Joe Flacco's terrible INT vs. Green Bay

UGH! What was he thinking?!?!?!?!?

A New Bleacher Report Article

Still haven't heard from the Bleacher Report people about the NFL correspondents contest but that didn't stop me from offering my 2 pennies about the Brandon Marshall-to-the-Ravens rumors that started flying the minute word got out that Marshall asked for a trade out of Denver. Here's the link. Enjoy suckas.

Interesting Item From One Of My Fav Writers

To me, Jeff Pearlman is one of the best sports writers in the biz. He's got a very understated but highly readable style and isn't afraid to show the good, the bad and the ugly of sports personalities. He even tried to show that there were some good aspects to a detestable character like Barry Bonds. So in the course of reading Pearlman's blog I came across this interesting story about writers befriending the athletes they cover.

Now, having had a little bit of experience in covering pro athletes (although Jeff covers baseball and I've done football) I can tell you I wholeheartedly agree with Pearlman on this one. I don't see how a writer can be buddy-buddy with his subjects and yet cover them objectively.

To me, a beat writer, on any beat whether you're covering pro athletes or the President, needs to be James Bond. You need to cover your subjects coldly and objectively. Your subjects need to know you but not really know you. By that I mean the subject has to know you enough that he/she feels like he/she trusts you with information. But at the same time, they can't necessarily know you on a friendly level. One of the best guys I've seen at this is Jamison Hensley, the beat writer for the Ravens the past 9 years. When I've seen Jamison around the media and locker rooms, I get the sense the players and coaches know him (obviously since he spends so much time around them) but that they don't really know him beyond what he does for a living. I respect that he can do the gig that long and maintain a certain distance. At least that's the way it seems to me.

Now I've certainly been around and covered athletes that I've thought, "He seems like a good dude." Derrick Mason, Haloti Ngata, Troy Smith, Marshal Yanda, Adrian Peterson and Mike Adams were all football players I've questioned and came away thinking were genuinely nice guys. But at the same time, I'm not sure I would want to hang out with pro athletes. After all, what do I have in common with a guy like Ray Lewis or even Todd Heap? The answer, probably not much. Certainly, as a reporter, you become comfortable with some guys more than others. I mean, why should I interview a moody guy like Bart Scott when I could talk to a guy like Ngata who is typically calm and accomodating even after the worst of losses.

I know from watching them that some of the columnists do buddy up to the players a little bit. At least some of the local ones. Having watched them interact, I always suspected that Jason Brown was one of the guys feeding Mike Preston info about the state of the locker room in 2007. Of course, I could be wrong. In Mike's defense, as columnist, he's supposed to be providing a fan's point of view but with insider access. And in Jason's defense, nobody wants to have their name associated with quotes or rumors about a locker room in disarray (which the 2007 Ravens certainly were). One thing I like about Preston is that he's not afraid to go into the room and face guys he's ripped in the paper. Jay Mariotti was notorious for ripping members of the Chicago White Sox and not going into the room to face the music. In Mike's case, he's helped by the fact that he's about 6'2 250+ pounds, whereas Mariotti is a twerp. Still, I respect that Mike is willing to go in there and take the barbs from guys like Terrell Suggs and laugh it off. He tells it the way he sees it and, like it or lump it (as Sidney Crosby might say) it's hard to knock a columnist for that.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that sports reporting is at the same time a difficult job and a rewarding job. It's difficult because you are dealing with the whims and moods of pro athletes, all of whom have more money than you'll ever see in a lifetime and most of whom have been trained since high school to regard reporters as the enemy. But at the same time, I can't think of a cooler job. You get to watch football games and be catered for free. People actually pay for the priviledge of reading what you write. And the best part is, publishers pay you to watch and write about games. So if you ever see a sports writer bitching about how hard his job his, let your boy at the Hangar know. I'll volunteer to ease his burden.

Interesting Stuff About The Ravens...

SI's Don Banks put together an interesting piece wondering who would be the Team Of The Decade for the 2000s. Based on Super Bowl titles, the top two were obvious: New England and Pittsburgh. The Indianapolis Irsays came in 3rd (makes sense) followed by Philadelphia (lots of wins, no Super Bowls) and the NY Giants (two Super Bowl appearances, one win) and then, The Good Guys...

6. Baltimore
Regular season: 83-61, .576Playoff wins/record: 7-4Super Bowls won/appeared: 1 of 1Playoff seasons: 5Winning seasons: 6Losing seasons: 3
The Ravens have undoubtedly ridden the roller coaster this decade, only once putting together back-to-back double-digit win seasons (2000 and 2001). But when you total it all up, they've been in the playoffs five times, won seven postseason games, a Super Bowl trophy, and posted three seasons with 11 or more victories. That's not too shabby for a once-vilified franchise that won only 24 games in its first four seasons after relocating from Cleveland.

