Option

Jim Johnson's third blown save in as many opportunities obviously was the main angle in Monday night's 6-4 loss to the New York Yankees in 10 innings. Orioles manager Buck Showalter - as he usually does in these kinds of sticky situations - tried to lift the blame off of his player that made the key mistake. “I thought he threw the ball pretty well. He had one pitch,” Showalter said. “We had trouble keeping the ball in the ballpark. That's pretty much it. Not just Jimmy.

Republicans accuse Thomas E. Perez, President Barack Obama's nominee for labor secretary, of twisting the legal process in three cases in St. Paul, Minn., to suit his political purposes. But it is they who are twisting the Senate's role to "advise and consent" on presidential nominees for their own political ends, and in so doing they have smeared the reputation of a talented public servant and damaged the institution in which they serve. Mr. Perez made it out of committee on a party-line vote Thursday, but Republicans are still suggesting they may try to block his nomination on the Senate floor.

Now that Johns Hopkins has opened the door for conferences to woo the illustrious program, the most pressing question centers on if there is one league that best suits the Blue Jays - and vice versa. If coach Dave Pietramala and athletic director Tom Calder are steadfast in retaining traditional rivalries, the Atlantic Coast Conference would appear to be the best fit. Joining that league would allow Johns Hopkins to maintain traditional series with North Carolina, Syracuse and Virginia, and the team would simply have to carve out space for Duke and Notre Dame.

W.R. Grace CEO Fred E. Festa sold shares of newly exercised stock options for a nearly $1.3 million profit, the Columbia chemical maker said Tuesday. Festa exercised an option to buy 21,490 shares at $19.71 apiece Monday and sold them the same day for about $78.04 each, according to a company filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. W.R. Grace said the sale was "pursuant" to a prearranged trading plan. Festa owned 100,000 shares of company stock after the transaction.

Legg Mason Inc.'s compensation committee awarded CEO Joseph A. Sullivan options to purchase a half million shares of the company stock at $31.46 per share, the Baltimore-based money manager announced in a regulatory filing. The company said the options recognize Sullivan's promotion to CEO in February and are designed to be an incentive to build Legg's business. The options vest in 25 percent parcels. The first quarter will vest in May 2015, meaning Sullivan can purchase them after that date.

Anne Arundel Community College's Kauffman Theater at the Pascal Center for Performing Arts is proving to be fertile ground for people searching for entertainment bargains. The center offers such options as dance troupes, jazz ensembles, world-class guitar concerts and performances by the AACC Concert Band. The major spring concert season kicked off last weekend with classical concerts by the college's Symphony Orchestra and the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers. If these opening classical concerts signal the caliber of what lies ahead, music fans are in for a treat.

SEATTLE -- The Orioles have made a series of roster moves before tonight's game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Right-hander Zach Clark (UMBC) has been called up from Triple-A Norfolk and catcher Chris Snyder -- acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday -- has also been activated. Lefty Zach Britton, who allowed six runs in six innings Monday night here, has been optioned back to Norfolk. Catcher Luis Exposito has been designated for assignment, clearing room on the 40-man roster for Snyder.

Having vowed that any use of chemical weapons by Syria would cross a U.S. "red line" and provoke a strong American response "with enormous consequences," President Barack Obama now finds himself under increasing pressure to act, following reports by U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies that the regime of President Bashar Assad used deadly sarin gas against opponents last year. The problem for Mr. Obama is that the military options for enforcing his promise range from bad to very bad - while the risks of doing nothing may be even worse.

The Ravens still have holes. They need to find a starting left tackle, and they could use a No. 2 receiver and add depth at the linebacker and offensive line positions as well. But as the NFL draft ended Saturday night and the Ravens walked out of the auditorium at the team's training complex in Owings Mills, the defending Super Bowl champions appeared to be potentially as good as last year. Because of retirement and free agency, which led to the exodus of several important veterans, the Ravens are lighter on experience but bigger, stronger and faster than a year ago on defense.

OAKLAND, Calif -- The Orioles haven't named a starter for Monday's game in Seattle, and one possibility is 36-year-old veteran Freddy Garcia, who is 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA in four starts at Triple-A Norfolk. When Garcia signed, he agreed to make five starts before a decision regarding his future had to be made. Tuesday, he lasted eight innings, gave up four hits and a run and struck out four. His fastball velocity was in the high 80s. “Freddy had a good outing last outing. As Ron Johnson our Triple-A manager put it so well, Freddy was Freddy,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.