Playoff wins are so yummers!

Okay, how 'bout a little Ravens today? I was only able to watch the first and fourth quarter of the game Sunday, but really that was about twice as much time as it took to settle this thing.

About a month ago, I assessed the Ravens' chances of making the playoffs at 25% and their chance to advance at 10%, so kudos to them for coming up real big. Part of my assessment was to recommend that they run more on offense and blitz more ondefense, taking their chances with a weak and injury-addled secondary. Not that this is so original, but they seemed to take those tactics to an extreme on Sunday against the Patriots.

Now, it helps when you score 24 points to your opponent's zero in the first quarter, but even if you look at the playcalling in that period, the ground game predominated. After Ray Rice's astonishing 83-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, Baltimore ran six straight times before Joe Flacco threw incomplete twice. They scored on the next drive combining four rushes with two pass plays and ended the quarter with two more runs and an incomplete pass. So at the end of the first, the Ravens had rushed 13 times for 112 yards and Flacco was 1-4 for 13 yards to McGahee and had avoided a sack for a one yard rush. That 3-1 run to pass ratio had ballooned to 5-1 by the end of the game, a number I don't think I've ever seen from a team not running the triple option.

On the defensive side, the Ravens beat one of the top QBs in the league for only the second time this season. And, sure, it helped that Tom Brady was hobbling around and didn't have Wes Welker to throw to, but Baltimore's pass rush forced three turnovers in the first quarter on some very unBrady type plays: Terrell Suggs forced a fumble from the blind side on a rush we've seen Brady step up to avoid countless times; then facing a blitz from Jarret Johnson, instead of thowing the ball harmlessly to the sideline, Brady fired it over the middle right to Chris Carr; the third pick came on a nice play by Dominique Foxworth to tip the ball away from a Patriot receiver to Ed Reed. But, that's just unlucky, not unBrady, right? Umm, no. Unlucky and unBrady are actually listed as synonyms in the NFL Style Book.

So, moving ahead, how do the Ravens stack up against Indy Saturday night? Going back to their meeting earlier this season, a 17-15 Colts' win in Baltimore, the Ravens did not sack Peyton Manning but did force two interceptions, and gave up just under 300 yards passing (okay, 299, but still). Playing without Suggs, the defense certainly did its job, and I would be happy with a similar effort Saturday night. On offense, the Ravens must run the ball as well as they have been recently and get into the end zone. Any game where you attempt six field goals is going to be tough to win. Still, it's hard to see them getting stoned on three attempts from the one yard line again.

So, in summary, never count the Ravens out even when the odds seem stacked against them, win streaks don't mean anything, and Ray Rice, Ray Rice, Ray Rice.

Can the Ravens make the playoffs?

Probably not ...
About two weeks ago, I assessed the Ravens' chances to make the playoffs and came up with the astute proclamation of "definitive, absolute probably." A home win over the Steelers and a road loss to the Packers later, I have to downgrade that evaluation to about 25% and if they do get in, their chance to advance is about 10%. Tackling the first part of that statement, the Ravens almost certainly have to win the remaining games on their schedule: Lions, Bears, at Steelers, at Raiders. Since none of those teams have .500 records or upper echelon quarterbacks, that seems entirely possible.

Assuming they win out and go 10-6, the Ravens have to count on either the Jaguars (7-5) or Denver (8-4) to stumble down the stretch. Baltimore wins a tiebreaker with the Broncos, but Jacksonville's 6-2 conference record leaves the Ravens out if both teams end up 10-6 because the Jags AFC record would then be 9-3, which Baltimore can't reach from its current mark of 6-4. Jacksonville has to play Miami, Indianapolis, at New England and at Cleveland. There's also a chance that the Patriots go 10-6, lose the AFC East tiebreaker to the Dolphins but win the tiebreaker with the Ravens because they beat Baltimore earlier this season. And I haven't (and won't) consider the prospect of tiebreakers with the 6-6 Jets or Dolphins.

So, lots of pieces have to fall into place. Tactically speaking, I'd like to see the Ravens run the ball more. A lot more. Flacco is clearly struggling, and if pounding opponents with a running game worked last season, it should work even better with a more experienced Ray Rice and a strong offensive line. If McClain is healthy, give him the ball 10 times. He looked very good against Pittsburgh. Ditto for McGahee, 10 carries. Keeping Ray Rice at his season average of 15 carries per game, that gives you 35 running plays plus the occasional end around to Clayton or Troy Smith, who has carried nothing but a clipboard this season. Granted, that's about 10 more running plays than the Ravens are averaging this season, but it would go a long way towards taking pressure off of Flacco and might help sell some play action passes. Other than that, Flacco needs to take some more shots down the field, to the point where he throws the ball away to the deep sideline instead of quickly checking down to Rice or Heap as he seems to have done more often of late.

On defense, the Ravens have to keep blitzing and live or die with the results. The DBs have to stop grabbing every receiver that runs through their zone. All year long, they have gotten beaten by good QBs (Manning, Palmer, Brady, Favre, Rivers, Rogers) and a few RBs but there's no sense in sitting back and waiting for the punishment. As the injuries mount, it's hard to believe this unit can stop a playoff caliber offense, but, on the other hand, they won't play a playoff caliber team for at least a month.

So, the Ravens are mathematically alive and, in vision tinted by purple-colored glasses, still have a decent shot to be playing in the postseason. So don't pack away the purple camo just yet, but you might have some January weekends available for skiing getaways this year.

Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs!

Now that the fitzfacts is (are?) back, let's ponder an important local sports question:

Q: Are the Ravens a playoff team?

A: Sure, but there are at least 12 teams still in the mix for six AFC spots, and the Ravens are in the middle to bottom of that group, so I wouldn't start brewing that Super Bowl Sunday pot of purple chili just yet. After a blazing 3-0 start, Baltimore has been inconsistent in every phase of the game, so much so that talk radio hosts must be getting a headache from the constant changes of subject from week-to-week. They pass too much, they run too much, they need to blitz more, they need to cover better, they need to stop getting penalties, the kicker must go, Paul Kruger should play, Willis McGahee should play more, it just goes on and on because every week something seems to go wrong, and the Ravens either lose a close game (four of the five losses were by 3 points or fewer), or they don't win as convincingly as they "should" (16-0 over Cleveland, with no first half touchdowns).


Four times, they have scored 30 points or more, and they rank fifth in the conference in ppg. Six times, they've held opponents under 20, and they rank sixth in the AFC in that category. But again, the inconsistency makes it very difficult to truly assess their chances and impossible to predict.


Fortunately, every other team in the conference, except the 10-0 Colts, has had similar issues. In the AFC North, the Bengals looked fearsome early on but fell apart against the hapless Raiders last week. The Steelers have weathered some tough injuries and may have quarterback problems, but they couldn't stop the Browns last week, whom the Ravens have beaten twice by a total score of 50-3.


In the East, New England's defense is going to have to prove themselves now that their coach exposed his lack of confidence in that unit against the Colts. At 5-5, Miami's best win is against the 4-6 Jets, and I don't have much faith that Rex Ryan getting more involved in the Jets' offense is going to help that team's production.

Out West, Denver's 6-0 start is in ashes, while San Diego appears poised to take the division. The Chargers are easily the best team the Ravens have beaten this year, and that game came down to the final play.

In the South, the Colts have distanced themselves from the stumbling Texans, who have lost two straight and play at Indy next. Jacksonville looks solid at 6-4, but they lost to Seattle and Tennessee, neither of who has a winning record. Speaking of the Titans, Vince Young has revived both his team and his career in the last month, but the 0-6 hole they dug themselves makes it hard to believe they can get to the playoffs.

