Dante

On July 1, 2003, ELOUISE (nee Simmons); beloved wife of Dante J. Rapisarda, Sr.; loving mother of Dante J. Jr., Frank and Michael Rapisarda; loving grandmother of six; great-grandmother of four. Also survived by six sisters, one late sister and one late brother. Relatives and close friends are invited to call at the Schimunek Funeral Home, Inc., 9705 Bel Air Road (Perry Hall), on Thursday only, 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M., where Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, at 10 A.M. Interment in Parkwood Cemetery.

Posterity hasn't been all that kind to Francesco Landini, the Italian composer whose deftly crafted polyphonic harmonies were all the rage in 14th-century Florence. Barely remembered in the modern era, Landini was also an eloquent librettist, penning his singable odes to love, beauty and desire just decades after the great Florentine poet Dante had wrested these once taboo topics from the closed recesses of the medieval mind. But aesthetic justice has triumphed, for Signor Landini is a forgotten man no longer.

In Week 3 of "Monday Night Football," rookie commentator Dennis Miller drop-kicked the names Stephen Hawking (a really smart physicist), Second City (Chicago-based comedy troupe), and Dante (Italian poet). And Miller was just warming up. Our top arcane Miller references of the week: Burl Ives: Miller's two-point conversion attempt required viewers to remember not only the late portly folk singer himself, but also his role as Big Daddy Pollitt in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

Football Chiefs: Signed RB-KR Dante Hall to three-year contract. Eagles: Signed WR Anthony Ladd and DE Michael Mason. Baseball Major League Baseball: Suspended Pirates pitching coach Pete Vuckovich for three games and fined him undisclosed amount for actions in game vs. Mets on June 23. Angels: Placed P Tim Belcher on 15-day DL, retroactive to July 3, with strained throwing elbow. Recalled P Lou Pote from Triple-A Edmonton. Optioned P Brian Cooper to Edmonton Braves: Optioned P Ismael Villegas to Triple-A Richmond.

Quote: "I don't think I've ever had three days off. It's definitely frustrating." - the Reds' Dante Bichette, who has been out of the starting lineup for three games. He ended a 1-for-15 slump as a pinch hitter. It's a fact: The Padres have sent 12 players to the disabled list, and the Opening Day lineup hasn't played together since. Who's hot: The Giants' Jeff Kent had seven hits in his first 10 at-bats in the series in Atlanta. Who's not: The Pirates' Jason Schmidt is 0-for-11 with five strikeouts this season.

PHILADELPHIA - The Cincinnati Reds are finding out that great expectations aren't always so great. The arrival of superstar Ken Griffey Jr. was supposed to turn last year's 96-win wonder into a dominant playoff team, but instead has magnified disappointment over a .500 start. Griffey has struggled to adjust to a new league. Fellow newcomer Dante Bichette is in a deep slump. The starting rotation needs a jump start. And all the while, the St. Louis Cardinals - the other greatly improved team in the National League Central - have been getting comfortable at the top of the standings.

MONDAY NIGHT, as Larry Young and others shouted for the resignation of the acting police commissioner, presumably because he is white and from the city of New York, the city of Baltimore recorded its 69th homicide of 2000, and the victim was black. Within the hour after Young and others had assembled in a West Baltimore church to call for Ed Norris to pack his bags, 21-year-old Dante Bryan was running for his life through the streets of East Baltimore. Another young man with a gun chased Bryan on a red mountain bike.

Eight-year-old Dante Mayo exudes energy when he talks about his favorite pastime. While many children his age love baseball and video games, Dante fancies reading.As of yesterday, Dante had read 457 books -- some as long as 200 pages -- since September. Although mysteries are his favorite, the George Washington Elementary third-grader said he will read nearly anything."I like reading too much," said the small boy with big brown eyes and a serious demeanor.Dante, the youngest in a family of eight children, said, "Books are like a magnet, they are stuck to my head."

Astros: Jeff Bagwell is hitting .353 (12-for-34) against the Reds this season with eight RBIs and four doubles.Brewers: Milwaukee is 6-4 against Pittsburgh.Reds: Cincinnati has lost its past six games in the Astrodome.Rockies: Dante Bichette tied the franchise record of 46 doubles set by Larry Walker in 1997. Pedro Astacio has an 11.52 ERA in his past four starts.Pub Date: 9/08/98