Future

Former Randallstown football star and Maryland recruit Melvin Alaeze was sentenced to eight years in prison for his role in a shooting and robbery last December in Randallstown. Alaeze, 20, received the sentence Wednesday in Baltimore County Circuit Court after entering a guilty plea to first-degree assault in May. Under Maryland law, Alaeze must serve at least half of his sentence before he can be released. "Melvin still had opportunities to attend college," said Alaeze's attorney, Kevin Kamenetz.

THE COUNT Homicides since Jan. 1: 234 LAST YEAR: Baltimore had recorded 216 homicides as of Oct. 10, 2006. ONLINE: Details and locations of this year's city homicides are at baltimoresun.com/homicidemap

They feel stronger on the offensive line and at wide receiver, they may have stolen a defensive gem in the final round and they ended the day by talking about adding two veteran running backs in the near future.All in all, while the second day of the Ravens' fourth NFL draft did not yield a blue-chip player approaching the level of cornerback and first-round pick Chris McAlister, it featured the addition of some much-needed depth on offense.First, the Ravens grabbed Southwest Louisiana receiver Brandon Stokley in the fourth round.

This is an excerpt of a Boston Globe editorial that was published Friday.THE stock market's traditional 6 1/2-hour trading day is scary enough for some investors, who can probably feel an ulcer forming at the thought of an exchange that never sleeps. But the all-night market is the way of the future -- one more convenience, or curse, of the computer age.The technological revolution that has spawned on-line brokerage houses and lets consumers into portfolios with a keystroke has also created the virtual trading floor.

I READ ABOUT THE refrigerator of the future and began to worry. A news story out of Sweden told of a prototype, unveiled recently by Electrolux, that supposedly tells you what's inside the fridge without having to open the door. The fridge "knows" what's inside by reading bar codes, like the machines used at supermarket checkout stands. This fridge also can supposedly warn users if they are running low on any foods, like milk.Like most reports on the future, the smart-fridge prediction left me shaking my head with doubt.

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri was created by 31-year-old designer Brian Reynolds and his colleagues at Firaxis Games in Hunt Valley. A rising star in the game industry, Reynolds is a self-taught programmer from Huntsville, Ala., who studied history and philosophy at the University of the South and started writing code at Microprose under legendary guru Sid Meier.Reynolds designed Microprose's Civilization II, the best-selling follow-up to Meier's landmark Civilization. Both titles sold more than a million copies - a rare accomplishment.

Ryan Minor took a few steps out of the Orioles' dugout last night, turned to look inside, then jogged slowly to third base. Perhaps he was checking to make sure no one was following him.Eleven days had passed since Minor's promotion from Double-A, and already he was treading on sacred ground. He hoped only to keep from falling.Without warning, Minor took the position that had belonged exclusively to Cal Ripken for the past two seasons, ending a consecutive-games streak that stretched to eternity.

One day, a young sailor will look out at the sea, imagine a distant adventure and proclaim: "I want to do the Volvo."The Volvo?It may sound a little strange, but the future organizers of the Whitbread Round the World Race expect that one day a new generation of sailors will know the 31,600-nautical-mile adventure its new name, the Volvo Ocean Race Round the World.Volvo, the Swedish car company, revealed details yesterday about its new ownership of the race after a 25-year sponsorship by the English brewery Whitbread.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Once the Orioles complete the first part of their morning workout, the squad splits for batting practice. One half goes to the main stadium field, where fans watch and cheer and beckon for autographs. The starters -- players such as Brady Anderson, Rafael Palmeiro and Mike Bordick -- hit in the stadium.The other half of the squad disperses to a back field, which sits adjacent to an airport runway. There are no stands, there are no fans. Minor-leaguers and nonroster invitees, such as Danny Magee and Francisco Matos, hit there, the silence interrupted only by the roar of planes taking off.It says something about the current standing of Jeffrey Hammonds, then, that he is alternating time between the two fields.

