LAKE PLACID, N.Y. // I didn't medal last weekend at Skate America. I did get drunk on Sunday night. I did not steal a car for a joy ride.

If Andrei Lutai had followed my lead, he would still be known as the lousy Russian figure skater who wore pink gloves during his performance and finished 10th out of 12 contestants.

But, noooo. He staggered out of a party and down Main Street to the lot of Central Garage, previously known as the establishment that left customers' car keys in their unlocked vehicles.

Even in his inebriated state, Lutai found the keys and went for a ride shortened by the appearance of flashing lights in the rearview mirror.

He blew a .18, more than double the legal limit. Busted.

Continue reading "No medal, but a nice pair of handcuffs" »

Posted by Candus Thomson at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Back to football for a weekend.

It’s Prediction Friday, so dust off your crystal balls.

Or just go with the opposite of what I say. Although, like just about everyone else, I did correctly predict Monday’s Ravens’ win in Cleveland.

This one, though, is going to be a little tougher for the Ravens (Who says I am not a football expert? How about that for inside analysis?).

Honestly, I don’t see the Colts blowing out the Ravens as some prognosticators have hinted. I think the Ravens will be down early, make a solid comeback, maybe make it 20-17, and then, ultimately, lose on a fourth-quarter drive by Peyton Manning.

I just don’t see the Ravens’ D hanging with Manning for four quarters.

My call: Colts 27, Ravens 17. Manning is the game’s hero, throwing three TDs, two to Reggie Wayne.

Sorry, doesn’t make me feel good either. I’m a native Baltimoron, remember. Predicting the Indianapolis team, whatever they are called, to win in Charm City will always be painful.

But it’s happened before, and I assume it will happen again.

Daily Think Special: Predict the score and hero of Sunday’s Ravens-Colts game.

Posted by Dan Connolly at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

 Each week in The Toy Department, veteran Baltimore Sun sportswriter Mike Klingaman tracks down a former local sports figure and lets you know what's going on in his/her life in a segment called, "Catching Up With ... " Let Klingaman know who you'd like him to find and click here to check out previous editions of "Catching Up With ... "

He had one of the shortest names of anyone to play for the Baltimore Colts – and one of the longest careers here.

For 13 years, David Lee punted for the Colts, sending spirals airborne and often pinning opponents near their goal line. Twice, he won the NFL punting crown (1966 and 1969) while helping Baltimore to six division titles and a Super Bowl victory.

Lee retired in 1978, having punted 838 times for more than 34,000 yards, or nearly 20 miles. But it was one lousy kick, early in his career, that the All Pro remembers most.

"I shanked a punt, stormed off the field, tore off my helmet and started to swing at the water cooler," Lee said.

Then John Unitas tapped his 6-foot-4 teammate on the shoulder.

"You’ve got to forget about that (bleeping) kick," the Colts’ quarterback said, "because you may have to do it again in five minutes."

Lee nodded and cooled off.

"At that moment, I knew what made John tick – bad plays never affected him," he said. "I never forgot."

Continue reading "Catching Up With ... former Colt David Lee" »

Posted by Mike Klingaman at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Baltimore Colts, Catching Up With, Today's Special
        

Friday is the start of free agency in Major League Baseball.

It’s also NFL Prediction Friday at the bar, and I can’t break tradition, unless, of course, I am off and am too lazy to file a blog entry.

And that’s not the case this week. So we’ll do our Ravens predictions – as usual – on Friday. Today, we are talking baseball.

The Orioles need more talent, we all understand that. And they have some money to spend; besides a couple option buyouts, they are not on the hook in 2010 to pay anyone who has already been cut or traded. That, in itself, is refreshing.

But just because they have money to spend, that doesn’t mean the most coveted free agents – guys such as Matt Holliday and John Lackey – are coming here. In fact, they are not. Those guys will get beaucoup bucks from current contenders. And the Orioles won’t – and probably can’t – outspend the biggest boys on the block.

They will, however, be in the mix for a lot of second-tier (and third-tier) free agents. And, given the economy, they may be able to have their pick of that litter. My guess is this winter they end up with a first baseman and third baseman through free agency as well as at least one starting pitcher and possibly a late-inning reliever. And here’s betting none gets more than a two-year deal with an option.

I don’t know exactly whom the Orioles will land, but I have my guesses. And I am sure you do, too.

Beat writer Jeff Zrebiec and I have played an offseason game for years in which we go three to five rounds deep and draft the most likely players to become Orioles for the upcoming season. Last year Jeff’s first pick was Cesar Izturis. I had Mark Hendrickson and Ty Wigginton in my stable. So we are pretty good at this.