So, the bottom line is that the Ravens have lost five games to four teams that are winning their respective divisions. Except for the game at Cincinnati, every contest has been close, so there's no reason to think they can't compete against any team they play. Taking that line of thinking (I won't call it logic) one step further, they certainly can win enough games to get to the playoffs, and if they do get there, they should have a good shot to advance.

So the answer is a definitive, absolute probably.

The Ravens: They're real, and they're spectacular!

I don't often compare professional football teams to women's bodies, but weren't we all rubbing our eyes in disbelief as the Baltimore Ravens mauled the Cleveland Browns 34-3 on Sunday? After scoring an historic 69 points in the first two weeks of the season, Baltimore went out and did it again, and this time the defense joined the offense in totally dominating an opponent.

A few moments from the game stood out as to how completely the Ravens controlled the game from start to finish. Leading 27-3, Baltimore's first possession of the fourth quarter began at their own 30 yard line. In this situation, conventional wisdom calls for a time-consuming, run-oriented scoring drive, but the Ravens ran six straight pass plays and drove to the Cleveland 13. When they finally changed tactics and ran the ball, Willis McGahee fumbled, but it speaks volumes about John Harbaugh's confidence in his defense and Joe Flacco's ability that he went with the passing game at this point in the game.

Also of note, on the Ravens' three rushing touchdowns, McGahee and Ray Rice reached the endzone standing, nearly unimpeded by the Browns' defense, which crumpled under Baltimore's O-line and failed to pursue, leaving wide lanes to the outside.

Going into this game, the Ravens were already ranked number one in Sports Illustrated's Power Ratings, and this morning Bob Ryan picked them to face the Giants in the Super Bowl. Now, I am as excited as anyone about this team's potential, but let's take a look at the other side of the coin, just for fun.

First of all, the Browns are terrible. Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson were so awful, they might as well have had Brady Anderson playing quarterback on Sunday. Cleveland crossed midfield just one time in the first half and only got as far as the 44-yard line, and the second half featured three interceptions. To be fair, all three of the Browns' losses have come at the hands of undefeated teams; to be unfair, none of them have been close.

Now, back to the Ravens. They now have a dominant win over a vastly inferior team, a close win on the road against a playoff caliber team (San Diego), and a closer than the final score (38-24) win against a mediocre-at-best winless team (Kansas City). The defense looked very good last time out, but there would have been much hand-wringing if it had continued in the vein it as heading after the first two weeks.

So the true test comes now in the three weeks leading up to the bye in Week 7. The Ravens play at New England and Minnesota, with a home game against the resurgent Bengals. If they drop two or more of those games, suddenly they are just another team in the playoff hunt, with abundant question marks. Two wins keeps them in solid position atop the division, especially if they beat the Bengals. Three wins and we'll get two weeks of stories about the '72 Dolphins, the 2007 Patriots, and the great Colts teams of Baltimore.

Finally, about today's post title and accompanying photo. In 1993, Teri Hatcher was a modestly successful working actress whose career was highlighted by a recurring role as "Penny Parker" on the TV show "MacGyver." But after being cast as Sidra, Jerry Seinfeld's naturally and generously endowed girlfriend, she secured the role of Superman's girlfriend in the hit series, "Lois and Clark," and was catapulted to stardom as Susan Mayer in "Desperate Housewives." Now, you could argue that her success came as a result of talent and hard work, and I can't dispute that, but in just about any job search, you have to be able to get the attention of a prospective employer, and in a place like Hollywood, being known as the woman who embodied, "they're real and they're spectacular" probably counts for something. Taking nothing away from Teri Hatcher, some small percentage of her earnings should probably be directed toward Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, or Peter Mehlman, all of whom received writing credit for that episode.

Football, movies, what else is there?

The Baltimore Ravens' defense went to such an extreme of the "bend but don't break" cliche Sunday, I felt like had tuned into an Advanced Pilates class on the Fitness Channel instead of an NFL game on NBC. The first four times the San Diego Chargers advanced inside the Ravens' 20-yard line, Baltimore tightened up and forced them to bring in kicker Nate Kaeding and settle for three points instead of six. San Diego's fifth foray into the red zone came to a dramatic, violent halt thanks to Ray Lewis, who crushed Darren Sproles (and the Chargers' last chance) on fourth down with a hit I haven't seen him make since taking on a door.

It was the kind of play that usually comes at the end of a Hollywood 97-minute macho melodrama about a group of scrappy lovable underdogs coming together to surmount internal and external obstacles to emerge victorious as champions. More on sports cinema magic later, but even though this was only the second game of the season, it was a cathartic, satisfying ending to a very entertaining game - for Ravens' fans anyway. I'm sure most coaches want to end a game with their offense grinding out a clock-killing drive while protecting at least a 10-point lead, but I'm equally sure most fans get greater enjoyment from a big play that delivers a win that was anything but certain prior to that moment. For many football teams, that play is a long touchdown pass, but for Ravens' fans, that play is more often made by the defense, and when Ray Lewis makes the game ender, well, you might as well have ripped a page out of a The Official Ravens Roost Handbook. That's the play that gets you out of your seat, causes hand-blisteringly intense high-fives and the occasional fist-pumping shoulder injury.

The Ravens went to San Diego as three-point underdogs, and while it's still early, this is a significant win for a team that has the Super Bowl in its sites. Certainly the Chargers have to be considered an upper-tier AFC team, so beating them on the road is a bit of a big deal, even when you factor in the absence of LaDainian Tomlinson and assorted offensive and defensive linemen due to injuries.

And of course Charger coach Norv Turner's ineptitude is always worth a few opportunities for the opponent. He doesn't give away the game, but he does leave it dangling in plain view. Two cases in point: at the end of the first half, he sent the field goal unit onto the field on third down with ten seconds left on the clock instead of trusting his veteran QB to either make a play or throw incomplete and leave time for the kicker. And his final call, on 4th and 2, was a handoff to Sproles, when his team had a total of 53 rushing yards and 463 receiving yards and distinct physical mismatches at wide receiver. Hard to argue that he didn't deserve the result.

The Ravens have now scored 69 points in their first two games, their highest in the first two games since they came to Baltimore. That's a completely irrelevant bit of trivia, so how about another one? The previous high was 55 points, which they scored in 2006 when they won the division and also in 2000, when, hello, they won the Super Bowl. So that's a fun, meaningless trend I'll be tracking until it becomes statistically anomalous.

For me the interesting thing about all these points is that the defense has scored none of them. Don't get me wrong, the defense has been pretty good. Most of the points in the Chiefs game came as a result of special teams and offensive miscues, but the Raven's defense of the past several years has been good for seven to ten points per game. Could be the loss of Rex Ryan as coordinator (and the departure of Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard), could just be coincidence, but the offense's ascent has come at the same time as a toning down of the defensive ferocity. Still, the results are there.

That's enough Ravens for today. Back to the movie subplot I mentioned earlier. Over the weekend, while my younger son was at a friend's house, the rest of us settled in for a nice wholesome family movie. Unfortunately, when you have a 12-year old boy in the house, it's sometimes challenging to find an agreeable selection, so eventually we gave up and chose something called "The Comebacks," a spoof of sports movies that earned every bit of its' PG-13 rating. There's no way I can recommend this fine film. It's so bad, the only suspense is in trying to figure out which movie or cliche was being mocked all the while cringing at the bombardment of sex jokes and racial stereotypes. Still, we all laughed and were thankful that it cost only $2.99.

