Front Row

INDIANAPOLIS -- Eddie Cheever bounds into the motor home parked next to the garage area. His face is tanned. He runs his fingers through his brownish-blond hair, revealing a streak of gray.He smiles, boyishly."I have a passion for competing," he says, settling into a comfortable position on one of the couches lining the walls. "I love competing. I don't really like testing very much, or qualifying very much. But I love racing. Racing is so exciting, because every thing happens immediately.

The Havre de Grace 7-8year-old co-ed clinic basketball team won the league championship Saturday, beating a team from Aberdeen, 22-11. The win completed the winning season with a perfect 12-0 record. Pictured, front row from left, are Brody Strong, Will Lawder, Braydyn Malloy, Brian Pearson, Will Burley, Aidan Gresock, Erica Belcher, Morgan Custer and Michael Malia; back row from left, coaches Bill Lawder, Matt Belcher and Jeff Gresock. DeJuan Jordan is not pictured.

Alex Zanardi loves to play with the steering wheel and pedals on a race car. It is a love that has the second-year driver positioned to set a record this weekend and perhaps capture a championship by the time the new Championship Auto Racing League season is over.Today, Zanardi, who has won four straight poles, will try to claim a record ninth straight front-row starting spot during qualifying for CART's season-opening event, the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami, in Homestead, Fla."To get the record is very, very important, but you have to leave the dreams in your pocket when you're driving," said the 30-year-old native of Bologna, Italy.

Aberdeen High School senior Jimmia McCluskey signed her letter of intent last week to attend and run track at Temple University in Philadelphia. McCluskey will major in physical therapy. Pictured in the front row from left are Tonia McCluskey (mother), Jimmia McCluskey, Jimmie McCluskey (father) and in the back row from left are Coach John Mobley, Athletic Director Tim Lindecamp and Coach Kyree Edwards.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Arie Luyendyk wasn't interested in sitting around and waiting for someone else to make a move; he had been subjected to too much drama during last year's time trials for the Indianapolis 500. So, at 4: 30 p.m. yesterday, Luyendyk decided it was high time to make a run at the pole position.With track conditions ideal, Luyendyk, the 1990 Indy 500 champion who had been quickest all month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, went out and captured the pole for the 81st renewal of the 500 when he toured the 2.5-mile oval in a four-lap average of 218.263 mph.Luyendyk, who also won the pole in 1993, will make his 13th Indy 500 appearance and fourth start on the front row, alongside Team Menard driver Tony Stewart (218.

BRISTOL, Tenn. - Jeff Gordon seems to have an innate ability to come through when the chips are down. Winston Cup observers are speculating on Gordon's slow start this season and pondering his emotional state as he deals with the fact that his wife of seven years has sued him for divorce. Gordon, however, showing no signs of distraction took his Chevrolet onto Bristol Motor Speedway's tricky half-mile oval on a cold afternoon yesterday and won the pole for tomorrow's Food City 500 with a track-record run of 127.216 mph. "This is gratifying," said Gordon.

With all the talk this week about the bumps, tight turns and changing surfaces, the goal for every driver in Saturday's IZOD IndyCar Series three-segment qualifying race was to get as close to the front as possible, because passing could come with a cost Sunday. Just before entering his final lap, Will Power looked at the readout on the dashboard of his Penske Dallara and knew he was a tenth of a second off the fastest time of the day. He then set off on an exciting sprint to claim the pole for Baltimore's inaugural Grand Prix.

Aberdeen High School senior Jimmia McCluskey signed her letter of intent last week to attend and run track at Temple University in Philadelphia. McCluskey will major in physical therapy. Pictured in the front row from left are Tonia McCluskey (mother), Jimmia McCluskey, Jimmie McCluskey (father) and in the back row from left are Coach John Mobley, Athletic Director Tim Lindecamp and Coach Kyree Edwards.

People involved with the Negro League were honored at Ripken Stadium before the game July 1. Pictured, front row from left, are Jimmy Bland, Terry Dean, Geraldine Day and Larry O'Neale; and back row from left, Ray Banks, Eddie Banks, Luther Atkinson and Keith Parker.

The Havre de Grace 7-8year-old co-ed clinic basketball team won the league championship Saturday, beating a team from Aberdeen, 22-11. The win completed the winning season with a perfect 12-0 record. Pictured, front row from left, are Brody Strong, Will Lawder, Braydyn Malloy, Brian Pearson, Will Burley, Aidan Gresock, Erica Belcher, Morgan Custer and Michael Malia; back row from left, coaches Bill Lawder, Matt Belcher and Jeff Gresock. DeJuan Jordan is not pictured.

