Out of a nearly empty Camden Yards and into the familiar humidity of a Baltimore summer night stepped Manny Machado, conqueror of his former home, in pursuit of a pre-planned victory feast: a pile of crabs from L.P. Steamers. Can’t leave here without them, he said earlier, “so we’ll be having some of that tonight.”

He came, we saw, and—in the San Diego Padres’ 8-3 win over the Orioles, a game that marked Machado’s first visit since being traded away nearly a year ago—he homered, a 455-footer to centerfield, the longest of any of the 100 he’s now launched into the stands here. “Was it?” he said in the visitor’s clubhouse afterward, when told of the record distance. “I guess it’s good to be back in Baltimore, hitting in this park.”

How do you put words to it? A heartbreaking homecoming might be appropriate. None of the announced 21,644 in attendance, most of whom gave Machado—the closest thing the Orioles have had to a Hall-of-Famer in two decades—a standing-ovation before his first at-bat, wanted to see him ever acknowledge the crowd wearing No. 13 in a road gray uniform. (At least he’s not a Yankee.)

And nobody knows how last year’s trade deadline move—engineered, we were told, because the O’s weren’t able to afford the type of monster contract that Machado eventually signed in free agency ($300 million for 10 years)—will look in hindsight. But, for now, none of the prospects the O’s received from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Machado, the former franchise cornerstone—a four-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner at third base who will turn 27 next week—are in the majors.

Before the game, occasionally flashing a smile, Machado entertained reporters with a trip down memory lane—saying names like Adam, Schoop, Markakis, Davis, Hardy, and Buck, and recalling the excitement of the Orioles’ 2014 playoff run. He explained the “weird” nervousness he was feeling being back where it all happened.

“It’s just different,” he said, speaking in the same room behind home plate where he was introduced to the media nine years ago as an 18-year-old shortstop. “It was always coming into that same clubhouse, walking into that same door, parking in that same parking spot, taking the same route to the baseball field every day. It was just all different today.”

And he talked briefly about his frustration with how things ended with the Orioles, being kept “out of the loop,” he said, as the trade with the Dodgers was finalized by the previous front office regime before the All-Star Game break last July.

“I didn’t make the choice. It was made for me,” he said. “When you’re here for so long in a place you call home, you see the same faces every day, the same people, it grows on you. To leave like that halfway through the year kind of sucks.”

He later signed a few autographs down the third-base line, but not many. Then, shortly after 7 p.m. on a steamy 88-degree night, he stepped toward home plate, waving to the fans, some still wearing his old orange-and-black jersey, as they cheered for nearly 40 seconds and a video montage on the centerfield scoreboard showed highlights of Machado’s seven-year O’s career. He touched his right hand to the bill of his navy blue Padres batting helmet to say thanks.

It didn’t quite match the theatrics and adoration of Adam Jones’ sendoff, but “it was awesome,” Machado said. “The fans, like always, didn’t disappoint. I’ve seen it for many, many years, how they’ve gone above and beyond for us, and they did it today. The whole experience playing here brings back a lot of good memories. It’s special and something I’ll never forget.”

The O’s stadium staff even played video of The Play—Delmon’s Young bases-clearing double against the Tigers in the 2014 playoffs—as the Padres took the field for the sixth inning, and Machado put his arm around San Diego star rookie shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., and pointed to the scene, like he were saying “This is what it could be like.”

Nostalgia, though, eventually met reality. In the third inning, Machado smacked his massive home run on the first pitch he saw from O’s starter Jimmy Yacabonis. And in the bottom of the third, Machado came the closest he did to flashing signs of that Brooks Robinson-like defensive brilliance, tagging out an audacious Dwight Smith Jr. when he overran third base following a hit down the right field line. Machado added an RBI single in the fourth, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate.

His skills, of course, nor his sometimes boorish behavior were never questioned. The business of baseball ultimately sent him away, an unfortunate truth in a modern-day professional sports era where money is usually valued more than loyalty, and change is a constant.

Case in point: As Machado exited his pre-game press conference, exasperated by the 15 minutes it took and the expected queries, he asked a Padres public relations staffer, “Do I even have time to get in the cage?”

Yes, he did. In fact, he had to wait. At almost that very moment, a 21-year-old kid by the name of Adley Rutschman, a switch-hitting catcher picked No. 1 overall by the Orioles in the MLB Draft three weeks ago, was on display in a special batting practice session organized by the team as part of his introduction to Baltimore.

The coveted prospect, wide-eyed and widely considered the Orioles best since Machado, took his first smooth swings. And on the third soft-toss pitch he saw, Rutschman sent that tiny white ball onto Eutaw Street, as if to say as one narrative was ending, another was beginning.

After an interminable wait, Manny Machado has agreed to a 10-year, $300-million contract with the San Diego Padres, the largest free agent signing in American sports history. And while the rest of the baseball world is alternately confused (the Padres?) and very, very confused (the Padres???), we’re honestly just thankful that he isn’t a Yankee.

Only 26 years old, Machado is undoubtedly worth his monster contract, which will carry him through the prime of his career; if anything, it’s a relative bargain compared to other mega-deals, considering his age and the fact that MLB’s revenues have increased at a rate far outpacing that of payrolls. Although he has developed a reputation as a player who’s had some growing pains play out on the field, Machado is still a special talent, a terrifying cocktail of quick-twitch dynamism and savant-level spatial awareness. Young stars of Machado’s caliber aren’t available often and just about every team in baseball should’ve moved heaven and earth to sign him. Just watch him snare a hard-hit ball down the foul line, or wallop one into left field for proof.

Nevertheless, the deal is surprising; couched in the most scientific terms, the Padres flat-out stink. To be sure, their farm system is widely rated as one of baseball’s best—there is a strong possibility that the prospects coalesce around a still-in-his-prime Machado over the next few seasons to form a strong, cross-generational nucleus. But these potential reinforcements are still largely hypothetical and don’t immediately address the yawning chasm that is their pitching staff—you could probably be their third starter, with me as the fourth, and Mr. Trash Wheel as a high-leverage bullpen arm.

In contrast to the sudden penny-pinching that has swept Major League Baseball, the Padres have committed nearly $450 million over the last two winters to Machado and Eric Hosmer, a first baseman, who, even at the absolute peak of his abilities, is fairly uninspiring. Yet even with this flawed roster, the Padres should be commended for making an honest-to-god attempt at winning, especially in an off-season when the hot stove has run suspiciously tepid as teams peddle future hope instead of present-day competency.

For O’s fans, this signing invariably elicits a raft of emotions. Admittedly, it is easy to imagine an idyllic alternate timeline where Machado stays in black and orange. But trading Machado to the Dodgers last summer has proven to be a boon for both parties: Machado got the chance to play in the World Series and then the opportunity to secure a bag big, while the Orioles received a bounty of promising young players. Outfielder Yusniel Diaz, the best of the bunch, is a consensus top-75 prospect in baseball.

Led by a brainiac front office with a keen understanding of how to unearth and maximize talent, the Orioles could return to glory and the decision to part with Machado and reset their payroll may very well represent a seminal point in franchise history. If the Orioles flounder while Machado excels with the Padres, the failure to build a supporting cast around Machado will haunt the organization for years to come.

Either way, congratulations Padres fans, you got a good one.

It’s sad, but true. The consensus among Las Vegas sports books—and they typically know a thing or two about how games and seasons unfold—is our Baltimore Orioles have the longest odds at winning next year’s World Series.

Anywhere from 350-to-1 to 300-to-1, they say.

I guess this shouldn’t be surprising, but it still hurts. The Orioles are in major rebuild mode, and haven’t hired a manager, or a permanent general manager just yet, to lead a roster comprised of what are largely unproven players—and all that after a 115-loss season and the painful teardown of what we knew as the Old Guard. Buck. Manny. Adam. And the rest. (Okay, this is the last time we’ll write their names. Maybe.)

“It’s a process. It’s not going to happen overnight. In baseball, when you’re rebuilding, it takes some time,” first baseman Trey Mancini said on the last day of the season. “You have to get some of the right guys, people have to click, and unfortunately, it might take a couple years. That’s usually the case.”

A couple years? Really? Yes, another one in the sad, but true department. And as each day passes, those low expectations for the start of a new era of O’s baseball unfortunately become more real. Buck (Okay, last time we mention him, really) returned to town a few weeks ago to hold a previously scheduled charity event at Camden Yards, and he mentioned he and wife, Angela, sold their tractor, mower, and land at their Baltimore-area home, and would be holding an estate sale. That was two days before former Oriole Steve Pearce won 2018 World Series MVP with the Red Sox, after crushing three home runs in five games against Machado’s Los Angeles Dodgers.

