When Tom Brady learned his childhood mentor Tom Martinez needed a lifesaving kidney transplant, the quarterback used his Super Bowl platform to make a public plea to find his friend a match.

“It’s reached a crisis point in terms of there not being enough donors available,” Brady said.

That urgent need became even more evident Tuesday when 67-year-old Martinez died. He was in the transplant program at Johns Hopkins. He would occasionally travel to the hospital to visit with doctors but he died after suffering a heart attack during dialysis treatment.

“We’re always sad when you hear someone has passed away waiting and it happens, unfortunately, every day,” said Jennifer Gelman.

Gelman is from the Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland, which works to match donors with those in need. She says Brady’s personal story of loss is bringing attention to the shortage of donors.

“It brings home the point that the need is real,” Gelman said.

In Maryland, there are currently 2,000 people waiting for organ transplants. Nationwide, that number jumps to 113,000. On average, 19 people a day die waiting.

Although Martinez died before receiving his transplant, Gelman says his story will help save others.

“It brings back that need for people to take the time for donor designation and making their wishes known,” she said.

Brady’s plea for donors did get more people to donate. We’re told several hundred people signed up after hearing about his mentor.

Brady and Martinez met 20 years ago. The quarterback credits him with teaching him how to throw a football.

Jessica Kartalija introduces us to the new “Voice of the Orioles.”

“We’ve got him here on the MLB man cave…”

From a spoof with the players to becoming the voice of the team.

“And now for your Baltimore Orioles, managed by Buck Showalter. Batting first, No. 1: Brian Roberts!”

Twenty-six-year-old Ryan Wagner lands his dream job.

“It left me speechless, which I think is a bit ironic for this position,” Wagner said.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!”

A part-time job with a major league commitment. Wagner will voice all 81 home games at Camden Yards.

Six hundred and seventy applicants submitted a demo reel. The Orioles narrowed it down to 25, then to 8, and finally, to just 1.

“It was unbelievably difficult and stressful,” Wagner said. “Don’t mess up, don’t stumble over your words. I’m going to have a lot of family and friends here and that’s going to be great– knowing they will be listening to me.”

Wagner replaces Dave McGowan who won an audition 14 years ago.

“It’s something I’ll tell my kids and grandkids about, hopefully. And I can’t wait. It’s going to be great.”

Wagner has the best seat in the house for every home game here at Camden Yards. He can’t wait for his first day on April 6.

Walker also has a great singing voice. He was recently on tour with the Wizard of Oz and says if they ever need someone to sing the Star Spangled Banner, he’s their man.

The All-Star catcher is assuming a leadership role in the clubhouse just as large, and not a moment too soon.

Wieters has his hands full this spring while the Orioles try to establish a rotation from about a dozen candidates. Manager Buck Showalter has no idea who is going to be on the mound to start opening day, which means everyone is leaning heavily on Wieters, 25, to help round the staff into shape.

In his fourth season in the big leagues, the Orioles are fast becoming his team. Along with Adam Jones and Nick Markakis, Wieters has asserted himself at the top of the pecking order. He’s quick to pull a young pitcher aside early in this camp to offer advice, eager to catch the new pitchers in the bullpen to get to know their stuff and always at his locker in the team’s beaming new spring training facility to serve as a spokesman for a team that has finished in last place for four straight seasons.

“As a catcher, you’re going to have to be a leader with the pitching staff, no matter what,” Wieters said Wednesday. “But especially with our team, we’re young and getting new guys in here every year. Along with Nick and Adam and guys like that, we feel like it’s sort of our team now.”

It’s exactly what the Orioles envisioned when they drafted Wieters with the fifth overall pick in 2007. He was one of the most highly touted prospects in the game and ripped through Baltimore’s farm system before breaking into the big leagues in 2009.

After a disappointing first full season in 2010, Wieters hit .262 with 22 homers and 68 RBIs last season and threw out 37 percent of base runners who tried to steal on him. He made his first All-Star team and won a Gold Glove.

