Bled

Three men pleaded guilty yesterday in Circuit Court to assault and battery for their roles in a drunken brawl last December that left an Annapolis man dead.Douglas Palmer, 31, of Silverwood Circle in Annapolis; Herbert Thomas, 47, of the 200 block of Croll Drive in Annapolis; and his brother, James Thomas, 28, of Marc Road in Millersville, pleaded guilty to taking part in a fight Dec. 18 at an apartment on Graff Court in Annapolis. They also pleaded guilty to breaking and entering.Assistant State's Attorney Fred Paone said Palmer and Herbert Thomas left a party at Graff Court that night and went to the Ebb Tide, an Annapolis tavern.

When the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced this month that the Cardinal Gibbons School was closing, students felt as if the rug had been pulled out from under them. For sophomores Ryan and Michael Flynn, it was more like the floor. Just three months ago, Gibbons dedicated its basketball court to their late father, Bob Flynn, a popular coach from 1999 to 2005. In a moving ceremony attended by his family, school officials in December unveiled that portion of the floor inscribed with Flynn's name.

A 37-year-old man, who went on a destructive rampage inside a house in the 1600 block of N. Durham St. early today, bled to death when he accidentally cut himself on pieces of broken glass or porcelain, police said.David Benjamin Whitfield, of the 4400 block of Clareway, was pronounced dead in the second-floor bathroom of 1612 N. Durham St.According to Sgt. Edward Adelhardt of the homicide squad, Whitfield frequently visited the house, which is occupied by a woman and Whitfield's nephews.

A 48-year-old Northeast Baltimore man was ordered held without bond Thursday after being charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 53-year-old man. The victim was found dead Saturday of injuries he suffered after the two men got into a fight, according to court records. Detective Gordon Carew wrote in charging documents that Vincent "Vinny" Cala repeatedly hit Frank Swiston in the head with his hands, causing internal bleeding. Swiston bled internally over several hours and was found dead on a sofa in his home in the 2800 block of Erdman Ave. Cala and Swiston shared an address, though their relationship, if any, was not clear.

The numbers 9 Wins for Sidney Ponson in his past 11 starts. .300 The Orioles' team batting average since May 18. .413 B.J. Surhoff's bat ting average since coming off the disa bled list. 20 Errors for the left side of Orioles in field, Tony Batista and Deivi Cruz. 8.16 ERA for Rodrigo Lopez since coming off the disabled list.

The morning after the Pimlico Special produced favorabl news -- except for the race's big disappointment.Unbridled, a dull sixth behind winner Farma Way in Saturday's Special, bled in the race. He left Pimlico Race Course yesterday for Arlington Park in Chicago, where trainer Carl Nafzger will regroup him.Nafzger said the colt bled "substantially" in his trachea and even had a trickle in his right nostril."Dr. [Jim] Stewart treated him, he had his Lasix, and he hadn't bled since his 2-year-old year and we thought that was behind us," said Nafzger.

A 48-year-old Northeast Baltimore man was ordered held without bond Thursday after being charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 53-year-old man. The victim was found dead Saturday of injuries he suffered after the two men got into a fight, according to court records. Detective Gordon Carew wrote in charging documents that Vincent "Vinny" Cala repeatedly hit Frank Swiston in the head with his hands, causing internal bleeding. Swiston bled internally over several hours and was found dead on a sofa in his home in the 2800 block of Erdman Ave. Cala and Swiston shared an address, though their relationship, if any, was not clear.

On deck Roger Clemens of the Yan kees today tries for the sec ond time for his 300th vic tory, facing the Tigers. He said it "I wanted to beat them real bad today. It seemed like there were more Yankee fans out there than anything. That got me fired up." Adam Bernero, Tigers pitcher Who's hot Marlins starters have allowed just nine runs in 58 2/3 innings (1.53 ERA) in their past nine starts. Who's not Sammy Sosa of the Cubs has struck out eight times in 11 at-bats since coming off the disa bled list on Friday.

Richard Janey, who is appealing an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court murder conviction and 30-year prison sentence, has received another year in prison.Janey pleaded guilty recently to assault on a county jail guard Oct. 15, 1997. Throwing batteries, he hit the officer in the head so hard the guard blacked out briefly, according to charging documents. Janey's jail misconduct records, inadmissible at his April sentencing for second-degree murder, were an inch thick.Janey, 34, of the 100 block of Obery Court in Annapolis was convicted slaying of Susan McAteer, 29, of Annapolis, who was stabbed 58 times in December 1994.