Can't complain about the Ravens placement. Six sounds about right. They should be top 10 given they have a Super Bowl title, two division titles and five playoff appearances this decade. But their inconsistency keeps them out of the top 5. I agree with the top three but personally, I'd put the Giants ahead of the Eagles based on their one Super Bowl win. Cool article though.

Final Bleacher Report Article..

Yes, I worked late again, but hey, I got done almost a whole hour earlier than I have the last two nights. Here's the last of my mandated articles for Bleacher Report, this one on the Ravens coaching staff. Enjoy.

Working Late Night Again...

I really have to do these after a more reasonable hour. Oh well, here's the latest article for Bleacher Report. One more to go. Enjoy

Working Late Night...

Very late night. But, this was one of the tougher Bleacher Report articles I had to do and I needed to get it out of the way. The there of this one had to be how changes in personnel or on the coaching staff will affect the Ravens playbook this year. So, here it is. Now, I'm off to catch my five hours sleep.

Article #2 Is Up

Here's my second article for Bleacher Report. This one had to be in the form of an interview with a player for a feature story. I picked Jameel McClain because he's the next in the long line of Ravens LB bad-assery. Enjoy.

Slumming For The Man...

I have entered a contest (or something like that) to try to become the Baltimore Ravens correspondent for Bleacher Report/CBS Sportsline. Do leave lots of comments saying how great I am if you would be so kind. Here is my debut article. I gotta come up with 3-4 more by Friday to win. I know I got the Nature Boy's support...

The Return of Barksdale

Apparently Baltimore wasn't such a bad town for Samari Rolle. After asking the Ravens to release him, Rolle has reupped with the team for 4 more years.

From the sounds of the Sun's story, Avon Barksdale's double drank the purple Kool-Aid after a face-to-face meeting with GM Jim Jones, I mean, Ozzie Newsome. The move is yet another indication that the Ravens will go with a wide receiver in the draft, having signed Rolle, Chris Carr and Domonique Foxworth to address the need for depth at cornerback. Where Samari fits in that mix, who knows, but his veteran skills, fur coat and Louis Vuitton bag will certainly come in handy.

Once again...
...Samari....


...Avon...


...one in the same?

Arrivederci, Kyle Boller

The handwriting had been on the wall since last preseason but yesterday it was made official: Kyle Boller is no longer a member of the Baltimore Ravens.

As the draft approaches and Ravens fans can let out a big "FINALLY!" at the arrival of Joe Flacco as (hopefully) the long-term solution to Baltmo's quarterbacking woes, I figured I'd take a look back at the man that should have been king, Boller.

Maybe we should have known Boller would be a bust right from the get-go. He was the quarterback on some of the most gawd-awful Cal teams of recent history, posting only one winning season during his tenure with the Golden Bears. Most Ravens fans, like myself, hadn't even heard of him up until the 2003 draft. It was in that leadup that then-Coach Brian Billick fell in love with Boller like George McFly at the "Enchantment Under The Sea" dance. It was well-known that Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome wanted Marshall QB Byron Leftwich and the Ravens attempted to trade up ahead of Jacksonville (who were also eyeing him) to get Ozzie's guy. But a screw-up with the trade card (don't ask) enabled Jacksonville to jump up to the podium and pick Leftwich (turns out, things probably worked out for the better. Without Leftwich, who has bounced around the league, the Ravens picked Terrell Suggs & his partner 'Lil Sizzle.) Still in need of a future franchise QB, the Ravens went to Plan B: Boller.

As stated earlier, despite his lack of collegiate accomplishments, Billick fell in love with Boller in pre-draft workouts for one reason: he had a big arm. Every Ravens fan worth their salt can still remember that ESPN video of Boller firing the ball 60 yards on one knee through the uprights (sadly, there is no video on YouTube.)This wasn't the first time Billick went ga-ga over a guy who looked great throwing the ball in shorts.

In 2001, coming off a Super Bowl championship, Billick dumped Trent Dilfer for Elvis Grbac. Dilfer was erratic and often ugly throwing the ball, but he was a winner and the team respected him. Grbac, on the other hand, was your classic "look like Tarzan, play like Jane" guy. Grbac had a cannon arm, was tall and could wow you in workouts (I saw this firsthand at 2001 training camp). But when the heat was on and he got hit a few times, Grbac was softer than toilet paper. By the end of the 2001 season, the team was begging Billick to play a decrepit Randall Cunningham over Grbac. Cunningham may not have had Grbac's tools but at least he wasn't going to cry on the sidelines like Grbac once did in a game against Cleveland.

That history did not stop Billick from thinking he could harness the lightning in Boller's right arm. In Billick's mind, Boller was the Chosen One and, in a ego-driven move, sent his new padawan learner to the wolves, tabbing the rookie to start opening day in Pittsburgh. Predictably, the kid wasn't ready and the Steelers ate him for lunch. That one move set the stage for Boller's career and tied Billick's future to the kid's (here's a hint: neither is with the Ravens anymore.)

