NBA

After having a rather in depth conversation concerning the NBA with Boston Ben, soon to be sharing his thoughts with us on the Blogway, I have decided to write a little bit about the NBA.

We all know that the NBA is very different than the NCAA. Most people enjoy watching the NCAA more, and I cant say that I blame them, but I have grown rather fond of the NBA. I think it took appreciating the talent that is the NBA. If you think about how good of a basketball player you need to be in order to play in the NBA, even just sit on the bench and never play a lick, it is pretty incredible. Most people want to discount the NBA because they feel that there is no effort given or defense played, and I used to think this too, until I realized that they really are playing defense, it just doesnt seem like it because most players on the court are incredibly proficient at scoring no matter if the defense is solid or not. Watch an NBA team warm up during their shoot-around and you won't see many misses. Its just talent, really really good athletes. Think about it, theres only about 14 players per team tops. Theres roughly only about 400 players in the NBA. And half of those guys actually play. Compare these numbers to the number of players on each NFL team. My point is that the chances of being good enough to play in the NBA are super super low, lowest of all the major sports, so the talent is unreal and worth watching. Give it a shot.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLL Detector

Well, Shredder and the Foot clan got the best of the Turtles tonight, so I'll say something short and sweet: FIFA needs to get their act together (read this). Get five of these, position them strategically around the goal as shown in figure 1. Get a high resolution high speed video camera looking down at the goal plane. Calibrate those bad boys, and get some grad students to do the algorithm design and implementation. There FIFA, I just saved you a boat load of cash... that'll be $20.

Figure 1: Goal detector sensor layout.

One Last Hurrah

The Terpensteins have one last chance in the regular season to take down a Top 25 team. Tonight, at 7:45PM, Maryland (18-10) takes on the 19th ranked North Carolina Tarheels (21-6). The Terps are riding a two-game win streak that entailed an impressive win over Florida State and the Tarheels are riding a gnarly 4 game breaker win streak that's going to be busted up by Turtle Beach. These young teenage mutant turtles will be out for Carolina Blue Blood. It's going to be a big one. Cawabunga Dude!



The Terps have caught some big wave win streaks often to be busted up by a dissapointing loss to a quality team. Within these games themselves, the Terps have found themselves on top of a heavy 8-12 foot/point lead against quality opponents often to only wreck and eat sand by the time the final buzzer sounds.


That being said, it's about time these young Terps get covered with some powerful mutagen goo to turn them into Terps ready for battle(a.k.a the rain storm known as the Selection Sunday Tsunami). Gary, dump yourself in this goo as well, and use your skills as the Sensei, to become Splinter for these mutated turtles. Rise up and defeat the Acc Malevolent Empire Superpower leaders - Krang (a.k.a Mike Krzyewski/Coach K-rang) and Shredder (a.k.a Roy Williams).




With a win against North Carolina, Miami, and Virginia to finish the season would put the terps at an impressive 21-10. And if the Terps win two games in the ACC tournament after that then I think these Terps will be packing their bags for the sweet land of 64. First things first, let's beat North Carolina. Hero's in Halfshell style - Terp power. Then when all is said and done - Enjoy a fine slice of pizza at Ratsies on the house. LETS GO TERPS! Get that big one tonight.

Ravens vs. Skins

This post is inspired by my colleague, Ryan Hyde, a rabid Redskins fan. A week or two ago he told me I should write a post about Albert Haynesworth. I believe his comment was spurred by the following news report...

"D.C. police are investigating an allegation that Washington Redskins defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth sexually assaulted a waitress at the W Hotel in Washington over the weekend. Haynesworth, identified as Subject 1, tried to give the waitress his credit card and asked if he could place it in her blouse. The waitress nodded, and Haynesworth placed the card into her blouse and began caressing her breast, the report says."

I was not about to write about Big Al. However, it made me realize that the teams' two nose tackles are a microcosm of the two franchises. Haynesworth is an overpaid lug who complains constantly, underperforms and gets in trouble off the field every other week. Haloti Ngata on the other hand recently made his second straight pro-bowl, received the Ravens' franchise tag and is the quintessential family man. The Redskins acquired Haynesworth through free agency while the Ravens drafted Ngata in the first round of the 12th pick of the 2006 NFL draft.

I wear my Ngata jersey with pride and sport my purple and black knowing that I am supporting a team of players who love the game, support their community and always...

Pinch Hitting in the Thursday Slot

Hello commuters on the BW Blogway.

As today's guest blogger, I have decided to present to you my awards for the BEST and WORST guest appearances in Baltimore-Washington sports history. Not only will this give us a chance to honor those athletes who impacted our sports lives so much in such a short time. But it will also allow us to take a couple more angry whacks at our favorite dead horses.

What qualifies as a guest appearance? Good question.

I have decided to go with athletes that graced, or disgraced, us with their presence for three seasons or less with a local team and spent the majority of their careers with other franchises. I am looking for hired guns that were brought in for immediate returns. Some hit a bull's eye while other missed the target completely and injured several spectators in the process.

Are we all on the same page? No? Great, let's go!

I always like to save the best for last, so this blog will start with my WORST guest appearance award. Now I had several equally horrifying candidates for this dishonor, so let us first give some credit, or not, to those who missed the cut:

Elvis Grbac

Elvis came to the Ravens the year after they won the Super Bowl in 2001 behind arguably the greatest defense of all time. Raven's brass hoped Elvis could make the Ravens dominant on both sides of the ball. In his opening press conference Elvis boasted, "It's time that a quarterback comes in here and provides leadership, a go-to guy, a vertical passing game. This is a great team. I can make it better." Well, at least he had confidence.

Instead of fulfilling his promise, Elvis put up mediocre numbers while leading the 18th ranked offense in the league. The Ravens ended the season 10-6 record and a loss in the 2nd round of the playoffs to the hated Steelers. Considering Jamal Lewis was lost for the year during the pre-season that record is semi-respectable.

What made matters worse was the fact that he was seen crying on the sidelines after being "All Shook Up" by the jeers of the home town fans. Elvis then check into the "Heartbreak Hotel" and left the building the following after refusing a pay cut. If it makes Ravens fans feel any better, not likely, he did win the title at 1998's Sexiest Athlete alive...by mistake. Oops

Jaromir Jagr

In 2001, the Washington Capitals signed Jagr to the biggest contract in the history of the league. He supposed to be the last piece of a championship puzzle. Instead he averaged 27 goals over three seasons with the Caps and the team never made it out of the first round of the playoffs. He even cut his trademark mullet...come on!