The weekend's other movie moment came when I stumbled on the original "Bad News Bears." This one I can watch every time it's on, as opposed to the 2005 remake which I won't even dignify with a link. The team cheats, they lose, they exemplify poor sportsmanship and disrespect authority, their opponents and the game. The only concession to Hollywood sports mythology is that they come together as a team. They also have a lot of fun. I'll watch it every time.

Whacko for Flacco!

Attention Greater Baltimore sporting goods retailers: you might want to increase your Joe Flacco jersey sales orders. The rookie quarterback didn't complete a pass longer than 15 yards, but he made a powerful love connection with the fans at M&T Bank Stadium with his poised play in the Ravens' 17-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday. The "Let's go, Flacco!" cheer could be heard throughout the game, but when the Ravens' first round draft choice rumbled 38 yards for a third quarter touchdown, the crowd noise nearly drowned out the radio broadcast (so did my car horn honking). For all the fuss about the Flacco, though, the story of this game was told in the trenches.

Baltimore dominated the line of scrimmage so completely in the second half that the Ravens held the ball for 23:43 to the Bengals' 6:17. And that's not because of Cincy's quick strike offense; the results of the visitors' four second-half offensive possessions were: three and out, turnover on downs at the Ravens' 36 yard line, three and out, and turnover on downs at the Ravens' 26. Their only touchdown of the day came on a 65-yard fumble recovery by Johnathan Joseph. The next time the Bengals come to Baltimore, Marvin Lewis might want to remind his offense where the end zone is because the Cincinnati O hasn't scored a TD at M&T since 2006.

On offense, the Ravens stuck to a ground attack that churned out 226 yards on 46 carries. The sizzle came from Flacco's bootleg jaunt and a double-reverse by Mark Clayton that went for a 42 yard touchdown, but the steak was fullback Le'Ron McClain (19 carries for 86 yards and rookie tailback Ray Rice (22 for 64). Flacco was never sacked as he completed 15 of 29 passes and if he was pressured, he didn't seem flustered. Cincinnati is not known for defensive prowess, but Baltimore had a solid day and the imminent return of Willis McGahee along with improvement from Flacco bodes well for this unit.

Now, back to those jerseys. In a completely unofficial and unscientific poll, I did a quick phone survey of Baltimore area sporting goods retailers this morning. Shenk and Tittle in White Marsh seemed to be most on the ball with about 180 Flacco jerseys in stock and ready to move. Their preseason top seller was a surprise to me: Matt Stover. Flacco got hot when he was named as the starter and apparently, Ray Rice will be in demand once it becomes available. Modells in Reiserstown was out of stock in Flacco adult sizes but had plenty for kids. Champs in Eastpoint only had 10 in stock but expected them to go quickly, outselling previous favorites Ed Reed and Todd Heap. Sports Authority in Glen Burnie had about 50 and would be increasing its monthly order as Flacco overtook Ray Lewis, Stover, Kelly Gregg(?) and Heap. Finally, Dick's Sporting Goods' website lists the Flacco alternate black jersey as its top selling Ravens item.

Now, two names in the previous paragraph jump out at me: Matt Stover and Kelly Gregg. Stover has longevity (he's the only Cleveland Brown veteran on the team) consistent productivity and he is well-known as a good guy in the community, but how many NFL teams have the kicker as one of their top-selling jerseys? According to two salespeople I spoke with, Stover is hard to find, so perhaps its rarity makes it more desirable. As for Gregg, well, he was the fourth-leading tackler on the defense last year and he was tied or second in sacks with three. Hmm, I'm sure I'm missing something.

In any case, I'll be checking back with those stores in the coming weeks to track the Flacco sales. The Ravens' next home game is in two weeks against the Browns. Expect to see an influx of Flacco.

Stratofanatics

Well, that was a game worth staying up for, wasn't it? And as hard as I was rooting for the Ravens, I can't deny that the Patriots earned the win. For every close call that went against Baltimore (Gaffney's winning TD, Ryan's illegal timeout, turnover on downs nullified by false start), they still had plenty of opportunities to win the game. If Ed Reed didn't fumble after a great interception return, if any of the Ravens' defenders picked off the ball that Ray Lewis tipped 20 feet in the air, if Baltimore got just one first down in the fourth quarter .... still, it's hard for me to remember beign so satisfied that my team played so well and came away with a loss. The defense pressured Brady ferociously, Willis McGahee had his best day as a Raven behind an offensive line that gave up no sacks (my personal favorite was the play where McGahee took a short pass and juked the NE defender so badly he was able to use him as a blocker), Kyle Boller outplayed Tom Brady for 3 quarters and even Yamon Figurs chipped in a nice punt return late in the game. Eventually, though, the Ravens succumbed to one of the great cliches of football. For three quarters, they kept Brady, Moss, & Co. off the field; the Pats had only six possessions in the first three periods, but they had four in the fourth. And so again, a one team irrationally uplifts the hearts and spirits of its fans while the other crushes those of its own in the brutal mortar and pestle of bitter defeat.

It was a doubly entertaining evening for me because I also watched the first half of the Denver-Green Bay game. You missed this one? Denver played Oakland on Sunday and Green Bay lost to Dallas last Thursday, you say? Duh, this was the 1996 Broncos against the Packers. Favre vs. Elway, Holmgen matching wits with Reeves, Lambeau Leap against Mile High Magic. Nope, not on ESPN Classic. Not Madden retro either. This epic battle, which ended in a 10-0 halftime score in favor of Denver was a Stratomatic battle between my sons.

Not familiar with Stratomatic Football? That's because you are a normal human being, with a healthy diversity of cultural interests, but if you are an 8 or 10-year old boy who feverishly collects sports jerseys and posters, fills entire notebooks with statistics of Hall of Fame inductees, and/or has already projected the entire 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament (not just the field either, the complete results as well), Stratomatic is a gift directly from the Mount Olympus of sports gaming.

Part Madden, part Fantasy, Stratomatic is a board game that allows players to simulate games, calling offensive and defensive plays with results derived from percentages based on actual statistics from the previous season. Players can run, pass, score touchdowns, be penalized and even get injured. If it still sounds a bit dry for your tastes, you should see how feisty my sons get while playing. Then again, in our house, most board games are contact sports.

Last night was only the second time they played Stratomatic Football, but I foresee many hours spent rolling dice and gleefully checking cards and charts for results. How can I be so sure? Because I watched them play Stratomatic Baseball all summer, including a marathon week at the beach where nearly every waking minute in the house was spent at the gaming table, trying to determine whether or not the 2006 season was a statistical anomaly.

Wait a minute, I hear you saying, there's Stratomatic Baseball as well? Yep, and Hockey and Basketball and College Football, too.

So how did we acquire this blessing/curse? Well, it just so happens that about 22 years ago, I myself sat down with a college roommate and rolled the dice to see if the Redskins of John Riggins and Joe Washington could beat the Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII with me calling the plays this time (obviously, Rocket Screen was not in my playbook). Many epic battles ensued, but I have to say, I have not played (and rarely discussed in public) Stratomatic since graduating from college.

Fast forward to March, 2007, and this same college roommate bestowed a gift of the 1992 Stratomatic Baseball game on my boys. Note that the box had never been opened; he just happened to have it lying around, untouched, for 15 years. Never mind that many of the players in this game had retired before my sons were born, they took to it right away. Well, almost right away. There was that nasty incident where the Mike Mussina card was crumpled and nearly destroyed after a disastrous two innnings (my younger son has a pretty quick hook).

Naturally, I informed my friend how immensely the boys were enjoying his gift; he was so pleased to find some new converts that the 2006 baseball cards arrived in the mail the next week. Last weekend, we had another visit with my buddy, ostensibly to meet his new son, but my guys had a different agenda.

"Do you have any other Stratomatic games?"