I want you in this year. If you had to bet the house on one Major League player – a free agent or a trade chip -- that will end up on the Orioles for 2010, who would it be?

This isn’t who you want – we’ll have plenty of time for that – but who you expect to be running down that orange carpet in April. The free agent or trade target you look at and say, “Yep, he’s an Oriole in 2010.”

Here’s my first-round draft pick: Third baseman Pedro Feliz.

Now it is your turn.

Daily Think Special: Which free agent/trade chip is most likely to become an Oriole in 2010?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (68)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar
        

If you follow swimming much in a non-Olympic year -- which, understandably, you probably don't -- then you've likely heard something about what a miserable time Michael Phelps has had in Sweden and Germany the past two weeks. But in case you don't follow it at all -- which, again, is most of you -- here is a quick recap: Michael Phelps hasn't looked anything like Michael Phelps used to look. He's failed to qualify for the finals in several events, and been trounced by swimmers that most of the world couldn't ID even if their names were tattooed across their broad shoulders.

Minor alarms have been sounding, and you can pick up the gist of what's being said just by reading some of the headlines. "Phelps Fails Again." "World records tumble around hapless Phelps." "Phelps a Flop in Berlin" And my personal favorite: "Phelps Looks Like an Imposter."

Phelps does look a little like an imposter, although it has less do with times and more to do with physical appearance. He's clearly not in shape -- and pointed this out repeatedly before competing -- and wasn't even motivated enough to shave a massive beard, or the rest of his body, including his arm pits, prior to the races. It's also short-course events, where the pool is just 25 meters long as opposed to 50 meters. It's not exactly like comparing miniature golf to Augusta National, but no one takes short course events as seriously as events contested in an Olympic-length pool.

Continue reading "What to make of Michael Phelps' struggles in Europe" »

Posted by Kevin Van Valkenburg at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I was a little late getting going this week, sort of like the Ravens in Cleveland on Monday night.

As we know, a win is a win. But that one was not particularly inspiring. At least the Ravens don’t have to face an undefeated team on a short week this Sunday.

As for our free tab of the week based on the prediction for Sunday’s game, you’re all paying. Because the house won. Or at least I came the closest on both sides to predicting the 16-0 win. I had 24-6, and so did Frederick McMurray (a drink chip your way).

We all assumed a Ravens’ beating for the Browns, but most of us overestimated the Raven’s offense. There were three customers who predicted shutouts; the closest was 27-0.

So, yeah, the Ravens won, but there were plenty of red flags from that game. Most alarming was the continuing number of yellow flags. There’s a fine line between aggressive and stupid.

Monday also marked the end of Steve Hauschka’s Ravens career. Missing a 36-yarder and having an extra point blocked was not the way he needed to rebound.

Now the Ravens are kicker shopping with a more than a week to go before Black Friday. Not a good sign for a team that still has playoff hopes.

Forget Monday-morning quarterbacking, the Hauschka decision should create some Wednesday-morning placekicking. It’s pretty obvious the Ravens should have stuck with fan favorite Matt Stover this season. His accuracy is definitely missed.

But how much? What I mean is how much different would this Ravens’ team be with Stover, who is now with Sunday’s opponent, the Indianapolis Colts? Would it still be in “long playoff run, Super Bowl talk” discussion?

One school of thought is that Stover would have given them a win against Minnesota and possibly one against Cincinnati. The other way of thinking: Stover is a kicker. If your team is lamenting the loss of its kicker, it’s got bigger problems than missed field goals.

My opinion: Stover would help, for sure. But unless he can cover 6-foot-4 receivers, provide a pass rush and get to the line of scrimmage without a false start, I am not convinced Matt Stover is the difference between a playoff Ravens’ team and an also-ran.

Then again, I am a baseball guy by trade. School me, people. Learn me, football gurus.

Daily Think Special: How much has Matt Stover’s absence hurt the Ravens?

Posted by Dan Connolly at 5:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar, Ravens, Today's Special
        

Three strikes and you're out -- that's baseball. But it's life in the NFL, too, especially for a place-kicker on a contending team. And Steve Hauschka's three missed field goals -- he gagged on a 36-yarder last night against the Cleveland Browns and also had a PAT-attempt blocked --finally cost him his job. The Ravens waived him this afternoon.

 Too bad it didn't work out for Hauschka in Baltimore. He's a good kid and a stand-up guy who never tried to alibi for his misses.

