Athletes

As Orb charged to the wire at Churchill Downs last weekend, he established his clear superiority to the other 18 thoroughbreds on horse racing's biggest stage, the Kentucky Derby. But compared to Derby champions of the past, Orb's time is less impressive - his 2:02.89 run doesn't rank among the top 10 in the race's history. It is slower than the times of many winners from the 1950s and 1960s, and well behind Secretariat's 1973 record. Blame the muddy track? Fair enough, but none of the past decade's Derby winners recorded a top 10 time either.

Preakness had its share of glitterati in attendance this year. Kiss bassist Gene Simmons , and his wife - and "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" reality show co-star - Shannon Tweed hung out in the Jockey Club, while "House of Cards" star Kevin Spacey made the circuit in the Corporate Village, looking dapper in a cream blazer and fedora. Spacey's style was more on track than his handicapping. When caught at the betting window there, the actor was asked his pick in the next race (the No. 9)

That chronic groin pain sometimes felt by athletes may be called a sports hernia, but it's not really a hernia at all, according to Dr. Katherine G. Lamond, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a surgeon at the University of Maryland Medical Center. She said they are different from what's normally thought of as a hernia and sometimes tough to diagnose. But once doctors determine that this is the cause, there is effective treatment. What is the difference between a sports hernia and other types of hernias?

Almost three weeks after NBA player Jason Collins became the first openly gay active male athlete in a major American sport -- and yes, all those qualifiers are necessary -- new polling data shows a majority of Americans wouldn't care if their favorite athlete was gay. In a comprehensive survey conducted by Reason-Rupe, only 12 percent of those polled said they would be less likely to support their favorite jock if he or she came out, while 77...

Five students at St. Vincent Pallotti High were named to All-MIAA teams for spring sports. Senior midfielder Billy Rodgers was named for B Conference lacrosse and senior Justin Clatworthy was named for B Conference golf. Juniors Matt Defrank (short stop) and Corey Dirks (catcher and pitcher), together with senior Jackson Souder (pitcher, third base, first base) were named All-MIAA for B Conference baseball.

University of Maryland teams posted their best Graduation Success Rate, 82 percent, in the most recent statistics announced Thursday. It was the third straight year that Maryland's GSR has risen. This year's numbers measure freshmen who entered the school from the 2002-2003 school year through 2005-2006. The men's basketball team went from 46 percent in 2011 to 50 percent this year, while women's basketball improved from 81 percent to 93 percent. The football team's rate improved from 59 percent to 65 percent.

Two recent news articles lead me to question the values of both our society and The Sun. The first was the announcement of the obscene amount of money Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata is being paid - $61 million - to play football through 2015. There is no other word for it at a time when teachers, police and firefighters - the people who actually affect other people's lives - are being laid off or underpaid, and when elected leaders at all levels don't earn anywhere near the amount athletes get. What contribution to society does an athlete make that deserves such an outrageous sum of money?

Well, that one struck a nerve. Write a column listing the coolest athletes ever to play in Maryland and you expect to get reaction. Oh, did I get reaction. My in-box blew up. I got phone calls. A guy cornered me at the 7-Eleven and said: "Two words: No Rick Dempsey?" "That's three words," I said. "And how did you get past my security detail?" Then I remembered I didn't have a security detail. But back to the list, which appeared in Thursday's column and was a direct rip-off of GQ magazine's list of 25 all-time coolest athletes.

It has become part of college sports -- as ingrained as dunks and FieldTurf -- for large universities to accept prized basketball and football recruits and other athletes under more forgiving admissions criteria than are used for other students. Less understood is what happens to these top athletes once they arrive in their college classrooms. Do their grades ever catch up to those of their teammates or the rest of the student body? Do they remain in school and graduate? Interviews and documents, obtained by The Baltimore Sun through more than a dozen public records requests, offer a rare profile of hundreds of these athletes and show that the "special admits" typically have not performed as well as other players in the classroom and pose unique and expensive academic challenges at the University of Maryland, North Carolina State, Georgia Tech and other schools.

Forbes released its list of the world's highest-paid athletes on Monday, and one of the biggest names on the Ravens defense is ranked 12th on the list. I'll give you a hint: It is not Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs or Ed Reed. Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who signed a five-year, $61 million extension with the Ravens last September, earned $37.1 million in salary and bonuses over the past 12 months, which was more than any other athlete playing a team sport . Throw in the $200,000 that he made in endorsements and Ngata raked in $37.3 million.

