Second Time

When last we left Ben Johnson in the continuing athletic drama "As the Whirl Returns," the Canadian sprinter had been beaten for the second time along the comeback trail with no apparent harm to his optimism."

Long after the near-capacity crowd had filed out of Hill Fieldhouse last night following Coppin State's 88-74 win over Morgan State, Malik White stood on the side with a single thought on his mind."

WICHITA, Kan. -- For Maryland and Massachusetts, today's NCAA Midwest Regional second-round game represents a rematch from earlier this season.For Joe Smith of the Terrapins and Marcus Camby of the Minutemen, it represents a matchup between two of the country's best freshman centers.As for former Dunbar stars and first cousins Keith Booth and Donta Bright, it represents the second time they have met in less than three months.So it is only fitting that the winner of the game at the Kansas Coliseum will get to go to -- where else?

Winning in November and December is no longer a certainty for the Ravens. Neither are the playoffs. The Ravens' uncharacteristic free fall in the second half of the regular season - losing three of their past four games - has officially put their postseason aspirations in jeopardy. If the regular season ended today, they would miss the playoffs for just the second time in five years, getting nudged out of the final AFC spot by the Jacksonville Jaguars because of the third tiebreaker (common opponents)

For the second time this season, Frank Robinson was moved to public tears. The first time, in May, after he had to bench an overmatched catcher in mid-inning, showed the depth of his humanity beneath that famously tough exterior. The second time, on Thursday afternoon after a meeting with his Washington Nationals bosses, showed how much that humanity was worth to his employers. There's something terribly, terribly wrong here. Nobody in baseball ought to be allowed to do anything to Frank Robinson to make him cry. Still, be ready, because some hankies are getting soaked this afternoon in D.C. - if not Robinson's, then those belonging to thousands of fans at RFK Stadium and a good number at home.

What aspect of Maryland's conquest of North Carolina on Wednesday night most encouraged the Terps? The realization that they don't need a big point total from Steve Francis to put away a quality opponent in a pressure-packed game.Francis is regarded as having the largest impact of any newcomer in college basketball this season, but the Tar Heels picked up on a tactic that Duke used when it quelled Maryland.The Blue Devils slowed the junior-college transfer by putting a bigger defender on him. Chris Carrawell, 6 feet 6, hounded the 6-3 Terp into 0-for-7 shooting in the second half of Duke's 18-point win at Cole Field House on Jan. 3.North Carolina marked Francis with 6-8 freshman Jeff Capel, and Francis' season-low eight points marked only the second time he didn't reach double figures.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Capitals had hoped to get off fast and set a tone as the second half of the NHL season began. Last night's game with the Florida Panthers might have set a tone, but the 5-4 loss was not what the Capitals had in mind.The Caps overcame four Florida power-play goals to tie the game with 7:31 to go, but could not stop Florida left wing John Garpenlov, who scored at even strength with 55.4 seconds to play.Washington should have double-teamed the guy, no doubt about that.

For the second time this season, Frank Robinson was moved to public tears. The first time, in May, after he had to bench an overmatched catcher in mid-inning, showed the depth of his humanity beneath that famously tough exterior. The second time, on Thursday afternoon after a meeting with his Washington Nationals bosses, showed how much that humanity was worth to his employers. There's something terribly, terribly wrong here. Nobody in baseball ought to be allowed to do anything to Frank Robinson to make him cry. Still, be ready, because some hankies are getting soaked this afternoon down in D.C. -- if not Robinson's, then those belonging to thousands of fans at RFK Stadium and a good number at home.

When Terry S. Clark was sentenced for drunken driving in March 1987, he got a lucky break that most first-time offenders enjoy in Howard County -- a judge gave him probation before judgment.With a PBJ sentence, Clark did not have to go to jail, lose his driver's license or even have a DWI conviction recorded on his driver's record.But Clark, 36, doesn't consider the judge's leniency lucky for him.Three years and one DWI conviction later, he wishes the judge had been tougher on him the first time.

They say the best move after falling off a horse or a bike is to go riding again as soon as possible.Relief pitchers, especially those who earn their keep late in the game, say the same principle applies to their trade. The sooner they can get into a game situation after blowing a save, the better they like it.And for the most part, managers have little choice but to go along with the program -- at least to a point. Determining when that point is reached can be one of the toughest parts of the job.All of which is to say that Johnny Oates has no choice but to try to ride out what he hopes is merely a rough stretch for Lee Smith.