Concourse

* A Steelers fan just punched me in the nose. Where are emergency services?You have several options, none of which, unfortunately, involve punching the fan back or getting Tony Siragusa to come to your aid. Instead, contact the nearest usher or other Ravens representative. For minor medical care, walk to one of the stadium's six first-aid stations. For more serious injuries, roving teams of paramedics will be on hand to come to you. Ambulances also will be positioned around the building on game days beginning at 8 a.m.* Nothing like $4 beers to empty a wallet in a hurry.

A story in yesterday's editions incorrectly reported price increases for several categories of tickets for next year's Preakness. The Sun regrets the error. Here are the correct prices:Seat location .......1996 .......1997Infield advance .....$17 .........$20Inf. Preakness day ..$20 .........$25Sports Pal. reserve .$145 ..... .$150Grand. upper reserve $55 ....... .$60Grand. upper box ....$120 .......$130Grand. lower box ....$130 .......$150Grand. concourse ....$40 .........$45Pub Date: 12/12/97

A story in yesterday's editions incorrectly reported price increases for several categories of tickets for next year's Preakness. The Sun regrets the error. Here are the correct prices:Seat location .......1996 .......1997Infield advance .....$17 .........$20Inf. Preakness day ..$20 .........$25Sports Pal. reserve .$145 ..... .$150Grand. upper reserve $55 ....... .$60Grand. upper box ....$120 .......$130Grand. lower box ....$130 .......$150Grand. concourse ....$40 .........$45The Maryland Racing Commission renewed the licenses of the state's five off-track betting parlors for 1998 yesterday, but attached an amendment that means the sites could be inspected by commission members every three months.

Six years ago, when Perry Farrell and his cohorts launched a traveling musical festival of alternative bands, everyone who didn't watch MTV 10 hours a day responded, "La-la-pah-whatta?" Now the strange word is practically a household name and summer music festivals fill the concert listings of every newspaper. Last year, typical Lollapalooza-goers abandoned ship when the sound turned too heavy, giving it the nickname "metalpalooza." Farrell was also less involved with the planning, and the result was nearly devastating.

MELBOURNE, Australia -- On center court it was business as usual, but just across the concourse on Court 1, strange and hierarchy-rattling things were happening.First to fall was fifth-seeded Kimiko Date of Japan, beaten by a countrywoman, Mana Endo. Next to tumble was Mary Pierce, seeded fourth and the defending champion. She lost to Yelena Likhovtseva of Russia.Finally, it was Boris Becker's turn to test the windswept, hard-court surface. Five sets and plenty of angst later, the German had escaped defeat, but not before having his nerves tested for the second match in a row."

NEW YORK -- It was a tall order: to clean and restore the ornate, 100-foot-high, grime-encrusted sky ceiling in the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal without disrupting the flow of the 500,000 people who walk through each day.Armed with cotton rags, buckets of sudsy water and paintbrushes, 10 workers are to spend the next eight months standing on scaffolding and ladders at the 42nd Street station in Manhattan."

If Mike Garrison could only find a way to paint Cal Ripken's likeness on a peanut shell, he would fit in better with the other vendors working at Camden Yards during this week of the breakable streak.Instead, Garrison looks like a man out of the loop as he hawks snacks and sodas along Lee Street outside the stadium, across from two booths offering a multitude of Ripken paraphernalia that drew long lines more than four hours before the first pitch.Business for Garrison remains good, especially from hungry fans leaving the stadium after the game, but the Ripken merchandise continued to attract the biggest crowds yesterday.

A woman handed Cal Ripken her shoe."I'm sorry, I didn't come prepared," she said. "Just sign, 'To Patty.' P-A-T-T-Y."The game had long since ended, but Ripken was still on the field at Camden Yards, signing autographs, posing for photographs, chatting with fans.He does this sporadically now, at home and on the road. The autograph sessions aren't scheduled, and they aren't publicized. But, naturally, word is getting out.A line formed in the concourse in the ninth inning of Monday night's 6-3 loss to Toronto.

A bill calling for $3 million in state funds for the continued renovation of Memorial Stadium was introduced in the House of Delegates last week by Del. Frank D. Boston, a Baltimore Democrat.The bill was assigned to the Appropriations Committee, and hearings are expected to be held soon. Baltimore Football Club owner Jim Speros said he hopes to meet with Gov. Parris N. Glendening to discuss the improvement project. Speros had sought, but not received, state funds from the William Donald Schaefer administration.

I am traveling to London in mid-October, arriving at Gatwick Airport, then taking a train to northern England. Are there any facilities at Gatwick for a traveler to shower and change clothes?There are unisex shower facilities, indicated by a shower-head symbol, at both terminals at Gatwick airport. Each shower is in a room that can be locked.The south terminal has seven showers. Three are in the Gatwick Village shopping and eating area, which you reach before going through to the departure lounge or after clearing customs on arrival.

