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A few highlights:

• After the drunk-driving arrest he didn’t leave his house for four days.
• “I was in a really dark place,” Phelps says. “Not wanting to be alive anymore.”
• Friends and family, including Ray Lewis, whom Phelps describes as “like a brother to me,” convinced him to go to rehab. “I gave him some harsh reality,” Lewis says in the article. “I said, ‘Bro, what are you doing with your life?’ Phelps’s recollection of that conversation? “He tore me a new one.”
• Going to rehab was “probably the most afraid I’ve ever felt in my life.”
• But the rehab—and in particular the group therapy—worked. Before that, “I saw myself as the athlete that I was, but not as a human being.” After, he began to value himself as a person.
• Since going to rehab, Phelps has reconciled with his estranged father, Fred Phelps.

The article also notes that, since becoming happier and sober, Phelps has also stepped up his training and will even be the favorite to win the gold medal at several events next year in Rio de Janeiro. But the fact that Phelps is feeling better outside the pool is truly the best news of all.

2. Manny Machado wins the Gold Glove.
On November 10, 23-year-old Manny Machado was awarded his second Gold Glove. As usual, his stellar play at third base (including a gaudy .961 fielding percentage) featured some eye-popping “how on earth did he just do that?” moments. He joins another Oriole you may have heard of—Brooks Robinson—as the only O’s third basemen to have won multiple Gold Gloves. One thing that’s important to remember about Machado: He didn’t even come up through the O’s system as a third baseman. He was a shortstop—so this position is actually new to him! Imagine once the guy gets the hang of things.

3. Dennis Pitta done for the season . . . but is he calling it a career?
When we found out that Dennis Pitta had resumed practicing with the team a few weeks back, we had high hopes. Our hopes were further buoyed when we heard reports that he was looking like his old self on the field. On Wednesday, those hopes were dashed, when it was announced that the tight end would not be returning this season. Doctors advised Pitta that playing this year could permanently damage his hip and, although the choice ultimately lay with him, Pitta wisely chose to sit out the year. The Ravens have officially placed him on injured reserve. But Pitta is not ready to give up the gridiron just yet. “There are no plans to retire at this time,” he announced.

4. Local player joins Ravens practice squad, is stoked.
Running back Terrance West, who was raised in Baltimore and played for Towson University, has joined the Ravens practice squad. He had been cut by Cleveland and Tennessee. West probably could’ve signed with the main squad of another team, but his lifelong dream has been to don the purple and black. “This is where I belong right here,” West said. “I always wanted to be a Raven and this is my home.”

5. Under Armour signs local Paralympic athlete.
Fittingly, on Veteran’s Day, Under Armour signed wounded vet and Paralympic athlete U.S. Navy Lt. Brad Snyder. Snyder, who lives in Canton, is a graduate of the Naval Academy, where he was captain of the swim team. In 2011, he was blinded by an IED (improved explosive device) in Afghanistan. In 2012, he competed in seven Paralympic swimming events in London, earning two gold and one Silver medal.

“I struggle with toothpaste on the end of my toothbrush sometimes,” Snyder told The Sun in 2013. “…But the pool wasn’t anything that I necessarily had to adapt to. I’m very familiar with the pool—I knew where I was, and I knew how to get back and forth without hurting myself.” In a statement, Under Armour said that Snyder and fellow Under Armour signee U.S. Army First Lt. Melissa Stockwell—a paratriathlete— would be “outfitted head-to-toe in Under Armour as they train and compete to represent the United States at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Additionally, they will both serve as Under Armour brand ambassadors.”

A movie about Snyder’s life is currently in the works.

Bonus coverage!
Okay, so this isn’t totally sports. But have you heard that the latest installment of Bravo’s Real Housewives series is going to be in Potomac, MD? There are two local connections. One of the housewives is Gizelle Bryant, who was married to famed local pastor Jamal Bryant of the Empowerment Temple AME Church. Another one is Robyn Dixon, who was married to Terps hero (and Baltimore native) Juan Dixon. And get this: Robyn and Juan, now a special assistant basketball coach at U of Maryland, are still close and live together with their two sons in Potomac! Intriguing! The preview, which doesn’t show Juan Dixon, promises lots of gossip, back-biting, and fabulousness. What more could you ask for?

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2. Ray Lewis makes controversial remarks in his new book.
There’s a lot of inspiration contained in the pages of Ray Lewis’s new memoir, I Feel Like Going On: Life, Game, and Glory: He discusses his stellar career at the University of Miami, his two Super Bowls with the Ravens, his faith and family, and his numerous on and off-field accolades. But, of course, any book about Lewis has to touch upon the night of January 31, 2000, in Atlanta that resulted in the death of two men and almost permanently derailed Lewis’s promising life and career. After taking a plea bargain in exchange for his testimony, Lewis was ultimately only found guilty of obstruction of justice, but the events of that night hang over him. Which is perhaps why it wasn’t totally wise for Lewis to suggest that he was too well-dressed that evening to have been involved in a murder. (He was wearing a suit, a long mink coat, a Piaget watch, a bold lock chain, and earrings.) “The nicer you’re dressed, the less inclined you are to get in a fight,” he writes. (This remark is particularly head-scratching when you consider that the white suit Lewis was wearing that night was never found.) Needless to say, Lewis’s excuse briefly made him a trending topic on Twitter, and not in the most flattering light.

Of course, it will take a lot more than a few impolitic remarks to turn Baltimoreans against their beloved linebacker. Yesterday’s book-signing at the Inner Harbor Barnes & Noble was attended by thousands.

3. Dennis pitta practices.
Remember Dennis Pitta, the sure-handed, but injury-plagued tight-end who is also Joe Flacco’s BFF? After he appeared in just seven games since 2012, Ravens fans were beginning to see Pitta as little more than a handsome sideline mascot, but something miraculous happened this week: Pitta practiced. On the field. With other Ravens. No, don’t expect Pitta to suit up this Monday against the Cardinals, but this is a promising sign. The team has just three weeks to either activate Pitta or put him on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list. The tight end knows that if he doesn’t return this season, his future with the Ravens—and in the NFL—will be in jeopardy. Say it with us: We Pitta the fools who vote against him.

4. Terps football brings its budding rivalry with Penn State to town.
Now that the Terps have moved over to the Big 10, it’s not quite clear who their true “rivals” are. One obvious candidate? Nearby Penn State, a storied football program with the bonus of being in the same home state as the dreaded Steelers. The Terps have had a bummer of a season that resulted in the firing of head coach Randy Edsall. But hey, any given Saturday, right? Go cheer on the Terps this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium and see if the rivalry takes.

5. Orioles fans feel the Cubs pain.
Watching the Cubs get swept by the Mets brought back some painful memories for O’s fans this week. Like the Cubs, the 2014 O’s were seen as a team of destiny, riding a wave of feel-good enthusiasm and optimism into the post season. And like the Cubs, their hopes were crushed by a “wha-wha-what just happened?” sucker punch of a four-game sweep in the league championship series. So yeah, Cubs fans, after being bulldozed by the Royals last year, we feel your pain. Then again, our last World Series win was 1983 and yours was 1908. Okay, maybe not quite as much pain.

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