Duel

Northeast pitcher Stacy Smith confessed she was plenty excited when she saw her Eagles finally scratch across a couple of runs in the fifth inning at Glen Burnie yesterday.Not so excited, however, to get away from what she had been doing best all afternoon, getting the No. 1-ranked Gophers out.Scattering five hits and striking out nine, the junior outlasted Glen Burnie's Michelle Whelan to lead the No. 4-ranked Eagles to a 2-0 win. The loss was Glen Burnie's second in three days after two wins.

CLEVELAND -- They don't make endings any sweeter. Sandy Alomar, who has emerged from the long shadow of his younger brother with a 30-game hitting streak that still is in progress, finally got his chance to stand alone in the national spotlight last night.It was a one-shot deal. He entered the 68th All-Star Game in the late innings and went to the plate just once, but his line drive into the left-field bleachers propelled the American League to a 3-1 victory before a delirious home crowd of 44,916 at Jacobs Field.

CHICAGO -- Scott Kamieniecki believes the walk up his career stair-climber is now behind him. No longer does he need to be babied. No longer does he have to be considered the stopgap until Rocky Coppinger heals.Denied a decision, Kamieniecki gave another convincing statement yesterday in the Orioles' 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Involved in a pitchers' duel that offered no margin for error, Kamieniecki handed over a scoreless tie to the bullpen after seven innings and 86 pitches and suggested he was ready for more.

A Westminster man has been acquitted of setting fire to another man's truck after a traffic dispute escalated into a duel with shovels at the Twin Kiss restaurant parking lot nearly 14 months ago.A Carroll County jury deliberated about 50 minutes yesterday before rendering its verdict in favor of Robert J. Dallatezza, 38, of the 800 block of Young Court.Dallatezza's version of what happened differed in critical aspects from that of Frederick W. Blickenstaff, 45, of the 2000 block of Herbert Ave. in Westminster.

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton and his Republican challenger, Bob Dole, used gracious and folksy back-to-back appearances last night on cable television to try to smooth over the rough spots in their respective campaigns.Clinton, appearing on MSNBC, the new cable and Internet service, took on the issue of Whitewater, dismissing polls that suggest that a majority of Americans do not believe that he and his wife are telling the whole truth about it. The president asserted that the Whitewater investigation has been "highly politicized."

LANDOVER -- For 52 minutes last night, it appeared Washington Capitals goalie Jim Carey would pull off a rare NHL feat and capture his third straight shutout.After all, he had recorded five shutouts in March, extending his league lead to nine for the season.So as the Caps protected their one-goal lead against Tampa Bay, they were doing it with confidence.But with eight minutes left, Roman Hamrlik took a fluky shot that hopped off the ice, hit a few bodies or gloves -- no one is sure -- and landed sight unseen by a screened Carey in the back of his previously unblemished net, securing a 1-1 tie that held up, to the disappointment of the 18,130 at USAir Arena.

You watch sports on TV. I watch sports on TV. You eat Cheez-Its. I eat Cheez-Its. You always root against teams from New York. I always root against teams from New York.So what's the difference? I keep a yellow legal pad and pen next to the Cheez-Its.That said, let's digest -- so to speak -- some notes from Wednesday night:* While on ABC's "Nightline," the father of tennis prodigy Venus Williams delivered a message about not exploiting young players for commercial gain. But he didn't help stake out high moral ground by deciding to wear logos for an energy snack and an athletic shoe manufacturer on his cap and shirt.

A football score one night, a soccer score the next.Only in baseball.One night after the Orioles and California Angels staged a home run derby that typified 1994 baseball, Mark Langston and Ben McDonald turned back the clock to 1968, the year of the pitcher.Langston and McDonald locked arms in a duel won by the left-hander as the Angels defeated the Orioles, 1-0, in front of 47,154 last night at Camden Yards.The start of the game was delayed 15 minutes by a brief rain shower. Langston and McDonald saw to it that neither team's offense showed up until much later.

Soap opera takes center stage tonight, as ABC presents the "Daytime Emmy Awards" and Fox devotes two hours to the season finale of "Beverly Hills, 90210." Not to be overlooked, though, is tonight's "American Experience," which gets a jump on the documentary competition by presenting its "D-Day" special well in advance of the event's actual 50th anniversary on June 6.* "Home Improvement" (8-8:30 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Once again, Tim (Tim Allen) closes out a season by challenging guest star Bob Vila to a mano a mano duel -- this time in hot rods.

It's a good thing the day began with a truce. The Yankees set up camp just on the other side of the hill.But that didn't worry 1st Sgt. Rick Barber of the 19th Georgia Regiment, Archer's Brigade."

