Cavil

Each week The Sun's  John McIntyre  presents a moderately obscure but evocative word with which you may not be familiar - another brick to add to the wall of your working vocabulary. This week's word: CAVIL Dr. Johnson's definitionof cavil (pronounced KAV-uhl, with a short a ) still holds: "To raise captious and frivolous objections. " It is to object with little reason, to resort to trivial faultfinding, to carp or quibble. As a noun, it is an instance of quibbling.

Each week The Sun's  John McIntyre  presents a moderately obscure but evocative word with which you may not be familiar - another brick to add to the wall of your working vocabulary. This week's word: CAVIL Dr. Johnson's definitionof cavil (pronounced KAV-uhl, with a short a ) still holds: "To raise captious and frivolous objections. " It is to object with little reason, to resort to trivial faultfinding, to carp or quibble. As a noun, it is an instance of quibbling.

First, there was Tastykakes. Now, there is Honey Buns.In the revolving door known as the Ravens' offensive line, the latest possible starter to spin out is 6-foot-2, 310-pound first-year guard Ben Cavil. Or is that center Wally Williams?Cavil looks like Williams. Cavil is built like Williams. They sport pretty much the same hairstyle, and Williams wears the number Cavil wore and adored in college (63).And both have an affection for sweets."Wally eats at least two Tastykakes a day," said offensive tackle Orlando Brown.

Severna Park catcher Brandon Cavil often had a rough time during Friday's game against South River, but he erased that with one swing of the bat. Cavil hit a two-run, two-out single in the seventh inning that gave No. 7 Severna Park an 11-10 victory over visiting South River in an Anne Arundel County game. Cavil came up with the bases loaded. South River (12-4, 10-2) had taken a 10-9 lead on Nick Sia's RBI double in the top inning, but Severna Park (10-4, 8-4) wouldn't give in. The Falcons loaded the bases with one out before Scott Mitchell struck out Bradley Keith.

After failing to establish a running game and blowing a 21-point lead in a 42-34 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers two weeks ago, the Ravens are considering changes in the offense for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins at Memorial Stadium.The Ravens (3-3) had 52 yards rushing against the Steelers, 26 in each half. With center Wally Williams returning to the starting lineup after missing the first six games with an injured Achilles' tendon, coach Ted Marchibroda is contemplating another change at left guard, with Ben Cavil replacing starter Leo Goeas.

The youth movement the Ravens set into motion last winter became official yesterday, when the team waived 10 players and reduced its roster size to 51, nearly a third of whom have never played a regular-season down in the NFL.On a day when all teams had to cut rosters to at least 53 players, the Ravens also were busy addressing depth problems on their offensive line.After waiving rookie free-agent offensive linemen Alex Bernstein, Randy Bierman, Jerome Daniels, Mike Flynn and Dennis Whitmore, the Ravens acquired veteran tackle-guard Bernard Dafney and second-year guard Ben Cavil by swinging trades with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Ben Cavil knows how anonymously an offensive lineman lives on the field. Sale Isaia knows all too well how quickly that luxury can vanish.Cavil's chances at winning the starting left guard position rose yesterday, at the terrible expense of Isaia, whose injury-marred career with the Ravens may be over.Tests revealed Isaia has a torn left Achilles' tendon, knocking him out of action for the 1998 season and dealing him his second devastating injury in as many training camps. Last year on the first day of camp, he went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

The Ravens had another changing of the guards yesterday, moving veteran Leo Goeas back into the starting lineup in place of first-year player Ben Cavil.Goeas, who was signed to a three-year, $2 million contract in March, said offensive line coach Kirk Ferentz informed him of the move Monday, and the transition took place yesterday in the Ravens' first practice for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Memorial Stadium.Cavil started for Goeas the past four games at left guard, but the two probably will alternate quarters for the next couple of games.

As a Raven, Ben Cavil was as big as a house. Now, he's selling them. "I enjoy what I'm doing - pointing first-time buyers in the right direction," said Cavil, a new home counselor in Houston. At 320 pounds, the former offensive guard still takes up a healthy chunk of real estate. The man whom Ravens teammates called "Honey Buns" for his sweet tooth is 35 now and has been battling diabetes for four years. "That hit me hard," said Cavil, who believes he has the disease under control. "It was my wake-up call.

Ravens center Quentin Neujahr has handled his demotion as well as could be expected.Neujahr, in his third season, played well in the team's first six games, filling in for starter Wally Williams, who injured an Achilles' tendon in late April.But when the Ravens play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at Memorial Stadium, Williams will start and Neujahr will be observing. The move doesn't seem to have surprised Neujahr."There was an understanding. I knew it was coming," he said. "It wasn't like I had the job, didn't play well and lost it. I think I played all right.

