Neck

A cabal of corrupt corrections officers and members of the Black Guerrilla Family gang enjoyed nearly free rein inside the Baltimore City Detention Center, federal authorities allege, smuggling drugs and cellphones into the jail and having sexual relationships that left four guards pregnant. An indictment unsealed Tuesday names 25 people - including 13 women working as corrections officers - who face racketeering and drug charges. Twenty of the accused also face money-laundering charges.

When he charges onto the infield grass, makes that barehanded pickup and throws a rocket to first, Manny Machado reminds Orioles fans of a superstar third baseman of yesteryear. When he breaks out of the batter's box on a liner into the gap and hits first base in full stride on his way to another double, Machado shows old-school hustle. And when he quietly strolls through clubhouse, proudly wearing his "Hakuna Machado" T-shirt while nodding to teammates, and, occasionally, breaking out an infectious smile, he flashes a necessary balance of confidence and respect.

For many folks headed to Preakness, the focus of the afternoon isn't the race. It's the fashion — and we don't just mean hats. If you're in the grandstands, the Jockey Club area or Corporate Village, you'll want to dress the part. Betsy Dugan, owner of Bettina Collections in Cross Keys and former co-owner of Octavia in Pikesville, has been dressing women for Preakness for years. "This is the time ... to dress up," she said. If there's one rule of thumb, it's that ladies and gentlemen at Preakness should look like ...well, ladies and gentlemen.

It wasn't so long ago that former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand couldn't even move his shoulders, which is why it's hard not to marvel at his willingness to offer one of them to anybody facing a major life challenge. If you don't know his story, you probably missed last year's ESPY Awards or walked past the aisle at Barnes and Noble where his two books are on display. He was the 20-year-old special teams player who suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a 2010 game against Army at MetLife Stadium that left him paralyzed from the neck down.

You take your good news where you get it and here's mine: the Preakness sent Kegasus packing. You remember Kegasus. Sleaze-ball centaur with the biker haircut and beer gut? Budweiser-swilling centerpiece of the Infield Fest ad campaign the past two years? Gone. Got the proverbial pink-slip. You won't see him Saturday for the 138th Preakness Stakes. "He went back to the islands and I haven't seen him since," Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas joked the other day. Good thing.

Our weather this summer has been hot and muggy, the perfect time to try a personal cooling device. While I've seen more than a few people sitting out on the lawn with a fan held up to their faces, my recommendation for chilling is Sharper Image's Personal Cooling System 2.0 ($40), a gadget that when turned on and hung around your neck creates a cool area around your head and upper chest for hours when you can't get to air conditioning. The device cools you in much the same way that an air conditioner works.

Orioles outfielder Nolan Reimold underwent successful surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital Monday morning to remove a herniated disk that was placing pressure on a nerve in his neck, the team announced.  The procedure, called a discectomy , was performed locally by neurosurgeon Dr. Ziya Gokaslan, a nationally renowned spine specialist. Reimold said Friday the surgery was similar to the one Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had last year. Doctors hope the surgery can alleviate the tingling Reimold felt in his left arm, which caused him to be out of action since April 30. Reimold previously received two epidural injections, which calmed the swelling in the disk and gradually took away the pain, but there were still recurrent spots of tingling in his arm and he had trouble regaining strength in it. Reimold now is resting comforably, the team said.

City police have identified the woman shot Sunday night in the North Baltimore's Greenspring neighborhood as 20-year-old Dionndra Dugger. A police spokesman said police were investigating the possibility that the shooting was accidental. Dugger was shot in the neck at about 7:30 p.m. inside a home in the 2600 block of Quantico Ave. She was taken to Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. > > Most recent updates Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

The city Department of Public Works said residents of eastern Baltimore County neighborhoods along Back River Neck Road should have their water service restored after noon today, as repairs to a 12-inch main valve along the road are being completed on schedule. Water service was shut off at 9 p.m. Friday for about 11,000 customers in Back River Neck, Middle River, Middleborough, Turkey Point, Hyde Park, Rocky Point and Breezy Point and on Marlyn Avenue. The department said that once water is flowing again, residents should run their faucets to let the air out of the line and let the water clear.

