I thought we would come out punching this week with our dose of "Q'swithout A's." But before I start swinging, let's go over the rules.
If you have an answer or response or a question of your own, you are always welcome to give me a buzz on the 24-Hour Sportsline, 647-2499.
* Are you going to be a part of the start of something big when the Josh Hall-Victoria Savaliski Round One Promotions has its inaugural dinner and boxing show at Michael's 8th Avenue Thursday night?
Do you agree with me that a boxing rebirth is in the air with the moveto Michael's, where the accent will be on entertainment, comfort andsports?
Did you know tickets are still available at $30 and for more information you can call 760-2699?
* Is this great news or what? Jennifer Chapman, a 6-foot-1 senior center and three-year varsity basketball starter at Broadneck High, has received a full scholarshipto the University of Vermont and will sign a national letter of intent today.
Jennifer, the daughter of Steve and Sue Chapman, is not only an outstanding basketball player but an "A" student as well and has truly earned this wonderful opportunity.
Did you know that very few girls from this county ever have gotten a full ride to college?
* While the Board of Education takes a lot of heat for various reasons, doesn't it deserve a salute for finding ways to keep the best high school sports program in the state, bar none, afloat?
Isn't it great to know that someone such as Dr. Dennis Younger, executive director of instruction, is open-minded about listening to ways to solve problems as he was Monday in resolving the holiday tournament dilemma?
Younger and the committee listened as Annapolis athletic director Fred Stauffer made his winning pitch to use gate receipts to pay custodians and administrators to let the tournaments go on and still save money during this budget crisis.
Did you know that Younger will huddle with the county athletic directors at the end of this week to discuss what to do with games scheduled on Jan. 3?
That's a furlough, and if schools are closed, no games. One game is scheduled that night, which could create a big problem in rescheduling.
It's the first meeting of 4A Region IV powers Broadneck and Annapolis. Basketball teams are allowed to play three games in a week one time duringa season under Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association rules, and the two teams already have one such week on their schedules.
"To move it to another week would be a violation of state rules, so I guess we will have to see if the state will waive the rule or something because it doesn't look like we can reschedule it," said Stauffer.
The game has to be played, so how about playing it at Truxtun Park?
With the first five Annapolis hoop games at home in December, isn't it great that Coach John Brady should get the two he needs for the 300-win milestone on his home court? Wouldn't it be extraspecial for Brady to win the first over Carver on Dec. 13 then ring up No. 300 on Dec. 16 over his alma mater, Mount St. Joseph High?
* Can you believe that basketball and wrestling practice starts Friday?
C'mon now, how many of you hoop coaches have been slyly runningpractices in your open gyms because no coordinator of physical education has been on the job to check you out?
If you have, won't you please call me?
* Wouldn't it be great for cohesion and county sports if Old Mill athletic director Jim Dillon is named coordinator of physical education and Rick Wiles, a former phys-ed student of Dillon's when he was at Andover High, is named assistant coordinator?
Wouldn't Dillon and Wiles make a great team?
* How many high school quarterbacks could have done what Severna Park's junior Tim Bowerman did Friday night? He called an audible at the line of scrimmage with the clock running down and then calmly tossed a game-winning touchdown pass to John Milisitz with no time left to lift the Falcons over archrival Annapolis, 16-14?
Did you know that Friday afternoon Severna Park coach Andy Borland showed his team a film on having faith andthat was on the minds of the players in their incredible comeback?
Did Annapolis coach Roy Brown show his Panthers "Nightmare on Elm Street" to brace them for another horror show? Annapolis lost all fourof its games in the waning seconds and at home.
Could anyone haveblamed Brown if he had jumped off the Bay Bridge Friday after losingat the gun a fourth time? "The water was too cold," said Brown.
*What do you think of this question from Borland after the game Friday night: "I feel euphoric. Bet you didn't know football coaches knew words like that did you?"
* Have you heard Archbishop Spalding's power-hitting baseball outfielder Marty Hall sing the national anthem?After singing the Star-Spangled Banner at Cavaliers home games this fall, will Hall be performing it at hoop games as well?
Did you know that Hall gets the musically inclined bit from his dad, John, one of the top drummers to ever play rock 'n' roll around the state? Johnmade his mark with Vince Corrolla's Crackerjacks.
* How about a round of applause for the great coaching job turned in with the Catonsville Community College women's soccer team by North County High teacher Tom Taylor, as he led the team to a stunning 2-1 upset of Essex on Monday to win the Region XX JuCo tournament and earn a spot in the Nationals Nov. 21-23 in Mercer, N.J.?
Don't you know that Taylor, a former girls soccer coach at Andover before moving to Catonsville two years ago, was smart enough to tap into Anne Arundel County talentin putting together his region champion?
"Former county players who contributed to what was the first ever region title in women's soccer are Lisa Bradt (Andover), Stephanie Meyer, Colleen Morris and Angela Farace (North County), Tracy Hodgske (Chesapeake) and Michelle Yingling (Northeast)," said Taylor, who is also head girls lacrosse coach at North County.
"We had more wins (10-8-1) in one season than they had totally for every year since they began the program at Catonsville in 1981. It goes without saying this will be our first trip ever to the nationals."
* Wasn't it a wise decision on the part of Mount St. Joseph's new lacrosse coach, Drew Bowden, to retain veteran coach Bob Abend of Brooklyn Park as his frosh-soph head coach? Did you know that Abend, who built a winning stick program at Spalding before being unwisely fired, teamed up with another former Spalding coach, Doc Bartlinski, on the Mount St. Joe football staff as well?
Abend coached the freshman football team to an overall 6-3 record and second-place finish in the Maryland Scholastic Association A Conference, while Doc led the Gaels' JV to a 7-2 mark, the only losses by 8-6 scores to perennial powers Poly and Calvert Hall.
"Our top running back on the freshman team was Ja'von Norris of Glen Burnie," said Abend. "You're going to hear a lot from that kid in the years to come."
Norris, who led the Dan Ray-coached Andover Apaches to the county youth football 135-pound championship last fall, tallied 17 touchdowns for the Gaels this season.
* Isn't it a wonderful idea by many of the former players to organize a reunion of the recently folded Tangerine Machine 18-and-under softball team for Friday, Nov. 29, at the4100 Club in Brooklyn Park?
All former Tangerine Machine players,parents and fans can call either Coach Tom Conley at 355-5271 or Cassie Sachs at 636-3040 for ticket information.
* Did you old-timersknow you can sign up for the newly formed county Rec and Parks 50-and-over Basketball League by showing up at Marley Junior High on Sundays, Nov. 17 and 24? Teams will be organized on those dates.
* Wouldn't the enactment of a proposal by county Rec and Parks to change the age cutoff date from Jan. 1 to Aug. 1 for baseball be great for sandlot baseball because it finally would put the younger age brackets of 10-12 and 12-14 in line with national rules?
* Can you believe this hockey stat from University of Maryland goalie Bob Wagman againstNavy's club team last Saturday in a 4-2 Terps' win -- 69 saves?
"I was ready to blow my brains out," joked Navy coach Jim Barry, whoseteam bounced back to even its record at 1-1 on Sunday with an 8-1 rout of Lehigh (Pa.). Tri-captain Tim Fetch had a hat trick and two assists for the Mids.
* Finally, with the budget crisis how many of you would be willing to pay big bucks for a ticket to MY ROAST -- that's right a roast of Pat O'Malley -- with all the proceeds going into the county athletic fund? Let me know, guys and gals.