The Loss Column — Baltimore Sports Blog and Community

And then there were eight…

The Steelers and Redskins — much to the delight of the local populace — failed to put it together on Saturday in losses to the Jaguars and Seahwaks. Then earlier today the red-hot Giants toppled the Bucs while the Chargers under Norv Turner — Norv! — did something they haven’t done in over ten years: win a playoff game.

As all of this went down, the Ravens continued to widen their search for a new head coach. I think Brian is the wrong Schottenheimer, but what do I know? Maybe an offensive coordinator with a less-than-stellar record is just the kind of reverse mojo this team needs.

Next weekend’s NFL matchups look like this:

Seahawks at Packers Saturday at 4:30
Jaguars at Patriots Saturday at 8
Chargers at Colts Sunday at 1
Giants at Cowboys Sunday at 4:30

I’m going with Packers, Patriots, Chargers, and Giants.

Finally, remember that Dakar Rally I mentioned in the last Sports Latitudes post? The organizers canceled it due to terrorism concerns. This bums me out for a lot of reasons, not the least of which being that I hate it when fear wins. That’s not to say I necessarily think cancellation was the wrong decision. It’s just a damn shame is all.

(photo by Peter Diana at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Wherein we begin with a few Orioles notes…

– The Mariners still have a strong interest in trading for Erik Bedard. I’ve also read that Toronto still likes him, and I suppose we can’t completely discount the Reds. Nothing appears close, though, which tells me that nothing’s going to happen before spring training.

– Here’s an interesting article about recently acquired Mike Costanzo. Dig this nugget:

Then, former Phillies general manager Ed Wade, now the Astros’ GM, called Costanzo and told him how much he liked him. But Wade had to part with Costanzo in the deal with the Orioles.

“He told me I was the key part of the trade, that they wouldn’t do it unless I was a part of the deal,” said Costanzo, who plays third base.

– Here’s a short piece on Dave Trembley. Nothing new there, but it’s worth a read.

– Here’s a piece on the O’s prospects. Again, nothing new but worth a look.

Moving on…

– If you haven’t been tracking WNST’s reaction to the Brian Billick dismissal, you’re missing out. Head on over to the site and read Nestor and Drew’s latest blog posts. There’s a whopper of a conversation taking place.

If you’re still out there, Drew, I’ve got a question. I heard you insist repeatedly this morning that Ozzie Newsome didn’t want to let Billick go. You refuse, though, to talk at all about your source. I understand you can’t give a name, but it’s simply not enough, journalistically speaking, to just say “trust me, I know.” What kind of source do you have? Are we talking a high-ranking official or just someone with the team? And have you done your due diligence to corroborate the story?

You’re effectively breaking the news that Newsome lied during the press conference and that there’s a high level of dissent within the management group. Those are serious charges that need to be treated seriously.

– Rex Ryan will be interviewing for the vacant spot in Atlanta, in addition to his interview with the Ravens. He’s also been contacted by the Dolphins, but no interview has been scheduled.

– Had enough football drama for awhile? Check out this article about the Dakar Rally. Seriously fascinating stuff, made even more so by the fact that an American has a legit shot this year.

There are those who would argue that the Ravens‘ season is already over. I’m not yet among them, but I will go so far as to say that a loss today at home against the Browns would be devastating. And I more or less think it’s going to happen.

We know Cleveland is going to score, with Derek Anderson and Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards and Jamal Lewis. This much is for certain, even against a still-stout Baltimore D. So this game comes down to whether or not Kyle Boller can exploit Cleveland’s weaknesses and put up, say, 24 points or so.

The Steelers, meanwhile, travel to East Rufferford to take on a Jets team that is much better than their 1-8 record suggests. This is the definition of a “trap game”, and the Steelers will need to stay focused.

Cincy stays home to take on the Cardinals, and a win there could make for some momentum heading down the stretch.

The biggest grudge match of the week happens out in Dallas, where the Redskins will attempt to cast aside a nasty injury bug and reclaim their status as NFC East contenders.

And for those of you not into football: New England takes on Houston in the MLS Cup Finals (down at RFK if I’m not mistaken), and the NASCAR season wraps up in Miami with Jimmie Johnson your likely champion.

The floor’s wide open…

Expect to see more and more of these. Of course I said that last time, too.

– The Indians are up 9-3 in the sixth!

The Rockies lead their series 2-0, and the Cubs play game two against the Diamondbacks later tonight.

