Almost everyone here has applauded the Orioles decision to sign veteran pitcher Justin Duchscherer for reasons that should be obvious. He'll be a quality pitcher if he can overcome a variety of personal obstacles to return to the form that made him an All-Star in Oakland.

It's also possible to view it as another cheap signing by a cheap team, but if any of you thought the Orioles had a chance to sign Cliff Lee and made this choice instead just to save money, you're either incurably jaded or simply fooling yourselves. I'll go with incurably jaded.

There comes a time when you have to view each move in its own context, and this one -- at this time -- is a good move. Duchscherer might be the catch of the winter or he might never get out of spring training. The Rangers made the same kind of play with Vladimir Guerrero when he looked like he was done last year and caught lightning in a bottle. The Orioles tried to do it with Garrett Atkins and got the opposite result.

If Duchscherer doesn't pan out, he doesn't pan out. The Orioles have a young starting rotation that might have been good enough to begin with, but Duchscherer adds some serious possible upside at a discount price. You can call that cheap or you can call it smart. Works for me either way.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (85)
Categories: Just baseball
        

In case anybody doubts that the WBAL Sportsline team skipped -- Wizard of Oz-style -- into the Chesapeake Bay on Saturday morning (7:55 a.m, to be exact), here is video proof from the WBAL Radio website.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Since The Sun had several writers blogging from FanFest yesterday, I thought I'd save my thoughts on the event until today. Of course, that's partly because my fingers were still frozen several hours after I kicked off my day by jumping into the 33-degree water of the Chesapeake Bay at the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge.

There's proof that I actually went through with it. The WBAL Sportsline Plunge Team -- which also included Jared Ruderman, Brett Hollander and Chris "The Professor" Imms -- skipped into the water hand-in-hand at 7:55 a.m. It wasn't pretty, and I'm pretty sure we temporarily raised the water level in the bay several inches, but we survived.

Quick heads up: Though Chris is called "The Professor" on the Ron Smith Show, you probably don't want him teaching your children to swim. We're just happy he's still with us today.

I wish I could have stayed around for some of the other festivities, or to sit in one of the hot tubs to warm up, but I raced right out of Sandy Point State Park and headed for the Convention Center, where the line to get into FanFest stretched all the way around the facility. Apparently, expectations are a bit higher this year, despite what some of our more critical friends here would like you to believe.

The real proof was at the beginning of the first big Q&A session featuring Andy MacPhail and Buck Showalter. Ever seat in front of the main stage was full and Showalter got a huge ovation when he was introduced. MacPhail was also welcomed warmly, but fans clearly give Buck a ton of credit for the late-season turnaround. As they should.

To keep it in perspective. It is called FanFest, so you have to figure that the people who paid $10 to get in are fans and are more likely to be positive about the team than the fans who no longer go to the games...or spend their time torching the team on the message boards. That doesn't mean there isn't a huge number of disaffected fans who are still frustrated and disbelieving. They've got every right to be.

My colleague Dan Connolly recently put up a blog item asking fans to predict how many games the Orioles are going to win this year. The lowest serious response was 69 wins and the majority of responses was in the 80s.

That's a pretty optimistic response. Dan predicted 75 wins. If you forced me to make a prediction now, instead of in March, I would probably say 78. If everybody stays healthy and the young players continue to evolve, I could see the O's getting into the 80s, but that's asking quite a lot.

The average response at Connolly's Corner Sports Bar was about 83, which I would say is pretty darn optimisitic.

I'm wondering, however, if Dan's blog is just populated by a more positive group of Orioles fans than this one, so I'll throw his question at everybody here. How many games will the O's win this year. Feel free to be witty and sarcastic, but I want the number to be what you really believe the number will be, for better or worse, and I want an exact number. It's hard to get an average when indecisive people say "between 75 and 82."

Go to town.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (113)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I'll be posting my look back on FanFest in just a few minutes, but thought I would use this opportunity to give readers from outside the Web site a chance to click on my latest column right here.

I talked to Brian Roberts (along with a dozen other media members) and was happy to hear how great he has felt the past month or so. He was feeling the effects of that late-season concussion for a long time, but the fog finally has cleared and he's aching to get back out on the field.

That's great news for the Orioles, but -- to be fair and accurate -- his back situation will remain a question mark, just because it's a back injury. That doesn't mean it's inevitable he'll continue to have problems, however.

