No Secret About the Name of the Game

The big news out of College Park last week was the announcement that henceforth Byrd Stadium on the campus of the University of Maryland will be known as Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium. The deal, worth $20 million over 25 years, will help pay for a $50 million renovation and expansion. The addition will include 66 luxury suites and 500 mezzanine seats, bringing the stadium's capacity to more than 53,000.

Maryland currently has the ninth-largest stadium in the 12-team ACC, which includes football powers Miami (72,319), Florida State (82,300), Clemson (80,301) and Our Hokie Neighbors to the South, Virginia Tech (66,233).

Selling naming rights is nothing new. Comcast, which recently signed a cease-fire agreement with MASN to show Nats games, paid $20 million for the naming rights to Maryland's basketball arena. FedEx paid the Redskins $205 million over 27 years for the naming rights to the 92,000-seat par- tay palace in Landover. M&T Bank paid $75 million to have its name on the football stadium in Baltimore that should be named for Johnny Unitas. We have Verizon Center in downtown Washington that used to be MCI Center but should be the Abe Pollin Center.

Old schoolers like me would just prefer Byrd Stadium, named for the late Maryland president (from 1935 to '54) Harry Clifton "Curley" Byrd, who in his day hired coaching giants Bear Bryant (1945), Clark Shaughnessy (1946) and Jim Tatum (1947-55). Tatum delivered Maryland's only national football championship in 1953. As for my alma mater, the University of Florida, I still don't know why or how Florida Field became Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, or who Ben Hill Griffin Jr. was, other than I know he was not president of Hillel during my time (1958-63) on campus. Regardless, to virtually everyone, it's still "The Swamp."

But times change. Sportsworld moves forward. And no one knows this better than Ralph Friedgen, an offensive lineman for the Terrapins from 1966 to '68 and their old-school head coach for the past five years. His first three years (2001-03) back on campus, Friedgen, 59, posted an exceptional 31-8 record, appearing in three bowl games and winning two of them while being tapped by Sports Illustrated as college football's offensive genius. Still, his last two teams were 5-6, leaving the spoiled masses slightly uneasy.

The two-year dip did nothing for Friedgen's mood and resulted in his taking over the Terps' offense this year.

"It's stretching me pretty good; I'm scripting 100 plays a day," he said. "I'm teaching again. I like that. And I know if it doesn't work, it's on me."

Friedgen also knows life would be smoother had first-round NFL picks tight end Vernon Davis (2006) of the 49ers and linebacker Shawne Merriman (2005) of the Chargers played their senior seasons for him instead of going pro.

"I try to advise them if they were my own kids," he said. "I tell them to make sure where they stand but know that they can't refuse first-round money."

Friedgen added how proud he is that the program has produced 10 NFL players in the past three years, solid work by the team in the classroom and a squad that's 65 percent local.

"It's been a tough two years," quarterback Sam Hollenbach said. "But I feel this is our time."

Perfect Place to Be

Last Friday in Saratoga, N.Y., I went to the races with friends Richard and Sandy, joining aspiring horse owner Bob Goodman for the morning workouts. I went to high school and college with Goodman, whom I hadn't seen in 45 years. Goodman knows his way around the backstretch and says flatly, "There is no better place on earth than Saratoga in August."