Ravens ink Rice to five-year, $40 mil deal

I'll go with the cliched "40 million reasons to smile" for this one (Photo courtesy of Baltimoreravens.com)

A couple of months after the Orioles locked up their young, face-of-the-franchise player in Adam Jones, the Baltimore Ravens follow suit in typical, down to the wire fashion.

Ravens, Rice without deal hours before deadline; Reed acting childish

Super Bowl-winning teams are always a perfect storm of elements: the roster is loaded with talent and depth, key players stay healthy, play peaks late in the season, and off-field distractions are minimal, if present at all.

With the deadline to sign franchise-tagged players rapidly approaching--it's todayat 4:00 p.m.--and a first-ballot hall of fame safety becoming increasingly disillusioned and selfish, the Ravens are stumbling into training camp unsure about their ability to satisfy half of the aforementioned tenets.

Graphic courtesy of ESPN Internet Ventures and Getty Images

In an last Saturday today with baltimoreravens.com's Ryan Mink, Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports says, "I don't have high expectations of seeing this deal get done. He sees himself as a top-5 running back in the league; I think nine [million dollars] a year is probably the magic number here and I'm not sure that Ray's going to get that right now. And I don't know that he's going to back down."

Flacco most overrated QB in AFC according to ESPN's Joyner

When I think of an overrated player, I think of someone who consistently garners media attention and accolades regardless of their mediocre on-field performance. Apparently, KC Joyner of ESPN has a different definition of the term 'overrated.'

No, 90's haircut guy, you're wrong.

Joyner explains that, "Flacco put himself on this list by saying in an April radio interview that he thinks he is the best quarterback in the NFL." If I understand the English language correctly--and I think I do--Flacco's assertion would make him 'overconfident,' not 'overrated.'

ESPN's Future NFL Power Rankings

ESPN released their NFL power rankings earlier this month—for 2015. Analysts weighed quarterback situations, drafting, young talent, the front office, and coaching staffs to make their projections, and the Baltimore Ravens came in at number 10. The nine teams who ranked above the Ravens (from number nine to number one) are:

#9. Houston Texans; #8. New Orleans Saints; #7. Philadelphia Eagles; #6. Detroit Lions; #5. Pittsburgh Steelers; #4. San Francisco 49er’s; #3. New York Giants; #2. New England Patriots; and #1. Green Bay Packers. All of the teams ranked above the Ravens are solid teams; I can’t dispute that. Based on the criteria, however, the Ravens appear to qualify as a top-five team.

Here is what the experts said about the Ravens’ long-term projection: 

Top Ten Terps Since 1996

Since we did the list of top 10 Ravens yesterday, we're going to show some love to our Maryland Terrapins and run down the top ten Terps basketball players since 1996.

Unfortunately, since this list will only consider players over the last 16 years, we're leaving out a bunch of Maryland all-time greats like Len Elmore, Walt Williams, Tom McMillen, John Lucas, Len Bias and Albert King.

Let's start with #10...

Orioles ready to show Jones the money?

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me two through eight times, shame on Angelos. Reports have surfaced today that the Orioles are in serious talks with the agent for Orioles center fielder Adam Jones.

Is the much-maligned owner finally ready to open his checkbook for a promising young player instead of an aging star? Our list of big-money players over the last decade-plus reads like a who's who of has beens, including Albert Belle, Vladimir Guerrero and Rafael Palmeiro (the second coming). Perhaps more troubling is the money we didn't spend on Mike Mussina in the late 1990's, or on funding the scouting and development departments over the last 15 years.

I don't think I will be alone in boycotting Angelos's life if Adam Jones ends up in pinstripes; so, what's our move?

Top 10 players in Baltimore Ravens history

We do not own the rights to this photo. Image courtesy of David Letterman, The Late Show, CBS, and Photoshop. No copyright infringement intended.

Top 10 lists are like crack to avid sports fans. Whether written by credible analysts and former players or scribbled on a dirty napkin that's stuck to the floor of a bar, these subjective rankings are often followed by fanatics as Scripture--and brandished in the face of rivals.

I'm guilty of this insanity, myself, unable to resist the allure of ESPN Power Rankings and all-decade/ century/ millennial teams. It's eerily satisfying, magnetic, even, listening to a third party break down the various elements that make a group of athletic strangers in my city so superior to another, farther away.

