February 09, 2012|Sports Digest
Maryland men's basketball
Jerseys of Graham, Rhodes to be raised
Ernie Graham and Johnny Rhodes, two of the greatest all-around players to don a Maryland basketball uniform, will have their jerseys honored at Comcast Center in separate ceremonies this month. The jersey of Graham, the 13th-leading scorer in school history with 1,607 points, will be raised to the rafters Feb. 16 when the Terrapins host Boston College. Rhodes, the ACC's all-time leader in steals, will have his jersey honored Feb. 21 when Maryland plays Miami. The ceremonies will take place approximately 20 minutes before each game. Graham ranks 16th in school history in assists and led the team in steals as a senior; he was an important piece of Maryland's rise to the national scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s, leading the Terps to the postseason each of his final three seasons. Rhodes, perhaps the best defensive player ever at Maryland, still holds the conference mark for steals in a career with 344, nearly 16 years after his time in College Park ended. The shooting guard from Washington also ranks fifth on the school's 3-pointers list (186), 10th in points (1,743) and 10th in assists (437). Graham and Rhodes will be the 17th and 18th players to have been honored with a banner in the Comcast Center rafters. Former coach Gary Williams also has a banner hanging above the court.
Horse racing
Md. commission bans jockey Delgado for 30 days
The Maryland Racing Commission suspended jockey Alberto Delgado for 30 days for his ride aboard My Sweet Nenana in the seventh race Feb. 1 at Laurel Park. Stewards Phil Grove, John Burke and Adam Campola handed down the suspension, which will begin Sunday, at a hearing Wednesday morning at the track. Delgado will not be eligible to ride again until March 13. According to the Equibase chart, My Sweet Nenana, the 1-2 favorite in the $5,000 claimer for fillies and mares, was "a bit rank leaving the starting gate, was immediately taken in hand, stayed inside horses and raced on her own courage." The daughter of Jazz Club, she finished seventh of 10, nine lengths behind winner Iris' Proverb; she had not won since an upset in the 2010 Maryland Million Ladies at 58-1 odds. My Sweet Nenana was claimed by trainer Dane Kobiskie in last September for a chance to defend her Maryland Million title, but she was winless in five succeeding attempts in the Kobiskie's barn, so the conditioner dropped the 6-year-old mare into a bottom-level claimer in hopes of losing her. "The reason that it took a week was because our investigator had to interview all the participants and we talked to the trainer and Albert," Burke said. "Albert said he was afraid of the horse, and we concur. We don't believe there was anything nefarious going on here. Nothing points to it." Delgado has been a regular rider in the Maryland colony since 1982, the year he earned an Eclipse Award as Outstanding Apprentice. The 47-year-old, who has 2,867 career victories (176th on the all-time list), ranked ninth in the 2011 Maryland standings with 41 victories, while riding first call for Kobiskie. Delgado ranks third in the Laurel Park winter standings with 12 winners from 47 mounts, including a score in Wednesday's opener aboard Caesar's Gold ($5.20) for Kobiskie. Burke and Campola indicated that Delgado is not expected to appeal the decision.
Et cetera
1st Gridiron Gala to celebrate Towson's CAA football title
The Towson football team will hold its Colonial Athletic Association championship celebration at the inaugural Gridiron Gala on April 20 at the Valley Mansion in Hunt Valley. The celebration will culminate with the presentation of the CAA championship rings. The social hour begins at 6 p.m., with dinner and awards starting at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event may be purchased individually or in packages of 10. A silent auction will include items from Towson alumni Jermon Bushrod of the New Orleans Saints and Gary Neal of the San Antonio Spurs along with memorabilia from the Tigers' championship season. As a prelude to the event, all of Towson's game-worn jerseys from the 2011 season are being auctioned off at towsontigers.com. Preregistration is required; RSVP no later than April 11 at tutigertracks.com.
Women's college lacrosse: Mount St. Mary's was picked third in the Northeast Conference preseason poll. Quinnipiac, the defending regular-season and tournament champion, earned six first-place votes to be selected as the favorite. Robert Morris was second.
Men's college swimming: Johns Hopkins junior Nick Schmidt was named Bluegrass Mountain Conference Swimmer of the Week.
Men's college hockey: Navy will host the annual Crab Pot tournament this weekend at McMullen Arena in Annapolis. Towson will play UMBC at 4 p.m. Saturday, while the Midshipmen will take on Maryland that night at 7:30. The consolation game will be held at noon Sunday, with the championship game that afternoon at 3:30.
