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Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. of Maryland, the only Republican to have held that position over the past four decades, thought he was done as a political candidate after the 2008 elections. "I thought the state and the country had gone so hard left, away from everything I believed in," Ehrlich said in an interview after working a crowd of about 3,500 at an annual corn roast fund-raiser in this Baltimore suburb. But the argument for change works both ways, and Ehrlich is back, asking voters to take another look after they rejected his bid for a second term. He is challenging Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat who defeated him in 2006, in a contest that offers him a changed political environment. At the corn roast, where he spent nearly two hours posing for pictures with supporters, Ehrlich told the crowd about his speaking engagements after the 2008 elections, saying he met self-identified Democrats, Republicans and independents. What they had in common, Ehrlich said, was a desire to change how their state and federal governments were operating. "Enough with the class warfare," Ehrlich said. "Enough with the anti-success mentality." Ehrlich is one of five former governors around the country this year running to reclaim his old job. But Ehrlich's decision to take another crack at O'Malley sets up a contest unlike any other in the country -- it is November's sole rematch between major-party candidates in a governor's race, with two men who both have records to promote and to defend from his opponent's attacks. Four years ago, O'Malley catapulted himself to victory at least in part by linking Ehrlich to President George W. Bush, even on issues seemingly unrelated to politics on the state level, like the war in Iraq. O'Malley captured 53 percent of the vote against Ehrlich, a former Princeton linebacker who even Democrats say is often affable and charming. But this year, as O'Malley and Ehrlich try to woo voters on pocketbook issues in large part by assailing the other's record on taxes and the economy, observers in both parties acknowledge that the political landscape is much more challenging for Democrats than it was the last time the two men faced off. "A lot of people are frustrated," said James T. Smith Jr., a Democrat who is the top elected official in Baltimore County, where Ehrlich is from and is looking to expand his share of the vote from four years ago. "Some are angry, and most of that is related to the economy. But I don't get the sense they're blaming the governor." In a midterm campaign where voters have shown their willingness to lodge their disapproval with officeholders and establishment candidates from both parties, O'Malley's camp and other Democrats wonder whether Ehrlich can win over enough independents and disaffected Democrats in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans roughly 2 to 1. (Both campaigns say they believe Ehrlich faces an uphill battle in the race's final stretch, though he speaks confidently of his chances.) "For Bob Ehrlich to win, he has to run a perfect campaign -- and he knows it," said Howard Denis, a former Republican member of the Montgomery County Council who has been advising the Ehrlich campaign. "I happen to think he will." O'Malley, a former Baltimore mayor who still occasionally picks up his guitar to play a set with his Celtic rock band, appears to have an asset that might not be much of one in other states: the full-throated support of President Barack Obama, who remains popular among blacks, an important voting bloc here. At a get-out-the-vote rally this month headlined by the president in Prince George's County, just outside Washington, O'Malley embraced Obama's policies -- and, as he often does on the campaign trail, put the blame for the country's economic troubles squarely at the feet of Bush and other Republicans. "The last fellow took eight years to drive our economy into a ditch," O'Malley told the raucous crowd of several thousand at Bowie State University, a historically black institution, echoing a line used almost daily by Obama. "And now they wonder why any mortal human being can't make it right as rain again in 18 months." O'Malley also frequently makes the case that his state's residents need a governor who is "on your side." He often points out that Maryland was the only state in the nation that froze in-state college tuition for four straight years, and says it increased 40 percent when Ehrlich was governor. O'Malley has also raised questions about how his opponent spent his time out of office, calling Ehrlich a lobbyist (even though he never registered as one). He released a radio advertisement earlier in the campaign that attempted to link Ehrlich to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, in part because of work his law firm did with big oil companies, although none of those were BP. For his part, Ehrlich, who has also served in the Legislature and Congress, said O'Malley's "pseudopopulism" is divisive, and that O'Malley has fostered a regulatory environment that is hostile to small business and entrepreneurs.
