Back in the 1980's, music videos starring professional athletic teams were all the rage. It's nice to see that the Baltimore Orioles, who, at 21-19 seem to have forgotten exactly who, what, where and when they are, are keeping that tradition alive with Orioles Magic! Feel it hap-pen! I'm totally on board the bandwagon.



There's no way I'm the only one who can actually see Kevin Millar playing the role of lounge singer after he retires.

Via Hot Clicks

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Manny Ramirez and the sluggish Boston Red Sox arrived in Baltimore very early this morning at the tail end of a tough 10-game road trip. Ramirez sits just two home runs away from the 500th of his career, but he doesn't appear to be letting Boston's 6 AM arrival here in the Charm City slow him down.

As Manny departed the clubhouse for a pre-game workout he pointed to Josh Beckett, the Red Sox starter tonight, and told him he was going to get to 500 homers in the next two days. Ramirez doesn't have a home run against either of the Baltimore starters in this abbreviated series -- Jeremy Guthrie and Daniel Cabrera -- but if Manny feels good, I'm not sure it even matters. He is, after all, one of the top right-handed hitters of this generation.

The other major news to report is that Boston manager Terry Francona has left the team because of a death in the family. His wife's mother passed away last night during the Red Sox's game against the Twins and Francona found out following the game. He could return to the team as early as Thursday, Boston's first off day this month. The Red Sox face the Brewers Friday at Fenway Park to open interleague play.

Brad Mills will take over the managing duties in the meantime, but he doesn't expect much to change. "This is a veteran team, the dynamics are going to stay the same," he said during his pre-game meeting with the press. Mills has been Francona's bench coach since he took over as manager in 2004, and he may eventually have a future as a manager himself, but he isn't thinking about that today. "Not under these circumstances," said Mills.

This is the first season since 1989 that began without Leo Mazzone shepherding a pitching staff which, given his success with the Braves, is a bit odd. Could his decision to join lifelong friend Sam Perlozzo, and a lot more money, in Baltimore really have cost him that much?

Yes, the Orioles were awful on the mound during Mazzone's tenure but how much can you lay at his feet? Erik Bedard improved, Jeremy Guthrie surprised and Adam Loewen got hurt early last season before Mazzone had a lot of time to work with him. He couldn't tame Daniel Cabrera but that may be impossible and he wasn't the guy who chose to employ veteran chum like Russ Ortiz, Steve Trachsel and Danys Baez over guys he could mold.

He spoke with the Associated Press and said that he's itching to get back into the game. He also said how he realized what a good thing he had with the Braves.

"At the time it was a great move, but now I regret it. You see the difference in organizations and how things are run and, believe me, the Atlanta Braves are about as good as it gets."

Going back to Atlanta doesn't seem like a viable option. The Braves pitching staff has performed well this season under Roger McDowell despite some key injuries and unless they implode there'd be little reason to make a change. Still, it's hard to figure someone wouldn't take a shot on Mazzone if they moved in a different direction.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

San Diego Padres (12-19) at Florida Marlins (16-14) - 1:10 PM ET

Greg Maddux has had three tries at career win number 350 ... none have gone well. First, the Diamondbacks dropped six on Maddux in the first inning to put that game out of reach early. Then, Trevor Hoffman blew a 1-0 Maddux lead in the ninth against the Giants at home. Then, it was a 7-4 loss to the Phillies in Philadelphia. Today, it's the hot Florida sun ... and the not so hot Andrew Miller, who came into the season as the centerpiece in the Miguel Cabrera/Dontrelle Willis trade. But he comes into the game with a 9.12 ERA, which is good news for Maddux in his latest quest for 350.

More good news: Maddux is a career 19-13 with six complete games and a 2.88 career ERA against the Marlins. Want good news for Maddux that's more relevant than starts he's made against the Marlins in the 90's? The current Marlins have lost four of their last five games. So is today the day?

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups.

Milwaukee Brewers (15-12) at Chicago Cubs (17-10) - 2:20 PM ET

So I'm flipping around my MLB extra innings package late last night and I see that they're still playing baseball in Chicago ... and I have to squint because the number on the screen can't be right: 19 runs? Really? The Cubs put up 19 against the Brewers? Alas, it was true. It shouldn't be that surprising. The Cubs were 13th in baseball in batting average last season and 18th in runs. This season, thanks in part to the acquisition of Kosuke Fukudome, and in part to the Cubs dedication to taking more pitches, they were second in both categories before last night's 19 run shenanigans.

The Brewers haven't been hitting as well this season, but they did win the first game of this series in Wrigley 10-7. So who better to calm down all this offense than Yovani Gallardo, who was injured to start the season but has a 0.64 ERA in his first two starts this season, and Carlos Zambrano, who's 4-1 so far with a 2.21 ERA? Maybe the wind will blow in too.

On Deck is FanHouse's look at the day's most intriguing baseball matchups

Baltimore Orioles (14-11) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (14-11) - 7:05PM Est.

