Baseball in Washington bill signed

By David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writer

D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed into law a financing package for a new baseball stadium along the Anacostia waterfront in Southeast today, calling it "one of my proudest days as mayor." The legislation, which was approved narrowly by the D.C. Council last week, authorizes the administration to issue up to $534.8 million in bonds to pay for the ballpark, as well as renovations to Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. The Washington Nationals will play at RFK for three season, starting April 14, and then move to the new stadium in 2008.

Surrounded by children in red, white and blue Nationals caps and T-shirts, Williams donned a red cap and signed the document with three ceremonial pens, then smiled for the assembled television cameras and held his arm aloft. "It's a great day in our city," Williams said. "This baseball park is good for the city. Maybe I could have done a few things differently, but I never regretted what I did. It's not good just for the psychology of the city, but it's good for the city economically. I really, really believe that."

The signing ensures that the council cannot reopen the legislation for further changes and ends two months of fierce debate between city leaders, activists and residents over the use of public money for a ballpark. Under the terms of the stadium package, the city will seek 50 percent private financing and will implement a gross receipts tax on large businesses and a utilities tax on businesses and federal buildings to pay for most of the rest of the project. A tax on concessions and an annual rent payment by the team also will provide revenue to pay off the bonds.

 

Maria third in Female Athelete of the Year

Voting for the 2004 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, based on a 3-2-1 point system (first-place votes in parentheses):

Annika Sorenstam (40) 263
Diana Taurasi (15) 154
Maria Sharapova (19) 152
Carly Patterson  (10) 104
Jennie Finch (11) 88
Lisa Fernandez (7) 55
Michelle Wie (5) 43
Abby Wambach (5) 36
Lindsay Davenport (3) 35
Natalie Coughlin (1) 15
Meg Mallon (1) 9
Lauryn Williams 8
Elena Dementieva (1) 5
Mia Hamm 5
Misty May (1) 5
Irena Slutskaya (1) 5
Allyson Felix  3
Lisa Leslie 3
Kerri Walsh 3
Svetlana Kuznetsova 1

Redskins lose to Cowboys in last 30 seconds

The Washington Redskins lost to the Dallas Cowboys for the fourth straight time and 14th in 15, although it came down to the final play: a 57-yard field goal try by Washington's Jeff Chandler fell short. The Cowboys won 13-10 scoring the winning touchdown in the last 30 seconds of the game on a 39 yard pass from Vinny Testaverde, who had been booed most of the game by the Dallas fans.

Had Testaverde been better earlier, the Cowboys wouldn't have needed his late heroics. But he delivered in the clutch, driving 75 yards for the go-ahead score after taking over with 1:25 left and no timeouts. He added to the drama by starting the series with three straight incompletions, forcing him to keep it alive by converting on fourth-and-10.

Patrick Ramsey drove Washington inside the Dallas 11 on the first two drives, but had only a field goal to show for it. The Redskins didn't cross midfield again until the fourth quarter, when Ramsey capped a nice 7 for 7 passes drive with a 5-yard touchdown to Robert Royal for a 10-6 lead with 6:44 left. But Washington went three-and-out the next two drives and fumbled a punt in between, when it needed a few clock-eating first downs.

``You can look at 50 different plays where we could've won the game,'' Gibbs said. ``There was no one single play that cost us this game.'' Washington lost running back Clinton Portis to a chest bruise. He had just one second-half carry, finishing with 32 yards on 10 tries. Ramsey finished 19-of-29 for 158 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Redskins (5-10) had won two of three and were hoping to finish strong in coach Joe Gibbs' first season back on the sideline. Instead, he's already lost the most games in any season with one left against playoff-seeking Minnesota.

Merry Christmas

Britney Spears Top Star 2004???

"Access Hollywood" has named its "Top Ten Stars of 2004," with Britney Spears in the No. 1 spot.

The rankings are based on the number of stories the syndicated entertainment television show aired on each star. Spears — who was married twice, canceled a summer tour because of a knee injury and released a greatest hits album — topped the list with 119 stories.Beyonce is in the No. 2 spot, with 102 stories, followed by Donald Trump, 94 stories; Michael Jackson, 84 stories; Tom Cruise, 72 stories; Jessica Simpson, 69 stories; Paris Hilton, 63 stories; Nicole Kidman, 62 stories; Jennifer Lopez, 54 stories; and Whitney Houston, 52 stories.

"We want to thank these stars for helping to make 2004 the best in `Access Hollywood' history," executive producer Rob Silverstein said in a statement Tuesday Here's to more `can't miss' moments in 2005."

Merry Christmas Washington Nationals

New York Times

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 - The District of Columbia's City Council narrowly approved today a modified plan to build a 41,000-seat baseball stadium for the Nationals, the former Montreal Expos.The vote was seven in favor and six opposed. The plan approved today was worked out late Monday night by the city's top two political leaders, Mayor Anthony A. Williams and the City Council chairman, Linda W. Cropp. It calls for the city to seek private financing to cover at least half of the stadium's cost to be privately financed, said the mayor's spokesman, Chris Bender. Estimates of the cost range from $440 million to $585 million. Ms. Cropp persuaded fellow council members last week to adopt an amendment requiring that private money pay for half of the new stadium, near the Anacostia River on the city's south side. Baseball officials angrily halted preparations for the team's move in response.

Mr. Bender said that several private financing possibilities already have been investigated by city officials, Mr. Bender said, including a parking meter plan that is expected to generate $100 million in upfront revenue for the city. If no other private deals are found, Mr. Bender said, the city expects to sign onto the parking arrangement offered by the Cleveland-based Gates Group. In return for assurances that private financing is viable, Ms. Cropp said she would drop her legislative language requiring a specific amount of private financing, a demand which had aroused the ire of baseball supporters since they feared that it would torpedo the team's chances of moving here.

As part of the deal approved today, baseball officials agreed to reduce the $19 million in damages the city would incur if the new stadium did not open by March 2008. Instead, the city would forfeit a $5 million yearly rental payment it would earn when the Nationals team plays at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, which it is set to do beginning in 2005. Baseball officials also agreed to split the cost of construction insurance with the city to limit taxpayer liability, Mr. Bender said.

The president of Major League Baseball, Bob DuPuy, took part in the talks between Mayor Williams and Ms. Cropp by telephone, the league said. Mr. DuPuy called the new package "consistent with the stadium agreement" baseball reached with Mayor Williams before the move was announced in September. Mayor Williams said that having a team was not just about baseball, but also about "revitalizing the Anacostia River, creating new jobs, bringing in new tax revenues and creating a new source of civil pride."

 

Redskins win, 26-16

Antonio Pierce returned an interception 78 yards for a touchdown as the Washington Redskins beat San Franciso 26-16 in a game between two once great teams  that are struggling this year. Washington (5-9), as strange as it seems, are still in contention for a play-off spot with just two games left in the season. It would take a small miracle and the right combination of  wins and loses by several teams, but it is still a possibility for the Redskins.

Patrick Ramsey continued to show why he should be the
starting quarterback next year, passing for 214 yards and a touchdown. Clinton Portis rushed for 110 yards and Rod Gardner caught six passes for 111 yards, but the Redskins were  still disappointed in their offense, which scored its only touchdown on the opening drive. ``We had an opportunity to lose that game if our defense didn't play so well,'' Ramsey said. ``(The offense is) contributing more, but not as much as we would like. We've just got to get the ball in the end zone.''

Washington also committed 11 penalties for 93 yards to stay on pace to break the franchise record. Without newcomer Jeff Chandler, who kicked four field goals, the Redskins' task would have been much tougher. Chandler, the former 49ers kicker signed by Washington earlier in the week, made a 49-yard field goal and three short kicks in an impressive debut. San Francisco's fans probably didn't recognize a player run out of town for his short kickoffs and shaky accuracy

Star linebacker LaVar Arrington returned to the Redskins' lineup after missing 11 weeks with a knee injury, and the three-time Pro Bowl player appeared to see more playing time than he expected in his first game back. ``I think that I did well,'' Arrington said. ``It is hard to get into game condition without playing. I don't think that I did too bad, with that much time off.''

Kelly, You're Hired!!!

The rain stopped. The logo that would have scared the polo ponies was moved. Trump got over the fact that the chairs in his not-so-posh "private box" were dirty and not in a perfect straight line.

Once the goofy live part of the "Apprentice" finale began, and the praise from everyone under the sun started pouring in, there was no doubt that Kelly Purdue would be the one to hear "You're hired!"

And in a move sure to please Trump, given a choice of a Vegas or an NYC job, he chose NYC to be closer to Trump. For more on the Apprentice...

Send in the Clowns

By Thom Loverro
Washington Times Columnist

This was the release issued by the Washington Nationals about the event scheduled for yesterday afternoon to show off the team's new duds:

"The Washington Nationals' uniform unveiling ceremony scheduled for 2 p.m. today has been postponed until further notice."

However, the clown suits being fitted for the D.C. City Council — which, led by chairman Linda Cropp, torpedoed the proposed ballpark financing that was part of Major League Baseball's agreement to relocate the Montreal Expos to the District late Tuesday night — should be ready soon, as well as those for Mayor Anthony Williams, his staff, baseball commissioner Cadillac Bud Selig, lieutenant Bob DuPuy, crony Jerry Reinsdorf and too many others to name here.

There are enough clowns in this relocation circus to fill a fleet of Shriner cars in a parade.

Hey, maybe those who led the opposition to baseball — after generations of political and business leaders in this area spent the last 33 years trying to get it back — can declare Dec. 14 a city holiday, and have a parade with those little cars. Cropp can drive the lead car, with fellow city council members David Catania and Adrian Fenty following.

And perhaps they can have a moment of silence every Dec. 14 at Major League Baseball's New York offices, to commemorate the day the national pastime looked as if it was being run like the Arena Football League.

Cropp's last-minute ballpark financing plan, with the requirement for 50 percent private financing of the proposed ballpark on the Anacostia waterfront, likely will kill the deal the city has with baseball to relocate the Expos/Nationals to the District — or maybe not. Cropp has thrown the entire situation into astounding chaos, with so many unanswered questions that I'm getting dizzy while I write this.

