Crab Cakes and Light Beer

The Feds gave Tejada new 'new' news yesterday.

The Swinging Bunt

• No Habla Inglés? I feel just awful for former O’s shortstop Miguel Tejada. All thanks to those snooping know-it-all’s in the United States Government, Miggy found out a few years back he’s actually a few years older than he thought… and now they’re saying he’s a drug user too! Jeez, it’s gotta be depressing when the Feds know more about you than you, yourself.
• It Wasn’t Me! 8 suspects have now been arrested in connections with Michael Phelps ‘Bong Gate.’ Not surprisingly, they’re denying the allegations. One member of the group accuses Phelps of actually toking with fellow Olympic Buddies Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, Rulon Gardner, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Kerri Strug. He also notes, rounding out the smoke sess was Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who brought the wacco tobacco and hip hop artist Lil’ Wayne, who mysteriously takes a hit of every bowl smoked by anyone he has ever met. I think the SNL after party that went on after Phelps and Young Weezy co-starred was, needless to say, hazy.
• If You Could Switch Lives with Anyone for a Day? While your answer to this question might change on a regular basis, I might be set on an answer for a little bit… Leonardo DiCaprio. How about going home after a long day on set to HER! In case you missed it, Leo’s gal-pal, Bar Refaeli, has been selected to be SI’s 2009 Swimsuit Edition Cover Girl. C’mon, seriously?
• Going, Going, Gone! The “water pipe” Phelps used was briefly posted on E-Bay starting with an auction price of $100,000 before being taking down within hours of appearing on the site. Most offers came from girls age 12-16 trying to get their hands on anything related to Michael Phelps, but the highest offer apparently came from the kid in the Dell commercials years back. Duuuuuude you’re NOT getting a Dell, or Phelps’ bong.
• Jay Greene of UMBC Strikes for 36 in W over New Hampshire. University of Maryland Coach Gary Williams is hot on the recruiting trail for Greene. Williams has come under fire recently for not scouting Baltimore County well enough and figures the 5′8 160lb Greene can have an immediate impact next season for the Terps. When told he will be out of playing eligibility after four years with the Retrievers and Coach Williams said, “That’s something for the my Athletics Department and NCAA Clearing House to worry about.”

Scanning the Blogosphere

The Sporting Blog says Tejada’s future will be in the next All-Drug Olympics.

The Sports Culture has a funny video about ‘Bong Gate’ and other various Sports Pop-Culture topics.

Casey Willett, WNST Insider, fields the Orioles All-Mitchell Report Team.

Big League Stew says Tejada needs a “government bailout.”

SI’s Andrew Perloff examines the perception of steroids in the NFL vs. MLB.

With Leather accurately points out, Danica Patrick is on a car, in a bikini.

Kissing Suzy Kolber wonders has Big Ben had too many Choco Taco’s and are Bengals fans getting too drunk?

Sports by Brooks, says Ravens nemesis Ben Rothlesberger might be lying to the Steelers about his broken ribs.

B-More’s Birds’ Nest is thankful at least someone in Baltimore is relevent to baseball.

The Ebony Bird has given out their final Ravens Season Awards.

CMS Video of the Day

Perhaps the ultimate homage to Cal.

Last Call

Last Tuesday on CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman, the pride of Muncie, Indiana, took a few shots at the Baltimore Bullet in his evening Top 10… Drum role please… from the Home Office in Wahoo, Nebraska…

10. Anxious to rid myself of those bothersome multi-billion dollar endoresements.

9. Too much chlorine.

8. Uh… I thought it was chap-stick.

7. Asked myself, “What would Chong do?”

6. Uh… glaucoma?

5. It’s my last chance to goof off before I have to settle down and get a real swimming job.

4. Uh, I got bitten by a groundhog?

3. Chillax, Broseph.

2. Was doing research for the upcoming film “Michael and Kumar Go to the Olympics.”

1. Huh?

You’ve all been a great crowd. Check back in tomorrow. This is Crab Cakes and Light Beer.

