Sports Beat column - January 11, 2007

Sports Beat
January 11, 2007

Sports Beat by Bill McCaffrey

At the start of this week there were two locks in Charm City, one was the election of Cal Ripken to the Baseball Hall of Fame and the other the pounding Payton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts are going to take Saturday at the hands of the NFL â¤¦thug brigadeâ¤? the Baltimore Ravens. It started with the Ravens a four point favorite and right now there are places where you have to lay seven points in if you like the Ravens and in some quarters they say it could climb to a nine point Ravens favorite by 4 pm Saturday. The folks everywhere say that the Ravens will trounce the Colts even Don â¤¦I-Manâ¤? Imus predicts the Ravens will roll over the All-Time chocker Colts. Its gotten so bad that radio 1300 (home of Anita â¤¦Harpoâ¤? Marx) has been on suck up mode for two weeks including a major suck up for Art â¤¦ I should be in the football Hall of Fameâ¤? Modell what these Baltimore morons forget is: Modell wouldnâ¤t let the Baltimore Colts marching band on the field in the NFL Championship game in Cleveland in 1964. He held up the State of Maryland for 24 million to pay his own personal debts. Stopped Baltimore from getting an expansion team so he could get his team to Charm City . When he moved his team here he fired his coach (who hailed from Annapolis ) Bill Belichick. Oh how many Super Bowl victories has Belichick coached in New England, three, oh thatâ¤s two more than Modell has produced in Charm City . And the 1300 sports such ups want this guy in the Hall of Fame? What a laugh, he belongs in the Hall of Shame, he dissed Cleveland (ala Bob Irsey) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a crow and Rap, come on guys give me a break. I guess I have to endorse the Ravens because all of you say itâ¤s a lock even Imus so give me the Crows (whoops I mean Ravens) 3-2. Also Insiders say itâ¤s the Patriots over the Chargers and the Bears and the Saints in the NFC. Oh before we leave the Ravens we must give salutes to the following: Brian â¤¦Big Egoâ¤? Billick, â¤¦Airlessâ¤? McNair, the Purple Muggers â¤¦Dâ¤? they have all contributed to the success the team has enjoyed this season. Before I sail off the grid scene letâ¤s also salute Terry Caulley the Patuxent high school grad for his great career at Connecticut, school record for career 100 + yards games over 3,000 yards rushing. Who says they donâ¤t play good football in the SMAC and Calvert County ? Now baseball where we salute Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn for their election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Ripken deserves it and I can remember when I presented him with the State High School Championship Trophy at the Prince George â¤s Community College Field when his high school team beat Ron â¤¦Hoagie Manâ¤? Stoverâ¤s Thomas Stone team for the title. My great friend the late Jack Willard had me do the honors when I was in the Maryland House of Delegates. I think its great that Cal got in with the third highest vote ever. I hope the Veterans committee select Mickey Vernon and the late Cecil Travis for the Hall and just like Cal they were great players and gentleman. Oh one more thought on the Ravens remember the I-man picked Kinky Freeman to become Governor of Texas! I think the I-man has the best morning show on TV and radio. I have had a lot of calls about why I donâ¤t say more or do more with the Wizards and Capitals, well I think both organizations have slipped since the days of David Poile (he was the best the Caps ever had), Bob Ferry, Dick Motta, Gene Shue, Mare Splaver, Mark Pray. The Wizards have a good team with Arenas and crew but they lack a good center and the Caps have a Super Star in Alex O. but no GM or coach thatâ¤s worth talking about, both teams have terrible PR and media departments. The only person that does a great job for Pollinâ¤s Downtown Pleasure Palace ( Verizon Center ) is Susan Oâ¤Malley but she doesnâ¤t have much to work with. Ever since they dissed Maryland and changed their name (it never stopped the murder in DC like Pollin said the name change would do) I have no regards for what they do. Even â¤¦Downtownâ¤? Brown dropped them off his radar screen but I have heard he may have come back because the center has picked up their media meals.

Langhorne Selected ACC Player Of The Week
Langhorne leads Terps to two victories

After leading the No. 1 Terrapins to a 2-0 week, junior Crystal Langhorne was selected the Atlantic Coast Conference's Women's Basketball Player of the Week, which the league announced today. It is the third time in her career she earns the honor and the second Terrapin to receive it this year. Crystal Langhorne ( Willingboro , N.J./Willingboro) averaged nearly 22 points and seven rebounds over the two games. The country's field goal shooting leader, she was nearly flawless from the field in the blowout of No. 19/18 Michigan State . Langhorne was dominant against the Spartans' 6-9 Allyssa DeHaan, going 13-for-14 for a season-high 28 points in 28 minutes of action. She was also one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing nine. The Terps opened the week with a decisive 80-61 victory in their ACC opener, as Langhorne dropped 15 points, going 5-for-8 from the floor. She missed only one free throw in six attempts, while handing out three assists, as well. Langhorne currently leads the country with a 77.7 shooting percentage. She paces Maryland with 15.4 ppg and 7.4 ppg. Sophomore Marissa Coleman ( Cheltenham , Md. /St. John's College [D.C.]) is the only other Terp to earn ACC Player of the Week honors this season. She was selected on Dec. 4, 2006 after becoming the first player in school history to post a triple-double. Maryland , who is currently riding the nation's longest winning streak at 23 games, is off to its best start in school history winning its first 17 games of the season.

