Today S Game

When the NBA season began just over a week ago, who would have imagined the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks among the league's unbeaten teams? That people would actually be yearning to see more Sacramento Kings games on television, and that the Boston Celtics would look like a team to beat in the Eastern Conference?Those were some of the early surprises in the league over its first week. And while in time legitimate contenders will play up to expectations, the competitive play of perennial doormats does provide excitement at a time when the league needs a boost.

The Ravens' .500 record through their first four games?"Doesn't mean anything, really," safety Rod Woodson said.If any team should know that, it's the Ravens.Incredibly, they have never been under .500 after four games since coming to Baltimore in 1996. Their overall record in the season's first quarter is 9-7. Pretty respectable.But they're 9-26-1 in the season's last three quarters.Their true, losing colors have always come out after a first month of .500 or better.In other words, crunch time for the Ravens starts now, with today's game against the Titans in Tennessee.

Call it the law of unintended consequences.When the NFL added two more wild-card teams to the playoffs in 1990 and took the bye away from the conference champions with the third-best record, the idea was to create more TV attractions by having four games -- instead of two -- played during the wild-card weekend.What really happened is that they gave a huge advantage to the four teams that have byes the first weekend. Teams with first-round byes have filled 14 of the 16 Super Bowl berths in the eight years this system has been in effect.

EastGiants QB Kent Graham felt woozy after throwing three interceptions and being lifted last Sunday against Philadelphia, but he was lucid enough to lobby for his job. "A lot of quarterbacks have thrown three interceptions during a game. Troy Aikman has thrown three in a game, and Jake Plummer has thrown three or four in a game and they're still in there playing. Today, it just didn't work for me," he said. It turned out that Giants coach Jim Fassel didn't have to make a decision because the doctors discovered Graham had suffered a concussion.

Cal Ripken claimed to see a light at the end of the tunnel Thursday concerning his recovery from lower-back pain.Yesterday, he saw something else: his name in the lineup.After missing consecutive starts for the first time since September 1981, Ripken returned to third base last night against the Toronto Blue Jays. Braving wet and windy conditions, he doubled to right-center off starter Kelvim Escobar in the second inning, driving in Albert Belle. Ripken grounded out twice and popped up in his other at-bats.

Ask Centennial girls soccer coach Mike Senisi to mention a few of his top players, and he hems and haws."We have 21 players and a name Centennial," Senisi said. "That's the way I look at it."And that's the way Senisi likes it.Centennial is 6-2 overall and, at 3-0, one of three unbeaten teams in the county along with River Hill and Glenelg. The 10th-ranked Eagles have won back to back one-goal games against Hammond and Long Reach, and will be tested again tomorrow when they visit 13th-ranked Mount Hebron.

AFC EastSince Jimmy Johnson became head coach in 1996, the Dolphins are 4-0 at home against Buffalo and 5-2 overall, including a 24-17 wild-card playoff victory last season. Doug Flutie, who has also played for Chicago and New England, has gone head-to-head with Dan Marino four times and has a 3-1 edge, with the playoff loss in January his only setback. CBS lobbied the league to give it the Broncos-Jets AFC title game rematch on Sunday as a lead-in to a Bill Parcells interview on "60 Minutes."

Talk about exceeding expectations.Soccer's world governing body originally advised the United States that high school stadiums in the Northeast would be good enough for the 1999 Women's World Cup.But America's "think-big" soccer marketers thought otherwise. So this afternoon, FIFA's men in suits will see a new women's champion determined in Pasadena, Calif., before nearly 90,000 spectators at a sold-out Rose Bowl.Even organizers of this third quadrennial tournament scarcely believe their success, which, in fact, is unprecedented in women's sports.

Angels: Center fielder Jim Edmonds left the game in the fourth inning and was taken for precautionary X-rays on his ribs after crashing into a wall twice in the past eight days, according ++ to manager Terry Collins. He likely will be given today off. Gary DiSarcina played his 969th career game, surpassing Bob Boone for fifth place on the team's all-time list.Blue Jays: Dave Stieb's last victory came with the White Sox on April 29, 1993. His last win in Toronto was May 26, 1992.Devil Rays: Infielder Kevin Stocker broke his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the second inning of the first game.

There can be no more excuses after today.Jim Harbaugh is back at quarterback. Eric Green returns at tight end. Wally Williams is again the starting center, and Ben Cavil is at left guard. And to help inspire his team, coach Ted Marchibroda has pulled out an old motivator: The old "home team against the media" trick.On the field, the Ravens (2-5) will try to climb back into the AFC playoff race when they play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) at Ravens stadium. The Ravens have lost their last three games, while Jacksonville has lost two in a row."

