By Zach Wilt, on May 10th, 2012  The NFL Network is ranking their top 100 players of 2012 and even worse than you watching it, is me writing about it.
It’s a perfect excuse to talk football while nothing is really going on. Well played, NFL.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was recently ranked number 74, which is too high in Baltimore and too low for former NFL veteran and current ESPN analyst Damien Woody.
“I’m sorry but the players voted Joe Flacco higher than Tony Romo…..really?!?! You’ve got to be kidding me!!!!,” Woody tweeted this morning.
I guess Woody thinks that a guy with a one postseason win is better than a guy with five. To be fair, Romo has three more regular season wins than Flacco… in two more seasons.
By Ross Gore, on May 9th, 2012 Today former Texans wide receiver, perennial fantasy football sleeper and major contributor to the Ravens playoff win last year Jacoby Jones, became the newest Baltimore Raven. For those who don’t remember Jones inexplicably tried to field a punt with Cary Williams bearing down on him in the second round of the playoffs last year. When Jones bobbled the punt it resulted in the Ravens jumping out to an early 7-0 lead over the Texans and an eventual win. Five months later Jones will enter camp trying to help the Ravens by not bobbling the ball but holding onto it.
 Jacoby Jones fumbles a punt against the Ravens in the second round of NFL playoffs. There is a lot to like about Jones signing. First, he is an incredible physical specimen: 6-foot-2 1/2, 210 lbs. and a 4.49 forty-yard dash time. Simply put, he has all the physical skills needed in a #1 wide receiver. Jones’ physical attributes shouldn’t be quickly dismissed despite his lack of production in Houston. When players with these skills/attributes “get it” they become stars. In past NFL seasons players like Miles Austin, Vincent Jackson and Brandon Marshall were all recent “projects” with similar physical skills who’ve developed into #1 wide receivers out of nowhere. More analysis on Jones and how he fits into the 2012 Ravens after the jump.
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By Zach Wilt, on May 9th, 2012  Last night’s college baseball game between the Bluejays and Huskers in Creighton drew a crowd of 12,184, which means that nearly 1,000 more people were in attendance in Nebraska than in Baltimore to witness Josh Hamilton hit four home runs against the Orioles.
Baltimore drew 11,263 a day after 11,989 fans welcomed home the first place Orioles from the 5-1 road trip in New York and Boston.
In his Wednesday column on FOXSports.com, Ken Rosenthal reported on the lack of response from Orioles fans to their hot start.
The players get it. Showalter gets it. After 14 straight losing seasons — a streak that began under owner Peter Angelos long before anyone currently wearing a uniform arrived — the Orioles no longer merit the benefit of the doubt.
“It’s our fault. It’s not theirs,” Showalter said of the fans. “They don’t trust us. I don’t know if that’s the right word. But my take on it all along is that it’s our responsibility. It can’t be lip service. It can’t be. It’s got to be, ‘Show me.’ “
Orioles closer Jim Johnson is less optimistic about the turnout. ”The big test will be when football season comes around,” Johnson said in Rosenthal’s piece. “Will people be more worried about minicamp or more worried about what we’re doing? That’s the true test. If we’re in it, if we’re playing competitive baseball, you’ll see what the city truly thinks of us.”
I fear finding out the answer to that question.
By Zach Wilt, on May 9th, 2012  History was made in Baltimore last night as Josh Hamilton became the 16th player in baseball history to hit four home runs in a single game. The Texas Rangers slugger accomplished a feat that statistically is more rare than throwing a perfect game and he joins an elite club in the process.
While it’s something that happened against the hometown Orioles, the small crowd at Camden Yards gave Hamilton his due. ”The crowd and appreciation let’s you know they are true baseball fans,” Hamilton said according to Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
“They’re not only fans of their own team, but they love the game and appreciate it when somebody does something of that caliber.”
Hamilton said that typically he hears heckling from Baltimore fans while taking the field, but the crowd of 11,263 gave him a warm ovation when he came out to his position in center field in the bottom on the ninth.
We might not be able to fill the ballpark for our own team, but at least our fan base is smart enough to cheer a guy when he makes history.
By Zach Wilt, on May 8th, 2012  From Brittany Ghiroli comes an alarming stat about Mark Reynolds defense for the Orioles. Ghiroli points out that Mark Reynolds six errors on this field this season have costed the Orioles five unearned runs.
I’ve always been a defender of Mark Reynolds performance at the plate. Fans are quick to criticize the guy for striking out too much, but don’t seem to give him credit when he hits bombs. That’s what power hitters do though. See “Carlos Pena” and “Adam Dunn.”
But the defense can’t be defended. As Patrick Guthrie has pointed out on the BSR Podcast, if you’re going to defend Reynolds offense, he has to make it for it in the field and unfortunately that doesn’t happen.
With that said, I still think the Orioles best option is still Reynolds at third and Davis at first with Wilson Betemit occasionally filling in on the hot corner.
If you’re taking to twitter and hoping that Miguel Tejada will solve all the Orioles problems, you’re insane.
