"What's wrong with positive escapism as long as you don't neglect the important things in your life?" said Dr. Jim McGee, retired chief of psychology at Sheppard Pratt Hospital. "It won't cure true clinical depression, but it sure can shake the blues, brighten your day and distract you from things that might be bothering you, like the economy."
'It's contagious'
Expect the Ravens' success to have an even greater effect on the collective mind-set of the community, McGee said.
"The potency of the 'medicine' may be really enhanced by the effect it has on the group," he said. "It's a lot easier for individuals to feel positive when those around them feel positive. It's contagious."
The Ravens' quest has touched the young and the old, the well-known and the average Joe. In his flat at Charlestown Community in Catonsville, William Donald Schaefer would do cartwheels if he weren't 87.
"People are downright proud of what this team has done," said Schaefer, the former governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore. "The city needed something like this right now, and we got it. These Ravens have brought back the spirit of the old Colts."
A college sophomore, Paul Taylor of Forest Hill follows the Ravens religiously. A pastoral student at Martin Luther College in Minnesota, he bought a satellite radio to hear their games this year.
"When they win, it shades my view of life and helps me study better," said Taylor, 19. On Sunday, he'll put on his Joe Flacco jersey, bow his head, say a prayer for the Ravens and cheer them on.
Ditto for Cal Ripken, the Orioles Hall of Famer who plans to watch the game with his children - Rachel, 19, in her Ed Reed shirt, and Ryan, 15, a Ray Lewis fan.
"These are down times, so it's magical to be absorbed in this team," Ripken said. A regular at Ravens home games, he missed one last month to attend a bash at the Kennedy Center in Washington honoring Barbra Streisand and others. While there, Ripken had a friend send updates on the game via his BlackBerry.
"I tried to be discreet about it," he said. "When you travel and your football team is good, it's nice to stick out your chest and say, 'I'm from Baltimore.' "
Brooks Robinson agreed.
"I'm juiced up, and I'll tune in," said Robinson, Orioles Hall of Famer and star of the 1970 World Series. "What makes this [playoff run] even sweeter is the fact that nobody anticipated it."
Temporary medicine