Over the next few years, Boller's career would become a maddening series of fits and starts. He seemed to be coming around that rookie season but then got injured. He would play a series of games where he'd looked like he'd turned a corner, only to self-destruct with poor decisions and turnovers. How was it not working out for this guy? He seemed to have all the tools: he was a tall, good-looking Southern California boy that dated Tara Reid back when that meant something...

...he had the aforementioned great arm, good mobility and unlike Grbac, Boller was tough. He took some huge hits and never flinched. He took a lot of abuse from fans and never pointed fingers. By all accounts he was coachable, hell, Jim Fassel was brought in by Billick as Boller's personal QB guru.

No, there was something else missing. Boller lacked the one thing that is impossible to teach: accuracy. Sure, he could throw it THROUGH the broad side of a barn, but he couldn't hit it. In an effort to improve his accuracy, Fassel taught Boller what may be the ugliest passing motion ever unleashed on the NFL. Now, you tell me, does this look natural?



When he was benched for Steve McNair in 2006, we learned the other thing Boller didn't have. You see, in my time playing (6 years of high school and college) and watching football there's one thing I've learned about quarterbacks: 70 percent of playing the position is the other 10 guys believing you can get the job done. You can have all the ability in the world but if your teammates don't believe in you, if they won't play for you, talent doesn't mean a thing. Never was that more apparent than during the 2006 regular season. When the team got down, they always believed McNair could bring them back. With Boller it was "Please don't let Kyle screw this up." With largely the same group of guys, a team that went 6-10 with Boller at the helm went 13-3 with McNair. I really believe that McNair's presence, more than his ability, made the difference in at least 3 more wins. The guys played for McNair, not Boller.

To his credit, Boller never complained about being benched and the backup role seemed to suit him. He showed what we all had sort of figured out: he was good for short stretches, but you didn't want him carrying the mail all season. Unfortunately for Ravens fans, carry the mail he would have to do in the disastrous 2007 season, one that would turn out to be the last for the Billick-Boller team.

2007 was a season with very high expectations, but it soon became apparent that McNair had turned into a pumpkin in a big hurry. He couldn't stay healthy, couldn't avoid sacks and couldn't avoid turnovers. That forced Boller into a starting role and the season into the toilet. But Boller would have his defining game as a Baltimore Raven. Week 13. Monday Night Football. Ravens vs the undefeated New England Patriots.

Through 3 quarters, Boller looked as sharp as he ever had. He made some great throws into tight windows, including two touchdown passes. He escaped pressure well and mixed the pass and run to have the mighty Pats defense on its heels. Going into the fourth quarter, the Ravens held the lead and seemed on the verge of an improbable upset. That's when Pats coach Bill Belichick wisened up, stacking the box to cut off the Ravens running game and making Boller beat them. Of course, Boller obliged by throwing a hideous pick into triple coverage, robbing the Ravens of momentum and rendering Baltmo's offense impotent for good.

From that point on, it was only a matter of time until Boller's days as a Raven were over. He was benched at the tail end of 2007 for Troy Smith. His biggest fan, Billick, was canned. And then the team drafted Flacco as its new heir apparent. Boller injured his shoulder in the 2008 preseason and Flacco staked his claim as "The Man," hopefully for the next decade.

Having covered both Boller and Flacco over the past two seasons, the difference between the two QBs is startling. Boller always seemed like a nice guy that really hoped he could play well. As Double Down Trent might say, Boller was like the guy from the PG-13 movie everyone was REEEEALY hoping makes it. With Flacco, you could tell the guy had an aura about him from the first press conference. He told a pack of media members in the preseason, "I want to play, I'm not going to learn anything sitting." The key with Flacco though, is that he never changes expression. Ever. Actually, I did see him change once, when Troy Smith and Le'Ron McClain played a practical joke on him in the locker room by tying his shoes to his shirt hangar. And even then, the guy was as cool as can be, didn't get mad, just rolled with it. And THAT is why guys play for Flacco and why we Ravens fans are lucky to have him. He doesn't flinch and he doesn't get rattled.

Clearly, we Ravens fans have moved on. I think Kyle has moved on as well. But it really is a shame that the man who should have been king is known primarily for dating Tara Reid and this drunk photo...

I certainly wish Kyle all the luck in the world. Lord knows the guy could use some. Arrivederci, auf wiedershein and goodbye old boy.

25 Years Ago....

...yesterday, the Baltimore Colts ceased to exist. The details of that fateful day and what led to it are well-documented. Just a view of those pictures of the Mayflower trucks moving the franchise to Indianapolis and a Baltimore sports fan can recite those details like they can remember the last days of a relationship with a wonderful ex-girlfriend (or boyfriend if you're a lady).

