Darren

Darren Drozdov finally has found a profession in which he can be himself.During his days as a defensive lineman at Maryland in 1988 to 1992, Drozdov often battled with members of the coaching staff over his appearance. With his outlandish haircuts, multiple tattoos and various piercings, Drozdov turned quite a few heads at College Park.And then there are his pets, namely three snakes -- a boa constrictor and two pythons -- and an Argentine horned frog that dines on mice.Drozdov, however, fits in perfectly with his new employer.

SARASOTA, Fla. - In an otherwise meaningless exhibition against an obviously undermanned Spain World Baseball Classic team, Orioles manager Buck Showalter accomplished something important Wednesday afternoon. He found work for relievers Jim Johnson , Darren O'Day and Luis Ayala - all of whom were key parts of the club's outstanding bullpen in 2012 and all of whom had not pitched in a game this spring. Showalter wants to keep their innings and workload down, but he also has to get them ready for April.

MINNEAPOLIS - There are no secrets as far as Orioles right-hander Tommy Hunter is concerned. He figures he's been a good pitcher in the past - he went 13-4 with a 3.73 ERA for the Texas Rangers in 2010 - and he'll be a good pitcher in the future. So he's not even slightly surprised that he's currently a good pitcher - in fact he's arguably the Orioles' most effective one right now. He hasn't been scored on in his last nine appearances out of the bullpen, a span of 14 2/3 innings.

Update: The man who says his photo was used as part of the hoax lives in London, and has given an interview to The Baltimore Sun. The disbelief over unruly crowds fighting and being pepper sprayed over Air Jordan Concords turned to mourning when it was reported on social media and blogs that a young man, 18-year-old Tyreek Amir Jacobs, had been killed for the coveted shoes. As the rumors put it, Jacobs was a teen from Washington DC and killed in Maryland, possibly at the Wheaton Mall.

As Maryland contemplates passing one of the nation's strictest gun laws, at least seven other states have courted its gun manufacturers, offering tax incentives and open arms elsewhere. The governor of Texas, West Virginia's House speaker and an Illinois congressman have written to Beretta USA officials, inviting a move and promising a better business climate if the 400-year-old Italian company chooses to abandon its U.S. headquarters on the Potomac. Another arms manufacturer and defense contractor on the Eastern Shore, LWRC International, received offers, some including tax incentives, from elected or government officials in Nebraska, Mississippi, North Dakota, Nevada, Texas and West Virginia, a company executive said.

BaseballCardinals: Declined to exercise 2000 options on P Donovan Osborne and OF Darren Bragg.Cubs: Named Billy Williams first base coach.Devil Rays: Promoted Frank Howard from bench coach to senior adviser for baseball operations.

"I'm a grown man. I know how to act." Darren Sharper Minnesota Vikings safety, after a team meeting Saturday to go over a handbook on the code of conduct

HockeyMighty Ducks of Anaheim: Assigned LW Alex Hicks, C J. F. Jomphe, D Pavel Trnka and D Darren Van Impe to AHL Baltimore.New Jersey Devils: Signed G Martin Brodeur to a three-year contract.

HockeyNHL: Suspended Los Angeles Kings F Troy Crowder for 10 games for abuse of an official during a preseason game Sept. 21, and New York Rangers F Darren Langdon for three games for abuse of an official.

Nearly 100 women, fearing that a Johns Hopkins gynecologist secretly videotaped and photographed them, contacted police Tuesday, and some potential victims reached out to private attorneys contemplating legal action. Police revealed Tuesday that at least some of the images were captured with a camera hidden in the top of a pen, and authorities were exploring whether the recordings had been distributed. The doctor, Nikita A. Levy, was found dead of an apparent suicide Monday. Police are treating the case as an open criminal investigation, and the Johns Hopkins board of trustees has opened a separate inquiry.