It would appear MLB, which owns the Nationals, has few if any options available. The deal they have with the District dictates the city has until Dec. 31 to pass a ballpark financing plan based on the terms baseball agreed to, which means that Cadillac Bud can't pick up the phone today and negotiate with anyone else about relocating the franchise until Jan. 1 — as if there are many places he could call.

It would be very difficult to resurrect the Northern Virginia effort. Their ballpark financing legislation expires Dec. 31 as well, and it would be very difficult to go to the state legislature to renew that plan, particularly since Gov. Mark Warner showed he had no stomach to back baseball when he refused to back the bonds for a ballpark near Dulles Airport. (Yes, we should include a clown suit as well for Warner, whose visions of a presidential candidacy gave him cold feet when baseball came to him to finalize a deal to move the Expos to Northern Virginia).

Cadillac Bud could call the Elvis impersonator about Las Vegas, but Vegas politics are, in their own way, just as bizarre as District politics, and Cadillac Bud could find himself trading RICO stories with some of his new Vegas friends.

Norfolk? Portland, Ore.? Monterrey, Mexico? Northern New Jersey? Haven't we just been through all this already? And if baseball had any real and attractive option for relocation other than the Washington area, don't you think it would have moved the team there? That is why this ballpark deal had to be so attractive to Major League Baseball, why it had to be so much more favorable to baseball than in other ballpark deals around the country — baseball did not want to come here. And if they were going to come to the District, it was going to have to be because they were made an offer they couldn't refuse, if they were going to have to deal with Orioles owner Peter Angelos.

Having no other relocation options doesn't mean baseball won't say goodbye to the District, though. These are men with giant egos, and in nearly all of the labor disputes over the years in baseball, ego, more than money, drove the owners to act foolishly time and time again and could drive baseball away from Washington, even for this coming season, based on the statement issued yesterday by DuPuy: "The team's business and promotional activities will cease until further notice."

If baseball goes ahead and operates the team at RFK Stadium for this one season — and there is no guarantee it will do that — going back to Montreal may seem particularly embarrassing, but the embarrassment ship has sailed on this issue, and the rent would be cheap and the same 8,000 fans who showed up for home games last year would likely be back again. Also, baseball is just one year away from being able to reconsider contraction, something Angelos has been pushing hard for. (And yet another question: What does MLB do about Angelos for this one season if the Nationals play at RFK? Does baseball have to compensate him for that?).

For those of you who don't understand why owners would be willing to fold a team instead of selling it and pocketing the money, here is why: Provided they get another team to contract, it would mean there would be two fewer teams requiring revenue sharing (though it is reasonable to assume the Nationals in Washington would be a revenue producer quickly), which means less money out of the pockets of revenue-producing teams. More importantly, it would also mean two fewer teams with whom to share the national television, licensing and other money. Those savings would quickly make up whatever profit each team would realize from the sale of the Nationals.

The part of this farce that is not comical is the wall that Cropp and her supporters have erected around the city. One of the battle cries for putting a team in the District instead of Northern Virginia was that the city is the heart of the Washington region — not the suburbs. If the District wants to be the "heart" of the region, then it has a responsibility beyond its borders. If some city government leaders don't see it that way, fine. Keep putting up the bricks and watch as corporations and other businesses continue to set up shop outside the city and eat, shop and keep their money there, opting not to be part of the circus and the clowns.

Redskins lose to Eagles, 17-14

The Redskins fell to 4-9, assuring Gibbs of a losing season. He had only one losing record in his first 12-year stint in Washington, a 7-9 mark in 1988. At least his team kept Sunday's game closer than the 27-6 loss at Philadelphia three weeks ago. The Redskins had the ball on the Eagles 27 yard line with under 2 minutes left in the game when Patrick Ramsey threw an interception in the end zone. ``They got out of here with this one -- they snuck out of here with this one,'' Washington cornerback Fred Smoot said. ``McNabb told me that at the end of the game: They crept out of here with this one.''

Washington converted an interception from McNabb into a 2-yard TD run from Clinton Portis with 12:04 remaining to make the score 17-14.  But Ramsey's only bad pass of the game, the late interception, halted the Redskins' chance to pull off the upset. They did a good job of covering it,'' Ramsey said. `I was hoping Cooley would go up and get the ball, and it just didn't work out.''
Ramsey went 29-for-42 for 251 yards for the Redskins, and Laveranues Coles caught 12 passes for 100 yards despite a chronic toe injury that kept him out of practice for most of the week. Washington was hurt by 12 penalties for 137 yards. Mike Sellers was whistled for three personals, all on special teams. Clinton Portis, wearing "illegal" red socks, gained 80 yards on 23 carries.

The Eagles (12-1), who clinched the NFC East two weeks ago, secured a first-round bye earlier Sunday when Atlanta beat Oakland. They had won their last four games by at least 21 points and had beaten every NFC team they'd played this year by at least 10 points, until this game. The victory also moved Andy Reid ahead of Joe Gibbs into first place in winning percentage among active coaches. Reid's record is 68-34 (.667), ahead of Hall of Fame coach Gibbs' 144-74 (.661).

Tight jeans break cellphones

  A survey of 300 retailers in Sweden found that squeezing handsets into snug-fitting pants is the second leading cause of broken phones. Apparently, the phones simply can't handle the pressure, and screens break or covers bend or crack.To put it in perspective, tight pants break more phones than dogs, children, rain, snow, acts of forgetfulness and throwing phones to the ground in a rage, according to a report on the survey by cell-phone news Web site Celluar News. The site said Siemens conducted the survey.

According to the survey, the most common reason for a phone to break is that you simply drop it on the floor.It might be surprising to hear that people have thrown their unit on the ground in rage, this is of course alarming, but obviously not uncommon says Titti Hagenfeldt, Marketing Manager at Siemens.

The most common reasons for "Mobile accidents" according to 300 Swedish retailers.

1)Dropped the mobile on the ground.
2)Squeezed the cellphone in tight jeans/pockets.
3)Used the handset in the rain.
4)Throw the device on the ground in rage.
5)The dog/child got hold of the mobile.
6)Dropped the cellphone in the toilette.
7)Dropped the handset into the sea.
8)Forgot the cellphone on the roof of the car.
9)Perspiration on the mobile during workout.
10)Dropped the handset in the snow.

Internet file-sharing not a problem

Most musicians and artists say the Internet has helped them make more money from their work despite online file-trading services that allow users to copy songs and other material for free, according to a study released on Sunday.

Recording labels and movie studios have hired phalanxes of lawyers to pursue "peer to peer" networks like Kazaa, and have sued thousands of individuals who distribute copyrighted material through such networks. But most of the artists surveyed by the nonprofit Pew Internet and American Life Project said online file sharing did not concern them much.

Artists were split on the merits of peer-to-peer networks, with 47 percent saying that they prevent artists from earning royalties for their work and another 43 percent saying they helped promote and distribute their material. But two-thirds of those surveyed said file sharing posed little threat to them, and less than one-third of those surveyed said file sharing was a major threat to creative industries. Only 3 percent said the Internet hurt their ability to protect their creative works.

Redskins finally get Offensive, 31-7

All it took was some red socks and a load of work to get Clinton Portis and the Washington Redskins past the 20-point barrier, and finally playing "Redskin football". Using ball control, short passes and an outstanding defense, the Redskins beat the New York Giants 31-7.
Having been held to a few carries and a few yards during the team's three-game losing streak, Portis got the ball early and often Sunday. He gained 148 yards on 31 carries, running for one touchdown and scoring another on a shovel pass in the Redskins' victory over the New York Giants. ``I knew the team was going to be depending on me, and we finally went out and gave the defense what they wanted -- that was 21 points,'' Portis said. ``At halftime, we told them they'd better not blow the game for us.'' And Portis decided to go with red socks instead of the uniform white just to mix things up. And it must have worked.

The Redskins (4-8) led 21-0 at halftime and scored 20 in a game for the first time since Joe Gibbs returned as coach, ending their longest such drought since the 1930s. They scored more points than in their last three games combined, and they hit 30 for the first time since Week 2 of last season. Patrick Ramsey, making his third start since Mark Brunell was benched, completed 19 of 22 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. The first two scoring drives went 93 and 91 yards against a Giants defensive line missing three-quarters of its opening day starters.

Portis had only six carries in last week's loss at Pittsburgh, but Gibbs gave him the ball on the first five plays and seven times in the opening drive. Portis has 1,093 yards on the season, giving him 1,000-plus in each of his first three years.The Redskins are 4-0 when Portis runs for 100 yards, 0-8 when he doesn't. ``He really wanted the ball, he always does,'' Gibbs said. ``I think after a couple of weeks of us not doing very well with the running game, I think he was really fired up. A lot of things that haven't been going well for us during the year went well for us tonight.''

Closer

Go see this movie.

Pretty people with potty mouths practice infidelity in one of the most buzzed-about productions of the year. Two couples -- Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, and Jude Law and Natalie Portman -- love, lie, and cruelly betray one another in this $40 million adaptation of Patrick Marber's much praised 1997 play. Directed by Mike Nichols. Watch trailer here...

Suitland wins Maryland Football Title

There was never any question who was getting the ball for Suitland(13-1) after Damascus scored a game-tying touchdown early in the final quarter. Standout junior Navorro Bowman had led the No. 8 Rams this far and, though Coach Nick Lynch tried to rest him as much as possible to be fresh to play linebacker, it was clearly Bowman's time.

Everyone seemed to know it, including Damascus Coach Dan Makosy, but the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Bowman simply kept plowing ahead. He carried nine times on the ensuing drive, converting three third downs, to set up Marta Harley's touchdown run with 3 1/2 minutes left, a one-yard quarterback sneak that proved decisive in Suitland's 14-7 victory over No. 4 Damascus in the Maryland 4A title game Thursday night before 6,000 at M&T Bank Stadium.

As the final seconds elapsed with the defending champion Swarmin' Hornets unable to stop the clock, several Suitland players sprinted toward midfield, undoing their chin straps and removing their helmets to celebrate the school's first state title. Bowman lay near midfield where, fittingly, he never let go of the game ball.        Read more here....

Everybody's blogging

Hoping to keep more Internet users in its branded universe, Microsoft Corp. has become the latest company to offer blogging to the masses. MSN Spaces, which debuts in test form Thursday, makes it easy to set up Web journals without needing highly technical skills. It is targeted at home users who want to share vacation pictures, text journals or a list of favorite songs. It is free to anyone with a Hotmail e-mail or MSN Messenger account, both of which also are free. MSN Spaces will be supported by banner ads. Read more here...