Meanwhile, at the current moment, the O’s are like a schooner floating in the bay without a captain while powerboats zip by. John and Louis Angelos, now in control of the team’s day-to-day operations, have reportedly interviewed a few candidates to be the team’s top executive from a broad list of targets—including Houston Astros assistant general manager Mike Elias (analytics, man!), former Red Sox and current Blue Jays assistant GM Ben Cherington, and former Dodgers GM Ned Colletti. But Orioles player development director Brian Graham is still the point person for the roster in an interim role.

Whoever the next front office leader is will hire the next manager, but that’s a way’s off, even as major league baseball’s free-agent signing period has already begun.

That means the guys we used to know—Machado and Jones (Okay, last time, seriously. That’s it), the latter who will be back in Baltimore Thanksgiving weekend for a Boys & Girls Clubs charity tailgate—now have the chance to sign with new teams. But it’s doubtful anyone will want to come here given the lack of clarity in leadership. The O’s are the only team in baseball without a general manager right now.

Aside from a few in-their-prime leftovers from last season—like Mancini, pitcher Dylan Bundy and prospective closer Mychal Givens—and a handful of second-year pros, you’re unlikely to be familiar with the O’s Opening Day roster come April. They don’t even know who they are yet.

So, as much we want the Vegas odds-makers to be wrong, they’re probably right. On the bright side, an Orioles World Series win next October would give you the greatest return on investment of any baseball bet you could make right now. If you ever wanted to turn $10 into $3,500, no strings attached and for a good cause, this is the time to take a chance.

Well, we knew it was inevitable. For months, we’ve been reading ESPN and scanning our Twitter feeds wondering where our beloved Manny Machado would be traded. There were talks of Chicago, Philly, Milwaukee, and Arizona.

But last night, it was announced that the Orioles traded Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers for five prospects: exciting outfielder Yusniel Diaz, right-hander Dean Kremer, third baseman Rylan Bannon, pitcher Zach Pop, and third baseman Breyvic Valera.

“Obviously, it’s a bittersweet day for our organization,” Dan Duquette told reporters on Wednesday night. “We watched Manny grow up in our franchise for the past eight years.”

With that in mind, we wanted to chronicle some of the best moments—both on and off the field—from our All-Star shortstop (though he’ll always be a third baseman in our hearts).

Manny Hits Walk-Off Grand Slam

In August 2017, Machado had the game of a lifetime. In a home-run-derby-type game against the Los Angeles Angels, each team put up five home runs. But no one was more productive than number 13. He hit homers in the third, fifth, and ninth innings and drove in seven runs. To top it all off, he won the game with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, becoming only the third player in baseball history to hit three home runs and a walk-off in a single game.

Our Favorite Baseball Bromance
As the world of Major League Baseball becomes more celebrity than athlete, it’s hard to tell what is authentic. But one thing is for sure: the friendship between Machado and second baseman Jonathan Schoop is the real deal. The two met in Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds in 2011 and quickly bonded when they were both expected to play shortstop. “When Jonathan does something amazing it gets Manny hyped,” Machado’s wife, Yainee, told us last year. “They both motivate each other constantly. They’re just best friends.” Schoop, who will be a free agent after next season, will likely miss his best bud but can’t be too surprised. “He ain’t got no weak part of his game,” Schoop said of Machado. “He’s a superstar.”

Amazing Plays at Third
Longtime Orioles fans have experienced a little deja vu these past few years when Machado made some amazing grab and throws at third, reminding us of a certain Human Vacuum Cleaner. There are too many of these moments to count: short hops, tricky throws, in-the-air leaps, foul territory. You name it, Machado was able to handle it. While he’s moved over to short most recently, we’ll always miss seeing Machado’s moves in the corner.

When He Made a Fan’s Life
We’ve always appreciated that Machado feels like a player of the people. He’s made statements about how much he enjoys FanFest, signed a plethora of autographs, and, just last month, gave the surprise of a lifetime to 14-year-old fan JJ Roddenberry. When his parents got him tickets to an Orioles-Braves game for his birthday, his reaction went viral—and Machado took notice. “Just watching that, it gave me goosebumps,” Machado told MLB.com. “I mean, the kid cried just for a ticket to the baseball game.” After that, JJ was sent a surprise video from Machado, who invited the fan to hang out with him during batting practice. The two got to chat in the dugout, JJ received a signed bat, and the young fan totally geeked out.

He Was a Gnome for His Birthday
Around Machado’s 24th birthday, the Orioles revealed that he’d be getting his very own garden gnome giveaway. This was a year after O’s manager Buck Showalter made it fairly well-known he didn’t love his own gnome doppelganger. But Machado was a bit more receptive. When fans received his garden gnome before the July 9, 2016 game against the Angels, he shared with reporters that he was excited about it. “I thought it was going to be worse, and it came out pretty good,” he told NBC Sports. “I love it. It brought me some luck today, so hopefully it’s going to stay [in my locker].” Let’s hope he keeps it with him on his trip out to L.A.

Watching Machado Grow Up
Like Duquette mentioned, the Orioles organization and fanbase got to watch Machado grow from a young, impressionable 19-year-old to a grownup, married man with clearly a bright future ahead of him. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Machado’s growing pains because we watched him live out some teachable moments over the years. But we’re confident that he’s leaving the Baltimore organization a more mature and humble baseball player. And though Machado and his wife don’t have any kids yet, we’ve loved seeing him play a paternal role to the adorable Kobe.

“Has anyone seen Manny?” relief pitcher Darren O’Day joked on the kids’ press conference stage late in the day, in response to a teenage girl’s question about Manny Machado’s whereabouts at Orioles FanFest.
 

It was close to 5 p.m. Saturday, and most of the more than 11,000 people who attended the annual rite of the approaching baseball season had left the Baltimore Convention Center with their free giveaways, purchased merchandise and player autographs. Vendors began to pack up. Kids headed home with memories, perhaps of asking a question to players like Adam Jones or manager Buck Showalter—and getting a funny answer, like this one:
 

(Buck also said he’s recently started to watch the Netflix series, The Crown. Nice! Jones said his favorite candy is Reese’s—to much applause—and that his most-liked transformer is Bubblebee. “He’s coddling and nurturing.”)  

Though Machado wasn’t present, the 25-year-old was nonetheless a big topic of conversation, too. First, just the fact he and buddy Jonathan Schoop weren’t there for undisclosed reasons ruffled fans’ feathers. Then Showalter casually mentioned to reporters that Machado will switch positions in 2018, to shortstop, and Tim Beckham will move to third base. The switch seems to acquiesce to Machado’s desire to showcase his skills at shortstop ahead of his impending (and unfortunate) free-agent status once this season is over.  

About that. The dissolution of the six-year marriage between the Orioles and their prized homegrown talent — who’s brought us so many great moments — appears inevitable. Especially when you hear this: “Stranger things have happened,” Showalter told fans Saturday. “We may sign him.”  

Machado, who the O’s would trade now in exchange for a big haul, including some starting pitchers, likely will command mind-shattering and life-changing money on the free-agent market, and be promised a bright future from many teams across Major League Baseball, two things mid-market teams like the O’s can’t necessarily do. General manager Dan Duquette uttered the words “those teams up North,” and spoke about the market advantages (i.e. more money) that they have—No, Yankees, no!—when answering question about what fans could do to convince O’s ownership to keep and sign players of Machado’s caliber long term.  

Alas, at least we have Buck’s pearls of wisdom and plenty of other fun to get us through Manny’s apparent lame duck year. 

A few other nuggets from FanFest:  

• Jones, whose contract is also up after this season, said he’d like to play six to eight more years, but that the team hasn’t approached him about a contract extension.
• Dylan Bundy, when asked if he’s wondering who will be in the starting pitching rotation with him and Kevin Gausman, said, “Yeah, definitely,” with a laugh. “We have no idea.”
• O’Day, who along with Brad Brach and Mychal Givens, is in the running to close games while the injured Zach Britton (Achilles’ tendon) is out to start the season, noted he’s growing a beard until spring training, and he’s feeling good. “I have two times dad strength now,” the 35-year-old veteran said. “I have two kids. I have a beard. I like where I’m at.” The O’s bullpen also seems to have great camaraderie. Brach said during games they play their own game, throwing balls against the bullpen wall a certain number of times to keep score of the real game. Givens said he has an assigned seat. To be a fly on the wall beyond left-centerfield for a night.
• Showalter was particularly concerned Saturday with getting sick, and he signed autographs later in the day with a container of hand sanitizer on the table with him.
• Just three weeks until pitchers and catchers report in Florida, and 60 days until Opening Day.

