Down

Doppler Radar - DOWN - The meteorologist's "green mass" didn't engulf Camden Yards until 10 p.m. Wednesday. Too bad crew chief Durwood Merrill called the game on account of rain 2 1/2 hours earlier. Look at the bright side. The Orioles expanded their refund policy, school kids got to bed on time and Joe Torre dined in Little Italy.Injuries - DOWN - Delino DeShields, Cal Ripken, Arthur Rhodes, Doug Johns, Brady Anderson, Scott Erickson and Jason Johnson were either missing or limited in the final week.

Highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' 7-6 loss to the Montreal Expos in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.DOWN -- Base running: Manager Ray Miller sums it up best: "We had a little jet lag on the bases."UP -- Lenny Webster: Serving as the designated hitter, Webster takes the role to heart.UP -- Sidney Ponson: Remove one inning and it's sheer perfection.DOWN -- Mike Timlin: Numbers look worse than performance, but it's still three runs and five hits in one inning. And the loss.UP -- Charles Johnson: The bat looks so much quicker this spring.

Ray Miller - UP - The supposed lame-duck skipper oversaw the American League's longest winning streak this season as his charges make a belated run at .500 and third place. Suddenly, warehouse whispers are heard that Peter Angelos might be rethinking this firing stuff.Cal Ripken - DOWN - Ripken's splendid, even inspirational season ended Thursday on an orthopedic surgeon's table in Cleveland. After hitting .340 with the team's highest slugging percentage, he's stuck on 2,991 hits for 6 1/2 months.

Official scoring -- DOWN -- Orioles pitchers beware: Errors will not be recognized this season at Camden Yards. ERAs to receive hydraulic lift.The Thrill --UP-- Will Clark arrived at Fort Lauderdale en fuego and hasn't cooled since. He even extended to make a stop Opening Day.Injury intrigue --DOWN-- First Cal Ripken sits with lower-back spasms. Then he's supposed to play. Wait a minute, on second (or third) thought, he's not. The club's don't-ask-don't-tell game is getting old.Willis Otanez --UP-- Rookie third baseman/designated hitter looked to be a misfit given the April 2 addition of Jeff Conine.

Highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' 12-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Jupiter, Fla.DOWN -- Scott Erickson: The first Orioles starter to get yanked in the middle of an inning. If not, we might still be in the fourth.DOWN -- Mike Bordick: Failed to advance runners on first and second with none out in the third, instead pulling the ball to left and flying out.UP -- Will Clark: Made Bordick's failure inconsequential by lining a two-run double to right.UP -- Jesse Orosco: Retired all three batters he faced.

Highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' 7-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Vero Beach, Fla.DOWN --Doug Johns: Was due for a poor outing. This is it.UP -- Brady Anderson: Takes over the club lead in RBIs with 10 after hitting a two-run homer in the fifth.DOWN -- Willis Otanez: Commits his team-leading fourth error, a wild throw that allowed a run in the first. Also goes 0-for-3 in the cleanup spot.UP -- Mike Timlin: Breezes through the fifth, not allowing the ball out of the infield.

Who's next, John Unitas?The Ravens have run out of quarterbacks and offensive options, and yesterday they ran out of time in a 13-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills before 68,673 at PSINet Stadium.The script has become familiar. The defense plays well enough to win, the Ravens get some production out of their running game, but little from the passing attack. Yet on a day when the Ravens held the Bills to 249 yards of total offense, intercepted three Doug Flutie passes and knocked down 12 more, the most questionable call of the game was their defensive alignment on a fourth-and-15 from the Ravens' 39-yard line with 2: 36 left in the game.

Eleven Angry Men -down - Starters Scott Erickson and Sidney Ponson said they were not ready for the season to open. Middle relief, now minus Doug Johns, resembles a waste area. Arthur Rhodes must allow a home run before getting permission to leave. A messMoose - up - Without Mike Mussina, this season looks like 1988.Jesse Orosco - down - The ancient left-hander surrendered a pair of three-jacks to left-handed bats in the past week. (He allowed two to left-handers all last season.) Orosco -- 42 on Wednesday -- needs more time than most to discover his form.