First, as is the case with any ex-lover, you remember the good times. Johnny Unitas. The 1958 NFL Championship Game. Raymond Berry. Art Donovan. Lenny Moore. Gino Marchetti. Alan Ameche. "Mad Dog" Mike Curtis clobbering some hippie who dared cross his path. Tom Matte's wristband. Super Bowl V. Bert Jones. Roger Carr. Ted Marchibroda. Even when the memories were negative, like Super Bowl III and "The Ghost To The Post" game, they remain special for reasons good and bad.

Then come the really bad memories. Robert Irsay's purchase of the team in 1972. General Manager Joe Thomas coldly shipping Unitas to San Diego. Irsay's hideous and callow trading of John Elway to Denver. The half-empty stadium. "Irsay Sucks." Irsay's overtures to Tampa, Jacksonville, Phoenix and Indianapolis. The eminent domain bill. And finally, the infamous midnight ride. Mayflower moving trucks taking the team to Indianapolis under cover of snow and darkness. Of the great Baltimore Colts sneaking out of Owings Mills in the middle of the night like some kind of repo man.

Then, the aftermath. Baltmo Mayor William Donald Schafer practically breaking into tears. The failed expansion effort in 1994. NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue telling the city it should build a museum instead of a football stadium.

Here's about where I come in. You see, on March 29, 1984, I was 5 years old. Pretty much my entire youth was spent without a team I could truly call my own. Having been born in Westminster, about 15 miles outside Baltimore, the city is in the blood. I spent most of my early years watching the Redskins, a team yes, but not MY team. The first team I could call my own wasn't even an NFL team and they are largely forgotten these days.

In 1994, the Baltimore CFL Colts (as they were briefly known) started play and they were MY team. Besides being damn good (they played in the CFL's Grey Cup game twice, winning it all in their second and final season over Doug Flutie and the Calgary Stampeders) the CFL Colts were a cult phenomenon in Baltimore, especially that first season. Fans packed the old, lovable dump known as Memorial Stadium to cheer on a team that wasn't the NFL but was close enough. I got my first taste of Irsay haterade that first year when the NFL and the Indianapolis team wouldn't let Baltimore's CFL franchise call itself the Colts. For what reason I had no idea (something about copyright infringement even thought the team differentiated itself by the CFL in the middle) but in my 15 year old mind, I said "Fuck Irsay, Fuck Tagliabue and Fuck the NFL." It was a sentiment that was shared by everybody. That first year, the CFL team called itself the "Baltimore CFLers" as it didn't have a nickname. But that didn't stop team owner Jim Speros from playing up the Colts heritage, complete with the old Colts Marching Band (which never broke up despite not having a team), famous cheerleader Leonard "Big Wheel" Burrier and the nice touch of the PA announcer always saying "Your Baltimore CFL...." to which the crowd would respond "COLTS!!!!"

I remember those old CFL guys much the same way older fans remember the Colts. Mike Pringle. Tracy Ham. Shar Pourdanoush and Neil Fort - 750 lbs of offensive linemen. O.J. Brigance, whose number, 57, I would wear as a high school hockey player. Alvin Walton. Carl Anthony. And of course the immortal Donald Igwebuike, the team's African kicker that first year. I remember being on edge during the 1994 Grey Cup playoffs, especially the conference finals game in the subarctic temperatures of Winnipeg. Then there was the Grey Cup game itself against the British Columbia Lions, who were playing in front of their home fans in Vancouver. It looked like the CFLers were going to pull it off, right in the Canadians back yard. But Lions kicker Lui Passaglia, who was 700 years old I think, kicked a game-winning field goal to break our hearts.

The next year, the team, renamed the Stallions, stormed through the CFL, crushing teams with a punishing running attack led by CFL MVP Pringle. The Stallions would become the first, and only, U.S.-based team to win the Grey Cup. But by that time, news that Art Modell was bringing the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore overwhelmed the Stallions victory and they quietly left for Montreal to become the newest version of the Alouettes.

Of course, the Ravens took over in 1996 and we've lived fairly happily ever since. It was a rough go for the team at first. Nationally, Modell was raked over the coals for moving the Browns out of Cleveland and even fans in Baltimore felt dirty about taking somebody else's team the same way Irsay took the Colts. But at least Cleveland got to keep its name, its colors, its history and its records. The Baltimore Colts were and still are, in some form of football pergatory. The records in Indianapolis, the players refusing to acknowledge the Indianapolis franchise.

I guess if I were to mark the official date of the final ascendancy of the Ravens as THE team in Baltimore and the ultimate burial of the Baltimore Colts, it was Saturday, January 13, 2007. On that day, Indianpolis came to town to play the Ravens in the playoffs. The hype and hysteria of that game was unprecedented, even compared to the Super Bowl the Ravens won in 2000. Quite frankly, the behavior of us Ravens fans, including myself, was pretty crass and juvenile. Like a spurned lover barging into the bar where an ex is for no other reason than to tell them to rot in hell. We were so prepared to jeer and boo Indianapolis, to get our ultimate revenge for Irsay's crimes in 1984, that we forgot to stand behind the team we have now.