CHASKA, Minn. - - Padraig Harrington could sense it in the thick, humid air above Hazeltine National. So could Ernie Els. The fans want Tiger Woods to win the PGA Championship. But they also long for drama. "Everybody wants to see a battle," Harrington said. "It's part of our human nature to support the underdog." A reporter asked Els whether he believed the galleries want to see him - or anyone, for that matter - duel Woods down the stretch today and threaten his two-shot lead. "I could definitely feel that," Els said.

1983 ALCS: Game 4 2:30 p.m. [MLB Network] This was a classic extra-innings pitchers' duel between the Orioles and Chicago White Sox in the deciding game of the American League Championship Series. Here's a hint: You're going to like how this one turns out.

PC. Rated Teen. Microsoft Xbox 360, also for PS3, PS2, Nintendo Wii, PC; $59.99 ($39.99 to $59.99 for other versions) ** 1/2 James Bond is out for revenge in Quantum of Solace, and his quest lends itself to a fast-paced first-person shooter in this game adaptation. The game covers the action sequences of Casino Royale as well. It's a solid shooter with a handful of online game types, but aside from the Bond license, there's not much to make it stand out. Bond can rush and take out enemies with a quick, nasty attack, there are occasional Simon-style hacking minigames and fistfights with foes, and some levels call for stealthy movement.

In a zone The good Daniel Cabrera appeared at yesterday's game - the one who throws strikes and overpowers hitters. Cabrera took a two-hit shutout into the sixth inning before giving up Garrett Guzman's two-run homer and leaving with one out. He faced the minimum number of batters going into the sixth, and his pitch count stood at 42. Cabrera struck out four straight hitters, beginning with Lastings Milledge to end the first inning. Big third Nationals starter John Patterson retired the first six batters he faced and looked as if he would engage Cabrera in a pitchers' duel - at least by Grapefruit League standards - until the third inning, when the Orioles scored four times to take a 4-0 lead.

On June 22, 2006, GEORGE ALBERT MYERS Jr., beloved husband of the late Betty Keating Myers, dear father of Karen L. Myers Zauner and her husband Joseph, Susan F. Shea and her husband Christopher, brother of Ann M. Stahr and John F. Myers, beloved grandfather of Jennifer Duel, Carrie Zauner, Robert Duel, Jonathan Zauner and Caroline Shea. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Presbyterian Home of Maryland, 400 Georgia Court, Towson, MD 21204 or the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, 1777 Reisterstown Road, Suite 290, Baltimore, MD, 21208.

Two unearned runs separated a pair of senior right-handed pitchers named Jeff yesterday in Millersville as visiting and No. 4 ranked Arundel nipped No. 5 Old Mill, 2-0, in a game played in a rapid 1 hour, 25 minutes. Arundel's Jeff Feigl got the best of Old Mill's Jeff Koscielniak. Each pitched a two-hitter with very similar numbers, but the difference was the Wildcats taking advantage of Old Mill miscues to score single runs in the first and third innings, with Feigl driving in the second run. Pitchers' duel is an understatement to describe the superb performance of the two. Two of the four errors by the Patriots led to the runs.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Michael Phelps will continue his contrary ways in today's "Duel in the Pool." The one-day competition between Australia and the United States, the world's dominant swimming nations, lost some glamour when the visitors scratched national hero Ian Thorpe because of a meningitis-like virus, but the event will not be without star power, thanks to Phelps, the 17-year-old from Rodgers Forge and the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Phelps is the only American man entered in three individual events, and he'll be favored to sweep the 400 individual medley and both the 100 and 200 butterflys.

On February 27, 2003, RICHARD E. of Baltimore, MD. He is the loving husband of Rosalie S. Duel; dear father of Barbara Johnson, Richard Duel, Larry Duel, Margie Duel, Ann Blum, Frances Kaufman, and the late Kevin Duel; father-in-law of Pete Johnson, Jerry Blum and Buddy Kaufman; grandfather of ten. Friends may call at the Loudon Park Funeral Home, 3620 Wilkens Avenue, on Sunday from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M. where service will be held on Monday at 11 A.M....

The World Iraq agreed to allow U.N. weapons inspectors to enter and conduct surprise visits at some facilities, but not Saddam Hussein's presidential palaces. The United States and Britain said the conditions were unacceptable. Inspectors delayed going to Iraq while the Security Council considers a tougher resolution. The Bush administration said it would ignore a provision recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, even though it was contained in a spending bill signed by the president.

It had to be small consolation for the struggling Orioles lineup, but the Boston Red Sox did not get to celebrate another no-hitter at Camden Yards last night. Converted reliever Derek Lowe came close to duplicating the feat that Hideo Nomo pulled off here almost a year ago to the day, but the Red Sox had to settle for a combined 3-0 shutout in the opener of a three-game series at Oriole Park. There were so many similarities that it seemed almost preordained when Lowe entered the eighth inning without surrendering a hit. Nomo had no-hit the Orioles in the second game of the season-opening series.