"It just so happens I have a 1996 football game right here."

(Me) "We wouldn't want to take your game."

"Oh, don't worry. I've got at least three others in storage."

It seems appropriate to close this entry by noting that that this is a family of three living in a two-bedroom apartment in New York City. Space comes at quite a premium in the Big Apple, so it's not surprising that he might have a storage locker somewhere. Yes, he could store the games at his brother's house in New Jersey, but he doesn't trust his sister-in-law not to throw them away.

Bad to worse to worser

Monday Morning Quick Quiz
What's worse than watching your favorite football team embarrass itself on Monday Night Football?

Paying money to see it live.

That's right, yesterday was the annual pilgrimage to M&T Bank Stadium for the Fitzgerald men to bond over the thrilling atmosphere of Ravens' football. While I am unwilling to commit the time, money or emotion to become a season-ticket holder, I do enjoy taking the boys to see at least one game each year. We started this tradition two years ago, watching a relatively easy win over the Texans in an unremarkable season and continued it last year at a thrilling comeback over the Chargers to send the home team to 4-0. Those were good days.

Before the 2007 season began, I took a look at the home slate, compared it to the soccer, swimming and family outing schedules and quickly deduced that Cincinnati would be the game. Day game, division rival, reasonably good chance of winning, all the important criteria. So I called my local ticket broker, took some equity out of the house, and secured three lower level seats.

Even better, the boys had a few friends going the game, and we were invited to tailgate just a short walk from the stadium. Really, the setting could not have been better. Crisp, sunny day, pulled pork sandwiches, delightful seleciton of microbrews, free parking and plenty of room to toss the ball with the kids.

And then the game started. For the second straight week, Steve McNair displayed a Hall of Fame level of ineptitude. He had some help in the form of dropped passes, but he still gets the lion's share of the blame as far as I can see. If you chart the balls he throws, there is a wedge of emptiness emanating from McNair at its point that reaches the sideline about 12 yards downfield. Swing pass, quick slant, five-yard out, six-yard curl, flanker screen, that's about it. Nothing over the middle, nothing down the field, unless you count balls thrown five yards over the head of the trainers on the sideline.

And his physical erosion is having a karmic effect on the team as well. His two fumbles (one just slipped out of his hand) were bad plays, but he made a decent throw to Todd Heap in the end zone that got tipped for an interception. And when the kick return team let a short kick bounce at the 15, naturally the Bengals recovered.

The defense played like heroes, keeping the Bengals out of the end zone all day. Ed Reed absolutely destroyed Rudy Johnson on a key third down play at the goal line when the score was still close. Carson Palmer had a pretty good day at the Ravens' expense, but considering that both starting cornerbacks were out and a third got hurt during the game, it could have been a lot worse.

My eight year old summed it up with about five minutes left. "Can we please just go? I can't take any more of this fumble tragedy!"

Ravens Rot

I have never seen a team that I was cheering for play a worse football game than the Ravens played last night. The Redskins' 38-9 loss to the Raiders in the Super Bowl has now officially been displaced. Considering that Pittsburgh was up 35-0 in the first half, this was beyond futility. The Ravens were so bad that Notre Dame is trying to get them on their schedule in Navy's slot.

The whole team was awful, but Steve McNair deserves special attention for his horrendous performance. As bad as his stats were (13-22, 63 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 2 fumbles), they don't tell the whole horrific story. He threw more balls in the dirt than a pitcher with two strikes on Barry Bonds. The one ball I remember him throwing downfield was a beautiful spiral into the chest of Pittsburgh defender James Harrison. Harrison also recovered McNair's fumble in the Raven's opening drive. Maybe Baltimore should trade for Harrison and convert him to wideout since he and McNair seem to have pretty effective chemistry. McNair was sacked six times, so obviously his protection was pretty bad, but he held the ball too long, threw way too many short passes, and got called for intentional grounding. He should have gotten called twice, but the officials must have been embarrassed for him. At one point, he completed passes on first and second down and the Ravens still faced third and two. When Brian Billick finally went to Kyle Boller, Boller's first pass sailed 10 yards past his intended receiver, who apparently forgot that pass plays over 15 yards were still in the gameplan.

So, it seems pretty clear that it's time to close the book on the McNair era in Baltimore. Yes, he was once a great QB, and last year, he was exactly what the Ravens needed. But he had three weeks of rest to heal and prepare for last night's game, and yet halfway through the first half he didn't look a deer in the headlights so much as a deer tied to the hood. Keeping him behind such a young offensive line is not just poor judgment, it borders on criminal negligence. Just ask Redskins fans how quicky Marc Brunell deteriorated.

And yet, Kyle Boller is not the answer either, which makes Boller's contract extension a few weeks ago completely mystifying. Maybe Baltimore is planning on putting together another defense like they had last year or during the Super Bowl season. That's really the only way this "plan" makes any sense.

Now, I am an optimist; I had the Ravens winning it all halfway through last season and stuck to that right up to their loss to the Colts in the playoffs. So let's put on the seriously purple-tinted shades for a minute. Let's say you win your next two at home against Cincinnati and Cleveland and manage to knock off San Diego (which really could happen unless they get smart and fire Norv Turner first). Forget about New England and Indianapolis, but then you are left with Miami, who stinks worse than the jack-o-lanterns still sitting on my front stoop, Seattle, who really never recovered from losing the Super Bowl, and finish with Pittsburgh, and don't tell me the Ravens won't be fired up for that one! See how easy this is? Now, you're 10-6 and marching into the playoffs when Peyton Manning and Tom Brady suffer a horrible accident while filming a Miller Lite All-Stars reunion commercial and suddenly it's all there for the taking.

Do I believe this will happen? Not a chance. I'm just waiting for college basketball to start.

Pigskin Perambulations

So how many times would the Giants have sacked Donovan McNabb if he were a white quarterback?

I don't know who was calling the Cardinals-Steelers game, but Seinfeld fans everywhere had to cringe a little when the announcer called Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt "the Master of his Domain."

Wow, if Tom Brady and Randy Moss were in elementary school together, all the other kids would complain that they never got the ball until finally the principal would declare a moratorium on all competitive sports at recess.

Anyway, almost a month ago, after the opening weekend, the AFC North was declared a dogfight between the Ravens and the Bengals, with Baltimore getting the nod because they had lost a close game on the road, and, if they could just limit the turnovers, no one in the division could stop them. The Browns were the worst team ever seen in the NFL, Brady Quinn would be starting in a matter of hours, but not before Romeo Crennel was fired. And Pittsburgh? No, that 34-7 win over Cleveland had to be discounted (you know, because the Browns couldn't win on a Friday night in Texas).

So, taking a look at the standings today, we find the Steelers in first with a 3-1 record and the highest rated offense and defense (in terms of scoring) in the division. The Browns are in second at 2-2, courtesy of an easy win at home against Baltimore over the weekend. Cleveland's 2-2 looks a lot better than the Ravens' 2-2, though, as Baltimore's frustrating, endless quest for offensive consistency becomes more urgent with the faltering of the defense for at least one quarter every game. And who is in last? Why, it's the Bengals! Led by Carson, Chad and TJ, the Bengals are just a Lance away from being able to form their own boy band, which is good because if they don't get their act together soon, it will be "Bye Bye Bye."

Last year, somewhere around midseason, I declared that the Ravens would go to the Super Bowl, and probably win it. It was an optimistic, but defensible, prediction, shredded by a superb performance by Peyton Manning and the Colts in the playoffs. You will hear no such predictions from me this year. At the start of the season, you could argue that they might be as good as they were last year: they could withstand the loss of Adalius Thomas, Willis McGahee was an upgrade over Jamal Lewis, Steve McNair would be better in his second year in Brian Billick's system, they always seem to draft players who are ready to make an impact quickly.

