Sports Beat column - February 15, 2008

Sports Beat

February 15, 2008

Sports Beat by Bill McCaffrey

Well the Redskins finally got a head coach and he was in the building all the time and that was there then newly named offensive coordinator Jim Zorn. Yes Zorn like in worn and torn. From what I hear he¹s a good guy, a good coach, and a nice guy but is he a ³one and done² coach because he has to survive owner Danny, gopher Vinnie and a bunch of cry babies. I hope he makes it! Did you see the picture of Joe Gibbs sitting next to owner Danny¹s wife? He didn¹t look like he was too happy. How about Jim Fassel? He said he should have never taken the job with the Baltimore Ravens, saying his firing by Brian Billick has cost him any head coaching jobs. It looks like ³Thug² Suggs will get the ³franchise tag² from the Ravens.

SPRING TRAINING OPENS

It¹s hard to believe baseball is here already and I will give you a rundown in the next column. The Washington Nationals are much better than the Baltimore Orioles in pitching, fielding, hitting and power. The Orioles have so many question marks you would think the riddler was running their front office; let¹s face it the Orioles are a minor league team in a minor league town. If by chance the newcomers to the Orioles become productive they might challenge Tampa Bay for fourth place in their division.

MARYLANDER OF THE YEAR

Every year we pick our ³Marylander of the Year² and the 2007 pick is Mike Miller, President of the Maryland State Senate. It was close as our ³Community Service² winner Carole West Cullinane really hung in there. Here are the results: ³Marylander of the Year² 2007, Mike Miller ³Community Service of the Year² -2007, Carole West Cullinane 2nd Ben Nichols 3rd Ruthie Cocrhan Calvert We congratulate all the above! Mike Miller and Carole West Cullinane stood out in 2007. Mike is the longest running State Senate President in the USA and has served the State since 1971 when he went to Annapolis as a Delegate. He is a University of Maryland graduate and is active with the University helping the school and students in many ways. Carole has been helping people in many ways and it all started when she was at Theodore Roosevelt High School in DC and continues to do so today. Both Carole and Mike are respected by everyone that knows them. We will have a luncheon honoring them later in 2008.

TED WILLIAMS

I had a nice letter from Gene Carls (Anacostia grad) who now lives in Hazleton , PA. Many years ago his brother David, who passed, and I would spend many hours talking sports and one of the people we talked about was Ted Williams. Gene sent me two Sports Illustrated covers each with a story about Ted Williams. One was from August, 1955 (when the magazine was a quarter and you could get a years subscription for $7.50) and the other was from November 25, 1996 . The first article was called SUBJECT: Baseball¹s greatest modern hitter. It talked about his service time, his career and fishing. I liked a quote he had if he had to bail out of his fighter plane it went like this, ³My other fear was that the damn plane will blow up and I¹d have to bail out-because I knew I¹d leave my kneecaps in the cockpit, I was cramped in so tight I¹d have to bail out with a can opener². The 1996 one covered baseball, fishing, family and the hell of growing up the kid at 78. Both are great articles on a great man. He served two tours (WWII and Korea ) as a marine fighter pilot. He was a true war hero and a baseball one. I want to thank Gene for sending me these very interesting articles. Sometimes Ted talked about being a fireman but baseball and fishing were his things. To me Ted Williams was the greatest hitter I ever saw. Williams had a lifetime batting average of .347. 380 homeruns (1 per 15 times at bat); 1,422 RBI¹s (1 per 4 times at bat); 1,423 runs scored (1 per 4 times a bat); and 1,345 walks (1 every 4.56 times at bat). Despite what some say he wasn¹t a bad fielder (played the green monster well and never threw to the wrong base). Gene Carl¹s son lives in Waldorf and is a loyal reader of our column in St. Mary¹s Today. My son Mike one time thought the Boston Red Sox were the only team in the American League because I took him to so many Red Sox games.

