Random Thoughts

Some thoughts on sports happenings:

• So the NBA has a ref betting on games? Why am I not surprised? David Stern ruined the game of basketball with his "market the stars & major markets" approach in the 80's & 90's. It created a lot of doubt in the credibility of his garbage product among a lot of legitimate, passionate sports fans. Especially those of us who followed teams from smaller markets. Have fun spinning your way out of this mess, commissioner.
• Dave Trembley is making the Orioles interesting again. He's 18-13 and he's only had Miguel Tejada for 2 of those games. There are 2 big differences I see - (1) he's doing a very nice job of managing the bullpen & it's pitching much better and (2) there have been far fewer mental errors. The rest of the season is the real test. The O's have 29 of their last 62 games against the Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels, and they're already down 8-6 in the 8th in one of those games (suspended game in June). If they can continue to play smart baseball and hold their own these last 2 months the O's may have found their man.
  
• Speaking of the O's, I'll be interested in seeing how Jeremy Guthrie pitches these last 2 months. He's been a real steal so far but I keep getting the feeling that his bubble is about to burst.
• Sunday will be a great day - Cal goes into the Hall and the Ravens open training camp. I can't wait!