Jerry Hairston Jr. - UP - Last year, the rookie second baseman asked the club to announce his entire name -- including "Jr." -- during pre-game introductions. If Hairston maintains his current level of development, the team should stencil the entire handle on his back.Mike Bordick - UP - Last season, he hit like Mitch Williams vs. left-handed pitching. This year he looks like Ted Williams vs. the same.Hurricane Floyd - DOWN - The Orioles rescheduled two rainouts against Oakland for Thursday's travel day between Dallas and Boston.

Ray's toll plaza -- UP -- Manager Miller instituted a fine structure in the aftermath of Juan Guzman's absent-minded start Tuesday in Seattle. Checks are not payable to Judy Miller's favorite charity.The road -- DOWN -- The Orioles have won consecutive road games only once and are 8-20 for the season away from Camden Yards, worst in the majors. Boxcar Willie for team lyricist.A-Bomb -- DOWN -- Albert Belle entered the weekend with two RBIs and no home runs in his last 15 games. He finished May with two doubles, the same as college teammate Jeff Reboulet.

Employees at Planit advertising agency in Baltimore got back to work yesterday, expecting to make up for time lost on Inauguration Day. As in many offices, the company virtually shut down for an hour or so Tuesday so workers could watch the festivities. The scene during the swearing-in and address had been eerily surreal: no phones ringing, no BlackBerries beeping, no elevators arriving and almost no traffic 10 stories below Planit's offices on Pratt Street. Most of Planit's 50 workers gathered in the firm's lobby, perching on armchairs or stools, or standing within view of the flat-screen TV. It was a scene that was repeated in offices throughout the country this week as workers watched history.

Maryland home values dropped 4 percent in April through June compared with the same period a year earlier, according to figures that track sales and refinancing. The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight said yesterday that the drop was the seventh largest in the country. Even so, home values in the state are 66 percent higher than they were five years ago, OFHEO said. That's behind only Washington, D.C., and Hawaii. Year-over-year drop in home values for the three months ending June 30: 1. California, down 15.8 percent 2. Nevada, down 14.1 percent 3. Florida, down 12.4 percent 4. Arizona, down 9.2 percent 5. Rhode Island, down 4.9 percent 6. Michigan, down 4.7 percent 7. Maryland, down 4 percent 8. Washington, D.C., down 3.4 percent (tie)

Good morning -- Mike Mussina -- You've never sounded so down, but then you've never pitched this badly before.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Rather than sit around his house and watch television footage of pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, Steve Trachsel decided to start making some weekend plans that didn't include baseball. He told this story yesterday during a conference call before boarding a late flight for Fort Lauderdale, where he'll begin playing baseball. Funny how this game shoves a man aside and then pulls him back. Ignored much of the winter, Trachsel drew quick interest from the Orioles on Monday after they learned Kris Benson likely would miss the entire season because of a partially torn rotator cuff.

Good morning--Fernando Gonzalez-- You're the ultimate Down Underdog.

Good morning --Pittsburgh Penguins-- Come on down - we just love hockey in Baltimore.

On third downs, Mark Clayton is slowly becoming a primary option for the Ravens. The wide receiver, considered the Ravens' biggest threat to break away after a catch, is developing into another weapon for quarterback Steve McNair when the team needs first-down yardage. Chargers@Ravens Sunday, 1 p.m., Ch. 13, 97.9 FM Line: Chargers by 2 1/2

While reporters have been questioning Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen about his conservative offense the past two weeks, quarterback Sam Hollenbach said he and his teammates were smiling in the locker room Saturday night about their game plan. Apparently, the Terps (2-0) have reserved something special for Thursday night's 7:45 p.m. ESPN-televised game against No. 5 West Virginia (2-0). Maryland@West Virginia Thursday, 7:45 p.m., ESPN, 1300 AM, 105.7 FM Replay UP -- Maryland's efforts on special teams led to field position advantages.

Good morning --Bobby Bowden --Maybe you're starting to get this win-by-a-field-goal thing down.

Good morning -- Jeff Weaver -- Tough luck getting sent down for your brother. This never happened with the Ripkens.