This past winter, the question was whether top-ranked Dunbar's 1990-91 basketball team was as good as its powerhouse 1982-83 team.
A similar question is being asked this spring about Old Mill's 1991 baseball team.
Is this team as good as the 1989 team that went 20-1 and won the state Class 4A title?
"This is a very balanced team, with pitching, depth and experience," said Old Mill coach Mel Montgomery, whose team has been ranked 19th in one national poll.
The Patriots are loaded with veterans from last year's 19-4 state semifinalist, including five pitchers who accounted for 18 of the wins. Old Mill also has three players who helped Arundel coach Bernie Walter's Mayo Post No. 226 team win the American Legion national championship last summer.
But before Old Mill can start thinking about state titles, the Patriots will have to contend with Arundel and Northeast in Anne Arundel County.
Nothing is new in the Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference, where the favorites are two-time defending champion Calvert Hall and Mount St. Joseph, which has lost to Calvert Hall in the past two championship series.
Southern, Patterson, Mervo and defending champion Gilman are expected to contend for the B Conference crown. Two-time C Conference champion St. Paul's, which moved up to the B this season, could also be a factor.
With St. Paul's out of the C Conference, Mount Carmel is the team to beat. Last year, Mount Carmel lost to St. Paul's in the championship series after taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Defending state Class 4A champ Perry Hall is again the favorite in Baltimore County's 3A-4A league. If Perry Hall falters, Class 3A powers Lansdowne, Dundalk and Catonsville are ready to step up.
There is no clear favorite in Baltimore County's 1A-2A league, which has several new coaches. Look for perennial contenders Sparrows Point and Towson to lead the way, with Pikesville close behind.
In Harford County, Edgewood, which lost in the state title game last year, is favored. C. Milton Wright and defending county champion Bel Air will challenge the Rams.
Hammond is favored to win its first Howard County championship. Oakland Mills figures to provide Hammond's toughest competition. Mount Hebron and Centennial should also contend.
The Carroll County race is expected to come down to the potent offenses of Liberty and Westminster.
1. Old Mill -- The Patriots have all of their pitchers and several key field players from last year's 19-4 state semifinalists. LHP Doug Stockman (9-2, 2.72), RHP Eric Scott (4-1, 3.37), LHP Jim Simms (3-1, 3.65) and RHP Mike Nappier (2-0, 2.42) accounted for 18 of the 19 wins.
Scott, who also plays shortstop, batted .429 with 10 extra-base hits and 33 RBI. P/LF Simms (.375), C/2B John Bussey (.376, 20 RBI) and CF William Beverly (.367, 21 RBI, 15 SB) provide additional offense. All are seniors.
Montgomery can call on 10 graduates of a 15-3 junior varsity.
2. Perry Hall -- The Gators lost five starters from last year's Class 4A titlist (20-0), but a good nucleus remains.
Three All-Metro players return -- first-team OF Roy Marsh (.468, 5 HRs), second-team SS Donnie Burks (.524, 23 RBI) and second-team P Kevin Loewe.
Coach Larry Butz says Gilman transfer Danny Brown has looked good behind the plate in early drills, but Brown will be pushed by senior Dave Niedzialkowski.
3. Mount St. Joseph -- Seven starters return.
Calvert Hall has beaten Mount St. Joseph the past seven times the teams have met.
"We're always one of the top teams around, and the only team that keeps us from getting on top is Calvert Hall," said Mount St. Joseph coach Dave Norton, who is beginning his ninth season. "Until we beat them, it's like a monkey on our backs."
Senior P Ryan Clark leads the returnees, as the Gaels try and get past Calvert Hall and win their first A Conference title since 1987. Last season, Clark was 8-3 with a 1.05 ERA.
With junior OF Bob Bush, who batted .366 last season and senior SS Knoll Axt, who batted .343, leading the way, Mount St. Joseph shouldn't have any trouble scoring. However, the Gaels have no proven pitcher other than Clark.
4. Arundel -- The Region IV finalist (17-5) has 14 returning varsity players. "We have experience. We're very solid defensively, with good speed, and I think we'll hit," said coach Bernie Walter.
