San Diego

“The ' American Idol '  auditions are in a … boat, I'm guessing?” wondered one Idol hopeful. A very large one at that, as the San Diego auditions of "Idol" were held aboard the USS Midway, complete with jets flying above ("Top Gun," anyone?). Now, let's take a look at the auditioners… A “patriotic” Jennifer Diley kicked things off wearing a bikini top and a barely there pair of shorts. After climbing the steps twice just to make sure Ryan Seacrest got a good look, Jennifer sang in front of the judging panel with a blah performance.

The ninth cycle kicked off with a premiere episode that was mostly as bland as some of the potatoes the contestants whipped up for the Star Challenge. Still, a front-runner emerged, as did a potential villainess. And three contestants were, very satisfyingly, informed that their mission statements were gobbledygook. Was Baltimore's Rodney "the pie guy" Henry one of them? Henry, a rock musician turned pie-shop owner, is among the group of 12 competing for the big prize of a Food Network show.

Former disgruntled Ravens left offensive tackle Jared Gaither may have worn out his welcome in San Diego as well. During his stay in Baltimore, Gaither was often criticized for his work ethic, especially during the offseason. Apparently, the pattern for the former Maryland standout continues. A San Diego columnist gave him the much-deserved nickname of "The Big Lazy. "

Orioles right-hander Freddy Garcia is expected to start Wednesday's afternoon game against San Diego. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Sunday that he hadn't decided whether to start Garcia or right-hander Jason Hammel on Wednesday. Monday's off day gave him that luxury. But the pitchers will remain in order, with Garcia starting Wednesday and Hammel starting Friday against Tampa Bay following another off day on Thursday. Garcia, 36, will get the opportunity to start against the team that released him in spring training.

Orioles center fielder Adam Jones will be reunited with the Tigers' Quintin Berry this weekend when Baltimore hosts Detroit at Camden Yards. Berry and Jones grew up together in San Diego and played high school baseball together. The former teammates plan to eat dinner together before the series begins, according to a story in the Detroit Free Press . “It will be awesome,” Berry said told the Free Press. “My biggest dream since he got to the big leagues was to get the opportunity to play against him one day.” The outfielders took different routes to get to this point.

Orioles right-hander Freddy Garcia is expected to start Wednesday's afternoon game against San Diego. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Sunday that he hadn't decided whether to start Garcia or right-hander Jason Hammel on Wednesday. Monday's off day gave him that luxury. But the pitchers will remain in order, with Garcia starting Wednesday and Hammel starting Friday against Tampa Bay following another off day on Thursday. Garcia, 36, will get the opportunity to start against the team that released him in spring training.

I watched Ray Lewis do his final dance as a player on the field at M&T Bank Stadium immediately after the final play of the game ("Ray's day," Jan. 7). That was great to see. He is leaving the game on his own terms. I hope his head and his heart are in the right place, and that 20-plus years of hard-hitting football has left his brain in reasonably good condition. Baltimore's fans, individually and collectively, need to be aware of warning signs of ill health and be prepared to take better care of Ray Lewis than San Diego took care of our retired star linebacker, Junior Seau.

The ninth cycle kicked off with a premiere episode that was mostly as bland as some of the potatoes the contestants whipped up for the Star Challenge. Still, a front-runner emerged, as did a potential villainess. And three contestants were, very satisfyingly, informed that their mission statements were gobbledygook. Was Baltimore's Rodney "the pie guy" Henry one of them? Henry, a rock musician turned pie-shop owner, is among the group of 12 competing for the big prize of a Food Network show.

SAN DIEGO -- It has been two years since the San Diego Chargers fell on their faces in the AFC playoffs against the Miami Dolphins, losing, 31-0, in a second-round game in Miami.For San Diego linebacker Junior Seau, it might as well have been two minutes ago. The game is still that clear in his mind's eye.Going 11-5 to win the AFC West has put the Chargers back into the playoffs this year and back up against the Dolphins, their opponents today at Jack Murphy Stadium.But Seau keeps flashing back to those other Dolphins.

Blast general manager John Borozzi received a letter from former San Diego Socker Paul Wright yesterday, and learned the elusive forward is ready to report.Wright was claimed off the Major Soccer League waiver wire about 10 days ago. He had five days to report, a deadline the 21-year-old missed last Monday.Yesterday, Borozzi notified Wright he is suspended and his contract will not be paid until he arrives here.Borozzi said Wright's letter, dated July 14, said he will report for a news conference and a physical, but then wants to return to San Diego.

