Hit A Home

By definition, any analysis of tape-measure home runs should be an exact science.No way. Long home runs are the stuff of fable and folklore. We could tell you that Bo Jackson hit one farther than Babe Ruth, but that's like saying George Foreman hits harder than Jack Dempsey or that Julia Roberts is prettier than Mary Pickford.This is not track and field, in which the increments are precise as are the records. Most "tape-measure" shots are never measured. Home runs stretch to new distances as the newsprint yellows and the mind is left to carry a legendary long ball.

Just minutes after the gates opened at Camden Yards, the new Roof Deck had its first customer -- Romeo Santos of Pigtown. "My goal was to be the first one up on this deck and grab a beer. " Roof Deck is open to Oriole Park ticket-holders at every game, a fact that seemed to impress even a Baltimore City police officer, who was overhead expressing his approval of the covered center-field bar and viewing platform. Variations of the Roof Deck have become popular mixing areas in other stadiums, especially for restless fans who want to keep half an eye on the game as they move around the park.

KINSTON, N.C. -- Kinston Indians left fielder Tracy Sanders hit a home run in the bottom of the 11th inning last night, dealing the Frederick Keys a 7-6 loss last night in a Class A Carolina League game at Granger Stadium.Sanders' home run, his first of the season, came with one out in the 11th off Keys reliever Jeff Williams (1-1).

The key to a Hardy Boyz feud working largely hinges on whether Matt Hardy can cut a serious heel promo. I wouldn't say that Hardy hit a home run with his performance on the microphone Friday on SmackDown, but I think it was a solid double off the wall. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ringposts)

The key to a Hardy Boyz feud working largely hinges on whether Matt Hardy can cut a serious heel promo. I wouldn't say that Hardy hit a home run with his performance on the microphone Friday on SmackDown, but I think it was a solid double off the wall. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ringposts)

Quote: "When I used to play in my college days back in Texas, we'd say we weren't rebuilding, we were reloading. I thought we were going to reload here."-- Blue Jays pitcher Roger Clemens on the team's recent loss of Juan Guzman and other veterans.It's a fact: The Yankees can finish 13-33 (.283) and still win 100 games.Who's hot: David Cone of the Yankees earned his major-league leading 17th victory, improved to 11-0 at home and lowered his ERA to 3.46.Who's not: Ken Griffey, who went 0-for-4 last night, hasn't hit a home run in his last 50 at-bats -- his longest drought of the season.

NEW YORK -- The San Francisco Giants left Shea Stadium yesterday concerned and upset about a pitch from Eric Hillman that left Barry Bonds' right arm in a sling.Bonds, generally considered the best player in baseball, might have suffered a broken arm when he was hit by a pitch just above the elbow in the third inning. He left in the fourth for X-rays that were inconclusive, and will undergo a bone scan today in San Francisco.Bonds had hit a two-run homer in the first inning and came up in the third after Robby Thompson's homer gave the Giants a 3-1 lead.

YesterdayTRIPLE-A INTERNATIONAL LEAGUERochester 4, Indianapolis 3: Willis Otanez hit a home run, his 18th, off Brian Keyser (4-4) in a three-run fourth inning that rallied the visiting Red Wings. Steve Ontiveros (5-1) got the victory. Bobby Munoz got his ninth save.DOUBLE-A EASTERN LEAGUENew Britain 10, Bowie 8: Chad Moeller paced a ferocious comeback effort as the visiting Rock Cats rallied from an 8-1 deficit.The Baysox struck for seven runs in the bottom half of the second inning. Jim Foster stroked a two-run double down the third-base line, Jesse Garcia and Ryan Minor picked up RBI singles, and Calvin Pickering hit a bases-loaded double as the Baysox opened a 7-1 lead.

Eight high school teams competed in the sixth annual Patterson tournament, which was designed to get Baltimore City schools more involved in softball, but the Harford County entry -- John Carroll -- won the title with a 9-7 victory over Catholic yesterday.With two outs and Catholic leading 7-6 in the seventh inning of the championship game, junior Shannon Lawlor got a base hit to drive in two runs for the Patriots for a 8-7 lead, their first of the game. Catcher Paige Boyle singled to drive in Lawlor.

A recap of the Orioles' 9-4 loss to the Angels yesterday: OLSON COMES UNDONE The Orioles received several strong starting pitching performances on the nine-game road trip, but Garrett Olson's outing yesterday certainly didn't qualify. Unable to build off his previous performance, in which he came just two outs shy of a complete-game shutout, Olson allowed six earned runs, lasting just 2 2/3 innings, tying his shortest start of the season. Olson surrendered seven hits, including two home runs, walked two and threw a run-scoring wild pitch.

NEW YORK - Daniel Cabrera had a five-run lead in the eighth inning and was in position to win for just the second time in 13 starts. There seemingly was no reason for him to intentionally throw at New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez. But as soon as Cabrera's pitch hit Rodriguez's left shoulder, plate umpire Chad Fairchild got out of his crouch and threw the Orioles starter out of the game, believing the pitch was retaliation for Rodriguez's solo homer two innings earlier. The incident set the tone for a wild final two innings in which All-Star closer George Sherrill nearly blew a four-run lead before preserving the Orioles' 7-6 victory before an announced 54,241.

Another gem from Bedard For the second straight game, Erik Bedard pitched a gem. The left-hander didn't match the 15 strikeouts he recorded in Texas but was still very effective. In the seventh inning, after walking Jim Thome and giving up a double to Paul Konerko, Bedard struck out Jermaine Dye and Josh Fields to escape unscathed. He gave up no runs and three hits in seven innings, striking out seven. Power surge The Orioles got only six hits off White Sox starter Mark Buehrle, but made two of them count.

Bel Air senior designated hitter Anthony Huling is battling through a difficult season on and off the field. He has had to deal with his father, Wally, being diagnosed with melanoma. Wally Huling recently was declared cancer-free after surgery. On the field, Huling has been slowed by injuries, including a chronic shoulder problem. After batting .350 as a sophomore -- when he helped the Bobcats reach the state semifinals -- he hit .375 last year before dipping below .200 this season. He normally is a catcher, but the shoulder injury forced him to spend all of this season as a DH. In his spare time, Huling sings, writes songs and plays guitar.

Synchronized errors Each time shortstop Miguel Tejada made an error yesterday in the Orioles' 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, so did catcher Ramon Hernandez. Almost immediately. Tejada misplayed two balls, in the first and second innings, and Hernandez followed with errant throws. His failed pickoff attempt at third base allowed Juan Pierre to score, and he threw another ball into center field as Matt Kemp stole second. "We were awfully sloppy today," manager Sam Perlozzo said. "I know it's late and guys are kind of anxious.

Miguel Tejada hasn't homered in 118 at-bats and for the second straight season, his power numbers have dropped after the All-Star break. But the shortstop said yesterday that home runs are not the primary weapon in his game and that he's not concerned about his relative power lapse. "I'm not a home run hitter," Tejada said. "I'm the kind of hitter that I am right now, getting base hits. I hit home runs, but I'm not a home run hitter." Tejada went 3-for-5 yesterday and ranks third in the American League with a .330 batting average.

NEW YORK -- Kris Benson sat calmly and quietly in the visiting clubhouse before last night's game, keeping one eye on the United States-Italy World Cup match and another on an out-of-town baseball game. If Benson was nervous about his return to Shea Stadium to face a New York Mets team that he didn't want to leave, there was no way of knowing it. Over the course of the next several hours, Benson's expression barely changed - not when he became the first Orioles pitcher in 34 years to hit a home run, not even when he finished off one of the most memorable performances of his career with a strikeout.