By Zach Wilt, on May 8th, 2012  Dylan Bundy might actually be human after all. Bundy-watch was in full swing last night at the Orioles prospect took the mound on for Single-A Delmarva on the road in Charleston and was charged with an unearned run.
Bundy finished the outing with three innings of one hit ball and recorded eight of his nine outs with strikeouts. He’s now struck out 33 batters in his 20 innings pitched this season and has surrendered just two hits and two free passes.
He left the game last night with the shorebirds trailing 1-0, but didn’t record the loss as Delmarva tied the game.
Thank goodness.
MASNSports.com’s Steve Melewski has all the deets on Bundy’s latest outing.
With two outs and no one on, he struck out Mason Williams but Williams reached first on a wild pitch. He then scored on a somewhat bizarre sequence where catcher Gabriel Lino threw a ball back wildly toward Bundy and it went into center field. Center fielder Glynn Davis then threw towards third to try and get Mason out, but the wild throw went into the dugout and Mason scored. Delmarva was charged with three errors in that inning. Without Mason reaching on the wild pitch, Bundy would have had a 1-2-3 last of the third.
By Matt Sadler, on May 8th, 2012  Hah! I was laughing at Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter as former Oriole 1st Rounder, Brandon Snyder, spanked the Orioles for 6 RBIs last night.
To be fair, Snyder had a hard time showing his promise as a member of the Orioles organization. He killed it in AA Bowie in 2009 when he had a .343 BA, .421 OPS, and 10 homers in 58 games. After that, he went to Norfolk where it seems that most O’s hitters go to die. That massive park seems to suck the life out of the prospects. He had chances with the big league club in 2010 and 2011, and he never seemed to catch the favor of manager Buck Showalter. Was it his Production? Attitude? Perception in the Clubhouse? Who knows except that the O’s were terrible and yet, he wasn’t getting the playing time.
This off season, Duquette and Showalter showed how they really felt about Snyder when they traded him a way for cash considerations in order to clear a spot for the amazing Jai Miller.
I have nothing against Miller. I am just bummed when I see the O’s give up on a #1 Draft pick for a player who can’t stop striking out. Former 1st Rounders, Billy Rowell and Matt Hobgood have been disasters. Snyder still had a chance to make something of himself. He could have been a late bloomer. It kills me to know that Jayson Werth was an O’s 1st Rounder and he didn’t show his mettle until after he left the organization. It wouldn’t shock me to see Snyder do the same and make a nice career for himself. READ MORE >>>
By Zach Wilt, on May 8th, 2012  The good news is that only 11,000 people saw the Rangers beat up on the O's After sweeping the Boston Red Sox in a 17 inning epic battle at Fenway Park, the Orioles hopped on a plane and headed back home to Baltimore with the best record in baseball. When they arrived to Oriole Park At Camden Yards, 11,939 fans were there to cheer them on as they took the field against the defending American League champion Texas Rangers.
That’s 24.8 percent capacity.
Did the weather play a factor? Maybe a Monday night made it tough for fans to get to the Yard? Or are Oriole fans still not sold on this team?
MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli tweeted that she “thought there’d be more people” in the stands. I did too.
The Ravens will likely get bigger crowds at their practices this summer.
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By Matt Lund, on May 8th, 2012 
Norfolk recently completed an impressive 10-game homestand in which they went 6-4 and embarked on yet another 10-game stretch, this time on the road traveling to Durham, Louisville and Indianapolis.
The Tides took two of three over the weekend in Durham, including a split of a doubleheader against the Bulls. Chris Tillman picked up win number three by pitching six innings of relief, allowing two earned runs and striking out two.
Jason Berken started the ballgame that was delayed nearly four hours because of rain. Zach Phillips picked up his second save in as many days (third overall) and the offense received two RBI’s apiece from Xavier Avery and Bill Hall.
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By Mark Brown, on May 7th, 2012  This recap and analysis of WWE’s Monday Night Raw are the personal opinions of the writer. The author of this article is a former promoter, writer, and referee in the wrestling industry. You won’t find analysis as accurate as this anywhere else on the internet.
WWE Monday Night Raw Results 5/7/12 from Greensboro, NC
The show begins with John Laurinaitis. He is the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and the General Manager of both Raw and Smackdown. He said so himself. He also said that Cena embarrassed him last week. He is going to show everyone how dangerous he can be. Laurinaitis says that the WWE Board of Directors are not going to reprimand him for his decisions because he is tough but fair. He says he ordered Cena to not come to Raw tonight because he needs to rehab his elbow. That way he has no excuses when he loses to Laurinaitis. He will appear via satellite and apologize for making fun of Laurinaitis’ voice. He says his throat was injured in Japan against Dr. Death Steve Williams. He shows pictures of himself wrestling in Japan. He calls himself the Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, and Rock of Japan all rolled into one. That’s funny. Laurinaitis says that he vs Cena will be bigger than Rock/Cena and Brock/Cena. Great promo there. Kept me entertained the whole time. Brock Cena is trending on Twitter. So is Jay Bruce. Time to check the fantasy team….
