Enthusiasm

Westminster coach Henry Mohlhenrich has a passion for wrestling. Watch him during a match, vigorously cheering on his wrestlers. Take a look at him during practice, when he thinks nothing of getting down on the mat and working with kids nearly 30 years younger.Mohlhenrich's enthusiasm and love of the sport have helped Westminster shoot to the top of the county and state in recent years. The Owls were 16-2 last year, took second in the Class 3A-4A dual meet state tournament and third in the state's open competition.

On a stormy April evening seven years ago, an unexpected email inextricably linked me to a cornerstone of Baltimore's past. The message was this: "Can you do Lexington Market?" And it came from Arcadia Publishing, a firm specializing in pictorial local histories. I read it in a last-minute email check before leaving with my husband for the Maryland Historical Society, which was awarding him its prestigious Brewington Prize for his article on Maryland maritime history. Between the rain, the snarled, rush-hour traffic, and the fact that the evening's focus was on my husband, I corked up Arcadia's message until, arriving at the society, I blurted "I've been asked to write a book about Lexington Market!"

On the field: Orioles second baseman Manny Alexander likely is out for the rest of the season after injuring his left groin muscle last night. Alexander suffered his injury while chasing a ground-ball single. On the flip side, Jeffrey Hammonds made his first appearance since July, when he pinch ran for Chris Hoiles in the ninth inning.In the dugout: On the night the Indians were trying to clinch their first title since 1954, Cleveland manager Mike Hargrove went with what has been his best lineup this year, including Orel Hershiser as his starting pitcher.

On the Orioles' re-signing of Chris Gomez Is it possible to have a roster full of role players? Our bench is more solid for his presence and enthusiasm to do whatever is required of him. If they end up unable to acquire a first baseman, I like having Gomez as a late-inning replacement for Kevin Millar.

Casey Jenkins is a charmer. All restaurant owners pay lip service to the concept of being in the business to make people happy, but the owner and chef of the new Darker Than Blue Cafe seems to mean it. His enthusiasm is infectious, even when he's just talking about his all you-can-eat brunch for $17.95. "People love it," he grins. Poor:]

Quote: "I think we're drained, and it definitely showed. We had no enthusiasm. The trip's been tough. It's good to go home." -- second baseman Mark Grudzielanek, whose Dodgers lost four straight after opening their seven-game road trip with three-game sweep. It's a fact: The Cubs' Sammy Sosa has seven homers. He didn't hit his seventh last season until May 8. Who's hot: Cardinals catcher Mike Matheny has thrown out 12 of 17 (70.6 percent) attempted base-stealers this season. Who's not: The Astros have lost nine of 12 at their new ballpark, Enron Field.

Once again, it's time to show off our readers' best photographs from the past year. Contributors to the Personal Journeys page of The Sun's Travel Section set out in all directions in 2001, and they came back with plenty of great pictures. Readers submitted photos from as close by as the Eastern Shore and the Outer Banks and from as far away as Zambia and French Polynesia. Some of the images on this page and inside the section are thoughtful, some are playful and some are simply beautiful.

Both running back Ray Rice and strong safety Bernard Pollard expressed puzzlement about the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for taunting they absorbed during the Ravens' 30-27 win against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday. Count coach John Harbaugh as another who is interested in the NFL illuminating the issue. “I'm going to have to save that for the league, to be honest with you,” Harbaugh said when asked for his perspective on the calls. “I don't understand them. So we'll look forward to seeing how the league explains them to us.” A little later, Harbaugh staunchly defended Rice and Pollard.

When he rose to defend himself against those who would have ousted him from his post as head of Maryland's Democratic Party, 58-year-old political kingmaker Nathan Landow made an admission."

St. Paul's Mitch Tullai, the dean of area high school football coaches with 41 years of service and 208 victories, announced yesterday that he will retire after the final game of the season next week."