Helmet

PHOENIX -- Driven to keep John Unitas memorabilia in Baltimore, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti confirmed yesterday that he was the anonymous bidder who purchased 10 items relating to the legendary Colts quarterback for $165,370. At the Feb. 23 auction, Bisciotti bought a helmet worn by Unitas in the 1960s for $54,050 and the quarterback's first contract with the Baltimore Colts for $29,900. Bisciotti intends to lend some of the items to the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards so that fans can view them.

QuestionsThe Saints say they want Mike Ditka back to coach in 2000. Why?Because they can't win with Erik Kramer or Jim Harbaugh, and because Ryan Leaf won't make the necessary commitment, will the Chargers be in the market for a quarterback early in the draft next spring?Can the Bengals and Saints play off now for the right to the No. 1 draft pick and cancel the remainder of their seasons? Please?AnswersNo, QB Eric Zeier isn't the answer to the Bucs' Super Bowl prayer. Too short. Too immobile.

A teen-age male died in Brooklyn yesterday when he lost control of the dirt bike he was driving and hit his head on the concrete. He was not wearing a helmet, police said.The teen was riding his motorcycle in the 4200 block of Thayer St. at 1: 30 p.m. when the accident occurred, said Officer Raymond Howard of the city traffic enforcement section. Police said the teen died at the scene."He was so young, he didn't know how to ride," Howard said.Police said late last night they had not identified the teen.

Were you ever cut from a team when you were a kid?Dan O'Brien, Olympic decathlete: I was cut from my seventh-grade basketball team. I kept at it and made the team in eighth grade.Sheryl Swoopes, forward, Houston Comets: I tried out for the U.S. national basketball team in 11th grade, but I didn't make it. I made the team in 1994.Frank Thomas, first baseman, Chicago White Sox: I was cut from the varsity baseball team in high school.Wacky Sports InventionsINVENTION: Conehead Luge HelmetWHO INVENTED IT: A West German research and development companyWHEN: Mid-1970sHOW IT WORKED: At the 1976 Winter Olympics, the West German lugers wore helmets that looked like coneheads.

Baltimore police were attempting yesterday to identify a man killed in a dirt-bike accident in southern Baltimore over the weekend, the latest fatality in what one traffic officer said is a growing problem involving the off-road motor bikes.The victim was killed shortly after 1: 30 p.m. Saturday when he lost control of a Kawasaki motorbike in the 4200 block of Thayer Court in Brooklyn.Police said the man's clothes became entangled in the dirt bike, causing him to be dragged about 80 feet across the pavement.

DAVID MODELL, president of the Baltimore Ravens, can be excused for sounding a bit melodramatic, even militaristic, before his football team's recent change of its helmet logo: "I don't feel my team should go into battle under a contested mark."Even in the best of circumstances, team symbols elicit strong emotions. And in this case, the Ravens don't have the best of circumstances: The "flying B" symbol the team has used on its helmets since it began playing in Baltimore in 1996 is at the center of a copyright infringement suit.

A ceremony tomorrow dedicating Warfields Farm Community Park will do more than celebrate the community's 18-year effort behind the park -- it will also remember the life of a boy whose death spurred legislation requiring the use of bicycle helmets.The program will include the unveiling of a plaque honoring Christopher Kelley, who died in 1990 at the age of 13 after he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle along the pond at what would become this Glenelg park. Christopher, who was not wearing a helmet, died in a neighbor's yard.

Hospital merger would affect abortion optionsAt first glance, the proposed merger of Greater Baltimore Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson appears to be just a business merger, but it involves much more.St. Joseph Medical Center does not permit abortions, and its physicians are not allowed to discuss with their patients abortion as a medical option.Each year, GBMC and St. Joseph Medical Center make enormous revenues from their genetic testing, but the women who are tested are those who want to ensure that the fetus is healthy, that there is no genetic abnormality.

The Maryland Court of Appeals upheld yesterday a state law that requires all motorcyclists to wear helmets, thwarting anti-helmet bikers who argued that the law is unconstitutionally vague.Within hours, helmet foes vowed to resume their annual legislative assault on the state helmet law, saying they have enlisted sympathetic state legislators to introduce by Friday a measure to allow adults to ride motorcycles bare-headed."We are going to proceed legislatively," said a disappointed Gary Boward of Hagerstown, executive director of A Brotherhood Against Totalitarian Enactments (ABATE)

PALM DESERT, Calif. -- NFL owners took a stand against instant replay and players' removing their helmets on the field yesterday.With Bill Parcells, the new czar of the New York Jets, and Al Davis, the longtime czar of the Oakland Raiders, providing the critical swing votes, the owners turned down a modified instant replay plan when 10 of them voted no. The vote was 20-10 in favor, but 23 votes were needed for the plan to pass.Once Parcells and Davis voted no, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who didn't want to be the eighth negative vote, joined the seven traditional replay opponents and also voted against the proposal.

