Crowd

Let me start by saying this -- I want more WWE televised events to happen outside the U.S. Maybe that's not entirely true. Let me rephrase -- I want more WWE televised events where we hear reactions like the ones we heard this week. Both Raw (Monday) and Smackdown (Tuesday) were in Birmingham, England this week. The crowd was so good, that even on the second consecutive night of WWE action, the crowd reaction and party atmosphere rivalled many WWE crowds stateside. Many segments and matches felt even more special just because the Birmingham crowd was so vocal.

Twenty minutes before September's First Friday, people came rushing into my store, Atomic Books, saying, "You need to do something. There is a crazy fight going on outside. " I immediately walked outside and noticed I didn't need to do anything. Baltimore's finest were already on the scene. From what I could discern, it was a Hampden girl fight. If you have not seen one of these, it's hard to explain. I have been in my share of altercations. I have seen a lot of fights. But there is nothing more terrifying than a Hampden girl fight.

At least 15 people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges as fights broke out in crowds that flooded Pratt Street after the July 4 fireworks display at the Inner Harbor, a Baltimore police spokesman said yesterday. Officer Troy Harris said a few minor skirmishes and "common assaults" occurred about 10 p.m. as police began ushering spectators out of the Inner Harbor. He said a few people refused to leave and sparked a handful of fistfights. No weapons were used, he said. Police officers rushed into the crowd and quickly controlled the scene.

COLLEGE PARK -- They aren't as raucous as Duke's Cameron Crazies, nor are they as genteel as Dean's bunch at North Carolina, and Lord knows, the Maryland crowd has been maligned for selective passiveness.But this year, when the Maryland Terrapins have needed it most, their home crowd at Cole Field House has risen to the occasion and made its presence felt.Take last night's 96-93 thriller over Georgia Tech for example. The Terps had plenty of opportunities and excuses to let the Yellow Jackets slip out with a win, but a rowdy gathering of 14,500 refused to let their team give it away.

NEW YORK -- His name is Paul Haarhuis, and he comes from the Netherlands, but by midnight tonight, he could be a tennis superstar in America. Then again, he might end up as just another designated victim on the Jimmy Connors comeback tour."

You probably know by now about the brick exterior, the purple seats, the stunning scoreboards, the wide concourses and the victory notches in the corners of the upper deck.You probably know about many of the aspects of the Ravens' new stadium that will become part of the Sunday routine around here for years to come.But what about the one aspect still developing as the Ravens settle into their new home?What about the one integral component of the stadium that the architects couldn't design?

MIAMI -- For one weekend at least, Major League Baseball has come to South Florida on a major-league scale, leaving local residents to wonder whether an expansion franchise will soon follow.They showed their support for a Miami expansion team by setting an all-time spring-training attendance record for last night's game between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees at Joe Robbie Stadium.The announced sellout crowd of 67,654 is the largest recorded spring-training crowd in baseball history, breaking the previous record set in 1985, when the Los Angeles Dodgers and California Angels drew 62,968 to Anaheim Stadium.

LYNCHBURG, Va. -- Despite being the third seed in the Big South Conference tournament, UMBC couldn't overcome a partisan tournament-record crowd or Liberty's Jason Dixon and was eliminated in the opening round of the Big South tournament last night, 57-54.Dixon scored 19 points and Peter Aluma added 13 and converted a three-point play with 1:12 to play that gave Liberty a 55-54 lead lead it wouldn't relinquish.The 7,253 fans who packed Liberty's Vines Center formed the largest crowd ever to see a Big South tournament game.

ALBERTVILLE, France -- She wore a high-cut black dress with a black halter top over a glittery, blue strapless bikini bra. He was a picture of black and white.She appeared nervous. He was steady.They performed the conservative steps with grace and ease. And when they finished, the crowd erupted, showering the ice with flowers.Isabelle and Paul Duchesnay of France made their debut at the Winter Olympics last night.In the ice dancing compulsories, worth 20 percent of the overall score, the Duchesnays finished third.

A large crowd of young people -- described by witnesses as rowdy, rude, fighting or "just hanging out" -- led to the closing of Harborplace shops an hour early Sunday night and prompted complaints yesterday about downtown security.The young people -- about 4,000 of them, according to a police estimate -- surged along nearby streets after leaving the Inner Harbor promenade, but authorities reported no resulting crime, damage or arrests."It's a traditional thing on Easter" for youngsters to gather there, said Lt. Robert F. Smith, head of the Baltimore Police Department's Inner Harbor unit, adding that the crowd may have been larger this year because the weather was pleasant.