Any Ravens fan knows what happened next. Steve McNair stunk, Brian Billick's playcalling stunk and the Ravens lost 15-6. I'm not sure I've ever been more depressed than after that game. I just wanted to get drunk and forget it ever happened. But a strange thing happened, at least to me. In my mind, the Colts ceased to exist. Oh sure, I was pissed off to see Indy guys like Tony Dungy and Dwight Freeney on ESPN's special of the '58 Championship Game. But in 2007, when Indy came to Baltmo again, I didn't think about Irsay, the Mayflower trucks or any of that stuff. Indy is just another team to me. No different than Oakland, Minnesota, Houston or Atlanta. We Ravens fans have a new arch-enemy in the Pittsburgh Steelers. We have an exciting team coming off a tremendous playoff run. We finally have a franchise QB and the face of the franchise, Ray Lewis, will spend his entire career here and then get a statue to match with Unitas'. We've got a lot to be thankful for as Ravens fans. To keep up with the girlfriend/boyfriend analogy, the Ravens are our lady now and she's damn good. The Colts were great, they were first, but now she's gone forever, married to somebody else and she's not coming back. Arrivederci, auf wiedershein and goodbye.

Ed. Note: Here is some other coverage of the 25th anniversary of the move from the Baltimore Sun. Sun reporter Ken Murray was there. David Steele says things worked out just fine for Cleveland, Baltmo and Indy. And Childs Walker says the move was good riddance to bad rubbish.

Just for posterity and to show how big a train wreck Bob Irsay was as an owner, here is this epic Sports Illustrated piece from 1986. When people ask the difference between Irsay and Modell, I tell them that Modell was just a greedy businessman while Irsay was a true scumbag.

Also, here is a YouTube clip that ESPN put together before the 2007 Ravens-Indy playoff game.

Good Guys Links - Ravens

Good morrow there Hangarmaniacs, all, what, 10 of you. Thats an increase from 5 so we're taking baby steps. Here's a round of links from the Good Guys: Ravens Edition. Because in Ravenstown, our girls look like this...

...and this...

...while in Steeler Nation, where inbreeding is not only accepted, it's encouraged, they look something like this...

...and this...

And yes, longtime readers will know that I have made this joke before, but I don't care. I'll post this shit every week if I could guarantee to piss off one Steeler fan. Anyway, why were we here? Oh yes, linkage.

- Ray Lewis is signed, sealed and delivered. Ray says the flirtations with other teams was never serious. Translation: I had no offers. Here's an NFL Network interview with Ray Lew after the signing press conference. I see he brought his Versace sunglasses with him.

-L.J. Smith is also official. Orlando Pace could be next, although I'm not sure I see the logic in that one. The Sun says nothing is imminent between the two sides.

- The Ravens apparently requested not to play a prime-time game in Pittsburgh this year. I know Sheeler fans will say the Ravens are scared or some nonsense but I see where the team is coming from here. Three out of the past four years the Ravens have had to play a Monday night game in Pittsburgh. In the last two years the powers that be have almost treated the Ravens as a homecoming opponent for the Steelers. Who wants to be treated like that year after year? Plus, if nothing else it means we don't have to see these godawful uniforms again...


- Corey Ivy has signed with Cleveland. I don't think I have ever been happier to see a Ravens player sign with a division rival. Look, Corey Ivy is a courageous guy and seems like a nice enough man. But we Ravens fans saw way too much of this...

...for anyone's taste.

- Finally, here's a piece from NFL head of officials Mike Pereira on some rule changes for next year. Much like the NHL, the league is looking to cut down on blows to the head and two rule changes in particular are relevant to the Ravens since they happened in this year's AFC Championship Game.
First, is a new rule that would flag crackback blocks to the head, like this hit from the aforementioned AFC Title game by Limas Sweed on Corey Ivy. BTW, looking back at it, how was this not a penalty at the time as its clearly a helmet-to-helmet shot?


The second rule change would penalize hits on defenseless receivers to the head with the shoulder. This one seems like it would be hard to enforce but I see where they are going. The league is trying to cut down on scary blows to the head like this one by Ryan Clark on Willis McGahee, again from the title game.


Now if only they can start calling dives by punters like this ridiculous swallow dive by Mitch Berger, yes, again in the championship game.

No, I am not still bitter about that game.

Meet Your Newest Raven (cont.)/Good Guys Links-Ravens

As we posted up here yesterday, per the Baltmo Sun, former Eagles TE L.J. Smith is set to join the purple and black, provided he passes a physical tomorrow. I posted my own opinions of Smith yesterday, but I figured I'd give you some legit facts about the new guy. Thankfully I had the Philadelphia Eagles 2008 media guide in my office at the day job. So here are some other facts about your soon-to-be newest Raven from the Eagles media guide:

- "An athletic, playmaking tight end with good pass catching ability..."

