Biography
Peter Schmuck is a native of Southern California who joined the Baltimore Sunas a baseball writer in 1990, but his wide-ranging experience ...
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The Baltimore Sun's Peter Schmuck blogs about the Orioles, Ravens
Maryland Jockey Club handicapper Frank Carulli taking his dream to Vegas
May 16, 2013
For Frank Carulli, it's not just a cliche anymore. He really is going to be living the dream in a few weeks.
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Turcotte cherishes 40th anniversary of Secretariat's Triple Crown
May 14, 2013
Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte is savoring the 40th anniversary of Secretariat's amazing Triple Crown performance in 1973, and why not?
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Orioles continue to show that 2012 was no fluke
May 11, 2013
It was about this time last year — give or take a week — that it became apparent the Orioles had undergone some kind of karmic transformation.
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Eric LeGrand brings his motivational story to Baltimore
May 7, 2013
It wasn't so long ago that former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand couldn't even move his shoulders, which is why it's hard not to marvel at his willingness to offer one of them to anybody facing a major life challenge.
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The spirit of the Kentucky Derby lands at Pimlico for the day
May 4, 2013
The racing gods obviously got their signals crossed, choosing to grace Pimlico with a glorious afternoon to enjoy the first jewel of the Triple Crown on Saturday while the 19 horses in the Kentucky Derby slogged through the mud at Churchill Downs.
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Orioles still looking for an answer to fifth starter question
April 30, 2013
While auditions continue for the fifth slot in the Orioles starting rotation, the question that was debated throughout the team's largely inactive offseason suddenly seems relevant again.
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With a new group of talent, Ravens don't need problems with Rolando McClain
April 27, 2013
The Ravens repopulated their defense during the first four rounds of the NFL draft and found several high-quality players to help fill the biggest holes remaining on a defensive unit that lost six key contributors during the team's post-Super Bowl roster shuffle.
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Dylan Bundy's visit to Dr. James Andrews is a cause for concern
April 23, 2013
Let's stipulate right now that the Orioles are being open and honest about the Dylan Bundy situation and that there's no reason — at least not yet — to get all hot and bothered over the nagging forearm soreness that has prompted him to seek a second medical opinion from famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews.
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Between games, a tribute fit for an Earl
April 20, 2013
Let's be honest. It isn't really that hard to tug at the heartstrings of a Baltimore sports fan. This is a town where nostalgia lives full-time, so Saturday's Oriole Park tribute to Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver couldn't help but strike the right note.
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So far, Orioles passing the test against tough AL East
April 16, 2013
It's obviously way too early to draw any real conclusions about the Orioles and their chances of reaching the playoffs again this season, but the schedule-makers have provided them with an immediate opportunity to measure themselves against the other four teams in the American League East.
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Peter Schmuck: An act of kindness from Loyola to Newtown lacrosse
April 13, 2013
In a community ravaged by indescribable tragedy, every individual act of kindness, every unexpected moment of joy takes on a special significance that only those who are living with it can truly understand.
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After one eventful week, Orioles are already a tough team to figure
April 9, 2013
The only thing the Orioles have proven at this very early point in the new baseball season is how many ways a team can toy with your emotions in a single week.
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As the bats carry the weight, O's waiting for the pitchers
April 6, 2013
Through the opening week of the new season, the Orioles have delighted their fans with an offensive cornucopia and a handful of exciting victories over the Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins, which is just the kind of first impression they were hoping to make after last year's uplifting playoff run.
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Orioles proving their success to be a trend -- not magic
April 6, 2013
Don't tell anybody in the Orioles clubhouse that there is some kind of magic in the air, because they work too hard to make it seem real.
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Peter Schmuck: Orioles 'aren't going away this year,' Rays' Maddon says
April 3, 2013
Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon has seen quite enough of the rejuvenated Orioles over the past year, but he said Wednesday that he fully expects to see them playing meaningful games in September again this season.
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Orioles carry the magic into Opening Day win over Rays
April 2, 2013
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The same question followed the Orioles through a maddeningly uneventful offseason and a happily uneventful seven weeks of spring training.