Figuring he was washed up, the Caps traded him to the Rangers for Anson Carter while agreeing to pay a large portion of his salary over the remainder of his deal. In his first season with the Rangers he had 54 goals and 60 assists and won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the best player in the league. Carter compiled 10 total points with the Caps and was traded a month later. He was in consideration for my first price but then i discovered Mini Jagr, who saved him from this dubious distinction.

And the award for the WORST guest appearance by a BW athlete goes to...

Glenn Davis

Pictured to the right in a sweater he stole from Bill Cosby, Glenn Davis came to Baltimore as a two-time All Star with the Houston Astros averaging 27 dingers and 85 RBIs over the previous six seasons. He was supposed to be the centerpiece of the O’s line for years to come. In fact, Oriole’s management thought so highly of him they traded three of their top you prospects for him: Curt Schilling. Steve Finley, and Pete Harnisch. How did Glenn do?

He played 185 games in three injury-riddled seasons in which he hit just 24 total home runs and drove in a paltry 85 RBIs. In 1993, his jaw was broken in a bar fight and his career with the Orioles was mercifully over. What made matters worse was the fact that Schilling went on to become one of the elite pitchers in baseball, Finley was a two-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, and even Harnisch had two 16-win seasons after leaving Baltimore cementing this trade as one of the worst in baseball history.

Now lets get to the to the good guys. These fine gentlemen are what make sports so great. They are the underdogs written off by other franchises only to resurrect their careers and become fan favorites. Again, we start with our honorable mentions:

Eric Davis

After successful stints with the Reds and Dodgers in the early 90’s, Davis was considered a 5-tool player and was among the most exciting athletes in the game. However, Davis’ career was sidetracked by injuries and causing him to retire in 1996 after two seasons with the Tigers. After taking a year off to recover Davis returned to the league in 1996 and was signed by the Orioles in May of 1997. Davis got off to a fast start in Charm City hitting .306 with 8 home runs and 25 RBIs in 42 games.

But tragedy struck early in the season as Davis was diagnosed with colon cancer causing him to leave the team for treatment. Davis was determined to play again that season though the odds were against him. He bravely returned to the team in September while still in treatment for his illness. Davis even found enough strength to smash a game winning home run in Game 5 of the 1997 American League Championship Series.

Though the O’s eventually lost the series, his heroics would not be soon be forgotten. Davis had solidified himself as a mainstay in the Oriole’s lineup and was brought back for 1998 season. He went on to have one of his best seasons, batting .327, the 4th best average in the AL, and hitting 28 homers along with a 30 game hit streak.

Steve Francis

Francis transferred to the University of Maryland in 1998 after spending two season at the illustrious Allegheny Community College. The addition of the highly touted JUCO transfer helped propel the Terrapins to a #5 preseason ranking and had the terps ranked #2 in the nation by December. The Terrapins finished second in the ACC that year and Francis was named to the All-ACC first team and the All ACC Tournament team.

Francis’ sick handles, flashy dunks, and entertaining bravado immediately made him a fan favorite.The Terrapins entered the 1998-99 NCAA tournament as a number 2 seed but were defeated by Ron Artest’s St. Johns crew in the Sweet 16. However, with Francis at the helm, the Terps set a school record-setting 28 wins and only 6 losses. He was named a second team All-American and was named a finalist for the Wooden and Naismith Player of the year Awards.

Francis entered the NBA the following year and was the #2 overall pick. Francis jersey now hangs in the rafters of the Comcast Center and his lasting legacy will always be his high-flying dunks. Some of which can be seen here, here, and here.

And the award for BEST guest appearance by a BW athlete goes to, (drum roll please)…

Trent Dilfer

Dilfer is far and away my #1 choice for this award because his arrival coincided with the first and only Super Bowl championship in Raven’s history. And yes, I know the defense had a little something to do with that but it was always the Raven’s quarterback play that seemed to hold them back.

Dilfer signed with the Ravens on March 8, 2000 as backup for Tony Banks. After four straight weeks without an offensive touchdown, the Ravens replaced Banks with Dilfer and failed to score a touchdown for the fifth straight week. That would be the Ravens last loss of the season as Dilfer and the Ravens “Purple Reign” defense led the team to seven straight wins and a Wild Card berth at 12-4.In the playoffs, Dilfer created just enough offense to win tough road games in Tennessee and Oakland’s Black Hole en route to Super Bowl XXXV.

Halfway through the first quarter of the Super Bowl Dilfer connected with Brandon Stokely on a deep post for a 38-yard touchdown and never looked back. The Ravens eventually won easily, 34-7. Dilfer's game stats were an average 12 completions for 153 yards and 1 TD but his performance would endear him with Raven's fans for years to come. Dilfer was replaced the following year by Elvis Grbac in a move Charm City has never understood. And well…we know how that went. Please feel free to relive your Super Bowl highlights here.

Feel free to leave your favorites choices in our comments section and have a great Thursday everyone.

Happy Birthday to a Great American Hero

Soccer player Joe-Max Moore turns 40 today. The former striker played for the US Mens National Team for ten years, earning 100 caps and scoring 24 times, which is the fourth most in the history of the squad. His career took him from Germany, to the MLS, to Ecuador, to England, before he returned to the MLS. Moore retired from the sport in 2004.

Happy Birthday Joe.

Quick Update

The NHL trade deadline is less then a week away. Many rising teams will be buying, while many sinking teams will be selling. A few blockbuster moves were already made this weekend. Many more will be made on Monday, February 28th. There is no doubt in my mind that the Washington Capitals will be in the mix. The Caps are starting to play well, and are only 1 point behind the South East Division leaders, Tampa Bay Lightning. The biggest question is which direction will they move in on the 28th. Will the look for more offensive fire power and go after a second line center, or will the look to shore up their defense. The Capitals will have more than $1.4 million available under the salary cap to make moves at the deadline.

Among the prospects that are set to become unrestricted free agents at year's end is New Jersey's Jason Arnott, who has 24 points this season and 1,155 regular season games of experience, not to mention having won a Stanley Cup in 2000. Arnott has a no-trade clause in his contract. Buffalo's Tim Connolly has 25 points in 41 games but the Sabres may not look to subtract pieces given that they're still in the playoff hunt. And my personal preference, Brad Richards, who is currently concussed, but will be healthy soon, has 63 points this year, but it's believed that the Stars are resolved to keep the veteran in Dallas.