Women's Basketball Game Against Duke Sold Out
Feb. 18 at Comcast Center will be the largest-ever crowd in ACC history

With a month-and-a-half to go before the scheduled game, Maryland Athletic Department officials announced today that the women's basketball matchup versus No. 3 Duke on Feb. 18 is sold out. It is the second sellout in the history of the program and the first time ever in Comcast Center . The game, a rematch of the 2006 National Championship, will also be televised on Fox Sports Net. "I truly believe we have the best fans in the country. They are dedicated and, because of them, we continue to set ACC attendance records making Comcast Center one of the toughest places to play in women's basketball," said Maryland head coach Brenda Frese, who led the Terps to their first-ever national championship in April of 2006. "It is a great honor to have the support we receive from our fans and administration, who continues to promote Maryland women's basketball." The game will also mark the largest attendance to ever watch a women's basketball game in ACC history. Maryland owns the top four largest attendances in ACC women's basketball history, including the current record of 17,243, which was set on Feb. 13, 2005 when the Terrapins hosted the Blue Devils. The Terps also drew more than 16,000 fans to last year's matchup against the Blue Devils. Maryland has owned the top ACC women's attendance mark for 14 years. It first set the all-time record in 1992, when a sellout crowd of 14,500 crammed Cole Field House to watch the top-ranked Terrapins host No. 2 Virginia on Feb. 12. That record stood until 2005. "This is a tribute to the dynamic leadership of Coach Frese and her staff," said Director of Athletics Deborah A. Yow. "It is also a tribute to the players, who believed in Maryland women's basketball and what it could become. With this kind of support from the fans, Maryland is well on its way to achieving its goal of having the best attendance in the ACC this year." The Terps' contest against North Carolina on Jan. 28 is also nearly sold out, with only approximately 1,000 tickets remaining for sale. It is the only regular season match against the Tar Heels, who are currently ranked No. 2 in the nation and are also undefeated. UNC will hope to avenge its only two losses of last season both of which came at the hands of the Terrapins, including a regular season contest at UNC and the NCAA Final Four semi-final. To purchase tickets for the UNC game or any other women's basketball game, buy online at www.umterps.com or call the Comcast Center Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.

No. 1 Terps Prove Too Much For No. 19 Spartans
Maryland (17-0) off to its best start in school history

If there were any questions about how good the defending NCAA women's basketball champions are this season, Maryland erased any doubts with a dazzling performance against No. 19 Michigan State. Crystal Langhorne scored 28 points on 13-for-14 shooting, Kristi Toliver made four 3-pointers and the Terrapins snapped the Spartans' five-game winning streak with a 97-57 victory Saturday. "Just a lot of fun today. We really talked about being able to make a statement," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "We got after it in so many dimensions of the game." Playing in front of 12,295 fans and a national television audience, the Terrapins turned the Spartans inside out. After Toliver made three straight 3-pointers to put Maryland up 20-6, Langhorne dominated the post against 6-foot-9 freshman Allyssa DeHaan. "Toliver was the key to the game," Michigan State coach Joanne McCallie said. "Her shots in the first half were very significant; that opened up the inside more." Reserve Jade Perry had 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Terrapins, who had five players score in double figures. Langhorne, a 6-foot-2 center, grabbed nine rebounds and Toliver finished with 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc. "This was a big statement game," Toliver said. "We came out with a lot of energy, and made that statement by playing great on both ends of the floor. We wanted the country to know that we're a talented team and we're fun to watch." Talented, yes. Fun to watch? Not for the Spartans. "Not much to say. Maryland played great," McCallie said. "They played very well together and are obviously very well-coached." Maryland has won 23 straight, and at 17-0 is off to the best start in school history. Victoria Lucas-Perry led the Spartans with 20 points and DeHaan, the nation's leading shot blocker, swatted away five shots before fouling out. Playing a ranked team for the first time this season, Maryland expected to be tested by a Michigan State squad that came in tied for the Big Ten lead. It turned out to be just another blowout for the Terrapins, who have won 14 games by at least 18 points. With Langhorne going 8-for-9 and Toliver displaying uncanny accuracy from the outside, the Terrapins went up 46-25 at halftime. A layup by Langhorne with 15:20 left expanded the lead to 30 points, and the margin reached 40 with just under 8 minutes to go. DeHaan blocked two shots on Maryland 's first possession, serving notice that scoring inside might not be easy for the Terrapins. Undaunted, Langhorne got Maryland 's first points on a driving layup and guard Shay Doron followed with a 10-footer over DeHaan's outstretched arms. The Terps then provided Michigan State a sample of their quickness. Doron got free in transition before being fouled, and Langhorne added a breakaway layup for a 9-3 lead. McCallie switched to a zone defense, which proved to be a mistake. Toliver hit three straight 3-pointers over a 61-second span to put Maryland up by 14. Lucas-Perry followed with a 3-pointer for the Spartans, but by then Michigan State was 3-for-13 from the floor with six turnovers. Minutes later, Langhorne worked around DeHaan for two straight layups to put Maryland up 31-11. After Michigan State closed to 37-22, Toliver hit a 3-pointer and Marissa Coleman added a fastbreak layup to restore the 20-point cushion.

NOTES:
The win improves Maryland 's record to 17-0, extending the best start in school history. The Terrapins' nation and school-best winning streak extends to 23, dating back to the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2006.

