Goals of Obama: Allies with Iran, A Million Muslim Immigrants to These United States; Millions of New Democratic Voters

BALTIMORE, Maryland February 27, 2015 - The question is whether Barack Obama intends to hide his Muslim sympathies or bring them out in the open. The spineless Republicans won't do anything about it, so it might just be that Obama will say to himself, I'll just tell it like it is and see what anyone will do about it. Before he leaves office, Obama will do the following:

First: he will enter into this agreement with Iran that will, on paper, curtail Iran's ability to refine uranium for several years. After this period of time, they will be, essentially, free to build a nuke. Obama believes the west has discriminated against the Mullahs. Imagine that. Well, don't imagine that. It won't matter. This is what he will do. My question is whether any member of the inner leftist circle or any other member of the administration will resign over such unconscionable acts. I would not bet that they will.

Second: he will open the borders to Muslim immigration, with a goal of allowing over one million Muslim folk enter the USA. You read it here first. He let that cat out of the bag last week when he said that at this time most Americans "still" do not personally know a Muslim. He will provide us with an opportunity to get to know Muslim folk up close and personal. He told a Hispanic group later in the week that there were not enough minority persons in these United States. So he will work to change that.

Third: he will open the doors to voter registration of all new immigrants, legal or illegal. Look for millions of new Democrats; i.e., new uber leftists, and up to two dozen new Republicans, at least.

This is not a joke. Obama is an uber leftist. These are things he lives to accomplish.

What, Exactly, is Obama's Relationship With Islam? It's a Tough Question Even in the Asking

BALTIMORE, Maryland February 26, 2015 - Mark Levin, the essential conservative, says that President Obama is Anti-Semitic. The problem is, it is not an outrageous charge. It is a painful charge for any real American since America is partly Jewish, and always has been, and what's more, one of America's staunchest allies is Israel. President Truman, a Democrat and one of this nation's greatest Presidents, opened the door to the formation of the modern Jewish State. America has stood by Israel through thick and thin, come hell or high water. Today, hell is licking at Israel's border, again, and the Jewish state looks again at its best allied nation for assurance. Under President Obama, exactly none has been forthcoming and it is wholly embarassing and humiliating. There is no reason for it. None. Even when one understands that Obama doesn't like Bebe Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister and one of the most dynamic statesmen in the world at this time, there is no excuse at all for it driving his policy towards such a stalwart allied power. None. When the otherwise skittish House Speaker, John Beiner, made the uncharacteristically dynamic move in inviting Netanyahu to speak to a joint session of Congress, Obama went balistic. His actions and outlandish behavior, his turning his thugs loose on Netanyahu, all but proved the charges of Mr. Levin and the millions of others who believe what was said is true.

Obama must answer the charges, but to do so means he will have to pull back the attack dogs, promise to listen intently to Netanyahu's critical address, and attempt to placate the American people about the sickening rumor that he has reached an agreement with Iran that will allow the genocidal mullahs who run that sorry nation to have a nuclear weapon ten years from now. That rumor cannot be true. No American President would ever do that to Israel or any other allied power. The mullahs have openly promised to blow Israel off the map and they believe that it is their religious duty to do so. I believe that this would be their policy even without a religious reason. Those men should be in jail, not running a nation with powerful resources. Yet Obama and his overmatched Secretary of State, John Kerry, continue secret negotiations with these Mullahs. One is almost sure that any agreement will be sold as binding the United States even though it has no chance of ever gaining Senate approval as all treaties with foreign nations must. This week, the bumbling Kerry criticized Netanyahu for backing President Bush's attack on Iraq, even though Kerry voted in favor of the attack. I suppose he either forgot that vote, or hoped we would. We did not. He should resign in protest of any future negotiations with Iran, as should any other United States official either aware of or participating in such negotiations. Anyone who does participate will have blood on their hands if the mullahs follow through on their promises.

