Coffee Companion -- 4/4

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with some reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.

Running it back:

Zach Britton pitched six strong innings Sunday as the Orioles beat the Rays to finish a three-game sweep. ... The Orioles are pumped for today's home opener. ... Jake Arrieta admits that getting the ball for the opener has had his mind racing in recent days. ... Luke Scott is likely to sit out a few days with a sore groin. ... Justin Duchscherer will have a procedure on his lower back. ... Joe Flacco said he's trying to organize practices later this month with some of the Ravens' offensive players.

Hitting the links:

1. Off the field, Vladimir Guerrero remains an enigma [Baltimore Sun]

2. Kevin Cowherd: It won't last, but the start to this Orioles season is a breath of fresh air [Baltimore Sun]

3. Getting defensive: Analyzing Baltimore’s defensive efficiency [Orioles Nation]

4. The pros and cons of Zach Britton [Camden Depot]

5. John Eisenberg: Opening Day will actually be loud [CSN Baltimore]

6. Chris Tillman takes a step [Dempsey's Army]

7. With Buck Showalter now at the helm, honoring Earl Weaver makes sense [Baltimore Sun]

8. Buck Showalter should take Vladimir Guerrero out of the everyday starting lineup [SI]

9. Is the future now for the Orioles? [The Loss Column]

10. The Orioles' sweep of the Rays was eye-opening [Detroit News]

11. Zach Britton crashes the phenom race [USA Today]

12. The Orioles could be the surprise team of 2011 [ESPN]

You said it:

"No way they go 162-0. If you'll remember, they can't win Sunday home day games. If you figure a Sunday day game a week for, say, 26 weeks, and half of them at home, the O's finish at a paltry 149-13. Guthrie will be lucky to win thirty games." -- reader Fanger shoots down the notion that the Orioles will go undefeated

Video of the morning: 

Carmelo Anthony appeared on "Saturday Night Live" -- in drag

Send me your funny and/or interesting links, photos, YouTube videos, blogs, Tweets, comments, emails, ideas, leads, etc. If I deem them to be worthy for the blog, I’ll give you a plug. You can reach me at [e-mail] and twitter.com/mattvensel.