Trinidad And Tobago

WE DON'T have palm trees growing in Linthicum. But we can pretend we are in the islands as we sit under the canopy of shade trees in Linthicum Park enjoying the Caribbean sounds of the Trinidad and Tobago Steelband.The concert is at 6 p.m. July 20, the third of six Concerts in the Park sponsored by the Woman's Club of Linthicum Heights.This evening's concert will be the swinging sounds of the Crabtowne Big Band.Concertgoers are invited to bring a picnic supper and blankets or chairs for grass seating.

Golf Terps ' Bosdosh shoots 69 to win Md. Open Sean Bosdosh , from Clarksburg and Holly Hills Country Club, sank an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to close out a final-round 69 and win the Maryland State Golf Association's 91st Maryland Open championship with a 54-hole total of 12-under-par 204 at Old South CC in southern Anne Arundel County on Wednesday. "My brother [ Stephen , his caddie] told me the read - it was just outside right edge," Bosdosh said.

Clifton Park will look, feel and sound like the Caribbean this weekend. The annual Trinidad and Tobago Days Festival takes over the park, featuring the music, food and culture of the two islands, located just off the coast of Venezuela. "This year we are focusing on an old-time calypso theme," says Gloria Gibbs of the Trinidad & Tobago Association of Baltimore, the sponsoring group of the festival. Calypso is considered the originating music of the islands, with its lively beat and often improvised lyrics.

1 It's a wrap?: The Phillies (left) could put themselves into the World Series with a victory in Los Angeles (8:22 p.m., chs. 45, 5). That makes this game ... pivotal. 2 Pick four: The PGA Grand Slam of Golf finishes today (5 p.m., TNT). Here's a prediction: The winner will be Jim Furyk, Padraig Harrington, Retief Goosen or Trevor Immelman. 3 No pressure: The U.S. soccer team already has advanced to the next round of World Cup qualifying, but the opponent tonight (8, ESPN), Trinidad and Tobago, needs a victory.

J. Fife Symington Jr., who helped bring international air flights to Baltimore through Pan American World Airways and was a former ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, died of old-age complications Sunday at the Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The Glyndon resident was 97. Mr. Symington worked to establish early commercial aviation routes and was among the first employees to open the Pan Am terminal at what is now the Dundalk Marine Terminal in 1937. Born in Baltimore, he was attracted to flying through an uncle, John Hambleton, a World War I flying ace who was a Pan American founder.

Golf Terps ' Bosdosh shoots 69 to win Md. Open Sean Bosdosh , from Clarksburg and Holly Hills Country Club, sank an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to close out a final-round 69 and win the Maryland State Golf Association's 91st Maryland Open championship with a 54-hole total of 12-under-par 204 at Old South CC in southern Anne Arundel County on Wednesday. "My brother [ Stephen , his caddie] told me the read - it was just outside right edge," Bosdosh said.

Poe at Hampton See how Edgar Allan Poe influenced the literary culture of 19th-century Baltimore from the poet himself. David Keltz will take on the personality of Poe during a one-hour program at the Hampton National Historic Site Sunday at 2 p.m. The event will also include readings from Poe's works. The Hampton National Historic Site is at 535 Hampton Lane in Towson. Admission is free. Call 410-823-1309 or visit www.nps.gov/hamp. Trinidad and Tobago Explore the culture, history, government and attractions of Trinidad and Tobago at the 19th annual Trinidad and Tobago Days festival this weekend at the Clifton Park Bandshell.

NOW OR NEVER If you can't fly to Trinidad and Tobago this weekend, try the next best thing -- the Trinidad and Tobago Days festival Saturday and Sunday at the Clifton Park Bandshell. The event will feature music, dancing, videos from Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean and Trinidadian foods and crafts. The Trinidad and Tobago Days festival is Saturday and Sunday at the Clifton Park Bandshell, St. Lo Drive. Hours are 1 p.m.-9 p.m. both days. Ad-mission is $5 on Saturday, $8 on Sunday. Children under 10 get in free both days.

World Cup soccer qualifying 8 p.m. [ESPN2] The United States faces Trinidad and Tobago. In a qualifier Saturday night, the U.S. played its first game in Cuba since 1947, defeating the host team, 1-0. The Americans lead their group in the semifinals. The top two teams advance to a six-team regional final, with three teams able to win automatic berths for the 2010 World Cup. (Information courtesy of the Associated Press - because I know less about soccer than I do about obscure sports-related movies that sometimes appear here.

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad - Soccer came of age in the United States in 1989 when the national team qualified for its first World Cup finals in 40 years, thanks to a gritty victory on the road over Trinidad and Tobago. Since that time, the team has transformed itself from a plucky group of collegiate players to a regional power, now poised to join a few select countries that have qualified for five straight finals. The final round of qualifying for a spot in Germany in 2006 begins today in the heat, humidity and emotionally charged atmosphere of Carnival season in Trinidad (2:30 ET, ESPN2)

World Cup soccer qualifying 8 p.m. [ESPN2] The United States faces Trinidad and Tobago. In a qualifier Saturday night, the U.S. played its first game in Cuba since 1947, defeating the host team, 1-0. The Americans lead their group in the semifinals. The top two teams advance to a six-team regional final, with three teams able to win automatic berths for the 2010 World Cup. (Information courtesy of the Associated Press - because I know less about soccer than I do about obscure sports-related movies that sometimes appear here.

