Unfinished Business

Nothing unites a region quite like a major sports event, and Baltimore has a doozy tomorrow evening. For those living in sufficient isolation to be ignorant of this (a cable-free cabin in the mountains, a hole in the backyard), the Ravens play the Indianapolis Colts in an NFL divisional round playoff game. Even Baltimoreans who do not customarily spend their weekends with eyes glued on televised professional football are likely to understand the significance of this. Of all the 31 franchises in all the U.S. cities, it had to be the Colts -- betrayers of Baltimore, back-stabbing users of Mayflower moving vans in the dead of night, the true love that traded Crabtown for cornstalks.

From extending inside linebacker Ray Lewis' last hurrah to getting to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2001 to beating a rival in the New England Patriots, the Ravens have plenty of motivation heading into Sunday's AFC championship game. But, according to the players, revenge is not one of them. Yes, the memory of last year's 23-20 loss to the Patriots in the AFC championship still lingers around town, but strong safety Bernard Pollard did not mince any words when asked if the team has some “unfinished business” to complete in Foxborough, Mass.

Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski remembers the exact moment when the "light clicked on" for midfielder John Stertzer late in his sophomore year in a game against Virginia. Until then, Stertzer had shown flashes of greatness, but was at times inconsistent, drawing the ire of his coach. It was during that game against the Cavaliers that Stertzer emerged as a complete two-way player, scoring on a header in the 47th minute and playing flawless defensively in a 2-0 victory. Now a senior, Stertzer heard the overtures at the end of last season, with some predicting he would be a first-round pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

Maryland coach Sasho Cirovski remembers the exact moment when the "light clicked on" for midfielder John Stertzer late in his sophomore year in a game against Virginia. Until then, Stertzer had shown flashes of greatness, but was at times inconsistent, drawing the ire of his coach. It was during that game against the Cavaliers that Stertzer emerged as a complete two-way player, scoring on a header in the 47th minute and playing flawless defensively in a 2-0 victory. Now a senior, Stertzer heard the overtures at the end of last season, with some predicting he would be a first-round pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

Just like our government, the tax-and-spend loving Sun doesn't get it ("Unfinished business," May 16). It's not really about a lousy 1 percent or 2 percent gas or income tax increase. The people of this state are rebelling against wasteful spending and ever-increasing budgets by our greedy, clueless government. If for once in their pathetic political lives, our politicians would start spending our money in a responsible and frugal manner, then just maybe we would be willing to consider an increase in taxes or fees without "hand-wringing and demagoguery" as suggested by The Sun. Here's my suggestion to our legislators: Stop the indiscriminate, wasteful spending, bloated budgets, and stealing of funds and replace all the money pilfered from our transportation fund, and maybe you would have enough money to fund needed projects without raising taxes in this depressed economy of ours.

Not long after the Maryland General Assembly last adjourned back in mid-April, gasoline prices were approaching $4 a gallon. Currently, a price-conscious shopper can purchase a gallon of regular unleaded in the Baltimore area for as little as $3.50. That's a 50-cent swing in prices, essentially a 12.5 percent discount from just one month ago. So, Mr. and Mrs. Average Maryland Consumer, has this drop in prices had a huge impact on your life? Has it revived the economy? Put the unemployed back to work?

Gov. Martin O'Malley and the state's two presiding officers plan to hold a news conference Wednesday morning to lay out plans for the upcoming special session. It's expected to be a fast and highly choreographed session focused on addressing unfinished business with the state's budget, including a hike in income taxes. The Annapolis news conference will be the first time O'Malley, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller and House Speaker Michael E. Busch appear jointly to answer questions since session ended in early April.

Money sure is good Juan C. Rodriguez Sun Sentinel Bud Selig's $18.4 million salary dwarfs those of NFL and NBA counterparts Roger Goodell ($10.9 million) and David Stern ($10 million). Why wouldn't he want to stick around? Under Selig's watch, the sport's revenues have ballooned from $1.4 billion (1995) to $7 billion (2010). From 1995-00, in the aftermath of the last work stoppage, those revenues on average rose 19.5 percent annually. Selig's tenure has endured a few hiccups.

Danica Patrick couldn't quite believe what was happening Thursday evening. There she was, riding in a golf cart, taking a tour of the city's new 2.03-mile temporary street course, trying to get a feel for the new track that will host Sunday's inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix, when all at once she found herself in the middle of rush hour traffic. "If I was in a car, I think I would have been pretty ticked off," Patrick said. "The light changed and they sent us right into the traffic.

When Dwight Barbiasz attempted the New Hampshire state-record high jump, the entire track meet halted to watch. Normally, with more eyes comes added pressure. For Barbiasz, it was extra motivation. He nailed it. "He told me he wasn't nervous," said Chris Barbiasz, Dwight's father. "He said it helped him jump higher. " The younger Barbiasz isn't one to shrink from a challenge. Coming out of Milford (N.H.) High School, he had plenty of high-profile suitors for his leaping services.

Chances are your brackets are sufficiently busted after VCU knocked off Kansas on Sunday to set up a very unlikely Final Four. But with little bracket bias left, we can sit back and enjoy what should be an intriguing four-team tournament this weekend. You've got 11th-seeded VCU, which has gone from play-in game winner to one of the unlikeliest Final Four teams in NCAA tournament history. You've got another mid-major team -- and last year's national runner-up -- in Butler, which feels it has unfinished business.

You can't blame Bob Ehrlich too much. The elephant in the room is not a Republican. The elephant in the room is the Maryland Democratic Party. In 2010, Maryland might be the bluest of all the blue states, making it impossible for even a well-financed Republican to win a gubernatorial election here for the foreseeable future. Republicans are heavily outnumbered and organizationally outclassed by Democrats. Let's face it: The main reason Bob Ehrlich was governor at all — from 2003 until 2007 — was because he defeated a weak opponent in 2002, and the state Democratic Party is unlikely to let that kind of thing happen again.