Legend

Sad news out of Long Beach, Calif. this morning: Nate Dogg (born Nathaniel Hale) died Tuesday at 41. The cause of death is unknown, but Nate has had recent health problems (a stroke in 2007, another in 2008). If you're like me, you're not a Nate Dogg historian, but you're well aware that California's G-Funk era would be much weaker, with less soul and personality, without the ice cold croon of Nate Dogg. Along with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound and more, Nate was an integral voice in crafting a defining time in rap and pop music.

If you're looking for exciting, interesting first-run television -- well, maybe next year. The original stuff isn't all that intriguing, and the good stuff has been televised before.* "Legend to Legend Night" (8-10 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- At one point in tonight's black-tie special, host Katie Couric asks the audience, "Do you believe the stuff they're making me do?" In a word, no. The premise of this special is to have one "legend" introduce another, and have the former explain how he or she was influenced by the latter.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- As the Baltimore Orioles conducted yet another futile round of trade talks 30 miles south, Cal Ripken lunged for grounder after grounder under the hot Florida sun. Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss Jr. snapped away, certifying him as a "Living Legend" once and for all.No exaggeration, folks: Ripken's latest honor is his greatest, at least in scope. Only 10 active sports figures were chosen by SI for Iooss' "Living Legends" photo essay. The 20-page spread will appear in the magazine's coming "Sportsman of the Year" issue.

Look what the Volvo Ocean Race blew in. Grammy Award-winning soul newcomer John Legend will perform Sunday night at 7:30 at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Legend's appearance was to have been closed to the public as part of the prize ceremony for the Volvo Ocean Race, which has paused in Baltimore and Annapolis through May 7. But now tickets - a limited number of them anyway, at $100 a pop - have been made available for the show and a reception...

The second-generation Acura Legend Coupe and Sedan has introduced a new twist to the hot-selling Japanese luxury car: an attempt at impressive styling.The old models sold well but were bland in comparison.The new Legend not only looks better than the old one, its mechanical layout and the drivetrain are new.Instead of refining an already good car, Honda essentially replaced it with what many consider to be a better one.The downside of all these changes can be found on the window sticker. The fully equipped Legend Coupe LS now is priced higher than most of its competition in what has been called the "near luxury" segment of the market.

ARCADIA, Calif. -- A mountain of handicapping logic couldn't stop Larry the Legend, but a little bone chip did.The popular colt, whose upset victory in the Santa Anita Derby made him a contender for the Kentucky Derby, will miss the Triple Crown races after X-rays revealed a bone chip in his left front knee, owner-trainer Craig Lewis said yesterday."

PHILADELPHIA -- All those years, Bernie Parent wore a mask the color of sunshine. Painted smile. Twinkling eyes. Arched eyebrows. His "Some fun, eh?" motto scrawled across a wrinkle-free forehead.That was off the ice.On the ice, he wore a generic white mask with the Flyers' logo at the temples, a mask to deflect pucks, a mask to hide the terror he kept deep inside him."Goaltending," Parent said Wednesday, "it's not a pleasant career."They honored Parent at the Spectrum Wednesday night as a "sports legend."

Jazz legend Maynard Ferguson plans to bring the Glenelg High jazz ensemble to new heights and new audiences.Through a videotape Mr. Ferguson plans to make at the school Feb. 10 and distribute as an educational tool, Glenelg will be transformed into an international classroom for aspiring musicians."

SAN FRANCISCO - Hail, Barry. The Big Man's World Series moments are already destined to live in a blaze of lightning-flash glory - even if his sluggish teammates never follow their leader. Too bad The Big Man doesn't pitch. The way Barry Bonds is locked in this October, he'd register 27 outs on 27 pitches, giving the Giants a jolt where they need it: stopping the Anaheim Angels' hit parade. Batting a team-leading .314 (11-for-35) with 15 runs, 14 RBIs and a postseason-record seven home runs, The Big Man is the super model of efficiency.

Although urban legends abound in cities throughout the South, perhaps none have been more enduring than the tales of the existence of a slave escape tunnel beneath the Orchard Street Church in Baltimore's Seton Hill neighborhood. Despite the lack of authentic historical documentation to substantiate the claims, the location continues to be regarded by many as a 19th-century stop on the Underground Railroad. Much of the surviving oral history is filled with the buzz words that historians dread, such as "it is alleged," "oral tradition contends" and "what is believed to be."