Vroom, Vroom

Hydroplaning is what you don't want your tires doing on a rainy night. But it's pretty exciting in a specially designed craft on the open water. That's what Ashley and I plan to watch tomorrow at the Cambridge Classic Powerboat Regatta . Ashley is the Tweeter on Team Terry, so stay tuned Saturday for thrills and chills on the Choptank.

The Powerboat Regatta features flat-bottom boats as well as hydroplanes. Here's the difference:

A hydroplane literally flies on a split bow comprised of two sponsons. At a certain speed, it lifts right off the surface. A single fin helps turn the boat because when it is operating at that velocity, only a tiny bit of the propeller is in the water.

A flat-bottom is a runabout with a(you guessed it)flat bottom. They skim across the surface at breakneck speed too, but unlike the aerodynamic hydros, skiffs bounce wildly from side to side. Race rules now require roll bars to protect the daredevils on these buckaroos.

And speaking of wild rides, I can see soccer partisans already milling around the Camden Yards complex in anticipation of the match tonight. They're lurking near Babe, mostly dressed in blue. I'm guessing they're Chelsea fans in search of Pickles, one of the official hangouts for the Chelsea contingent. (Milan has nailed down Little Italy. They will probably run into a number of the aforementioned firemen who staked their claim to LI last night.)

The energy is palpable. Baltimore is going to have its own wild ride tonight. Be sure to tune in to ESPN at 8:00