For the first time in school history, the Terps ran through their out-of-conference schedule undefeated. The win improved their OOC record to 16-0 for the season.

The Terps' 40-point win marks the largest margin of defeat for Michigan State since January 28, 2001, a 97-49 loss at Penn State.

The Terrapins outrebounded Michigan State 56-32. The 56 rebounds marks a season high for the Terps, and is the most the Spartans have allowed all season. The previous best by a Michigan State opponent was 44 pulled down by Northridge on December 22, 2006.

The Spartans' 32 rebounds is the fewest they have pulled in all season. Their previous low was 37 in a 57-53 loss to Hofstra on November 22, 2006.

Jade Perry poured in 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, the sixth of her career.

Crystal Langhorne knocked down a season-best 28 points on 13-for-14 shooting. Her previous season high was 20.

Langhorne's 28 points gives her 1,465 on her career. That moves her past Marche Strickland (1999-2002) for eighth place on the Maryland all-time scoring list. Strickland put up 1,450 during her career. Next up is Deedee Warley, who poured in 1,512 from 1999-2002.

Langhorne has now put up 10 or more points in 41 consecutive games.

Five Terps scored in double figures. Besides Perry and Langhorne, Kristi Toliver had 12, Shay Doron had 11, and Laura Harper registered 10.

Toliver's 12 points came on four 3-pointers, tying a season high. She was a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc. She is the third different Terp in three games to shoot 4-for-4 from behind the arc. Marissa Coleman did it against Marist on Dec. 30 and Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood did it versus NC State.

No. 1 Terps Dominate N.C. State In ACC Opener, 80-61
Frese captures 100th win at Maryland; Harper leads Terps with 17 points.

On a night of milestones for top-ranked Maryland , the Terrapins and coach Brenda Frese were far more interested in pursuing loftier accomplishments. Frese won her 100th game at Maryland , Shay Doron moved into second place on the career scoring list and the Terrapins opened Atlantic Coast Conference play with an 80-61 rout of North Carolina State on Wednesday night. Doron scored 10 points to pass Christy Winters on the Terps' career scoring list. Doron, a senior guard, has 1,681 points - second only to Vicky Bullett (1,928). "Winning two straight national titles is more important to me," said Doron, who insisted that she had absolutely no idea where she stood on the career list. Like Doron, Frese is much more focused on getting the Terrapins back into the title game than collecting more trophies for her living room. Frese smiled broadly when presented the game ball, but she said later that the significance of her 100th victory at the school was that it justified the faith her players had in choosing to attend Maryland . "When you hit a milestone like that," Frese said, "what it symbolizes is what's special." Now in her fifth year at Maryland , Frese is 100-45 and well on her way to a fourth straight winning season. She joined Chris Weller (499-286) as the only women's basketball coach to win 100 games. Laura Harper scored 17 points, and Crystal Langhorne and Kristi Toliver had 15 apiece for the Terrapins (16-0, 1-0). The defending champions led 46-20 at halftime and coasted to their school-record 22nd consecutive victory, a streak that began in last season's NCAA tournament. " Maryland is a great team," interim coach Stephanie Glance said. "They had a lot of weapons and they use those weapons well." Glance is subbing for Kay Yow, who has taken a leave of absence while she fights breast cancer. It hasn't been easy for Glance - or her players. "You can't take a legend and an icon out of the situation and expect everyone to just move on," Glance said. "It's affected them greatly." Nikitta Gartrell, Khadijah Whittington and Marquetta Dickens each scored 10 points for the Wolfpack (11-4, 0-1). N.C. State missed eight of its first nine shots and was 10-for-31 from the floor (32 percent) in the decisive first half. "I thought in the first half we came out with great intensity on the defensive end," Frese said. Maryland led 13-10 before Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood sank two straight 3-pointers to spark a 20-4 run that put the Terrapins up by 19. Harper scored eight points in the spree and Doron added six. It was 39-20 before Toliver hit a 3-pointer and a jumper in succession. Langhorne added a layup at the first-half buzzer for a 26-point cushion. Maryland hosts No. 19 Michigan State on Saturday before concluding the regular season with 13 straight games against ACC foes.

NOTES:
#1/1 Maryland 80, NC State 61

The Terrapins improve their record to 16-0, and improve their record in ACC openers to 21-8. The 16-0 start matches the best in school history, set in 1982-83.

Maryland extends its nation-best winning streak to 22 games, dating back to the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2006. The winning streak is the best in school history.

Head Coach Brenda Frese registered her 100th victory at the University of Maryland with the win. It is her 157th victory as a head coach, including stints at Ball State and Minnesota.

For the first time this season, the Terps were outrebounded. They pulled down 35 boards to NC State's 43.

Shay Doron moves into second place on the Maryland all-time scoring list, putting up 10 points to move her total to 1,681. She passed Christy Winters, who poured in 1,679 from 1985-90. Vicky Bullett is the Terrapins' all-time leading scorer, putting up 1,928 points between 1986-89.

Crystal Langhorne also moved up the Maryland all-time scoring list. She put up 15 points, moving into ninth place in the record books with 1,437 total. She passed Myra Waters (1,423 from 1979-82) and Kris Kirchner (1,425 from 1978-80).

Langhorne's 15 points marked the 40th consecutive game in which she has scored 10 or more points.

Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood continues to impress in her early days as a Terp. She set a career record, pouring in four 3-point shots for a total of 12 points, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. She has scored in double figures in all three of her games in the Comcast Center.

