Speculation

Dan Duquette has been pretty specific about what he is looking for in an extra/platoon outfielder. He said coming in that he wants to find a left-handed-hitting guy who can back up Adam Jones in center and possibly share time in left with Nolan Reimold. He hasn't thrown out any names, but here's a guy who fits that description and has been dangled in front of some teams. The Colorado Rockies are willing to move 29-year-old Seth Smith, a versatile outfielder who hits from the left side of the plate.

By the time Gov. Martin O'Malley left the Democratic convention last fall, he had schmoozed with party leaders from Iowa, spoken to potential donors and hosted swanky parties that kept delegates entertained into the next morning — efforts that heightened speculation about his ambitions beyond Maryland. But another governor on the short list of potential 2016 presidential candidates, New York's Andrew Cuomo, took an entirely different approach: He arrived in Charlotte two days late, spoke for 20 minutes to his state delegation and went home.

Speculation that Andres Alonso would leave the Baltimore City school CEO job for a new superintendent post has been rampant for years. Whenever an opening for the top job in an urban district appeared, Alonso's name seemed to be mentioned. He has always denied he was searching for a new job. When the Philly job came open, many education insiders insisted that Alonso was a strong contender. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote today that the school system has announced the name of two finalists, and Alonso isn't one of them.

In New York, where he was to be honored at Thursday night's Straight for Equality Gala, Brendon Ayanbadejo suggested to a local newspaper reporter that one of the reasons that he was cut by the Ravens was his outspoken advocacy for same-sex marriage - a suggestion he later distanced himself from on Twitter. “My bark is louder than my bite,” Ayanbadejo told Newsday. “I make a lot of noise and garner a lot of attention for various things off the football field. When that starts happening, why do you have that player around?

Ralph Friedgen declined to speculate about his future as Maryland football coach on Sunday -- one week before he is expected to meet with athletic director Deborah Yow to assess his performance and the state of the football program. Friedgen was asked during his weekly media conference call whether he anticipated returning after his worst season at Maryland. The Terps are 2-9 (1-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) and will be trying to avoid the first double-digit-loss season in school history when they host Boston College (7-4, 4-3 ACC)

Nearing the end of his 16th year in the NFL, Ray Lewis could be on the cusp of cementing a Hall of Fame career that includes 13 Pro Bowls, two NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards and a Most Valuable Player honor in Super Bowl XXXV. But the Ravens inside linebacker seemed to throw water on the theory that he would retire after this season if the team captures Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Asked whether two Super Bowl rings would be enough, Lewis replied, “I don't know.

For some reason, there has always been speculation that if the Ravens got to another Super Bowl, general manager Ozzie Newsome would retire. Newsome says that isn't true. "That's not even close," Newsome said. "Really, I enjoy the guys I work with and I think we have a great staff. I really, really enjoy the players and my relationships with them and that helps me in coming to work every day. Of course, winning helps, too. " Newsome is in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Is the merger between Blockbuster Entertainment and Viacom Inc. on again?Wall Street analysts have been talking about that possibility for weeks. Blockbuster Chairman Wayne Huizenga fueled speculation this week in a brief aside to a Miami Herald reporter."It looks like the Viacom deal is going to go through," Mr. Huizenga said.But yesterday, the company lips were sealed."The company has no comment at this time on the status of the transaction," said Senior Vice President and General Counsel Thomas Hawkins, who expressed disbelief over Mr. Huizenga's remark.

NEW YORK -- The dollar tumbled against the Japanese yen yesterday on news of disappointing housing starts and speculation that the Clinton administration might press for a stronger yen.Elsewhere, the British pound jumped against the dollar and the mark as the British government's budget plan left interest rates there unchanged and kept alive the prospects for economic recovery.The dollar began its slide against the yen after Japanese news reports said economist C. Fred Bergsten was advising the Clinton administration that the dollar should be weakened 10 percent against the the Japanese currency, according to MMS International.

What Wall Street taketh, it can giveth back.Hechinger Co., pummeled for months by investors, got an overdue shot in the arm yesterday as shares in the Landover-based home improvement chain jumped 24 percent on speculation that the retailer might be an acquisition target.Analysts and Hechinger officials were equally puzzled by the sudden blip on their Quotron screens -- the stock rose $1.125, to $5.75, with shares trading more than 16 times higher than its three-month average."I cannot believe it's any more than a lark," said Kenneth M. Gassman Jr., a Davenport & Co. analyst who spoke yesterday with Hechinger officials -- and found them not averse to the stock's rise.

