Homer

RARELY DOES ONE charitable contribution so profoundly affect the future of an institution and the people and community it serves."Those were a few of the words used to express the gratitude of Dr. Morton I. Rapoport, president and chief executive office of the University of Maryland Medical System, to the Martha Gudelsky family, which donated $5 million to build the new Homer Gudelsky clinical tower. Although this is the largest single gift ever given to the University of Maryland, it's not the first gift from the Gudelsky Foundation, which donated $1 million to construct the Anna Gudelsky Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, which opened in 1986.

The evolution of Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman continued Friday night with an outing that was reminiscent of an experienced veteran and not a guy who was in the minors a year ago wondering about his future in the organization. In the Orioles' 2-0 victory over the Boston Red Sox in front of a nearly packed house on a picture-perfect baseball evening at Camden Yards, Tillman did what good pitchers are supposed to do. He won without having particularly strong command, walking four to tie his season high set in the first game of the year.

It obviously was a good sign for the Orioles that Nick Markakis, who is coming off January abdomen surgery, homered in his first regular-season at-bat. But what was most impressive is where the ball landed: left field. It was just the 12th time in 105 career homers, that Markakis planted one to the opposite field. It was his first left-field homer since 2008. Markakis has hit just 27 homers in his past two seasons - and there are plenty of theories why. He's never used the abdomen injury as an excuse, but when doctors went into repair the tears they found scar tissue from previous injuries that apparently were undiscovered.

Dr. Homer Eli Favor, a retired Morgan State University economist who was an original member of the civil rights activist group whose members called themselves the "Goon Squad," died of heart disease Saturday at the Baltimore-Washington Medical Center. A Glen Burnie resident, he had lived in East Baltimore for many years. He was 88. "He was the strongest advocate for human justice you could find anywhere," said the Rev. Alfred C.D. Vaughn, pastor of Sharon Baptist Church. "He was involved in every phase of the civil rights movement and if Homer was your friend, he was a friend for life.

Dylan Bundy allowed his fourth home run as a pro Friday night, but the Orioles' top pitching prospect only gave up one run on on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings in High-A Frederick's game at Winston-Salem. He struck out six and walked one. The night didn't go nearly as well for Brian Matusz. The lefty was shelled for six earned runs on nine hits and one walk in six innings pitching for Triple-A Norfolk at Syracuse. Matusz had been solid in his first two minor league starts of the season, but this one was clearly a step back.

Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds recorded his second two-homer game of the series in today's series finale at Yankee Stadium, driving in four of the Orioles' five runs so far as the O's have taken a 5-3 lead here in the Bronx. Reynolds' first homer, a solo shot in the fifth inning, was a mammoth shot to left field off Phil Hughes that landed about 15 rows up into the Yankee Stadium outfield bleachers. His second one -- another bomb into the left-field bleachers -- was a three-run shot off Hughes that gave the Orioles a 5-3 lead in the team's four-run sixth inning.

On October 2, 2005, HOMER T. RICHARDS beloved husband of Vanessa F. Richards (nee Scott), devoted father of Homer T. Richards, II, step father of Dennis and Brian Clasing, loving son of the late Homer J., and Christine Richards, dear brother of Bill, Ray, Boyd and Chrisie Richards and Vicky Bowen. Also survived five grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Graveside service will be held at Holly Hill Memorial Gardens on Wednesday at 11 A.M. Visiting hours at the Connelly Funeral Home of Essex, 300 Mace Avenue on Tuesday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Interment Holly Hill Memorial Gardens.

On July 31, 2003 HOMER TAYLOR of Middle River, MD. He is survived by his loving wife Gertraud, his sister-in-law Erika Krawczyk and her husband Peter. Services private. Arrangements by Loudon Park Funeral Home.

Chris Davis' second-inning solo homer on Friday night was record-setting. It was the 66th homer to land onto Eutaw Street - behind the right-field flag court - in Camden Yards history. And it was also the ninth this year - the most Eutaw Street homers hit in any one season. The previous record was eight, set in 2008. Davis has hit three there this year. He homered again in the fourth and again in the sixth  - neither onto Eutaw Street - giving him 23 on the season. That surpasses his career-high of 21 set in 2009.

On Sunday, January 9, 2005, JULIUS HOMER; loving husband of Rhona Homer (nee Besser); beloved step-father of Stephanie Beth Mendel, of University Heights, OH and Ryan Michael Mechanick, of Crestview, FL; devoted brother of Gladys Kahn, of Silver Spring, MD; beloved brother-in-law of the late Werner Kahn; beloved uncle of Dr. Joel Kahn; loving step-grandfather of Seth Mendel. Services at SOL LEVINSON & BROS., INC., 8900 Reisterstown Road, at Mt. Wilson Lane, on Tuesday, January 11, at 12 noon.

