MacPhail needs to inject some power and run production into the Orioles lineup and he came up a little short on Victor Martinez, which left him with a list of available players that all have some kind of drawback. Personally, I would have been happy to take Adam Dunn and split him between first base and DH in spite of his strikeout total, but he's got some of the same issues as Reynolds and he got $56 million from the White Sox.

The other big power option is Carlos Pena, who had an even lower batting average than Reynolds and also strikes out a ton. The Orioles haven't ruled out adding him, too, and getting Reynolds cheap makes that possible. I'm not sure what to think of injecting a potential 65 home runs and 360 strikeouts into the O's lineup, but I'm guessing that would be more entertaining than what you've been seeing the last decade or so.

In defense of Andy, sometimes you don't get to do what you want, so you do what you can.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (355)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Listening to the Ravens blow another game to the Steelers at 5:30 in the morning -- Italian time -- is even more painful than usual, so I should withhold judgment until I've had more time to pause and reflect.

But I won't. The Ravens did more to accomplish less than any team that has a right to consider itself a deep-playoff contender.

They were in position to take a big lead early inside the Steelers 30-yard line after Joe Flacco's second big pass play, and somehow marched backward out of field goal range.

They were looking at second and 5 with three minutes or so left in the game and Flacco ends up naked in front of Troy Polamalu when a two-yard run by Willis McGahee would have shaved down the clock a little further and kept them -- at the very least -- in position to back the Steelers up in their own territory for the final minute or two of the game.

They lose 11 yards on a Donte Stallworth reverse that just wasn't necessary. They committed a series of penalties that made it look in the first half like they were not ready for prime time.

I know. I know. It's easy to second-guess them after a tough loss, but lets face it. This isn't a team that can take control of a game and hold onto it. This is a team that could have beaten New England if it was confident enough in its offensive line to get a half yard on fourth down. This is a team that couldn't hold a 10-point lead against the Buffalo Bills. This is a team that still finds the most discouraging ways to screw up drives and lose big games.

This game was probably the difference between having home games in the postseason or spending the playoffs on the road for the third straight year, and they fumbled it away.

You have to have a killer instinct to win the Super Bowl, and -- it should be obvious by now -- the Ravens don't.

Sad but true.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Just football
        

...you better not do what the Romans do if you're a Ravens fan, because the Romans don't even know the Ravens exist. If you want to monitor the Ravens/Steelers game, not only do you have to stay up until 2:20 a.m. for kickoff, you've also got to buy the NFL.com audio package to listen to Jerry Sandusky and Co. call the game.

I haven't done that yet, because I'm not sure I can stay awake. I've been eating pasta at every meal to maintain my strength, but I'm still fading as the clock gets ready to strike one and I've got to be up for a 7:15 tour of the Vatican City.

I'm right in the middle of my Roman holiday, which included a tour of The Coliseum on Sunday afternoon. It wasn't really called The Coliseum back when the lions played there. It was called the Flavian Amphitheatre, but I guess that was too hard to remember during the dark ages and everybody just started calling it the Coliseum.

Very impressive. I've also spent time in Florence, Siena and Assisi over the past week reliving the Renaissance. Apparently, that Michelangelo fellow had a great deal of time on his hands.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just football