The more prominent defensemen who are set to become unrestricted free agents this season are Ottawa's Chris Phillips, Phoenix's Ed Jovanovski, and St. Louis's Eric Brewer.

GMGM did mention he will not do anything with either goalies. "No. We're sticking with these goaltenders. They're playing well and we like them a lot," McPhee said. "They've been good for us this year. We're pleased with what they've been doing. We're confident in the goaltenders; we're not making any changes there. . . . Whatever else may happen is hard to define right now."

The deadline is Monday, I will report back Tuseday on the Caps' trade action, along with other highlights from around the league. I will leave you all with this gem from last nights game



And where was CROSBY during all this? CRYing and SOBbing at home with a headache.

Lets go CAPS!

From Generation to Generation

The other night, with one of my good pals and Baltimore enthusiasts, Tristan Deppe, I watched one of the better and more moving documentaries I have ever seen. "The Band That Wouldn't Die". This is an ESPN 30 for 30 doc which highlights the band behind the team that left in 1984. Now, by my estimation, all of us writing for this blog were not alive when the Mayflower vans moved in and moved out in the middle of the night in 1984, when thousands of die hard fans woke up on the worst March 29th ever in the history of Baltimore to see that their beloved Colts were gone, just simply gone. So becuase none of us were really alive to exerience this tragedy, and yes it was a tragedy, its obviously hard to know what that night meant and what that team meant. All I have ever heard my whole life is stories of the Colts. Johnny U, the greatest game every played...all of these things are just mere legends to me and honestly it sucks to realize that. I am happy for my own era and the times that have been in Baltimore sports, but I still very much feel bummed out that I couldn't have experienced what was. Therefore, I feel it is very important to try to preserve this history by keeping it in our minds that this proud franchise was in fact one of the realest things to so many people in Baltimore. It was something that Baltimoreans could hang their hat on, something that defined them, something that they could be proud of, something that brought people together. I think about my Grandfather and what the Colts meant to him and I feel a particular heart felt connection with him just in knowing the passion and love he had for this team which was way more than just a sports team. Culture, pride and good will. All of these things were shaped and driven by one sports team for many people.

Sports have changed over the years and I believe that back in the days of the Colts and Johnny U in particular, sports were purer than ever. The players knew the community and were tangible, intimate and personal leaders in the city and the surrounding communities. It wasn't necessarly about fame, spotlight and fortune, but it was probably more about hard work, competitiveness and a still strong understanding of what the real world is; work ethic, selflessness, and heart. I miss the hell out of the Colts and I never even knew them. To all who did know them, I hope you don't forget what they meant and I will personally try to do my best to keep them alive.


The Baltimore Colts Fight Song


Let's go you Baltimore Colts
And put that ball across the line,
So, drive on you Baltimore Colts -
Go in and strike like lightning bolts,
Fight, fight, fight,
Rear up you Colts and let's fight -
Crash through and show them your might -
For Baltimore and Maryland -
You will march on to victory.

KEVINS

Yesterday, Blog Brother Biscoe paid tribute to one of the great legends of curling: Kevin Martin. Today we honor Kevin Martin the NBA player and Kevin Martin the hurler.

Kevin Martin mid lift-off.

Kevin Martin is a seven year NBA veteran. Martin has graced the court as a Sacramento King and most recently as a Houston Rocket. Martin is a one-time NBA player of the week and believes school bus seat belts should be worn at all times. Check out the following pages for more detailed info:

• Wikipedia
• NBA.com
• Youtube

Kevin Martin has hurled for the past 20 years, which includes an eight year stint in the NHL. Martin, as both a player and manager, led Tullamore to its 2009 Offaly county title (their first in over 35 years). Find more strictly athletic details over at Wikipedia and Facebook.

Kevin Martin on the right.

International prestige, Olympic Gold, and beautiful women are all things that Kevin Martin the curler has obtained, hopefully the other KMs can follow his lead.

KEVIN

While distinguished and well-respected athletes in their own rights – Ronaldo and Lance Armstrong are hanging up their hats – Kevin Martin is still going strong. They don’t call Kevin Martin the “Old Bear” for nothing. He’s still ripping, roaring, and clawing his way to curling championships at the ripe age of 44. K-mart currently sits on a throne as one of the greatest skips currently still professionally competing in the sport of curling. The Old Bear is one of the greatest curlers in the current curling world and it might be years before he hangs up his rock.

Curling is often made the butt of Olympic game jokes. A little over a year ago on 60 minutes, Andy Rooney, said of curling, “the dullest Olympic sport is curling, whatever curling means”. Charles Barkley has said, “Curling is not a sport. I called my grandmother and told her she could win a gold medal because they have dusting in the Olympics now.” How would the Old Bear respond to such statements? Well, I think he’d give those comments a hearty Canadian chuckle.



When I think of Canada a few things come to my mind – Labatt Blue, Wayne Gretzky the “Great One”, and Curling. I also think of the lakes, the mountains, the forests, and the hills – "a place of peace, the repose of the mind". Like the beauty inside of Canada - Curling has an inner beauty. I think many Americans nitpick at curling because they don’t see the beauty in its complex simplicity, the sportsmanship involved, and the intense competitiveness and difficulties of these chess matches on ice. Instead it is easy to notice the sport’s “lack of glamour” – and perhaps lack of physical toughness that is made apparent in other sports such as hockey and football. Well, if that’s the case, consider curling the equivalent of a nice game of golf... on steroids.



K-mart's Canadian Curling team won Olympic gold in 2010 as they went undefeated in round robin play, beat Sweden in the semis and eventually knocked off Norway for the gold. Now, in 2011, it’s March Madness in the curling world. From March 5-13, The Brier, will be taking place in London, Ontario. K-mart will seek to become the first curler to win five Briers as a skip. Then as the final four in basketball kicks off on April 2 in Houston, Texas – 1800 miles away the World’s Men Curling championship will be taking place in Regina, Saskatchewan. It will be interesting to see how K-Mart comes out in these upcoming events. We might not have the young Terps to root for this March in the field of 64, but we surely we will have the Old Bear to support.

A little background on the Old Bear – he’s married to Shauna Martin (Honey Bear) and has three children, Karrick, Kalycia and Mykaela (three little bears - possible future curling champions). He is the owner and operator of Kevin's Rocks-n-Racquets. He has owned his own business since 1991. Prior to that, he was an ice maker. He also runs curling academies at the Saville Sports Centre. He has a resource management degree from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. (source: wikipedia/Kevin Martin)

Folks, Curling rocks, it is aboot time it’s sweeps through America. Check in over the next few months on B-W Blogway for results of all the curling action going on around the world and get updates on Kevin Martin. Let’s Go Old Bear!!! It's hammer time!!!