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Batting Machado second on Opening Day is a show of confidence
April 1, 2013
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Manny Machado was as surprised as anyone. He figured he would open the 2013 season in pretty much the same place he was when the Orioles ended their unlikely playoff run last October.
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Orioles will prove doubters wrong and return to the playoffs
March 30, 2013
If the Orioles are to get back to the playoffs this year, they are going to have to climb over another mountain of national skepticism.
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Ravens made the right moves at the right time for the defense
March 26, 2013
Ravens fans have fretted for weeks about the dismantling of their team's legendary defense, but it only takes a cursory review of the relevant 2012 statistics to see that, as always, there is a method to all the recent roster madness.
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At 'Tag Day,' Orioles fans optimistic for 2013 season
March 23, 2013
It still felt like winter at Oriole Park on Saturday morning, but spring was in the air and baseball was already on the minds of the fans who showed up to shop for season tickets at the Orioles' first "Tag Day" since 2009.
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Orioles aren't at fault for scheduling conflict with Ravens
March 19, 2013
In the greater context of world affairs, the scheduling problem that has put the Ravens and Orioles at odds this week doesn't really amount to a whole lot, but the public relations dust-up over what normally would be a non-descript Thursday night in early September reveals quite a bit about both of Baltimore's big-time professional sports franchises and the leagues they represent.
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Ravens won't sacrifice long-term goals for short-term payoff
March 15, 2013
If you want to understand what the Ravens have been doing over the past week — other than dismantling a Super Bowl champion — it might be instructive to look back at the final week of the regular season.
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Ho-hum start to Orioles' spring training is just what the doctor ordered
March 9, 2013
The Orioles have passed the halfway point in spring training and there is plenty that we still don't know about them, but you have to like what has happened at the Ed Smith Stadium facility so far.
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After missing playoff run with injury, Orioles' Nick Markakis 'ready' to play again
March 2, 2013
Nick Markakis doesn't want your sympathy, though he definitely deserves some.
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Adam Jones has strong words for those who pick against Orioles
February 26, 2013
SARASOTA, Fla. -- Adam Jones is in one of his moods and it's hard to blame him.
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Chris Davis wants to go from defensive disappointment to 'Team Gold Glove'
February 23, 2013
SARASOTA, Fla. — Chris Davis blames himself.
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Jurrjens signing seemed complicated, but it's a low-risk move
February 16, 2013
SARASOTA, Fla – And so ends the strange offseason saga of pitcher Jair Jurrjens, who arrived at the Orioles' spring training facility Saturday after finalizing the minor league contract that started out as a major league contract.
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As spring training begins, Nolan Reimold is no longer a forgotten man
February 13, 2013
SARASOTA, Fla. — Nolan Reimold made an amazing transition over the past several months, though he probably didn't even notice.
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Despite what Duquette says, O's are gambling by not making a big move
February 12, 2013
SARASOTA, Fla. — This is the time of year when every best-case scenario seems plausible, so you can't really blame Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette for trotting out just about every one available to him on Tuesday.
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Ravens lost four of last five regular season games, but never lost faith
February 10, 2013
When the going got tough — and things got pretty dicey in December — the Ravens didn't wilt. They didn't even wonder if a season that once seemed to have such promise was coming unraveled at just the wrong time.
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After flicker of doubt, Ravens and Baltimore shine bright as ever
February 4, 2013
Chalk it up to the "Ray Lewis Effect" if you want. Call it destiny or some other overused term for that which defies logical explanation. The only thing that matters now is that you can call the Ravens the undisputed champions of the football world.
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Forget everything else, it all comes down to winning the game
February 2, 2013
This isn't just Ray Lewis' last ride anymore. It isn't just the heart-warming story of two competitive brothers meeting on the NFL's biggest stage. It isn't about Joe Flacco's status as an elite quarterback and the $100 million contract that will almost certainly come with it.
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The time is right for Modell to enter the Hall
February 1, 2013
By most accounts, the odds are long.
