The Stover Question

10-10 game. 4th down. 57 seconds left in the 4th quarter. AFC championship game berth on the line. From 43 yards out. Who do you want kicking? Steve Hauschka? Graham Gano?

No way.

You want Matt Stover. Sure, his range may be limited but I want the most accurate kicker in the NFL on my side. At a spry 41 years old, the Ravens most trusted offensive weapon in team history deserves to kick again. He earned it last January when he nailed the 43-yarder to seal it against the Titans.

Some cite his weakening leg and increased unreliability for reasons why the Ravens should move on. I cite the game-winning field goals and the ability to come into the most tense situation without crumbling under the pressure for reasons why he should kick for the Ravens. In a recent Baltimore Sun article, Mike Preston explains Stover's primary problem is that he has been too good for too long.

It's hard for me to doubt Ozzie Newsome's decision making, as he is the sole reason for why this team is able to reach such great heights. I don't know for sure if he made the decision to let Stover go but whoever did should come forward and fully explain why the Ravens are putting their money on the unproven youngsters, Graham Gano and Steve Hauschka. It's possible that one of those two can help the Ravens make a Super Bowl run. However, I would prefer that the Ravens re-sign Stover to kick field goals under 45 yards and keep one of the two young kickers on the roster to kick field goals over 45 and man the kickoff duties.

The Stover question is as easy to solve as the phrase which best summarizes the situation. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

So let me ask again. 4th Quarter. Season on the line. A chance to play for a spot in the Super Bowl. Who do you want kicking? I want Matt Stover. Do you?

Clueless on the Basepaths

The Orioles embarrassing and painful base running came to a boiling point during Wednesday night's 1-run loss against the Mariners. Three Orioles were either picked off or caught stealing, killing rallies during a game in which each base runner mattered.

Only two teams in the majors have been caught stealing more than the Orioles and only four teams have a lower SB%. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, there is no statistic that I found recording the number of runners caught stretching base hits into extra base hits (cough::Melvin Mora::cough). Baltimore Sun columnist Peter Schmuck points out the Orioles are hurting themselves by implementing too many hit-and-runs at inopportune times.

Typically, a team struggling offensively, as the Orioles currently are, must be aggressive on the base paths in order to spark the lackluster offense. However, the Orioles offense isn't having trouble getting on base, they are simply having trouble scoring runs. Rather than trying to steal their way to success (which the Orioles clearly are unable to do), I recommend that Dave Trembley sit back and let his potent offense hit their way out of the slump. As I mentioned earlier, the Orioles are hurting themselves by giving away outs to the opposition. There is no reason why Aubrey Huff should be asked to steal at any point (he is 0/5 this year in SB attempts).

Poor base running is not a new phenomenon for this ball club. The O's were 23rd in the majors in SB% in 2008 leading me to believe that the man calling the shots may have something to do with their questionable base running. More often than not, Dave Trembley decides whether or not to give his players the green light to steal or hit and run. What's not under Trembley's control is the absurd number of times the Orioles have been picked off this year, that falls on the players. Of course Dave isn't out there on the basepaths getting picked off or caught stealing however he must send a message to his players that every base runner is critical. The Orioles are going to cost themselves more runs and games if they don't get their wrecklessness on the basepaths under control.