If you want my personal perspective, and what choice do you really have right now, I had a severe disk herniation during the mid-1980s that left me unable to even walk for several days. Though surgery was recommended, I chose to rehab it with an intense exercise and strengthening program. It took about a year to become completely pain-free, but I have never had a recurrence.

Of course, I'm not going to be playing second base for the Orioles every day for the next eight months, but I played full-court basketball two or three times a week for the next decade without incident and nobody was ever going to confuse me with a health and conditioning nut like Brian Roberts.

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict he plays at least 130 games, and I'm keeping the number low because the Orioles have guys who can spell him at second base and they'll be careful not to overwork him.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I'll be doing double duty on Saturday, starting with an early morning trip to Sandy Point State Park for the MSP Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Maryland. Everybody ought to jump into 34-degree water once every year, just as a test of character, so I'll be doing that with the WBAL Sportsline team, which also includes Brett Hollander, Jerod Ruderman and Chris Imms. If we stand on tradition, we will hold hands and skip into the bay while singing "Off to See the Wizard."

Later in the morning, I will rush north to the Baltimore Convention Center for FanFest, where you can see me circulating around the facility trying to look important. I have no official function other than to write a column about it, so be sure and say "Hi" so I can look busy.

Don't worry, I do plan to swing by home on the way and shower. I'm sure I'll be a little marked up after having to rescue Hollander from the icy surf, but nothing will keep me away from FanFest.

While we're on the subject, I've included my column for tomorrow's print edition on this very subject right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Shameless plug
        

Since you're probably already commenting on it, I'll post today's column about the Orioles right here for your enjoyment and criticism. If you're keeping track at home, just 19 days until I leave for spring training.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Just baseball, Just baseball
        

The Web continues to buzz with rumors that Vladimir Guerrero is headed this way, and everybody around here is scurrying to dismiss them. Only Andy MacPhail knows for sure if the O's have any real interest -- and he's not exactly stoking the hot stove on this one -- but that doesn't necessarily mean the Orioles won't trot Guerrero out at FanFest next Saturday.

The Vlad-to-the-Orioles speculation is based largely on agent talk and the fact that -- with Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Andruw Jones and Johnny Damon off the market -- there aren't a lot of places left for an aging DH to go.

Guerrero was hoping to make one more big score off his terrific comeback year for the Rangers, but nobody seems willing to give him the two-year deal he's believed to be seeking. If you believe the whispers around the Warehouse, the O's are not willing to spend a lot of money to fill a spot on the roster that is already filled adequately by Luke Scott, but if Guerrero becomes desperate enough to sign a one-year, incentive-laden contract, then they wouldn't mind bringing him in and using Luke in left field.

Of course, there are some possible variables in play. If Andy MacPhail is working on some kind of deal for a starting pitcher that includes Nolan Reimold, Felix Pie or Scott, then Guerrero might become more attractive.

If the price is right, I think Guerrero would be a low-risk gamble with a high upside. If he can jack up one more season like last year, he could be the final piece in a potentially explosive batting order that could truly change the subject at Oriole Park this summer.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (96)
Categories: Just baseball
        

With Steve Bisciotti, Dick Cass, Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh on the dais and dozens of reporters firing questions, there was a lot of ground covered during the course of the Ravens' season wrapup news conference.

One of the headlines to come out of it will surely be Cass's announcement that the Ravens will not -- as they usually do every other year -- raise season ticket prices this year. Cass cited the uncertainty about the labor situation and also said that season ticket funds will not be used for club operations during a potential work stoppage. The money will be kept separate and fans will get it back with interest for any games not played because of a strike or lockout.

Cass also said that, unlike some NFL clubs, the Ravens will not lay off any employees in the event of a work stoppage. Employees may, however, have some pay reduction associated with a work stoppage, but will get any reduction refunded if the full season is played.

There were no great revelations about the labor situation, because Bisciotti and his fellow owners are under something of a gag order.

"I want to keep my money,'' Bisciotti laughed, "and Roger (Goodell) wants to take my money."

On the personnel front, Bisciotti made it clear that he would give Harbaugh a contract extension, probably finalizing it in the next couple of weeks. Newsome confirmed that Haloti Ngata's free agent status is a top priority, but the labor uncertainty may make it difficult to get a deal done before a decision is made by the NFL whether to lock the players out in March.