And so we must ask, what is Obama's relationship with Islam. Many Americans believe he is a secret Muslim, or at least a strong Muslim sympathizer. Many people are coming to the conclusion that Obama is either wrong or not telling the truth when he describes the actions of ISIS and Al Qaeda as non-Muslim. One can certainly say that a study of the history of the Muslim faith, from its founding in the seventh century, right up to today, does not in anyway back Obama's views of the religion.

No. 14 Maryland Whacks No. 5 Wisconsin, 59-53

BALTIMORE, Maryland February 25, 2015 - Add to the list of really big wins for the Maryland Basketball team the name of No. 5 Wisconsin. The powerful Badgers came into College Park, Maryland tonight and promptly lost to No. 13 Maryland, 59-53. The Terps, 23-5 overall and 11-4 in the Big Ten, remain in second place in the conference, now two games behind Wisconsin with three games left for each team. The Terps host Michigan this weekend, then travel to Nebraska and Rutgers to finish out the regular season. Wisconsin still has games with Michigan State in Madison on Sunday, then at Minnesota and at Ohio State. The win tonight virtually clinches Maryland a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time five years.

Maryland received huge games from two expected sources: Dez Wells (26 points) and Melo Trimble (16 points), and from one unexpected source: freshman center Michael Checovsky. Checovsky entered the game early after starting center Damonte Dodd got into foul trouble. That foul trouble limited Dodd throughout the game, but Checovsky, who stands at 7-feet tall, responded with a stifling 24-minute defensive effort, four points and six critical rebounds. The Badgers slipped to 25-3 overall and 13-2 in the Big Ten.

NET Neutrality A Total Loser for American Citizens; Sports: Terps in Successful Start to 2015 Season; Burnley in Stunning Draw at Powerful Chelsea; Orioles Finalize Cabrera Acquisition

BALTIMORE, Maryland February 24, 2015 - There is only one thing you really need to know about the Net Neutrality Law now pending before the United States Congress. The far left Obama Administration is going all out in favor of the innocuous-sounding bill. Corporations purporting to be friendly to young, media-friendly voters (and here, we speak of NETFLIX) are all on board. Do not believe them or be fooled by them. The one thing you need to know is that the Obama Administration has not revealed what their regulations will be in implementing the bill. Does that sound a little bit familiar? Can you say Obama-Care. That bloody mess, that nightmare of a legislative initiative, was not read by any of the legislators who voted for it. Obama and his minions baldly lied about what was in the bill, but in the run up to the heavily lobbied vote, they managed to shout down those who said they were lieing. Our new president Lie? No. Yes, yes, a million times yes. And he finally admitted it. What will happen when that bill is passed? Tax on internet activity per se. Fees you haven't imagined. Severe, maybe fatal regulations on Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and other new media superstars. If it doesn't help Obama, it will be subject to fees and taxes and regulations galore. All of that will happen if Congress dumbs themself down to the point of limiting the freedom of Americans. We have lived and loved the First Amendment, which guarantees Freedom of Speech, since these United States were founded. Why on Earth would we change course with the internet. Leave the net alone, damnit! And, while on the subject, Mr. President and friends, learn to mind your own business and stop trying to regulate our business,

We know that President Obama has admitted, in writing, that he lied when he said he opposed gay marraige during his initial run for President. He says he has never really opposed it, but said he did because he didn't want to lose the votes of people who opposed it. During a watershed appearance with Rev. Rick Warren during that campaign, he was asked directly by Warren what his position was. He admits he lied. In fact, when you come right down to it, he lies a lot. When you describe the man, and are honest, you have to say that he lies a lot. Our president.

