Analysis

(NOTE: To download Liam's full cheat sheet for all of Saturday's races, click here . Following is his analysis on the Preakness Stakes.)   There are always lots of hard luck stories in the Kentucky Derby, and some of those hard luck horses come to the Preakness looking to set the record straight. Several of those guys are here to take on Orb. And a handful more Derby grumblers are skipping the Preakness to set their sights on the Belmont. However, recent history shows that the Derby winner tends to back up the Derby win and beat most if not all of those Derby finishers again.

(NOTE: To download Liam's full cheat sheet for all of Saturday's races, click here . Following is his analysis on the Preakness Stakes.)   There are always lots of hard luck stories in the Kentucky Derby, and some of those hard luck horses come to the Preakness looking to set the record straight. Several of those guys are here to take on Orb. And a handful more Derby grumblers are skipping the Preakness to set their sights on the Belmont. However, recent history shows that the Derby winner tends to back up the Derby win and beat most if not all of those Derby finishers again.

In the purported analysis of the prosecutorial debate ("Prosecutor and challenger go head to head," Aug. 13), Tricia Bishop and Justin Fenton say of the lower than average conviction rate in Baltimore City that "The figures may say more about Baltimore jurors than prosecutors," and go on to cite a 2008 study funded by the Abell Foundation. That study was severely flawed, offering "conclusions" that were not supported by the data. The data simply compared conviction rates in different jurisdictions.

Republicans could make an easy hit on the Obama administration by highlighting the State Department's apparent bureaucratic blundering during and after the deadly terrorist attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last fall, but they refuse to settle for such a small political prize. Instead, they have got themselves all steamed up and snarling about heinous, impeachable offenses that are figments of their imaginations. The latest round of House hearings about the Benghazi incident provides a perfect example of how American politics has been warped and gummed up by bombastic, partisan extremism.

Recently, Rep. Andy Harris sent a broadside e-mail to constituents under the subject line "President Obama Engages in Unnecessary Attack on U.S. Navy. " The message included the following statement by Mr. Harris: "When I was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1988 we had 565 ships - and today we are down to 287. As a retired naval officer, President Obama's denigration of the U.S. Navy by comparing warships to horses is offensive. " Does Mr. Harris really believe that President Obama was comparing warships to horses?

Seeking seats in the bullpen Barring injuries or trades, most of the Orioles' Opening Day roster is already set with the exception of two or three vacancies in the bullpen. Mike Gonzalez, Jim Johnson, Koji Uehara and Mark Hendrickson are locks, but there are still two or three spots available and a handful of competitors. Pitcher IP ER H BB K's Jeff Zrebiec's skinny Matt Albers, rhp 4 1/3 0 2 0 1 Throwing his sinker for strikes as he did in 2008.

Looking for a job? Try a nonprofit. A Johns Hopkins University analysis of employment in 21 states found that nonprofit employment grew 2.5 percent a year on average between the second quarters of 2007 and 2009, while the number of jobs at for-profit employers fell 3.3 percent a year. Maryland followed that trend, though annual employment growth among nonprofits in the state was more modest — 2.3 percent — and the drop in for-profit employment was a less severe 2.9 percent a year.

AFC EastBuffaloPick to watch: WR Eric Moulds -- They hope he's the next Andre Reed.Analysis: They faced a tough decision on the first round, when they bypassed Leeland McElroy, who could have been the next Thurman Thomas, for Moulds, because they think Thomas has a couple of years left. It was a need choice, even though McElroy was in the top 10 on the board. How Moulds plays will make or break this draft. They went for defense on the next four picks.Grade: B-IndianapolisPick to watch: WR Marvin Harrison -- He can help Jim Harbaugh's passing game.

A bunch of new patent applications from Bank of America reveal that the company's R&D lab has been working on new mobile technologies that would enable smartphone users to analyze their environment with their smartphone's video camera ; recognize the objects around them, including those with embedded sensors; and generate automatic budgeting and wish lists . The North Carolina banking powerhouse is known within the banking industry for...

