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.

Martha Stewart trivia

What do Martha Stewart, Billie Holiday, "Squueaky" Fromme and Tokyo Rose all have in common? All three served time at Alderson Federal Prison Camp, Alderson, West Virginia. Well, after Martha serves her time there. To read more on Martha's new home