Pirates

The Pirates have hired Clint Hurdle as their new manager, SI.com reported Sunday. The Pirates will announce the hiring Monday. Hurdle spent 2010 as the hitting coach for the Rangers, who led the majors in batting average, were fifth in runs scored and advanced to the World Series. The Pirates fired John Russell after three last-place finishes in three years. Pittsburgh has not enjoyed a winning season since 1992 and lost 105 games last season, the most for the franchise since 1952.

April 26 is "World Intellectual Property Day," a day designated to increase public awareness about how intellectual property rights promote innovation and creativity. The federal government is working to prevent counterfeiting and piracy, but the government needs help from vigilant citizens who understand why intellectual property rights matter. In order to promote economic, scientific and creative progress, the Constitution expressly empowers Congress to give authors and innovators the exclusive right to profit from their writings and discoveries.

Fans of the Baltimore-area band Pirates for Sail are accustomed to song titles like "Time Flyes When You're Havin' Rum. " They're used to such silly lyrics as: "Well we're pyrate singers, we've got most of our fingers/ And we pillage everywhere we go. / We sing about booty and we sing about blood / But we can't get paid for a show. " Supporters have rolled their eyes at the story describing the group's first public (albeit unauthorized) appearance at the Mall in Columbia in 2005.

Vendors at the Patapsco Flea Market have a history of allegedly selling counterfeit and pirated merchandise, according to an affidavit, which outlined the latest accusation that resulted in a raid Sunday by federal Homeland Security Investigations special agents. Capping a 2 1/2-year-long investigation into counterfeit apparel and accessories as well as pirated DVDs and musical recordings, federal investigators confiscated numerous items being sold there. Federal authorities released few details about the raid, but the affidavit details several undercover operations that found that many of the items sold at the flea market were fake.

T here aren't many things more meat and potatoes than a hearty helping of Lefty Kreh . So there I was Tuesday night, playing hooky from a mundane government meeting to fork down protein and starch with the greatest fly fisherman, author and teacher of them all. Kreh, weeks from his 85th birthday, was at the Boatyard Bar and Grill in Eastport to swap stories, tell jokes and watch a cult fishing movie with old pals and admirers....

The Orioles, as the old saying goes, let the game bounce through their legs on Wednesday, losing, 5-4, to the Pirates after rookie second baseman Blake Davis got beat five hole on a hard ground ball and gave away the game-winning runs. The Orioles dropped the three-game set, the fourth consecutive series they have lost. But this one stung a little bit more, and it wasn’t because of the Baltimore-Pittsburgh civic rivalry. As Peter Schmuck has preached on his blog , the last-place Orioles needed to beat the Pirates in this week’s battle of baseball’s biggest losers “because of the sad state of baseball in both towns and what it says to fans when you're selling a turnaround and you can't beat the [National League]

Outfielder Jai Miller , who has been shelved for several days because of tendinitis in his right knee, may be able to play in Monday's night game against the Pirates. Miller, who is out of minor league options and is fighting for a bench spot, hasn't played since March 20. "It's something I've been dealing with, but it just got to the point where it got pretty bad and I needed some time off to let it heal," Miller said. "I'm pretty close to being in the lineup. " Miller said the tendinitis stems from an old basketball injury and occasionally flares up with continual stress on the leg. "I know how it goes.

NAIROBI, Kenya - Crews on oil tankers aren't allowed to smoke above deck, much less carry guns, for fear of igniting the ship's payload. That's one of the main reasons Somali pirates met little resistance when they hijacked a U.S.-bound supertanker carrying $20 million in crude. The Greek-flagged tanker - traveling from Saudi Arabia to New Orleans - had no escort when it was hijacked Sunday because naval warships are stretched too thin. The problem has been further exacerbated because pirates have expanded their operations to hundreds of miles out at sea. The Maran Centaurus was about 800 miles off the coast of Somalia when it was hijacked with 28 crew, said Cmdr.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- David DeJesus and John Buck drove in two runs apiece and Kansas City erased an early four-run deficit in an interleague clash between the two worst teams in the majors. The two starters, Mark Redman (4-4) and Kip Wells, were a combined 13-33 last year for the Pirates. Wells lasted 3 1/3 innings in his first start since undergoing surgery in March for a blocked artery.

Public and private pressure to end his unique role as the president of two major-league baseball teams apparently hastened Carl Barger's decision to step down as the Pittsburgh Pirates' president.Barger, named as the expansion Florida Marlins' president, hoped to remain with the Pirates through the end of the season. He later privately moved up the target date for his departure to Sept. 1.But when some baseball executives, and NL president Bill White, questioned how Barger could act on behalf of one team while employed by another, he decided to leave the division-leading Pirates Aug. 2.Barger hopes to wrap up two unfinished projects -- reportedly a contract for potential free-agent Bobby Bonilla and the renegotiation of the Pirates' lease at Three Rivers Stadium before he leaves office.

