Spring

  Baltimore Sun reporter Jeff Barker, intern and Diamondback co-sports editor Josh Vitale, and editor Matt Bracken weigh in on the three biggest topics of the past week in Maryland sports. Were you surprised that junior point guard Pe'Shon Howard plans to transfer? Jeff Barker: No. It's too bad it didn't work out better for him - he's a smart, sensitive guy. But it wasn't surprising. The marriage between Maryland and “Hollywood P” wasn't working this season. How do we know?

It's not enough to give Stefon Diggs more touches this season. Maryland coaches also want to give him more of a leadership role. Coach Randy Edsall said after Friday night's spring game that the team has named the receiver-returner as one of 10 members of its leadership council. The team won't use permanent captains in the fall. Rather, it will name captains game by game. It sounds like Maryland really wants Diggs invested in the team. Not that he wasn't last season. But it's difficult for freshmen - still transitioning to college life - to play leadership roles.

As record heat baked Baltimore, a wave of violence unfurled across the city: six shootings and eight people wounded over a period of less than eight hours. The first shots were fired around dinnertime Wednesday, and the violence continued until after 2 a.m. Thursday. Police have no suspects in any of the crimes - which included two double shootings - and believe the seven wounded men and one injured woman will survive. Several academic studies of crime suggest that it's no coincidence that the outburst of violence came as the temperature at the Inner Harbor hit 96 degrees.

Spring is finally here in Baltimore, and local boutiques are filled to the brim with new clothing for this season. But when picking out new go-to pieces, it's easy to get lost in a sea of mint green, bold stripes and sequins. To get you started, we asked boutique owners about their top picks for spring — and the fashion dos and don'ts that everyone should know about. Lisa Ponzoli, owner of Babe 1716 Aliceanna St., Fells Point 410-244-5114; babeaboutique.com Favorite spring trends: "Sheer fabrics, easy bodies, florals, stripes, layering, skirts and the high-low hem are really strong.

Maryland skipped over spring and went straight to summer-like weather Tuesday, as a "Bermuda high" system more common to June or July created a chance for record-breaking heat on Wednesday. Temperatures reached 85 degrees at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and 89 degrees in downtown Baltimore on Tuesday. That is 20 degrees above normal, and even more of a departure from what has been a chilly spring - March was, on average, colder than December. The long wait for warmth meant Baltimoreans flocked to the outdoors.

If there is a single work that captures the essence of America in sound and movement, it's "Appalachian Spring," the ballet with music by Aaron Copland and choreography by Martha Graham that premiered in 1944 at the Library of Congress. Although the sonic part of the piece is never out of earshot, thanks to the perennially performed orchestral suite Copland fashioned from the score, the opportunity to experience the music and dance in its original form doesn't come around every day. Since last fall, students at the Baltimore School for the Arts have been delving into the ballet from every angle, preparing for "An Appalachian Spring Festival," an interdisciplinary project that includes an art exhibit, a concert and panel discussions.

Only for reasons beyond his control - the rules of USA Hockey, and its tradition of staging national championships in different parts of the country - must Bud Buonato settle for coaching just one team this week. His Howard Huskies Under-16 boys won the Maryland championship this season. That got them a bid to Troy, Mich., to compete on ice there for a national title. But their head coach is not with them. This is because Buonato also happened to coach the Huskies Under-18 team to the state title for its age group.

Peter Young Martin, a former golf professional and Green Spring Valley Hunt Club champion, died of a respiratory illness March 31 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. The Owings Mills resident was 64. Born in Baltimore, he was the son of John William Young Martin and Nancy Byers Martin. He was raised at the family home, Snow Hill Farm, site of the Maryland Hunt Cup point-to-point race in the Worthington Valley in Baltimore County. Mr. Martin attended the Gilman Lower School and was a 1966 graduate of Avon Old Farms School in Avon, Conn.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Despite pitching with a blister on his middle finger that prevented him from throwing breaking balls, Orioles right-hander Jake Arrieta felt good about his final tune-up before Friday's regular season home opener against the Minnesota Twins. Arrieta threw five innings against a collection of Orioles minor leaguers, throwing fastballs and changeups exclusively. Arrieta said the blister should be fine by Friday. “Just didn't throw the slider or the curveball today because those two pitches put pressure on the inside of my middle finger and it needs a couple days for that nail to grow out and let that skin to generate, but I'm all good to go,” Arrieta said.” Just fastball changeup [today]

Villanova-bound Devin McNamara scored all four of his goals during a 10-0 run to power the No. 6 Loyola boys lacrosse team past visiting St. Joseph's Prep (Pa.), 13-5, on Saturday. The Hawks (2-1) took an early lead, winning the first four faceoffs and enjoying success attacking the weak side of the goal. St. Joseph's led 3-2 before Loyola's Kevin Jackson (four goals) and Ryan Conrad (two goals) started the run with two unassisted goals with 2:13 and 7.7 seconds left in the first quarter.