Mike Smith

SO-SO Quarterback Kyle Boller got off to a good start with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Demetrius Williams in the end zone and another long pass that Leo Bookman caught during one-on-one wide receiver-cornerback drills. But during 11-on-11 drills, Boller hurt his right hand when center Chris Chester snapped the ball too early. Three snaps later, Boller tried to step up in the pocket to avoid a pass rush and bumped into tight end Kendrick Ballantyne. BIG TACKLE The hit of that day was registered by cornerback Derrick Martin, who leveled P.J. Daniels as the running back tried to turn the right corner at the line of scrimmage.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. -- Mike Smith, the leading rider at Saratoga Park this summer and the regular jockey on the star colt Coronado's Quest, fractured two vertebrae in his upper back in a spill he took on Monday. He will not ride for three or four months.The 33-year-old jockey remained at Albany Medical Center yesterday. He was transferred there Monday night from Saratoga Hospital, and was resting comfortably with no neurological damage, according to his doctors. But Dr. Allen Carl, an orthopedic surgeon and specialist in spinal injuries, reported that Smith, who walked away from the spill unaided only to check himself into the hospital later, would be kept in a body cast for two months.

Kentucky Derby winner Silver Charm escaped injury yesterday after propping and throwing his exercise rider during a morning gallop at Pimlico."There is a wire across the finish line and he tried to like duck under it," said Silver Charm's trainer, Bob Baffert. "His front feet got stuck and the rider kept going."He dragged the rider a ways and then he got loose."Rider Larry Damore said Silver Charm made it only to approximately the seven-eighths pole when he was collared by outrider Bill Rudolph."

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- D. Wayne Lukas still has no jockey for Honour and Glory, the fast-breaking speedster in his stable of five Kentucky Derby entries. He said Mike Smith would ride if Unbridled's Song does not enter.Holding court yesterday outside his barn, Lukas said he's having trouble ranking his starting five. The others are Grindstone, Editor's Note, Victory Speech and Prince of Thieves.So is Lukas' regular exercise rider, Donna Barton, who works them all."Honestly, it's so hard to pick them apart," Barton told the Louisville Courier-Journal.

BaseballAtlanta Braves -- Released P Daren Brown, P Mark Clemons, P Doug Corbett (former Oriole), P Paul Marak, P Eric Moran, P Max Valencia, OF Rodney McCray, IF Nez Balelo, IF Mike Bell, IF Sean Davisson and IF Edinson Renteria. Assigned P Jose Alvarez, P Dirk Blair, P Jeff Brown, P Tom Martin, P Dale Polley, OF Bobby Moore, OF Kevin O'Conner, OF Darren Reed, IF Jose Munoz, IF Jose Olmeda and C David Toth to Triple-A Richmond. Assigned P Aaron Turnier and IF Tim Gillis to Double-A Greenville.

The sons of Sharon and Wilbur Smith of Hampstead are batting three for three.On Jan. 2, the Smiths watched as their 20-year-old son, Mike, an Eagle Scout, introduced his brothers, Andrew, 18, and Wilbur, 15, at the ceremony where they received their Eagle Scout pins."

In front of a large homecoming crowd at North County's new stadium yesterday, the normally bombs away Knights played uncharacteristically conservative in beating Glen Burnie, 20-14.The No. 4 Knights (3-1, 2-0) overcame seven penalties for 85 yards, including five 15-yarders to hold off the Gophers (2-2, 0-1). North County's defense, led by linebackers Steve Tomshack and Cesar Romero, and down lineman Mike Smith held Glen Burnie to 14 yards rushing (93 total) in the second half.Knights coach Chuck Markiewicz abandoned his vaunted run-and-shoot at halftime and went to the option, completing only two passes for nine yards in the second half.

Mike Smith is such a nice guy, he won't even begin to rate all the champions he has ridden in the past couple of years."I don't want to offend anyone," he said when asked to compare such great mounts as Holy Bull, Lure, Prairie Bayou and Sky Beauty."

Head coach: Chuck Markiewicz (third season).Assistant coaches: Brad Wilson, Don Usewick, Al Pindell, Mike Francis and Bob Powell.1991 record: 8-3, lost to Oxon Hill, 39-0, in 3A quarterfinals.Returnees: Seniors Damon Martin (SB), Eric Howard (QB-P), Mike Quarles (SB-QB), Vinnie Elliott (LB), Damian Ferragamo (C), Erik Schwink (RG), Chris Martin (OT) and Adam Watkowski (OT); juniors Troy Fowlkes (NG), Corey Fowler (DT-OL), Jarryn Avery (OG), Teon Carter (DB-SE), Mike Drocella (DB-RB) and Reggie Moore (QB)