Spring training is six weeks away, and the Baltimore Orioles have a lot of work to do between now and then. Throughout the next several weeks, the shape of the 2018 Orioles should become clearer, but it’s extremely likely that additional pieces will be brought on during spring training.

Here are some of the questions the Orioles must answer as spring training approaches:

1. What will the Orioles do with Manny Machado?

While the Orioles may not be actively shopping their star third baseman, they need to decide where he’ll play if they keep him.

Machado would like a move to shortstop, and that would leave a hole at third base. Do the Orioles try and move Tim Beckham, who they acquired at last July’s non-waiver trading deadline to play shortstop, to third, where he has limited experience?

Or do they make Beckham a super-utility player?

If the Orioles trade Machado in the next several weeks, they’ll have a hole at third base with no obvious successor on hand.

For more questions going into the 2018 Orioles season, read the full story at PressBoxOnline.com.

According to multiple sources, O’s executive VP Dan Duquette acknowledges that he’s fielding offers for third-baseman Manny Machado.
 

What our hearts say:

Manny is an Oriole and should be one for life. Quite simply, he’s one of the two or three best young players in the league. He’s just 25, the best third baseman since Brooks, and he can hit for power and average. Additionally, he has a well-documented bromance with second baseman Jonathan Schoop and their friendly rivalry has elevated both of their games. Baseball is meant to be entertainment and Manny’s flair for the dramatic, slick moves in the field and at the plate, and fiery personality are thrilling to watch. Seeing Manny in any uniform other than the orange and black would be downright painful.  

What our heads say:

That thing about Manny being one of the best young players in the game? Players like that don’t come cheap. In fact, it’s safe to assume that when Manny is signed to a multi-year contract (his Orioles contract runs out at the end of next year), it’ll be among the richest in the game. So what kind of money are we talking about? Well, in 2014, Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw signed a seven-year, $215 million deal. That kind of money for Manny doesn’t seem unreasonable. And that’s the kind of money that can severely hamstring a midmarket team like the Orioles for years to come. The Orioles have already signed some hefty heart-over-head deals for players that didn’t quite pan out—*cough * Chris Davis. They can’t afford to get sentimental.  

The catch: 
Whomever trades for Manny right now has to be pretty confident that they will be able to sign him to a multi-year deal when his contract expires next year. You don’t want to give up the farm system to rent a guy for a year. That basically means only the wealthiest teams in the biggest markets are true contenders.  

So who are we talking about?

Well, there’s the dreaded Yankees, of course—always the dreaded Yankees. They have a farm system loaded with great arms and the money to sign him.

But although Duquette has made it clear that the Os would trade with a division rival, it seems highly unlikely that the Orioles will let their best player land in pinstripes, especially now that the Marlin’s CEO Derek Jeter conveniently allowed his ex team to trade for NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton. A young lineup of Aaron Judge, Machado, and Stanton would be a murderer’s row for years to come. Duquette wouldn’t let that happen. Would he??  

Apparently, the Chicago White Sox have already made an appealing offer, although we don’t know the details. This Michael Kopech kid, who struck out 155 in 119 1/3 innings to go with a 2.88 ERA at Double-A Birmingham and Triple-A Charlotte, is the real deal—so unless he’s part of the offer, fughetaboutit.  

Other interested teams? The Philadelphia Phillies and the St. Louis Cardinals, both of whom have the money and prospects to make an exciting deal. And of course, lots of other teams—including the Cleveland Indians and the San Francisco Giants—are interested, but that doesn’t mean they have the goods to make a deal.  

So is this definitely happening?

Not so fast. The Orioles have made it clear that they want top-tier pitching prospects or nothing. For now at least they’re in the driver’s seat. “At some point, you have to decide if you’re going to fish or cut bait,” Duquette told The Sun. “So that’s a little ways down the track.” For now, Machado remains an Orioles.

In closing, DON’T LEAAAAAVE US, MANNY! (Sorry, our hearts took over for a second there.)

Hit on Joe Flacco Ignites NFL Concussion Conversation
Although the Ravens managed to come out with a win, the offense took a major hit late in the second quarter. As Miami’s defense put the pressure on, quarterback Joe Flacco tucked the ball and ran up field, but as he began to slide Miami linebacker Kiko Alonso dropped his shoulder and drove into Flacco’s head. A woozy Joe managed to signal for help and was later diagnosed with a concussion and a deep cut on his left ear that required stitches.

The Ravens took the hit on their QB personal and after already leading the game 13-0, they continued to slaughter the Dolphins with the final score 40-0. The victory was the best performance from the Ravens this season.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was in a rage after witnessing the hit, even more so when Alonso was given a 15-yard penalty, and not an ejection, for the hit.

Ravens got their mojo back.
Despite the huge hit, the dominating performance from the Ravens last night reminded us why our defense is one of the best in the league and also revived the team’s playoff hopes. The Ravens are now 4-4, placing them in second place in their division after coming off a three game losing streak.

Even after Flacco left the game, the offense was still able to move the ball with Alex Collins dominating the running game with 113 total yards. Even the defense managed to put points on the board with two pick-sixes from middle linebacker CJ Mosley and cornerback Jimmy Smith.

“We got back to playing Raven football tonight,” said linebacker Terrell Suggs after Thursday’s victory.

Manny Machado a finalist for the 2017 Golden Glove for third base
Here in Baltimore, it’s hard to be surprised to learn that the Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is one of three American League Golden Glove finalists. Machado joins Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria and Cleveland’s Jose Ramirez as candidates for the award that honors the game’s top defenders. Machado had a standout season—despite the team’s losing record—with unbelievable throws, saves, and 33 homeruns.

Machado won his first Gold Glove in 2013 and was voted the Platinum Glove winner for the game’s best fielder in 2015. The 2017 Gold Glove awards will be announced on November 7 on ESPN.

The Maryland Terrapins face off against Indiana for the homecoming game.
This game has a bit of added pressure not only because it’s the homecoming game (who really wants to lose that?) but also because the Terps haven’t been able to win against Indiana since 2014. That victory three years ago was Maryland’s first-ever Big Ten conference win.

Both teams enter the game with nearly identical records of 3-4—Indiana has struggled to find a conference win so far this season. Matchups between Maryland and Indiana over the last three seasons have proven to be high-scoring events, with the Terps averaging 33.7 points and Hoosiers averaging 34.7 points.

At least the future for University of Maryland is looking bright!

The Ravens cross the Atlantic to face the Jaguars.
This is the first time Baltimore has played overseas as a part of the NFL international series. This is the 11th consecutive year the league has hosted regular season games at Wembley Stadium, part of an agreement that runs until 2020. Although the Ravens are entering this game as the underdog—this will be Jacksonville’s fifth game played at Wembley—the streets of London are engulfed in a purple haze with Ravens double-decker buses, crazed fans, and former Ravens players (We see you Reed, Smith, Ogden, and Lewis).

Kick-off is at 9:30 a.m. our time—we know, it’s early—but there are still ways fulfill those game day rituals. WJZ-TV will broadcast the game for the Baltimore area but fans can also live stream on Yahoo and BaltimoreRavens.com.

If going to the bar with your best buds is the usual move, there are a few that will be opening early to accommodate the early kick-off like Lee’s Pint & Shell at 8:30 a.m. for $3 mimosas and $1 oysters. Or grab breakfast at any of The Greene Turtle locations at 9 a.m. for $6.99.

Fans at OPACY get a surprise.
Inspired “Hide a Book Day” and Goodreads, a social media network for book lovers, MASN broadcaster and avid reader Gary Thorne signed and hid some of his favorite books for unsuspecting fans to Monday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.

Manny Machado saves the day again.

Third baseman Manny Machado has rescued the Orioles offense time and time again this season and last night’s win over Tampa Bay was no exception. Despite fighting the flu, Machado came ready to play knocking out a two-run homer—his 33rd of the season—in the first inning.

Gabriel Ynoa also pitched a career-high eight innings of one-run baseball game in the 3-1 win over the Rays. Although the Orioles are out of the race, they are still fighting hard to avoid their first losing season since 2011. 

National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Inducts New Members.
Tomorrow, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame will be inducting nine new members and longtime Johns Hopkins and UMBC coach Don Zimmerman will be among the honorees. Zimmerman will be honored for his coaching achievements that span over five decades from 1978-2016.