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Ray Lewis' stronger denial of PED report should help Ravens get past it
January 30, 2013
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis was just a little too vague when he responded at Tuesday's Super Bowl media event to a Sports Illustrated report that he might have used a banned substance during his quick recovery from a triceps injury, so he delivered a much stronger denial at Wednesday's news conference at the team's hotel.
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A toned-down Super Bowl media day
January 29, 2013
Former Baltimoreans Bob and Barbara Reese paid $25 each for the privilege of sitting in the lower bowl of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Tuesday. He wore a Joe Flacco jersey. She wore Ray Rice.
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Modell deserves to go into Hall of Fame during Ravens' Super week
January 25, 2013
There is little question that Art Modell would be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame by now if he had not uprooted the financially strapped Cleveland Browns and moved the franchise to Baltimore almost two decades ago.
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Oft-questioned Flacco facing a new set of queries
January 22, 2013
Joe Flacco basically blew off the question, and it was hard to blame him.
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Ravens have one more mission to accomplish
January 21, 2013
Maybe it was the long odds that the Ravens overcame to defeat the top two teams in the AFC and advance to the Super Bowl. Maybe it was just the fact that they trounced the New England Patriots and gave them a taste of what Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been cooking over the past decade.
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Weaver's relationship with Palmer had its friction, but plenty of respect
January 19, 2013
For all the years that they did battle in the clubhouse or the sports pages or on the dais of some charity roast, Jim Palmer knew how Earl Weaver really felt about him. That's why he had to hold back tears Saturday when he related his favorite memory of the Earl of Baltimore — a memory made more poignant because it also involved his late teammate Mike Flanagan.
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Ravens' success is about more than the 'Ray Lewis Effect'
January 15, 2013
It's probably fair to say that the football world is under the impression that the Ravens are riding high in the postseason because of the "Ray Lewis Effect," which has taken the team to a higher emotional plane and propelled it past the upstart Indianapolis Colts and heavily favored Denver Broncos.
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Something special brewing with these Ravens
January 13, 2013
When Justin Tucker's game-winning 47-yard field goal slipped inside the right goal post at Sports Authority Field and dismissed Peyton Manning and the heavily favored Denver Broncos from the playoffs, there was nothing to do but watch in wonder and then wonder about what we all just watched.
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Modell family watching the final run for Lewis, while remembering their father
January 11, 2013
While Ray Lewis was lapping the field and basking in the glory of his final victory at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, David and Michel Modell were on the Ravens' sideline connecting the final dot.
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NFL should use replay to confirm illegal helmet hits
January 8, 2013
In the next few days, the NFL will announce any disciplinary action relating to last weekend's first playoff round, which means that there will likely be another big wire transfer headed from Baltimore to the league's central office in New York.
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Experts weigh in on battle of emotions in Ravens-Colts matchup
January 5, 2013
For obvious reasons, the Ravens will be totally psyched to join Ray Lewis on his "last ride" when they take the field at M&T Bank Stadium in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts also will show up with hearts afire for head coach Chuck Pagano, whose battle against leukemia has been the inspirational story of the season.
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With a playoff game days away, was this the right time for Ray Lewis' announcement?
January 2, 2013
There's little question that the Ray Lewis era has been all good for the Ravens and Baltimore sports fans.
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Might be hard for the Mid-Atlantic region to beat 2012 from a sports perspective
January 1, 2013
Unless you suffer from triskaidekaphobia — the irrational fear of the No. 13 — you're probably looking forward to the new year. Most people do, as evidenced by the giant crowds that gather all over the world on New Year's Eve to celebrate its arrival.
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Ravens still standing tall after a brutal year
December 28, 2012
There is the slim chance that the outcome of the Ravens' final regular-season game against the Cincinnati Bengals will have an impact on their place in the postseason pecking order, but it won't change the way anyone looks back on 2012.
