Celebrate baseball season with the Orioles

Maryland’s favorite springtime activity is officially here – baseball! Opening Day showed us that the Baltimore Orioles are back in action, bringing in more than 45,000 fans to watch a 3-2 win against the Minnesota Twins. With plenty of home games scheduled at the yard, plan a trip to the country’s second best ballpark in the coming months and celebrate America’s pastime with some Orioles history and local fan favorites.

1. Tour Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Learn the history behind the stadium that changed the landscape of baseball forever, and why OPACY is continuously named one of the top baseball stadiums in the nation year after year. While you’re there, take a photo with one of our legendary player’s sculptures.

2. Dine with former O’s players

Spot some former players while grabbing a bite to eat! Head to the ballpark and decide if you’re in the mood for a pit beef sandwich from Boog’s BBQ stand or a sit-down meal at Dempsey’s Brew Pub, operated by former Orioles Boog Powell and Rick Dempsey.

3. Babe Ruth’s a Baltimorean

Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum celebrated Opening Day with a block party and is ready to greet fans all throughout baseball season. Schedule a visit and learn about the Baltimore native’s life and how he became the American sports hero known as the greatest figure in baseball.

4. Brews and Baseball

The largest brewery in the city, Peabody Heights, is located at the Old Oriole Park site. Stop in for a brewery tour and hear owner Richard O’Keefe recap the history of the site and facility, while tasting one of the 15 available beers on draft.

5. Bert Simmons’ Museum

Just a short metro ride away, the Hubert V. Simmons Museum of Negro Leagues Baseball is located at the Owings Mills branch of the Baltimore County Public Library. A former Baltimore Elite Giants player, Bert Simmons dreamed about opening a museum to honor those who played in the Negro Leagues. He achieved his dream – with the first museum officially opening in 2009 – two months before his passing.

The post Celebrate baseball season with the Orioles appeared first on MDBIZNews.

from https://mdbiznews.commerce.maryland.gov/2018/04/celebrate-baseball-season-with-the-orioles/

Michigan Friday: Previews The Final 4 Game

Michigan will take the court on Saturday at 6:00 EST for another historic Final 4 game.  This game will be against the Cinderella Story of the tournament 11 seed Loyola-Chicago that is lead by a 98 year old Nun Sister Jean.   Who now has T-Shirts and Bobble Heads in her likeness. 


Michigan has the largest base of alumni in the US and that might be the only folks that are rooting for the Wolverines on Saturday night.   Many basketball fans will be rooting for The Fighting Sister Jean's and I'm OK with that. 


Loyola has been "playing with house money" all tournament and it has showed in their approach.  They have shot the ball very well and played solid defense.   Like I mentioned early in the week, this team is very similar to a Coach Beilein squad.  So Coach B should know how to defend it, right?


Loyola plays small ball even when their 6'9 center is on the court.  They go really small when he isn't.  This team wants to shoot the ball from 3 and dripple drive for easy layups or dish to the wings for open 3 point shots.   That's it folks, that is how they want to win the game.   Spread the floor, shoot well which should open up the lane for easy drives.  


Here is the deal about shooting the ball, sometimes your team gets cold.  We have seen it for 3 games in the NCAA tournament, against A&M when Michigan shot well, the game was over in the first 10 minutes. 


So does this game come down to who shoots better from 3?  Yes and No.  The 3 ball in my opinion is the only way Loyola stays in this game. 


Loyola turns the ball over a ton and with Michigan's new strong defense, we expect that trend to continue.   Michigan also has the miss match size with Wagner and Teske to get easy looks down low.  Loyola doesn't block shots and has to stay with Michigan's shooters, so it should be a lay up line for the Wolverines down low.  If Loyola turns the ball over a bunch and Michigan can run, this will be a one sided game.


I expect Wagner to have a big night (not shooting 3's)  in the post.   I also expect Matthews athleticism to get him those easy lay ups and mid-range jumpers that he loves.  I also expect Teske to add like 12 points off the bench as well.   If Michigan can shoot the 3 ball at all, that should equal a long night for the Ramblers. 


Simpson will lock down one of the Rambler guards and I expect big nights from the seniors MAAR and Robinson as they know this is their last chance at basketballromance.   The stage will also be very large for the Ramblers who are used to playing in small gyms and arenas.


I like Michigan in this game by 10 points. 

• Michigan pulled the plug on the VA Tech home and home yesterday.   Though I love the idea of the match-up, Michigan can't continue playing the toughest schedule in the country every year.   #More home games!  Michigan replaced them with Arkansas State for a home game.

• Reports are that Kareem Walker made it back to practice yesterday.  Sounds like he has been dealing with an injury.