University of Maryland
The other day, Facebooksuggested that I make a new friend: myself. It's a little odd to see your own photo in the "people you may know" box, but I have two Facebook profiles, for work (Claire Cain Miller), and for my personal life (Claire Miller Cain). Having two accounts allows my friends to see my wedding pictures but not the pitches I get from publicists, and my boss to see links to articles I find interesting but not the photos my friend posted after our vacation in Mexico. That need to put up a digital wall between work and life is an obvious reason that Facebook recently introduced an easier way to make posts and photos visible only to certain groups. Concern about privacy was one of Facebook's motivations, but it was also reflecting the way we live our lives offline. "The problem with traditional social networks 1.0 is all the relationships are flat," said Charlene Li, founder of the Altimeter Group, which researches Web technologies and advises companies on how to use them. "Everyone is the same level, whether I'm married to you or you're someone I went to high school with or somebody I met at a conference." That online reality does not reflect human nature, said Zeynep Tufekci, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Maryland in Baltimore who studies the social impacts of technology. "Your mom and your boyfriend are rarely in the same room," she said, "and that's why Christmas and Thanksgiving are such a stressful time for people, because their worlds collapse. On Facebook you're in a long extended Thanksgiving dinner with everyone you ever knew, and people find that difficult to deal with." Meanwhile, people's offline social lives have evolved to become more segmented and specialized, said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project. In recent decades, real-life social networks have changed, he said. People now turn to one group of friends for financial advice and another for political or spiritual discussions, for instance. Facebook's new ability to split friends among groups takes a step toward addressing this reality. But it still has a lot to learn about the way people live their lives. Anyone can add a member to a Facebook group, for instance, but only that member can remove herself. So what happens when your sister separates from her husband and he doesn't remove himself from the family group? Facebook has received its share of criticism as it prods people to make more information on the site public. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's founder and chief executive, has said Facebook reflects social norms, which are rapidly changing as people become more comfortable sharing more information with more people. But attitudes toward sharing have not necessarily changed. Instead, people are developing new norms to manage their online lives, said Coye Cheshire, an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies online social intelligence. For instance, after a party or vacation, people will often e-mail others in the group to find out if it is OK to post the photos on Facebook. "People begin to realize the implications of their actions, and that's where norms get generated," Cheshire said. The etiquette may be evolving, but the technology is moving faster than our social practices can adapt. Google plans to introduce social networking tools this fall that it says will become a part of some of its products, like search functions, maps and YouTube. Perhaps Google has learned a few lessons from its last social tool, Buzz, its answer to Facebook and Twitter. Buzz provided users with a ready-made network of friends automatically selected by the company based on the people each user communicated with most frequently through Google's e-mail and chat services. But e-mail can hold many secrets, and Google found itself attacked for violating users' privacy. In the real world, Claire Miller Cain and Claire Cain Miller are one and the same, but they exist in slightly different spheres. One will nurse a single glass of wine all night and the other will gladly split a bottle over dinner. One talks mainly about tech, business and journalism, and the other talks mostly about novels, feminism, fashion, hiking and food. The real world allows me to live these two lives simultaneously. Will the Internet catch up, or will our social and cultural norms eventually adapt? "Even for Mark Zuckerberg, I'm sure he's not the same way to his mother as he is to his girlfriend," Tufekci said. "This is Sociology 101."
University of Maryland
A former Rice University football player who lost his scholarship for his senior year has filed a class-action lawsuit against the NCAA, arguing that the one-year limit on athletic scholarships amounts to a price-fixing scheme between the association and member universities. The lawsuit was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco by the former player, Joseph Agnew. It came five months after the NCAA acknowledged that the antitrust division of the Justice Department was looking into the one-year scholarship rule. "People look at the NCAA as kind of outside these laws, but they're really not," said Steve Berman, one of Agnew's lawyers. "Here, they have entered into an agreement restraining the length of a scholarship that kids can get, and we think that's anti-competitive and is harmful to student-athletes." Agnew was a highly recruited defensive back from Carroll, Texas, who enrolled at Rice in 2006 on a full scholarship, according to a copy of the complaint provided by Agnew's lawyers. Agnew played in all 13 of the team's games his first season, but the head coach who recruited him, Todd Graham, left for the University of Tulsa before Agnew's sophomore year. After losing playing time and battling injuries, Agnew was not offered a scholarship in his junior year. He appealed the decision and won, but he was denied a scholarship the next year. Agnew, who is pursuing a degree in sociology, is now required to pay his own tuition. "He was a star athlete, and we believe that if the rule hadn't been in place, he would have gotten multiple offers of full scholarships," said Berman, who also represents Sam Keller, the former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback who is suing the NCAA and EA Sports in a class-action lawsuit arguing that the use of college athletes' likenesses in video games is illegal. Bob Williams, a spokesman for the NCAA, said in a statement that the NCAA was reviewing the lawsuit, but "it should be noted that the award of athletic scholarships on a one-year, renewable basis is the more typical approach taken within higher education for talent-based and academic scholarships in general." In May, responding to reports that the Justice Department was investigating its scholarship rule, the NCAA released a statement explaining that "an annual review of whether an individual meets the standards of a merit award is the most appropriate way to ensure that the most deserving student-athletes receive that award each year." A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment on the reported inquiry. The lawsuit, which refers to the scholarships as tuition "discounts," describes the rule as a "blatant price-fixing agreement." "By unlawfully agreeing not to offer multiyear athletics-based discounts," the lawsuit argues, "the NCAA and its member institutions have ensured that student-athletes who are injured or who simply do not meet the school's expectations can be cut from a team and their scholarships terminated." The suit argues that the NCAA is also violating antitrust rules by limiting the number of scholarships that each team can award.