WASHINGTON - President Clinton faces the almost impossible task of making his second inaugural address memorable, compelling and historic with no national crisis or threat from abroad to focus public attention and drive his rhetoric.The speech Clinton is to deliver, after he takes the short oath of office again tomorrow on the west steps of the Capitol, will be the 53rd inaugural address by an American president and the last one of the 20th century, which does frame the moment.From Clinton, however, historians and political analysts say they expect neither soaring eloquence nor profound declarations this time around, no more than they did four years ago.Indeed, "most inaugural address are quickly forgotten, as are most State of the Union speeches," said political analyst Thomas Mann.

It's not trade time just yet, but the recent upturn in the fortunes of the Orioles has created just enough buzz to start wondering which direction the team should go when Andy MacPhail's phone starts ringing in July. The midseason market will open in earnest early next month and - depending on factors beyond the scope of my well-known power to predict the future - contribute some additional excitement and intrigue to an Orioles season that is shaping up to be the most interesting in a decade.

Kevin Millar, at 37, still has something to offer on the field and in the clubhouse of the right team, but the Orioles are truly going in another direction. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

Now, we can view our futures differently For generations, when African-Americans were growing up, someone would ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Answers would vary as African-American young people gazed through the lenses of historical limitations. After Tuesday night's presidential victory for Barack Obama, making him the first African-American president, we can view our future differently. Now we can believe with renewed hope that it is possible to overcome the odds, realize our dreams and be whatever we want to be. We can't celebrate this historic event without acknowledging the contributions of so many who dared to dream, sacrificed and suffered so that all people would be able to experience the American dream.

As you examine the Orioles' roster and align it with Andy MacPhail's two- or three-year plan for rebuilding the franchise, there are precious few names that one can imagine being there when the club is fighting for a playoff spot in some future September. There are Jeremy Guthrie, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and maybe a few others, but it's a fairly short list and among the position players, it's Markakis whose name is, or should be, at the top of that list. The team and Markakis' agent had been in talks for a contract extension, but those discussions have reportedly been suspended until after the season.

Anyone who still believes Maryland's surging electricity rates and deregulation debacle are somehow unique to the state ought to take note of what's been happening in Texas. Utility customers in the Lone Star State (often touted as one of the nation's most ambitiously deregulated) have seen once-cheap wholesale prices spike to many times the national average. The causes are familiar - global demand for natural gas, a congested power grid, and utilities spinning off their power plants to third parties.

On January 9, 2008, NAOMI E. GUILFORD CALDWELL. Funeral services for Naomi E. Guilford Caldwell that were scheduled for Monday January 14, 2008 have been postponed. Details regarding the rescheduling of the funeral will appear in a future edition.

A resident of Las Vegas, offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden figures he has a bead on what the oddsmakers will be saying about his possible return to the Ravens. "Oh yeah, they'd bet against me," he predicted. "Probably strongly against me. But that's why we have odds. There's still a chance." Ogden, who is set to play in his 11th Pro Bowl in his 12-season career, has said that he will make a decision on his future in the NFL during the offseason, weighing his passion for the game against the physical toll the profession has taken on his 6-foot-9, 345-pound frame.

With Baltimoreans about to enjoy the rare experience of watching high-stakes college football at M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens and city officials already say they want the Army-Navy game back in future years. Baltimore is likely to face stiff competition, however, from the game's traditional home in Philadelphia and other cities along the East Coast. Navy vs. Army Saturday, noon, M&T Bank Stadium, chs. 13, 9, 1090 AM

How has Troy Smith progressed in practice? Can he be the Ravens' quarterback of the future, or do you think the Ravens need to address the QB position in the draft? Donald Smith is the scout team quarterback for the Ravens and probably will be the quarterback of the future on the scout team next year. He is a project, probably a No. 2 quarterback at best. As for the 2008 draft, it's going to be a good year for quarterbacks. The only problem is that unless the Ravens overhaul their offensive system, Baltimore will remain a dead end for quarterbacks.

THE COUNT Homicides since Jan. 1: 255 LAST YEAR: Baltimore had recorded 235 homicides as of Nov. 10, 2006. ONLINE: Details and locations of this year's city homicides are at baltimoresun.com/homicidemap