If you want to hear from the brain trust on Joe Flacco's progress this season, you'll have to wait a few hours for Jamison Hensley's story on the subject. The Sun had its entire football staff mobilized for the news conference, so look for several stories on the state of the franchise in the print edition and here on the Web site.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens will hold their year-end news conference today at The Castle, so we'll get to hear what Steve Bisciotti, Ozzie Newsome, Dick Cass and coach John Harbaugh have to say about the way the 2010 season transpired.

I'm guessing they'll say what everyone is thinking. The Ravens were a couple of turnovers removed from the Super Bowl, which means that they're not going to overreact to one very wrenching loss in Pittsburgh.

That's the right answer, but there's a lot to talk about going forward. The uncertain labor situation makes it hard to predict what will happen over the next few months, but the Ravens have a long list of unrestricted free agents to ponder -- starting, of course, with All-Pro defensive lineman Haloti Ngata.

It was very encouraging to see Haloti at yesterday's news conference to introduce new D-coordinator Chuck Pagano. Ngata was asked about his situation going forward and he didn't play agent games.

"I don't want to go anywhere else,'' he said.

The Ravens will get that one done just as soon as they know the lay of the land.

It's possible the team will have some coaching announcements to make today, but any speculation that Cam Cameron is in trouble is probably wishful thinking on the part of those fans who think he was the reason the Ravens did not live up to their on-paper offensive potential. Cam apparently isn't going anywhere.

The coaching staff, minus Greg Mattison, will stay largely intact. Most of the marquee players on the roster will be back, too, if there's a 2011 season, but this team needs something to elevate the offense to a level where it can overcome mistakes and close out games consistently. I'll be curious to hear what the braintrust thinks.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

Don't know about you, but I've been wondering for quite some time if it's true that a lot of people drink at sporting events. I know there are long lines for beer, because I once missed a whole quarter in the upper deck at a Ravens game waiting to buy one, but I never actually had proof that people (other than me) go back to their seats and actually drink that seven-dollar lager.

Now, I can rest easy, because there's a real study out there that proves a lot of people leave sporting events less than sober. If you want to read about it, you can take a look right here.

Disclaimer: If you've listened to me on WBAL Radio (1090AM) over the years, you know that I'm about as anti-drunk driving as you can get. If you get in your car drunk, I hope there's a checkpoint right around the corner. So, I'm not making light of drunk driving, which remains a huge public safety issue.

However, the fact that somebody actually commissioned a study to determine the extent of alcohol consumption at sporting events confirms my belief that there are a lot of people out there with too much time and money.

The study was done by asking 362 volunteers at 13 venues to take a breathalyzer test on their way out of sporting events. The results indicated a lot people had significant alcohol in their systems. The issue, of course, is whether they drove themselves home, but the study apparently didn't monitor that. Seems like a fairly important point, don't you think?

I'm not a researcher, but this "study" seems to have more holes in it than the Buffalo Bills defense. The sample was self-selecting, since sports fans had to volunteer for it, so there's no way to know if the 8 percent reported to be over the legal driving limit was a legitimate number.

There's also the small matter of objective selection. The people doing the testing chose, I presume, about 30 people at each venue. Did they just pick the people stumbling out of the arena? Did they wear blindfolds so they couldn't gauge the visible impairment of the subjects? Did they do the study in Pittsburgh?

The conclusion, of course, was that a lot of people leave sports stadiums with unsafe blood-alcohol levels, though anyone who has attended an Eagles game would tell you that 8 percent figure is probably pretty low.

Howard Cosell used ot have an expression for a conclusion like that. It's in the headline of this item.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: News of the day
        

The bitter taste of the Ravens' loss to the Steelers basically leaves Baltimore sports fans with little to comfort them other than the opening of the Orioles' newly renovated spring training camp in 3 1/2 weeks.

How much solace that provides probably depends on what you expect from this year's team, which is probably better than last year's model (How could it not be?) but not so much better that you can reasonably expect them to be in the wild card hunt in August.

I'm always going to give the players the benefit of the doubt going into the season, so maybe Derrek Lee will bounce back from an injury-plagued season and Mark Reynolds will put some pop in a lineup that lacked any real punch last year. But the planets would have to line up perfectly for the Orioles to have any chance to make a dramatic move up the AL East standings.

