Confidence

1 The Ravens need to challenge the Saints' cornerbacks, who have given up a lot of big plays this season.2 The Ravens need to score early to take control of the game and quickly kill any confidence the Saints might gain.3 The Ravens must shut off the Saints' running game and force QB Billy Joe Tolliver to win the game.

Saying that evidence problems are destroying the public's confidence in Baltimore's criminal justice system, lawmakers and legal experts called yesterday for reforms to ensure that defendants receive fair trials and the public is protected from criminal suspects.The calls for change were prompted by a two-part series in The Sun that detailed how the failure to turn over evidence to defendants has resulted in a wrongful conviction, trial delays and freedom for suspected criminals.Lawmakers, legal experts and politicians said neglecting to disclose or exchange evidence, a process called discovery, has serious consequences.

It will be the first test in the longest season of his life. The first of 20 games. Let the hard knocks begin for rookie cornerback Chris McAlister.Duane Starks has lived in McAlister's shoes. The memories of a turbulent rookie year, a season marked by big plays made and big plays surrendered, barely have subsided.When the Ravens take the field tonight in their preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, many eyes will be on their two young first-round draft picks. The Eagles figure to test those cornerbacks early and often.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Florida State quarterback Marcus Outzen won't be playing in the NFL someday. He doesn't even expect to be starting for the Seminoles next season if Chris Weinke recovers from the neck injury that ended Weinke's year and gave Outzen his chance.But Outzen expects to lead No. 2 Florida State (11-1) to victory -- and to the national championship -- tomorrow night against top-ranked Tennessee (12-0) in the Fiesta Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium. Outzen might have some shortcomings as a quarterback, particularly his arm strength, but he is not lacking in confidence.

Have you herd? Recently some students created a mooooving piece of art -- and got a confidence boost to boot. Four teens at the Lawrence Hall Youth Services' Therapeutic Day School in Chicago got to design, construct and paint a divine bovine sculpture that is one of many large structures hanging out throughout their city. The creation is called Angel Cow. The white-robed cow has a halo and multi-colored wings. "We all pulled it together somehow," said Joseph, 16, one of the artists. "Everybody is good at something else.

South Carroll wrestler Dan Patterson doesn't forget easily, and his confidence is high. That combination is "putting a hurtin'" on most of his competition this season.Patterson, a sophomore 112-pounder, is 20-2 and one of the Cavaliers' leaders going into tomorrow's match at North Carroll. The unbeaten, fifth-ranked Cavs, who beat the Panthers for the first time last winter, will be trying to make it two in a row.The JV match will start at 1 p.m., immediately followed by the varsity match.

Candie Kung, ranked No. 1 in the country among junior girls, lived up to her billing yesterday, firing a 3-under-par 69 that earned her the U.S. Girls' Junior qualifying medal with a 36-hole total of 142 at the Green Spring Valley Hunt Club.With the low 64 advancing to match play in the championships, seven played off for two spots at 162. In what turned out to be the most exciting part of the program, the playoff went to the sixth extra hole before Miranda Smith parred the 18th to outlast Yvonne Choe.

As accomplished a golfer as Mark O'Meara was a year ago, heading into the Masters he was thought of mostly for what he had not done -- winning a major championship.He was known for doing other things.For being the so-called "King of Pebble Beach," both as a U.S. Amateur champion there and for four of his 14 titles on the PGA Tour.For being the Florida neighbor, confidante and mentor of Tiger Woods, then the defending champion at Augusta National."They probably thought, `Hey, he's 41, he's over the hill,' " O'Meara recalled recently.

Larry Webster understands why people tend to forget about him. For most of his six NFL seasons, Webster has lived fairly anonymously in the game's trenches. For most of his career, he has been a backup on someone's defensive line.Ravens officials say a change is in order for Webster. They say the replacement for tackle James Jones, who gave them two outstanding seasons before leaving for Detroit via free agency in February, is sitting right here in the 6-foot-5, 300-pound form of Webster.

Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc. and senior company executives bought 150,000 shares of company stock yesterday in a move to shore up confidence in the biotechnology firm and its languishing stock price."