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Ravens need to go full speed ahead against Bengals
December 25, 2012
It took just one big turnaround performance by the Ravens — and the fact that they finally clinched the AFC North title — to spawn a debate over how they should approach their final regular-season game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Steroid era clouds Baseball Hall of Fame voting
December 22, 2012
We live in a world of sports that is broadcast in full color and high definition. We try to view it through a prism of moral and ethical absolutes. And still, when faced with the great issues of our time, everything ends up being cast in shades of gray.
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Are the Orioles getting left behind in the AL East?
December 18, 2012
If this is December, then there are a lot of Orioles fans who are wondering the same thing.
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Orioles, Nationals continue to battle over TV rights fees
December 15, 2012
There is some question whether the geographical proximity of the Orioles and Washington Nationals — and their annual home-and-home interleague series — combine to create a dynamic rivalry, but there is no denying that one has developed between the ownership of both franchises.
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With Cam Cameron gone, all eyes on Joe Flacco
December 11, 2012
If nothing else, the surprising in-season dismissal of Cam Cameron this week should provide some clarity at a time when the Ravens are going through a serious offensive identity crisis, but you may not like what it eventually reveals.
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Navy freshman QB Keenan Reynolds could keep Army at bay for years
December 8, 2012
The beleaguered Black Knights of Army finally seemed poised to escape their recent past when freshman quarterback Keenan Reynolds gave them a deflating glimpse of Navy's brightening future.
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Niumatalolo learned from Navy's frustrating 2011 season
December 4, 2012
There are just a few days remaining before "America's Game," and Navy football coach Ken Niumatalolo has some explaining to do.
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Orioles payroll will rise, just not in a flashy way
December 1, 2012
Let the debate begin in earnest about the decision by the Orioles to cut loose first baseman Mark Reynolds.
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Ray Rice's first down doesn't stand alone in Ravens lore
November 27, 2012
Ravens fans are still atwitter about Ray Rice's 30-yard mad dash for that game-saving first down Sunday in San Diego, and why not?
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Ray Lewis shouldn't rush to return to the Ravens
November 26, 2012
In the aftermath of another solid performance by an improving Ravens defense on Sunday, reports surfaced that all-everything linebacker Ray Lewis might return a couple of weeks earlier than expected from the triceps injury that originally appeared to end his 2012 season.
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Orioles have been quiet, but that's no reason to panic
November 24, 2012
It's late November and all is relatively quiet on the Orioles front, which has got to be frustrating for a still-wary fan base that has watched the Toronto Blue Jays undergo a startling competitive transformation over the past few weeks and knows that the checkbooks will be coming out in New York and Boston any minute now.
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NFL's flip-flop on Ed Reed penalty sends a mixed message
November 20, 2012
The Ravens caught a big break when the NFL overturned Ed Reed's one-game suspension on appeal Tuesday and instead imposed a $50,000 fine for his third violation of the league's player safety rules over the past three seasons.
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Moving to Big Ten, Maryland would toss away tradition for the possibility of more money
November 17, 2012
COLLEGE PARK — Just when you thought that the conference realignment frenzy had just about played itself out, there are rumblings that Maryland could end its long affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference and jump to the Big Ten.
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Believe it or not, the future is bright for the Terps
November 17, 2012
COLLEGE PARK -- No one had any illusions about what was going to happen on Senior Day at Byrd Stadium.
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Ravens shouldn't expect an easy road with Roethlisberger out
November 14, 2012
It's certainly tempting to look at what happened to Ben Roethlisberger on Monday night and assume that the balance of power in the AFC North has shifted dramatically in the favor of the Ravens, because that would seem to be a pretty fair assumption.
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Terps have seemingly run out of chances to turn around their luck
November 3, 2012
COLLEGE PARK — The most amazing thing about Maryland's lopsided loss to Georgia Tech on Saturday was that it actually meant something.
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Orioles went from having a disastrous defense to a Golden group
October 30, 2012
Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the Orioles considered one of the worst defensive teams in baseball a few months ago?
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Showalter's fundraiser becomes another chance for Orioles fans to show their appreciation
October 27, 2012
It may be the season for ghosts, goblins and people dressed up like their favorite Orioles, but Buck and Angela Showalter came to the third-annual KidsPeace Trick-or-Trot 5K on Saturday dressed as themselves — Mr. and Mrs. Sporting News American League Manager of the Year.
