Occasion

Norman R. Augustine pushed himself away from the large mahogany desk, which, as always, was uncluttered except for a pen set, clock and family snapshots. He didn't want to be in the office. It was Saturday, and an uncommonly pleasant one for mid-March - 55 degrees and sunny.But he'd called the emergency meeting, summoning a dozen top lieutenants to his second-floor office in Bethesda. The question: Should Martin Marietta increase its $1.93 billion bid for Grumman Corp.? Two weeks ago, the acquisition had looked assured.

The guy with the big fork wore a Terps polo shirt as red as the sausage he was grilling. His buddy, a retiree in a blue Navy football jersey, stood nearby, hoisting a beer and laughing. The two were gearing up for a game that was supposed to reignite a 105-year football rivalry — by grilling together. "Sometimes you have to be nice to the less fortunate," said Bob Billig, the Maryland fan, when asked why he would tailgate with Navy supporter Steve Rigterink. In the parking lot east of M&T Bank Stadium, where thousands of fans slung Frisbees and footballs, cooked chicken and burgers and hovered near coolers before kickoff, the bright afternoon sun felt more sizzling than any sense of animosity between fan bases that have, at times over the decades, felt something less than affection for each other.

Crab Shanty, a family-owned Ellicott City landmark since 1978, is changing its menu, its look, even its name. "The changes had to happen," said William C. King III, who founded the restaurant with his father, William King Jr. "We have to attract a different clientele to stay in business. " Work began earlier this month and is expected to continue through early November. Outdoor seating will be added, the bar area will be made larger, and new colors, chairs and lighting will brighten the inside.

  In one corner of the bar, a couple finished a crab cake sandwich. In the dining room, several families wearing lobster bibs struggled with their steamed crabs. That Saturday's lunch at Obrycki's in Fells Point was business as usual belied the fact that sometime before 10 p.m., it would serve its last meal in a city where it had spent nearly 70 years. The restaurant will keep its locations at BWI-Marshall Airport and at Cleveland Hopkins Airport, but plans for a new location at the Arundel Mills mall have fallen through, owner Rob Cernak said.

WASHINGTON -- Speaking more as a father than as a president, Bill Clinton began to let go of his only child yesterday in a poignant ceremony in which he urged the graduating class of Sidwell Friends School to briefly consider the trepidation of their parents as they send their young ones out into a perilous world."

BAH, HUMBUG! on the U.S. Postal Service.That's what I used to think, especially at Christmas as I addressed cards and prepared gift parcels for mailing. There's always a story about how the post office mangles, misdelivers or loses Christmas mail.But it took a recent experience to make me realize that the Postal Service may be getting a bad rap. Last week on one of the busiest postal days of the year -- 3.2 million pieces of mail moved in the Baltimore metropolitan area, more than three times the normal volume -- I dropped 35 cards in a mailbox in Govans.

With Roger Clemens out, Mike Boddicker has been shouldering a heavy load as the most experienced starter in the Boston Red Sox rotation.But Boddicker wasn't particularly interested in being called temporary staff ace after winning a pennant-race game last night against the Baltimore Orioles, his former team."

What makes a special-occasion dinner special? Glorious food, pampering service, a luxurious atmosphere -- a lot to ask of any restaurant.We can all use a little help finding just the right place for an important event. An overcooked steak or a snippy server can ruin a celebration. Add to that the fact that superstar establishments usually charge acordingly. Choose the wrong place, and you've wasted a good bit of money. So for this spring's Dining Out guide, we sent our critics to the area's best restaurants to see what it would be like to celebrate and anniversay there or entertain a valued client.

SEATTLE -- It is the most desirable intangible quality of all, the ability to raise your game when it really matters.The Orioles have it.In bountiful measures, they have it.Brother, are they clutch.As surprising as it was to watch them turn the Mariners into dust particles in the first two games of their American League Division Series, their performance was just the latest example of a pattern they have followed all season.From the first pitch of their first game, they have shown an uncanny ability to find their "A" game when they really need it.Go ahead, name a big game that they didn't win this season.

PASADENA, Calif. -- There should be no debate this season.Michigan deserves college football's No. 1 ranking after completing an undefeated season with a 21-16 victory over Washington State yesterday in the Rose Bowl.The Wolverines didn't dominate, by any means -- Washington State was 26 yards away from a winning touchdown at the final gun -- which means there'll be plenty of lobbying for Nebraska if the Cornhuskers hammer Tennessee tonight in the Orange Bowl to finish with an undefeated record like Michigan, and in coach Tom Osborne's final season, no less.