Cardinals

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 27, Cardinals 6 Instead of 400 hours of community service for ugly loss to Jacksonville, Ravens make it up to fans by pounding Cardinals. Edward Lee Ravens 26, Cardinals 13 The Ravens haven't lost two in a row since dropping three straight in October 2009. The Ravens won't begin a new tradition Sunday. Mike Preston Ravens 17, Cardinals 10 Ravens can't play that poorly two weeks in a row, can they?

Visiting Gilman pounded out nine hits Wednesday night at Calvert Hall, but it was the Greyhounds' pitching that carried them in the second round of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference playoffs. Joe Smeton pitched 5 2/3 innings of four-hit ball to lead visiting and second-ranked Gilman to a 3-2 win over the No. 1 Cardinals. The victory advances the Greyhounds to Sunday's conference final at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. Calvert Hall will host Archbishop Curley today in the double-elimination tournament.

Ever since a certain senior running back arrived at Calvert Hall three years ago, he's heard all about how he has the perfect last name for a Cardinals' football player, especially at this time of year. It couldn't be better to be Brandon Neverdon as Thanksgiving Day's Turkey Bowl against the archival Dons approaches. “I get it all the time,” Neverdon said with a laugh. “My freshman year in class, all the kids were messing around with me: 'Never a Don.' Ever since then, I've heard all about it.” Neverdon admits he looked at Loyola if only briefly before attending Calvert Hall.

I appreciated reading the commentary, "Don't let Israel discriminate," (April 30) This is a concern that has been long documented by the State Department and a new bill in Congress has been written to provide a "look the other way" response to these racial policies and afford Israel visa waiver status. Rather than supporting this legislation, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin should be promoting the interests and needs of Maryland residents first. If there are citizens of Maryland who are discriminated against and refused entry into Israel (or any other country for that matter)

Ravens 30, Cardinals 27 Fourth quarter: 0:00 Baltimore Field Goal - 25-yarder by Billy Cundiff. Ravens 27, Cardinals 27 Fourth quarter: 8:55 Arizona Field Goal - 45-yarder by Jay Feely. Ravens 27, Cardinals 24 Fourth quarter: 14:55 Baltimore Touchdown - Ray Rice rushed right for 3 yards. (Billy Cundiff extra point is good). Cardinals 24, Ravens 20 Third quarter: 1:32 Baltimore Touchdown - Ray Rice up the middle for 1 yard.

The Pigskin Picking Pup doesn't want to talk about last week. None of us do. He went to sleep before the game finished, perhaps dreaming of a miracle. But he woke up on Tuesday, disappointed. "Teddy was beside himself," his dad said, "knowing he should have been 4-2 instead of 3-3. " But just the same, he's back this week, with another -- hopefully more accurate -- prediction for the outcome of this week's Ravens gave against Arizona. Go Ravens! Go Teddy!

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Cardinals have lost 10 consecutive games away from home, with their last road victory coming in St. Louis in the 2010 season opener. They haven't played well at home in that stretch, either, and have an overall record of 6-16 the past two seasons. The Cardinals are following the same routine on the road as they did in 2009 when they went 6-2, so it's hard to blame anything other than poor play for their recent road woes. “We had a stretch there a couple years ago where we thought we had made some progress,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

The Cardinals opened the winter looking to upgrade at least two of the three infield spots alongside Albert Pujols but haven't done anything more significant that importing Ryan Theriot to replace shortstop Brendan Ryan. Cardinals pitchers will miss Ryan's fielding, just as they may wonder how general manager John Mozeliak could have signed Lance Berkman to play the outfield. … The Twins made a good move re-signing Jim Thome, as Justin Morneau remains an unknown in his comeback from postconcussion syndrome.

Every time I put out one of my mock drafts, readers tell me they think things would play out differently (chances are we'll both end up being wrong). Well, now you get a chance to play GM in my first-ever reader NFL mock draft. Here's how it works. I'll post a daily poll where you can vote to decide what the team that's on the clock should do with its pick. To keep it simple, I'll give you five options for each pick. If you think I missed somebody, let me know in the comments section.

The Arizona Cardinals, the Ravens' opponent on Sunday, listed four starters on their injury report as not having practiced Wednesday. They are running back Beanie Wells (knee), wide receiver Early Doucet (quad), outside linebacker Joey Porter (knee) and strong safety Adrian Wilson (foot). Of the four, Wells' absence could be the most significant. Wells leads the Cardinals in rushing in both carries (91) and yards (423), and he has scored a team-high six touchdowns. Wells told an Arizona radio station Wednesday morning that he planned to play against the Ravens, but coach Ken Whisenhunt wasn't quite as sure.

