Of course Greivis Vasquez won his last game at Comcast Center {thanks, AP}

A lot went down the past few days, with the O’s starting the spring season and the Ravens getting tender with players, but let’s be honest: This week was all about Greivis and the Terps.

[1] The Terps secured their signature win of the season Wednesday night, beating Duke to pull in a first-place tie with the Blue Devils in the ACC. The Terps are red-hot at the right time, but don’t worry about brackets and seeding and selection committees just yet. Take a few days to celebrate this win — though not like what went down in College Park (but hey, if you want to set the family sofa on fire, go nuts.) I’m all for a good sports-related riot, but I’ll admit, I was surprised by this one. Did they really think there was any way Greivis Vasquez would lose his last game at Comcast Center?

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Welcome back, Miguel! And baseball, too. We’ve missed you {thanks, AP}

Spring training is in full swing, so we finally have something to discuss besides the Terps, Ravens and Caps. Sure, we’ll still talk about them, too, but it’s nice to have another option.

[1] The gang’s all there in Sarasota, Fla., after the Orioles position players reported to spring training Tuesday morning. Miggy Tejada rolled in at the last minute, of course, but hey, at least he made it. Making the switch from shortstop to third base, Tejada says he feels “like a little kid with a new toy.” His transition is one of a few major concerns for the O’s this spring. How will Dave Trembley manage his newfound bench? Will the O’s young starters live up to expectations? Has Koji Uehara finally mastered the art of the high-five? We’ll find out the answers soon enough, but it’s a good sign that there are fewer question marks than usual this year.

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Andy MacPhail’s message was loud and clear after another quiet offseason for the Orioles.

(Well, quiet by the A.L. East’s free-spending standards, at least.)

The club’s president of baseball operations added a few nice pieces to his last-place team. But when the Orioles hold their first full-squad spring training workout Tuesday in Sarasota, Fla., to paraphrase Rick Pitino, Matt Holliday isn’t walking out of that clubhouse at Ed Smith Stadium. Neither is John Lackey nor Chone Figgins.

Unsurprisingly, the Orioles didn’t whip out the cash and make a splash by inking a marquee free agent this winter, and it’s not just because Peter Angelos is Baltimore’s answer to Mr. Burns of “The Simpsons.” MacPhail is committed to the Orioles’ young movement — though some impatient fans may think MacPhail should be committed elsewhere.

That brings me back his unspoken, but blaring message: The kids are going to have to be more than just alright this season if the Orioles are to compete for a playoff spot. Read the rest of this entry »

Wieters homering against the Blue Jays {Baltimore Sun photo}

It’s that time again when delusional fools like I dream impossible dreams about the Orioles playing .500 baseball. Not about the World Series. Not about playoffs. Hell, not even about a wild card. I’ll take Joe Angel’s whiskey-barrel voice lamenting an Orioles loss after every Orioles win if it means things even out at the end. Because as long as baseball is broken, the only team dynasties we’ll see are the ones fueled by payrolls that eclipse the gross domestic product of Liberia.

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Maryland freshman Jordan Williams is a beast {thanks, AP}

There’s a lot going on up there in Vancouver, but it was impossible to ignore what the Terps and Ravens were up to this week.

[1] With back-to-back wins this week, the Terps reclaimed second place in the ACC and pretty much solidified their spot in the NCAA tournament (now the question is where they’ll be seeded). Greivis Vasquez continues to carry the Maryland men with his emotional play and scoring. But the difference between this squad and last year’s is the interior play of senior forward Landon Milbourne and fab frosh Jordan Williams. Williams, who is averaging 8.8 points and 8.1 rebounds, is a beast. The Terps will be a dangerous team in the tourney.

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Sports fans love to talk about sports — especially here in Baltimore — so we’d like to give our readers with sports-savvy an opportunity to rant and rave about what’s going on in the world of sports, both locally and nationally. Each weekday, we’ll pose a new question for you to discuss at the water cooler. Here’s your chance to be an armchair quarterback. Now speak up, play nice and let us know what you think.

Today’s topic at the water cooler:
Who should hit cleanup for the Orioles this season?

Agent Zero’s out for the season. Mark Hendrickson is back in the O’s bullpen. Jarret Johnson should be in Miami, but he got jobbed. And the Terps are a lock to get in — the NCAA tourney, that is — but how far will they go?

[1] Wizards guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were suspended by NBA commish David Stern for the rest of the season after they pulled out guns in the locker room. Stern made the right call. If I were to bring guns to work and tell UGC Wrangler Marissa Gallo to pick one, I should be suspended and/or fired, too. Now the Wizards need to figure out what to do with Arenas. He’s got that monster deal and can’t be traded. Looks like they’re going to have to bite the bullet, buy Agent Zero out and go back to square one.

[2] A handful of Ravens are in Miami for the Pro Bowl. Jarret Johnson isn’t, but the underrated linebacker, overlooked playing next to Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, really should be. He can tackle. He can cover. He can get after the QB. And he doesn’t mind doing the dirty work for the guys in the spotlight. “I would think pretty soon he’s going to be in the Pro Bowl,” coach John Harbaugh said. Let’s hope so, because he’s certainly deserving. Read the rest of this entry »

By bringing back an old friend, the Orioles and their ultra-cautious president of baseball operations, Andy MacPhail, are welcomely rolling the dice for once.

Sure, the Orioles betting that Miguel Tejada can field third base (a new position), fight off old age (he’ll be 36 in May) and fit into Baltimore’s young clubhouse isn’t exactly a big gamble.

The soon-to-be-signed one-year, $6 million deal is the baseball equivalent of playing nickel slots at the casino — and MacPhail is the silver-haired, leather-skinned old woman in the “What Happens in Vegas” T-shirt, methodically cranking the slot machine’s good arm while sparking up Virginia Slims and slugging down free amaretto sours.

But hey, at least Grandma is feeling frisky and finally getting out of the house for once. We were all starting to worry.

There is some risk — at least a little — involved in the Orioles kicking the tires on Tejada, a six-time All-Star shortstop who played in Baltimore from 2004 to 2007. That’s why it was surprising to hear that MacPhail was willing to break his informal policy of avoiding old-school O’s (and the stink of losing that follows them). But just as it is in Las Vegas, you have to take a chance to win. And every once in a while, it pays off big. Read the rest of this entry »

Sports fans love to talk about sports — especially here in Baltimore — so we’d like to give our readers with sports-savvy an opportunity to rant and rave about what’s going on in the world of sports, both locally and nationally. Each weekday, we’ll pose a new question for you to discuss at the water cooler. Here’s your chance to be an armchair quarterback. Now speak up, play nice and let us know what you think.

Today’s topic at the water cooler:
Which player has been the Orioles’ best acquisition this offseason?

Head coach Dave Trembley and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail answer questions fromr fans during an open forum

Spring training hasn’t even begun, but the buzz was big during the Orioles Fanfest Saturday at the Baltimore Convention Center. Check out images from the event. {photo by Brian Krista, b}

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