Mad

Here we go again, observing our government changing laws to suit the business owners at the expense of the poor schmucks who are just trying to buy a little entertainment ("City politicians rush to save Ticketmaster's user fees," Feb. 24). Shame on Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and shame on the Ravens, the Orioles and all the smaller outfits that support Ticketmaster's stupendous rip-off of the American public. How could they stomp on the very folks who support their businesses?

Nothing short of a miracle - or a sudden onset of rational behavior inside the Capital Beltway - is going to prevent mandatory, across-the-board federal spending cuts from going in effect Friday. It's also clear the public sector workforce is going to bear a considerable burden from sequestration through furloughs and related actions. Estimates vary, but Maryland stands to lose about 12,600 jobs from the sequester cuts, a reflection of our proximity to the nation's capital and the fact that 5.6 percent of jobs in the state are tied to the federal government.

With the season finale of "Downton Abbey" approaching on Sunday, I couldn't resist devoting one more Midweek Madness entry to the show -- the perfect addition to your paper doll collection.

Having succumbed at long last to a winter cold, I felt I would dedicate this Midweek Madness installment to my fellow sufferers. I suggest we all sing through our pain, with the help of Betty Boop and that profound ditty "I Got a Cold in My Nose. " (Her performance makes me want to dig out "Funny Lady" again to hear Streisand's fun version.) Grab a Kleenex and chime in:

OK, I admit it. While the rest of the civilized world was glued to the Super Bowl, the TV in our house was emanating the glow of period drama -- the irresistible "Downton Abbey" on PBS. (I still think the Most Valuable Player Sunday night was Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper who managed to tackle sexism, anti-Catholicism and smug-ism all in one fabulous game.) For the benefit of those who have not yet caught onto the Downton phenomenon -- and even more for the benefit of those who have -- Midweek Madness offers this unique introduction/recap/documentary:

After a season of blood-curdling thrills set in the 1960s, we've come full circle to modern times. Now we can all sleep easy for a few months. Unlike the Season 1 finale where viewers were left on a cliffhanger, the show's writers tied this season up with a nice little bow (and no, killer Santa Lee Emerson won't be delivering this present). There is one person in the giving spirit however, and it's not Lana Winters (unless you count death as a gift). By the time the self-obsessed journalist arrives at Briarcliff to film her expose, Sister Jude has already been released from the asylum under the care of Kit. It takes time for Jude to detox and not chase Kit's children around the house with a broom while making threats, but eventually Jude regains her sanity and teaches the kids various dances and how to sew. I never took Jude for the Mary Poppins type, but she finds happiness caring for the children in the Walker household.

Failures to communicate are everywhere. You've no doubt heard radio or TV interviews, for example, where the interviewer seems to be preoccupied with preparing the next question, or following a script, that he/she doesn't actually hear the interviewee's answer to the one just asked. As a public service, I devote this Midweek Madness installment to ... the classic, ahead-of-their-time humorists Bob and Ray, who demonstrate just how badly awry an interview can go. (You'll still learn something about Komodo dragons, though.)

Although Archbishop Spalding hadn't wrestled in the Mount Mat Madness since 2006, the Cavaliers made the most of their return to the prestigious tournament by producing a pair of individual champions and one runner-up on the way to the team title Saturday night at UMBC. Spalding finished with 172.5 points, ahead of second-place Georgetown Prep (146.5) and third-place Urbana (141.5). The Cavaliers are the first Baltimore-area school since McDonogh in 2008 to win the 26-team event - which included teams from four states.

Mount Mat Madness, regarded as one of the top wrestling tournaments in the country until going on a one-year hiatus, is returning this weekend at UMBC with 28 teams from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia. "Usually, when you want to go to a national, super tough tournament, you have to travel," Loyola coach Steve Truitt said. "It's nice to have this one in our own backyard. " A year ago, teams looking for tougher competition had to venture out of the area or start their own event because Neil Adleberg, the originator and chairman of Mount Mat Madness, decided that he needed a rest after eight years of running the tournament.