Rfk Stadium

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. women's national soccer team, one of the legitimate contenders for a gold medal at this summer's Olympic Games, will make its only area appearance today when it meets China at RFK Stadium.The noon game, which will be televised live on ESPN, is part of the six-game, four-country U.S. Women's Cup competition. Japan and Canada will play in the first game of today's doubleheader, beginning at 9: 30 a.m.The U.S. team, which finished third in last year's World Cup competition, is 14-1-1 this year, including Women's Cup shutout victories this week over Japan (6-0)

Soccer United looking at Md. again for stadium - but not at Baltimore Although D.C. United remains optimistic about reaching an agreement to build a stadium at Buzzard Point in Washington, the Major League Soccer club has taken renewed interest in Maryland, sources close to the situation said. United executives are "going to play it out with D.C. first, but patience is thinner than it was six months ago," said one person, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

When I heard that kosher hot dogs - long a part of Baltimore's professional baseball scene - had arrived at RFK Stadium in Washington, I drove over to our nation's capital for a ballpark lunch. I bit into an Abeles and Heymann all-beef dog, $4.50, at the stand called Kosher Sports near Section 220. It was flavorful, a little dry and not quite as warm as the all-beef dog I would subsequently eat during a suppertime visit to Camden Yards' kosher stand, on the lower level of the left field concourse.

* "There was a bit of a flamenco dance step, with the five heads snapping up on 'I Want You Back'; the hands went up over the heads and were clasped together as if in prayer on Jermaine's medley, which began with 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'; and on Sly Stone's 'Thank You,' one arm was flung out to the side, then the hands were brought together and down in a slashing motion diagonally across the chest." - James D. Dilts' Sun review of the Jackson Five's September 26, 1971, concert at the Baltimore Civic Center * "Every floor was packed with [fans]

World Cup USA '94 will open phone lines for its final public ticket offering starting Sunday morning, but you'll need persistence and a whole lot of luck to get through.Alan Rothenberg, World Cup USA '94 chairman and chief executive, said yesterday at a New York news conference that 450,000 tickets will go on sale Sunday, but Soldier Field in Chicago, Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and RFK Stadium in Washington have the fewest available tickets, in that order.The tickets, which range in price from $25 to $140, are for the first and second rounds and the quarterfinals.

IF YOU REALLY want to be all that you can be, you may have to spend a lot of time at RFK Stadium, because there is talk that the U.S. Army might bid on the naming rights to the temporary new home of the Washington Nationals. Pardon me if I mistakenly thought RFK Stadium already was named after Robert F. Kennedy, but in the sports marketing environment that once brought you the Poulan Weedeater Bowl, it now is customary to find some tortured method of including an advertising logo on every major sports venue.

WASHINGTON -- The numbers tell a grim story for the Phoenix Cardinals today.They come into RFK Stadium, a place where they've lost 14 straight games, to face a Washington Redskins team that is 20-2 in Sunday games coming off Monday night games.Want more?The Redskins have beaten the Cardinals 15 of the past 17 meetings, and Phoenix coach Joe Bugel, a former Redskins assistant, has yet to see his team score a touchdown in RFK Stadium while losing three games by a combined score of 106-3.Want more?

WASHINGTON - Swathed in red, white and blue, tucking miniature American flags into their baseball caps and flaunting "I Love America" stickers on their cut-off T-shirts, thousands filled RFK Stadium yesterday for a marathon concert that united rock stars and fans in a show of solidarity and healing. Billed as the "United We Stand" benefit concert for Sept. 11 relief and victim funds, the nine-plus-hour long salute featured artists as diverse as Michael Jackson and 'N Sync, Mariah Carey and Carole King.

Mass transit will provide the best option for Washington Nationals fans traveling from the Maryland suburbs to RFK Stadium, say state and District of Columbia transportation officials, who are uncertain how much stress baseball fans might add to busy area roads. Though fans from Anne Arundel and Howard counties can drive fairly direct routes to the stadium, they may find highways clogged by afternoon commuter traffic when traveling to evening games. They may also encounter a lack of parking at the stadium, which seats about 45,000 for baseball games and offers spots for about 10,000 vehicles.

WASHINGTON-- --Eager to improve the game-day experience for Washington Nationals fans, the club's new owners plan to soon solicit fans' advice on what's working and what's not. The owners had better be ready for an earful. The Sun informally asked fans recently about their team and stadium and got a wide array of suggestions - some serious, some humorous, some pointed, some a bit far-fetched. One fan said the scoreboard was too small and bland and should be upgraded. Another fan said the RFK Stadium fences should be moved in - a proposition the club's pitchers hope is quickly squelched.

