Patriots

A fast start in the second half and poised play down the stretch led Old Mill to a 73-68 victory over Glen Burnie in Anne Arundel County play last night in Millersville. The host Patriots, for whom nine players scored, improved to 8-2. They rebounded from their first league loss, to Severna Park, to go to 4-1 in the county. Glen Burnie fell to 7-4 overall and 4-3 in league play. Chris Day finished with 18 points to lead the Patriots, who also got 12 points from Mike Holley and 10 from Trae Summers.

WHAT'S NEXT The Ravens will play in two weeks, at a time to be determined, against the Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots or New York Jets.

I don't think I'm being Paul Revere here in bringing you news of the Red Sox's World Series sweep of Colorado or the undefeated Patriots' 52-7 trouncing of Washington. In fact, Boston's outrageously successful teams have been so good, there might be only one meaningful sports debate: Which is the better team, the BoSox or the Pats (we'll worry about the Colts game later). Team numbers Red Sox: Tied for the major leagues' best regular-season record but had the best run differential, outscoring the opposition by 210 runs.

MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. -- It's Wednesday morning and Ron Jaworski is already disgusted by the word "blueprint." He has been hearing it for a week in connection with the Philadelphia Eagles' surprisingly close loss to the undefeated New England Patriots. By pressuring Tom Brady and blanketing Randy Moss, the theory goes, the Eagles frustrated a previously unstoppable offense. Jaworski, an ESPN analyst and former Eagles quarterback, has examined tape of the game, rewinding as many as 10 times on each play to make sure he hasn't missed anything.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Tom Brady threw two interceptions. The New England Patriots gave up a 73-yard touchdown on what appeared to be a harmless dump-off pass. They were penalized a whopping 10 times for 146 yards. And they were held to a measly 10 points midway through the fourth quarter. This after blowing out every other team they had played. It was as poor a showing for the Patriots in what had been an otherwise mind-boggling display of football this season. "There were a lot of things we could have done better, for sure," coach Bill Belichick said.

Even if you're the world's most cockeyed optimist, it's going to be a tough week around here. I mean, the Ravens are a double-double-digit underdog for Monday night's game against the New England Patriots at M&T Bank Stadium, and the other notable event in the region is the multination Mideast conference that will be held today in Annapolis. Wonder what kinds of odds I can get if I parlay a Ravens victory and lasting peace in the Middle East. (It's times like these I like to quote the Rev. Jim Ignatowski of Taxi, who once was asked the odds of randomly running into an old high school friend in a city of 8 million people.

Defensive back Bruce Laird brought his Baltimore Colts playbook with him to San Diego when he was traded to the Chargers 25 years ago. Like many other just-traded players before and since, Laird didn't even think twice about supplying inside information on his former team's plays. "I mean, you're wearing different colors now and you're there to win," he said. Because of such experiences, Laird was less surprised than many in the public to learn that the New England Patriots trained a video camera on the New York Jets' sideline Sunday to try to steal defensive signals.

An interesting contrast is developing between the best team in the AFC and the best team in the NFC that will make a great story line should the two make it to the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots are, of course, the best team in the AFC. With apologies to the Green Bay Packers, for the sake of this comparison, let's assume the Dallas Cowboys are the best team in the NFC. (After all, they have the tiebreaker at the moment for home-field advantage in the playoffs.) In New England, we have the Stepford franchise.

The NFL has gone to great lengths to promote parity and, in most instances, has achieved its goal. Only one glitch in former commissioner Paul Tagliabue's grand vision of the cream, as well as the crud, rising to the top: The AFC in general - and the New England Patriots in particular - is messing with this mandate. By winning the Super Bowl six times in the past seven years and eight in the past 10, including three titles in a four-year stretch by the Patriots, the AFC has clearly distanced itself from what once was the more dominant half of the league.

The Ravens nearly stopped the NFL's most dominant juggernaut last night at M&T Bank Stadium -- nearly but not quite. On the brink of the season's biggest upset, the Ravens lost to the New England Patriots, 27-24, before a frozen and frustrated crowd of 71,382, when Tom Brady hit Jabar Gaffney on an 8-yard touchdown pass with 44 seconds remaining. The game ended with Kyle Boller's desperation heave into 35 mph winds being gobbled in by wide receiver Mark Clayton, who was tackled at the Patriots' 2-yard line.

