Division Winners

Turnover, upheaval, insanity. It's one thing not to have dynasties any longer in the NFL, but it's quite another when you can't even get repeat division winners. Look at the league standings today. Not one division winner from the 2002 season is in first place. The Green Bay Packers, perhaps the surest repeat division champ there was before the season started, have been bounced by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. Oakland won the last three AFC West titles, but the Raiders are a fading third this year.

1 Eagles soaring: After being dumped by the Ravens, the Eagles beat two division winners (the Cardinals and Giants) to get back into the playoff race. They host the Browns tonight (8:30, ESPN). 2 UConn tuneup: The Connecticut men's basketball team should be able to clear the bench when it hosts Stony Brook (7 p.m., MASN). 3 Looking for wins: After firing their coach earlier in the season, the Wizards would like to see some victories, and there's no better time than tonight against the Pacers (7 p.m., Comcast SportsNet)

If the major-league season ended today, the final standings and playoff pairings would be as follows:American League division winnersTeam (Div.) .. ... .. ..W.. .. .L.. .. ..Pct.Orioles (East) .. .. ..83 .. ..44.. .. . .654Mariners (West) .. .. .73 .. ..58.. .. . .557Indians (Central) .. ..67 .. ..60.. .. . .528American League wild cardTeam (Div.) .. ... .. ..W.. .. .L.. .. ..Pct.Yankees (East) .. .. ..77 .. ..52.. .. . .597American League playoff matchupsIndians at Yankees (Games 1, 2)Yankees at Indians (3, 4, 5)

As the regular season draws near, every NFL team will talk about the importance of getting off to a fast start. But the Ravens desperately need one if they are to have any shot at returning to the playoffs. The season begins with a smooth road - over the first 10 games, the Ravens face only one team that had a winning record last season - before reaching a series of bumps never seen before in team history. Starting at the end of November, the Ravens meet the other three defending AFC division winners (the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts)

Teams headed by professionals Chris Clark of Chestnut Ridge Country Club (net) and Brooks Gerardi of Redgate GC (gross) were the division winners in national Oldsmobile Scramble regional qualifying round at Holly Hills CC in Ijamsville. In each instance, it took a chip-off to sort out the final standings.Clark was joined by Jim Fisher, Harvey Hess, Steve Friedman and Lynn Boyd in posting an 18-under-par 54. Redgate's team, which included brothers David and Mark DeGirolamo, Wally Pellerite and Steve Branch, defeated five other teams in the overtime session after all had 58s.

As far as the Orioles are concerned, the current major-league playoff format should remain for a long, long time.Many Orioles players said they would prefer preserving the four division winners, even though expansion of the playoffs could mean more TV revenue -- and more opportunity for postseason play -- for them."

1 Eagles soaring: After being dumped by the Ravens, the Eagles beat two division winners (the Cardinals and Giants) to get back into the playoff race. They host the Browns tonight (8:30, ESPN). 2 UConn tuneup: The Connecticut men's basketball team should be able to clear the bench when it hosts Stony Brook (7 p.m., MASN). 3 Looking for wins: After firing their coach earlier in the season, the Wizards would like to see some victories, and there's no better time than tonight against the Pacers (7 p.m., Comcast SportsNet)

FOR THE FIRST TIME this year, Arundel Middle School offered wrestling in physical education classes, and more than 50 students participated.They learned rules, basic techniques, strategy and sportsmanship and were graded on participation, effort and improvement.In the 70-pound division, Adam Peterson took first place, Matt Davis placed second, and Paul Clayton took third. In the 95-pound division, first place went to Doug Campbell, second to Aaron Holmes and third to Eric Govan. The 110-pound division, first-place winner was Mike Gregory; second, Taylor Connolly; and third, Ryan McDonald.

* WHAT'S AHEAD: Idle this week, the Thunder will visit the Philadelphia Wings March 17, then entertain the Wings March 23 at the Baltimore Arena in its regular-season finale. The Major Indoor Lacrosse League title game matching division winners (Detroit and Baltimore are current leaders) is scheduled a week after the regular season ends at the arena of the team with the best record (currently Detroit, 7-1).* WRAPUP: Jeff Jackson scored four goals and goalie Jeff Gombar (31 saves) was voted MVP as the Thunder (5-3)

Take a look around you. This is a pennant race. This is the last one.Take a good look. There are people who wished they had taken one last look at Ebbets Field or Pennsylvania Station or the American buffalo herds, to commit them to memory before the money people tore them down or drove them over the cliffs.Take a good look at the four teams scrambling for one place in the championship rounds. Winners only. Losers go home. This is the last time. Mediocrity arrives in 1994.We are observers of the last hurrah of that unique baseball institution known as the pennant race.

