Body Language

With the Ravens leading just 9-6 after halftime, the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared poised to either tie the score or take their first lead Sunday night as the offense marched 66 yards on eight plays to open the third quarter. But on first-and-10 from the Ravens' 14-yard line, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tried to connect with wide receiver Mike Wallace on a quick screen in the right flat. Instead, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs jumped and snatched the ball of out the air, returning it 9 yards to the 29. After the Ravens' 23-20 victory, Suggs said he read Roethlisberger's body language before making the interception.

Alpine skiing coach Diane Mikulis watched as the body language of her Special Olympic athletes - including Marylander Jake Reynolds - transformed one day last month from mildly interested to awe-struck. They had just entered Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y., where international flags hung majestically from the rafters and where banners and murals honored historic athletic events. The skiers listened to a brief history of the venue and now were being told they were going to be allowed on the ice. They grinned widely, and a smile slowly crept onto Mikulis' face, too, as her skiers restlessly and excitedly waited to descend the stairs.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Former Orioles left-hander Mike Flanagan went to lunch with Mike Mussina before the right-hander's start Friday, and they talked pitching. But not a word was said about mechanics, keeping the ball down in the strike zone."I told him that in his last few starts," Flanagan said, "I didn't like his body language. I know in the game in Seattle he was upset with [the home plate umpire], and he had other trouble [with umpires]. I told him that the other team was feeding off of that."

Everyone on the Orioles was pulling big-time for Brian Matusz last night at Camden Yards. Why wouldn't they? He's a good kid who struggled through a horrendous (1-9, 10.69 ERA) 2011 season. And the big lefty is being counted on heavily -- again -- this season as the Orioles try to avoid another year of being cannon fodder for the rest of the AL East. But in his season debut last night against the powerful lineup of the New York Yankees, Matusz looked an awful lot like the Brian Matusz of last year.

Rafael Palmeiro sent up an unmistakable red flag about steroid use on March 17, at least in the mind of John Boe, a California body-language expert. That's when the Orioles first baseman testified before a congressional committee and denied ever using steroids. He punctuated his remarks with a few awkward jabs of his index finger, as if angrily ringing an invisible doorbell. Palmeiro might as well have mimicked shooting himself in the foot, Boe says. "That finger thing, in body-language terms, that's taking a baton and beating people over the head with it and telling them to back off," says Boe, who has analyzed about 10,000 personality profiles and writes frequently about body language.

Read his lips. And his hands, eyes, shoulders and walk. When President Bush delivers his fifth State of the Union address on national television tonight, communications experts say his body language is likely to speak volumes. "Studies are clear," says John Boe, a California-based consultant in nonverbal communication who works with salespeople. "Seventy percent of what gets [said] face-to-face -- or in the case of [tonight's address], face-to-TV screen -- is nonverbal. Why ignore all that good evidence?"

Good Lord! You use e-mail?" This is what the popular and good-looking Elizabeth Saltzman of Vanity Fair was overheard saying to the queen of England at a recent garden party in honor of the Household Cavalry. Elizabeth II had just said to Ms. S. "We must keep in touch; let me give you my e-mail address." The queen had added as an aside that she does use e-mail. "But I don't write them myself. I dictate them." The queen is surprisingly agile when it comes to the 21st century. She is known to use a mobile phone given to her by Prince Andrew, and she also has an iPod.

College Park -- They'll be looking for even the slightest of hints - a linebacker shifting a few feet, the defensive linemen playing a little tighter - any type of body language that might reveal a Georgia Tech blitz is imminent. Odds are, one will be. Georgia Tech @Maryland Today, noon, Ch. 13, 105.7 FM, 1300 AM Line: Georgia Tech by 3 1/2

Wilbert Harrison, 65, whose version of the song, "Kansas City," became one of the most famous hits of the early rock 'n' roll era, died of a stroke Wednesday in Spencer, N.C. The song, which topped charts for two weeks in May 1959, was also performed by The Beatles, James Brown and Ann-Margret.Ray L. Birdwhistell, 76, a retired anthropologist whose pioneering research on body language helped establish it as a field of study, died of cancer on Oct. 19 in Brigantine, N.J. He was an expert in kinesics, the part of nonverbal communication dealing with the meaning of body posture and movement of body parts in communication.

As debates featuring Richard M. Nixon and former presidential candidate Al Gore have shown, sometimes movements speak louder than words. Nearly every politician knows that body language can be nearly as important as the message itself. Crossed arms can be seen as a sign of aggression. Clasped hands can indicate humility. But what of the finger-to-the-mouth move? The index finger seems to play a key role for many in politics, from Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown to state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick - perhaps as the go-to gesture for the thinking legislator.

