Kerri Strug

Robert Reich, President Clinton's former labor secretary, and Jeff Faux, president of the Economic Policy Institute, have written cogent critiques of the Democratic status quo in the November-December issue of American Prospect. "How the debate is framed -- what options are put before the public -- makes all the difference," writes Reich, who contends that Democratic timidity has, in a few short years, telescoped the debate from the high purpose of whether to provide universal health care to a wrangle on Republican turf over how taxes should best be cut.Why has the Democratic Party become so quiescent?

Magnificent. A dozen years after Dominique Dawes and her six teammates on the U.S. women's gymnastics squad had the nickname hung on them like the Olympic gold medal they won, people still bestow it on her. At 31, she still looks, well, magnificent. Slim and well-muscled, she appears as though she could still fit into the red-white-and-blue leotard she wore in helping the Magnificent Seven collect the team gold medal and win an individual bronze medal in floor exercise in Atlanta. "Fit into it?

BaseballOrioles -- Designated P Jose Mesa for reassignment.Chicago Cubs -- Traded P Danny Jackson to the Pittsburgh Pirates for 3B Steve Buechele.Chicago White Sox -- Acquired IF Eric Yelding as the player to be named to complete the trade made July 4 with the Houston Astros for P Rich Scheid.Florida Marlins -- Released 1B Rusty Bumgardner.Houston Astros -- Suspended P Mark Portugal for one game for an undisclosed violation of team rules.Hawaiian Winter League -- Canceled its inaugural season because of problems with stadiums and other logistics.

NEW ORLEANS -- The world team trials are less than a month away. The world gymnastics championships in Japan are less than two months down the road. And the 1996 Olympic Games seem to be getting closer by the moment.Which is why this year's U.S. national championships, which began today here at the Louisiana Superdome, are a crucial step for those who have been there before and those trying to get there for the first time."It's a chance to get more experience," said Kerri Strug, who at 14 was a member of the bronze-medal-winning Olympic team in Barcelona.

ATLANTA -- They were separated by several hundred feet, not to mention a dozen years, but brought together by a flood of memories. It wasn't Pauley Pavilion. It wasn't the 1984 Olympics. And it wasn't a silver medal in a watered-down competition.It was better.Much better.For Mary Lou Retton, the star of the 1984 U.S. team that launched its sport into the American consciousness, it was the thrill of seeing another team do collectively what she had done individually in Los Angeles: win a gold medal.

The Sun's Olympic correspondents, Rick Maese and Kevin Van Valkenburg, are blogging back and forth to each other at baltimoresun.com/olympicsblog. An excerpt: To: Kevin, et al. You might want to check out this link. Match.com, as you might or might not know, is a popular dating site. Not that I know anything about it. (For the record, I am NOT the same rmaese3641b who enjoys Scrubs, Wes Anderson movies, seaweed salad, the Sunday Times crossword puzzle and California Pinot Noir.) Anyhow, where was I?

CONGRATULATIONS are in order for Timonium's Beth Botsford, who this week put two gold medals around her neck and put her hometown and swim club on the map. The NTC 15-year-old swimmer, with a yen for Sesame Street puppets, became the first American woman to win gold in an Olympiad noted for its abundance of female talent.She was first in the 100-meter backstroke Monday and led the victorious 4x100 medley relay team Wednesday at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center. Alas, she failed to qualify yesterday for the finals in what was deemed her most promising event, the 200-meter backstroke.

Those nasty aliens on "Dark Skies" bid prime time goodbye (except possibly for reruns), tonight on NBC."Children's Miracle Network Champions Telethon" (9 p.m.-6 p.m. tomorrow, WMAR, Channel 2) -- CMN co-founders Marie Osmond and John Schneider are the hosts for this 15th annual fund-raiser for children's hospitals. Live from Walt Disney World in Florida, scheduled performers include Kenny Loggins and John Tesh, with appearances by athletes Drew Bledsoe, Steve Young, Shannon Miller and Kerri Strug.

Is the worst movie ever made on Showtime tonight? It's certainly a contender."Seinfeld" (7: 30 p.m.-8 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45) -- In maybe the best "Seinfeld" ever, Jerry has to convince a college newspaper reporter that he and George are not gay. Not, as Jerry would hasten to add, that there's anything wrong with that. Fox."Hangin' With Mr. Cooper" (9: 30 p.m.-10 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Seems Mark (Mark Curry) has this mug with a picture of him and Julius Erving. Seems he's real fond of it. Seems it gets broken.

With a microscrew in her left elbow, a bow in her hair, and ice in her heart, Shannon Miller took a grip on first place at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials last night.Three months after tumbling off the uneven bars and dislocating her elbow, the fragile-looking yet ferocious-performing 15-year-old from Edmond, Okla., led the compulsories at the Baltimore Arena, piling up a score of 57.057.Miller was all grace and guts, a 4-foot-7, 71-pound dancer who performed with a glint of steel. She stared down the toughest little tumbler of them all, 1991 all-around World Champion Kim Zmeskal.