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Orioles starter Brian Matusz retired just three of the 13 hitters he faced, allowing four runs on five hits and four walks in 1 1/3 innings during Sunday's 9-6 loss to the Rays. ... Wanting Zach Britton's rookie season to prolong into September, the Orioles have pushed back his next start a couple of days. ... The Mavericks beat the Heat on Sunday night to capture their first NBA championship. ... A wild and unpredictable Triple Crown season came to an appropriately stunning conclusion Saturday as 24-1 long shot Ruler On Ice won the Belmont Stakes.

Mark Reynolds hit a two-run home run Wednesday night to help the Orioles break out the brooms, their first three-game sweep of the Athletics in Baltimore since 1998. ... The Orioles don't know why Markakis has scuffled this season, but they don't believe an injury is what's hampering him. ... Dan Klein, one of the Orioles' top pitching prospects, is scheduled to have a precautionary MRI of his right shoulder. ... Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom was made a 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Belmont Stakes after he drew the No. 9 stall in the post position draw.

The Orioles got three solo home runs and five scoreless innings from starter Chris Jakubauskas to beat the Athletics, 4-0, on Tuesday night. ... Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, who hasn't played since May 16, has been shut down from baseball activities for at least two more weeks. ... The Orioles selected Vanderbilt third baseman Jason Esposito in the second round of the draft. ... Maryland men's lacrosse coach John Tillman has told athletic director Kevin Anderson he is staying at the school despite overtures from Navy about its coaching vacancy. ... Jordan Williams has a trim new body, a new position and an explanation on why he entered the NBA draft.

The Orioles ultimately landed the player they wanted with the fourth overall pick in Monday night's amateur draft, selecting right-hander Dylan Bundy form Owasso High in Oklahoma. ... Brian Matusz allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings and was backed by a flawless night from the bullpen in the Orioles' 4-2 win over the Athletics. After the game, Matusz said that he is not worried about his decreased velocity. ... Chris Jakubauskas will start Tuesday night's game against the Athletics at Camden Yards. ... Navy continues to be interested in Maryland men's lacrosse coach John Tillman. ... Baltimore native Josh Selby sat on the sidelines during predraft workouts for the Wizards.

Al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan is fading into irrelevance, but the U.S. still has much to worry about from the terrorist group's Yemen-based offshoot.

Maryland said Thursday that it expects men's lacrosse coach John Tillman -- who had attracted interest from Navy -- to remain in College Park. ... Three days after powering Virginia to the NCAA championship, Steele Stanwick, a Baltimore native, took home the Tewaaraton Award. ... The Orioles are looking to add to their stable of young arms in next week's draft. ... Action sports wild man Travis Pastrana, who hails from Davidsonville, is bringing Nitro Circus Live to Las Vegas. ... Animal Kingdom, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby and took second place in the Preakness, is headed to the Belmont Stakes early.

Ben Cardin joins Facebook

Brian Matusz returned to the mound Wednesday and Adam Jones hit the game-winning homer to help the Orioles snap their five-game losing skid. ... Jones put his modesty aside when discussing his leaping catch in the fourth inning of the 2-1 win over the Mariners. ... Nick Markakis played his first career game at first base. ... To make room for Matusz, the Orioles designated Jake Fox for assignment. ... Navy has indicated interest in talking to Maryland men's lacrosse coach John Tillman about its coaching vacancy. ... Three-sport standouts Darius Jennings from Gilman and Taylor Cummings from McDonogh were named our Athletes of the Year.

Justin Smoak hit a three-run home run off Jeremy Guthrie in the eighth inning Tuesday to power the Mariners to a 3-2 win over the Orioles. ... Kevin Gregg says he's not worried by his lofty walk totals, but manager Buck Showalter is concerned. ... With several key contributors out of the lineup, the Orioles desperately need the notoriously streaky Luke Scott to get hot at the plate. ... Full payment on Ravens season tickets is due Wednesday, a deadline the franchise feels is necessary to continue operating their business effectively. ... New coach Shawn Nadelen could be the Towson lacrosse program's "Captain America" -- whatever the heck that means.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland put the MTA on notice Tuesday that it intends to file suit over the conduct of transit police in ordering photographers to stop taking pictures.