"Blog" is now the most popular search word in the online version of the Merriam-Webster dictionary. Last year was the first that the company kept a list of the top words looked up online. As with this year, the most popular words were frequently in the news. Last year's winner was "democracy." As for a blog, Merriam-Webster defines the noun as "a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer. Read more here...

Does he play basketball?

No he is not on stilts. This Chinaman is really 7'-9".

Pittsburgh 16 Washington 7

The Redskins (3-8), headed for one of the lowest-scoring seasons in NFL history, were held to 156 yards and to single-digit scoring for a second consecutive game, following up a 28-6 loss to Philadelphia. They haven't scored more than 18 points in a game this season. ``One of our goals is to score 21 points,'' quarterback Patrick Ramsey said. ``We've got to do that.'' The Redskins defense continued to play big holding Pittsburgh(10-1) to 207 total yards.

With star running back Clinton Portis sitting out most of the second half, the Redskins drove 79 yards in 13 plays early in the third quarter for Ramsey's 2-yard scoring pass to Chris Cooley on fourth-and-goal, cutting it to 13-7. The Redskins held the Steelers and had the ball on the Pittsburgh 40 yard line late in the fourth quarter. But Ramsey, under a heavy rush,  threw an interception to dash any hopes of a comeback Redskin win.

Portis, among the NFL's rushing leaders with 945 yards and coming off consecutive 1,500-yard seasons for Denver, had only six carries for 17 yards. He has just 54 yards the last two weeks. ``We felt our best way to get it downfield (was to throw),'' Gibbs said. ``I am sure he will be upset about it. I expect him to be. He is very competitive.'' Portis said, ``I'm not in Denver anymore, I'm in Washington, I have to find a way to be a key player in this system, the same way I was there.''

 

Terps win season finale, 13-7

Sam Hollenbach threw for 164 yards in his first college start and Maryland's defense redeemed itself with an impressive performance in a 13-7 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday. Hollenbach, who spent most of the season as the third quarterback on the depth chart, went 16-for-27 with no interceptions. The sophomore started ahead of the ineffective Joel Statham and injured second-stringer Jordan Steffy.

Hollenbach, a sophomore, directed an 11-play, 80-yard drive that produced the Terrapins' first touchdown in 10 quarters. Hollenbach went 3-for-4 for 40 yards before Josh Allen scored on a 13-yard run. Nick Novak kicked two field goals giving the Terps a 13-0 halftime lead, and it was the first time this season the Demon Deacons were held scoreless in the first half.

Wake Forest only score was setup when a Maryland player inadvertently kicked the ball on a punt return giving the Deacons the football at the Maryland 28 yard line. After scoring, Wake Forest (4-7, 1-7) still trailed 13-7 when Cory Randolph replaced starting quarterback Ben Mauk and drove the Demon Deacons to the Maryland 10 midway through the fourth quarter. But the drive ended when safety Chris Kelley forced a fumble at the 1 and the Terrapin Dominick Foxworth recovered with 8:25 remaining.

Despite the victory, Maryland (5-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) finished with a losing record for the first time in four seasons under coach Ralph Friedgen. Allen gained 74 yards on 18 carries before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee late in the half. Nick Novak finished his career with 393 points, most in ACC history and tied for fifth on the NCAA Division-I list.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! And Myths

Myth #1: The happy Pilgrims were celebrating a great harvest

Actually, the harvest of 1621, when the legend of our Thanksgiving began, wasn't great at all. The barley, wheat, and peas the Pilgrims brought with them from England had failed. Fortunately, the corn did well enough that they were able to double their weekly food rations.

The Pilgrims were happy to be alive: The previous winter had wiped out 47 people--almost half their community. It wasn't a coincidence that the corn did well. A man named Squanto, who was a member of the Wampanoag tribe, coached theWhat's more: The guests brought most of the food. When the Pilgrims invited their Native American guests, they weren't prepared to feed everyone who came. A Wampanoag chief, Massasoit, sent his men home for supplies.

The party lasted three days. They played games, shot guns, shot bows and arrows, and played something called "stool ball." (It's not what it sounds like! The game was like croquet--not something they played because they didn't have a pigskin handy.) Despite what you see in some paintings, the Native American guests didn't wear giant feathered headdresses. Those were worn by Plains Indians.

For more myths

How's your Woolly Worm?

Just how good are woolly worms at predicting weather? Woolly worms have 13 bands, each, potentially, of a different color. These correspond to the 13 weeks of winter, from December to March. The darker a band, the colder and snowier the weather. It is as simple as that.

Typically, the bands at the ends of the caterpillar are black, and the one in the middle is brown or orange, giving the woolly bear its distinctive striped appearance. According to legend, the wider that middle brown section is, or the more brown segments there are of the 13 bands, the milder the coming winter will be. Conversely, a narrow brown band is said to predict a harsh winter.

The true woolly bear is the larval form of Pyrrharctia Isabella, the Isabella tiger moth. This medium-size moth, with yellowish-orange and cream-colored wings spotted with black, is common from northern Mexico throughout the United States and across the southern third of Canada. As moths go, the Isabella isn't much to look at compared with some of the other 11,000 species of North American moths, but its immature larva, called the black-ended bear or the woolly bear (and, throughout the South and other places, woolly worm) is one of the few caterpillars most people can identify by name. Woolly bears do not actually feel much like wool, they are covered with short, stiff bristles of hair. In field guides, they're found among the "bristled" species, which include the all-yellow salt marsh caterpillar and several species in the tiger moth family.

 

Redskins lose to Eagles, 28-6

He didn't lead the Redskins to victory. He didn't even produce a touchdown. But Redskin quarterback Patrick Ramsey's first start in nearly a year was still a mild success in light of the pathetic production Washington had received from predecessor Mark Brunell. Although the final score was 28-6, Ramsey did have the 10½-point underdog Redskins within 14-6 of the Eagles with a first down at the Philadelphia 10 and 13:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. But three consecutive penaties by the offensive line moveed the ball back to the 30 yard line. Two dropped passes and a missed 48 yard field goal spelled the Redskins fate.

Ramsey didn't hit a deep ball but was accurate on the underneath throws and nimble enough to avoid the Eagles' pass rush. Ramsey's numbers — 21-of-34 for 162 yards, with a late interception that sailed through fullback Rock Cartwright's hands — weren't that impressive, but there were at least six drops. He did give his coaches and teammates encouragement that he's the right man for the job. "Patrick was very solid," Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said. "He had a lot of poise. He handled things real well. It's a tough place to come and play, a tough place to get your first start this year." Had their quarterback put up numbers like that in a few other games, the Redskins probably would be a .500 club right now instead of 3-7 and sinking fast.

When Ramsey was asked to (which wasn't often), he was able to put the ball in some tight spots; he also showed his coach he could make smart decisions and wasn't really the Turnover Machine he appeared to be against the Giants.  "Very solid," Gibbs said of Ramsey's performance. "A lot of poise."

The Redskins still rely too much on their defense. The defense attacks, sacks, holds and gets the ball back, but then the offense assumes the fetal position with cautious passes and predictable runs. But at least the right quarterback is on the field now, and things will get better.

Terps embarrassed 55-6

Virginia Tech scored two touchdowns in the first four minutes and cruised to a 55-6 win before 65,115 at Lane Stadium. Maryland's loss, its worst since 2000, eliminated the Terps (4-6, 2-5 ACC) from bowl contention and ensured their first losing season under Friedgen. "You won't see me around here for a whole long time if we do this a lot," Friedgen said. "They won't have to fire me. I'll quit."

The coaching staff is seemingly without answers after using several motivational tactics this season, most recently issuing rubber wristbands to players, which were inscribed with the mantra "Are you in or are you out? I'm in." Senior center Kyle Schmitt, asked if anyone has emotionally quit, said, "I hope not. You see some stuff here and there, but I hope not. I can't answer that for everyone."

Because of ineffectiveness, injury and a depleted roster, the Terps finished the game with their fourth-string quarterback, Sam Hollenbach. Hollenbach played well, completing 5 of 8 passes in the second half, albeit when the game was out of reach. While the game featured little suspense, the waning moments of the first half consisted of some intrigue. Virginia Tech led 38-3 and was setting up for a 34-yard field goal. The Hokies called a timeout, which prompted Friedgen to call consecutive timeouts. Kicker Brandon Pace made the attempt, all but erasing any doubt about the outcome.

"Like A Rolling Stone"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Like a Rolling Stone," Bob Dylan's scornful, ironic ode to a spoiled woman's reversal of fortune, was named the greatest rock 'n' roll song of all time on Wednesday by Rolling Stone magazine. The six-minute opening track from his landmark 1965 album "Highway 61 Revisited" broke the barrier of the three-minute hit single and established Dylan as a mainstream pop artist, marking his transformation from folk troubadour to rock sensation. "No other pop song has so thoroughly challenged and transformed the commercial laws and artistic conventions of its time, for all time," wrote Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke in an article accompanying the magazine's list of the top 500 rock songs of all time.

The list, published in a special edition out on Friday, was compiled by a panel of recording artists, producers, label executives, critics and songwriters. Among them were singer Art Garfunkel, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne, vocalist Joni Mitchell and even Dylan's rock star son, Jakob.

Ranked No. 2 on the magazine's roster of greatest rock songs of all time was the Rolling Stones' 1965 hit "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," followed by John Lennon's utopian ballad "Imagine," Marvin Gaye's languid soul classic "What's Going On" and Aretha Franklin's empowerment anthem "Respect." Rounding out the top 10 were "Good Vibrations" from the Beach Boys; Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode"; the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and Ray Charles' seminal soul record "What'd I Say."

The lion's share of songs from the list hail from the 1960s, and only a handful were released after 1990, including Nirvana's 1991 hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at No. 9. The most recent single to make the list was "Hey Ya!" (2003) from the hip-hop duo OutKast, at No. 180. Rapper Eminem's "Lose Yourself" (2002) ranked No. 166. The highest-charting song on the list from the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley, was his 1956 hit "Hound Dog" at No. 19. The Beatles, not surprisingly, notched the most songs on the list, with 22 entries. They were trailed by archrivals the Rolling Stones, who tallied 13 in all. A dozen of Dylan's songs made the cut.

