cal ripken jr

Orioles: Orioles left fielder Luke Scott heads to disabled list. He hopes to avoid surgery; Nolan Reimold, Felix Pie to share time in left field.

Harford County, situated 25 miles north of Baltimore and nestled against the northwestern shores of the Chesapeake Bay, boasts an eclectic blend of history and modern living. Spanning across 440 square miles of the Baltimore/Washington Metro area, it has a population of about 250,000. The three largest incorporated municipalities in the county are Aberdeen, Bel Air and Havre de Grace, with Bel Air serving as the county seat.

Dr. Frederick Joseph Hatem, a retired Havre de Grace obstetrician who delivered thousands of babies during his four-decade career, died June 6 of heart failure at Harford Memorial Hospital. He was 84.

We have countless awesome sports photos in the archives here at The Baltimore Sun, and I have decided to share one with you each week in a regular feature called "Throwback Thursday." I stumbled across this one last week when I was looking for old photos of the Ripken brothers for my Five for Friday post.

Tim Thomas' season brings to mind some of the other amazing wire-to-wire performances in sports history. We have seen many sparkling seasons here in Baltimore -- like Cal Ripken Jr. winning the MVP award and leading the Orioles to the World Series in 1983 and Ray Lewis being named the AP Defensive Player of the Year and the Super Bowl XXXV MVP in the Ravens¿ Super 2000 season.

About 275,000 organizations automatically lost their tax-favored status — including 6,200 in Maryland — for failing to final annual reports for three years in a row.

At Pikesville event, 'Mr. Oriole' said he's 'getting stronger every day'

Baseball: Players to watch

In last week's Five for Friday post, I half-filled my coffee mug with orange Kool-Aid, listing five reasons to be optimistic about the Orioles finally breaking the .500 mark in 2011. But today, my mug is half-empty, and the sweet taste of winning baseball has been replaced by Haterade.

Count Cal Ripken Jr. among those who expect Matt Wieters to bounce back in 2011. Ripken believes we'll "see a more relaxed Matt Wieters" now that the organization has upgraded the offensive talent around him, which will translate to better production from the 24-year-old catcher this season.

Somehow, I was able to track FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal down Monday night for a phone interview as he was on his way to an airport somewhere on the West Coast. We talked about a lot of things, from the Orioles' farm system and the Buck Showalter effect to the young pitching staff

Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. was a guest on "Boomer & Carton" on WFAN in New York this week. Asked about Yankee Stadium, he said "This is the coolest place ever."

The fading Maryland men lost to Miami, 80-66, on Wednesday night. "We just had a bad game tonight, that's for sure," coach Gary Williams said. ... The Orioles had 16 hits Wednesday and held off a late Phillies rally to win, 6-5. ... Ravens players and officials are bracing for a lockout as the deadline looms. ... Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski will fight on the undercard of a pro boxing event. ... The Indianapolis Grand Prix will give Michael Phelps an idea of where he stands.

Cal Ripken Jr. was in York, Pa. on Wednesday to dedicate a new distribution center for Ollie's Bargain Outlet -- the Ironman of discounting shopping chains. The Orioles legend was asked about the current Baltimore squad, and he said he is "very encouraged" heading into 2011.

Led by aggressive play from their guards, the Maryland men pulled away in the second half to beat Florida State, 78-62, on Wednesday night. ... Brian Roberts woke up with a sore neck Wednesday, but X-rays revealed that it was just muscle spasms. ... Alfredo Simon's lawyers are expected to ask a judge to release the pitcher on bail. ... Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points in his Knicks debut.

Cal Ripken Jr. doesn't think Albert Pujols will go anywhere if he becomes a free agent at season's end. "I can¿¿¿t see Albert playing outside the Cardinal uniform," Ripken told KMOX radio in St. Louis over the weekend.

Article from 2008 about how Michael Phelps has made his hometown of Towson, MD proud following his record-setting performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games