Maryland's bid for the NCAA men's lacrosse championship ended Monday with a 9-7 loss to Virginia. ... Jake Arrieta exits early as Orioles fall to Mariners, 4-3, for fourth straight loss. ... The timing of Jim Tressel's resignation at Ohio State is likely tied to revelations in Sports Illustrated.

The streaking Orioles scored eight runs in the fourth inning Wednesday night to coast to a 9-2 win over the Royals. ... Craig Tatum will be promoted to start behind the plate in Thursday afternoon's series finale against the Royals. ... Former Ravens kicker Matt Stover will announce his retirement from the NFL on Thursday. ... Maryland's seniors are in a class of their own.

Vladimir Guerrero's two-run homer on Sunday powered the Orioles to a 2-1 win and a series victory over the Nationals. ... Brian Roberts will go to Pittsburgh on Tuesday to have a consultation with a renowned expert in sports-related concussions. ...

The predicted ascension of the righteous into heaven will likely have little effect on those headed to Pimlico Saturday, so why not use the harbingers of the end of times to figure out which horse to bet on?

Tuesday's game in Boston was rained out, so Orioles rookie pitcher Zach Britton will get the start at Camden Yards Wednesday against the Yankees. ... First baseman Derrek Lee and shortstop Cesar Izturis are likely headed to the disabled list. ... Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon will go to trial, a judge has ruled, according to an Associated Press report. Meanwhile, Simon is nearing a return to the team. ... Mark Turgeon finalized his coaching staff and got more good news when Nick Faust reaffirmed his commitment to the Terps. ... Despite the rain, Animal Kingdom had another strong workout, perhaps his most focused since arriving in Maryland.

Monday night was another one of those Fenway nights that start with such promise and end with the Orioles wondering how it all went wrong. ... The injury that forced Derrek Lee out of the 8-7 loss and an injury to Cesar Izturis almost certainly will lead to at least one roster move. ... Brian Matusz was satisfied with his rehab outing in Frederick but said he still has some things to work on. ... Trainer Graham Motion said he is leaning strongly toward bringing Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness hopeful Animal Kingdom to Pimlico on Saturday instead of Friday night.

I really wanted to show you video of a lucky Orioles fan catching three foul balls at Camden Yards during Thursday night's extra-innings win over the Mariners. But since the folks at Major League Baseball doesn't let highlights stay on YouTube for long, you're going to have to go to MLB.com.

Rookie starter Zach Britton pitched nine scoreless innings Thursday night, but it took extra innings for the Orioles to beat the Mariners. ... Despite allowing five runs in his past seven outings, Orioles reliever Jason Berken says his shoulder feels great. ... Brian Matusz is scheduled to make a pair of rehab starts next week and could return to the Orioles soon. ... Maryland's 2011 recruiting class has dwindled from three members to zero now that Nick Faust, Sterling Gibbs and Martin Breunig have been granted releases from their letters of intent.

Chris Tillman pitched six effective innings and Adam Jones had a career-high-tying four hits as the Orioles beat the Mariners, 4-2, on Wednesday night. ... Hitless in his past 14 at-bats, Mark Reynolds was held out of the starting lineup for the first time this season. ... Alfredo Simon made his second start for Double-A Bowie. ... New Terps basketball coach Mark Turgeon wants to "do some great things" at Maryland. ... Rex Ryan says the Ravens choosing John Harbaugh over him is "a major chip" on his shoulder. ... Pimlico owners may discuss moving the Preakness to Sunday in the future.

In a town where dozens of musicians must play covers to make a living, the Showcase of Original Music, Annapolis, offers a chance to perform their own stuff before an appreciative audience.

