The Terps lost yesterday do the South Carolina Gamecocks 75-67. This game solidifies what a disappointing season 2004-2005 was. The ACC are the cream of the crop. How they couldn't beat another mediocre team is unanswerable. The team lacks on the court leaders which I hope is fixed before the start of next season. If anyone can fix this team, Gary Williams can and will. As much as I hated they went to the NIT, I thought at least they would win it.
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I know I haven't published much about the Terps lately. Well, it's because I have been watching the real tournament, the NCAA Tournament, even with my bracket shot to hell. UNC is the only ACC team left, so I am rooting for them at this point. Sure, the Terps are doing in the NIT, but I really don't care that much. I haven't watched one minute of it, and I don't plan to either. Maryland should win, and if they don't, who really cares? This tournament has no bearing on next year, and Gary Williams will figure out what he really has during the summer. What he should do is make John Gilchrist a shooting guard and make Ledbetter the point. You know what, that name just reminds me of the Pearl Jam song, so Ledbetter will be called Mr. Pearl Jam for now on here at this site. Anyways, I know the Terps beat TCU. Good Job Boys!
The O's seem to be housing a bunch of convicts lately. Are the O's trying to imitate the late '90s cowboys? Ponson was yet involved in another incident on Wednesday, when he got into a shoving match in restaurant with a patron. This incident is the second one in three months. Do that many people hate Ponson down south or what? No charges were brought up this time, lucky Ponson, and the police could not release a statement about the incident. He is soon to be banned from Aruba and Florida. Hey Sidney, do you want to mark of Baltimore too, that way you have an excuse not to pitch well Eric DuBose decided to go get drunk Monday morning and go driving. He was arrested by the sheriffs department in FL when he almost hit another car. I didn't know players even drove, don't they make enough money to get a limo or even a taxi? Is life really that hard as a pitcher to need to do this kinda stuff. What is worse is he is trying to start for the O's? I got a lot of confidence in him now not to screw up. If you want to add to this police type blodder, then you have to mention the Sosa and Palmeiro deal up here in Washington D.C. Both players publicly denied using steroids and said so in front of congress. I am just happy they didn't blow it like Mark McGuire (that dude is screwed). Sosa at some point was asked to talk about Mark McGuire and refused to make a comment about him, guess he didn't want to be treated like Jose. Spring training only lasts for another 2 weeks, hopefully the O's can stay out of the police house until then. Florida doesn't seem to be treating our O's very well during their visit.
The O's are going to send two players to the congressional hearing about steriods. Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro will be going to defend themselves against steriods. Congress has said they will not give immunity to players. The starting rotation is still in the air with pitchers struggling. Rick Baur and John Maine have been struggling through Spring Training. Kurt Ainsworth will be sidelined because of medical problems in his arm. Matos and Gibbon have looked pretty good so far in Spring Training. L, Matos is hitting .345 and 4 RBIs in 10 games. J. Gibbons is hitting .421 and has 3 RBIs in 7 games played and has played solid 1st base. Jay Gibbons hasn't played 1st base since being in the minors. The O's have said they are willing to share the TV contract they have with the Nationals.
The Ravens signed two long snappers / backups to a couple of 2 year deals. Joe Maese and Cooper Carlisle to back up the starting offensive line and to compete for the starting long snapper position. This position is very important considering how many problems other teams have in the kicking game. Getting two good long snappers makes this position solid going into next year.
The Terps missed the big dance yesterday during the selection. The Terps were concidered a bubble team, but most people knew they were not going the NCAA Tournament. Not making the tournament just makes this season more disappointing. The Terps will be in the NIT and will play on Wednesday against Oral Roberts (25-7). Geez, I can't wait.
Ponson finally settled his legal problems in Aruba. Here is a great article about it: Most Valuable Network - Flying Orioles
The Ravens upgraded their offensive line by signing Keydrick Vincent to a three year deall worth 4.64 million dollars with a 1.25 million dollar bonus. He will replace a weak position last year occupied by Bennie Anderson. Casey Rabach rotated into the guard position last year, but he was more of a center then a guard. Vincent will solidify the offensive line for the season, and the Ravens only have a receiver to sign for the rest of the off-season. They could pick a receiver in the draft to play opposite of Derrick Mason, depending on what is left at the #20 position in the draft.
I have moved my Redskins articles to another site. If you want to read my article about the Redskins, you can go to HOG HEAVEN.
What the crap happened. How do the Terps lose to Clemson for a third time this season. I will tell you how. They can't keep control of the ball. The Terps game up the ball any chance they had. The one bright spot during this game was of course Chris McCray. Nik Caner-Medley needs to just stop playing because he looks like a retard with the ball. Mike Jones couldn't hit a shot if he was by himself on a court. Every time he missed a shot, Jones would turn around and commit a stupid foul. John Gilchrist was the Terps only chance going into the second half, and he came up limp with a ankle injury. Yeah, that is what it was. If I were Gilchrist, I would have left the game too. Bowers also made an effort in this game too, but it just wasn't enough. If the Terps had any chance of winning this game, the Terps needed to come out as a team and they didn't. I hate to say this, the Terps don't deserve to go anywhere after their preformance today. I just can't believe this happened this season. This team was suppose to get better this season with all their returning starters, and they just got worse. The team doesn't want to put forth the effort to win unless they are playing the Dookies. Gary, Please Fix This Team For Next Year.
If the Terps don't beat the Clemson this Thursday, the Terps will not make the NCAA tournament for the 1st time in 11 years. Clemson swept the Terps during the regular season, and they look to upset the Terps again. The Terps need a strong finish in the ACC tournament to go to the big dance.
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The Ravens filled a huge hole today signing Samari Rolle to a 6 year/30.5 million dollar deal with a 11 million dollar signing bonus. What is so funny about this is that all these figures top Gary Baxter's deal. Baxter was signed by rival Cleveland Browns. Ravens still needs some receivers, Billick WAKE UP and give some more receivers for Boller to throw to.
The Orioles have done some good things, and they have some bad things so far in Spring Training. Pitching: Bernard, Cabrera, and Lopez have looked great thus far, only pitching 3 innings a and allowing no runs. Dubose, Bauer, Penn, Riley, and Ryan have all struggled in their first games. Both, Dubose and Bauer have a 6.00 ERA. In B.J. Ryan's first appearance as a closer, he allowed 5 runs and has a 67.50 ERA. Penn has a 27.00 ERA and Riley has a 13.50 ERA. It is by no means time to panic, for the pitchers who are struggling are still trying to find their rhythm. The great thing is that the front runners in the starting rotation are doing so well coming out of the gate. None of them looked like they struggled at all. Batting: The surprise so far is how well Jay Gibbons has done. He had major injury problems last year, and he seems to be recovered. He is hitting .500 right now through 5 games, and he looks very comfortable playing his natural position at 1st base. Another surprise thus far is Chris Gomez because he will be the O's primary utility guy. He is hitting over .500 at the moment and looks strong in the field. If Gomez keeps up the good work, he will be a steal from the Blue Jays. The funniest thing this Spring Training is Sammy Sosa getting kicked out of the game against the Nats. The situation was just a huge misunderstanding and looks very bad for the stupid officials. I am very happy the way things are going right now, and I hope it carries on.
The Terps lose to VT Hookies Saturday in a must win game. This lost makes the likely of the Terps going to the NCAA tournament very unlikely unless they win the ACC tourney. The game was filled with miscues from the Terps and no back-court presence. The only Terp that seemed in the game was McCray. Nik Caner-Medley couldn't shoot to save his life and John Gilchrist kept turning the ball over every time the Terps could take the lead. The intensity of the Terps was none existent. What another disappointing year. I would go over the numbers of the game, but I am too depressed.
Every Monday until the regular season, I will cover what has happened at spring training.
Gary Baxter signed a 6 year/ 30 million dollar deal with rival Cleveland Browns. The Ravens still have a lot of options left on the free agent market to sign a good cornerback. The top cornerbacks left are Ty Law, Samari Rolle, and Fred Smoot, all of which would be a good fit. The Ravens do have other holes to fill like another receiver and a center.
The Redskins completed a deal with the Jets that swapped receivers. Laveraneus Coles went to the Jets for Santana Moss Saturday, with the Redskins only paying 5 million of Coles bonus money. The day before (Friday), the Redskins signed David Patten to a three year deal. The receiving corps will look totally different come this next season. Rod Gardner is still seeking a trade, so no starting receiver will return for the Redskins. The Redskins do have depth at receiver with Darnerien McCants, James Thrash, and Taylor Jacobs fighting for the 3rd receiver spot. With the addition of Moss and Patten, the Redskins will be able to stretch the field and create more opportunities. The also signed center Casey Rabach to 13.75 million/ 5 year deal with a 2.5 million dollar signing bonus, which will solidify the line and give Patrick Ramsey the time to get the ball to his new receivers. The Redskins still need to sign a cornerback.
The Ravens agree to a 5 year deal with Derrick Mason. After being cut from the Titans last week for salary cap reasons, Derrick Mason joins a club desperately needing a big receiver. Mason is only 5'10, small for a receiver, caught 96 passes, had 1,126 yards, and caught 7 TDs. He isn't afraid of going though the middle of the field. He has caught for over 1,000 yards the last 4 years and no less then 5 TD catches over that period. That nearly doubles all other receivers in all categories. The exact details have not been released yet. The Ravens still need to sign at least one other receiver either through free agency or draft in order for this off-season to be a success. Of course this deal does upgrade the offense, just not enough yet.