The new points system for qualifying horses for the Kentucky Derby appears to have served its purpose. The race is full of horses with the preferred pedigree and running style to handle the distance. While this has served to restore some purity to the race, it has also made the race tougher to handicap because many of the horses now excluded by the points system were easy toss-outs for handicappers. This field of 20 is very even. A case could be made for every one of them to win. Orb was made the morning-line favorite, in a bit of a surprise, over Verrazano, who many thought would be made the favorite after remaining perfect in the Wood Memorial.

Mike Preston, Ravens columnist: The Ravens will say they take the best player available, but so far this draft has been based on need as well. The Ravens got another good player in the second round in inside linebacker Arthur Brown, and a player with good potential a round later in defensive tackle Brandon Williams. Ron Fritz, sports editor: The Ravens addressed the defense during the first two days of the NFL Draft, and it appears they got much stronger up the middle. They still need a wide receiver, tight end and offensive tackle, so expect Saturday to be a day for the offense.

The NFL released the schedule for the 2013 season and the Ravens open up on the road at 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 5 against the Denver Broncos. Here are a few thoughts from the staff at The Baltimore Sun on the challenges facing the Ravens.   Matt Vensel, blogger/reporter I don't fully grasp the fascination with the release of the NFL schedule as we have known for months whom the Ravens would play. But tonight, we found out when they will play, so I guess that means I can start making bye week vacation plans.

How some of our columnists and editors feel about the two-stroke penalty given to Tiger Woods at the Masters Saturday: Peter Schmuck, columnist: By most accounts, the ruling was correct and penalty appropriate, which is a sign that professional golf has evolved from the time when a player could have days of honorable competition wiped out by some subtle violation he wasn't even aware he committed. I'm still disgusted over the silly ruling that knocked Dustin Johnson out of the PGA Championship in 2010.

Eduardo A. Encina, reporter: The Orioles set the tone early with patient at-bats - making reigning Cy Young Award winner David Price uncomfortable on the mound - before relying on those big middle-of-the-order bats. The biggest at-bat of the game was Matt Wieters' 13-pitch walk against Price in the third inning. The Orioles didn't benefit from it on the scoreboard, but it put a chink in Price's armor and forced the Rays into their bullpen earlier than they wanted. After opening the game 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, the Orioles rallied in the later innings from behind.

Jeff Zrebiec, reporter: You knew at some point the Ravens would strike in the free agent market, and they did in a big way Sunday night, agreeing in principle on a five-year deal with Elvis Dumervil. With both of their starting inside linebackers, one of their starting corners and both their starting safeties gone from last year, the Ravens obviously still have some work to do. But they have helped their run defense with the addition of Chris Canty and Marcus Spears and their pass rush could be scary with Dumervil and the healthy trio of Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee.

I didn't plan to write about ESPN's telecast of the Maryland-Duke game. After a day of wrestling with a controversial post on Fox News anointing Dr. Benjamin Carson the new darling of the right on Sean Hannity's smarmy show, I just wanted some sports viewing pleasure and TV rescue. But Dave O'Brien (play by play), Doris Burke (analysis) and Jeannine Edwards (reporting) did such a fine job that by the middle of the first half I had my notebook out trying to keep up with all the things they were doing right.

Over the past five months, I have rambled and ranted about the Ravens after each of their games in our weekly online column, Five Things We Learned About The Ravens. It has been an honor to take over for the great Kevin Van Valkenburg, who is now at ESPN. And after running on fumes and coffee the next day because I closed down the press box many times, I have an even greater appreciation for how good he was at this. While pecking at my keyboard, often in the wee hours of the morning, I tried to be fair and to avoid drawing concrete conclusions based solely on emotions or one eyebrow-raising performance, whether it was a good one or bad. Still, there were some things I got wrong, though I feel there were a lot more that I got right.