Five Terps scored in double figures. Besides Doron, Langhorne, and Wiley-Gatewood, Kristi Toliver poured in 15 and Laura Harper knocked down 17.

Langhorne needs just one rebound to move into the top three of Maryland 's all-time rebounding list. Her four boards on the day give her 781, one behind Myra Waters for third place.

Third Season of Under the Shell Debuts
First episode airs Wednesday, Jan. 10

The third season of Under the Shell is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 11 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet. The 12-episode series airs every Wednesday, with a rerun playing on CSTV on Thursdays at 11 a.m. beginning on Jan. 18. "We love being able to give fans across the country a chance to get to know us, and not just on the court," said Maryland head coach Brenda Frese. "The fans truly feel connected to our team and it's a privilege to be able to have such dedicated and unconditional support." All original content and archived episodes will also be available on the show's website located at the Terps' official website at www.umterps.com. Also available on the Under the Shell site are photos and additional video and interviews not aired on the weekly series. The ground-breaking series in which fans can follow the Terps throughout the season and get unprecedented access to the players, coaches and staff. "Jess Atkinson (producer) and his staff of videographers have done a fantastic job of giving the fans a real look at what Maryland women's basketball is really about year in and year out," Frese added. The series is produced in association with Atkinson and Company and the University of Maryland Athletics Department. Check local listing for channel listings. For more information, log onto the official website of Maryland Athletics and Maryland women's basketball at www.umterps.com.

VIRGINIA STATE HOLDS OFF BOWIE STATE 84-76

The surging Virginia State University Trojans held off a second half rally by Bowie State and held on for an 84-76 Eastern Division win over the Bulldogs. The win keeps Virginia State unbeaten in the CIAA at 4-0 and improves their overall record to 9-2. The first half featured five ties but the Trojans led by five points at the break (42-35) with Wyatt leading the charge with 12 points first half points. Neither team shot free throws very well in the first half or for the entire game for that matter. VSU converted 12-of-19 free throws in the first half and BSU hit four-of-seven from the charity stripe. Virginia Stateâ¤s lead slowly dwindled away in the second half and the game was eventually tied at 56-56 on a jumper in the paint by BSU senior Tyronne Beale (15 points) at the 11:40 mark. Back-to-back jumpers by Bowie State senior Gil Goodrich gave the visitors a 60-58 lead which seemed to ignite the Bulldogs with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. The next eight minutes featured six ties with the last coming at 72 with 2:56 left on the Daniel Gymnasium scoreboard. Two free throws by Virginia State â¤s Trey Mines put the Trojans up for good with 2:56 remaining. Avis Wyatt led Virginia State with 20 points before fouling out with 8:58 left in the game. Jonathan Johnson came off the VSU bench to score 15 points and Mines along with Michael Askew added another 12 points each for the Trojans. As been the case all of the season, Bowie State was led by Goodrich with 25 points. The only other Bowie State player to score in double figures was Orlando Wright with the junior accounting for 11 points.

BULLDOGS MAUL EAGLES 85-64

The night didnâ¤t start very good for the visiting North Carolina Central University Eagles and didnâ¤t end very well either, as the Bulldogs of Bowie State University maul the Eagles 85-64. North Carolina Central began the game being assessed a technical foul for not having its starters in the official book. Bowie State senior Gil Goodrich knocked down two free throws before the opening tip and fellow senior Tyronne Bealeâ¤s jumper just after the tip, gave the Bulldogs an early 4-0 lead. Bowie State extended its lead 19-9 seven minutes into the contest and increased to 26-12 with 10:38 left in the first period. Just like the NCCU womenâ¤s team, the Eagles closed the deficit to one point by halftime and trailed 33-32 at the break. Bowie State (7-3, 3-3 in the CIAA) pushed its slim halftime lead to a 46-35 advantage by the 13:16 mark of the second half, mainly on hot shooting a good defense. The Bulldogs knocked down 19 of their 31 second half field goal attempts (61.3 percent) and held North Carolina Central to 10-of-33 second half attempts (30.3 percent). Had it not been for NCCUâ¤s Drew Johnson, the Eagles might have been beaten a lot worse. Johnson came of the bench to score a team-high 19 points (17 in the second half), converting six-of-10 field goal attempts. Billy Wilson was the only North Carolina Central starter to score in double figures, accounting for 11 points and added a team-high nine rebounds. Goodrich, the nationâ¤s leading scorer and junior Orlando Wright led BSUâ¤s Bulldogs with 24 and 18 points respectively. Wright also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Beale ended the evening with 16 points and seven rebounds. An ironic stat about the Goodrich, Wright and Beale trio is the fact that each hit seven-of-13 field goal attempts. Juniors Jason Ingram and Jamil Abâ¤dal-Aliyy rounded out the starters scoring with nine and four points respectively. Bowie State â¤s Joshua Johnson came off the Bulldogs bench to contribute 10 points in the win, hitting four-of-four from the field and two-of-two from the charity stripe to go along with five rebounds. The loss drops North Carolina Central University â¤s record to 5-6 (1-4 in the CIAA) heading into Thursdayâ¤s (1/11/07) road contest against the Bears of Shaw University. Bowie State University travels to Fayetteville State University , also on Thursday before returning home for a key CIAA Eastern Division match-up against Shaw â¤³ Saturday (1/13) at 7:30 p.m.

