Manhandled

Thumbs up: To the receivers and linebackers. The receivers caught a high number of balls on the defensive backs during one-on-ones, while the linebackers manhandled the running backs during a blocking drill. Thumbs down: Cornerback Gary Baxter had a number of completed passes thrown his way. ... The coaching staff has yet to allow the players do some real hitting. Quotable: "I'm not going to waste the stamp." Ravens coach Brian Billick on if he plans to send holdout Ed Reed a postcard from training camp.

The John Carroll Patriots crushed visiting Centennial in wrestling Thursday night, 58-18. Devin Davis earned the Patriots their first non-forfeit victory of the night, pinning opponent Sam Routt in 2:17 during the 132-pound contest. Following a trio of Centennial victories, John Carroll's Austin Ross got the Patriots back on track with an 11-2 major decision win over Nick Shearin in the 160-pound bout. In the 170-pound matchup, John Carroll's Christian Scott pinned opponent Bradley Fasulo at the 2:55 mark.

I think we all thought Bravo's Hey Paula, which follows Paula Abdul as she bumbles her way through life, was going to be the train wreck of the summer. But no. Sunday's premiere of VH1's Rock of Love wins the prize based on its first 1 1/2 hours. Twenty-five women vie to become the lady love of Poison lead singer Bret Michaels, and this is a needy, catty and largely raunchy bunch. In the premiere, Michaels basically got manhandled (so to speak) by the women, who tried to get his attention in a variety of ways, including getting trashed, sticking their tongues down his throat, going topless in a photo shoot, showing off their drumming skills, and, in the case of one particularly annoying contestant, screeching endlessly.

For the second straight week, the Ravens' run defense was gutted. It was painful and embarrassing to watch because run defense has been a major point of pride for the Ravens since the Super Bowl-winning season in 2000. While the Ravens were celebrating their 5-1 record Sunday, there was major concern about a defense that allowed 227 yards rushing -- a franchise record -- and 481 yards of total offense. The Ravens got physically manhandled and also missed a lot of tackles. “I don't like it. I think it's just disgusting, and we need to fix it right away because we've got a good Houston team that we're going to play against next week,” said Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

It took 18 years for Damon Matthews to go from high school champ to attempted-murder suspect.Sometime around 11 p.m. Wednesday, according to city police, Damon Matthews lost it -- breaking into his estranged wife's house and stabbing her 10 times in the back, wrist and head.Harriette Matthews is in serious condition at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, and Damon Matthews is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail in the city jail, charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with a deadly weapon and violating a restraining order designed to prevent such a tragedy as Wednesday night's stabbing.

Mount Hebron clinched a tie for its 12th county championship in 14 seasons and asserted itself as the area's top-ranked team last night by crushing No. 4 Howard, 72-29.The host Vikings (12-0, 19-1), staging what Dave Greenberg called their best performance of the season, extended their winning streak to 19 games by controlling the Lions (10-2, 17-3) in every phase of the game.The Vikings manhandled Howard defensively. They forced 26 turnovers and limited the Lions, who entered the game averaging 56 points, to their lowest offensive output of the season.

ST. MARY'S CITY -- Students hung banners, published a special edition of their newspaper and planned a rally this week to protest the arrests last weekend of 18 St. Mary's College students at a raucous outdoor party on campus.On a campus where students can dock their boats, leave their bicycles unlocked and share the college green with peacocks, a loud party is as much a part of life as athletics and academics.That is until Saturday night, when police brought dogs, pepper spray and a helicopter to the idyllic campus on the St. Mary's River to break up a party that attracted 300 students.

Running backsRookie Jay Graham was superb, showing explosiveness and quickness, but he still needs to lower his body and stop juking on short-yardage situations. -- BQuarterbackVinny Testaverde seems to be lacking a bit in confidence. His interceptions, however, were excusable because linebacker William Thomas made a great play on one and the other was tipped. Testaverde made some nice scrambles but still needs to tuck the ball when he runs. -- C-ReceiversAfter Michael Jackson caught his touchdown pass and dropped a possible long reception, he disappeared.

All season, their focus been to reach the state finals at the University of Maryland. But before it got to that, Lake Clifton had some unfinished business to take care of last night at an unusual location.Before a capacity crowd at Dunbar, the No. 2 Lakers defeated No. 3 Walbrook, 77-63, to win the Maryland Scholastic Association Gamper Conference championship.Senior guard Kevin Norris led the Lakers (17-4) with 25 points and 10 assists. Shawnta Rogers had 22 and 10 assists while Reggie Frazier added 17 and eight rebounds.

Navy attempts to cover its Tailhook are unraveling, much to the embarrassment of big brass who were only too willing to look the other way when they first heard that 26 women, including 14 Navy officers, were manhandled (we use the term advisedly) at a raucous naval aviators convention in Las Vegas last September.Navy Secretary H. Lawrence Garrett III has resigned, as well he should, both because he was personally nearby, if unawares, when the brawl took place and because he was responsible for an investigation that now looks suspiciously like a cover-up.

CINCINNATI -- The same truck that ran over the Ravens in October rumbled through Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday and flattened them again. Same unrelenting pass rush. Same playmaking cornerbacks. Same trademark Bengal stripes. As if to prove the first time was no fluke, the Cincinnati Bengals derailed the Joe Flacco Express for the second time in a month. They turned the Ravens' offense into roadkill and Baltimore's 4-4 season into a mystery novel. "If you look at the tape, they've played well all year," Flacco said after Sunday's 17-7 loss to the Bengals.

At 6 feet 9, 340 pounds, Jared Gaither is the largest man in a locker room full of enormous men. This distinction isn't foreign to the 23-year-old left tackle from White Plains, considering that he has been the biggest player in virtually every room he has ever been in for as long as he can remember. But part of what's remarkable when you stand next to Gaither this season is the sensation that he is noticeably bigger than a year ago. Not taller, of course - he's already the tallest player in the NFL - but thicker, with shoulders the size of pot roasts and a chest that protrudes from his body like the front end of a Cadillac Escalade.

I think we all thought Bravo's Hey Paula, which follows Paula Abdul as she bumbles her way through life, was going to be the train wreck of the summer. But no. Sunday's premiere of VH1's Rock of Love wins the prize based on its first 1 1/2 hours. Twenty-five women vie to become the lady love of Poison lead singer Bret Michaels, and this is a needy, catty and largely raunchy bunch. In the premiere, Michaels basically got manhandled (so to speak) by the women, who tried to get his attention in a variety of ways, including getting trashed, sticking their tongues down his throat, going topless in a photo shoot, showing off their drumming skills, and, in the case of one particularly annoying contestant, screeching endlessly.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- One of the hazards of college athletics is the temptation to connect dots across a pretty big country, meaning we usually just end up stretching the point. Maybe you remember Ohio State beating Michigan at home, 42-39. The outcome was so close that many, yours truly included, thought the Wolverines deserved a rematch. But they didn't get it. Instead, the Wolverines ended up in the Rose Bowl, where they had the misfortune to encounter a Southern California team still ticked off that UCLA knocked it out of the Bowl Championship Series title game.

ABU SHOUK, Sudan - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's official visit with President Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir of Sudan turned ugly yesterday after Sudanese security officers manhandled members of her delegation and the news media, blocking their way to the meeting in the presidential palace. Rice said she was "outraged" and demanded an official apology, which the foreign minister delivered by phone a little more than an hour later. But it was clear that the incident left her angry and worsened an already difficult relationship.

PITTSBURGH - Like their reputation for being a smash-mouth team, the Ravens' yearlong boasts about being a Super Bowl team were unmercifully laid to rest yesterday. Unable to establish the run on offense or stop it on defense, the Ravens took a resounding shot to the gut in a 20-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers before 64,227 at Heinz Field. What survived this onslaught was the Ravens' playoff hopes, however faint they may be after losing for the fourth time in five games. A win by Buffalo (9-6)

Despite mounting criticism of the Knicks' intimidating style of play, coach Pat Riley says his team won't turn soft and reminds people of the days when New York was considered a pushover.The controversy has intensified since New Jersey Nets star Kenny Anderson suffered a season-ending injury against the Knicks on Feb. 28.Riley, whose Atlantic Division-leading Knicks (40-18) play the last-place Washington Bullets (16-42) at the Capital Centre tonight, was analyzing NBA games for NBC two years ago when the Knicks were manhandled in the playoffs by the championship-bound Chicago Bulls.

He stood in the middle of the Ravens' cluttered locker room late Friday night, a briefcase in hand and a big performance in mind."Your defense sure did look good," someone said to Marvin Lewis, the Ravens' defensive coordinator, after the Ravens had beaten the Bills, 37-14, at Rich Stadium.Lewis paused, measuring a response."We made progress," he finally said.Progress? The Ravens recorded seven sacks, limited the Bills to 2 yards of offense in the first half and shut them out until early in the fourth quarter.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The last time the Blast played the Kansas City Comets, its goalkeeper, Brett Phillips, had one of those memorable nights, giving up just seven points as he inspired his team to a 15-7 victory. Last night at Kemper Arena, Kansas City goalie Paolo Ceccarelli counter-punched. Ceccarelli held the Blast to one point fewer than Phillips as the Blast was forced to leave town a 17-6 loser. The loss left the Blast 12-16 for the season and 3-9 on the road. "We had mental breakdowns.