Some Sports: Maryland Baseball Takes Two of Three in South Alabama Tournament, Scores 9 Runs in One Inning in Trouncing Arkansas; Burnley Gains Stunning Draw At Chelsea; Orioles Said to Finalize Cabrera Deal; Terps and Wisconsin Collide Tonight in Collge Park The College Baseball-Savvy Website D1 Baseball has jumped Maryland to No. 12 in the nation after the Terps took two out of three games it played at the South Alabama Tourney this past weekend. Maryland crushed the home team, South Alabama, 8-0 on Friday after Sophmore Mike Sharwyn pitched seven shutout innings to leading his team to victory. On Sunday, the Terps erupted for nine runs in the sixth inning, overcoming a 6-2 Arkansas lead, and propelling Maryland to a 13-6 win. Freshman Kevin Smith was Maryland's offensive star. The setback came Saturday against a good Central Florida team. The Jaguars got out in front, 7-2, then had to hang on for dear life to win, 7-6. Maryland scored two runs in the 8th and two more in the ninth, and had to tie run at third base when the game ended. The Terps were set to open their home schedule today in College Park against Virginia Commonwealth, but that game has been postponed until tomorrow at 4 pm. This weekend's three-game home series against Appalacian State has been moved to a southeastern United States site in view of the extreme cold weather in the Northeastern USA. In a press release, the Maryland Athletic Department said "Maryland’s weekend home series with Appalachian State has been moved to the Lake Point Complex in Emerson, Ga. Game one will take place Friday at 6 p.m., with Saturday’s game at 4 p.m. The final game of the series will be contested Sunday at noon.

Everytime you get ready to throw in the towel on Burnley's chances of avoiding relegation back to the Championship League, those intrepid Claret do something amazing to remind one and all that they are very much in the battle to avoid the hated demotion. Saturday's match at Chelsea - one of the best professional teams anywhere on Earth - is a prime example. Trailing late, 1-0, Burnley caught a break when Blue star Memanja Matic was sent off with a red card after reacting with extreme anger to a tackle by the Claret's Ashley Barnes. In no time, Burnley went to the attack with a furious frenzy. Ben Mee tied the affair at one when he headed in a goal off of a cross by Kieran Tripier following the award of a corner kick. But the Claret were not satisfied. Danny Ings shot twice in the waning seconds, and one of those shots, smartly struck, was just barely off target. It was Chelsea letting out a sigh of relief when the final whistle sounded. Burnley is now in 18th place in the Premier and thus subject to relegation. But they are tied in points with No. 17 Queens Park and No. 19 Aston Villa, and trail No. 16 Sunderland by only three points. Chelsea, meanwhile, still leads No. 2 Manchester City by five points (60-55) and third place Arsenal by 12 points.

The Orioles have signed San Diego Padre shorthstop Evereth Cabrera. Major League sources are a bit surprised by the signing, since infield is the one place the Orioles appeared set at. They have an All-Star caliber player already at shortstop in J.J. Hardy and an All-Star caliber player in Manny Machado ensconced at third base but waiting for his turn at shortstop, where he excelled in minor league play; at second base the Birds have the promising Jonathan Schoop, and in Ryan Flaherty the Orioles have a utility infielder whom they acquired in the Rule 5 draft some years back and who could start at any number of positions for many other teams. Flaherty was one of the few bright spots in the playoff series loss to Kansas City.

Obama Just Not Into Fighting ISIS; Terp Baseball Team is 3-0 and Ranked in Every Poll

BALTIMORE, Maryland February 19, 2015 - There was an Obama "summit" at the White House today, where Obama picked a bunch of folk who wouldn't give him a hard time to talk about the current rash of brutal murder spectacles staged by ISIS. Obama used the gathering to give another speech excoriating those who want to pin all things ISIS on the Muslim faith. It is my opinion that this whole spectacle of what ISIS and Islamicism have in common - more than most Muslims will admit, if a tad less than anti-Obama folk want to claim - is serving to blunt the absolute necessity of removing these monsters from the face of the earth. Today, Obama actually backed up the idiotic words of the State Department yesterday, where it was actually suggested that a way to remove the ISIS threat is to offer young Muslim folk jobs. If this is Obama's long range strategy, he needs to be removed.

