Big Game

THERE'S been nothing like it in Maryland: A $160 million lottery jackpot that has people clamoring for Big Game tickets from lottery vendors. Expect long lines if you wait too late to buy your tickets before tonight's 11 p.m. drawing.Chances are very strong that someone tonight will win this jackpot -- $6.1 million annually for 26 years, or $84.5 million in cash. Lottery officials predict that only 10 percent of the Big Game combinations will be left unplayed by drawing time. That's more incentive for people to take a chance, despite the 76 million to 1 odds.

WITH MANY questioning the commitment of parents to providing guidance for their children, the news about lottery winners George and Celia Poteet was like a beacon slicing through fog.After they hit the $31.5 million Big Game jackpot, twice as big as the previous largest Big Game prize in Maryland, the couple from Millersville knew that they and their children were guaranteed a comfortable life.However, the Poteets didn't immediately report their winning ticket to lottery officials; for three weeks, they kept their impending fortune a secret because they didn't want their teen-age sons distracted before final exams at Old Mill High School.

For three weeks, George and Celia Poteet knew they were millionaires many times over.Fate -- disguised as the numbers 12, 35, 36, 38, 39 and 30 -- had spirited the Millersville couple from middle-class comfort on Dogwood Road in Anne Arundel County to the land of big money: $31.5 million in lottery winnings.It's the kind of cash that changes families forever, and the Poteets kept their pot of gold a secret from nearly everyone but their accountant until their sons finished final exams at Old Mill High School.

It's like old times for Jimmy Johnson.Not only are the Dolphins 2-0, but the Miami coach is also playing mind games.Johnson, who predicted back in Dallas in 1993 that the Cowboys would beat the San Francisco 49ers in a playoff game and then watched his team pull it off, was in rare form last week.He harpooned a South Florida legend -- quarterback Dan Marino.Marino is being forced to adjust to Johnson's new offense that stresses the run. But Johnson publicly reminded him that the new offense is no excuse for poor pass production.

CHICAGO -- Everyone thought the NBA Finals were over.The Chicago Bulls did, even though they would never admit it.The Bulls' fans certainly did. They were more concerned about the historical significance of Game 5 than the Utah Jazz.A local TV station was running "Celebrate with Dignity" commercials during last night's game.Hey, the Jazz players themselves probably thought the series was over in the first half last night at the United Center, as the Bulls pulled ahead in a physical, sloppy game.

The success of a new, multi-state lottery game has calmed fears that the Maryland Stadium Authority will fall short of funds to build the Ravens stadium at Camden Yards.The weekly "Big Game," which had built up a pot of $77 million by yesterday, has met early projections. It should assure the Stadium Authority the $32 million a year in lottery proceeds it has budgeted for stadium construction and debt service on its other projects, chiefly Oriole Park."With some cautious optimism, we should be pretty close to where we should be," said Maryland Lottery spokesman Carroll H. Hynson.

After wresting the Maryland State Lottery account from the advertising agency that had it for 15 years, Eisner & Associates Inc. knew its unusual approach was the deciding factor.Steve Eisner, president and chief executive of Baltimore-based Eisner, said the "account planning" philosophy focuses on the consumers' perspectives and ideas instead of the ideas of the client or the agency.Today, the lottery will see the fruits of Eisner's labor when the first commercial for the Big Game, the multi-state lottery game with the largest jackpot, airs.

The National Football League returns to Baltimore today when the Ravens play the Steelers at Memorial Stadium.That might sound weird considering that the Ravens already are well into their second season here, and that almost 23 months have passed since Art Modell first announced his controversial move from Cleveland.OK, so the NFL actually returned quite awhile ago -- but that was in body only, not in spirit.The real essence of the pro game was missing last season during a glazed-over honeymoon in which a roster of transplanted Clevelanders struggled to a 4-12 finish and fans were happy just to have a team again after 12 years of silent Sundays.

Keys to the game1 R. Johnson struggles early: Mariners ace Randy Johnson seemed uncomfortable from the start, giving up a one-out home run to slap hitter Jeff Reboulet and an RBI single to Cal Ripken in the first inning. The Big Unit, pitching on three days' rest, needed 35 pitches to get the first three outs, but kept manager Lou Piniella out of his bullpen with a gutsy eight-inning complete game.2 Downsized lineup: Manager Davey Johnson went back to his Orioles Lite attack. There was only one change in the lineup that defeated Randy Johnson in Game 1. Designated hitter Geronimo Berroa moved from the cleanup spot to the No. 3 slot, switching with right fielder Eric Davis.

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers returned home at about 2 a.m. Monday after their victory over the New York Giants, coach Tony Dungy had to stop to fill up his gas tank."

In the NFL, what they drum into your head daily is this: Every game is a big game. There's never a game for which the head coach gathers his team around him and says: "Men, we don't need this one. It's just another game. So take this week to hit your iPods and PlayStation Portables and chill, OK?" On the other hand, there's no question some games are bigger than others. Which brings us to today's meeting between the Ravens and Bengals at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium. The fact is, the Ravens have had this one circled on their calendars for weeks, ever since Oct. 11, when the Bengals came into M&T Bank Stadium and found the Ravens suffering from a collective case of narcolepsy.

COLLEGE PARK -- Some might have expected Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen to be pessimistic after his team's 42-32 loss at Wake Forest on Saturday. After all, his defense gave up six big plays in the game and his battered offensive line continued to have trouble opening holes for the running backs and pass-blocking for its quarterback. But Tuesday afternoon at Friedgen's weekly news conference, the coach saw a glass half full, not half empty. "As strange as things are ... here we are at 2-4," he said of the Terps, who are 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland wide receiver Adrian Cannon is trying to get to that tranquil state where the game slows down, the crowd noise fades away, and the football seems to approach so gently that he can study its white lines before it settles into his hands. That zone - that Zen-like focus - can be elusive to perfectionists like Cannon, who has a meticulous pre-game routine and wants to succeed so badly that he sometimes needs to silence the inner voices and just play. A star of preseason training camp, Cannon, 21, is trying to be patient as he waits for that breakout game he is certain is coming.

Tonight's is one of those big games that makes Mercy basketball coach Mary Ella Marion nervous. Her No. 12 Magic is expected by most to win "The Game," the 43rd annual showdown between Mercy and the Institute of Notre Dame, which draws a sellout crowd of about 4,500 fans to the Towson Center. The atmosphere is loud, highly charged and sometimes a bit overwhelming for the players. This season, the Magic defeated IND, 61-26 (only one game per year gets to be The Game), and it has a 13-5 record to the Indians' 3-13.

Judging from the actions of coach Wade Phillips, WR Terrell Owens and CB Adam Jones, the Cowboys are either unraveling in Week 6 or playing an inside joke. This much seems clear: After losing to the Redskins and nearly the Bengals, they aren't the same team that won their first three games decisively. Phillips was so incensed by a reporter's suggestion that Dallas "stunk" against Cincinnati that he stalked off in mid-news conference. Owens went from complaining one week about his number of chances per game to crying in front of the media over the loss of a family member the next.

Hey, Mr. Ravens Super-Fan, caught you at the big game against Cleveland yesterday. How could we miss you? Your face was painted purple and you wore beads and feathers and a big plastic beak. Or you wore a purple cape and feather boas and had what appeared to be a desiccated black bird perched on your shoulder. Actually, there were probably dozens of you in those crazy get-ups at the stadium. And most of you were middle-aged men, preening for the crowds and screaming "We're No. 1!" and generally looking like something out of an Edgar Allan Poe hallucination.

If you're like me, you've been reading about the economy and as a result are getting a little worried. That 401(k) has been sinking like the Orioles after the Fourth of July, right? And so now we've got guys in Washington talking about economic stimulus packages and the Fed cutting interest rates so that half the country isn't forced to live in refrigerator cartons over steam vents. But, you know, after giving it a little thought, like between breakfast and lunch, I think I have a solution for what ails the economy.

Severna Park junior Andrew Gvozden has stepped in as the Falcons' starting goalie after sitting behind his brother, Michael, a four-time All-County pick and two-time county Player of the Year. In Andrew's first major test, he had 13 saves in an 11-9 victory over rival Broadneck. With a 4.0 grade point average and 1,840 on his SAT, he has committed to play lacrosse at Hofstra University. What was it like sitting behind your brother, Michael, who now is playing at Johns Hopkins? It was a learning experience, and I'm glad it was not anyone else, or it could have been really boring.

Philadelphia-- --University of Maryland coach Dave Cottle denied any frustration, but it has to be nagging him inside. College lacrosse's version of the final four has become a black Saturday for Cottle and the Terps. After advancing to the semifinals for the third time in four years, No. 2-seeded Maryland was eliminated again as the Terps lost, 8-5, to unseeded Massachusetts at Lincoln Financial Field. In two previous semifinal appearances under Cottle, the Terps were underdogs in losing to Virginia in 2003 and Duke last year, but they were expected to dust off Massachusetts on their way to the championship game against top-ranked Virginia tomorrow.

An early swing from senior first baseman Lauren O'Malley was all junior pitcher Stephanie Weigman needed for top-ranked Archbishop Spalding yesterday against Institute of Notre Dame in softball. O'Malley hit a three-run homer to deep right in the first inning, more than enough for the defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champ Cavaliers with Weigman striking out 13 in a 4-0 shutout of the No. 4 Indians in a rematch of last year's title game. The Cavaliers, whose season opener at John Carroll was postponed earlier in the week because of the cold weather, had to battle first-game jitters against their closest rivals.