During his seven seasons as head coach at Hopkins, he amassed a winning record of 73-15, and another 164 wins as head coach at UMBC. He has already been inducted to three other halls of fame, so adding one more should be a cakewalk for the legendary coach. 

Back, back, back. Joe Flacco returns for Ravens opener.
The quarterback is back from his back issues. Catch the theme? After missing most of the preseason because of a lower back injury (which raised the possibility of the team signing the controversial Colin Kaepernick), Flacco returned to practice last weekend to start preparing for the Ravens’ season-opener on Sunday afternoon at Cincinnati. Still, his health status isn’t exactly clear.

“It’s good,” Flacco told reporters of the back in general, as well as “I honestly don’t know how I did it,” about how the injury happened. And, “I really don’t know the actual answer to that,” about if he feels vulnerable to re-injuring the back, for which he said a spine doctor told him rest was the best medicine.

This isn’t exactly an inspiring start to the season for the most important player on the Ravens’ roster, but, hey, there’s plenty else to be excited about as the new football year begins.

Can we have nine Manny Machados, please?
To quote Buck Showalter, “I like our guys,” but how can you not love Manny Machado at this point? He did it again this week, hitting his third walk-off home run in just 19 days (the shortest span since Sammy “Corked-Bat” Sosa did it in 1996). For extra dramatic effect, he hit it at 1 a.m. Wednesday to end a rain-delayed game against the Yankees, among the teams the Orioles are chasing for, yes, a still-possible playoff spot. (As of this writing, the O’s are two games behind Minnesota for the American League’s second and final wild card position.) 

Visiting fans from the north at Camden Yards serenaded our beloved Manny, the recently named A.L. Player of the Month for August, with chants of “Fu-ture Yank-ee,” and we sure as heck hope not. That’s a story for another day, though a few hours after Machado’s latest heroics The Big Leagues Daily’s Dan Clark started a tongue-in-cheek GoFundMe page (goal: $400 million), after getting more than 1,000 retweets in support of the idea, to show the world we want to keep the modern-day Brooks Robinson here. For now, let’s enjoy the Manny Magic, at the plate and in the field, as he and the rest of the once left-for-dead O’s (as in 4 percent chance to making the playoffs) keep their, and our, postseason baseball hopes alive.

Every (win) is bigger in Texas.
Especially when the University of Maryland football team is doing the winning. To start their season, the Terps, a three-touchdown underdog, pulled off a wild 51-41 win at preseason nationally-ranked Texas last Saturday afternoon. Despite losing starting quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome to a season-ending knee injury mid-game, Maryland notched one of the best victories in the program’s history, and certainly the biggest win of coach D.J. Durkin’s tenure, coming in the first game of his second season. 

#mood:

Up next, the Terps host Towson on Saturday, and, if you’re still on the fence about going, three words: Baltimore Cheese Steak. It’s the newest concession at Maryland Stadium, a “thinly sliced griddled rib eye steak, topped with a white cheese sauce blended with Old Bay and a touch of Sherry,” information important enough to include in a school press release. 

John Urschel fibbed — making him even smarter than we thought?
The recently retired former Ravens center and still math genius revealed on Freakonomics Radio that he was enrolled as a full-time Ph.D. student at MIT during the 2016 football season, and that the Ravens didn’t know. “I guess since I’m retired, I’m allowed to say, I was full-time, full-time,” he said.

Urschel took classes remotely and, for example, studied and worked on assignments on Sundays after games, during off day Mondays and before practice on Tuesdays. “I did not tell anyone this,” Urschel said. “Well, except MIT. But I don’t think an NFL team would be extremely happy to hear that I’m working towards my Ph.D. also in the fall.” Such was his (former) life in pro football. 

Serena Williams and fiancé Alexis Ohanian have baby girl.
We’re still waiting for pictures. C’mon People. But, seriously, congratulations to Ohanian, the Howard High alum and Reddit co-founder, and Williams, the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, on their firstborn, a six-pound, 13-ounce girl.

Let’s call what it is—kismet.
First, let’s be clear. Boog Powell is no Boog Powell. By which we mean the rookie Oakland A’s outfielder—a 5-foot-10, 185-pound contact hitter—is hardly Boogian in stature. Nor had the 24-year-old hit a major league home run before Monday. It’s all the more reason to suspect that the baseball gods were in action this week, organizing the circumstances around the young Powell’s first career round-tripper. Not only did he smash his first HR in Baltimore, home of his legendary namesake, his shot over the right-field fence nearly reached the original Boog’s BBQ stand in right field.

The two Boogs—the younger Boog’s real name is Herschel Mack Powell IV, he acquired “Boog” to avoid confusion with his father and grandfather—then met in-person the next day. Naturally, Baltimore’s beloved former first baseman brought lunch. “We got him a real nice pork sandwich with a little mustard BBQ sauce—he said he didn’t like horseradish—and some onions,” big Boog told Baltimore magazine later.

Boog, of course, had nothing but nice things to say about the Oakland ballplayer.

“I’ve known about him for a couple of years now. He’d been with [the] Tampa Bay and Seattle [organizations] before, but it looks like he found home now. He got a hit off Zach Britton the other night and that’s no easy feat for a lefthander.”

Amazingly, there was one more Boog for those two Boogs to meet—“Boog 3”— stout 12-year-old Jeffrey “Boog” Powell of Tennessee’s Little League World Series team, who face-timed with the professional pair while in school Tuesday.

Our Boog, for his own reasons, received his nickname from his dad as a kid. “In the South they call little kids who are often getting into mischief ‘buggers,’ and my dad shortened it to Boog,” he once said. “Hardly anybody ever calls me John. I don’t know if I‘d even turn around if someone called me that.”

Gervonta Davis fights for world title Saturday.
Baltimore’s boxing star—who trained at the Upton Boxing Center—Gervonta Davis will be co-featured in Floyd Mayweather’s junior middleweight bout on Saturday night. Davis will be defending his 130-bound belt for the second time against Francisco Fonseca. “I think I have the skills to be able to carry on what he is leaving the boxing fans with,” Davis told ESPN. “I’m preparing myself to be a great, great fighter and also a big star in the sport.” All the action starts at 9 p.m. on Showtime PPV—or head to places like Corner Charcuterie Bar in Hampden, the QG downtown, or other bars that will be screening the fight.

Manny’s curtain calls.
All we can say is we hope the O’s somehow manage to resign our third baseman. Manny Machado was named American Player of the Week for the period that ended Aug. 20 after hitting four home runs, including a walk-off grand slam, driving in 12 runs, and batting .385. For an encore, Machado blasted another walk-off home run this week—in the 12^th inning no less—to pick up Zach Britton after the O’s closer botched his first save since Sept. 20, 2015. (Yes, nearly two years ago.)

Ravens beef up roster (of their broadcast team).
We don’t need to get into the Ravens depleted roster and injuries woes (see: Joe Flacco’s back). But at least they are adding healthy bodies to their radio squad. The team and 98 Rock/WBAL NewsRadio 1090 announced this week that former tight ends Todd Heap and Dennis Pitta, and former running back Justin Forsett and linebacker Jarrett Johnson—popular, accomplished players one and all—will each join Ravens radio broadcasts for four games this season. They will work alongside play-by-play man Gerry Sandusky and former Baltimore Colt linebacker Stan White this year.

Paddle it forward.
Breast cancer survivor and Havre de Grace-native Carolyn Choate, 59, and her daughter Sydney, 27, left New York in kayaks two weeks ago, expecting to reach the Inner Harbor this Sunday. Their goal along the way is to raise $500,000 in honor of the late Dr. Angela Brodie, a world-renowned researcher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Brodie, who passed away this June at 82, developed the new class of drugs that Choate credits with saving her life. Choate, who lives in New Hampshire, was initially given three years to live after her diagnosis 14 years ago. She became to determined to find the researcher who had saved her life, finally meeting Brodie in 2014 at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, receiving a tour of the laboratory where Brodie did her groundbreaking work.

You can follow the kayaking journey here.

Ravens start off season with Shake Shack and a win.
We’re not quite sure what made bigger headlines this week—the fact that it was the Ravens’ first preseason game or that Shake Shack is coming to M&T Bank Stadium. The New York City-based burger and shake chain, which already has a location in the Inner Harbor, decided that Baltimore will be home to its NFL stadium location. Shake Shack already has locations in Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, the Mets’ Citi Field, and just down 95 at Nationals Park in D.C. “They’re in other stadiums and areas and do very well there,” said Ravens senior VP of stadium operations Roy Sommerhof. “Their burger is a great burger and they have a lot of great options with it.” Though the signature long lines are to be expected, we’ll take a Smoke Shack Burger over chicken tenders any day.

