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Colleges Caringi equals UMBC mark with four goals in 7-1 rout Junior forward Pete Caringi III (Calvert Hall) tied a school record with four goals as UMBC (9-4-4, 3-2-1 America East) clinched a spot in the conference tournament with a 7-1 victory over visiting Hartford (7-8-1, 1-4-1). Caringi equaled the mark of Ted Lawler , who had four in a 1995 game against UMES. Caringi also became the third player in the country to score four goals in a game this season. "He has scored goals his entire life and is very confident right now," coach Pete Caringi Jr. said of his son. "It just seems like everything he hits is going in. The seven goals scored by the Retrievers are the most since they found the net seven times vs. St. Francis (Pa.)

OK, I was wrong about Billy Cundiff. Really, really wrong. Sharp readers of this newspaper - do we have any other kind? -- may recall that right before the season started, I wrote that the Ravens had made a mistake cutting Biilly Cundiff and going with rookie Justin Tucker as their kicker. I wrote that a team with serious designs on a Super Bowl berth needed an experienced kicker who had been through the NFL wars. And I wrote that Cundiff would bounce back from that disastrous 32-yard miss in the AFC title game last January against the New England Patriots and be dependable kicker again.

Editor: I am writing to thank everyone who came out to support my fundraiser held in the fellowship hall of Grace Reformed Episcopal Church in Havre de Grace. Mrs. Kimie Ranken made the event possible by reserving the hall as well as providing the many volunteers who prepared and served the delicious spaghetti. Special thanks to Jay and Barb Davis, Bill Ranken, Cape and Julie Ranken, Kate Sample, Bill Sedberry, Ann Stubbs, Dawn Specht and Pastor Mark Specht and his wife, Christine Specht, for working so diligently to make the evening a success.

Every week, I hope to bring you a quick Q&A with someone who covers the Ravens' opponent that week. On Thursday, the Ravens host the Cleveland Browns, so I chatted with Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal . MV: What have you seen from rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden over the past two months, from the start of training camp until today? And specifically, what strides has he made in his first three games? NU: I think his age, 28, and down-to-earth personality help him in the locker room, and he developed a leadership role almost immediately.

Every week, I hope to bring you a quick Q&A with someone who covers the Ravens' opponent that week. On Sunday night, the Ravens host the New England Patriots in a rematch of the AFC championship game. Since it's such a big game for both teams, let's go with double coverage this week. I chatted with Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe and Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald about a few hot topics entering Sunday night's game. MV: What is going on with Wes Welker? Julian Edelman replaced him in the starting lineup, but Welker ended up playing a lot after Aaron Hernandez injured his ankle early.

I almost didn't become a writer. By the time I returned to Baltimore after a few years abroad, I already held three university degrees and was taking a break from my fourth. Just one requirement away from an MA in creative writing, I was the most over-credentialed storyteller I knew. I was also a chicken. Too afraid to try to earn a living allowing what I'd learned in urban planning courses to inform my writing on cities, I took a job with Baltimore's department of planning instead.

Charles "Chuck" Busnuk, a retired Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene grants writer, died of cancer Aug. 31 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 64 and lived in Canton. Born in Baltimore and raised in Highlandtown, he was a 1966 graduate of Archbishop Curley High School, where he played the cymbals in the school band. He earned a bachelor's degree in geography from Morgan State University. In 1970, he became a juvenile counselor for the Juvenile Services Administration.

Every week, I hope to bring you a quick Q&A with someone who covers the Ravens' opponent that weekend. On Monday night, the Cincinnati Bengals come to Baltimore, so I'm happy to start the season off by chatting with Joe Reedy , who has covered the Bengals as The Cincinnati Enquirer's Bengals beat reporter since 2009. MV: Andy Dalton was a pleasant surprise last season, becoming the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to throw 20 or more touchdown passes while starting in eight or more wins.

Editor:  It has been said (most notably by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and later in an address by President John F. Kennedy) that some people look at things as they are and ask "why?" while others dream of things that never were, and ask "why not?" Sallee Filkins, her colleagues, and everyone in our county who recognize the potential value of a Center for the Arts fall into the latter category of visionary individuals.  They should be commended and supported by government and private citizens alike so that their dream for our region can be realized.

Editor: Please print the following in response to last week's editorial: Let's remember what the Harford County Council's "job" is before complaining about their support staff ( The Aegis editorial, Aug 24). Their job is to pass laws and to protect their district's constituents. Harford's population has grown to such a point that each district has specific interests and concerns, and the consequence of mistakes can be large. Council members are the only officials who look out for their district's interests while reviewing and voting on county-wide laws, plans and budgets.