Hajj

The hajj - the pilgrimage to Islam's holy city of Mecca - is required of all Muslims once in their lifetime, if they are physically and financially capable of making the journey. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, following the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad, reminding Muslims of their commitment to God and of Judgment Day. As this year's hajj approached, with more than 2 million pilgrims heading to Mecca, Saudi authorities prepared to prevent an epidemic of SARS, meningitis or yellow fever and, at the last minute, worried about avian flu. As usual, they made plans for crowd control in Mina, where 180 people were killed in a stampede in 1998.

CAIRO, Egypt -- A stampede at one of Islam's holiest sites crushed to death at least 345 worshippers yesterday, tainting with tragedy the annual hajj pilgrimage to the Muslim religion's birthplace in Saudi Arabia. As thick waves of worshippers made their way through the desert plain of Mina to perform one of the fundamental rituals of hajj, lost luggage piled up underfoot and tripped pilgrims. With thousands of eager Muslims pressing from behind, the bodies quickly piled up - and the crowd trampled over them.

CAIRO, Egypt -- A stampede at one of Islam's holiest sites crushed to death at least 345 worshippers yesterday, tainting with tragedy the annual hajj pilgrimage to the Muslim religion's birthplace in Saudi Arabia. As thick waves of worshippers made their way through the desert plain of Mina to perform one of the fundamental rituals of hajj, lost luggage piled up underfoot and tripped pilgrims. With thousands of eager Muslims pressing from behind, the bodies quickly piled up - and the crowd trampled over them.

Matchup: New Jersey Pride (1-7) vs. Bayhawks (8-0) Site: Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson University Time: 7 p.m. TV/Radio: Ch. 2 (11:35 p.m. tape delay); live on WJFK (1300 AM) Outlook: The Bayhawks set a league record for margin of victory when these teams last played, on June 5, a 24-8 Baltimore win. Since then, the Pride has been Major League Lacrosse's worst team, ranked last in every offensive and defensive category; the Bayhawks are the six-team, two-division league's only unbeaten team.

Georgetown coach Dave Urick eased Walid Hajj's transition to the college game three years ago by getting the then-freshman from McDonogh on the field as a defensive midfielder. That position comes with sizable responsibility, but it pales in comparison to what is expected out of Hajj, now a senior - and not just by Urick. Nine of the 12 midfielders to crack the first-, second- or third-team All-America lineup last year graduated, and Hajj, who had been content to be a role player through his early Hoyas career - never scoring more than 23 goals in a season - inherited the pressure that comes from being known as one of the country's best midfielders.

Midfielder Walid Hajj and attackman Jed Prossner each scored three goals, and junior Andrew Bond won 14 of 20 face-offs as the No. 8 McDonogh Eagles held off the host Dulaney Lions, 10-8, yesterday. Following a tough two-goal loss to top-ranked Gilman Friday, it was just the confidence-builder the young Eagles needed. "After losing that game, we needed to come out the next day, and come hard," said Hajj. That's just what McDonogh (6-2) did, getting a goal by Mason Goodhand and two by Hajj to jump out to a 3-0 lead after the first 2: 02. The Eagles would never surrender the lead, as Bond, who was used minimally last season, consistently won face-offs to keep the ball out of Dulaney's hands.

Princeton, Yale, Hopkins, Harvard. Those are just some of the schools where players from last year's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion McDonogh Eagles are now playing as freshmen. Losing 17 seniors to graduation is a scenario that would leave most area teams struggling to stay competitive. As the Eagles showed again yesterday against host Dulaney, however, there's still plenty left in the tank. Midfielder Walid Hajj and attackman Jed Prossner each scored three goals, and junior Andrew Bond won 14 of 20 face-offs as No. 7 McDonogh held off the game Lions, 10-8.

NEW YORK - On the way home from the hajj, his emotion-laden pilgrimage to Islam's holy shrines in Saudi Arabia, Shamsul Quadir began to worry that he might get in trouble for coming back a changed man. "I left clean-shaven and with a full head of hair, and now look at me," Quadir said Friday after clearing the immigration and customs booths at Kennedy International Airport in New York. Quadir, a Pakistani-born shopkeeper from Louisiana, wore a five-day growth of dark beard, and when he shyly lifted his baseball cap he revealed a bare, shiny scalp.

There were glimpses of progress for the Loyola men's lacrosse team yesterday. Freshman midfielder Andrew Spack picked up a ground ball at the defensive end and sprinted 50 yards before firing a shot over the shoulder of Georgetown's Rich D'Andrea. Spack's classmate, Greg Leonard, beat his defender on two straight possessions to get the Greyhounds within two goals of the Hoyas early in the third quarter. But those moments were ultimately overshadowed by a slew of turnovers and other mental miscues as Loyola showed its youth in falling, 14-10, to No. 7 Georgetown on a sunny afternoon at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field.

Moves Baseball DIAMONDBACKS: Placed IF-OF Greg Colbrunn on 15-day DL, retroactive to May 16, with right wrist tendinitis. Recalled IF Scott Hairston from Triple-A Tucson. INDIANS: Fired Triple-A Buffalo pitching coach Terry Clark; named Dave Miller interim replacement. ROCKIES: Purchased contract of P Aaron Cook from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Optioned P Scott Dohmann to Colorado Springs. Basketball NBA: Suspended Kings G Anthony Peeler two games without pay for throwing elbows to midsection and head of Timberwolves F Kevin Garnett in Game 6 of Western Conference semifinals.

Moves Baseball DIAMONDBACKS: Placed IF-OF Greg Colbrunn on 15-day DL, retroactive to May 16, with right wrist tendinitis. Recalled IF Scott Hairston from Triple-A Tucson. INDIANS: Fired Triple-A Buffalo pitching coach Terry Clark; named Dave Miller interim replacement. ROCKIES: Purchased contract of P Aaron Cook from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Optioned P Scott Dohmann to Colorado Springs. Basketball NBA: Suspended Kings G Anthony Peeler two games without pay for throwing elbows to midsection and head of Timberwolves F Kevin Garnett in Game 6 of Western Conference semifinals.

Today's NCAA men's games Division I first round (with seeds) Pennsylvania (7-6) at No. 2 Navy (11-2) Site: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis Time: Noon Outlook: Two of the season's biggest surprises will meet today in Annapolis. After a regular season in which they won a program-best 12 games, the Midshipmen are looking for their first NCAA win since 1989. That year, the Mids took out Penn in the first round. The Mids are ranked No. 1 in scoring defense and second in offense.

Georgetown coach Dave Urick eased Walid Hajj's transition to the college game three years ago by getting the then-freshman from McDonogh on the field as a defensive midfielder. That position comes with sizable responsibility, but it pales in comparison to what is expected out of Hajj, now a senior - and not just by Urick. Nine of the 12 midfielders to crack the first-, second- or third-team All-America lineup last year graduated, and Hajj, who had been content to be a role player through his early Hoyas career - never scoring more than 23 goals in a season - inherited the pressure that comes from being known as one of the country's best midfielders.

There were glimpses of progress for the Loyola men's lacrosse team yesterday. Freshman midfielder Andrew Spack picked up a ground ball at the defensive end and sprinted 50 yards before firing a shot over the shoulder of Georgetown's Rich D'Andrea. Spack's classmate, Greg Leonard, beat his defender on two straight possessions to get the Greyhounds within two goals of the Hoyas early in the third quarter. But those moments were ultimately overshadowed by a slew of turnovers and other mental miscues as Loyola showed its youth in falling, 14-10, to No. 7 Georgetown on a sunny afternoon at Diane Geppi-Aikens Field.

The hajj - the pilgrimage to Islam's holy city of Mecca - is required of all Muslims once in their lifetime, if they are physically and financially capable of making the journey. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, following the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad, reminding Muslims of their commitment to God and of Judgment Day. As this year's hajj approached, with more than 2 million pilgrims heading to Mecca, Saudi authorities prepared to prevent an epidemic of SARS, meningitis or yellow fever and, at the last minute, worried about avian flu. As usual, they made plans for crowd control in Mina, where 180 people were killed in a stampede in 1998.

No. 5 Georgetown ended Mount St. Mary's six-game winning streak with a 12-5 men's lacrosse victory yesterday, outshooting the hosts, 50-19. Walid Hajj (McDonogh) scored three goals and Trevor Walker two for Georgetown (9-1). After taking a 5-2 lead over the Mount (7-7) in the first quarter, the Hoyas went on a 6-0 run through the second and third periods. No. 9 North Carolina 13, Stony Brook 7: The Tar Heels (6-6) - led by Mike McCall and Jed Prossner with three goals each - scored the first nine goals en route to the win over the host Seawolves (4-9)

No. 5 Georgetown ended Mount St. Mary's six-game winning streak with a 12-5 men's lacrosse victory yesterday, outshooting the hosts, 50-19. Walid Hajj (McDonogh) scored three goals and Trevor Walker two for Georgetown (9-1). After taking a 5-2 lead over the Mount (7-7) in the first quarter, the Hoyas went on a 6-0 run through the second and third periods. No. 9 North Carolina 13, Stony Brook 7: The Tar Heels (6-6) - led by Mike McCall and Jed Prossner with three goals each - scored the first nine goals en route to the win over the host Seawolves (4-9)

Matchup: New Jersey Pride (1-7) vs. Bayhawks (8-0) Site: Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson University Time: 7 p.m. TV/Radio: Ch. 2 (11:35 p.m. tape delay); live on WJFK (1300 AM) Outlook: The Bayhawks set a league record for margin of victory when these teams last played, on June 5, a 24-8 Baltimore win. Since then, the Pride has been Major League Lacrosse's worst team, ranked last in every offensive and defensive category; the Bayhawks are the six-team, two-division league's only unbeaten team.

NEW YORK - On the way home from the hajj, his emotion-laden pilgrimage to Islam's holy shrines in Saudi Arabia, Shamsul Quadir began to worry that he might get in trouble for coming back a changed man. "I left clean-shaven and with a full head of hair, and now look at me," Quadir said Friday after clearing the immigration and customs booths at Kennedy International Airport in New York. Quadir, a Pakistani-born shopkeeper from Louisiana, wore a five-day growth of dark beard, and when he shyly lifted his baseball cap he revealed a bare, shiny scalp.