Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH - When the Steelers made their last successful Super Bowl run after the 2005 season, Antwaan Randle El - the multitalented wide receiver and special teams player - made a handful of key plays that propelled Pittsburgh through the postseason. But after throwing a touchdown pass in the Steelers' Super Bowl win over the Seattle Seahawks, Randle El left for the Washington Redskins as a free agent during the offseason, and the Steelers immediately moved to fill the gap with first-round draft pick Santonio Holmes.

They will flock from every direction, clad in black and gold, hungry for pierogi and eager to watch their beloved Pittsburgh Steelers win a record sixth Super Bowl. Sure, that scene will unfold at countless Pittsburgh bars and eateries today. But it's also a pretty good guess of how things will look at Harold's Corral. Why is that remarkable? Well, because Harold's is on the outskirts of Phoenix, about 30 miles from where the Arizona Cardinals play their home games. Yes, it's very possible that the most raucous collection of football fans in Arizona will not be rooting for the Cardinals today.

The foundation for future success was laid in 2008 by the Ravens, but there need to be some changes made in the offseason if the team is to take the next step and play in the Super Bowl. By any standard, this season was an overwhelming success. No one predicted the Ravens would win more than six to eight games, much less play the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game. The Ravens found out that rookie head coach John Harbaugh has a system that works, and they also discovered their quarterback of the future in Joe Flacco, a rookie out of the University of Delaware.

Mike Hambrick, the former dark-haired WBAL-TV news anchor with the rapid, machine gun-style delivery, was described as "a hot property in the anchorman business," when he first arrived in Baltimore in 1975. "We had a lot of talent in the newsroom then. People such as Spencer Christian and Sue Simmons and Bucky Gunts. They all went on to New York," said Hambrick in an interview the other day. "It was a Camelot-like time for me. Baltimore was a great place to work and live," said the Mount Pleasant, Texas, native who was a 15-year-old high school student when he first broke into broadcasting as a 75-cents-an- hour disc jockey at a local radio station in his hometown.

PITTSBURGH -- As the Ravens were in the locker room celebrating a 31-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the "House of Horrors," coach Brian Billick was in another place not far away, setting new standards.Today Pittsburgh, tomorrow the playoffs.For the first time since the Ravens moved to Baltimore nearly four years ago, the team is positioned to reach .500 in December and finally talk about playoff aspirations, however slim.The Ravens (6-7) overcame a huge obstacle yesterday with the win against the Steelers (5-8)

PITTSBURGH -- Qadry Ismail's stomach hurt so good.Ismail could joke about his pain in the wake of the greatest day of his seven-year career.How good was Ismail in yesterday's 31-24 victory at Three Rivers Stadium?His six catches accounted for 75 percent of the Ravens' receptions for the day. His 258 yards receiving shattered the Ravens' single-game record and nearly matched Pittsburgh's entire passing offense (270). His third-quarter performance alone -- 210 yards, three touchdowns -- compared favorably with his entire rookie season with Minnesota in 1993.

Opponent: Pittsburgh SteelersWhen: Sunday, 1 p.m.Site: Three Rivers Stadium, PittsburghTV/Radio: Ch. 13/WJFK (1300 AM), WLIF (101.9 FM)Line: Steelers by 1 1/2

The party had another lousy ending for the Ravens, but at least wide receiver Jermaine Lewis managed to show up this time.A week after not touching the ball in the season-opening, 27-10 loss in St. Louis -- Lewis joined the action in yesterday's last-second, 23-20 loss to Pittsburgh at PSINet Stadium.Lewis had three catches for 48 yards, added six punt returns for 56 yards, including a 28-yarder that he nearly broke for a touchdown, and he came away with some pain for his efforts.Lewis paid the price after teaming up with Stoney Case on a 19-yard completion, which set up a game-tying touchdown pass to Qadry Ismail with 1: 22 left.

PreseasonDate Opp. Time TV8-12 at Philadelphia 8 138-21 at Atlanta 7: 30 138-28 Carolina 8 139-3 N.Y. Giants Noon 13Regular seasonDate Opp. Time TV9-12 at St. Louis 1 139-19 Pittsburgh 1 139-26 Cleveland 1 1310-3 at Atlanta 1 1310-10 at Tennessee 4: 15 1310-17 Bye 10-21 Kansas City 8: 20 ESPN10-31 Buffalo 1 1311-7 at Cleveland 1 1311-14 at Jacksonville 4: 05 1311-21 at Cincinnati 4: 05 1311-28 Jacksonville 1 1312-5 Tennessee 1 1312-12 at Pittsburgh 1...

As the inauguration of a new mayor proceeded at City Hall yesterday, a group of students at the Johns Hopkins University were taking a sobering look at the realities of Baltimore.The graduate students at the Institute for Policy Studies were given a hypothetical assignment from the city's new mayor back in September -- find out whether all this talk about urban renaissance is true and what, if anything, that means for Baltimore.The conclusion after months of studying reports and data: Behind the lights of the Inner Harbor and cheering crowds at Camden Yards lie some pretty bleak statistics.