NCAA
Kevin Kunst, the athletic director at La Lumiere School, said on Wednesday that the NCAA is engaged in a wide investigation of the Baylor University's men's basketball program that includes its recruitment of Hanner Perea, a forward from Colombia who is widely considered one of the best 25 high school juniors in the country. FoxSports.com first reported the investigation on Wednesday, causing a stir among administrators at La Lumiere, best known as the alma mater of Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. The NCAA investigator, Kristen Matha, came here last month to question La Lumiere coach Alan Huss. While Huss declined to reveal details of the conversation, Kunst said that the NCAA visit involved a larger investigation into Baylor. "La Lumiere is not at question at all in any shape or form," Kunst said. "This really has to do with what appears to be a significant, ongoing and much broader investigation of Baylor than this little thing. I think we're the piece of a larger puzzle." The FoxSports.com article included a copy of a text message that was sent from Baylor assistant Mark Morefield to Huss, saying that Baylor had the power to deport Perea if he did not go to Baylor. "I guarantee you if he does commit to another school, he will be in Colombia for the spring and summer and next year. Don't forget it," the text message said. While Kunst would not say whether Baylor coaches were banned from his campus, he said that the message would affect "how much we have interaction with Baylor." He added: "Is this what the world has come to? I understand college athletics is a serious business, and it's a business that brings a lot of money to universities and that's always going to bring out the darker sides of things. But this is a kid. He's a kid, at the end of the day." Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw declined to comment by text message. Morefield and Baylor coach Scott Drew did not return calls seeking comment. Earlier this month Baylor guard LaceDarius Dunn, a preseason All-American, was suspended from the team indefinitely after he was charged with felony assault of his girlfriend. Drew has spoken with, but not retained, an El Paso-based lawyer, Jim Darnell, who recently represented former USC coach Tim Floyd in the NCAA's investigation into the Trojan basketball program. "I don't know that Coach Drew even needs a lawyer," Darnell said. "He and I talked and visited about how these things work. I've been through this drill enough times to know how it works." Darnell added, "From what I understand, the focus would not be on Coach Drew." Matha, who is part of the NCAA's Basketball focus group, spent a few hours last month with Huss. "I can't comment on anything," Huss said, sitting on a bleacher in the school's gym. "Literally, my job is on the line." Perea is a 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward who is known for his freakish athletic ability. He plays summer basketball for the Bloomington-based Indiana Elite program. Although his college choices reportedly have been narrowed to Baylor and Indiana, Alabama, Missouri and Tennessee have also mentioned. Perea came to the U.S. through the A-Hope Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Bloomington, Ind., that has helped more than a dozen talented foreigners come to the U.S. and earn college scholarships. Kunst said that Perea is fine and in no danger of being sent overseas. (He would not allow Perea to comment.) "I don't think he was aware of it," said Kunst, referring to the investigation. "I think it was all above him." Administrators here are not concerned that the program is under NCAA scrutiny. "We've obviously met and conferred and our understanding of the situation, as the best we understand it, is that this is really Baylor's issue," Kunst said.
NCAA
Attn Sports Editors: Sports stories from The New York Times News Service for Saturday, Oct. 16. COMMENTARY BBN-VECSEY-COLUMN (Philadelphia) -- Does appearing in their fourth straight postseason -- with a World Series championship in 2008 -- give the Phillies any edge over the Giants in the National League Championship Series that will begin Saturday with the delightful matchup of Roy Halladay against Tim Lincecum? It certainly doesn't hurt. Sports of the Times column by George Vecsey. OLY-RHODEN-COLUMN (Undated) -- The news was jarring and slightly unbelievable. Tommie Smith, the former Olympic champion, was auctioning his gold medal. Of all people, Smith -- a proud, disciplined, principled man. But there it was plain as day, on the Moments in Time website: the iconic photo: Smith, Peter Norman and John Carlos; gold, silver and bronze medal winners of the 200-meter race at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. Sports of the Times column by William C. Rhoden. BBA-ARATON-COLUMN (Arlington, Texas) -- Even Alex Rodriguez's most hardened skeptics must admit that he has for the better part of two baseball seasons kept a promise of lowering his profile. Figuratively speaking, he has fit much more snugly into his Yankees pinstripes, and in doing considerably less to promote the "magnificence of me" he believes he has elevated the essential him. Sports of the Times column by Harvey Araton. DAY'S EVENTS BBA-YANKEES-RANGERS (Arlington, Texas) -- C.C. Sabathia takes the mound for the Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Championship series against the Rangers, who have lost nine straight postseason games to New York. The game is scheduled to begin at 8:07 p.m. ET. By Ben Shpigel. HKN-LEAFS-RANGERS (New York) -- The Rangers open their season at home against Toronto, which finished last in the Eastern Conference last year. By Jeff Z. Klein. SOC-LIVERPOOL-OWNERSHIP (Undated) -- The battle for ownership of Liverpool F.C. ended Friday with the sale of the club to New England Sports Ventures, the owners of the Boston Red Sox, for about $480 million. The consummation of the deal came after owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr., who already lost a High Court battle in Britain, agreed to drop their lawsuit in a Texas court aimed at halting the sale of the debt-laden club. By Ken Belson. SOC-U.S.