MARCH 1954

³Bill McCaffrey report to the office², it came over the loudspeaker at Anacostia Senior High School in DC and all I could think was what have I done now? Because I had some trouble with the office before but to my surprise there was Principal Corkary and Vice Principal Andy Gump and the late Russ Lombardy and they had someone on the phone who turned out to be Les Walters, Principal of Bell Vocational HS (one of my previous school stops). I think only Burt Randolph Sugar and Len Kanthal had more DC high school stops than me, one of them also had Eva Wells, principal of Theodore Roosevelt HS (another of my stops) on the phone. All wanted to know what I was thinking about when I put a game between the Stonewall AC team and the DC All-Stars at Terrell Junior High School in DC together, they literally threatened me with all sort of punishments and said all the players that I had lined up would not be playing (I won¹t list their names as not to embarrass them). It turned out they did put pressure on the players saying they would lose scholarships, their letters, etc. because this would be the first recognized black against white and black high school basketball players. I was on the hot seat twice because I now was without players and the game was a day away and the school (Anacostia) was saying they were going to throw me out. My father knew the Secretary of the DC Board of Educa tion and my father saved the day for me, but what was I going to do for players? Well let¹s go back and see how the game was put together. Stonewall¹s star was the great Elgin ³Rabbitt² Baylor along with his two brothers Sal (6/4) and Kermit (6¹8) and a former All Army star, Ernie ³The Hand² Warlick (later an 8 year tight end with the Buffalo Bills). I can¹t remember exactly how I met John Jones who backed the Stonewalls and owned a cleaners on M Street SW called the J & E Valet. I met at the J& E and at his house in NE, DC. Well I lined up my players but hey the then DC school system had kidnapped so many to speak so my back was against the wall. I had Frank Cohen a star at Western who said he would play because ³I¹m going in the Navy and they can¹t do anything to me² and he got me a Super Star in Jim Wexler (he had scored 52 pts in a high school game) but was now pitching in the New York Yankees chain) and Jack Dade another Western HS player. At least I now had 3 good ones. Dade later was an elementary school principal in P.G. County . Next Hank ³Jumping Abe² Abraham and Tom Parker came in from Wilson Teachers College . I lined up ³Redbird² a playground player, Don Sacardi and a few others. Now we billed it a Wexler against Baylor game both were flame throwers. Game time at Terell was a big one as over 2,000 jammed a 1,200 seat gym. It was a classic game and we lost 102-75 but Wexler hit for 34 and Baylor 44 in a game that was tighter than the score. Phil Fox refereed the game. Oh yes, I got 6 in the game and it was so successful Jones said let¹s do a rematch at Turners Arena in the 1300 block of W Street in NW, DC. Well my original players were so afraid there was no way they were going to play but the others did and we added Hugh Biens, Bill Bolger, and Joe Carroll of Georgetown and Ralph Greco of Maryland another loss for us. I had 10 in this one and it was another crowd of over 2,000 and Jones said let¹s do a third one at Turners. We did, it was another loss for us but this one was billed as a going away for Baylor and Earl Lloyd took over my coaching duties as the honorary coach. World light heavyweight champion Archie Moore was on hand to present Baylor with luggage for his trip to his first college at Idaho . We added Oliver Ellis of West Virginia State and he held Baylor to 28.

In 1957 after service with the Navy, I returned to the C&P Telephone Company and I thought all this was forgotten but it wasn¹t. Some folks led by Joseph Benjamin Price came to me and asked if I could put on another game. I agreed, because the schools in DC were now integrated so I contacted John Jones and he was more than willing to do it again and we agreed on Turners again. Jones now had Willie Jones, Dickie Wells, Sal and Kermit Baylor for the Stonewalls. Well this time our roster included Puddy Shehan of St. Johns; Jim Shipman, BCC; Mac Beasley, Blair; Lew Luce, Wilson; ³Hambone² Thomas; NTS and Phelps (6¹8); Harold Eaton; Howard (6¹8); Phil Wallace (6¹9), Tulane; Wilbur ³Ducie² Smith, Fairmont Heights; Pat Clarke, Anacostia and University of Maryland. Another packed house and we lost by 10. After the game I went to Zombies with Don Saccardi and Damien Crane and drank the evening away. Zombies was at Georgia and Missouri Avenues in NW, DC. When I came out it was snowing and I really don¹t know how I got home because I lived on Livingston Road, SE then and I don¹t remember a thing.

