Menendez, Grahm urge obama to get tough on Iran; Manny Machado hurt, carried from field on stretcher

BALTIMORE, Maryland September 23, 2013 - Two Senators urge obama to stand up for U.S. interests:  Two U.S. Senators, one from each party, have said in a joint letter to the White House that obama should not be fooled by kind words from Iran's new leader.  The goal in any talks has to be the end of Iran's nuclear weapons program, something the new leader, Hassan Rowhani, has not proposed publicly.  Senators Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, urged obama to tread with extreme caution in any direct talks with Iran's newly elected president.  They acknowledge that Rowhani's election is a reflection of the Iranian People's worries about their nation's aggressive weapons build-up.  Not stated in their letter, but swirling conspicuously in every conversation is the dismal record obama and his administration have in foreign affairs.  The Syria debacle is only the most recent failure.  IRS Scandal: Lois Lerner retiring:  The flash point in the IRS Scandal, former IRS head Lois Lerner, has announced her retirement.  Lerner plead the fifth amendment and walked out of a congressional hearing in the immediate aftermath of the scandal's revelation.  She is on paid administrative leave.  Some Congressmen have demanded that she give complete testimony in exchange for any consideration by those investigating the scandal, which more and more looks like the key factor in obama's inexplicable re-election.  Orioles drop heartbreaker to Tampa, are swept in four-game series; Machado injured:  Tampa pinch-hitter James Loney hit a home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth, sending the Orioles to another crushing defeat, their fifth straight at the season's critical juncture.  To make matters worse, All-Star Third Baseman Manny Machado was seriously hurt in the seventh inning and was taken from the field on a stretcher.  His knee appeared to bend inward as he raced to first base on a ground ball.  As he got to the bag safely, his right knee buckled and bent inward, sending him sprawling to the ground in great pain.  His replacement, Alexxi Casila, was also injured when his head hit into Right Fielder Nick Markakis' leg as the two chased a Texas League Pop Up in the Bottom of the Seventh.  Casilla stayed in the game until the end of the inning but was replaced by Danny Valencia when the Orioles took the field in the bottom of the eighth.  After three straight losses to the Rays, the Orioles had jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the final game of the series today in Tampa.  Chris Davis and Brian Roberts hit home runs and J.J. Hardy also knocked in a run for the Orioles.  The rally that scored the first three runs was cut short when the third base umpire fell completely asleep while Ryan Flaherty was at bat.  With two outs and runners at first and second base, Flaherty was hit by the pitch.  But the third base umpire said he swung at the pitch.  His bat hardly moved but facts don't matter when the umpire makes up something when he wasn't paying the slightest  bit of attention.  The Orioles now trail the Indians by five games with six to play, and the magic number to eliminate them from the Wild Card Race is two.  Any combination of Indian wins or Oriole defeats which total two eliminates the Orioles' playoff hopes.  Less than one week ago the Birds had pulled back to within one game of the Wild Card.