Opinion

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler on Wednesday morning released a long-awaited opinion saying same-sex marriages performed in other states could be recognized by Maryland's legal system. Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr., a Democrat, asked in May asked if such marriages could be recognized. "The answer to that question is clearly 'yes,'" Gansler wrote in a 40-page document. The opinion does not enable same-sex couples to wed here. It also does not carry the weight of law, but is meant to guide judges and state agencies.

A professor at the University of Maryland, College Park is facing conflict-of- interest questions after he used university letterhead to deliver a legal opinion in his role as a consultant to a labor union. Fred Feinstein, an adjunct professor at the School of Public Policy, wrote a letter saying that California health care employees could jeopardize their contract benefits if they left Service Employees International for a competing union. Feinstein received $240,000 in consulting fees from SEIU in 2007 and 2008, which he did not mention in the Jan. 12 letter that was distributed as a flier in the continuing union battle.

Opinion: Cal Ripken gets my MVP vote over (in order) Jose Canseco, Joe Carter and Cecil Fielder. He's the only one who hit for power and average; leads the league in total bases; fielded hundreds more balls at a tougher position in Gold Glove style.Fact: The Red Sox are 1-5 since a black cat streaked through their dugout at Memorial Stadium last Monday night.Opinion: That Ripken played on a lousy team just shouldn't matter. Not after a season this spectacular.Fact: The eight teams that fired managers this year played .437 ball before the firings and .475 after (through Sunday)

I must respectfully call out Cal Thomas and The Sun on Mr. Thomas' recent column onChick-fil-Athat appeared on the op-ed page ("Chick-fil-A gets busted by the thought police," Aug. 2). Boston Mayor Thomas Menino expressed his displeasure, and made his opinion clear, that Chick-fil-A is not welcome along the Freedom Trail (opinion being the key word). He most certainly did not make threats of any kind against Dan Cathy's fast food corporation. Mayor Menino made his letter public, and The Sun can easily view and publish it. To publish Cal Thomas' piece without providing the actual content of the Boston mayor's letter is inflammatory and irresponsible.

I am a 17-year-old high school senior and, in reading Robert L. Ehrlich's recent column ("Campus liberals run amok," Feb. 24), I found myself feeling downright insulted by the time I reached the conclusion. I will be leaving for a four-year university in the fall, and I am appalled by some of the language Mr. Ehrlich uses in this piece. The manner in which this is presented makes it seem as if a college student is incapable of forming his or her own opinions and handling life on his or her own. When I graduate from college, my parents are in for a rude awakening if they try to "deprogram" me because I'll be an adult.

Fact: Without Mike Mussina, the Orioles have a 14-27 record.Opinion: Magic Johnson would make an excellent coach.Fact: Cal Ripken is on a 16-homer, 71-RBI pace.Opinion: One day, Riddick Bowe might actually have to train for a fight.Fact: At this rate, Barry Bonds will finish the season with 212 hits, 44 homers, 130 RBI and 29 steals.Opinion: Prairie Bayou wins the Belmont.Fact: It's five managers in 44 months for the Cincinnati Reds.Opinion: Tennis is pretty tame without Connors and McEnroe.

Fact: If not for John Elway's miracle finish against the Oilers, there would be three hurry-up offenses in the NFL Final Four.Opinion: Jerry Glanville would be fun to play for.Fact: The NFL expects sales of licensed merchandise this fiscal year to be between $1.9 billion and $2 billion.Opinion: Bill Parcells and Mario Cuomo were separated at birth.Fact: The Lakers' 6-8 December was their first losing month since March 1979, when Magic Johnson was still at Michigan State.Opinion: The Miami Hurricanes would beat the Washington Huskies on a neutral field.

Opinion: To Victor Kiam: Please lose our address.Fact: The 10 teams that have made the NCAAs each of the past five years: UNLV, LSU, Georgetown, Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Arizona, Syracuse and -- surprise -- Xavier.Opinion: Lenny Dykstra must be a very, very bad poker player.Fact: Reggie Williams is in the Denver Nuggets' starting lineup.Opinion: Very big Arizona is the team to beat UNLV, which is vulnerable to big men, but the Wildcats are too soft.Fact: The Orioles have the worst record in the AL East over the past five years.

Fact: Teams have a 26-15-4 record during the weeks that they have been ranked in the top five of The Associated Press college football poll this season.Opinion: A team with a losing record will make the NFL playoffs this season for the first time.Fact: Thirty years ago this month, Wilt Chamberlain grabbed 55 rebounds in one game.Opinion: The Eagles will be a lot less interesting after Buddy Ryan gets fired.Fact: The first five opponents on Maryland's 1991 football schedule are (yikes) Virginia, Syracuse, West Virginia, Pitt and Georgia Tech.

Fact: Brady Anderson, Mike Devereaux, Ben McDonald and Gregg Olson will be eligible for free agency in the next two years.Opinion: Jacksonville vs. Carolina on Fox TV -- makes the CFL look like the big-time.Fact: The Orioles were last in the major leagues in road attendance. Cleveland whipped 'em by 26 thou.Opinion: The easiest way for the NFL to liven up its game would be to legalize the two-point conversion.Fact: The poor, pitiful AFC leads the NFC, 21-19, in inter-conference games.Opinion: If Paul Tagliabue is the last one to realize that the NFneeds livening up, that's his problem.