Tailgating

The operator of Mother's Federal Hill Grille was ordered to pay $1,000 in fines yesterday for using the bar's "Purple Patio" parking lot as a party ground for tailgating bashes on Ravens game days. Baltimore's three-member Environmental Control Board, which hears cases on housing and sanitation complaints, found Mother's owner David C. Rather in violation of the city zoning code for converting the parking lot into a tailgating zone on game days. Rather, who was fined $500 on Aug. 5 and 12, the dates of two preseason games, said he will appeal the decision to the full, 13-member Environmental Control Board.

Preseason threats by city officials that they would crack down on large-scale football tailgate parties in neighborhoods outside PSINet Stadium didn't dampen enthusiastic parties before and after the Ravens' home-opening win yesterday. The tailgating went on in the face of pending appeals and permit applications. It went on in places that had already been fined during preseason games. In fact, by game time yesterday, overseers of some southern Baltimore gathering spots said the most they had seen of city zoning inspectors were their cars pulling up and pausing - before riding away.

The party's over. So say city zoning officials, who are cracking down on tailgate parties before Ravens home games in neighborhoods around PSINet Stadium. After complaints from community leaders, officials have shut down two of the largest tailgate parties, angering fans and event organizers, including one who says he will defy the order Sept. 10, the date of the Ravens' home opener. "I am going to fight and do whatever it takes to continue, even if they fine me every week," said Dave Rather, owner of Mother's Federal Hill Grille, which was fined $500 by Department of Housing and Community Development inspectors.

Larry the Cable Guy's done some tailgating in his day. Naturally, he's got some advice to offer. "First off," says Larry, who will be at M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday to tailgate with Ravens fans as part of a promotion for Prilosec OTC heartburn medicine, "you always wait about an hour before you lick the grill. That's always a priority. " Wise words, indeed. Anything else? Larry thinks for a moment. "You know it's a good tailgate," he offers, "when you actually miss the game.

In the latest (and most fun) sign of a recovering economy, the tailgating business is booming. Once upon a time, the average football fan was happy to get a cold sandwich and a thermos of coffee before a game. Now, that seems as quaint as leather helmets and wool uniforms. "You never have a bad time at a tailgate, regardless of whether your team wins or loses," says Patrick J. "P.J." O'Neil, vice president of Chicago-based American Tailgater, a tailgating-supply catalog company. "Our sales tripled last year in a down economy."

A silver candelabrum decorates the table. The chef drops live lobster into a steaming pot. Bearnaise sauce is warming - a tasty accompaniment for the filet mignon about to be flame-broiled. Exquisite. Scrumptious. Refined. And certainly not bad for parking-lot fare. Stand up and give a cheer for the world of big-time football tailgating, where pigskin fans and sometime gourmet chefs mix it up to see who can make the most memorable meal. Call it the punt, pass and poach competition. For 10 days each fall - more if the team earns home-field advantage in the playoffs - the asphalt-covered spaces outside the Baltimore Ravens' PSINet Stadium are home to a gastronomic tour de force.

Good morning --Ravens fans -- With a schedule full of 1 p.m. games, make sure to start your tailgating early this season.

Blustery weather held down the number of spectators for the Easter running of the Marlborough Hunt Races, but for die-hard fans, nothing could stand in the way of their annual opportunity to show off hats and tailgating skills.

WE'RE A FEW weeks into college football season, and for veteran alumni and recent graduates, the nostalgia for game-day camaraderie is hitting hard. You don't have to be a fat-cat donor to get in on the fun. Even with last-minute planning and a tight budget, you can find ways to reconnect with the spirit of college football weekend. Delta Air Lines is offering discounts on flights to select games this season through its Fan Fares promotion. Tickets are listed the Monday before kickoff at www.delta.

RALPH PRATT has come under fire in this column the past several weeks for his strategy of dealing with tailgaters. (He taps his brakes, and if that doesn't work, he'll slow down significantly, until they stop tailgating or pass him.) He has finally responded to these criticisms. "I did come up with my own rule regarding tailgating. And it works," he insisted. "Most people who see me flash my brake lights give me room. Few people will forget tailgating me." But then he also said, "I don't consider my driving aggressive.