Four weeks later, the Ravens have suffered more injuries than Jaime Sommers and can only hope they don't bleed out before they get to their bye week. Jonathan Ogden might as well have retired in the offseason, McNair looks so fragile he has a special bubble-wrap seat on the team plane, and five (five!) of the team's receivers and tight ends showed up as "probable" on the injury report for this weekend's game at San Francisco. On defense, they clearly miss Trevor Pryce (whom I saw at Cheeburger Cheeburger this weekend. He was eating with his family, so we left him alone. Anybody trying to have a meal with three young children really doesn't need any additional distractions. I'm guessing he went for the Famous Pounder). The much-maligned Samari Rolle could be back at corner this weekend, news that falls into the "not good, not bad, just different" category. Still, the memory of a swaggering 2006 defense that seemed as likely to score as many of the offenses it faced is fading faster than Wayne Newton's odds to win "Dancing with the Stars."

Can they win the next three and get to the bye 5-2? Sure! Can they lose them? Absolutely! Can they arrive at December in contention for the playoffs only to be stomped by the Patriots and Colts? Don't see why not!

So do I have a prediction for Ravens' fans? You betcha! In the words of Clubber Lang, "Pain!"

Near Occasion of Cardinal Sin

Okay, already a day late on the start to the week, so let's begin with a nice and easy warmup on the home team Baltimore Ravens. Nothing too strenuous, wouldn't want to pull anything.

Trailing Baltimore 20-6 in the third quarter, Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt replaces second-year starter Matt Leinart with former NFL MVP Kurt Warner. Warner responds by leading his team to three scoring drives and a 23-23 tie with 3:43 to play in the game. Leinart uses his sideline time wisely as the cameras catch him fixing his hair just so in front of the cooling fans. Doesn't he know he's supposed to put on a baseball cap and headset and grab a clipboard?

Veteran coach and offensive genius Brian Billick counters Whisenhunt's move by inserting Kyle Boller into the game for the Ravens' first possession of the fourth quarter. Weren't expecting that, were you? Of course not. Only a master of gamesmanship and sports psychology could understand the logic of removing a QB who had completed 20-27 passes for one touchdown and no interceptions. But genius cannot be explained and often cannot be appreciated.

Boller quickly makes two bad throws and the Ravens' offense heads back to the bench after a three and out. His second effort starts out better with a couple long passes to get into field goal range, but consecutive sacks force the Ravens to punt. Finally, on Baltimore's last possession, the home team drives back into field goal range again (thanks in large part to an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Cardinals), and ever-steady Matt Stover boots the gamewinner home.

This might be a good time to point out that, for all his flaws, Steve McNair is supposed to be a great clutch player. He's the guy who led the final scoring drive against San Diego last season, to name one. Over and over, we hear how calm and poised he is. I can almost understand Billick's decision to give Boller a series or two to give McNair a rest and to show some appreciation for the job Boller did last week as the starter. But once the Cardinals rolled through the defense like Kramer at the dojo, you might want to reconsider.

The quarterback shuffles were fun and distracting, but the real story of this game and season is the Ravens' defense. For two straight weeks, we have seen fourth quarter collapses just when this unit should come up with a big sack or turnover to turn out the lights. Rex Ryan's rep as a defensive guru might start to ring as hollow as Billick's offensive field cred. Except that he's not exactly firing the same caliber weapon he was last season.

Some have pointed out the injury to Trevor Pryce, but the simple fact is that Baltimore misses Adalius Thomas more than most people seem willing to admit. Thomas was the best player on the team last year and while Ed Reed can make some great plays and Ray Lewis is the emotional leader, nobody on this defense has the opposing offensive coordinator really worried the way Thomas did last year.

On the bright side, the Ravens are winning the games they are supposed to win. Yamon Figurs jumped right in for BJ Sams with a touchdown return. But what looked like a break in the schedule suddenly seems more stressful than Baltimore fans might have expected. Road games at Cleveland and San Francisco will show whether the Ravens are ready to be contenders or just really good spoilers.

That's So Ravens

For 30 minutes yesterday, the second Kyle Boller era sparkled brighter than the sunshine glinting off the waters of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The halftime score (17-3) and Boller's line (17-24, 125 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 sacks, 0 penalties, 0 interceptions) read as if Brian Billick had written them himself. The Ravens' defense had its foot on the throat of the Jets' offense with two sacks of New York's rookie quarterback and numerous plays in the offensive backfield.


But instead of crushing the visitors' windpipe in the third, Baltimore toyed with its prey, and the emotions of its fans. The conservative passing game sputtered, and the defense went from poundcake to pattycake. Still, a field goal at the start of the fourth built the lead to 20-3, normally more than enough cushion for football fans to rest comfortably. This is the perfect scenario for lining up your power back behind your fullback and your two tight ends and crushing the spirit of your opposition as the clock ticks away. Back in the 1980s, the Redskins called this the Riggo drill although John Riggins said he never liked it much. Probably because he spent a lot of Mondays in traction.

Except that the Ravens let Jamal Lewis go to the Browns in the offseason, and his replacement, Willis McGahee, waits for holes to open rather than lowering his shoulder and knocking the defense back for a few extra yards. Not that I'd rather have Lewis. McGahee rushed for 97 yards and showed his versatility catching a swing pass for Baltimore's second touchdown. But the injury to Jonathan Ogden and the resulting youth of the offensive line showed that this group is not quite ready to close out a game. So instead, the Jets scored 10 points on their first two possessions of the final period and had Ravens' fans holding their breath until Ray Lewis intercepted a Kellen Clemens pass in the end zone with about a minute to play.

I attended a game much like this one last season where the Ravens scored quickly and built a lead against the Bengals. The game should have been over midway through the third but some misplays and clock mismanagement and a sudden resurrection of Cincinnati's offense left fans grumbling as they filed out.

So, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Take the win, enjoy the solid, controlled performance by Boller, the timely defense, and hope that McGahee and the offensive line are more in sync as the season goes on. Forget about the Ravens being in the same class as the Patriots and the Colts for now, though. Fortunately, the schedule breaks nicely for a team that is still getting its act together. With any luck, the Ravens roll into the bye week with only two losses and get rested for a visit to Pittsburgh, a home rematch with Cincy and the San Diego, New England, and Indy troika of terror.

Me, I'm hoping we'll have a bona fide quarterback controversy by then.

Playoff Pleather

Oh, what a weekend! If I were a radio talk show host, I would say that I don't know if we are going to have time to cover everything that happened. Especially when you throw in the two-hour, one inch of snow, school delay this morning.

Let's start with the NFL. For a while in the first game, I thought I was watching a snowy rerun of the Ravens-Colts game the week before. Then I guess somebody told the teams they were allowed to score touchdowns, and the Bears listened a little better than the Saints. Pretty impressive watching Chicago run Thomas Jones eight straight times for the first TD of the day late in the first half, but equally impressive seeing Drew Brees march his team right back down the field to answer.

Reggie Bush strutted his stuff just a little too much for my liking when he turned to taunt the Bears' defense at the end of his fabulous 88-yard touchdown catch and run in the beginning of the third. And his flip into the end zone reminded me of the showy Superman TD dive he took just over a year ago against Texas in the Rose Bowl. His opponent got the last laugh in that game and this one as well.

The Saints wisely stacked their defense against the run in the second half and Chicago QB Rex Grossman failed to take advantage, going two-for-eight, until he caught fire late in the third period and completed four straight to put the Bears in the end zone and up by nine. The defense took over from there, forcing a fumble, an interception and two turnovers on downs. Thus endeth the Saints' magical journey.

