Okay, so the Baltimore Orioles aren't exactly one half of the next great sports rivalry just yet, but they are above .500 after 40 games. Not too shabby.

O's fans are still in pain.

Post columnist Thomas Boswell raves all about it in his latest column: "Before this season, everybody said the Orioles would be a laughingstock. Now, the joke is on them. It's the Orioles, in a scene out of a slapstick circus, who grin when they win, slap hands and, hats up, act like fools. Very happy fools."

The O's may be happy fools, but their fans are depressed. Or maybe they just know how this story is supposed to end:

With Capitals beat writer Tarik El-Bashir taking a few days off, the Insider faithful are left looking for ways to pass the time.

First order of business: What should Alex Ovechkin do until the next NHL season starts?

tokyo fan: Here's a thought: for the NHL to really get some publicity, Ovie should go on the next "Dancing With the Stars" - wouldn't that be hilarious? He'd proabably win it, too. Just a thought... (hey, it's been a long off-season already...)

From an interview with Dan Patrick in February 2007:

DP: Can you dance?
AO: Oh, I'm the best dancer in the league.
DP: Would you go on Dancing With the Stars?
AO: No. I'm a little bit shy.

He should really be on American Idol instead. You can't waste a set of vocal pipes like that.

Or how about Saturday Night Live? He's got the acting chops (Sidney Crosby, not so much).

Kim: How about the next double sport athlete? What other sport could Ovie play? I can see the NHL/whatever commercials now. Ovie knows hockey. Ovie also knows...

Jordan: Ovie would cause far too many accidents in car racing.. Trying to put guys in the wall and stuff.

Scott in Shaw: I love Ovie as much as anyone, but I doubt he's going to be the next multi-sport superstar (watch him take batting practice and throw with the Nats and you'll see what I'm saying).

. . .it's going to be a long offseason.

I have to say that I was surprised by the reaction to today's story about the Morrisons, who send the three oldest of their five children to different high schools tailored to their athletic specialties. The way the Morrisons see it, the kids have a better chance of receiving college scholarships if they excel in sports.

Five kids, five college tuitions. Sounds like something I'd try to get out of paying, too. Good idea, right?

youngj1: Kudos to the Morrison family it looks as if they've found a formula that works for them. A truly American story!

RedBird27: It's nice to see a family that works together.

bbcrock: This is what it takes to succeed.

That's just about where the lovefest ends and the backlash begins. According to the vast majority of commenters, the Morrisons are doing it all wrong.

If we can take anything away from reading the comments on Mike Wise's latest column, it's that the blow-up dolls of the world have very few advocates.

In case you've been living under a rock that doesn't get wi-fi, here's the situation:

"An unidentified player props up two nude, inflatable dolls in an American workplace -- dolls with bats strategically positioned around them and one holding a sign that read: "You've Got to Push," a juvenile reference to the White Sox hitting slump."

This immature (though some may say hilarious) act offends several women's activists, which offends men who don't get what the big deal is (typical), which offends Mike Wise, who thinks men need to be more sensitive, which offends Mike Wise's readers, who are clearly all men. Yes, it is quite the conundrum.

Here's a sampling of the backlash (to the fourth power):

knight1977: grow a pair Wise. . .men like you are what is wrong with this country.

clandestinetomcat: We have voted and decided you must immediately turn in your man card.

In response to the latest Spygate news (Patriots turn over eight tapes to the NFL), we get the usual grumblings from the crowd:

Ban BeliCheat for Life: The Cheatriost should forfit next season.

And so on. One Patriots fan, rooferman, has had enough:

rooferman: They WON on the field,played better than there opponets that given day,just as the Giants did this past super bowl.Give it a rest the pats deceive everything they earned.

I'm just sayin'...

In the wake of Eight Belles' death at the Kentucky Derby, critics are calling for radical reforms in horse racing.

Post columnist Sally Jenkins worries that without changes, there may be "nothing in the sport worth preserving."

So what changes should racing authorities make? Readers weigh in:

What is putting that (hungry? dreamy? mildly concussed?) look on the face of D.C. United's Marcelo Gallardo?

Is it the ice cream truck? David Beckham? A brand new VW Bug? You decide.

(By Nick Wass -- AP)

Question: Is it a big deal that Redskins rookie tight end Fred Davis may or may not have overslept, but definitely missed Sunday's practice?

Apparently not. And here I thought Redskins fans would have sent out an Amber Alert.

kingly0577@yahoo.com: Man we are uptight in this town. Ok! He overslept and I am sure he was told off by the coach and it probably won't happen again. Please let's not make this kid out to be a criminal because of a mistake we could all make.

jjhare: If my being late for work because I slept in was a news story in my early 20s, you'd all know my name. If anything about professional sports bothers me it's the judgmental attitude towards players. Aren't we all idiots in our twenties?

We most certainly are, but we're not all idiots in our twenties making millions of dollars to do what we love. Set the alarm clock. Hit the snooze button if you have to, but then get out of bed and earn that bacon.

andypitt: It's good to see some serious investigative reporting that can still surface events that have such a major impact on our lives. Imagine if this situation had gone unnoticed for a few days or even completely overlooked. There is a Pulitzer in here somewhere mark my words.

Here's the thing, though: We've only been told by the Redskins that Davis overslept. Now I'm not saying the Redskins aren't a completely trustworthy news source (yes I am), but isn't it possible that there's more to the story? Where's your Pulitzer now, andypitt?

Just in time for the Wizards' big game against the Cavaliers tonight, the NBA plunks the dunce cap on Darius Songaila and sends him to the time out corner. Songaila hit a certain Cleveland player in the face after the two got tangled up under the basket and was given a technical foul. Guess the NBA decided that wasn't good enough.

This same Cavaliers player elbowed Andray Blatche in the face during Game 1 and was later assessed a retroactive flagrant foul, which roughly translates into, "Tsk tsk, don't do it again. Who's still our favorite? You are! You are!" (Well, maybe not. But it sure doesn't help out the Wizards.)

zach: that is a travesty considering lebron got a RETROACTIVE flagrant that we never received free throws for. This kind of double standard and league favoritism really tarnishes the NBA.

Is there really a double standard?

The NCAA approved Washington as host of the Congressional Bowl yesterday, an honor slightly more prestigious than being chosen as a contestant on Flavor of Love.

The Congressional Bowl, likely between Navy and one lucky ACC team, will be the first college football bowl game to be held in the District.

Readers can't wait, and by can't wait I mean couldn't care less:

Wizards owner Abe Pollin, 84 years old and suffering from a debilitating disease, offered his team some motivation yesterday in preparation for Game 5.

Only the Wizards know for sure what Pollin said, but let's just assume it was something a bit more inspiring than this:

YLordY: COME ON, YOU NO-ACCOUNT, OVER-PAID, UNDER-ACHIEVING INDIVIDUALISTS! WAKE UP AND WIN FOR MR. POLLIN!!!!!

Will the pep talk help? We'll have to wait and see, but here's what readers are thinking: