Big Al

This Jan. 10 will be the two-year anniversary of the death of the great Annapolis High football coach, Big Al Laramore. It seems like only yesterday that Big Al was romping and stomping on the sidelines at Annapolis High. Two football seasons have come and gone without him.And with the two-year anniversary of his death coming up, a lot of us wonder when the school is going to name something in his honor. Al gave 27 years of his life, 23 as head football coach to Annapolis High school before a heart attack took his life at the age of 52.The football and track stadium was named several years ago after Richard Ensor, who was the longtime principal.

ALLEN "BIG AL" CONRAD, 53, of Long Beach, MS., died Friday, February 18, 2005 in Long Beach, MS. Big Al was born in Baltimore, Maryland and had been a resident of the coast for 30 years. He was retired from the US Navy and was a Vietnam Veteran. He was a member of the VNV/MC. He was preceded in death by his father, Ernest Conrad. He is survived by his Ol' Lady, Gayl "Angel" Tracy of Long Beach; his mother and stepfather, Frances and Joseph Houston of Joppa, Maryland; his son, Richard Le Normand of Gulfport; his daughter, Michelle Conrad of Gulfport; his brother, Michael Conrad of Baltimore, Maryland; and three grandchildren.

Jack Davidson, a nonagenarian who lives in Hagerstown, told this story to Lee Johnson, also of Hagerstown. Johnson is a retired salesman. WHEN YOU PASS 90, the things you used to take for granted become more and more important with each passing year. Such is the case with my occasional Sunday afternoon rides over territory that once was exquisitely familiar but now is barely recognizable. I'm talking about the routes and places I knew 60 years ago while I was delivering illegal whiskey for Al Capone.

Big. Meat. Smoky. Hot. Yes, it was a macho, sweltering, one-syllable experience when we sampled Big Al's Pit Beef in Essex the other day. And, hey, there is nothing like a pit-beef dinner once in a while, especially at a perfectly competent, reasonably priced place such as Al's. It isn't much to look at, a little shack dominated by an enormous ventilator hood on top, sitting on a busy stretch of Eastern Avenue in Essex. Inside the un-air-conditioned eatery is a counter with a couple of stools, an enormous fan stirring the hot air, a few copies of community newspapers and not much else.

Big. Meat. Smoky. Hot. Yes, it was a macho, sweltering, one-syllable experience when we sampled Big Al's Pit Beef in Essex the other day. And, hey, there is nothing like a pit-beef dinner once in a while, especially at a perfectly competent, reasonably priced place such as Al's. It isn't much to look at, a little shack dominated by an enormous ventilator hood on top, sitting on a busy stretch of Eastern Avenue in Essex. Inside the un-air-conditioned eatery is a counter with a couple of stools, an enormous fan stirring the hot air, a few copies of community newspapers and not much else.

The American Jewish Theater will present "Angel of Death" and "Big Al," two one-act plays about Hollywood and its influence.Billy Hopkins is directing "Angel of Death," by the 26-year-old playwright Charlie Schulman, about the resurrection of Dr. Josef Mengele as a movie star."

Albert "Big Al" Bertino, 84, a Disney animator who created many of the attractions at Disneyland, died Sunday in Los Angeles.One of his most famous creations was Country Bear Jamboree, a stage show featuring an animatronic bear named "Big Al" that he said was his self-portrait. His other creations at the Anaheim, Calif., amusement park have been crowd favorites since the early days of Disneyland -- Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Treasure Island and the Haunted Mansion.Herb Cornuelle, 76, who at 38 was the youngest president in Dole Co. history, died of abdominal cancer Tuesday in Honolulu, Hawaii.

There are two key things to know about Big Al's of Fells Point. First, it's in Middle River (we'll explain the Fells Point bit later). Second, what's inside is much better than the slightly downtrodden outside would lead you to expect. Remember that old chestnut about deceptive appearances? Well, Big Al's defines that. All the food we ordered was top-notch, with the lone exception of a watery slab of flounder. The service was admirable, given that it was provided by a teen-age girl charged with seating, serving and busing four or five tables.

ALLEN "BIG AL" CONRAD, 53, of Long Beach, MS., died Friday, February 18, 2005 in Long Beach, MS. Big Al was born in Baltimore, Maryland and had been a resident of the coast for 30 years. He was retired from the US Navy and was a Vietnam Veteran. He was a member of the VNV/MC. He was preceded in death by his father, Ernest Conrad. He is survived by his Ol' Lady, Gayl "Angel" Tracy of Long Beach; his mother and stepfather, Frances and Joseph Houston of Joppa, Maryland; his son, Richard Le Normand of Gulfport; his daughter, Michelle Conrad of Gulfport; his brother, Michael Conrad of Baltimore, Maryland; and three grandchildren.