- "Partook in Russian Kettlebell training once a week during the 2008 offseason under the direction of Carlos Bradley, a former Chargers and Eagles linebacker. 'I could only do it one day per week. It's tough. I wouldn't recommend doing it twice or more in a week. You just can't do it. Sometimes I just wanted to quit during the workout. It's a total body workout.'"

- "Aspires to one day produce his own music and would like to learn more about the audio and technical parts of the business. 'The world would be a boring place without music. Music can inspire people in so many different ways.' Favorite artists include Biggie, 50 Cent/G Unit, Brian McKnight and T.I."

- "Started playing the guitar during the 2006 offseason. After mentioning to a friend that he wanted to learn to play, his friend gave him his first acoustic guitar."

"Let's duet L.J."

- "Is the proud owner of a miniature English bulldog named 'Jiggz.'"

"This almost makes up for the guitar L.J."

-"Enjoys watching 'The First 48' and 'Family Guy.'"

"It's game night. We're playin'...sex!"

- "Full name: John Smith III; L.J. stands for 'Little John.'"

"YEEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

Other Ravens Links:

- Orlando Pace will also be in town to take a physical Thursday, although he has not been offered a contract.

- Chris Carr is signed, sealed and delivered. Alas, I did not have a media guide profile for him.

- Ravens blog Baltimore Beatdown on the Ravens draft prospects with the 26th pick.

Meet Your Newest Raven/Good Guys Links - Ravens

Welcome aboard to the purple and black, Mr. L.J. Smith!

According to Jamison at the Sun, it's a one-year deal worth $1.5 million. Smith will basically replace Dan Wilcox as the second tight end behind Todd Heap.


It's a fairly low-risk, high-reward signing for the Ravens. Smith had trouble staying healthy and consistent during his six years with the Philadelphia Eagles but here, he will be looked at as an additional down-the-middle threat for QB Jersey Joe Flacco. Smith has always looked the part of a great tight end but his production hasn't always matched the skill set. He should see more passes in Cam Cameron's offense but won't have the pressure of being a #1 TE. All told, like I said before, a very low-risk, high-reward kind of signing.

Additional Ravens stuff:

- The Ravens will meet with the recently released former St. Louis Rams all-pro Orlando Pace. Not sure where Pace fits into this picture, unless its as a backup to Jared Gaither. If Pace were to come aboard, the Ravens have a logjam at the tackle spots with Gaither, Adam Terry, Willie Anderson, Oniel Cousins and David Hale - the latter two were drafted last year but didn't play much. If Pace were signed, it would likely mean the end for Willie Anderson, which is a shame because I thought Willie played well there last year.


- Speaking of Big Willie Style, his equally large counterpart Big Mike Preston says Willie has something to prove this year.

- Former Titans and Raiders CB Chris Carr is officially a Raven.

Meet Your Newest Raven...

...CB/KR Chris Carr.

Looks like Carr will be filling the Jim Leonhard role next year as a depth CB but more important as a kick returner and punt returner. Carr, a Boise State product, filled similar roles in his two previos stops with Oakland and Tennessee. All I remember of Carr is a game in 2006 when he was with Oakland against the Steelers where he took a Ben Roethlisberger pick back 100 yards for a TD (it's at 1:29 of the video). The only reason I remember this is because I was living in LA at the time and a bunch of Steeler and Raider fans were at the Port, my favorite sports bar in Valley Village. There was a blonde with one of those stupid yellow towels and I spent the whole game wondering how I could steal that towel and wipe my ass with it. The Raiders won the game and mercilessly trash talked the Steeler fans. Needless to say, as a Ravens fan, anytime I'm in the prescence of unhappy Steeler fans, I'm a happy guy.


Other Ravens Stuff:

-Since I took the time to subscribe to NFL Network videos, I figured I'd put some Ravens-centric clips up here. Alas, they won't let you embed them, but hell, it's better than nothing. First up is the Top 10 Ravens plays of 2008.

- A pretty tight Ray Lewis montage. Then again, it's hard to screw up a Ray Lewis montage.

- T-Sizzle - The Remix.

"Yo baby, there's a lot of Sizzle with my steak"

- A not-so-good Ed Reed montage.

-Ravens play-by-play man Gerry Sandusky talks about the Ravens off-season and what lies ahead in the draft.

All quiet in the Hangar

Apologies for both my loyal readers here but it's a busy weekend for your friend and humble narrator. Yesterday I bypassed an extra blog to meet up with my old buddy Pat Thomas Esquire and company to catch "Watchmen" up in Annapolis. My opinion: B-. Loved the action, loved Jackie Earle Haley's character (who would have thought Kelly Leak from the original "Bad News Bears" could play such a badass?) loved the CGI stuff and the gal playing Laurie was sneaky hot. On the other hand, the movie was too long, the plot kinda wanders all over the place and there was far too much male nudity.

Today, I'll be on the road again, this time back to Rehoboth Beach for two Cape Gazette assignments and then off to Laurel to meet up with "Maki At The Movies" creator Greg "Snake" Maki for a free show with Burn Halo and the Charm City Cobras (who sound like either a gang from "The Warriors" or an 80s hair metal tribute band. Snake assures me they have an AC/DC kinda sound. We'll see.)