Arguably more important, the Ravens beat the Redskins 23-3 in the first pre-season game of the year last night. It was a good start considering the team didn’t have its franchise quarterback and a couple of starting offensive linemen. According to ESPN, players and coaches alike are hoping that the Ravens can rely on the run game to really move the ball this year, including reinventing some tactics with new senior offensive assistant Greg Roman. “Especially in the running game, you really do not know where you are at until you play somebody else,” coach John Harbaugh said. “It is a point of emphasis. We have been working really hard at it, and I like what we are doing. I like the way it is being coached, and I like the way the guys are working on the drills, and proof will be in the outcome.”

This seems promising, as does the fact that the team restructured cornerback Jimmy Smith’s contract, creating $5.15 million of cap space. Let’s hope that—Kaepernick or no Kaepernick—these are all good signs for the regular season.

Manny Machado, aka Mr. Miami, hits a grand slam.
It’s been an up and down week for the Orioles (who still have a chance to make the playoffs, by the way) but a real highlight was seeing Manny Machado hit a grand slam on Monday night. The seventh-inning bomb led the Orioles to a 6-2 win over the Angels. Though the season started out slow for him, Machado has been on a hot streak since the All-Star break, going 33-for-95 (.347) and homering in back-to-back games. “Things [are] turning out how I want, hits start falling off,” Machado told MLB.com. “I’m getting a little couple cheap hits instead of hard line-outs I’ve gotten in the past. Just trying to continue my routine and hopefully things turn around . . . This has obviously been a learning season for me and I’m going to take everything positively and just learn from this.”

Something we learned this week is that, while there are a lot of common player nicknames on the Orioles (Crush, Tilly), there are many that we didn’t know existed. In honor of the inaugural Players Weekend, Aug. 25-27, all players will wear colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs. Each player picks a nickname for the back of their jerseys and we were certainly impressed with the selection. What’s your favorite? We are partial to Pappo and Cabob.

Maryland women’s basketball team readies for trip to Taiwan.
The World University Games will take place in Taiwan August 19-30 and the Terps women’s basketball squad will be the second college program to be invited in lieu of a hand-picked all-star team. This has given the team a chance to avoid the NCAA’s 40-day practice restriction rule and get to on-court training sessions in College Park earlier than normal. “This international competition is going to be a tremendous head start for us going into the following season,” coach Brenda Frese told University of Maryland newspaper The Diamondback. “You can’t simulate this kind of international competition that we’re going to face . . . I think we’re going to learn a ton about our team, which will prepare us for the upcoming season.” Look out for burgeoning talent in freshman guard Channise Lewis.

Speaking of basketball…
We were so excited that Baltimore Boys, an ESPN “30 for 30” documentary about the phenomenal early ’80s Dunbar basketball team premiered this week. We spoke to co-director and Park Heights native Sheldon Candis about making the film and finally got to see the final result Tuesday. The documentary was an honest look at Baltimore during that time, an emotional chronicle of difficult childhoods and the death of Reggie Leiws, and ultimately a celebration of the Dunbar Poet players and fierce leadership under Coach Bob Wade. 

Just for fun, here’s a highlight video of the incredible 5’3″ Muggsy Bogues doing what he does best.

File This Under: Trades That Will Never Happen
Look, if we had our druthers, Manny Machado would stay an Oriole for life. But if the Orioles truly can’t afford to sign him—or, if they do sign him, it’ll completely break bank—they should consider trading him for a bunch of high quality prospects. A team like the Dodgers, who have a loaded farm system, would be ideal. 

You know where the Orioles should definitely, never, under no circumstances trade him? To the freaking Boston Red Sox. And yet, that is exactly a trade that Buster Olney—who used to write for The Sun, I might add—suggested on SportsCenter. Yes, it’s true. The Red Sox are in need of a third baseman. It’s also true that the Sox are in contention and the Orioles . . . less so. (Although, after that four-game sweep of the Rangers, we are feeling ourselves.) 

But you don’t trade one of the best players in baseball to a division rival? And especially not the Red Sox, with whom Machado has a fair amount of (justifiable) bad blood. No, nope, never, nada. And don’t you get any bright ideas, either, Yankees.

Speaking of Manny . . .

You gotta love this guy. As you might know, due to what has thus far been subpar offensive season, Machado was not an All Star this season. A one-year glitch, we’re sure. But he did attend the All-Star Game to cheer on his boy Jonathan Schoop and other friends in the game. His assessment: “Yeah, it’s a little boring to watch it…I don’t know how people go out there an watch games. Now I know why sometimes people don’t come to games.” You’re not supposed to say that out loud, dude.

Phelps vs. Shark: It is On!
The moment we’ve all been waiting for—Phelpnado, you might call it—“starts” this Sunday, July 23 on the Discovery Channel. We put “starts” in quotes, because that’s their word, not ours. Not sure how long you can stretch out a race between a swimmer and a fish, but I guess we’re about to find out. Meanwhile, we’ve done a little research. The Great White Shark can go up to 35 miles per hour. Phelps, at his fastest, can go only 6 miles per hour. Umm, that seems bad for Phelps. 

From what we’ve learned, Phelps was equipped with a special shark-like fin to make his time faster. Okay, that should do the trick. Anyway, we’re not totally sure if Phelps and the shark are actually swimming side-by-side or if they’re in two separate bodies of water (which would be laaaaame). The good news? We saw Phelps on Fallon last night and he looked healthy and happy and definitely had all his limbs, so no matter what happened, Phelps emerged intact. Tune in.

We’re Loving These New Under Armour Commercials
Homegrown sports apparel behemoth Under Armour has launched a new ad campaign targeting women called “Unlike Any,” starring ballerina Misty Copeland, stuntwoman Jessie Graff, and world champion sprinter Natasha Hastings, among others, and featuring poems recited by their authors.   

The first one, “For Misty” features Copeland in a stark, concrete arena, warming up and slowly dancing, as poet Saul Williams entrancingly reads an accompanying poem. Notably, there is no music.   

The second one, “For Natasha” features poet Dominique Christina as Hastings begins running alone on a sandy stretch of land; “For Jessie” is set to a poem written by Kojey Radical, and shows Graff doing a lot of “Do Not Try This At Home” stuff like hanging from rafters and flipping through the air.
All the commercials emphasize determination, solitude, grace, and female power. We approve.

Apparently We’re Not the Only Ones Geeked About Game of Thrones.

The Ravens and the Orioles are, too. Both teams posted a Westeros-themed video to their social media accounts in anticipation of last Sunday’s Game of Thrones premiere. In the Orioles case, they offered a Game of Thrones ticket package that included a pre-game bullpen party, a photo op with the iron throne (shouldn’t that be Iron Man Throne?), and tee-shirt featuring the Watcher of the Wall. John Stark? Hell no, this is Birdland. Adam Jones!

The Ravens posted the fun video featured below.

The Good, The Bad, and The Adorable: O’s edition
The Good: Despite the O’s latest slump, Manny Machado continues to shine. ESPN the Magazine’s Tim Keown has christened Manny as “the face of MLB’s new identity.”  

“Machado moves with a sprawling looseness that flirts with elegance,” Keown writes in the profile. “His endless limbs and their unusual liquidity have spawned tales — possibly apocryphal—about their composition.”

A perfect example of the “sprawling looseness” and “liquidity” were showcased during last Saturday’s win against the St. Louis Cardinals. Machado seemed to defy the laws of gravity and strength with an insane throw from foul territory to Davis at first base. 

The Bad: After Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians, the O’s have now allowed five or more runs in 19 consecutive games, placing them one game away from tying the MLB record set by the 1924 Phillies. Ouch!

The Adorable: Buck Showalter missed Thursday’s game to be with his daughter, Allie, in Dallas and witness the birth of his first grandchild, Winston. Hopefully he will be the good luck charm the O’s so desperately need. Let’s hope he starts practicing his wind-up once he’s home.

Ravens football is back.
Training camp officially begins on July 26, so that means football season will be here before we know it. If minicamp highlight videos are any indication of what the season will look like, we are so ready.

Speaking of the Ravens, tight end Benjamin Watson has been spending his time in the offseason advocating for human rights. Watson traveled to Lebanon in April where he saw first-hand the Middle East’s refugee crisis and now plans to travel to the Dominican Republic later this month with the International Justice Mission to fight for rights against sex trafficking.

