Automobile Accident

The two brightly colored rubber bands that Orioles catcher Michael Ohlman wears around his right wrist — one orange and the other green — serve as a constant reminder. They remind him of two high school friends, Brett Wagner and Josh Rogers, who died in an automobile accident 10 weeks ago. They also remind Ohlman to always wear his seat belt when he gets into a car. The bands read "Josh and Brett: Forever our Light. " "[They] died on Christmas," Ohlman said. "They weren't wearing their seat belts, so these [bracelets]

Dr. James Burch Brooks, a retired orthopedic surgeon who spent his more than four-decade career with the Four East Madison Orthopedic Association, died Sunday of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at Union Memorial Hospital. The Cross Keys resident was 85. "He was extremely capable and humble, and he was well liked by his patients and all of those who worked around him," said Dr. Charles E. "Chick" Silberstein, a longtime friend and Baltimore orthopedic surgeon. "His patients just adored him. " The son of insurance executives, Dr. Brooks was born in Baltimore and raised in Forest Park.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles are playing the Braves in a 1:05 p.m. start here at Ed Smith Stadium. Right-hander Jason Hammel will make his Orioles Grapefruit League debut, throwing the first two innings for Baltimore. -- Some very good news for Orioles fans: Right fielder Nick Markakis, recovering from offseason abdominal surgery, is slotted to DH in the Orioles' home game against the Pirates on March 14. Orioles manager Buck Showalter has long had an idea of how many spring at-bats Markakis would need heading into the season.

Deirdre Diane "Dee" Huddles, a master gardener who was co-founder of a gardening services company, was killed Wednesday in an automobile accident near Butler. The Glyndon resident was 69. Baltimore County police reported that Ms. Huddles was driving north on Falls Road near Butler about 9 p.m. when her 2009 Subaru Forester was involved in an accident with a truck, which caused her car to overturn. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The accident remains under investigation by county police.

- In need of organizational catching depth, the Orioles claimed catcher Luis Exposito off waivers from the Red Sox, the club announced Tuesday. To make room for Exposito on the club's 40-man roster, the Orioles have designated third baseman Josh Bell for assignment. The Orioles signed Taylor Teagarden in the offseason to be Matt Wieters' backup but he is on the disabled list with back problems. That allowed non-roster invitee Ronny Paulino , who was likely to begin the season at Triple-A, to make the Orioles' 25-man roster out of camp.

Ravens reserve safety Ralph Staten, 25, was charged with drunken driving after his vehicle collided with another in Baltimore County early yesterday morning and is not expected to play in tomorrow's game against the New York Jets.The driver of the other car, Danielle Monroe of Parkville, also was charged with drunken driving and was hurt in the accident, according to Baltimore County police.Monroe, 27, was flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Unit and had surgery on her hip and pelvic area, according to a Ravens official.

MY TEENAGE son was overcome with sadness last week. He tried not to show it, but a parent can always tell. He'd just learned that a former high school classmate had been killed in an automobile accident -- two months after graduating. The young man was driving a car full of teen-agers after 2 a.m. when he lost control while making a turn and ran into a tree. His four passengers were sent to Shock Trauma and were recovering, but the driver's life ended after 19 short years. The young man had become close to my 17-year-old, who is entering his senior year.

Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel graded out his first Grapefruit League outing with his new team Thursday afternoon - in which he tossed a pair of scoreless innings in a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Braves at Ed Smith Stadium - as a "B, C-plus. " Hammel, acquired from the Rockies last month in the trade that send Jeremy Guthrie to Colorado, initially struggled with his control against the Braves, walking leadoff hitter Luis Durango on four pitches, but rebounded to strike out Martin Prado and inducted a pop-up to short from Freddie Freeman . He then overcame back-to-back one-out singles in the second inning by inducing a 4-6-3 double-play ball from third baseman Joey Terdoslavich . "Honestly, for the first time out, considering all things, the results were good," Hammel said, "I struggled with the fastball, I was a little erratic today.

Former San Antonio Spurs guard-forward David Wingate, who has been accused of raping two women, has been named in a lawsuit involving a car accident that injured a woman and her child.Wingate, who helped lead Georgetown to the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball championship in 1984 and played basketball at Baltimore's Dunbar High School, was named Tuesday in a $23 million lawsuit that claimed he negligently lent his car to a nephew, who was driving a car that hit a woman and her 4-year-old child.

LANDOVER -- Washington Bullets center Pervis Ellison was involved in an auto accident early last night on the way from his home in Fort Washington to the Capital Centre for the game with the San Antonio Spurs.He was taken by ambulance to Greater Southeast Washington Hospital for X-rays and observation after complaining of back and neck pains. A hospital official said, however, that Ellison appeared "alert and oriented."Ellison, acquired by the Bullets from Sacramento in June 1990, was emerging as a dominant player this season, averaging 20.2 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.71 blocks, all career highs.