Advice

The last man to take a horse to Belmont with a chance to snag the elusive final gem in the Triple Crown has some advice for Doug O'Neill. Stay true to the horse. "I think trainers going around asking other people what they should do, looking for how to handle it, that's stupid," Rick Dutrow, trainer of Big Brown in 2008, said in a phone interview Sunday. "It's got to be about your horse. Whatever anybody else did doesn't matter. You know your horse. " O'Neill, trainer of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner I'll Have Another, has already disregarded common wisdom over the past three weeks.

Loyola sophomore goalie Jack Runkel has been a pleasant surprise this season, starting 14 of 16 games. He is 14-1 and has a goals-against average of 7.75 and a .536 save percentage. But on a team which has the best starting talent of the four semifinalists, how Runkel will hold up this weekend is the major question for the No. 1 seed Greyhounds, who will play No. 4 seed Notre Dame in a semifinal game on Saturday. Fortunately, Runkel has Charley Toomey as a head coach, a former All-American goalie at Loyola.

I hope everyone has taken a few moments to collect themselves after that spectacular finale. Midway through, I was a bit worried as the episode was beginning to seem more like a series finale than a season finale. However, the last 15 minutes provided everything a good finale should: suspense, murder, a love triangle (quadrangle!), a drug overdose, break-ups (bonus points for calling off an engagement), a conniving friend, heart break, a parent finding their child unconscious, unplanned pregnancy, a declaration of “never speak to me again” followed by a quick hang up, an engagement, a serious accident (plane instead of car, way to go big!

Columbia Gas Transmission's underground pipeline runs alongside David Raymond's house in Cockeysville today, as it did when he bought the place 30 years ago, quietly delivering natural gas to Baltimore County and beyond without incident. Still, Raymond stands with dozens of others - including the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, state legislators and the Gunpowder Riverkeeper - raising questions about or in opposition to a proposed 21.4-mile line running along much the same route from Owings Mills to Fallston.

Loyola sophomore goalie Jack Runkel has been a pleasant surprise this season, starting 14 of 16 games. He is 14-1 and has a goals-against average of 7.75 and a .536 save percentage. But on a team which has the best starting talent of the four semifinalists, how Runkel will hold up this weekend is the major question for the No. 1 seed Greyhounds, who will play No. 4 seed Notre Dame in a semifinal game on Saturday. Fortunately, Runkel has Charley Toomey as a head coach, a former All-American goalie at Loyola.

As a "public servant," it appears Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III relinquishes certain rights as a "private citizen" by accepting "public servant" wages. Please consider the following as a solution to the exchange between Mr. Bealefeld and Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy: 1. Upon awakening in the morning in your private citizen pajamas, put on your private citizen robe and go out and remove the Gregg Bernstein signs from your lawn. 2. When you dress in your public servant uniform as Baltimore City Police Commissioner, go to work, solve crimes, lock up bad guys, protect the citizenry, etc., but do not discuss who the next State's Attorney will be. 3. Upon your return home, put on your private citizen clothes, put your Bernstein signs up, and enjoy the evening.

To state lawmakers: This is the year of change. There will be no increase in taxes. The Transportation Trust Fund will be put in a lock box so the governor cannot raid it. If hundreds of billions over the years had not been taken to balance your reckless spending, Maryland would have the best roads, bridges and transportation system in the nation. There will be cuts in every item of the budget. This is the year of restraint. Remember, the governor is having billions of dollars brought into this state from his last foreign trip.

Larry Brown has a message for Allen Iverson : Don't give up. Iverson's former coach said Friday he thinks the 10-time All-Star "still has a passion to play" and shouldn't retire. An online report this week indicated Iverson had decided to end his career after receiving little interest from NBA teams. Brown, who coached Iverson in Philadelphia when he was voted league MVP in 2001 while leading the 76ers to the NBA Finals, said he's been trying to get in touch with him. "Anybody that knows him understands how much he loves to play," said Brown, now coaching the Bobcats.

Several years ago, I was a committee chair for a local charity function at M&T Bank Stadium to benefit Baltimore's homeless. Midway through the evening, Sheila Dixon graced us with her presence, making an appearance in one of those now infamous full-length mink coats. I remember thinking at the time there could be no greater example of brazen temerity. But having just read that Ms. Dixon is considering a run for mayor in 2015, I stand corrected. Richard Crystal, Baltimore

Last week the Wilde Lake Village Board announced its decision, online, concerning the Kimco Realty plans for redevelopment of the Village Center. It approved aspects of the plans that should have been disapproved. Two years ago the Village Board recognized that they needed the advice of professionals to adequately evaluate such comprehensive redevelopment plans and requested local architects and planners volunteer to be on an Architectural Advisory Panel. The four panel members recently submitted their recommendations after attending Kimco's community presentations and extensive review of their plans.