The Fallston Flames U10 boys soccer team completed a successful season with back-to-back tournament championships recently. The Flames won the EASL Open in Baltimore County and then took home the Fallston Cup. In addition, in early October they won the River Soccer Club Columbus Day Tournament in Ocean City. Pictured, front row from left, are Mason Manzo, Keetan Oteyza, Kevin Roberts, Alex Rothenheber and Michael Estremsky; middle row from left, Drew Menges, Ben Tewey, Noah Amburgey, Brett Newcomb, Pete Buckler, Kyle Brown and Kevin Baranoski; and back row from left, head coach Mike Rothenheber, assistant coach Pete Manzo and assistant coach Dave Buckler.

At the Zang Toi show Sunday evening, "Real Housewife of New York" Romona Singer tweeted that she was front row with Alex McCord, Avery Singer and Sonja Morgan. She tweeted that the three of them were her "three favorite blonds. " Baltimore's Stacy Keibler was front row and center Tuesday at Vera Wang's show. A very chic Keibler, her hair pulled back, was sporting dangling earrings, a black and white patterned sleeveless dress and pointed-toe black pumps. She was joined by other notables including Rachel Zoe and Kirsten Dunst.

Christiane Amanpour was spotted Friday by our own Hilary Phelps at Bar Boulud, a restaurant near Lincoln Center frequented by New York Fashion Week attendees. The veteran journo was eating soup and sipping on what appeared to be a pink grapefruit cocktail, according to Phelps.   Ramona Singer was spotted Friday making her rounds at various shows. We first saw the "Real Housewives of New York" star at designer Walter Baker's show at "The Box" in Lincoln Center. Singer was dressed in a lovely form-fitting Moroccan blue dress, which is one of the top colors of the season.

People involved with the Negro League were honored at Ripken Stadium before the game July 1. Pictured, front row from left, are Jimmy Bland, Terry Dean, Geraldine Day and Larry O'Neale; and back row from left, Ray Banks, Eddie Banks, Luther Atkinson and Keith Parker.

Though I'd like to write about Saturday's Class 3A state baseball final being the highlight of my work as a journalist, a flawless pitchers' duel that went into extra innings tied 0-0, or 1-1, and from which emerged an ace hurler who went the distance in the final game of his high school career to bring home the title, it just did not live up to the hype I had created in my own head (I'm always hoping for a high school version of game seven of the...

Midnight Sun contributor Ellie Kahn saw the English dubstep DJ Rusko headline Rams Head Live on Monday night. This was her take: It wasn't until nearly midnight when the Hollywood sign-like letters flashed on in the darkness to spell out Rusko. Before then, Sigma performed covers of Waka Flocka Flame's "Hard in Da Paint ," Big Sean's "Dance," Flux Pavillion's "Bass Cannon " and hundreds of midriff-bearing, neon-wearing, 20-somethings and teenagers with unforgiving black X's on their hands tried to figure out why Rusko was so late.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Driver Jimmy Means suffered a fractured left shoulder blade in an eight-car crash during the final practice session yesterday for today's Daytona 500 qualifying races.No other drivers were hurt.Among the six cars that had to be towed in were those of Jimmy Spencer, Darrell Waltrip and his brother Michael. Rookie Bobby Labonte's car, while smashed on the left side, was driven back to the garage.Eddie Bierschwale, Ken Ragan and Jim Sauter were involved but won't need to go to backup cars.

I just saw this on Twitter and wanted to pass it along. Click here to print out your passes to see Limitless this Wednesday at 7:30 at Arundel Mills. These passes do not guarantee seating. From experience, get there at least 30 minutes early if you want to ensure a seat and 45 minutes early if you want a decent seat not in the front row. This movie looks pretty good despite the fact that it stars Bradley Cooper:  

When the Maryland Senate came into session this morning, Sen. Ulysses Currie was seated in the front row - but a crucial 10 feet to the right of his former perch, the desk he was for years afforded as chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee. Even as senators and delegates shook hands, hugged and greeted each other after an absence of nine months, Senator Currie served as a highly visible, awkward reminder of what could prove to be one of the most difficult pieces of business the legislature will have to take up this year.

Fifteen members of the Aberdeen High School class of 1951 held their 60th reunion on the weekend of Aug. 20-21. For some, this occasion inspired journeys from New York, Massachusetts, Arizona and Florida. Events included dinner at Bruce Bitner's Café and Grill in Campus Hills and a brunch cruise on the Lantern Queen off Havre de Grace. Pictured, standing: Corky Blanchard, Lejeune Pyle, Henry Burns, Bill Gross, Dick Scott, Dan Tamkus; seated, middle row: Wanda Denbow Ruth, Elaine Denbow Beavers, Joan Illick Pyle, Elaine Preston Goodby, Jeannette Wallen Coppersmith; seated, front row: Pat Cronin King, Luanne Burns Ehlers, Irene Vachek Henry, Lydia Latka Corder.