Still, it's okay to look forward to the baseball season, even if that's just to keep from looking back on what happened on Saturday.

I'll have a column up soon expanding on that concept, but you don't have to wait for it to tear into me like usual.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (53)
Categories: Just baseball
        

...I'm happy to report there has been a truce.

Bogie and Trotsky have ushered in a new era of civility

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Is it just me, or did the victory by the New York Jets today make it feel like the Ravens blew the Steelers game all over again?

It's one thing to lose and have to go to Foxborough to face the team with the best record in the AFC, though I thought the Ravens had proven they could beat the Pats. It's quite another to know that a merely adequate second-half performance against the Steelers would have brought the AFC Championship Game to M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens would have been favored to take the final step to the Super Bowl.

I wrote a whole column for Saturday's paper saying that the Steelers game was all or nothing...that if the Ravens won they'd keep winning right on through Dallas and bring home the Lombardi Trophy. I still can't prove it, but I was right and that makes the whole weekend even harder to stomach for devastated Ravens fans.

I'm happy for Rex Ryan, but this just ain't right.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (60)
Categories: Just football
        

Seriously, that's what I thought when I woke up this morning and started remembering everything that led to the Ravens' ignominious come-from-ahead loss to the evil Steelers.

Following the game, I heard a lot of people saying that they felt pretty safe at halftime, and why not? The Ravens had dominated the first half after the Steelers scored that tainted first touchdown -- much like the Ravens came back from the first touchdown by the Chiefs last weekend.

Myself? I didn't feel safe at all at that point, because the Steelers were getting the ball to start the second half and if they could drive the field, they would be back in a one-score game. When I started feeling like it was in the bag was right after the Ravens stopped Ben Roethlisberger on third down on that first possession.

The Steelers had used up some time to start the third quarter and they were giving the ball back. I actually articulated in my mind at that point -- and I'm sure many of you did the same thing -- that the only thing that could stop the Ravens was a string of turnovers, which just didn't seem possible after the way they had won the turnover battle in Kansas City and during yesterday's first half.

Obviously, I was right and wrong at the same time. They Ravens did turn the ball over in rapid-fire fashion, and they did it with a look of panic that told me where this thing was going. All it needed was an extra push from the officials, who were simply awful both ways for much of the game.

Let's not throw this all on Joe Flacco. Just about everybody on the offense who is supposed to makes plays -- at some juncture -- failed to make a play that good playoff teams make. Flacco certainly failed to hold things together. Anquon Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh dropped passes in very key situations. Ray Rice had his first fumble in forever to start the snowball rolling downhill.

And I'm not letting the coaching staff off the hook on either side of the ball. I don't know why Flacco was going long downfield to Todd Heap at a time when the Ravens were still ahead and really just needed to re-establish possession and find some offensive rhythm. I also don't know why the defense decided to drop into total pass coverage on that key third-and-19 throw that put the Steelers in the red zone at the end.

You can say all you want that the guy shouldn't have gotten behind the coverage, but if you're willing to let Ben Roethlisberger stand in the pocket as long as he wants, he's going to make a big play. That's what he does, just as he did in the second regular-season meeting under similar defensive circumstances. I guess those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it, but this is getting ridiculous.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Just football
        

While we're all getting worked up about the Ravens/Steelers game, I think it's only fair to ramp up the rhetoric even further. I'm not particularly confident the Ravens will win in Pittsburgh this weekend -- and I did not go with the home pick just to be popular -- but I do think that they can win the Super Bowl this weekend.

I really do.

I believe that the Ravens would win a hypothetical road matchup against the Patriots next weekend and definitely would dispatch Rex Ryan and the Jets at M&T Bank Stadium. I'm also confident they can beat anybody in the NFC in the Super Bowl.

So it comes down to one game at Heinz Field.

Since some people bristle when I pick the opposing team to win, let me repeat that it is not because I want the opposing team to win. I make my picks based on my knowledge of the two teams and the circumstances surrounding the matchup.

If it is any consolation, I've been pretty awful in the Staff Picks competition this year, so my decision to pick the Squealers might just give the Ravens the karmic boost they need to move on to the AFC title game.

You're thoughts?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens were just being difficult today. I wrote a column saying they would take it down to the final minutes like usual, so -- of course -- they blow out the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium just to make me look bad.

