Lanes Open

For about an hour last night, George Branham III lost his concentration and the lead in the $135,000 Fair Lanes Open at Fair Lanes Woodlawn.But once Branham reset his attention to the prevailing business, his dominance and the lead soon returned.So, when ABC trains its cameras on today's stepladder finals (channels 7 and 13), Branham will be in an excellent position to capture his first Professional Bowlers Association event in six years.His drought has been severe since a 1987 title at Union City, Calif.

All lanes of eastbound Route 50 were closed for more than three hours Friday afternoon because of a single vehicle accident past at Exit 29 to Route 179, just before the Bay Bridge, according to the state Department of Transportation. The accident occurred about 3:30 p.m. and debris in the roadway kept the route closed, halting all eastbound traffic. Lanes were backed up more than six miles, from Exit 29 south of Cape St. Clare through Parole. The transportation department told drivers to avoid the area and heavy traffic slowed roads around Annapolis.

No one is picking winners yet, but Walter Ray Williams knows he'll still be in town Saturday for the finals of the $135,000 Fair Lanes Open at Fair Lanes Woodlawn.Williams, who won here in 1986 and always seems to bowl well in this Professional Bowlers Association tournament, assured himself a spot in the King of the Hill challenge after winning the Flagship City Open in Erie, Pa., on Saturday, and then toppling Ron Williams in the King of the Hill match.At 8 a.m. today, 111 bowlers, including 75 full-time touring pros, roll in qualifying play for 61 spots to join the 99 exempt players in the tournament field.

With each passing day, the creeks and rivers of the Chesapeake Bay are filling with windowpanes of ice, beautiful to look at but capable of slicing through the hull of a boat with deadly precision. Several weeks of teeth-chattering cold that triggered a massive fish kill, stranded duck hunters on an ice-choked island off Baltimore County and contributed to Maryland's first boating fatality also have put the state's ice-breaking fleet on standby to begin the great push back. After a fast start to the ice-breaking season in December, sheets of frozen water are again starting to knit together in tributary shallows.

Scott Poe has taken all the knockout punches the game of professional bowling has dealt him, and he keeps coming back for more.There have been times when he missed the cut, failed to make a couple of crucial shots, had to limit his bowling to the local tournaments because of a lack of sponsors, and just ran into bad luck in a big tournament.No wonder Poe, 34, has seen it all.The Glen Burnie resident has been dabbling with the Professional Bowlers Association tour for nine years and won't let go of his bid to make it full time on the circuit someday.

Two years ago, needing seven pins on his last ball to win the Fair Lanes Open, Del Ballard Jr. rolled the gutter ball seen by tens of millions on every sports highlight segment in the country. Two weeks later, he came back to win a PBA Tour tournament on Long Island.Two weeks ago, another Texan, Phil Ringener, a nine-year full-time tour veteran from Big Spring, was making his 13th television appearance in the PBA National Championship in Toledo, Ohio. To reach the title match, and a chance at the $55,000 first prize, he entered the 10th frame needing a mark to win.On his first ball, "I felt comfortable," he said.

Bill Plagianakos of Baltimore won the final pro spot qualifier Sunday at Fair Lanes Kings Point in Randallstown. Plagianakos is the fifth local bowler to qualify for the 160-bowler field in the $150,000 Fair Lanes Open, which begins today with pro-am tournaments.He rolled games of 275-223-248-258-259-2251,488, an average of 248. John Gaines of Davidsonville was second with 219-205-235-267-257-2451,428, and Mike Schuster of Edgewood was third with 257-215-225-212-232-278 1,419.The qualifier featured 300 games by Don Slabodnik of Columbia and Brian Thacker of White Marsh and 299 games by Alan Kitaguchi of Germantown and Scott Pike of Watkins Glen, N.Y.Other pro spot winners were Larry Nalls of Essex and Brian Cavey, Brian Link and Brian Bennett, all of Baltimore.

Last year, in front of a throng of hometown fans and a national television audience, Danny Wiseman was so poised that he won the $28,000 first prize in the Fair Lanes Open.Yesterday, speaking to a handful of local media, bowling executives and tournament sponsors, the 23-year-old Dundalk native admitted, "I'm a little nervous, as you can tell. I like the one-on-one a little bit better."Wiseman, who also won the Kessler Classic in Riverside, Calif., and a total of $81,156 last year on the PBA circuit, let it be known that success hasn't gone to his head.

The Fair Lanes Open is where it all started for Danny Wiseman. And this is where he hopes to get it started again.In 1990, Wiseman -- a graduate of Dundalk High School -- won the Fair Lanes Open in Baltimore. It was his first of four PBA tournament titles.Wiseman, however, has not won a tournament since 1991. He is hoping his luck will change at the Fair Lanes Open at Fair Lanes Woodlawn this week.In yesterday's qualifying round, Wiseman averaged 219.83 and stood 31st after 12 games. Gary Schluchter averaged 240.33 to take the lead.