It ended terribly, but the Ravens had a splendid season, their second best since coming to Baltimore. That means absolutely, positively nothing going forward. Parity's powerful pull has turned the NFL into a league of abrupt turns, with many teams rising up one year and falling down the next. The Ravens improved by seven games this season. New Orleans is in the NFC title game after going 3-13 in 2005. Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl last February and then missed the playoffs this season.

Turnover, upheaval, insanity. It's one thing not to have dynasties any longer in the NFL, but it's quite another when you can't even get repeat division winners. Look at the league standings today. Not one division winner from the 2002 season is in first place. The Green Bay Packers, perhaps the surest repeat division champ there was before the season started, have been bounced by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. Oakland won the last three AFC West titles, but the Raiders are a fading third this year.

TAMPA, Fla. -- When the NFL playoffs started, Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp said, "I pity the fool who has to come in here and play us. We'll be sitting here waiting." The waiting ends today for the Buccaneers when the Washington Redskins arrive in town for their divisional playoff game. It might be easy to brush off Sapp's comment as typical of the flamboyant defensive lineman, who likes to say, "My goal is to become the first bust with braids in the Pro Football Hall of Fame." Sapp talks that way all the time.

If the major-league season ended today, the final standings and playoff pairings would be as follows:American League division winnersTeam (Div.) .. ... .. ..W.. .. .L.. .. ..Pct.Orioles (East) .. .. ..83 .. ..44.. .. . .654Mariners (West) .. .. .73 .. ..58.. .. . .557Indians (Central) .. ..67 .. ..60.. .. . .528American League wild cardTeam (Div.) .. ... .. ..W.. .. .L.. .. ..Pct.Yankees (East) .. .. ..77 .. ..52.. .. . .597American League playoff matchupsIndians at Yankees (Games 1, 2)Yankees at Indians (3, 4, 5)

FOR THE FIRST TIME this year, Arundel Middle School offered wrestling in physical education classes, and more than 50 students participated.They learned rules, basic techniques, strategy and sportsmanship and were graded on participation, effort and improvement.In the 70-pound division, Adam Peterson took first place, Matt Davis placed second, and Paul Clayton took third. In the 95-pound division, first place went to Doug Campbell, second to Aaron Holmes and third to Eric Govan. The 110-pound division, first-place winner was Mike Gregory; second, Taylor Connolly; and third, Ryan McDonald.

The Orioles are going to win the American League East, but not necessarily with the players on their Opening Day roster. They're going to win because general manager Pat Gillick will find the missing pieces, and manager Davey Johnson will make them fit.Their management team is the best in the game, and it's possible that by the end of the season, their baseball team will be, too. It's also possible that the Orioles will be a tremendous disappointment, because...

Normally, this would be the proper time and place to make predictions for the 1995 baseball season. Picking the division winners and MVPs and such.Making such calls on Opening Day, and then checking them in late September to see how wrong you were, is a baseball ritual as essential and permanent as the World Series itself.Oops. Bad analogy there. We didn't quite make it to the World Series last season, did we?No, these are not normal times in baseball. And, as the baseball nation slowly recovers from Bud and Donald's Excellent Adventure, making typical predictions about division winners and award winners just doesn't feel like the right thing to do.We've got larger, more global issues at hand this season.

As the regular season draws near, every NFL team will talk about the importance of getting off to a fast start. But the Ravens desperately need one if they are to have any shot at returning to the playoffs. The season begins with a smooth road - over the first 10 games, the Ravens face only one team that had a winning record last season - before reaching a series of bumps never seen before in team history. Starting at the end of November, the Ravens meet the other three defending AFC division winners (the San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts)

Teams headed by professionals Chris Clark of Chestnut Ridge Country Club (net) and Brooks Gerardi of Redgate GC (gross) were the division winners in national Oldsmobile Scramble regional qualifying round at Holly Hills CC in Ijamsville. In each instance, it took a chip-off to sort out the final standings.Clark was joined by Jim Fisher, Harvey Hess, Steve Friedman and Lynn Boyd in posting an 18-under-par 54. Redgate's team, which included brothers David and Mark DeGirolamo, Wally Pellerite and Steve Branch, defeated five other teams in the overtime session after all had 58s.

Normally, this would be the proper time and place to make predictions for the 1995 baseball season. Picking the division winners and MVPs and such.Making such calls on Opening Day, and then checking them in late September to see how wrong you were, is a baseball ritual as essential and permanent as the World Series itself.Oops. Bad analogy there. We didn't quite make it to the World Series last season, did we?No, these are not normal times in baseball. And, as the baseball nation slowly recovers from Bud and Donald's Excellent Adventure, making typical predictions about division winners and award winners just doesn't feel like the right thing to do.We've got larger, more global issues at hand this season.