Game Two gave CBS announcer Jim Nantz almost more drama than he could handle. I won't rehash the details, but when Peyton Manning broke the huddle to start the Colts' final drive, Nantz intoned, "This drive could change Peyton Manning's life," as if we hadn't been listening to the proclamations of every other pigskinhead for the last two weeks. Not much to say about Manning other than he rallied his team to the biggest comeback in playoff history and delivered in the clutch.

So the games were fun even if they didn't exactly stick to Hollywood studio scripts. The Saints couldn't continue to heal their battered and abandoned hometown, and the winning Colts' score wasn't Manning's or Adam Vinatieri's but Joseph Addai's. For me the greatest drama was whether Bill Belichik's trademark cutoff sweatshrt would survive. The way he kept clutching at the collar, I thought he was going to rip it right down the middle (okay, substitute hoped for thought, to make that last sentence more accurate).

So, who's ready for two weeks of mind-numbing Super Bowl overcoverage? As I wrote earlier, we got a dusting of snow yesterday and more is supposed to be on the way later in the week, which sets up two of my most hated media phenomena: local news team snow hype and Super Bowl mania.

The matchup is almost perfect for the media machines. The white-hatted heroes led by their heroic quarterback versus one of the most venerable franchises in NFL history, personified by the All-Pro middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. Seriously, what's the over-under on Dick Butkus references for the next two weeks, about a billion? Which is also the number of emails Bill Simmons is going to receive this week.

Next up, college basketball, including this week's Top 10 Poll.

Weekend Warmup

GW
Okay, let's start with the Colonials today. GW's solid, not spectacular, 63-58 win at Richmond the other night sets up a pretty good matchup tomorrow when the Charlotte 49ers return to the site of their magnificent meltdown last March. Charlotte forward Leemire Goldwire, whose complete loss of composure pulled the nails out of the coffin in which his team had all but buried GW, will certainly get a warm greeting from the Smith Center crowd. The Colonials are now 12-4 with only one quality win - against Virginia Tech - but no bad losses. Charlotte, to toss out the first cliche of the day, is better than its 8-8 record. The 49ers' schedule is sprinkled with names from big conferences and few real dogs, but they are only 2-2 in the decidedly mediocre Atlantic 10. Like GW, Charlotte relies on a veteran backcourt - Goldwire and big guard/small forward De'Angelo Alexander - that is proficient from short and long range, and a wiry 6-9 forward, senior E.J. Drayton. If the Colonials can neutralize the 49ers' emotional advantage, this should be a win for the home team and a statement that they belong closer to the top than the middle of the league, and Big Stein thinks they could jump to Number One. By the way, Cheyenne Moore's numbers through ten games (11.4 mpg, 4.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, .400 3PFG%) show me a player who is slowly coming along and fitting in, although eyewitness reports cite a major need for improvement on defense. I still see his progress as the key to this season's success.

Wiz
Much more on the line for the Wizards tonight as they try to hold onto first place in the Southeast Division against the second place Orlando Magic. The Knicks finally forced Washington to find someone other than Gilbert Arenas to hit a game winner the other night, and the Wiz made it look easy with a couple drives, kicks and dishes that found Caron Butler wide open for a dunk. Still, they'll need big presence from Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas to keep Dwight Howard from going wild in the paint tonight. With Cleveland at Denver later, the Wizards could wake up tied for first in the Eastern Conference tomorrow. Smells like a tasty doubleheader to me.

NFL
The good news is I didn't have to spend the week searching online for a vendor to sell me strings of purple lights to hang on the house. The bad news is I have to choose between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Let's see, Brady was a guest at the State of the Union, he has supermodels waiting for him outside the locker room, but every third commercial during an NFL broadcast features Manning. But the commercials are funny, and as much as I respect what Bill Belichick has done, I am tired of the notion that he could trot out Tom Brady and the New England Pee-Wee All-Stars and still win the Super Bowl. And it's easy to root for Tony Dungy, but he has to understand that while a Pat Buchanan level of conservatism on offense worked against the Ravens, he needs to move to the middle to win this weekend.

Nice little flip-flop by Boomer Esiason this week. Two years ago, he made studiomate Dan Marino cringe when he said that Manning could be destined for "Marinoville" after the Pats drummed the Colts out of the playoffs, 20-3. Scroll down to the bottom of this Ray Frager article in today's Baltimore Sun to see where he says, "(Manning) doesn't need to go to the Super Bowl to validate his career."

Might be time for my younger son's Michael Vick jersey to disappear mysteriously from his closet.

Oh, and in the other game, I'm going with the rest of America outside the Chicagoland area and cheering for the Saints. Sorry, Jay.

American Idol
If you don't like reading what I write about this show, just think about how bad I feel writing it.

Movies
Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz, "Volver," it all adds up to my finally getting a Netflix membership.

Hi Def Entertainment
From yesterday's Sun, Kevin Cowherd with a fun trick to play on your technology-obsessed, keeping-up-with-the-Joneses friends.

And how would you like those words cooked, Sir?

"Once the undefeated Colts burn out under the heat of the national spotlight again, I can't see any reason to pick against Baltimore to get back to the Super Bowl."

FitzFacts
Tuesday, November 14, 2006


"The Ravens are going to win the Super Bowl. I don't see why anything else needs to be said ... I'm telling you right now, book it."

FitzFacts
Friday, December 29

Mmmm ... yummy. I always find that words taste a little better when they are italicized rather than boldfaced, which can so easily overwhelm the delicate flavors. So, I was wrong, but it's not like I jumped on the bandwagon late, and I think it's official now. I am a Ravens fan. If anything, this loss solidifies that more than a win.

It turns out that it really didn't matter that the Colts were stolen away from Baltimore all those years ago. That former Colts cheerleaders now in their 60s and 70s were torn about which team to root for. Or that the local supervisor of the Mayflower Moving Company said he had no idea what was going into the trucks on that snowy night that so many Baltimoreans refuse to let go. Or that the mayor of Indianapolis at that time now lives in Maryland. (I'm not going to provide all the links to those stories; they were all in the Baltimore Sun last week).

Nope, none of the history or the karma came into play at M&T Bank Stadium last night. The Colts sure came to play though. In the kind of defensive struggle that was hard to watch - boring if you weren't a fan of either team, excruciating if you were - Indianapolis endured its mistakes and stuck with a gameplan that was conservative and risky at the same time. The Colts' record-setting QB threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, but five times Indianapolis got the ball close enough for Adam Vinatieri to kick it through the uprights, and with each successful boot, the pressure on the Ravens nudged up a few more psis.

So, credit Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning and especially the oft-maligned Indianapolis defense. The only really bad decision the Colts made all day was the third down no-huddle offense that never worked and led to at least one turnover. Aside from that ill-conceived tactic, Indianapolis stuck with the run and the medium-range passing game to move the ball into field goal range. This was not the kind of performance that will get Manning any more commercials, but a few more like it could get him a Super Bowl ring.

Now, what went wrong for the Ravens? Let's see, when Brian Billick fired Jim Fassel midseason and took the reins of the offense, he was able to rejuvenate Jamal Lewis and the running game. On the Ravens' best drive of the first half, they drove 51 yards to the Indianapolis four on six runs and one pass before Steve McNair was picked off by Antoine Bethea. So, what did they do when they got the ball again, this time in the third quarter? Passed the ball six straight plays and then punted. Lewis got all of two carries in the third, against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. He got two more in the fourth, in a game when the lead was never more than nine points.