VIRGINIA STATE CRUSHED 85-42 BY LADY BULLDOGS

Senior Genet Moore and junior Allyson Swailes scored 19 and 18 points respectively, leading the Bowie State Lady Bulldogs to an 85-42 drubbing of Virginia State â¤s Lady Trojans. The win puts Bowie State â¤s record at 7-3 overall, 2-1 in the CIAA and 1-1 in the Eastern Division. This game was over early with Bowie State rolling out to a commanding 50-14 advantage by the half. Virginia State hit just six-of 25 first half field goal attempts while Bowie State nailed 19-of-29 first half field goal attempts, which included eight-of-13 from behind the arc. Turnovers were huge for Virginia State with the Lady Trojans committing 12 in the first 20 minutes (17 overall). Of those 12 first half miscues, Bowie State converted them into 18 points. Bowie State shooting dropped from 65.5 percent in the first half of play to 37.5 percent (12-of-32) in the final period. The lone bright spot for Virginia State was the play of Katina Walker. Walker scored just three points in the first half but paced VSU with 15 of the Lady Trojansâ¤ 28 second half points. Walker was the only player for Virginia State to score in double figures, accounting for 18 on the night. Latreshia Harris and Janiya Bellard scored seven points each for Virginia State and Bellard leading VSU with eight rebounds. Other than Bowie State â¤s Moore and Swailes, the Lady Bulldogs got good production from sophomores Sherika Thomas (10 points) and Tracy Cole (10 points). Fellow sophomore Markeya Watson led both teams with a game-high 10 rebounds.

BOWIE STATE ROLLS OVER LADY EAGLES 82-58

North Carolina Central, meet BSUâ¤s Sherika Thomas. The Bowie State sophomore came off the bench to lead the Lady Bulldogs to an 82-58 beat down of the Lady Eagles. The loss drops North Carolina Centralâ¤s record to 5-6 overall and 1-4 in the CIAA. Bowie State (8-3, 4-1 in the CIAA), opened the game with a 5-0 advantage and then an 8-2 advantage after the first 3:47. However, North Carolina Central maintained their cool and eventually took a 9-8 lead by the 14:30 mark of the first half. NCCUâ¤s Lady Eagles increased its lead to an eight point cushion (25-17) with 5:55 left in the first half before Bowie State battled back to tie the game at 25 with 2:52 remaining before intermission. Two free throws and a jumper by BSUâ¤s Thomas, shifted the advantage back to the home team and sent the Lady Bulldogs into the locker room with slim 29-26 lead at the half. Neither shot very well from the field in the first half with NCCU hitting 11-of-29 field goal attempts (37.9 percent) and BSU connecting on only 10-of-28 attempts (35.7 percent). North Carolina Central opened the second half with an 8-2 run to retake the lead at 32-31. Unfortunately, for the Lady Eagles, Thomas picked up where she left off in the first half. In a span of 3:29, Thomas scored seven of her game and career high 22 points, putting BSU in front to stay at 41-34. The Lady Eagles kept it relatively close for a short period before the Lady Bulldogsâ¤ lead increased to double-digits by the 9:14 mark of the final period and stayed that way. North Carolina Central turned the ball over 24 times on the night, leading to 30 Lady Bulldogsâ¤ points. NCCUâ¤s field goal shooting dipped to 32.4 percent in the second half while BSUâ¤s shot up to 52.6 percent. North Carolina Central senior Cassie King scored a game-high 23 points and had a team-high seven rebounds. Jasmine Newkirk was the only other Lady Eagle to reach double figure scoring, accounting for 11 points. Sophomoreâ¤s Tyrah Lusby and Markeya Watson along with junior Allyson Swailes chipped in 13 points apiece for Bowie State and senior Gent Moore added another 12 for the Lady Bulldogs. Swailes and Watson also cleaned the glass, grabbing 13 and 12 rebounds respectively.

