Super Bowl

Anyone with a passing interest in the practice of deep-frying, saucing and consuming chicken wings with celery and blue cheese knows the dish was created in Buffalo, N.Y. Pinpointing how the Super Bowl and chicken wings have become inextricably linked in the public's mind is another story. Maybe when Super Bowl M (1,000 for those who can't remember their Roman numerals) rolls around, watching it while munching chicken wings will seem as traditional and patriotic as turkey at Thanksgiving.

As he stood in front of hundreds of kids last year at his football clinic at Calvert Hall, Ray Rice made a promise to those in the crowd. “When I make promises, I like to keep them,” the Ravens running back said today. “I made a special promise. We said that we were going to bring a Super Bowl back to Baltimore.” The comment was met with loud cheers by those who attended the second annual Ray Rice Day in Baltimore. “Being involved in the community is just something that, winning the Super Bowl or not, I know I'd be out here doing Ray Rice Day again and I'd be telling the kids the same message every day,” Rice said.

Well, I thought it could not get worse, but it did. The two women who sang our patriotic songs at the Super Bowl were even worse than the two who sang at the president's inauguration. Congratulations to the children from Sandy Hook who were perfect in their pitch and hit all the right notes and by comparison made the two women sound pathetic. I repeat, listen to Kate Smith's recordings of "God Bless America" or find other careers. Sueanne Greenwood, Timonium Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

In theory, the defending Super Bowl champion isn't supposed to get stronger through the NFL draft because the team has the last pick in each round. That's not the case with the Ravens. After two days, they have picked up one of the top three players at two different positions. On Thursday, it was University of Florida safety Matt Elam with the No. 32 overall pick. On Friday night, they got another gem in Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown. The Ravens also picked Missouri Southern defensive tackle Brandon Williams in the third round, but he doesn't have the acclaim of Brown.

Bourbon Street has been one of the most famous New Orleans attractions for about 200 years, but I'm wondering if even the pirates who once walked the famous cobblestones would have been shocked and embarrassed by what it has become. Think of The Block on steroids ... or that deer antler stuff. Strip clubs everywhere, each with an irritating barker offering a free glimpse of what you can see pretty much for free all day long during Mardi Gras starting next week. There was even one club that advertised “Live Love Acts,” and I'm pretty sure they weren't talking about Ray Lewis and Ray Rice hugging after the Ravens shocked the Denver Broncos.

Susan Reimer, you are obviously pro-choice ("Keep politics out of the Super Bowl," Feb. 1). If you don't like the pro-life commercial, then pony up and buy your own Super Bowl commercial. It's called freedom of speech. I guess all the other Super Bowl commercials showing off scantily clad women promoting beer, godaddy.com or whatever doesn't offend you. Go figure. Tim Tebow's commercial with his mom is promoting life. How would you feel if your mother had decided to terminate her pregnancy carrying you?

I can picture it now. A triumphant Drew Brees holds the Super Bowl trophy aloft as confetti rains down on him and fireworks explode around the Miami stadium. A voice asks, "Drew Brees. You've just won the Super Bowl. What are you going to do next?" And instead the usual plug for Disney World, he says, "I'm going to crisscross this nation of ours promoting heath care reform, banking regulation, immigration reform and term limits!" The Super Bowl, a national holiday devoted to beer, football and food, has gone political.

The Baltimore-based officers of the Cable Ship Resolute, who are working in the United Kingdom this winter, watched this year's Super Bowl at the Walkabout Pub in Bristol in southwest England. It was one of half a dozen venues in that city featuring Super Bowl parties. The place was packed and the locals were very much into the game. The room was pretty evenly split between Ravens and 49ers fans, with our table of 10 mostly from Baltimore. The game started at 11:30 p.m. local time and went until 3:30 a.m. but it was well worth it. It's great to see American football thriving over here, and it was even better to see the Ravens take the Lombardi trophy.

OK, I'm sure you'll start thinking about the Orioles in roughly 10 days when pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota. Right now, you have other sporting things on your mind. I get that. This week the bar is adorned in purple and black. I had to borrow the colored lightbulbs from a Deadhead couple I know. Hope you like the special touches in here. We haven't done a Prediction Friday in a while. But boy is this the perfect time to do it. We can't just be all football in here this weekend.