A memorial service for Homer E. Favor, a retired Morgan State University economics professor and civil rights leader, will be held at 10 a.m. June 20 at Union Baptist Church, 1219 Druid Hill Ave. A family hour preceding the memorial service will be held from 9 a.m to 10 a.m. Jacques Kelly

After making tape measure-shot home runs the norm through the first two months of the season, it appeared Orioles first baseman Chris Davis had cooled down. He battled through an 0-for-16 stretch. He hadn't homered since June 2. He hadn't even driven in a run since that day. But Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels, Davis showed that the previous four-game stretch was just an aberration. In the 9-5 loss to the Angels , Davis went 2-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs, one double and one run scored.

When Los Angeles Angels right fielder Josh Hamilton pulled Freddy Garcia's 79 mph splitter onto the flag court beyond right field in the sixth inning Monday night, it was the 90th time an Orioles pitcher gave up a home run this season. Hamilton's home run - which tied the game at 2-2, though the Orioles would eventually grab a 4-3 rain-delayed win - was the Angels' second of the game and further added to the Orioles' pitching staff's major league-worst total. Entering Monday's game, they had given up five more than Houston, which owned the next-worst mark.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Orioles were introduced to the latest jewel of the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching pipeline Friday night. Rays right-hander Chris Archer, who was making just his sixth career big league start, limited the high-powered Orioles offense to a season-low two hits in a 2-1 loss to Tampa Bay in front of an announced 13,256 at Tropicana Field. Orioles starter Jason Hammel took a one-run lead into the seventh-inning stretch, but he allowed a two-run homer to Rays center fielder Desmond Jennings in bottom half of the frame.

HOUSTON - On Wednesday morning, eight Orioles took a behind-the-scenes tour of NASA's renowned Johnson Space Center. Four innings into Wednesday night's 11-7 loss to the Houston Astros, the entire Orioles team witnessed a launching pad. Six Astros homered in the first four innings against Orioles pitchers Freddy Garcia (2-3) and Steve Johnson - setting an Astros season-high in homers and a season-worst for long balls allowed by the Orioles this season. “A bad day to pitch, I guess,” said Garcia, who allowed more homers (four)

Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman made history on Wednesday night, becoming the first National League player to hit three or more homers at Camden Yards. Zimmerman is just the fourth opposing player to hit three or more homers at Camden Yards. Last season, Josh Hamilton had a four-homer game for the Rangers against the Orioles on May 8. Severna Park native Mark Teixeira hit three homers for the Rangers on July 13, 2006, and Oakland's Erubiel Durazo hit three homers against the Orioles on August 18, 2004.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter might not be a fan of doubleheaders, but he couldn't complain about the result of Saturday's split twin bill against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Camden Yards. The Orioles won both games of the doubleheader, getting a career-high four RBIs from Manny Machado in a 6-1 nightcap win that followed their 7-5 victory in the early game. In between, the team honored former manager Earl Weaver, the legendary Orioles skipper who preached the importance of pitching, defense and the three-run homer.

Chris Davis homered in the fourth inning - a two-run shot that was his fourth in his past three games. It also was his 30th of the season - something he has never done as a big leaguer, although he reached the milestone in the minors before. Davis is the second Oriole to get to 30 this season, joining Adam Jones, who has 32. It's the sixth time in Orioles history that teammates have hit 30 or more homers in a season. The others: J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds (2011); Brady Anderson and Rafael Palmeiro (1996)

On a night when the Orioles gave away Chris Davis T-shirts with a Superman-esque O's logo on the front, the team's slugging first baseman continued put up unrivaled power numbers in Wednesday's 9-6 victory over the Washington Nationals at Camden Yards. Davis recorded his fourth career multihomer game and drove in three runs, including his majors-leading 19th homer of the season -- a two-run shot off Nats reliever Tyler Clippard on an 0-2 changeup that capped the Orioles' six-run seventh.

The long-accepted theory around these parts is that Camden Yards morphs from a neutral park to a hitter's haven in late May to early June when the temperatures start heating up and the humidity thickens. It was 86 degrees at first pitch Wednesday night, and the Orioles and the Washington Nationals collectively breathed life into the great shrinking ballpark theory with an eight-homer barrage that culminated in a 9-6 Orioles victory before an announced crowd of 39,129. “I think it is a completely different ballpark in the way it plays [when the weather is warm]