Ballgame

Quote: "I had all three [pitches] working, good velocity, good movement and good location. But once the K's are mounting up, you don't really realize it because you're losing the ballgame." -- Blue Jays' Roger Clemens, who struck out 15 and left a 2-2 tie.It's a fact: The Mariners' Bill Swift is 3-6 pitching with five days' rest. He's 7-0 with a normal four days between starts.Who's hot: Last season, the Yankees lost their 30th game on June 16, their 67th game.Who's not: The Yankees' Hideki Irabu was 6-2 with a 1.68 ERA in his first 11 starts.

When the ESPN Zone opens its doors in Baltimore's Power Plant next weekend, the Walt Disney Co. puts its future as a dominant player in the regional entertainment market on the line."

Hundreds of thousands of Baltimoreans know Ednor Gardens-Lakeside by sight if not by name.For more than 40 years, people who have attended countless baseball and football games at Memorial Stadium have at one time or another noticed the row of white stuccoed English-style houses beyond the center field fence. Many would recall that they envied the people who lived on East 36th Street because they could watch an Orioles or Colts game from the confines of their homes."You really can't see into the stadium like the buildings around Wrigley Field in Chicago," said David Bernell, who has lived on 36th Street for eight years.

Former Orioles first baseman, current bench coach and future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray was regarded by teammates as a player who let his actions on the field speak for themselves. However, when his No. 33 was officially retired yesterday, the usually stone-faced Murray couldn't help but give in to the moment.Murray, one of only three players to hit 500 home runs and amass 3,000 hits, wiped tears from his eyes and his voice cracked as he thanked fans, teammates and family after Orioles manager Ray Miller presented him with a framed 1980s Orioles )

Late with your taxes?Forget it. Instead, when taxes are due Wednesday night, go to the Orioles-White Sox game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.Better yet, do both. Take your file to the bleachers and figure it out there. Then dump it in a box at the Orioles community booth at the stadium -- with enough postage.The U.S. Postal Service, in a tax deadline innovation this year, says a letter carrier will be at the ballpark from 5: 30 p.m. to 8: 30 p.m. Wednesday to collect federal and state tax returns.

BALTIMORE CITY's tortuous hotel saga has taken another twist. City Council President Lawrence A. Bell III now says approval of the 48-story Inner Harbor East Wyndham hotel should be delayed, so that the controversial project can be considered in tandem with another hotel located closer to the Convention Center. And he wants public subsidies for both hotels limited to property tax relief."We will not entertain any public subsidies that would require any out-of-pocket expenditure," he said at a meeting of the city's Board of Estimates yesterday.

With the Orioles and Ravens scheduled to play home games tomorrow, Mass Transit Administration officials have designated parking areas to make it easier for fans using public transportation to attend the games.Express buses to the football game at Memorial Stadium will leave park and ride lots beginning three hours before the 7: 30 p.m. kickoff. Fares range between $5 and $6 per rider, and two children may ride free when an accompanying adult pays full fare.To Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the MTA offers light rail service every 15 minutes from the Timonium and Cromwell/Glen Burnie stations.

THE BALTIMORE ORIOLES, in a span of six days, will make the case for both sides of the debate that has stirred fans over interleague play.Baseball has long been unique among American sports in that its two leagues never played one another in games that counted until the autumn championship rounds. That changes this weekend, when teams in the American and National leagues play each other for the first time during the regular season.The Orioles travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Each boasts the most wins in its league and each has saved its best pitchers for this showdown.

WHEN PEGGY Engel and her family head to a ballpark, they know where to find the good stuff, the savory eats and the architectural attractions.In Baltimore's Oriole Park at Camden Yards, they head to the Eutaw Street promenade beyond the right-field fence. There Engel's husband, Bruce Adams, gets in line for a pit-beef sandwich from Boog Powell's stand.Meanwhile, her kids, 10-year-old Emily and 7-year-old Hugh, make a temporary stop at the markers embedded in the walkway. The markers indicate where the longest home runs have landed.

IT'S TIME TO rein in the excess in promotions and pageantry before and during sporting events. We don't just mean the rock music blared at Orioles games, although plenty of fans feel that detracts from the experience at Camden Yards. We're talking about contrived events that threaten the life and limb of participants and spectators.Recently, a Maryland National Guard paratrooper was killed while practicing a jump before the home opener for the Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball team in Delaware.