Baltimore Ravens

For Baltimore sports fans, now is the early spring of our discontent. Could it really be that just six weeks ago, we were living in sports fandom ecstasy? The Baltimore Ravens were parading down Pratt Street hoisting a Vince Lombardi Trophy, having won the Super Bowl , the highest honor in U.S. professional sports. There was even a bit of afterglow leftover from the Orioles' surprising season and playoff effort, the first time Baltimore's Major League Baseball franchise had reached the post-season since 1997.

I read with curiosity the Marta Mossburg column regarding the Baltimore Ravens ("Faith fuels 'mighty men' of Baltimore," March 13). Without a doubt, I would estimate that 95 percent of the Baltimore area is thrilled with the success of our Ravens. Is Ms. Mossburg attributing the Ravens' success to their faith in what they have deemed beneficial or to some intrinsic, prejudiced and magical power of the Judeo/Christian Bible and Christianity? There is a huge difference. The power of belief is undeniable.

"All good things have to come to an end" is an old adage that still rings true. The Baltimore Ravens just won the Super Bowl and united this region, but the breakup began when the "business of the sport" became more important than the need to retain the players that made the team's win possible If only the feeling of being on top of the mountain could have lasted until next season. But Joe Flacco gets a new $150 million contract, and we not only ask Anquan Boldin to take a $2 million pay cut but are ordered to be quiet about it because this is how the game works.

Brian Billick was coach of the Ravens the last time the team had a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champions, so I was interested to hear his thoughts on what the Ravens are doing the second time around. In 2001, a season after they beat the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens made that notorious switch from Trent Dilfer and Elvis Grbac at quarterback. But they kept the rest of their roster mostly intact by restructuring contracts to keep players such as Shannon Sharpe and Rod Woodson around for another run. The Ravens lost in the divisional round the following postseason and soon had to overhaul their roster.

Three women known for strong will and public accomplishment received the Maryland Senate's First Citizen awards Wednesday, capping an annual tradition in the upper chamber. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and former U.S. Rep. Helen Delich Bentley joined Victoria Gruber, chief of staff to Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, in accepting the award. Rawlings-Blake is a second-generation recipient of the award, which was presented posthumously to her father, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Howard P. "Pete" Rawlings.

Here is what national analysts are saying about the Ravens trading Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers. --- Pete Prisco of CBS Sports says that trading Boldin makes sense because he no longer gets separation . “He was old and slow and made too much dough and had to go. … I think Boldin is the best receiver in NFL history at catching passes when he is not open,” Prisco wrote. “His inability to separate because of a lack of speed has forced him to evolve into a receiver who uses his hands and his body to make catches.

You don't have to be a serious fan to know the NFL Films look and sound. Stunning shots of overcast skies hanging low over packed stadiums are accompanied by tympanies rumbling and choral voices soaring as a perfect spiral sails in slow motion through the lights down into the heavenward-stretched hands of an airborne receiver. And that lyricism is juxtaposed with the most in-your-face mud, blood, grime and grit, hand-held close-ups you will ever see on a screen. Sometimes it feels as if you are in the middle of the mayhem on the field.

Eager to avoid a repeat of the violence last St. Patrick's Day, when youths fought in downtown streets and a tourist was beaten unconscious, Baltimore police are stepping up patrols in nightlife centers starting this weekend. Commanders will add extra patrols at the Inner Harbor and in Fells Point, Canton and Federal Hill in coming weeks as bars and restaurants start celebrations early. Police will also send plainclothes officers to those areas in advance of March 17, a Sunday. "Everybody's getting excited about the holiday, and so are the police," Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

Ready to relive Super Bowl XLVII? Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment, the NFL and NFL Films are teaming up to release Super Bowl XLVII Champions: 2012 Baltimore Ravens on March 12. The video includes bonus footage and interviews with members of the Ravens and coaches.  Interviews with Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, parents of Ravens coach John Harbaugh and 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, along with excerpts from Media Day and postgame interviews are among the...

Baltimore loves its Ravens. And it loves Old Bay. And for just a little while, the city can have the two together. Old Bay maker McCormick is releasing a limited-edition commemorative can to celebrate the Ravens Super Bowl victory. The can is purple, with the Ravens logo and the date of the Super Bowl win. The company plans to make 30,000 of the 16-ounce collector's tins and sell them in Maryland, southern Pennsylvania and Delaware. “We always BAYLIEVED in our Ravens and couldn't think of a better way to celebrate the win than with a limited edition Baltimore Ravens commemorative OLD BAY can,” Jill Pratt, vice president of marketing for McCormick consumer business, said in a statement.