Report on Dover Fights from Patrick Pannella

Here are boxing results from Dover Downs Friday night ( February 8, 2008 ): Bryne Green TKO'd Henry Goss (Lightweights). Delaware 's Mike Denby TKO'd Mario Fisher of Salisbury (Welterweights). Mario Fisher was a "one punch" fighter - a left hook that was actually effective when it occasionally landed. Delaware 's Ryan Belasco beat Puerto Rico 's Joel Rijos by a very close split decision (Welterweights). Baltimore 's Darrell Martin beat Milo Milos of New Jersey by a unanimous decision (Lightweights). Dhafir "No Fear" Smith beat Rayco Saunders by a unanimous decision (Light Heavyweights). Smith, who has fought in the Baltimore area several times, won in a mild upset. B.J. Flores took the USBA Cruiserweight Title from Takoma Park 's Darnell "The Ding-A-Ling Man" Wilson by a majority decision (Cruiserweights). John Mackey beat Alex Mancera by a unanimous decision (Super Middleweights). This was a very competitive fight, with Mackey displaying some impressive defensive skills. Jesus Perez beat Jae-Sung Lee by a unanimous decision (Featherweights). Although these guys were featherweights, this was a rock 'em, sock 'em slugfest with both fighters hitting the canvas in the first round! This night, the boxers who weighed the lightest hit the hardest! Thank you for the good report Patrick.

Seven Terrapins Named to All-ACC Academic Field Hockey Team
Maryland tied for the league high

Seven Terrapin field hockey players earned a spot on the All-ACC Academic team, the league announced today. The seven selections, which include All-Americans Kathryn Masson, Susie Rowe and Janneke van Leeuwen, tie for the most among ACC teams. Also earning a spot on the academic squad were Meghan Dean, Ameliet Rischen, Sarah Scholl and Kim Ziegler. Senior Kathryn Masson, junior Susie Rowe and Sarah Scholl were named to the all-academic squad in 2005. An English major, Masson was a three-time All-American and ends her career ranked second all-time at Maryland with a 0.94 goals against average. Classmate Kim Ziegler makes her second-straight appearance, after earning a spot last season. She is a biological engineering major who played in every game last season. Her only goal was a game winner. Rowe garnered first team All-American nods for the second-straight year. A three-year starter and the 2005 ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player, she is a business management major, with emphasis in marketing. Scholl, also a junior, is majoring in food science and has been a significant contributor on the team, starting every game, while scoring three goals, including a game winner. In her first season at the collegiate level, Meghan Dean played in every game, making eight starts, as a midfield/defender. Dean plans to major in criminal justice. Fellow midfielders Janneke van Leeuwen and Ameliet Rischen also make their first appearances on the All-ACC Academic team. Van Leeuwen, the 2004 ACC Rookie of the Year, ended a stellar career garnering All-American nods. Rischen follows in the footsteps of her sister, Berber, who was named to the all-academic squad last season. Ameliet also started in every game. Van Leeuwen will graduate with a degree in economics, while Rischen is a letters and sciences major. The Terps were tied with Boston College for the most All-ACC Academic selections. Maryland was 18-3 in 2007, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Langhorne Named to Academic All-District Team
Senior earns all-district honor for the third-straight year

For the third-straight year, Maryland senior Crystal Langhorne was named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 2 team. A communications major, she boasts a 3.43 grade point average heading into her final semester in College Park . Crystal Langhorne was voted to the first team for the second-consecutive year. She was a second-team honoree as a sophomore. Last season, she was named to the third team Academic All-America team, only the second player in school history to earn the honor, behind former Terrapin Shay Doron. Maryland's only two-time All-American, earning the honor from the Associated Press and United State Basketball Writers Association, and once earning the nod the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Langhorne has also earned spots on the ACC's Academic All-ACC team twice and the ACC Honor Roll three times. Langhorne is one of five ACC players to be selected to the Academic All-District squad, one of four who were named to the first team. All the first-team honorees are eligible for the ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA All-Academic squad. To be eligible for all-district and all-academic honors, a player must be at least a sophomore standing, have played at their respective institution at least one year and maintained a 3.20 cumulative grade point average. Teams were determined by a voting of college and university Sports Information Directors from across the country.

