Manhandled

Maryland's luck took a turn for the better yesterday morning, when the Terps won a blind draw for the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia all finished 2-1 in conference games, but the Terps won the draw conducted at conference headquarters in Greensboro, N.C. Maryland will meet Duke, which it manhandled, 19-6, on April 5, in Friday's 6 p.m. semifinal at Virginia's Klockner Stadium. The Cavaliers and Tar Heels will meet in the second semifinal, and the winners will come back for the championship Sunday at 3 p.m. The Terps, No. 5 in The Sun/Channel 2 rankings, lost their fifth straight overtime game last Saturday, against Johns Hopkins.

Once upon a time, when the NFL Films' "Voice of God," John Facenda, intoned about "frozen tundra," it was a given that Lambeau Field was a playoff home-field advantage like no other. That would seem to be the case no more. Last weekend's Packers-Bears game at bitterly cold and blustery Soldier Field proved what Vince Lombardi could have never imagined. When it comes to facing Old Man Winter, these Packers are wimps. Even Brett Favre said as much. Chicago, with Kyle Orton at quarterback, manhandled NFC North champion Green Bay, 35-7, and the weather was a key factor.

COLLEGE PARK -- Clemson football fans' expectations couldn't have been much loftier before last season. The team was ranked ninth nationally and had a senior quarterback, a top receiver and a flashy pair of running backs. But the year didn't unfold as the team had planned. The Tigers were manhandled by Alabama in their opener, then blew an 11-point lead in a 20-17 loss to Maryland in Week 5 before 81,000 dazed fans at Death Valley. Coach Tommy Bowden was replaced by Dabo Swinney at midseason.

Running backsBam Morris ran hard despite getting only 13 carries. Morris had 44 yards, but it would be nice to see what would happen if Morris, rookie Jay Graham and Earnest Byner combined for 30 carries in one game.BQuarterbackThe Ravens wanted to limit Vinny Testaverde's passes, but he had to throw 47 times, completing a career-high 32 for 331 yards. He worked within the scheme of his offense and his capabilities.BReceiversToo many dropped balls, especially by Derrick Alexander. Slot man Jermaine Lewis ran some good routes over the middle, and Michael Jackson seems to be regaining his form.

Randallstown coach Jeff Langrehr said he was more concerned about getting his wrestling team ready for the state tournament than he was about winning last night's tri-match.In that regard, it was mission accomplished.The Rams (7-1) butted heads with two premier out-of-state schools and landed squarely on their backs. Randallstown dropped its opener with two-time defending state champion St. Mark's of Wilmington, Del., 41-22, before falling to Hanover High of Pennsylvania, 49-12."We scheduled these teams for one reason and that was to toughen up our schedule," said Langrehr, whose team captured county and region titles last season, only to finish fourth in the states.

The Baltimore City Council introduced a resolution last night supporting a civilian police review board.Baltimore Democratic State Sen. Ralph M. Hughes introduced legislation last month that would create an 18-member panel to examine the conduct of police officers. Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, who has opposed previous efforts to create the board, is supporting the legislation that would give the board subpoena power to call witnesses, gather documents and discipline officers.Southwest Baltimore Councilman Norman A. Handy Sr. introduced the resolution last night.

One might think that seventh-seeded Duke's 16-10 rout of top-seeded Syracuse in last week's NCAA tournament final at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia would not sit well with the Blue Devils' Atlantic Coast Conference rivals - especially a Maryland squad that had lodged a 16-7 thrashing that was Duke's worst loss since May 23, 2009 when the team was manhandled, 17-7, by Syracuse in the Final Four that year. But Terps coach John Tillman said he harbors no ill will towards the Blue Devils for capturing their second national crown in four seasons.

While Gilman and St. Paul's are only about six miles apart, there was a world of difference in the play of the two teams in the season opener Wednesday afternoon in Roland Park. The Greyhounds rolled to a 4-0 victory over the visiting Crusaders, building a 16-4 shot advantage while scoring three times in the second half in a match between Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A and B Conference foes, respectively. Junior forward Brendan Barger scored twice for Gilman. "We were just physically manhandled in the second half," St. Paul's coach Danny Skelton said.

The grind of being an NFL nose guard is embraced by Ravens rookie Brandon Williams, a heavyweight defensive lineman accustomed to dirty work and life's hardships. Before emerging as a draft sleeper from Division II Missouri Southern, Williams spent last summer hauling and cleaning portable toilets. "Sometimes, you got a little poop on you," said Williams, the Ravens' third-round pick (94th overall). "Every time I was doing that, I said to myself, 'I gotta work harder, I'm not doing this the rest of my life.' It motivated me to get better.