It's the matchup we've been waiting our entire lives for. The series to end all series. The rivalry to end all rivalries.

We approach the end of baseball's first month with two teams perched atop the AL East who are tired of beating the weak and weary "teams" that litter this sport called baseball. They're ready for real competition, and they're ready to decide once and for all: who is the team to beat in the mighty AL East?

No it's not the Red Sox and Yankees (you fool!), it's the Orioles and Rays.

It's Baltimore and Tampa.

It's Garrett Olson and Jason Hammell.

It's your sole reason for living, and it's after the jump.

It's been nearly six years since William Ligue and his son leaped from the stands and assaulted Royals coach Tom Gamboa at a White Sox game. It's been five years since umpire Laz Diaz got jumped in the same park. With the Orioles in Chicago for a weekend set, their manager Dave Trembley was serving fair warning that he and his team wouldn't take any guff.

Two jokers decided to sprint across the field in Seattle on Thursday night and although there was no violence, Trembley issued a warning to any would-be copycats on Chicago's South Side.

"I wish I could have taken them in the back room. I would have kicked the snot out of both of them. I'm serious. You think I'm kidding you. I don't have any patience for disrespect. These guys bust their [rear] out there every night, and for two lunatics to come out there like that -- who do they think they are? Turn them over to us one time. I'll show them where the other side of the fence is. I believe in respect and common courtesy. Those two idiots last night did not show any of that."

I'm guessing he didn't actually say snot but family publications and all. Trembley coached and managed his way all over the baseball map for 20-odd years before finally getting the top job in Baltimore so his determination should not be taken lightly.

The Yanks finally picked up a win tonight, avoiding a sweep in Baltimore and putting a stop to a three-game losing streak. The bats showed some signs of life at long last, but it was the starting pitching -- for once -- that kept the team in the game and propelled them to their 10th win.

In the previous four games, none of the starting pitchers made it past five innings -- three of the four didn't even make it that far -- forcing the Girardino to use the poor bullpen like it was going out of style (it wasn't). For a while there I was actually having flashbacks to poor Scott Proctor's arm falling off. Dandy Andy Pettitte brought his A-game to Baltimore tonight, though: seven IP, four hits, five K's, and not a single walk issued; his record is now 3-1 and he's got a super-sweet 2.45 ERA. It was just what the bullpen doctor ordered, leaving them with just two innings to cover (sidenote: Joba Chamberlain finally gave up his first run of the season... I tend to forget that he is a mere mortal). Andy actually had a no-hitter going through five, but kept his always-humble eye on the prize of winning instead of getting caught up in the excitement/pressure of a potential milestone like that:

See what Dandy Andy had to say about it after the jump!

So far, the best thing any steroid user can do is to just talk about it. Get named in the Mitchell Report, and no one's going to believe you unless you admit what you did, flash-fry a public response, and add a dash of earnest and self-effacing apology.

Why, just ask Brian Roberts. Roberts has been one of those guys that, despite admitting to using steroids, has managed not to deal with too much negative public opinion. That might be because he never broke any records. Still, it's easy to see how this happens:

"I don't know how familiar you guys are with the thing called the Mitchell Report," said Roberts, who wore jeans and a button-down shirt as he paced back and forth on the stage of a hotel ballroom in front of the students. "I knew the truth, obviously, deep in my heart, but I was trying to seek counsel from people around me, my family and friends. And I had some people that I trusted very much who were saying, 'Don't tell anybody. They don't need to know. This is your life. This is your business.' And in the end, I said you know I can't live with it like that."

That's just one of many Roberts quotes in this report from the Baltimore Sun, which covered a talk Roberts gave to a group of high school athletes. After he finished, Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings -- best known in baseball circles for his solid Clemens committee performance -- said, "When he gets up to bat, I hope people will clap a little harder and a little longer." So ... now we're supposed to cheer for the guys who did steroids? This is so confusing!

A little plea from the FanHouse: If you're going to Major League Baseball games this season, please be careful. It's raining fans in ballparks around the country, causing themselves and others great harm in the process. You've probably heard about the tragedy at Shea Stadium on Tuesday night when a fan fell off an escalator and died. The situation nearly repeated itself in Baltimore on Thursday night.

Two men were taken to the hospital after a fall at Camden Yards although the Orioles wouldn't comment any further. The Baltimore Sun dug a little deeper.

However, several sources with knowledge of the incident said an adult male was leaning too far over the railing on the first base side of the stadium just above the "Bank Of America" advertisement. He fell roughly 30 feet to the main seating bowl, where he landed on another man.

Luckily neither man was seriously injured and both have been released from the hospital. It's hard to imagine alcohol wasn't involved. Anyone who has been at the front of a deck at a stadium has leaned forward to look out but most of them don't fall over because self-preservation kicks in. A few drinks can eliminate that instinct. So, again, let's be careful out there because one day you could be sitting and watching your team when a body falls on your head.