Alex

WASHINGTON - After 65 minutes, still no one's hand was raised. Forget it. There's an easier way to settle this. No, not the game - though every time the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals meet, the excitement and intensity results in some pretty good hockey. With the regular season winding down, the final matchup between the two teams was overshadowed by the battle between two men - Alex the Great and Sid the Kid. The young superstars Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have been anointed to carry the NHL on their collective shoulders to new heights.

A few suggestions for the Ravens before the last man leaves the complex and turns out the lights: Keep Adalius Thomas. Apologize to Mike Anderson and Derrick Mason. They were both wronged, in different ways. Draft a speedy running back. If you need 8 yards, don't throw a 5-yard pass. Please stop doing that. I'm picking Colts-Saints in the Super Bowl. I know the Bears will be tough at home, especially if the weather is nasty, but their defense can't handle all the Saints' weapons, and Rex Grossman is ... well ... Rex Grossman.

On Monday, April 23rd, 2007, Mrs. Susan Gladys Fick (nee Rock), loving mother of Charles Fick and his wife Anne; adored sister of Walter Rock; adored grandmother and great-grandmother of Kimberly Mowrer, Kenneth Fick, Ryan Mowrer and Alex Sledge; cherished aunt of Sherry Breaux and Anthony Rock, passed away. At the request of Mrs. Fick, a Memorial Service to Celebrate her life will be held at a later date. Cremation.

1. Syracuse -- The most balanced Orange team since the team won it all in 2004. 2. Virginia -- Attackman Ben Rubeor could be this year's Matt Ward. 3. Johns Hopkins -- The defense gave up at least 10 goals five times in 2006. Not this year. 4. Cornell* -- The Big Red is primed for its first final four trip since 1988. 5. Duke -- The recovery is in good hands with coach John Danowski and son Matt. 6. Princeton -- Junior goalie Alex Hewit is so good he might record a shutout. 7. Maryland -- With Joe Walters gone, the offense must find a new go-to guy. 8. Massachusetts* -- The Minutemen lost a lot, but the program has arrived.

Randal Bennett Etheridge Jr., who worked in institutional sales for more than two decades for Alex. Brown & Sons, died of cancer Sept. 26 at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. He was 68 and lived in Guilford. Mr. Etheridge was born and raised in Raleigh, N.C. He served in Army intelligence from 1959 to 1962, and while stationed in Germany, he developed a longtime interest in Wagnerian opera. After earning his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1964, he went to work for Bank of New York.

Even 30 years later, the memories barely have dimmed. Chris Haley was a teenager in 1977 when he visited the set of the epic miniseries Roots. But he still can see the African-style huts hunkering down beneath the hot Georgia sun. He can hear the long, dry grasses rustle like crickets. And he still feels sweat pooling beneath his shirt, near his heart. That's when he knew that his Uncle Alex was about to accomplish something big. On TV Episode 5 of Roots will air on TVOne at 8 p.m. today; episode 6 airs at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Moves Basketball SPURS -- Signed G-F Bruce Bowen to contract extension. Football PANTHERS -- Signed RB Alex Haynes from practice squad. Waived TE Marcus Freeman. Hockey ISLANDERS -- Signed D Richard Park to two-year contract extension.

Over a lunch of gourmet sandwiches, salad and dessert, Benjamin S. Schapiro and Thomas R. Hitchner served up a sales pitch to two Mitsui & Co. Commodities Corp. executives.The two venture capitalists, who in December opened a private investment business, QuestMark Management Co., wanted Mitsui to pump at least $5 million into their fund. And their message was convincing. They talked about their strategy, their industry contacts and their well-connected board."The real priority is getting excellent returns," Schapiro told his guests.

BaseballBlue Jays: Named former manager Cito Gaston batting coach, Lee Elia bench coach and Bobby Knoop first base coach.Brewers: Announced C Charlie Greene and IF Eddie Zosky elected to become free agents.Rockies: Named Josh Byrnes senior director of baseball operations and assistant GM, Michael Hill director of player development and Bill Schmidt director of scouting.BasketballRockets: Waived G-F Stacey Augmon.CollegesMid-Eastern Athletic Conference: Named Morgan State LB Kirk Williams Rookie of the Week.

Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, a New York-based brokerage firm, opened an office in Baltimore yesterday and hired a key executive from Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown to run the operation.William F. Rienhoff IV, a former Alex. Brown managing director, left that company Wednesday to join Donaldson Lufkin as the production and sales manager of the new office, said Catherine Conroy, a spokeswoman for the company.Rienhoff headed Alex. Brown's flagship brokerage office downtown for about 11 years before stepping down from the position in June.

WASHINGTON - -Alex Ovechkin has accumulated one of the game's greatest collections of highlights and owns a trophy case full of major awards. But he was at a loss when asked to explain the sublime start to his fifth professional season. "Thank God, I've had a little bit of luck," the Washington Capitals' star left wing said. "And when I score goals, guys give me nice assists." After getting two goals and an assist in Tuesday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Ovechkin became the first player in 27 years to score at least three points in the first three games of the season, joining Hall of Famers Guy Lafleur and Peter Stastny.

Alex Griffith doesn't remember it, but he lived the first year of his life at a Siberian hospital for abandoned children where the playground consisted of a single metal swing and an unkempt sandbox. Today, because of the efforts of the North Harford High School sophomore, the play area has slides, a climbing wall and dozens of other pieces, and has become a symbol of friendship and cooperation between two nations separated by an ocean and vastly different ideologies. Alex lived the first year of his life at a hospital for abandoned children in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

Revanche gets under your skin and stays there for days. It contains one or two ludicrous passages, such as the most abrupt orgasmic love scene since Mandingo. But the movie is thoroughly original and cumulatively potent: a stiff drink that boasts staying power. Writer-director Gotz Spielmann has created a dirty cinematic pastorale that spans the red-light district of Vienna and a picture-book hamlet light-years removed in spirit. Midway through the film, an old farmer named Hausner (Hannes Thanheiser)

Unclear in goal Loyola coach Charley Toomey acknowledged that the line between goalies Jake Hagelin and Alex Peaty might not be as clear as it had been, and the coach is uncertain who will start against No. 2 Syracuse on Saturday. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ lacrosseblog)

WASHINGTON - After 65 minutes, still no one's hand was raised. Forget it. There's an easier way to settle this. No, not the game - though every time the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals meet, the excitement and intensity results in some pretty good hockey. With the regular season winding down, the final matchup between the two teams was overshadowed by the battle between two men - Alex the Great and Sid the Kid. The young superstars Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have been anointed to carry the NHL on their collective shoulders to new heights.

The Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, 23, may be one of the most exciting young athletes in any sport. He definitely has the ability to pull in new fans to a sport and a team that doesn't get much attention around here. I think it would be great if Ovechkin energized Baltimore. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/cornersportsbar)

How do the Capitals rate in the Baltimore market? Despite all-world Alex Ovechkin, the ratings are minuscule. So far in 2009 (through Wednesday), Capitals game-related programming on Comcast SportsNet has drawn an average of 0.4 percent of the Baltimore audience. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/mediumwell)

Arbitration hearing for Sherrill set for Feb. orioles The arbitration hearing between the Orioles and All-Star closer George Sherrill has been set for Feb. 19 in Phoenix. Sherrill, who saved 31 games last year, asked for $3.4 million, while the Orioles offered $2.2 million. The two sides can negotiate a deal to avoid arbitration until the hearing. JEFF ZREBIEC Source: A-Rod not hurt by Torre's comments baseball Alex Rodriguez has yet to comment publicly on the allegations of his unpopularity in the Yankees clubhouse made in the soon-to-be released book The Yankee Years, co-authored by former New York manager Joe Torre and writer Tom Verducci.

Zvonareva reaches Australian semifinals tennis Vera Zvonareva ran off 11 straight games in a 6-3, 6-0 win over Marion Bartoli at the Australian Open today to reach the semifinals for the first time in 25 majors. The 24-year-old Russian's best performance in six previous trips to Melbourne was the fourth round - she had gone out in the first round at the Australian Open three times, including last year. And she made the quarterfinals at the 2003 French Open. Seventh-seeded Zvonareva, who hasn't dropped a set in five matches, rallied from an opening service break to dominate 2007 Wimbledon finalist Bartoli in the remainder of their quarterfinal.

A Harford County boy might earn Scouting's highest honor with a community project thousands of miles from his home in Jarrettsville. Life Scout Alex Griffith, 15, knows the criteria for the rank of Eagle involve service to the community, a school or church. Alex, adopted in 1994 by Dwight and Jenny Griffith, lived the first year of his life at a hospital for abandoned children in Krasnoyarsk, a city in the Siberian region of Russia. He wants to give the children living at Hospital No. 20 a playground.