For a young team competing in the powerful AL East, Wieters’ emergence as a star that wants to lead a once-proud franchise back to relevance is something tangible to build on for Baltimore.

“Matt’s doing more and more of that,” Showalter said. “The beauty of Matt is he doesn’t force it. It’s sincere. His words carry weight and he knows it so he uses them cautiously. And his timing has been impeccable.”

It didn’t come naturally. Polite and soft-spoken by nature, it’s taken a few seasons for him to feel comfortable speaking up.

“I definitely like to be the quiet leader,” he said. “But I think each year when things need to be said, it gets a little easier to say them.”

Now, if he can just learn Mandarin and Japanese, he should be all set. The Orioles signed Taiwanese left-hander Wei-Yin Chen and Japanese lefty Tsuyoshi Wada to try to compete for spots in the rotation, so hopefully Wieters saved some of that $6 million signing bonus he got when he was drafted for Rosetta Stone.

“I wish it was that easy,” Wieters said with a chuckle. “I’m excited now that once we start throwing bullpens, that’s when the communication really opens up. I’m definitely trying to catch our new guys as much as possible.”

He started on Wednesday with a session with Chen, beginning what will be a lengthy process of getting to know Chen’s tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. An interpreter was there to help with the conversation, but there won’t be one there during the game when they’re trying to go at the Yankees lineup.

“You can do a little bit of that talking with them, but it’s going to take a few games before you really get a good feel,” Wieters said. “Once you get a good feel, it’s always going to get better and better. Hopefully we can get that feel quickly in spring training and once we get into the season just continue that improvement.”

In just three short big league seasons, Wieters has gone from the hot prospect everyone is itching to the stud veteran that every hot prospect wants to meet. On Wednesday, 19-year-old Dylan Bundy threw a bullpen session during the morning workout, though not to Wieters.

The Orioles picked Bundy fourth overall in the draft last year, and the fresh-faced kid had a few stars in his eyes when he thought about one day taking the sign and firing a fastball toward that big target.

“I just can’t wait to throw to him,” Bundy said. “He’s going to be able to teach me a lot about hitters, about pitches, why to throw that pitch, when to throw it. I’m excited, if I get to throw to him.”

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The city’s Board of Estimates voted 3-2 Wednesday to approve a contract with Downforce Racing LLC. Comptroller Joan Pratt and City Council President Bernard “Jack” Young voted against the contract, but the mayor and her two appointees voted in favor.

A study found that the inaugural Grand Prix generated a $47 million economic impact, but the city terminated its contract with Baltimore Racing Development after the group failed to pay $1.5 million owed to the city.

The contract has a provision that calls for keeping the race’s finances private, but Downforce will have to file monthly financial reports with the city.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

That didn’t stop Terrapins coach Mark Turgeon from taking his enthusiasm over the top.

“It doesn’t count as three wins, but man, it sure feels like it,” Turgeon said after the Terrapins notched their biggest victory of the season, a 75-70 decision Tuesday night.

James Padgett scored 16 points, including a pivotal three-point play with 44 seconds left, and Maryland held Miami without a basket for nearly nine minutes down the stretch.

The Terrapins (16-11, 6-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 66-61 before rallying with a 10-0 run during the final two minutes.

A 3-point shot by Sean Mosley and a three-point play by Padgett preceded two three throws by Mosley and two more by Terrell Stoglin.

Stoglin finished with 20 points on 6-for-17 shooting and Mosley contributed 15 points to help Maryland bounce back from a humbling 71-44 defeat at Virginia on Saturday.

“That’s the kind of win right there that will carry over hopefully for the rest of the year and into the future, because we’re a young team and we’ve got to learn how to win,” Turgeon said. “I’m so proud of them. We weren’t perfect, but we beat a really good team tonight.”

Kenny Kadji scored 16 for the Hurricanes (16-10, 7-6). Miami began the night locked in a fourth-place tie in the ACC with two other teams.

“It hurts,” coach Jim Larranaga said. “We were right there.”