While the Ravens (3-3) were on a bye Sunday, the two teams in front of them in the AFC North extended their division lead. The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) took down the undefeated Minnesota Vikings with two late defensive touchdowns in a 27-17 victory at Heinz Field. Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson and the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) drubbed the Chicago Bears, 45-10. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns (1-6) continued to falter, losing to the Green Bay Packers, 31-3. NFL coverage, PG 5 AFC NORTH STANDINGS W L T Pct PF PA Home Away AFC NFC Div 1. Cincinnati Bengals 5 2 0 .714 163 128 2-2-0 3-0-0 3-2-0 2-0-0 3-0-0 2. Pittsburgh Steelers 5 2 0 .714 167 129 4-0-0 1-2-0 3-1-0 2-1-0 1-1-0 3. Ravens 3 3 0 .500 169 130 2-1-0 1-2-0 3-2-0 0-1-0 1-1-0 4. Cleveland Browns 1 6 0 .143 72 179 0-3-0 1-3-0 1-4-0 0-2-0 0-3-0

For as well as Navy's defense has played at times this season - the Midshipmen rank 34th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense (299.67 yards per game) - there is one thing that has been bothering its players. In all three games, the defense has started the game on the field, and in all three games, it has given up a long touchdown drive on that opening possession. Navy has trailed 7-0 before its offense has touched the ball. "It's just frustrating for us as a defense; I don't think we've shut anyone down on the first series so far," senior linebacker Ross Pospisil said after Saturday's loss to Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh has already been highlighted this year and once should be enough. But we can't ignore that the Steel City will be the center of a global gathering for this week's meeting of the G-20; representatives of countries from Argentina to Turkey, along with the requisite protesters, will converge here for a two-day economic summit beginning Thursday. What should they do in their spare time? Here are five places that show Pittsburgh's worldly appeal. 1 David L. Lawrence Convention Center : Pittsburgh's commitment to conservation was one of the reasons it was named host of the G-20 summit.

PITTSBURGH - -Saturday evening began with such promise for Navy, which was looking to build on what had been a strong start to the 2009 season. The Midshipmen were impressive in a close loss at Ohio State and in an easy victory over Louisiana Tech, and on the opening kickoff against Pittsburgh - a team on the cusp of the Top 25 - Navy freshman Tra'ves Bush forced a fumble that bounced toward teammate Ram Vela. The senior linebacker tried to scoop up the ball inside the 20-yard line. But Vela couldn't gain control, and the Panthers retained possession when the ball went out of bounds.

Navy (1-1) at Pittsburgh (2-0) Time:: 6 p.m. TV: : ESPN360.com Radio: : 1090 AM, 1430 AM Line: : Pittsburgh by 7 1/2 Series: : Pittsburgh leads 21-13-3 Last meeting: : Pittsburgh won, 42-21, in Annapolis on Oct. 18, 2008. No passing fancy: : Navy junior QB Ricky Dobbs played only one series in last year's game but made an impression. He led the Midshipmen on a 54-yard touchdown drive, which included a 39-yard pass to Mario Washington. Dobbs has already surpassed his passing totals from last season, completing 14 of 21 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns.

One of the worst things about getting sick and missing the first two weeks of preseason practice wasn't the time that Navy sophomore Marcus Curry spent in the hospital or in his own bed, away from his teammates. No, the worst thing was probably the time he spent on the field after practice, away from his teammates. Every day, as the rest of the Midshipmen headed to the locker room, Curry stayed behind with Joe DuPaix, Navy's slotbacks coach, and ran sprints. During Navy's second scrimmage, Curry jogged around the stadium field as the rest of his teammates played.

Leonard Albert Yagatich Jr., founder and owner of a Sykesville heating, ventilating and air-conditioning firm who was also an auto enthusiast, died of cancer Sunday at Carroll Hospice's Dove House in Westminster. He was 55. Mr. Yagatich was born and raised in Pittsburgh, where he graduated in 1972 from St. Michael's Catholic High School. He served in the Navy for a year and was discharged in 1976 because of an injury. In 1978, he established Target Controls, an HVAC company, in Pittsburgh.

Ira H. Apple, a veteran broadcasting manager who later became an industry consultant, died of a brain aneurysm Aug. 11 at Seasons Hospice at Northwest Hospital Center. The Reisterstown resident was 74. Mr. Apple, the son of a furniture salesman and a homemaker, was born in Pittsburgh and raised in Kittanning, Pa., where he graduated from high school. He began his radio career in the late 1940s when he signed a small Kittanning radio station on the air before attending high school, and then returned after school to sign off the daytime-only station.

PITTSBURGH -- Schussing through ersatz Alps on mock bobsleds, riders on the Bayern Kurve tend to hang on for dear life rather than study the brightly colored lights illuminating the thrill ride at Kennywood. The bulbs shine in a variety of hues, but they're all green to the operators of this historic amusement park on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. In a bid to see if anyone notices, the traditional incandescent lights on this ride and another at Kennywood have been replaced by LED ones, saving money on the park's hefty power bill and greatly reducing the frequency with which the bulbs burn out and need replacing.

Atlanta is about as middle-of-the-road as a team can be. The Braves are stuck in the middle of the National League in ERA and batting average and head to Camden Yards with a 29-30 record after losing their past two at home to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves have shuffled things a little in an attempt to spark the club. Top pitching prospect Tommy Hanson, who throws a 97 mph fastball, was promoted last week and will make his second big league start today against the Orioles. Former Orioles general manager Frank Wren traded three prospects to Pittsburgh recently for outfielder and leadoff hitter Nate McLouth.