Deal

The last man to take a horse to Belmont with a chance to snag the elusive final gem in the Triple Crown has some advice for Doug O'Neill. Stay true to the horse. "I think trainers going around asking other people what they should do, looking for how to handle it, that's stupid," Rick Dutrow, trainer of Big Brown in 2008, said in a phone interview Sunday. "It's got to be about your horse. Whatever anybody else did doesn't matter. You know your horse. " O'Neill, trainer of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another, has already disregarded common wisdom over the past three weeks.

After losing to perennial powerhouse Severna Park in last year's Class 4A/3A state championship game, the Westminster girls' lacrosse team had waited for the chance to play the Falcons again. The Owls arrived at UMBC Stadium Wednesday night, but had to hold off for another day when lightning storms forced the postponement of the scheduled meeting between last year's state finalists. But an extra day to prepare for the rematch didn't matter, as Severna Park took an early six-goal lead and cruised to its second consecutive championship victory over the Owls, 13-6, on Thursday at UMBC Stadium.

The woman who says she represents North American Power is not telling the truth about the benefits of buying electricity from her company. "You can save up to 10, 15, 20 percent of your bill, depending on your usage," she says in a telemarketing call to my house. But the rate she eventually quotes is only about 7 percent less than the standard price offered by Baltimore Gas & Electric — something the average customer would have no way of knowing. And of course the percentage savings won't vary even if my "usage" goes up to that of a steel mill.

On the threshold of becoming the highest-paid player in the history of the Orioles, center fielder Adam Jones stood at his locker Friday and said he isn't thinking about a contract extension until it becomes official. “Not the slightest [bit] antsy,” said Jones, who is eligible for free agency after the 2013 season. “It's an exciting moment, humbling. But if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, I'm not going to be disappointed. If it does, it was meant to be. Jones' agent, Nez Balelo, and Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette have been negotiating an extension believed to be for six years and worth roughly $85 million.

All along, they had been so relaxed. So when it came time for Team O'Neill's horse to make his charge -- a historic one -- the colt moved forward almost nonchalantly. I'll Have Another glided past Bodemeister to win the 137th running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course, setting up a chance at the first Triple Crown since 1978. The California-based horse is the 12th to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown since Affirmed edged Alydar in all three races.

Deputed Testamony is 32-years-old. His dark brown coat is shaggy, and his biggest excitement is going into his paddock at Bonita Farm for three or four hours of grazing each day. He is a pensioner, an icon. The oldest living winner of a Triple Crown race. But when Billy Boniface looks at the horse in his paddock, he sees the striking colt that was born and trained at the family farm and raced to victory in the 1983 Preakness - the last horse bred or trained in Maryland to do so. "Oh my gosh, I still get goose bumps when I look at him and remember that day," said Boniface, who was 18 then and had just taken over the breeding operation at the farm.

Albert Lord doesn't like to wait - not in business or on the golf course. The colorful chairman of student loan behemoth Sallie Mae, who's embroiled in a nasty fight over the failed sale of the company, has spent 40 years in the accounting and banking industries. He said that experience should have instilled in him a measure of patience, but it hasn't. Whether in traffic, at the office or on the links, Lord said, he just doesn't like to wait. He can't do much about the first two, but he's got a sure-fire solution for the last one: He's building his own, an 18-hole golf course on land he's acquired amid shuttered tobacco farms and grazing horses in southern Anne Arundel County.

The NFL tweaked some of its rules Tuesday, making thigh and knee pads mandatory equipment for players (starting in 2013) and pushing forward a pair of other changes involving the trade deadline and injured reserve. The rule involving thigh and knee padding for players is already being met with criticism by some players who argue that the bulky, additional padding slows them down without adding much protection . Vanity might also be a factor here for some opponents of the rule change, specifically those flashy wide receivers and defensive backs.

In 1973, Reginald F. Lewis went to Parks Sausage Co. with a check for a million dollars in his briefcase as a down payment to buy the Baltimore sausage company.But the 31-year-old Baltimore native was rebuffed primarily because of his age. "We didn't believe they could do the deal," recalls Raymond V. Haysbert Sr., the chairman of Baltimore's largest black-owned manufacturer.They were mistaken.Mr. Lewis went on to buy Beatrice International -- renamed it TLC Beatrice -- in a $985 million leveraged buyout in 1987 and became one of the richest black Americans, with an estimated fortune of $400 million, before he died of a brain tumor in 1993.

Ongoing battles between state officials and Constellation Energy Group escalated again Thursday when Maryland regulators ordered a review of the company's deal with a French utility and Constellation quickly countered with a lawsuit. The Public Service Commission, the state's top energy regulator, determined that Constellation's $4.5 billion deal to sell half its nuclear power assets to Electricite de France must be in the public's interest. The order adds a regulatory hurdle to completing the transaction, which the company had hoped to do by October.