Let that be a lesson to you.

What an impressive victory, particularly after they fell behind early and turned the ball over a couple of times. They flat-out bullied the Chiefs and answered a lot of the tough questions that have been flying around about the offense. Now it's on to Pittsburgh for Saturday's divisional rubber game for the right to play in the AFC title game. Can't wait.

Also, congratulations to Todd Heap, who had one of the best games of his career. Let me know if anybody still thinks he's soft.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just football
        

Well, as far as I'm concerned, What's Important Now is that you click on my column right here or go to today's print edition to get my take on the Ravens as they head into today's playoff opener against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

I think the Ravens will win. My prediction in the paper was a 27-24 victory. But I'm not overwhelmingly confident, and I'm guessing that my mindset has been affected a bit by the way the Seattle Seahawks handled the New Orleans Saints yesterday. Once again, proof that anybody can beat anybody in the NFL, especially if they're at home.

I've only been to Arrowhead once in my life, and my impression of it was that it's not as hostile a place as Heinz Field or some of the other places the Ravens play in more regularly. I don't think that, or the weather, will be major factors in the game. I believe it will come down to which team can execute its offense. That would appear to favor the Ravens going in, because they have the better run defense, but we'll know soon enough.

My column basically calls on Ravens fans to let go of their preconceived -- as in preseason -- notions about the team and embrace it for what it is. You're not going to be able to book that bus to Pittsburgh until the last two minutes of today's game, so fasten those seat belts and get ready for another bumpy ride.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

The wait is over for pitcher Bert Blyleven, who had been on the Hall of Fame ballot the past 13 years in spite of his impressive place among baseball's all-time strikeout and shutout leaders. Roberto Alomar only had to wait one year to stamp his ticket to Cooperstown for a career in which he was one of baseball's best all-around players.

Former Oriole Rafael Palmeiro, whose numbers would have made him a first-ballot lock if not for his positive steroid test in 2005, did not come close to induction the first time around. Players need to be named on 75 percent of the ballots submitted by eligible members of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and Raffy was named on only 11 percent.

The results were announced at 2 p.m. today. Alomar came so close last year that there was little doubt he would make it in on his second try. He was named on 90 percent of the ballots. Blyleven, who ranks fifth all-time in strikeouts and won 15-or-more games in a season 10 times, was named on 79.7 percent of the ballots after missing induction by just a small handful of ballots in 2010.

Blyleven won 287 games in his career and was reputed to have the game's best curveball during his prime seasons. He played on two World Series winners -- the 1979 Pirates who rallied to beat the Orioles -- and the 1987 Minnesota Twins. He retired ranked third in major league history 3,701 strikeouts (now fifth) and ninth with 60 shutouts.

Alomar had a .300 career batting average over 17 seasons and appeared in seven postseasons as a member of the Blue Jays, Orioles and Indians. He is generally regarded as one of the best fielding second basemen of all time, but his notorious spitting incident involving umpire John Hirschbeck may have cost him the few votes he needed to reach the 75 percent plateau a year ago.

Alomar and Blyleven will join long-time baseball executive and former Orioles GM Pat Gillick at this year's induction ceremony.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Though there are always a few cynical anti-fans who blast every move the Orioles make, the signing of Kevin Gregg does deepen the bullpen. I'm sure there was somebody out there who was better, which is -- of course -- proof that the team is still a trainwreck and will never, ever will really improve, but it's hard to make the case that a guy who averaged 30 saves the past four years won't be useful.

That said, the he-makes-us-better argument can ring a little hollow when you're coming off a season in which just about anybody who played well enough for another team to warrant a free agent contract probably would accomplish that not-so-lofty goal.

I think Gregg could be a very solid addition -- based on the 2010 Rolaids Relief Man standings, he was the second-best closer available in the free agent market -- but we already know the folly of putting too much stock in a reconfigured bullpen. Relievers are just two unpredictable from year to year. The Orioles have spent a lot of money over the past decade on relievers who were supposed to solve their end-of-game problems, only to be back in the market the following offseason.

Hopefully for Buck Showalter, this year will be different. I know there was some sniping over Jeremy Accardo, but you really can't judge some of the marginal moves totally on past performance. Everybody who watches baseball knows that several middle relievers come out of nowhere each season, so the percentage move is to find dependable arms for the eighth and ninth innings and build up enough depth to discover next year's hot middleman.

