1. QB Cam Newton

2. LB Von Miller

3. QB Christian Ponder – while Andrew hates this pick (and I think he was picked to early at 12th overall) I think he’ll be decent if he doesn’t have to start in week 1. Now Leslie Frazier can move Joe Webb to WR where he belongs.

4. DE Robert Quinn

5. C Mike Pouncey

6. DT Corey Liuget

7. CB Prince Amukamura (?!)

8. G Danny Watkins

9. DE Cameron Jordan

10. WR Jonathan Baldwin

11. CB Jimmy Smith

Aaron’s bust flags:

1. DE Robert Quinn

2. QB Jake Locker

3. G Danny Watkins

4. WR AJ Green – after thinking it over a bit, I added Green to the list. I think the Bengals is one of the worst teams to play for, and they really needed a QB. Who’s going to throw the ball to AJ Green? Carson Palmer is a good backup but his starting days are over. Jordan Palmer is garbage and JT O’Sullivan is pretty bad as well. As far as receiving skills, I would have taken Julio Jones any day.

Late (4-7) round steals:

4-4 – OL Clint Boling, Georgia (Cincinnati Bengals)

4-7 – TE Luke Stocker, Tennessee (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

4-9 – DT Christian Ballard, Iowa (Minnesota Vikings)

4-16 – CB Chmdi Chekwa, Ohio State (Oakland Raiders)

4-26 – WR Tandon Doss, Indiana (Baltimore Ravens) – the fact that the Ravens just drafted TWO good receivers (Doss and Torrey Smith from Maryland) means they probably won’t resign TJ Houshmandzadeh.

4-28 – RB Taiwan Jones, Eastern Washington (Oakland Raiders)

5-1 – RB Johnny White, North Carolina (Buffalo Bills)

5-7 – OL Marcus Cannon, TCU (New England Patriots)

5-8 – CB Brandon Burton, Utah (Minnesota Vikings)

5-10 – TE DJ Williams, Arkansas (Green Bay Packers)

5-14 – RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State (Atlanta Falcons)

5-20 – S Ahmad Black, Florida (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

6-3 – OT DeMarcus Love, Arkansas (Minnesota Vikings)

6-6 – LB Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina (Arizona Cardinals)

6-33 – S Tyler Sash, Iowa (New York Giants)

7-41 – OL Lee Ziemba, Auburn (Carolina Panthers)

It’s obviously really early, but I don’t think the Democrats have much chance gaining back our seats in the General Assembly that we lost in 2010. Most of the seats were in districts which are leaning Republican anyway, and the Democrats who had served there were just riding the wave. I do think District 3A (Frederick City) will elect another Democrat, District 30 (Annapolis) will add at least one more, and District 42 (Towson) will add up to two.

2014 is also the year that Maryland elects a new Governor. Obviously O’Malley can’t run again, so who would you say are the frontrunners for the job from both parties?

The Republicans will have to rely on their Delegates, county officials, or rich businessmen to step up for the job. With the seat being open, the GOP has their best chance to take it. Here’s a few options:

1. Mary Kane. Best known as the running mate for Ehrlich’s unsuccessful 2010 campaign, Ms. Kane also served as Secretary of State for a couple years under Ehrlich. Kane appeals to Republicans and women, but her wealth won’t make her popular with Maryland’s middle class, let alone the lower class. She also seems to carry no weight whatsoever with African Americans, so a Kane-Michael Steele ticket would be the only viable option for them.
2. E. J. Pipkin. A State Senator, Pipkin is known for being a moderate Republican who nevertheless sticks to his guns. His principles have won him much respect among Republicans and independents alike, but he has never shown interest in running for any office higher than the State Senate. If he does throw his hat into the ring, the GOP could really pick anyone to run on his ticket.
3. J. B. Jennings. The candidate most likely to be supported by the pro-business wing of the GOP, Jennings was just elected to the State Senate to replace Andy Harris after a lengthy career in the House of Delegates. His love for corporations won’t endear him to Maryland’s working class or the labor unions, and I don’t expect him to have much, if any, support among independents.

For Democrats, it’s much easier to speculate, as we have many more candidates with experience.

