ORIOLES AND RAVENS---DON'T MESS WITH THE NEST
Baltimore is officially for the BIRDS, who represent the city well and coexist and play nice together
by Rick Benson
Whether you bleed orange or purple (or hopefully both!), there is no question that Baltimore sports is for the Birds and that’s a good thing. Oh we still have the Preakness, the Blast, Johns Hopkins lacrosse, the Baltimore Marathon, great local rivalries like City versus Poly and Loyola versus Calvert Hall and even a new arena league football team. But make no mistake, the Birds of the diamond and the Birds of the gridiron rule Baltimore sports. The Orioles and Ravens are immensely popular; they generate great civic pride and they dominate the local sports talk airwaves. The Camden Yards stadium complex they call home is one of the nation’s finest and its close proximity to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor make it an ideal destination for fans and tourists alike.
Baltimore sports fans are very distinctive. Incredibly loyal. Very nostalgic toward past heroes and memorable moments. Refer to their star players by first name (Brooks, Johnny U, Cal, Boog, Ray, Lenny, Gino, Eddie, Adam and Manny). Strong distain for New York, Boston and Pittsburgh. Generally positive with a tendency to sometimes default to gloom and doom. Known to harbor inferiority complex and embrace conspiracy theories. Generally kinder towards opposing fans (except for those from the cities listed above).
Opinions on Baltimore’s status as a major league sports town are probably as varied as political opinions; although, in today’s environment, likely less hostile. As this website details, Charm City’s sports history is a potpourri of great teams, exciting moments, historic venues, memorable athletes and personalities along with failed and mismanaged franchises, agonizing defeats, outdated facilities, forgettable players and reviled individuals. The ups and downs of Baltimore sports have alternately given us chest-puffing pride and massive inferiority complexes.
The city itself has plenty of similarities and contrasts to its east coast neighbors. New York will always look down on Baltimore as second rate; which made the Colts back-to-back world championships and the Ravens Super Bowl XXXV thumping of the New York Giants all the more enjoyable. Philadelphia has a similar appreciation for hard-working athletes who hustle and play hard but also carries a borderline unhealthy negativity which has given them a well-earned reputation as having the most boorish fans in the country. Boston has similar unconditional fan support but has also added to their infamous snootiness with a great deal of recent on-field success by the Red Sox and the New England Patriots. Besides the Redskins, whose inept team management is severely testing one of the sports world’s most loyal fan bases, Washington is more lukewarm towards its sports teams. Blame is equally laid on a more transient population in the nation’s capital along with overall lack of on-field success.
Of all of the northeast metropolis, Baltimore has probably had the most severe urban exodus of any of its neighbors. In 2015, the city population stood at just under 622,000 which dropped their ranking to 29th after being a top-ten city well into the 1980s. In the new millennium, Baltimore’s population has remained relatively flat in the 640,000 range while cities like Las Vegas, Portland, Nashville and Oklahoma City have surged past which only adds to the major league debate.
At its peak, with a population of over 905,000 in 1970, Baltimore was the 7th largest city in America and major league in every way. With Colts and Orioles world championships, perennial playoff appearances by the Bullets and even the American Hockey League Clippers as consistent division winners; Baltimore rightly proclaimed itself as City of Champions and few could argue. The city and its sports teams were at their all-time peak.
Still Baltimore was not without its problems. Civil rights rioting in 1968 highlighted significant racial divide. Drugs and crime in the downtown area hurt local businesses along with a lone single access highway to downtown; the Jones Fall Expressway (rightly dubbed the Distressway). The afore mentioned problems and resulting lack of downtown development contributed to the Bullets leaving for a palatial new arena in Landover, Maryland in 1974. Both the Colts and the Orioles wanted the city to make improvements to Memorial Stadium, with Colts owner Bob Irsay being the more vocal critic. His frequent public outbursts, largely fueled by excessive alcohol consumption, foretold what virtually everyone deemed unthinkable. Irsay’s predecessor Carroll Rosenbloom was also a vocal critic of Memorial Stadium, but his criticisms were largely muted by the Colts on-field success and a sold out stadium on Sundays at 2:00 pm.
Nonetheless, Rosenbloom’s displeasure did lead to discussions among civic leaders on how to either improve Memorial Stadium or construct a new facility. Downtown stadiums had not yet become vogue and there were still the same issues that made that option problematic. Unfortunately, it likely took the Colts exodus on that fateful evening of March 28, 1984 to Indianapolis to get the city to seriously consider new stadium options. The development of the Inner Harbor and the new Fort McHenry Tunnel and Interstate 395 made downtown more accessible and gave people a reason to venture downtown.