Okay, what else? Todd Heap fumbled for the first time this year, which gave Indianapolis field position for its second score. Bethea picked off McNair at the goal line, saving at least three points, and somehow he hung onto the ball despite a violent collision with his teammate. When McNair finally completed a deep ball to Mark Clayton late in the third, Clayton fumbled, but thanks to an Indy penalty, the Ravens ended up with a five-yard gain to their own 22 instead of a 48-yard gain into field goal range.

On defense, Ed Reed had two interceptions but would likely have had four if Ray Lewis hadn't just barely tipped two Manning passes. And on one of his picks, Reed lateraled to Chris McAlister but was wrongly ruled out of bounds, and the play was blown dead. Terrell Suggs forced a fumbled at the Baltimore 24 that bounced right to Ben Utecht, the only Colt anywhere near the ball.

And, just for good measure, on special teams, don't forget Vinatieri's 51-yarder that bounced on, and then over, the crossbar. If the above paragraphs sound like excuses, I can't offer any argument. Being a fan is all about emotional and irrational justification of nonsensical behavior.

This game could not have been more hyped locally. In a town whose residents wear their inferiority complices like badges of honor, the media dug up every painful memory, ripped apart more than two decades of scar tissue to whip the populace into a purple frenzy. For the last few days, you saw purple everywhere you looked. Today, at church, at the coffee shop, at the grocery store, not a stitch. Just like that, it's all gone.

But of course, the fans will remember. And when next year's schedule is released, the date with Indianapolis will be circled in purple.

Friday Finale

Well, it's the end of the year, but more importantly it's the end of the week, so let's take a look at some recent events:

Colonials
First, one of the objects of my subtitular obsession. GW lost, 66-52, to a better team last night, the Air Force Academy. I listened to the first half driving the family home from the Maryland-Mount St. Mary's game (more on that later), and the powerful Washington Post Radio signal (AM 1500) stayed with me almost to my driveway, more than an hour from the Foggy Bottom campus. Nice upgrade there. The Colonials were trailing the sharp-shooting Falcons early, but by the time my sleeping kids had been transferred from Suburban to bed, GW had fought back and taken a 31-30 halftime lead.

Through the magic of the Internet, I watched the second half on a CSTV live video feed, listened to the Post Radio via the website, and checked in on the GWHoops chat room (Hey, I'm obsessed, remember?). Unfortunately, the audio and video were out of synch, so my little digital sports sensory festival was not quite perfect, but still, it's pretty amazing to think that all this is possible. More unfortunately, the Colonials were also off kilter and could not get untracked offensively in the second half.

After surrendering eight first half turnovers - they average just 10 per game - the Falcons settled down and and locked up GW for nearly five minutes as they retook the lead with a 10-0 run. The Colonials rallied to within four after Karl Hobbs called a second timeout, but Air Force applied the clamps for another three minutes, built the lead back to nine, and GW never threatened again. Air Force runs the "Princeton" offense effectively, which usually means that a second half lead becomes a death march of wide open three-pointers and late in the shot clock backdoor layups. GW is a team that you can never give up on, but once the Falcons found their comfort zone, it was all over.

The Colonials should regain their footing tonight against Colgate, but the only remaining non-con opponent is Marshall. Despite Duquesne's shocking OT win against BC last night, the Atlantic 10 looks like a one-bid league this year. That bid could be GW's, but there will be some bumps along the way. Hobbs has to incorporate Cheyenne Moore into the mix without sacrificing the impressive development of Rob Diggs and the potential flashed by Travis King and Damian Hollis. Should be fun to watch.

Wizards
At 16-12, the Wizards are in first place in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference and could have the second-best record in the conference with a win tonight. Go back and read that sentence again. When I predicted that Washington would get to .500 by the New Year, I never dreamed they would be brushing up against .600. Gilbert Arenas has been simply unbelievable, Caron Butler has been a beast, Antawn Jamison has decided to rebound as well as score, and Brendan Haywood(!) has shaken off the shackles of his detractors and brought legitimate inside game. The only thing more shocking than Washington's record in December (11-3 so far) is Comcast's decision to show the last two games on tape delay while putting the Caps on live. And tomorrow's game against Milwaukee is not televised at all? Looks like it's back to the video feed for me.

Terps
I made my first trip to the Comcast Center last night to watch Maryland dismember Mount St. Marys. On the Terps' first possession, Mike Jones got free on the left wing and made a three. The next possession, the Mount defense sagged on an inbounds play and Jones was wide open for another three from the same spot. He did the same thing on the next three possessions, from the exact same spot! Meanwhile, the Mounties had only mustered one free throw. It wasn't ever much of a contest but it's always fun for me to watch my kids enjoy a game. The arena is quite impressive, with some nice tributes to great moments in Maryland history sprinkled around the concourse.

I don't think I'll ever be a Terps fan, but I do enjoy watching them play. This team definitely has the talent to get to the Final Four, but they could just as easily bomb out in the early rounds of the tournament. If Gary Williams can play his freshman point guard combo right, there is no reason they can't challenge UNC for the ACC title.

Ravens
The Ravens are going to win the Super Bowl. I don't see why anything else needs to be said. Yes, San Diego has a record-breaking tailback, but Baltimore's defense dismantles and demoralizes, and the offense is good enough. And they are getting all kinds of motivation from being overlooked by the national media. Maybe I'll have more on this after the regualr season, but, I'm telling you right now, book it.

Movies
Night at the Museum
Four thumbs up from my family for this one. Creative and amusing for adults and kiddies and should be a bonanza for the Museum of Natural History. Obviously, if you are allergic to Ben Stiller's array of double-takes and his three facial displays of shock, surprise, and disbelief, you want to avoid this one, although only one of his usual coconspirators makes an appearance (shocking that Will Ferrell did not get a cameo). Also, I am a little tired of the "let's prove to the preteen kid that his divorced Dad isn't a loser" plotline, but there was enough other distraction to make this one work.
Charlotte's Web
From down south, my brother makes a strong buy recomendation for this classic, despite my earlier trepidations. He is something of an aficionado, with at least two candidates for Ferndom in his clan and multiple out-loud readings. I guess I will reconsider, as I can only hope that it is "radiant," "humble," and "some movie."
Rocky Balboa
Like most people, I lost track of Rocky somewhere between IV and V, but head on over to Bill Simmons to get an authoritative read of this latest installment. As he often does, Simmons captures the mindset of the average American male approaching middle age on matters of sports and pop culture, even if he had the Ravens as only the sixth best team in the NFL going into last weekend.

Noteable Deaths
James Brown
The body of the Godfather of Soul lay in state at the Apollo Theater this week as mourners paid their respects. How cool is that? U.S. politicians get the Capitol, Russians get the Kremlin, and the pope gets St. Peter's, I would take the Apollo every time, given the choice.
Gerald Ford
Here we have a guy who was a great college football player who turned down the NFl for a life of public service. I know the money was nowhere near what it is now, but some reason, this makes me think of Pat Tillman, and the awesome sacrifice he made when he chose armed combat in Afghanistan over professional football.
Ralph Stebbins
Don't recognize the name? In April, 2005, the former well-digger won a $208 million Mega Millions jackpot. He and his wife quit their jobs and bought an RV. He died of a heart attack last Saturday. He was 43. Won't stop me from buying a ticket when the jackpot is more than $50 million.

Fini
So have a Happy New Year! We'll be watching the ball drop and a lot of football, but FitzFacts will return sometime next week. Hope you enjoyed reading this year as much as I enjoyed writing.

Fa fa fa Friday, fa fa fa Friday

Run run run, run run run run away
Psycho Killer
Qu'est Que C'est?

Today's post title and subtitle come courtesy of the Talking Heads, of course. Don't read anything into it, I just liked the way it sounded with Friday.