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As World Series begins, it's hard not to think 'What if?'
October 23, 2012
It is the nature of sports and our passion for them that the novelty of newfound success only lasts so long and is eventually replaced with a bittersweet mixture of pride and regret.
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Orioles happy with success but shouldn't stand still this offseason
October 13, 2012
The Orioles have every right to bask in the glow of a highly competitive and entertaining 2012 season that exceeded all expectation, but it's impossible to look back on their six-game playoff run without wondering what might have been — and what might be — if they had just a little more offensive potential.
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Memorable season will have Orioles aiming even higher in 2013
October 12, 2012
NEW YORK — Everything about the Orioles' amazing 2012 season has been hard to believe, including the sad fact that it is over.
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It all comes down to Game 5 for Orioles, Yankees
October 12, 2012
NEW YORK — The Orioles have done the improbable so many times this year that it's starting to seem commonplace, so why wouldn't they suddenly be standing on the threshold of the American League Championship Series?
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Orioles need to change the script to continue this series
October 11, 2012
NEW YORK — The Orioles have done the improbable so many times this year that it would be foolhardy to assume that the odds are now stacked so high against them that they cannot get out of Yankee Stadium with their title hopes alive.
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Like his teammates, Orioles pitcher Gonzalez is unassuming and unfazed
October 9, 2012
The Orioles have arrived in the Big Apple and are getting ready to resume their playoff run Wednesday night in the glamorous new Yankee Stadium against the most expensive baseball team on earth.
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Orioles head to Big Apple all tied with a gleam in their eye
October 9, 2012
Did you really doubt them?
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O's get ready to prove everyone wrong yet again
October 6, 2012
It should come as a surprise to no one that the oddsmakers solidly favor the New York Yankees in the best-of-five division series that begins this evening at Camden Yards.
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Coming face-off against New York is only fitting
October 6, 2012
For long-suffering Orioles fans, the prospect must be almost too delicious to contemplate.
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Jim Johnson's value goes beyond closing games for Orioles
October 4, 2012
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jim Johnson is on the move.
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Orioles end the regular season without feelings of magic
October 3, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Right now, it's hard to get around the feeling that the Orioles have run out of magic.
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For O's, fans, suspense comes down to the last day
October 2, 2012
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Maybe after what happened at this time last year, we all should have known that the American League East race — and the Orioles' position in the postseason —would come down to the last scheduled day of the regular season.
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Orioles can't expect much help from the Red Sox
October 1, 2012
— If the Orioles were hoping that what went around might come around after the way they battled to the last dramatic moment of the 2011 regular season and propelled the Tampa Bay Raysinto the playoffs, they are probably going to be disappointed.
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Long, strange day ends with Orioles back in the postseason
September 30, 2012
It has been a long and interesting ride to the Orioles' first playoff berth since 1997, so it probably shouldn't surprise anybody that they spent a long and very interesting day nailing down their place in this year's postseason.
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As Orioles, fans honor Brooks Robinson, all he can do is offer thanks
September 29, 2012
Typical Brooks.
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With finish line in sight, now is not the time for the O's to panic
September 25, 2012
The Orioles have won seven of their last 10 games and still hold onto the first American League wild-card berth, so why does it suddenly feel like they are stumbling around in the dark as they enter the final week of the regular season?
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Dylan Bundy's debut falls short of storybook ending
September 23, 2012
— It seemed almost unfair that in this storybook season for the Orioles, 19-year-old pitching prospect Dylan Bundy did not get the storybook ending that was supposed to come with his major league debut on Sunday afternoon at historic Fenway Park.
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Schmuck: Will Red Sox get pay back or just lay back against Orioles?
September 21, 2012
BOSTON — The Orioles arrived at Fenway Park on Friday focused on continuing their march toward the playoffs. The Boston Red Sox were waiting, their focus and motivation an open question after a season gone terribly awry.
