Arizona

The Orioles' primary search this offseason continues to be pitching, and one free agent they have had multiple conversations with is lefty Joe Saunders, according to an industry source. Saunders, 30, was 12-13 with a 3.69 ERA in 212 innings last year with the Arizona Diamondbacks, who did not tender him a contract this offseason. Saunders would have been in his final year of arbitration this offseason but now is a free agent and has been linked to several teams - with varying degrees of interest - including the Florida Marlins, Boston Red Sox, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers.

Browns running back Montario Hardesty still hopes to salvage what's left of his lost season. "I definitely want to finish out these two games strong," said Hardesty, who's carried the ball in one of the past seven games because of his torn calf muscle. "I've been really frustrated with this calf injury. It really hindered me a lot this year, but I have two more chances to go out and play. " Hardesty made the trip to Arizona and was active for the game, but stood on the sidelines and didn't play.

Terrell Suggs heard the critics. He was out of shape. Overpaid. Unfocused. Selfish. In 2009, the Ravens linebacker recorded a career-low 4.5 sacks in his first season chasing quarterbacks with the weight of a fat, new contract extension on his broad shoulders. Two seasons later, Suggs, in the third year of a six-year, $63-million deal, has made all of that talk seem silly, while still entertaining fans and former critics alike by saying his own goofy things whenever the camera flashes on and a microphone gets shoved in his face.

There were a few veterans who stood up and spoke, but after getting booed off the field at halftime, the Ravens' players mostly sat in silence as the shock washed over them. For the Ravens, there was really no alternative, not after trailing a one-win team by three scores on their home field, not after their offense played in the same woeful manner for the first 30 minutes that it did six days earlier in Jacksonville, Fla., and not after hearing it from their fans who rightfully expected better.

The words came straight from Todd Heap's heart. In a half-page ad in Friday's Baltimore Sun, the Ravens' former two-time Pro Bowl tight end thanked the city of Baltimore, its fans and the club for their "incredible support over the years. " Heap, who over a 10-year career became the Ravens' No. 2 receiver all-time, acknowledged in the ad that it was not his decision to leave. The club cut him abruptly in July, in a cost-saving measure, a move that surprised both Heap and Ravens' followers.

The Supreme Court's assault on efforts to limit the toxic effect of money on elections in this country continued this week with the decision to strike down an important provision of Arizona's public financing of elections. Under the Arizona law, candidates who elected to have their campaigns publicly financed were eligible for additional so-called "trigger" funds if their privately financed opponents' fundraising exceeded a certain amount. The effort was to keep the playing field somewhat level.

Thirty employees who work in Columbia for eInstruction Corp., a maker of digital interactive whiteboards for schools, have been offered the chance to relocate to the company's new headquarters in Scottsdale, Ariz., a company spokeswoman said Wednesday. The classroom technology company is consolidating its employees in Arizona from offices it is shuttering in Denton, Texas and Columbia, Md. The Columbia employees work in marketing, sales, operations and support for domestic and international sales.

Maryland fans waited Saturday night to see if the initial interest between the school and Arizona's Sean Miller would lead to the Wildcats' basketball coach being hired to succeed Gary Williams. Maryland believed its search to replace the retiring Williams could be informally concluded by the end of the weekend, a source said. But no deal had yet been confirmed with Miller, whose athletic director was doing "everything in our power" to keep the coach in Tucson. Just as it did in the final days of the football search, Maryland had more than one candidate on its list.

Gary Williams retired after 22 basketball seasons at Maryland as new details emerged Friday about the school's efforts to keep him, and athletic department officials moved quickly in the search for his successor. Maryland's short list includes Arizona coach Sean Miller, a source with knowledge of the process confirmed Friday night. But Maryland was also waiting to hear back from a second candidate — his name was not disclosed — to gauge his interest. The source said it would be incorrect to label Miller as a front-runner, although he was clearly in play.

At Arizona, Sean Miller's recruiting talents and coaching acumen have brought the Wildcats from turmoil to the brink of the Final Four. Now it appears the 42-year-old coach could be in position to drop what he built in Tucson to return to his East Coast roots and replace Gary Williams at Maryland. Miller, who currently earns a reported $1.4 million in a five-year deal that might soon include a two-year extension, has quickly emerged as a leading candidate on a short list for the Maryland job, sources close to Miller and familiar with Amateur Athletic Union teams in the Baltimore-Washington region said Friday.