Game Last Night

LANDOVER -- To remove three starters that make up better than 50 percent of the offense would be frightening for most teams. But the Washington Bullets proved again last night that they can win under trying circumstances.The latest victim of the short-handed Bullets were the Sacramento Kings, a team with the fifth-best record in the Western Conference. And the Bullets were able to win this one rather easily, 117-88, at USAir Arena. Washington improved its record to 18-16.It's not too often that a team can score 117 points and place just three players in double figures, but that's what the Bullets did when eight players scored at least eight points.

PITTSBURGH -- The Washington Capitals did the near-impossible last night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup's Eastern Conference quarterfinals.Without eight key players because of injuries, Washington fell behind the high-scoring Pittsburgh Penguins by three goals and saw its starting goaltender, Jim Carey, chased from his net with 8: 51 to go in the second period.Washington's response to all this adversity was to put Olie Kolzig in goal and rally for a 6-4 victory, scoring five unanswered goals over the final 24 minutes.

The Colts owned this city's football hearts and minds for 31 years of wins and losses, 12 more years of silent Sundays and yes, even for the two years the Ravens played at Memorial Stadium.But not anymore.Not after last night, when the Ravens finally moved into their own house on the south side of town.It's their town now, for better or worse."We were Cleveland's team," Ravens receiver Michael Jackson said, "and then, when we came here, we invaded the Colts' town. Starting [last night] it's our town."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- On the previous night they had put together their best offensive game of the season in a rout of the New Jersey Nets, and there were thoughts that maybe the Washington Bullets just might be able to accomplish a turnaround under new coach Bernie Bickerstaff.But something got lost in the 200 miles between the Baltimore Arena and Meadowlands Arena.The same teams played in the second part of a back-to-back series, and the results were drastically different. After scoring a season-high 125 points on Friday, the Bullets couldn't find the basket last night en route to a 107-86 loss to the Nets that could be more costly than the final score.

As if playing baseball at its highest level isn't enough of a challenge for the Orioles, they must do it with legs pumping, no matter how tired they become in the dog days of August. All the better to outrun their recent past. Unfortunately, it appears to be gaining on them again. The Orioles lost their fourth consecutive game last night, with Josh Towers exacting a little more revenge against his former team and Chris Woodward punctuating the rout with his first career grand slam, and first home run this season, in the Toronto Blue Jays' 14-4 victory before 35,024 at steamy Camden Yards.

Baseball is known as the Summer Game, but the conditions for the Orioles-Indians game last night were winter leftovers -- temperatures ranging around 35-40 degrees -- and players and fans adjusted accordingingly.Right fielder Tony Tarasco tried on a University of Michigan ski cap. Players jammed their throwing hands inside their back pockets when they weren't throwing. Second baseman Roberto Alomar drew his arms up his sleeves during infield practice. Fans brought blankets, umbrellas, and jackets suited for ski slopes.

Orioles reliever Alan Mills had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Thursday, ending his season, but not the chances that he'll be ready before next spring. Dr. James Andrews performed the operation in Birmingham, Ala., cleaning out the shoulder and making sure there was no structural damage. Mills hasn't pitched since Sept. 3 in Cleveland, when he walked Manny Ramirez on four pitches and was removed from the game. Mills spent most of August on the disabled list with inflammation in the shoulder.

BOSTON -- It's never the game. No one remembers the details of baseball's All-Star Game from year to year. Who won last year? Three years ago? Who cares?It's the moments that make the event. The frozen moments are what you remember. Rose crashing into Fosse. Reggie hitting a ball onto the roof at Tiger Stadium.Now we can add some new moments to the list. Last night's All-Star Game at Fenway Park was unforgettable in many ways.It was the last All-Star Game of the century and probably also the last at Fenway, and it more than lived up to the occasion.

NOT TOO long ago, I was calling a University of Maryland women's basketball game on the campus radio station. The arena was so empty that the player about to put the ball in play in front of our broadcast position could hear my calling her name as clearly as she could hear the ball bouncing and her coach yelling instructions.Confused, she turned to look at me -- and nearly didn't get the ball from the official.Some difference between that night and a night last month when I covered a women's game at Cole Field House attended by 16,000 frenetic fans!

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Gary Williams can coach. In successive games, he has beaten two of college basketball's best in Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun. That's impressive. So was the job Williams did in directing Maryland to a thrilling 90-82 victory against Connecticut in the East Regional championship game last night at the Carrier Dome. His moves and strategies might get lost in the euphoria of last night's game, which has to be an ESPN Instant Classic candidate because of its relentless pace, great individual efforts and back-and-forth nature, which included 24 lead changes and 21 ties.