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Midseason call-ups like Manny Machado deserve a better chance at winning Rookie of the Year
September 18, 2012
Orioles third baseman Manny Machado once again showed maturity beyond his tender years when it became a foregone conclusion that he would exceed the maximum number of major league at-bats to be eligible for next season's American League Rookie of the Year award.
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Without much help, Terps freshman QB Hills puts a lot on his shoulders
September 15, 2012
COLLEGE PARK — The hurt and disappointment was written all over the face of freshman quarterback Perry Hills. He couldn't hide that the way his uniform hid the welts and bruises that must have been all over his body after the pounding he took in Maryland's 24-21 loss to Connecticut on Saturday afternoon at Byrd Stadium.
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Nobody will feel sorry for Orioles, so they shouldn't
September 11, 2012
The Orioles have been through this before. So have the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees, so it's not as if the challenge of replacing a couple of productive star players at crunch time makes them worthy of particular note as they head into the playoff stretch.
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Many thanks to Art Modell for his contributions to the NFL
September 8, 2012
It is one of the ironies of life that the same nice old man could spend his golden years being villified in one provincial medium-sized metropolis and lionized in another, but Art Modell didn't have much time for irony. He preferred humor.
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Ripken turns tribute into celebration of current Orioles
September 6, 2012
It all seemed so right. The Orioles long ago chose Thursday night to unveil Cal Ripken's statue at Oriole Park because of the obvious connection to what happened here on the same date 17 years ago, but they could not have known it would be so perfectly timed to coincide with the re-emergence of the team as a late-season contender and the start of a huge four-game series against the Yankees.
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It's no joke, the Orioles are in first place
September 4, 2012
Let's try to put this in proper perspective.
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Even in IndyCar, you snooze you lose
September 2, 2012
Did he or didn't he?
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Terps got a win, but did they show their fans anything else to be optimistic about?
September 1, 2012
If there was a Job One for the Maryland football team in its season opener against William and Mary on Saturday, it was to make Terp fans forget — at least for one overcast afternoon — the frustrating first year of the Randy Edsall era.
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The Orioles' wins keep coming, but where are the fans?
August 28, 2012
Apparently, there is no pleasing you people.
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Former Oriole Mike Mussina deserves honor
August 25, 2012
It’s no secret why new Orioles Hall of Famer Mike Mussina evokes mixed feelings from the baseball fans of the Baltimore area.
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Duquette and Showalter keep pushing the right buttons to keep Orioles winning
August 21, 2012
It was fairly obvious when the Orioles broke camp in April that they were not going to lead the American League in team ERA and fielding percentage. They didn't figure to be the most productive offensive team, either, which left plenty of room to wonder how they were going to be competitive in what was again expected to be one of the strongest divisions in baseball.
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"Ed-die!" chanted again in Baltimore -- the way it always should have been
August 11, 2012
The rain would not come for another hour, so Hall of Famer Eddie Murray had to settle for bathing in the affection of his close friends and the large gathering of fans who crowded into Legends Park to see his statue unveiled on Saturday.
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Make room on Baltimore's 'Mount Rushmore' of sports
August 5, 2012
Michael Phelps doesn't have to climb the mountain anymore.
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Michael Phelps stands alone at the top
August 4, 2012
It could have been a little more dramatic. Michael Phelps could have made us wait until the weekend to watch him win his historic 19th medal and become the most-decorated athlete in the modern history of the Olympic Games, but no matter.
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Jim Palmer's sculpture ceremony was pitch perfect
July 14, 2012
The pose was pure Jim Palmer. The ceremony to unveil his sculpture, as you might expect, was pitch perfect.
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Orioles will win again, but there will never be another Earl of Baltimore
June 30, 2012
Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver took a long look at the larger-than-life bronze likeness of himself that was unveiled at Camden Yards on Saturday and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people who made it possible.
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One-on-one with Navy football coach Ken Niumatalolo
December 7, 2010
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo inherited a potentially thankless assignment when he was hired to replace Paul Johnson, the architect of a dramatic change in fortune for a football program that had languished for decades before his appointment.
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Q&A with Maryland women's basketball coach Brenda Frese
November 9, 2010
Maryland women's basketball coach Brenda Frese is entering her ninth season in College Park, and it might be the most challenging season of her stellar career. The No. 21 Terps will open their season Saturday night against Monmouth with a team so young that it does not include a single senior and a coach who has just been given the ultimate perspective check.
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Sun archives: Orioles' Tyler plans comeback
March 10, 2010
For the past 50 years, Ernie Tyler has been the keeper of the sacred pearls.
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Even as SI muddies waters, Phelps' prize clearly visible
November 29, 2008
In the interest of building some modicum of suspense, the people at Sports Illustrated have assembled a large group of candidates for the magazine's Sportsman of the Year award, which will be announced Tuesday.
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Mussina is a tough Hall call
November 23, 2008
News item: Former Orioles pitcher Mike Mussina, who won 20 games this year for the first time in his career, announced his retirement, saying he made the decision before the start of the season and never wavered on it.
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Steroid era lessens achievements of sluggers like Ramirez, Robinson
May 31, 2008
If you were not paying close attention, you probably missed much of the countdown to Manny Ramirez's imminent entry into the once-exclusive 500 Home Run Club.
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New drug policy puts Mitchell Report in rearview
April 12, 2008
It would be great if we could say that Major League Baseball put a big punctuation mark on the sport's long-running steroid scandal, but I'll settle for the right decision at the right time for the right reasons.
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Hear lyin' roar
February 14, 2008
OK, it's all becoming clear now.
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Harbaugh's Day One energy good sign as Job One nears
January 20, 2008
New Ravens coach John Harbaugh said all the right things during his introductory news conference yesterday, but the most important thing came out sounding like a well-worn cliche rather than a call to arms.
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Bisciotti gets back in game
January 19, 2008
So much for the mistaken notion that the Ravens did not have a Plan B.
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Remember '08?
December 31, 2007
In my continuing effort to show how sophisticated I am, I'd like to quote the French poet Paul Valery: "The trouble with our times," he said, "is that the future is not what it used to be." Never mind that he uttered that cynical little gem several generations ago; no truer words have ever been spoken, particularly when 2007 is going to be such a tough act to follow.
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Clemens' denials get boost from Grimsley affidavit
December 22, 2007
If the original release of the infamous Jason Grimsley affidavit - with the names of the alleged steroid and amphetamine users blacked out for public nonconsumption - helped pull the cover off baseball's performance-enhancement scandal, the release of the unredacted version Thursday might have been an even bigger blow to the integrity of the sport.
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More O's woes
December 17, 2007
The great hope that blossomed around the Orioles organization with the arrival of new president Andy MacPhail was that - finally - it appeared there was a real sign owner Peter Angelos recognized that the revitalization of the franchise would require a totally new way of doing business.
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Elusive football lets baseball take steroid hit
December 15, 2007
During the news conference Thursday in which former Sen. George Mitchell unveiled his 409-page report on baseball's performance-enhancement scandal, I kept waiting for him to announce that he had been hired by the NFL to perform a similar investigation to root out the cheaters in America's most popular television sport.
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Baseball will long be haunted by steroid era
December 14, 2007
Not to get all biblical on you, but if the just-released Mitchell Report is any indication, the truth will not necessarily set you free.
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Modell's Hall snub has analogy in baseball's O'Malley
December 10, 2007
Though it didn't garner giant headlines in Baltimore, the news last week that the late Walter O'Malley will be inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in July couldn't help but make me wonder anew when they'll get around to enshrining Art Modell in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
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Schmuck: O's run of the Hall about to hit a wall
July 31, 2007
There are several possible reasons Sunday's Hall of Fame induction ceremony drew an estimated crowd that was 50 percent larger than any other.
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Schmuck: With glow, hope for a brighter day
July 30, 2007
Soon after Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. overcame their fear of public speaking, somebody tried to usher them back into the sad reality of sports in today's society.