LANGHORNE A FINALISTS FOR THE LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Winner to be announced during Final Four

Maryland senior Crystal Langhorne was named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award making the cut from 30 initial candidates. For the second-straight year a Terrapin has been a finalist for the honor. She is also the only player in the ACC to be selected a nominee. The finalists will be placed on the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award ballot for a nationwide voting, which concludes March 21. Fans can participate in the voting at the official website at www.seniorclassaward.com. The fan vote will be combined with votes from coaches, media and sponsors to determine the recipient of the award. Launched during the 2001-2002 season, the award is given annually to one men's and one women's basketball senior based on classroom success, community presence, strength of character and athletic prowess. Langhorne, the only player in Maryland women's basketball history to score over 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds, is joined on the finalists list by Meagan Cowher (Princeton), Sarah Elliott (Kentucky), Sylvia Fowles (LSU), Carlene Hightower (LaSalle), Tasha Humphrey (Georgia), Sarah Jo Lawrence (George Washington), Jackie McFarland (Colorado), Rebekah Parker (Evansville) and Candice Wiggins (Stanford). Langhorne is a three-year captain, also captaining the U21 USA Basketball team last summer and the USA U19 squad in 2004. Both teams won gold medals. The most decorated player in Maryland women's basketball history, earning All-American honors twice and All-ACC nods three times, she was also an ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American last year. The winner will be announced during the women's Final Four April 6-8 in Tampa , Fla. The winner is based on balloting by coaches, media, sponsors and fans. Fans can vote online now through March 21 at www.seniorclassaward.com. Maryland basketball has produced a winner of the award before, as former men's basketball star Juan Dixon won it during the program's national championship season of 2002.

Quick Hits
€ Maryland is ranked No. 4 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN Coaches polls.
€ The Terps boast the most wins in the nation and were the first team to 20 victories. Playing 14 games in the first 31 days of the season, they have played the most games of any team in the nation (26).
€ Maryland 's current record through 26 games is the best since the 1988-89 campaign.
€ Maryland has played three overtime games in the last four games.
€ Junior Marissa Coleman is just the third player in ACC history and first Terrapin to have 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 blocks for a career.
€ The Terrapins have won a school-record 16 games at home this season and boast the fifth-longest active home win streak in the nation.
€ Maryland has recorded four-straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history.
€ A Terrapin has earned ACC Player of the Week honors seven times in 13 weeks of the season. Langhorne is the league's active leader with six career weekly nods.
€ Maryland is one of 12 known teams in NCAA history with four 1,000-point scorers on the roster.
€ The Terps have had at least one player with a double-double in 22 of their 26 games.|
€ Three Terps overall were selected preseason candidates for the Wade Trophy and three are on the Midseason Wooden list. Two are on the midseason Naismith Award c andidate list.

Former Terrapin Doron to be Honored
€ Former Terrapin great Shay Doron was honored on Friday evening during halftime of Maryland's game vs. Virginia on Friday, Feb. 8. Doron is the third all-time leading scorer in the history of the program (1,878) and holds the school records for career free throws made (492) and games played (134).
€ Doron was a three-time All-ACC honoree, one of only three Terrapins to ever be selected all-conference three times. In her first-collegiate appearance, she made an NCAA-record tying 23 free throws. She once scored 39 points in a game to tie the school record, as well. She holds class record for free throws made by a freshman (136) and junior (135), and boasts the best scoring av eraging among sophomores (17.6).
€ Doron was an Honorable Mention All-American by the WBCA in 2004 and by the Associated Press in 2007. She was twice selected a preseason candidate for the Wade Trophy and John R. Wooden Award. A two-time ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-American, she was inducted into the Greater Washington Jewish Community Center Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and was a the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete that year. Doron was drafted in the second round of the 2007 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty and plays for Team Ramla in Israel .
€ Doron participated in an autograph session at the conclusion of the game.

Maryland¹s women beat Boston College 78-61.

Coleman Joins Elite Company
€ In the win at Virginia Tech, junior Marissa Coleman joined very elite company, becoming the first Maryland women's basketball player with 1,000 points, 700 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 blocks. Only two other players in ACC history have achieved that feat. Former All-Americans Alana Beard (2687 points, 789 rebounds, 509 assists, 149 blocks) and Iciss Tillis (1712 points, 946 rebounds, 301 assists, 151 blocks) have reached those milestones in league history.