A 14-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck in Halethorpe, according to Baltimore County Police. Authorities responded to a home in the 600 block of Washington Avenue for reports of a stabbing and found the boy with a large wound to his neck, police said. He was transported to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and is expected to survive, according to police. A man has been taken into custody but not formally charged and police are continuing to investigate. iduncan@baltsun.com twitter.com/iduncan

Justin Boston of Baltimore took the checkered flag Saturday to win the pole for today's Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 presented by Crosley Radio, an Automobile Racing Club of America race in Salem, Ind. Boston nosed out Venturini Motorsports teammate Kyle Benjamin by .004 of a second. "We've been neck and neck here," Boston, 23, said of himself and Benjamin. "He edged me out at the test, and I went and watched the video of that. After the qualifying lap he had, I didn't know if I could top that.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The cause of Nick Markakis' neck soreness is more severe than originally thought, but the Orioles hope that some rest will allow the team's starting right fielder to return to spring training games in the next week or two. A MRI on Monday revealed a small disk herniation - or slight tear - in the C4-C5 section (neck area) of Markakis' spine, manager Buck Showalter said. With this kind of minor tear, players are usually sidelined between seven to 14 days before they can resume baseball activities, Showalter said.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Nick Markakis, who has not played since March 1 because of neck spasms and stiffness, will undergo a precautionary MRI on Monday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Saturday. Showalter said he didn't want to “downplay” the significance of the injury, and instead would just wait to see what the tests showed. “When you get something that kind of crops up twice, you know, information is a good thing. Until you get all the information ... we'll see. I haven't been told anything to make me think there's a sense of urgency with that,” Showalter said.

The Orioles' walking wounded are starting to get healthy, but the physical improvements may not be obvious on the field until early next week. Right fielder Nick Markakis, who is dealing with neck spasms, was expected to play Sunday, but he apparently dealt with a flare-up while playing with his kids Thursday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Markakis will be held out a little longer, but the injury is not considered serious. “He's still close, but I wouldn't say Sunday,” Showalter said.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis said Tuesday that the stiffness in his neck is getting better, but he added that he will likely still be out of the team's starting lineup for at least the next few days. “It's safe to say a couple more days,” Markakis said. “If the season was going on today, I would probably be able to play today, but its spring so we'll take it easy, nice and slow, no rush.” Markakis was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates when he woke up with a stiff neck.

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis was scratched from the starting lineup for Sunday afternoon's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies after he woke up with neck spasms. “We're just going to be careful with him,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He never had it before. He got better as the day went on. He's got some muscle relaxers and all that stuff, and we'll see where we are in a couple of days.” With Monday's off day and Tuesday's road game in Dunedin against the Blue Jays - veteran starters don't often make road trips this early in camp - Markakis will get an additional two days off. But Showalter said the injury was not a spring training precaution, and that Markakis would have missed the game had it occurred during the regular season.

After the Orioles' workout had ended Saturday and many of his teammates had headed to the clubhouse, Brian Roberts put on his batting gloves and headed to a back field to take a few more swings. It was an encouraging sight to the Orioles after the second baseman had missed their previous three workouts with a stiff neck, renewing concerns about his health. "I wasn't worried about it being anything major, but any time you're hurt as a baseball player, you got to think about it. I wasn't overly concerned," Roberts said.

So far things are going well for the Orioles at Camp Showalter in Sarasota, where it's sunny every day — at least metaphorically — and most of the vibes are positive. Oh, sure, Brian Roberts gave everyone a little scare Wednesday when he missed the morning workout with a sore neck and went for X-rays. The Orioles' second baseman probably led the league in X-rays and MRI's when his bad back sidelined him for most of last season. So the Orioles tend to get jittery whenever he so much as coughs, never mind when he complains of soreness somewhere.

Baltimore County police say a Halethorpe man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder and other offenses in connection with the stabbing of his 14-year-old son Saturday morning. Police say Charles V. Palmer, 50, was in his attic in his home in the 600 block of Washington Ave. about 9:30 a.m. with his son. The two were looking at knives when Palmer stabbed the boy in the neck. Palmer dropped the knife and the boy picked it up and ran outside with it, police said. When police arrived, they said, they found the 14-year-old with a large wound on his neck, and he was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital with injuries that were not expected to be life-threatening.

A 14-year-old boy was stabbed in the neck in Halethorpe, according to Baltimore County Police. Authorities responded to a home in the 600 block of Washington Avenue for reports of a stabbing and found the boy with a large wound to his neck, police said. He was transported to Johns Hopkins Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and is expected to survive, according to police. A man has been taken into custody but not formally charged and police are continuing to investigate. iduncan@baltsun.com twitter.com/iduncan