Brian Roberts

Baltimore 6, at Philadelphia 5: Brian Roberts hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth against fill-in closer Ryan Madson to lift the Orioles. at Chicago Cubs 6, Cleveland 5 (13): Andres Blanco hit a tying single and then scored the winning run on Kerry Wood's wild pitch in the 13th inning. at Detroit 9, Milwaukee 5: Miguel Cabrera and Placido Polanco homered, and Alfredo Figaro won his major league debut.

Comcast Corp.'s highest-paid executives — Chief Executive Brian Roberts and NBCUniversal chief Steve Burke — experienced compensation deflation last year. Roberts' pay package shrank 13.3% in 2011 to $26.9 million. That included a performance-based cash bonus of $5.5 million for the 52-year-old executive. Meanwhile, Burke's compensation dropped a whopping 32% to $23.7 million, which included a performance bonus of $6.7 million. The 53-year-old executive's amount fell dramatically last year, as it was the first time in three years that he did not collect a signing bonus.

Baseball looked more like America's national pastime Sunday night. The United States avoided elimination from the World Baseball Classic, beating the Netherlands, 9-3, in front of 11,059 at Dolphin Stadium to ease the sting of a drubbing against Puerto Rico the night before. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins drove in four runs with a home run, triple and sacrifice fly, and second baseman Brian Roberts was three for three with two walks, two runs and two runs batted in.

The Federal Trade Commission has fined Comcast Corp. Chief Executive Brian Roberts $500,000 to settle antitrust charges. The fine arises from Roberts' violation of an agreement he made with the U.S. Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission after Comcast bought AT&T's cable systems in 2002. Roberts had agreed to acquire shares in Comcast up until 2007. After that, he was required to give notice any time he received more company stock. However, he continued to receive Comcast securities after that date without notifying the agency.

Brian L. Roberts started the hard way in the cable TV business, climbing poles to string cable for new subscribers' homes. He admits now that he had "trouble carrying the ladder. I was too weak. I was too skinny." As the boss's son, however, he survived that summer job and returned to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. Competitive by nature, he became an All-American squash player. After his 1981 graduation, he returned to Comcast Corp. to work his way up a different ladder.

For more than a decade, Brian Roberts, the scion running the country's largest cable television system, has envisioned transforming his company into more than just a collection of -- as Wall Street calls cable -- "dumb pipes." So Roberts' Comcast Corp. has been steadily bulking up. First it became the conduit of television, then an Internet service provider and a telephone company. Along the way it has been building regional sports networks, launching entertainment websites and snapping up such cable channels as E, Style, G-4 and the Golf Channel.

'It's not the kind of week that you want to have very often, that's for sure.' Brian Roberts, Baltimore second baseman, after the Orioles fired Manager Lee Mazzilli on Thursday. On Monday, first baseman Rafael Palmeiro was suspended for testing positive for steroids.

John BALZAR asks "So, how can you resist?" about the general aviation industry's bid to make private piloting fashionable ("It's the Air Up There," June 5). Mr. Balzar, please consider: the last time your quiet was ruined by the angry whine of a private plane (or have we grown too used to that abuse?) the last time The Times reported on a fatal small plane crash into a residential neighborhood (not many people walk away from this kind of accident) our country's ominously growing loss of energy independence.

Second baseman Brian Roberts, at age 27, made his first All-Star game this year in his fifth season with the Baltimore Orioles. Roberts, who is atop the American League in batting average, already has more home runs this season than his previous four seasons combined. *--* Year AB H HR RBI Average 2001 273 69 2 17 253 2002 128 29 1 11 227 2003 460 124 5 41 270 2004 641 175 4 53 273 2005 313 108 15 49 345 *--*

Edwin G. Roberts, a former department and discount store executive has died at 73. Roberts died Tuesday in his Westwood home, his son Brian Roberts said. Trained in the Midwest, Roberts became prominent in Southern California retailing. He served from 1978 until 1980 as president and chief executive officer of May Co. department stores, and later launched the ill-fated Plums, an off-price apparel shop owned by Dayton Hudson Corp.