The boys lacrosse game between No. 5 Calvert Hall and Mount St. Joseph originally scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. has been moved to 4 p.m. Thursday at Calvert Hall. The game is Senior Day for the Cardinals.

The Sun's Scott Dance recently reported on the salvaging of baseball fields at the shuttered Cardinal Gibbons school ("$1.4 million raised for baseball field at site of Cardinal Gibbons School," April 20). He reported money was raised by the Cal Ripken Foundation and other donors. Last week, State Comptroller Peter Franchot asked for the resignation of Towson University President Maravane Loeshke for the school's failure to manage their budget allowing for the insolvency of their sport's teams including baseball.

Saint Agnes Hospital and the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation said Friday that they have raised $1.4 million to renovate the baseball field of the former Cardinal Gibbons School, preserving a site where Babe Ruth once played. The hospital, meanwhile, is firming up plans to add homes and offices around the field, on the campus of the Catholic school that closed in 2010. Saint Agnes plans to break ground on the baseball field within the next year, launching what officials have envisioned as Gibbons Commons, a mixed-use development on Caton Avenue, across the street from the hospital.

Sen. Ben Cardin is scheduled to meet Thursday with the family of a Russian lawyer whose death sparked an international outcry over human rights in that country, renewing focus on a controversy that has complicated U.S.-Russian relations at a sensitive time. The meeting with the widow, mother and son of Sergei Magnitsky — who died in a Russian jail in 2009 after exposing corruption in the Russian government — comes just days after the State Department released a list of Russian officials barred from obtaining U.S. visas over alleged human rights abuses.

The first time Archbishop Spalding played Calvert Hall this season, the Cardinals' bats caught fire en route to a 10-run victory. On Wednesday, in the rematch between the two teams, Spalding left-handed pitcher Joey Benitez was determined to make sure the outcome was different. Benitez, a senior who will attend Old Dominion, led the Cavaliers to a 3-2 upset of the No. 1 Cardinals. Despite rolling his right ankle in the top of the fourth inning on an errant pitch, Benitez managed to throw five scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing two hits.

Sen. Ben Cardin lamented snowballing damage from federal budget cuts in town hall meetings with federal workers and small-business leaders Friday, pledging to work toward an alternative budget solution by October. But he acknowledged that achieving a compromise between similar budget proposals from the Senate and President Barack Obama and another from the House of Representatives could be a challenge. He spoke to two dozen Howard County business owners and more than 50 employees at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt.

Now that they know manager Tony La Russa, pitching coach Dave Duncan and batting coach Mark McGwire all are coming back, the Cardinals are shifting their focus to upgrading their infield. Miguel Tejada is on their radar as they look to improve at two of three spots among second, short and third. … Retirement talk by Bengie Molina (right) isn't being taken seriously by many people, although the Rangers catcher insists he doesn't know if he will play in 2011.

Whispers The Cardinals are thrilled with the job Jason Motte has done as their closer. He tentatively has been written in for the job in 2012, keeping them from having to go outside the organization to get that piece. … The Red Sox are hoping Clay Buchholz , like Josh Beckett , can bounce back from injury in time to make at least one start before their playoff plans have to be set. Buchholz is recovering from a stress fracture in his back, however, and looks like a long shot to pitch again in 2011.

Forward Monique Reid sank two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining to give hot-shooting Louisville an 82-81 upset of defending national champion and top-seeded Baylor in the NCAA women's basketball tournament regional semifinals in Oklahoma City. Shoni Schimmel scored 22 points, including five 3-pointers, and Antonita Slaughter added 21 points, including shooting 7-for-10 on 3-pointers, to lead the fifth-seeded Cardinals (27-8), who connected on a season-best 16 3-pointers and led by as many as 19 points midway through the second half.

Like most 3-year-olds, Mariah Venable is a climber and a jumper. And sometimes she lands on her face instead of her legs. Her acrobatic attempts have cost her two baby teeth already - and have left her mother thankful she has good dental insurance. "You have to start on their teeth early so they don't have issues when they get older," said Cheryl Venable, who recently took her daughter - smiling wide through the gaps - to a city clinic that offers dental care to low-income and uninsured families.