It's not just a rock. It's forty-two pounds of polished granite, with a beveled underbelly and a handle a human being can hold. Okay, so in and of itself it looks like it has no practical purpose, but it's a repository of possibility. And, when it's handled just right, it exacts a kind of poetry - as close to poetry as I ever want to get. The way it moves.... Not once, in everything I've done, have I ever felt the same wonder and humanity as when I'm playing the game of curling. ~Paul Gross, John Krizanc, and Paul Quarrington, Men with Brooms

LANCE

Another great athlete decided to hang up his cleats this week: Lance Armstrong. Like Ronaldo, Lance is one of the greatest cyclists of our generation. I personally believe he is #2 all-time to the great Eddy Mercx of Belgium. Lance of course holds the record for all-time Tour de France wins with 7 (in a row). Eddy is a close second with 5. In addition, he has won all the monuments of cycling (5 one-day races that include: Milan - San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris - Roubaix, Liege - Bastogn - Liege and the Giro di Lombardia a total of 19 times), the Giro d'Italia 5times and the Vuelta a España once, the world championship as an amateur and a professional, and broke the world hour record. So I consider Lance the second greatest cyclist of all-time, but by far the most inspiring.

Everyone knows the story of Lance... at age 25, he was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer. The cancer spread to his lungs, abdomen and brain. On the first visit to a urologist, he was coughing up blood and had a large, painful testicular tumor. Immediate surgery and chemotherapy were required to save his life. After his surgery, his doctor said that he had less than a 40% survival chance. Less than 3 years after diagnosis, he won his first Tour. He is not only an inspiration for cancer patients, but his story can inspire anyone who is against the odds.

RONALDO

One of the great soccer players of our generation is hanging up his boots. Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, or simply Ronaldo, retired from the game on February 14, 2011 after an illustrious career. Some of his many accomplishments include being only one of two players to win FIFA's player of the year award three times and being the highest goal scorer in the World Cup with fifteen. Take a moment to watch the video below and enjoy the brilliance that was Ronaldo.

The Ronaldo Show

Today we spell "redemption"... R-O-B

As the ever wise Wes Mantooth once said "Today we spell "redemption"... R-O-N." Today's post will be dedicated to one of my favorite Survivor characters Rob Mariano aka Boston Rob. The 22nd season of Survivor kicks off tomorrow night at 8pm. est. This season's name Survivor: Redemption Island is a duality in itself. First, the format for this season is slightly changed. When a contestant is voted off their tribe, instead of leaving the game, they are taken to the area known as Redemption Island. There, they will have to sustain themselves in the same manner as when they were with their tribe, living on limited food and water supplies and shelter. When the next contestant is voted off, they are also sent to Redemption Island, and the two people will face off in a duel challenge. (Sounds strictly athletic to me). The winner remains in the game, living at Redemption Island, while the loser is finally removed from the game. Secondly, two players who have previous experience are both searching for their first win. Russell Hantz, one of the most infamous players of all times, is returning for his third tour, while Boston Rob is returning for his fourth. Both these players have faced off before, both are determined to win, both are there for redemption.

These two players will start the game as major underdogs even though they are seasoned veterans. Why do you ask? Because, all the other cast members already know these two, how they play, and what they stand for in the Survivor franchise. If you disagree, just ask Jimmy Johnson from last season. Even though these two players may seem to be at similar odds, and wish to use this experience to form an alliance, they could not be further odds. They both hate each other, and have had confrontations in seasons past. They will do whatever possible to make sure the other does not win.

This should heat up into a fiery rivalry pending they both make it to the merge. So grab your popcorn, or 12 lbs of UTZs potato chips and tune in for some strictly athletic Survivor action. (If you do not have 12 lbs of UTZs potato chips and would like some, I would suggest asking fellow blogger, Wednesday J. Apparently you save on shipping if you buy 12 lbs.).

Shut Up Tommy

I dont know about all of you, but I sure do like this weather we have on our hands today. It gets me thinking about the spring and summer which then just gets me into a good mood. Baseball is just around the corner and one of my favorite all time movies comes to mind. Sandlot. To me, possibly the closest experience to Heaven. Just the sound of Narrator's voice, scenes of Hamilton Porter talking trash to every batter and "Michael Squints Palledorous walking a little bit taller that day" after kissing one Wendy Peffercorn. Anywho, the movie gets me thinking and it gets me thinking about the greatest American sports legend...ever. No one compares to this guy. Ask anyone who he is and they know. Ask them why they know who this guy is, and they dont know. He's just that much of a legend. This guy, as I hope you have guessed by now is George Herman Ruth, or Babe Ruth, or the sultan of swat, or the titan of terror, or the colossus of clout, or the king of crash...The Great Bambino...The Babe. Thats a lot of nicknames, but was Babe Ruth really the best? I decided to do some research, and just so you know, I wont put in too many stats for comparison, but just trust me that I've spent over the past 2 hours curiously looking into statistics of all of the potentially best baseball players ever. Among these names I have researched are all offensive players and I did this because a pitcher will generally only play 1 every 5 games, but most of these guys played close to every game.

These are the players I researched.
of course Babe Ruth
Hank Aaron
Lou Gehrig
Wilie Mays
Ken Griffey Jr.
Albert Pujols
Alex Rodriguez
Frank Robinson
Mickey Mantle
Ted Williams

So all of these guys let me just say did certain things in common. They all played defense, hit for power, meaning among these guys are a whole lot of home runs, and had batting averages around .300.

Its not an easy thing to rank these guys, more would have to go into it then just my research, but what I found though shocked me. I knew the Babe was good, but I figured he really wasn't the best, but instead he was just a great legend. The truth is though, he really is the best in my opinion. I think this because of his gaudy power numbers, where he has over 12 seasons with more than 30 HR's, 100 RBI's and hitting above .300. This number would be 13, but in 1922, he finished with 99 RBI's. And he didnt just barely get these numbers, we are talking about seasons with 59, 54, 46, 47, 60, 54, 49 home runs, with RBI totals over 135 and averages like .378, .393. and .373. So obviously the guy could hit, but what separates Babe from everyone else is the fact that he pitched for the first five seasons...and he was really good...really. He had seasons where his ERA was 2.44, 1.75 (!!!), 2.22, and 2.01.