As unsubstantial as these rankings are, it's more ridiculous that Jordan and I have only recently realized that, as authors of our own wildly popular and somehow nonsyndicated blog, we can make our own irrelevant lists!

First up, we'll take a look at the top 10 players in Ravens history. Granted, the team has only been around for 16 years, but with Ozzie Newsome running the draft and player acquisitions, we've seen plenty of talent come through town. Let's start with number 10.

Same Orioles, different attitude

The Orioles just closed out a sweep of the Kansas City Royals over a two game road trip. The Orioles are now 11 games above .500; have the highest road winning percentage in the majors at close to .700; and they've haven't won this many consecutive road games since 1999. After last night's 15th inning victory, the team is 5-0 in extra inning games.

Adam Jones hits a two-run homer, his 13th

Back in 2005, the Orioles got off to an extremely hot start then wore down over the second half of the season, winding up with a losing record. But something feels different this year...

Hometown heroes--iron man version 2.0

Ray Lewis turned 37 yesterday. Arguably the greatest middle linebacker to play the game, Ray has played 16 years in the most violent professional sport in the country. As a first-ballot hall of famer and NFL icon, Ray Lewis will be cemented in league annals next to fellow legends Mike Singletary, Jack Lambert and Dick Butkus.

Singletary had the longest career of the three--12 years. Jack Lambert hung up the cleats after 11 years and Dick Butkus stepped aside after 9.

Orioles drop three of four to Rangers, break another record

The Texas Rangers sauntered into Baltimore looking to continue their tear through the American League. They accomplished exactly that, embarrassing the Orioles in the first two contests and winning the second game of a day-night doubleheader to take three out of four. As many in the baseball world expected, the Orioles are starting to look like themselves: struggling on offense, unable to hit with runners in scoring position and showing signs of defeat after the starting pitching digs the team into a deep hole.

But God bless these 2012 Orioles. Even in the midst of a forgettable home series, they ink their names into the annals of Major League Baseball. In the afternoon game of Thursday's doubleheader, each of the first three Orioles up to the plate hit a home run. It wasn't the first in the majors--the last time being 2005--but it was the first in the history of the American League. The other three games in which a team's first three batters hit home runs took place in the National League.

Contender or not, these Orioles keep giving us reasons to watch.

Ravens Recap: Signings, Extension, and Suggs injury update

RAVENS RECAP: Suggs has successful surgery, Ravens sign Jacoby Jones, Bernard Pollard receives three-year extension, team inks four rookies

"All hats off to the Pittsburgh Steelers. We respect them to death. But today was our day. Big Ben, you know he's a great quarterback. God can have his soul, but his ass belongs to me." ....Get well soon T-Sizzle

Suggs has successful surgery, gets “good news”

Terrell Suggs had successful surgery on his torn Achilles yesterday, and apparently also received some good news. 

Baltimore Orioles Claim Best Record in Baseball

Let's take a moment to appreciate that this isn't the second week of the season. Teams are fully settled in and mostly finished working out the kinks in their lineup and pitching rotation. And through 28 games, the Baltimore Orioles are 19-9, good for the best record in the majors and first place in the AL East. They're a half-game ahead of Tampa Bay, five games ahead of New York and seven-and-a-half games ahead of Boston.

First-baseman Chris Davis celebrating his first win and first appearance as a major league pitcher.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)

How does Suggs' Injury Affect the Ravens this Year?

Need some help up, Tony?

Reports have come out this morning that Terrell Suggs has torn his Achilles Tendon. It isn't clear, yet, the severity of the injury or how Suggs sustained the tear, whether he was playing basketball or participating in a conditioning test. Regardless, an Achilles injury is substantial and could potentially hold Suggs out for the 2012-2013 season. So how can the Ravens replace the productivity of last year's defensive player of the year?

Tough Times for the Terps: Goodbye Terrell Stoglin

Shocking news broke Monday morning that Terrell Stoglin would forgo his final 2 years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft. The announcement sparked mass confusion as, nearly a month ago, Stoglin confirmed that he would return to Maryland to play another season, and reports indicated that he would draw very little interest from NBA teams.

Jamison Hensley was Wrong to Call Out Harbaugh for Calling out Belichick

If you aren't a sports freak like myself (I prefer aficionado, for the record), you may have missed this story on ESPN earlier today.

 

Seriously?

Jamison Hensley, the blogger responsible for covering AFC North-related news on ESPN.com, took a quote from Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh's 98 Rock interview this morning and effectively spun it into a national scandal.