WE GET LETTERS

Bill, The one thing I've noticed about Steny is he is not as visible nationally as most, but highly respected by his colleagues. Guess he won't be able to avoid it in the future standing up there with Pelosi. My friend Mike Moran who was one of the guys I went to AC with told me his mother worked for Steny for years. Her last name is Walter. Can still see Steny, Mike, Wolfgang, Bozick, Marshall in our banquet room which we donated like it was yesterday. The "alliance For Action Team" ha ha. We had some pictures taken up there but got lost in the shuffle. J J, Steny and Mike Miller are still carrying the ball and doing a good job, NO make that a great job! Bill Bill, As many of you know, Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn were overwhelmingly selected for induction into the Hall of Fame, yesterday. However, an equally newsworthy tidbit is that Mark McGwire came nowhere near making the class. Some folks attribute his failure to get elected to a probable link to steroid usage. My friend (and baseball guru), Jason, really opened my eyes to the REAL McGwire stats. Below, you'll find his take: I'm not totally sold on the fact that McGwire is a sure bet HOF . Sure he has the 583 homeruns but he only had 1626 hits over a 15 year career. Did he use steroids? If I had to guess I would say yes and with that assumption being made it makes it hard to think of him as HOF worthy. After nine full seasons in the majors he began his four year tear where he hit 245 homeruns. If you think he used steroids and you pull these four years out and look at his seasonal averages he would be around 30 homeruns a year. Not bad but he also averaged a .250 batting average over those seasons which is less than impressive. Even if you keep his four years in the equation you are still looking at a player who was great for only a handful of seasons and not his whole career. Other seasons of note would be when he was 25-27 years old when most players reach their apex,1989 (33-95-.231), 1990 (39-108-.235), 1991 (22-75-.201). And last but not least my favorite season, his last 2001 (29-64-.187). Jason makes a darn good argument. However, one BIG thing I'd like to add is WE ALL LIKE McGWIRE. Let's face it, we do. In the aspect of overall character, he has been very good to people. He's generous, and a bit shy. He handled the whole "61 Record" so much more humbly than Sosa did. To lump McGwire in with Sosa, Palmeiro and other suspected cheaters just seems wrong. Why? Because, he's a good guy - a decent, fun loving guy. And, the others are not. I'm inclined to believe McGwire probably lives his life with a bit of attached embarassment. He never makes appearances and has become a recluse. Bob Costas recently said that he "wished it would all go away", for the sake of McGwire, alone. I tend to agree. I think the guy has been punished, excessively, by the public. I think Jason is right about McGwire falling short of Hall of Fame consideration, on performance alone. But, he's still a good guy ...that should mean something. Just my view. Rex Rex, Good report. Say hello to Jason for me. Bill Bill, Great article and saw Bobby Foster mentioned. Saw him fight quite a few times and can't remember who he knocked out at Uline in a championship fight. He could handle all the light heavies buy big problems with the big guys. Also in those clips I sent you was a Golden Gloves article from 1950. Sokol and I were waterboys and got in some of those fights. Saw Bunky Frazer, Norvel Lee, Ward Sullivan went to Eastern with us. Saw Gene Smith quite a few times also. Joey Gardello fought at SE Boys Club and was in their Hall of Fame. J John, Foster was outstanding as were the rest you mentioned. Good talking to you when you were up here. Had a great breakfast meeting with Chick Payne last week and like you he is one of the really good guys who knows his DC sports stuff. Bill Bill, This is what I am doing currently for the 2008 Paralympics. I will keep in touch to let you all know what is going on. Best Regards David T.Burdette President Chemicals Unlimited Inc. Paralympic Team Captain Hook is 3rd at St Pete â¤¦ America International Regattaâ¤? December 2006

see: http://www.paralympicteamcaptainhook.org/

Regatta Summary
The team finished in 3rd place, one point out of 2nd. Seven boats in regatta. Ricky Doerr, US Champion was 1st. Ken Kelly, Canadian National Champion was 2nd. Irish National Champion, John Twomey was 4th. Captain Hook was hoping for races on day three, because they were clearly faster than Ken Kelly, and being only one point back, expected to beat him and finish 2nd in the regatta. However, Sunday had 2 races scheduled, and no wind all day.

Zagone Helms "Captain Hook Too"
Team Captain Hook's alternate jib trimmer, Joe Del Veccchio came to the St Pete regatta to do some practice sailing with the team and race a Martin 16 in the regatta with his wife, Chris. The Martin 16 class was cancelled due to a lack of entries. Joe was able to charter a Paralympic Sonar owned by a retired Paralympian. He asked Carmella Zagone to helm and Ernie Brody to trim main. They called it "Captain Hook Too", and sailed with the # 22 Sesame Street Sails. Joe got lots of additional practice trimming the jib from the bench, launching the wisker pole and flying the wisker poled jib. They did a great job. Even when they finished last, they were only a few boat lengths behind.

Practice
The team arrived in St. Pete four days before the regatta to work on the boat, outfitting it with new equipment for the disabled crew, and to practice with their new coach, Gordy Bowers, who coached the 1988 United States Olympic Sailing Team in Korea . He was terrific! The 3Â1Ž2 days of practice were wonderful. Gordy was sometimes on the boat and sometimes on a borrowed coach boat. The entire practice was in light air never exceeding 8-9 knots.

The Bosun
Ernie Brody, Bert's partner for 19 years in Sesame Street , Sonar # 22, at the Wayzata Yacht Club has volunteered to be the "Bosun" for the team. That is the person who is "in charge of the ships deck crew, rigging, anchors and cable, who has a whistle as his badge of office". Ernie has designed and installed a great deal of special equipment to accommodate the disabled crew. He has worked tirelessly during the last two regatta trips to make the boat right. Speaking of dedication, Ernie and his wife drove 48 hours non-stop in their motor home from California to St. Pete to install special equipment for the first practice session.

New Jib Trimmer
The team sailed with a new jib trimmer, David Burdette, who had not sailed in Newport . Dave is a paraplegic, in a wheelchair, who at 6'-5" and 240 pounds has the athletic ability and strength to bounce around the bench from side to side, hike out on the rail, and trim the jib from the hiked position. Jim Thweat did an excellent job trimming main as he had in Newport.

The Regatta
When the regatta started on Friday, the wind blew 15-20 out of the South, and created somewhat of a challenge for the Captain Hook team, who had only practiced in light wind. In spite of that, the Sonar # 757, Captain Hook, was lightning fast off the starting line of the first race, and was first boat around the windward mark, only to be passed downwind due to wisker-pole-setting issues. In spite of the difficulties, the team finished the first day tied for third place with the Irish National Champion, John Twomey. The second day dawned with light air, 6-8 knots, similar to the practice days. Captain Hook won the first race by 15 boat lengths. In the second Saturday race Captain Hook was over early, lost focus, missed the current issues, went the wrong way, and put in their worst race of the regatta, finishing 6th. With that race as their throw-out, the team eagerly anticipated the two races on Sunday, which did not come to pass because of lack of wind.