– By now you’ve probably heard the troubling news: the Maryland men’s basketball program ranks dead last in graduation rate at…zero.

Gary Williams, predictably, defended his program and his guys:

“These people are very successful people,” Maryland coach Gary Williams said. “If you go to school to improve yourself economically, where have they failed? They make more than the average college graduate. Far more. If you’re judging them just based on getting a degree, then OK, they haven’t gotten a degree.”

I like Gary, and his “close the ranks” mentality has probably helped a few talent-challenged Terps teams win games they shouldn’t have won. But, really, he couldn’t graduate even one guy? I get that everybody covered by the stats went on to play professionally in one capacity or another, but this just looks bad.

And, as a side note, can anyone really say that Lonny Baxter — who just tried to FedEx a gun to himself — is a “very successful” person? He played in the NBA, yes, but come on.

– Those who know me well know that my issues with the Ravens come down, basically, to Brian Billick. I’ve got other issues, but everything pretty much starts and ends with Billick. Specifically, disrespecting Trent Dilfer was as low-class a move as I’ve ever seen in sports. I know it’s a subject of much debate but that’s where I stand.

So it was nice to see that Dilfer has buried the hatchet. I’m not ready to do the same, but it was nice to see.

– Nobody’s paying much attention to it, but Dario Franchitti’s move to NASCAR is huge news. Coming one year after F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya made the same jump, Franchitti’s decision serves notice to the international auto racing community that America either already has or will soon have the premier circuit. The money’s here, the media’s here, the sponsors are here, and pretty soon all the drivers will be here, too.

The perception of NASCAR as a “good old boys” circuit won’t hold for long, and we’re going to be able to look forward to some exciting races in the near future. Keep an eye on it.

– Let’s take a moment to applaud our neighbors the Washington Nationals. Before the year started more than one pundit predicted them to be the worst team in history. Not only did they avoid that particular notoriety, they managed to scrap their way to a respectable 73-89 (four games better than the Orioles).

There just might be exciting baseball in the mid-Atlantic region next year after all.

All that and anything else on your mind in the comments…

A few noteworthy items have built up over the past couple of days, so here you go:

– No NFL Inquest this week because, well, I didn’t get around to it and now it’s Thursday. I promise to bring back the keen insights and trenchant analysis next week and for (nearly) every football week thereafter.

– Get it while it’s hot: a full rundown of next year’s MLB uniform changes. There’s some really interesting stuff in there, including a new (and very weak) identity for the “Tampa Bay Rays” (above) and some wicked cool alternates for the Indians and the Blue Jays.

No changes for the O’s, but you knew that.

via Uni Watch

– Speaking of new identities, the details of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s new sponsors/number have been made official.

I’m actually fascinated by auto racing paint schemes and numbering systems, so feel free to nerd out with me on this.

– Finally, don’t forget to cast your vote on what happens to Barry Bonds‘ record-tainting home run ball. Marc Ecko deserves major props for this little stunt. I can’t imagine a cooler way to handle it, an opinion that’s backed up by this article. Anything that annoys Bonds can’t be all bad.

For the record, I cast my vote in favor of branding the ball with an asterisk. Man I hope that one wins.

At first glance, the NFL’s announcement today that they’re punishing Bill Belichick and the Patriots for cheating seems like a strong move. Belichick himself is out $500k, the Pats as a team are out $250k and some high draft picks. It’ll almost certainly make them, and every other team, think twice before engaging in any further chicanery.

But is it enough?

Not when you look at the other cheating-related news that broke today.

$750k and a couple of picks is child’s play compared to one-hundred million dollars and a door left open to penalties next season.

The moral? The World Motor Sports Council takes cheating seriously, while the NFL would kind of sort of prefer that you not do it.

It’s all Orioles, all the time these days. That’s a good thing in general, but it’s also important to remember (both for me and for you good folks who read TLC) that the site is actually about sports as a whole and not just the beloved black-and-orange. So I figure now’s a good time to hit on a couple of things I’ve been neglecting lately. Can I assume the interest is there on both ends?

So…

I spent about a half hour today with Dundalk-bred pro skateboarder Bucky Lasek for an upcoming piece (cover story!) in PressBox. Bucky was in town to do a charity event at the Charm City Skatepark in connection with the AST Dew Tour, which will be held here June 21-24. I’m writing an article about Bucky and the tour stop itself, which will grace the cover that week.

