Play Hard

Running back Priest Holmes knows enough about tough days. Take away his 400 yards in two meetings against Cincinnati, and Holmes has managed just 476 yards in 10 other starts this season.Holmes had the toughest day of 1998 in Sunday's 24-3 loss to Chicago, gaining just 17 yards on 11 carries.He needs 124 yards to reach 1,000 as a second-year player. And that could happen, considering that the Detroit Lions will bring the NFL's 25th-ranked run defense to Camden Yards in Sunday's season finale.

COLLEGE PARK -- He played with passion and aggression. He celebrated baskets and reacted to fouls. He showed a willingness to not only step outside, but also to bang inside. Travis Garrison's performance for Maryland in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament last season was supposed to represent a major breakthrough. However, when the junior forward watched tape of the Terrapins' past couple of games, he said he saw no resemblance to the player he was late last season. "I am not comfortable with the way I've been playing," said Garrison, who is averaging 10 points and 6.8 rebounds, slightly up from last year's totals of 7.8 points and 5.2, respectively.

Jerome Walton had started to wonder when he'd get rid of the zero, the one that mocked him from the home run column. The one that stood since Opening Day of last year, when he connected while pinch-hitting for the Atlanta Braves.It took 306 regular-season games -- most of them played without Walton -- for him to erase the round number. Finally able to compete without any residual discomfort from the hamstring and groin injuries that have hounded him, the Orioles outfielder lined a two-strike breaking ball over the left-field fence in the fifth inning, providing the club's final run in a 6-1 victory over the New York Yankees at Camden Yards.

THE RAVENS HAVE to earn their way into the playoffs tonight against the Minnesota Vikings, and that's the way it should be. The defending Super Bowl champions shouldn't have been able to limp into the postseason because the Seattle Seahawks or the New York Jets lost yesterday. They need to prove that they belong. So far this season, the Ravens have only proved that they are just another average team in the National Football League. But tonight they can show they are one of the league's top 12 teams.

Peter Bondra's teammates call him "Banzai" because he looks like a speeding locomotive as his legs power him down the ice for a head-on confrontation with an opposing goalie.These days it is a wonderful sight for the Washington Capitals, who have seen him break out of a slump that seemed to stretch back to his 1992-93 All-Star season."He's hot," said Washington captain Dale Hunter. "He has 18 goals, and that's not just because he has regained his scoring touch. I think he's improved as a player as a whole.

Ray Osborne stood outside the Anne Arundel Community College locker room and offered an analysis that defied the final score."All of us weren't ready to play," the Pioneers' 6-foot-2 forward said. "We got off to a real slow start. The shots just weren't falling."They eventually did, in droves.Behind a turnover-hungry, trapping defense and three explosive first-half runs, the Pioneers managed to shake free from upset-minded Montgomery-Rockville and win decisively, 117-73, Saturday afternoon.

As Seton Keough's point guard, senior Katelyn Fischer contributes to her team's success in many ways - from finding her open teammates in the post to hitting three-point shots. She averages 12 points, six assists and three steals for the No. 3 Gators, who are aiming for a spot in Sunday's Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title game. Also a soccer player for the Gators, Fischer plays for the Amateur Athletic Union Sure Shots. She wants to play basketball in college and has drawn attention from some Division III schools.

What a difference a day makes.Twenty-four hours after being shut out by Good Counsel, second-ranked St. Mary's righted itself in a big way yesterday at Wilde Lake. The Saints got goals from five different players and looked solid throughout in downing the Wildecats, 5-1."I don't there's a word that can describe the difference from yesterday [Wednesday] to today," said St. Mary's coach Jerry Tobin.There was pause."Astronomical," said Tobin, looking for the right word."They weren't ready to play" in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to Good Counsel, "but they wanted to play today," Tobin said.

RALEIGH, N.C. - Maryland basketball coach Gary Williams has accepted the blame for Terrapin losses this season and deflected the credit toward his team for several big wins. But last night, after the 22nd-ranked Terps were dominated by North Carolina State, 82-63, at the RBC Center, Williams challenged and questioned the Terps, admitting that he is "frustrated" by their inconsistent and often uninspired play. Asked to explain another subpar effort that came after an emotional victory over No. 7 Duke on Saturday night, Williams didn't mince words.

WASHINGTON -- George Washington coach Karl Hobbs could not recall it happening. Junior guard Danilo Pinnock, however, does have a memory of an opponent playing harder than the Colonials. "The last time I can say that happened was my freshman year, in the NIT, against Virginia," Pinnock said. "That's the last time I can honestly say we didn't play hard. We addressed that. We don't play like that anymore." GW responded in 2004-05 with its first Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title, a precursor to what has been the best season in Colonials' history.