Home Sweet Home
€ Maryland has won a school-record 19 home games so far during this campaign, breaking the program mark set during the 2005-06 campaign.
€ The Terps are 16-0 at home heading into the Miami contest, the fifth-longest active home win streak in the nation. Hartford currently has the longest active streak at 19.

Harper Blocks Her Way Into Record Book
€ Senior Laura Harper needs just two blocks to break the Maryland all-time record, a record that has stood for 28 seasons. The current record holder is Kris Kirchner who had 186 blocks in her career from 1978-80.
€ Harper currently ranks 13th all-time in ACC history in career blocks, while her 1.8 career blocks average is ranked 14th.

Toliver Voted ACC Player of the Week
Toliver earns honor for the second time; It is Maryland 's eighth weekly recognition

Maryland junior Kristi Toliver was voted the ACC's Player of the Week, the conference announced today. It is her second recognition of the season and the eighth for the Terrapins. Toliver led Maryland to a pair of ACC victories last week, as the Terps improved to 25-2 on the season, 9-1 in the ACC. Kristi Toliver sparked a comeback at Virginia Tech last Monday, after the team trailed 21 points in the first half. It would tie for the second-largest comeback in NCAA history, as Maryland went on to win, 74-71, in overtime. Toliver scored 28 points, seven coming in overtime, shot nearly 63 percent from the floor, and missed just one free throw in eight trips to the charity stripe. Toliver followed up with a 16-point, 12-assist effort in the 86-80 win over Virginia at home on Friday, recording her seventh double-double of the season. All seven of her double-doubles have been reached in the points and assists categories. Nine of her points came in the final six minutes of the game, helping the Terps seal the victory and the regular-season sweep. Toliver was also perfect from the free throw line against the Cavaliers, going 8-for-8. Toliver leads the ACC with 8.1 assists per game, threatening the conference's single-season mark of 8.0. She also ranks third in the nation in the category. In addition, her 219 assists to date rank as the second-most in a single season at Maryland and the fourth-most in ACC history. Four Terps this season have garnered ACC Player of the Week nods. Senior Crystal Langhorne leads the team with three selections, while Toliver and junior Marissa Colemanhave each received the honor twice. Senior Laura Harper was ACC Player of the Week once. Maryland has received a player of the week recognition eight times in 14 weeks of the season.

Maryland's Toliver Selected Finalist for Top Point Guard Honor
Junior named finalist for the second-straight year

Maryland women's basketball standout Kristi Toliver was selected a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award for the second-consecutive year, the Rotary Club of Detroit announced Thursday. In its ninth season, the award honors the nation's top collegiate point guard in Division I women's basketball. Sportswriters from across the country determined the nominee list of nine student-athletes. The criterion for the award is floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman during her career. The final three and one winner will be selected from the list at the beginning of April 2008. The announcement of the final three and the winner will be announced during the NCAA Final Four Weekend April 6-8, 2008. Junior Kristi Toliver is having the best season of her career. She ranks third in the nation in assists per game, averaging 8.1 dishes per game. Leading the ACC in the category, she is also threatening the league single-season record set by former Terp Tara Heiss in 1978 (8.0 apg). Toliver recently handed out her 500th-career assist, making her one of only four Terrapins all-time to reach the milestone and also ranks second at Maryland in the category. Entering Thursday night's game vs. Boston College, she is in the top 20 in the ACC all-time in career assists (525) and is tied for fourth in career assists per game (5.6). Toliver also scored her 1,000th-career point earlier in the season and broke the program's three-point record. Toliver leads the team in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game, a career high. She is this week's ACC Player of the Week, her second selection of the season, after recording a career-high tying 28 points in the overtime win at Virginia Tech last week and posting a double-double vs. Virginia on Sunday, including a career-high tying 14 assists. Toliver has had seven double-doubles this season, reaching double digits in points and assists. Joining Toliver on the finalists list are Matee Ajavon of Rutgers, Kimberly Beck of George Washington, Shannon Bobbitt of Tennessee, Kristi Cirone of Illinois State, Leilani Mitchell of Utah, Renee Montgomery of Connecticut, Andrea Riley of Oklahoma State and Erica White of LSU. The fourth-ranked Terrapins play BC tonight at Comcast Center , then travel to Durham , N.C. , for a rematch against No. 12 Duke on Sunday evening, Feb. 17. The game will be televised on nationally on Fox Sports Net (Comcast SportsNet in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area) and can be heard across the state on the Maryland Radio Network. An audio link will also be provided on www.umterps.com.

