Sage

In the heat, the scents of basil, rosemary and sage -- musky, sharp and green -- perfume the heavy air. Though it's early in the day, the sun is beating down on the herbs and tomatoes in this small garden. Guy Reinbold leans over and brushes his hand across a plant."The basil looks good right now," he says. "It was incredible how much we took out of there. . . . The rosemary's coming back. . . . Rosemary takes a long time, it's like pine. . . . This is sage. . . . This is oregano -- it needs to be taken down, see, it's beginning to bud -- this is another sage.

Something tasty is in the air. Nothing reminds us of the winter holidays like those familiar scents of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cocoa and sage. And what better way to perk up a holiday meal? Or flavor those Christmas cookies or spice up a turkey dressing? "They can evoke memories of celebrations, and our family and friends," says Steve Logan, a culinary chef for Maryland-based McCormick spice company. "They are intense but inviting." Now is a good time to stock up on those top-10 holiday flavors.

There is no question that Prophet Pat strikes fear in the hearts of coaches who shudder when he picks them to lose the week after he's had a bad week of picking games.Traditionally, the rage of a sage over his 14 years of predicting games always has roared back followinga disastrous effort. It's like 99 percent sure that he will be perfect or nearly perfect after a bad outing.Two weeks ago, the Prophet handed in an embarrassing 1-5 card, but he came back with a 5-1 log, including Chesapeake's 17-16 upset in overtime over Severna Park, snapping the Falcons' 57-game winning streak in girls lacrosse.

To some, H. L. Mencken is Baltimore's sage -- his hyperbolic biting criticism are the words of pure truth. To others, he is Baltimore's scourge -- an anti-Semitic bigot and woman hater.But Mencken really was an artist who had a love for words and a magical way of crafting them, Paul Fussell, award-winning author and University of Pennsylvania professor, told a packed room of Mencken lovers at the revered writer's 117th birthday anniversary celebration yesterday at the Enoch Pratt Free Library on Cathedral Street.

A little bit of everythingYou wouldn't expect a restaurant called A Little Place Called Siam to have veal scallopine, prime rib, pork loin and crab cakes; but one thing you can say about the '90s: eclectic is hot.The menu at Baltimore's newest Asian-American restaurant also includes chicken with cashew nuts, beef and basil, and pork with ginger. A Little Place Called Siam has opened next to the Mechanic, where the Noble House and before that La Provence used to be.Shrimp is big businessIt comes as no surprise, but shrimp is by far the best-liked seafood among restaurant-goers, according to "Catch of the Day: Seafood in Restaurants."

ONE OF the most remarkable mothers in our country's history was a woman named Abby Sage Richardson, a 19th-century writer, lecturer, feminist and mother.A recent book titled "Lost Love," by author George Cooper, tells Abby Sage Richardson's compelling story. It describes a young mother who divorces a useless and unstable husband named Daniel McFarland. McFarland later fatally shot journalist Albert Deane Richardson, who was alleged to be Abby's lover.A celebrated murder trial of her former husband ensued, in which the defense depicted Abby as an immoral woman and an unfaithful wife.

They've got 'em in New York, L.A. and Chicago. But, according to Jeff Kaufman, the Baltimore/DC area has been bereft of creative, top-quality vegetarian restaurants. Until now. Jeff and his partners - wife Holly and Jody Cutler (whose family opened well-known NYC eateries Karma and Virgil's) - opened Great Sage in Clarksville this week. Jeff says the menu is entirely organic vegetarian, with about 80 percent of it vegan - that's no dairy, too. But that shouldn't scare off your run-of-the-mill meat eater.

1 // A SIMPLE HERB GARDEN Start with three or four of the basics, such as basil, oregano or thyme. There are more than a dozen easy-to-grow herbs that reflect what's in the spice rack, so consider what kinds of cuisine you like before choosing the three or four varieties you might want to plant. Italian? Grow basil, chives and parsley to start. And add oregano, rosemary, marjoram, sage or thyme. Mexican? Start with basil and oregano, and certainly include cilantro. Seafood? Dill and French tarragon are a good place to begin.

HERE'S food for thought from the always politically incorrect Sage of Baltimore, H.L. Mencken:"Men's clubs have but one intelligible purpose: to afford asylum to fellows who haven't any girls. Hence their general gloom, their air of lost causes, their prevailing acrimony. No man would even enter a club if he had an agreeable woman to talk to. This is particularly true of the married men."* * * AND for those who think preaching politically correct language sometimes go too far, this one is for you.Christopher Cerf and Henry Beard have written "Excuse Us, Processed Tree Carcasses," a satire on the politically correct.

Moves Baseball MLB: Suspended Athletics P Jim Mecir three games and fined him undisclosed amount for intentionally throwing at and hitting White Sox IF Royce Clayton after warning had been issued during game on Aug. 17. ANGELS: Recalled P Mark Lukasiewicz from Triple-A Salt Lake. Placed OF Tim Salmon on 15-day DL, retroactive to Aug. 14. ATHLETICS: Sent P Jeremy Bonderman to Detroit to complete an earlier trade. CUBS: Traded P Tom Gordon to Astros for minor-league P Russ Rohlicek and two players to be named.