Maryland center Alex Len said it's too early to say whether he will return for his junior season or  opt for the NBA draft. “No, I  haven't thought about it,” the seven-footer from Ukraine  said after the Terps practiced at Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum for Thursday night's ACC tournament game against Wake Forest. “I'm just trying to go ahead day by day and play every game. Right now, I'm focused on Wake Forest and I'm just going to think about it after the season.” Len is averaging 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Former Baltimore prep basketball star Aquille Carr will announce his intentions for next season after his final high school game on Saturday, said his coach at Laurel's Princeton Day Academy, Van Whitfield. Carr set off a new round of speculation about his plans with a series of tweets early Tuesday that seemed to indicate he will seek a professional deal. Carr strongly hinted in a February interview that he planned to test the overseas market instead of attending Seton Hall , the school to which he had been orally committed since early last year.

A recent article ("Pumping Up the Price" Feb. 26) on gasoline prices should make it clear to readers that the price of gasoline is no longer the result of inefficient fuel use or too much demand. Unfortunately the focus of the article was evidently on the impact of the recent gasoline price hikes to Marylanders and their corresponding life choices. However, the article gave scant attention to the cause for these rapid-fire price hikes. Oh yes, we are told temporary price hikes are expected in the spring when refineries switch to "more environmentally friendly" formulas.

For some reason, there has always been speculation that if the Ravens got to another Super Bowl, general manager Ozzie Newsome would retire. Newsome says that isn't true. "That's not even close," Newsome said. "Really, I enjoy the guys I work with and I think we have a great staff. I really, really enjoy the players and my relationships with them and that helps me in coming to work every day. Of course, winning helps, too. " Newsome is in Mobile, Ala., at the Senior Bowl.

With the Ravens inching closer to qualifying for the postseason for the fifth time in the last five years, the last thing anyone is thinking about is coach John Harbaugh's job status. The same, however, can't be said for Harbaugh's counterpart in Sunday's game. The San Diego Chargers have dropped five of their last six contests after a 3-1 start, and the calls for coach Norv Turner to lose his job are building in volume and intensity. A win against the Ravens might perhaps silence the doubters for a while, but Turner, who has coached the Chargers for the past six seasons, said he can't worry about the rumors swirling around the team's practice facility.

Just when you thought Apple had done enough damage to your wallet, the maker of the hit iPhone and iPad mobile devices may soon be releasing what I'm gonna call a "tweener" -- a mini iPad that's smaller than the original one, but bigger than the new iPhone 5. Engadget and other tech news sites are citing a report in Taiwan's Economic Daily News that says Pegatron, an electronic device manufacturer, snagged 50 to 60 percent of the mini iPad...

MONEY-SAVERS and money-makers: "Mutual fund turnover leaped from 17 percent annually in the 1950s to 108 percent in 2000," says Bloomberg Personal Finance. "With this change from long-term investing (an average six-year holding period) to short-term speculation (funds held an average of 11 months), have come higher transaction costs and far heavier tax burdens borne by fund investors." DON'T PUT IT OFF: "If you're 25 years old and contribute $2,000 to your IRA every year until you retire at 65, you would have $518,000 at retirement, assuming an 8 percent return.

ONE OF the key players in the home mortgage market quietly has signaled that it believes real estate speculation in some parts of the country is approaching worrisome levels. PMI Mortgage Insurance Co. told its network of lenders nationwide that it will no longer insure new loans made to borrowers who already have more than four mortgages outstanding or who represent more than $350,000 in "risk exposure" to the company. A second large underwriter, MGIC Mortgage Insurance Corp., confirmed that it, too, is carefully monitoring real estate speculation in hot housing markets, and has serious concerns about certain interest-only mortgages that investors are using to buy multiple houses or condos.

The Orioles are in such a strange position right now that it's hard to predict what they'll do in several areas. One is September call-ups. Manager Buck Showalter isn't showing his hand. It's obvious he would love to have super prospect Dylan Bundy at his disposal next month. The 19-year-old Bundy pitches Sunday for Double-A Bowie, and, honestly, it's becoming increasingly apparent that if the Orioles are still in the race - and they'd have to absolutely collapse not to be by next week - Bundy will be here.

After an unimpressive rookie campaign that ended with zero catches in just six games, Tandon Doss might be reasonably concerned about his status with the Ravens. But the organization's fourth-round pick in 2011 said he's not in the business of trying to figure out what the coaches think. “I never know,” Doss said after Tuesday's practice at the team's headquarters in Owings Mills. “I don't know what the coaches are thinking. I go with the ones one day, the twos the next day. I've just got to keep doing what I can do.” It's worth noting that when the offense opened Friday night's preseason game against the Detroit Lions in a three-receiver set without Torrey Smith (who was battling a sprained ankle)