In a similar list published in 1989, the magazine named the Stones' "Satisfaction" as the best single of the past 25 years, with Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" placed at No. 2 -- a reversal of the latest ranking. Last year's Rolling Stone magazine list of the top 500 rock albums of all time put the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at No. 1.

Maria wins $1,000,000 WTA Championship

LONDON (Reuters) - In a sport spoiled for Czarinas, one Russian tennis player has emerged as queen of the court. As comfortable gracing the catwalk as she is prowling the great sporting stages, Maria Sharapova's coronation at the WTA Tour Championships on Monday came as a timely shot in the arm to the sport's administrators and sponsors alike.

In just 12 short months the Siberian teenager has become not only Wimbledon champion and winner of the season-ending jamboree, but the face of women's tennis. It is a striking face that pulls in crowds and helps to promote tennis worldwide.Never mind that she does not make the cut for a Russian Fed Cup team awash with tennis talent, Sharapova -- like Anna Kournikova before her -- has the x-factor.

But Sharapova, characteristically, was unfazed. "I don't care what they sell," the ice maiden said coolly. If her psyche is as hard to penetrate as the permafrost of her homeland, her tennis ability is on show for all to see. Monday's victory earned her a check for $1 million -- the largest payday in women's sport -- and it was earned with a mesmerizing mix of movement and power.

She hits the ball harder than French Open champion and fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina. She moves better than U.S. Open champion and third member of the Russian grand slam troika Svetlana Kuznetsova. On top of this, her big-match temperament is rock solid.

After losing the first set, Sharapova had crept back into the STAPLES Center by rattling off five straight games in the second to even the match at a set apiece, but all that effort seemed to be going to waste and the Russian teenager's chances looked to be trickling away. Williams' lead seemed to baffle many in attendance, including Sharapova. Her normal 100-plus mph first serves had dwindled down in the 80s and some even in the 70s due to the pain she was feeling in her stomach.

But Williams still had one tool in her utility belt that was proving must useful - some punishing groundstrokes that limited Sharapova's ability to keep the ball in bounds. After building a 3-0 lead, the American then used a pair of off-pace, but well-placed aces to help her grab a fourth straight game to start the decisive set, while Sharapova finally got on the board in the next game, but still trailed 4-1. Sharapova then collected her first break of the final set to move within 4-2 and appeared to be slowly taking the momentum of the match back into her corner, holding serve once more for 4-3.

To Sharapova's advantage, Williams first serves then crept into the lower 70s and three double faults gave the Russian another break to even the set at 4-4. Sharapova followed by holding serve for her fifth straight game in the match, taking a 5-4 lead. Williams was then unable to capitalize on her final service attempt as Sharapova dropped to her knees following the final point of the match.

"It's been an amazing year," she simply said after collecting her million dollars. Amazing for Sharapova and amazing for women's tennis.

Maria vs. Serena for $1 million

The final match of the 2004 WTA Tour season will be played this evening in Los Angeles and it just so happens that two of the game's most popular players will be featured in the season finale. Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova each came back from a set down on Sunday at the WTA Tour Championships presented by Porsche to reach the final at the STAPLES Center. Tonights winner receives $1 million.

Williams and Sharapova will meet for the third time this season and the first since the teenage Russian shocked the tennis world by upsetting Williams in the Wimbledon final. Each player has won a match in their series this year, as Williams defeating Sharapova at Miami early in the year.By reaching the final, Sharapova remains at No.6 in the rankings, but would jump to No.4 if she defeats Williams in the final. Williams has moved to No.7 in the rankings, but will not go any higher even if she wins the title.

Washington's a "futbol" city

As bedrock Washington franchises go, there were not many parallels to be drawn between the city's representatives in football and futbol on Sunday. The Washington Redskins were foundering at FedEx Field during a loss that was yet another reminder that the last time the Redskins lorded over their sport was 12 years ago. That was four years before D.C. United began its run of three titles in four years in 1996. Indeed, United has been a rarity among Washington's pro franchises. The Wizards have not won an NBA title under that name, although the Bullets won one. And the Capitals are still looking for their first Stanley Cup. And don't even mention baseball.

United claimed its fourth championship in the league's nine years with a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Wizards on Sunday. In front of their shirtless, painted and howling fan clubs, including the Barra Brava -- loosely translated as "the Crazy Ones" -- United's players erased their four straight losing seasons and raised the championship trophy, returning it to Washington for the first time since 1999.

United earned this championship dramatically, winning despite the fact that Kansas City had a man advantage for the last 32 minutes. United was penalized when a red card, which results in an automatic ejection, was issued to defender Dema Kovalenko, who used his hand as he protected the goal line.After six unbearable minutes of extra time, United's five-year title drought came to an emotional end. It seemed like an eternity" before referee Michael Kennedy blew the final whistle, goalkeeper Nick Rimando said in a locker room filled with cigar smoke and sprayed champagne. "We knew we were getting close to winning it, but we didn't want to let it slip away."

United's last stand capped a remarkable 2 1/2 months and sealed its fourth championship in MLS's nine-year history. After meandering through the first two-thirds of the season, United (14-10-10) finished with an 8-1-1 record and roared through the postseason with a finely tuned attack and unshakable defense.

Redskins lose 17-10

If the FedEx Field crowd had its way, Mark Brunell's regime as starting quarterback would have ceased two weeks ago, when the 12-year veteran was booed consistently by Redskins fans during another inept performance. The vocal contingent of the fan base compounded its sonic assault almost as soon as Brunell dropped back for his first pass yesterday against the Cincinnati Bengals, and their hearty chants for understudy Patrick Ramsey morphed into a loud ovation midway through the second quarter (after the Bengals had built a 17-0 lead), when Coach Joe Gibbs finally elected to insert the backup.

Gibbs had been unwavering in his loyalty to Brunell -- a quarterback he pursued immediately after returning to coaching and signed to a seven-year, $43 million contract -- and had defended him after each game. Over his last five starts Brunell, who said he was surprised by the quarterback change, completed just 53 of 120 passes (44 percent) for 460 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions. In three of those games he failed to complete even 10 passes or total over 100 yards passing.

Washington got the next ten points to make it a game at17-10, but ran out of time. The Redskins held on to the ball for 10:33 in the fourth quarter, with Ramsey connecting on 12 out of 23 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown. Ramsey, who finished the game 18 for 37 for 210 yards, likely did enough to merit the start Sunday in Philadelphia, although a final decision will come today after a staff meeting, Gibbs said.

The Redskins have now lost seven of their last eight games at FedEx Field dating from last season -- the franchise was dominant at home at RFK Stadium under Gibbs -- and remain inconsistent. Washington has failed to win consecutive games since opening last season 2-0, and is 6-17 overall since then.

DC United wins MLS Cup

D.C. United(Washington) won an unprecedented fourth MLS Cup on Sunday, beating Kansas City 3-2. United spotted the Wizards an early goal, then scored three times in a seven-minute span of the first half to move in front for good. Former UVA star Elecko Eskadarian scored in the 19th minute to tie it 1-1, then added another goal four minutes later.

United built a two-goal lead on an own-goal when a pass by Earnie Stewart deflected off  a Wizards defender and into the net in the 26th minute. Kansas City, the 2000 MLS Cup champion, pulled within 3-2 on a penalty kick in the 58th minute. The Wizards were awarded the kick when United's Dema Kovalenko, protecting the goal line, used his hand to knock a shot over the bar. Kovalenko was ejected, the first player sent off in the nine-year history of the Cup. Despite being down a man, United held off the Wizards the rest of the way.

It was United's fifth appearance in Major League Soccer's championship game, but the first since a 2-0 victory over Los Angeles in 1999. The only loss in those five trips was a 2-0 defeat by Chicago in 1998. Peter Nowak, United's rookie coach, assisted on both the Fire's goals and was the MVP of that title game six years ago. San Jose is the only team besides United to win multiple championships. The Earthquakes beat Chicago 4-2 last year and Los Angeles 1-0 in overtime in 2001.

Teachers - No more red ink!!!

Universities are encouraging education majors to mark papers in something other than red because of the color's association with aggression and anxiety. They can use a fun purple instead. Or a calm blue. The trend is prompting production changes at pen-producing giant Paper Mate and eye-rolling from observers who say young Americans are getting soft.

School psychologists say the real impetus for change is the message associated with the red pen marks. ``The red pen has bad associations with papers coming back bleeding with corrections,'' quoted a school district's supervisor of school psychology. "Teachers have to mark mistakes, but they should focus more on what's right in the assignment, not what's wrong".

Purple pens seem to be a teacher favorite for this task and, as a result, are making their mark outside the classroom. Paper Mate workers first noticed an increase in purple pen sales during the summer of 2003. Public relations manager Michael Finn said focus groups and consumer interviews confirmed the push toward purple. ``What teachers have told us is that it's part of a move toward a kinder, gentler education system,'' Finn said.

The attitude that red pens have a negative impact on students is part of the softening of U.S. schools, according to journalist Michael Barone, and it's leading to failure in education. ``Ultimately the idea is that you can't hold anyone accountable,'' said Barone, author of ``Hard America, Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation's Future.'' Barone said the transition from red to purple pens ranks alongside other softening efforts such as banning dodge ball and resisting standardized testing.

Renee Zellweger taking a break

Oscar-winning Renee Zellweger is taking an extended break from acting. After "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason" which begins playing in theaters on Friday, Zellweger, 35, said she plans to step away from the limelight, stop acting for a while and learn what it is like to be "just a girl." "I don't see myself climbing into a makeup chair any time soon and taking another role. I feel like I need to take a minute and have a little bit of life experience," Zellweger told Reuters in a recent interview.

She declined to say how her break from filming would last and she has already made a film that will open in 2005, Ron Howard's "The Cinderella man," in which plays the wife of Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock.

The first "Bridget Jones' Diary" in 2001 made Zellweger a top box office star as audiences fell in love with her portrayal of the plump, single British woman who drinks, smokes, curses and bungles her way through her love life. It racked up $254 million at worldwide box offices. She followed "Bridget Jones" with her Oscar-nominated role as murderess Roxie Hart in musical "Chicago" and capped three years of success with the U.S. film industry's top film honor in February for best supporting actress as the hard-scrabble farm girl Ruby Thewes in U.S. Civil War drama "Cold Mountain."

