Legend

Winston Cup driver Rusty Wallace isn't stumped for a minute when asked: "Are you a legend?""Sure," he says. "I hope so. To me, a legend is someone who has been around a long time, done good things for his sport and is well known."And then he pauses."Well," he says. "Legends usually are retired or dead. Maybe I'm a semi-legend."Today, at Martinsville Speedway, Wallace is going for his 50th career win in the Goody's Headache Powder 500. In NASCAR history, only nine men have won 50 races. Last Sunday in Bristol, when Wallace won on the short track, he became one of only 10 to have won 49.The legendary drivers include Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson.

"Does the name Dean Benedetti mean anything to you?"Unless you're a particularly devoted jazz fan, the answer to that question is likely to be "No." Although Benedetti led what is believed to have been the first be-bop band to spring up in California, a band which at various times included Jimmy Knepper, Russ Freeman and Joe Albany, he himself never made any records. As a result, Benedetti's legacy as a player is mostly anecdotal.Dean Benedetti did make recordings, however -- recordings of Charlie Parker.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan -- Yuldash Yusupov, a car mechanic, is preparing to sacrifice a sheep near his tent in this mountain-ringed capital, then feast on the animal's blood."

On the playlist this week, we're looking at new releases by music legends. We also have an amazing anthology by a dynamite '70s quartet of wailing sistas. Unfortunately, not nearly enough people heard them cut loose back in the day. Willie Nelson, Songbird After 50 years of making music, Nelson keeps challenging himself. Not one to settle into a groove too long, the country legend has over the years placed his formidable skills in eclectic musical contexts -- from schmaltz-slathered pop to bluesy rock.

Somewhere along her journeys between Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, the Caribbean and Asia, Morning Sunday came up with the curious notion to honor black America's unknown and uncelebrated heroes while they were still alive."

China Legend, in the Enchanted Forest Shopping Center, has long been a reliable takeout choice for my family. But with my sister visiting (and a review to write), the time had come to actually sit down for a meal in the dining room. "This is enchanting," said my sister, playing off the name of the shopping center as we walked in the front door and past a vestibule with a small, tinkling fountain. I told her that the shopping center, named for the now-defunct Enchanted Forest amusement park, was the thing that was supposed to be enchanting.

BOSTON -- The Indiana boys aren't stupid. In their minds, Larry was coming back into the game and there was no doubt that when he did it would be like George Bush welcoming Gen. Schwarzkopf back from the gulf, only somewhat louder."

Billy the Kid got killed in the end, you know.Salieri thought he was the finest composer on earth -- until he heard this kid named Mozart.That happens sometimes to people regarded as legends.They go poof.Someone bigger or better or possessing more something comes along, and that's the end of the legend.The '68 Colts thought they were one of pro football's best teams ever -- until Joe Namath picked them to lose.Pat Boone was the heartthrob of this country -- until Elvis Presley's albums started hitting the stores.

It has been 2 1/2 years and we're still talking about Curt Schilling's bloody sock, which - I think - qualifies it as a legitimate baseball legend. The fact that we are wondering again whether Schilling delivered the ultimate tough-guy performance or pulled off the ultimate act of self-promotion during the 2004 postseason in which the Boston Red Sox ended the 86-year "Curse of the Bambino" is simply a testament to the myth-friendly nature of the sport....

There's a legend about the town of Silver Run that rivals any ghost story you'll tell around the campfire this summer. Union Mills author Lois Szymanski weaves the local legend into her children's book, "Silver Lining," published by Avon, Camelot Books.According to Szymanski's research, Silver Run residents' versions and old news accounts, the legend goes like this:Many years ago a German settler named Ahrwed and his beautiful daughter, Frieda, moved into the fertile valley known today as Silver Run.Ahrwed was a silversmith who befriended Indians living in the area.