Shootout for soldiers
For the past six years, volunteers have signed up to play 24 games of lacrosse for 24 hours straight to raise money to support American veterans. In order to participate, teams must raise a minimum of  $750 to secure a one-hour game slot. This year’s event, June 20-21 in Elkridge, raised more than $200,000. 

Trey Mancini has a magical night at Camden Yards. 
It’s fitting that Trey Mancini sounds like the name of an old-timey magician—because he certainly knows how to put it on a show. On Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Orioles fans felt pretty deflated going into the ninth inning down 6-2. But the Orioles managed to put runners on the corners with no outs, causing the Pirates to bring in closer Tony Watson. A sac fly by Joey Rickard and double by J.J. Hardy cut the lead in half. Then Buck Showalter put in Mancini as a pitch-hitter, where he battled against Watson for eight pitches before hitting a two-run homer out of the park to tie the game.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, two innings later, Mancini delivered an extra-inning walk-off homer to give the Orioles a 9-6 victory in 11 innings. Because baseball nerds love numbers, Stats LLC reported that he is the first Oriole ever to accomplish the feat of pinch-hitting a game-tying homer and then hitting a walk-off in extra innings. In fact, there have only been two regular position players to ever do it: Boog Powell in 1966 and Eddie Murray in 1980. Pretty impressive company.

Ravens release Dennis Pitta after hip injury.
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Dennis Pitta was released Wednesday by the Baltimore Ravens after reinjuring his hip. Pitta is currently being hospitalized and undergoing procedures after he dislocated his hip for the third time in five years. This past Friday, he hurt his hip without any contact and merely stretching out for a catch. Previously, Pitta dislocated his hip during training camp in 2013 and early in the 2014 season. But in 2016 he returned to set team and career high records in catches.

“For him to get that year and to play so well was probably something beyond expectations and yet we hoped for me,” Coach John Harbaugh told ESPN. “We thought we would get more—it was not meant to be.” 

The latest injury for the tight end could be career-ending, and the release frees up $2.5 million in salary-cap room for the Ravens. “It’s going to be a tough conversation,” Harbaugh said. “But we’re friends.”

We will miss the on-field chemistry between real-life best friends Pitta and quarterback Joe Flacco. We wish Pitta and his family the best of luck as he recovers.

Manny Machado out with sprained left wrist.

In other injury news, one downside to Wednesday night’s incredibly Orioles game was third baseman Manny Machado leaving it early due to a strained left wrist, puncture, and bruise. During an awkward stolen-base slide into third, Pirate outfielder Andrew McCutchen unintentionally spiked Machado’s wrist as he tried to field the throw from the catcher.

As a result, Chris Davis got his first start at third base since 2014 against the Nationals on Thursday night. Though it’s been a while, Davis has the most experience at the position.

“I think he’s started over 300 games there, counting the minor leagues,” Showalter told The Sun. “I’m not particularly happy about having to do it, but it’s kind of where we are as a club.”

Woman ends 444-mile solo kayak journey in Havre de Grace.
Cathy Mumford pulled her kayak, dubbed “Sparky” into Havre de Grace marina at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday after quite the trip. The New Jersey native paddled for 444 miles and 26 days by herself from Cooperstown, New York down the Susquehanna River. She started her journey on Mother’s Day, May 14, paddling in her yellow, 9.5-foot kayak and camping along the way. 

“I see lots of fishermen, lots of Boy Scouts. I hardly ever see girls,” she told The Sun. “I’d just like to encourage young women to get out there more.”

Red Sox series ends, thankfully.

Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph summarized the week quite well, and on Wednesday night, with still one game left to be played in the O’s contentious series with the Red Sox. “I’m the most excited person to get the hell out of Boston,” Joseph told reporters.

Seriously.

What the heck was that?!

We wrote a good amount about the heated first two days of the four-game series, including the disgusting and racially motivated words Adam Jones said were tossed at him from the centerfield bleachers at Fenway Park, and the latest (fifth) intentionally thrown fastball by a Red Sox pitcher at our beloved Manny Machado.

That afternoon, the O’s and Red Sox essentially got called into the principal’s office. Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred held a special conference call with representatives from both sides, telling them to knock off the childish, unwritten-rules-of-baseball feud that’s stretched back almost two weeks when the Sox took offense to a high Machado slide into second base.

On Wednesday night, quick-triggered home plate umpire Sam Holbrook ejected O’s starting pitcher Kevin Gausman in the second inning when he hit a batter with a 76 mile-per-hour hanging curveball. It wasn’t the type of pitch you’d typically intentionally hit someone with if you wanted to get your money’s worth. The 98 mile-per-hour fastball Chris Sale buzzed by Machado the night before was. “It’s malarkey,” Joseph said. (We need to talk more with this guy!) Then Jones got ejected later in the game for arguing balls and strikes.

Last night’s series-ending game, an 8-3 win, was less dramatic, and more sweet and orderly for the O’s. Machado launched a 466-foot moonshot home run that landed on the street outside Fenway – his third cathartic HR in the four games – and boos rained down as he circled the bases, as they did before every one of his at-bats on the road trip. Manny, after his epic rant against the Red Sox organization, is a serious villain in Boston. With the way some fans there behaved this week, we don’t mind being on this (right) side. “This is my team. I play for Baltimore,” Manny said last night. “I bleed for this team. I’m going to die out there, I’m going to do whatever I’ve got to do to keep this team going.”

Ravens tight end Ben Watson seems like one heck of a guy. 
The 36-year-old veteran hasn’t played a regular season game with the Ravens yet (he tore an Achilles’ tendon last preseason), but he’s already doing things worth noting. How often can you write this sentence? Not only did he recently spend three days in Lebanon, helping Christian humanitarian charity World Vision assist refugees near the country’s border with Syria, but the father of five also this week released a new book, The New Dad’s Playbook: Gearing Up For the Biggest Game of Your Life. Waston, who signed with the Ravens last offseason and won a Super Bowl title with the Patriots, is obviously a Renaissance Man. Back in 2004, when he was rookie coming out of Georgia, he scored a 48 – the third-highest score ever – on the NFL’s Wonderlic test, used to evaluate the learning and problem-solving ability of prospects. Sounds like he and mathematician lineman John Urschel have their own section of the locker room.

So is former Ravens tight end Todd Heap. 
Former Ravens tight end Todd Heap and wife, Ashley, are going through every parent’s worst nightmare: the unthinkable death of a child. A few weeks ago, Heap tragically and accidentally hit and killed his 3-year-old daughter, Holly, while moving his truck in the driveway of the family home in Arizona. Absolutely heart-breaking. On Wednesday, on what would have been the fourth birthday of their daughter, the Heaps asked the world to wear pink and hand out #HugsFromHolly in her memory. Twenty-five of the NFL’s 32 teams shared support on social media.

Welcome a 330-pound London native and rugby player to town. 
Jermaine Eluemunor, the Ravens fifth-round draft pick, selected last weekend, doesn’t exactly carry the usual NFL rookie profile. Aside from being typically large, as required for offensive lineman (he weighed 300 pounds when he was 14 years old and is now 6-foot-4, 330 pounds), Eluemunor sounds like he’s from London (because he is), and has only played one full season of football as a starter. He has more experience playing rugby. In any case, he’s in town with the Ravens now, who hope he’ll blossom into a bonafide NFL lineman, and he’ll get to visit his home country this season when they play the Jacksonville Jaguars Sept. 26 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

And say goodbye to an old Ravens fan favorite.

His stay in Baltimore wasn’t very long, but Justin Forsett’s retirement this week is notable because of how beloved he became in just two seasons with the team. He originally signed a one-year deal with the Ravens in 2014, expecting to be a third-string running back, but became the starter after Ray Rice’s suspension and release, and injuries to Bernard Pierce. Forsett, not the biggest or fastest guy, which he noted in his retirement announcement, helped during a difficult time, and had the best season of nine-year career, racking up 1,266 yards. “Congrats to Justin Forsett on his outstanding football career,” John Harbaugh said in a statement. “A Pro Bowl player and a Pro Bowl person. We were honored to have this outstanding and blessed man as a Raven. His success will continue, no doubt.”

Forsett wrote more about his retirement here:

Brigade’s home opener is Sunday afternoon. 
One more football note: The first-year Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League host their home opener at Royal Farms Arena at 1 p.m. Sunday. Here’s a glimpse of what you can expect to see, from the field, at least:

Wonder if Joe Flacco will support the home team this time?

