Legs

Two major developments unfolded on Monday's episode of WWE RAW. The first was a big one in many ways - Paul Heyman revealed a new client, Michael McGillicutty, now known as Curtis Axel (Curtis after his father "Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig, Axel after his grandfather Larry "The Axe" Hennig). Though many fans complained about it not being a bigger name (RVD was speculated throughout the day), this is a great move and an even greater opportunity for a superstar to not only have instant credibility being aligned with Paul Heyman (arguably the greatest mouthpiece in pro wrestling history)

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he hopes that getting second baseman Ryan Flaherty consistent at-bats at Triple-A Norfolk - while getting the 26-year-old to work on offensive problems away from the major league spotlight - will help him rebound from a tough start to the season. Flaherty, who has held most of the starting second baseman duties since Brian Roberts was injured in the third game of the season, was hitting just .133/.228/.233 in 30 games before he was optioned to the Tides on Saturday night.

After undergoing surgery to repair varicose veins in his legs, Matt Birk said he feels optimistic that his legs won't be a hindrance for him during the upcoming season. “I feel better,” the Ravens starting center said Tuesday, after the team's opening day of training camp . “[The doctors] say it'll help me feel better during the season. My leg won't get as fatigued. So it's a good thing.” Birk was among the limited group of players (quarterbacks, rookies and injured veterans)

Two young men were shot early Saturday in the Washington Village/Pigtown neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore, police said. About 12:40 a.m. police responded to the 1200 block of Glyndon Ave. following the report of a shooting, according to a police statement Saturday. Officers found two juveniles at the scene suffering from gunshot wounds, the statement said. Both were outside when they were shot, police said. One of the boys was shot in the leg and suffered a "graze wound to the face," police said.

Detectives are investigating an overnight shooting in the 2500 block of Edgecombe Circle in the Parklane neighborhood of Baltimore, police said. An adult male was shot in the legs, according to authorities, and that he was in stable condition. ywenger@baltsun.com

THE THREE-LEGGED stool theory is proving itself again as the 1997 General Assembly marches toward its 90th and final day tomorrow. Think of Maryland government as a stool whose three legs are the governor, House speaker and Senate president. Take any one away and government falters. With all three pegs in place, progressive legislation flows through the General Assembly and onto the governor's desk.Cooperation among these three officials is of the utmost importance. When one of them tries to circumvent the process and go it alone, it usually backfires.

Nolan Ryan, on the 15-day disabled list because of ailing legs, said yesterday that he was getting better and doesn't think the injuries indicate the end of his career is near.Ryan, in his 26th major-league season, is on the disabled list for the fourth time since 1990."I think the people's attitude is because of my age, any time something happens, I think people look for that to be the injury that finishes me off," Ryan said. "And I look at it from the standpoint that it's more of a nagging, nuisance-type thing."

They were legs like no other at Old Mill Senior.At least that was the opinion of the majority of students who cast votes for the best "turkey legs" among their teachers by dropping coins into tennis ball cans.However, once you meet social studies teacher Nadine Dow, you quickly learn that winning the contest that students say is "not chauvinistic" has more to do with her personality than her legs.For the past six years, the Varsity Club at Old Mill has raised money to feed the hungry in the county by having students review pictures of legs and casting their vote for the best.

WIMBLEDON, England -- The Nuprin stayed in the bottle for the first game yesterday, and Pam Shriver took it as a sign that the stress fracture in her leg is not getting worse.Certainly, it didn't seem to affect the outcome of the quarterfinal doubles match that Shriver and partner Liz Smylie won, 6-3, 6-4, over No. 3 seeds Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Helena Sukova."I think Arantxa wasn't feeling very well physically, but then neither am I," said Shriver, of Lutherville, Md. "Helena also was probably down, because of the way she lost to Martina [Navratilova]

Legs. That's the term for a news story we media types milk for all it's worth. We'll suck it dry until the circulation drops or the ratings go down. The most current story with legs concerns Michael Richards, a comedian who was reminded the hard way that heckling is a hazard most, if not all, comedians face. During a recent appearance at a Los Angeles nightclub, two black men hurled directly at Richards the most humiliating insult a comedian can hear, and apparently it cut the man right to the quick.

Orb's reputation began growing at Churchill Downs the Monday before the Kentucky Derby, when the colt breezed four furlongs in 47.80. The run looked effortless and made Orb the talk of Louisville - and the morning-line favorite. Though there is no doubt he will be an overwhelming favorite for Saturday's 138 th running of the Preakness, Orb again turned in a promising breeze -- in which he's basically allowed to run without much guidance from the rider -- the Monday before the race.