WHERE -- Oriole Park WHEN -- Tomorrow. General admission starts at 10:30 a.m. at Gate C. Fan forums begin at 10:45 a.m. and last throughout the day. A two-hour autograph session with current and former Orioles begins at 11 a.m., followed by a team workout at 1:15. Fans can pose for photos with the 1983 World Series trophy in Championship Cafe from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Other activities -- The main concourse will have a speed pitch, moon bounce and other activities. Photos with the Oriole Bird and free giveaways will take place on the club level.

I suppose because professional wrestling isn't considered a real sport, Congress will ignore what's happening in the squared circle and continue to obsess over steroid use in baseball. That's a shame. I'll admit that I haven't done any research on the topic, but I'm guessing more "wrestlers" have dropped dead from abusing 'roids, which enlarge their bodies to cartoonish proportions - including their hearts - than major league players. But hey, why bother to react to the tragic events that unfolded inside Chris Benoit's home when you can fire more questions at Jason Giambi?

This month marks a milestone in Baltimore-Washington International Airport's $1.8 billion expansion project, with the opening of the new terminal for Southwest Airlines. The bright and airy 350,000-square-foot A/B terminal, attached to the main terminal and connected by a new skywalk to the hourly parking garage, includes five gates, 62 ticketing positions, 11 security checkpoint lanes and five baggage carousels on the same level on which passengers will arrive. Jonathan Dean, director of communications for the Maryland Aviation Administration, said, "This will be one of the first terminals to open with a 9/11 mindset.

Airport officials estimate 367,000 holiday travelers Baltimore-Washington International Airport officials predict 367,000 people will travel into and out of the airport during the Memorial Day weekend. Because of the anticipated crowds, airport officials advise that travelers check in 90 minutes before domestic flights and two hours before international flights. Travelers can check flight status at www.bwiairport.com. City-based firm to design redeveloped retail space RTKL, the Baltimore-based architectural firm, will design 140,000 square feet of redeveloped retail space for BWI. RTKL will partner with retail developer BAA Maryland on the work, scheduled to begin soon.

More than 1,500 Southwest Airlines passengers were evacuated yesterday from a pier at Baltimore-Washington International Airport because of what airline officials described as a faulty X-ray machine at a security checkpoint. Five flights were grounded during a security sweep that lasted nearly two hours, and the malfunctioning screening device was shut down. Federal Aviation Administration officials ordered the evacuation of Pier B at 11:30 a.m. because of a possible security violation detected by a device that X-rays carry-on luggage, airline officials said.

As Baltimore-Washington International Airport wrapped up its first week of screening every piece of checked baggage yesterday, U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn arrived to watch the new security measures in action on a formal tour. Wynn, a Democrat who represents Prince George's County, arranged the visit after Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced last week that BWI's Concourse C would become the template for how luggage screening and other security measures will work nationwide.

Come tomorrow, when a federal law will require airlines to screen all checked luggage across the nation, those responsible for enforcement will be watching Baltimore-Washington International Airport. But what they will see there is anyone's guess. For weeks, airlines and airports have been preparing for tomorrow's deadline. Yesterday, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced that his department chose a single concourse at BWI as the template for how luggage screening and other security measures will be handled at 429 airports.

AirTran expands schedule, offers new destinations AirTran Airways' new daily nonstop service from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Orlando will begin Dec. 19, and service between BWI and Fort Myers is to start Feb. 5. Service between BWI and Miami will begin March 5, as will a second BWI-Orlando flight. AirTran also has announced new service with three daily nonstop flights between BWI and Atlanta and three daily nonstop flights between BWI and Boston, beginning Dec. 12. Coffee bars, newsstands at BWI to open earlier HMS Host Corp.

Construction of temporary roads continues this month Construction began Friday of temporary entrance and exit roads at the Maryland Department of Transportation headquarters, and will continue through the middle of this month. Parts of Elm Road, the route for rental car returns, and parts of the return loop on the Baltimore-Washington International Airport terminal roadway will be closed occasionally. Roadway closures will be limited to late-night and early-morning hours. Two lanes of traffic on the return loop will remain open at all times, and one lane of traffic will be maintained on Elm Road.

Passengers taking shuttle to parking lots must use outer curb Beginning July 23 and continuing for four weeks, travelers leaving Baltimore-Washington International Airport using ground transportation or shuttle buses to the airport parking lots between midnight and 6 a.m., will have to use the outer curb area on the lower level roadway. BWI officials urge those picking up arriving passengers to take advantage of the half-hour of free parking offered in the garage in front of the terminal because commercial vehicles probably will occupy curb space usually available outside the baggage claim areas.