So what's on tap for the weekend? Two great choices tonight. You've got the Rudolph/ Frosty doubleheader beginning at 8:00 on CBS, or Wizards-Sixers on ESPN - or Comcast SportsNet for you locals who like the homer announcing. If you're looking for something Xmassy from the new millenium, there's "The Polar Express" on ABC Family. We'll be on the cartoons from our couch, but the commercials required to stretch Rudolph to an hour should leave plenty of time to see if Gilbert and Co. can win their third in a row. And if neither of the above holiday video offerings are putting you in the spirit, then head on over to Big Stein's Bog and check out what YouTube is - or should be - all about.

For tomorrow, we've got the Colonials at Southern Cal; the Trojans are 5-2 coming off a loss at #13 Kansas. The game's marquee matchup pits USC's leading scorer Lodrick Stewart against GW's Carl Elliott. At 6-4, 210, Stewart shoots the three frequently and efficiently (17-39) and has the size to get to the basket. Freshman center Taj Gibson averages nearly 10 rebounds and has 12 blocks this season, but he has also fouled out of three games already. USC also has trouble hanging onto the ball (19.4 TOs/gm) and their lead assist man Daniel Hackett has an assist/turnover ratio lower than 1/1. Coming off an intense battle against the Jayhawks, look for USC to start slowly against GW, recover, and then become another victim of GW coach Karl Hobbs' halftime adjustments. Colonials 82, Trojans 75.

We will also be getting a Christmas tree tomorrow. At least, that's the plan. This particular holiday tradition has generations of family history, giving it a very high bloggability factor. Tune in Monday to see if tomorrow's expedition makes the annals.

Sunday, we've got the Ravens at Kansas City. Baltimore's toughest remaining game comes after a ten-day layoff following the loss at Cincinnati. If the defense scores a touchdown, the Ravens win by at least two TD's. If not, it probably comes down to a field goal. The Chiefs are playing for a wildcard spot, but they won't advance their cause this weekend. The Ravens have shut down top AFC backs LaDanian Tomlinson and Willie Parker, and it will be no different for KC's Larry Johnson.

That's it for me today. As my mother would say when her dog won't stop barking at a guest, "Peace!"

Wednesday Whatever

No hot topic to blog on today, but I guess I am not alone. ESPN.com's lead story asks the burning question, "Did Ali invent rap?"

GW won 79-56 over a subpar UMES team last night. Another strong second half by the Colonials put this one away with solid games from Rice (20 pts, 4-6 3FG), Elliott (13 pts, 7 rebounds, 5 steals), and an excellent performance from Rob Diggs (16pts, 7 rebounds, 7 blocks). Most noteworthy for the future was the first appearance of Cheyenne Moore in a GW uniform. Moore, who transferred from Clemson, had been out with a stress fracture and only played two minutes, but he is expected to be a major contributor this season. Also a nice 14 minutes from freshman Damian Hollis who was 4-4 from the field. The 7-1 Colonials get a better test on the road this Saturday at USC.

The Wizards walloped the hottest team in the NBA Monday night, but I was busy coaching my own cagers and didn't see a minute of the action. Big Stein has some all-access Gilbert material in the Bog today, but I'm more interested to see how the Wiz go at the Knicks tonight. They still haven't won on the road and got embarrassed in their last trip to the Garden, so the pieces would seem to be in place, but you just can't tell with this team yet. I'd love to see them get to .500 by the end of the month and then take a closer look.

The Ravens have had plenty of time to recover from last week's loss at Cincinnati. It wasn't a disaster, and the rest of the games this weekend showed how wide open the league is. New England looked shaky in their win, Indianapolis got dumped, and San Diego escaped from a bad Buffalo team. I know Dallas, Seattle and New Orleans are gathering momentum, but the NFC still stands for Nobody Freaking Cares when it comes to this year's Super Bowl race. Indy probably has a lock on home field for the playoffs, but Baltimore shouldn't have to go on the road until then.

Finally, on a nonsports note, I was walking the dog this morning, and as we turned up the hill for home, I noticed an object about the size of a football lying in the road. As we got closer, Sweet Pea did her usual curious, but easily-spooked, investigation (she was once startled by a bag of leaves). The item turned out to be a piece of meat, some sort of large, gristly roast, lying a few feet from the curb. It was quite red, not rotted at all, so I don' t think it had been there very long, and I guess it was too early for discovery by the turkey vultures that often take care of this sort of thing. There was not a shred of packaging nearby; I have no idea how it got there, and really can't come up with a plausible scenario. All I keep thinking is that if my life were a Tarantino or Coen brothers movie, I would have picked up the meat and set in motion a profanely hilarious and astonishingly violent sequence of events involving a multinational cast of grotesquely idiosyncratic characters. But my life, even with its daily moments of drama and comedy, is not a movie, so I kept the dog away from it, and headed home.

Ravens Rumble

Media darlings Indianapolis and New England posted impressive wins on Sunday, but the Ravens slapped Pittsburgh so hard the Penguins dropped two places in the NHL standings. Ray Lewis' return to the Baltimore lineup inspired the defense's second shutout performance of the season, a team effort that included nine sacks, two interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown. This defense doesn't just hold teams, it brutalizes them like O-Dog stomping a crackhead in Menace II Society. (Check that, it was Caine who did the stomping; O-Dog just casually and frequently blew people away). Pittsburgh converted only one third down in 12 attempts and Willie Parker, who came in as one of the top rushers in the AFC, was held to 22 yards on 10 carries.

On the other side of the ball, Steve McNair, Jamal Lewis and a suddenly impressive offensive line did exactly what is required of a unit that has to live in the defense's shadow while benefiting from its prowess. McNair picked apart the Pittsburgh secondary, going 18-24 with no interceptions and one touchdown. His longest completion was the 20-yard TD to Todd Heap, but he wasn't sacked or even forced to run, and he played a mistake free game. Lewis' longest gain from scrimmage was only 11 yards, but he scored a touchdown and, for the fourth straight game, did not fumble.

In 2000, after the Ravens edged the division-leading Tennessee Titans 14-13 to push their record to 7-4, Brian Billick threatened to fine anyone in the Baltimore organization who even uttered the word "playoffs." After starting the season 5-1, his team had suffered a three-game losing streak in which the offense had produced a paltry total of 15 points, and the head coach was understandably concerned about getting distracted and overconfident. Of course, the Ravens ripped through the rest of the season undefeated and went on to win Super Bowl XXXV. Now that Baltimore is 9-2, with the opportunity to clinch the division title this Thursday at Cincinnati, no such edict has been issued.

The last time the Ravens played the Bengals, Baltimore scored two quick touchdowns as Cincinnati fumbled away the opening kickoff and Carson Palmer's first pass was picked off and returned all the way. The Bengals fought to get back in the game, and injuries to Ed Reed and Ray Lewis weakened the Ravens on D, but not even some bewildering clock management by Billick in the fourth quarter could make up such a significant early deficit. Both teams will be on short rest this week, but a healthy Ravens' defense should scare Cincinnati.

ESPN's current power rankings place the Ravens third behind Indianapolis and San Diego (whom the Ravens beat). As usual, offensive pyrotechnics have captured the fancy of writers like Len Pasquarelli, who writes today about an increase in big plays and fails to mention that the Ravens' defense has scored five touchdowns this season and would have at least two more if a few defensive linemen hadn't run out of gas near the goal line on long fumble returns. This is exactly the sort of bulletin board material that will allow Billick to convince his team that they are not being given the respect they deserve. Opposing quarterbacks should double-check their insurance policies, and make sure their chiropractor and massage therapists have their calendars cleared.