Yelling

While we're talking about Orioles fans yelling "O" during the national anthem ("Stop yelling ‘O' during the national anthem," Readers respond, April 6), in Atlanta, I have heard it sung, "and the home of the Braves," and no one gets bent out of shape over that. But what about the singers of the national anthem? We have seen scratching, tugging and rubbing of various parts of the anatomy. We endure the warbling of those that try to sound like a diva and the shrieking of those who think that they should be able to break all the windows in the surrounding buildings by screeching out the word "FREE-E-E-E-E-E."

By now you've surely seen the video, below, of Tom Brady getting super, duper excited about Orb winning the Kentucky Derby. In it, he runs over to congratulate Ogden Phipps II, son of co-owner Ogden Mills "Dinny" Phipps. I'm not sure how they know each other. Maybe Brady just really revels in the good fortune of other fantastically rich people. Also, he apparently bet $4,700 on the colt and won $25,000 . (In some versions of the video you can see the other co-owner, Maryland resident Stuart Janney, roam through the shot in a tan rain coat and Orb hat, looking for all the world like maybe he'd mistakenly arrived in that place at that time.

I don't believe in spanking my children, but I do find that I yell at them a lot when I get frustrated. The result is that now my children yell, too -- at me, at each other, at the dog. I don't like this pattern, but I don't know how to stop it. Any suggestions?-- T.L., Phoenix, Ariz.When you discipline your children, do you sound like the kind of person you really want to be?Is this discipline more likely to help your kids grow to be responsible teen-agers, or is it more apt to get them to stop what they're doing now only to repeat it tomorrow?

Cookouts aside, Labor Day is meant to celebrate the American workforce, and its achievements. But these days, even though people are more thankful than ever for their jobs, there's still room to gripe about the absurd, the mundane and the nearly unbelievable things they've done in exchange for a paycheck. Whether it's crazy responsibilities or a terrible boss, everyone seems to have a job-related tale of grief and woe. We invited Sun readers to share stories from their worst jobs.

CNN ANNOUNCED this week the likely demise of Crossfire, one of those high-volume political talk shows that has presented us with the entertaining sight of men in suits yelling at each other. One can only hope this is the start of a trend that spills over to sports television. First to go should be ESPN's Around the Horn, that dreadful weekday talk show featuring sports columnists competing to be the best bigmouth. The only redeeming quality is the feature by which host Tony Reali can mute one of the yakkers.

An off-duty Baltimore police officer who called 911 after being struck in an eye with a glass beer mug calmly but urgently requested backup as men hurled racial epithets and threatened to hang him, according to a copy of the tape obtained by The Baltimore Sun. A Harford County district judge lifted the $1 million bond set by a court commissioner and ordered Friday that the Joppa man accused of striking Detective Jermaine Cook be held without bond....

Good morning -- Melvin Mora -- Hope nobody was yelling on the bench last night.

On deck Bary Zito of the Athletics goes for his AL-leading 19th victory night, facing the Royals. He said it "Coming off the field every inning, I can hear the fans yelling at me, `Don't strike, don't strike.' If I was in their shoes, I'd feel the same way." Paul Lo Duca, Dodgers player representative

Baltimore County police investigated a report that a woman was heard yelling for help Sunday night on the street where a 52-year-old state worker was later found bludgeoned to death, officials said yesterday. But the officers apparently didn't knock on anyone's door. And they left the street in Randallstown where Linda Carol Brooks was found beaten with an axe and maul late Monday, saying they didn't notice any signs of distress. Police say they don't know if Brooks was killed Sunday night.

Boston. If you are traveling through Colorado, watch what you say about the food. Cast no aspersions on the asparagus. Slander not the celery. Don't libel the lettuce.The folks who live in the Rocky Mountain State have become unfriendly to the sort of people who might ruin the reputation of a rutabaga. They have a bill, about to face its last legislative hurdle, that would make it possible to take legal action against someone who knowingly and falsely trashed the turnips.People could be sued, in the words of the bill, for disseminating ''any false information which is not based on reliable scientific facts and scientific data, which the disseminator knows or should have known to be false and which casts doubt on the safety of any perishable agricultural food product to the consuming public.

This past weekend was packed with shows: J. Roddy Walston, the Get 'Em Mamis, Dashboard Confessional. Did anyone go see Erykah Badu at Rams Head? Our reviewer did not enjoy the show. That kind of weekend is gonna be a rarity this month. During the holidays, concerts and nightlife events, like everyone else, mostly take a break. That's especially true this week, with the biggest show a Tori Amos performance in Washington D.C. Elsewhere: Yelle, a college night at Baltimore Soundstage, Prince Rama, Yelle, Jane Birkin, Ultra Nate, and the Mid-Atlantic Holiday Beer Festival.