What a strange, intense inferno of a week it’s been for the Orioles.

This, all in the last two nights in Boston: Adam Jones said racist fans repeatedly heckled him in the outfield on Monday, at least one tossed a bag of peanuts at him, and stadium officials eventually escorted that guy out of Fenway Park; many more (non-racist-name-calling) Red Sox fans gave Jones a standing ovation on Tuesday before his first at-bat in a sign of support; but the good feelings ended just one batter later, when Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale threw yet another ball of rubber, twisted-yarn and cowhide at nearly 100 miles per hour in the direction of Manny Machado’s head.

It’s often easy to lose track of who holds the moral high ground in the weird, childish, and occasionally embarrassing tit-for-tat world of unwritten baseball rules. Maybe the latest Missile at Manny, the fifth (!) by a Red Sox pitcher this year, was in retaliation from Monday, when Dylan Bundy hit one of their guys or because Manny took some extra time rounding the bases after a cathartic home run.

However, the fan tossing food and the racist words at Fenway is more cut and dry. Even the Red Sox owners requested to meet with Jones on Tuesday morning to apologize and address the situation, and Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker tweeted:

What’s more, Jones said to media on Monday night, the incident is bringing to light a very dark underbelly of baseball fandom and he thinks it’s important to speak on it rather than stay silent. He said it wasn’t the first time he’s heard the n-word on the road in Boston, and a few black Major League Baseball players have said the same the last two days.

“It’s frustrating for me,” he told reporters. “I am a grown man with a family to raise and I am not going to let somebody just sit there and berate me. Let’s be honest with ourselves—this isn’t the only place that’s like that. It’s all about having a conversation and, once you have the dialogue, that means you can work toward something.”

But the latest on-field events last night, even if linked indirectly by the sole discretion of one pitcher, did nothing but keep open the unresolved, simmering tension between the two teams that started more than a week ago, when a Machado slide into little-guy second baseman Dustin Pedroia was perceived as a “dirty” play.

Manny insists that high-leg wasn’t intentional, and he’s obviously seen and heard enough about all the shenanigans. Machado unleashed another towering homer last night, against Sale, and after Boston’s 5-2 win last night (oh, yes, the scoreboard; remember that’s why they play? And the O’s are still tied with the Yankees for first place in the A.L. East), he lost it, as players sometimes do in post-game interviews with media after wild, temper-raising affairs.

“I’ve lost mad respect for that organization, for that coaching staff, for everyone over there,” Machado said amid a profanity-laced tirade that will probably endear the Gold Glover even more to dedicated O’s fans.

Here’s the NSFW without headphones version (unless your office-mates are cool), and here’s a cleaned up version with MASN’s Gary Thorne after the game, who sounds like he wishes he could have asked more.

In more than one way, the O’s take on the personality of their bench leader, Buck Showalter. The manager has never been one to steer completely clear of controversy and not speak his mind. Close observers will remember him digging at the Yankees and Red Sox in a Men’s Journal article shortly upon arrival in Baltimore.

One of Machado’s salient points in his rant is, if he charges the mound, he’ll get suspended “for a year,” he said—not really, but a long time, like the five games he got in 2014 for throwing a bat—while a pitcher who intentionally throws at a hitter maybe gets a game or two.

And to think, the Orioles still have two more games to play in Boston this week.

O’s make a great first impression on Opening Day.
Here’s to next Monday being as good as the last one: Opening Day at Camden Yards. More than 45,000 fans in the ballpark. Cal in the front row. The weather held up nicely all day. And, just before 7 p.m., with the stadium’s fancy new LED lights flashing and Mark Trumbo rounding the bases, the scene on the field and in the stands was pure jubilation.

The Orioles made an indelible first impression this 2017 baseball season. Trumbo (happy to have you back) smacked a game-winning home run to left field in the bottom of the 11th inning, shortly after closer Zach Britton found a measure of redemption against the Toronto Blue Jays, pitching a scoreless ninth and 10th, after not getting a chance to throw in a eerily similar situation in the O’s final, playoff-exiting game of 2016. And Manny Machado, our dear third baseman, dog-lover, and best bud of teammate Jonathan Schoop, wasted no games making a play worthy of a Gold Glove.

In the end, the lasting image of the day might have been the empty Gatorade coolers near home plate—thrown in celebration—and their icy contents melting into the dirt, as players and staff headed to the clubhouse.

The O’s beat the Jays 3-2, and they have now won their last seven Opening Day games, all under Buck Showalter. Two nights later, they beat Toronto 3-1 against a gorgeous sunset backdrop, so tonight the team welcomes the Yankees on an undefeated streak.

Michael Phelps sports a goggle tan.
Boy, he looked tan, didn’t he? Baltimore’s Olympic hero — and his sunburned red face — made the Internet rounds later on Monday night, when CBS’ broadcast of the NCAA men’s basketball championship game between North Carolina and Gonzaga showed Phelps’ sporting what some reporters with too much time on their hands deemed a “goggle tan.”

The memes took no mercy.

But don’t feel bad. This may be a case of what goes around comes around. Just 48 hours before, on April Fools’ Day, Phelps tweeted out to the Internet that he was making another Olympic comeback in 2020 in Tokyo. He’s not, for the record, he later said.

Manny sports Skittles.
If accessories make the outfit, then consider the aforementioned Machado red-carpet worthy. He’s apparently a big fan of Skittles and, inside the self-designed Air Jordans he wore on Opening Day, are insoles with pictures of the rainbow candy on them. Plus, the candies are personalized with the letters M, Y, and K, for his name, his wife, Yainee, and his dog, Kobe. Turns out Manny’s wife gives him a goody-bag of Skittles for every road trip. The shoes also boast the number “305,” in homage to the area code of Miami, where Machado played in high school. Swag on.

Adam Jones talks education.
If there’s any week to go heavy on Orioles news, it’s this one, especially when a face of the team like Adam Jones spends the day between the O’s first game and their second (a 3-1 win over Toronto on Wednesday) talking about the value of education to a group of kids from the local Boys & Girls Club.

The Orioles, Jones and his wife, Audie, the former Roland Park girls basketball star, made a $75,000 donation to the youth organization for the fourth straight year. Jones never went to college, because he pursued a major league career right out of high school in San Diego, but told the kids “education is the backbone of anything.”

Baltimore Brigade’s first season starts tonight.
It was a relatively slow news week on the Ravens front—the team welcomed free agent center Nick Mangold for a visit to the Castle (he left without signing a contract), the club traded defensive lineman Timmy Jernigan to the Eagles, and it signed wide receiver Michael Campanaro to a one-year deal. Those are humdrum developments compared what’s happening tonight: the debut of the town’s newest football team, the Arena Football League’s Brigade, as it kicks off its inaugural season in Washington, D.C. Here’s some more info about the team, which will host its first home game on May 7 at Royal Farms Arena.

Even manager Buck Showalter got in on the action, telling The Sun, “the thing I loved about it the most is that there was a Yankee fan trying to get into the field of play that he took it away from. That was probably the highlight for me.”

USA defeated the Dominican Republic 6-3 and went on to conquer Puerto Rico in the final, 8-0, to become the World Baseball Classic champions. U-S-A! U-S-A!

Keeping up with the Ravens.
With all the recent changes to the Ravens roster, let’s make sure we are all up to speed:

Hello: Running back Danny Woodhead, safety Tony Jefferson, and cornerback Brandon Carr.

Bye-Bye: Fullback Kyle Juszczyk and center Jeremy Zuttah are heading to San Francisco. Receiver Kamar Aiken is headed to Indianapolis. Defensive backs Shareece Wright and Kendrick Lewis were waived and safety Ladarius Webb was released.

Welcome Back: Quarterback Ryan Mallet, receiver Mike Wallace, linebacker Anthony Levine Sr., and defensive tackle Brandon Williams. (We’re particularly excited about Williams, both for his on-field performance and his killer dance moves.)

Good news for the Flacco-Pitta bromance fans: Tight end Dennis Pitta—Flacco’s favorite target and BFF—is staying in Baltimore. Pitta restructured his contract taking a pay cut for both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Last year, Pitta led the league in tight end receptions (86) after being forced to take a two-year hiatus due to a hip injury. According to Ravens salary-cap expert Brian McFarland, Pitta’s cut will save the Ravens $2.5 million in cap space.

