The Blast currently is struggling through a 4-5 campaign.

A young, exciting future

Twenty-two-year-old rookies Nick Markakis and Adam Loewen gave Baltimore Orioles fans an exciting night Aug. 22 in a 6-3 win over Minnesota. Markakis hit three home runs in consecutive at-bats, while roommate Loewen struck out seven and strung together 21 consecutive outs for the victory. The Orioles ended up with their ninth straight losing season, but Markakis, Loewen and a handful of other young talents gave fans a slight glimmer of hope.

Markakis will be Baltimore?s starting right fielder and possibly No. 3 hitter in 2007, while Loewen will likely be the No. 4 or 5 starter.

Hope arrives from Tennessee

The Baltimore Ravens offense had largely been mired in mediocrity since the start of the decade. They were rudderless multiple quarterbacks tried and failed to lead the team.

Then came June 7. Ending months of speculation, the Ravens traded for former NFL co-MVP Steve McNair, who had been locked in a contract battle with his former team, the Titans. The deal became a franchise-changer for Baltimore, as McNair provided a steady hand in steering the team to an AFC North championship.

As 2006 closed, McNair said the Ravens saved him. The Ravens would say it was the other way around.

Billick goes on the offensive

Ravens head coach Brian Billick could see his team ready to sink. The pressure had mounted in the offseason, following a 6-10 season last year. Now, the offense was struggling under the stewardship of coordinator Jim Fassel, a man he called his friend. The team, at 4-2, was on a two-game losing streak going into the bye week.

Billick dramatically fired his friendOct. 17 and took control, knowing that his future in Baltimore depended on righting the ship.

Entering Sunday?s game with the Bills, the Ravens are 8-1 since the switch and poised for a major playoff run.

Death and renewal for McGuire

A year ago, Alex McGuire made the successful transition from being one of the top girls basketball players in Maryland to being one of the top women?s basketball players for Army.

The Arundel High graduate earned Patriot League rookie of the year honors while leading the Black Knights to the league championship and the NCAA tournament. But the team?s Cinderella year took a tragic turn shortly after the season ended when 28-year-old coach Maggie Dixon died suddenly.

McGuire and Army regrouped under former assistant Dave Magarity, who took over for Dixon this year. McGuire is averaging about 12 points per game as the Black Knights started the season 11-2 through Saturday.

Back in the saddle

Todd Bozeman wasn?t sure if he would ever get a chance to be a college basketball coach again.

The 42-year-old Prince George?s County native had not been on the sidelines in a decade after the NCAA basically barred him from the game following a series of serious NCAA violations, including paying a player, while head coach at California, which he led to an upset of then-defending NCAA champion Duke in the 1993 tournament.

Bozeman waited patiently and learned from his past mistakes, working in a number of professions before Morgan State hired him. The Bears lost their first six games but finally won Dec. 6 against Coppin State. The Bears are now 2-8.

An All-American gal

Navy soccer forward Meggie Curran entered the fall on the cusp of becoming the program?s all-time assists leader.

The senior did that and more, finishing the season with 12 goals and 15 assists. She also helped Navy upset nationally ranked Penn State and win its second Patriot League title in four years while leading the team to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.

Soccer Buzz named Curran ?a three-time All-Patriot League selection and the 2006 league offensive player of the year ? a Third-Team All-American, the first such honor for a Navy soccer player. Second on Navy?s all-time career scoring list with 38 goals and 42 assists, she graduates this spring.

State champ Eaddy gives a hoot

Last winter, Keisha Eaddy led the River Hill girls basketball team to a perfect 28-0 season and the school?s first-ever state title, scoring 39 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Class 3A state semifinals and final. Now a college freshman, Eaddy is starting at guard for Temple (8-4), averaging 6.2 points and four assists a game.

A beleaguered trip down I-95

To say the Baltimore Bayhawks experienced a rough year in 2006 would be gross understatement. The year started with a change in ownership and followed with the defending champions retooling the majority of the team, including letting head coach Gary Gait go. After sputtering to a 4-8 record, its worst season ever, and missing the playoffs for the first time in team history, the Bayhawks in November announced a relocation to Washington, D.C., where they will play home games at Georgetown University, hoping to revive a dwindling fan base.

Fighting his past

Lenwood Dozier Jr. is trying to follow the path of God. The 25-year-old amateur welterweight boxer from Suitland is well on his way to turning professional by November 2007. Training out of Millersville, Dozier is staying away from the street life that used to get him in trouble with the law. He is training for the Golden Gloves competition this spring at Sugar Ray Leonard?s gym in Palmer Park, Md.

After his story in the Examinerin August, Dozier was approached to speak to public school students about the dangers of drugs. He is planning to speak at Randallstown Middle School some time in early 2007.

? Compiled by the Examiner sports staff