Fundamentals

This should come as good news to everyone who thought the Orioles did not take the fundamentals of baseball seriously enough last season. Dave Trembley agrees with you, and he made it clear Wednesday that he doesn't just take last year's early-season fundamental breakdown seriously. He also took it personally and is committed to making sure that scenario is not repeated during his tenure as manager. "I take it real personally because I've been a guy who's made my bread and butter being a guy who has taught fundamentals and has been a teacher who has emphasized that it is a big part of the game.

OAKLAND, Calif. - When Orioles center fielder Adam Jones came off the Oakland Coliseum field after the bottom of second inning Thursday, he threw his glove dejectedly into the dugout and then made a pronouncement: "I'm going to pick us up. I got it. " A few batters later, Jones doubled to give the Orioles a 3-2 lead in a game in which they won 10-2. It was important for Jones, who was hitting .359 heading into Friday, to come up big with the bat. Because the two-time Gold Glove outfielder has been uncharacteristically shaky in the field since the season started.

For the third consecutive year, Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was selected by USA Football to the organization's “All-Fundamentals Team.” The group - picked by a five-person committee that included a pair of former NFL head coaches in Herman Edwards and Jim Mora and former NFL general manager and current USA Football chairman Carl Peterson - is composed of 26 players honored for their commitment to football techniques for youth players...

A little over a month ago, the Maryland men's lacrosse team had the most high-powered offense in the country, a perfect record and the No. 1 ranking. But a strength has turned into their major weakness, and as the Terps prepare to welcome No. 14 Yale to Byrd Stadium in College Park on Saturday, they have been questioning everything about their floundering attack. After averaging 15 goals in its first six contests, Maryland is averaging 8.0 goals and has reached double digits in just one of its past four games.

What happened to traditional investment principles? "A surprisingly bad year tells me the usual market measures are `kaput,"'says Laszlo Birinyi, money manager. "Fundamentals were meaningless. Many stocks that plunged had better-than-expected earnings. And God help a company that missed its consensus estimate, as Hewlett Packard Co. did. Its stock was shredded despite an otherwise strong performance." HANG IN: "Investors need to develop more patience to deal with the new market conditions," says Sy Harding, in Street Smart Report.

HERE'S a surprise: "There's no consistent link between fundamentals and stock prices," says David Dreman, money manager, in Forbes, Oct. 4. "Investors overvalue prospects of stocks with good fundamentals and undervalue prospects of weak stocks."If there ever was a time to heed this lesson, it's now. Even if blue-chips like Cisco Systems Inc. and Clear Channel Communications Inc. show sharp earnings growth, their prices could revert to their `mean,' meaning they would underperform. And even if unloved issues like Borders Group Inc. and Tenet Healthcare Corp.

DEAR CAL -- I'm a new coach of a girls youth basketball team. We haven't won yet, but the girls try their best. I'm excited by that, but it's hard for me to be courtside and not know how else to encourage them. I feel that I should somehow be able to help them better. Where can I learn how to do that? Joanna Beatty, Owings Mills DEAR JOANNA -- This is a problem all coaches face at all levels. I'm assuming that you are dealing with younger kids. As a new coach, I would gather information from books or maybe even a Web site.

If you're like most investors, the Nasdaq sell-off over the past few weeks has made you a little nervous, even after the big rebound over the past couple of days. I know I started to feel a little queasy during April 14's plunge. Although it's easy to get caught up in the play-by-play on CNBC and worry about what's going to happen in the next hour or two, it's better to try to think past the end of the trading day. As painful as it is to watch your stocks tank, it's worth remembering that there are really only two reasons to sell a stock -- either something about the company has significantly changed, or you have a better place to put the money.

Robert Spriggs came to Archbishop Spalding in search of a cure for losing.Despite a daily dose of fundamentals from Spriggs, the Cavaliers are off to a 2-7 start.Coaching a program never mistaken for being a basketball Mecca, Spriggs is not easily discouraged. Spalding has had only two winning seasons in the last 10 years, but Spriggs welcomes the challenge to succeed, which he calls "not a destination, but a journey.""It hasn't been frustrating to me at all. I'm upbeat," said Spriggs."The guys are really learning the basic fundamentals they needed.