As a Raven, Ben Cavil was as big as a house. Now, he's selling them. "I enjoy what I'm doing - pointing first-time buyers in the right direction," said Cavil, a new home counselor in Houston. At 320 pounds, the former offensive guard still takes up a healthy chunk of real estate. The man whom Ravens teammates called "Honey Buns" for his sweet tooth is 35 now and has been battling diabetes for four years. "That hit me hard," said Cavil, who believes he has the disease under control. "It was my wake-up call.

On June 8, 2006, CAROLINE JULIE CAVILL (nee Seiler); wife of the late William E. Cavill, Sr.; mother to William Cavill, Jr., Kathleen Neumann, Mark Cavill and Judith Schuffler; mother-in-law to Francine Cavill, Margaret Cavill, Ronald Neumann and Michael Schuffler, Sr.; sister of James Seiler and the late Theodore Seiler; grandmother to Stephanie and Ryan Cavill, Christine and Daniel Neumann, Matthew and Melissa Cavill and Michael, Andrew, Joshua and...

Today's games Outback Bowl No. 21 Georgia (7-4) vs. No. 19 Purdue (7-4) When: Today, 11 a.m. Where: Tampa, Fla. TV: ESPN Line: Purdue by 5 1/2 Outlook: Talented Georgia is lucky to be playing on New Year's Day after dropping three of its last four games. The Bulldogs lost to Tennessee and Florida again and got blown out at home by Auburn. They rallied for a gutsy win at Mississippi but gave away the season finale at rival Georgia Tech when Jim Donnan made a poor coaching decision.

The Ravens originally signed James Atkins to give them depth at the offensive tackle position. This week, they will turn to Atkins by starting the five-year veteran at left guard.Atkins replaces second-year man Ben Cavil, who had started the past three games in place of Wally Williams, whom the Ravens have moved back to his customary spot at center in place of Jeff Mitchell.Cavil's performance against San Diego on Sunday included two false-start penalties."We thought that some improvement might be needed at that position," Ravens coach Ted Marchibroda said.

In moves aimed at shoring up the Ravens' depth at linebacker and improving special teams play, the club signed veteran linebackers Jerry Olsavsky and Jeff Kopp to one-year contracts yesterday and placed reserve middle linebacker Tyrus McCloud on injured reserve.The Ravens also made several anticipated changes on offense. Quarterback Jim Harbaugh was named the starter for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Left guard Wally Williams was moved to center in place of Jeff Mitchell, and Ben Cavil was inserted as the starting left guard.

Ravens starting defensive tackle Tony Siragusa has been listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Green Bay Packers because of a sprained ankle.Siragusa, the team's eighth-leading tackler with 29, injured the ankle Thursday in practice during a nine-on-seven drill. He sat out yesterday's practice because the ankle was swollen. His status for the game will be determined tomorrow."It's just swollen a little bit," said Siragusa. "We'll see how it feels Sunday. If it's up to me, I'm playing."

Ravens starting defensive tackle Tony Siragusa has been listed as questionable for tomorrow's game against the Green Bay Packers because of a sprained ankle.Siragusa, the team's eighth-leading tackler with 29, injured the ankle Thursday in practice during a nine-on-seven drill. He sat out yesterday's practice because the ankle was swollen. His status for the game will be determined tomorrow."It's just swollen a little bit," said Siragusa. "We'll see how it feels Sunday. If it's up to me, I'm playing."

Ravens left guard Sale Isaia is expected to have a magnetic resonance imaging exam today after injuring his left Achilles' tendon yesterday on a running play at training camp, an injury that could cause some major shuffling on the offensive line.Coach Ted Marchibroda said he didn't think the tendon was severed, but a torn Achilles' would put the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Isaia out for the season. Isaia missed all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee suffered during a noncontact drill on the first day of training camp.

Spooked by their prospects at left guard, the Ravens turned to the supernatural powers of Wally Williams, then replaced him at center with a ghost.That's what the players called Jeff Mitchell last season -- "The Ghost." He was invisible, all right, a rookie lost for the season two days into the first full week of training camp.Mitchell, 24, has yet to play a down in the NFL. He is coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Yet, the Ravens are ready to stick him in the middle of their vaunted offensive line.

Ben Cavil knows how anonymously an offensive lineman lives on the field. Sale Isaia knows all too well how quickly that luxury can vanish.Cavil's chances at winning the starting left guard position rose yesterday, at the terrible expense of Isaia, whose injury-marred career with the Ravens may be over.Tests revealed Isaia has a torn left Achilles' tendon, knocking him out of action for the 1998 season and dealing him his second devastating injury in as many training camps. Last year on the first day of camp, he went down with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.