Jason Smith

There was something about car racing that always interested Jason Smith, even as a child. He's not sure what drew him to the sport. It could have been the speed or the high level of competition. The 30-year-old Finksburg resident said it's likely a combination of the two along with other factors. But Smith is entranced by the sport. He's done it in different forms and returns to dirt-track racing this spring. Smith works full time as a service manager for an independent auto repair facility in Finksburg but devotes as much time as possible away from the job to his passion for racing.

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson did not practice for the second straight day while recovering from lower back spasms, but the team remains confident he'll play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Guard Richie Incognito , fullback Mike Karney ( neck) and offensive tackle Jason Smith also did not practice Thursday. Smith has not been cleared to return from a mild concussion, and Incognito has been all but ruled out for a fourth straight game with a foot injury.

At 6 feet 4 and 235 pounds, Jason Smith is an intimidating presence on the basketball court. But despite being built like a bruising defensive end, Smith might just be one of the nicest guys at Liberty High School. "He'll knock you down, then pick you up," Lions coach Steve Johnson said. "In practice, he punishes people, and then he feels bad about it. I've never heard a kid or been around a kid that has said anything bad about him." You're not likely to hear Smith say anything bad about his opponents, either.

MAYBIN NO. 11: : Columnist David Steele writes from the festivities in Largo as the Bills draft former Mount Hebron standout Aaron Maybin (above with parents Violette and Mike) 11th overall. PG 10 TRADE UP, DOWN: : The Jets went from the No. 17 pick all the way to No. 5 to grab their quarterback of the future in Mark Sanchez. They sent their first- and second-round picks, plus three players, to the Browns. Cleveland went from No. 5 to 17 to 19, then finally took its first pick when it traded down again to No. 21. RUN ON TACKLES: : Three offensive tackles went in the first eight picks - Jason Smith (No. 2 to the Rams)

On February 25, 2003, AUSTIN SMITH, one year old; loving son of Jason Smith and Jetiera Banton. Funeral Services will be held at the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue, on Wednesday, at 12 noon. Interment King Memorial Park.

On August 20, 2007, JASON SMITH, JR. Friends may call at the FAMILY OWNED MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Monday, after 8:30 a.m. where the family will receive friends on Tuesday, at 11:30 a.m. Funeral Services will follow at 12 p.m.

MAYBIN NO. 11: : Columnist David Steele writes from the festivities in Largo as the Bills draft former Mount Hebron standout Aaron Maybin (above with parents Violette and Mike) 11th overall. PG 10 TRADE UP, DOWN: : The Jets went from the No. 17 pick all the way to No. 5 to grab their quarterback of the future in Mark Sanchez. They sent their first- and second-round picks, plus three players, to the Browns. Cleveland went from No. 5 to 17 to 19, then finally took its first pick when it traded down again to No. 21. RUN ON TACKLES: : Three offensive tackles went in the first eight picks - Jason Smith (No. 2 to the Rams)

Francis Scott Key baseball coach Bob Caples has a problem.He has his best team in five years at the school and he can't even challenge any of the other Carroll County schools."

A Laurel man was being held on an explosives charge yesterday after the discovery of a pipe bomb prompted the evacuation of a section of a Columbia apartment complex.Explosives experts safely detonated the bomb about 10: 30 a.m. yesterday -- more than six hours after it was discovered in the suspect's car, authorities said. About 50 residents of the Chase Glen Apartments on Hickory Ridge Road were roused early yesterday and evacuated.The state fire marshal's office charged Charles Samuel Smith, 30, with possession of a pipe bomb.

For openers, University of Maryland Baltimore County coach Dick Watts couldn't have asked for much more.UMBC scored the game's first nine goals and romped to a 22- victory over visiting Marist yesterday, as Watts got to see his whole squad in action."

On August 20, 2007, JASON SMITH, JR. Friends may call at the FAMILY OWNED MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Monday, after 8:30 a.m. where the family will receive friends on Tuesday, at 11:30 a.m. Funeral Services will follow at 12 p.m.

Jason D. Smith, a fundraiser for the John Carroll School in Bel Air who previously worked in development for the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, died of brain cancer Aug. 21 while at his parents' home in Towson. The former Perry Hall resident was 27. Born in Utah and raised in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mount Lebanon, Mr. Smith was a graduate of Mount Lebanon High School, where he was honored as the top geography student. He graduated from American University in 2000 with a bachelor's degree in business and marketing.

There was something about car racing that always interested Jason Smith, even as a child. He's not sure what drew him to the sport. It could have been the speed or the high level of competition. The 30-year-old Finksburg resident said it's likely a combination of the two along with other factors. But Smith is entranced by the sport. He's done it in different forms and returns to dirt-track racing this spring. Smith works full time as a service manager for an independent auto repair facility in Finksburg but devotes as much time as possible away from the job to his passion for racing.

At 6 feet 4 and 235 pounds, Jason Smith is an intimidating presence on the basketball court. But despite being built like a bruising defensive end, Smith might just be one of the nicest guys at Liberty High School. "He'll knock you down, then pick you up," Lions coach Steve Johnson said. "In practice, he punishes people, and then he feels bad about it. I've never heard a kid or been around a kid that has said anything bad about him." You're not likely to hear Smith say anything bad about his opponents, either.

On February 25, 2003, AUSTIN SMITH, one year old; loving son of Jason Smith and Jetiera Banton. Funeral Services will be held at the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue, on Wednesday, at 12 noon. Interment King Memorial Park.

A Laurel man was being held on an explosives charge yesterday after the discovery of a pipe bomb prompted the evacuation of a section of a Columbia apartment complex.Explosives experts safely detonated the bomb about 10: 30 a.m. yesterday -- more than six hours after it was discovered in the suspect's car, authorities said. About 50 residents of the Chase Glen Apartments on Hickory Ridge Road were roused early yesterday and evacuated.The state fire marshal's office charged Charles Samuel Smith, 30, with possession of a pipe bomb.

Playing in rain and mud, Duke's lacrosse team had too much talent for UMBC and ground out a 14-7 victory yesterday before a drenched crowd of 200 at UMBC Stadium.Duke (3-1) looked more like the No. 9 ranked team this time. Saturday, the Blue Devils blew a 12-10 lead against Maryland with 1:14 to go and lost in overtime, 13-12.Ken Fasanaro and Bob Carpenter had three goals each yesterday for Duke. Fasanaro, a senior attackman from Stony Brook, N.Y., is Duke's leading scorer with 12 goals.For unranked UMBC (1-1)

Francis Scott Key was going up against an awful lot of tradition yesterday morning, not to mention a Brunswick team that already had beaten the Eagles twice in the regular season.The third-seeded Railroaders already had set a state mark with their third straight state title last year and were aiming for an unprecedented fifth consecutive region title entering the Class 1A, Region II final at Dundalk Community College.In the bottom of the third, they showed why they have won three straight state titles.

Jason Smith of Hampstead has been around racing most of his life. Last year when his uncle offered him a car to race, the 19-year-old didn't hesitate to accept. There was one catch: The car was in bad shape and he would have to do all the work.Still Smith wanted to race and even though he didn't know anything about cars, he was up to the challenge."I was always interested in giving it a try," said Smith. "I finally got the opportunity and jumped at the chance to see if we could. I got a couple of friends together to try it out. None of us are mechanics."

It was unanimous in the Charm City Classic opener last night at Loyola College.Both coaches agreed that Jason Smith was the difference as No. 7 Broadneck (12-1) defeated No. 16 Cardinal Gibbons, 66-60. Down by 10 to start the final period (43-33), Gibbons (14-7) made a run late but Smith answered the challenge.Smith scored 31 points, including 7-for-10 from the line in the final two minutes and had five assists and six rebounds for the Bruins."Clearly, Jason Smith was the difference," said Gibbons coach Bryan Moorhouse.