Grip

Of all the lessons learned by Cal Ripken, perhaps none was tougher than what came in 1986. That's the year Ripken learned to lose. The Orioles finished last in the American League East, 22 games out of first place. It was the first time since 1967 that they ended a season below .500. Eddie Murray asked for a trade after owner Edward Bennett Williams told the media Murray was "doing nothing." Players noted that Earl Weaver, lured out of retirement by Williams to manage the club the previous season, lacked the fire he once possessed.

The numbers are in: On three typical holes in the final round of the U.S. Open last Sunday, Sergio Garcia averaged 33 seconds before his tee shot and 23 pre-swing waggles. Those numbers come courtesy of Richard Sandomir of The New York Times, who notes that, by comparison, in his famous Honeymooners golfing lesson for buddy Ralph Kramden, Ed Norton committed nine waggles during a 15-second swing preamble. Unlike Norton, Garcia didn't address the ball with a hearty, "Hello, ball!" Others, however, weren't shy about addressing Garcia's waggles, which can be defined as repeated loosenings and regrippings of the golf club.

As they put up houses for sale, some Baltimore entrepreneurs are reviving an old practice to make new profits. Rehabbers and ground rent holders are creating new rents on the land under those houses, saddling buyers with annual fees of as much as $240. In some cases they tack a new ground rent on top of an existing one, which can increase a homeowner's yearly bill to more than $300. Dr. Michael Moriarty nearly walked away from buying a $500,000 home in Federal Hill last year when he found out that the seller had created a $120 yearly rent for the land under the house.

Beethoven's grip on the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra tightened this week, and its grip on Beethoven tightened as well. The BSO performs at 8 tonight and 3 p.m. tomorrow at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. Tickets are $40-$60. Call 410-783-8000 or go to bsomusic.org.

Emery I. Valyi,86, an inventor whose innovations included an easy-to-grip 2-liter plastic soft-drink bottle, died of cancer May 5 in Mount Kisco, N.Y. Pepsi introduced the bottle, known as "The Grip," in March and expects to offer it to a wider market this fall.Pub Date: 5/15/98

Harriet B. Braiker, 55, a psychologist and expert on stress management, died of respiratory failure Saturday in Pasadena, Calif. Her many books included The Type E Woman: How to Overcome the Stress of Being Everything to Everybody in 1986, and, after the terrorist attacks, The September 11 Syndrome: Seven Steps to Getting a Grip in Uncertain Times.

Name: Kim HandClub: Pine Ridge Golf CourseAge: 51Born: Burlington, IowaYears a professional: 30Years at present club: 13Career highlights: Head professional at Manor CC prior to going to Pine Ridge. Over the last 13 years, he has developed a Junior program that began as a small number of day camps and now includes some 500 children on a weekly basis during the summer months.Tip: The average person grips the club too tightly. Tension is energy, so you would like the player to grip it just enough to control it. On a scale of 1-10, I would want a grip of about 3-4.Pub Date: 7/09/98

No-gripe grip: Grab the handle and place your opposite hand's index finger between your fingers and palm. If the index finger fits comfortably, that's probably the rip for you. Head size: Because of their power and forgivingly large sweet spots, "oversize" rackets are best for baseline or doubles players. "All-court" and "serve-and-volley" players pften prefer midsize or "midplus" rackets. Length of racket: Long or short? Racket length is the main factor to consider when buying for a child.

No matter how well it's going, the Blast just can't escape the grip of the Detroit Ignition. In a game of furious offensive tempo, the Ignition ended the Blast's regular season on a sour note last night in a 22-21 thriller before an announced 6,713 at 1st Mariner Arena. Ironmen@Blast MISL quarterfinals, Game 1, Thursday, 7:05 p.m. 680 AM

A Westminster woman who robbed a convenience store the fled without money after she changed her mind about it will spend two years in jail for attempted armed robbery.Kendra Lee Dorsey, 25, of the first block of Washington Road, was sentenced yesterday to five years in state prison, but Circuit Judge Francis M. Arnold suspended three years of the term.Dorsey was arrested shortly after Mary Pollard, an employee of the High's store in the 200 block of E. Green St., told a Westminster policeman that she had been forced at gunpoint to give a woman money from the dairy store's cash register April 6.Ms.