Chris Davis is a man on fire

If you thought Chris Davis was going to be a one-month wonder, he is serving notice that he is going to be a force to be reckoned with all season long.

Peter Schmuck's Orioles observation deck (Week 6)

Each week of the 2013 baseball season, columnist Peter Schmuck gives his take on four subjects involving the Orioles, then clears the bases with a final thought.

Don't give up on Brian Roberts just yet

It's easy enough to digest the news that Brian Roberts is headed for another surgical procedure and presume that it will always be thus -- that he will never be able to hold up long enough to help the Orioles for a reasonable period.

Peter Schmuck grades the Orioles (Week 6)

Every Monday during the regular season, columnist Peter Schmuck grades the cumulative performance of the Orioles in six major areas during the previous week.

The good news about Chris Tillman

What was it, two weeks ago that we were all angst-ridden about Chris Tillman and his inability to pitch efficiently enough to get into the seventh and eighth innings?

Peter Schmuck's Orioles observation deck (Week 5)

Each week of the 2013 baseball season, columnist Peter Schmuck gives his take on four subjects involving the Orioles, then clears the bases with a final thought.

Roberto Alomar was simply the best at second base

Former Baltimore Sun Orioles writer Buster Olney told me back in the 1990s that he thought Roberto Alomar was the best all-around player in the game. I don't think I fully agreed with him at the time, but he definitely wasn't very far from correct.

McLouth a steal on a couple of levels

Orioles GM Dan Duquette must pinch himself every time he sees Nate McLouth victimize another pitcher or catcher as he further establishes himself as one of the best leadoff hitters in the American League this year.

Preakness 2013: Trying to have fun in a dangerous world

There probably won’t be many complaints about the new carry-in restrictions that the Maryland Jockey Club will institute for this year’s Preakness weekend. The Boston Marathon bombings have put everyone in the big-crowd business on a heightened state of alert, so everyone should expect to stand in some long lines at Pimlico and feel safer for it.

Should Orioles regret not bringing back Joe Saunders?

No doubt, there were a lot Orioles fans second-guessing the decision to let Joe Saunders get away while they were watching him tie the O's in knots on Monday night at Safeco Field in Seattle. The contrast was just too obvious, as Saunders pitched a complete game while another Orioles fifth starter candidate struggled to keep up with him.

Peter Schmuck's Orioles report card (Week 4)

Every Monday during the regular season, columnist Peter Schmuck grades the cumulative performance of the Orioles in six major areas during the previous week.

Orioles show struggling A's how to handle jet lag

When the Orioles headed off on their 11-game West Coast road trip, it was fair to assume that it would be a very difficult trip and probably just as fair to think that the O's would be satisfied to get back with something close to a .500 record on the trip.

Ravens sticking with the post-Super Bowl blueprint

    Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome always talks about taking the best player available, but the early picks in this year's NFL draft have fit perfectly into the blueprint that he laid out during the team's postseason news conference in early February.

Ravens considered Matt Elam the best player available

Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said it wasn't a very hard decision. Florida safety Matt Elam was the best player available when the Ravens made the final pick of Thursday night's first round of the NFL draft and they were thrilled to get him.

Best part of NFL Draft Night is mocking the mock drafts

The first 10 picks of the NFL draft took just under an hour and a half, a pace that would put the Ravens on the clock sometime tomorrow morning, but don't despair. The pace generally picks up after the first 10, since I'm pretty sure that the NFL and ESPN intentionally squeezed every minute out of the top picks.

Five Things Peter Schmuck observed about the Orioles (Week 4)

Each week of the 2013 baseball season, columnist Peter Schmuck gives his take on four subjects involving the Orioles, then clears the bases with a final thought.

Peter Schmuck's Orioles report card (Week 3)

Every Monday during the regular season, Baltimore Sun columnist Peter Schmuck grades the cumulative performance of the Orioles in six major areas during the previous week.

With all due respect, Rex Ryan needs to stifle himself

New York Jets coach Rex Ryan was probably just sticking up for the Ravens when he popped off this week about the scheduling conflict that forced them to play their season opener in Denver on Sept. 5, but he ought to listen to himself some time.

For Orioles, wrong end of rotation isn't so wrong after all

One of the most popular areas of concern as the Orioles prepare to wrap up the third week of the regular season with a three-game interleague series against the Los Angeles Dodgers is the performance of the last two pitchers in the starting rotation.

Five Things Peter Schmuck observed about the Orioles (Week 3)

Each week of the 2013 baseball season, columnist Peter Schmuck gives his take on four subjects involving the Orioles, then clears the bases with a final thought.

Peter Schmuck's Orioles report card (Week 2)

Every Monday during the regular season, Baltimore Sun columnist Peter Schmuck grades the cumulative performance of the Orioles in six major areas during the previous week.

The Grand Slam: Analyzing the 2013 Orioles (Week 2)

Each week of the 2013 baseball season, columnist Peter Schmuck gives his take on four subjects involving the Orioles, then clears the bases with a final thought.

Peter Schmuck's Orioles report card (Week 1)

Every Monday during the regular season, columnist Peter Schmuck grades the cumulative performance of the Orioles in six major areas during the previous week.

Peter Schmuck's three most memorable Opening Days

Hate to admit this, but Friday’s home opener will be my 34th since getting into the baseball-writing business. The first one was in 1980 at Anaheim Stadium, but I really don’t remember much about it. I was probably still stunned that anyone would pay me to cover ballgames.

The Grand Slam: Analyzing the 2013 Orioles (Week 1)

Each week of the 2013 baseball season, columnist Peter Schmuck gives his take on four subjects involving the Orioles, then clears the bases with a final thought.

At last, Orioles set to play again

It seems like only a few days ago that the Orioles were playing the Tampa Bay Rays with second place on the line.

Chat wrap: Orioles Q&A with Peter Schmuck

Peter Schmuck ranks the Orioles' fifth starter candidates

If the season were to begin right now, the first three slots in the Orioles starting rotation would be easy to ascertain. Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez came to camp as the top three starters based on last year's performance and have done nothing this spring to change the pecking order. Chris Tillman has had his innings limited by an injury, but he's still the No. 4 guy unless he suffers another preseason setback. That still leaves a big crowd to compete for the final slot in the rotation, but the competition is beginning to shake out.

Pondering Ed Reed's departure

If you’re trying to figure out exactly what motivated all-time Ravens safety Ed Reed to jump off the Super Bowl bandwagon and sign with the Houston Texans, you should probably consider some other hobby.

Ravens won't sacrifice long-term goals for short-term payoff

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.