Can the Orioles Maintain Success?

The Baltimore Orioles are now 14-8 (Editor's Note: Since beginning this article, they lost to the Yankees and have a record of 14-9. Back in their wheelhouse)—the first time they’ve been more than five games over .500 at any point in the season since 2005. And yet, rather than get excited about the prospect of having a winning season for the first time in 15 years, we’re all just anticipating the collapse. Whether it happens during this next stretch of brutal series or after the All-Star break, Baltimore fans are just bracing for impact with reality.

Take a picture. It will most certainly last longer.

Here’s a quick look at some of our team stats, many of which we have very little chance to maintain throughout 162 games.

Review of the Ravens' 2012 NFL Draft

After we sat through nearly three hours of prospect-picking insanity and draft day trades, the Ravens were finally on the clock in the first round at about 11:00 p.m. Of course, they promptly traded their first round pick to the Vikings and we were left to wait another day to add some new talent to the Ravens’ roster.

When the draft dust settled, Ozzie and Eric DeCosta emerged as the perennial masterminds we've grown to know and love. Here’s a look at the picks, and the reasons why our Ravens had one of the better drafts in the league.

2012 NFL Draft Reaction--First Round

The NFL Draft usually tells you everything you need to know about a franchise. The Colts more or less threw an entire season's worth of games in order to land Luck, who--they pray, is the "next big thing." The Redskins, a notoriously shoddy organization, mortgaged their entire future (three first-round picks, a second-round pick and a late-round pick) for an unconventional quarterback who will have very little in the way of surrounding cast.

With the drama sucked out of the first two picks, here's our reaction to the rest of the draft:

2012 NFL Draft Primer

The first round of the 2012 NFL draft is just a few hours away. Everyone who has access to a blog and a keyboard has been making mock drafts, and speculation abounds concerning what the Ravens will do with the 29^th pick.

To prepare you for what might transpire this evening, we’re going to list and give you a short description—provided by Baltimoreravens.com writers—of a few of the players linked to the Ravens as possible first-round selections.

Dear Ozzie Newsome and Pat Moriarty, YOU lock it up!

Let me just preface this article by saying that if you aren’t on the Joe Flacco bandwagon yet, you might as well hop aboard now. Joe’s going to be our starting quarterback for a long, long time. Those of you who refuse to embrace that fact are destined for a maddening decade-plus of Baltimore football. (To our fanatics with masochistic tendencies—I know you’re out there; I’ve heard you calling local sports talk radio—you may disregard this warning).

I digress.

The agents for Joe Flacco and Ray Rice are in the thick of contract negotiations with general manager Ozzie Newsome and chief financial officer Pat Moriarty. Both Joe and Ray have far outplayed their initial rookie contracts, and both have earned a substantial payday.

The future is Now for Maryland Basketball

It has been over a decade since the Maryland Terrapins basketball team—led by Juan Dixon and 12 other unheralded recruits—won the national championship. They remain the only group in NCAA Tournament history to win a National Championship with no McDonald’s High school All-American players on the roster.

Over the last 10 years, the fans and the media alike have criticized Gary Williams for not bringing in top talent, though amidst the criticism, he always found a few diamonds in the rough. Jordan Williams was a 3-star recruit—ranked 87 overall—who is in the NBA after 2 short years under Gary. Terrell Stoglin ended up as the ACC’s leading scorer in just his second season last year, despite not being considered good enough to play for his home-town Arizona.

When Gary retired last summer, the Terps hired Mark Turgeon and fans had no idea what to expect. Less than one year later, Turgeon has recruited one of the best classes in the nation and has ESPN citing the Terps as a powerhouse program once again.

Baltimore Baseball--Experience Oriole Tragic.

 “…And it’s just another little bit of history repeating.”

Who knew the Propellerheads were Orioles fans? The band released this song in 1997—the last time, as most of you know, the Baltimore Orioles produced a winning season. It’s been stuck in my head since two nights ago, when the O’s lost after four-and-a-half hours of futility.  Then, last night, they delivered the sequel, prompting me to develop a proposal for the Orioles’ front office to make “History Repeating” the team’s fight song.

Of course we dropped two extra-inning games. At home. To the Yankees. Again. The Orioles have been the Murphy’s Law of baseball for over a decade, now. Within the context of a single game or over the course of an entire season, anything that can go wrong does. Every time we see flashes of brilliance from one player or in one phase of the game, another player, a different phase flames out.