Back In Baltimore

Louis C. Thuman, who rose from the Baltimore sandlots to the Washington Senators only to have his pitching career cut short by a German bullet, died of pneumonia Dec. 19 at Dulaney-Towson Health Care Center. He was 84. The lanky Baltimore native and Polytechnic Institute graduate was playing for the Apaches, a local amateur ballclub, when major-league scouts discovered him pitching at Bugle Field on Erdman Avenue. After a brief stint in the minor leagues, Mr. Thuman was promoted to the majors for the 1939 season, debuting as a pitcher for the Senators at age 22. Like many young pitchers, Mr. Thuman needed some breaking in: In his first two seasons, he pitched in only five games, giving up 15 hits and nine walks in nine innings, while registering one strikeout.

As an engineer who helped design satellites for NASA and worked on components for Skylab, Michael Thomas lived in a world of mathematical calculations and technical specifications. So it was understandable that he was a bit unnerved when he heard the voice of God - which he says came during a vision - telling him he should stop fiddling with a slide rule and start pounding a pulpit. Twenty-three years ago, Thomas, 55, who wasn't even a churchgoing man, answered the calling and became a minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

THIS WAS THE ONE that got rid of all the frustration." So said then-Baltimore Colt Leonard Lyles to Sports Illustrated following the team's 34-0 annihilation of the Cleveland Browns in the 1968 NFL championship game. His words come to mind in light of the most recent watershed moment in Baltimore football -- the Ravens' stunning 39-36 comeback victory over its former biannual nemesis, the two-time defending division champion Jacksonville Jaguars. But the Ravens' win was not so much about relieving frustration as it was a retrieval of something in our collective past, a part of our community soul.

As folks who have been off work tend to do, I spent the first few days back on the job swapping vacation stories. What interested me were stories of vacation disasters, the low points rather than the highlights of leave. As I quizzed colleagues about their troubles in leisure land, I heard a few tales of woe. I heard about a dad who temporarily lost a daughter in the London subway system when they accidentally took different trains. They were reunited a few trains later. I heard about a dad who stuffed his family into a van and headed across America only to be sidelined for several days in Oklahoma City while a mechanic rebuilt the transmission.

Senators of both parties decided that marriage conveys sufficient penalties without including taxes among them. Cong Ehrlich looked for the root cause of crime and found the appointment of Democrats as U.S. attorneys. Pity Bill. Imagine coming back jet-fatigued after foxing with Putin, to find the gang lurking for you at Camp David. Ospreys are back in Baltimore Harbor. Some birds of prey never left.

Hoping to lure experienced teachers to poorly performing schools and to sidestep a nationwide teacher shortage, the Baltimore County Board of Education is considering a plan that would allow retired teachers to return to the classroom without losing pension benefits. The plan would target 65 schools with the lowest test scores and the most inexperienced teachers, those with less than three years in the classroom. Retired teachers who agree to work at those schools would be paid $57,551 a year in addition to their full pensions.

Built over nearly six years since college, Tarik Walker's resume reflects the tumult of trying to make a living in pro soccer:Nine teams, five that failed; six cities, if you count New Castle, Del.; five leagues, one out of business; indoor ball galore, less outdoors; one nice individual honor, a scoring footnote and three championships.Little fame. No fortune. But a good enough reputation that Walker, 27, who has a pattern of bouncing back to Baltimore, found the Blast willing to trade for him last fall.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Antonio Freeman found himself in the lobby of a Green Bay hotel less than 16 hours before yesterday's kickoff with the Ravens discussing the return game with teammate Roell Preston.Preston, who already had returned two kickoffs for touchdowns this season, had yet to break a big one off a punt, and Freeman let him know it."I told him, 'You've done everything but break a punt,' " Freeman said. "And I told him about how everyone is hyping up Jermaine Lewis coming in here."And he was like, 'You know what, Free, I'm going to get one.' "It took all of 1 minute and 47 seconds for Preston to make good on his promise.

Against a deep blue African sky, a majestic woman steals across the stage carrying a spear and the conscience of a nation. Lithe and sensuous, eloquent in every gesture, Maria Broom presents the mute, haunting presence of Mother Africa calling out to her children.The Baltimore actor and dancer is making her Center Stage debut in "Les Blancs," Lorraine Hansberry's play about an imaginary African country on the brink of revolution. She plays a silent spirit visible only to the main character.

The Orioles fans' love-in with Eddie Murray began well before game time yesterday.There was plenty of chatter around the Orioles' dugout during batting practice, and fans were asking the media if Murray seemed happy to be back in Baltimore during his afternoon news conference. Scattered chants of "Ed-die! Ed-die!" could be heard throughout Camden Yards. A "Welcome Back Eddie" banner hung beyond the bullpens in left-center field.The crowd picked up again during the introduction of the starting lineup.