Larry Johnson

The letters came in the mail as frequently as credit card applications, sometimes as many as two or three a day. Each was addressed to Mount Hebron senior defensive lineman Aaron Maybin, handwritten and signed by Penn State assistant football coach Larry Johnson. May 1, 2005 Dear Aaron, Just a brief note to let you know how much I enjoyed watching you work out and run at Nike camp. I was really impressed with your attitude to be the best. Great job. I hope I get a chance to coach you. Hope all is well.

QUESTION OF THE DAY NEXT QUESTION What would the Ravens' record be if Brett Favre were their quarterback this season? Selected responses to today's question will be printed Monday on The Kickoff page. Please e-mail your answer (about 25 words) to sports@baltsun.com by 3 p.m. tomorrow. Include your name, address and a daytime telephone number for verification purposes. THEY SAID IT "If you've ever dropped an infant, that's how you feel when you fumble." LaMont Jordan Raiders running back and former Terp "If those walls could talk, they would probably bad-mouth Donovan McNabb."

Play of the week Larry Johnson -- Kansas City at Buffalo. With fellow RB Priest Holmes out for the rest of the season, it's Johnson's show in the Chiefs' backfield and he's shown he can handle it. Last week against Oakland, he ran for 102 yards, with his second touchdown coming on the game's last play. He also had 48 yards on three catches. On the road against a Bills defense that ranks first against the pass and 31st against the rush, Johnson will be the focal point in the Chiefs' attack.

A LION'S HEART The Lions' much-maligned Joey Harrington answered his critics when he played with the flu and threw for a career-high 361 yards against Minnesota. Harrington drove 80 yards to a TD in the last 1:29 before a botched extra point foiled the Lions. INDISPENSABLE The revived Bills can ill afford an injury to RB Willis McGahee, who hurt his knee in Cincinnati after an awkward landing on a pass play. THIN SKIN? Broncos QB Jake Plummer ought to be used to home-crowd heckling with all the interceptions he has thrown in his career (140)

Today's games Arizona at Dallas CARDINALS: Out: DE Kenny King (toe); WR Jason McAddley (hamstring). Questionable: DT Wendell Bryant (ankle); WR Larry Foster (knee). Probable: QB Jeff Blake (heel); G Leonard Davis (foot); WR Kevin Kasper (back); G Cameron Spikes (calf); LB Raynoch Thompson (knee). COWBOYS: Questionable: CB Derek Ross (knee); TE James Whalen (leg). Probable: T Ryan Young (knee). Cincinnati at Buffalo BENGALS: Questionable: RB Corey Dillon (groin); WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hamstring)

The race for the Heisman Trophy heads into Saturday's ceremony as perhaps the tightest in the 67-year history of the award. Five finalists were named yesterday to attend the awards ceremony in New York, and strong arguments can be made for each. Below, reporters from various Tribune Publishing newspapers make the cases for these players. Brad Banks, Iowa If Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz had a Heisman Trophy vote, it would go to Hawkeyes quarterback Brad Banks. No surprise there. But there are a slew of other qualified candidates, so Ferentz urged voters to weigh the impact Banks made in his first year as a Division I-A starter.

NEW YORK -- On the bench, Patrick Ewing raised his arms skyward and then started slapping every hand he could find. On celebrity row, Spike Lee jumped into the arms of rapper Puff Daddy, who joyfully spun the diminutive director in circles. And the sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden stayed put long after the game, chanting: "Larry! Larry! Larry!" Yes, the New York faithful serenaded Larry Johnson after the forward's four-point play with 5.7 seconds left gave the Knicks an improbable, 92-91 win over the Indiana Pacers last night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

To those who witnessed the hit in last year's Calvert Hall-Loyola game, particularly Dons' coach Joe Brune, linebacker Greg Smoot's bone-rattling power was nothing short of bone-chilling.Smoot exploded into oncoming Loyola quarterback Brant Hall near the Dons' sideline a year ago today, the collision's force sending Hall's helmet hurtling skyward and body smashing into the turf."It happened right in front of me. I remember how bad Brant looked when he got up," Brune said.Hall, now at Lehigh University, got up to score his seventh rushing touchdown of the season and throw for his 10th touchdown on 222 yards as the Dons whipped the Cardinals for the ninth straight time, 19-7.

INDIANAPOLIS -- For nearly five months he was nothing more than a high-priced cheerleader, but Patrick Ewing was ready. With the New York Knicks dropping the opening game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers, Ewing believed that now was the time to return.But for Knicks fans, this would not be 1970, when an injured Willis Reed limped onto the Madison Square Garden floor and inspired his team to a win over the Los Angeles Lakers for the NBA title. It wouldn't even be close.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Approaching New Arena -- home of the Golden State Warriors -- on northbound Interstate 880, it looks like a plain white billboard, save for a little blemish. But on reaching the arena exit, the blemish on the massive billboard turns out to be a picture of a certain 5-foot-3 basketball player. The words next to the picture: "Muggsy Bogues, shown actual size."It's hard not to chuckle at the display -- and think of the contrast. Consider that, just over three years ago, Bogues seemed larger than life.