The thing that is scaring all Americans half-to-death is the prospect that for the next two years Obama is not going to go all out to remove the ISIS threat if he can help it. The only thing that will change this is an attack against these United States, either here in the homeland, or abroad against a large number of Americans. And this will happen. But with Obama, we apparently will have to wait for such an attrocity. Meanwhile, a very recently retired Navy Admiral is quoted as saying that Obama's anti-ISIS strategy is plainly anti-American. He is, sadly, 100% correct. The indispensible Mark Levin said the other night that Obama is Anti-Semitic. I have felt that way for some time and wondered if others were reaching that opinion. Name anything Obama has done to rebut such a conclusion. Anything he has done for Israel has been done with the utmost reluctance. His public feud with General el-Sisi - the one Middle East Arab leader who battles openly with ISIS - is the firmest imaginable proof that defeating ISIS is extremely low on his priority list. His refusal to go all out against ISIS, even in the so-called air campaign, is more proof. Few Americans realize that the United States, in its so-called air campaign, was flying fewer than one dozen sorties per day until word got out. In the pivotal fight for the strategic city of Kobane, Obama said publicly he didn't want to get involved, and didn't until it was too late for the air power advantage to do all that much good. He was born and raised Muslim and it is what he is. His "Christianity" are the years he spent at Rev. Jeremiah Wright's church, taking in weekly doses of anti-American rhetoric. One week after 9/11 he wrote in a Chicago weekly that America was to blame for the attacks. And Wright, for his part, said "America's Chickens Have Come Home to Roost." Yet Obama was re-elected.

Last night, the essential Rudy Giuliani blasted Obama and said he did not believe he loved America. That is more than apparent, but Mr. Giuliani is taking a tons of flack for saying it. The uber Left hates the truth.

In Sports, meanwhile, Maryland's baseball team has moved up to 19 in the NCBWA poll, while holding No. 13 in the D1 Poll. Baseball America has the Terps at No. 16. Vanderbilt remains Number One in the Baseball America poll, even though it has one loss. None of the other top 8 teams have a loss. But Baseball America has Oklahoma State at No. 9, even though it lost two of its first three. Santa Clara split a doubleheader with Vanderbilt in the opening weekend series. The Broncs rallied in the ninth to win the opener, but lost in ten innings to the Commodores in the second game. It is interesting that despite playing the number one team in the country tough, Santa Clara is unranked and not even worthy of a single vote in the polls.

If Obama Was a Moral Man, He Would Resign at Once

BALTIMORE, Maryland February 6, 2014 - Listening to the President make those remarks he made at the Prayer Breakfast, well, I have to admit, it made me want to simultaneously cry and scream out in pure anger. I wanted to cry because the sentiments Obama expressed indicate to anyone who has been paying attention that he is in a moral quandry. He is a Muslim at Heart. He supports Muslims everywhere, and especially those world governments which are Muslim by declaration. He supports all Muslim liberation movements, even those seeking to install the radical kind of Muslim Government which treats women and homosexuals almost exactly like slaves were treated by those who owned them in America or a thousand other locations those many decades ago. His remarks made clear the kind of visceral feelings he has inside for anyone who attacks Islamic movements in any shape, presentation, or form. And his remarks laid bare the hypocrisy he displays when he, for political reasons, claims to be Christian. He indicated to the world that it is Christianity that is his problem, because it stands squarely in the way of the effort by Muslims to establish a world-wide Caliphate. For those who missed his remarks, he expressly told Christians everywhere to get off what he called their "high horse." They must do that, he said, because they have acted just as hideously toward non-believers as Muslims today act toward those who are either not Muslim or, if they are Muslim but are not down for the long run toward radical and "pure" Muslim societies, Afterall, he said, Christians had their Crusades and their Inquisitions, and nations that are sympathetic towards Christianity - meaning these United States - at one time permitted slavery. [I will not, here, rebut Obama's premise, which he certainly knows is spurious. The Crusades had certain elements that were more violent than necessary. I, for one, believe that the Crusades were, as a whole, both justified and necessary. The First Crusade, which was arguably the most violent, resulted in Christian Rule in a large portion of the Middle East for over one century. The Inquisition was confined, largely, to only a portion of one nation, and the number of people victimized, when compared to the evil wrought by the jihadists, was very very small. As for that despicable practice of slavery, it is true that it was legal in these United States for a large portion of the country's first century. But it was ended in a civil war, in which those staunchly opposed to the practice went to war to end it. And slavery has been a part of the human experience since man first learned violence. There is no place on Earth that I know of where slavery hasn't been a fact of life at one time or another. There are countless nations which are Muslim and which have practiced slavery at one time or another. And one doesn't need to go back more than a few years to find these nations.