Scott Poe has taken all the knockout punches the game of professional bowling has dealt him, and he keeps coming back for more.There have been times when he missed the cut, failed to make a couple of crucial shots, had to limit his bowling to the local tournaments because of a lack of sponsors, and just ran into bad luck in a big tournament.No wonder Poe, 34, has seen it all.The Glen Burnie resident has been dabbling with the Professional Bowlers Association tour for nine years and won't let go of his bid to make it full time on the circuit someday.

Two incidents delayed commuters on southbound I-83 this morning. Baltimore Police reported early Thursday morning that the interstate was closed at Northern Parkway because of a traffic accident, and also at North Avenue because of a separate incident. All lanes were reopened by late morning. Officials had no further details on how many vehicles were involved, or when all lanes will be reopened.

Officials left all lanes of the Bay Bridge open for holiday travelers yesterday, and there were no reports of heavy traffic in either direction as the Labor Day weekend came to a close. Starting today, one lane on the eastbound bridge will be closed around the clock for up to 10 weeks while crews work on the concrete barriers that serve as its walls. Concerns about the barriers' safety emerged after a fatal Aug. 10 accident in which a tractor-trailer broke through and plunged into the bay. While officials say the bridge's deck and underpinnings are structurally sound, they say they need to reinforce the barriers with steel plates and extra bolts and add metal guard rails.

PBA Beltway Classic Today through Sunday, AMF Country Club Lanes, Middle River TV: Sunday, 1 p.m., ESPN

The state has opened a half-mile access lane for eastbound E-ZPass toll customers in time to ease the seasonal tangle expected at the Bay Bridge, which is expected to carry more travelers this holiday weekend than it did a year ago in spite of sharply higher gasoline prices. In Maryland, about 650,000 people are expected to travel 50 miles or more this Memorial Day weekend. Nearly half of them are expected to cross the Bay Bridge, officials said during a news conference yesterday at the Eastern Shore side of the bridge.

Traffic flow has improved on Mountain Road, and delays during peak hours have been reduced since the reversible-lane system on the Pasadena peninsula opened more than a year ago, according to a study released yesterday by the State Highway Administration. The report studied the effectiveness of the 1.6-mile stretch between Route 100 and South Carolina Avenue "We're pleased that the reversible lane has resulted in demonstrable improvement in the traffic flow in the corridor," said Del. John R. Leopold, a Pasadena Republican.

City officials will temporarily reopen lanes on the Jones Falls Expressway this afternoon and tomorrow to accommodate traffic for the Orioles baseball game. The southbound lanes of the JFX between West North Avenue and West Eager Street are closed most of this weekend to allow workers to continue demolition of the North Charles Street bridge. The lanes will be reopened from 4 to 8 p.m. today, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow. The bridge is being rebuilt as part of a two-year, $23 million construction project.

The $45,000 Lady Fair Lanes Open will get under way today at Fair Lanes University in Adelphi with an autograph and professionals practice session at 10 a.m. Pro-am tournaments will begin at noon.Qualifying will begin tomorrow at 9 a.m. and continue until Tuesday, when match play will begin at 6:30 p.m. Match play will continue Wednesday from 10 a.m. until 10:30 p.m.The finals, to be televised nationally by ESPN, will be held Thursday beginning at 7:30 p.m.Michelle Mullen is the defending Lady Fair Lanes Open champion.

Brian Link won the third Pro Spot Qualifier for the $150,000 Fair Lanes Open to be bowled Feb. 16-22 at Fair Lanes Woodlawn. Link, bowling at Fair Lanes University in Adelphi, rolled games of 219-267-246-216-227-2131,388 to win a place in the tournament and $300.Jeff Harding finished second with 244-214-217-238-247-2031,363 and earned $275. Anthony Champman had 184-245-239-249-188-2371,342, good for third place and won $200.The next Pro Spot Qualifier was set for today at Fair Lanes Woodlawn, and the final one is scheduled next Sunday at Fair Lanes Kings Point in Randallstown.

TAKE HEART, dear drivers, something is special about that morning drive to work.At the Key Bridge, some say they experience a weird inner peace while cruising along with the spectacular view of someone's rear bumper: Stop, go, pay the toll.But everyone isn't feeling calm. One puzzled motorist doesn't understand why fewer toll booths seem to be open during morning rush hour than at 9 p.m.This motorist's peeve sparked Intrepid to inquire about the toll booth operations at the Key Bridge.Lori Vidal, spokeswoman for the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA)