willis mcgahee

The Ravens continued to tinker with their roster over the weekend, signing Pro Bowl center Andre Gurode to bolster the offensive line. It was the third significant roster move the Ravens have made since the start of the preseason; they also addressed areas of concern by bringing in wideout Lee Evans and tackle Bryant McKinnie.

The Orioles lost to the Blue Jays, 13-0, on Wednesday night. It was their most lopsided shutout loss since July 4, 2006. ... The Orioles introduced first-round draft pick Dylan Bundy to Baltimore during the game. ... The Orioles dealt Michael Gonzalez to the Rangers in a waiver trade for reliever Pedro Strop. ... Rookie Tyrod Taylor, who will get the majority of the snaps in Thursday night's preseason game in Atlanta, is out to prove he's a viable No. 2 quarterback. ... Maryland tailback D.J. Adams and offensive lineman Cody Blue were suspended for Monday night's season opener against Miami for violating team rules.

Baltimore is blessed with a bunch of talented sports bloggers who bring their unique perspective to the conversation. I often link up to these local writers in my morning Coffee Companion posts, but instead of just exchanging anti-social links with them, I have decided to be slightly less anti-social by exchanging emails with them in a somewhat regular feature called Blogger on Blogger.

I know you want to pick some of the guys in purple for your team -- heck, in my auction league, I somehow wound up with Ray Rice, Anquan Boldin and Billy Cundiff -- but the key is making sure you don't reach for them. Here's when you should draft each of your favorite Ravens.

Chances are a running back will be the first player to come off the board in your fantasy league unless one of your fellow owners has a serious crush on Michael Vick or is the father/mother/sibling/spouse of a current NFL player. Running backs no longer the first dozen players off the board in fantasy football -- and honestly, that makes things much more interesting -- but an elite back is still the way to go if you're picking first overall.

Effort against NFL's 'Dream Team' shows how far Ravens have to go

Ravens sign Ricky Williams to be No. 2 running back Two year deal with former Dolphin fills need for a power back

In a recent item on Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio wrote that the Ravens' "free-agency gamble" -- releasing veterans Willis McGahee, Todd Heap, Derrick Mason and Kelly Gregg -- blew up on them. Each player opted to sign elsewhere instead of staying here at a reduced rate, leaving the Ravens looking for replacements.

With the addition of Ricky Williams, the Ravens are getting one of the most interesting men in the NFL -- a former first-round pick who famously posed for the cover of ESPN The Magazine in a wedding dress, took a one-year sabbatical from the NFL to study holistic medicine, tested positive for marijuana multiple times, played in the Canadian Football League and was the subject of a documentary called "Run Ricky Run."

Ravens first-round pick Jimmy Smith returns to the field, albeit briefly, as he fights through a groin injury

Ravens notes: Matt Birk out three to four weeks, but he's still in line to be team's center Casey Rabach won't be joining Ravens after failing a physical

Among the holes left to fill for the Ravens, who have endured a mass roster exodus in free agency, is at running back, where the team has gone from having a three-headed monster to one proven back in Ray Rice.

Ravens: Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth says knee 'doesn't feel great.' Cornerback frustrated by recovery from surgery on torn ligament.

There is nothing flashy about a fist to the face -- especially when you're on the wrong side of the fist -- but that's the type of mentality the Ravens want to bring back on offense this season. That's why their two notable moves in free agency so far have been re-signing bulldozing right guard Marshal Yanda and inking All-Pro fullback Vonta Leach to a three-year, $11 million deal (making him the NFL¿s highest-paid fullback).

Ravens: Ravens add fullback Vonta Leach but lose tight end Todd Heap. Longtime go-to receiver heads to Cardinals as proven run-blocker comes aboard.

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."

Star players are what keep Baltimore Ravens fans coming back for more

On Tuesday, Ravens coach John Harbaugh confirmed that the Ravens were releasing four veteran leaders who had contributed more than 1,000 catches, 100 touchdowns and 500 tackles combined to the franchise.

In addition to their accomplishments on the field these four men established a strong rapport with the community.

Shortly after Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith shook hands and the NFL lockout ended, Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome issued a statement. "We will be making a number of roster moves in the next 48 hours that will free up salary cap space," he said. It didn't take long for us to find out who would be moved.

