Team Meeting

Having to live through last Saturday's 22-17 home loss to the Bridgeport Barrage once was bad enough for the Bayhawks. But the team got a two-hour reminder Tuesday of how poorly it played when ESPN2 broadcast the game on tape. "It was embarrassing, the worst we've played in the team's three-year history," said defenseman Brian Reese. "Guys' egos were hurt. It was on national TV and we got it handed to us. The only way to answer that is to play well against New Jersey and get a win." Redemption is hardly the only motivating factor for the Bayhawks heading into tonight's 7:30 game against the Pride at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field.

Locker-room oratory is usually overdone, often backfires and is seldom memorable. Still, the NFL cannot live without it. Every game, every team meeting, requires a speech of some kind from the coach. Each coach applies his own concept of motivation. The best use an economy of words. The worst wade into hyperbole. Though the day of the rah-rah speech is largely gone from the league, the need for communication with the players will never disappear. "I think it will always be a part of leadership," said James Harris, director of pro personnel for the Ravens and one-time NFL quarterback.

The one given that comes with the county's field hockey championship game - set for 7 tonight at North County - is No. 7 Severna Park will be there. The opponent, however, varies from year to year. This time, it's No. 10 South River with the chance to defeat the Falcons. The Falcons (10-1-2) have won 23 of the 24 county championships - including a 2-1 win over Broadneck last year - and come into tonight's game with 10 straight shutout wins over the rest of the county. The Seahawks (11-1)

Home surroundings and a winless opponent provided the impetus last night for Morgan State, which made key plays in every phase of football and whipped Monmouth, 35-20, at Hughes Stadium. In the first meeting between the schools, the second half developed into an unpredictable battle of errors and turnovers, but the Bears converted more into points to earn their first victory since Oct. 13. Sophomore Thomas Potts came back from a series of injuries, including a hamstring pull and an ingrown toenail, to return a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown.

Ripken Stadium will celebrate another "first" tonight when the USA Baseball national team and the Japanese Collegiate All-Stars clash at 7 p.m. in the series opener of their 31st annual series. The five-game, five-site tour against Japan is the first step for the American team en route to the FISU World Championships in Messina, Italy, beginning on Aug. 3. Currently composed of collegiate freshmen and sophomores, the USA squad served as the nation's representative in the Olympic Games until 2000 when manager Tom Lasorda added minor-league pros to a roster that won the gold medal in Sydney, Australia.

Knowing a good promotion when they dream one up, the Single-A Frederick Keys treated their fans to "Guaranteed Win Week." Everyone in the crowd at Harry Grove Stadium could receive a complimentary general admission ticket for any May home game if the Keys were victorious last week. Just one catch: They had to stay until the end. That requires endurance and loyalty, because the Keys are off to the worst start in their 14-year history. No other team in the minors could match their 3-17 record heading into the weekend, with Frederick passing Savannah of the Single-A South Atlantic League on its way to the bottom.

Here's a real twist in sports. Towson's top gymnast, Kristen Presutti, is picking Maryland to win Saturday night's eight-team East Atlantic Gymnastics League championship at the Towson Center, and she is making no secret about it. "I've competed against them twice this year, and I know how good they are," said Presutti, who wouldn't even label her team a long shot. "Our chances are very slim." While the injury-hampered Tigers (13-13) have faltered, Presutti is easily having her best season.

The countdown to cutdowns has begun, and the Ravens made special note of it yesterday. In his team meeting, Ravens coach Brian Billick called the last four spots on the final roster open to anyone devoted to playing special teams. In 11 days, he'll determine who was listening. The Ravens will trim their current 79-player roster by eight on Tuesday and then cut down to their final 53-man roster on Sept. 2. While tomorrow's preseason game against the Carolina Panthers will represent a final curtain for some, it will become the perfect audition for others.

The crowning achievement in Rod Woodson's career left him more motivated than satisfied. Winning that elusive Super Bowl rewarded a 14-year chase for that championship moment yet fueled his desire to return in the process. Woodson will place his Super Bowl ring in a drawer after Saturday's ring ceremony and keep the Hall of Fame speech on hold. This season, it's all about repeating as champion and pursuing some personal redemption. "I'm hungrier this year than I was last year," said Woodson, who worked out with the team yesterday for the first time since the Super Bowl.

Cal Ripken isn't the only Oriole who has changed his stance. His manager did the same yesterday by returning him to the lineup. Mike Hargrove indicated Wednesday that he probably would keep Ripken on the bench for a second straight game after starting Mike Kinkade at third base that night. But Kinkade moved to left field yesterday, with Ripken taking his usual position rather than taking up space in the dugout. "I said it could be two. But what I wanted to do was get Kinkade some at-bats in a row, as much as anything," Hargrove said.