Winning Percentage

Orioles home openers, 1954-2005: 34 Wins 18 Losses 9 Most frequent opponent, Red Sox 13 Most runs scored (vs. Royals, 1982) 13 Most runs allowed (vs. Yankees, 1959) 1.000 Best winning percentage (vs. Washington Senators, 5-0; Devil Rays, 1-0) .000 Worst winning percentage (vs. Angels, 0-1) Sources: Baseball Almanac; National Baseball Hall of Fame

When Dan Duquette was hired roughly a year ago as the club's executive vice president, the Orioles pointed to his impressive track record in the past with the Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox. He was in charge of some very good teams - although none went to the World Series. Of course, the Expos in 1994 might have had the season not ended in August due to labor unrest. And Duquette was one of the primary architects of the Red Sox team that twice won world championships after he left.

"I and everyone with the Orioles wish Johnny the best. He leaves with our gratitude, goodwill and respect." Johnny Oates In: May 23, 1991 (under owner Eli Jacobs) Out: Sept. 26, 1994 Won-lost: 291-270 Winning percentage: .519 "The Orioles will continue to hold Phil in high personal and professional esteem." Phil Regan In: Oct. 16, 1994 Out: Oct. 20, 1995 Won-lost: 71-73 Winning percentage: . 493 "This chapter is over, I wish him well." Davey Johnson In: Oct. 30, 1995 Out: Nov. 5, 1997 Won-lost: 186-138 Winning percentage: .574 "Ray Miller is a gentleman and a fine baseball man. ... My best wishes go out to him in his future endeavors."

Through all the Orioles' losing in the past decade-plus, amid all the statistics that accentuate recent baseball futility in Baltimore, there's one fact that seemingly stands alone in provoking utter disbelief: The Orioles' consistently abominable records in recent Augusts and Septembers. How bad has it been? The Orioles' last winning August was in 1997, when they were 18-10, the most recent season in which they had an overall winning record and made the playoffs. Dating to 2000, the Orioles have had no winning Augusts and just one winning September/October (19-13 in 2004)

By the numbers .778 Maryland's overall winning percentage - third worst among ACC teams. He said it "I think I'm a pretty easy guy to play for, as long as you bust your rear end and do it every possession." Roy Williams, North Carolina coach

With possession so precious this time of the year, Kyle Harrison's work in the faceoff circle against Syracuse senior Chris Bickel could prove pivotal. Harrison ranks seventh nationally with a .633 winning percentage, and he gets strong help from Grey Peyser and Lou Braun, who has won 61.3 percent of his 93 attempts. Bickel, who has competed for 339 faceoffs this year, with a winning percentage of .560, could wear down in the second half. Hopkins also does not want to give Syracuse sophomore goalie Jay Pfeifer early confidence.

It's a fact The Red Sox are 25-15 (.625) in one-run games, the best winning percentage in the American League. Milestone The Mariners are on track to become just the second club since 1904 to use five starting pitchers all season. The number 28: Number of different line ups used by the Reds this season.

Quote: "I was thinking about going to short next." -- Ken Griffey of the Mariners, who played all three outfield positions and first base.It's a fact: The Rangers have lost 28 of their past 35 games against Seattle in the Kingdome.Who's hot: Attendance was 41,150, raising the Yankees' team-record total to 2,900,126.Who's not: The Angels have dropped nine of their past 12 games.On deck: By winning their regular-season finale today, the Yankees would become the ninth team in major-league history to finish a season with a winning percentage of .700.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- Apprentice jockey Terry Henry and trainer Jeff C. Runco captured the riding and training titles during the recently concluded winter meet at Charles Town Races.Henry, 29, an Elkton, Md. native, booted home 37 winners, 19 seconds and 32 thirds from 214 mounts for a winning percentage of .170 and an in-the-money percentage of .410. Henry, who checked her tack into the Charles Town jockey quarters last November, finished ahead of jockeys Wayne Barnett with 31 wins and Lillian "Mich" Kuykendall and Larry Dupuy, with 20 wins each.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. -- Jockey Wayne Barnett and trainer Jeff C. Runco captured the riding and training titles during Charles Town Races' spring meet, which ended June 30.Barnett, a 27-year-old Wayne, Mich., native, booted home 85 winners, 71 seconds and 47 thirds from 379 mounts for a winning percentage of .220 and an in-the-money percentage of .600. The spring riding title was Barnett's fourth straight meet title at the three-quarter-mile track.Chris Martin was second in the standings with 49 wins, followed by Larry Dupuy with 46.Runco garnered his 11th straight meet title and 14th meet title overall, saddling 47 winners, 31 seconds and 25 thirds from 157 starts for a winning percentage of .300 and an in-the-money percentage of .660.