• Ohio DE Gabe Newburg a 3 star DE is visiting this weekend and will be on commit watch!

• Here is a visitors list at "Touch the Banner" for this weekend

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2018/03/michigan-friday-previews-final-4-game.html

Tech company of the week: Convergence Technology

Last May, Governor Hogan announced the Excel Maryland Initiative at the inaugural Maryland Business Summit in front of more than 700 business, education, and community leaders in the state. The initiative’s goal is lofty – to launch a comprehensive, statewide economic development strategy focused on developing new collaborative techniques to accelerate growth in the life sciences and cybersecurity industries.

With more than 35 incubators and research parks and a number one ranking in STEM job concentration, Maryland is fertile ground for entrepreneurs in life sciences and cybersecurity, industries where Maryland already leads. Excel Maryland, the latest tool in the state’s toolbox, is designed to propel these industries to even greater heights.

MDBizNews sat down with a few local businesses that are thriving in the state’s cybersecurity sector and giving the Commerce team plenty to brag about at the upcoming RSA Conference.

Convergence Technology Consulting in Columbia, Md., is a leader in managing, moving, and securing data. The company prides itself on being able to not only secure their clients data, but also still make it accessible to the people who need it, from anywhere in the world.

Founded in 2012, Convergence has been on the cutting edge of data management since the dot.com bubble. CEO and President Larry Letow, who has more than thirty years of sales, operations and finance experience in the IT industry, says the company has enjoyed tremendous growth in Maryland.

“Maryland has a lot of great resources,” said Letow, “one being the biggest client in the country – the U.S. Government – and that trickles down to a high percentage of our companies and supporting businesses. There is no other place (that I know of) where a technology company should be situated.”

Convergence Technology’s clients include the Armed Forces, the intelligence community, civilian agencies, the nation’s largest defense contractors, and major companies in the healthcare and financial services industries. The earned trust of these heavy hitters is something Convergence doesn’t take lightly.

“There are very few companies around the country that have our expertise from endpoint to endpoint,” said Letow. “We have the ability to successfully deliver and secure your data from the time it’s developed to the time it’s delivered to any endpoint anywhere in the world.”

Convergence believes that the data security industry is only at the beginning when it comes to its role in every facet of society. As software integration increases for industries across the board, so will the threats against it, and that’s where Convergence comes in.

“Data security is on every CISO’s and CIO’s mind,” said Letow. “It’s a line item in every budget. The future of our industry is strong and at the beginning of the bell curve.”

For more information visit www.convergencetech.us

The post Tech company of the week: Convergence Technology appeared first on MDBIZNews.

from https://mdbiznews.commerce.maryland.gov/2018/03/tech-company-week-convergence-technology/

Michigan Thursday: It's Opening Day!

Today is MLB's Opening Day and most expect the Tigers to be out of the running for the playoffs by the end of the next week.  So this should be a long summer for Detroit Baseball fans. 


Good Thing we have the Final 4 this weekend!  I will look at the semi-final game on Friday. 

• Ole Miss has finally responded to the Shea Patterson waiver.  We don't know what they responded, we just know their response has been submitted to the NCAA and Michigan.  Now, the ball is back in the NCAA's hands.  The NCAA will hold an eligibility committee meeting at some point that will make the decision on whether he is immediately eligible or not.  This could take a couple of week or a couple of months.

 

• A number of instate football prospects are expected to visit Michigan on Friday as they have the day off from school.

• FL 4 Star WR John Dunmore will visit A2 on 4/13 -4/15.  He is also visiting Florida, FSU, USC, UCLA and Ohio State in the next few weeks.

• Michigan has offered 2019 VA 3 star OG Jakai Moore

• Speaking of the Tigers - RIP Rusty Staub

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2018/03/michigan-thursday-its-opening-day.html

Small Businesses, Find Out How to Protect Your Data

CNN described 2017 as “the year nothing seemed safe”. With data breaches at Equifax, school districts across the country, and even the National Security Agency, cyber attacks impacted untold millions of people in 2017 alone. The trend is on track to continue in 2018 – already, the Identity Theft Resource Center reports that there have been 228 data breaches that exposed the data of nearly 4.1 million users.

Cyber intrusions at large corporations are often the ones making national news. Yet according to the National Cyber Alliance, more than 70 percent of attacks target small businesses. Nearly 50 percent of small businesses have been hacked and of those, as many as 60 percent go out of business after six months.

If you’re a small business owner, how do you keep your company safe?

