Upton

A 31-year-old man was shot in the buttock about 11 p.m. Wednesday in West Baltimore's Upton neighborhood, city police reported. The victim was walking in the 400 block of W. Mosher St. when another man passed him. The shooter looked at the victim and then, unprovoked, fired several rounds, police said. The victim ran home, near the shooting scene, and called 911. He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Police did not identify the victim because his family had not been notified.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays just wouldn't allow themselves to give up on B.J. Upton, even though he struggled in the infield, couldn't crack a crowded outfield and batted only .251 in two limited big league stints. Good thing for the Rays. Upton, the second overall pick in the 2002 draft, was leading the American League with a .381 average heading into Friday. Just 22, he also was among the league leaders in on-base percentage and slugging and led the Rays in RBIs and was tied for the lead in homers.

A West Baltimore community garden - suffering from years of neglect after contractors used it to dump building materials - turned into a political stump yesterday as some of the city's top officials vowed aggressive prosecution of illegal dumping and announced a renewed focus on preserving gardens to help quell crime and revitalize neighborhoods. Mayor Sheila Dixon, City Councilman and mayoral candidate Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. and City Council hopeful Adam S. Meister, who is campaigning to replace Mitchell in the 11th District, gathered in Upton to mark a rebirth of the decrepit garden near the 1200 block of Shields Place.

Rows of plump red tomatoes and crisp green beans have sprouted for more than a decade from the grounds of a West Baltimore alleyway that was once a haven for drug dealers, providing fresh organic produce to some of the city's less fortunate residents and instilling a sense of pride in a community where boarded-up rowhouses abound. But as a stretch of homes in the area has been touched by revitalization - selling now for more than $300,000 - the community garden in its midst has once again become a dumping ground.

Some of Baltimore's best amateur boxers will compete tonight against their counterparts from Washington, New Jersey and Philadelphia at the Upton Boxing Center, 1901 Pennsylvania Ave., in what has been dubbed "Baltimore's Boxing Bash." The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will feature Upton's 2006 Boxer of the Year, Angelo Ward. Admission is $10 for adults; $5 for children under 12. Information: 410-396-7900. Baltimore: Education Forums are set in CEO search The Baltimore school board will hold four community forums next week to gather public input as it conducts a search for a permanent chief executive officer.

While one Baltimore began shopping and planning for a Thanksgiving feast yesterday, another lined up around the block in a poor and careworn section of West Baltimore to accept free food and the generosity of strangers. More than 2,000 people -- from great-grandmothers to toddlers -- waited quietly, for hours, in a cold line that stretched around the block in the historic Upton neighborhood off Pennsylvania Avenue. For two hours, they funneled down a corridor of crowd barriers to collect food provided by Autumn Harvest 2006, a relief campaign organized by Virginia-based Operation Blessing International and held at different inner-city sites each year.

West Baltimore's Gervonta "Tank" Davis took three fierce jabs to the face in the second round, but the 2006 Silver Gloves national champion managed to hold his own yesterday against cross-town upstart Mack Allison IV. Of course, Tank has an unfair advantage: at age 11, he's got two years on Mack, who turned 9 last week. The two baby-faced fighters traded rather adult blows yesterday in a three-round exhibition match at the ceremonial reopening of the city-run Upton Boxing Center, which recently completed a $400,000 renovation.

The light in his eyes goes out when you mention Manny Ramirez. But Hanley Ramirez? That name makes him so excited he seems ready to spout a sonnet on the spot. He is your fantasy league's "prospect guy." Come on, you know the type. In auctions, these guys reserve about 70 percent of their budgets for up-and-comers. They all picked Seattle Mariners starter Felix Hernandez in the third round this year. I'm pretty sure the "prospect-guy" traits are hardwired. These dudes are as helpless to battle their urges as the rest of us are to escape the baldness or beer gut passed down by dad. How do I know?

On February 3, 2006, GLORIA D. (nee Donovan); beloved wife of the late Fred Swindells; devoted mother of Gary Cawley & his wife Janet; loving grandmother of Gary, Jr. and Justin Cawley, Glenn, Jason and Brent Upton; cherished great-grandmother of Alec and Megan Upton. A Catholic Prayer Service will be held at the Connelly Funeral Home of Essex, 300 Mace Avenue, Tuesday 10 A.M. Interment Oak Lawn Cemetery. Visiting hours Monday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M.

On December 13, 2005, UPTON M. HOSHALL, devoted husband of Eugenia "Genie" (nee Black) Hoshall. Beloved father of Thomas D. "Mike" Hoshall, Neil L. Hoshall, Phyllis E. Hoshall and I. Chloe Wiessner. Also survived by two grandchildren, Wendy L. and Keith N. Wiessner, and two great grandchildren, Quinn Wiessner and Jace Skarulis. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Saturday, December 17, 2005 at J.J. Hartenstein Mortuary Inc., 24 Second St., New Freedom, Pa. Burial at Vernon United Methodist Cemetery, White Hall, Md. Friends may call at the Mortuary on Friday, December 16 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Memorial Contributions to Vernon United Methodist Church, c/o Carroll Slade, 2307 White Hall Road, White Hall, Md. 21161.