Gregg has a track record that suggests he will be a fairly dependable closer, but he's certainly not Mariano Rivera. He's a guy who has proven that he'll be successful about 85 percent of the time in save situations. The Orioles obviously hope that with Koji Uehara also available to save games, Buck can manage Gregg's workload in a way that will improve that percentage.

Don't misunderstand, 85 percent isn't bad. There were only five pitchers last year who were 90 percenters, and only one of them, Rafael Soriano, is among this year's free agent class. Gregg blew six saves last year, one more than Rivera and two fewer than Jonathan Papelbon.

If you put any stock in the Rolaids standings -- which, admittedly, are derived from a fairly simple statistical equation -- Gregg was tied for No. 9 overall with Papelbon, but was No. 2 among the available free agents.

Guess Disraeli was right. You can prove anything you want with statistics, so get to work and tell me why you think this was a good move or a bad one.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (109)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If you didn't see me around yesterday, it wasn't because I was lying around ignoring the blog. The Schmuck still stops here, but Monday was a pretty busy day for the Baltimore Sun Sports department.

We had to dig up the latest developments on the Alfredo Simon case -- and Dan Connolly and Nick Madigan are doing a great job of that -- and there were the other small matters of the University of Maryland introducing the new Terps head football coach and the Ravens beginning to prepare for Sunday's playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Which is why I actually had two columns in today's print edition. Check out my take on the Randy Edsall hiring right here, and -- if you're not tired after that -- you can read my column here on why the Ravens caught a big break when they drew the Chiefs in the Wild Card round.

It isn't easy to be such a tireless workhorse, but I make up for it with my modest and humble nature.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Just baseball, Just football, News of the day
        

When the University of Maryland introduces new football coach Randy Edsall at a news conference today, there are still going to be a lot of Terp fans scratching their heads.

That's not because there's anything wrong with Edsall. There isn't. He's a good coach with a solid reputation who has done a terrific job of bringing the Connecticut program into the national spotlight.

Still, there was a certain profile that everybody assumed would be in play during the coaching search, and Edsall doesn't quite fit it. He's more like a fresher, younger Ralph Friedgen than the hard-charging, win-or-else type coach that everybody assumed athletic director Kevin Anderson was looking for when he made the controversial decision to replace Fridge.

This, to me, is some evidence that the decision was based more on the image of the program than the actual nuts and bolts necessary to take it to an elite level. If so, Edsall was the right choice, but it's hard to make the case that -- on the basis of pure coaching ability -- he's a dynamic upgrade over Friedgen.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Just football
        

What a shocking way to start the new year. Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon has been named as the chief suspect by police in his native Dominican Republic after a 25-year-old man was shot to death and the man's brother was wounded on New Year's Eve.

Here's the Associated Press report, but there isn't much detail yet.

Simon, who is being sought by police, reportedly has denied involvement in the incident to an Orioles official in the Dominican Republic.

Don't really know what to say at this point. For Alfredo's sake, I hope this is a case of mistaken identity, but this is a tragic story no matter who is the culprit. I'm guessing the Orioles will withhold anything but a perfunctory "no comment" until they get more information.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Just football, News of the day
        

While you're hunkered down in your living room or braving the 50-degree temperature at M&T Bank Stadium, I'm going to head down to Fedex Field for the 4:15 game between the Redskins and New York Giants.

I'm neither a Redskins nor a Giants fan, but Orioles reporter Jeff Zrebiec is from New Jersey, so I'm going to humor him and join him to see if the Giants can get past the 'Skins and keep hope alive for an NFC wild card berth. It'll be a serious scoreboard watch situation for Tom Coughlin, whose job may depend on whether the Bears can go into Lambeau Field and beat the Packers. The way the inconsistent Giants have played in the second half of the season, I'm not sure that will even matter.

Ravens fans will be doing essentially the same thing at 1 p.m. today. I'm pretty confident they'll dispense with the Bengals, but that won't matter unless the Cleveland Browns pull a huge upset against the Steelers in Cleveland. The Ravens will keep the fifth playoff seed regardless of today's game if the Steelers win, since they beat the Jets head to head.

The Browns will be sufficiently motivated, and they have victories this year over the Saints and Patriots, so a win today is not out of the question.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Just football