Dodge flexes its muscle Steve Johnson Chicago Tribune The best ad was for the Dodge Charger. The clever, self-mocking script listed the many accommodations domesticated men make: "I will put the seat down," "I will watch your vampire TV shows with you," and so on. And because of this, it concluded, "I will drive the car I want to drive," positing the reborn Charger muscle car as "Man's Last Stand." Why it worked: It was cleverly written, and the visuals - a series of men staring blankly at the camera - were arresting.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake will join the mayor of San Francisco today for a day of service in Baltimore to collect on a Super Bowl wager that she won when the Ravens dominated the 49ers. The mayors will help AmeriCorps members revitalize a vacant lot in the Franklin Square neighborhood, repaint and repair a police station in Sandtown-Winchester and tutor third-graders in Cherry Hill. But first, Mayor Edwin M. Lee will join Rawlings-Blake at Faidley's Seafood in Lexington Market, where he will learn how to make a crab cake sandwich.

In a pair of working gloves with the Ravens logo emblazoned on the front, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee painted broad brush strokes at a West Baltimore police station Friday to make good on a bet. Had the Ravens lost to the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake would have traveled to the West Coast to complete a day of service, which was the wager she and Lee made on the February game. "I think San Francisco is a lovely city, but I am glad I did not have to go there in payment of a debt," said Rawlings-Blake, who traded in her signature high heels for a pair of wedge booties for the day of activities.

The NFL will release its regular-schedule tonight at 8 p.m. during an NFL Network special which is expected to confirm what the Ravens have suspected for weeks: They'll open the season on Sept. 5 against the Denver Broncos. The league is holding off on the announcement until tonight and the Ravens haven't been told definitively where they'll begin defense of the Super Bowl XLVII title. However, CBS Sports reported today that there will be no surprises for the NFL's Sept.

Maryland State Police spent more than $5,600 on Gov. Martin O'Malley's security during his Super Bowl trip earlier this year, officials said Monday. During O'Malley's trip to New Orleans, his Executive Protection Unit spent $5,627 for airfare, meals, vehicles, hotel and overtime, according to agency spokesman Greg Shipley. The city of Baltimore also spent more than $5,000 on Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's security during the event. According to documents to be presented to the Board of Estimates on Wednesday, Baltimore police spent $5,010 for two executive protection officers, Eric Eason and Warren Smith, to accompany Rawlings-Blake between Jan. 31 and Feb. 4, while the mayor was cheering on the Super Bowl champion Ravens.

Wedding date: Feb. 9, 2013 Her story: Rebecca Bressi, 28, grew up in Middle River. She is a senior business analyst for T. Rowe Price. Her mother, Barbara, is an executive secretary at Alban Tractor and her father, Joseph, co-owns Portside Pub in Essex. His story: Eric Wozniak, 28, grew up in Edgemere. He is a crane operator at the port of Baltimore. He was raised by his aunt and uncle - Pam and Victor McQuay, who also work at the port of Baltimore. Their story: Rebecca and Eric were introduced through mutual friends in fall 2006.

The significance of replacing Ed Reed resonated strongly with new Ravens free safety Michael Huff, a feeling he imparted to the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Before Huff officially signed his three-year, $6 million contract, he texted Reed to let him know that his old job was in good hands. Reed left Baltimore and joined the Houston Texans last week when the nine-time Pro Bowl selection signed a three-year, $15 million contract. “It means a lot,” Huff said Thursday afternoon during an introductory news conference at team headquarters.

Bears vs. Colts, Dolphin Stadium, Miami, Feb. 4, 6:30 p.m., chs. 13, 9 Line: Colts by 7

Amy Watts is off for a birthday dinner tonight, at a joint too classy to have a TV above the bar (two Manhattans and she gets all CAPSLOCK!, three and she loves spats). Reality sets in! Week two begins. Grand entrance: No eliminations last week, so all the stars are still with us: Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough, Victor Ortiz and Lindsay Arnold, Ingo Rademacher and Kym Johnson, Lisa Vanderpump and Gleb Savchenko, D. L. Hughley and Cheryl Burke, Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy, Sean Lowe and Peta Murgatroyd, Alexandra Reitsman and Mark Ballas, Dorothy Hamill and Tristan MacManus, Wynonna Judd and Tony Jovolani, Andy Dick and Sharna Burgess, and Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff.

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.