Kings of Leon have cancelled all dates of their 2011 tour because the lead singer, Caleb Followill, is suffering from "vocal issues and exhaustion. " The announcement was made Monday by tour promoter Live Nation. The band had been scheduled to perform at Jiffy Lube Live August 9 as part of the 30-city tour. Tickets bought online or by phone will be refunded automatically; others can be refunded whereever purchased. Jiffy Lube Live started offering refunds today. The US tour will not be rescheduled because of the band's international tour schedule, the statement said.

The doctors told Detective Jermaine Cook that the injury to his left eye was like placing a grape in a bag, slicing it in half, and then smashing it flat. The beer mug slung at his face by a Joppa man in May had caused irreparable damage. Cook, a Baltimore police officer who patrolled the toughest parts of the city, is now legally blind and can't drive long distances or at night. He's had trouble taking care of his children without assistance and has seen his income — which used to include significant overtime pay — drop substantially.

I find it worrisome that this pastor, Terry Jones who's out to burn Qurans, may be treated any differently from someone who yells fire in a crowded movie house. (Isn't that illegal?) If someone were to be hurt or die because of his behavior, how would that be any different from him doing it himself when he knows up front what could happen? What he is planning seems like a form of terrorism. Doesn't the government try to stop terrorism and terrorists? Is it about time for everyone to be in accord on what freedom really needs to mean rather than what we want it to mean?

An off-duty Baltimore police officer who called 911 after being struck in an eye with a glass beer mug calmly but urgently requested backup as men hurled racial epithets and threatened to hang him, according to a copy of the tape obtained by The Baltimore Sun. A Harford County district judge lifted the $1 million bond set by a court commissioner and ordered Friday that the Joppa man accused of striking Detective Jermaine Cook be held without bond....

While we're talking about Orioles fans yelling "O" during the national anthem ("Stop yelling ‘O' during the national anthem," Readers respond, April 6), in Atlanta, I have heard it sung, "and the home of the Braves," and no one gets bent out of shape over that. But what about the singers of the national anthem? We have seen scratching, tugging and rubbing of various parts of the anatomy. We endure the warbling of those that try to sound like a diva and the shrieking of those who think that they should be able to break all the windows in the surrounding buildings by screeching out the word "FREE-E-E-E-E-E."

Most Carroll County residents believe that only police in Baltimore are rude and insensitive to citizens, in part due to the Wenda Bollinger incident earlier this year. But the story of Ralph A. Beaver shows that small town law enforcers can be just as callous as those in the big city.Most people remember that Ms. Bollinger, a school bus driver, was arrested and jailed last spring after she refused to move a bus that was partially blocking a street next to the Maryland Science Center. The overzealous police response caused such a ruckus that Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke eventually visited the Carroll school which had sent the science center field trip to apologize.

Two-thirds of the Baltimore Orioles' Ripken connection was ejected from last night's 2-1 loss to Detroit after Bill Ripken was called out on strikes by plate umpire Rich Garcia.The brouhaha occurred in the bottom of the sixth inning, enlivening an already-tense battle in which neither team had scored.Garcia banished Bill Ripken and his father, Cal Ripken Sr., who was held back from the umpire by first manager Frank Robinson, then coaches Johnny Oates, Tom McCraw and Al Jackson.The incident began when Bill Ripken was headed back toward the dugout and lasted through nearly 10 minutes before the game resumed with Cal Ripken Jr. lacing Steve Searcy's first pitch to center field for a single.

March Madness is over just in time for baseball to fill the sports void, and like most Oriole fans, I fluctuate between cynicism and cautious optimism. In fact, the only reason I even bother to go to Oriole Park is because I get two free tickets every year from my employer. And it doesn't surprise me how many people go for the same reason, which speaks volumes about the cost of attending sporting events. For me, it's not just about the price. Winning would be nice and would incline me to attend more, but I have a bad taste in my mouth over sports in general.

Every Time I Die is a metalcore band that folks might be inclined to give a chance if they could get past their paralyzing fear of convulsive rhythms, screamo vocals and snarling guitar throw downs. The volatile Buffalo, N.Y., quintet's music is informed by hardcore punk's blistering brevity, mosh-pit machinations and occasional concessions to melody, and the lyrics are often witty. Front man Keith Buckley, who supplies the yowl atop the squall, understands that there are rock fans who might quail at the thought of encountering the band's ear-battering exchanges - "people that just don't get it," he calls them.