sports & recreation : Buzz

LaxPower.com posted this news item on a fire that broke out early Monday morning at North Baltimore's Mount Washington Tavern. Citing ABC2 and WBAL's direct reports on the blaze, the post refers to the establishment as a "lacrosse icon." Read the entire post here.

Robert E. Lee park has long been a destination for dog owners, occasionally to the chagrin of non-canine inclined individuals. Recent developments should go a long way to resolving the disconnect.

From the source:

Dogs have run free — amok, some would say — in Robert E. Lee park for years. Residents complained the park had been "hijacked" by dog people. Even the county's parks director knew folks referred to the wooded, lakeside retreat as "Dog Poop Park."

The spot, hovering on the city/county line, had become the area's favorite dog park — never mind it wasn't one.

But that's all about to change.

After a $6.1 million renovation and a two-year closure, Robert E. Lee will re-opening Friday, boasting all sorts of refinements — the centerpiece being a legal, fenced dog run that people will have to pay to use. Additionally, the park will become the county's first to hire a small corps of rangers charged with ticketing people whosedogs are caught off leash anywhere else.

Here's the full story.

A host of events are on tap for the 2011 edition of Baltimore Beer Week, which begins October 6.

A sample:

So what’s in store this year? When queried, founder Joe Gold said many of the events are still evolving. However, plans are underway to have the first "Star Spangled Banger" parade of sorts starting at noon on October 6th at Baltimore’s historic Fort McHenry whereupon the fabled mallet will weave its way through some of Baltimore’s storied neighborhoods, visit various landmarks and taverns and ultimately end at Rams Head Live which will be the host venue for this year’s expanded Opening Tap Celebration. The hand-crafted mallet, used to tap the ceremonial first firkin, was crafted by wood expert John Gasparine and actually uses wood from Maryland’s famous fallen Wye Oak tree.

In addition to the Opening Tap Celebration, this year promises some great events like the 10th Anniversary of the Maryland Oktoberfest at Timonium Fairgrounds on October 8th, The Chesapeake Real Ale Festival featuring over 40 one of a kind firkins on October 15th and a Women-Centric event at Max’s Taphouse on October 13th. October 9th will feature a Historic Walking Pub Tour called a “Bar on Every Corner”.

A full schedule, along with more information about the event, can be found at the Baltimore Beer Week website.

Under Armour recently unveiled plans for a significant expansion of their corporate headquarters.

From the Sun:

Under Armour is hoping to double the size of its Baltimore headquarters to accommodate additional employees, a retail store and a company museum.

The sports apparel company wants to build an additional 400,000 square feet at Tide Point, an office complex in the Locust Point neighborhood that the firm, which had rented there for years, bought earlier this year.

The company envisions a 20,000-square-foot store opening in 2013, with offices and the museum to follow. Underground and surface parking are also planned.

Read the whole story here.

The Maryland Terrapins' new uniforms generated a ton of national conversation last week, largely due to their outlandish nature. The Baltimore Sun takes a look at a less-reported aspect of the story: how much the new helmets resemble those worn by Baltimore's Charm City Roller Girls.

From the source:

When the Terps’ revealed a new uniform and helmets before Monday’s game, there was much oohhing and ahhing over the all-white look with the Maryland state flag motif.

But at least one corner of Baltimore reacted with a dismayed pang of recognition: for the Charm City Roller Girls All-Stars team, the Terps’ new helmet looks much like the one they’ve been using for the past three years.

“They’re not identical, but they’re shockingly similar,” said Hillary “Rosie the Rioter” Rosensteel, the roller derby team’s captain.

Read more here.

A team of basketball players from the Baltimore area, led by Carmelo Anthony, will travel to Philly later this month to play an exhibition match at the famed Palestra.

From the source:

There may or may not be an NBA season this year, but that won’t stop the NBA from coming to Philadelphia.

Team Philly, a team made up of basketball stars from the Philly area, will take on Team Melo, a team led by Carmelo Anthony, on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. at The Palestra.

Read the whole story here.

Julie Scharper and Justin Fenton at the Baltimore Sun take a deep, engaging, well-reported dive behind the scenes into the Baltimore Grand Prix and how one man's idea eventually became a reality.

From the story:

With the drop of the green flag in three weeks, Wehner's dream will roar to life.

Glossy race cars are set to dart down newly paved roads alongside the Inner Harbor, bearing on their sleek frames the aspirations of city and state officials who are betting on the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix to draw tens of thousands of race fans, pump tens of millions of dollars into the local economy and burnish the image of the city.