Lady Terps headed to the Sweet Sixteen.
Fear the Turtle! Despite receiving a lower than expected third seed, Maryland women’s basketball team continues to shine as they clinched their 13th NCAA Sweet Sixteen spot after defeating West Virginia 83-56 on March 19. West Virginia had a five-game winning streak going into the contest but the Maryland squad proved the Mountaineers were no match. At the end of the first half, freshman guard Destiny Slocum lands a buzzer-beating, three-point shot from beyond half court.

This marks the Terrapins 25th appearance in the NCAA tournament. Since 2002, coach Frese has led the team to eight Sweet Sixteens, six Elite Eights, three Final Fours and in 2006, the NCAA title. The Terps are set to face off against the Oregon Ducks in Bridgeport, CT on Saturday, March 25.

The Orioles were robbed of Gold Gloves, Cy Young nod.
There were clearly a lot of surprises this week and, while this one seems minor in the grand scheme of things, Orioles fans were shocked with the news. For the first time since 2010, no Orioles were awarded with Gold Glove awards. This is especially jarring since third baseman Manny Machado had the highest fielding percentage and the second-fewest errors at his position. The decision not to award Chris Davis, who we saw make some impressive catches at first base this year, is a bit more understandable considering his 10 errors to winner Mitch Moreland’s two.

But the real crime is that closer Zach Britton wasn’t even named a finalist for the Cy Young Award, when he didn’t blow a save all year. Granted, relievers don’t normally factor in, but his 2016 season was exemplary with a perfect 47-for-47 in save opportunities, a league-leading 0.54 ERA for pitchers who have worked at least 50 innings, and a span of 43 appearances without a single home run (from April 30 to August 24). Needless to say, manager Buck Showalter is not pleased.

“That’s a real poor reflection on the people who are evaluating him,” the skipper told MASN. “This guy had maybe the best year in the history of relief pitching. He should have finished in the top three in MVP, OK? He should. There’s nobody in baseball who’s more valuable to their team than Zach Britton is to the Orioles.” Preach!

One possibly silver lining? Quite literally, Mark Trumbo received the 2016 Silver Slugger Award for one of three American League (AL) outfield positions, the first Oriole outfielder to win the award since 2013. And, possibly best of all, Showalter was once again named a finalist for AL Manager of the Year with some stiff competition in the Indians’ Terry Francona. The winner will be announced next Tuesday, November 15, but we all know who gets our vote.

Orioles don’t make QO to catcher Matt Wieters.
Fan favorite and hometown boy Matt Wieters may not be wearing an Orioles uniform next year. While the team made a qualifying offer to Trumbo, they passed on the chance to extend the $17.2M, single-season offer to Wieters this time around. The catcher struggled a bit this past season with a .243 average and fell well shy of the above-average offensive number he has posted in prior years. Though he was an All Star, hit 17 home runs, and had solid fielding, the team likely wasn’t willing to pay big bucks based on his age, offensive production, and future injury risk. But Wieters, now a free agent, should have his fair share of suitors.

As far as the Orioles, they may not have to look very far for a replacement since Chance Sisco was named as the best position player in the club’s minor league system by Baseball America. The 22-year-old spent most of the season at AA Bowie before a promotion to AAA Norfolk, hitting for a combined .317 with six homers, 28 doubles, and 51 RBIs.

Tatyana McFadden wins fourth-consecutive New York City marathon.
We’ve got a real-life Superwoman in Clarksville native Tatyana McFadden. After a stunning performance at the Olympics in Rio, the Paralympic athlete returned to the states to dominate at the New York City marathon on Sunday. It is her fourth-consecutive title, finishing the wheelchair race in one hour, 47 minutes and 43 seconds. Not to mention that she completed the Grand Slam by winning in London, Boston, Chicago, and New York. The New York Times beautifully recounted McFadden’s multi-burough race, in which she thrived on the uphill climb of the Queensboro Bridge and stayed focus throughout:

McFadden pushed well ahead of the field at the start, before Schär, Amanda McGrory and Susannah Scaroni caught up by Mile 6 in Brooklyn. The pack stayed tight until the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge. Koch, a former New York mayor, had a trademark line — “How’m I doin’?” — and McFadden had an answer. Just fine. She even loves the crosswind. Makes it even tougher. Here she continued to pass the elite male wheelchair racers, including her coach, Adam Bleakney, a four-time Paralympian. What did he say to his star racer? “Not a word,” Bleakney said. “She was going too fast.”

Baltimore Ravens draft Ronnie Stanley.
In the first night of the NFL Draft on Thursday, the Ravens selected offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley from Notre Dame with its sixth pick. The 6’6″ 312-lb. tackle will provide much-needed protection for Joe Flacco, many equating the OT with Tyron Smith of the Dallas Cowboys. An added bonus is that Stanley actually played basketball in high school, giving him quick feet and a great run game. Stanley comes into the league as one of the top two offensive tackles in the draft, alongside Laremy Tunsil of Ole Miss, whose work ethic has been questioned recently—especially since a video of Tunsil smoking out of a bong with a gas mask was posted to his Twitter account minutes before the draft. Thankfully, Stanley had great numbers in the NFL Combine and is completely clean off the field. Phew!

Under Armour’s Jordan Spieth becomes Snapchat star.
Clearly Under Armour athlete Jordan Spieth didn’t spend much time mourning his surprising collapse at the Masters. Instead, the young golf star has been vacationing in Baker’s Bay in the Bahamas with Justin Thomas and Smylie Kaufman while Rickie Fowler documents the whole thing on Snapchat. There were some boat trips, dinners on the water, time spent in ceremonial headdresses, (because, obviously), and even a video joking about Spieth’s Masters performance. Spieth is relaxing while he can since he has a busy stretch coming up in May before the U.S. Open on June 16-19. But, for now it’s all fun in the Snapchat sun.

Plus! Just try not to tear up at this video of Steve Smith Sr. taking North Carolina high school senior Aubrey Bridges to prom.
It’s impossible.

2. It’s official: Smartest lineman in the professional football history is a Raven.
We knew John Urschel, our 6-foot-3, 300-pound-plus guard/center, did math in the offseason for fun, publishing peer-reviewed papers about matrix algebra, Fiedler vectors and whatnot. We’ve written about it. But this week he raised his game—tweeting that he’s now pursuing a doctorate in math at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We don’t really know if that makes him the smartest NFL lineman ever, but we do know makes him a lot better with numbers than anyone on the Baltimore magazine’s editorial team, however.

3. Manny Machado loves his wife.
Which is awesome. Still, we’re not sure about our third baseman’s new tattoo, which he post on Instagram, on his right forearm. It’s a portrait of Yainee, who he married after the 2014 season. Nothing against tats. We have a photo spread coming up in our March issue featuring the tattoos of local chefs, but portraits are tough to translate into ink on flesh—even of a beautiful woman like Yainee. One fan called it Manny’s “first error of 2016.” Judge for yourself, though. No doubt we’ll all see plenty of it when he’s playing in short sleeves this July and August.

4. Under Armour has already won the Super Bowl.
UA, of course, has been a roll of late with their young stars, like Steph Curry and Jordan Speith, winning major titles. Now, our favorite ginormous athletic apparel and shoe company, which signed Cam Newton out of Auburn, is all but certain (okay, the Panthers are only 3 or 4-point favorites, but we think they’re a lock) to add a Super Bowl championship to the list of accomplishments from their already super-marketable stable of athletes. We also understand that Under Armour will be selling special, limited addition $500 gold cleats signed by Newton if he wins the MVP—with half the proceeds going to his foundation. It’s for a good cause, but all the same, we’ll stick with our black Johnny Unitas high-tops.

5. Former Dunbar coach Pete Pompey passes away.
This makes us very sad. Pete Pompey, the former Dunbar and Edmondson basketball and football coach, passed away last week at 75. A Douglass High alum and a standout quarterback at Morgan State in that school’s football heyday, Pompey coached at the two high schools for 31 years, covering 60 seasons between the two sports. Pompey earned national “Coach of the Year” recognition in basketball from USA Today in 1992 and “All-Metro Coach of the Year” honors in football at Edmondson in 1999 from The Sun. More importantly, he served as a father figure for countless boys and young men in the city.

Honorable Mention: Michael Phelps Distracts ASU Opponents with Speedo.
Baltimore native and legendary Olympiad Michael Phelps is now working as an assistant swim coach at Arizona State University. Apparently, one of the new duties of the job is to help the school’s college basketball team win by cheering in a speedo in the student section’s infamous “Curtain of Distraction” with 13:47 left to play. Needless to say, the Sun Devils beat the Oregon State Beavers 86-68.