Ea Sports

COLLEGE PARK -- The Maryland Terrapins unveiled their new, youthful face with predictably mixed results last night at Comcast Center, but a victory tastes sweet even during the exhibition season. Before an announced crowd of 17,146, Maryland led off by leaning on its veterans, who delivered nicely to carry the Terps to an 84-70 victory over the EA Sports All-Stars. Sophomore forward Nik Caner-Medley, the most experienced returning player for Maryland, played like it while scoring a game-high 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting, grabbing seven rebounds and adding four assists and four blocked shots in 30 excellent minutes.

RAVENS LINEBACKER Ray Lewis can't forget the ultimate snubs. After turning in one of the best seasons ever by a defensive player, including a sensational Super Bowl performance in early 2001, the national acclaim went to his teammates. Quarterback Trent Dilfer went to Disney, and Jonathan Ogden, Michael McCrary, Rod Woodson, Shannon Sharpe and even Qadry Ismail went on the Wheaties box. Anyone but Ray Lewis. But when the NFL draft begins tomorrow, Ray Lewis is going to be all over the TV screens in commercials for Reebok and EA Sports.

COLLEGE PARK - The Maryland Terrapins got a little more comfortable in their new house last night, at the expense of an opponent that was equally sloppy and tired. And after the Terps worked through some slipshod moments of their own, their fresh legs, depth and large bodies took over at Comcast Center, where an announced crowd of 17,357 watched Maryland destroy the EA Sports All-Stars, 95-60, in its exhibition finale. The Terps now will look to their long-awaited regular-season opener against visiting Miami (Ohio)

Stars like Tom Brady, Marshall Faullk and Jamal Lewis have returned to television sets across America -- and not just in real life. We're talking about the latest console video games that put the all 32 NFL teams in the hands of armchair quarterbacks. This season's video football lineup is solid, with several contenders for the best football experience. To enhance the game even futher, players will be able to meet and compete online for the first time. Microsoft has begun a beta test of its Xbox Live online system with Microsoft NFL Fever 2003.

Remember the days when Mike Tyson would climb into the ring and knock out some scrub in the first round? Well, you'll wish you had Tyson's power when you go up against the pugilistic superstars in EA Sports' Knockout Kings 2002 ($50). This console boxing game for the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PlayStation 2 is fast and furious enough to be a solid simulation of sport's most violent contest (Pro wrestling's not a sport, folks.) Yet, it suffers from a few minor flaws that keep it from being the greatest.

COLLEGE PARK - The sights looked familiar at Cole Field House last night. Guard Juan Dixon's shot was deadly. Point guard Steve Blake broke down the opposing defense repeatedly and found the open man. Center Lonny Baxter was his old, burly self in the paint. Forward Chris Wilcox rattled the rim with a handful of dunks. And after disposing of the EA Sports All-Stars, 98-80, in its exhibition opener before an announced crowd of 10,612, Maryland must deal with the unfamiliar. On Thursday, the Terps, ranked in the top three in numerous preseason polls and intent on returning to the Final Four, will open their real season at the earliest date in school history by facing Arizona in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The hiss of the skates, and the thwack of the sticks. The glare off the ice and the din of the crowd. If you long for the sights, sounds and action of hockey in a big-league arena, why wait for the next home game? It's possible to experience the same prolonged adrenalin rush that builds over three periods of fast-paced hockey by loading a game into your PlayStation 2. The big contenders this year are EA Sports' "NHL 2001" and 989 Sports' "NHL FaceOff 2001." Each sells for $50. The games' developers have brought their old franchises onto a new system, carrying with them a tradition of quality NHL simulation games.

Hey slugger, ready to hit the digital diamond? This year's crop of computer baseball games features two tailored to players who prefer arcade-style swat-a-thons over pure statistical simulations: "Microsoft Baseball 2001" and EA Sports' "Triple Play 2001." Microsoft is relatively new to the diamond. And "Baseball 2001" is a big improvement over last year's debut: The game is a solid if unflashy effort that offers entertainment at a bargain-bin price. It's hard to find anything terribly negative about "Baseball 2001."