Redskins beat Detroit, 17-10

The Washington Redskins, bolstered by a stingy defense, energized special teams play and the legs and throwing arm of tailback Clinton Portis, grinded out a hard-fought 17-10 victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Sunday, improving their record to 3-5 halfway through the season. Portis has run for more than 100 yards three times this season. Those are the only games Washington has won.Coincidence? ``No, I wouldn't think so,'' Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said. Portis ran for 147 yards on 34 carries.

The Redskins' passing game under quarterback Mark Brunell was anemic once again, completing 6-of-17 for 58 yards. But it didn't matter as Washington scored on Portis's halfback option pass to wide receiver Laveranues Coles(four catches for 46 yards) early in the third quarter and a blocked punt by wide receiver Taylor Jacobs six minutes later that safety Walt Harris returned 13 yards for the score.

Gibbs gave a game ball to wide receiver James Thrash, whose hustle on punt coverage three times pinned the Lions inside their own 5-yard line and whose 43-yard punt return in the second quarter helped set up a Redskins field goal.

Maryland loses to Virginia, 16-0

Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen has sat through some maddening defeats during the past two months, but Saturday's 16-0 loss at rival Virginia was perhaps the most painful in a season that has all but slipped away from the Terrapins. Maryland (4-5, 2-4) doesn't look anything like the team model that won 31 games during Friedgen's first three seasons. Just a week after stunning then-No. 5 Florida State, 20-17, the Terrapins gained only seven first downs, failed to gain a half-yard on consecutive plays to squander their best scoring opportunity and were shut out for the first time in 35 games, since losing to Notre Dame, 22-0, in the 2002 opener.

The game started slowly with a scoreless first quarter that featured a fumble and interception by Virginia, and interception by Maryland and a stop by the Cavaliers when Maryland went for a fourth-and-1 at the 14. Maryland twice tried to get the yard on sneaks by Joel Statham, but each time he wound up on a pile that never penetrated the line of scrimmage. ``If you can't make inches, you're going to have trouble winning football games,'' Friedgen said. Statham was 10-for-17 for just 115 yards with two interceptions before being replaced by Jordan Steffy in the fourth quarter. Terp running back Josh Allen gained just 39 yards after riddling the Cavaliers for a career-best 257 last season.

The blame for Maryland's loss to Virginia rested with players, many of whom, Friedgen said, were "flat" and had "blank stares." The Terps  have lost games this season because of offensive futility, turnovers or a late-game controversial pass interference call, but never in a passionless fashion, as Friedgen categorized Saturday's game. "It was like the walk of the zombies," Friedgen said. "Nobody was home. We were talking to them, trying to motivate them. Nothing was registering

Maryland must win its last two games(at No. 18 Virginia Tech on Nov. 18 and against Wake Forest on Nov. 27) to qualify for a bowl game.

Employment good in No. Virginia

Sharapova Tops Women's Tennis

She may not be the #1 ranked women's tennis player, but Maria Sharapova represents everything that WTA founder Billie Jean King has fought so hard for over the past 30 years. At 17, Maria quickly has become the face of women's tennis, replacing Venus and Serena Williams as the most popular draw on the Women's Tennis Association tour, which makes a weeklong stop in Villanova, Pa., this week for the $585,000 Advanta Championships.

Sharapova is young and beautiful, but as she showed by becoming the first Russian to win Wimbledon this year, she also is extremely talented. And because of that she is beginning to distance herself from comparisons to Russian heartthrob Anna Kournikova. "She's just ignited women's tennis this year," King said Friday at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where the draw for next week's tournament was made. "She's by far the biggest ticket-seller we have in the game. She's got the `it' factor. People love watching her and boy can she hit the ball hard. She's highly intense."

A year ago, Sharapova could have slid in and out of Villanova's Pavilion unnoticed. But, since winning Wimbledon, she has become tennis' hottest attraction. Unlike Kournikova, who never won a major tournament, Sharapova is looking for her fifth WTA victory of 2004. She is ranked seventh in the world and is fifth in earnings this year at more than $1.4 million. She already has signed endorsement deals with Nike, NEC and Prince, and early next year she will begin marketing her own line of perfume.

In many ways, King is happy for Sharapova and what she has done for women's tennis. Since King founded the WTA in 1971, annual prize money has soared from $350,000 to more than $60 million. King, 60, wants Sharapova to be given the respect she fought so hard to attain after that historic win over Riggs. She wants Sharapova to be appreciated for her booming serve and strong groundstrokes, not as a Kournikova look-alike who chases endorsements harder than she chases opponents' drop shots.

What concerns King most is the exploitation of Sharapova. She would like her to be recognized as a wonderful tennis player who happens to be beautiful, instead of a supermodel who happens to play tennis.For Sharapova, that means playing tennis - and lots of it. Next week will mark her 20th tournament of the year. And at the age of 17, King believes that is simply too much. "I've already talked to her about it," King said. "I'm worried she's playing too much. I'm concerned already. She loves to play tennis and I never want the passion to be taken away from her. I want her to think about her schedule, not just think about the dollars. Most players think so much about money now that they make bad decisions for longevity."

Vote!!! - Not this, Again

Redskins lose - Kerry wins???

The Washington Redskins lost to the Green Bay Packers on a contoversial flag that may have cost them a win. But that flag and loss may be good news for John Kerry. If history holds, the 28-14 result portends a victory for Kerry on Tuesday because the result of the Redskins' final home game before the presidential election has always accurately predicted the White House winner. If the Redskins win, the incumbent party wins. If they lose, the incumbent party is ousted. The streak began in 1933, when the Boston Braves were renamed the Redskins. Since then, beginning with Franklin Roosevelt's re-election in 1936, the trend has held, including a 2000 Redskins loss to the Tennessee Titans that predicted George W. Bush's win over Al Gore. Clinton Portis celebrated the apparent winning touchdown with a leap into the end zone, capping a 43-yard reception that gave the Redskins a one-point lead with 2:35 to play. Oops. Erase that touchdown. Late flag on the play. Receiver James Thrash was whistled for illegal motion, a call Thrash didn't understand and one that Washington coach Joe Gibbs called ``an absolute mystery.'' The flag was apparently thrown because Thrash was not set for a full second after going into motion on the play. He said he didn't want to comment on the call because he ``didn't know for sure'' if it was the right one. The Packers gained 361 yards, becoming the first team this season to tally more than 300 yards on the Redskins, whose defense entered the game ranked No. 1 after facing a string of weak offenses. Washington, meanwhile, still hasn't scored more than 18 points in a game. Fans booed quarterback Mark Brunell frequently and chanted for backup Patrick Ramsey several times. ``You don't feed off it, you never want it to happen and you certainly hear it,'' said Brunell, who went 25-for-44 for 218 yards with two touchdowns to Rod Gardner, two interceptions and was sacked four times. ``It's frustrating because you're not going to be perfect. You're not going to hit every throw. You'd certainly like to, but you just go out there and do your best.'' Favre picked on a secondary missing strong safety Matt Bowen, out for the season with a knee injury, and rookie Sean Taylor, inactive following his arrest Thursday on a drunken driving charge.

Trick or Treat!!!

Maryland upsets #5 Florida State, 20-17

Joel Statham tossed for 333 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown to Josh Allen, as Maryland held on for a 20-17 upset of fifth-ranked Florida State and its first-ever win over the Seminoles. Statham also ran for a score while Vernon Davis had six catches for 99 yards for the Terrapins (4-4, 2-2 ACC), who had dropped the previous 14 meetings between the two schools.

Maryland had never come closer than 14 points against the Seminoles, and it seemed unlikely that the pattern would change during a season in which Statham had struggled to the point of putting his starting job in jeopardy. But the sophomore repeatedly pierced the nation's eighth-ranked defense with slant patterns and screen passes, finding seven different receivers in going 21-for-40 with one interception. On third down, he was 8-for-15 for 134 yards.The Terrapins' defense was equally impressive in their first win over a top 10 team since 1990.

After the teams traded field goals in the opening quarter, the Terrapins outscored Florida State by a 10-0 margin in the second and never looked back. Nick Novak split the uprights from 45 yards out early in the stanza before Maryland found the end zone less than four minutes later. A 35-yard run by JoJo Walker on a reverse put the Terps in enemy territory and a 33-yard hookup between Statham and Davis got the ball down to the two-yard line. Statham ran it in on a sneak two plays later for a 13-3 cushion and the first touchdown allowed by the FSU defense in 13 quarters.

The Seminole defense picked up the offense's slack at the start of the third quarter as Antonio Cromartie picked off a Statham pass to the flat and returned it 40 yards to pay dirt to get his team within three. Maryland answered right back with a big scoring play on the ensuing drive to maintain its breathing room. Allen took a swing pass to the right and weaved his way through the defense for a 72-yard TD.

FSU quarterback Rix found Chauncey Stovall for a scoring strike to pull within 20-17 midway through the fourth quarter. After holding the Terps to three plays and a punt, Rix hit Dominic Robinson for a 30-yard reception to get the ball into field goal range, but Beitia missed again from 45 yards out to take the wind out of FSU's comeback sails. Maryland, though, could not get a first down on the ensuing possession to run out the clock, handing the ball to Florida State at its own 18 with 2:38 to play. After a 14-yard completion to Lorenzo Booker, the Seminoles had four consecutive plays without a gain to seal the Maryland victory.

Curse is swept away

 
The Boston Red Sox lifted a championship and buried a curse Wednesday, turning fantasy into reality with a stirring World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. In a match staged under a total lunar eclipse, Johnny Damon homered and Derek Lowe pitched seven shutout innings in a 3-0 victory which completed a four-game sweep in the best-of-seven series. The Red Sox won their last eight games a World Series record. Boston fiinally exorcised the "Curse of the Bambino," which some believe has prevented the Red Sox from winning a World Series since Sox owner Harry Frazee made a big mistake and sold a young Babe Ruth to the Yankees.

But this October would be different. The Red Sox appeared more charmed than cursed, starting with an unprecedented comeback win over the Yankees in the American League championships series and on through a World Series in which they never once trailed. Just three outs away from another crushing defeat at the hands of their bitter New York rivals, the Red Sox staged an epic rally to become the first team in Major League history to erase a 3-0 deficit and win a best-of-seven series.