Everything fell into place Wednesday for the No. 6 John Carroll girls as the Patriots won their first Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference cross country championship in three years. Elizabeth Tauber led the Patriots, winning for a second straight year on the somewhat muddy course at Oregon Ridge Park. She finished in 19 minutes, 26.5 seconds, beating McDonogh's Jo Baird (19:45.7). John Carroll put five runners in the top 12 to finish with 33 points, edging No. 3 McDonogh (36)

The Woodlawn Middle School gym, with its basketball hoops, scoreboards and banners touting school pride, served as a backdrop Saturday for a memorial service honoring Lonnie L. Hill III, a 13-year-old alumnus. About 300 mourners sat before tables filled with photos of a smiling Lonnie posing in various baseball stances, one in front of Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. "We are not in church, but we are having church right here," said Lonnie L. Hill Jr. "My son is not lost. He is in heaven." With words and soulful hymns, dozens of family, friends and teammates paid tribute to the boy who drowned in the Atlantic Ocean July 23 in South Carolina, while a attending a baseball tournament at the Ripken Experience complex in Myrtle Beach.

When the smoke finally cleared Wednesday on the brouhaha over the officiating in the Ravens-New England Patriots game, the Ravens got a measure of vindication, if not exactly the last word. There will be no fines, which is a point for the Ravens. Neither will there be any I-told-you-so's, which is coach John Harbaugh's way of ensuring a truce with the officials. "It was back and forth," Harbaugh said of a two-day dialogue with NFL officials. "They confirmed everything, and we're not allowed to talk about any of that stuff.

The Game: Mistake-filled offense at a loss Sunday PG 2 The Analysis: Hey, Cam, don't forget to run the ball PG 3 Injury Scare: X-rays negative, Gaither returns home PG 4

Ravens 7 0 7 7 21 Patriots 3 14 7 3 27

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The white pants Tom Brady wore were a little dirtier than the New England Patriots quarterback is probably accustomed to. That's because the Ravens accomplished what few defenses have done: Sack Brady. The defense sacked Brady three times (which tripled his sack total for the season), pressured him on numerous occasions and gave the offense a chance in what would eventually become a 27-21 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. "I thought our guys rushed hard, and they picked up pressure," coach John Harbaugh said in his post-game comments.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - - Despite the loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Ravens still made a statement. They might end up being the best team in the NFL when the season is over. But they have to learn how to run the football to overcome their own mistakes, give their defense a rest and keep the other team's top offensive players off the field. It's great to have one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league, and it's exciting to put up a record number of points. But right now, the Ravens don't know when to turn it on and off. And when you play a quality team like New England, you had better have this timing thing down.

You're a Raven and you walk onto the field at Gillette Stadium today and tell yourself: It's just another game. Then you look over at the New England Patriots sideline and see a grumpy-looking guy in a hoodie wearing a headset and staring at his play chart as if it holds the secrets to the universe - and maybe it does. Not far from him is the quarterback with the million-dollar arm and GQ looks and super-model wife and three Super Bowl rings stashed in a safe-deposit box somewhere. And all around you is a wall of noise, crazy beered-up fans shrieking so hard the veins pop out of their necks, telling you how much you stink and what they think of your mother and how their team is going to kick your butt and put you in the hospital, so get ready, loser.

Kevin Cowherd Patriots 24,: Ravens 20 : I flipped a coin. The Hoodie won. It'll be that close. Jamison Hensley Patriots 27, : Ravens 23: It will come down to the fourth quarter, and Tom Brady will win the game against the Ravens' secondary. Edward Lee Patriots 26,: Ravens 24 : Unlike Norv Turner, Bill Belichick will go for the jugular, and Tom Brady isn't about to concede to Joe Flacco. Ken Murray Ravens 24, : Patriots 20: The Ravens are probably the better team at this point already.

The last time the Ravens traveled to Foxborough, Mass., to face the New England Patriots, Nov. 28, 2004, they suffered their most lopsided loss in two years. The 24-3 loss led to a 2-3 finish that cost them a postseason berth. The Ravens were hurt by their record-worst performance on offense (they gained 124 yards of total offense and didn't cross midfield in the second half) and a lackluster defensive performance (they gave up 314 yards, and the Patriots had an edge of more than 10 minutes in time of possession)