In naming Julia Marciari-Alexander as executive director on Wednesday, the Walters Art Museum board of directors entrusted one of Baltimore's most important arts institutions to a rising star — and signaled an emphasis on community engagement even more than on a long history of leading an organization. The Yale-trained Marciari-Alexander, 45, serves as the San Diego Museum of Art's head curator and starts her new post April 1. She will succeed Gary Vikan, who is retiring in June after 27 years at the Walters and who helped the museum become a national leader in rethinking the traditional role of arts institutions.

The story seems too good to be true, even to Ravens running back Ray Rice. "We had a guy who lost his brother the night before a game and went out there and played on a Sunday," Rice said. "We lose Ray Lewis. We lost Terrell Suggs. Our whole defense was hurt at one point. We shuffle our offensive line. Our coordinator [gets fired]. "Listen, I need a ghostwriter to write this book, and I want all residuals on this one because this is going to be a great story. " In the middle of this story should be a chapter based in San Diego a little over two months ago. On Nov. 25, Rice manufactured 29 yards against the San Diego Chargers in one of the most improbable scenarios, leading to a 16-13 win in overtime that could be considered a critical step in the Ravens' ride to Super Bowl XLVII.

I watched Ray Lewis do his final dance as a player on the field at M&T Bank Stadium immediately after the final play of the game ("Ray's day," Jan. 7). That was great to see. He is leaving the game on his own terms. I hope his head and his heart are in the right place, and that 20-plus years of hard-hitting football has left his brain in reasonably good condition. Baltimore's fans, individually and collectively, need to be aware of warning signs of ill health and be prepared to take better care of Ray Lewis than San Diego took care of our retired star linebacker, Junior Seau.

Former disgruntled Ravens left offensive tackle Jared Gaither may have worn out his welcome in San Diego as well. During his stay in Baltimore, Gaither was often criticized for his work ethic, especially during the offseason. Apparently, the pattern for the former Maryland standout continues. A San Diego columnist gave him the much-deserved nickname of "The Big Lazy. "

When Ray Rice caught the ball and looked upfield, his challenge - and the Ravens' chances of pulling out a victory over the San Diego Chargers - seemed pretty close to hopeless. There were defenders rushing toward Rice and about 20 yards that he still needed to cover if he was going to get a first down. Running down the sideline, Rice made two defenders miss and then outran a couple of more as he cut across the field. He contemplated taking it all the way to the opposite sideline before ultimately deciding to keep inching forward.

RAVENS PASSING GAME: Quarterback Joe Flacco continues to be an enigma away from M&T Bank Stadium. In five road games, he's completed 54.2 percent of his passes for 883 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. In five games at home, his completion percentage is 66.5 to go along with 1,612 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. In a loss to the Chargers last year, Flacco threw two interceptions and was sacked seven times. He's turned the ball over just once in his past three games.

SAN DIEGO -- The Republican Party, which delivered a body blow to San Diego's pride in 1972 by pulling out its scheduled national convention and shifting it to Miami Beach as a result of an influence-buying scandal, is giving the most serious consideration to making amends by holding the 1992 nominating convention here.California's second-largest and southernmost city is said by key party sources to have the inside track after the Republican National Committee's site-selection committee specifically asked San Diego, which for financial reasons had declined to apply, to submit a bid.The site committee is to review the applicants tomorrow and is expected to narrow the field to San Diego and New Orleans with Houston, President Bush's voting residence, a longer-shot, semi-finalist possibility.

SAN DIEGO -- The deal that brought the Super Bowl back to San Diego ultimately might be remembered as the deal that drove major-league baseball out of town."

Every week, I hope to bring you a quick Q&A with someone who covers the Ravens' opponent that week. The Ravens left for the West Coast on Friday and play the San Diego Chargers on Sunday, so I reached out to Michael Gehlken, the Chargers beat writer for the San Diego Union-Tribune, to chat about Sunday's game. MV: What is going on with Philip Rivers? Many chalked up his struggles a year ago to it just being a rough season for him, but the same issues remain and he doesn't look like the same quarterback.

Every morning, Monday through Friday, blogger Matt Vensel will hook you up with reading material -- mostly on the Ravens but with some other Baltimore sports stuff, too -- to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday. That way he'll have an excuse to do the same to start his workday, too. RUNNING IT BACK Mike Preston says that little by little, the Baltimore defense is getting better . ... Cornerback Corey Graham is relishing the opportunity he has gotten in his first year with the Ravens.