Dan Duquette spoke with the local media just before Friday's game and said a contract extension with center fielder Adam Jones has not been finalized, but he is “hopeful we can get something done.” “There's not a lot I can say about it except that I am encouraged by the fact that Adam wants to stay in Baltimore,” Duquette said. “We certainly would like him to stay in Baltimore. Hopefully, we can work something out here in the short term.” The Orioles and Jones, who could become a free agent after the 2013 season, are discussing a six-year extension that likely will be worth roughly $85 million.

The Orioles have agreed to terms with well-traveled left-handed reliever J.C. Romero on a minor league deal, the club announced Thursday afternoon. Romero, 35, will be with his fourth organization since the beginning of the 2011 season. He was released by the Cardinals on May 14 after compiling a 10.13 ERA in eight relief innings. He had allowed nine runs in 3 1/3 innings in his past three outings before his release. He will report to the Orioles' Triple-A team in Norfolk.

A crowd of "unruly" school kids rushed into a downtown 7-Eleven store about 2 p.m. Wednesday for a free "Slurpee" promotion, and didn't leave until they'd caused a commotion — allegedly shoplifting and getting into a physical altercation with the store owner. According to police, between 20 and 30 middle school students rushed into the store near the intersection of Light and East Pratt streets all at once for the special promotion of the frozen drinks, called "SlurpFREE Day. " The company said the event was to promote its new sugar-free version of the drink, and to "launch the upcoming Slurpee season.

For the next three weeks, the Ravens will have three-day, organized team activities that will undoubtedly attract many of the team's veteran players along with the rookie class. Ray Rice, the Ravens' star running back who has stayed away from the team's facility this offseason as his agent attempts to secure a contract extension for him, is not expected to be there, but that should not be taken as a sign that the negotiations are going poorly. While no deal is imminent and there remains plenty of work to do, there has been some progress in the contract talks in recent weeks between Rice's agent, Todd France, and the Ravens, according to sources familiar with the talks.

The 15-year real estate tax abatement for the Superblock in West Baltimore raises important policy issues that need to be addressed. Specifically, should the city — and in certain cases, the state — grant economic incentives for real estate developments that 1) create competitive disadvantages for existing property owners and 2) reduce the city's property tax revenues from large-scale commercial developments? From my private-sector perspective, the answer to the question is simple: Granting tax abatements that disadvantage existing taxpaying properties is wrong and will lead to an overall loss of tax revenues for the city.

If you were wondering what Ray Rice's reaction was to LeSean McCoy's new contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Ravens' running back wasted little time responding to the news. "Nice well deserved," Rice said on his Twitter account after reports surfaced that the Eagles have signed McCoy, one of the NFL's best backs, to a five-year, $45-million deal that includes nearly $21 million in guaranteed money. Rice, as you know by now, is also looking for a contract extension, rather than playing the season under the $7.7-million franchise tag. The negotiations between the Ravens and Rice's agent, Todd France , remain ongoing and the two sides have until the afternoon of July 16 to come to an agreement or the running back will play the season under the franchise tag. The Ravens and France have been in touch for a while now so McCoy's deal getting finalized today might not mean much in the grand scheme of things.

New Year's Eve 'Golden Ticket' at Harrah's What's the deal? This New Year's Eve, just about every casino in Atlantic City is offering parties open to the public - not just those on the casinos' invitation lists like it used to be. At Harrah's Atlantic City, you can get the "2010 Golden Ticket" package, which includes a Waterfront Tower premium room, two tickets to a celebration in the resort's lush indoor-pool area, three-hour open bar and...

This time last year, the Orioles were stuck in trade rumor central while seeking upgrades for their playoff run. No kidding. Ultimately, they swapped mediocre outfielders with the Arizona Diamondbacks while orchestrating one of the ugliest collapses of recent times. This year, there will be no teases; they are already resting comfortably in their customary fourth-place spot in the American League East. Again, they're linked to trade rumors, this time primarily as a seller. They would like to unload Javy Lopez, Kevin Millar, Jeff Conine, Rodrigo Lopez and LaTroy Hawkins for major league-ready players.

Despite financing more than $140 million city contracts in the past 12 years, donating tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic candidates and being a member of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's inner circle, J.P. Grant III has largely avoided the limelight. Then this week Grant, a West Baltimore native, stepped into the public glare as one of the latest saviors of the troubled Baltimore Grand Prix. City leaders, of course, already knew him. When he walked into a meeting of Baltimore's spending board this week, they greeted him warmly.

Be proud, Marylanders. After a 90-day session, our one-party state government could not agree on a budget. Now, after meeting in secret, Gov.Martin O'Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, and House SpeakerMichael E. Buschannounce that they have an agreement to raise taxes. The Sun agrees that this is a "fairer solution" ("A balanced solution," May 10). I question how any arrangement can be fair that is agreed upon out of the public eye. M. Link, Baltimore