Governor William Donald Schafer, who suffered the indignity of the Colts departure as Baltimore’s mayor, worked tirelessly to help get the approval and funding to build the Camden Yards complex. Without question, this moved saved major league sports in Charm City. When the funding approval to build dual stadiums downtown was announced in 1988, then Orioles owner Edward Bennett Williams signed a 15-year lease for his team to begin play in the new stadium beginning in 1992. Williams, a famous Washington attorney, promised to keep the Orioles in Baltimore as long as fan support was maintained. The lack of major league baseball in DC along with previous bad experiences with other out of town owners only fueled Baltimore’s paranoia about losing its beloved Orioles. The construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and its continued reputation as baseball’s best ballpark as it prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary has virtually assured that the Orioles will always remain Baltimore’s treasure.
For the football faithful, who had their beloved Colts stolen away like a thief in the night, there was a much greater level of frustration, angst and dashed hopes. Other NFL franchises seeking better venues, like the Oakland Raiders, the St. Louis Cardinals and the New Orleans Saints flirted with Baltimore and possible relocation; only to leave us jilted like a love-sick kid getting stood up on prom night. The Camden Yards stadium deal, with its in-place public funding for a new football-only facility, made Baltimore a serious player in luring the NFL back.
When the league began expansion discussions and decided to add two more franchises, Baltimore invested significant marketing effort to secure one of them. The rich history of the Baltimore Colts and their role in helping the NFL reach its lofty popularity was trumpeted; along with the stadium deal, multiple potential ownership groups and the city’s larger television market compared to its competitors. With many longtime team owners in the league who were well familiar with the Baltimore Colts history and tradition, the city appeared to be a shoo-in. But, as Baltimore would soon find out, the fix was in.
Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke exhorted his influence on NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue that the Baltimore market belonged to him; even though he had no ability to satisfy the city’s football thirst with an already sold-out RFK Stadium and a waiting list of over 30,000. Tagliabue also favored moving in to new markets which made Charlotte the expansion shoo-in. But surely Baltimore had more to offer than their competition—Memphis, Jacksonville and St. Louis (who lost the Cardinals to Phoenix). When Jacksonville was given the second expansion franchise and Tagliabue suggested Baltimore use its stadium funding to build a museum, he was reviled to an Irsay-like level.
But the stadium deal was too good to pass up; too good for Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell, who was cash poor and trying to survive in the antiquated dump known as Cleveland Municipal Stadium while his city built new facilities for baseball’s Indians and basketball’s Cavaliers along with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After being abused and neglected by the NFL, many in Baltimore felt more than justified to secure a team by any means possible while some struggled with embracing the Ravens due to the circumstances of their arrival.
The Ravens quickly won over the city’s football-starved fan base with the blessing of many Baltimore Colts alumni; especially Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore, Tom Matte and Stan White. To their credit, the Ravens honored the old Colts and embraced their history as part of their own. Baltimore’s new NFL franchise had relatively quick on-field success; thanks to front office and coaching stability, superior scouting, drafting impact players and managing salary cap and free-agent signings well.
The Camden Yards sports complex housing Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank stadium is among the finest in the country and a centerpiece of downtown Baltimore. Recently, there has been a good level of mutual cooperation and respect that hasn’t always been present. The relations between the two were somewhat strained in the late 90s and early 2000s as the Ravens became one of the NFLs top franchises while the Orioles were sliding into a 14-year funk. After the Colts left Baltimore in 1984, the Orioles reaped the benefit of being the only major sports team in town. Then owner Edward Bennett Williams, a prominent DC attorney, pledged to keep the team in Baltimore if the fan support was there and the city certainly stepped up to the plate.
After moving downtown in 1992, the Orioles topped the 3 million mark in attendance for 10 straight years; excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season. Attendance then began to decrease along with on-field success and dipped below 2 million for four straight years until 2012 when the Orioles returned to post season baseball. Meanwhile, the Ravens became Baltimore’s favorite team; rekindling some of the fervent support that the Colts enjoyed in their heyday. Orioles owner Peter Angelos, also an attorney but also a lifelong Baltimorean, silently seethed as his team’s popularity waned. Winning does solve certain problems, however it created another potential one after the Ravens Super Bowl victory in 2012. Because of a scheduling conflict with the Orioles, the Ravens—as defending champions—were unable to open the 2013 season at home as is custom in the NFL. The Orioles, citing rescheduling constraints, refused to budge. Media pundits weighed in on both sides; with national opinion of Baltimore’s two major league teams certainly coming into play. The Ravens, in some national circles, are viewed as the bad guys because of how they used to be the Cleveland Browns while the Orioles, thanks in part to the goodwill ambassadorship of Cal Ripken Jr., score much higher favorable. The Ravens diffused any potential animosity by taking the high road and letting the schedule stay as is.
Due undoubtedly to the realization that Baltimore is big enough for both of its Birds, the Orioles and the Ravens have strong mutual respect and admiration. We’ll probably never really know how or if there was ever any ill will between the two, but one thing is for sure—Baltimore is FOR THE BIRDS!!
So there you have it. Baltimore loves the Orioles. Baltimore loves the Ravens. So----DON'T MESS WITH THE NEST!!!!!!
