One Game

Forty-four years later, Gary Cuozzo recalls every nuance of his first NFL start. Who wouldn't, having replaced John Unitas in the lineup and passed for five touchdowns? It was the game of a lifetime for Cuozzo, then the Baltimore Colts' understudy who made pro football history on a brisk November day in 1965. No quarterback, before or since, has done what Cuozzo did in his first full game. Subbing for an injured Unitas, he led the Colts to a 41-21 victory in Minnesota, the seventh straight win for the playoff-bound club.

Jay Greene has been looking forward to this day. He has also been dreading it. "I can definitely feel it," he says. "I'm excited, but I'm also not excited. It's just a lot of emotions." Saying goodbye isn't always easy. Greene has been picturing this game - Senior Day - for months. It's the final home game for UMBC and the final regular-season game of Greene's college career. And as much as he has thought about it, he still doesn't know how he'll react. Greene knows he'll hear his name.

So, I guess this is the point at which we finally look at the steroid era and concede there is nothing else that would surprise us - short, of course, of Cal Ripken Jr. suddenly going on 60 Minutes to admit that all the milk he was drinking was spiked with stanozolol. Alex Rodriguez has come forward to confess he used illegal performance-enhancing drugs during the early years of this decade and he's truly sorry for it. Never mind that what he's really sorry about is that his positive steroid test in 2003 that was supposed to be anonymous got leaked to the media, but let's not split hairs.

The New York Knicks needed Stephon Marbury to play, then suspended him a game and docked him nearly $400,000 in salary yesterday after saying he refused. The disgruntled guard insists he never told coach Mike D'Antoni "no" and plans to appeal. D'Antoni wouldn't go into specifics of their conversation that took place before Wednesday's loss in Detroit, though he made it clear he asked the point guard to play because the Knicks were short-handed. Marbury will not be paid when he sits out tonight's home game against the Golden State Warriors and will lose an additional game's pay for Wednesday's actions.

One of the many positive and exhilarating aspects of any NFL team's first preseason game is the opportunity for everybody to wildly exaggerate the outcome. Did I say "many"? Make that "only." Anyway, when the Ravens open the preseason tonight against the New England Patriots in Foxborough, Mass., never mind the madness that will ensue tomorrow morning. The overreaction to what Kyle Boller does won't even wait until he leaves the field for good. In fact, it might not wait until the second pass he throws or the second snap he takes.

One-goal games are some of the most exciting high school lacrosse has to offer. They normally feature two evenly matched teams, with either one capable of victory. Except in No. 2 Loyola's case. In one-goal contests, the Dons always seem to come away with the victory, and yesterday was no exception, as they defeated No. 5 McDonogh, 6-5, in a Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference game. "They're not the games you typically want to play, but I guess it shows a lot about us," attackman Steele Stanwick said.

Despite Gilman's 42-0 loss to DeMatha on Saturday, Greyhounds coach Biff Poggi lost no respect in the eyes of Stags coach Bill McGregor. "I know Biff really well, and Joe Ehrmann, Stan White and the rest of their staff, and they're outstanding coaches and they have an outstanding football program," said McGregor, whose Stags have gone 54-6 during the past five years and 109-9 during the past decade. "Year in and year out, traditionally, whoever wins this ballgame is usually one of the top five teams in the state of Maryland.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- There are three compelling reasons why Jim Furyk has not written a golf instruction book for amateurs - his grip, his swing and his putting approach. All are unconventional. But they work for Furyk, who heads into the Bank of America Colonial as the top-ranked player in the field in season earnings ($2,962,649), scoring average (69.46) and world ranking (fifth). "I wouldn't tell people to try to copy what I do," said Furyk, who overlaps two fingers on his grip, has a loop at the top of his swing and putts cross-handed.

Blast today Matchup -- Blast (17-11) @ Chicago (11-16) Time -- 5 p.m. Radio -- 680 AM Outlook -- The Blast moved into second place by a half game when Milwaukee lost its fourth straight game last night. A win today would give the Blast a one-game lead over the Wave with one game left and give the team control of its destiny -- meaning that a win in Saturday's season finale at Philadelphia would clinch second place and the home-field advantage in the playoffs' first round. The Blast has been playing the type of strong team defense that player/interim coach Danny Kelly wants, winning two consecutive games after losing four straight.

Not many things are certainties in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference basketball, but one that is almost a sure bet is that Coppin State will have its way with Maryland-Eastern Shore. Coppin -- which at one point had beaten UMES 28 straight times -- dominated the visiting Hawks again last night, rolling to a 79-53 victory that was never in doubt. The win was doubly important for the Eagles (7-13, 7-2), who pulled to within a game of front-running Delaware State, which was upset by Bethune-Cookman at Dover and absorbed its first conference defeat.