ORIOLES OUTHOUSE

Well its finally over in ³Charm City² the Orioles send Erik Bedard to Seattle for 5 players (who if you believe the suck ups at radio 1300 AM) are super stars in waiting. If Adam Jones is the next Joe DiMaggio then it¹s a goo deal but if he isn¹t and Bedard becomes a 20 game winner and strikes out 300 a season then the Mariners are a major winner. Besides Jones the Orioles get George Sherill, Chris Tillman, Tony Butler and Kam Mickolio. The Orioles have added pitcher Steve Trachsel. The Orioles have signed Daniel Cabrera, Jim Hoey, Troy Patton, Garrett Olson and Mike Scott. The Twins have signed Livan Hernandez. The Rangers inked Kevin Mench to a minor league contract. The Rays have signed Eric Hinske to a minor league contract. The Angels came to terms with Matt Brown, Ryan Budde, Jason Bulger, Jeff Kennard, and Tenio Evans. Yankees sign Robinson Cano for four years. Bobby Kielty gets a minor league contract from the Red Sox. Nolan Ryan is the new President of the Texas Rangers. Brendon Donnelly gets a minor league deal with the Indians. Royals get Mike Maroth. A¹s get Mike Sweeney and Keith Foulke. Scott Elarton moves from the Royals back to the Indians.

NATS NEWS

Ex-Oriole Kris Benson signed a minor league contract with the Phillies. Kahlil Greene re-ups with Padres for two more years. Pirates pick up Doug Mientkiewicz. Pirates outright Sean Burnett. The Mets gave Olmedo Saenz a minor league contract. The Mets also signed Tony Armas. Rockies give a one year deal to Garnett Atlins. Brewers sign Dave Bush. Giants ink Vinnie Chulk. Kent Mercker will be back with the Reds.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

Surrattsville football coach becomes the head coach at Eleanor Roosevelt replacing Rich Houchens, who will be the football coach at Carroll where he will put his recruiting talents to work. Arundel¹s Nick Elko is going to Delaware State , I predict a great career there for him. Virginia Calaliers get two from PG Rodney McLoed and Devin Wallave. Navy signs three football players from the area Evan Campbell, Ashly Christian and Jarren Brown.

BOYS HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL SCORES

Theodore Roosevelt     63                     M.M. Washington        47
Ballou                           69                     Anacostia                      62
Lackey                          56                     Stone                            48