When it comes to Erika Brannock, a Cockeysville resident who lost her lower left leg in the Boston Marathon bombing, and Brannock's mother, Carol Downing, the staff at Graul's Market in Hereford consider them part of the family. Brannock, a preschool teacher at Trinity Episcopal Children's Center, in Towson, worked in the store's deli department while she was in college and grad school, and she still keeps in close touch with her former co-workers. "Erika worked here for six and a half years before she became a teacher," said store manager Ken Bullen.

Claude R. “Shug” McGaughey is a man who looks like the embodiment of the nickname that is all anybody calls him by. Short and unassuming, he said this week he made an effort to enjoy the run-up to the Kentucky Derby, a race he has, like any trainer, dreamed of winning. But the Hall of Famer knew, really, that there's only one way to truly enjoy the Kentucky Derby: win it. Running over a sloppy Churchill Downs track that left 19 contenders caked in mud, McGaughey's horse Orb found stable footing and a late lead in the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby today.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the back of the head inside a home in the Gwynn Oak area of Northwest Baltimore early on Wednesday morning, according to Baltimore Police. The teen, who has not been identified, was listed in critical condition at an area hospital on Wednesday, said Detective Angela Carter Watson, a police spokeswoman. Officers responded to a report of gunfire in the 4000 block of Eldorado Avenue, on the border between the city's Howard Park and Dorchester neighborhoods, just after midnight and located the injured teen inside a home.

A man was shot in the leg in the 2700 block of The Alameda in Northeast Baltimore on Sunday evening, an incident that was not expected to be fatal, police said. Medical personnel responded and took the man to a local hospital, police said. The shooting happened after 7 p.m., police said. They had not identified a suspect or motive as of late Sunday. Anyone with information about the shooting may call Northeast District detectives at 410-396-2444. The incident followed two other nonfatal shootings Sunday in the city.

Steven Leibowitz is trying to run as fast as he can, but the trail is muddy and tree roots are hiding under the soil, slowing him down. Now there's a stream blocking his path, with no way to cross, save a few widely spaced rocks. But Leibowitz can't give up. He has to keep running. It might sound like a scene from "The Hunger Games" or "The Blair Witch Project. " But for a runner in the XTERRA Trail Run Series, it's just the path to the finish line. XTERRA, a national multisport company, puts on races that are much more than your average 5K on the street.

What do you recommend for someone 29 who loves short skirts but doesn't have the legs for them? My skinny legs look like toothpicks below a mini. K.G., Bergenfield, N.J.Dear K.G.: For the first time since Andre Courreges launched fashion into space in the '60s with his moon-maiden majorette boots, an accessory has once more become the key to a new look.It's the over-the-knee boot and it's not only the height of fashion the thigh-height it will also solve your problem. Many of the new suede versions can be cuffed to below-the-knee level or crushed to mid-calf height, so you can enhance your legs even more by wearing such boots over thick, tweedy leggings.

Normally, I have nothing to say on fashion news. Normally, however, people of my gender are not wearing skirts.So now I must speak up. I've known it was my duty since I read the news in the paper yesterday.Yes, men are apparently going around in public in skirts. Seriously. In other words, we're talking Al Gore in a poodle.Put your imagination to work on this one. Cal Ripken in a sarong. Sly Stallone in a nice little pleated thing, and maybe some saddle shoes. That is the latest fashion news.

Already adjusting to life without a pair of starters in senior midfielder Ryan Clarke and junior defenseman Danny Sherr, No. 9 Salisbury suffered another blow when second-line midfielder Adam Stork broke his leg during practice Tuesday. Stork, who has registered three goals and one assists in the team's last two contests, joins Clarke (ruptured spleen) and Sherr (foot) on the list of players whose seasons have been cut short by injuries. It's a bewildering stretch of ailments for the Sea Gulls, who have captured the last two national titles and 10 in all. “It's definitely frustrating,” coach Jim Berkman said Wednesday morning.

When the 137th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show arrives in New York City next week, even the small breeds will be living large. That's because pet travel is booming across the United States, with more travelers than ever taking along their four-legged friends on vacations near and far. Dogs and cats that in the past might have been confined to carriers or hidden in the hotel bathroom are instead getting the five-star treatment as they...