Autograph

Crowds gathered throughout Cooperstown yesterday, but nowhere were the bodies packed tighter than around booths where baseball greats signed memorabilia. The hunt for Ripken autographs became so intense that when the inductee's golf cart neared a fence bordering a public road yesterday, dozens of people appeared within seconds asking for some Sharpie love. One enterprising homeowner charged $10 a head for anyone who wanted to stand in his yard near the edge of the golf course. Dozens paid the fee happily, perhaps realizing that they would pay five times as much at one of the autograph booths in town.

On a trip to Dallas from BWI last week, to my surprise, I was sitting next to Ray Lewis of the Ravens. He was on his way to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, and I'm sure it was a bittersweet trip for him. Mr. Lewis accommodated anyone and everyone who asked for an autograph with respect and dignity. He was most kind and considerate, even while being interrupted during a telephone call for an autograph while we were sitting at the gate. I did take the liberty of congratulating him on a great season, and he shook my hand with appreciation.

All week long, young and old, they've come to Middle River to pay homage to Vinnie Barbarino of television's Sweathogs fame. Or Danny Zuko from the movie Grease. But mostly it was, in the collective mind's eye of the fans who lined up daily by the hundreds on Old Eastern Avenue, the swaggering dancing machine Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever. John Travolta is at the creaky but venerable Commodore bar and meeting hall this week filming Ladder 49, a tale of Baltimore firefighters, their triumphs and their foibles.

When a famous entertainer shows up in Baltimore, chances are Owen Sweeney isn't far behind.Mr. Sweeney, a resident of Bel Air who attends the University of Baltimore, collects autographs. Not by trading with other collectors or buying from dealers, but by getting them himself.When someone famous breezes into town, he's one of a half-dozen or so young men who can pretty much be counted on to show up with pen in hand."Not to brag, but I think I'm like the main person in Baltimore," he says, bragging anyway.

Unfriendly experienceThe article by Doug Brown in last Sunday's Sun regarding Eddie Murray prompted me to write. I left the baseball card show with a completely opposite view of Eddie and his friendliness toward the Baltimore fans.I stood with a camera in front of Eddie and Cal for a while trying to get a picture. I watched Cal smile and speak to everyone. (Cal was terrific, even though I did not get an autograph). I never saw Eddie even crack a smile. He looked right into my camera twice with a blank stare.

Every summer since 1996, thousands of people have made an annual pilgrimage to the seat of Carroll County to watch Ravens training camp at McDaniel College. Veterans of the trip have established their routes to the college's practice fields and arranged their itineraries. But for the first-timers, Westminster is unexplored territory. What follows is a helpful guide meant to give the uninitiated a few hints on where to go, eat, and drink during the Ravens' training camp. Best places to park The parking lot at Bair Stadium on Main Street can hold about 700 cars and is available to the public free on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Bob Eller, senior director of operations for the Ravens.

Few people would begrudge a police officer a complimentary cup of coffee or even a doughnut. Theirs is a demanding and often dangerous job. Like firefighters, police officers are called upon to go into the burning building or dark alley — not to flee from it, as most people would be expected to do. But with this important job comes a great deal of discretionary power and an opportunity for abuse of that authority. Like Caesar's wife, they are expected to live up to a high standard of behavior.

A steady stream of autograph seekers filed past the celebrities in the Towson State University student union yesterday, offering photographs, cards and elaborate montages for their signatures.For $5, a fan could secure the autographs of four current or former professional athletes at one of three two-hour sessions that will benefit the Tiger Club, the school's athletic fund-raising arm.For the athletes, it was an opportunity to give to a worthy cause."This is the least I could do," said Dave Meggett of the Super Bowl champion New York Giants.

WASHINGTON - For years, insurance companies have priced auto policies according to the risk factors that they can easily measure: the age, sex and marital status of the driver, the type of car and the owner's neighborhood. But technology has added to the list: Companies can now tell how many hours the car is operated, at what times of day and on what kinds of roads. The change has made auto insurance far more interesting for two groups of people who never had a particular concern for the subject: environmentalists and privacy advocates.

He was an incongruous image, sitting there yesterday in Courtroom 9 of the Baltimore County Circuit Court.After all, John "Boog" Powell is known more for blasting home runs during his 14 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, or his current run as the barbecue king of Camden Yards.But yesterday, Mr. Powell was in court seeking redress over being stiffed $4,000 in January during a celebrity baseball card-trading and autograph-signing event in Pikesville. Michael Spivack, 24, of Owings Mills was the defendant.