Kattack
Kattack is like having a coach consistently working with you to improve your performance. This new product is a web-based software application that will collect position data from boats in a race. The race can be replayed (graphic animation) and performance data displayed (tables and charts) to indicate which elements of your race can be improved: starting, boat handling, and strategy. The team greatly appreciates Kattack.com sponsoring Team Captain Hook. They have donated the use of enough of the GPS units for all the Sonars at Captain Hook's first 2 regattas, the replay software, and training for our own Ernie Brody operate. The Paralympic Sonar fleet has now had the coaching and entertainment benefit of Kattack. Our team has used it in practice with positive results. You can go to www.Kattack.com and replay both Captain Hook regattas. We have done so many times.

Pl      Sail #       Skipper                   From                       1 2 3 4 5 6             Total Points
1       USA674   Rick Doerr             Clifton NJ USA               2 2 1 1 (7) 2             8
2       CAN644   Ken Kelly              Victoria BC CAN            (5) 1 3 4 2 3             13
3       USA757   Bert Foster             Wayzata MN USA         3 3 5 2 1 (6)               14
4       IRL694     John Twomey        Co Cork IRL                    1 4 2 3 4 (5)            14
5       USA671   Dave Schroeder Miami FL USA               (6) 5 4 6 3 1                  19
6       USA732   Jen French              St. Pete FL USA            (7) 6 6 5 5 4                26
7       USA22     Carmella Zagone    Wayzata MN USA         4 (7) 7 7 6 7              31

Dave, Good report. Letâ¤s do lunch when you have an opening. Bill Bill: I remember Mike Cubbage very well - decent third baseman and not a bad clutch bat. How do you know that Aubrey Huff is not related to W. Ray Huff? They are of similar size and height, so maybe Ray is a distant Uncle of his. If Aubrey is a relative, Uncle Ray will give him a 20% discount on his insurance needs! Sincerely, Loyal Baltimore Colts Fan Ellicott City Dear Loyal Fan, I am glad you didnâ¤t say weight because Ray is 60 pounds heavier and he gives no discounts. Bill Bill: My son Bob and grandson Robert are the proud owners of a male Siberian Husky and we are stumped to come up with a proper Russian name for our new family member. Anyone have a suggestion? Found these on the web so far which stand out: Serge, Sacha or Sasha, (Sylvester Stallone named his son) and this means "helper, defender of mankind"; Morita - the Red Baron's dog; Ivan (John in Russian I guess - meaning God is Gracious); Ilya - Russian for Elijah (God's prophet); Alexi (as Alexi Yagudin the gifted Russian Olympic ice skater). I suggested Zhivago (Doctor Zhivago, the famous Russian novel and film). Thanks for any ideas. God bless and love to all, Dale Dale, Good report, howâ¤s Igor? Bill John L.â¤s Correspondence on passing of Joe Stanley Dear Friends, Joe Stanley's daughter, Melody, has asked me to let you know that right now, Joe's funeral is scheduled to be held at Ft. Lincoln Cemetery & Funeral Home (http://www.fort-lincoln.com/about.shtml) on Thursday, January 18th. The exact time of the service and burial will forthcoming shortly. Joe's family has asked Big Joe Maher to coordinate Joe's funeral service and arrangements. Big Joe is out of town this week and won't be back until this Sunday, January 14th. If you would like to pay a musical tribute to our dear friend Joe on this special day, please contact Big Joe at: 240-350-7133 after Sunday. Please forward this information to those you feel would like to know. I will forward additional information to you as it becomes available to me. Sincerely, Jill King Hi John, I'm Carrie (Billy's other half) but you are really writing to Billy Hancock, who used to play for you at Gus & Johns with Danny & The Fat Boys and sometimes The Memories and later at the Casablanca in Georgetown circa 1975, which later became Desperados. Billy says he is glad to see you active and still out there and is pretty sure Joe graduated in 1954. Hopefully, he says he may see you at the service for Joe. Hi, my name is John Linthicum and was one of the owners of Gus & John's where Joe played music with his group and the Naturals for a number of years. I also went to Eastern with Joe and we are trying to determine which year he graduated so he can be entered into our Eastern site. So many friends have e-mailed about Joe so I'm passing along everything I can. We will surely miss Joe and his great horn. I am grateful to Mark for passing this information to me. John Linthicum Mark, just wanted to let you know that Joe Stanley the sax player for 40 years, and who played in many groups in Maryland . His group played our club many times and he sat in with Naturals many times. John Linthicum Gus & John's Bill, maybe one of your many contacts might know where Dimitri of the original Saxons may be contacted about Joe. Thanks J Hi John, I'll print this out for Billy whose making and receiving a thousand and one phone calls about the benefit and I am going to make a memory book for his wife Betty of all the wonderful emails I have received and be sure yours will be in there. Billy says could be 53 or 54..... Oops, he just got off and told me that he hasn't heard of either group playing for a while. He will get Roger McDuffie's email for you from Buddy Grandel. Ralp McDuffie is living in Florida says Billy. Just in case you didn't know, Billy Windsor & Jack Jensen have both passed away. Also, Billy would like to know if you have a way to get in touch with Dimitri Callas, one of of Joe Stanley's original Saxons. Take care, Carrie Carrie, good to hear from you and glad to hear from Billy. I remember and those were great days. I had heard through a 3rd party that Joe was ill but couldn't find where he was staying. I just returned from Maryland where we had a family gathering and I now live in Florida so I probably won't be there for the services. Joe and I were in high school together and I graduated in 1953. I have many people asking about him. Will there be an obit in the Wash Post? I had an e-mail address for one of the McDuffies but got no reply a few months ago. Are the Memories or Naturals still doing spot bookings. At one of our recent reunions in Waldorf I tried to contact that e-mail. Give my best to all at the service and my deepest sympathy goes out to Joes loved ones. Thank you for replying. John Linthicum Fort Lauderdale, FL Hi, Just wanted to let you know that I got word that Joe Stanley died yesterday. I have no details on any arrangements. I understand that he was (mercilessly) in a coma-like state for several days before his death. Angelo Sparacino, one of the guys in the Southbound band was a good friend of his. I haven't been out to hear the band in a long time but I'm still in touch. I haven't personally spoken to Angelo but it was through him that I first heard of Joe's illness and finally that he had died. Angelo was able to visit him one time. He said that Joe's wife (?) was still living in NaylorGardens . That's where he visited Joe. Getting this information third-hand you understand. I didn't know Joe still had a wife. I've seen him two or three times in the last five years or so and I only knew about his girlfriend. Anyway, pass it along to the Easternites who probably knew him. love you...Peg Bill, How about this for look-a-likes: Cal Ripken, Jr. and Steve the security chief on Jerry Springer Bela Lugosi and Patrick Pannella Calfes and Slim Whitman Guy â¤¦Usherâ¤? Foxwell (not Len F) and Tony the Dancer Dale Poole Sawyer and Linda Darnell What do you think? Steelhead Dear Steelhead, Hmmm. Bill Bill, Why should it surprise anyone that Nick Saban jumped ship (again) after all his father, Lou Saban was one of the most famous jumpers ever in football. Lou S. spent one season at Maryland and said heâ¤d never leave. His QB at College Park was Alan Pastrana who threw a then Terps record 19 TD passes and is the uncle of hot shot Travis Pastrana (Ray Huffâ¤s grandson). Bulk Head Dear Bulk Head, You are on the money, it must run in the family. Say are you the daddy of Ironhead and Steelhead? Bill

