The entire sports world knows the NFL had its annual measurement hoo-ha called the scouting combine last weekend. Few, however, were aware there was a combine going on right here in Baltimore, on the Sportexe Momentum turf at UMBC in Catonsville.

That's the new playing field of Crystal Palace Football Club USA. For the uninformed, CPUSA is the new outdoor soccer team calling Baltimore home and last weekend marked a big tryout time for players from all over the world.

Crystal Palace USA co-manager Jim Cherneski has a positive outlook for his team this season. (Sabina Moran/PressBox)

"We had about 70 players from 10 nations who came to compete and be judged," said Jim Cherniski, who, along with Pete Medd, is co-manager of the team that will compete in the 10-team second division of the United Soccer League this spring and summer.

After an initial season in Annapolis last year, all home games will be played at UMBC this year. The opener there is scheduled April 25 and regular season play continues through early August. 

"It was definitely cold," chuckled Cherneski, reflecting on Friday's icy conditions, "but it was a good weekend for us. We spotted several players who will be asked back for further tryouts. We just had to wear some warm clothes. Canceling the program was the last resort, and the field was very playable."

Crystal Palace gets its name from its parent team, Crystal Palace of London, one of the major English teams. Two years ago, Simon Jordan, the owner there, took a look at the obvious talent running loose in the colonies and decided he needed a feeder team. Presto, Crystal Palace USA. 

Cherneski said his team will keep 18 or 19 players on the roster, all of them full-time professionals. Most will be in their early 20s, with a few older veterans sprinkled in. One with Baltimore connections is goaltender Brian Rowland, who recently signed on with eight other players from last year's roster. Rowland played with the Blast in indoor soccer and earned his college credentials from UMBC. Another is starting defender Andrew Marshall, a former star at Towson University.

"Last year we had a lot of young players who had never played together, and the lack of cohesion showed early," said James Calder, the team's director of communications. "This year a playoff berth is definitely a reachable goal. It's going to be exciting." 

PERFECT STORM

The odds of all five Baltimore Division I basketball teams winning games on the same day would surely have surpassed some number even a super computer couldn't count, but the impossible did happen last Saturday. UMBC, Morgan State, Coppin State, Towson and Loyola all punched out victories, probably for the first time in history. Randy Monroe's UMBC Retrievers, by virtue of locking up the regular season championship in the America East, were the happiest since they are now guaranteed at least a postseason berth in the NIT. 

"Great stuff, great stuff," said Coppin's Fang Mitchell, the senior member of the local coaching fraternity who has watched with great interest this local roundball renaissance. "I give great credit to the athletic directors who went out and got these coaches who are willing to put in the time and recruit talent and then make that talent work for them. This area is getting to be a pretty tough place to play."

Mitchell's own Eagles got off to a slow start this season, but are coming on strong at the right time. Monday night they racked up their seventh victory in a row, routing Howard, 68-45.

Mitchell is the latest coach who sees no problem with the formation of a loosely knit Baltimore Big Five that would have teams play one another one game each year.

"I would certainly not object to such a thing," he said. "Since we're in the same conference (MEAC), we play Morgan twice a year anyway. And next season we already have a game scheduled with Loyola. It's an interesting concept." 

NEW FURNITURE?

Now Orioles honcho Andy MacPhail has gone out and hired yet another executive, 27-year-old Matt Klentak, and there was a big scurry at the Warehouse this week to order a fresh supply of desks. Any references to shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic are not appreciated, but it does make room for a question: Is there also a 40-man roster limit in the front office?

Even MacPhail admits he doesn't know exactly how things will shake out and who will be responsible for what, but at least the picture will be sharper on some TV broadcasts. The MASN group said yesterday it will televise 40 games in high definition, which cynics took to mean they will be able to see losses much more clearly this summer.  

LOOSE SCREW

With the Orioles' Adam Loewen working to rehab his formidable arm after having a screw implanted in it last year, an old football sort recalled the time some 35 years ago when Baltimore Colts linebacker Mad Mike Curtis broke a bone in his wrist. Team medics lashed it back together with a screw, covered it with a soft cast and let Curtis resume his favorite occupation of bashing people in the head on Sunday afternoons. At the end of the season, doctors went searching for the piece of metal and, yep, they found it in his elbow. 

TAG! YOU'RE IT

Reader Clyde Falls says he understands that the Ravens are putting the NFL franchise tag on Terrell Suggs as a linebacker for $8.065 million, while the player thinks he deserves franchising as a defensive end for $8.879 million. But what about the other positions, he asks.

Well, a quarterback draws the top figure, $10.73 million. Then come cornerbacks at $9.465 million. Others include: wide receiver -- $7.848 million; running back -- $6.538 million; defensive tackle -- $6.363 million; tight end -- $4.522 million; safety -- $4.396 million; and punter-kicker -- $2.514 million. The difference between cornerbacks and safeties is strange indeed. Is a corner really worth $5 million more than a safety? 

HUNG OUT TO DRY

When the rains drowned out the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in California Sunday night, the crew handling Carl Edwards' Ford must have found an extra drying agent overnight. When the race resumed Monday afternoon, Edwards' car was so strong at the end of the 500-miler he was cruising without even having to look in his rearview mirror. A superb late pit stop put Jimmie Johnson in the lead late in the race, but Edwards went around last year's champ and Jeff Gordon as if they weren't running almost 200 mph. This Sunday it's on to Las Vegas and the Rick Hendrick Chevy teams may be wrinkling a brow or two after not winning either of the season's first two runs. They're too good to be seriously concerned for long, however. 

Let PressBox know

Got a news tip? A question? A suggestion? Send it in to frontrow@pressboxonline.com. 

From The Cheap Seats

• Awwww, poor Brian Billick. The garrulous ex-Ravens coach can't understand why a 5-11 record got him fired, so he'll just limp off to the Eastern Shore with his $15 million buyout and refuse to talk to that nasty old Baltimore Sun.

• After they storm the court following a basketball victory, just what is it that college students are supposed to do besides jump straight up and down, which they have been doing all game anyway?

• Jockey Edgar Prado has so many credentials that he's a lock to win entry into the Racing Hall of Fame this spring, but the act for which all fans will forever remember him is his humane control of the horse and rapid dismount when Barbaro suffered that breakdown at Pimlico in 2006.

• Has it really come to this? Fox Sports Network has announced the beginning of a new series featuring collegiate bass fishing. 

Issue 3.9: February 28, 2008