Watching Baltimore suffer a heart-breaking 17-15 loss to the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts Sunday and drop to 5-5, an observer could draw a strong parallel between the primary needs of the Ravens and the Orioles, their hometown baseball “”cousins.’   Like the Orioles, the Ravens are hoping to find players who will provide a significant upgrade at the corner positions. … read more

I am declaring that from now on, political correctness is hereby forever kyboshed on the Organ. No more Mister Nice Guy and wussy writing in these weekly diatribes. After deep thought and with an intense look at myself, I’ve decided to come out and expose the ugly side of my persona. I’m going rogue. Now this decision didn’t come… read more

Back in the late Eighties, we enjoyed a trustful reporter-athlete relationship with the Washington Bullets Darrell Walker, a rugged defensive guard and effective playmaker. He was always forthright and incisive in analyzing a game, attributes that would serve him well in future years when he became an NBA coach.   But Walker was always one to openly dispute a… read more

In great contests, each party claims to act in accordance with the will of God. Both sides may be, and one side must be wrong. God cannot be for and against the same thing at the same time. President Abraham Lincoln–late September 1862 after issuing the Emancipation Proclamation What a week we’ve had since I last wrote. First the… read more

  Watching the Ravens lose for the second time to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday was mindful of an 18th century British nursery rhyme:   “Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye.     Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie…..’   Taking a few liberties, it was 38 Ravens who were baked, basted and… read more

Not a great week in the old hometown, starting with the announcement of a merger that will see the corporate demise of the stalwart and much revered Black and Decker. The company, headquartered in the local environs, is going to be absorbed into its chief rival and competitor Stanley, and the loss of jobs and other ancillary benefits by… read more

  A carefree driver busy texting slams into the back of a car stopped at a light. A dwarf-like man steps out of the damaged car, examines the extensive damage to his bumper and says, “I’m not happy.’’   And the instigator replies, “Then you must be “Sleepy’ or ‘Sneezy.’”   Now, the Ravens’ Ray Rice is not a… read more

We have just suffered through the deadliest month in Afghanistan since that war started eight years ago. Afghan President Karzai and at least one of his brothers have been accused of throwing the recent elections (at least 30 percent of the votes appear to be tainted), participating in the extremely lucrative Afghan poppy/heroin trade, and allegedly being on the… read more

The general consensus concerning the financial markets bailout is that not only was it a good idea, but also that it was necessary. The financial system, for myriad reasons, was at the brink of collapse, probably closer to disaster than most of us realized, and the infusion of taxpayer money saved the day. Granted, this is a counter-factual argument,… read more

  When the Yankees and Phillies begin the 2009 World Series in the Bronx tonight, it will have baseball historians reminding fans of the last time these two teams played for a championship 59 years ago when Philadelphia’s surprising 1950 “Whiz Kids’’ captured the heart of the country.   But there will be no “first-hand’’ accounts of how these… read more