Year S Team

Two-a-days have ended and yesterday was the final scrimmage for Maryland players to audition for any remaining starting spots. It seemed like a good time to ask coach Ralph Friedgen if he has a sense of where his team is. "I don't," he said. "I really don't. I'm a little concerned where we are. There's moments in every practice when I think we're pretty good. Then there's other moments when I don't think we're very good. ... I'm really encouraging our leadership to come forward and kind of push us through this.

Opinion: A fourth-place, sub.-500, garbage-time- weighted finish might be enough to save Ray Miller's job? Come on, where's the punch line?Fact: The Ravens' 39.0 team quarterback rating is easily the AFC's worst. Three other AFC teams are at 100 or better.Opinion: A big reason why Sosa-McGwire II isn't causing as much of a stir: No legends to chase. No Gehrig, no Maris, no romance to frame the issue.Fact: Will Clark, Delino DeShields and Cal Ripken played in a combined 259 games and missed a combined 227 due to injuries in 1999.

Traditions usually reserved for Auburn football have now become the rage for the school's surprising basketball team. The trees at Toomer's Corner have been toilet-papered after victories. Fans have met the team plane after several games, including the first loss of the season last week at Kentucky."I was really happy to see that after we lost," sophomore guard Scott Pohlman said this week. "It shows that they still believe."So much so that the Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum has been sold out six times.

Urbana coach Kevin McMullen was impressed with the quality of River Hill's players after the Hawks easily defeated his Frederick County team, 6-0, yesterday for their 17th straight victory.The Hawks (8-0 overall, 5-0league) are ranked No. 9 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll."I want to find out who the No. 1 through 8 teams are," McMullen said in disbelief that any team could be better than River Hill.River Hill, ranked No. 1 by The Sun in the Baltimore area, was almost as dangerous with its second team on the field as with its first team.

Public schoolsAtholton Raiders1998 record: 2-21 overall, 0-18 leagueCoach: John ZitkoTop players: Jessica McDonagh, Jr., SS; Sarah Costa, Soph., C; Kathleen Zitnay, F., P; Erin Caffrey, Sr., CF.Outlook: A year ago Zitko said his program was "starting over and building for the future." That future is fast approaching. "We're a much better team," said Zitko, who is starting his third season. "I think we have a good shot at being in the top three in the county." The Raiders were not as bad as last year's record indicates.

Atholton Raiders1998 record: 0-13 overall, 0-9 leagueCoach: Beth PresslerClassification: 2ATop players: Karen Brownlie, Sr., M; Kelly Jones, Jr., D; Sherry Choe, Jr., F; Emily Benson, Sr., F. Ailene Olsen, Soph., G.Outlook: "There's a different attitude, a more positive attitude," said new coach Pressler, Atholton's JV coach the last three seasons. "There's a spirit of teamwork, and they're very eager to go out and play well." The Raiders not only didn't win a game last season, they didn't score.

It's not surprising that the Wilde Lake and Centennial girls basketball teams, which shared the Howard County title a year ago, are unbeaten after four county games.What is a little surprising is that River Hill, which won just four county games in its inaugural season last year, is right with them."Their maturity and confidence have really increased [from last year] and that's made a big difference," said River Hill coach Karen Saunderson, whose 10-player squad has seven members back from last year.

Two years ago, they were a team of seniors resting on laurels acquired mostly by the departed Joe Smith.Last year, they were a team of tired overachievers, having peaked in late January.This year, for the first time since Smith was at center, the Maryland Terrapins are on the rise, unmistakably, as March begins."Do you like your team?" coach Gary Williams was asked after the Terps' 83-66 victory over Temple yesterday before a sellout crowd at the Baltimore Arena."Oh, absolutely," Williams said with a conviction that wasn't there the past two years.

An administrator at a county high school received a telephone call the other day from a woman asking if season tickets for that school's football games were still available.Getting over his surprise quickly, the person said yes, and the woman then wanted to know if they were reserved seats. She and her family had recently moved from Oklahoma, and there the local high school team drew standing-room-only crowds.Assured there would be plenty of room, she thanked the official and hung up.Three county teams open their seasons at home tonight.

They are missing the angry swagger of Albert Belle, not to mention his 48-home run bat. They are missing the bold strut of Kenny Lofton, not to mention his Gold Glove.At times this season, the Cleveland Indians seemed to be missing much of what made them one of the best teams in baseball the previous two years.But now, as they prepare to play the Orioles in tonight's opening game of the American League Championship Series, the Indians believe they have the right combination of talent and attitude.

COLLEGE PARK - - Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen slumped in a chair at the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium. It was October 2008 and the Terrapins had just lost, 31-0, to an underdog Virginia team that had previously been outscored 128-36. Friedgen's red face was a mixture of fatigue, puzzlement and anger. "Some guys have got to drive it or park it," the coach said. As the Terrapins prepared for a new season beginning against No. 12 California on Saturday night, many coaches and players said the Virginia defeat serves as a reminder - a cautionary tale - of what can't be allowed to happen if this year's team is to succeed.

After their 23-0 preseason win over the Redskins, do you think the Ravens are better, worse or about the same as last year's team? Better 54% Worse 8% The same 38% (1,332 votes, results not scientific) Next poll: : After the recent shooting at Harborplace, the Baltimore police committed to stepped up enforcement downtown. Are you confident in the city's ability to keep the harbor safe? Vote at baltimoresun.com/vote

GREENSBORO, N.C. - -After dropping their final two Atlantic Coast Conference games, Maryland football players and coaches tried valiantly to put the best spin on what had once been a promising 2008 season. It was December and the Terrapins were headed to Boise, Idaho, for the Humanitarian Bowl, which had the eighth pick of ACC teams. Protocol demanded that the Terps not be rude to their bowl hosts, so the players talked politely about being pleased to play a game in an exotic location.

The ninth-ranked Hereford boys lacrosse team rarely mentioned trying to repeat as the Class 3A-2A state champions. The Bulls had mostly a new cast of players after graduating 21 seniors and they didn't want to feed off the accomplishments of last year's team. Nonetheless, the new crop of Bulls didn't miss a step as they won 11 consecutive games to end the county season and dominated the regional playoffs. The Bulls capped the year Wednesday at UMBC Stadium by knocking off No. 14 Centennial, 13-8, to win their fifth state championship.

At the start of the season, McDonogh boys soccer coach Steve Nichols predicted that next year's team could well become the best he has coached at the Owings Mills school. It was saying a lot, considering the No. 1 Eagles have reached the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship game in 10 of the past 11 seasons and were coming off the program's fourth conference championship with a roster that included the National Player of the Year and a handful of other gifted graduated seniors.

Beth Tfiloh baseball coach Jeff Lowe believed his team was playoff-caliber last season. A few mistakes late in the schedule, though, cost the Warriors a spot in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference playoffs. "I think that we underachieved toward the end," Lowe said. "I thought we gave games away with mental mistakes, but I think that this year we would have competed very well." Beth Tfiloh, now in the C Conference, has managed to limit such mistakes this time.

This year's team could end up with a record ranking among the franchise's worst. A look at the bottom five, with record and manager: 1988, 54-107, Cal Ripken Sr./Frank Robinson: A historic 0-21 start evolves into the worst record in team history and costs Ripken his job after six games. 1954, 54-100, Jimmy Dykes: In the franchise's first season in Baltimore after moving from St. Louis, the Orioles finish 57 games out of first place. 1955, 57-97, Paul Richards: Improving by three games in the win-loss column and finishing 39 games out of first qualifies as progress.

Aleah Queen, like her older sister, former Old Mill point guard Anisha Queen, is an outstanding student who contributes to her basketball team. Queen is a starting guard for the Patriots, who played in last night's county championship game against No. 3 and defending champion Arundel. This is her third varsity season with the Patriots after one year of junior varsity. Queen carries a 4.19 grade point average with a 1,540 SAT score and is a Maryland Distinguished Scholar and member of the National Honor Society and Student Government Association.

Last night's wrestling match between host Old Mill and Northeast was billed as Anne Arundel's version of the clash of the titans. Advantage, Patriots. Old Mill used two wins apiece by Ethan Brown at 189 pounds, Nigel Pierce at 215, Aaron Hawkins at 289, Colin Dupreay at 103, Ben Travers at 112, Ryan Vaughters at 119 and Willie Pumphrey at 125 to defeat the Eagles, 49-6, in a tri-meet at Old Mill. Earlier in the evening, Old Mill handed Chesapeake its first county loss, 44-11. The wins put No. 10 Old Mill squarely in command of the top spot in the county.

Long Reach senior forward Obi Ukwuoma has thrived in his role as the Lightning's team leader and go-to player, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds this season. Ukwuoma, 6 feet 4, was primed for the responsibility. During his sophomore year, he was called up to the varsity before the team's state championship playoff run, getting experience in what it takes to win a title. And last season, when senior standout Michael Bowden went down with an early injury, Ukwuoma stepped up to take a lead role and earn first-team all-county honors.