Pre Game

BOSTON -- The 70th All-Star Game did not deliver the fireworks that normally are associated with Fenway Park, but that didn't keep the midseason classic from becoming one enchanted evening.The emotional pre-game ceremony involving dozens of baseball's all-time greats and a heartwarming appearance by Red Sox icon Ted Williams was worth the price of admission. The American League's 4-1 victory before a sellout crowd of 34,187 seemed more like an encore.Maybe it would have been different if the sport's most famous bandbox had lived up to its billing, but the game featured only two extra-base hits and not a single ball in the vicinity of the famous Green Monster.

Athletics: Pitchers have not walked more than three batters in any of the past 10 games. Doug Jones' appearance was the 737th of this career, tying him with Ron Perranoski for 36th place on the career games pitched list.Blue Jays: Homer Bush started at second for the first time since being activated off the disabled list Friday. Alex Gonzalez, who missed Friday's game with soreness in his throwing shoulder, was the designated hitter.Red Sox: Nomar Garciaparra's 16-game hitting streak was broken.

No city revels in its past, or wallows in it, depending on your perspective, like Baltimore. So it's a given that television sets around town will be punched in to ESPN in the early hours of Monday morning.That's when a lovely tribute to Memorial Stadium, the great lady at the corner of East 33rd Street and Ellerslie Avenue, airs as a segment of "NFL Films Presents."The piece isn't long -- only about 10 minutes -- but it will give old-timers a reminder of how things here used to be and provide the younger generation a primer on the traditions of one of the venerable facilities in American sports.

BOSTON -- It's never the game. No one remembers the details of baseball's All-Star Game from year to year. Who won last year? Three years ago? Who cares?It's the moments that make the event. The frozen moments are what you remember. Rose crashing into Fosse. Reggie hitting a ball onto the roof at Tiger Stadium.Now we can add some new moments to the list. Last night's All-Star Game at Fenway Park was unforgettable in many ways.It was the last All-Star Game of the century and probably also the last at Fenway, and it more than lived up to the occasion.

BOSTON -- It was the last All-Star Game of the century and also probably the last at Fenway Park, and it more than lived up to the occasion.If it wasn't the best All-Star night in years, it was close."

The Army-Navy football game always is steeped in pageantry and excitement, but this year's 100th-anniversary matchup will outdo them all.To commemorate the date, many special features and activities are scheduled, including a special anniversary logo, the game's own Web site, a limited-edition lithograph, throwback game jerseys, a coffee-table book, a historical video and a lavish halftime show.Army will wear jerseys similar to those from its national championship years from 1944 through 1946, and Navy will bear those worn by its nationally prominent teams of the 1960s.

A one-day, wildcat strike of technicians and other off-camera personnel forced ABC to relocate its fledgling "Monday Night Blast" football pre-game show, as well as the halftime segment, from its usual place at the ESPN Zone here last night.Instead, a scaled-down version of those "Monday Night Football" program elements aired from Philadelphia, the site of last night's Eagles-Dallas Cowboys game, and without regular hosts Chris Berman and Frank Gifford.Berman's halftime highlights were done from New York, while the pre-game feature that is normally introduced by Gifford was instead set up by Al Michaels.

There is thumping music -- rock, R&B and acid jazz. There's a Hollywood-style movie, starring football players and a huge, swooping raven.It feels more like a 69,000-seat surround-sound theater than a new football stadium, and that's just how the Ravens want it when they play a pre-game film. The movie was the centerpiece of yesterday's stadium scoreboard unveiling, offering viewers a first look at the stadium's capability to be an entertainment venue, too.A two-minute film will be shown immediately after the national anthem at each game.

There are more than a few people who subscribe to the theory that nothing important happens unless television is there to chronicle it, and the proof of that postulate exists in the flap surrounding Connecticut women's basketball player Nykesha Sales and her scoring record.Whether you agree with the way Sales got the record or not -- and goodness knows, everybody, even people who couldn't care less about the sport, has an opinion -- you can't argue that there wouldn't even be an argument if not for the fact that the game in question, between Connecticut and Villanova, was televised, thus making the clip of Sales getting an uncontested layup at the beginning of the contest available to everyone.

What started nearly 10 years ago as a rich Australian's mad, cash-filled dream to start a fourth network that could battle the big boys of American television -- ABC, CBS and NBC -- culminates today as Fox televises its first Super Bowl.Today's nine hours of coverage (Channel 45, 1 p.m.) of the highest-profile single event in television is Fox's biggest opportunity to prove there's more to the network than founder Rupert Murdoch's loaded pockets and a brash attitude.The network has had its moments, from ground-breaking television like "The Simpsons," to shows like "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place" that appealed to younger audiences.

