Calf

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- For the first time this spring, Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo acknowledged that it is becoming more and more possible that right-handed reliever Todd Williams will not be ready for the start of the season. Williams, who was perhaps the Orioles' top reliever last season aside from closer B.J. Ryan, hasn't pitched at all this spring after departing the Orioles' second workout with soreness in his throwing shoulder. His shoulder significantly improved, and he was expected to throw batting practice earlier this week, but he was shut down because of a sore right calf muscle.

Havre de Grace. -- It must be cozy up there in the country when it snows a lot, say the city friends a little enviously. You probably just sit in front of the fire and read, without a care in the world. No sidewalks to shovel, and you park your car wherever you want.Well, sort of. Until last weekend, we'd almost forgotten what it was like, it had been so long since we were really and truly snowed in. So herewith a few hasty notes from the wintry rural paradise.Friday, Mar. 12, was sunny and smelled like spring.

So what can you say about a country whose national sport involves a bunch of tough guys on horseback, kicking, whipping and screaming as they fight over a decapitated calf carcass? You can probably safely say that this is not the most genteel neighborhood in the world. And that has certainly been proved true by generations of would-be conquerors who have found their way to this country. The game is buzkashi. The country is Afghanistan. In a recent match in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the sport's free-for-all roots were on clear display.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Mike Fetters is in good health, but still hurt by the rumors.There were whispers last season that Fetters had an arm injury, that he was damaged goods and not worthy of a serious look in the free-agent market this winter. The Orioles didn't buy it.That's why Fetters is in camp as a nonroster player who believes he has something to prove to all of baseball.His first appearance yesterday didn't go exactly as he wanted, though it could have been worse. Two batters into his only inning, Fetters was putting out fires, escaping a second-and-third, no-out jam with only one run allowed.

On the day he was supposed to leave the farm and go to college, Bobby's mother came into his room at 4 a.m. and turned on the light. Bobby knew what the white glare meant. It was a bugle call, his mother's way of saying something bad had happened, she needed help, time for the new man of the house to get up. He didn't wash his face or mess with his hair or even look at himself in the mirror. Bobby Stiles wasn't that kind of teen-ager. He kept his hair stubble-short, and he owned only one nice pair of tennis shoes for the nights he drove into town to hang out with friends.

Always, there were those lovely old country estates and gracious manor taverns with roaring fireplaces, but in the old days fine dining was associated with the city. Not so anymore. Now, there are more compelling reasons than ever for diners to cross county lines for a good meal. The 50 best county restaurants in Howard County, Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County is a mix of the old and the new, destinations for special occasions and joints for Monday night suppers, the chef-driven and crowd-pleasing.

The National Aquarium's eight dolphins are no longer a show unto themselves. After two decades of dramatic leaps and crowd-pleasing stunts, aquarium officials are eliminating the 20-minute dolphin shows in favor of a more open-ended exhibit. Beginning Friday, aquarium visitors will be able to visit the dolphin amphitheater throughout the day and interact with trainers. Instead of charging a separate admission price for the dolphin show, the aquarium is raising general admission ticket prices.

In his first season after tearing his right Achilles tendon in 1993, Dan Marino threw for 4,453 yards and 30 touchdowns en route to his eighth Pro Bowl invitation and the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award. But even the Hall of Fame former Miami Dolphins quarterback was stunned when he saw Terrell Suggs play Sunday against the Houston Texans - just five months after the Ravens outside linebacker underwent surgery on his right Achilles tendon. "Yeah, I am [surprised] considering that he practiced - for what - three days?"

For decades, doctors have known that leg and foot pain is often caused by spinal discs pressing on nerves that extend into the lower body. Known as sciatica - because the symptoms travel the path of the sciatic nerve - this often-debilitating ailment is common, striking as many as 4 million Americans a year. But some doctors now believe that many sciatica sufferers don't actually have back problems. Instead, their symptoms may be caused by the piriformis, a little-known muscle that extends from the hip to the bottom of the spine.

An 11-day-old dolphin calf born at the National Aquarium in Baltimore died Sunday morning, shortly after staff first noticed it was breathing irregularly. The cause of death has not been determined for the 30-pound, 2- to 3-foot-long calf that was born March 10 to an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Jade. A necropsy was performed at the Johns Hopkins University's comparative pathology lab by National Aquarium veterinarians and Hopkins staff. Aquarium officials were awaiting test results from cultures, which could take one to two weeks, according to a statement from the aquarium.