1 Rhyme is reason: It's being called the Battle in Seattle: No. 2 Connecticut vs. No. 8 Gonzaga (4 p.m., chs. 13, 9). They had to play there because nothing good rhymes with Hartford. 2 Gator aid: Speaking of sites: No. 6 Duke plays No. 7 Xavier at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. (2 p.m., chs. 13, 9). Both teams will be required to have little alligators on their jerseys. 3 Oy-a, Hoyas: Mount St. Mary's takes a step up by taking on No. 15 Georgetown (1 p.m., MASN). 4 Eagle eyes: Navy kicks off the bowl season with a rematch against Wake Forest in the EagleBank game from RFK Stadium (11 a.m., ESPN)

D.C. United says it welcomes Maryland's interest in becoming the Major League Soccer team's new home but is still weighing its options - including remaining in Washington. The Major League Soccer team was responding yesterday to Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot's proposal that the state consider attracting the franchise from Washington. "D.C. United is most appreciative of the interest expressed by Comptroller Franchot. Certainly, there are many thousands of passionate D.C. United fans in Maryland," the club said in a statement e-mailed to The Sun. "We welcome conversations with any governmental agency in the area, including specifically the Maryland Stadium Authority, that can be helpful to D.C. United in getting a stadium built.

WASHINGTON -- It probably wouldn't have rivaled the Beatles, who played D.C. Stadium in 1966. It might not have matched Princess Diana, who graced a state dinner with President Reagan in 1985. But as far as visits by British celebrities go, soccer glamour boy David Beckham's trip to the nation's capital for a Major League Soccer game tonight against D.C. United was shaping up as an A-list event, the sort that causes Washingtonians to use their connections or their cash to ensure they are included.

NORFOLK, Va. -- The Orioles ended their first game in their new Triple-A affiliate's park by doing something they couldn't manage often last season: holding a late lead. The Orioles' bullpen, which gave up 321 runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings last season, came through in the ninth inning yesterday, as the team edged the Washington Nationals, 6-5, in an exhibition game at Harbor Park. The Nationals cut a 6-4 Orioles lead in half in the ninth, but Chris Ray struck out the game's final batter with the tying run on third.

Of course I loved Paul the best. He was the cutest, the dreamiest and more approachable than John -- as if I could ever approach any of the Beatles. As it happened, I did approach Paul once, fulfilling a pre-teen vow to meet him one day. I met him by finagling an assignment to cover a news conference where Paul spoke in support of Greenpeace before appearing with Wings at RFK Stadium. Beatlemania Now! takes place at 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Lyric Opera House. Tickets are $40, $45 and $50. To buy tickets, call 410-547-SEAT or visit ticketmaster.

Running Susie's Cause 5K Where -- Power Plant Live, Baltimore When -- 8 a.m. tomorrow What for -- Fundraiser for Susie's Cause, a nonprofit providing outreach on colon cancer. Online -- www.charmcityrun.com/eventdetail.cfm?eventid=484 Baseball Milwaukee Brewers@ Washington Nationals Where -- RFK Stadium, Washington When -- 7:05 p.m. today and tomorrow, 1:05 p.m. Sunday What for -- See two teams trying to avoid a 90-loss season. Online -- washington.nationals.mlb.com/ Pro football Oakland Raiders @Ravens Where -- M&T Bank Stadium When -- 1 p.m. Sunday What for -- For a change, the outlook for the Ravens is looking up. Online -- www.baltimoreravens.

WASHINGTON - It was the second inning, and the Washington Nationals trailed the New York Mets 1-0. But not, it seemed, for long. Vinny Castilla, Washington's third baseman, lifted a drive off Mets starter Kris Benson that seemed poised to clear the RFK Stadium fence in left. But something happened on the way to a home run. The ball stayed in play and a surprised Castilla pulled into second with a double. Whatever befell Castilla's shot in the July 7 game - an unfavorable wind, humidity or a "380" mark on the fence that stadium consultants say might be slightly off - seems to have victimized RFK batters all year.

WASHINGTON - RFK Stadium, the once and future home of major league baseball in the nation's capital, doesn't yet look like a field of dreams. It's configured for soccer, not baseball. The field must be replaced, and the dugouts, locker rooms and press box need upgrades. On a rainy day last week, a quarter of the field was mud and tire tracks. It looked like Vince Lombardi should be coaching football here - which he once did for the Washington Redskins. But that was in 1969. Thirty-five years later, the stadium stands ready to receive a speedy, $18.5 million makeover to get it ready for the April 14 home opener of the Washington Nationals.

When I heard that kosher hot dogs - long a part of Baltimore's professional baseball scene - had arrived at RFK Stadium in Washington, I drove over to our nation's capital for a ballpark lunch. I bit into an Abeles and Heymann all-beef dog, $4.50, at the stand called Kosher Sports near Section 220. It was flavorful, a little dry and not quite as warm as the all-beef dog I would subsequently eat during a suppertime visit to Camden Yards' kosher stand, on the lower level of the left field concourse.