Rex

Back by popular demand after an absence of 65 million years, a 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus rex has appeared this week at the south end of Baltimore's Inner Harbor promenade. Dubbed "Peck's Rex," after the Fort Peck, Mont., region where the fossil skeleton was found, the dinosaur stands in the front window of the addition nearing completion at the Maryland Science Center. Teeth gleaming and jaws agape, the T. rex is poised as if in the middle of a lunge at pedestrians on the promenade below.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter seemed prepared for a question today regarding his feelings toward New York Jets coach Rex Ryan's belief that the Orioles should have played an extra game on the road to accommodate the Ravens' proposed home opener on Sept. 5. Because the Orioles already have a scheduled night game on Sept. 5, the Ravens aren't opening at home, which is the tradition for Super Bowl champions. The Ravens will instead will kick off the NFL season that night in Denver.

THE TISSUE SAMPLE Paleontologists were able to extract bone-making collagen from the thighbone of a 68 million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex. WE HAVE A MATCH Using the collagen extracted from the T. rex?s thighbone, paleontologists determined a link in the collagen material found in the bone and that of a modern-day chicken. Next time you order fried chicken, consider this: Beneath that crispy skin, you may find a link to the heart of history's most terrifying beast. New evidence unveiled in today's edition of Science puts the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex embarrassingly close - in evolutionary terms - to the modern-day chicken.

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan is never shy about voicing his opinion so perhaps it should come as no surprise that the Ravens former defensive coordinator weighed in on a matter that has nothing to do with him or his current team. In a conference call with reporters following the release of NFL's regular-season schedule, Ryan took issue with the fact that the Ravens, the reigning Super Bowl champions, are opening the season on the road after they couldn't work out a scheduling conflict with the Orioles for the night of Sept.

Even hundreds of miles apart, twin brothers Rex and Rob Ryan take good-natured shots at one another. They've always been competitive, regardless of whether the competition involved baseball, wrestling or marbles. Rob is in his second year as defensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders. Rex is in his first season as defensive coordinator of the Ravens. "I wish him the best of luck, and I told him he'll have the second-best defense in the league," Rex said. When told of those comments, Rob replied: "We've been on different sidelines six times, and I've beaten him more times than he's beaten me. Also, remind him that I have two Super Bowl rings and he has only one. The old man has three, and that's going to be tough to beat."

The bad news is that Tyrannosaurus rex, the biggest, scariest prehistoric monster ever, had a design flaw. The good news is that, movie lore notwithstanding, if you find yourself in a car being chased by one, chances are it won't catch you. An article published in last week's issue of the journal Nature reported that T. rex, the coolest, deadliest dinosaur ever to capture a young boy's heart, was, well ... slow. To a generation of kids whose knowledge of the prehistoric world is based largely on the Jurassic Park movies, this is tantamount to heresy.

Forget about the Mitsubishi Montero ad and that preposterous Ragu spot. The fact that cable's TNT used "Bang a Gong" during the NBA playoffs. And all the movie soundtrack appearances: Moulin Rouge, The Truman Show, Velvet Goldmine and Billy Elliot, which featured five T. Rex tunes. Even without all that, we're having a T. Rex moment. The English band of the 1970s, led by singer and songwriter Marc Bolan, had exactly one U.S. Top 10 hit ("Bang a Gong" - or "Get It On" as it was known everywhere else)

Most people mark the beginning of summer with Memorial Day this weekend -- and the Maryland Science Center will be no exception with its "Touch Wonder Weekend" celebration to open the refurbished and expanded facility. "We wanted to capitalize on the unofficial kickoff of the summer season, to make sure that we're out there and everyone knows about it," said Christopher Cropper, the center's senior marketing director. The event includes a number of free events Saturday and Sunday outside the center, at 601 Light St. in the Inner Harbor.

His name is Z-Rex. He's 65 million years old, measures 25 feet tall and 40 feet long and is the largest male Tyrannosaurus rex fossilized skeleton ever unearthed. And, judging by past auctions, he can be yours for about $8 million. But you'd better act fast. The fossil, which went up for auction Monday on the Web site Millionaire.com, will be available for purchase only until 8 p.m. Feb. 10. Which means that if you want to be the first one on your block to have a real T. rex in your living room (and your dining room, and your kitchen, and your basement)

The newest sculpture at the Johns Hopkins University commands a peaceful spot overlooking the garden at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Located beside the art center, next to the bustle of Charles Street, the statue seems to bridge the worlds of creativity and public affairs that the late Rex Chao found so invigorating. A bronze figure of a violinist, The Spirit of Music depicts a musician poised on the edge of his chair, a broad smile on his face. His expression may suggest the glow of a performance, the inspiration of music.