Those people who speak out against ISIS and Iran are not, to my knowledge, on a high horse. I would call such people humanitarians, I would describe them as noble, decent and civilized. The people of ISIS are none of these things, as the President surely knows. As for the Mullahs who run Iran, it is impossible for anyone who is a humanitarian, or who is noble or decent, to support those men in any way, shape or form. Their virtual 'raison d'etre' is to live long enough to see Israel blown off the map, incinerated in a nuclear hell, and erased from the human experience. And, if they ever get their hands on a nuclear weapon, that is exactly what they will do, and they will do it sooner rather than later, all of which Obama is keenly aware. But he tells those of us who speak out against these national goals that we must get off of our high horse. And so, we realize that Obama is either in denial of certain realities, or is again telling a bald faced lie. And to quote his would-be successor, what difference would it make whatever is his reason. He should resign.

And Americans know we speak not of race - which Obama seeks to exploit for "party" reasons - but of religion. In America, most of the citizens are Christian. It is a religion which forms the basis of virtually every moral step American citizens take. Our God is a humble man who helps the poor, cares about the sick and tbe downtrodden, but also cautions believers not to divert all of their waking energy to redressing societal wrongs, since utopia will not happen on this earth. By contrast, and despite his increasingly weak protestations to the contrary, Obama is a Muslim sympathizer and an anti-Christian. He works tirelessly to undermine the Christian West's response to the Purely Evil Islamic Terror Movement. To find a moral equivalency, he cites the Crusades, figuring that most Americans aren't up to speed these days on their Crusade history. Their was plenty of violence in the Crusades, but a whole lot of it was justified. The most violent crusade was the first, and it resulted in Christian rule in the Middle East for over one century. Evil? Hardly. While Europe and more and more Middle East Governments ramp up their response to ISIS and Iran, Obama negotiates with Iran with a goal of allowing Iran to have a nuclear bomb which they will promise not to use on Israel, except that they certainly will. Like Pontius Pilate, Obama will try to wash his hands of the coming showdown between Israel and Iran. I would advise him not to bother, he is already guilty as sin, no pun intended. And while ISIS proves the scourge of all of humanity, burning soldiers alive and releasing the animalistic act on a video replete with high quality production. Then, as if to confirm their debauchery and sinister existence, they brag about their filthy deed. When a few Mullahs speak out against the outrage, the ISIS Animals have them murdered. Shades of Nazi Germany. Or wait! Could ISIS be worse than Nazi Germany? The mouths of these animals water at the thought. For his sorry part, Obama won't admit that ISIS is Islamist. Terrific. They say they are. They quote Koran verses authorizing their every sick move, their every savage act - besides burning the Jordanian Pilot, they rape and behead women, behead mullahs who condemned the burning of the Jordanian, and behead children for watching a soccer game. ISIS is the word the rest of humanity uses for the sickness ripping the Muslim religion apart. Yet few, if any, Muslim leaders condemn the daily atrocities. ISIS is also running a beautiful front for Iran and their ill and sick leaders, who are hell-bent of blowing Israel off the world map. Politicians fear the result of any supposed deal between the USA and Iran, engineered by Obama and his apostates - just ask ISIS - in the White House. America, this is what happens when anything other than voting for the best man holds sway at election time. Would McCain have done any of this? It sounds stupid even to bring it up.