So now the question is: What kind of nose dive are the Orioles in this time? Is it the same old nose dive of the past 11 years, when they managed a nifty .410 winning percentage (254-368) in August and September? Or is this one somehow different, the sort-of-expected cratering of a team trotting out a lot of young arms and a couple of promising rookie position players while prepping for the future? Go ahead, you decide. Flip a coin if you have to. And do you even care if this nose dive is any different from all the others?

Et cetera Bowie State men's basketball: : Bowie State alumnus Darrell Brooks was named the new coach of the program. The Brooklyn native, 53, is a 1979 graduate of the university, where he played point guard for the Bulldogs from 1975-79. Brooks coached at George Washington for the past eight years. Before his stint there, Brooks spent the 2000-01 season as the coach at Western Maryland College. Under Brooks, Western Maryland ranked among the top three teams in the Centennial Conference in scoring, assists, three-pointers made and steals.

Orioles manager Dave Trembley has made a career out of properly assessing situations. He is considered a talent developer with a prescience to push the right buttons in motivating baseball's varying personalities. So, as he enters the dugout Monday for his second Opening Day as field general of the Orioles, Trembley absolutely, positively knows the score. "Somebody along the line is the front line of this, the infantry, and is going to take the body blows," Trembley said. "Somebody is going to pay the price, just like somebody has paid the price for everything that has come our way in this life and this game."

In a year that has been highlighted by hard play, inspired comebacks and clubhouse unity, the Orioles find themselves in a familiar position as the season approaches its final month. They are again outside the playoff race, buried deep in the American League East standings. They've lost seven of nine and yet again have been reduced to the role of hopeful spoilers facing a four-week parade of postseason contenders. "It gets hard sometimes, yeah. We'd be lying if we said it didn't," Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts said.

No. 3 Syracuse (15-2) vs. No. 5 Johns Hopkins (11-5) Time -- 1 p.m. Site -- Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass. THREE THINGS TO WATCH "D" is the key Today's championship final features two of the stingiest defenses in the country. The Orange ranks 11th, surrendering just 7.6 goals per game; the Blue Jays are 17th with a 7.9 average. Johns Hopkins has allowed 17 goals in the tournament, while Syracuse has given up 23 goals. Which defense will prevail? Super sophomores Senior midfielder Paul Rabil leads the Blue Jays in goals (eight)

The remarkable thing about the goalie controversy on the Maryland men's lacrosse team is that there's hardly a controversy. Contrary to popular belief, junior Jason Carter and sophomore Brian Phipps are comfortable about the Terps' plan of playing each keeper for a half. The two share notes on opposing players before and during games and openly root for each other. "Everyone wants to play," Phipps said. "At the same time, it's fun to cheer on your teammates. When halftime comes, you're like, `OK, my job's done.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that Mike PTC Mussina wasted no time going to the head of the pitching class.What may not be understood is the quality of the company he's keeping. Three years doesn't make a career, but it's long enough to provide a good indication.Mussina has moved past Toronto right-hander Juan Guzman to claim the best winning percentage among active pitchers. His 49-20 record works to a .710 percentage (Guzman is 47-20, .701).However, what Mussina's numbers don't easily relate is his standing on the all-time list.

SuperSonics: Seattle fired coach George Karl on Tuesday, two weeks after his team was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Team president Wally Walker said the Sonics "decided not to pursue" any further talks on renewing Karl's contract. Karl coached the Sonics for 6 1/2 seasons and had the best winning percentage (.719, 384-150) in the club's regular-season history.Pacers: Jalen Rose missed last night's fifth game of the Eastern Conference finals after being suspended for leaving the bench area during a scuffle in Monday's Game 4 in Chicago.

The humidity thickens, the Ravens' preseason begins, kids prepare for a new school year and the Orioles downshift from mediocre to below bad. Just another routine end of summer in Baltimore. Maybe it's because of the traditionally difficult late-season schedule. Maybe the interminable length of the baseball season eventually catches up with a perpetually thin roster. Or maybe it's that there hasn't been anything to play for in a decade. But since 1997, when the Orioles last had meaningful games in August and September, the team has been dreadful as its seasons have waned.