Change in Store For Baltimore
The latest from the Ravens rumor mill including changes at M&T Bank Stadium, local sports coverage and much more…
Ravens v. Patriots
Over the past 8 seasons, the Ravens and the Patriots have developed a fairly heated rivalry, particularly for teams that don’t play in the same division. Perhaps more than anything else, the rivalry should be credited to the relative success that John Harbaugh’s teams have enjoyed against Bill Belichick’s.
But off the field friction could take the rivalry to new levels.
During the recently completed NFL Owners Meetings, it was revealed that Patriots owner Bob Kraft insisted that the NFL not play the season opener in 2013 featuring the then World Champion Baltimore Ravens, on a Wednesday. He is one of the league’s most influential power brokers and if he had conceded the Ravens would have hosted the Patriots on September 4, 2013. He didn’t, the Ravens traveled to Denver on September 5 and as they say, the rest is history.
The story was revisited again last week on the heels of more Ravens v. Patriots tension, this time over Harbaugh’s passionate pleas to circumvent the type of gamesmanship that the Patriots employed against the Ravens during the 2014 Divisional Playoff. Word is that Belichick deadpanned, “Just learn the rules John.”
To which Harbaugh quipped, “This coming from a guy who had another first round pick taken away.”
The Ravens trip to Foxboro this season promises to be a doozy!
Ravens Schedule Notes
The NFL will release its full schedule between April 19-21, and as usual some of the scheduled games have been leaked. A source has indicated to RSR that the Ravens will open on the road in Pittsburgh and will be CBS’ featured game at 1PM. A few other Ravens scheduling notes…once again there will be no Monday Night home game and the home opener will be on Thursday Night against RGIII and the Cleveland Browns.
Monroe Trade on The Horizon?
Eugene Monroe has fallen out of favor with Ravens fans because of an ability that, as of late, has escaped him – availability. Monroe has been working out feverishly and is said to be in the best shape of his life. Hopefully that spells results on the field. Time will tell.
Monroe’s wife has ties to the area (Howard County) and the growing family is said to be happy living in Maryland. Monroe has been spending time in the DC area working out with Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. Kerrigan has been so impressed with Monroe’s conditioning and newfound focus that he’s lobbied for Jay Gruden to make a move to obtain the Ravens underachieving tackle.
Monroe is said to be open to the idea, perhaps in part because of DC’s tolerance for marijuana. You probably remember his recent campaign promoting the medicinal value of cannabis.
Apparently Gruden discussed the subject with Team President Bruce Allen who is willing to part with a fourth round pick for Monroe. The Ravens want a third. This one has some legs and is worth watching as the draft draws near.
Wallace Has a Score to Settle
New Ravens receiver Mike Wallace was nearly a Steeler again. Pittsburgh made a hard push to bring Wallace back after learning of Martavis Bryant’s 1-year suspension, even offering the fleet-footed wideout more money than the Ravens.
Apparently Wallace still harbors resentment towards Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin who had some disparaging things to say about the Ravens during a last ditch attempt to lure Wallace. An inside source said that Tomlin’s parting words were, “Good luck playing for a team that only knows how to play for 58 minutes.”
Hey Mike. You seem to have forgotten that the Ravens won 2 games against your team in 2015, each by 3 points, including a walk off win in OT courtesy of a Justin Tucker field goal.
Tucker Goes Long Distance
Speaking of Tucker, I had an opportunity to sit down with the Ravens kicker recently and he shared that he’s hopeful of reaching a long-term agreement with the team before the July 1 deadline and if that happens, he’ll look for a home here in the Baltimore area. For now his permanent residence is in Austin, TX.
Tucker, who for my money is a clone of Matt Stover only with more distance, also shared that his longest field goal during practice came from 95 yards out. Imagine that! He said it was a day when the conditions were just right with a slightly diagonal tailwind and he hit it perfectly while John Harbaugh and special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg looked on.
Could you imagine Harbaugh sending out the field goal unit with one second remaining in the first half with the ball on the Ravens own 22-yard line?
Hay, Hay, Hay
You are all familiar with Ravens play-by-play announcer Gerry Sandusky’s game winning call, “The Hay is in the barn!” Well the call could be in put out to pasture for Sandusky.
Last month the Hearst Corporation (parent company for WBAL and 98 Rock) was named as the defendant in a lawsuit that calls for the end of Sandusky’s game winning salutation.
The plaintiff?
The Iowa Cubs, the minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.
Apparently KBUR AM 1490’s Randy Wehofer, a native Iowan who grew up on a farm outside Des Moines and is the club’s play-by-play guy, coined the phrase to close out Cubs games nearly two decades ago and even trademarked it. Ravens radio is contemplating a contest to replace the hay and the barn.
