Stallions

This was the matchup Pittsburgh Steelers punter Josh Miller wanted most to avoid yesterday: kicking to the Ravens' Jermaine Lewis with room to run.Yet, with 37 seconds left and the Steelers protecting a seven-point lead, that's precisely the dilemma Miller faced. Standing inside his own 20, the third-year veteran had to give the ball up to one of the NFL's most dangerous punt returners. And hope he didn't have to make the tackle."A fastball to McGwire and he gets to swing for the fence," Miller said later, opting for a baseball analogy to describe the threat that Lewis represents.

Awad, one of the decade's outstanding thoroughbreds, will parade before the crowd at Laurel Park tomorrow in his final public appearance.Born in Maryland and soon to stand at stud here, the 8-year-old Awad was a consistent and powerful stretch-runner who earned more than $3 million, set track records at Saratoga and Arlington, and won 11 stakes, four of which were Grade I.He will parade at Laurel before the inaugural running of the Awad Stakes, named in...

Tamayaz not only won races on two continents, but he also finished less than five lengths behind Cigar in the 1996 Breeders' Cup Classic, beating five Grade I winners in the process.That competitive sixth-place finish (at odds of 70-1) impressed Richard Golden, president of Northview Stallion Station, so much so that the Cecil County breeding farm recently bought Tamayaz for $1.1 million from Godolphin, the racing stable owned by members of the ruling family of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

LONDON -- It's amazing the stuff a government can collect over a few hundred years.There are necessities, such as two lawn mowers for an agriculture department and 69 paper shredders for a trade and industry ministry.There are luxuries, such as the Duke of Wellington's desk and a prime piece of London real estate called Trafalgar Square.And there's the odd sporting indulgence of keeping eight stallions, all with a history of siring racing winners.This array of British government wealth -- and trivia -- can be discovered in a 545-page book called "The National Asset Register."

As sleek, glistening thoroughbreds compete tomorrow on Maryland Million Day, another competition -- much more subtle but no less intense -- takes place at two horse farms miles from Laurel Park.The race for top Maryland sire rages between Allen's Prospect and Two Punch, two disparate stallions amazingly close in statistics. Although the sons and daughters of each have earned nearly $2.5 million so far this year, a mere $5,516 separates them.As of Wednesday, the progeny of Allen's Prospect led Two Punch by a whisker.

On the day that racing returned to Maryland, 115 horses sired by state stallions were entered yesterday in the 11 races Saturday that make up Maryland Million Day, the fall version of the Preakness Stakes.Mike Pons, whose family runs Country Life Farm -- its stallions sired 24 of the entrants -- was absolutely giddy, and not merely about the approaching party known as the Maryland Million. Pons was ecstatic about having racing back."I didn't know how much I missed live racing until we went without it," he said.

It sounds like a problem for Ann Landers to solve.Football player wants to play a final year in the World League to end his career on an upbeat note. His wife opposes the idea of his going back to Europe for three months for the third straight year.What to do?Malcolm Showell decided to play this year despite his wife's misgivings."It wasn't like I convinced her. I just did it," Showell said in a telephone call from London, where he's playing his final year for the Monarchs.He hopes his wife eventually will understand why he wanted to play a final year.

He's being pursued by creditors in two countries who claim his failed companies haven't paid their bills. But that's no reason for Jim Speros not to share a little money-making wisdom with friends.The former owner of the Baltimore Stallions, 1995 champions of the Canadian Football League, is holding an invitation-only workshop on his latest "bold new venture."In a letter dated Feb. 11 and sent to former Stallions supporters -- he calls them "team members" -- Speros does not specify what his latest venture is. But, he says, "Here's a hint: the information superhighway is the next great wave of opportunity in this country -- and we have an incredible way to take full advantage of it -- for you and me!"

Four months ago, punter Josh Miller was learning how to speak French, figuring he would be stuck playing for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.Then his young football career took a couple of strange turns, and Miller eventually landed where he always dreamed his journey would take him -- to the NFL. Tomorrow, Miller will be punting for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Ravens.Miller, 26, laughs at the twists that have marked his path to the NFL. Many Baltimore fans remember Miller as one of the key players on the CFL Stallions.

The Ravens and their radio carrier, Infinity, yesterday named Scott Garceau and Bruce Cunningham to call the team's games on WJFK (1300 AM) and WLIF (101.9 FM), beginning with next Saturday's first preseason contest.Garceau, sports director at Channel 2, will be the play-by-play announcer and Cunningham, who has the same duties at Channel 45, will act as color analyst."I'm excited about it. I love football and I'm glad to be a part of its coming back to Baltimore," said Garceau, 44, an announcer with Channel 2 since 1980.