Iggy’s Ravens Report – March 9, 2013

Ravens:
With Flacco now the highest paid player in the NFL, the Ravens need to fill in the pieces around him. Next up on the priority list is Ellerbe, who could command significant dollars on the open market, but has expressed his desire to stay in Baltimore. Meanwhile, the Ravens are trying to negotiate a pay cut for Boldin. If unsuccessful, the Ravens would release Boldin, who has already stated his intent to retire if that does happen. The bigger implication is the loss of a “go to” receiver for the Ravens, that is not easily filled. Other free agent news has Cary Williams on the market, Ed Reed still in limbo, and Paul Kruger heading for the exit. Restricted free agents Pitta, Dickson, and Art Jones have been tendered contracts, but if the Ravens want to keep Ellerbe, they will have to do more acrobatics, which may include the release of Vonta Leach, and/or restructuring contracts of big names, like Ngata, Suggs, and Yanda. That is fine and dandy for 2013, but only amplifies future salary cap problems (see the stealers for a prime example).

Orioles:
Orioles have continued cruising through spring training, including a 19-7 romp of the Spanish National Team. Some players have started to be released to the minor league camp, as our pitching staff remains strong, but the hitting remains the focus as March wears on. Despite an unexpectedly successful 2012 campaign, most analyst still see the Orioles as an anomaly, which they don’t know how to classify because they don’t conform to traditional team models. The team is set for more “why not” type heroics, where there is a different hero every game, and no mega stars on the roster. Let’s go O’s!

Alouettes
Nothing to report.

Blast:
The Blast (21-5) clinched first place in the regular season last weekend, and started the playoffs with a 22-13 win over Chicago with a second game tonight in the 2 game mini-series. With a win, the Blast would face the winner of the Milwaukee/Missouri match-up for the championship next Saturday. Milwaukee won the first game of the series, and will host Missouri on Sunday.

Chesapeake Bayhawks: (Home games at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium)
Seeking a pulse on Florida’s interest level for lacrosse, the Rochester Rattlers will host the Bayhawks on April 27 at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 2013 schedule has been released. Hawkette tryouts are now open.

Charm:
The Charm will open the 2013 season at Jacksonville on May 25.

Capitals (See website for more details):
The Caps have won 3 in a row, and are now tied for 3rd in their division, 1 point ahead of Florida and Columbus for worst record in the NHL.

Wizards (See website for more details):
The Wizards have lost 2 in a row, and 4 of the last 5, but remain in 3rd place in their division, 7 games ahead of Charlotte within the division and for worst record in the NHL.

Mystics (See website for more details):
Season opens May 27.

D.C.United (See website for more details):
United opened the season with a 2-0 loss to Houston last Saturday and will host Real Salt Lake today.

What do you want to see in the Ravens report? What should be scrapped? Actually, never mind. No one is reading this anyway so you probably won’t know the difference. Send an email to iggy at tealdragon.net. Thanks!

Schedule

2013 Regular Season
Home	Away
Cincinnati Bengals (19-15, 12-6)	Cincinnati Bengals (19-15, 7-9)
Cleveland Browns (21-7, 11-3)	Cleveland Browns (21-7, 10-4)
Pittsburgh Steelers (15-22, 8-10)	Pittsburgh Steelers (15-22, 7-12)
New England Patriots (3-7, 1-2)	Buffalo Bills (3-2, 0-1)
New York Jets (7-1, 5-0)	Miami Dolphins (5-5, 3-4)
Houston Texans (6-1, 3-0)	Denver Broncos (7-4, 2-3)
Green Bay Packers (1-3, 1-0)	Chicago Bears (2-2, 0-2)
Minnesota Vikings (2-2, 2-1)	Detroit Lions (2-1, 0-1)