After Durand Scott connected for Miami with 9:07 remaining, the Hurricanes didn’t make another field goal until Shane Larkin canned a layup with 16.9 seconds left.

Despite the drought, Miami kept finding its way to the foul line and held a five-point lead with 2:04 remaining.

A 3-pointer by Mosley cut the Hurricanes’ lead to 66-64 with 1:37 to go. After Miami missed twice, Padgett was fouled on a follow-shot and made the free throw for a 67-66 lead with 44 seconds to play.

Scott then lost the handle on the basketball and fouled out trying to get it back from Mosley, who sank two free throws for a three-point cushion.

Another Miami turnover followed, and Stoglin made two at the line to clinch it.

“We had two turnovers that you can’t really explain,” Larranaga said. “Guys tend to think too much toward the end of close games. They think you need to do something special; the fact of the matter is you have to do something simple.”

Like put the ball in the basket, something that proved very difficult for the Hurricanes in the closing minutes.

“At the end, they were the ones making the plays,” Scott said. “That’s why they came out with the victory.”

Maryland trailed 56-49 with 9:07 remaining before Alex Len made successive dunks and Ashton Pankey hit a jumper off the glass to cut the gap to one point. Seconds later, a tip-in by Len tied it at 57, setting the stage for another thrilling finish between these two teams.

Earlier this month, Miami beat the Terps at home in double overtime. In this one, Maryland took over at the finish.

“It feels real good to get a good win at home,” Stoglin said. “The Virginia game was real embarrassing, so this helped out a lot.”

Asked if he’d ever seen Turgeon appear more excited about a win, Stoglin responded, “No, I haven’t. I think he’s cherishing this win a lot.”

To say the least.

“I’m so proud of them,” Turgeon said. “It’s a great turnaround. That shows a little bit about this group.”

The Hurricanes overcame an early 10-point deficit to take a 35-31 halftime lead, in part because of a 21-14 rebounding advantage that included seven on the offensive end.

Minutes after Maryland honored former guard Johnny Rhodes by hanging his No. 15 from the rafters at Comcast Center, the Terrapins got off to a raise-the-roof start.

Padgett made three baskets, Mosley had two, and Maryland connected on six of its first seven attempts from the floor in bolting to a 13-3 lead. The 13 points — scored in 4 1/2 minutes — equaled the Terps’ output for the entire second half at Virginia.

But the Hurricanes battled back behind Malcolm Grant, who made a pair of 3-pointers and two foul shots during a 10-0 run that put Miami up 28-23.

After its torrid start, Maryland made only four of its next 16 shots from the floor. Stoglin broke the dry spell with a 3-pointer to spark a 7-0 spurt that got the Terrapins to 32-31.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

I don’t care how high the guy can jump or how fast he runs in no pads, or how he does in one on ones against a guy who might not play in the NFL. I understand why it’s important, but call me when it’s gametime. I have better things to do with my time.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge someone who wants to watch it. I just don’t get it. Maybe when I was single, had no kids, and had plenty of time. But, nowadays, there’s things I’d rather do, particularly watch games that count for real.

On that note, I don’t get all the people that get caught up in recruiting. These are high school kids, and people treat them like their royalty. Call me when the Saturdays come around in September, and they’re on a college field. Then, I’ll pay attention

Here’s how it looked:

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An Orioles fan originally from Baltimore, Wagner spent last season as a resident of Major League Baseball’s Fan Cave, watching more than 2,450 major league games at a 15,000 square foot space in Greenwich Village in New York City. He also co-hosted a series of interactive sketch comedy skits and conducted interviews with MLB players and celebrities as part of his Fan Cave responsibilities.

“As a lifelong Orioles fan, being named the Voice of Oriole Park at Camden Yards is indescribably amazing,” Wagner said. “I spent my childhood attending games at Camden Yards, often pretending to be Rex Barney or David McGowan announcing Orioles legends. I will never forget the happiness and excitement I felt when I became a member of the Orioles organization, and I promise every Oriole fan that they will hear my very best effort, every time they come to the greatest ballpark in professional baseball.”

