Draft

On Wednesday, Gov. Martin O'Malley said it was his "hope" to share a draft casino expansion bill with the Baltimore city House delegation by today. It appears those hopes have been dashed. O'Malley spokeswoman Raquel Guillory said putting the bill together is proving "complicated" and a draft would not be released after all. She did not give a new date. She also downplayed rumors that a date for the special session has been determined. "First we need a bill, then we can set a date," Guillory said.

In the weeks leading up to April's NFL draft, I will highlight four players whom the Ravens could target at different stages in the draft -- from their top pick to their Mr. Irrelevant. In this post, I will focus on quarterbacks. Please note that I am not saying the Ravens will take a quarterback with their first round pick, for example. I'm just giving you a player whom they might consider if they decided to go that route. Got it? Good. Let's do this. Round 1: Ryan Mallett, Arkansas.

Bernard Pierce at a glance Running back, Temple Ht./Wt.: 6 foot,  215 pounds Born: May 10, 1990, Ardmore, Pa. High School: Glen Mills School College highlights: Pierce was the 2011 ECAC Offensive Player of the Year after he led the Owls with 1,481 yards and a school-record 27 touchdowns. He was ranked second nationally in scoring with 13.5 points a game. … Maryland fans may remember his record-breaking game where he rushed for 149 yards on 32 carries and tied a MAC record with five rushing touchdowns.

After a quiet first round of the draft in which they traded their pick at No.29 to the Minnesota Vikings for the 35 th pick (3 rd overall in tonight's second round) and the 98 th overall pick, the Ravens will be on the clock tonight probably at about 7:15 barring another trade. By now, you are probably familiar with the names who could be available to them. You have wide receivers Stephen Hill (Georgia Tech) and Rueben Randle (LSU), guard Cordy Glenn (Georgia)

I applaud Paul Marx's suggestion to reinstate the draft ("Reconsider the draft," May 24). Not only do I believe in compulsory military service for men, I also believe it also should include women. As I watch the horror of the oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, I question why the National Guard has not been called out. But then it occurred to me, they're in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have a "draft" — it's called a "backdoor draft." The folks who volunteered for the National Guard, expecting to be called up for local disasters, have been siphoned off to fight in the Middle East.

While doing my homework on the Ravens and their history in the NFL draft, I spent a little time exploring our Ravens draft database (sorry for the shameless plug, but it's pretty neat feature if you haven't checked it out ). In no particular order, here are some trends and random factoids from the 126 picks they've made in 16 years. ••• Much is made about G.M. Ozzie Newsome's preference for players from Alabama, his alma mater, and how the Ravens have hit big on prospects from The U (of Miami)

Count on the Raiders Omar Kelly Sun Sentinel Raiders owner Al Davis has thrown many drafts off course in his five decades of running the Oakland Raiders' draft room, and this year won't be any different. Good old Al (and I do mean old) will mock everyone's mock draft by doing something out of the box, coming from left field with a selection such as Darrius Heyward-Bey, whom the Raiders took with the No. 7 pick, making this marginal Maryland receiver the first wideout taken in 2009.

Cavs talking Turkey Dom Amore Hartford Courant After suffering a meek year after The LeBron Decision, Cleveland inherits the Earth, picking first and fourth. So they're not drafting a player, but a core, and it makes most sense for them to go point guard and big man, even if the latter is a project. They'll use that first pick on Duke's Kyrie Irving and the fourth pick on Enes Kanter, the 6-11 center who has been playing in Turkey. When you've already picked first you can afford a risk at No. 4. Arizona small forward Derrick Williams makes a lot of sense for the Timberwolves at No. 2. Point guard Brandon Knight makes sense for the Jazz at No. 3. The consensus has UConn's Kemba Walker going No. 7 to Sacramento.

Shortly before the 2004 draft, an American League scouting director was singing the praises of Old Dominion's Justin Verlander. He said he had "the best combination" of velocity and a power breaking ball in the draft, but there was an issue. Verlander reportedly had a hard time repeating his delivery, which was why he was walking five guys every nine innings. He was projectable, if everything clicked, but Baseball America ranked four pitchers higher in its draft preview: Long Beach State's Jered Weaver, Rice University's Jeff Niemann and Philip Humber and Texas high-schooler Homer Bailey.

WITH PRESIDENT Bush's re-election, we'll soon find out whether there is any truth to the rumors that have been circulating for some time that he and his administration want to reinstitute military conscription. And, presumably, we'll also find out whether those in Congress who have advocated a resumption of the draft - most notably Democratic Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York - will push for or against such a measure. In the characteristic manner in which irony can be so ironic, an administration that has said the draft is unnecessary now could suddenly argue that one is necessary to sustain the burdensome war on terrorism.