Friday, September 08, 2006

I want to get back to my City by the Bay...

Ok, so I've recently realized, or more likely tried to forget, how much people outside of Baltimore hate on Baltimore. It's getting to the point of ridiculousness!! I mean most of these people have never even been to Baltimore, but feel the need to say how much it sucks and they hate it. The best part is how these people judge the city: by the sports in it.

Granted, I'll throw digs out there on Pittsburgh any day of the week, but from what I've heard, the city is a great one and very similar to Baltimore. I make fun of the team, but not the city. You're bound to get some ribbing from fans of teams that are rivals or yours, but to get shit from everyone is beyond crazy.

Our city is good enough for Boston and Yankee fans to come down and visit when their teams are playing the Orioles. From a restaurant stand point, we love when they come to town. They drive business in our city and we eat it up. I've met many people who thought they would hate the city and ended up falling in love with it. There's only a few places I've been in my travels of the U.S. that I have not liked the city at all. Columbus, OH, blows. And Jacksonville, FL, is nothing to write home about. I liked Atlanta, but I think the city is too small. But there are places I've been where, yes, I may hate the team there, but I love the city. New York is probably the greatest city in the world. But I loathe the Yankees. Even Cleveland is a great town, but I'm not a fan of the Brownies.

So what's up with the city hating? Yeah, Baltimore used to be a shit town, but it's been built up since those crazy days. There's so much to do in Baltimore, the list is endless. People need to get past the dislike for a sports franchise when they look at a city. Of course, I'm a Ravens and an Orioles fan. I don't get much O's hating these days because, well, they suck. That and the only argument you get from people is that Angelos sucks balls and any O's fan would agree with that statement. It's hard to even find true O's fans anymore. We're becoming extinct, I think. There is a movement in Baltimore to "Free the Birds". Let's hope that happens sometime in the near future!! As I'm writing this blog, the O's are beating up on the Yankees, 9-2! Hopefully it stays that way. Even self professed O's lovers don't care if they win after the All-Star break. The team has just become that bad! I assume it must be hard to hate on them. The Ravens, on the other hand, get all the hate.

Yeah so Ray Lewis saw a guy stab someone? He didn't do it, so stop saying he did. He served his time, let the man move on. Do you even realize how much Ray contributes to the Baltimore community? No. Because all you see is some irresponsible kid that got into trouble. He learned his lesson and turned into one of the most fiercest linebackers the league's ever seen. He stopped going out and partying, and instead he started to focus on football. Look what that led to...Super Bowl XXXV!!

Ok, so Baltimore stole Cleveland's team from them, and after you Baltimore people boo-hooed all those years about the Colts, you did the same thing to the Browns. Not exactly. Is there still a team called the "Cleveland Browns"? Yes. Because Art Modell told the city of Cleveland that he was losing money being in Cleveland. Cleveland needed to build the team a new stadium because Art couldn't finance one himself. Cleveland refused. Art didn't want to go completely bankrupt, so he moved the team to Baltimore. Not before he said he would leave the team name, colors and history with the city of Cleveland. Did Robert Irsay have the same kindness towards Baltimore when he uprooted our beloved Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis? Not an ounce. Art said he was leaving well before he did. Irsay just left. And the old Colts of yore stood by the town, not the team.

When Johnny U (God rest his soul) passed in 2002, which city was the only one allowed to have a ceremony honoring him? Baltimore. Which quarterback was allowed to wear the nondescript black high tops that Johnny U made so popular? Not Peyton Manning, but Chris Redman, a Raven and fellow Louisville alum. (OK so Chris Redman may have been a bad move by the Ravens, but you get the point.) Indianapolis brags about how great the Colts are, but how many Colts championships were won in Indy? 0. I like to think of Indy not winning as some great curse. The Mayflower Curse, as I call it. This past season after the Indy meltdown against the Steelers, I was driving home from work, after just staying longer to watch the end of the game. I was turning onto 95 when across the highway stood, dead stopped and broken down, a Mayflower moving van. The same type that helped Irsay escape in the middle of the night in 1984. How fitting, I thought. It was poetic justice!!

Baltimore does not deserve the injustices it gets. We are a hard working city with pride. The freakin' National Anthem was inspired by our city. It was written in our harbor. Everytime you sing it at a sporting event, know that you're singing about Baltimore. It's our anthem and we'll "O" if we want to. No disrespect. Only love. You may continue to hate on us, but we'll kill you with kindness. We'll fill your bellies full of steamed crabs and Natty Boh. We'll let you sun on our free beach in Ocean City. (haha Jersey kids are suckers for paying to go to the beach!!) We'll give you the best crack you've ever had in your life. And if you are still hating on us, we'll knife you!! BLIEVE, HON!!

blieve hon

No comments: