Mike Brown

That Mike Brown decided to keep the Cincinnati Bengals in the place of their birth comes as a positive development. Brown would have made a change of address on only one condition: If he was convinced his stadium problems were going to be continually ignored by community leaders.On strictly a personal basis, he stands above the crowd and is too honorable to cut and run. Quitting Cincinnati wasn't on his agenda. Only losers get out of town. They then claim some newspaper editorial writer forced them to leave -- or else put the blame on the public, elected officials or the fact they are forced to play in an antiquated stadium.

Depending on the whims of Charlotte Bobcats coach/president Bernie Bickerstaff, something remarkable could happen on the NBA sidelines this offseason. Nothing. A league that changes coaches more often than the Heat changes playoff color schemes could wind up returning each of the 30 who ended the season on the bench. Almost all of those in the most tenuous positions - from Golden State's Mike Montgomery to Atlanta's Mike Woodson to Toronto's Sam Mitchell to Minnesota's Dwane Casey to Seattle's Bob Hill - have received recent votes of confidence.

BasketballSuns: Signed C Mike Brown for remainder of season. Placed F Ben Davis (jammed right little finger) on injured list.Football49ers: Signed former Ravens CB Corey Dowden. He received a $5,000 signing bonus.Pub Date: 4/06/97

CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Bengals' 1-7 record this season is nothing new. They've started 1-7 or worse six times in the past 12 seasons. But this year has been the worst in memory off the field for the franchise and its embattled patriarch, club president Mike Brown. Anger and resentment toward the Bengals in Cincinnati are at all-time highs, and most of it is directed at Brown. The disgust has taken the forms of an online petition seeking to oust Brown as the team's de facto general manager, anti-Brown T-shirts, a long-shot breach-of-contract legal challenge to the Bengals' lease on Paul Brown Stadium and declining attendance at games.

Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown said for the first time yesterday that he no longer believes a football stadium will be built in Cincinnati, prompting speculation that he may move the team after the 1995 season.Brown is frustrated that the city hasn't taken steps to get funding for a new stadium since he announced last month that his lease at Riverfront Stadium was breached by a late payment."The answer may be in," Brown told reporters in Cincinnati. "It probably means there isn't going to be a new football stadium in Cincinnati.

For the Browns, the ninth annual sand castle building contest at Downs Memorial Park in Pasadena Saturday was a family rivalry of sorts -- two generations competing side-by-side for the best design.The elder Browns emerged victorious, having built a dragon with a castle on top. Their son and his family came in second with a German-style castle, complete with moat, trees and stone walkways."We came down just to build a castle and play in the sand," said Pat Brown, who with her husband, Ron, and 8-year-old grandchild, Jennifer, built the dragon.

In Boomer Esiason's mind, there are still two or three years of football left in his body, and if Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown had agreed, Esiason might be the Bengals' starting quarterback next season.Instead, Esiason will join Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf in ABC's broadcast booth for "Monday Night Football," a move the network formally announced yesterday after word of the move leaked out Friday.Esiason, 36, who had a strong run at the end of the season in his second stint with the Bengals, said that the decision to leave football was "agonizing," but one that had to be made, given the considerable amount of interest he attracted from both ABC and CBS."

Edgewood, which seems to have different players step up FTC their intensity practically every night, ran its latest streak to four straight wins, six in the past seven games, with a second-half shutdown of visiting Fallston last night, 54-48.The Harford County League decision boosted the Rams to 9-7, 6-2, and dropped Fallston to 10-6, 4-4. The Cougars alternated winning and losing last month, then won three in a row to get to 9-4, 4-2.This time, Fallston jumped ahead 19-12 in the first quarter and retained most of the margin in going into the half, 30-25.

The way sports are today, who can blame people for being cynical and skeptical?It's gotten so that we expect to be lied to and disappointed.Take this business with Mike Brown, president of the Cincinnati Bengals.He says if he doesn't get an agreement for a new stadium in Cincinnati by Thursday he'll negotiate only with Baltimore.And what does John Moag, chairman of the Maryland Stadium Authority, say in response to this?Moag says: "I'm not optimistic. I'm absolutely convinced he [Brown] is committed to his hometown and very badly wants to stay there."

CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Bengals' 1-7 record this season is nothing new. They've started 1-7 or worse six times in the past 12 seasons. But this year has been the worst in memory off the field for the franchise and its embattled patriarch, club president Mike Brown. Anger and resentment toward the Bengals in Cincinnati are at all-time highs, and most of it is directed at Brown. The disgust has taken the forms of an online petition seeking to oust Brown as the team's de facto general manager, anti-Brown T-shirts, a long-shot breach-of-contract legal challenge to the Bengals' lease on Paul Brown Stadium and declining attendance at games.

At 5 feet 8, Mike Brown of Annapolis is shorter than most hurdlers, but he's no less fearless. He started at cornerback in football. "You can't be scared to fall," said Brown, the area's top indoor hurdler this past winter. "I've got more scars from running hurdles than from playing football." Brown won the state outdoor title two years ago in the 110-meter high hurdles, beating his cousin, Sonny Barnes, who was favored. Unlike some of his competitors, Brown thinks the hurdles are easy.

BOYS PERFORMER OF THE YEAR Mike Brown Annapolis, senior Brown was clearly the catalyst of the Panthers' first Anne Arundel county, region and state championships in indoor track in school history. His triple double of winning the 55-meter dash and the 55 hurdles in all three major meets paced his team to the sweep of all three titles. In the county championships, Brown, a three-year standout, set Anne Arundel meet records in the 55 dash at 6.2 seconds and in the 55 hurdles at 7.4. He eclipsed each record by one second.

Sometimes, it takes more than big plays, timely defense or brilliant strategy to win on any given Sunday. Sometimes, it takes a fair share of luck in conjunction with some portion of the above. What happened in Chicago and Pittsburgh in Week 8 best illustrates the point. The Ravens absolutely stole a 13-10 victory in Pittsburgh on Sunday when they turned another kicker to mush. Kris Brown missed four field-goal tries, the Steelers had a critical defensive penalty when Aaron Smith inadvertently grabbed quarterback Randall Cunningham's face mask, and Ravens wide-out Brandon Stokley got a fortuitous bounce on an end-around fumble in a scoring drive.

The Ravens have been among the league's best at stopping the run all season. As they prepare for their 15th game, they are ranked No. 2 against the run and are one of only three teams -- Jacksonville and St. Louis are the others -- that have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher."

In Boomer Esiason's mind, there are still two or three years of football left in his body, and if Cincinnati Bengals president Mike Brown had agreed, Esiason might be the Bengals' starting quarterback next season.Instead, Esiason will join Al Michaels and Dan Dierdorf in ABC's broadcast booth for "Monday Night Football," a move the network formally announced yesterday after word of the move leaked out Friday.Esiason, 36, who had a strong run at the end of the season in his second stint with the Bengals, said that the decision to leave football was "agonizing," but one that had to be made, given the considerable amount of interest he attracted from both ABC and CBS."

BasketballSuns: Signed C Mike Brown for remainder of season. Placed F Ben Davis (jammed right little finger) on injured list.Football49ers: Signed former Ravens CB Corey Dowden. He received a $5,000 signing bonus.Pub Date: 4/06/97

Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown came to Baltimore yesterday and said he was "very serious" about moving his team here, but local officials came away wary that Brown is more intent on striking a deal at home."

The Ravens have been among the league's best at stopping the run all season. As they prepare for their 15th game, they are ranked No. 2 against the run and are one of only three teams -- Jacksonville and St. Louis are the others -- that have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher."

Mike Brown understands both sides of Art Modell's controversial plan to move the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.Brown, owner of the Cincinnati Bengals, long has supported the return of the NFL to Baltimore, and this past spring considered moving his team here.Yet he says the thought of the Browns leaving Cleveland is difficult to imagine.Brown's ambivalent comments are a snapshot of what appear to be conflicting feelings among NFL owners on the Browns' move."In my case, there are personal ties there.

When Leigh Steinberg, the super agent who negotiated the megabuck deals for Drew Bledsoe, Ki-Jana Carter and Kerry Collins last week, duels with Mike Brown, the owner of the Cincinnati Bengals, he usually finds himself facing a tough adversary."