Marquee

Marquee Ball Tickets are still available for tonight's Marquee Ball. The event begins at 8:30 and marks the opening of the Creative Alliance's new home in the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. The Sun incorrectly reported in yesterday's Live section that the event was sold out. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.missiontix.com or at the door. Call 410-276-1651.

INDIANAPOLIS - The Ravens' quest for a franchise quarterback finally ended when Joe Flacco capped a stellar postseason by engineering a Super Bowl victory. Now, a championship and Flacco's unresolved contract as a pending unrestricted free agent have created a complex reality. Flacco is poised to either be paid as much as a $20.46 million franchise tender next season or be retained through a potential blockbuster deal that could rival New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees' $100 million contract.

The Canadian Football League's board of governors has effectively voted the marquee player out of their future with a rules change designed to cut fiscal corners.The intent of the new rule -- voted on at last month's meeting in Edmonton -- is to award marquee status only to players with legitimate drawing power such as Calgary's Doug Flutie. The effect is to ensure that quarterbacks such as Timm Rosenbach, cut last year by Hamilton, and Mike Kerrigan, a bench-warmer in Toronto, don't get close to marquee money again.

She may not be horse racing's new Zenyatta, but Royal Delta ran a stirring race to win the $2 million Ladies Classic for the second year in a row. The race was one of the few formful things to happen Friday at Santa Anita on the first of two days of Breeders' Cup races. The announced crowd of 34,619 watched as foreign horses (two French bred and one Argentine) won half of the day's six races. There are nine races today. Royal Delta ran an unusual race — from the front. She normally rallies from behind.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. -- A friend of Lou Holtz once said the Irish coach operates on a simple two-step philosophy."No. 1: If it doesn't fit, force it. No. 2: If you don't have a crisis, create one."Holtz didn't manufacture the latest thunderbolt that struck the nTC Irish last week with the arrest of two of their most important players on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct. But the friend's portrait describes how Holtz thrives on turning adversity into opportunity.You can bet Holtz will try to use the youthful misfor-tune of quarterback Rick Mirer and linebacker Demetrius DuBose to narrow their focus from the frolics of life to the fury of football and to ratchet this team's attitude one notch higher toward achieving excellence on the field.

Almost two months after he was told to remove an illegal campaign banner from the old Elkridge Drive-In theater on U.S. 1, Howard County Council candidate Christopher J. Merdon took down the sign.Merdon, a Republican who is running to succeed outgoing District 1 Councilman Darrel E. Drown, abandoned his plan Friday to appeal the violation notice issued Aug. 17 by the Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits because the Board of Appeals would not be able to schedule a hearing until January.

Rory Sabbatini's heart and sense of golf history certainly are in the right place. The sentiments of a defending champion, though, may not stand up to the hard-bitten realities of the contemporary PGA Tour. The Byron Nelson Championship plays its 43rd edition this week — honoring the gentlemanly "Lord Byron" whose run of 11 consecutive tournament wins and 18 in a season might as well be chiseled into the PGA Tour record books. "The only emissary this tournament will ever need is Byron Nelson's name," Sabbatini told reporters not long ago. "That in itself is inspiration enough for anybody on tour."

This is a major coup for WWE, to have Mickey Rourke in the ring at the company's marquee show. I think it's bigger than Donald Trump at WrestleMania 23 and certainly bigger than Floyd Mayweather's match last year. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ringposts)

Task force report on county schools has been delayed Members of a task force appointed to suggest ways to improve working conditions for Carroll County public school teachers did not give a progress report to the superintendent and the teachers union president yesterday as planned. Superintendent Charles I. Ecker said yesterday afternoon that the preliminary report had been delayed and that task force members want to meet with him before submitting it. A meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday.

On The Weekend Watch:INTO THE SUNSET -- The tube's last western rides off the air tonight (at 8, Channel 13), with a special two-hour final episode of "The Young Riders." With the Civil War impending, Cody (Stephen Baldwin) enlists as a Union scout, while Hickok and The Kid (Josh Brolin and Ty Miller) come to blows over their conflicting allegiances. But there's a wedding, too, between The Kid and Lou (Yvonne Suhor).WOOOOOOO! -- The spirit of Mr. Spock, actor Leonard Nimoy of "Star Trek," materializes as host of "Haunted Lives: True Ghost ,, Stories," a CBS special Friday (at 8, Channel 11)

The week ended and Michael Lohan still doesn't have a place for his party. Boo hoo. His much promoted party was so toxic it was canceled within hours of its announcement on this blog. In other news, the Dew Tour is expected to draw over 50,000 people to Ocean City this weekend. Even if is skateboarding is still prohibited by the city. Marquee Lounge was reviewed . The Don't Know Tavern settlement may not go to the plaintiffs' lawyer after all. Silver Spring's new Fillmore theater has an opening date, and Mary J. Blige will be on hand for the grand opening.

Back story: The Creative Alliance remodeled the historic Patterson Theater in 2003 to include two art galleries, a 180-seat theater, a classroom, a media lab and living-and-work studios for eight resident artists. The Marquee, open since May, is the latest addition. Parking: Better than in Canton; parking is usually available near the theater. Patterson Park is also within distance and has more parking options. Signature drink: The bar doesn't have a cocktail menu, but it lists 10 spirits, including Ciroc, a French liquor made from grapes, for $8. Where: 3134 Eastern Ave., inside the Patterson.

Since taking over the century-old Patterson Theater a few years ago, the Creative Alliance has refashioned and remodeled it into an exciting creative space for artists across mediums. So it follows that when the Creative Alliance set about remaking the street-front space below the Patterson's old projection room into a lounge, the result would be as eye-catching. Open since May, Marquee Lounge is supposed to be an after-hours spot for the theater's patrons. But since the lounge is beautifully decorated, well-staffed and has a satisfying beer and wine menu, it would succeed as a destination on its own — even if the Creative Alliance wasn't there.

On March 12, thousands of lacrosse fanatics will filter through the gates of M&T Bank Stadium for the Face-Off Classic, eager to watch a triple header where each game could have the feel of an NCAA Tournament semifinal. The event is expected to generate significant revenue for the city, promote the game to a larger audience, and serve as a de facto celebration for a sport that continues to grow on a national stage. Playing a regular season contest in front of a large audience in an NFL stadium seems, at first blush, to be a no-lose situation.

The LPGA Championship played to sizable, enthusiastic crowds last week at Locust Hill Country Club. The event delivered a memorable performance, too, with Cristie Kerr's 12-stroke romp to a second major trophy. Now the question is whether LPGA bosses want to do it again. The tour's annual stop outside Rochester, N.Y., stepped up to major status this year in a stopgap measure as the LPGA took control of its flagship event and moved through the first months of Commissioner Michael Whan's tenure.

Harborplace, once a symbol of Baltimore's rebirth, turns 30 this weekend. It is showing its age and has lost some of the its allure, but it still has appeal. On a quiet summer afternoon this week — probably a little too quiet for Harborplace merchants — patrons whiled away the time sitting in the Light Street pavilion eating crab cakes and taking in the striking view of the Inner Harbor. But it's hard to observe the scene without engaging in the favorite Baltimore pastime of naming restaurants that used to be here.

The Virginia Derby, the marquee event at struggling Colonial Downs, lost its marquee performer yesterday when the Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day decided not to apply for a jockey's license.Virginia's strict guidelines that say no one convicted of a drug crime can be licensed at the racetrack. In 1975, Day was convicted of possession of marijuana.Virginia's guidelines, mandated by state law, have been harshly criticized by Maryland horsemen. They operate under a regulation that says a person convicted of a crime "may be" denied a license.

Daktronics Inc., the company that designed the scoreboard for Giants Stadium and the electric signs at the 1988 Winter Olympics, yesterday won the $1.4 million contract to produce the scoreboard at the Baltimore Orioles' new ballpark at Camden Yards.The Maryland Stadium Authority selected Daktronics, of Brookings, S.D., from three companies that submitted proposals."The enthusiasm that they bring to this project is absolutely exciting," said Eli Eisenberg, technical director for Orioles, who is overseeing sound and video systems at Camden Yards.

Rory Sabbatini's heart and sense of golf history certainly are in the right place. The sentiments of a defending champion, though, may not stand up to the hard-bitten realities of the contemporary PGA Tour. The Byron Nelson Championship plays its 43rd edition this week — honoring the gentlemanly "Lord Byron" whose run of 11 consecutive tournament wins and 18 in a season might as well be chiseled into the PGA Tour record books. "The only emissary this tournament will ever need is Byron Nelson's name," Sabbatini told reporters not long ago. "That in itself is inspiration enough for anybody on tour."

When Tony Stewart finally wins the Daytona 500, he should receive the Dale Earnhardt treatment. Stewart won his fifth season-opening Nationwide Series race in the last six years on Saturday. On Sunday, he whiffed on his chance for his first Daytona 500 win … again. "We just missed," he said. "We've missed it since we got here. I'm not sure what we missed, but we'll figure it out." There's no question Stewart is one of the best American drivers of all time.