Phoenix

PHOENIX -- The turning point came in the top of the fifth inning last night as the Orioles had knocked the Arizona Diamondbacks' starting pitcher out of the game, had the bases loaded with no outs and a two-run lead that appeared to be on the verge of growing. But a strikeout, an infield lineout and another strikeout later, the Orioles had nothing else on the scoreboard. And then a half inning later, they didn't even have the lead. Starter Brian Burres and long reliever Rob Bell couldn't protect a four-run advantage and the Orioles fell to the Diamondbacks, 7-4, their modest three-game winning streak coming to an end before an announced crowd of 29,832 at Chase Field.

A majority of the more recent NBA mock drafts had D.J. Strawberry going late in the second round of Thursday's two-round affair, so, intellectually, he was prepared to sit and wait. But, as the draft droned on into its fourth hour and he still hadn't been picked, Strawberry, a 6-foot-5 guard from Maryland, got understandably anxious. Finally, when the phone rang and the Phoenix Suns were on the other end of the line, saying they had taken him with the 59th and next-to-last pick of the draft, Strawberry got considerably more comfortable.

PHOENIX -- A man's dreams are as unique as his DNA code. So it's inevitable that some are a little strange. Take David Woodworth, for instance, whose hope it is to open a museum devoted to recreational vehicles."

PHOENIX -- Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said last night that progress has been made in talks with Howard Milstein on his proposal to buy the Washington Redskins, but there is still no deal to present to the owners.After the powerful finance committee delayed making a recommendation, Tagliabue said: "We really have made some substantial progress in the last 72 hours. We'll see if we can get something nailed down that we can present to the membership [at the annual owners' meeting this week]

PHOENIX -- On the night he suffered a seizure that caused him to stop breathing, Phoenix Suns forward Tom Gugliotta ingested a supplement that has been tied to the collapse of a 16-year-old Peoria, Ariz., boy on Dec. 2 and at least one death, the Arizona Republic has learned.The compound, furanone di-hydro, is a legal, over-the-counter substance marketed as a herbal supplement that is designed to improve sleep and aid in muscle recovery.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked firms that manufacture products containing the chemical to voluntarily recall them.

PHOENIX -- Dorothy Bray can translate hundreds of Apache words and explain how to write their clicking and nasal sounds.She knows all about Apache grammar and how words spoken by White Mountain Apaches in central Arizona differ from those of San Carlos Apaches near Phoenix.Just just don't ask her to speak Apache."I'm too chicken," says the 60-year-old retired college teacher who spent nearly 15 years editing the new Western Apache-English Dictionary published last year by Arizona State University.

PHOENIX -- Connecticut won the game, but Tom Davis took the night -- his last night, and his last game, as coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.Forced to resign by athletic director Bob Bowlsby, Davis walked out of America West Arena last night after a 78-68 Sweet 16 defeat and into Hawkeyes history. He departs with 269 wins in 13 years at Iowa. He never reached the Final Four and made the Elite Eight once.He won, but not enough, and because of it endured a season unlike any other."I'm just sorting things out," Davis said after the West Regional semifinal loss.

PHOENIX -- Steve May knew from the time he was in his early teens that he wanted to be a politician, specifically a conservative Republican politician. He carefully built his life, he says, to shape an attractive resume, from his decision to enter ROTC in college and then serve as an Army officer to his efforts at building a track record as a small-business man.It worked. May served with distinction as a lieutenant on active duty in the Army and then entered the Reserve, and last November he was elected to the state Legislature, to represent the affluent, conservative district where he had grown up.Everything seemed to be going just right until last winter, when the usually affable and measured 27-year-old bitterly spoke his mind in the Arizona House, this time not as a Republican, a Mormon or a soldier, but as a gay man.May denounced an ultimately failed bill that would have barred the use of public funds to pay for health benefits of same-sex partners, and also attacked the legislation's conservative sponsor, Rep. Karen S. Johnson, a fellow Republican who had vigorously attacked homosexuality as immoral.

PHOENIX -- The NFL owners wrapped up their annual March meetings yesterday by approving a new version of instant replay and giving the Howard Milstein group another month to get its financing in order in its bid to buy the Washington Redskins.The version of instant replay passed by a 28-3 vote might be called "Replay Lite" because it is designed not to correct most bad calls, but only the calls that can turn around a game.Only three teams -- the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals, who have traditionally opposed any form of replay, and the New York Jets -- opposed it. Jets coach Bill Parcells didn't like the coach's-challenge part of the plan or the fact it's tied to timeouts.

PHOENIX -- Maryland teams turned in one of the most impressive performances of the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships the past week, but no one went home happy.Second-place finishes in the three top boys age groups left a bitter taste among the state's delegation.The third loss in a title match came late Sunday night, when the AFC Lightning Gold of Atlanta was dominant from the outset in a 3-1 decision over the S.C. Baltimore Stars in the boys Under-18 final at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex.