Adam Sahhar spends his days prowling the waters of the Inner Harbor, looking for plunder and teaching passengers a lesson in Pirating 101. As general manager of Baltimore's Urban Pirates, Sahhar, aka Capt. Peppercorn, leads the crew aboard The Fearless, a pirate-themed, children-friendly tour boat armed with water cannons. This is the first week of pirate season, which runs through Oct. 31. Sahhar, a 27-year-old who lives in Fells Point, and the rest of the crew will be on hand for Saturday's Privateer Day in Fells Point.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has yet to name an Opening Day starter, but a slight adjustment to the team's pitching schedule might have shown his hand. Right-hander Jake Arrieta's scheduled day to pitch was Friday against the Tigers at home, but he's been moved back, according to Showalter, who said Arrieta will pitch on Saturday here in Bradenton against the Pirates. That would put Arrieta on pace have five days rest before starting Opening Day on April 6 against the Twins at Camden Yards.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Tommy Hunter had a solid outing the last time he took the mound Wednesday, but he was disappointed with his lack of command. That wasn't a problem on Monday night, when Hunter absolutely breezed through six scoreless innings in the Orioles' 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Orioles' right-hander walked the first batter he faced on five pitches, then immediately picked up a double play and a three-pitch strikeout to get out of the first.

Outfielder Jai Miller , who has been shelved for several days because of tendinitis in his right knee, may be able to play in Monday's night game against the Pirates. Miller, who is out of minor league options and is fighting for a bench spot, hasn't played since March 20. "It's something I've been dealing with, but it just got to the point where it got pretty bad and I needed some time off to let it heal," Miller said. "I'm pretty close to being in the lineup. " Miller said the tendinitis stems from an old basketball injury and occasionally flares up with continual stress on the leg. "I know how it goes.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta wasn't as concerned with the numbers on the scoreboard in Wednesday afternoon's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates as he was with the fraction-of-a-second change in his delivery. Arrieta, making his second Grapefruit League start, yielded four runs on five hits over 2 2/3 innings in the Orioles' 11-5 loss to the Pirates at Ed Smith Stadium, but he said he's still refining his mechanics after concentrating this spring on improving his time to the plate.

SEATTLE — Mike Leach had just gotten the Texas Tech coaching job in 1999 when he and an assistant coach flew from Lubbock down to Odessa to recruit a decorated receiver named Roy Williams. "Amazing-looking kid," said Manny Matsakis, the former assistant. They told him they'd throw the ball all over the place at Texas Tech, and at the end, they told him, "Before we're done, we're going to beat Texas. " Of course, Williams went on to a prolific career at Texas. But on a November night in 2002, Tech beat the Longhorns 42-38, and afterward, Williams met Matsakis at midfield and shook his hand.

Baseball Ex-Oriole Lee activated, hits key slam for Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates activated former Orioles first baseman Derrek Lee from the 15-day disabled list Saturday and he used the opportunity to hit a grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning to the defeat the host Chicago Cubs, one of his previous teams. Lee was placed on the DL on Aug.13 because of a fractured bone in his left wrist. Lee, acquired from the Orioles just before the trade deadline, has not played since Aug. 9. He was hit on the wrist by the Chicago Cubs' Carlos Marmol on Aug. 3, then sat out four games before returning for two. Lee has played in just five games for the Pirates since the July 30 trade.

SHREVEPORT, La. -- The Baltimore Stallions won their fifth straight game last night, although they had to survive an impressive fourth-quarter comeback by Shreveport before defeating the Pirates, 24-17, before 12,455 at Independence Stadium.Baltimore (10-3) moved within one victory of clinching a playoff spot, but not before the Pirates, who trailed 24-3 after three quarters, made the Stallions squirm.Shreveport (4-9), which lost quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver temporarily to a finger injury on his throwing hand, cut the Stallions' lead to 24-17 with 3:03 left.

M&T Bank Stadium is conveniently flanked by two sports temples: Mother's in Federal Hill and Pickles Pub in Camden Yards . If Mother's is revered as the de facto Ravens bar, Pickles is beloved by fans of the Orioles. But that doesn't mean it overlooks the Ravens. On home games, Pickles is mobbed with fans coming out of the stadium. And on away games, the specials are generous. In addition occupying prime real estate right across from Camden Yards, Pickles is also known for its hot dogs and the man who sells them — a pirate look-alike.

The folks behind Iron Bridge Wine Co. have opened a the Mutiny Pirate Bar and Island Grille in the Point Pleasant area of Glen Burnie, on the Marley Creek. Mutiny features Caribbean barbecue and an extensive selection of island rum. The owners are Rob and Steve Weckler from Iron Bridge and Nate Hynson. In addition to Caribbean barbecue, the menu includes fresh fish, beef, chicken and pork dishes; raw and steamed seafood and a signature "Shipwreck Burger. " The chef is Jake Howard, formerly of the Iron Bridge Wine Company.