Mercedes

"TC FREDERICK -- Fel Mercedes went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Frederick Keys over the Winston-Salem Spirit, 5-1, in a Single-A Carolina League game at Harry Grove Stadium last night.Winning pitcher Mark Smith went seven innings, allowing six hits and one run, and struck out four. David Paveloff pitched two scoreless innings for the save.

James Fielder, director of Harford County's Office o Economic Development, said his office is making a strong bid for a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant that will be built in the United States."

STUTTGART, Germany -- Gov. William Donald Schaefer pitched Maryland to Mercedes-Benz yesterday, but the company remained uncommitted about building a car manufacturing plant in the state.Klaus D. Rettig, a spokesman for Daimler-Benz AG, Mercedes' parent company, told the governor at a meeting and luncheon at Daimler-Benz's sleek new headquarters here that the company had made "absolutely no decision" on the plant location.Mr. Rettig said the "first cut" would be made in July and that the final decision was scheduled for September or October.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- So much for the idea of platooning Chito Martinez and Luis Mercedes in right field. Mark Leonard is the latest entry into the right-field derby, and the way this bizarre race is evolving, Sugar Ray Leonard might be next.Mark Leonard turns 29 in August, and his major-league experience consists of 274 at-bats. But with two weeks left in spring training, the Orioles believe he might actually beat out Martinez, another left-handed hitter who is the leading candidate for the job."

Toyota makes the best Mercedes-Benz you can buy. It's called the Lexus LS 400.This luxury sedan is an amazing piece of engineering artwork. There may not be a smoother, quieter and better riding car available for any price.The fact that Toyota could sell a car for between $36,000 and $40,000 that is in most respects equal to or greater than the more expensive, big Mercedes-Benz models is nothing short of spectacular.But the LS 400 comes up short in a few areas, and isn't quite ready to be considered among the world's finest cars for one major reason: styling.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles opened full-squad workouts RTC yesterday, but the squad wasn't really full. Second baseman Juan Bell and outfielder Luis Mercedes were conspicuous by their absence.Bell's arrival was delayed so he could attend the wedding Wednesday of his sister in the Dominican Republic. Mercedes apparently is having visa problems. Both are expected to arrive today.Players are not required to report to spring training until March 4. That is the mandatory reporting date dictated by baseball's collective bargaining agreement, but everyone was expected to be in camp by yesterday.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Manager Mike Hargrove removed any lingering question about the direction of his starting rotation yesterday when he officially named Jose Mercedes the starter for Wednesday's game against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and made him the de facto No. 4 starter. Hargrove set up the move last week when he juxtaposed Mercedes' and Calvin Maduro's starts. Originally scheduled to start Friday, Maduro was bumped in favor of Mercedes before giving a troubled five-inning start Saturday.

WASHINGTON - DaimlerChrysler AG said yesterday that the Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation into allegations the company's Mercedes-Benz subsidiaries took part in a price-fixing scheme among New York-area dealers. The No. 5 carmaker said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that the case is connected to a 1999 proposed class action lawsuit against two Mercedes-Benz units, Mercedes-Benz USA LLC and Mercedes-Benz Manhattan Inc. They were served with grand jury subpoenas in May, the company said.

NEW YORK -- DaimlerChrysler AG and its Mercedes-Benz USA unit were sued yesterday by a Los Angeles car dealer who wants his money back for a $1.7 million Mercedes AMG Roadster that died after driving only 10 blocks. The silver two-door sports car - the most expensive production car ever built - started malfunctioning during its first customer test drive in 2004, Mark Johnston, the owner of Grand Prix Motors, said in a complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. The lawsuit claims breach of contract and negligence and seeks a full refund for the car. During the test drive, the 12-cylinder vehicle didn't shift properly and its oil light came on, the complaint said.

As Mercedes-Benz USA moves to consolidate its operations in Baltimore, officials from Harford County and Maryland are scrambling to keep a Mercedes plant in Belcamp that installs equipment on newly imported cars and makes repairs. Mercedes-Benz USA LLC signed a 20-year lease with the port of Baltimore in October for a 104-acre waterfront lot where it would process cars coming into the United States to prepare them for shipment to other parts of the country. The move is part of the company's plan to consolidate its operations as part of a major expansion in the port.