This guy was unreal. And the best part about it, where was he born and where did he grow up? BALTIMORE.

The Black Widow comes to Baltimore

Wow, tomorrow is Valentine's Day. My VD festivities this year will probably consist of suiting up for an evening of How I Met Your Mother and Southpark. I've got different plans next year: I plan on taking my new girlfriend, Jeanette Lee, out for a gourmet hot dog and deep fried Oreos at Stuggy's, followed by drinks at the local watering hole: Pearl's (see video below for directions).

It took an evening of $2 Nattie Boe drafts, shots of wild cherry bourbon, billiards, one on one ping pong, hUrtings, a car dying from being illegally parked for two hours with the flashers running, and jump starting the aforementioned illegally parked car for me to realize what I need in my life: The Black Widow AKA Jeanette Lee, the sexiest pool player of all time. I'll also mention that she's arguably the best female player in the WPBA. My upcoming visits to Pearl's won't be strictly athletic, but with Tuesay and Thursday Pool Nights, hopefully they will at least get to 75%. I plan on picking up one of these and eventually becoming a pool shark. Sometime this summer, probably late August, I will challenge Jeanette's loser of a husband, George Breedlove, to a gentleman's billiards match. The stakes? The widow herself. If I win, I get Jeanette and George gets to keep the kids. Jeanette and I will then head to the PJ20 festival for Labor Day. If I lose, then I get drunk at Pearl's.

Oh, if you're interested in the latest WPBA rankings, check this out.

Valentines Weekend - Hardest Weekend of the Year to spend without a Significant Sports Team

I’m going through a rough time with my relationship to the sporting world. So far this weekend I have not watched one sporting event. Recent Maryland Terrapin Basketball losses have been dragging me down, I thought this year’s Ravens team was the one, and I really was convinced that they were going to the Super Bowl, but then those dreams quickly came crashing down once the second half kicked in against the Steelers. The dissapointment of local sports teams has given me a sports heartbreak. This weekend, I’ve been trying to break off my love affair with sports, but everything I do keeps reminding me of what I’m missing. Tonight I picked up a few various NECCO Candy Sweethearts and each one reminds me of sports…


PURR FECT – Ohio State Basketball team – You no longer have a perfect season after the loss to Wisconsin today. You’ve been dumped. You just lost your sweet lady # 1 spot to Mr. Kansas.

LOVE BIRD – Vladimir Guerrero, you are going to help fill up some seats at Camden Yards, at least for the first couple weeks of the season. Many are looking forward to watching these new Birds come April.



BEAR HUG - Steelers Big-Bearded Brett Keisel, you need a giant bear hug after that Super Bowl loss…literally, a hug from a giant bear.



HEAT WAVE – Miami’s hot – Heat, you are on a roll. You’ve won 8 in a row – will the Celtics be engulfed by your flames or will they stop, drop, and roll past you guys at 1PM tomorrow?


SUNSHINE – Tom Brady.


HOME SICK – Come on wizards, you’ve been in D.C for 37 years now, it’s time for you to leave the nest, get your stuff out of the Southeast Division basement in D.C, move out and get a win on your own now on the road…You are 0-25 on the road - Come on guys! - Get a road win tomorrow - Cleveland's a great place to start. But watch out - Clevelands hot... They just won a game and ended their 26 game overall losing streak.

I’ve had enough, I’m tearing up, I need to get back to watching sports, I can’t go on without them. I’m turning on the TV, Wichita State vs. Northern Iowa at 11:30 at night… You've never looked so beautiful. I missed you sports. Happy Valentines weekend sports fans. I hope everyone's significant sports teams have been winning and treating everyone right. If not, there are many other big games in the sea.

- Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics Sunday Feb 13 1PM
- Washington Wizards AT Cleveland Cavaliers Feb 13 6PM

J.J. Redick getting schooled...

Care for a Slice?

As I am sure most of you have heard in the news lately, the NFL players and owners are in a bitter dispute that threatens America’s most popular sport. I am sure that the record 111 million viewers of last week’s Super Bowl will join me in being none too pleased if Scott Hanson (the brilliant host of NFL Red Zone) is looking for work next fall instead of reminding us that, “We don’t do commercials here on NFL Red Zone.”

There are a multitude of issues, interested parties, and most importantly in terms of resolving the matter, money, involved with the negotiations. Essentially what the argument comes down to is what percentage of annual revenue gets doled out to all the players and what goes to the owners. I’ll forgo an in depth description of the situation and instead,argue that we should all be siding with the players in their quest of looking for a bigger piece of the pie.

Football is a rough sport. Whenever you get guys like Ray Lewis and T Sizzle running at full speed into other people, someone is bound to get hurt once in a while. Fans love to see bone-crushing hits and broken noses (especially Big Ben’s), but no one wants to see a player get dealt a season or career ending injury when on the field. The average playing life of an NFL player, according to the NFL Players Association, stands at 3.5 seasons. I don’t care how much the NFL stresses player safety over the coming years (assuming there is an NFL in the coming years), football is always going to be a rough game and injuries are going to occur. We are beginning to see the long-term effects of what a few years in the NFL does on the human body years after the damage is done. Just take a look at the titles of a few of these recent studies and articles: Retired NFL players have high rate of brain damage; Heavy NFL players twice as likely to die before 50; Retired NFL Players Misuse Painkillers More Than General Population. NFL players deserve to be fairly compensated for essentially destroying their bodies for our enjoyment.

The NFL is a human capital-based organization. Like consulting and information technology firms, each NFL team's most important asset is their people. I am pretty sure that 70,000 fans are not going to file into M&T Bank Stadium each Sunday to watch my friends and I hum the seed, even though on a basic level, the fans would be consuming the same exact product: watching people play a game. In order for NFL teams to be successful, they need to hire the best talent they can and hiring the best talent costs money. For example, Towers Watson, a leading global professional services company, in their 2nd quarter earnings statement, reported that, as a percentage of revenue, salaries and employee benefits were 64% for the first six months of fiscal year 2011.

