Underdog

John Steadman, who chronicled the Maryland sports scene in his newspaper columns, books and commentaries in a career that spanned seven decades, died of cancer yesterday at a Towson hospice. He was 73. A one-time minor-league baseball player, Mr. Steadman rose to the top of his craft and won election to the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame last year. With a bent for the offbeat and a passion for the past, he fleshed out the seminal figures in sports, both celebrated and obscure, enlightening readers of Baltimore newspapers for more than a half-century.

Good morning--Fernando Gonzalez-- You're the ultimate Down Underdog.

NCAA line Regional semifinals Tomorrow Favorite Line Underdog At East Rutherford, N.J. Saint Joseph's 2 1/2 Wake Forest Oklahoma State 2 Pittsburgh At Phoenix Syracuse 1 1/2 Alabama Connecticut 9 Vanderbilt Friday At Atlanta Duke 7 Illinois Texas 2 Xavier At St. Louis Georgia Tech 4 Nevada Kansas 4 Alabama-Birmingham

ON AND OFF THE AIR:* Barbara Walters has an extended interview on ABC's "20/20" tonight with Terry Waite, the Anglican church negotiator who was held hostage in Lebanon for five years before his release last fall (at 10 p.m., Channel 13).The former prisoner discloses that at one point during his captivity he believed he might have been able to escape. But doing so could have meant shooting one of his guards, and he did not want to violate his pacifist beliefs.Waite also says he endured torture, a mock execution and four years in solitary confinement, and was apparently kidnapped because his captors believed he was spying for the U.S. government in seeking a release of all hostages.

Ross is in this thing to win. The question is: Win what?If George is planning a December recognition of Hanoi, he ought to say so now. An underdog incumbent should not be shy about doing right.Bill promised to lower the tax bills of the middle class. He didn't say in which term, or who he means by middle class.Madonna could do for pornography what Jane Fonda did for workout video.Someone explain why Somalis are better off "independent" than they were under colonialism. And be quick about it.

Kanye West ESSENTIALS: A Chicago rapper with limited mike skills, West was underdog producer before becoming The Rap Diva. He made beats for Jay-Z and other hip-hop stars before releasing three multiplatinum albums of his own. WHAT TO EXPECT : West is the centerpiece of his over-the-top production, complete with glow-in-the-dark backdrops, whose ambition strives to match the size of his ego. No word on whether he'll have that production-heavy set at...

The Ravens' motivation for tomorrow night comes from the chance to end the New England Patriots' perfect season, stop a franchise-worst five-game losing streak and make NFL history of their own. If the 20-point-underdog Ravens beat the undefeated Patriots, it would mark the biggest upset in 33 years, at least by Las Vegas standards. In recorded oddsmaker history, only one team has won an NFL game after being an underdog of at least 20 points. It occurred in 1974, when the San Diego Chargers upended the heavily favored Cincinnati Bengals, 20-17.

Were you swept away by the wartime love story Atonement? Are you rooting for the underdog teen comedy Juno? The Sunwants to know your choices for this year's Oscars ? and why you chose them. You can weigh in on any or all of the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, BestActor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. (A complete list of nominees can be found at baltimoresun.com/ oscars.) Send your picks to arts@baltsun.com by Feb. 21. We'll publish the best responses in the Arts & Life Today section on Feb. 24. Please put "Oscars" in the subject line and include your name and a phone number where we can reach you to verify the information.

As underdogs, the No. 16 seeds in the NCAA tournament really do have all the appeal of puppies: cute, endearing and, well, harmless. In the 23 years since the tournament expanded to 64 teams (and now 65), not one of the 92 No. 16-seed Davids has successfully sucker punched a No. 1-seed Goliath. So Mount St. Mary's 69-60 triumph over Coppin State in the play-in game Tuesday -- as exhilarating as it might have been for the Mountaineers and their fans -- could be considered a somewhat hollow victory since the payoff is the distinction of playing the overall No. 1 seed, North Carolina, in the first round tomorrow.