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All aboard!
Posted On: 6/19/06
Written By:  
Tony Lombardi
LETTERS 2 TL

ALL ABOARD THE MESSAGE BOARD

TL,
 
I started to frequent a few message boards during the season last year and since then, I’ve been hooked although I don’t post all that much.  I enjoy most of the banter, learn a few things, get a few laughs and although it can be frustrating at times, I find that the good clearly outweighs the bad.  With that in mind, I have a few questions:
 
  1. While I find the content on Ravens24x7.com to be very good as do many posters on various boards, there are a couple that always seem to bring up a scoop on a Ravens schedule gone bad and another that talked about a pre-mature announcement of Mark Clayton’s signing.  What’s up with that? 
  2. Props on your camp notes from the camps.  Will you be offering the same for Summer camp?  I hope so because I can’t make it out there but those notes make it seem like I was there. 
  3. Last but not least, why doesn’t 24x7 have a message board.
I really like your site, particularly now that I’ve got the quirky verbiage and navigation down.
 
Rave on,
 
 John, Canton
 
John,
 
We don’t claim to be flawless and we never will.  But the two mistakes that you mentioned proved to be valuable lessons.  And from where I come from, if you make a mistake and learn from it, it makes you better.  Now if you make the same mistakes again….
 
Fortunately we haven’t.
 
I will say that I do visit various message boards on occasion just to get a sense of what the diehard Ravens fans are thinking.  I want to know what they are most passionate about at any given time.  Message boards are convenient in that way because you quickly can take the pulse of the Ravens community.  I know that some message board posters have stated that my opinion is no better than theirs so what makes me such an authority.
 
And I concur.  My opinion is no better!
 
However, we do work long and hard hours delivering Ravens content and we do have access that the average fan does not have.  We try to combine the passion of a fan (at heart I’m no more than that) with objectivity and access to provide something that we hope is unique and credible.  Credibility takes time and every day, we work towards improving ours.
 
As for the summer camp notes – ABSOLUTELY!  We are even hopeful of augmenting the notes with timely photos, audio and possibly video.
 
We will also soon have our own message board.  Stay tuned!  If you like us now you are going to love us in a few weeks.  And the quirkiness you described has been noted and it will be addressed.
 
Rave on,
 
TL
 

SHARPE-ENING THE RAVENS 

Tony,  

Do you think that Steve McNair will have the "Shannon Sharpe Effect" for the Ravens and the offense? A lot of times you hear about Dilfer because he was the one who got jilted after the Super Bowl, but I believe that the acquisition of Shannon Sharpe was the final piece to that puzzle, that gave the Ravens their swagger and put them over the top.
 
In every playoff game leading to the Super Bowl, Sharpe was the one that made the pivotal play on offense. The Ravens were taking a lot of body shots, so to speak, from the Titans in the first half of that playoff game, and then all of a sudden Sharpe caught that one pass and took it down to the 2 yard line for Jamal Lewis to tie it up on the next play. After that, the team never trailed.
 
I'm thinking/hoping that McNair can have that same type of effect for the offense this time around. He won't be the boisterous personality that Sharpe is, but I imagine he can [make the same impact] in his own way, to lead and focus the offense. That should also galvanize the rest of the team.
 

Paul

Paul, 

You correctly point out that McNair and Sharpe lead in different ways.  And while I do believe that McNair will have an enormous impact on the Ravens, I think the vocal leadership and swagger that you are hopeful of from McNair has been here for a year in the form of Derrick Mason.  I think that he has outstanding leadership potential and coupled with McNair, I think you will see the “Sharpe Effect.”
While observing the two during OTA’s, they haven’t skipped a beat in their rapport despite being apart for a year.  The chemistry between the two cannot be taught – it’s earned through hours and seasons of hard work and dedication.
 
So when you are looking for a big play during big games, don’t be surprised if it’s Derrick Mason doing his best impersonation of Shannon Sharpe’s 2000 season.
 
D-Masing,
 
TL
 

REMEMBERING DAD 

Tony,
 
I loved your story of the memories with your father.  One of my earliest was in the fall of the mid-Fifties.  I was about 11 or so.  We had watched the Colts on our 13" Philco play the Rams in Los Angeles .  They were pummeled something like 70-2.  My Dad sensing the depression told my Mom that we (Dad and I) were driving to Friendship Airport to greet the team and cheer them up.
 
Well, there were a few thousand other fans with the same thought.  Dad made sure that we had a good view of the team exiting the plane.  My Dad was like that in dealing with success and failure not only in sports but in everyday life as well. Not too high and not too low. He had a fifth grade education but yet he read the works of St Thomas Aquinas and Jacques Maritain.  Dad always wanted to address the meaning of meaning so to speak. He knew that life was precious and to take each day.
 
It was events like that so many years ago that helped me a lot in dealing with my own successes and failures.
 
I am glad your Dad is here -- continue to enjoy one another. As for mine I will visit him at Holy Rosary Cemetery on Sunday and forever remember.
 
Best Wishes,
 
Greg
 
Greg,
 
What an awesome story yourself and a great lesson as well.  It sounds to me that your Dad was a wonderful mentor and you the consummate protégé.
 