I recently reviewed the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL team payrolls from the USATODAY Salaries Databases and Forbe's most recent estimations of franchise values and financial statements to see how the Big 4 professional sports leagues stack up in terms of compensation. As a percentage of revenue, salaries for the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL were 46.1%, 60.4%, 42.6% and 53.0%, respectively. In addition, a review of median per player salaries for the leagues also puts the NFL at the bottom, at just north of $800,000. The same figure for the MLB, NBA and NHL are $1.3 million, $2.1 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

I hardly find it appropriate that NFL players are compensated least when compared to their baseball, basketball and hockey counterparts. NFL franchises were valued at a combined $32 billion in 2010. Compare this to the MLB’s $14.7 billion, the NBA’s $11.0 billion and the NHL’s $6.8 billion. Not only are NFL players helping to make the NFL the most popular organization outside the Great American Fierce Beard Organization, but they are also generating the most revenue and capital appreciation out of the Big 4 leagues. Add to that that they also play the sport that does the most long-term damage to their body and I think you’ll agree that the NFL players deserve their fair slice.

I Got A Fever....

...and the only perscription is more....sports! I know I am not alone, I see plenty of other women when I go to games, but I really wish more women would give sports a chance. Sports doesn't have to be completely dominated by testosterone, right?

My mother-in-law says that I am the "jockiest" girl she's ever met, which I take as a compliment! I pride myself on being a girl who really enjoys sports. My love of sports comes from my dad, and it began with baseball, when the Orioles were slightly less pathetic than they are now. I can remember watching games with him on long summer nights, season after season. Then I graduated to hockey, first the Skipjacks then the Capitals. Finally, when Baltimore got a team back, I added the Ravens and football to my repertoire (no chance we were going to root for the Skins!) I still do plenty of "girlie" things too...like cooking, crafts and spending an embarassing amount of time catching up on celebrity gossip...well, you get the picture.

I feel like most women look at me strange if the conversation turns to sports and I blurt out something like "I love everything hockey!" I already know what they think when they wrinkle up their nose at me! I often wonder if people think it's weird when a woman starts spouting out stats, standings and specific plays from last night's game.

Sports is a big part of my life, and my family's life too. I take pride in my team when they win, I am crushed when the lose, and I miss them during the off season. Because I want my daughter to learn and love sports as I do, I am please to announce that she will be attending her first Caps game time weekend. She is only 5 years old and knows just about every player on the team by name and number. She'll be the one in the Backstrom jersey! I am looking forward to it, and hope that I can instill in her the same passion for sports that my dad passed to me.

I guess my point is, just give it a chance, Ladies! It's actually quite fun and entertaining. And on a side note, guys, sporting events are a great place to meet ladies! Think about it, you have something in common already! That kind of makes that ice-breaking conversation easy.

GO CAPS! GO RAVENS! GO O's! and GO GIRLS!

Rolling

This weeks post is more of an introduction to future blog posts by your favorite Wednesday blogger. The above image comes from a rollerblading magazine titled ONE. I've been rollerblading my entire life...recreationally, street hockey, etc. Strictly athletically speaking, I just feel comfortable with a pair of skates on my feet. In high school I was big on the aggressive skating. I used to read all the magazines and watch all the videos. I just couldn't get enough. I've recently subscribed to the previously mentioned ONE magazine so that I can keep you, my loyal readers, up to date on the world of rollerblading.

Here are some videos of Chris Haffey for those of you who may be skeptical about whether or not rollerblading is a sport...a different topic for a different day. enjoy.

720 kindgrind
720 disaster soul
720 down el toro

Things are on the Up and Up for B-W Sports

As I look around the many sports leagues in our nation this morning, I'm starting to see a lot of promise surrounding many of the sports teams in the Baltimore/Washington area. This post will just give a brief overview of why things are on the up and up.

Baltimore Orioles: Pitchers and Catchers report in less then a week. The rest of the team will be joining them shortly. This team is offering a lot of promise this season, with all the splashes it made in free agency. Here are some of the names fans can look forward to seeing in an O's uniform this season; Justin Duchscherer, Kevin Gregg, Vladimir Guerrero, J.J Hardy, Derrek Lee, and Mark Reynolds. This team's numbers will definitely improve from last year. By how much? Only time will tell. With the season right around the corner, promise is in the air.

Baltimore Ravens: The NFL season came to an end Sunday night, with a Green Bay Packers win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the Steelers loosing, they will have to face that utter disappointment all off-season. Not only that but they will now have the 31st pick in this years up and coming draft. Pittsburgh losing the Super Bowl + a worse draft pick then the Ravens = a Baltimore victory in my mind.

Maryland Terps Basketball: With a little over a month to play before the madness begins, the Terrapins are sitting in the middle of the ACC, where the only place to go is up. Their schedule favors a late season surge, which is in turn favored by the selection committee for the big dance. The Terps could reasonably go 10-6 in the ACC, which should give them a legitimate chance to make the tournament.



Washington Capitals: Two big wins this past week, one over the Tampa Bay Lighting and one of their rivals, Pittsburgh Penguins. They are closing the gap on the Bolts, and every win over Pittsburgh is huge for morale. The defense is still playing stellar with the 5-2 and 3-0 victories. The offense is starting to show glimmers of what they should be. The next 8 games will define their season. They start off tonight with two consecutive games against Western Conference teams, who they always struggle with, then they will have six on the road. Its time to put up or shut up.

On a side note the Dallas Stars have lost 5 out of their last 6, while their divisional foe, the surging Sharks have won 7 of 8. The Stars are well known for selling the farm at the trade deadline. The more they struggle the better the chances they will be willing to sell Brad Richards on February the 28th. I will keep everyone posted on this situation as the deadline gets closer.

Washington Wizards: This coming Sunday they will have their best chance of getting their first win on the road of the season. On Sunday, the 13th, they will play at the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are currently on a 25 game skid. This promises to be a clash of the titans, of sorts. The Cavs are currently sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference in the 15th seed looking up at the high and mighty 14th seeded Wiz. Something will have to give this Sunday, and I think John Wall will walk away with his first ever win on the road in his young NBA career.

That is my wrap up for the week around the leagues. There is a lot of promise and potential for these teams in the up coming weeks.

Fan-hood and its Potential Rules

So I am watching the Caps game some time last semester, maybe around December, as one of my house-mates walks into the room and expresses his sentiment towards supporting the Caps. Now, this is a kid who strongly supported the Caps all of last season, so much so that when they fell to Montreal in last year's playoffs, it seemed all of the steam had been taken out of him. Anyway, one year later, he has decided that he is no longer a fan of the Caps. Why? Well it has to do something with the fact that he didn't support the Caps before two years ago and that he isn't from DC, so therefore, he just shouldn't by principle be a fan. Ill be honest, I took on this idea myself and thought twice about whether or not I should be a fan because you know what; I'm not from DC either. I caught onto this way of thinking so much that I made a mental statement to myself that I wasn't really that big of a Caps fan. This went on for the rest of the semester and into my winter break from school.