So that means there will not be much up here in the Hangar, although I may be able to find time to write about a metal album I'm addicted to. Anyway, just a couple orders of sports business to take care of...

- Samari Rolle is getting his wish and will be released by the Ravens. Good luck Barksdale. Was it really just three years ago when Samari and Chris McAlister were considered one of the best cornerback tandems in the NFL?

- The O's split an exhibition doubleheader with the St. Louis Cardinals.

- The WaPo's Katie Carrera, filling in for Tank, gives the lowdown on the offensive struggles of any Caps not named Alex Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Backstrom and Brooks Laich this month.

- OFB on the post-deadline Caps.

- Japer's on Jose Theodore's rebound control. Or lack thereof sometimes.

- Alex Ovechkin's Easterns Motors commercial outtakes make SportsCenter. They show hockey there? I would have missed it in between the Sacramento Kings-Charlotte Bobcats highlights, another Manny Ramirez story, another Yankees story and another Terrell Owens story.

From outside the Hangar's range:
- Torry Holt was released by the Rams. Hmm, would he look good in purple and black?

- Carrie Underwood AND Hilary Duff are dating Ottawa Senators players. See, once you go hockey player, you never go back. Well played Mike Fisher and Mike Comrie, well played indeed.

Non-Sporting Link:

-I forgot to put this one up yesterday but it's brilliant work by Jason Whitlock of the Kansas City Star (and a lot of other outlets) on "Comedian" Rush Limbaugh. This is Whitlock at his finest. Now, pretty much take everything Whitlock said about Comedian and switch it with Don Cherry and you will have my personal opinion of Cherry.

So that's it for now. As for some entertainment, here's a cool highlight package by NFL Network from the 2008 regular season.


...And a YouTube clip you can swing your heavy metal hair too? How about "Swamped" by Lacuna Coil, which not only features the always aesthetically pleasing Christina Scabbia but also allows me to have the line "DESTINEEE!!" stuck in my head all day.

Stealing gimmicks is my business...And business is good!

One thing I love about these links stories is that they are very lazy and every blogger on Earth does them. There's really nothing better than trying to create traffic for your site by just posting up ways to get to other people's work (and if you're The Big Lead you add the extra fun of putting a scantily clad woman on there). I feel sort of like the Repo Man when I do this.


Quick digression: The Repo Man used to freak me out as a kid. It was a simpler time you see. A time when wrestling strictly stuck to kayfabe and there were no internet dirt sheets around to show you the man behind the curtain. Throw in being young, impressionable and often without parental supervision and well, you end up writing a blog for about 10 people's amusement. Hold on, I'm gonna go Hines Ward on you here for a sec.


Ok, seeing Hines cry makes me feel better. Anyway, where was I? Oh, I was saying it was a much simpler time and the illusion seemed very real. In those days I really thought Papa Shango would put a voodoo curse on me. I really was worried I'd run into the Mountie and he'd hit me with his shock stick. The heel version of Doink The Clown scared the beejeezus out of me. But the Repo Man really freaked me out because I worried he'd come repossess our stuff. He had those vignettes where he would go around taking back people's cars and I was very concerned our car would show up in one of those skits. The point, I guess, is that I am a huge dork. Anyway, on with the gimmick infringement.

- More from last night's Caps game from Tank, Billionaire Ted, Japer's, the Peerless Prognosticator and the Philly-centric 700 Level.

- Alex Giroux is headed back to chocolate-land after filling in for an ailing Sergei Fedorov last night.

- The Sun's Dan Connolly on the O's closer situation between George Sherrill and Chris Ray. I would lean slightly towards "Flat and Breezy" (Sherrill) because his entrance music (White Zombie's "Blood, Milk and Sky"is much cooler. Is that a stupid criteria for picking a closer?

- Looks like that Albert Haynesworth signing is already paying dividends for the Redskins. Always nice to give $100 million to a guy that almost killed somebody with his car.

- The Sun's Bill Ordine and Ken Murray debate how the Ravens will start next season.

- Ravens released LB Nick Greisen, paving the way for a younger, better alternative to come aboard on draft day. Also, Jersey Joe just turned into a million bucks.

Non-Sporting Links:

- Our man Greg "Snake" Maki has an interview with the band Rev Theory, who's song "Hell Yeah" was used for the Caps on-ice intro. Alas, Snake did not ask them about Alex Ovechkin's singing. Really a lost opportunity there, Snake.

- Chuck Norris and Joaquin Phoenix are either certifiably insane or creative geniuses. I have no idea which. I think Phoenix is probably the latter, while Norris, I'm fairly certain, is a complete right-wing nutjob. (Thanks MoGo for the Norris link)

- Today's YouTube clip to swing your heavy metal hair to is "Before I Forget" by Slipknot.