Sports News: With Commentary on the Super Bowl, the Premier League, and NCAA and Major League Baseball

BALTIMORE, Maryland February 1, 20!5 - Here are a few musings about sports:

The Real Story about the use of An Altered Football was in the game between the Patriots and the Ravens, which the Patriots won on a last quarter scoreWith the SuperBowl kicking off in an hour or so, the world of 'Deflate-Gate' has faded into the background. And none too soon. I figured, eventually, somebody in the national press would string together the real story line, but they've missed it completely. Many say that the 'scandal,' if you want to call it that, never was as serious as it could have been or should have been because the game where the dirty dealing took place was a total blow out. The Patriots could have beaten the Colts that day if they only used nine players; that's how lop-sided the game was. But the Patriot-Colt game for the AFC Title was not the first game where the deflated ball was in play. The week prior, the Patriots looked like certain losers as they fell behind the Ravens, 14-0 and 28-!4, before scoring a late TD to pull it out. The Ravens intercepted Brady in that game sssssssddddlate in the first half and, it has been reported, immediately suspected something was up. The report says the Ravens kept the ball in question and alerted the Colts to be on the watch for similar shennanigans. John Harbaugh, the Ravens coach, denied this part of the story on Sunday during the Super Bowl TV Broadcast on NBC.ss The Colts were ready to act when they got their interception. Some hear this tale and wonder why teams have to wait until they intercept a pass to raise objections about the ball being used by the other team. It shouldn't be that way. I believe that both teams should have to use the same ball throughout the game. But the NFL allows both teams to use their own balls, and several league quarterbacks have made statements to the effect that customizing a ball for the quarterback is a regular occurrence. The only way this can work is if the game officials are closely watching the balls being used to ensure they are within the guidelines that the league permits. Anyway, the use of an altered football, a deflated football, is far more poignant in the Raven-Patriot game, because that was one of the closest games of this postseason. Not only that, but if you recall, the Patriots completely abandoned the run against the Ravens, first, because the Ravens shut down running games as a matter of course, and two, because the Patriots fell behind right from the gitgo, and even when their offense started clicking, they weren't catching up. They didn't get the lead until late in the game. They relied solely on Brady and the passing game to win. If he needed an altered ball to engineer that comeback, it is a huge story. Maybe a fully inflated ball allows the Ravens to win. To me, once I heard the report that the issue of the deflated ball arose for the first time in the game against the Ravens, I figured that would be the game that the league would concentrate on because that was the game that was so close and susceptible to having a different outcome once cheating was introduced. But nobody jumped on it. Then again, if Harbaugh says it didn't happen that way, who else is in a better position to know.

Burnley lost Saturday to Sunderland, 2-0, to stay stuck on 20 points. That being said, they remain free of the relegation places on the Premier League Table. The Claret had played four straight matches without a defeat from December 28 to January 10, although one of those matches was a 1-1 draw with Tottenham in the FA Cup. That run of games allowed Burnley to escape the relegation designation. Since January 10, however, the Claret have played and lost three straight matches, although again, one of those losses was in the FA Cup. As things stand now, Burnley is in !7th place in the 20-team league, with 20 points. Trailing Burnley, and standing in the relegation lane, are No. 18 Hull City wih 19 points, No. 19 Queens Park Rangers, also with 19 points, but trailing Hull by five goals in the Goal Differential Column, and No. 20 Leicester City, with 17 points. Just barely ahead of the Claret are No. 16 Aston Villa and No. 15 West Bromwich Albion, each with 22 points, and No. 14 Sunderland and No. 13 Crystal Palance, each with 23 points. Burnley takes on West Brom on Sunday at Turf Moor, and it shapes up as a very important match because after West Brom comes, in succession, matches at Manchester United, at Chelsea, home against Swansea, at Liverpool, home against Manchester City, at Southampton, home against Tottenham, and home against Arsenal. There isn't a club team in the world that would relish a schedule like that. The West Brom match-up has another quality to it; Burnley played just about their worst game of the season against West Brom on September 28. The Claret had just played a remarkable three straight scoreless draws, and then they went to West Brom and got crushed, 4-0.
Now, West Brom comes to Turf Moor.

