Crease

Not that The Crease has official landmark status or anything, but this Towson restaurant-bar was the Ur-Yup bar when it opened in 1972. While there's no denying that the local courthouse, public library and nearby university gave some daytime value to the community, the night belonged to The Crease.So imagine the shock waves that rumbled through the Baltimore County seat when The Crease was shut down by the Internal Revenue Service for non-payment of back taxes last April. Was this yet another sign that the upscale '80s had truly ended?

Friday's editions included a Q&A with Johns Hopkins sophomore attackman Wells Stanwick. Due to space constraints, here are some more answers from the Baltimore native and Boys' Latin graduate that did not make the cut. How does it feel to be the quarterback of the offense from behind the net? It's definitely something that I've always wanted to do. It's just kind of the position that I play. You always want to control the game from there, and I'm trying to get better at it. I'm probably not exactly there yet, and I'm working on it and trying to be more of a leader on the offensive end as the year goes on and into next year.

As a child, I would sometimes pull my right eyelid up, bunch it together and hold it in place. It wasn't until I'd been doing that subconsciously for years that I realized my looks weren't going to change. No matter what I did, I'd always have an eyelid with a crease on my left and a flat lid on the right. Which wasn't the end of the world, I knew. Still, the beautiful women I saw on magazine covers and TV shows, from Cindy Crawford to Lisa Bonet on The Cosby Show, all had gorgeous large eyes.

Zoe Stukenberg's versatile play in the midfield has been one of the keys to Marriott's Ridge's emergence as a girls lacrosse power. The senior helped the Mustangs win their first state title two years ago and had an All-Metro season last spring with 67 goals and 27 assists. Also a soccer and basketball player, Stukenberg led the No. 11 Mustangs to a 19-2 win over Atholton in Thursday's season opener. She scored four goals and added two assists. After years of playing with the M&D Lacrosse club, she now coaches and referees the sport for younger girls.

Mount Hebron's Jon Smith once had Division I football hTC dreams. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound quarterback drew oohs and aahs from coaches for his athleticism from the time he started on varsity as a sophomore.But his team struggled terribly during those three years -- and so did he. And when the Division I football recruiters backed away after Smith's disappointing senior season, he had doubts about his athletic future."I was crushed. After getting letters from big-time schools at the beginning of the season, they slowly faded away.

Zoe Stukenberg's versatile play in the midfield has been one of the keys to Marriott's Ridge's emergence as a girls lacrosse power. The senior helped the Mustangs win their first state title two years ago and had an All-Metro season last spring with 67 goals and 27 assists. Also a soccer and basketball player, Stukenberg led the No. 11 Mustangs to a 19-2 win over Atholton in Thursday's season opener. She scored four goals and added two assists. After years of playing with the M&D Lacrosse club, she now coaches and referees the sport for younger girls.

Good morning --Edmonton Oilers -- Better remind your backup goalie he's supposed to be in the crease.

Friday's editions included a Q&A with Johns Hopkins sophomore attackman Wells Stanwick. Due to space constraints, here are some more answers from the Baltimore native and Boys' Latin graduate that did not make the cut. How does it feel to be the quarterback of the offense from behind the net? It's definitely something that I've always wanted to do. It's just kind of the position that I play. You always want to control the game from there, and I'm trying to get better at it. I'm probably not exactly there yet, and I'm working on it and trying to be more of a leader on the offensive end as the year goes on and into next year.

Maryland's Caitlyn McFadden and Sarah Mollison excel at exploiting openings on the crease but never better than in Saturday's NCAA quarterfinal. The duo picked apart a strong Pennsylvania defense, combining for 10 goals and four assists to lead No. 1 Maryland past the No. 8 Quakers, 15-10, at Ludwig Field for their second straight trip to the final four and the 18th in Terrapins women's lacrosse history. Terps (20-1) will meet Syracuse, a 7-3 semifinal winner over James Madison, Friday night at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium.

Generally, an empty dining room is not a good sign. So when my friends and I showed up at the Crease in Towson, a venerable bar catering to college grads and businesspeople, we were a little worried. At 7 p.m., there was no one in either of the two dining rooms.I wondered if I had been horribly misinformed. Food, I thought, could not possibly be the reason to come to this handsome, time-seasoned, brick and mahogany bar, where the wide-plank floors have been worn down over the years by beer-quaffing crowds.

