Watch The Game

IT WAS big, almost as big as the girl waving it over her head. It was bright orange with black lettering, and it read, "Welcome Back Raffy." It was held aloft behind the Orioles' dugout about two hours before the first pitch at Camden Yards last night, and it was the first sign, no pun intended, that things were back to normal. Rafael Palmeiro had returned, he had finally spoken (but on the advice of my attorney, I can't tell you what he said), and he was embraced, at least by those who got to the ballpark early enough for batting practice.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- You're Chuck Daly. You're 60 years old and have never been more rich, famous or successful. The question you had to ask yourself last summer was, "Do I need this anymore?"NBC was ready to drop 400 big ones on you just to be its color man. No stress. No sweat. Just watch a lot of games on the side and open your mouth alongside Costas or Albert every now and then and stick the checks in the bank. The one-point games, the fan and media pressure, the referees . . . all this would be someone else's problem.

SAN ANTONIO - Georgia Tech center Luke Schenscher's nickname is "The Big Fundamental." If you watched him play last year, you would know why. If you watched him play last night, there would be a change of opinion. Lost among guard Will Bynum's layup with 1.5 seconds remaining, giving Georgia Tech a 67-65 win over Oklahoma State in the NCAA semifinals, was the play of Schenscher, who scored a game-high 19 points. But that's the way it has been all year for Schenscher. He just does the dirty work while most of the publicity goes to Jarrett Jack, Marvin Lewis and B.J. Elder.

My husband and I were standing in an enormous human bottleneck outside Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, waiting to clear security and take our seats at last month's Army-Navy game - President Bush was attending - when we came to the same conclusion. We'd driven a little over two hours to get there, and then we sat in traffic for 45 minutes. While waiting to go through the metal detectors, we missed all the pre-game pageantry, the kickoff and the first score. We were cold and hungry.

SAN DIEGO -- The All-Star Game means different things to different people, especially the three very different people who will represent the Orioles tonight in the 63rd All-Star Game at Jack Murphy Stadium.To Mike Mussina, who earned a spot on the All-Star pitching staff in his first full major-league season, it is a coming of age.To Brady Anderson, who also will be making his first All-Star appearance, it is homecoming.To Cal Ripken, who will play in the All-Star Game for the 10th straight year, it is another jewel in the crown.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It's not exactly known how much Bruce Chen was affected by Carl Crawford's grounder that hit the Orioles starter flush in the left shin in the first inning last night. For his part, Chen said that he doesn't like making excuses and that he wasn't affected at all. But at the very least, the pitcher that lifted himself off the ground after getting hit by the second batter of the game was not the one the Orioles have grown accustomed to all season. Suddenly, the Orioles' most reliable starter was hitting batters, missing the strike zone and on the occasion that he was finding it, balls were getting sprayed all over Tropicana Field, including the bleachers.

A major fan of the KeysHow much I enjoyed reading the articles on the Frederick Keys.I, too, find myself driving to their games, several times a summer. From my house in Irvington, I can drive, park and walk to Grove Stadium in just slightly over the same amount of time it takes me to drive and negotiate the traffic to Memorial Stadium and park and walk from my car. Tickets are cheaper for the Keys, seats are better and the atmosphere is delightful.While watching a Keys game (or a Suns game; I try to get there at least once a season)

Hey, Jim Kelly! Try some warm olive oil on top of your head, ya big crybaby.Hey, Marv Levy, put a bookmark in it. Patton never won a Super Bowl, and all that history hasn't done you much good, either.And Thurman Thomas, hang on to your helmet. Art Donovan once played with a guy who didn't think he needed one.You, Cowboys. America isn't big enough for America's team and Donovan, America's most loquacious and irreverent former Baltimore Colt.As the Dallas Cowboys and the Buffalo Bills prepared for Super Bowl XXVII today, The Sun checked in with Donovan, the Hall of Fame defensive lineman, to record his unvarnished opinions.

On Nightlife With the Ravens out of town last week, there was no better time to hunker down at a Fells Point pub and watch the action on the tube. Granted, Fells Point bars have their drawbacks. They can be small, dirty, smoky and filled with big, dirty, smoky people. s is at 1629 Thames St. Call 410-522-5820. sam.sessa@baltsun.com

LAS VEGAS -- Dennis Kelley, a nurse from Pittsburgh, came prepared for Super Bowl Sunday at Caesars Palace. Kelley had his Ben Roethlisberger jersey. He wore his gold football pants. He even pulled on his throwback Steelers leather helmet. And he had a pillow. If you want a good perch to watch the Super Bowl here, you better have a game plan. Kelley's strategy was to get to the Caesars Palace sports and race book, one of Vegas' premier spots to watch the game, early enough to save seats for his fiancee and her aunt.