In a few weeks, the Baltimore Orioles and the rest of Major League Baseball report to Spring Training. It will be nice for those lads to get out of the snow and cold that hold sway over much of these United States in the dead of winter, and into the balmy weather of southern Florida and the Desert Warmth of Arizona. In just two weeks, however, the NCAA baseball season will actually begin, with real games. A good portion of the games will take place in the same warm-weather climates that the major league teams will be enjoying. But not all of them. Just for instance, the University of Maryland - ranked No. 14 in the DI Preseason Poll - will open its season on Friday, February 13 against Western Kentucky, and that game as well as the three that follow, against Old Dominion, Canisius and Coastal Carolina, will all be in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as part of the Caravelle Resort Tournament. The following weekend the Terps travel further south for three games in the South Alabama Tournament against South Alabama, UCF and Arkansas. Then on February 24 Maryland plays its first cold weather game, at home, against VCU, followed by a three-game home series against Appalacian State on February 27 and 28, and on March 1. This blog originates in Baltimore, Maryland, which is about 35 miles northeast of College Park. The average high temperature these days is 44 degrees and the average low is 30 degrees. That's bad enough for baseball, but as any observer knows, this has been another winter that has experienced temperatures far below normal (with all due respects to those of you who drink the global warming Kool Aid). Tomorrow, for instance, the expected high is 33 degrees and the expected low is 22 degrees. There is snow on the ground. By comparison, the University of Minnesota doesn't play its first home game until March 24, two days after it finishes its first conference series of the season at Maryland. Nebraska, another Big Ten foe of Maryland, plays 13 straight games away from home to start the season, before opening its home schedule on March 10. But once the Huskers set up shot in Lincoln, on March 10, when they begin a two-game set with Northern Colorado, they will be home for 17 atraight games stretching until March 31, and including a three-game series with Michigan to open the Big Ten Schedule.

It was reported by a Baltimore Radio Station (WBAL) on Monday that Manny Machado, the Orioles All-Star Third Baseman, has recovered almost completely from his second major knee operation in as many seasons, and will be ready to play when he reports to Spring Training later this month. Also anxious to get back to work, according to the report, is Chris Davis, the slugging first baseman who was suspended for 25 games for use of Aderall, a stimulant that Davis formerly took legally. He will again be permitted to take the drug legally this season, the radio station reported. Davis did not seek MLB permission to take the drug, which combats Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, last season, and when it was found in his blood, he was suspended. He served all but one of the 25 games last season, and will be eligible to return to the diamond when the Orioles take the field for their second game of the season.

The Patriots won the Super Bowl. That is not news to anyone unless they live under rock. It is interesting, however, to step back now and identify which of the NFL teams are the best, wbich ones are the powerhouses, the ones nobody wants to play in an important game. I believe there are four at the conclusion of the current season. The Patriots are one, as are the Seahawks. The Packers are a third superior team. As any fan knows, Green Bay would have been in the Super Bowl had they not choked in the final minutes against the Seahawks. On another day they certainly would have beaten the Seahawks and anyone else they chose to play. There is one more of these 'big boys,' and that would be the Ravens. Baltimore needed a win and help in their final game to even make the playoffs, but that obscures a lot of things about this team. First, Joe Flacco is about the best QB in the NFL, especially in the playoffs. No one has a better or more accurate arm, and no one is cooler when the heat is on. The Ravens had the Patriots by two touchdowns on two different occasions in their second round playoff game, and this after blitzing the Steelers in Pittsburgh to open the playoffs. Even with a decimated defensive backfield, the Defense is still a real piece of work, anchored by a group of players that strike fear in every offense in the NFL. Those players - Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, C.J. Mosely and the rapidly emerging Brandon Williams - are absolute wrecking balls. They cannot be run on. In the playoffs, the Patriots didn't even try. And inside the Red Zone they are the best in the NFL. If GM Ozzie Newsome can execute some more of his magic in the offseason on the Defensive Backfield, the Ravens will against threaten to make the Super Bowl.