1. Anthony Brown. Governor O’Malley’s Lieutenant Governor is so popular that he had his own contribution page this past November, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in his own right for the O’Malley-Brown ticket. Brown attended Harvard with President Obama, then proceeded to serve in Iraq. These identities make the African-American war veteran extremely popular in a state that is 30% African American, the home of the important Fort Meade military base, and anywhere from 66-75% Democratic. Given this information (plus the fact that he’s one position down from Governor anyway), Brown is the current favorite to succeed O’Malley in 2014.
2. Doug Gansler. Another popular member of Martin O’Malley’s administration is the Attorney General, Doug Gansler. AG’s typically have great amounts of success in running for other offices given their extensive legal backgrounds. Gansler has a reputation for being tough on crime and was re-elected unopposed in 2010.
3. Dutch Ruppersberger. Charles Albert “Dutch” Ruppersberger is extremely popular in the 2nd Congressional district, which he represents in Congress. He has experience at nearly every level of government: he has served as a State’s Attorney, County Councilman, County Executive, and finally Congressman. His experience will serve him well should he choose to run for Governor, but his lack of name recognition throughout the state could prove problematic, at least initially.
4. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend. Ms. Townsend has largely disappeared since her unsuccessful 2002 campaign for Governor, but I wouldn’t write her off. Given the lack of female politicians in high Maryland offices, Townsend becomes a viable option. Her unsuccessful run will weigh her down greatly, just as Ehrlich’s 2006 defeat helped defeat him again in 2010. But KKT is a politico, and as I mentioned, an experienced female politician. Her being a Democrat could balance out the weight of her electoral defeat, which can be attributed to poor campaign management and the utter lack of support from outgoing Governor Parris Glendenning.
5. Donna Edwards. The only other woman with a high political office (other than Sen. Mikulski) is Representative Donna Edwards from the 4th District. She is also African-American, which could lead to a huge black turnout to the midterm election, which is a rarity. Playing strictly identity politics, Edwards is a great choice, and she has a reputation as a bold progressive, leading a campaign against fellow Democrat Al Wynn, who had voted against the estate tax and for the Iraq War.

Social Security belongs to the people who have worked hard all their lives and contributed to it. Social Security is a promise that must not be broken. If you pay in, then you earn the right to benefits for yourself, your spouse and your dependent children when you retire, experience a severe disability, or die.

We need to strengthen Social Security, not cut it. I oppose any cuts to Social Security benefits, including increasing the retirement age. I also oppose any effort to privatize Social Security, in whole or in part.

AARON DANDREA

US Senate (R+6)

Republicans gain 6: Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

US House of Representatives (R+50)

Republicans gain 52: An even 4.5 dozen (54), minus MD-01 and PA-11, which I think people have been writing off as Republican takeovers but I have doubts.

Democrats gain 2: LA-02 has been held by Republican Joseph Cao ever since former Congressman William Jefferson resigned in the wake of a bribery scandal. I see this district as one that will elect a Democrat today. Also, Mike Castle’s old seat in Deleware (DE-AL) will be won by the Dems.

Maryland Senate (D+1)

Republicans gain 1: District 29, representing St. Mary’s County in southern Maryland, has been served by moderate Democrats in years past, but with the current climate, I think the Republicans will take this district.

Democrats gain 2: District 34, which contains eastern Baltimore County as well as the Harford County shoreline and Cecil County, has been growing in population and trending Democratic, especially in the south of the district near Baltimore, as well as in Elkton. Additionally,  the 38th District, on the Eastern Shore, seems poised to be taken over by longtime Delegate Otto.

Maryland House of Delegates (R+4)

Republicans gain 7: With the current conservative/libertarian wave sweeping the nation, Maryland is not totally immune. I have them picking up seven seats, mostly in the western and southern regions of the state. These districts are: 1B, 2C, 3A, 27B, 29A, 29B, and 38B.

Democrats gain 3: This has been a polarizing year more than anything. Conservatives have become more conservative and liberals have become more liberal. These trends support the 8th District electing 3 Democrats rather than 2 this year. In addition, the District 42 race has been very interesting. Currently 2R/1D, the brilliant campaigns of Lori Albin and Oz Bengur give us hopes for a Democratic sweep of the district.

Penguin Pride polling:

MD-02: Dutch Ruppersberger (D) 70%, Marcelo Cardarelli (R) 29%
MD-03: John Sarbanes (D) 71%, Jim Wilhelm (R) 28%
MD-04: Donna Edwards (D) 88%, Robert Broadus (R) 10%
MD-05: Steny Hoyer (D) 68%, Charles Lollar (R) 31%
MD-06: Roscoe Bartlett (R) 67%, Andrew Duck (D) 31%
MD-07: Elijah Cummings (D) 82%, Frank Mirabile (R) 17%
MD-08: Chris Van Hollen (D) 79%, Michael Lee Phillips (R) 19%

Maryland House of Delegates – Dist. 42 Democratic Primary
1. Steve Lafferty
2. Oz Bengur
3. Art Buist
4. Lori Albin
5. David Kosak

Baltimore County Executive – Democratic Primary
Kevin Kamenetz – 51%
Joe Bartenfelder – 40%

Baltimore County Council – District 5 – Democratic Primary
Mike Ertel – 60%
Bill Paulshock – 20%

“What the Jabulani?” or WTJ can be used interchangeably with WTF. However, it denotes even MOAR surprise and implies that the speaker is shocked, appalled, and flabbergasted at the exact same time.

