So, here’s a few things you should know if you’re heading to Pimlico for the 138^th Preakness Stakes Saturday — as well as some things you may not need to know — but we thought were interesting.

The Race:

Kentucky Derby winner Orb, co-owned by Baltimore County’s Stuart Janney III, is considered the top horse in the race and likely will go off as an even-money favorite. However, Orb drew the post position — unlike in auto racing — not the best place to start.

Rosie Napravnik, 25, who launched her riding career in Maryland, will become the third woman to compete in the Preakness, sitting atop Mylute, currently listed at 5-1 odds. Julie Krone, with a victory at the 1993 Belmont Stakes, is the only female jockey to win a Triple Crown race.

Kevin Krigger, 29, will ride Goldencents, at 8-1 odds Friday...

We've always loved the Oriole Bird—whether he's pretending to chew your hat off or dressing up as an old man for Father's Day—though we admit we're a little biased. But, according to Forbes magazine, a new study found that our hometown mascot is among the 10 most popular in the country.

The Marketing Arm's Davie Brown Index, which is based on a survey of public perception of celebrities, measured mascots' popularity based on: awareness, likeability, attention-getting, photo-friendliness, interaction, and fun. Fans were asked if a mascot happened to be an "absolute favorite" or "one of my favorites."

The Oriole Bird was a newbie on the list and rated as both "trendy" and "traditional." The survey says "the Bird's buzz shot up last year with the Orioles ascent to the playoffs." The Bird appears among old stand-bys like the Phillie Phanatic and San Diego Chicken.

For the first time this season, the Orioles have put together a four-game winning streak, moving to 21-13 on the year with their win over Kansas City last night. More good news?

With the Minnesota Twins knocking off the Boston Red Sox, the surging O's have also moved into a tie for first place in the American League East.

J.J. Hardy homered Wednesday — for the third time in four games — and Manny Machado continued to deliver in the clutch, driving in a run, to lead the Orioles to a 5-3 win. Chris Tillman won his third game of the early season and closer Jim Johnson picked up his 13th save.

As Johnson told reporters after the game, the O's have picked right up where they left off last season when they reached the playoffs for the first time in 15 seasons.

"I feel like we really haven't lost a step from where we finished [in 2012] or how we finished last year," Johnson, who notched his 34th regular season save in a row to match Randy Myers (1997) for the club record, told MLB.com. "But I think ... guys are really starting to get a good feel for what's going on and what's expected of...

With the departure of two beloved future Hall of Famers from their defense — linebacker Ray Lewis to retirement, safety Ed Reed to the Houston Texans — the Ravens had holes to fill at both positions during the first round of last night's NFL Draft.

With the final selection of the first round, the Ravens ultimately skipped on controversial Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o and instead took versatile, hard-hitting Florida safety Matt Elam. In reality, recently acquired safety Michael Huff, who the Ravens signed from Oakland, will take over Reed's spot at free safey and Elam will compete to replace Bernard Pollard (who the Ravens let go after the Super Bowl win) at strong safety, but the bottom line is the Ravens decided to shore up their secondary.

The other big Baltimore draft news last night was the selection of former Dunbar star Tavon Austin, by way of West Virginia University, by the St. Louis Rams with the eighth overall selection....