-WORLD-CUP (Undated) -- Americans will have to wait at least 12 more years to see World Cup games at home. The USA Bid Committee said Friday that it had withdrawn from trying to secure the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament and would instead focus its energy on trying to host the 2022 event. By Ken Belson. FEATURES BBA-RANGERS-OLIVER (Arlington, Texas) -- Rangers relief pitcher Darren Oliver is still stewing over his Game 3 playoff loss to the Yankees in 1996. He came within three outs of a victory over New York -- a game that, had it worked out differently, might have altered the Rangers' futile postseason history. By Pat Borzi. FBC-RUTGERS-STRUGGLES (Undated) -- Rutgers has gotten off to a slow start and the Scarlet Knights have yet to capture a league title under coach Greg Schiano, who is being ostracized by the football faithful for his $2 million annual salary at a time when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is slashing and burning statewide budgets. By Joe Drape. BKN-NETS-MARKETING (Beijing) -- The way chief executive officer Brett Yormark sees it, the New Jersey Nets have tremendous global marketing potential. They have a wealthy Russian owner who has pledged to turn around the franchise, a new basketball arena awaiting their arrival in Brooklyn in two years, and a number of global corporate wannabes who have bought into their vision. What they don't have, though, is the name player for the Chinese market that is part of their global strategy. By Michael Wines. ESPN-WOMEN-BRAND (Undated) -- This fall, ESPN will gradually introduce espnW, a brand marketed to female sports fans. The idea hasn't been embraced by everyone, and some of those critics said the attempt to market a female-friendly version of ESPN smacks of condescension and segregation. By Katie Thomas. CAR-SPRINT-CUP (Concord, N.C.) -- Nearly halfway through the NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff, Jimmie Johnson is in first place in the standings and in position to win an unprecedented fifth consecutive championship. Johnson enters Saturday night's Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway 36 points ahead of Denny Hamlin, with Kevin Harvick 54 behind in third place. By Viv Bernstein. For information and repeats call the News Service at (888) 346-9867 or (212) 556-1927 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (212) 556-1927 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. NEW YORK TIMES PARTNERS: Please note that the New York Times News Service report includes news and features from The Boston Globe; Cox News Service, The Denver Post; The Detroit News; the Hearst Newspapers, including The Houston Chronicle and The San Francisco Chronicle; The Los Angeles Daily News; The St. Petersburg Times, and the New York Times Regional Newspapers. (Editors: Budgets and advisories are internal documents not for publication or redistribution outside of client news organizations. Unauthorized use of budgets and advisories constitutes a violation of our contract terms. All clients receive all budgets, but only full-service clients receive all stories. Please check your level of service to determine which stories you will receive.)
sports
Attn Sports Editors: Sports stories from The New York Times News Service for Monday, Oct. 25. COMMENTARY BBA-VECSEY-COLUMN (Undated) -- Josh Hamilton keeps moving up in stature -- day by day, as he reminds himself. His career, his life, is all so fragile. But right now Hamilton is being compared to some terrific players of the recent past. Early Friday evening, Yankees manager Joe Girardi came up with a couple of names -- Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey, Jr. A few hours later, Girardi demonstrated his respect, or fear, by having Hamilton walked three straight times with first base open. Sports of the Times by George Vecsey. DAY'S EVENTS FBN-DOLPHINS-STEELERS (Miami Gardens, Fla.) -- Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin could be heard in the locker room calling for the busses to be warmed up moments after Sunday's 23-22 victory over the Miami Dolphins ended. If Tomlin was trying to speed the Steelers' escape from Miami, he couldn't be blamed. He probably didn't want to give officials any more time to reconsider a replay decision -- Ben Roethlisberger fumbled just before he crossed the plane of the goal line, officials ruled, but they couldn't clearly determine who recovered, even though it looked very much like the Dolphins had -- that was so baffling even Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said he'd never seen anything like it in all his years in football. "We'll take it and exit stage left," Tomlin said. By Judy Battista. FEATURES BBN-LAST-OUT (Philadelphia) -- All that stood between the San Francisco Giants and the World Series on Saturday was the pre-eminent slugger in baseball, Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies. Howard holds his bat before him like a samurai, daring pitchers to beat him. In Brian Wilson, he met his match. Howard looked at a called third strike. On Baseball by Tyler Kepner. FBN-LINEMAN-MUSIC (East Rutherford, N.J.) -- A feature on utility offensive lineman Shawn Andrews and his other life, involving his love of making music. By Mark Viera. FBN-LINEMAN-PRODUCER (Florham Park, N.J.) -- International Creative Management receives similar messages all the time. Most are instantly deleted. Yet this one caught their attention. It read: "I'm Trevor Pryce. I play for the Baltimore Ravens. I love TV and film, and without agents, I've sold a feature idea to Sony and a TV idea to Disney." So Pryce, now a defensive end with the Jets, secured a meeting with 15 of his future agents. He pitched one idea, then another, and as he spoke, he watched their expressions change, registering surprise, even shock. By Greg Bishop. TEN-MUSTER-COMEBACK (Undated) -- It already has been quite an October for tennis players in their 40s. Kimiko Date Krumm struck her latest blow for the middle-aged by reaching the final in Osaka this month and nearly became the oldest singles champion in women's tour history. Now here comes Thomas Muster, with gray stubble on his face at age 43 and a wild card into the Vienna tournament this week after more than 11 years away from the ATP Tour. On Tennis by Christopher Clarey. For information and repeats call the News Service at (888) 346-9867 or (212) 556-1927 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (212) 556-1927 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. NEW YORK TIMES PARTNERS: Please note that the New York Times News Service report includes news and features from The Boston Globe; Cox News Service, The Denver Post; The Detroit News; the Hearst Newspapers, including The Houston Chronicle and The San Francisco Chronicle; The Los Angeles Daily News; The St. Petersburg Times, and the New York Times Regional Newspapers. (Editors: Budgets and advisories are internal documents not for publication or redistribution outside of client news organizations. Unauthorized use of budgets and advisories constitutes a violation of our contract terms. All clients receive all budgets, but only full-service clients receive all stories. Please check your level of service to determine which stories you will receive.)