MAAC Heavyweights prove to be too much for Greyhounds

Siena moved to an impressive 13-1 in conference play after they handled Loyola with relative ease last night, 73-60, in the Tiems Union Center in Albany, New York. The Saints’ frontcourt size proved to be too much as they were led by Alex Franklin and Ryan Rossiter, Siena’s starting power forward and starting center, as they each registered double-double’s. The Greyhounds (11-15, 6-8) have now dropped 3 straight, but with Iona’s loss at Manhattan, remain in a 6th place tie in the MAAC.

Trailing 35-28 at half, Loyola got hoops from Marquis Sullivan and Jamal Barney to cut Siena’s lead to just 3, but they would get no closer. Then the Saints ran off 17 of the game’s next 19 points jumping out to an 18 point lead and sealing the deal on their season sweep of the ‘Hounds.

This rivalry has produced some memorable games in recent years, especially when these two get together in upstate New York. Greg Manning, now in his first season on Coach Patsos’ bench as an assistant coach, was called on off of the Loyola bench to be a hero in last season’s regular season match up in Albany. His 3 as time expired sent the game to OT where the Greyhounds would pickup a tough road W. Then who can forget these two also hooking up in a memorable MAAC Semifinal in last year’s tournament where the Greyhounds blew a 17 point second half lead and let the game slip away in the last minute? That Saint team won that game and would go on to beat Rider for the MAAC Title and then upset Vanderbilt in the NCAA’s first round.

Four players in Coach Fran McCaffery are hold overs from that squad and are they come back as heavy favorites to make a return trip to the big dance. Kenny Hasbrouk, Edwin Ubiles, and Alex Franklin are all shoe-in first team All-MAAC picks and Ronald Moore is their team leader pass first point guard. Siena played until the final whistle blew in last night’s game as all five starters played over 30 minutes with Franklin, Rossiter, Ewbiles, and Moore on the floor for 35+. That tells me this team’s only weakness could be a lack of depth.

If Loyola wants to avoid the firt night of the MAAC Tournament where the 7 seed plays the 10 and the 8 plays the 9, it would behoove them to win their next two. They have home games against Iona and Canisius before ending the year with Rider at home and a return trip to Iona.

Loyola ends up short and falls to Manhattan

The Loyola College men’s hoops team went on a 16-4 run late in Saturday evening’s MAAC match up with Manhattan, but the Jaspers were able to hang on late and pick up a huge road win 72-65 in Baltimore. The loss is the Greyhounds’ second consecutive and drops them under .500 in league play at 6-7 and to 11-14 overall.

It seemed as though Loyola had completely bottomed out with 5:47 left to play in front of their home fans, but they were able to turn it on with smothering defensive intensity and with a Marquis Sullivan 3-ball the Greyhounds found themselves down just 1 with 1:28 left to play. During the run Coach Jimmy Patsos used a lineup featuring a 6′4 Brad Farrell as its tallest player.

Give him his credit when it’s due… Coach P. pushed the right button sacrificing size and muscle for shooting range and quickness in employing an effective full court press. On the floor for Loyola during the run was Rudolph, Harvey, Barney, Sullivan, and Farrell.

However how many times have we seen a team come all the way back late, but can’t for whatever reason, be it fatigue, time, or whatever, get the game tied or go ahead.

Farrell knocked down a pair of FT’s with 23 seconds left to pull Loyola within 2 at 67-65 but that would be the closest the ‘Hounds would get under a minute. As Farrell’s second free throw was in the process of tickling twine Manhattan guard Chris Smith broke the length of the floor beating the Loyola defense and was hit in stride with a long touchdown pass. Smith went up strong, Brian Rudolph would catch-up, but Smith (younger brother of J.R.) dunked with one hand and ended any chance of a comeback.

Coming of a 28% shooting performance at Fairfield Sunday, the Greyhounds’ offense once again struggled to get on track. Most glarring tonight was the 13 free throws they missed. Going 18-31 from the line is never acceptable; leaving that many points on the table is deadly and especially frustraing considering Loyola leads the MAAC and ranks in the top 20 nationally in FT%.

