Ace

— This night wasn't supposed to be about Chris Tillman. Making his return from a three-start demotion to Triple-A Norfolk, Tillman was supposed to be a footnote Saturday, the unlucky kid who had to oppose Cliff Lee in the lefty ace's first start as a Texas Ranger after being traded by Seattle on Friday. Midway through the Orioles' 6-1 victory against the Rangers — their third straight in Texas — it became clear that the spotlight had shifted 180 degrees.

WIMBLEDON, England — Petra Kvitova announced herself to Serena Williams with high-pitched squeals and forceful fist pumps and with a tennis game of varied pace marked by volleys and lobs and, stunning to many, an early service break and an advantage over the world's top player. But Williams has something Kvitova doesn't have. The Serve. Kvitova has a serve but not The Serve. Not the consistently angry-seeming first shot that is blasted with both power and purpose.

When the Twins reached the playoffs a year ago, they started Brian Duensing against CC Sabathia in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. How much different would they be this season — both for a stretch-run battle and the playoffs — if they can turn to Cliff Lee ? Because the Twins were extended to a 163rd game, manager Ron Gardenhire didn't have the luxury of setting up his rotation to face the Yankees. If he had, he would have chosen between Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn , neither of whom could be picked out of a lineup by most baseball fans.

Having trouble getting your cakes to look like a box of Crayolas, hamburger or race car? Duff Goldman, the extreme cake maker who's put visions of confectionery glory into many a home baker's head, has a fondant for that. In nine colors. He also has fondant cutters. Texture tiles. "Cake graffiti" color spray. Cake "tattoos." Cake pans. Cake mixes, spatulas and other tools. The Food Network's "Ace of Cakes" star and owner of Baltimore's Charm City Cakes has a new line of baking products.

C. Milton Wright pitcher Bobby Ruse threw a perfect game and a one-hitter earlier this season. Now he can add a playoff shutout to that list. Ruse tossed a three-hitter in a dominating performance, and Brian Dippel's two-run single gave No. 1 C.M. Wright the necessary offense in a 2-0 victory over No. 4 Atholton in a Class 3A state semifinal game Tuesday at Joe Cannon Stadium. C.M. Wright (22-0) advanced to the Class 3A state title game Saturday at 7 p.m. at Ripken Stadium against the winner of Quince Orchard and Huntingtown.

Megan Hyson, Chesapeake-Anne Arundel's ace pitcher, didn't need a scouting report when preparing for Monday's game at No. 5 Seton Keough. Hyson spent two seasons at Seton Keough before transferring to Chesapeake in the fall, so she had a pretty good grasp of the Gators' lineup. With a flawless and technically sound defense behind her, Hyson had a successful homecoming by pitching a complete game in the No. 4 Cougars' 2-1 victory. "I kind of knew how to pitch everybody because some of them I played with in travel league, and the other ones I played with last year," said Hyson, a Georgetown recruit.

Three years ago, Mount St. Joseph's tennis team finished 0-10, but if the Gaels' early-season exploits are any indication, they just might be headed for the best tennis season in school history. They opened with their first-ever win over McDonogh, the two-time defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion and one of two teams with a chokehold on the conference title for 14 years. McDonogh and Gilman have won every title during that stretch except in 2001, when Calvert Hall took it. The Gaels are hoping this will be their year.

Orioles projected ace Kevin Millwood had a forgettable debut with his new club, allowing six runs in just two-thirds of an inning in a 9-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday before an announced 6,457 at sun-drenched Joker Marchant Stadium. Millwood, who was hoping to get through at least three innings, retired just two of the 10 hitters he faced. Tigers outfielder Clete Thomas started the first-inning outburst with a long homer to right field and then ended Millwood's afternoon with an RBI single.

Kevin Millwood was hoping to go at least three innings, possibly four in his Grapefruit League debut with the Orioles Saturday. He couldn't even get three outs. The Detroit Tigers hammered the Orioles' projected ace for six earned runs, seven hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning in their 9-5 victory at Joker Marchant Stadium. Millwood also mixed in a balk in a forgettable afternoon that saw the right-hander allow a leadoff homer to Clete Thomas and permit eight of the 10 hitters he faced to reach base.

Few athletes live with more insecurities than pitchers. Underhand, not overhand, is the natural way to throw a ball. Look at a picture of Roger Clemens or someone else throwing a fastball, and you will see an arm doing something it wasn't designed to do. It's natural that injuries result from throwing thousands of pitches every year at maximum effort. But injuries aren't the only problems for pitchers. Another reason for concern is that sometimes the ability to throw the ball really hard just vanishes, sometimes without a discernible reason.