With the Ravens leading just 9-6 after halftime, the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared poised to either tie the score or take their first lead Sunday night as the offense marched 66 yards on eight plays to open the third quarter. But on first-and-10 from the Ravens' 14-yard line, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tried to connect with wide receiver Mike Wallace on a quick screen in the right flat. Instead, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs jumped and snatched the ball of out the air, returning it 9 yards to the 29. After the Ravens' 23-20 victory, Suggs said he read Roethlisberger's body language before making the interception.

Thursday night's preseason game against the Falcons won't be all that entertaining for Ravens fans who want to see Ray Lewis, Joe Flacco and Ed Reed play four quarters of football. But it's a critical game for players on the roster bubble, and for the "camp body" guys who would be thrilled with a spot on the practice squad. Jobs will be earned. Starting spots will be secured. Lifelong dreams will be realized, and they will be ended. So who has the most to lose in the preseason finale?

Orioles reliever Jason Berken, who was the club's best pitcher in the first half of this season, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Monday with a labrum tear and rotator cuff fraying in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old right-hander said he is hopeful he can avoid surgery, but it's possible he might not pitch for the remainder of the season. He is expected to get a second opinion this week from New York Mets team physician David Altchek. "There's a tear in my labrum, and there's some cuff inflammation.

As debates featuring Richard M. Nixon and former presidential candidate Al Gore have shown, sometimes movements speak louder than words. Nearly every politician knows that body language can be nearly as important as the message itself. Crossed arms can be seen as a sign of aggression. Clasped hands can indicate humility. But what of the finger-to-the-mouth move? The index finger seems to play a key role for many in politics, from Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown to state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick - perhaps as the go-to gesture for the thinking legislator.

After the birth of a foal at her horse farm in Fallston, Ellen Pons waited, poised for the right moment to capture the newborn and his mother. The foal nuzzled on the mare, trying to figure out how to get milk. The mare lowered her nose and touched it to the foal's nose, and Pons snapped a photograph. "Taking photographs of an animal is like trying to catch a dancer who is moving in the perfect position," Pons said. "Knowing the horse's body language helps me to expect the unexpected."

College Park -- They'll be looking for even the slightest of hints - a linebacker shifting a few feet, the defensive linemen playing a little tighter - any type of body language that might reveal a Georgia Tech blitz is imminent. Odds are, one will be. Georgia Tech @Maryland Today, noon, Ch. 13, 105.7 FM, 1300 AM Line: Georgia Tech by 3 1/2

Let's talk body language.San Diego goalkeeper Victor Nogueira was given a red card Saturday when he gave what referee Herb Silva interpreted as "The Italian Salute" during the Sockers' 8-2 victory over the Blast.The incident, which could carry a one-game suspension if viewed seriously enough, occurred during one of the longest-running goal-keeping shows in Major Soccer League history. Tonight, against the Tacoma Stars, Nogueira is expected to set the Sockers record for consecutive games played by a goalkeeper at 44. If he keeps the streak alive, he will set the league mark at 52 on March 28 at Wichita.

Tom Schneider didn't need tea leaves to know he was in trouble when he hit the Loyola College locker room last night. It was all around him, in the facial expressions and body language of his basketball team. Telltale signs were even on the Greyhounds' feet."Half the guys didn't even have their shoes tied," the intense Loyola coach complained later."Five years ago, I would have gone berserk [over such a sight]. But I said OK, we'll have to struggle through this."Struggle, they did, but in the end the Greyhounds rewarded Schneider's patience with a scintillating 63-59, catch-em-at-the-wire victory over Canisius before 1,411 fans at Reitz Arena.

Good Lord! You use e-mail?" This is what the popular and good-looking Elizabeth Saltzman of Vanity Fair was overheard saying to the queen of England at a recent garden party in honor of the Household Cavalry. Elizabeth II had just said to Ms. S. "We must keep in touch; let me give you my e-mail address." The queen had added as an aside that she does use e-mail. "But I don't write them myself. I dictate them." The queen is surprisingly agile when it comes to the 21st century. She is known to use a mobile phone given to her by Prince Andrew, and she also has an iPod.

It's 11:30 at night on Lovegrove Street, an alley near the Homewood campus of the Johns Hopkins University. A lone man is looking up and down the street, apparently waiting for someone. A pickup truck drives up. The man says something to the driver, gets in and they drive off. Minutes later, a block away, a woman is robbed at gunpoint by two men who speed off in a pickup. No one at the scene can describe the truck to campus security officers or to Baltimore police. This case last June might have gone cold.