Bobby Schulman's heart bled -- he was a good Baltimore boy -- when the Baltimore Colts abandoned his hometown in 1984."The Colts were the biggest thing in Baltimore when I was growing up," he says. "I was sick the day they left."But as an attorney, Robert Barry Schulman had no problem defending Colts' owner Robert Irsay when the City of Baltimore sued Mr. Irsay over his midnight run to Indianapolis.Mr. Schulman explains it this way: "I've represented contract murderers, dope dealers and The Block -- they all deserved a great lawyer.

Quarterback Drew Bled soe announced his retire ment after 14 seasons in the NFL. Bledsoe's agent made the an nouncement ... and then sacked him for old times sake. I still won't trash the Jaret Wright trade, considering the Ori oles didn't surrender a whole lot to get him. Chris Britton would have been this year's Sendy Rleal or Todd Williams. But there were plenty of whispers that Wright's shoulder was about to blow - sort of like an alarm clock after it's been hit with a hammer. Imagine springs flying all over the place.

You might be dead. You could be in prison. There's a good chance of either. Or maybe you are reading this at a kitchen table in a house in Glen Burnie, where you live an ordinary life with your spouse and your teenage children. Or maybe you're sitting at a bus stop and these words come as you wait for the No. 8 to take you up Greenmount Avenue and York Road to a job in Towson. Then again, maybe you are long gone from Baltimore, the scene of your crime, and these words will never reach you. You could be anybody.

For a city defined by old-guard manufacturers, the fast-approaching end of General Motors' assembly plant in Southeast Baltimore is highly symbolic. But it's no turning point. The transition from old to new is over, even if the pain is not. A steady loss of manufacturing jobs since the 1970s has forced the region to transform from blue-collar hub to service-sector center, a place where the largest employer is the Johns Hopkins Institutions instead of Bethlehem Steel. That sea change in a generation has affected nearly everyone because it accelerated the city's decline, pushed people and jobs into the suburbs, put a premium on college degrees and redefined the political landscape statewide.

A man and a woman were killed yesterday in separate motorcycle accidents in the city, police said. Their names were withheld pending notification of relatives. About 6:15 p.m., the drivers of two motorcycles and their passengers were headed north in the 1000 block of Harford Ave. in East Baltimore, when one vehicle hit the other from behind. The driver of the motorcycle that was hit, a 1997 Harley-Davidson Boattail, lost control and entered the southbound lane, where it was struck by an oncoming Cadillac, said Officer Richard McCarthy of the Accident Investigation Unit.

The numbers 9 Wins for Sidney Ponson in his past 11 starts. .300 The Orioles' team batting average since May 18. .413 B.J. Surhoff's bat ting average since coming off the disa bled list. 20 Errors for the left side of Orioles in field, Tony Batista and Deivi Cruz. 8.16 ERA for Rodrigo Lopez since coming off the disabled list.

Who's hot Milton Bradley of the Indians has reached base in 46 of 47 games this season. Who's not Jose Hernandez of the Rockies, a rookie shortstop, leads the majors with 86 strikeouts. Line of the day Kris Benson, Pirates P IP ........ R ....... H ...... BB ....... SO 2 1/3 ..... 8 ....... 8 ......... 3 .......... 1 He said it "They told me to go up for two weeks to replace Rey and do the best you can," Jose Reyes, prized Mets shortstop prospect, after being promoted from Triple-A to replace injured Rey Sanchez On deck Pedro Martinez of the Red Sox returns from the disa bled list today, looking for his fifth win in six decisions.

Again, the medication Lasix might have an impact on the Preakness.It was almost 10 years ago that the owners of Desert Wine were forced to get a court injunction in order to run their horse on Lasix in the 1983 Preakness. Desert Wine subsequently finished second to Deputed Testamony.Now, the Preakness could lose a potential starter, Alydeed, because he might be ineligible to race on Lasix.The Alydeed incident surfaced yesterday in Illinois.Roger Attfield, the horse's trainer, was set to the enter the Canadian colt in the race because he didn't think the horse would have enough earnings to draw into a full, 14-horse Preakness field.

I WAS BLESSED to grow up with parents who possessed different strengths and skills. Mom was and still is the "glue" of the family, but Dad was the enforcer and "silent pillar of strength." Mom encouraged academics and culture, while Dad always promoted athletics. Both gave my brother and me all they had. My Dad loved playing baseball. He coached the sport at the high school level. He introduced me to the game when I was in the second grade. He taught me all the basics: how to hit, run the bases, and pitch.