Phoenix house raffle drawing date pushed back A $100-per-ticket raffle fundraiser with a $1.6 million Baltimore County house as the prize has been extended to early next year, with the Oct. 15 drawing rescheduled for Feb. 26. Organizers of the raffle, Upperco-based nonprofit Universal Peacemakers Foundation, which helps financially troubled homeowners, said they extended the raffle to sell the 20,000 minimum number of tickets required before they can...

Veda "Pat" Allen was certainly shocked, even disgusted, by what happened to Phoenix, the pit bull puppy doused with gasoline and then set on fire in Southwest Baltimore last month. But the aftermath shocked her more, as people in the city and around the country shed tears, signed petitions, raged on blogs and raised more than $26,000 to find the dog's killers. When her 22-year-old son was shot in the head in 1992 in what city police said was a motiveless crime, she wonders, where were these people with their outrage, their tears, their checks?

Baltimore police said they have charged two teenagers with dousing a young pit bull with gasoline and setting it on fire in West Baltimore last month, a case that sparked furor over animal cruelty and generated more than $26,000 in donations to find the culprits. Police canceled a morning news conference Monday to discuss the arrests, which occurred over the weekend, saying detectives were consulting with prosecutors. No additional details were provided. "The case is still very much open and under investigation, and we are working with prosecutors to go over evidence and bring this case forward," said Anthony Guglielmi, chief spokesman for the Police Department.

A young pit bull nicknamed Phoenix that was doused with gasoline and set afire in Baltimore on Wednesday died Sunday morning at a Pennsylvania veterinary hospital. Staff at Metropolitan Veterinary Associates outside Philadelphia said the dog, which was about a year old, was put down because her kidneys were failing. Burns that covered 95 percent of her body caused so much swelling around her face and rear quarters that, according to nurse Julie Hirsch, the dog was "barely recognizable."

Phoenix on Letterman keeps entertaining It became an overnight sensation: Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday night during which the actor appeared to forget the name of his Two Lovers co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow, stuck gum under the edge of Letterman's desk and apparently cursed at bandleader Paul Shaffer for laughing at him. There were also intervals of silence. Hours afterward, video of the visit had become an Internet sensation: By Thursday evening, a posting of the interview had been seen more than 180,000 times on YouTube.

Conception the natural way for Armstrong and his girlfriend Lance Armstrong's new baby was conceived naturally, a spokeswoman for his cancer foundation confirmed yesterday. Armstrong, who won the Tour de France seven consecutive years after overcoming testicular cancer, and his girlfriend, Anna Hansen, are expecting the baby in June. "The baby was conceived naturally," Lance Armstrong Foundation spokeswoman Rae Bazzarre said in a statement e-mailed to the Associated Press. Armstrong had three children with his ex-wife Kristin using in vitro fertilization with sperm he had banked before undergoing chemotherapy.

1 Delay of game: Let's hope Ravens-Texans (1 p.m., chs. 13, 9) is worth the wait - nearly two months because of Hurricane Ike. 2 Tough love: Did it feel a little weird rooting for the Redskins on Monday night? Double your guilt today cheering on the Indianapolis Colts in Pittsburgh (4 p.m., chs. 13, 9). 3 Sprint hat trick?: Jimmie Johnson can all but clinch his third straight NASCAR Sprint Cup title in the Checker O'Reilly 500 in Phoenix (3:45 p.m., chs. 2, 7). 4 PGA bubble boys: Golfers get their last chance to crack the top 125 of the money list and earn a 2009 tour card in the year's final official tournament - the Children's Miracle Network Classic (1 p.m., Golf Channel)

Hornets@Suns 10:30 p.m. [TNT] The two best point guards on the planet - New Orleans' Chris Paul and Phoenix's Steve Nash (far right) - match up here. And that's as good a reason as any to watch an NBA game during the season's first week.

First round 1. Chicago, Derrick Rose, g, Memphis. 2. Miami, Michael Beasley, f, Kansas State. 3. Minnesota, O.J. Mayo, g, Southern California. 4. Seattle, Russell Westbrook, g, UCLA. 5. Memphis, Kevin Love, f, UCLA. 6. New York, Danilo Gallinari, f, Armani Milano (Italy). 7. L.A. Clippers, Eric Gordon, g, Indiana. 8. Milwaukee, Joe Alexander, f, West Virginia. 9. Charlotte, D.J. Augustin, g, Texas. 10. New Jersey, Brook Lopez, c, Stanford. 11. a-Indiana, Jerryd Bayless, g, Arizona State.

The NFL did it again -awarding a Super Bowl to a cold-weather city. This time it's Indianapolis for 2012. We all understand the ill will folks in Baltimore have for Indianapolis, but let me assure one and all, my feelings about a Super Bowl there have nothing to do with Bob Irsay or Mayflower moving vans and everything to do with the sheer folly of holding a carnival week in a locale where the frigid February wind could peel your eyebrows off. The...