Sullivan, the senior guard, drained 5 triples and led four teammates in double figures with 15. Farrell and the MAAC’s leading scorer Jamal Barney had 12 while Brett Harvey chipped in 11 off the bench.

Both Loyola and Manhattan were tied coming into the contest with a MAAC record of 6-6. The loss knocks them down to a sixth place tie with Iona.

Loyola will now go on the road Monday night and take on conference heavyweight Siena. The Saints were handed their first MAAC loss Saturday at Rider after running off 12 straight to start the season. The ‘Hounds can play with them, for whatever reason they match up relatively well. Last season Loyola beat them 2 out of 3 while earlier this year a more talented and verteran Saint team had to scratch for a close road win at Reitz. Tip time will be 7pm.

An Alternative look at Ray to the Jets

Ray Lewis to the Jets? On the surface it seems to make the sufficient amount of sense to think could it actually happen. Undoubtedly, we all know Rex Ryan, the new coach, is his boy. One would think, the bright spotlight in New York City might appeal very much to Ray. And most of all, the reason it would seem to make sense two weeks before he even becomes a free agent is because… he said it could.

If we go by what Ray said, figure the Ravens, the Cowboys, and the Jets are his preferred teams. But, let me tell you, scratch the surface just a little bit and you’ll discover there is no way #52 will be donning Jets’ Green next season.

This Ray Lewis to the Jets thing, is a non-story. Simply put the Jets do not have the cash to spend on bringing Ray Lewis to The Meadowlands, or The Meadowlands II, or whatever company spends money to have naming rights to the new Jets/Giants mega-stadium in 2010.

Jets owner Robert Woods Johnson, the guy whose family sells lots of band-aids and baby powder, loves a big splash free agent signing more than anyone. That said last off-season the Jets and General Manager Mike Tannenbaum ran up a $142 million, $74 million guaranteed tab on new contracts for FA’s Alan Faneca, Calvin Pace, and Damien Woody, and Kris Jenkins, whom they acquired via trade with Carolina. So clearly money is a little tied up. Oh yeah, then they traded for and signed BRETT FAVRE. Boom there’s another $12M for last year, and $13M for this season if he comes back.

Hmmm, that raises an interesting question; the answer would surely effect Ray’s decision. Will Brett Favre come back? Either way keeps Lewis away from coming to New York. If Favre chooses to come back for another ‘last go around’ the cap hit would leave no room for Ray. If he retires to hunting and tractor riding in Mississippi or gets released or traded, why would Ray want to come to a team with a Kellen Clemens/Brett Ratliff quarterback ‘battle.’ I’m not sure he’s going down that road again; I think he knows it all too well.

I share in a common belief that Ray is going where the most money is. I realize I’m not breaking news, I can clearly remember him telling Nestor and Drew on Radio Row that when all is said and done the decision will be made in 5 minutes. Translation to me, Ray’s waiting to see who going to show him the money.

I make no promises that Ray is staying or going.

But if indeed Ray has played his last down in purple, I’m telling you, his next will not be in the ‘Swamps of Jersey’ with the Jets.

Baltimore BracketBusters and an Idea for a Baltimore College Hoops Triple-header

Morgan State @ Towson, Towson Center, Towson, MD – February 21
UMBC @ Rider, Alumni Gymnasium, Lawrenceville, NJ – February 21
Loyola College @ Drexel, Daskalakis Athletic Center, Philadelphia, PA – February 21

In case you missed it, earlier this week ESPNU announced the pairings for their seventh annual BracketBuster event. The two-day slate of games featuring 51 games including teams from 17 different conferences is truly a celebration of mid-major college hoops. The weekend of February 20th and 21st will be ruled by college basketball’s little guys and Baltimore will be right in the middle of the action.