I’m super stoked about this, and Bucky could not have been cooler. I’ll save the best nuggets for the article, but will mention this: if even a small percentage of athletes in other pro sports handled their business the same way as guys like Bucky Lasek then we wouldn’t have nearly as much to complain about.

I’d encourage everyone in town to check out the Dew Tour when it comes. If you haven’t seen these guys do their thing in person then you really don’t understand how insanely amazing it is. Imagine the best Corey Patterson leap to steal a homer and you’re at about ten percent of what happens on a vert ramp. It’s apples and oranges, sure, but if you can appreciate amazing athletic achievement then you need to hit this event.

In tennis, Roger Federer rebounded from a bit of a losing streak to finally defeat Rafael Nadal on clay.

Men’s tennis is on point. We’re in a golden age of sorts that’s reminiscent of Agassi-Sampras and McEnroe-Borg. If the French Open (which starts this weekend) culminates — as everyone hopes — in a Federer-Nadal final it will be absolutely mandatory viewing. Please, for your own good, trust me on this one.

Also worthy of note is the recent news that Dale Earnhardt Jr. will leave DEI — the company his father built — to race for a new team next year. Whether or not you follow racing this is a huge story.

What we’re seeing unfold is the development of a man at the height of his ability who’s trying with all his heart to live up to the legacy of his dead father. In order to do so, he has to also turn his back on everything that father built for him. Fuck sports, this is epic theater. These are the kinds of universal themes that most novelists only wish they could capture and explain effectively. We have the pleasure of watching it unfold for real.

All in all it’s a great time to be a fan. Because sports is, and always has been, about stories. Matchups. Rivalries. The epic draw of human competition and struggle. God damn if it isn’t fun to watch.

Also, the elimination of both the Suns and the Warriors means that I no longer care about the NBA playoffs.

The Terps fell 62-59 to Butler Saturday afternoon, bringing a decidedly unceremonious end to their run. It’s disappointing, sure, but I can’t help but return to where this team was just a couple of months ago. They went from NIT-bound to 7 straight ACC victories (including two over Duke and one over UNC), a four seed in the dance, and a first round win. That’s nothing to complain about. They did a hell of a lot more than anyone expected them to, Greivis Vasquez looks like he’ll be a bona-fide star in no time, and this run should help recruiting down the road.

So let’s call this the successful season it was rather than dwell on the ugly loss that closed it. Fair enough?

As for the rest of the tourney, things have been…less than amazing. We’ve seen some great games, sure, (Ohio State vs. Xavier most notably) but where are the compelling storylines? Curious.

That said, as long as this guy doesn’t win it all, I’m good. I’m also good on my brackets for the time being, assuming UCLA doesn’t wet the bed.

Meanwhile, my UMBC women are down 41-20 to UCONN at the half. That’s fully expected and it takes nothing away from what they’ve accomplished. Go Retrievers!

Moving on the the Orioles…

– Baltimore’s Most Hated Man (by some) stopped by camp today, and his comments got me thinking.

Despite my anger at his poor decisions (and there have been many) I have never thrown my hat in with those who make the argument that he “doesn’t want to win.” Come on, people, are you serious? Just because some bonehead radio host or newspaper columnist throws something like that out doesn’t mean that you should completely eschew your own basic sense in a rush to righteous anger. Yes, he’s a bad owner. Blah blah blah…that’s not interesting anymore. It’s time to raise the level of debate beyond tired platitudes.

Unless you’re one of those people who just likes to bitch for the sake of bitching. Are you? Didn’t think so.

– Sam Perlozzo keeps making the right early moves, this time by naming Erik Bedard his opening day starter. Fully expected, but I’m glad he did it so early. Bring on the Twins.

– In much the same way that all those spring training wins didn’t mean anything, neither does the recent string of losses. In much the same way that the wins nevertheless pleased me, the losses are nevertheless troubling. Their spring record stands now at 9-8-2, solidly in the middle of the pack.

– Nick Markakis has quietly (does he do things any other way?) put together a nice camp. I’d bet good money on him for a big year. Like, say, .300/25 HR/90 RBI big.

A quick note on NASCAR: Juan Pablo Montoya finished fifth in the race at Atlanta today, after winning the Busch series race a couple of weeks ago. If he keeps doing well it’s going to mean great things in terms of successful international drivers looking to come to America. I’m telling you this: NASCAR is fast becoming the premier world auto racing circuit. Good times ahead.