sports
Results Sunday in English football (home teams listed first): Premier League Everton 2, Liverpool 0 Blackpool 2, Manchester City 3
football
Results Sunday in Scottish football (home teams listed first): Premier League Dundee United 1, Celtic 2
football
Electricite de France SA and Constellation Energy Group Inc. have agreed to restructure a joint venture to allow the French state-controlled utility to move forward with plans for a third nuclear reactor in Maryland. Under the deal announced late Tuesday, EDF will acquire Baltimore-based Constellation's 50 percent ownership in the joint venture known as UniStar for $140 million. In addition to sites for Calvert Cliffs 3 and a potential fourth reactor in Maryland, Constellation will transfer to UniStar potential new nuclear sites in New York. Constellation's sale of its share of UniStar means it will no longer have responsibility for developing or financing the third Maryland reactor. The agreement also calls for EDF to transfer 3.5 million of the shares it owns in Constellation and to give up its seat on Constellation's board. An existing standstill agreement between the two companies will end. Constellation will end its rights under an existing put option and will not sell any of its plants to Paris-based EDF. The third reactor has the potential to create 4,000 jobs and ease Maryland's electricity shortage. Constellation announced earlier this month it would not move ahead with the proposal over risks linked to the high cost of a $7.5 billion loan guarantee. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who supports the third reactor, has met with EDF officials about keeping the project alive. He also has spoken with Carol Browner, director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, about the project. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said he was pleased with the agreement. "I know that the governor, senators and Maryland delegation join me in welcoming this development and look forward to working with the parties and the administration to move this project forward," Hoyer said in a written statement.
Maryland
Lockheed Martin says its board has approved a share buyback plan of up to $3 billion. The Bethesda, Maryland, company's shares rose 52 cents to $72.40 in pre-market trading after Monday's annoucement. The company has about 360 million shares outstanding. Because of the newly announced repurchase plan, the board is canceling a 2002 buyback program that is mostly completed. Lockheed Martin had repurchased 169 million of the 178 million shares authorized under that program. Lockheed Martin Corp. raised its dividend by 19 percent last month.
Maryland
Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre said Wednesday he was focused on the Vikings upcoming clash with the Packers, declining to comment on the NFL probe into allegations about his personal behavior. In a conference call with reporters in Green Bay, Favre called the investigation into internet allegations he sent lewd photos and suggestive text messages to a woman employed by the New York Jets a "league matter." Favre met with an NFL security official on Tuesday regarding the allegations that he sent the messages to then-Jets employee Jenn Sterger in 2008, when Favre played for the team. Sterger has hired lawyers but has not commented on the allegations, which were posted on the Deadspin website. Favre denied that the situation has affected him on the field, and added that his "focus is solely on Green Bay." If NFL officials find evidence to support the claims Favre could face disciplinary action.
NFL
Following is the result of 2010-2011 National Football League (NFL) on Monday (home team in CAPS): New York Giants bt DALLAS COWBOYS, 41-35
NFL
TAMPA Though coach Raheem Morris' claim Sunday that the Bucs are the "best team in the NFC" drew plenty of headlines, he said the statement was misunderstood. He was just trying to motivate his team. "I think everybody took it the wrong way," Morris said Thursday. "I think everybody took it as me bragging. That was not bragging. That's a mentality we set up for these guys." Morris remembers when former Bucs assistant and current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin used to tell him that some team had to be No. 1 at the end of the year and "Why not us?" That's the idea he wants his Bucs to embrace, considering they're 4-2 and a half-game behind the Falcons (5-2) in the NFC South. "It's like it is with your kids. When you send them out into the world or to do whatever it is they're going to do in this competition in sports or in school or whatever, you tell them to go be their best," Morris said. "And that's what I'm telling my guys. I tell them there's no reason we can't be the best. It's always a mentality before it's a reality, and we're setting our mentality up to be the very best." MEDICAL MATTERS: The good news for the Bucs is that CB Aqib Talib (calf) returned to full participation at practice. But T Jeremy Trueblood (knee), G Keydrick Vincent (back) and LB Geno Hayes (knee) missed practice. Hayes' injury appears to be relatively minor; Morris said it's lingering swelling. But Trueblood and Vincent could miss Sunday's game against the Cardinals. Morris said it's possible another linemen could be promoted from the practice squad if depth is needed. He praised rookie G Ted Larsen, a Palm Harbor University product, for how he fared in his first NFL start Sunday, despite picking up two penalties. "He went out there, played tough, played physical, showed us all the attributes he showed in practice," Morris said. "He had a few mistakes, very correctable mistakes." TOUGH TASK: Though Talib has been beaten for some touchdowns this season, Cardinals star WR Larry Fitzgerald says he considers the cornerback a formidable foe. Talib will likely get his share of matchups with the four-time Pro Bowler on Sunday. "If you think about the touchdowns (Talib has) given up, they've been mostly in the zone (coverage)," Fitzgerald said. "He does a fantastic job. He's got unbelievable feet. He's got great makeup ability. He plays the ball tremendously well. The more I watch