What do you get when you combine the Walters Art Museum's new exhibition, "Heroes: Mortals and Myths in Ancient Greece," and the Baltimore-Piraeus Sister City Committee fundraiser on the night before Halloween? You get one heckuva Greek party. Guests were greeted by event co-chairs Vasi Karas and Georgia Vavas, as well as the Greek goddess Athena, aka event committee member Gayle Economos - adorned in a golden toga and face makeup. "This is a place where Greeks feel at home," event honorary chairman Aris Melissaratos said as he nodded toward guests, including: Niki Marsh, Pinewood Elementary School speech and language pathologist; Kali Maheridis, DLA Piper controller; John Diokoulos, Acropolis Construction president; and Darlene Diokoulos, community volunteer.

Oh, did the Ravens need this one. For their playoff chances. For their self-esteem. To get the media off their backs. To get their nervous fans back onto the bandwagon. Here's all you need to know about Sunday's 30-7 knockout of the previously undefeated Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium: The Ravens finally played like the Ravens again. They played with a swagger that was missing in their previous three games, three losses by a combined 11 points that left this team questioning itself, no matter what certain players tell you. And they played with a chip on their shoulder the size of a giant redwood, which has always been the Ravens' way. You want to talk about attitude?

The Ravens' lapses in the secondary are becoming a primary concern. A unit revamped in the offseason to feature speed and smarts is being targeted by opposing quarterbacks. The latest example occurred Sunday, when Carson Palmer passed for 271 yards and the game-winning 20-yard touchdown to wide receiver Andre Caldwell to propel the Cincinnati Bengals to a 17-14 upset of the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. But cornerback Domonique Foxworth said it's too early to panic. "We have to stick to what got us here, go back, and get better," he said.

True to the scouting report, Ravens rookie offensive tackle Michael Oher played quick and tough in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Washington Redskins. Oher opened a gash on his forehead when he lost his helmet taking veteran defensive end Renaldo Wynn down on the Ravens' opening drive, but after getting three stitches, returned to deliver a sterling opening-night performance. As he has shown throughout training camp, rookie Paul Kruger hustled from sideline to sideline as the starting linebacker replacing the injured Terrell Suggs.

Last summer's skyrocketing gasoline prices helped fuel a surge in sales of motor scooters in this country. That's hardly surprising given that a scooter can get 95 miles per gallon, hybrid versions of the bikes claim to produce twice that result, and electric ones allow you to skip the service station entirely. Its growing legion of fans insist the scooter is not just for dashing about Rome or Milan anymore. They are relatively cheap - often in the $1,000-$3,000 range - and it's a lot easier to find a parking space for the average Vespa than it is for an SUV. The benefits to the environment only add to their charms.

He still has the wild, shaggy locks that once swept beneath his Orioles cap, except the hair is now streaked with gray. And he hasn't gained a pound in 30 years, though age has caused some seismic shifts. "My weight is proportionately different from when I played," said Gary Roenicke, 54. "Gravity takes over." Has it been three decades since Roenicke's bat and glove helped the Orioles to an American League flag in 1979 and, four years later, to a World Series title? The man known as "Rhino" hit 106 home runs for Baltimore, played stellar defense and accepted his position as a role player - though he sure didn't like it. Roenicke still works for the club as a full-time scout.

Older readers may remember a much-missed magazine called the National Lampoon, which in its heyday put on its cover a picture of a cute puppy with a gun to its head and the caption: "If you don't buy this magazine, we'll kill this dog." Some people thought the cover was hilarious. Some thought it was tasteless. Others thought the editors really were going to murder the poor animal. So it goes, when in the course of lampooning attitudes toward bicyclists, one describes them as "obnoxious."

Each week, Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley will answer questions about the Ravens. To submit a question, e-mail sports@baltsun.com. Give your name and phone number so we can verify the e-mail. HEY, JAMISON: : Why do the Steelers' helmets have the logo on only one side? I think it is the only team in college or pro to have that. Joe Fitzpatrick, Baltimore HEY, JOE: : The Steelers logo, which is based on the Steelmark logo belonging to the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)

How does an athlete live up to a single play that defines a career? It has happened to others, and this season, this week, it is happening to Navy linebacker Ram Vela. One year after delivering a flying sack of Notre Dame quarterback Evan Sharpley on a crucial fourth-down play in the fourth quarter of Navy's streak-busting overtime victory in South Bend, Ind., Vela is hoping to get another chance. But will it happen when the Midshipmen play the Fighting Irish on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium?

Not sure what the referee saw when he called Terrell Suggs for roughing the passer with a little under six minutes left in the game on a third-down play. The penalty kept the Tennessee drive going at the Titans' 35-yard line. It was a blow-to-the-head call as Suggs' right arm caught Titans QB Kerry Collins with what looked like a glancing blow. It appeared that Suggs might have been going for the ball as he was blocked and the contact with Collins' helmet appeared incidental as his arm landed on the quarterback's shoulder.