 In training camp, he was bombarded with questions on a daily basis about what it was like to replace Mr. Automatic, Matt Stover. And Hauchka said all the right things. He praised Stover over and over, talked about how much he'd learned at the foot of the Kick-Master last season when they were teammates, talked about how grateful he was that the Ravens were confident enough in him to make him their kicker.

 Now he's gone. After just nine games.

It shows you how demanding the job of an NFL kicker is. And how pressurized it is, too.

 Three strikes -- three misses -- and you're out.

 I hope Steve Hauschka catches on with another NFL team. But if he doesn't, it also shows you how fleeting an NFL career can be. 

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Is there anything more entertaining than a nut-job owner of a sports franchise?

We had one here in Baltimore years ago. His name was Robert Irsay. He owned the Baltimore Colts. And before he called in the Mayflower vans and moved the team to Indianapolis in the early 80's, his bizarre antics -- often fueled by a healthy appetite for alcohol -- alternately amused and horrified sports fans in this town.

Now here is 86-year-old Bud Adams, owner of the Tennessee Titans, who appears to be a worthy successor to Irsay.

During the Titans 41-17 pasting of the Buffalo Bills in Nashville last Sunday, Adams was captured on camera giving the finger to Bills fans from his luxury suite.

Apparently concerned that they didn't get the full meaning of the gesture, he repeated it on the sidelines  moments later.

 Just having a little fun with the out-of-town fans, was probably Adams thinking at the time.

 But that's not the kind of fun the suits at NFL corporate headquarters can handle -- especially when it's captured on film and played on every newscast in the country, not to mention Internet web sites all over the world.

 So the league fined Adams $250,000. And he issued a statement of apology, adding: "I got caught up in the excitement of a great day, but I do realize that those types of things shouldn't happen."

 Again, the man is 86 years old.

All of Nashville is still buzzing over the incidents.

 Sigh. I remember when we used to have that kind of buzz around here.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Hey, Ravens fans, feeling better about your team this morning? No, I didn't think so.

Sure, a win is a win in the NFL. But this ugly 16-0 victory over the Browns on "Monday Night Football" didn't exactly allay any fears that the Ravens are nothing more than a .500 football team right now.

 The team got off to another slow start. The offense continued to look listless. Kicker Steve Hauschka looked very shaky, hooking a 36-yard field goal attempt and having an extra-point try blocked.

 He's a basket case right now. Don't be surprised if the Ravens give him his walking papers and sign another kicker, pronto, especially with the undefeated Indy Colts coming into town this weekend.

 The Ravens also suffered a couple of key injuries to Terrell Suggs (knee sprain) and Haruki Nakamura (broken ankle.)

 Hoo, boy.

 But for all the Ravens' problems right now, the one good thing you can say is: at least they're not the Browns.

Is that team a mess or what? The offense is a joke. Poor Brady Quinn was terrible at quarterback all night. He seemed WAY too amped up, throwing fastballs at his receivers from 10 yards away -- and inaccurate fastballs at that. If he's listed as the starter again next week, the Browns might as well not even show up for the game.

 No wonder Cleveland Browns Stadium was emptying by the middle of the third quarter and practically deserted by the time the game ended.

How much ugly football can Browns fans take?

 No wonder there's so much heavy-drinking in the Dawg Pound. You'd HAVE to be loaded to watch that team.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Ravens
        

I used to think Flo, the weird-looking babe in those Progressive car insurance commercials with the crazy hair and spray-painted make-up, was the most annoying TV pitch-person in history.

Then Bud Light trotted out Jimmy Football.

Is it me or does this guy get on your last nerve in these "Tailgate-tested, Tailgate-approved" spots? I want to close a tailgate on his head.

I whimpered through the Bud Light Grooler spot. I cried softly through the Bud Light Foozie spot. I wept through the Bud Light Tailgate Companion spot.

"Make it stop!" I said to my wife, because she had the remote.

 But the spot for the Bud Light 3-in-1 condiment gun sent me over the edge.

 Watching Jimmy Football pretend to spray ketchup, mustard and relish in rapid-fire, machine-gun fashion from what looks like a caulking gun, a look of pure rapture on his face, over-loaded my central nervous system.

 I started shaking all over. And I haven't stopped since.

I read somewhere that Jimmy Football is a spoof of recently-deceased, ulta-loud TV pitchman Billy Mays.

 The man must be rolling over in his grave.

Posted by Kevin Cowherd at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)