Short Links/Hockey Brawl Of The Week

Because we are not above "little people" puns here at Hangar 39, we have the late, great Joe C. Kid Rock got about 90 percent less cool when he lost the man that was "3 foot 9 with a 10 foot dick." Today we don't have a lot from Ravens or Orioles world but plenty from Planet Caps. So let's get on with the show.

- The Schmucker on the O's looking into signing Pedro Martinez, who hopefully will bring his little Dominican friend with him.


- The Sun with an interesting story about Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and his buddy, Maryland hoops coach Gary Williams.

- Caps winger Donald Brashear is still a little shaken up following his KO at the hands of Nashville enforcer Wade Belak and could miss tonight's tilt with the Philadelphia Flyers.

- More from Tank and Brash, this time on fighting.

- Japer's with some nice work on Eric Fehr's contributions to the Caps this year and Brian Pothier's attempt to comeback after missing almost two years with concussion issues.

- For those in the Hershey, Pa area, the Stanley Cup and the American Hockey League's top trophy, the Calder Cup, will be on display. (Per On Frozen Blog)

- From the Philly side of things, Caps Public Enemy #1B will likely play tonight. That's right, Danny Briere and his emo bangs will be on the ice. No word if Panic At The Disco is doing his entrance music.

"Hey guys, is this where I can pick up my Jimmy Eat World tickets?"

YOUR HOCKEY BRAWL OF THE WEEK
In honor of tonight's Caps-Flyers rivalry game, I present this line brawl from the early 90s between these two clubs. Observe Officer Don Koharski taking notes while all five guys plus the goalies go at it. Way to go Officer Koharski!


Non-Sporting Links:

- The Quantum Mechanics of Bloomfield loves him some bailout humor.

- Maki At The Movies has all your entertainment links that are fit to print.

- The Icon has the word on The Rock's steroid use in college.

"The Great One says inject his ass jabroni!"

- More info from the Icon on the upcoming Nine Inch Nails-Jane's Addiction tour.

- Finally, your YouTube clip to swing your heavy metal hair to is "Get To The Choppa" by Austrian Death Machine. We here at Hangar 39 fully support the integration of brutal death metal and Arnold Schwarzenegger lines.

Linkage is back...

Because we frequently pay homage to bad movies here at Hangar 39, here's Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear helping kill the Farrelly brothers career with "Stuck On You." What does this have to do with links? Absolutely nothing. So, with that being said, here's some links about the Good Guys with some non-sporting links thrown in. Accumulated by me, so you wouldn't have to look for it.

- Ray Lewis' deal: 7 years $44 million with a $12 million signing bonus. Interesting deal. A 7 year contract for a guy who will be 34 years old come regular season? I know the Sun is saying that it's basically a three-year deal but knowing Ray Lewis, there has to be something else here. My hunch is that there has to be some sort of handshake agreement to keep Ray Lew in a prominent role after he retires. He can't play until he's 41 right?

- Longtime readers of Hanger 39 (both of you) will know I've sung Derrick Mason's praises before as one of the nicer Ravens. Um, yeah, I may want to revise that in light of his new contract demands.

- Tank and Japer's have the recaps of last night's Caps-Predators tilt.

-Excellent get from Dan Steinberg over at DC Sports Bog: an interview with the founder of Easterns Motors about Alex Ovechkin's upcoming ads. If these results are any indication...


...Ovie needs to sing more often. It's a tough call which clip is better. The Easterns Motors clip is catchier, even more so with Ovie's Russian accent. But at the same time, it's hard to top his "Washington DC...ARE YOU READY TO ROCK!!" combined with Mike Green and Jose Theodore's emo eyeliner and Brooks Laich's Mark Tremonti guitar poses.

- In the days since my last links post I missed three Orioles spring training results (not that they matter): a 2-0 defeat to Minnesota, a 9-8 loss to the Mets and a 5-1 win over the Red Sox.

- The Sun on Aubrey Huff's metamorphosis from useless free agent bust to "guy who could fetch something nice in a trade this summer".

Non-Sporting Links:

- Sad stuff out of Alabama and Germany.

- Bernie Madoff may get 150 years in the slammer. I imagine Bernie in jail will be just like Albert Brooks in "Out Of Sight." BTW, if you have never read Harry Markopolis' whistle-blower report that brought Madoff down please do. Here's an HTML link to it from the original PDF format. It's a truly fascinating read, even if you don't know what the hell a hedge fund is, like me. I just love the Madoff case because it's brought the term "Ponzi Scheme" back into the national consciousness.

- The Bushies are still pushing Dubya's "legacy." Please, people, you've done enough, really.

- From the Icon, they are making a movie based on N.W.A. and "Straight Outta Compton." Better than a remake I suppose. Just as long as "I Ain't The 1" is in it, I'm cool.

- Finally, today's YouTube clip to swing your heavy metal hair to is "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies. All the guy wanted was a Pepsi!