BEIJING - Usain Bolt isn't among the many athletes who listen to music with headphones before they compete. His coach, Glen Mills, doesn't allow it, worrying it will interfere with Bolt's concentration. But that didn't stop Bolt from doing a little dancing before he stepped into the blocks last night at the Olympics, before the crowd of 91,000 at the Bird's Nest went quiet for the start of the men's 100-meter final. Bolt won the 100 meters in a time, 9.69 seconds, that broke his own 11-week-old world record of 9.72.

J. Fife Symington Jr., who helped bring international air flights to Baltimore through Pan American World Airways and was a former ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago, died of old-age complications Sunday at the Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. The Glyndon resident was 97. Mr. Symington worked to establish early commercial aviation routes and was among the first employees to open the Pan Am terminal at what is now the Dundalk Marine Terminal in 1937. Born in Baltimore, he was attracted to flying through an uncle, John Hambleton, a World War I flying ace who was a Pan American founder.

FESTIVAL WINE TASTING AND JAZZ Eat, drink and be merry for a great cause Saturday at the Charm City Wine Tasting "Warm Days ... Cool Nights, the Wine Experience II" at the Eubie Blake Center. The event benefits the Baltimore City Cancer Program at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center. WBFF Fox-45 news anchor Patrice Harris will host this cultural evening of wine tasting, jazz by saxophonist Art Sherrod, art, spoken word / poetry, a silent auction and a buffet.

If being a soccer fan in America is wrong, I don't want to be right. It's shameful that sports fans in this country huddle behind the provincial boundaries of a few America-centric professional sports. There's a big world out there, and most of it is focused on the World Cup right now. While you were carving out time to watch the fourth-place Orioles play the fourth-place Minnesota Twins over the weekend, you probably missed much of the drama that was playing out in Germany. Take Saturday, for instance, when Paraguay scored the only goal of the game against England and lost, 1-0 ... or when Trinidad and Tobago took a raucous victory lap after playing heavily favored Sweden to a 0-0 tie. England won on an "own goal" when a Paraguayan defender accidentally headed David Beckham's free kick past his own goalie.

With the World Cup beginning Friday in Germany, Mike Penner of the Los Angeles Times argues with himself over whether soccer has finally arrived in the United States. Soccer yea World Cup Starts Friday, ends July 9 in Germany First U.S. match: Vs. Czech Republic, next Monday, noon, ESPN2 Group-by-group outlook Group A Skinny -- Germany, the host nation and three-time champion, finally is ready to shake off years of angst over the way in which coach Jurgen Klinsmann has built his team, the players he has chosen and the methods he has employed.

BEIJING - Usain Bolt isn't among the many athletes who listen to music with headphones before they compete. His coach, Glen Mills, doesn't allow it, worrying it will interfere with Bolt's concentration. But that didn't stop Bolt from doing a little dancing before he stepped into the blocks last night at the Olympics, before the crowd of 91,000 at the Bird's Nest went quiet for the start of the men's 100-meter final. Bolt won the 100 meters in a time, 9.69 seconds, that broke his own 11-week-old world record of 9.72.

FESTIVAL WINE TASTING AND JAZZ Eat, drink and be merry for a great cause Saturday at the Charm City Wine Tasting "Warm Days ... Cool Nights, the Wine Experience II" at the Eubie Blake Center. The event benefits the Baltimore City Cancer Program at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center. WBFF Fox-45 news anchor Patrice Harris will host this cultural evening of wine tasting, jazz by saxophonist Art Sherrod, art, spoken word / poetry, a silent auction and a buffet.

HELSINKI, Finland - Joel Brown is the sixth-best 110-meter hurdler in the world - and not very happy about it. "I'm just not satisfied," the former Woodlawn High star said after his sixth-place finish last night in the 10th world championships of track and field. Brown, who recently ran 13.22 seconds in a race on the European circuit, was timed in 13.47, one of his slower times of the year, in the final at Olympic Stadium. In a shocker, the gold medal went to France's Ladji Doucoure in 13.07, the silver to China's Xiang Liu in 13.08 and the bronze in 13.10 to America's Allen Johnson, from Burke, Va,., who had won four previous world championships.

NOW OR NEVER If you can't fly to Trinidad and Tobago this weekend, try the next best thing -- the Trinidad and Tobago Days festival Saturday and Sunday at the Clifton Park Bandshell. The event will feature music, dancing, videos from Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean and Trinidadian foods and crafts. The Trinidad and Tobago Days festival is Saturday and Sunday at the Clifton Park Bandshell, St. Lo Drive. Hours are 1 p.m.-9 p.m. both days. Ad-mission is $5 on Saturday, $8 on Sunday. Children under 10 get in free both days.