After decades of unfathomable bad luck good fortune finally shone on the Red Sox as they fumbled and stumbled their way to a 2-0 World Series lead despite committing a record eight errors. Boston fans groaned when word came that pitcher Curt Schilling, who led the Major Leagues in wins this season with 21, had re-injured his ankle and might miss his starts. But the 37-year-old righthander was back on the mound getting a crucial win in both the American league and World Series after doctors stitched a dislocated tendon in place using an experimental procedure tested only on a cadaver. Pedro Martinez ("Who's your daddy") made it 3-0 and set-up the four game sweep with a masterful three-hitter over seven innings.

Now the baseball Chicago Cubs are waiting for their turn. Next year.

Red Sox win World Series!!!

Red Sox win World Series!!!

Don't call me a jock!!!

Don't call me a jock!!! In fact you can no longer refer to athletes as "jocks". Hardly any of them wear jocks anymore. Yes, the jockstrap(that thick elastic waistband with a suspended pouch in the front connected at its triangular base to a pair of of straps across your ass) is passe. The jockstrap provided "protection" and held everything in place.

The jockstrap was worn by every boy or man that played sports and therefore was called a "jock". But in the mid-90's, the jockstrap began to fade as the "protection" of choice and was replaced by spandex "compression shorts". Now every guy that plays sports wears spandex instead of the jockstrap. The new "look" is more comfortable than its predecessor and has all but eradicated "jock itch"(don't ask).

Jockstraps are still worn by some baseball and hockey players. But they wear them over their spandex. Why? Well the jock also offered a way to insert a "protective cup" into a specially designed pocket in the strap. And baseball players and hockey players need the extra protection a cup can provide. Take a hardball wearing only spandex and I'll show you a guy with a real high pitched voice. And that's after he starts to breathe again!!! Actually some of the new spandex shorts now have a front pocket for the "extra protection" when required.

A moment of silence please, for the jockstrap, gone the way of the single-bar facemask, $2.00 beer and "cheap seats".

Maryland and Maria lose

Reggie Merriweather's 2-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds left lifted Clemson to a 10-7 victory Saturday that handed Maryland its first three-game losing streak under coach Ralph Friedgen. Until the final moments, the Tigers (3-4, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) had little success against Maryland's defense, which put up five sacks and held Clemson to a field goal over the first 59 minutes. Maryland held Clemson to 36 yards rushing and forced the Tigers to go three-and-out on its first four possessions of the second half.

The winning touchdown was helped by a controversial pass interference call on cornerback Gerrick McPhearson on a third and goal from the seven yard line. After the score, Maryland (3-4, 1-3) had one last possession, but sophomore Joel Statham was picked off by Justin Miller and Clemson ran out the clock on its first win over the Terps since 2000.

For the longest time, the Terps' defense controlled the game and covered the continued offensive problems for Friedgen's team. The fourth-year coach and offensive whiz had watched his team manage just 172 yards combined in home losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina State. The Terps got 194 against the Tigers, but could not get things going on offense. Maryland punted nine times and twice tried -- and failed -- on fourth down. Statham, who was pulled in favor of freshman Jordan Steffy the past two losses, stayed in all the way this time. He was 14 of 31 for 111 yards and two interceptions.

And in tennis, Maria Sharapova saw her hopes of a third consecutive WTA title dashed Sunday in a surprise defeat by unseeded Australian Alicia Molik  in the final of the Zurich Challenge. The Russian world number seven had looked in total control during the early stages of the final, out-powering and out-running Molik with a barrage of fine ground-strokes. After winning the first set 6-4, Maria lost her composure and the next two sets 2-6 and 3-6.

The only good sports news is that the Red Sox won to go up 2-0 on the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. Go Sox!!!!(And the Redskins didn't lose because they had a bye week)

Maria into Swiss final

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova kept on course for a third successive WTA title on Saturday, beating fellow Russian Elena Dementieva in the semi-finals of the Zurich Challenge. The 17-year-old world number seven fought back from a set down to topple the world number five 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

"It was a very tough match and a very long one, so I'm happy to have won," Sharapova said after taking the encounter in just under two hours. "I thought I was the more aggressive player on the crucial points which helped me dictate the play."

In Sunday's final Sharapova will take on unseeded Australian Alicia Molik who upset local favorite and 10th-seed Patty Schnyder 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. Sharapova will be a strong favorite in the final against Molik, although the 23-year-old Australian has shown little respect for her supposed betters in Zurich this week.

Saturday's win was Sharapova's 12th in a row, coming off the back of tournament triumphs in Seoul and Tokyo.

Maria beats Venus

ZURICH (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova beat former world number one Venus Williams 6-3, 6-4 on Friday to reach the semi-finals of the Zurich Challenge.
Frequently putting Williams on the back foot in a battle of past and present Wimbledon winners, the 17-year-old Russian further underlined her country's domination of the women's game.
The world number seven was in almost constant control, combining fierce ground strokes and ferocious returns of serve to win in just 75 minutes. "I was able to pick up my game when I needed to and force her to make some unforced errors," Sharapova said. "I thought I was dictating the match throughout and I'm definitely playing with a lot of confidence." It was the Russian's 11th victory in a row, following on from tournament triumphs in Seoul and Tokyo.
Sharapova's win means she is almost certain to qualify for the end-of-season WTA Tour championships in Los Angeles next month which carry a one million dollar winner's prize. Williams's chances of being in the draw are likely to depend on how she and fellow American Jennifer Capriati fare at next month's Philadelphia tournament. Sharapova, seeded fourth in Zurich, will now take on third seed Elena Dementieva in an all-Russian semi-final.

"Yankees Choke"

What curse??? Yankees loose!!!

They finished up a baseball miracle last night, a Boston miracle at Yankee Stadium, a miracle that will be talked about with all curses back in Boston from now on. The Red Sox finished off their miracle and finished off the Yankees and officially became one of the best stories of all time, in any sport, in any ballpark or arena where a team is told that you are never supposed to give up, not even if that team is the Red Sox. Not even if it's the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees have owned them as long as they have owned baseball.

Just not last night. And not this week, one of the most amazing weeks in the history of the game. And maybe not ever again. The Yankees still have all the numbers on the Red Sox, will always have the numbers. The Red Sox now have this: They have now handed the 2004 Yankees the worst loss in the history of their franchise. The Yankees had the Red Sox three games to none. The Red Sox came all the way back and knocked Steinbrenner's Yankees all the way to pitchers and catchers at Legends Field in Tampa.

David Ortiz hit one out in the first inning of Game 7 and Johnny Damon hit a grand slam in the second and then Damon tried to take Javier Vazquez to Gerard Ave. in the fourth. It was 8-0 and 8-1 and 8-3 and 9-3 and finally 10-3 in the ninth. Finally it was Alan Embree, who never got the proper chance to shut down the Yankees in Game 7 last year, against Ruben Sierra, two outs in the bottom of the ninth. And at the stroke of midnight for the 2004, $194 million New York Yankees, Embree got Sierra to ground to Pokey Reese and the Red Sox were the first team in the history of baseball to come all the way back from where they were after the Yankees beat them 19-8 Saturday night.

And maybe, just maybe, back in Boston, Red Sox fans were free at last, whatever happens next week. Because their team had done this to Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, who sure had his chances in Boston last weekend to put the Yankees in the World Series. Because they came back and won in 12 innings in Game 4 and 14 innings in Game 5, and when they got the Yankees down in New York for the last two games, they walked all over them and never let them up.
"How many times have we walked out of this place with our heads down?" Mike Timlin said on the field afterward. "Finally we walk off this field with our heads high."

They were three outs away from next season in Game 4, and Mariano Rivera had the ball. Rivera came out for the bottom of the ninth and was wild with Kevin Millar and walked him. And no one knew it at the time, not even the truest of true believers in the Red Sox clubhouse, but the Yankees were the ones stumbling now, stumbling down a slippery slope toward next season, falling all over themselves with their $194 million payroll and the notion that the Red Sox could never beat them when the money was on the table.
Then Ortiz hit that Game 4 home run in the 12th, made the kind of swing with everything on the line that A-Rod, who was supposed to go to the Red Sox before he came to the Yankees, never made. Or Gary Sheffield. Or anybody. Then Ortiz knocked in the winning run in Game 5, and Curt Schilling limped out like a baseball Willis Reed, and last night, Derek Lowe, who wasn't even supposed to be in Boston's postseason rotation, gave the richest batting order in the history of baseball one hit over the first six innings. By then it was 8-1.

It went to 8-3 when Terry Francona seemed to have some sort of Grady Little episode and brought Pedro Martinez in for the seventh. But Mark Bellhorn came right back in the eighth and hit another Red Sox home run to make it 9-3 and the Red Sox got an add-on run after that. Then it was counting down toward midnight for the Yankees, with beaten All-Stars everywhere you looked.

At the end last night, Red Sox fans began to appear from everywhere near the Red Sox dugout, coming from all corners of the Stadium, as if they were coming around from Kenmore Square onto Yawkey Way. They chanted for the Red Sox and sang one of Boston's crazy baseball anthems, "Sweet Caroline." They held up Johnny Damon T-shirts and Red Sox home uniforms and even chanted, real loud, "Who's Your Daddy?" while their team celebrated and sprayed champagne on the field at Yankee Stadium the way the Marlins did last October.

All this money spent, three times more than most teams. And at the end, Torre couldn't buy the one hit he needed. Couldn't get the outs he needed. Did not trust Tom Gordon and Paul Quantrill, who both had pitched a million innings during the regular season. He had to throw a $15 million shot case like Kevin Brown in the biggest game of the year. Brown had nothing. Javier Vazquez, whom the Yankees wanted more than Schilling, had nothing, and the Yankees were never in the game, not for a New York minute. Now Steinbrenner has spent - what? - about three-quarters of a billion since 2000 on teams that couldn't deliver a World Series.

Somehow the Red Sox end up in the World Series, end up better off with Manny Ramirez on their team instead of Alex Rodriguez. Somehow the Red Sox came from 0-3 down and finally beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, which sounded like downtown Boston at the end. Sounded like Fenway Park.

Yankees vs Red Sox - Priceless!!!