Ella Johnson thought she was done raising kids. Then one night her daughter, asleep in bed with her 1-year-old son, died of a heart condition, and Johnson suddenly found herself mothering a grieving grandchild who clung to the picture of his dead mother. The mother of three grown children, Johnson had plenty of experience with patching skinned knees and soothing teenage mood swings, but taking on the family's youngest generation brought a new set of worries about how to make ends meet and how to provide the right environment for her grandson, DaQuan'Ta Harper, who is now 12. So she eagerly signed on to a National Institutes of Health research study started this year that provides grandparents around the country with practical advice and support for raising grandchildren.

BEREA, Ohio — For Trent Richardson, the pressure of following in Emmitt Smith's footsteps was inescapable. Richardson tried to carve his own path while playing running back at Escambia High School in Pensacola, Fla., which produced all-time NFL rushing leader Smith. But every time people heard that Richardson was from Pensacola, he said, their response was, "Oh, you got Emmitt Smith from there. " "You're playing at Emmitt Smith's high school, there's tremendous incentive to do the same thing, if not better," said Escambia track coach Derrick Boyd, Richardson's mentor.

In reviewing "Savage U,"  MTV's  sex advice show featuring Dan Savage, I predicted that it was going to be a culture-wars lightning rod at some point. The show debuted with an episode set at the University of Maryland April 3. Well, it didn't take long. On April 7, Brent Bozell, publisher of the right-wing media watchdog website NewsBusters went absolutely off the rails with a column attacking MTV and Savage as merchants of "smut. " Here's how Bozell started his column, and he was only warming up: MTV is now trying to lure young viewers with a saucy sex show in the “advice” category.

At the start of his new MTV series, "Savage U," Dan Savage introduces himself to a group of University of Maryland students as a "big jerk" and a sex advice columnist. While there's not much "big jerk" behavior, there is lots of sound advice from the star of this winning production that launches with an episode filmed in College Park. "Savage U," which brings the columnist and his producer, Lauren Hutchinson, to a different college campus each week for frank discussions with students about sex, will also likely stir some culture-war controversy when it debuts at 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Greg Smiith, a former executive with Goldman Sachs, became a hero yesterday to workers worldwide, as well as to everyone fed up with fat-cat bankers. His resignation, published in an op-ed in the New York Times, explained that he was leaving the banking giant after nearly 12 years because it lost its way in a big way: “I knew it was time to leave when I realized I could no longer look students in the eye and tell them what a great place this was to work. When the history books are written about Goldman Sachs, they may reflect that the current chief executive officer, Lloyd C. Blankfein, and the president, Gary D. Cohn, lost hold of the firm's culture on their watch.

The Baltimore CASH Campaign is hosting its 7 th annual Money Power Day Saturday, March 10. Consumers will be able to get a free credit report, one-on-one credit counseling and help with connecting to public benefits. Also, taxpayers will be able to get free tax preparation, provided household income is less than $50,000. Troubled homeowners will receive advice on avoiding foreclosure, and prospective buyers will get free housing counseling. Plus, there will be more than 45 nonprofits, government agencies and businesses that will provide financial advice.

I live in the city (zip code 21206). My neighborhood is completely blocked in with no sign of help. Many of my neighbors and myself are unable to get to work. Our roads have not been plowed. We have many elderly residents that family members can't get to because of the roads. The county roads look great compared to the city. What's going on?!? I am originally from Boston and have seen my fair share of storms. The mayor needs to contact them because they know how to plan and execute snow removal.

In reviewing "Savage U,"  MTV's  sex advice show featuring Dan Savage, I predicted that it was going to be a culture-wars lightning rod at some point. The show debuted with an episode set at the University of Maryland April 3. Well, it didn't take long. On April 7, Brent Bozell, publisher of the right-wing media watchdog website NewsBusters went absolutely off the rails with a column attacking MTV and Savage as merchants of "smut. " Here's how Bozell started his column, and he was only warming up: MTV is now trying to lure young viewers with a saucy sex show in the “advice” category.

Martyn Lawrence-Bullard left his home in England for Los Angeles 20 years ago, determined to be a movie star. The acting thing didn't exactly work out. But in one of those delightful turnabouts in life, he is now the interior designer to the stars. Ed Norton, the Osbournes, Cher and Kid Rock top an eclectic list of clients. Lawrence-Bullard has made the Architectural Digest and Elle Decor lists of top designers. He is a principal on Bravo TV's "Million Dollar Decorators. " He has a new book, "Live, Love & Decorate," with a foreword by client Elton John.

You may have collected your fair share of antler-inspired decor last fall. Or you might be thinking about finding a spot for that bold tangerine color of the year or even adding one of the woodland-themed pieces expected to be popular. Stop thinking and start organizing. Blindly following home decor trends can result in a home that's an eclectic mess. With spring cleaning right around the corner, now is the time to assess and redefine your style. That means knowing what hot items to display, what items to store because they're destined to come back into vogue, and what items to dump.