For the second consecutive year, Steve Burke received a richer compensation package than that of his boss, Comcast Corp. Chief Executive Brian L. Roberts. Burke, who became chief executive of Comcast-controlled media giant NBCUniversal in January, was awarded a compensation package in 2010 valued at $34.74 million — a 2% increase from 2009. His compensation last year included a $2.24-million base salary, a $3-million signing bonus (the second installment after renewing his contract in 2009)

For more than a decade, Brian Roberts, the scion running the country's largest cable television system, has envisioned transforming his company into more than just a collection of -- as Wall Street calls cable -- "dumb pipes." So Roberts' Comcast Corp. has been steadily bulking up. First it became the conduit of television, then an Internet service provider and a telephone company. Along the way it has been building regional sports networks, launching entertainment websites and snapping up such cable channels as E, Style, G-4 and the Golf Channel.

Jered Weaver's pitch count soared. He looked fatigued. The right-hander had given up more earned runs than he had in 21 of 23 games this season and more hits than he had given up in 12 of those games. And then the second inning started. That's the kind of night it was Friday for Weaver and the Angels, who were bludgeoned by the Baltimore Orioles in a 16-6 loss at Camden Yards, an inauspicious start to a 10-game road trip. Outfielder Felix Pie became the fourth player in Orioles history to hit for the cycle -- and the first since Aubrey Huff did it against the Angels on June 29, 2007 -- and Baltimore tied a club record with nine doubles.

Brian Roberts had the decisive hit for the second consecutive game, a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, and the Baltimore Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies with a 2-1 victory Sunday. Roberts hit a run-scoring single to center field against Cole Hamels (4-3) that made it 2-1 and sent the Orioles to their fifth consecutive victory. Roberts hit a two-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning against Ryan Madson in a 6-5 win Saturday night.

Baltimore 6, at Philadelphia 5: Brian Roberts hit a two-run homer with two out in the ninth against fill-in closer Ryan Madson to lift the Orioles. at Chicago Cubs 6, Cleveland 5 (13): Andres Blanco hit a tying single and then scored the winning run on Kerry Wood's wild pitch in the 13th inning. at Detroit 9, Milwaukee 5: Miguel Cabrera and Placido Polanco homered, and Alfredo Figaro won his major league debut.

Baseball looked more like America's national pastime Sunday night. The United States avoided elimination from the World Baseball Classic, beating the Netherlands, 9-3, in front of 11,059 at Dolphin Stadium to ease the sting of a drubbing against Puerto Rico the night before. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins drove in four runs with a home run, triple and sacrifice fly, and second baseman Brian Roberts was three for three with two walks, two runs and two runs batted in.

As a freshly minted graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Brian L. Roberts helped build his family's small Philadelphia cable-TV company by climbing utility poles to install lines. Comcast Corp. is now the nation's largest cable operator. As chief executive, the 44-year-old Roberts sees the movies, sports and other programs traveling through those lines as key building blocks for the company's future. And Comcast's bid for Walt Disney Co.

-- Rk. Team (Rec.) Comment (last week's rank) 1 NORTH CAROLINA Ellington's 36 points and overtime -- --- game winner against Clemson (15-0) make Tar Heels even more daunting. (1) 2 MEMPHIS (13-0) Pepperdine's Walberg predicts national -- -- title for Tigers after 37-point loss. (2) 3 KANSAS (15-0) Jayhawks look much more imposing -- --- lately than they did against USC. (3) 4 WASHINGTON It will be very impressive if Cougars -- STATE (13-0) are still undefeated after L.A. trip.

-- Rk. Team (Rec.) Comment (last week's rank) 1 NORTH CAROLINA Ellington's 36 points and overtime -- --- game winner against Clemson (15-0) make Tar Heels even more daunting. (1) 2 MEMPHIS (13-0) Pepperdine's Walberg predicts national -- -- title for Tigers after 37-point loss. (2) 3 KANSAS (15-0) Jayhawks look much more imposing -- --- lately than they did against USC. (3) 4 WASHINGTON It will be very impressive if Cougars -- STATE (13-0) are still undefeated after L.A. trip.

'It's not the kind of week that you want to have very often, that's for sure.' Brian Roberts, Baltimore second baseman, after the Orioles fired Manager Lee Mazzilli on Thursday. On Monday, first baseman Rafael Palmeiro was suspended for testing positive for steroids.