“From a vast and diverse field of well-qualified applicants, Ryan distinguished himself as the clear choice to be the new voice of Oriole Park,” said Orioles Director of Communications Greg Bader. “Ryan’s traditional delivery is a style familiar to Orioles fans, and he brings an energy and freshness that we know people attending a game at Camden Yards will enjoy. The authenticity of Ryan’s voice and his smooth delivery are what stood out the most to us.”

Wagner received his Bachelor of Science degree in Theatre from Frostburg State University and also attended the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland.

My guess is that this will get done. However, it’s not as easy as everyone thinks. Linta has said that if it’s all about winning, Flacco needs to be paid like a top 5 quarterback. Well, that’s ridiculous. He’s not Brady, Brees, Rogers, Manning or Manning…..or Roethlisburger for that matter. And I think he’s behind Rivers, but, as far as wins, he has an argument.

So where do you put Flacco? Vick got $40 million guaranteed in a $100 million dollar deal. Vick may have more talent, but who stays on the field more and gets his team to the playoffs more? Flacco. I don’t think the Ravens want to go that high. My sense is they want Flacco somewhere between the Vick, Manning, Brees level, and players like Cassel and Fitzpatrick, who just got $60 million dollar deals with $22-24 million guaranteed.

I am okay with Flacco getting $30 million guaranteed, but if his agent wants more, and believes he can get more on the open market, this might not get done as quick as everyone wants.

I preface this by saying that Rice is invaluable to the Ravens but we live in a world of comparables and Rice and Peterson just don’t compare.  Rice is a better receiver than Peterson but Peterson is a far superior running back.

I know its all part of negotiating and the agent needs to start by asking for the moon, but I don’t think Ozzie Newsome will be paying that freight.

A three-point play by Calvin Thompson put Howard (9-19, 6-9 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) up 53-47 with just over two minutes left, but that would be the last bucket for the Bison. The Hawks rallied, pulling it to the final margin on Ishaq Pitt’s layup with 1:23 remaining.

Neither team got a shot off the rest of the way, though, as both committed a turnover in the game’s final minute.

The Hawks edged the Bison from the floor, shooting 33.3 percent (18 of 54) to 32.1 percent (18 of 56), but Howard’s bench outscored theirs 38-11.

Ronald Spencer had 14 points to pace UMES (6-20, 3-10) and Hillary Hale scored 11.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The forecast for their 2012 season is bleak, and there’s no clarity to their plans for the starting rotation.

It’s going to be a wide-open competition, especially after the Orioles traded Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies earlier this month.

“We have a lot of guys we haven’t seen firsthand a lot, so that’s going to be intriguing,” manager Buck Showalter said. “It’s just a matter of shaking it out. I’m looking forward to it. We have potential there and a lot of optional people if they can’t
do it. A lot of different ways to go. And there’s depth there. The big thing now is getting everybody healthy and ready to go.”

Starter Zach Britton and reliever Jim Johnson will be brought along slowly for health reasons. Britton is receiving treatment for inflammation in his left shoulder, but he’s thrown twice on flat ground since Thursday without experiencing any discomfort. Johnson is dealing with lower-back stiffness, but he threw on flat ground Sunday and will progress to a half-mound.

“I had a little problem in the offseason and went and saw a doctor and we’ve been working on it,” Johnson said. “Everything’s fine. I’ll just be a week behind schedule. It’s taken care of.”

Both pitchers are expected to be ready for opening day, though Britton isn’t assured of breaking camp with the team.

Two starting candidates, Taiwanese left-hander Wei-Yin Chen and Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, are getting acclimated to new surroundings in their first exposure to U.S. baseball. Showalter is prepared to make the necessary adjustments after managing Chan Ho Park and Koji Uehara.

“Part of managing those guys is understanding what they’ve done in the past, what they’ve been exposed to and understanding the changes they’re about to go through and trying to be sympathetic to a point, but also preparing them for seven day a week, 162-game season,” Showalter said.

