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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Lutherville resident David Kressin, a professional house painter for nearly 20 years, recently released a new DVD "Take a Professional Painter Home with You," designed to teach the average person how to paint an interior room in several concise steps. "The paint industry assumes everyone knows the basic painting fundamentals or recommends taping everything in the room," Kressin said. "If I painted the way most online videos teach, I would be out of business. " He said the video, "illustrates the fundamentals and tricks of the trade, which aren't hard.

In a Chrysler advertisement aired during halftime of Sunday's Super Bowl, actor and director Clint Eastwood says, "I've seen a lot of tough eras, a lot of tough downturns in my life, times when we didn't understand each other. It seems we've lost our heart at times, and the fog of discord, division and blame made it hard to see what lies ahead. But after those trials, we all rallied around what was right and acted as one. " To judge from the reaction he got, we haven't achieved that last stage just yet. Mr. Eastwood was pilloried the next morning by Republican political strategist and Fox News commentator Karl Rove, among others, as a tool of President Barack Obama's re-election strategy.

The Mount St. Joseph basketball team has a number of constants to fall back on when its offense is out of sorts. The No. 2 Gaels rebound well, hit most of their free throws and make opponents work hard for their points. Sluggish on offense in the first half against No. 14 Glenelg Country on Tuesday, the Gaels leaned on those strengths to stay close, then scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter to pull away with a 57-41 win over the visiting Dragons. Sophomore guard Phil Booth scored a game-high 19 points, the Gaels hit 28 of 33 free throws and smart play down the stretch helped secure the win. Mount St. Joseph improves to 10-0 overall and 5-0 in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference.

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...

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.

There has been a lot of discussion in these pages about a recent statement on religious liberty issued by Maryland's Catholic bishops. Unfortunately, the discussion has ignored most of what the bishops had to say. It has focused almost exclusively on the Catholic Church's opposition to same-sex marriage — an issue the state legislature may revisit in its next session. Let us leave that controversy aside for the moment and consider what the bishops actually said. The bishops' statement, "The Most Sacred of All Property," takes its title from an essay by James Madison.

David Reed was admittedly disappointed when special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg informed him on Wednesday that he would not be returning kicks in the Ravens' game against the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday. But Reed, who fumbled three times in the past two contests and lost two of those fumbles in Sunday's 22-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, said his disappointment was directed at himself, not his coach. “I'm disappointed in myself,” he said. “I let myself down, I let my teammates down, I let Jerry down.