The Derby Trial doesn't carry the importance it once did. As far as the Kentucky Derby is concerned, it now means virtually nothing.From a bettors' standpoint, however, today's Trial at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., is a good one. The one-mile race will be simulcast to Pimlico and the Laurel inter-track outlet, and although it attracted no true Derby contenders, it drew an interesting field of 12.The most intriguing entrant is an unstarted colt Big...

There are two key things to know about Big Al's of Fells Point. First, it's in Middle River (we'll explain the Fells Point bit later). Second, what's inside is much better than the slightly downtrodden outside would lead you to expect. Remember that old chestnut about deceptive appearances? Well, Big Al's defines that. All the food we ordered was top-notch, with the lone exception of a watery slab of flounder. The service was admirable, given that it was provided by a teen-age girl charged with seating, serving and busing four or five tables.

Dear Albert Belle: Because we media types don't get lockers, like you athletes, consider this bit of correspondence the equivalent of our (or at least one of us) hanging a note for you. To use your vernacular, we're apparently going to be together for the next 4 1/2 years, or at least until your blanket no-trade clause runs out in 2 1/2 years, and there's nothing more we would rather do than show you some love. Funny thing about love, Big Al -- if we can, in fact, call you that.

Albert "Big Al" Bertino, 84, a Disney animator who created many of the attractions at Disneyland, died Sunday in Los Angeles.One of his most famous creations was Country Bear Jamboree, a stage show featuring an animatronic bear named "Big Al" that he said was his self-portrait. His other creations at the Anaheim, Calif., amusement park have been crowd favorites since the early days of Disneyland -- Pirates of the Caribbean, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Treasure Island and the Haunted Mansion.Herb Cornuelle, 76, who at 38 was the youngest president in Dole Co. history, died of abdominal cancer Tuesday in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Let me say, from the start, that no perverse pleasure is taken in the story that follows. Though cynics might suspect that I offer it strictly for public amusement, that's not the case. I offer it, mostly, as a public service -- a warning, you might say -- and only in part for amusement. After all, there are people out there -- perhaps several dozen by now, possibly some of them readers of this column, possibly members of my immediate family -- who will cringe at the mention of Golden Ring Harry, and find any celebration of his endeavors in bad taste.

The American Jewish Theater will present "Angel of Death" and "Big Al," two one-act plays about Hollywood and its influence.Billy Hopkins is directing "Angel of Death," by the 26-year-old playwright Charlie Schulman, about the resurrection of Dr. Josef Mengele as a movie star."

Jack Davidson, a nonagenarian who lives in Hagerstown, told this story to Lee Johnson, also of Hagerstown. Johnson is a retired salesman. WHEN YOU PASS 90, the things you used to take for granted become more and more important with each passing year. Such is the case with my occasional Sunday afternoon rides over territory that once was exquisitely familiar but now is barely recognizable. I'm talking about the routes and places I knew 60 years ago while I was delivering illegal whiskey for Al Capone.

Let me say, from the start, that no perverse pleasure is taken in the story that follows. Though cynics might suspect that I offer it strictly for public amusement, that's not the case. I offer it, mostly, as a public service -- a warning, you might say -- and only in part for amusement. After all, there are people out there -- perhaps several dozen by now, possibly some of them readers of this column, possibly members of my immediate family -- who will cringe at the mention of Golden Ring Harry, and find any celebration of his endeavors in bad taste.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Alydavid won the $88,875 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs yesterday, but his move may have been symbolic of his bid to enter the ranks of elite 3-year-olds: impressive, but late.The Alydar colt, making just the fourth start of the career, overcame a troubled start and won by 2 1/2 lengths over Honor Grades. To Freedom, the even-money favorite, faded to seventh.Trainer Phil Hauswald said before the race that a good effort in the 1-mile Trial might lead to a Derby berth. Hauswald got what he was looking for, then declined to fully commit himself to Saturday's 117th Kentucky Derby.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Alydavid won the $88,875 Derby Trial at Churchill Downs yesterday, but his move may have been symbolic of his bid to enter the ranks of elite 3-year-olds: impressive, but late.The Alydar colt, making just the fourth start of the career, overcame a troubled start and won by 2 1/2 lengths over Honor Grades. To Freedom, the even-money favorite, faded to seventh.Trainer Phil Hauswald said before the race that a good effort in the 1-mile Trial might lead to a Derby berth. Hauswald got what he was looking for, then declined to fully commit himself to Saturday's 117th Kentucky Derby.

The Derby Trial doesn't carry the importance it once did. As far as the Kentucky Derby is concerned, it now means virtually nothing.From a bettors' standpoint, however, today's Trial at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., is a good one. The one-mile race will be simulcast to Pimlico and the Laurel inter-track outlet, and although it attracted no true Derby contenders, it drew an interesting field of 12.The most intriguing entrant is an unstarted colt Big...