Mcalister

When you think about Chris McAlister, you have to remember the good and bad. The toughness and the ability mixed in with the crucial moments when he didn't keep his head. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/cornersportsbar)

I'm going to act like writing about something like this is below me, even though you and I both know that it isn't, but according to a report by TMZ, former Ravens cornerback and "former NFL bad ass" Chris McAlister has claimed that he is "BROKE AS A JOKE and living with his parents. " Those are TMZ's words, not mine. According to the report , McAlister, 34, is currently in a court battle with his ex-wife, Marlene, over child support money. TMZ reported that in official court documents, the former Pro Bowl cornerback claimed, "I have been unemployed since 2009.

Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister says he doesn't have much to say anymore. He isn't jumping in front of cameras. He's not bashing reporters. He hasn't missed a practice or been late for a meeting. The new McAlister is the same as the old McAlister, but only on the field. Ravens training camp Through Aug. 18, McDaniel College, Westminster Today: 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Online: baltimoresun.com/ravenscentral

In consecutive drafts in 1998 and 1999, the Ravens found two starting Super Bowl cornerbacks. One was smallish Duane Starks; the other was prototypical big cornerback Chris McAlister. In each case, the price was the 10 t h overall pick. Now, for the first time since general manager Ozzie Newsome empowered that Super Bowl defense, the Ravens could spend a first-round pick Thursday night in search of the elusive shutdown cornerback. Or they could wait until the third round to find reinforcements for Chuck Pagano's retooled secondary.

The turning point in what many are calling the best season of Chris McAlister's career came two months after admittedly his worst. That's when the Ravens cornerback decided to call a timeout on life. Panthers@Ravens Tomorrow, 1 p.m., Ch. 45, 1090 AM, 97.9 FM Line: Ravens by 3

A Baltimore peace activist was sentenced to six months in jail for trespassing after she and seven others staged a protest at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in December 1991.Elizabeth McAlister, a former nun, was ordered to serve the sentence over 60 weekends by Howard Circuit Judge James Dudley yesterday.McAlister, a member of the Baltimore Emergency Response Network, was originally sentenced to serve 30 days in jail and pay $50 in court costs after she was convicted in Howard District jTC Court last May.The defendant appealed the conviction to Circuit Court, where she again was found guilty of the charge in October.

Ravens receiver Derrick Mason and cornerback Chris McAlister were fined $5,000 apiece by the NFL yesterday for unsportsmanlike conduct in Sunday's 35-17 loss to the Lions in Detroit. Mason was disciplined for "violently" throwing the ball away in the fourth quarter, an NFL spokesman said. McAlister was fined for spiking the ball on receiver Kevin Johnson after making an interception in the second quarter. Nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu was not fined by the NFL after getting flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

IN THE PAST two years, the Ravens have told Pro Bowl cornerback Chris McAlister he can't get a new, long-term contract because of character issues. But after a tumultuous offseason that included a federal indictment of star running back Jamal Lewis on drug charges, McAlister believes the Ravens can no longer use that as an excuse. The Ravens are loaded with players with troubled pasts, so much in fact that orange jumpsuits could have replaced the new uniform that was on display yesterday.

Chris McAlister responded yesterday to comments made by New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Kyle Turley on a radio show Tuesday, and the Ravens cornerback did not hold back. McAlister was hit with a personal foul after ripping off receiver Donte' Stallworth's helmet, then tossing it through the end zone during the second quarter of Sunday's 37-25 loss to the Saints. Last season, Turley was fined $25,000, ejected from the game and ordered to take anger-management courses for ripping off New York Jets safety Damien Robinson's helmet and heaving it across the field.

At the age of 31, Chris McAlister is viewed by his younger teammates as a wise veteran brimming with sage advice. Just don't tell that to the three-time Pro Bowl cornerback. "I still feel like one of the young guys," he said after yesterday's morning practice at McDaniel College in Westminster. "They look up to me in a way that at times catches me off guard, and they ask questions and they ask for advice and I give all the help that I can give. To that aspect, it kind of makes me appreciate being able to play as long as I have, that I can help someone else and try to give them the knowledge that I have."

Hobbled and disenchanted, former Raven Chris McAlister wasn't sure he wanted to play in the NFL any more. Suddenly, the 10-year veteran cornerback has been snapped up by the New Orleans Saints - one of only two remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL - and he's glad to be back in pads again. "Earlier in the offseason I wasn't ready or [didn't] have the mind-set to come back and play football," McAlister said Wednesday, his first day with the club. "For it to take as long as it did, I'm happy it happened before I had no other opportunity."

When you look at the Ravens' defense, it's hard to find a weakness. The unit has a Pro Bowl player on the defensive line and a couple at linebacker and in the secondary. The Ravens might have as much overall defensive depth as they had in 2000 when they won the Super Bowl. But there is one problem area. The Ravens don't have a shutdown cornerback. They have solid players and good depth, but they don't have that big, physical corner who can take out the other team's No. 1 receiver. Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison wants to find one before the Kansas City Chiefs come to Baltimore for the season opener Sept.

Posting this week's sports media notes while wondering whether I should be concerned how the cactuses in the background of the Accenture Match Play golf telecasts make me think of Quick Draw McGraw: * I was having a discussion this week with a colleague about radio sports talk shows, and he was of the opinion the best shows were the ones that had the most guests and took the fewest calls. In fact, he said it was optimal for a show to take no calls from listeners at all. I wouldn't go that far, but I would agree some shows lean too heavily on callers.

Presenting another column in the same week when I was hit with the sports media notes franchise tag, which works out to be enough to pay for just basic cable - no Cathouse on HBO! - for about six months: * Talkers magazine, a radio trade publication, ranked the top 250 talk show hosts in the country. Jim Rome, whose long pauses and almost incomprehensible self-references are heard locally on Fox Sports 1370, was the highest-rated of the sports variety at No. 29. No Baltimore sports types made the list.

When you think about Chris McAlister, you have to remember the good and bad. The toughness and the ability mixed in with the crucial moments when he didn't keep his head. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/cornersportsbar)

The Ravens cut Chris McAlister yesterday, a move that was expected by everyone except the former Pro Bowl cornerback. McAlister, 31, said he sat down with coach John Harbaugh for 15 minutes yesterday, talking about coming back to the team and the offseason conditioning program. Then, McAlister said, he walked across the hall to meet with general manager Ozzie Newsome, who told him that he was getting released. "This is a blind shot to me," McAlister told local radio station 105.7 FM, which airs a show featuring the cornerback.

Will it be Samari Rolle or Chris McAlister? That's the big question heading into tomorrow's game as the Ravens host the Oakland Raiders at M&T Bank Stadium. The Raiders have one of the game's best receivers in Randy Moss, and it will be interesting to see which cornerback, McAlister or Rolle, draws the assignment of covering Moss. But that's actually the No. 2 key to stopping the Raiders. Raiders @Ravens Tomorrow, 1 p.m., Ch. 13, 97.9 FM Line: Ravens by 12

Ravens starting cornerbacks Chris McAlister and Duane Starks were both listed as questionable for Sunday's season opener against the Chicago Bears, but both said they expected to play. McAlister, who has not missed a game in his two seasons with the Ravens, practiced lightly yesterday, trying to keep from running on his sprained ankle. "I'm playing," McAlister said. "I'm just resting it up right now. It's nothing serious. They just told me to sit out and not worry about stressing on it right now."

The foundation for future success was laid in 2008 by the Ravens, but there need to be some changes made in the offseason if the team is to take the next step and play in the Super Bowl. By any standard, this season was an overwhelming success. No one predicted the Ravens would win more than six to eight games, much less play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. The Ravens found out that rookie head coach John Harbaugh has a system that works, and they also discovered their quarterback of the future in Joe Flacco, a rookie out of the University of Delaware.

On the same day the Ravens officially placed cornerback Chris McAlister on injured reserve, the club ended the season for strong safety Dawan Landry by putting him on IR as well. McAlister, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has not played since the Ravens' 27-13 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 19, when he was benched by coach John Harbaugh and relegated to limited snaps. McAlister underwent surgery Monday in Coral Gables, Fla., to repair his posterior cruciate ligament and cartilage damage on his right knee, according to the Associated Press.