Ravens Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs behaved for most of his time with the media -- until someone asked him about New York Jets coach Rex Ryan's tattoo. Ryan used to be the Ravens defensive line coach and coordinator. Suggs remains close to Ryan. "I probably got something on my ass that ya'll never see that is probably inappropriate," Suggs said. "Who cares? I think you guys blew it way out of proportion. I don't really think it's a big deal. I think everybody should have a certain amount of privacy, even though they are in the public eye, no matter who they are. Even our president deserves a certain amount of privacy.

Bombastic New York Jets coach and former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan was the talk of the combine last year when he guaranteed that his team was going to win the Super Bowl. Standing in the same room today, about a month and a half after his team endured an 8-8 season and a divided locker room, Ryan was significantly less brash. In fact, he blamed himself for what Ryan called a “terrible” season. “In all seriousness, looking back, obviously it was a huge mistake to make that guarantee,” Ryan said.

I t was 5:07 p.m. Sunday when a stone-faced John Beck trudged through the South Field Tunnel toward the players parking lot outside FedEx Field. He wore a brown wool blazer, jeans, brown leather shoes and a baseball cap as he wheeled a small black carry-on suitcase up the cement ramp. "John, we still love you," a group of fans yelled from behind one barricade outside the parking lot fence. "Hang in there. Don't listen to them. " To the right, just 20 feet away and very much within earshot, were some of Beck's detractors, chanting, "We want Rex!

Rex McDowell, an equipment operator at the Harford Waste Disposal Center's compost facility has been selected as the Employee of the Month for September. McDowell was co-nominated by his manager, Jerry Scanlan, as well as a Joyce Kelly, a Harford County resident. The nomination submitted by Joyce Kelly praised McDowell for his quick response and action that saved her husband from a tragic accident this in June. In her nomination, Kelly stated: "my husband took a load of yard waste up to Tollgate Landfill.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.     Running it back: The Ravens set a franchise record with three defensive touchdowns on their way to a 34-17 victory over the overmatched Jets . Joe Flacco threw 12 straight incompletions at one point and did not complete a pass in the second or third quarter . ... Tom Zbikowski suffered a concussion . ... Back in Baltimore this weekend, Rafael Palmeiro maintained that he never knowingly used steroids . ... After pulling away in the second half against Towson over the weekend, the Maryland football team is now focused on Saturday's game at Georgia Tech . Hitting the links: 1. Mike Preston hopes the Ravens learned a lesson [ Baltimore Sun ]

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.     Running it back: Count Rex Ryan as being one of those surprised by the Ravens' offensive performance against the Rams. ... Ben Grubbs, Matt Birk and Cory Redding returned to practice on Thursday . With a bye week coming up after the Jets game, Grubbs might be held out on Sunday . ... Terrell Suggs revealed on Wednesday that he is getting some reps on offense . ... Andy MacPhail and Buck Showalter met with Orioles owner Peter Angelos for several hours on Thursday, but any resolution that might have resulted was not disclosed . ... The season-ending win over Boston was the most watched Wednesday night game on ESPN since 1998.

Good morning -- Chicago Bears -- You declined a welcome home event. Did you worry Rex Grossman might fall off the stage?

Improbable as it sounds at a time when American homeowners have lost billions in equity holdings, a new industry is taking shape to help them tap portions of their equity wealth without incurring traditional mortgage debt or making interest payments. Three companies with sophisticated capital market backers - REX & Co., Equity Key and Grander Financial - are offering cash to owners who agree to cut them into some of the future appreciation growth of their properties. The cash typically represents a fraction of the current market value of the home, and rises with the percentage of future appreciation the owner is willing to share.

Because Ravens outside linebacker Jarret Johnson plays on the same defense with Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, he often gets overlooked when you talk about the Ravens' front seven. But Jets coach Rex Ryan won't overlook the Ravens' ninth-year strongside outside linebacker. Johnson may not get a lot of tackles because he is usually wrestling some tight end, but he has been close to pulling off several sacks this season.  “I'll tell you a guy that's underrated is Jarret Johnson,” Ryan said.

One good thing about Rex Ryan, who was beloved here in Baltimore, leaving the Ravens to become the head coach for the New York Jets is that he instantly created a compelling rivalry between the Ravens and Jets. As long as John Harbaugh is patrolling the sidelines in Baltimore and Ryan is talking big up in the Big Apple, the Jets will be one of the Ravens' fiercest rivals. Who doesn't love a good family feud? But as much as us newspaper folks are hoping for some juicy one-liners from the Ravens and Jets , this week has been pretty quiet when you consider that every sports reporter in Baltimore and New York is trying to get these guys to slip up and say something that's going to burn up the presses and blow up on the blogosphere.