The property was alternately described as an "eyesore," "in disrepair," "vacant" and resembling a home with "junk cars" in front of it. All of which raise the question: Why would anyone want it? David A. Ross, president of Atlantic Realty Cos., has a succinct reply: "Fundamentals." Those fundamentals are expected to bring life to the long-suffering Eastgate Shopping Center in Jessup and provide a much-needed shot in the arm to U.S. 1. Much of that area is in disrepair, and county officials hope to revitalize it as a vibrant residential and commercial corridor.

In his second inaugural address, President Barack Obama laid out clearly and forcefully the philosophy that animates his presidency and placed it in context of America's history and values. He believes in individual initiative and hard work, in the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But he believes that history has time and again forced us as a nation to recalibrate our notions of what actions are necessary to uphold those values - from the end of slavery with the Civil War to the enfranchisement of women during the Progressive Era to the dawn of the New Deal welfare state and the realization of equality through the civil rights movement.

At considerable taxpayer expense, Gov. Martin O'Malley convened a special session of the General Assembly last month to expand gambling to a sixth site in Prince George's County. If his proposal is approved by the voters in November, this legislation will result in no real financial gain to the citizens of Maryland, oversaturate the state with casinos, and seriously jeopardize the revenue that state and local governments are receiving from operations at the current casino sites. Question 7, as it is known, also sends a pernicious message to potential investors that the state of Maryland is an unreliable business partner.

As near perfect at Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel was on the mound Saturday night against the Braves, he did his share to help beat Atlanta with his bat. The Orioles put on a small-ball clinic in their 5-0 win over the Braves by moving runners over and getting key hits. And Hammel was in the middle of it, dropping sacrifice bunts in the fifth and seventh innings to put runners in scoring position. Both times, leadoff hitter Brian Roberts capitalized, hitting a RBI single in the fifth and slapping a two-run single in the seventh.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh ended his opening statement to reporters Wednesday with a shout-out to his five quarterbacks, but he mostly singled out Joe Flacco, a regular at voluntary workouts, for praise. "Joe Flacco and all the QBs [have done well], but Joe has been playing great,” he said after Wednesday's organized team activity (OTA). “He's been impressive fundamentally. The ball's been in the right place. He's been throwing the ball really well. Everything he's done -- hard work-wise -- has shown up in these practices.

How ironic that a divorce will be remembered for strengthening the rights of all Marylanders to be married regardless of sexual orientation. With its slam-dunk 7-0 opinion issued Friday in the matter of two women seeking a divorce, the Maryland Court of Appeals has ruled that Maryland must recognize same-sex marriages legally certified elsewhere. It's a huge victory for the ongoing efforts to legalize same-sex marriage in Maryland and adds a whole new dimension to this fall's referendum.

Thanks, but we'll pass. With great fanfare, the office of Baltimore City Councilman Robert W. Curran sent out a email to reporters declaring that domestic violence is “a fundamental human right.” The missive went on to say: “Baltimore is only the second city in the country (after Cincinnatti) to recognize this right.” It's tempting to wonder what other heretofore unrecognized human rights are about to be newly affirmed.  But when we called the councilman to inquire, there was a long moment of silence.

Kyle Boller's second season as the Ravens' starting quarterback has begun with a new girlfriend, a new coach and a new target. The biggest change, however, may be with Boller himself. As the Ravens kicked off their first passing camp of the offseason yesterday, coaches and players took notice of a calmer Boller. The times of being unsure in the huddle or tight in the pocket appeared to have been left behind with his days as a rookie. "I can definitely sense a change in his demeanor," said Todd Heap, the Ravens' Pro Bowl tight end. "You see that confidence that maybe wasn't there as much last year.

Baltimore MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake's preliminary budget proposal for the next fiscal year displays some encouraging signs that, after three rocky years, city finances are stabilizing. Income tax revenues are ticking slightly upward in conjunction with an improved jobs picture in the city, and some of the mayor's controversial pension reform efforts are beginning to hold down costs. The plan calls for an end to employee furloughs and will result in few layoffs, if any. It even includes a small reduction in homeowners' property taxes.

"FIFA Street" Developer: EA Canada Platform: Xbox 360, Playstation 3 Score: 9/10 It is not surprising that "FIFA Street" is a great game, given its parentage. "FIFA 12" is the highest achievement so far in EA's quest to rule the world's game, and "Street" has inherited the core DNA and formula for enjoyment that makes even non-soccer fans recognize "FIFA 12" as a great gaming experience. In the mid-'00s, the "FIFA Street" series existed not as an offshoot of the main 11-on-11 game but as a standalone, "NBA Jam"-style game that you had to like soccer to enjoy.