Unlike Saturday’s blog — where I rambled on and on about EXACTLY what I think of the Ravens’ job search and John Harbaugh’s chances of a winning season in 2008 (click HERE for that blog) — today I’ll simply offer a “Noteworthy Day.”
* First, Suzanne Pleshette died this weekend and that really bums me out. Getting old sucks! First, Dan Fogelberg a few weeks ago, and now this! I love all of Bob Newhart’s stuff and I still think the final episode of “Newhart” was the greatest finale in TV history. I’m still stuck in the 1970s.
* I don’t think I’ve ever had less energy for championship football than I did yesterday. I was kinda pulling for Brett Favre and Norv Turner, but I didn’t really care who won the games. Now, with Boston and New York descending upon the desert along with the WNST crew next weekend, it’ll make for big media business in Phoenix. Tom Brady vs. the “other” Manning. We’ll have five full days next week — broadcasting virtually all day from 10 a.m. straight through on WNST.
(Just so you know, we’ll be giving you snippets of all of our Super Bowl work over the coming week…to say that the staff takes our Super Bowl coverage seriously would be an understatement. Tune in NEXT week to find out how good our work will be…you’ll see it and hear it!)
* Way to go Terps. In a sleepy season, where even the diehards are not planning to pencil Maryland into their March Madness brackets, Gary Williams’ crew went down to the Dean Dome and raised hell with the Tar Heels (like “Slapshot,” it was OLD-TIME hoops on Saturday). In a year when we haven’t really had any thrills in our sports universe, beating the vaunted UNC boys on Tobacco Road has at least started 2008 in the right direction for all sports fans of Baltimore and Maryland.
* There’s NO chance Peter Angelos actually nixed that deal in Chicago over the weekend, is there? Just ask Roch Kubatko or Anita Marks or Tom Davis…they’ll tell you it’s “pure fiction.” Funny how Andy McPhail has been in town for six months and hasn’t said a word to anyone from WNST. He’s under orders to never accept a phonecall from anyone on our staff. He’s a coward, too. Is it THAT hard to answer questions for their fanbase with honesty and dignity? The Orioles can run and hide and lie and “handpick” their media outlets to distribute their propaganda, but they won’t be able to run from the triple-digit losses this summer downtown. We’ll tell you the truth about THAT too, like we always do.
* Oh, and we’re not gonna LET them hide down at The Warehouse this summer. You’ll see…FREE THE BIRDS will be back with a vengeance in April!
* John Harbaugh — as advertised — came to Owings Mills completely composed on Saturday, even showing a sense of humor and some looseness that he’s going to need if he’s going to right the purple ship. Baltimore is gonna love John Harbaugh!
* If we didn’t believe that Ray Lewis has stock in the Ravens or Aerotek, we certainly do now. Not only was Steve Bisciotti over the top in his defense of No. 52 on Saturday’s dais — and no one even asked him a question about Lewis — he also said his middle linebacker has “five or six good years left.” Funny, I think about 90% of the other coaches and personnel people in the league would “strenuously object” with that statement. Of course, as long as Junior Seau is on the field in the Super Bowl in 13 days, Lewis and Bisciotti can make that statement hold up. Only time will tell…but I don’t think that Bisciotti is making a great decision turning the “owner’s ear” to an oft-injured, aging, mercurial player who has divided the locker room more than any “leader” I’d want on my team.
REAL leaders lead EVERYONE. Ray Lewis leads the people he chooses and those who kiss his ring. If Ray Lewis isn’t running the Ravens, he’s at the very least greatly affecting the team’s football policy and decisions. Ask Ozzie Newsome and Brian Billick, who used to the run the team!
(It’s a pretty sad day at The Bellagio when Mike Preston and WNST are saying the same things…and I KNOW we’re not lying!)
* Last but not least — if you were on our text service last week, you were IN THE LOOP unlike anyone else in the city. I guarantee you that you knew Harbaugh was the coach first in the market. The service is free, easy to join and it’s by far the best thing we do here at WNST. You can join by clicking here!