Read the whole thing here.

Sales -- and profits -- are surging at Baltimore's Under Armour.

From the source:

Under Armour Inc.'s net income surged 77 percent in the second quarter as the company sold more athletic clothing and footwear and benefited from soaring direct-to-consumer sales and from taking its previously licensed hats and bags business in-house.

The Baltimore clothing seller also increased its full-year revenue forecast Tuesday to a range above Wall Street's expectations.

Under Armour earned $6.2 million, or 12 cents per share, for the quarter, compared with $3.5 million, or 7 cents per share, a year ago.

Read the full story here.

Barry Rozner, a writer for suburban Chicago's Daily Herald, has a bone to pick with Ravens coach John Harbaugh. Remember the draft day snafu that scuttled a trade between the Ravens and Bears? Harbaugh brought it up again last week, and Rozner responded in kind.

From the source:

But haven't we heard enough from the Baltimore Ravens and their draft-day debacle?

We understand the Harbaughs are intrinsically annoying, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh needs to move on already after blasting Angelo again this week.

Read the full article here.

Jay Davidson, one of the main folks responsible for bringing the Baltimore Grand Prix to fruition, is featured in the Baltimore Sun's Sun Magazine.

From the source:

Jay Davidson is, admittedly, no gear-head.

But as the president of the Baltimore Grand Prix, Davidson has been living and breathing all things IndyCar the past several months.

The inaugural race will bring dozens of high-speed open-wheel cars to Baltimore on Labor Day weekend, competing on a roughly two-mile course through downtown.

To prepare, city workers have had to shut down sections of major roads for repairs, angering many commuters. But the race and the festival that surrounds it will be worth all the aggravation, Davidson promises.

Read the full story here.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh and his brother, Jim, will soon be featured on an episode of the HBO series Real Sports.

Read the full story here.

Baltimore residents are understandably concerned about the logistical impact of the upcoming Grand Prix, and last week the city sought to allay some of the fear.

From the Sun:

The city's transportation director, Khalil Zaied, and his aides outlined a detailed plan for gradually shutting down streets in the area between the Inner Harbor and Camden Yards in the days leading up to the series of races from Sept. 2 to Sept. 4.

The event, the first of its kind in Baltimore, has involved the extensive reconstruction of some downtown streets � much to the chagrin of many residents and commuters. But city officials say the event, which they expect will draw more than 100,000 visitors during a normally slow weekend, will more than make up for whatever aggravation it has caused.

Read the full story here.

Baltimore Colts legend John Mackey -- the man who most football observers will agree is responsible, among his many accomplishments, for defining the tight end position as we know it today -- passed away last week at the age of 69.

From his obit at the New York Times:

"John Mackey, who bowled over defensive linemen and streaked past pass defenders as one of the N.F.L.'s greatest tight ends, then fought against free-agency restrictions as the president of the league's players union, died on Wednesday in Baltimore. He was 69.

His death was announced by the Baltimore Ravens, the successor franchise in that city to the Colts, for whom Mackey starred as the prototype of the current-day tight end. He had dementia, which his wife, Sylvia, believed was most likely caused by football collisions."

Read the full obituary here.

Baltimore Raven and Alabama resident Le'Ron McClain recently came to the aid of tornado victims in his hometown of Tuscaloosa.

From the source:

"That Le'Ron McClain is from Tuscaloosa was more than enough for the former University of Alabama fullback to do whatever he could to aid his hometown's tornado victims.

That the fifth-year NFL Baltimore Raven was not only in Tuscaloosa, but also in the storm path at the time made his mission even more clear.

McClain was at his condominium near Midtown Village on April 27 when the tornado cut a massive swath through the city, huddled in is closet like hundreds of others."

Check out the full story here.

If all goes well, visitors to Baltimore's Inner Harbor could soon have a Ripley's Believe It or Not location added to their list of potential stops.

From the source:

"Ripley's, the tourist destination with an Ocean City boardwalk location, has put Baltimore on a shortlist of cities it wants to branch into, including Chicago and Las Vegas, Ripley's spokesman Tim O'Brien said.

Ripley Attractions Worldwide has more than 80 attractions across the globe, including locations in Hollywood, Calif.; Mexico City and New York. The common thread is those are "destination cities" where tourists flock and people wander into Ripley's while there for other attractions, O'Brien said. In Baltimore, for example, the Inner Harbor and National Aquarium fit that type of bill, he said."

Read the full story here.