A League

If there is one television sportscaster to whom the adjective “legendary” can honestly be applied, it is Al Michaels, play-by-play announcer of NBC's “Sunday Night Football.” From almost two decades in the booth at ABC's “Monday night Football,” to his “Do you believe in miracles?” call of the U.S. victory over the Russian hockey team at 1980 Olympics, Michaels' resume and the history of the biggest moments of TV sports are practically one and the same. Michaels and his colleagues on NBC Sunday Night Football will be in Baltimore when the Ravens meet the New England Patriots.

Christmas lights may adorn many houses at the moment and snow may be on the way, but it is still lacrosse season - indoor lacrosse, that is. A fixture for many Howard County players, indoor lacrosse is, paradoxically, a faster, more demanding version of the outdoor game, but one with room for fun, experimenting and a chance to work on that left-handed shot. Many county players - whether they are on club-level travel teams or high school teams - play in the Maryland Indoor Lacrosse League, which uses the indoor fields at the Owings Mills Sports Arena, Perring Athletic Club in Parkville and the newly opened Bare Hills Athletic Club in North Baltimore's Mount Washington neighborhood.

BOWIE - On his first off day as an Orioles minor leaguer, Double-A Bowie outfielder Henry Urrutia took a trip to Baltimore, where he got a tour of Camden Yards - the place he hopes his uphill and divot-filled baseball journey reaches its pinnacle. Thursday, Urrutia checked out the Orioles clubhouse, strolled up the steps of the home dugout and walked onto the field, where he took a 360-degree look around him and soaked in what seemed impossible growing up in Cuba. It was a memorable trip for the 26-year-old Urrutia - because it was the truest sign yet that his dream of playing in the big leagues was in reach.

PHILADELPHIA -- Normally, it's no big deal when a baseball game begins at 1:30.Unless, of course, it's 1:30 a.m.Until real early yesterday morning, you see, no major-league team in anyone's memory had started a baseball game at that late (early) hour.But then along came those history-making 1993 Phillies.According to the Elias Sports Bureau, when the Phillies and Padres started the second game of their long night's doubleheader journey into dawn at 1:28 a.m. yesterday, they almost certainly set a record for the latest a major-league game had started.

He curses. He smokes pot. He dreads calling his weepy mom. He ends up in jail, outer space, a mental hospital, and in the French Quarter with a stripper named Wanda and an ape named Sue.Meet the real Forrest Gump. Not the "Forrest Gump" that has made more than $300 million at the box office and is expected to dominate tonight's Academy Awards ceremony.The movie, which is up for Best Picture and 12 other Oscars, took the main character from an obscure book, sanitized him and transformed him in to a cultural phenomenon.

The injury that St. Louis Cardinals star pitcher Adam Wainwright suffered in the bullpen during spring training isn't just a big league problem. As baseball season approaches, Little Leaguers and other school-age players should be aware that they can damage their elbows. Dr. Anand M. Murthi, attending orthopedic surgeon and chief of shoulder and elbow surgery at Union Memorial Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, explains the surgery that is sometimes necessary for repairs. It's called ulnar collateral ligament (UCL)

On a warm, sunny afternoon at the Maritime Industries Academy baseball field, posters honoring members of the Negro leagues hung on the outfield fence and dust swirled under the banner honoring Jackie Robinson at home plate. Members of the Maritime and Southside Academies wore gray and blue pin-striped replica uniform shirts of two teams that played in the NL — the Baltimore Black Sox (Maritime) and the Baltimore Elite Giants (Southside). And they played with wooden bats. In this, the 1st Annual Negro League Appreciation Game, the Maritime Black Sox won, 11-1, in five innings, with pitcher Devont'e Lewis striking out 14 and allowing just one hit while going the distance.

DEAR CAL -- I'm the mother of a 13-year-old boy who is a natural in baseball. He played in recreation leagues from T-ball through 11 years old. He developed a fear of the ball and kept backing out of the batter's box. Although he never was hit, he hit some batters while he was a pitcher and it scared him so badly that he doesn't want to play in a league again. Every time there's a story about someone getting hurt by the baseball he reminds us that is why he doesn't play on a team. We took him to a baseball academy and he played one more season but kept backing out of the batter's box. All of his uncles, who play ball, say he is a natural and he plays daily at home in our big yard.

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez, who has not pitched since developing a deep blister on his right thumb May 3 in Anaheim, is getting closer to appearing in a big league game. Gonzalez threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session Wednesday, the last few without a bandage covering the thumb (he won't be able to use a covering in a game). He said he came out feeling “really good.” “The ball was coming out good,” Gonzalez said. “The breaking pitches were fine. I was pretty happy about my performance.” Gonzalez is next scheduled to pitch in a simulated game Friday afternoon at Camden Yards so that the team can best control the environment.

Remarkable is a word to describe the football turnaround at Meade.No. 15 Meade has gone from a 1-9 season to 6-1 with a legitimate chance at a county championship and the state playoffs for the first time since 1987. Meade plays host to Chesapeake (2-6) Friday, next week visits North County (4-3) and then closes out the regular season at home against No. 4 Arundel (7-0).Arundel at Meade figures to be the game of the year in Anne Arundel County because it may decide the 4A county championship and the top seed in the 4A East Region.