Handlers used special massage techniques to soothe Goldencents' muscular frame and sudsy sponges to stimulate the shine and bloom on the Preakness competitor's chocolate-colored coat - while a sizable entourage seemed transfixed. Outside the Pimlico stables, a green oasis tucked inside urban Northwest Baltimore, a crowd had gathered around Goldencents. Photographers took pictures. A cluster of men, women and children from a sunrise tour stopped to stare. Security guards looked on. The list of helpers, assistants and advisers for Goldencents and the other Preakness all-stars is longer than Stacy Keibler's prep team on Oscar night - grooms, exercise riders, hot walkers, trainers, jockeys, veterinarians, stall muckers, chiropractors, ultrasound technicians and nutritionists.

In light of Johns Hopkins president Ronald J. Daniels accepting the recommendation of a seven-member special committee to explore joining a conference, university athletic director Tom Calder and men's lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala participated in a conference call Friday afternoon. Here are a few highlighted quotes from the conference call. Athletic director Tom Calder on the timetable for researching potential conference: “There really isn't any timeline. We've got to put a lot of time into this and make sure that if we are going to go into a conference, we do all of our homework and that we do what's best not only for the athletes and the team but the university also.” Coach Dave Pietramala on the timetable: “From our perspective, this is an exciting opportunity and the decision to seek conference affiliation is a monumental decision, which means the next decision is as equally as big because you want to continue to move into a positive direction, and you want to find the right place.

The sophomore sprinter added to an already impressive running resume with four gold medals in leading the No. 1 Eagles to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland track and field championship. She won the 100 and 200 meters and ran legs of the winning 800- and 1,600-meter relays. Undefeated in the 100 and 200, she has won seven IAAM titles in two years. An All-Metro first-team selection during the indoor track season, she helped the Eagles take that team title, too, by winning the 55 and 300 meters and anchoring the gold-medal 800 relay.

The junior attackman, who transferred from Boys' Latin, made the most of his time at Poly this season by leading the Engineers to their second Baltimore City championship in three years. On May 7, he finished with six goals and two assists as Poly defeated Northwestern, 17-3, in the city title game. The win avenged a loss to Northwestern in last year's championship game. On Friday, Harcum had five goals and two assists in a 16-8 loss to Kenwood in a Class 4A-3A South regional quarterfinal game.

When Dr. Charles Brown first looked into taking the athletic director job at UMBC in 1989, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native wasn't real savvy about the school. "I thought it was a military base when I showed up," he said with a chuckle. "It said UMBC. I didn't know what it was. I lived near USMA, the U.S. Military Academy [at West Point] when I lived in New York. " Now, after 24 years at the school, he's retiring as the longest-tenured Division I athletic director in Maryland history and the driving force behind UMBC's greatly enhanced profile in both intercollegiate and club sports.

The sophomore won her second straight Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland golf championship and led the Reds to their seventh straight team title last week. She shot a 7-over-par 79 at Fox Hollow Golf Course in Timonium to beat two of her teammates, Lindsey Miller and Alexis Emmett, by five strokes. Owen, who has said her goal is to win all four individual titles during her high school career, is undefeated in individual matches over the past two years. She won last year's IAAM title by 12 strokes.

Kenwood soccer player Angelique Abel felt a little panicked as she sat down for her first television interview last month. In a Kenwood classroom turned makeshift TV studio to shoot the October edition of "High School Sports Scene," the Bluebirds senior sat under the bright lights facing Towson sophomore Sydney Callahan, who was just as nervous preparing to conduct her first interview. As the camera rolled, however, both girls settled into a comfortable exchange. With Callahan's prompting, Abel talked easily about her experiences as a three-sport athlete and how playing sports has enriched her life.

The Baltimore Sun accepts nominations for its Athletes of the Week Sundays 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 410-332-6200 or 1-800-829-8000, Ext. 6200. Two athletes (one boy and one girl) will be selected each week and featured in Wednesday's editions. Athletes nominated must be available the next Monday to have their pictures taken. Only coaches can nominate Athletes of the Week.

The Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association individual stroke play golf tournament had been within reach for the Mount St. Joseph senior in his first three years. He finished third as a freshman and sophomore before placing second last spring. This year, tied with the defending champion, Archbishop Spalding's Chris Navarro, and with McDonogh's Rij Patel one shot behind going into the final hole of the three-day event on April 29, Long wasn't going to be denied again. His par on the final hole completed a final round 4-over-par 74 for a three-day total of 221, giving Long the elusive title by one stroke over each opponent at Baltimore Country Club's East Course in Lutherville.

Michael Phelps is the second-most influential athlete in the United States, according to data from surveys conducted by Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research and published by Forbes.com . Phelps ranks behind only Tim Tebow, a quarterback without a team, and ahead of sprinter Usain Bolt. While Tebow may be an example of marketing mattering more than on-field performance, Phelps and Bolt seem to be the product of Olympic greatness being paired with forward-thinking promotion. I caught up with Phelps' long-time agent, Peter Carlisle, last week to talk about his plans for jockey Rosie Napravnik, a new client he picked up on advice from people in Phelps' Baltimore orbit.