him, the more impressed I am with his physical gifts." PENN PRAISE: Morris said he has been impressed with how LT Donald Penn has performed. "He's been playing really well," Morris said. "He's playing with a nasty demeanor, playing tough, playing physical, he's doing all the things we've asked him to do, protecting well. He's been what we've expected of him, and more." HEAT WAVE: The Bucs had a more physical practice, wearing shoulder pads, and the temperature in the 90s didn't help. Several players felt the effects afterward. "I thought it was October and it was going to cool off," Morris said. "Everyone is cutting up pumpkins. Tampa will fool you. Tampa brought back July on us, and we were right in the middle of training camp." MISCELLANY: The Bucs donated $50,000 to Faces of Courage, a nonprofit organization that provides life-enriching experiences to children, women and families touched by cancer and-or blood disorders. CB Ronde Barber and LB Adam Hayward presented a check after practice. Joe Smith can be reached at joesmithsptimes.com
NFC
Times Sports Columnist TAMPA The words are not the hard part. It's keeping a straight face as you say them. So here we go. Repeat after Raheem. The Bucs are Take a deep breath. Bite your lip. Try not to think about the absurdity of what you are about to say. the best team Think of something sad. Inflation. Taxes. The first-half performance in Sunday's game. in the NFC. Hahahahahaha. You couldn't do it, either, could you? There at the end, you laughed. You guffawed. Chances are, you might have fallen off the couch from giggling too hard. And who can blame you? This is fantastic, funny stuff. The Bucs the relentless, rampaging Bucs are the best the NFC has to offer. Who knew? In the land of the juggernauts, with a locker room filled with legends, the Bucs are No. 1. Yippee. Coach Raheem Morris said it again Monday. Given a day to reconsider a conference filled with Falcons and Packers and Eagles, Morris stuck to his foam finger. The Bucs are the best team in the NFC, he repeated. And you thought The Hangover was funny. "You are what your record says you are," Morris said. "Right now, we are tied for the least amount of losses, and that makes us the best team in the NFC." Well, you could have fooled me. I didn't even know the NFL had a tiebreaking system at the six-game point of the season. Even if I had, I wouldn't have expected the Bucs to be designated as the neighborhood bully. Let's see. The Bucs are next to last in the NFL against the run. They have the 23rd best offense and the 22nd best defense. They have beaten four teams with a combined record of 8-18. Against the only two teams they have played that have winning records, they have been outscored 69-19. So, Raheem, do you really think this is the best team in the NFC? "Statistics are for losers," Morris said, unsmiling. "You keep bringing up statistics, and we'll keep piling up wins." Why, there's a deal if I ever heard one. After all, if this really is the best team in the NFC, then why shouldn't Morris keep piling up wins? Why shouldn't this team march through the rest of its schedule thrashing every team that won't surrender? Why shouldn't the Bucs be in the Super Bowl? After all, the Bucs have nine games left against lesser NFC opponents. So let's print the playoff tickets and widen the trophy case, because if this is the best team in the conference, then only coaching can stop it now. Right? I kid, I kid. Actually, I think it's cute that Morris is so darned spunky. It has been a long time since things were giddy around One Buc and, after all, four victories can go to a man's head when he has never been there before. Nothing wrong with a little swagger, even if it means that Morris is seeing things the rest of us can't quite make out. Remember six weeks ago when the Bucs won their opener? That day, Morris said the victory was "nothing." Four wins later, and evidently, it's king of the mountain time. Everyone flex their biceps. Oh, and by the way, 4-2 is a statistic, too. The truth of it is, the Bucs aren't close to being the best team in the NFC. I'm not sure they're among the top half-dozen. Certainly, I think the news of the Bucs' top ranking is going to surprise the Falcons, who are a half-game ahead of the Bucs in the standings. I think it's going to stun the Saints, who beat the Bucs by 25 points two weeks ago. I think it will be a mild surprise to the other eight teams in the NFC that have won as many games as the Bucs. Except for Raheem's, I don't think you'll find a power ranking in America that has the Bucs as the No. 1 team in the conference. It's just not realistic. On the other hand, the Bucs have been better, and they have been resilient, and they have been fun. They've allowed you to wonder what they might become when the kids grow up. If they can win six of their final 10 games and maybe even five the playoffs are in reach. But the best in the NFC? No, not yet. For Morris, here's the problem. The NFL season is long, and traditionally, it hates teams that swagger too early. Remember Sam Wyche and Five-Dash-Two? That happened back in 1995, when the stars aligned and the Bucs won five of their first seven. Never mind that the Bucs won four straight games by a single score. Wyche was flush with accomplishment, and he couldn't wait for the season to conclude before he told you so. A few weeks later, the Bucs finished 7-9. To this day, five-dash-two is epitaph of the career of Sam-Dash-Wyche. If you remember, there was also a bit of a strut two years ago when the Bucs started 9-3 and coach Jon Gruden was talking about how exciting the season's finish was going to be. In hindsight, not so much. Gruden never won another game. The defense caved in, and at the end of the season, Gruden was fired, too. For Morris, this week was a time to slow it down. They were horrible for most of the day against the Rams. In the end, they still managed only one touchdown. They need to start faster. They need to play better. Instead, you can say it one more time. Write it down if it helps. The Bucs are the best team in the NFC. Not only that, but the AFC had better watch itself.
