Orioles Offer Reenlistment Ceremonies, Other Perks for Service Members

The team is in the nation's capital for Memorial Day, but reminds fans of its ways to recognize service members.

Even though the Baltimore Orioles are playing on the road for Memorial Day, the team is reminding fans about ways it recognizes service members, including hosting reenlistment ceremonies, a new addition for 2013. Active, retired and reserve military members get a $3 discount on all tickets for themselves and family members, according to the team's front office. Additionally, for non-prime Sunday home games (that is, games against teams other than the Yankees or Red Sox), military members can buy one ticket and get another free for some games through their ITT/Leisure Travel office. Also on Sunday home games, the Orioles and GEICO donate a private suite to wounded soldiers and other military groups. Guests will get to meet players before …

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Longshot Oxbow Wins Preakness Stakes

Orb, the Kentucky Derby winner, finished fourth.

Oxbow, a 15-1 longshot, went nearly wire-to-wire to win the 138th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday giving trainer D. Wayne Lukas the all-time lead in Triple Crown race victories with 14. The bay colt, ridden by 50-year old Gary Stevens and owned by Calumet Farm, took the lead early from Goldencents and won the $1 million Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown by 1 ¾ lengths holding off Itsmyluckyday and Mylute in 1:57.54. Oxbow also ended hopes for a Triple Crown winner for another year. Orb, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, never got started from his No. 1 post position and finished a disappointing fourth. "I get paid to spoil dreams," Lukas said after the race.  "You can’t mail it in, it’s a different surface, a different …

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Cheering for Elkridge

Watch the cheerleaders work it, and listen to proud supporters cheer them on.

Take a look at the Elkridge Hurricane's cheerleaders. In this video, taken in early May, the young ladies are competing in the U.S. Finals in Virginia Beach. According to the Elkridge Hurricane's website, the Winter Squad is ranked 4th in the nation in the Junior Rec 3.1 Division. You can see - or hear - where they get their talent from. The videographers cheering the squad on are almost as impressive as the squad's performance. Did you shoot this video? Take credit in the comments!

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When Is the Preakness?

The 138th running of the Baltimore tradition will be held this Saturday.

We're in the final stretch before the 138th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Here's what you need to know. When is it? The Triple Crown race will be held at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Pimlico. NBC (WRC, WBAL) and Horse Racing Radio Network (WSPZ-AM in Washington is the only area affiliate) will have the call, which will also be streaming on the radio network's website. The first post on the day is at 10:45 a.m. Tickets? They are still available. Infield tickets are $60. Admission to the grandstand starts at $25, with box seats starting at $110. Tickets for the infield Mug Club, which include unlimited beer, are sold out. Weather? It's forecast to be partly sunny in Baltimore Saturday, with a high of 78. …

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Cricket Field Opens in Howard County

The president of the International Cricket League even flew in for a visit.

Expect to see bowlers, batsmen and wicket keepers at Schooley Mill Park in Highland; Howard County's cricket community finally has a dedicated field. On Monday, the county officially opened its first dedicated cricket field, which will be home to a growing adult league and a fledgling youth league. The field features fresh sod on a 300-foot diameter circular playing area that overlays two multipurpose fields. The field cost the county approximately $450,000 to build, according to an Explore Howard report. The president of the International Cricket Council flew in from Dubai and the president of the U.S. Cricket Assocation flew from Florida to visit the new field. They both said it was the nicest recreational field they had seen, according …

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Babe Ruth's Bat Coming to Howard County

Take a picture with the record-setting home run bat.

George “Babe” Ruth has a history in Howard County. He played for the “original” Orioles, and in October of 1914 he married Helen Woodford at St. Paul’s Church in Ellicott City.  Ruth is returning to Ellicott City this summer – in a way. His 1927, record-setting home run bat will be at the Miller Branch Library on July 12. You can take a look at, or be photographed with, the bat at this event, which will celebrate Ruth’s connections to Howard County with ballpark food and drink, as well as a special guest.  Baseball historian and history professor Derrold Casway has written several books about 19th century baseball and speaks often about the history of baseball. He will be on hand to talk about the “original” Orioles, an American …

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Kentucky Derby Winner Orb Has Maryland Ties

Orb won the first leg of the Triple Crown Saturday, making up major ground in the home stretch to win the Kentucky Derby.

Orb, a thoroughbred with Maryland ties, won the Kentucky Derby Saturday, setting up a potential homecoming story later this month at the Preakness. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Orb began well back in the 20-horse field, before closing very strong in the home stretch.  "I was really far back," Rosario told NBC. "I said hopefully he can go faster than that. I was saying maybe I was too far back, but it was so easy." See video of the race on NBCSports.com. The horse is owned by northern Baltimore County resident Stuart S. Janney, an executive with a New York-based financial firm, according to The Sun. Orb's father, Malibu Moon, is owned by Bel Air's Pons family of Country Life Farm, The Sun reported last month. The winning time was 2:02.89, as Orb…

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Cheer for Elkridge!

Elkridge Hurricanes Cheerleaders will be competing in the U.S. Finals Cheer Competition. Wish them luck!

Witnesses Describe Scene at Fatal Tough Mudder Jump

Tough Mudder is doing an internal review of safety protocols following the death of an Ellicott City man at its event.

Two people who watched the incident that led to the death of a 28-year-old Ellicott City man said safety precautions at the "Walk the Plank" obstacle on the Tough Mudder course on Saturday in West Virginia were minimal. Avishenk Sengupta, 28, died after he jumped 15 feet into a pool of muddy, cold water, according to reports about the incident. Sengupta's death was the first at a Tough Mudder course since it began three years ago, according to a statement from the organization. Tough Mudder is a company that operates the approximately 10-mile team obstacle courses at different locations across the world.  The Medical Examiner in Manassas, VA, determined Sengupta had accidentally drowned, according to a Baltimore Sun report. Tough Mudder …

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Is it Time to Wave “Bye-bye” to the Wave at Baseball Games?

One Nationals fan is leading the charge to eliminate the organized cheer.

  Fans standing up in unison in their section, raising their arms up over their heads, then sitting down again. Then the next section, and the next, until every section of the stadium has done it in order. We’re talking, of course about the ubiquitous interactive fan cheer, the Wave. You either love it or hate it. At Nationals Stadium, a dedicated campaign to end the Wave is gaining more power than Bryce Harper’s bat. Last September, in speaking with Washington Post writer Sarah Kogod, Nats fan Ryan Mattheus called the Wave “the worst thing in sports. Sit down and watch the game....The thing about it is, you should be into what’s going on on the field, not what’s going on in the stands. It takes away from the game. I definitely understand …

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