SPORTS NOTES

Don't miss our first NETWORKING EVENT of 2007 at E-CITIES in TYSON'S
1524 Springhill Rd,. #LN McLean VA 2102 (703) 760-9000.
Thursday Jan.25th 6PM to 9PM
ROBERT SMITH JOINS DOC SUNDAY AT 8 AM ON SPORTS TALK 980 AND AT 10:30 AM ON COMCAST SPORTSNET

www.docwalker.com
www.sportstalk980.com

The regular session of "Talkin' Baseball" will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 9AM at Barnes & Noble, 4300 Montomgery Ave. ( Longate Shopping Center ) in Ellicott City , MD. Our speaker will be Pulitzer Prize winner David Maraniss who will discuss his book: "Clemente: the Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero." Let's have a large turnout. Our deepest sympathy goes to the family of Bill Collins who passed last week. Bill was active in sports and went to Gonzaga and graduated from McKinley Tech. He was retired from the C&P Telephone Company and also was active in sports as President of the Greensboro (NC) Bats and Battle Creek , Michigan team. He played in the Cleveland Indian organization, he played at Island Park in Harrisburg , PA. Active in fast pitch softball and basketball, was an umpire, coach and served as President of the DC area Metro Fast Pitch Softball Hall of Fame and he was a member of the Hall. He was an ardant Redskin fan. His late wife Paula was a Democratic Election Judge in the Fort Washington area and Bill worked the polls for me. His son Bill was a leader in the successful effort to bring baseball back to DC. The best trainer in MD JUCO is Hsin Hsin Lin of Dundalk and she knows her basketball. Tiffany â¤¦Shooter: Latke of Dundalk Womanâ¤s basketball team was in a fender bender but she was not injured. I had a good breakfast last week with Chick Payne, Eastern grad, great catcher, super guy and all round nice guy. Had a couple of good lunches this week with Jack and Judy Zane and Jack Fitzpatrick at the original Ledos on University Blvd and another with Cynthia Marbury and Sam Triandos. Both great food and great folks. My deepest sympathy goes to Debbie Romanowski and her family on the passing of her dad Walter John â¤¦Churpâ¤? Chuprum. Also passing was that great Canadian boxer Yvon Durelle. I wonder where they are today: Kay Oliphant Robison, Shirley Dahl, Diane Duffy, Claire McCarthy, Anne Oâ¤Keefe, Carol Stewart, Dee Dee Powell, Jean Thompson, Terri Miller, Tom Parker, John P.M. Duvall, Jean Smith, Joan Scott Thome, Jimmy Chow and Rod Langway. Roller Derby is on the comeback trail led by Tom A. Black, Gladys Sneath, Col. Phil, Norris Walker, and Bette Wisecarver. Had a sweet note from Calfes, Elgin the Rabbit was in town and asked if you were still around. I told him I had given you his share of the profits to give to him and he said he would catch up with you. Annapolis native Danielle Shearer has been named assistant womenâ¤s lacrosse coach at Villa Julie College . Also at Villa Julie is Good Counsel grad Pat Carley is being counted on to be the Mustangs baseball teams closer.

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