Saturday, May 19, 2012
With Pimlico triumph, I'll Have Another keeps Triple Crown dream alive.
I’ll Have Another proved the skeptics wrong by winning the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday in exactly the same way he won the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago. The Kentucky-bred chestnut colt chased down pre-race favorite Bodemeister in the stretch crossing the finish line first by a neck. In the process, I'll Have Another kept alive hopes for horse racing’s first Triple Crown champion in more than three decades. “More than anything, I’m glad I didn’t disappoint people,” said Mario Gutierrez, I’ll Have Another’s jockey. “Like I say, it’s not about me. It is about the horse. From day one, I’ve believed in him. I’m so happy for him because he’s just a great horse.” Affirmed, in 1978, was the last colt to capture the …
Friday, May 18, 2012
The surprise success of the Orioles and Nationals has the region buzzing.
The Orioles and Nationals "rivalry" has required quotations through the first few years of interleague play around the beltway. This year is different. Entering the three-game weekend set, beginning Friday night at Nationals Park, the two clubs are battling atop their divisions against clubs with star-studded rosters and larger payrolls. So as one of the most important series between these neighboring ball clubs gets underway, the Patch sites in the Maryland area are curious: who are you pulling for in this year's Battle of the Beltway? Are you cheering for Bryce Harper and the Nationals? Or are you behind Adam Jones and the Orioles? While we're at it, which team do you think stands the best chance of staying in the pennant race late into …
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
A.J. Beal of South River High will compete at the Junior Olympic National Championships this week in six different events.
About 11 years ago, Shawn Beal sat beside the pool at Hillsmere Shores in Annapolis watching her 5-year-old son attempt a flip on the diving board. A.J. Beal, then 5, sat and watched high school boys tumble repeatedly off the springboard. After mustering up the courage, he went for a flip. Much to his mother's amazement, A.J. executed a “beautiful” flip and she immediately enrolled him in a gymnastics class. “He always had a lot of natural athleticism and a strong tumbling, aerial sense. I enrolled him in a gymnastics class and he loved it,” Shawn Beal said. Fast forward to the present and A.J. is going to compete in the Junior Olympic National Championships for the third year in a row. The championships will be held in in Cincinnati, OH, …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The boys will face Leonardtown on Wednesday and the girls will play Friday.
The brackets for the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) state lacrosse tournaments are set, and nearly every county school has one last shot at a title. The Annapolis High boys are seeded 12th in the region, and will travel to fifth-seeded Leonardtown on Wednesday. The girls, who were seeded third, earned a first-round bye. The Lady Panthers will play Friday against the winner of the match between Broadneck and North Point on Wednesday. Here's the rundown of every matchup involving a county team. All matches will be part of the Class 3A/4A East Region, unless otherwise noted. BOYS Annapolis (12) at Leonardtown (5) – Wednesday. Winner plays Severna Park or North Point Friday. Meade (7) vs. Arundel (10) – …
Sunday, April 29, 2012
High fashion and camaraderie were the stars of the annual event.
Once again, pomp and circumstance reigned supreme at the annual St. John's College, Naval Academy croquet match on Saturday. Ladies dazzled with elaborate frocks and wide-rimmed sunhats with all the frills and trimmings and men were similarly smartly outfitted with fanciful jackets and bowties. "It's fashion on top of fashion with a side of croquet," said William Henley, a 25-year patron, as he tipped his boater's hat. Oh, and the Johnnies won the game, hosted at St. John's, 5-2. The win came as no surprise since the midshipmen have only claimed victory five times in the match's 30-year history. Their last win was in 2005. For many spectators, the outcome has become so predictable that the match itself is only a side attraction. "It's …
Thursday, April 26, 2012
The 30th annual croquet match between St. John's College and the Naval Academy is scheduled for Saturday.
It started with a bet. According to legend, in 1982, a Naval Academy commandant boasted to a St. John's College freshman that the Mids could defeat the Johnnies at any sport. The clever freshman, Kevin Heyburn, quipped "What about croquet?" and a longtime rivalry was born. On Saturday, the Johnnies will once again face off against the Mids in the 30th annual croquet match. To the victor, goes the Annapolis Cup. For the uninitiated, the object of croquet is to hit balls with a mallet through a course consisting of nine metal wickets and two wooden stakes. A point is earned for each wicket and stake made in the correct direction and order. The first side to score 14 wicket points and 2 stake points for each of its balls wins. St. John's …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Members of the military can pay lower rates at the Compass Pointe or Eisenhower golf courses.
Members of the military can play golf at discounted rates on two courses in Anne Arundel County under a new partnership between the county and Fort Meade. County Executive John R. Leopold announced that all service members can pay reduced fees at Eisenhower Golf Course in Crownsville and Compass Pointe Golf Course in Pasadena. The partnership comes as Fort Meade prepares to close its own golf course to accommodate new office expansion there. Plans for a new golf course on base are ongoing and Fort Meade officials had been seeking to partner with other courses in the county to offer inexpensive play. “These agreements are an example of the partnerships we have worked hard to develop with our county counterparts,” Fort Meade Installation …
Monday, April 23, 2012
The Naval Academy hosted its annual Special Olympics Maryland competition over the weekend.
A little rain didn't damper the spirits of athletes competing at the Naval Academy's 2012 Special Olympics Maryland. About 200 athletes participated in the two-day annual event that took place over the weekend, organizers said. Saturday was dedicated to aquatics, and track and field events were held on Sunday. But, due to the rain and strong winds, some of Sunday's activities were canceled. "I had a lot of fun," said Nicholas Meade, a 26-year-old athlete, who participated in aquatics competitions. Josh Cabral, a 21-year-old midshipman who participated as a volunteer at the event for the first time, escorted Meade. "It's been a great time, minus the weather," Cabral said. "It's been a humbling experience to give back to the community." …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Coach Gene Bowles is inviting former players and coaches to participate in an alumni game and boost the morale of the current varsity team, which hasn't won a game in two years.
It's been two years since the Annapolis High School varsity baseball team has won a game. So, to turn around the team's spirits, head coach Gene Bowles is inviting former players and coaches to participate in an alumni game where they can also mentor the current members. "It's not my team, it's not their team," said Bowles, who at 25 is the youngest head coach in the county's public school system. "It's a community team. So the community needs to support it." As part of the effort to improve the team's performance, Bowles, who took his position in December, brought in former coach Larry Brogden to speak with the players last month. Brogden lead the team to the 1988 state championship win. "[The players] didn't know who he was," Bowles said…
Friday, March 23, 2012
Grant Turner died from an enlarged heart in 2005, but his legacy lives on in this weekend's 7th annual Annapolis Open baseball tournament.
When 172 youth baseball teams roll into Anne Arundel County for the 7th annual Annapolis Open this weekend, the players—some unknowingly—will be honoring the life and legacy of South River High graduate Grant Turner. Turner died in July 2005 from an enlarged heart after running a memorial 5K to support a fallen Maryland Department of Transportation Authority (MDTA) police officer. After turning in his timecard, Turner collapsed and passed away the same day. He was 24. The 1999 South River High graduate was five weeks away from graduating as a MDTA police officer and just two months away from marrying his fiancé in September. But despite his life’s tragic ending, Turner’s legacy has lived on through the annual baseball tournament; bringing …
Pachacutec
9:19 am on Monday, May 21, 2012
That horse and jockey run an unbelievable race! I'm hoping he can win the Belmont. more ›