Then came along the Winter Classic, where HBO did a series leading up to the big game, and it just hit me as the two teams battled it out Pittsburgh; "wow I really really want the Caps to win".

Long story short, I just can't help it, but every time I've watched the Caps, or known that they have a game, I find myself passionately feeling emotion that wills for a Caps victory. This whole thing has sparked a thought. When is it alright to be a fan of a team? I honestly really feel a strong desire for Caps' victories. What about that term "band-wagon" fans? I mean, at what point do we draw a line for good and bad fan-hood? Look at all of these Steelers fans who are from Kentucky or DC or Baltimore, what should we make of them? Do you have respect for their choice aside from the fact that it's the Steelers?

I guess this is a free country, but seriously, a BoSox fan from Baltimore starting in the 2004 MLB post-season? Oh man, thank God you were there cheering your heart out just in time for their first World Series title since 1918. Wow, please excuse yourself from my line of sight. Pretty much, this is the way I see it. You can root for whatever team you want, but that doesn't necessarily mean you are immune from ridicule for your choice and its God-honest reasons. Yeah maybe you just happened to love the Yankees all through your childhood while growing up in Dallas Texas, but it just seems pretty coincidental that the Yankees happen to be one of the most successful teams ever in sports. I guess I have it pretty easy being from a city that has both a football team and baseball team and I do feel for people in say Virginia or Idaho or Nebraska, where there are no professional sports. But let's be real, whatever happened to commitment and pride in your own. If Baltimore had a hockey team, you better believe I would be all about it, but the fact remains that the closest NHL team to Baltimore is in DC so it's what I have to work with.

I know, I know, people are going to continue to cheer for whomever they want, but let me make one thing clear, if you're going to be a fan, make sure you do it right and that means support your team with loyalty and a long term commitment.

Halftime Beard Bonanza

Welcome to the B-W Blogway Super Bowl halftime show! So far The Pack has capitalized on turnovers and miscues by Ben Roethlisberger. The touchdown before the end of the half was a glimmer of hope, but the Steelers need to weave more consistent offense possessions into a nice touchdown scarf. Big Ben needs to go into the locker room, rub Brett Keisel's beard for good luck, listen to some Gamma wave binaural beats, and then come out and actually play some decent football. Now, let's resume where we left off last week in honoring beards of sport.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a basketball legend. Abdul-Jabbar was a towering 7'2'' tall, but that wasn't even his most impressive physical characteristic. Throughout his 20 year career in the NBA, Abdul-Jabbar would grow a beard when in need of a emotional boost. Abdul-Jabbar is credited with making the "Sky Hook" popular. Opponents frequently trembled in fear as Abdul-Jabbar, powered by his beard, would thrust upward upward during the Sky Hook launch sequence. Lew Alcindor (Abdul-Jabbar's birth name, in 1971 he changed it) had an 88-2 record and won three NCAA championships while playing at UCLA. After college Kareem went on to play in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Abdul-Jabbar closed out his beard-of-fame career by leading the NBA in points scored, winning six NBA titles, and six NBA regular season MVP awards.

Scott Niedermayer was a superstar for 19 years NHL. Niedermayer has won 4 Stanely Cups, 2 Olympic golds, 1 World Championship gold, 1 World Cup gold, and 1 World Junior Championship gold. Niedermayer utilized playoff beards to lead his Devils and Ducks teammates to the promised land. Recently, Scott has lost his way and decided to go beardless and actively support PETA. Scott if you read this, please watch 1972 classic film Jeremiah Johnson and learn how to hunt some "Grizz."

Brett Keisel is a vital part of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive line and has two Super Bowl rings to show for it. Even at the age of seven, Keisel sported a fine beard and was a force to be reckoned with on the football field. On a recent trip to the Mediterranean, Keisel was frequently mistaken for the Greek god of the forge, Hephaestus. Even though he is not a true blacksmith, Keisel has forged a bond of brotherhood with his teammates and Pittsburgh fans. Brett truly deserves the NFL's first annual Most Valuable Beard award.

Brett Keisel, age 7.

Finally, if you've finished reading before the end of halftime, I suggest you check out this documentary done on Brett Keisel's behemoth beard here.

Other strictly non-athletic inspiring beards:

Richard Stallman

Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann

Gimli son of Glóin

Rubeus Hagrid

Super Beard 2011

Greetings! Welcome to post one of this two part Super Sunday blog extravaganza. Many have chosen their predicted winning team in tonight's 6:30 match up, and now I will do the same. My prediction will be obtained in a manner most sports writers are unfamiliar with: I will use science - I will strictly athletically interpret the beards.

As you know from last week's FEAR THE BEARD post, Ben Roethlisberger is a beard master, a force feared throughout the NFL. Ben has cultivated his facial growth throughout the season and will unleash it's full power against The Pack tonight. We all know Big Ben brings a certain greatness to the pitch - will it be enough to offset the team whose very essence is Greatness?

Awesome: (Adjective) The first word that comes to mind when looking at Ben's beard.

Let's switch gears to Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. This post-season, Rodgers grew a mighty monument to his testosterone. With this power, Rodgers was able to lead The Pack into the playoffs as the NFC's last wildcard team. Aaron clearly aspired for nothing less than a Super Bowl appearance: easily defeating the Eagles, Falcons, and Bears, all while not exerting his full power. With these wins, I surely thought that Rodgers would triumph over the Steelers in tonight's game. It seems Rodgers has gone and done something rather foolish: he removed the source of all his powers - he shaved his beard. Will the rest of the Packers be able to combine their beards to throw down the Steel Curtain?

Reporter: Aaron, why did you shave your beard?
Rodgers: I don't think I can handle the pressures that come with a Super Bowl victory.
Reporter: Are you saying you want to lose?
Rodgers: Yes.

Unfortunately for Packers fans, the beard of Brett Keisel outweighs the entire collection of Green Bay beards. Brett "The Kraken" Keisel, unleased the full power of his beard this season and I don't think anything or anyone will be able to stop it. That's it, there is nothing more to say.

Aaron Rodgers' reaction upon seeing Keisel's beard: We can't repel Beard-Power of that magnitude!!!

I did mention that this is post #1 in a two post series today, so now I'll say this: I dislike peas. Given my fiery hatred of the vegetable, there is no way that I will be watching this year's Super Bowl Halftime Show. I know most of you are probably thinking the same thing, so when the seconds expire on the second quarter check back to the B-W Blogway for some halftime entertainment.