COLLEGE PARK -- Maryland wide receiver Adrian Cannon is trying to get to that tranquil state where the game slows down, the crowd noise fades away, and the football seems to approach so gently that he can study its white lines before it settles into his hands. That zone - that Zen-like focus - can be elusive to perfectionists like Cannon, who has a meticulous pre-game routine and wants to succeed so badly that he sometimes needs to silence the inner voices and just play. A star of preseason training camp, Cannon, 21, is trying to be patient as he waits for that breakout game he is certain is coming.

Sports anchor Scott Garceau announced that he is leaving his job at WMAR after 28 years on the air in Baltimore. Garceau made the announcement at the end of his segment during Channel 2's 6 p.m. newscast. He said Thursday would be his last appearance as WMAR's sports anchor but that he would still be seen on WMAR for college lacrosse, the Calvert Hall-Loyola Thanksgiving football game, Orioles Opening Day and Ravens-related programming among other possible assignments. WMAR's Web site said Garceau would be involved in "special projects" for the station.

What the heck happened? That could apply to the outcome of last night's Super Bowl, but it also could apply to how I felt as I was watching it unfold on Fox. Was it really just a simple matter of the New York Giants defense applying pressure to Tom Brady and disrupting the vaunted New England Patriots offense? That seemed to be the only explanation we were hearing from analyst Troy Aikman. They were attacking the Patriots in a variety of ways, with different blitzes, Aikman said in the first half.

Brandon Fahey, Orioles infielder Does your pre-game preparation change when you know you will be starting? It's pretty much the same, because when you're not starting you still have chances to come in the game to pinch run or come in for whatever reason. You just need to try to relax and go out there and be calm and help the team win.

Chris Gomez, Orioles infielder Do you have any superstitions pre-game or during the game? I don't know if I'd call them superstitions. I just call it routine. Some might think that's a superstitious thing. I try to avoid that stuff, maybe that's a superstitious thing - trying to avoid superstitions.

Idon't know what the Ravens have planned for Saturday's pre-game ceremony, but if they really want to fire up the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium, why not bring back and introduce some of the old Colts? The place would go absolutely mad. Right before the pre-game, introduce Lenny Moore, then Tom Matte. Bring back Bert Jones or Lydell Mitchell. And, of course, then introduce the Ravens and let Ray Lewis dance. Wow! The excitement would register on the Richter scale. Colts owner Jim Irsay always attempts to wipe his hands of the Colts' move from Baltimore to Indianapolis, but he could have made a serious peace offer by giving the name and colors back to Baltimore.

Liberty senior Jason Moczulski was an outside midfielder on last year's Class 2A state championship team, scoring four goals and assisting on eight. Coach Ed DeVincent called Moczulski "an engine," going all out every time he is on the field. Moczulski leads this year's 8-3-1 team with six assists. He also has two goals. What's the strangest goal you've ever seen while playing for Liberty? It would have to be last year when [teammate] Billy Lee kicked a free kick in one of the playoff games -- I believe it was against Rockville.

Navy senior John Chan refused to call it an inferiority complex. But Chan conceded that he and his teammates are tired of the way the Midshipmen's defense is perceived. And the notion that the unit is merely the understudy toiling in the shadow of Navy's option offense, which Chan acknowledged as the team's foundation, has gotten old. "It's something we talk about a lot," said Chan, a second-year starter at right defensive end who is second on the team with 15 tackles and leads Navy with two sacks.

It's a Christmas tradition. After Tab A has been inserted into Slot B, after everyone has sneaked off to hide away the reindeer sweater gift from Aunt Blabby, after one last viewing of how Ralphie got that BB gun, it's time to peer through the discarded wrapping paper and watch the NBA. This Sunday's doubleheader on ABC (12:30 p.m., WMAR/Channel 2 and WJLA/Channel 7) features an NBA Finals rematch of the San Antonio Spurs-Detroit Pistons, followed by Miami Heat-Los Angeles Lakers. The big news here is the reunion of analysts Bill Walton and Steve "Snapper" Jones, who will work the first game.

An hour before last night's game at Camden Yards, Cal Ripken walked away from a TV interview and spotted a couple of longtime season-ticket holders behind home plate. He hopped the guardrail and went into the stands, just three old friends sharing a private moment. It lasted less than a minute. Suddenly, Ripken was surrounded by about 200 fans and autograph seekers wanting to again get a piece of the Orioles legend on the 10-year anniversary of the most celebrated night of his career.