Start by registering for Cybersecurity for SMBs: Protecting Your Business. This free seminar – presented by the Maryland Department of Commerce, the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, and the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) – will take place on Wednesday, April 25, from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the National Cyber Center of Excellence in Rockville, Md. Speakers include:

• Sen. Susan Lee – Co-chair, Law, Policy & Legislation Subcommittee, Maryland Cybersecurity Council
• Dave Baggett – Founder & CEO, ITA Software
• Ellen Cornelius – Senior Law & Policy Analyst, University of Maryland Center for Health & Homeland Security
• Christopher Caruso – U.S. Secret Service, Baltimore Field Office
• Tom Quinn – Chief Information Security Officer, Global Technology, Enterprise Security, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.
• Ola Sage – CEO, CyberRx, e-Management
• Mary Ellen – Seale CEO & Founder, National Cybersecurity Society

Click here for more information or to register. We look forward to seeing you there!

The post Small Businesses, Find Out How to Protect Your Data appeared first on MDBIZNews.

from https://mdbiznews.commerce.maryland.gov/2018/03/small-businesses-find-protect-data/

Wolverine Wednesday: Football News and Notes

Jimmy said on his podcast that he is not ruling out Wilton coming back to the program.   My guess is that Wilton was counting on Jedd Fisch getting a head coaching job or at least an OC role.  That didn't happen and I'm wondering what the market is for the big QB?   Many have speculated that Wilton will come back if Shea's NCAA waiver is not approved. 


Fun Quotes from Don Brown on his defense:

“Can’t say enough good things about Herb[ert] and the strength staff. Really gave us a really solid group of guys in terms of cardiovascular and bigger, stronger, faster, and just glad to be back with my guys.

“Been doing this a long time. This might be if not the fastest then one of the fastest groups I’ve ever been around, so pretty excited about it. Obviously we’ve got a lot of things to work on but we’ll get there. There’s no question in my mind.”

"This Khaleke Hudson is playing at a tremendous level a year ago, and I think he’s a much better cover guy right now. He’s playing at a much faster rate. He should go kiss Ben Herbert on the lips because he’s helped him tremendously.

“This Josh Ross is gonna be a dude. He’s gonna be a really good player. Drew Singleton will be a very good player. Noah Furbush, his arrow is so far up from a year ago.

"Secondary-wise, if you ask me, the guys that have made the biggest jump: Ambry Thomas has practiced extremely well for three practices. I’m talking jumpers now. You know we’ve got Lavert [Hill] and David Long, Brandon Watson. Those three guys are veteran guys that are playing pretty good, but this Ambry Thomas, now? Different level. Confident. Fast. He ran through on a sweep play—now, again, we were in pajamas the other day, so it’s not a physical thing, it’s just like Wow, that was fast, so happy with him.

How have your two early-enrollees looked so far?
“Uh, Myles Sims? Had a big play today. Not out of place. I’m talking about you watch him make a break on the ball and I kind of went Damn, he’s big [holds hands level with the top of his head].


“Oh, Taylor. Um, good, young, fast, athletic, and willing. We need to get him a couple cheeseburgers and some baked beans and some pizza and he’ll be just fine.


Here is some more tidbits from insider umBig11:

• RB is Higdon, Evans and open
• Black and Collins are impressing at WR
• Ambry Thomas is making big strides as you can see above
• Punting still seems to be an issue

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2018/03/wolverine-wednesday-football-news-and.html

Michigan Tuesday: Trey Burke Loves Him Some March

I'm sure Trey Burke hasn't been very happy with his NBA career to date.  He seemed to struggle with Utah, got traded to Washington, and then found himself out of the league.   College's Player of the Year in 2013 can't find a home in the NBA and started the season in the G-League. 


Trey quickly tore up the G-League and NBA teams started to notice.   The Knicks were struggling and needed some scoring help with former teammate Tim Hardaway out early in the year with an injury.


Last night Trey went for 42 points and 12 assists for the Knicks against the Hornets.  Lets hope he has finally found a home and nice long career in the NBA.

• GA 3 star 2019 offensive guard Ty Murray visited A2 this past weekend and said it "felt like home".

• Michigan seems to still be recruiting the QB position for 2019 and continues to recruit Graham Mertz who is committed to Wisconsin.

• 2019 four-star DE Joseph Weté also visited A2 this past weekend.

• Jalen Rose 100 year old grandmother has a message for Sister Jean - "It's been a good ride, but its over!  Go Blue!"

• I know we don't like to think about, what if scenarios but..............What if DJ Wilson was still on Michigan and not on a bench in the NBA?  DJ was just re-called from the G-League Wisconsin Herd back to the Milwaukee Bucks.  He scored 19 points in his final G-League game but is not expected to be in the Bucks rotation when he returns.

from The BIG HOUSE Blog http://mbighouse.blogspot.com/2018/03/michigan-tuesday-trey-burke-loves-him.html