Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.
Running it back:
The Orioles scored five runs in the first inning Monday night and knocked out overmatched Pirates starter Charlie Morton after the second en route to an 8-3 victory. ... Jeremy Guthrie will start Tuesday against the Pirates, four days after he was diagnosed with a muscle strain in his back. ... Luke Scott and Brian Matusz appear to be OK after suffering injuries on Sunday.
Hitting the links:
1. Top 10 anagrams using "Jakubauskas" and "Gorzelanny" [Big League Stew]
2. Should we be worried about Brian Matusz? [Orioles Buzz]
3. Has your opinion of Mark Reynolds changed? [Orioles Insider]
4. The Orioles won't face Albert Pujols next week [Orioles Insider]
5. Peter King thinks the Ravens are serious contenders for Nnamdi Asomugha [SI]
6. Mike Preston: No news hasn't stopped talking heads from focusing on Joe Flacco [Baltimore Sun]
7. Does Marc Bulger want to be a starter again, or does he only care about winning? [National Football Post]
8. What do we imagine various NFL stars have been up to this offseason? [Toy Department]
9. After 25 years, Len Bias' legacy lives on [Baltimore Sun]
10. Favorite Gary Williams games [Turtle Droppings]
You said it:
"I think the Orioles and Nationals will have a solid rivalry in the next 10 years. All it takes is a couple inside pitches for bad blood to brew. Baltimore fans also have a reputation for having unreasonable hatred towards anything related to Our Nation's Capital." -- Maybe it's wishful thinking, but reader bigphilmd thinks the Orioles and Nationals can one day become real rivals
Video of the morning:
John Wall failed in his attempt to throw out the first pitch at Friday's Orioles-Nationals game [via Wizards Insider]
Send me your funny and/or interesting links, photos, YouTube videos, blogs, Tweets, comments, emails, ideas, etc. If I deem them to be worthy for the blog, I'll give you a plug. You can reach me at Matt.Vensel@baltsun.com and twitter.com/mattvensel.
