Statistics

PASSING Att. Com. Pct. Yds. TD Int. Lg. Rat. Stafford 377 201 53.3 2267 13 20 75t 61.0 Culpepper 65 37 56.9 433 1 2 38 69.6 Stanton 11 5 45.5 57 0 2 22 22.0 Team 453 243 53.6 2757 ...

Thomas M. Neale's letter to the editor ("The wealthy pay more than their fair share," May 14) uses the usual Republican tactic of irrelevant statistics to confuse the issue of tax fairness. It does not matter that the top 1 percent of taxpayers pay 38 percent of income taxes. What matters is what percentage of their income do they pay in taxes - and not just income taxes, but all taxes. In the tax year of 2010, Only 42 percent of federal revenue came from income taxes. The rest came from payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicare taxes, 40 percent)

Avg: Vladimir Guerrero .290 HR: Mark Reynolds 37 RBI: Mark Reynolds 86 SB: Robert Andino 13 Wins: Zach Britton 11 Saves: Kevin Gregg 22 ERA: Jeremy Guthrie 4.33 Strikeouts: Jeremy Guthrie 130

Here are a few notes that didn't make Sunday's article on Maryland's 11-5 upset of No. 2 seed Johns Hopkins in Saturday's NCAA tournament quarterfinal due to space constraints. *The last time the Terps beat the Blue Jays by at least six goals was April 14, 2006 when Maryland cruised to an 11-4 triumph. It was also the last time the defense limited Johns Hopkins to less than six goals. *The Terps improved to 10-2 this year and 92-9 since 2002 when scoring at least 10 goals in a contest.

I 'm getting tired of working for the man. Not The Baltimore Sun. I mean my job with Capital One, the credit-card company. And all the work I do for Verizon and M&T Bank. And Southwest Airlines. Verizon signed me up as a broadband network technician. When the router or modem goes out on my Internet service (rare, it's true), the guy who fixes it is me. I'm a data-entry clerk for Capital One. They make me key in my card number and other stuff when I call so they don't have to. I check myself in for Southwest flights and serve as my own teller at M&T's money dispenser.

A little over 10 months ago, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti provided a timetable for negotiations with quarterback Joe Flacco on a long-term contract extension. "I would anticipate an extension that starts in 2012," Bisciotti told The Baltimore Sun. "Our goal is to get it done for 2012 for sure. " The clock is officially ticking. The Ravens start the offseason with numerous questions to answer. They have 13 unrestricted free agents, including star running back Ray Rice and Pro Bowl left guard Ben Grubbs.

The information age is in full bloom. Rapid developments in technology let us store, retrieve and analyze data — available, literally, at our fingertips — at an unprecedented rate. Academic journals in all disciplines, newspapers, websites and cable television bombard readers and viewers with statistics and statistical analysis. Opinion polls tell us how we think or feel and who will win an election before the actual voting takes place. As reliable or unreliable as the flood of statistical information may be, it inevitably forms the basis for countless important decisions.

What the statistics say : James Padgett leads the ACC in  offensive rebounds (4.1 per game). What it means : It means that, minus Jordan Williams this season, Padgett has moved to fill some inside gaps. He's found himself as an inside player. That's important given that the Terps will play some big, deep teams this season (Duke, Carolina) that will more than challenge Maryland's front line. But I have to ask…if Padgett can average four offensive rebounds per game, why can't he be among the defensive rebounding leaders as well?

Every family celebrates Thanksgiving differently. Some focus on the founding of our nation while others reflect upon their personal blessings, but for almost everyone the celebrating revolves around food and drink. In today's modern and fast-paced economy, there is a huge gap between the producers and the end-users of any product. Children do not know that beef comes from cows. Supermarket cashiers can't identify the vegetables they ring up on the register. Consumers, no longer tied to the land, don't take the time to stop and reflect upon the year's worth of labor that went into harvesting a crop whether it be grapes or grain.

State: From July 2009 to June 2010, 38 people were killed in domestic violence incidents in Maryland, including seven in Anne Arundel County, two in Prince George's County, two in Montgomery County, and one in Howard County. Eighteen of the 38 were females: 10 were killed by boyfriends, seven by ex-boyfriends and one by a relative. Eighteen of the 38 were males: Five were killed by an intimate partner or ex-girlfriend; five committed suicide after killing or attempting to murder a girlfriend; three were killed by wives or ex-wives; two were killed by police after murdering or attempting to murder a girlfriend; one was killed by a girlfriend; one was killed by an ex-girlfriend; one was killed by a relative.

Ron Smith often seems to be out of touch with the working man's heartbeat. His latest column ("Is serious social unrest in our future?" Oct. 7) is full of his favorite go-to guys off the bench, statistics, as essentially the sole support for his contentions. The problem with this approach was identified quite astutely by Mark Twain when he noted, there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Statistics are fine as one component to measure trends as long as we don't deliberately or inadvertently omit other crucial information.

Terrence Cody isn't a highlight machine or a stats maniac, but the nose tackle has been a factor in the defense's performance this season. Sandwiched by two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and defensive Cory Redding, Cody has stabilized the Ravens' three-man front in their 3-4 defensive alignment. And despite the lack of statistics, Cody's play has not escaped the attention of his coaches. “Is he becoming dominant in there? He dominates in there quite a bit,” coach John Harbaugh said during his weekly briefing on Monday.