Sadness

Before former club president Andy MacPhail discusses how he personally feels about the Orioles' playoff run this season, a year after he stepped down from his post, he rattles off a checklist. "First and foremost," he said, "there are just a lot of people I am happy for. " There are the Orioles players, many of whom he brought into the organization. There's manager Buck Showalter, whom MacPhail hired in July 2010. There's owner Peter Angelos, who tried to convince MacPhail to stay last fall.

Matt Wood cannot understand it when Baltimore fans shrug off Cleveland's bitterness toward the late Art Modell . "It's bewildering to me when Baltimore fans say, 'Big deal, he moved the team,'" said Wood, who writes for the Cleveland Browns fan website Dawgs by Nature. "It's like, dude, you're in bed with our Irsay. " There it is right there. If you grew up in Baltimore and want to know how Cleveland fans felt Thursday when Modell died, think back to how you felt about the death of Robert Irsay.

Matt Wood cannot understand it when Baltimore fans shrug off Cleveland's bitterness toward the late Art Modell . "It's bewildering to me when Baltimore fans say, 'Big deal, he moved the team,'" said Wood, who writes for the Cleveland Browns fan web site Dawgs by Nature. "It's like dude, you're in bed with our Irsay. " There it is right there. If you grew up in Baltimore and want to know how Cleveland fans felt on Thursday when Modell died, think back to how you felt about the death of Robert Irsay.

Meet the parents. Bonnie Gladden, the mother of the 15-year-old charged with shooting a fellow student at Perry Hall High on the first day of the new school year, has a ninth-grade education and was 19 years old and four months pregnant with a daughter when she married Robert Wayne Gladden Sr. Four years later, in 1996, authorities filed charges of assault with intent to murder against him, listing Ms. Gladden as the victim, though he was acquitted...

On Thursday, the entire staffs of 38 Studios and Big Huge Games were given pink slips. The company, which released “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning” (which I reviewed in February ), was in partnership with the state of Rhode Island to bring jobs into the state and give former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling's 38 Studios fuel to evolve into a big-time game developer. The company was in the midst of developing a project called “Copernicus,” an MMORPG based in the same universe as “Amalur.” Big Huge Games, based in Timonium, became a subsidiary of 38 Studios almost three years ago to the day. The Sun's Gus Sentementes was over at Big Huge ' s offices before being booted out today , but it seems the entire teams at both companies have indeed been let go. WPRI has an exce llent timeline of how the tax credit and loan between the state of Rhode Island and 38 Studios developed.

In this bicentennial year of the start of the War of 1812, the StarSpangledBaltimore.com website tells us: "The War of 1812 represents what many see as the definitive end of the American Revolution. A new nation, widely regarded as an upstart, successfully defended itself against the largest, most powerful navy in the world during the maritime assault on Baltimore and Maryland. America's victory over Great Britain confirmed the legitimacy of the Revolution. " But the revolution had ended three decades before 1812, and the choice to launch a new war was made by the U.S. government inWashington, D.C. In the lead-up to the War of 1812, the British and Americans exchanged attacks along the Canadian border and in the open seas.

Last week in the O.C., Sarah had a meltdown, Tamra downsized to itty-bitties, and Jim had a "come to Jesus" dinner with Alexis. And Jesus told Jim to tell Alexis to quit Fox 5. Turns out Jim may not be that far off - tonight's episode may actually signify the Second Coming because Vicki finally admits she owes someone 50 percent of an apology, and the ladies spend the night somewhere other than a Ritz-Carlton hotel. I believe these are the first two signs of the Apocalypse.  Remember the good ol' days when watching "Real Housewives" meant an inside peek into the daily lives of well-off women?

How many billionaires does it take to buy a presidential election? We're about to find out. The 2012 campaign is likely to be a battle between one group of millionaires and billionaires supporting President Barack Obama and another group supporting his GOP rival. Perhaps this was the inevitable result of the Supreme Court's grotesque decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in 2010, which opened the floodgates to unrestricted campaign money through so-called "super PACs.

This past weekend, I found a litter of stray kittens in my neighborhood. I attempted to capture them to send to a local shelter where they would have a chance at finding a permanent home. The kittens scattered when I approached, and I was only able to catch the slowest moving of the bunch. This kitten was very sick, with an infection in his eye that was leaking all over his face. I took him to the vet with the intention of paying for some antibiotics, nursing him back to health, having him neutered then turning him in to the Humane Society for adoption because I already have two lovely dogs, the maximum number of pets allowed by my landlord.

The Orioles organization announced this past week that they are bringing the "cartoon bird" back. In reality, the current state of this club is no laughing matter. Dan Duquette was recently named the executive vice president of the team. There may a change in the front office, but more years of mediocrity lay ahead for the Birds, who struggle mightily each season to achieve a .500 record. Andy MacPhail left a frustrated man, not being able to change the fortunes of the club during his tenure here.