It’s phenomenal that the folks at ESPN decided to match-up Todd Bozeman’s Bears and Pat Kennedy’s Tigers. These two North Baltimore foes will lock-up for the 23rd time with the series tied at 11 games apiece. Bragging rights are directly on the line

The reason why I think it’s so great is because it gives a team like Towson something else besides their conference tournament to look forward to. It’s an impromptu late-season big-time backyard rivalry game.

While I love spontaneity as much as the next guy, I suggest taking this game and really running with the idea of a late year Baltimore-Baltimore match-up, sans the surprise.

Wouldn’t it be great to break up late season monotony with a battle for Baltimore bragging rights?

Imagine a triple-header of games at the 1st Mariner Arena in early February. Take the five Division 1 schools around town, Coppin, Loyola, Morgan, Towson, and UMBC and that leaves you with one spot. While this event would need great organizing to succeed, what would make it great would the participation of the big boys… the University of Maryland Terrapins.

I know, I know, what’s in it for Gary? Why should he leave Comcast during his ACC conference schedule to play a “nothing good can come from this”-type game? Well, I’ll simply offer, it might be good for Coach Williams to show his face around the Harbor a little bit more often. Throughout his whole tumultuous January the center of discussion was recruiting, and more specifically, not recruiting the city well enough. This would be a great event for kids from all over the greater Baltimore area to enjoy. I don’t see how playing an in-state opponent in front of 11,000 people in his state’s largest city could possibly be a bad thing for a program attempting to re-grow some of those grassroots.

The benefit for the locals is obvious in exposure alone. Any local media outlet would be crazy not to ant to put their name on the event and its content in their programming. Not everyone can go to the University of Maryland and play so this would be a great chance for young players to see the unique styles of our area’s coaches and become familiar with their distinct personalities.

You could even involve the high school teams in an All-Baltimore Basketball weekend. The collegiate triple-header could be played on a Saturday or Sunday with varsity squads from all over Baltimore County going out of conference to play on the preceding Friday night.

I don’t know, just a thought…

Loyola Splits Weekend Road Trip; Weekend Comes to an End

They say in baseball, “Momentum is only as important as the next day’s starting pitcher.” In basketball, one could say something along the lines of, “Momentum is only as important as how well your team shoots the ball.” For the Loyola men’s hoops team, the momentum of a 6 game win streak and a masterful Friday night road win at Rider was not enough for the Greyhounds to overcome 28% shooting in a loss at Fairfield on Super Bowl Sunday.

In a great mid-major college basketball atmosphere at Alumni Gymnasium in Lawrenceville, New Jersey the Greyhounds gave a great effort in a 75-61 victory. The bright lights of a national television were not big enough for Jamal Barney as he stepped to center stage as he performed phenomenally scoring 28 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor. Playing well in his new role of 6th man Brett Harvey added 18 points in 29 minutes of action. The pair scored a combined 30 points in the second half and held off the Broncs to extend their winning streak and move to 6-5 in the MAAC, after starting 1-5. I’ll even go as far as to say that this game was as good as I’ve ever seen Loyola play. At Rider the fans are right on the floor and can really get on the players. Brian Rudolph and Harvey were able to take car of the ball when they needed to and Barney came up with big shot after big shot, big free throw after big free throw. You have to think he is on his way to a spot on the 1st team all-MAAC squad at year’s end.

Things couldn’t have been better going into the Arena at Harbor Yard for a Sunday matinee before football festivities. Fairfield was coming into the game without the services of their 2 best players and another starter due to suspension and injury.

Yet, as Loyola found out, all good things come to an end when your team cannot shoot well than 28%. The 68-54 loss drops the ‘Hounds to a record of 11-13 and an even 6-6 in conference. Interesting of not, Fairfield won the game with ease despite missing Jon Han, Anthony Johnson, and Warren Edney, and not hitting a long ball all afternoon, they shot 0-9 from beyond the arc. Loyola was just as bad, maybe worse, as they shot 5-30 from deep.