CM Punk’s music hits. He approaches Laurinaitis in the ring. Punk says that he knows what the WWE Universe doesn’t want. He says they don’t want to see Laurinaitis. He says that Laurinaitis put all of his chips in on Lesnar and then Cena beat him. So Laurinaitis attacked Cena. Thank you Punk for making sense of that. Punk says that Laurinaitis had to go to Japan because there wasn’t a single territorial promoter who would pay Laurinaitis to wrestle in America. Love it! Punk calls Laurinaitis stupid, ugly, and says he has no friends. Umm? He’s a gigantic toolbox. Laurinaitis says that Punk will face Lord Tensai. Niccceeeee. Similar styles. Should be a great match. Punk says that Laurinaitis has always hid behind big men his whole career and had them do his dirty work. He says Cena will twist Laurinaitis into a pretzel at Over the Limit. Pipe bomb dropped. Two nice promos to start the show. Unfortunately they are going to follow that up with The Big Show. Ugh. Typical thing that the writers would do. Big Johnny, #pipebomb, and Lord Tensai are trending on Twitter.
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By Dave Gilmore, on May 7th, 2012  Fantasy movie season is finally underway, and boy did it go off with a bang. Here’s a quick primer on our league if you missed it before. You can go back and hear our draft on the BSR podcast, as well, or just nerd out on our spreadsheet.
Some leagues floating around the internet include movies going up to March and April in their pool, but the fact that “The Avengers” opened with the bang that it did I think justifies our choice for having a May 1-August 31 season.
“The Avengers” was the only film drafted to open this week, but it got founding editor Zach Wilt’s team off to a super start. Taking in $200 million in domestic box office and logging a 93% on RottenTomatoes makes it the odds-on favorite for the most valuable property of the year. For reference, last year’s top fantasy performer was “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” grossing $381 million and getting a 96% fresh on RT.
And “The Avengers” wasn’t even the number one pick in the draft.
That honor, unsurprisingly, went to “The Dark Knight Rises,” taken by Matt “The Boss” Sadler. We’ll have to wait until July 20 to see if it can eclipse “The Avengers,” which will be no small task.
Standings: 1 Zach Wilt (59.65), four others tied at 00.00
League Activity: Dave Gilmore dropped “Lawless,” picked up “The Dictator.” Zach Griffin dropped “Hit and Run,” picked up “Lawless”
Opening Next Week: “Dark Shadows” (Matt Lund), “The Dictator” (Dave Gilmore)
By Zach Wilt, on May 7th, 2012 If you think the cartoon bird isn’t the key to the Orioles success this season, you’re wrong. Here’s a break down of Baltimore’s franchise history by logo, comparing the cartoon bird to the lifelike realistic bird.
 Image Credit: Ryan Sullivan (@pasteinplace)
By Ross Gore, on May 7th, 2012 
Yesterday, Chris Davis became the first position player to record a win in the last 40 years. Here we’ll look at Davis’ win By The Numbers. First we’ll look at how clutch Davis’ performance was in the 16th and 17th innings and then we’ll look at the “stuff” Davis brought with him to the mound.
By the numbers, Chris Davis is a clutch pitcher. Fangraphs has recorded how important a particular situation is in a baseball game depending on the inning, score, outs, and number of players on base for every game since 1974. The statistic that quantifies the importance of a situation is referred to as the leverage index. It is considered a smart practice to use a team’s best pitcher in situations with the highest leverage index. The informed reader will have no trouble guessing most of the names whose average usage has come during the highest leverage situations. The list of names of the top 10 pitches in terms of highest leverage average usage since 1974 includes Brian Wilson, Bruce Sutter and Mariano Rivera. However, currently Chris Davis leads them all. In his only (and thus 2.35 leverage index average) usage the innings Davis pitched were more important than the average usage of the top closers in baseball, and during those innings Davis was successful.
 Chris Davis' first splitter/change/something
By Zach Wilt, on May 7th, 2012  Twitter was a wonderful place to be during the Orioles six hour marathon win in Boston on Sunday. After Chris Davis struck out five times at the plate, then recorded two K’s on the bump and the win, some Twitterers were calling this the best game they’ve ever watched.
In this day in age where information and communication is instant, the best game every syndrome is very common. NFL writers are quick to conclude that the most recent Super Bowl was the best one ever for no real reason than the build up to the actual event. It’s like when you can’t wait for a movie and you tell yourself for months that’s going to be awesome and when you finally leave the theater after seeing it you’re so blinding by the hype that convince yourself no matter what that it’s the greatest movie ever.
This example does not apply to The Avengers. That movie in fact lived up to the hype and was amazing.
Over at CBSSports.com, Danny Knobler writes that the Orioles 17-inning defeat of the Red Sox was “not the best game ever,” but rather “the most incredible.”
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By Zach Wilt, on May 7th, 2012  As if a three game sweep at home against the Orioles wasn’t bad enough for the Red Sox, their $154 million first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, struck out to Baltimore’s emergency relief pitcher, Chris Davis, in the 17th inning on Sunday.
To be fair to Gonzalez, Davis was throwing between 86-91 and that pitch was pretty nasty.
It still probably feels like striking out in a slow pitch softball game though.
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