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boston Red Sox can make baseball history on Wednesday by becoming the first team to overturn a three-game deficit in a best-of-seven series. Their 4-2 Tuesday win over arch rivals the New York Yankees  squared the American League Championship series at 3-3 after Red Sox had looked finished at three-down. The World Series  introduced a seven-game series in 1909, interrupted only by nine-game deciders from 1919-21. Championship series in the American and National leagues have been decided over the best of seven games since 1985.

The Red Sox had starting pitcher Curt Schilling and Mark Bellhorn, who smacked a three-run homer, to thank for their latest victory in a game marked by crowd unruliness. Schilling returned after an ankle injury and gave up only one run, on a solo homer by Bernie Williams  in the seventh inning.

Wednesday's series decider will also be held at the Yankee Stadium. "It's the most important game...," said Boston manager Terry Francona. "It just carries a little extra weight." The Yankees had won the first three encounters in the series, including a 19-8 romp in Game Three at Fenway Park. But the Red Sox won two dramatic extra-inning games at home to force a sixth contest.

I guess it was supposed to go to Game Seven," said New York manager Joe Torre. "We'll see what happens."

Stairway to Heaven

Jonathan Borofsky's sculpture, "Walking To The Sky," a 100-foot metal pole supporting fiberglass figures, is at New York's Rockefeller Center, as part of the Art Fund program.

Redskins finally win, 13-10

Washington's defense was solid, as it has been all season. And with Mark Brunell still off target, Clinton Portis had to carry the Redskins' offense. That combination barely helped the Redskins end their four-game losing streak Sunday with a 13-10 victory over the offensively inept Chicago Bears.

``I was telling the offensive line all week, `Just give me that crease, give me that crack,''' said Portis, who had his best day since joining the Redskins in an offseason trade with Denver. ``I told them, `Just block your guys, open it up and I promise I will follow you.''' Portis gained 171 yards on 36 carries, making up for Brunell's 8-for-22 passing for just 95 yards. After he'd carried 21 times in the first half Sunday, Portis wanted more. ``I told coach (Joe) Gibbs, `Do you see my tongue hanging out?' He said, No.' I told him to run me until my tongue did hang out,'' Portis said. ``I want it 8 yards, 10 yards, 12 yards. Pickups like that eventually wear a defense down.''

The Redskins (2-4) sacked struggling Bears quarterback three times in the final three minutes, before rookie Sean Taylor's closing-seconds interception sealed the victory. Washington's defense has given up only six touchdowns this season, whereas the offense has allowed four and the special teams one. The Bears (1-4) managed only 160 yards total offense and crossed midfield just three times, scoring their only TD on a Brunell tipped pass for a 70-yard interception return in the second quarter. One of Brunell's few well-thrown passes was an 18-yard TD toss to Rod Gardner on the first play of the second quarter, making it 10-0.

Ola Kimrin, already cut twice by the Redskins, returned from his native Sweden to rejoin the team this week with John Hall out with a groin injury. He kicked a 41-yard field goal to open the scoring and hit a 26-yarder to start the fourth period, giving the Redskins a 13-7 lead.

Terps lose again, 13-3

Maryland lost at home for the second straight week to North Carolina State, 13-3 before 52,179. North Carolina State yielded only five first downs and 24 yards passing, and quarterback Jay Davis provided enough offense to help the Wolfpack end a four-game skid against the Terps. N.C. State (4-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) permitted only 91 yards of offense, 31 after the Terrapins' first drive. The Wolfpack was winless against Maryland since 1999, blowing a second-half lead in all four games, but the nation's third-ranked defense wouldn't allow that to happen again.

It was the second straight defeat for the Terrapins (3-3, 1-2), who one week earlier managed only 81 yards in a 20-7 loss to Georgia Tech. Maryland had won 13 in a row at home ("We must protect this house") before the two-game skid. Joel Statham went 6-for-11 for 18 yards before being replaced by true freshman Jordan Steffy in the third quarter for the second consecutive week. Steffy completed one of seven passes for six yards.

Maryland gained 61 yards and made four first downs on its first possession, but had 53 yards in total offense and remained stuck on four first downs by the time coach Ralph Friedgen called upon Steffy with the Terrapins trailing 13-0. Steffy's first series resulted in Maryland's seventh straight three-and-out, but he did direct the offense to a first down late in the third quarter -- the only one the Terrapins could muster over the final 52 minutes.

Maryland opened the game with a 14-play drive that appeared to end with Novak kicking a 32-yard field goal, but the Terrapins were called for illegal procedure on the play and Novak missed the subsequent attempt. The same thing happened to the Wolfpack late in the first quarter, but John Deraney kicked a 32-yard field goal after a procedure penalty wiped out his first try.

Several calls went againt the Terps allowing the Wolfpack to score 10 of their 13 points. One touchdown resulted when the Terps were called for a facemask after sacking the quarterback for a huge loss. The Terps also sacked the quarterback in the end-zone for a safety, only to find out a time-out had been called before the play was run. Add in the field goal take away on the opening drive, and the final score could have easily been reversed.

The Beatles and Cirque du Soleil

The Beatles are teaming up with Cirque du Soleil to create a theatrical production that will replace the legendary Siegfried & Roy act at The Mirage hotel-casino. It is the first major theatrical partnership for The Beatles, whose musical archive has been carefully guarded for decades, said Neil Aspinall, managing director of the band’s Apple Corps label.

The remaining members of the group, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, will help shape the production but will not appear in it. Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, respective widows of late members John Lennon and George Harrison, also will collaborate. The deal for the joint venture was reached this week between Cirque du Soleil, Apple and The Mirage, said Bill McBeath, the hotel-casino’s president and chief operating officer. The yet untitled show is expected to cost more than $100 million and should be ready in about 20 months, he said. Aspinall said The Beatles had been approached with many theatrical proposals, but none offered the creativity and innovation for which Cirque du Soleil is regarded.

Cirque du Soleil — French for circus of the sun — is known for its acrobatic performances that blend athleticism with music and artistry. More than seven million people saw its shows around the world last year. Other locations, like London, New York and Tokyo also were considered, but none could match the massive influx of tourists in Las Vegas, which is expected to top 37 million visitors this year, Aspinall said. A Las Vegas marriage with Cirque du Soleil was “too good of an opportunity to pass up,” he said. Another draw was The Mirage’s commitment to building a new theater. McBeath said the facility, under construction since August, will hold about 2,000 people and offer 360-degree seating. It replaces the theater that housed German illusionists Siegfried & Roy, who performed for about 13 years before Roy Horn was nearly killed Oct. 3, 2003, by one of his tigers. Since the mauling, The Mirage has been without its signature act.

Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte didn’t reveal much about the 90-minute Beatles show, other to say it would contain the Canadian company’s famous acrobatics and be a celebration of Beatles music. Laliberte said he began discussing the idea about four and a half years ago with George Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001. The songs to be used in the show are undecided, but Cirque du Soleil will have complete access to The Beatles’ musical archive. Other show details remained closely guarded. “That’s a tough one,” Aspinall said. “It’s still a work in progress.”

The show adds another high-dollar extravaganza to bolster the city’s pitch as the entertainment capital of the world. Caesars Palace built Celine Dion a $95 million theater for her “A New Day” show, which Concerts West produced for $30 million. “The Phantom of the Opera,” one of the most successful shows in the history of Broadway, is coming to The Venetian hotel-casino in 2006; and the Tony Award-winning musical “Avenue Q” will open in September 2005 at the Wynn Las Vegas resort. Cirque du Soleil recently announced a new $165 million show at the MGM Grand called “KA.”

Madonna to replace Simon Cowell?

Madonna to replace Simon Cowell??

Not really. Although a report in the London Sun claims Madonna will pick up the "American Idol" judge's dream-squishing mantle in the upcoming talent search series, "The Road to Stardom with Missy Elliott." expecting to air early next year on UPN television.

According to the paper, Madonna won over the show's producers by "destroying hopefuls during a screen test," although it seems unlikely the pop icon would suffer the indignity of a try-out for a UPN mid-season replacement. "She doesn't suffer fools gladly," the insider source tells the paper. "If someone walks into the room the wrong way she'll say 'no' before a note is sung ... She will reduce people to tears because she is so direct ... There is no showing off like there is with Cowell."

Elliott asked Madonna - remember, they did a Gap ad together - if she would be interested in being a judge on the new show, in which the hip-hopper will look for the next big hip-hop star, London's Sun said. After Madonna finished her tour last month, she taped a screen test of sorts: She was shown tapes of contestants, and producers recorded her reactions. The Sun said that many of her comments were so harsh, she made Idol's notoriously acerbic judge Simon Cowell "sound like Snow White."

If it works out, Madonna would face the final few contestants.

Something good from the weekend

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova wasted no time in defending her Japan Open title at the Ariake Colesseum on Saturday, blitzing Mashona Washington of the United States 6-0, 6-1 in 51 minutes.

Washington had beaten Sharapova in three sets earlier this year in New Haven but the contrast between that match and this one could not have been more extreme.

The 17-year-old used her ferocious array of groundstrokes to leave her opponent struggling to gain any form of rhythm. Washington had to wait until the penultimate game of the match to make any impact on the scoreline, picking up her first game at 5-1 in the second set, such was the domination of the Russian. Sharapova cited her strong serve and the fast surface as the keys to her success in the final.

"I served very well and played very well. In our previous encounter, the surface was slower and consequently the points were longer. I wasn't physically prepared for that. Today I realized that I had to dictate the play and I think I did that," she said.The Japan Open provides fond memories for Sharapova as last year's event was the first title of her career and was a launching pad for her subsequent meteoric rise up the world tennis ladder.

"Everything seems to come together here for me. I'm not sure if it is the people, the rain or whatever . . ." Sharapova added.

Redskins lose again, 17-10

In a game with little offense, the defenses and specail teams were responsible for most of the scoring in the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 win over the Washington Redskins in last night's Sunday game of the week. The Ravens (3-2) held the Redskins (1-4) to 107 yards, sending Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs to his fourth straight defeat, his longest losing streak since starting 0-5 as a rookie head coach in 1981.

Washington quarterback Mark Brunell threw for just 83 yards and was sacked three times. Washington's only points came off second-quarter turnovers that were essentially gifts. The Redskins intercepted passes on three consecutive possessions, but they could only convert the mistakes into 10 points despite starting all three drives in Baltimore territory. Washington running back Clinton Portis  rushed for just 53 yards on 25 carries.