Pinnie L. Ross, who preached self-esteem and confidence to the hundreds of girls she taught at her Columbia charm school, died of a stroke Aug. 4 at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. The Columbia resident was 81. Born Pinnie (pronounced piney) Lucille Staton in Pactolus, N.C., she attended St. Augustine College in Raleigh, N.C., where she was later given an honorary degree. She also graduated from the Baltimore Academy of Modeling and the Christine Volmer School of Make Up Artists.

Salisbury coach Jim Berkman on his team's approach before Sunday's conference final: "I don't think there's ever been a shortage of confidence here. ... There was a real sense of urgency that our backs were against the wall." (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/lacrosseblog)

Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie ran into CC Sabathia in Las Vegas in December as both took in the Oscar De La Hoya-Manny Pacquiao boxing match at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. At the time, Sabathia was still a couple of days away from signing his seven-year, $161 million deal with the New York Yankees. On Monday, Guthrie will oppose his former Cleveland Indians teammate, who will make his Yankees debut, in yet another subplot of Opening Day at Camden Yards. "I think it'll be fun," Guthrie said.

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Marissa Coleman is used to feeling a little bit anxious this time of year, when the Maryland women's basketball team gears up for the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA tournaments. But something seems different this season. "You know, you always have jitters going into tournaments and stuff like that. You always have doubts or you're second-guessing yourself," Coleman said. "But I don't think any of us are doing that right now. We are playing so well right now; we have so much confidence in our game and each other's games right now. Honestly, I think the only reason we could lose is if we beat ourselves."

Matt Drenan insists that his surgically repaired left knee was healthy and sound last year. His confidence in the knee wasn't perhaps as solid. After sitting out the 2007 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, Drenan was a long-stick midfielder for the Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse team. He appeared in 17 games but collected just 22 ground balls after picking up 32 in 2006 as a freshman. "Each week that goes by, you feel more and more confident in the knee," Drenan said. "I wore a brace last year, and I felt good and confident, but I'm a year older now. I'm 22, and I just feel that much more mature.

COLLEGE PARK - Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen stood behind the lectern wearing a jacket and tie instead of his usual coaching attire. He looked more like a salesman than the Terps' coach, which actually seemed somewhat appropriate. The lingering problem, just a week into the season: Not only are Terps fans uncertain about what they're buying, but Friedgen also doesn't even seem to be clear on what exactly he's selling. Yesterday, Friedgen delivered a passionate and emotional defense of his embattled quarterback, Jordan Steffy.

Aberdeen track and field coaches Lee Surkin and John Mobley want their team to compete in invitational meets to give them some tests before the postseason. That's why Aberdeen went to the Freddie Hendricks Invitational at Mervo in Baltimore recently. The coaches were pleased that the girls finished third and the boys took fourth in the team competition. "We take them to invitationals to get them competition," Surkin said. "What they learn from the competition is they can do the runs and do the throws and hang with the best."

The seven errors that Orioles shortstop Luis Hernandez committed during the exhibition schedule aren't going to keep him out of the Opening Day lineup. Manager Dave Trembley confirmed yesterday that Hernandez will bat ninth and play shortstop against the Tampa Bay Rays today at Camden Yards. Brandon Fahey made the club as a utility player who will back up Hernandez and perhaps split time with him in the field as the season progresses. "I'm all for giving people an opportunity and to show [Hernandez]

The beginning of Kimmie Meissner's spiral from the pinnacle of figure skating began, cruelly enough, two years ago after she was crowned world champion. As everyone from network producers to White House handlers lined up to get a bit of her time, the fear of giving an imperfect performance began gnawing at her confidence. Despite brave talk about her skating progress, Meissner was just whistling past a graveyard of self doubt that grew with each missed jump, stumble and fall. She lost her world title a year ago in Tokyo, finished last in the Grand Prix Final in December and then lost her national title in January during a disastrous performance that included three falls.

Confidence among American consumers is slumping, indicating that the damage from the housing contraction is pushing the economy toward a recession. One measure - the Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment - fell to 69.6 in February from 78.4 the previous month. "We're seeing a clear pattern of sudden weakening in both consumer and business confidence, which frankly is the sign of a recession," said James O'Sullivan, a senior economist at UBS Securities LLC in Stamford, Connecticut, who had the closest forecast for consumer sentiment in a Bloomberg News survey.