The celebration of the NFL's four-month lockout ending turned into disbelief Monday when the Ravens cut four players, including their top two receivers of all time. Veterans Derrick Mason, Todd Heap, Willis McGahee and Kelly Gregg were informed by the Ravens that they will be released from their contracts. ... The Ravens players who survived the roster cuts are ready to get back on the field Wednesday. ... Brooks Robinson is getting a statue. ... The second phase of building the Baltimore Grand Prix race course has begun. ... Ryan Lochte beat Michael Phelps in the 200-meter freestyle at the world championships early Tuesday morning.

Ravens could try to bring Derrick Mason and Todd Heap back with lower cap hits

Four veterans — Todd Heap, Derrick Mason, Kelly Gregg and Willis McGahee — to be released as team makes room under the salary cap

Today could be the day that the lockout clouds clear and NFL sunshine beams down on Baltimore and the rest of this football-crazed nation. The players and owners have reportedly agreed to a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement, and the players will vote to approve the deal -- and end the lockout -- at 11 a.m.

Le'Ron McClain was invited to the Pro Bowl in 2008 and 2009 as a fullback, but the yards and touchdowns he piled up when he wasn¿t blocking for Ray Rice or Willis McGahee played a big role in getting him to two straight Pro Bowls. Last season was up and down for McClain, though, and it could be his last with the Ravens.

With the NFL lockout expected to be lifted -- fingers crossed, everyone -- in the next seven to 10 days, we can start focusing on football-related business and not just what enraged linebackers have been saying. The Ravens have had their post-lockout plans drawn up for weeks, preparing for the moment when the lockout ends and the NFL¿s free-spending organizations rush to the express checkout line in free agency.

Baltimore Ravens: Torrey Smith, who vouched for Jimmy Smith during an introductory news conference in April, said the cornerback was still in Los Angeles.

In addition to being a stand-out sack machine in high school, Terrell Suggs was a pretty good running back. Might the Ravens turn to Suggs whenever Ray Rice needs a breather?

Top pitching prospect Zach Britton threw three shutout innings Monday night as the Orioles and Yankees played to a scoreless tie. ... The Orioles relaxed their facial hair policy. ... Maryland sophomore center Jordan Williams was selected to the ACC's first team. ... Willis McGahee's agent expects the Ravens to trade or release the veteran running back. ... Sergio Kindle's court case for driving under the influence has been postponed. ... Alex Ovechkin scored in a shootout to give the first-place Capitals a 2-1 victory over Lightning. ... His contract up, Towson men's basketball coach Pat Kennedy stepped down.

In the weeks leading up to April's NFL draft, I will highlight four players whom the Ravens could target at different stages in the draft -- from their top pick to their Mr. Irrelevant. In this post, I will focus on running backs.

Mike Preston reported on Monday that the Ravens are likely to release running back Willis McGahee. ... Orioles 1B Derrek Lee, recovering from surgery on his thumb, might get into the batting cages sooner than expected. ... Terps guard Terrell Stoglin was named the ACC's Rookie of the Week.

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard is throwing something called the "Dwight Howard's Official All-Star Weekend Celebrity Kickoff" tonight in Hollywood. Ravens running back Willis McGahee was featured on the promotional poster.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said on Thursday that the A-Rod deal with Texas was the worst in baseball history. ... The Orioles agreed on a one-year deal with controversial slugger Luke Scott, meaning starter Jeremy Guthrie is the team's lone arbitration-eligible player left. ... Maryland has offered its defensive coordinator job to Randy Shannon, and the former Miami head coach has indicated he wants the gig. ... The Ravens have re-signed fullback Jason McKie.

Since declaring at the end of the season that his time in Baltimore was likely up, free-agent fullback Le'Ron McClain has changed his tune. Ravens fans on Twitter have seen a steady stream of Tweets from McClain, who has been letting the world know in 140 characters or fewer that he wants to remain with the Ravens.

Mike Preston's final Ravens report card

Mike Preston's report card: Ravens vs. Steelers

Baltimore Sun: Mike Preston's Ravens-Chiefs report card from wild-card playoff game

Mike Preston's report card: Ravens 13, Bengals 7

Baltimore Sun Ravens game story: Ravens 26, Dolphins 10: Ravens keep up intensity in fourth quarter and beat Dolphins

Ravens-Bills gamer: Ravens avoid embarrassing loss, beat Bills 37-34 in OT

Baltimore Ravens rally to beat Pittsburgh Steelers 17-14: Flacco hits Houshmandzadeh for game-winning touchdown