Appropriately enough, it was a defensive player who turned the game's tide. Safety Ed Reed scored a touchdown by causing a fumble on a safety blitz, stopped Portis on a third-and-1 and sprung B. J. Sams for a 78-yard punt return, all in a 2 1/2 -minute span in the third quarter. As a result, the Ravens rallied from a 10-0 halftime deficit to score 14 points without their struggling offense taking the field. Until this point the Redskin defense had held Baltimore to less than 100 yards of offense and seemed to have control of the game.

Maryland loses to Georgia Tech, 20-7

Most of the 52,733 fans, the fifth-largest crowd ever at Byrd Stadium, dispersed long before Georgia Tech's 20-7 victory over No. 23 Maryland yesterday was final. Afterward, Maryland players described the locker room as "solemn."

And when Terps Coach Ralph Friedgen emerged from it, following his team's first home loss in more than two years, he spoke in a somber tone and with glazed eyes. Maryland is 3-2 and likely will fall out of the top 25. More troublesome, the toughest portion of the schedule still awaits, and Friedgen declined to say who will quarterback his team next week, much less for the rest of the season.

Maryland quarterback Joel Statham had two fumbles, both of which were recovered by Maryland, and completed 6 of 14 passes for 36 yards, all in the first half.  Midway through the third quarter, Friedgen replaced the sophomore, who has 10 fumbles and seven interceptions this season, with Jordan Steffy, the touted freshman from Pennsylvania. On his second possession, Steffy engineered a 12-play, 63-yard drive that concluded with a two-yard touchdown run by Sam Maldonado with 11 minutes 28 seconds remaining. Defensive end Shawne Merriman lined up at tight end during the drive that ignited the crowd and briefly gave the Terps hope they could extend their 13-game home win streak.

Too little, too late. And Friedgen afterward did not discriminate when assigning blame. "We got outcoached, we got outplayed, we got outhit, we got outhustled," said Friedgen, adding that "Joel just couldn't do anything right." Steff finished the game with 38 yards on 5 of 9 passes. Maryland's offense finished with 81 total yards, only 17 of which came in the second half. It was the Terps' lowest total since 1996.

Maryland's most notable first-half highlights involved the punter and kick returner. Adam Podlesh had five punts for an average of 50.6 yards. And returner Steve Suter broke off a 52-yard kickoff return and also broke the ACC career record for punt return yardage.

"I told the kids last night that this would be a real test to see where we are, and if this is where we are, we're in trouble," said Friedgen, who again lost to the school at which he served as offensive coordinator. "We got to get a lot better than this if we want to get to a bowl game."

Sleeping at Last

"Ghosts" - Sleeping At Last

If you listen just right, you can almost hear it
The symphony of secrecy, life, and fear
(the search for love, but finding fear)

Like a moth to the flame we become helpless
To the beautiful ghost
That true love sheds.

We all are running our very own races,
Set upon the most dangerous of places.
Are through it all,
We are left with a void in our chests,
We're aching to fill

The doves come to gather our every need,
They lift them up to Heaven
Through the mouths from which we speak.

God will you help us understand the meaning of it all?
Will you send your angels down to us at our every call?
Sometimes it seems the world is passing us
Faster than my eyes can adjust.

I can't decide if I'm living or I'm dying,
So I test your love and I test your love,
I test your love.

The doves come to gather our every need,
They lift them up to Heaven
Through us now....
The doves come to gather our every need,
They lift them up to Heaven
Through the mouths from which we speak.

Like a moth to the flame we become helpless
To the beautiful ghosts
That true love sheds.

 

Space race for $50 million

A Las Vegas hotel magnate who is hoping to build the world's first commercial space stations launched a challenge offering $50 million to the creators of the first privately funded spaceship to reach orbit.

Robert Bigelow, who owns Budget Suites of America, formally announced the long-rumored prize just a day after the first privately funded spaceship rocketed out of the atmosphere and won the $10 million Ansari X prize, which was designed to spur commercial spaceflight. Bigelow acknowledged that reaching orbit would be much harder than briefly popping into space as SpaceShipOne did. "To be honest, I think it's a long shot," he said of any team's chances of winning the prize by 2010 as required.

SpaceShipOne, built by aircraft designer Burt Rutan and financier Paul Allen, had to travel at about three times the speed of sound in order to reach the 62-mile altitude required to win the Ansari X Prize. An orbital spacecraft has to travel six times faster and four times higher, and, like NASA's space shuttle, also requires more extensive heat shielding.

Bigelow will front half of the $50 million America's Space Prize, and he is seeking sponsorship for the other half."If no one steps forward, we'll cover it," he said. "We just want to make it happen." To win the contest, which is limited to U.S.-based ventures, a team must build a five-seat spacecraft without government money and send five astronauts into orbit above the Earth twice within 60 days.

Space travel anyone?

 

MOJAVE, California -- SpaceShipOne made history Monday and triumphed in the international Ansari X Prize race to launch the first privately built spacecraft. The reward for finishing first: $10 million. The innovative little space plane, developed by aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan and built with $25 million in cash from billionaire Paul Allen, vaulted across the boundary of space 100 kilometers above the airport here, and kept on going.

With a new people's astronaut, Brian Binnie, at the controls, SpaceShipOne not only won the prize purse but also erased a 41-year-old altitude record for winged aircraft. Binnie soared to a radar-verified altitude of 367,442 feet. The old record of 354,300 feet was set in 1963 by an X-15. Peter Diamandis, who created the prize in 1996 and heads the X Prize Foundation, pumped his fists and high-fived with cheering, screaming spectators and teammates as he watched a giant video display showing SpaceShipOne rocketing into the black heavens above. "It's blowing the record books away," Diamandis shouted as he listened to mission control reports that put the ship's altitude first at 350,000 feet, then 364,000 and finally, though unofficially, at 368,000 feet, about 111 kilometers, or 70 miles, above Earth. "Today we make history," Diamandis said after the ship was back on the runway. "Today the winners are the people of the Earth. Today we go to the stars."

SpaceShipOne needed to reach 100 kilometers, or about 62.5 miles, twice within a two-week window to take the X Prize. The other principal requirement was to carry a pilot and either two passengers or their weight equivalent in ballast. Following its successful, if harrowing-looking, flight last week to 337,500 feet, Rutan's American Mojave Aerospace team had to get its ship across the edge of space one more time. Rutan chose Monday because it's the anniversary of the first flight of the space age: the launch of the Soviet Union's Sputnik I on Oct. 4, 1957. At a press conference after the landing, Binnie said, "I wake up every morning and thank God I live in a country where all of this is possible. Where you have the Yankee ingenuity to roll up your sleeves, get a band of people who believe in something and go for it and make it happen. It doesn't happen anywhere else."

Last week, Rutan and Allen announced a deal to develop the new spacecraft for British transportation, entertainment and telecom magnate Richard Branson. The deal calls for Rutan to deliver five five-seated suborbital spacecraft on which Branson hopes to fly paying customers as soon as 2007. The venture, dubbed Virgin Galactic, will charge about $208,000 a ticket. "Thanks to Sir Richard Branson, we have not only a milestone but a challenge," Rutan said. "We have just begun." Another episode in SpaceShipOne's X Prize saga is not so remote. Diamandis announced that the $10 million check for the prize-winning flights will be formally presented, along with what he called "a beautiful 6-foot-tall trophy," in St. Louis on Nov. 6. The St. Louis business community, mindful of the city's connection with Charles Lindbergh's historic solo transatlantic flight in 1927, invited Diamandis to set up shop there after he launched the X Prize organization. The prize was intended to do just what it looks like it's doing -- spur the development of a new generation of aircraft for space tourism.

Sharapova win Korea Open

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova trounced Marta Domachowska 6-1 6-1 to win the Korea Open on Sunday. Grunting and grimacing to victory, Sharapova had too much firepower for Poland's Domachowska, who held her serve only once in the 58-minute match.
Sharapova took command in the third game after the two players had traded opening service breaks. Pinning Domachowska to the baseline with a series of stinging service returns, Sharapova kept up the pressure until the 18-year-old Pole wilted, double-faulting to hand the Russian a 3-1 lead. Sharapova never looked like losing it, closing out the set and looking stronger with every point. "This is the first time playing three tournaments in a row, but I feel really good," said Sharapova.
Sharapova lost in the semi-finals of the China Open to compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova just over a week ago and will play in the Japan Open later this week. "I think I played well this week. Hopefully I'll take that on to next week, play better and win there," said Sharapova.
Sharapova said that the win was even more special because she had had to adapt quickly to different opponent styles, slower court speeds and unpredictable weather conditions. Sharapova played a chilly quarter-final match after a four-hour rain delay Friday evening before beating Anne Kremer on a sun-drenched center court in Saturday's semi-final.
"As I get older, I'll have to learn to make the adjustments to different tournaments, different conditions," said the 17-year-old. "To compete with the top 10 players, there are a lot of things I have to improve on."

Redskins lose again, 17-13

The Washington Redskins lost their third game in a row to the Cleveland Browns, 17-13. The Redskins (1-3) can pin their loss on going just 1-for-11 on third downs, mental mistakes and a costly fumble by Clinton Portis on the first play after halftime that allowed Cleveland to quickly tie it. "My fumble changed the momentum," Portis said. "All of a sudden, we lost control of the game."

Mark Brunell couldn't get it back as Washington's offense sputtered again behind its new quarterback. Brunell finished 17-of-38 for 192 yards, but was unable to get into any rhythm because Cleveland's defense shut down Portis and the Washington coach's headsets and sideline phones were malfunctioning. "It made it tough to communicate," Brunell said. "We had to go to hand signals.

But the headsets didn't cause the fumbles or the overthrown passes. We made mistakes." Clinging to their four-point lead, the Browns faked a field goal, but holder Derrick Frost was stopped short of a first down. Washington took over at their own 27 yard line and Brunell then completed a 13-yard pass to Coles at the 40 with still 2:00 minutes left in the game. But Coles fumbled as he was being taken down and Browns safety Earl Little recovered. "I fumbled the game away for us," Coles said.

Coles did catch 8 passes for 122 yards, but Portis only had 58 yards rushing on 20 carries. Washington's offensive line did not give up a sack after yielding nine in the past two games.