Delaware (6-3) at Navy (7-3) Time: : 3:30 p.m. TV: : CBS College Sports Radio: : 1090 AM, 1430 AM Series: : Tied 7-7 Last meeting:: Delaware beat Navy, 59-52, on Nov. 14, 2007 Murray means business: : Junior FB Vince Murray has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the past four games, becoming the first Navy running back to do so since Napoleon McCallum in 1983. Since becoming the starter in mid-October, Murray is averaging 6 yards per carry and has scored five touchdowns.

FREEL ALL OVER Ryan Freel started at second base, and by the end of the game he probably wished he had missed the bus. He had a solid game at the plate, bouncing a double over the center-field fence to lead off the first inning and driving in a run with a single in the fourth, but he was hit by pitches in his other two plate appearances and is taking some lumps as he moves around the infield on defense. Freel has not gotten off to a great start at the plate, but the 2-for-2 performance raised his Grapefruit League batting average from .182 to .250.

News item: The Ravens could clinch a playoff berth before they take the field for today's late-afternoon game against the Jacksonville Jaguars if the New England Patriots lose their 1 p.m. season finale in Buffalo. My take: That would be nice because there are several banged-up Ravens players who would look good relaxing on the bench all afternoon, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Related news item: Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi is expected to miss today's game against the Bills, and defensive end Richard Seymour is out. My take: Losing two key defensive players would make it that much tougher to win on the road, but I agree with John Harbaugh.

Today's game is going to come down to whether the Ravens' secondary can keep Tony Romo from burning it too often and whether the Cowboys' offensive line can keep Romo in one piece and in the game. It's a tough matchup for the Ravens (the Cowboys are 6-1 this year at home), and, honestly, for the first time in weeks, I think I have to predict against them. I say Dallas wins, 20-17. Here's hoping I once again prove I'm not all that bright. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/cornersportsbar)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Today's game against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants can answer a big question about the Ravens. Are they playoff caliber? "I don't know if we worry about that at this point in the season," tight end Todd Heap said. "We're going in to win this game. And we'll let people talk about that after that happens." Said linebacker Ray Lewis: "For us, it's just the next game up. We take the same approach with every game, and the guys do a great job with it."

News item: Ravens rookie Joe Flacco will get an up-close look at superstar QB counterpart Peyton Manning today when the Ravens play the Indianapolis Colts at brand-new Lucas Oil Stadium. My take: Here's hoping he doesn't get an even closer look at All-Pro defensive end Dwight Freeney over the course of the afternoon. News item: The Ravens begin a span of six weeks that features five road games, including the one in Houston that filled in their bye week. My take: That's why today's game might determine how we look at this team for the rest of the season.

Judging from the actions of coach Wade Phillips, WR Terrell Owens and CB Adam Jones, the Cowboys are either unraveling in Week 6 or playing an inside joke. This much seems clear: After losing to the Redskins and nearly the Bengals, they aren't the same team that won their first three games decisively. Phillips was so incensed by a reporter's suggestion that Dallas "stunk" against Cincinnati that he stalked off in mid-news conference. Owens went from complaining one week about his number of chances per game to crying in front of the media over the loss of a family member the next.

1 ALCS, Part Deux : It's pivotal Game 2 of the Rays-Red Sox series, at Tampa Bay (8:07 p.m., TBS). Why is it pivotal? Isn't every game pivotal? 2 OU-UT in Big D: As if the Red River Rivalry weren't enough, Oklahoma (left) is ranked No. 1 and Texas No. 5 for their game at noon (chs. 2, 7). Boomer Sooner or Hook 'em, 'Horns? 3 It keeps you: runnin': Can't make it downtown to the Baltimore Marathon? Channel 11 has coverage. The race starts at 8 a.m. You can run in place. 4 Does that help?

It has become known as "the streak," an important lowercase distinction so as not to confuse it with the one crafted by Baltimore sports icon Cal Ripken Jr. and revered by his fans. This one wasn't built by a single man. An entire team can be credited for the 14 straight losses on Sundays - a day of unrest for the Orioles. And that's a streak of a different color. And feel. And sentimentality. At least Ripken's was more easily understood. He willed his body to play in 2,632 games in a row, a phenomenal feat that seemed beyond comprehension at times but certainly could be explained.

Matchup -- MISL semifinals, Game 2: Blast (1-0) at Milwaukee Wave (0-1) Site -- U.S. Cellular Arena, Milwaukee Time -- 3 p.m. Radio -- 680 AM Outlook -- The Blast shoots for a berth in the Major Indoor Soccer League championship game after beating the Wave, 13-8, on Wednesday night behind veteran Denison Cabral's 11-point outburst. If the Wave wins today's game, advancement will be determined by the golden-goal format (first goal in the overtime period wins). Milwaukee won the only regular-season meeting at its home field, 16-12, and finished a league-best 13-2 at home en route to a 22-8 overall record.