Sleeping on the job could get you in trouble, but studies suggest working a nap into your schedule leads to more productivity

Regardless of whether the attack on a transgender woman in a Rosedale McDonald's is classified as a hate crime, the community needs to make it clear that bigotry on the basis of sexual identity will not be tolerated.

The owner of the franchise calls the beating 'reprehensible,' might take action against other workers

I've had a day to wrap my head around the Maryland Jockey Club's new Preakness advertising campaign, "Be Legendary," and its spokes-centaur, Kegasus. I'm not offended by the beer-bellied half-horse, half-man. I'm just confused.

A year after the Maryland Jockey Club encouraged Baltimore to get its ¿Preak¿ on in a feather-ruffling advertising campaign for last year¿s Preakness party, event organizers are turning to a centaur named ¿Kegasus¿ to generate interest

With the help of a pair of home runs from catcher Jake Fox, the Orioles smacked around the Pirates, 13-3, on Thursday. Matt Wieters went 4-for-5 in the win. ... Coach Fang Mitchell rejected an offer to remain at Coppin State, saying the contract was "unacceptable." ... It was a wild start to the Round of 64.

The Orioles were nearly no-hit by the Yankees on Wednesday night in a 10-0 loss. ... Craig Tatum is eager to get healthy so he can compete for the backup catcher job. ... The NFL lockout was on the minds of former Terps such as Torrey Smith and Alex Wujciak at Maryland's Pro Day. ... The Red Wings snapped the Capitals' nine-game winning streak.

Jake Arrieta was pleased with his command in the Orioles' 8-2 win over the Pirates on Monday even though he allowed eight hits in four innings. ... The Orioles' spring training MASH unit had a busy day. ... Ravens safety Tom Zbikowski is scheduled to fight two more bouts in a span of two weeks in Atlantic City. ... Their season unexpectedly over, the Terps turn their attention to next year. ... "Terps" could give way to "Maryland" on new football uniforms.

Maryland didn't receive an NIT bid, meaning the Terps won't appear in a postseason game for the first time since 1993. ... The Tigers rocked Brian Matusz and the Orioles' bullpen Sunday, pounding out 17 hits en route to a 9-1 victory. ... Hip soreness casts Justin Duchscherer's regular-season readiness into further doubt. ... The NFL lockout could send economic and emotional ripples throughout the area, from players to fans to business owners.

In the first round of the ACC tourney Thursday night, Maryland beat N.C. State, 75-67. ... The Orioles rallied to beat the Pirates, 11-8, but they did it in spite of another rough outing by Brad Bergesen. ... Brian Roberts could return to the Orioles lineup on Friday. ... Sorry, fans of the three-man rush, but John Harbaugh said the Ravens plan on bringing the heat next season.

Maryland AD Kevin Anderson has faith in men's basketball coach Gary Williams, who will return next season. ... The Orioles lost to the Phillies, 4-3, on Tuesday, but Justin Duchscherer threw two scoreless innings. ... Brian Roberts' back flared up Tuesday, and Derrek Lee went to see a wrist specialist. ... At the Ed Block Courage Awards, a Steeler impressed Ravens fans.

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.

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.

Gary Williams passed legendary coach John Wooden in the all-time win column as Maryland routed Longwood on Wednesday. ... Maryland will honor Greivis Vasquez on Feb. 20, presumably by sending his No. 21 jersey to the rafters at Comcast Center. ... Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis has confirmed that he will return in 2011. ... The Ravens will pay a steep price if they tag Haloti Ngata.

The Orioles are returning to WBAL-AM radio after four years with The Fan. ... Ravens center Matt Birk said Tuesday he plans on playing in 2011. ... Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher told Piers Morgan his biggest complaint about how he was portrayed in "The Blind Side."

You might remember me from blogs such as Virtual Vensanity and, well, OK, that's it. I have joined the staff at The Sun after three awesome years at our sister paper, b free daily, which is why Virtual Vensanity has been retired and I'm starting fresh with this new blog, Baltimore Sports Blitz.