In other news, my lawyers are in talks with the CC Times, regarding Patrick Stoetzer's intellectual theft of my previous post.

Sunday Night’s Big Game: Get your pizza, beer, chips & dip ready

On Sunday night, February 6, 2011, we get to sit back, relax, and enjoy one helluva game. Many may have been looking forward to this matchup for awhile now and finally the time has come. The Wizards take on the Atlanta Hawks Sunday night in perhaps one of the most pivotal matchups at the Verizon Center since January 22nd when the Wiz knocked off the Eastern Conference leaders, the Boston Celtics. The Hawks are currently in 2nd place in the Southeast Division right behind the Heat led by the 3 headed monster. The Wiz currently are in last place in the Southeast division. But, all is not lost. This is a home game!

The wizards have an outstanding 13-11 record at home this year. Give credit to the Wiz, for given the home team crowd a win more than 50% of the time (52%). Keep in mind this is better than the Orioles last year getting a win at home around 46% of the time. And yes the O’s are making some moves which have us on the edge of our seat so they might improve this statistic. However let’s get back to the big game and not leave the Wiz off the chopping block and get to the heat of the matter. The Wiz are an astounding 0-25 at away games. Now, it’s never easier to win in a foreign environment then behind a home crowd, but 0-25 comes from more than just a lack of a home-court advantage. However hope is near for an away game win.

On Wednesday, February 13th, the Wiz have a battle set against a struggling Cleveland team at Cleveland. I’m a statistics guy and if we go on the sample of 25 away games then we might conclude that the Wiz have no chance of winning an away game. But add in the statistic that the Cavaliers have lost 23 games in a row and they have not won a game since December makes any statistical model go bonkers over who will win Wednesday’s game. Either the Wizards end their 25 away game losing streak or the Cavaliers end their 23 game overall losing streak. Folks, a lot is on the line.

In reality, I don’t follow the Wizards, I simply pulled some stats and looked at their schedule on CBSSports.com, but this is a Strictly Athletic blog site named B-W blogway in honor of the Baltimore-Washington sports teams and if I’m not mistaken the Wizards play in Washington so I will aim to cover them from time to time on this blog site.

Many of you will be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, but remember if that remote is within your clutches – the Wiz game is just a few down clicks away on CSN (Comcast Sports Network).

Strictly Stands for Athletic Greatness

Despite a compelling argument made by my B-W Blogway colleague, BalTimore Bisk in support of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I will be rooting for the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. My rationale is simple: the Packers are not the Steelers. Therefore, I am hoping Aaron Rodgers breaks some Super Bowl Records and Clay Matthews breaks Big Ben's nose (word on the street is Haloti Ngata gave him a few tips). I'll also receive some satisfaction that the pissant that was sitting next to me at the Ravens vs. Steelers playoff game a few weeks ago, whose Terrible Towel was repeatedly waved far too close to my face, will be crying himself to sleep. I think you should be rooting for the Packers as well for these reasons, but also because of the unique and feel-good nature of the Packers franchise. I invite you to join the 112,120 individuals who will be cheering especially hard for the Packers on Sunday. These individuals I am referring to are the owners of the Green Bay Packers. Unlike every other NFL team, the Packers are publicly-owned.

The history and establishment of the Packers as a publicly-owned franchise is quite interesting, so let me ramble for a moment or two here. Earl L. 'Curly' Lambeau, born in Green Bay in 1898, was a star high school football player and went onto Notre Dame in 1918. An illness kept Lambeau home from college after his freshman year (the Irish coach at the time was Knute Rockne by the way), and he began working at the Indian Packing Company, a meat-packing plant in Green Bay. Lambeau missed playing football, so in the summer of 1919 he helped organize a local team and convinced his employer to put up money for uniforms and equipment. For its first two seasons, the team played games against other teams from small towns in Wisconsin and Michigan. In 1921, Lambeau convinced the Indian Packing Company to put up $50 to buy the Packers a franchise in the newly formed American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League). With increased competition in the APFA, recruiting talent outside of Green Bay was necessary to stay competitive. Thus in 1923, a group of five area businessmen got together and launched the Green Bay Football Corporation, a nonprofit entity to provide financial backing for the team. Shares of stock sold for $5 each and paid no dividends. Purchasers were obligated to buy at least six season tickets. The corporation had a five-member executive committee and 15 elected directors. As a nonprofit, the corporation was tax-exempt, and all profits were to go to the American Legion. The organization had financial difficulties during the Depression and was placed into receivership, later to emerge as the Green Bay Packers, Inc.

Current shareholders own stock that produce no dividends, and all profits are now contributed to the Green Bay Packers Foundation, which makes donations to many charities and institutions throughout Wisconsin. The team is currently run by a seven-member Executive Committee, elected from a 45-member board of directors. The 4,750,937 shares have voting rights, the stock cannot appreciate in value (though private sales often exceed the face value of the stock), and stock ownership brings no season ticket privileges. No shareholder may own over 200,000 shares, a safeguard to ensure that no individual can assume control of the club. This ownership structure is in direct violation of current NFL by-laws, which stipulate a limit of 32 owners of one team and one of those owners having a minimum 30% stake. However, the Packers were grandfathered when the NFL's current ownership policy was established in the 1980s, and are thus exempt. In addition, the Packers are the only NFL team that publicly releases its Income Statement. http://joe.bowman.net/Statement.htm

I don't think this ownership structure could work on a large scale basis, but it works in Green Bay. You need absolutely die-hard fans that are basically willing to dig into their own pocket when needed. This die-hardiness was proven in 1997 when the Packers had a stock offering of shares at $200 apiece to pay for stadium improvements and establish an endowment for future renovations. The offering raised over $20 million. The opening page of the information sheet laid things out quite clearly: ''It is virtually impossible for anyone to realize a profit on a purchase of common stock or even to recoup the amount initially paid to acquire such common stock.'' However, this structure would have served Baltimore well in preventing the Baltimore Colts exodus to Indianapolis and right now it sounds like a far better option than the Peter Angelos-owned Baltimore Orioles. It would also legitimize statements that imply that some random guy actually is a member of the Ravens...."We just can't seem to beat Pittsburgh when it really counts."

How can you not cheer for a team that donates millions of dollars to charities each year, is named after a meat-packing plant and is NOT the Steelers.

Go Pack Go!!!