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Schmuck: With Ripken, Gwynn, town has true legends
July 28, 2007
It is the pleasant nature of this quaint little upstate village that makes it so easy to overlook the disconnect between truth and legend that allowed it to become the hometown of baseball history.
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Schmuck: Ripken joy is a respite amid list of scandals
July 26, 2007
Orioles president Andy MacPhail has always looked young for his age, but don't mistake that for being short on perspective.
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Schmuck: A life in the spotlight
July 22, 2007
It must have been terribly frustrating. Cal Ripken Jr. spent his entire Hall of Fame career trying to convey something that was so basic we all just assumed there had to be more to it.
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Baseball's hallowed ground no shelter from steroid talk
May 11, 2007
Cal Ripken Jr. seemed to enjoy his orientation trip to upstate New York this week, but even in the idyllic small-town setting of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, he could not escape the big-city questions about the troubling state of the game.
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Bonds' excuses positively pathetic
January 12, 2007
Of all the days of all the weeks of all the months that have been tainted by baseball's performance-enhancement scandal, Barry Bonds had to stumble back into the drug spotlight on the same day that new Hall of Famers Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn were taking their post-election bows at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan.
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For fans in '95, Ripken's pen was mightier than his bat
January 10, 2007
Cal Ripken Jr.'s career speaks for itself.
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McGwire might not mind being skipped in Hall's order
January 7, 2007
Sometime in the early afternoon on Tuesday, Cal Ripken will pick up the phone in Baltimore and Tony Gwynn will pick up the phone in San Diego, and it won't be to make a bet on the AFC championship game.
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Throwing off players association, Grimsley hurls hGH into spotlight
June 11, 2006
Welcome to the worst nightmare of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
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Dry spell over as juicy story hits home
June 9, 2006
Don't know about you, but I was feeling a little bit left out while Barry Bonds bore down on Babe Ruth the past couple of months. How could you help but pine for those halcyon days when Baltimore was -- for a couple of months -- the center of the steroid universe.
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Hendricks' 'Oriole Way' gone, current O's are just wayward
December 30, 2005
It was an appropriate sendoff. Elrod Hendricks was remembered fondly by his family, friends and former teammates in a heartfelt and spiritual memorial service yesterday that drew 1,000 mourners to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. What else would you expect for a man so loved and respected in this close-knit community?
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By reaching out to others, Hendricks touched us all
December 23, 2005
Maybe Elrod Hendricks could only have happened in Baltimore, where our heroes don't have to be bigger than life. They just have to be like us ... or, in Elrod's case, they just have to like us as much as we like them.
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In a ballpark divided, reactions from fans provide potent mix
August 15, 2005
IT WAS the anabolic equivalent of "Tastes Great!" ... "Less Filling."
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Wasted words hang over return and leave little worth hearing
August 12, 2005
HE COULD have had us at "Hello" ... but that was 10 days ago.
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Silence speaks volumes in age of lost innocence
August 11, 2005
THE GREAT THING about being innocent is that you never have to make up a story to prove it.
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Palmeiro didn't provide hard truth, but Congress asked soft questions
August 7, 2005
WHILE WE WAIT for Congress to figure out what it is going to do with Rafael Palmeiro and Major League Baseball's flawed drug policy, it might be a good time to point out something very important.
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He may not fit the bill, but he will pay price
August 2, 2005
THE IMAGE still lingers. Rafael Palmeiro, called to testify before a congressional committee on March 17, pointed his finger at committee chairman Tom Davis and denied that he had ever used illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
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Robinson still knows how to bring heat when needed
June 16, 2005
SO MUCH FOR the myth of the mellow Frank Robinson. So much for the kinder, gentler Washington Nationals manager who used to have every kind of sharp edge as a player -- and a few in his early incarnations as a manager -- but was widely believed to have gotten in touch with his softer side.
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Orioles' Bancells earns huge save for waving Hendricks to hospital
April 18, 2005
IT WOULD have been so easy to make the wrong decision. The Orioles were getting ready to return home from St. Petersburg, Fla., on Thursday night, and longtime bullpen coach Elrod Hendricks just didn't feel right.
