Bad Day

Talk with George W. Collins these days, and the man brims with good cheer. He boasts about his young grandson's football prowess, jokes about politicians, shares asides about the foibles of today's television news stars, vents about the pomposities of talk radio. Collins has the stature to muse widely on such subjects. A self-described "dinosaur," the 77-year-old journalist covered some of the most sobering issues that Marylanders confronted over the 20th century. As a reporter and then editor-in-chief for Baltimore's Afro-American and a staffer at WMAR-TV, among other outlets, Collins chronicled the rise and fall of Maryland politician Spiro T. Agnew, wrote about education, and tracked policies on poverty and other social issues.

Who's hot Rocco Baldelli of the Devil Rays extended his hitting streak to 12 games. Who's not The Reds have committed a National League-leading 19 errors in 14 games. Line of the day Mike Mussina, Yankees P IP ..... R ..... H ..... BB ..... SO 8 ........ 0 ..... 3 ....... 2 ........ 9 He said it "They both set the bar so high where no one thinks they're ever going to lose a game or ever have a bad day." Chad Moeller, Diamondbacks catcher, on Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who are a combined 0-4 in six starts On deck Runelvys Hernandez of the Royals goes for his AL-leading fourth victory today, facing the White Sox.

INDIANAPOLIS - It certainly wasn't pretty or artistic. But what it was - a come-from-behind, 22-20 victory by the Indianapolis Colts over the Ravens yesterday at the RCA Dome - proved that winning ugly has its advantages. Mike Vanderjagt's fifth field goal of the game, a 38-yarder with four seconds remaining in regulation, lifted the Colts from what might have been one of their more lethargic offensive performances in recent years. Still, as Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy was quick to point out, he'll take the win, which gives the AFC South-leading Colts a 4-1 record heading into next Monday night's game at Pittsburgh.

IT WAS preaching to the choir amid the rubble of the church. Civil rights leaders, researchers, lawyers and students gathered in Chapel Hill, N.C., last weekend for a conference with an interrogatory theme: "The Resegregation of Southern Schools?" Speaker after speaker, researcher after researcher, answered yes, as the conference turned into a long day of mourning for the glory days of school desegregation. The conference sponsors, Harvard's Civil Rights Project and the University of North Carolina's Center for Civil Rights, expected 200, but 500 signed up. I mention the numbers because one observer said those who attended were the last Americans to believe all races benefit when the races are mixed in school.

WILMINGTON, N.Y. - Whiteface Mountain is a tourist trap in the High Peaks of the Adirondacks. It is the only mountaintop that can be reached by car. In the winter, it is a ski resort; in the summer, it is a mountain bike center. As such, Whiteface is the only peak of the 46 highest Adirondack Mountains not designated as pristine wilderness. But the threats facing Whiteface (elevation 4,670 feet) confront many of the more strictly protected peaks of the Adirondack Park, and some are coming from afar.

Retired Air Force Col. Edward Hubbard likes to engage people in a little mind game he calls "Good Day or Bad Day?" Consider, oh, July 20, 1966. That morning, as the Vietnam War raged, 28-year-old Lt. Ed Hubbard's jet was shot out of the skies over North Vietnam by a SAM missile, causing the six-man crew to eject at 16,000 feet as the aircraft screamed out of control. Within hours, he was captured, stripped and forced to march for hours blindfolded with a rope tied around his neck, thus beginning more than 6 1/2 years as a POW, during which he was routinely starved, tortured and tossed in solitary confinement.

NOT SO LONG ago, in an economy far, far away, companies with no profits and no sales were bought and sold for tens of millions of dollars by public shareholders and the corporations they owned. Those days are mostly gone, but you can relive them Friday at the BWI Marriott in Linthicum. Corvis Corp.'s annual meeting there is shaping up to be a 1990s nostalgia party, complete with questionable securities analysis and a very rosy view of the future. What makes the event so last-decade is Corvis' proposed purchase of Dorsal Networks - whose sales and profits equal zero - for $50 million in Corvis stock.

The General Assembly continued its legislative barrage against CareFirst Blue- Cross BlueShield yesterday as both chambers passed a flurry of bills propelled by opposition to the insurer's quest to become a for-profit company. The most sweeping of the bills - which passed the House - would explicitly recommit the company to its nonprofit mission if its proposed $1.3 billion acquisition by WellPoint Health Networks is disapproved by the insurance commissioner or otherwise scuttled. The measure, supported by the House leadership, also would restructure the board and cut directors' pay. "We've had philosophical disagreement with the CareFirst board of directors for the past six or seven years," said Del. Michael E. Busch, chairman of the House Economic Matters Committee.

COLLEGE PARK - In time, Dennard Wilson will be OK. Perhaps he is already. That's the prognosis from teammates and coaches for the sophomore cornerback for Maryland, who was in the eye of the storm during his team's 52-31 loss Saturday at Florida State. In the third career start for Wilson, he had a rough time as the primary cover man on several of the five touchdown passes thrown by quarterback Chris Rix. Wilson played well in Maryland's other high-profile game this season, starting and then switching off with Curome Cox in the 20-17 overtime win over Georgia Tech on Oct. 11. But with Tony Okanlawon out of the lineup against Florida State, the spotlight was on him as it hadn't been before.