Also, I hate it how every time somebody loses, they are taking the opportunity to blame it on the BALL. Srsly? You are the best soccer players in the world. Some people are able to score goals. Even if the ball is different, if you’re the one who can’t score with it, you suck more than they do, and therefore deserve to lose.

As for the final four:

1. Spain will beat Uruguay to take third place, once again failing to win the cup.
2. The Netherlands will beat Germany to win first place. The Dutch will play total football and take full advantage of their opportunities, which is something most teams seem to fail to do. The Germans are younger and less experienced, and have less team chemistry than the Dutch squad.

And if you think I’m jumping on some sort of bandwagon after the surprise win over Brazil, I picked Holland to take first place since the first day of the tournament.

Predictions on the rest of the round:
1. Uruguay will upset Mexico.
2. South Africa will beat an unpracticed French squad in turmoil 1-0.
3. South Korea will play well, as they have been, but Nigeria will rally and beat them with a strong right side attack and one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
4. In a massacre and a half, Argentina will kill Greece, who still has yet to win a match against a full squad.
5. Slovenia is not to be underestimated, but England will win by a goal.
6. The US and Algeria will draw.
7. Germany should have little trouble with Ghana.
8. Likewise, Serbia should have little trouble with Australia.
9. This game could really go either way, but I’ll go with Denmark due to their superior chemistry and flag.
10. Holland will win this 2-0. Cameroon won’t play poorly, but the Dutch team is simply better.
11. Italy will have learned from their mistakes in the last match and come back in their game against Slovakia.
12. New Zealand will play well and possibly even score first, but Paraguay will win this match to take the group 2-1.
13. In a game that will likely be EPIC, Brazil will win 1-0.
14. Demoralized, the lowest-ranked team in the finals will lose to the Ivory Coast, which is actually a very good team. It is unfortunate they are in the Group of Death.
15. Spain has not been living up to expectations this year, and Chile has a good squad and a great coach. This will be a draw.
16. Honduras will beat Switzerland by a goal.

1. Mexico

2. Uruguay GROUP B

1. Argentina

2. Nigeria GROUP C

1. England

2. Slovenia GROUP D

1. Germany

2. Serbia GROUP E

1. Netherlands

2. Denmark GROUP F

1. Italy

2. Paraguay GROUP G

1. Brazil

2. Portugal GROUP H

1. Spain

2. Chile

Some things we have learned from the first matches:
1. Robert Green is the greatest goalkeeper England has ever seen. The fact that he looks like a leprechaun when dressed in green only increases his skill level. His greatest strength lies not in his extensive experience at the European Cup-and-higher levels, but in his uncanny ability to defend against the weakly-kicked shot.

Photo: Getty Images. FIFA.com

2. Serbia will self-destruct. At least, if they keep playing like they did against Ghana. Cards aplenty were thrown at Serbians, including one that was a deeper shade of yellow than the rest. Then, with a team of 10 men, some failure decided that he was actually a linebacker trying to deflect a pass. The obvious handball IN THE PENALTY BOX led to the game-winning goal for Ghana.

3. Uruguay is for real. Unlike Serbia, they’re not seeing the cards (so far) that they have been accustomed to. They seem ready to make a legitimate run at the cup, which they haven’t won in 60 years.

4. Greece is still horrible. It’s too bad they don’t play Australia, because the “Socceroos” are SO horrible they’d likely lose to Greece. All that false hope held by the Aussie fans, like “O we’ve got so much experience!!1″ translates to “Our team is old and we suck :(”

5. Cameroon had a shot, and now they do not. Cameroon’s offense failed against Japan in their first match. They still have a shot at the Round of 16, but they just have to beat Denmark and the Netherlands. Sounds simple enough. (sarcasm)

6. Denmark is terrific at scoring goals. As you can see in the video above, “On Team Denmark, there are no superstars or big names, just a perfect mix of experience, talent, and spirit…” or in other words, the Danes’ biggest (only?) asset this year is teamwork. This paid off greatly in their first match against the Netherlands, where two Danish players collaborated to score a goal on themselves.

In order to execute this move properly, make sure you are only inches from your own goal. Then, head the ball LOW, preferably into the back of your nearest teammate.