Chen is being followed by a growing contingent of Taiwanese media, his every move closely scrutinized. Japanese media shot video of Wada tying his shoes at his locker Sunday morning.

Chen, who pitched four seasons in Japan before coming to the Orioles, could be the opening day starter or optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. None of the starters arrived in Sarasota with guarantees of seeing Camden Yards in April.

“I feel really good here,” Chen said through an interpreter. “It’s a beautiful ballpark and I’m really excited to be here. The
weather in Florida is beautiful. Not like in Japan because it’s so cold over there right now. I feel very comfortable to be here.

“I did a lot of early preparation in Arizona because I know American baseball is totally different than Japan. I will be ready before the season starts and I hope I can get in the rotation. I hope I can be here at least 10 years or longer. When I was in high school, a lot of my classmates and teammates went to the states to play baseball, so that’s always been my dream to play in the MLB.”

Pitcher Jason Hammel, acquired from the Rockies in the Guthrie trade, is accustomed to fighting for a roster spot. The competition in Orioles camp doesn’t faze him.

“That’s the way I approach every spring, whether I’ve got a seven-year deal or a one-year deal. It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I’m a big proponent of earning your places. Nothing should be given to you, so obviously I’m going in with the mindset of winning a job. It hasn’t been given to me.”

The same goes for 23-year-old Chris Tillman, who keeps shuttling between Baltimore and Norfolk.

“I think competition is what fuels everything,” he said. “It’s going to be a fun camp. I know I’m excited. I think that
goes for most people.”

The Orioles have 30 pitchers in camp (left-hander Ryan Edell is a no-show who’s contemplating retirement), so All-Star catcher Matt Wieters will stay busy.

“I’m going to have to try to soak in as much about these guys as I can as fast as possible,” he said. “It’s a little bit
different than in years past because almost every single one of these guys has a chance to make the team. They’re all fighting for a spot in that bullpen or rotation.”

Second baseman Brian Roberts, who didn’t play after May 16 last season because of concussion-like symptoms, lives in Sarasota and reported to camp early. He hasn’t met with reporters, but Showalter said the veteran leadoff hitter had a good look on his face and seemed upbeat.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

This is a guy from Harvard who gets released by two different NBA teams finally landing a job with the New York Knicks. His talents far exceed his resume’ and it was made an even better story because while turning around a bad team he was sleeping on his brother’s couch because he had no place to live. Better still he seems to be very popular among his teammates .

So what has become the focus of the national discussion? His performances against John Wall, Kobe , the world champion Dallas Mavericks? Nope…all we seem to be focused on is his ethnicity. It just seems a shame that in a league where players bring handguns into their locker rooms to settle gambling debts a player like this isn’t appreciated for the right reasons. Can’t we just enjoy his play which has made a once proud NBA franchise relevant again?

We turn to sports to divert us from a bad economy, wars and natural disasters, can’t we enjoy even basketball without being hyperfocused on race? I guess not. I’m not even angry anymore, it just makes me sad.

I don’t remember a camp, in all my years covering this team, where I had no idea who the opening day starter was going to be. Buck was on Friday and seemed to indicate the guy he was leaning towards is Jake Arrieta. This is a guy coming off arm surgery who had an ERA over 5 last year. That tells you how uncertain, or maybe even dire, the situation is. Besides Arrieta, you have Matusz coming off one of the worst years for a starting pitcher in the history of major league baseball. The 2 players from Japan have never pitched in the majors, and it’s done completely different over here. There, they pitch once a week, here every 5 days. That is not a factor to take lightly. Eveland was in and out of the majors last year.

You get the picture. Hold on, it could be a bumpy ride.

This is a costly move though as the club will have to pay the player the average of the top five at said players position.  So if the Ravens wanted to franchise running back Ray Rice, he would get almost $8 million next season.  This becomes confusing when you look at an offensive lineman for example.  Its the top five on the whole line not broken up by guard, center, and tackle.  So if the Ravens were to decide instead to franchise guard Ben Grubbs it would actually cost them more (around $9 million).

This will be an interesting time for Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens and the rest of the NFL.