Ravens

The NFL should not be the real life equivalent of Gordon "Greed is Good" Gekko, yet the NFL behaves just like him. I grew up in Detroit, and as a kid my father took me to every Detroit Lions home game from 1966 to 1978. That is why when it was announced that the Ravens were moving to Baltimore, I was ecstatic. I had to buy a personal seat license in order to obtain season tickets. When I bought my PSL, I was told by the Ravens ticket office that one of its benefits would be that all PSL holders would have an equal chance to get Super Bowl tickets if the team ever made it. I got a second job so I could pay for the PSL. In 2001, I got married, and in 2003 my first child was born, followed by a second in 2007.

Waibel remembered as legend, role model The state of Maryland, city of Baltimore and especially the students and former students at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute have lost a dear friend with the death of Augie Waibel. I want to personally thank your paper for the many wonderful stories that have been written about Poly football under Coach Waibel and especially the recent articles after his death. Augie was a legend, not only in his football coaching career, but also with his relationship with all students and peers.

Josephine Grace "Joey" Gay, a 7-year-old child born in Columbia who died Dec. 14 in the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting, was recalled by her family for her "indomitable" spirit, love of the color purple and her generosity. In a statement released Thursday, her father, Robert "Bob" Gay, and her mother, the former Michele Hartman, acknowledged the "love and kindness pouring in. " They said, "We see how evil is defeated. " They said their daughter was "autistic and severely apraxic.

Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs had a pretty good idea about what was hidden on the table in front of him after he tried to move his seat and he was told that it wasn't a good idea. Suggs had waited a decade in the NFL for this moment. He decided he could wait a couple of more minutes. "To have it so close, it finally hit me, what exactly we accomplished together," said Suggs, sporting a shiny new ring on his finger. "It didn't take a year. It took me 11 years to get it. It took Coach [John]

Over the past four months, the Ravens have certainly enjoyed the spoils of victory. They have hosted parties and attended parades in their honor. They have made appearances on "Live with Kelly and Michael", "Dancing with the Stars" and the "Late Show with David Letterman. " They shook hands with President Barack Obama. But late last week, even before he and his players attended the opulent ring ceremony that capped the post-Super Bowl XLVII offseason celebration, coach John Harbaugh made it clear that his team had already moved on. "We are focused on our season going forward," Harbaugh said.

As you come to grips to life without Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach , consider the following statement: Before this offseason, no NFL team had lost more than five Super Bowl starters from its roster before the following season. As the Ravens start their mandatory minicamp this afternoon, they will be without nine players that started on Feb. 3 when the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers, 34-31, to win Super Bowl XLVII. That list includes Leach (released Tuesday), wide receiver Anquan Boldin (traded to San Francisco)

While there will be more to say on this subject at the end of the week as the next big game draws near, it's worth taking a few lines here to give a shout out to the home team: Go Ravens! A cast of I-bleed-purple fans has descended upon the sidewalks of Harford County to paint team symbols. And it's hard to go anywhere without noticing just about everyone is wearing something purple after our purple and black birds won their first playoff game, which came in the second round of the postseason.

Steve Spagnuolo was traveling earlier this year visiting college football powerhouses Alabama and Ohio State when he came to a realization. He couldn't envision himself not coaching this season. Spagnuolo contemplated taking a year off from the NFL after a rocky two seasons each ended with him being fired. However he became energized talking football strategy with Alabama coach Nick Saban and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, also making the rounds at Texas A&M, Boston College and Connecticut.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama praised the Ravens' resilience, toughness and their commitment to the Baltimore community. However, when it came to paying homage to one of their most dominant and well-known players, Obama made it clear that he does have his limits. The president responded to Ray Lewis' challenge to mimic the retired linebacker's elaborate pre-game entrance by saying, “No, I'm not doing that dance. It caused [you] to miss most of the season.” Obama's comment drew laughter from Ravens' players and team officials who stood behind the 44th president and in the backdrop of the Lombardi Trophy.