Throughout his four-year career at Bishop McDevitt High School in Philadelphia, Kevin Howard never played in a losing football game. In his two varsity seasons, the school won successive Philadelphia Catholic League titles by shutouts, an unprecedented feat.Now, as a Towson State junior, he is having trouble playing in a winning game.For his two-plus seasons, the Tigers are 4-20. Yet, it is not for lack of effort by the two-year starting wide receiver and his teammates that they take an 0-3 record into tomorrow night's game against Indiana University of Pennsylvania (4-0, and ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division II)

NFL teams have gone 1-15 before. But how many have had their franchise quarterback get sent to Leavenworth, and then had their head coach skulk out of town before finishing his first season, leaving "Dear John" letters in his players' lockers? Yeah, give me Mike Smith. He didn't make chicken salad out of ... what Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino left behind in Atlanta. He made chicken cordon bleu. At least in Miami, when Tony Sparano was entrusted by Bill Parcells to put the pieces back together, there were pieces to put back together.

First of all, it is absolutely startling what both Mike Smith in Atlanta and Tony Sparano in Miami have accomplished. However, leaving the Ravens' John Harbaugh out of this particular discussion, I give the nod to Sparano for the most remarkable turnaround for not only this season, but perhaps all time. A year ago, the Dolphins, now 10-5, were 1-15 and seemingly bereft of talent (that win over the Ravens notwithstanding). The few veteran stars they did have, namely linebacker Zach Thomas and defensive end Jason Taylor, headed off to Dallas and Washington, respectively.

The Ravens' John Harbaugh and Tennessee Titans' Jeff Fisher should be Coach of the Year candidates. But my choice is the Atlanta Falcons' Mike Smith, former linebackers coach for the Ravens. Fisher and Harbaugh already had a base on which to build, and they had good players on the roster. Smith was basically starting from scratch. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/ravensinsider)

Judging from the actions of coach Wade Phillips, WR Terrell Owens and CB Adam Jones, the Cowboys are either unraveling in Week 6 or playing an inside joke. This much seems clear: After losing to the Redskins and nearly the Bengals, they aren't the same team that won their first three games decisively. Phillips was so incensed by a reporter's suggestion that Dallas "stunk" against Cincinnati that he stalked off in mid-news conference. Owens went from complaining one week about his number of chances per game to crying in front of the media over the loss of a family member the next.

Hometown: Baltimore Members: James Plummer, drums; Jim Grice, bass; Mike Smith, guitar and vocals Founded: 2006 Style: garage rock Influenced by: The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Kinks and the Rolling Stones Notable: By the end of the summer, the band hopes to have a debut full-length album. Each song should clock in between two and three minutes, Smith said. Quotable: "We try to keep it short - keep it simple," Smith said. "People are busy. They've got to get on with their lives.

Mike Smith, 64 Lead singer of The Dave Clark Five Mike Smith, the lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, died last week outside London, less than two weeks before the band is to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The cause was pneumonia, a complication of a spinal cord injury he suffered in 2003 that had left him paralyzed below the ribs, according to Margo Lewis, his agent in New York. The Dave Clark Five, part of the so-called British Invasion of the early 1960s, recorded a string of hits including "Glad All Over," "Catch Us If You Can" and "Over and Over."

If the NFL's job-search merry-go-round got any more counterintuitive, the league might have to expand the Rooney Rule to include the top coaching talent from other sports. Let's see. The latest strange revelation came yesterday, when unnamed sources, citing executive privilege, leaked to unspecified news outlets that Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith would soon be announced as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The only thing missing was a player to be incarcerated later.

Ending one of the few position battles this preseason, the Ravens selected rookie Troy Smith as the No. 3 quarterback and released Drew Olson yesterday. The move was somewhat surprising as Olson had outplayed Smith. But Smith was the team's fifth-round pick in April's NFL draft and is expected to be groomed as a possible successor to starting quarterback Steve McNair. "Decisions have to be made," coach Brian Billick said after practice at the team's training facility in Owings Mills. "Drew was with us for his first year.

Quarterback In: McNair, Boller Bubble: T. Smith, Olson Running back In: McGahee, Anderson, Mu. Smith, Daniels Bubble: Ross Long shot: Pruitt Fullback In: Green, McClain Receiver In: Clayton, Mason, Williams, Figurs Bubble: Moore, Darling Long shots: R. Bryant, Willis, Linson Tight end In: Heap, Wilcox, Sypniewski Bubble: None Long shots: Ballantyne, Freeman Offensive line In: Ogden, Brown, Flynn, Chester, Terry, Grubbs, Gaither, Vincent,...

STATUS QUO Despite his performance in the Ravens' preseason victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, quarterback Drew Olson followed Troy Smith in the first series of 11-on-11 drills. AFTER FURTHER REVIEW Where's instant replay when you need it? Wide receiver Derrick Mason and cornerback Corey Ivy jawed with other, debating whether Mason had hauled in a pass from quarterback Steve McNair before stepping out of bounds. WELCOME BACK The Ravens' first practice since the victory over the Eagles was a short one. Scheduled to run until 5:30 p.m., the session ended 20 minutes early.