Though the loss to Fairfield is disappointing, a split on the road in weekend MAAC play is by no means the end of the world. In fact, I would think Coach Jimmy Patsos and his team would sign up for another split this coming weekend as they will take on Manhattan at Reitz Arena Saturday night before taking a trip to Albany to take on MAAC heavyweight Siena. The Saints are an impressive 12-0 in conference after handling St. Peter’s Monday night.

As of right now, Loyola is more than staying afloat. The Greyhounds stand at #5 in the conference standings with Saturday’s opponent Manhattan #6. In the MAAC you have to hold serve on your home court and take road wins whenever you can possibly grab one. Fairfield did a nice job of doing so with the win on Sunday, now it’s Loyola’s turn.

A Closer Look at the Greyhounds Weekend Road Trip

The Loyola Greyhounds (10-12, 5-5) are winners of 5 straight and head into MAAC play this weekend back at .500 in league competition for the first time this season. Tonight they will be in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, as they will take on Rider before heading a little further north to play Fairfield at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport on Sunday at 2pm.

Tonight’s game at Rider will tip at 9pm and will be aired on national TV on ESPNU. If you don’t receive that channel in your home, fear not Greyhounds fans… you can listen to my personal play-by-play broadcast on loyolagreyhounds.com.

This mid-season rally has thrown Loyola right in the middle of the mix for a top seed in the MAAC Tournament. Siena is 11-0 and is beginning to run away from the pack, but the Greyhounds (5-5), Rider (6-3), Niagara (6-3), Fairfield (5-5), and Manhattan (5-5) are all within one victory and will be battling each other from now until March for postseason positions.

So obviously Loyola’s pair of games this weekend is tremendously important. They have to be able to keep the ball rolling and the momentum moving in the right direction.

The key to their recent success has been because of the new rotation that the team seems to be settling into. The new looked has point guard Brian Rudolph and Barney in the backcourt with Brad Farrell, Isaac Reid, and Jawaan Wright up front. Brett Harvey, Marquis Sullivan, and Anthony Winbush fill out the 8-man rotation. This has been the combination for the last 4 games, all wins. Once players can recognize their roles they can begin to fill them with their unique and specific attributes.

In case you missed it… Coach Jimmy Patsos was a guest of WNST’s midday host Bob Haynie Wednesday afternoon. The interview can be heard in its entirety in the audio vault on WNST.net at any time.

Some of the major points of interest from the conversation…

- Coach P. made a very interesting comparison. He said that he thought Jamal Barney, Loyola’s leading scorer at nearly 19ppg, reminds him of an old ABA scorer. I have always said Barney is the quickest jumper I’ve ever seen, he’s second on the team in rebounding at almost 6 per game.
- Shane Walker is expected to help Loyola “take the next step” next season. The Coach said that the 6’10 transfer from Maryland has been practicing very well and has been using us game days, where he cannot participate due to NCAA Residency Rules, to bulk up. Patsos says Walker has added nearly 15lbs since coming to Loyola. It sounds like he is already very competent on the boards and on the defensive side of the ball, but that his offense still needs development. Coach P. also mentioned that he’s got some Jason Thompson ability in him, but added that he thinks Walker is a better athlete and faster up and down the floor
- Coach Patsos acknowledged that this season’s non-conference schedule may have been a little ambitious, but that next year the team will take a trip to Bloomington, IN to take on the Hoosiers. Baltimore rivals Coppin State and Morgan State will also be on the schedule. As for the ’10-’11 season, there is the good possibility of seeing Loyola head out west to visit UCLA and/or USC.
- And lastly, pretty funny to hear Coach Patsos discuss the expectations of ballplayers at schools with academic integrity, like Loyola and Maryland. He mentioned that student-athletes at these schools are held to a high level, and that at other schools in the MAAC are way more lenient towards misbehavior. He specifically mentioned how someone might have been kicked off the Greyhound roster, but at another school that player would receive a 1 game suspension and then score 35 the next night… ZING NIAGARA and Joe Mihalich. Former all-league Purple Eagle forward Charron Fisher was involved in a major on-campus fist fight/brawl and was allowed to return to the team after a slap on the wrist last season.