However, I can’t take credit for the story you referenced.  That credit goes to my colleague Rick Johnson.  I agree that it was an engaging story and Rick’s choice words and attention to detail made me feel as though I walked through the bowels of Memorial Stadium with Rick.
 
Your reference to the 13” Philco conjured up memories for me.  I can remember many Sunday afternoons early in the fall when the networks would broadcast two football games simultaneously while a baseball playoff game was going on.  My Dad would literally stack three TV’s on top of one another so we could watch all three games.  There would be the console TV that served as the anchor and atop it were two 13” black and white Zenith sets.  And as if that weren’t enough, my Dad would have a radio nearby because he preferred Chuck Thompson’s call over that of the TV announcer.
 
Those were the days….
 
I’m happy to hear that you hold your Dad close and I’m equally sorry that he’s no longer here to share Father’s Day with you.  I feel you brother.  My Mom has passed and Mother’s Day to this very day is the most difficult day of the year for me.  But she walks with me every day as I’m sure your Dad does with you.
 
Thanks for sharing your story.
 
Ain’t the beer cold,
 
TL
 

 

WILL BIG BEN BE TICKING IN SEPTEMBER?

TL, 

 

Let's be realistic, something that the national media is not being.  I would be very surprised if Ben is in any shape to start the first game of the season.  It is possible, but I can't help but think that it is way too early for him or anyone to know how good or bad of shape he is in.  The other thing to consider, how brave is he going to be this year after going through, well a windshield for one, but suffering that kind of trauma changes a person – especially one who has to concentrate on receivers down field when 300 lb men are coming at him in a rage.   Plus you know everyone is going head hunting on him this year.  How is he going to deal with getting head slapped, or having his head bounce off astro turf a few times a game?
 
My thought is, not very well, which would make me happy as a Ravens fan.
 
However, Ben is a good kid, who made a big mistake, and fortunately did not perish as a result.  What I sincerely hope is that he won't suffer any disfigurement, and is able to live a normal life.  In a perfect world, Ben's high profile accident will shed enough light on the dangers of motorcycle riding, and in the long run save lives.  Oh, and the Steelers will never get a favorable call on the field, and will never have a winning season.  Oh, and [the fans will] never be able to afford the trip to Baltimore .  Oh, and the federal government outlaws yellow towels.   Oh, and maybe they will wire Joey Porter's jaw shut in lieu of Ben's.
 
OK, I'll stop there.
 
Mark Considine
 
Mark,
 
I agree that it is way too early to determine whether Roethlisberger will be ready for the season opener on September 7.  There is so much healing and rehabilitation that needs to take place between now and then.  What is safe to say is that Roethlisberger will not be physically as ready come September with his motorcycle injuries as he would have been otherwise.  The normal conditioning and playing himself into football shape will be absent from his summer and it will affect him early on.  His diet or lack thereof might force him to lose weight and strength.
 
I’ve even gone on record prior to his accident saying that I think Ben is ready for a bit of a let down in 2006.  I think his first two season came way too easy for him and without Jerome Bettis and without Randle El, he will have more pressure to perform than during past years when the Steelers’ ball control offense didn’t require Roethlisberger to make too many plays and it helped to take crowds out of the game on the road.
 
He’ll miss that luxury as much as a few of his teeth.
 
I also share in your delight that Ben is ok.  He’s an extremely lucky man and I too hope that his misfortunes are a lesson for others.  Oh and by the way, I don’t think all the wire in Home Depot could keep Joey Porter’s flapping jaws shut!
 
Godspeed,
 

TL

BRUCE LAIRD TO JOIN GAMETIME

Tony,

Congrats on securing Bruce Laird for your Sunday show.  I agree with how you described him this past Sunday.  He played in the NFL for over a decade mostly in Baltimore but is able to articulate to the average fan what really goes on during games and in the locker room.  He has a knack of being able to relate in such a way that the average layman fan can fully grasp the subject without talking over our heads.

His take on matters is always interesting and leaves me with a fresh new perspective.  Bruce brings a wealth of knowledge and insight about the game we love and the players we root for then anyone else I have heard.  I am just elated that he will come on board and break down training camp among other things in behalf of the fans.

WNST is stacking up some talk radio analysis that we have been desperate for here since the Ravens came to town in 1996.  Thank you for bringing more insightful details about the team and the goings on at 1 winning drive!

By the way, Bruce Laird was my favorite player during his tenure with the Colts.  He hit like a ton of bricks but was also more then adequate to cover the pass.  He was a leader in the secondary and helped the Colts of the 70's to playoff appearances.

Once again Thanks Tony!

Michael B.

Michael,

Thanks for your support.  Obviously I share your opinion of Bruce Laird and I’m supremely confident that GAMETIME will become destination radio for all Ravens fans.  My goal has been and will continue to be to delve down beneath the surface of Ravens related topics and to look beyond the obvious.  To do that, you have to draw upon experience, knowledge and research.  Bruce certainly helps significantly in that regard.  My challenge as always even with our guests is to ask the right questions that will evoke the insightful responses that our audience is deserving of.  Bruce will start on a regular basis just prior to summer camp at which time, we’ll be making another big announcement.

Thanks for being there for us,

TL


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Posted On: 6/19/06
Written By:  
Tony Lombardi

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