SPORTS NOTES

BWI, the Transportation Authority, and SHA are causing MDOT some waves. How come Maryland doesn¹t tighten the laws on the MD Truck Association especially the moving and storage end? It looks like the Governor and Barbara Mikulski really took hits when Obama bashed Hillary in this past week¹s primary. Tampa Bay Bucs named Greg Olson quarterback coach. The illegal¹s in Arizona are leaving as the amounts of murders are on the rise, the economy and other things that are causing legal citizens of the State to become more concerned. Look-a-Likes: E.J. Pipkin and George Steele, David J. and Bobby Blake. Congratulations to Frank Kratovil on his big win in the Democratic primary in the first Congressional District, even tho several folks called me and said they didn¹t like the calls from the Lt. Governor and Congressman Cummings. I was sorry to see Al Wynn lose. The Maryland men lost to Duke 77-65. Christian Siriano of Annapolis has advanced to Fashion Week on Bravo¹s Project Runway. Kirby Hocutt is the new AD at Miami , Florida . Fobres rates the Capitals as one of the least valuable NHL franchise. Our deepest sympathy goes to the families of the following: Calliope Tsoulias Braun (Wilson HS grad) Robert N. Warren (retired C&P Telephone Foreman Supervisor) Kenneth Wayne Kern (grad and former outstanding football player at Annandale , Va. HS) Bill Butler (coach at Boys Club #2 in DC) Connie Mae Chiaka (Eastern HS grad) Anna K. Webb (Tech HS and Wilson Tech College grad) Louis O. Cox, Jr. (Eastern HS grad) Dorcas Teal Glaslow (Hyattsville HS grad) Arthur O. Lewis (Transportation Executive passed at age 89) Roy Schneider (Actor in films like The French Connection, Jaws, All That Jazz, Klute, among others) John Grimsley (former NFL linebacker with the Oilers and Dolphins at age 45 accident shooting) I wonder where Dolores Pastor is today, also Pat Hayes; Parker Blackwell; Leon McCauley; Judy Berliner; Vera Mae Hood; Jill Quade; Toni Agnew; Eileen Gragh; Sandi McGregor; Beverly Brown; Bette Wisecarver; Midge Russell; Clair McCarthy; Joan Tassett; Donnie Herman, and Priscella Harrison? The Chesapeake Tide opens their indoor football season on March 21st, 7:30 p.m. at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro against the Rochester Raiders. Jake Smith¹s Baltimore Pro Boxing will be at the Pikesville Armory on February 29th. Next Ballroom Boxing at Michael¹s 8th Avenue is April 3rd. No truth to the rumor that David J. and Ironhead were going on ³Dancing with the Stars². Monk should bring back Bitty Schram as his assistant. When is Cain coming back on? Also Burn Notice? When last seen Ironhead was headed to the American Gladiators. Roy Dyson is doing a great job in Annapolis .

WE GET LETTERS

Bill - We hope all is well and just wanted to update you on our February where-abouts. Hope to see you.

Friday, Feb. 22, 7-11 - The Klassix, our 6 piece band, is playing a Bull Roast at Martin's Eastwind near White Marsh from 7-11. E-mail me if you are interested in tickets.

Friday, Feb. 29, 8-12 - Maryland Golf and Country Club Theme Night for members and their Guests

Friday, March 7, 8:30 - Midnight - Backroom at the Woodfire Restaurant in Severna Park , 410-315-8100, http://www.woodfirebackroom.com/backroom.html See you at the bar, Steve, David and Don

Guys, You are the greatest! Bill

Dear Bill, We Have Certainly Missed Your Friendly Face And Words Of Wonderful Wisdom This 2008 Legislative Session, And Your Buddy Paul Too...Where Are You? Haven't Seen Ya At Galway Bay either. We Know That Nothing Remains The Same, Especially Down Here In Annapolis , And Some Of Your Ole (Not Old!) Buds Are Thinking About You. We Know You Are Still Alive And Kicking Pretty High Because Of Some Of The E-Mails That Some Of Us Have Received Sister Mary Debra And Sister Mary Barbara
Ps I Think Someone Owes Us A Dinner! When Is Soon?

Sisters, Dinner next week. Bill

Bill, Did you see the good news for VA Tech? One of their 31 recruits who have signed with Tech is Jeron Gouveia. He's rated the No. 34 safety in the country by ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. . Rated the No. 120 safety in the Country and the No. 24 prospect in Virginia by SuperPrep ... Ranked the No. 33 player in the Commonwealth by Scout.com. He's Kurt Gouveia's son. Marlene

Marlene, Go get Œem Hokies. Bill

From: Mark Opsasnick Subject: The Final Lizard King Thing It¹s time to announce what will probably be the last local presentation for my book ³The Lizard King Was Here: The Life and Times of Jim Morrison in Alexandria , Virginia .²

Sunday, March 30, 2008, 1pm.
PERK UP COFFEEHOUSE
829 S. Washington Street
Alexandria, Virginia
703 838-2812

Mark Opsasnick will discuss his book THE LIZARD KING WAS HERE; a question and answer session featuring Morrisons former GW High classmates Bill Thomas and Randy Maney will follow; and live music will be provide by guitarist-vocalist Ivan Katz.

PERK UP is a small, privately-owned coffeehouse and owners Adam Baker and Ryan Webb are very enthusiastic about bringing us in. Let¹s thank them by packing the place! Mark this afternoon on your calendars now - you have six weeks to arrange you life around this event. Thanks, Mark O www.capitolrock.com

Mark, You do a great job; I hope you pack the place. Bill

SUPPORT SOUTHERN MD SPORTS!!