The two best players were on the opposite ends of the field Tuesday night, and they both played for Towson. Tigers junior attackman Thomas DeNapoli finished with seven goals and three assists, and senior goalie Andrew Wascavage made 15 saves as Towson defeated UMBC, 12-9, before an announced 545 at UMBC Stadium. DeNapoli, from East Rockaway, N.Y, was unstoppable and at times looked like NBA star LeBron James. He called for the ball. He waved his teammates out of the way. When he was double-teamed, he dished off and handed out assists.

Towson goalie Mary Teeters started jumping up and down as soon as the final buzzer sounded in Sunday's Colonial Athletic Association women's lacrosse championship. She finally stopped when her teammates swarmed her at midfield. Teeters' save with 20 seconds left secured an 8-7 victory over James Madison and the No. 17 Tigers' fourth CAA title in seven years. The Tigers will host an NCAA tournament play-in game at 7 p.m. Saturday against Monmouth, the Northeast Conference champion, at Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The major difference between Division III powers Salisbury and Stevenson is that the Sea Gulls know how to finish and win big games. Sea Gulls senior attackman Matt Cannone scored cutting across the crease on a over the shoulder feed from junior midfielder Ryan Clarke with 11.7 seconds remaining in the game to give top-ranked Salisbury an 11-10 victory over No. 4 Stevenson on Saturday night. It was a tense and extremely competitive night at Mustangs Stadium, and the crowd of nearly 2,000 watched as Salisbury scored the game's final three goals in the last 3:17 . Cannone pulled the Sea Gulls (15-0 overall, 7-0 Capital Athletic Association)

The ballyhooed matchup between two of the top leading candidates for this year's Tewaaraton Award wasn't going to materialize with Cornell senior attackman Rob Pannell expected to miss up to six weeks with a broken bone in his left foot. That — and an ailing left hip — didn't make much difference to Virginia senior attackman Steele Stanwick , who lifted the No. 1 Cavaliers to a 9-8 overtime win against the No. 3 Big Red at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday.

Salisbury fell behind by six goals midway in the second period Sunday and never recovered as Tufts hung on for a 9-6 victory in the Division III men's lacrosse title game at M&T Bank Stadium, claiming the first NCAA championship in the school's history. Tufts, located about five miles outside Boston, got some help from junior attackman D. J. Hessler (St. Paul's), who finished with a goal and four assists and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Attackman Jamie Atkins had three goals and midfielder Doug DiSesa had two for the Jumbos (20-1)

Maryland's Caitlyn McFadden and Sarah Mollison excel at exploiting openings on the crease but never better than in Saturday's NCAA quarterfinal. The duo picked apart a strong Pennsylvania defense, combining for 10 goals and four assists to lead No. 1 Maryland past the No. 8 Quakers, 15-10, at Ludwig Field for their second straight trip to the final four and the 18th in Terrapins women's lacrosse history. Terps (20-1) will meet Syracuse, a 7-3 semifinal winner over James Madison, Friday night at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium.

The Washington Capitals acquired defenseman Shawn Chambers and left wing Randy Burridge in separate deals yesterday.The Capitals got Chambers, 25, from the Minnesota North Stars for left wing Steve Maltais, 22, and center Trent Klatt, 20.Chambers, 6 feet 2, 200 pounds, played in only 29 games last season because of a cracked kneecap. He had four points in the regular season and seven in the playoffs. His best offensive season was 1988-89, when he had five goals and 19 assists.Maltais led the AHL Baltimore Skipjacks with 36 goals and had 43 assists.

The ballyhooed matchup between two of the top leading candidates for this year's Tewaaraton Award wasn't going to materialize with Cornell senior attackman Rob Pannell expected to miss up to six weeks with a broken bone in his left foot. That — and an ailing left hip — didn't make much difference to Virginia senior attackman Steele Stanwick , who lifted the No. 1 Cavaliers to a 9-8 overtime win against the No. 3 Big Red at the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday.

VENUE With cheap beer, traditional pub food and a laid-back attitude, The Crease is a good place to chill out if you're not into the club scene. Where -- 523 York Road, Towson Call -- 410-823-0395 Notable -- This longtime Towson staple is a popular late-night hangout for college students. It is one of many affordable drinking spots in downtown Towson. Vibe -- The atmosphere is that of your typical hole-in-the-wall pub, with dark lighting, a dank feel and lots of wood. It's easy to blend into the background if you choose, but with three bars and plenty of space, you won't feel as claustrophobic.

Good morning --Edmonton Oilers -- Better remind your backup goalie he's supposed to be in the crease.