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FIFA rankings released Wednesday for October (September position in parentheses): 1. Spain (1). 2. Netherlands (2). 3. Brazil (4). 4. Germany (3). 5. Argentina (5). 6. England (6). 7. Uruguay (7). 8. Portugal (8). 9. Croatia (11). 10. Russia (25) 11. Egypt (9). 12. Greece (12). 13. Norway (14). 14. Chile (10). 15. Slovenia (19). 16. Italy (13). 17. Ghana (20). 18. France (27). 19. Ivory Coast (23). 20. Slovakia (16).
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Monthly Africa football rankings released on Wednesday by world governing body FIFA (Africa ranking, world ranking): Egypt 1 9 Ghana 2 20 Ivory Coast 3 23 Gabon 4 31 Nigeria 5 34 Algeria 6 35 Cameroon 7 37 Burkina Faso 8 39 Tunisia 9 56 South Africa 10 58 Uganda 11 63 Mali 12 65 Benin 13 69 Zambia 14 74 Cape Verde Islands 15 77 Malawi 16 78 Senegal 17 79 Guinea 18 81 Botswana 19 82 Mozambique 20 86 Togo 21 87 Gambia 22 91 Angola 23 93 Morocco 24 95 Sudan 25 101 Libya 26 107 Tanzania 27 111 Rwanda 28 112 Kenya 29 114 Namibia 30 116 Congo 31 117 Zimbabwe 32 118 Burundi 33 122 Democratic Republic of Congo 34 132 Sierra Leone 35 132 Chad 36 134 Ethiopia 37 135 Liberia 38 139 Guinea Bissau 39 140 Swaziland 40 142 Madagascar 41 154 Niger 42 154 Lesotho 43 157 Eritrea 44 161 Equatorial Guinea 45 164 Mauritania 46 169 Central African Republic 47 172 Comoros Islands 48 174 Somalia 49 176 Seychelles 50 184 Djibouti 51 188 Mauritius 52 193 Note: African Football Confederation members not rated were Sao Tome e Principe (insufficient matches), Reunion and Zanzibar (not FIFA members)
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Travel reporter Becky Krystal packed up her two Shih Tzu mix dogs to sniff out three dog-friendly Mid-Atlantic places. _ Inn at Meander Plantation 2333 N. James Madison Hwy., Locust Dale, Va., 800-385-4936 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-385-4936 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. www.meander.net. Rooms from $175, pets $25 per night. It didn't take long for my two city-slicker dogs to adjust to a country way of life. Hobbes and Leo, Shih Tzu mixes ages 4 and 5, respectively, were understandably eager to bound out of the crate in the back seat of my car after the two-hour trip to the Inn at Meander Plantation. In the shadow of the stately 1766 manor, they seemed to immediately comprehend that this place was different from the streets of suburban Washington. They dashed across the wide-open field, which was noticeably lacking in cars and canines. The buildings outside the main house, in the rolling hills near Culpeper, Va., are pet-friendly. I appreciated having the one-bedroom groom's cottage (vintage early 20th century) to ourselves: no one for the dogs to bother and vice versa. The innkeepers, Suzanne Thomas and Suzie Blanchard, had provided a sheet, which I placed over the sofa, and a towel that proved crucial for paw-cleaning. There was also a throw pillow embroidered with the visage of a doublet-wearing pug; the carved outline of two dogs adorned a pair of shutters outside. We ventured onto one of the walking paths on the 80-acre property. This one took us past row after row of corn, which the dogs found endlessly fascinating. Maybe they were looking for Ray Liotta and his baseball; I don't know. The novelty of the place never wore off. The dogs were enthralled by the horses and sat down to watch them graze in the distance. Hobbes later decided to bark at a couple of them. Barking also ensued when the resident golden retriever, Callie, trotted over. Soon enough, everyone was friends. Less lucky was the slug Hobbes ingested on our evening walk, but such is the circle of life. Thomas said the decision to allow dogs was an easy one, since she and Blanchard like to travel with theirs. In 20 years, they've had only two incidents of destruction. "We've found that people traveling with pets are extremely conscientious about traveling with pets," she said. The innkeepers have returned the favor. _ Savage River Lodge 1600 Mount Aetna Rd., Frostburg, Md. 301-689-3200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 301-689-3200 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. www.savageriverlodge.com. Cabins from $220, $25 per pet per night. The Savage River Lodge might have spoiled my dogs for good. They probably weren't impressed by the scenery or our cabin. They certainly couldn't comprehend the convenience of the pet waste disposal stations with biodegradable bags. They wouldn't have taken joy in the dog wash area, either. No, their delights were of the simpler variety: open spaces, new places to sniff and good food. Near Frostburg, Md., the lodge is a group of 18 cabins and a main building with a restaurant, a library and more. Our two-level homestead had a living room with a gas fireplace and a sleeping loft. When we checked in, we discovered the goodie basket provided as part of our $70 pet package, which also covered one night's pet fee and a two-course meal from the Bone Appetite menu. Among the loot: a skunk toy, a collapsible water bowl and rosemary-scented breath mints, which Hobbes vacillated between eating and rolling on. The closet was stocked with dog food bowls and towels and sheets to protect the furniture. For the trouble of a three-hour road trip, we rewarded the dogs with some of the lodge's signature house-made biscuits. Two more came with our muffin delivery the next day. After relaxing, it was time for yappy hour, the Saturday afternoon gathering of guest dogs. It didn't end up being the crowded event I had envisioned, so Hobbes contentedly chased a blue tennis ball in the field before we shyly approached the only other couple in attendance. Under the waning afternoon sun, we chatted while their 11-week-old pudelpointer puppy, Hoagie, frolicked with our dogs. Next was a pre-dinner walk along one of the many trails on the property and through the surrounding state forest. Hobbes managed to collect a handful of burrs under his eye and around his face. Neither of us enjoyed their removal. With the dogs safely ensconced in their crate, my husband and I enjoyed dinner on the restaurant porch. For our four-legged friends, we ordered meatballs and peanut butter cookies. I'm not going to lie: We were tempted to eat the cookies. The special treats disappeared quickly, much like our too-short visit. _ Hotel Monaco Alexandria 480 King St., Alexandria, Va.703-549-6080. www.monaco-alexandria.com. Rooms from $149, pets free. My expectations for the Hotel Monaco Alexandria were too high. Seduced by the Kimpton brand's pet-friendly marketing, I packed up the pooches and checked into the hotel in historic Alexandria. After filling out the pet waiver, I asked the staff about some of the services that the website said they could help me arrange, "including but not limited to pet sitting, dog walking, and pet spa services." Grooming? I'm handed a printout from the website of place 15 miles away. How about a walk? The clerk showed me a business card for a dog-walking service and wrote down the phone number. When I asked about the company's hours, he replied that the card didn't say. All right, then. Surely things would turn around at the ballyhooed doggie happy hour at the adjacent Jackson 20 restaurant. It was not meant to be: A wedding had taken over the courtyard. Chef de cuisine Brian Turowski said that the event, held Tuesdays and Thursdays from April through October, had to be canceled a few times this month because of an unusual abundance of weddings. He acknowledged that the restaurant had fallen behind in posting cancellations online in advance. That, more than anything else, seemed to bug a few would-be attendees, some of whom decamped to the patio on King Street instead. The evening wasn't a total bust, though. We socialized with a Shih Tzu staying at the hotel (the only other canine guest I saw) and had a lovely evening walk to the Potomac River. Was I wrong to expect such paws-on treatment? Maybe, but when the pet-friendly program lists amenities such as bedding and bowls, special door hangers to let people know of your pets' presence and a welcome on the lobby activities board, it's hard not to. Perhaps I had to do something other than note my dogs' arrival on my reservation. Perhaps those things aren't available at all Kimptons. It's unclear. I had no quibbles with the Monaco itself. I adored my room, especially the spacious marble bathroom, and the bellman who carried the pet crate to my car. If I stay at another Kimpton - and I hope I do - I won't promise the dogs too much. I think they'll be OK with that.
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Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. of Maryland, the only Republican to have held that position over the past four decades, thought he was done as a political candidate after the 2008 elections. "I thought the state and the country had gone so hard left, away from everything I believed in," Ehrlich said in an interview. But the argument for change works both ways, and Ehrlich is back, asking voters to take another look after they rejected his bid for a second term. He is challenging Gov. Martin O'Malley, a Democrat who defeated him in 2006, in a contest that offers him a changed political environment. At a corn roast, Ehrlich told the crowd about his speaking engagements after the 2008 elections, saying he met self-identified Democrats, Republicans and independents. What they had in common, Ehrlich said, was a desire to change how their state and federal governments were operating. "Enough with the class warfare," Ehrlich said. "Enough with the anti-success mentality." Ehrlich is one of five former governors around the country running to reclaim his old job. But Ehrlich's decision sets up a contest unlike any other -- it is November's sole rematch between major-party candidates in a governor's race, with two men who both have records to promote and to defend from his opponent's attacks. Four years ago, O'Malley catapulted himself to victory at least in part by linking Ehrlich to President George W. Bush, even on issues seemingly unrelated to politics on the state level, like the war in Iraq. But this year, as O'Malley and Ehrlich try to woo voters on pocketbook issues in large part by assailing the other's record on taxes and the economy, observers in both parties acknowledge that the political landscape is much more challenging for Democrats than it was the last time the two men faced off. O'Malley, a former Baltimore mayor, appears to have an asset that might not be much of one in other states: the support of President Barack Obama, who remains popular among blacks, an important voting bloc here. At a get-out-the-vote rally this month headlined by the president, O'Malley embraced Obama's policies -- and, as he often does on the campaign trail, put the blame for the country's economic troubles at the feet of Bush and other Republicans. "The last fellow took eight years to drive our economy into a ditch," O'Malley told the crowd, echoing a line used almost daily by Obama. "And now they wonder why any mortal human being can't make it right as rain again in 18 months." For his part, Ehrlich, who has also served in the Legislature and Congress, said O'Malley's "pseudopopulism" is divisive, and that O'Malley has fostered a regulatory environment that is hostile to small business and entrepreneurs.
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