Sophomore RHP Shawn Crews (3-1, 2.78, 1 save) and senior RHP Larry Dobson (3-2, 3.36) will be backed by Chris Tutas, Jeff Beard and Chris Durocher.
The infield is anchored by third-year starting SS Scott Young (.290). Also back are 1B Scott Penland and DH/C Dusty Oldfather. Rodney Stevens (.357), Doug Stern, A.J. Trout and Eric Hontz lead an all-senior outfield.
5. Calvert Hall -- The only regular back is senior IF Ken Konopacki, but don't count the Cardinals out.
"We're reloading," said Calvert Hall coach Joe Binder, whose team has the talent to contend for a third straight conference title.
Konopacki, a first-team All-Metro pick last season at catcher, led the conference with a .560 average and also had 21 RBI, five doubles and two home runs.
Andy Weltlinger is shaping up as another solid LHP for a team that has produced a first-team All-Metro left-hander the past two seasons. RHP Dan Morrissey and RHP Larry Marino and LHP Brian Matz have emerged as the other regulars.
6. Northeast -- Coach Harry Lentz's state 2A semifinalist (22-1) has one of the area's hardest throwers, senior RHP Charlie Buckheit (11-1, 1.38). Buckheit walked 14 while striking out 72 in 81 innings.
Buckheit's backup is RHP Craig Everett (4-0, 2.85, .320, 20 RBI), who also plays center field.
Also back from the team that set or tied 18 school records are 1B Russ Curry (.329, 21 RBI), 3B Don Shump (.459, 36 RBI) and RF Shawn Royston (.333, 20 RBI).
7. Edgewood -- The Rams (15-9) surprised a lot of people in Harford County last year, when they reached their second straight Class 2A state title game with three sophomores and a freshman in the lineup.
Edgewood still is young, with only three senior starters, but the Rams have veterans at seven positions, including five returning starters.
Leading the way will be P/IF Eric Santana (5-2, 2.59 ERA) and P Wade Greason (4-3, 3.50). Santana (.482), a first-team All-Metro pick, and Greason (.360) are the Rams' top hitters.
8. Broadneck -- Combine multi-sport athletes like soccer/basketball/baseball players Johnny Williams, Matt Weimer and Jeff Vincent with a good defense. Add a huge ballpark, in which not many runs are scored, and the Bruins (11-9) should stay in the hunt in Anne Arundel County.
Williams, a pitcher with a knack for inducing ground balls, was 5-2 and figures to improve. He also played at second and hit .354 with 12 RBI. SS Vincent batted .310. OF Weimer, a backup pitcher, hit .300.
3B Brad Rinehart (.297, 17 RBI), C Sean Tettemer and sophomore RHP Chris Sutch also figure largely.
9. Lansdowne -- Three Vikings starters are back, and eight key players move up from the Baltimore County junior varsity championship team (18-0).
The Vikings will be led by all-county SS Andy Schwarz (.412). 3B Howard Popp, who moves up from the JV, is expected to supply most of the power.
Sophomore P Josh Benson, was 6-1 on the JV.
"I bit the bullet last year and left a lot of good players on the JV," said Lansdowne coach Ron Bareford. "You never know what will happen with a young team, but the potential is definitely there."
10.Hammond -- The Bears (9-10, 6-8) are led by all-county SS Jeff Cyran, who led the league with a .426 average, including eight doubles and two homers, and second-team all-county DH Jeff Lavis (.356, 18 RBI, 3 HR).
LHP Joe Nestor is a power pitcher with a good slider. RHP Mike Lerner gives the Bears the county's best two-man rotation.
"We have two above-average pitchers, the county's best power man [Lavis] and the leading hitter [Cyran], so on paper I think we'd be the [Howard County] favorite," Bears coach Bob Maxey said.
TEAMS TO WATCH: Poly, Cardinal Gibbons, Southern-Baltimore, Archbishop Curley, Catonsville, Chesapeake-AA, Bel Air, Centennial, Patterson, Dundalk.