M&T Upgrades
The Ravens have committed dollars to stadium upgrades over the past few years and 2016 is no different. Club level seats at M&T will now feature padded chairs, each equipped with a portal that includes a phone charger and hardwire connectivity to the stadium’s Ethernet. The Ravens believe that in doing so it will unload some of the stadium’s Wi-Fi burden, thus improving its reliability.
Perhaps the most exciting news for club level PSL owners is the expansion slot in the portals that can accommodate a tablet-sized screen which accesses the network feed of the game. There is an upgrade fee of $19.99 per game ($150 for the season) for the screen and feed, which must be requested by the PSL owner via BR.com 48 hours or more prior to kickoff.
Ring of Honor Minus 1?
While on the topic of M&T Bank Stadium, the Ravens have no plans to induct any new members into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2016, but one name could be coming down – the name that most fans believe should have never been included to begin with. Ernest Byner.
Word is that Byner, worn out by the constant barrage of criticism for his inclusion, has volunteered to have his name removed.
“I really appreciate what Mr. Modell did by making me the very first inductee,” said Byner. “But I know it was more about our time in Cleveland than in Baltimore. Fans across the country, assuming they remember me at all, think of me as either a Brown or a Redskin. In the end, I think they’re right and this feels like the right and honorable thing to do.”
The Ravens are said to be considering the request but insiders say the team is reluctant to honor Byner’s selfless wishes.
The National Anthem
We all remember the days of Mishael Miller, the Ravens staple as the singer of the National Anthem. Since Miller’s departure the Star Spangled Banner hasn’t been quite the same. Replacement Joey Odoms has been solid but Miller left big shoes to fill and consequently Odoms hasn’t been given his due – a due that apparently will never come.
We’ve learned that the Ravens will now rotate the honor of singing the National Anthem with a combination of local musicians and a few national acts with ties to Baltimore. Tori Amos, Toni Braxton and Joan Jett are among the national celebs being considered and local artists such as Tony Sciuto, Rob Fahey and Rob Byer are also said to be interested.
Ray Lewis is Moving!
Well at least his statue is.
Many Ravens fans have complained that the statues of John Unitas and Lewis side-by-side clutter up the entrance to Gate A and word is Ravens management agrees. The statue will now be positioned above the tunnel where the Ravens are introduced. Billowing smoke and a few chords of “Hot in Here” will precede player introductions as part of an effort to make said introductions a bit more electric.
“The player intros haven’t been the same since The General left”, said Terrell Suggs. “This is a great idea and helps to revive the spirit in the house that 52 built!”
Media Moves
CBS Sports Jason La Canfora is said to be leaving the “Big Eyeball” following the NFL Draft. The network’s insider is said to have grown weary of the traveling and the pressures that such jet setting places upon his young family. La Canfora has teamed up with local sports talking head Jerry Coleman for their “B-more Opinionated” podcast and hopes to bring his talents to a local level, such as MASN or Comcast Sportsnet (“CSN”). Ravens radio is also said to be interested.
Stay tuned.
CSN also plans to shake things up a bit as part of an effort to boost their Ravens programming. They’ve lured Jamison Hensley from ESPN to team up with the steady Clifton Brown to cover the beat. In a corresponding move, ESPN has tabbed Luke Jones, formerly of WNST, to take over for Hensley.
In other local sports media news, the aforementioned WNST, the sleepy little hamster powered AM station that is seemingly stuck on replay, is said to be organizing another rally, “Free Sports Media”. Station majority owner Nestor Aparicio, who claims that his unabashed bashing of Peter Angelos should be credited for the Orioles owner opening his wallet this past offseason, wants to model Free Sports Media after his anti-Angelos campaign, Free The Birds.
“I have always had the best interests of Baltimore at heart”, said Aparicio. “I have been a champion of Baltimore sports and I have single-handedly been responsible for the Orioles keeping Chris Davis. Without my efforts and those of WNST demanding accountability from Angelos, where would the Orioles be? They’d look like a Triple-A team playing in MLB’s best stadium.
“What I plan on doing is turning local sports coverage on its head. No other outlet gets it right every time the way we do. I want a chance to prove it on FM and we plan on picketing CBS Radio until Bob Philips sells “Jack FM” (102.7) to us. To borrow from AC/DC, if anyone in Baltimore has ‘The Jack’, I got it!”
Aparicio also plans to release a biography on his man crush, Rush’s front man Geddy Lee, to coincide with Lee’s first solo record. There’s no truth to the rumor that the book will be titled, “Free Geddy Lee.”
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