The scene today at Graham Central Station could’ve only been followed by something as amazing as today’s win over the Tennessee Titans and the dramatic fashion with which it all unfolded. Matt Stover’s kick. Joe Flacco’s pass. Todd Heap’s catch. Fabian Washington falling on the ball. Rob Bironas missing the field goal. The crowd taking over the streets of Nashville in a virtual sea of purple and marching on LP Field en masse crossing over the Cumberland River.
Baltimore made a powerful impact in downtown Nashville this weekend. It was a takeover, something akin to what the Red Sox and Yankees do to Baltimore. The cops had to come out onto 2nd Avenue and break up the sea of purple. Apparently, they were stopping traffic outside of Graham Central Station and car-tipping was a fear. The only tangible difference between a Red Sox Nation holdup of our city three times a year was that once we got inside LP Field, we realized there were probably only 5,000 of us total. We took over the primary block of bars in Nashville, but the 70,000-seat stadium was plenty blue and red and at the end when Heap made that catch, it was an ear-splitting sound emanating from the stands supporting the Titans. Heap told me after the game that he couldn’t hear anything as the clock was ticking down to zero.
As for the game, there were hundreds of unused tickets. I got stuck with a pair myself. Tickets were virtually worthless an hour before game time. There were sellers everywhere and no buyers. It was a like a flea market. Any Ravens fan could’ve gotten in for $20 yesterday. I’ll get some videos up of it on Sunday when I’m waiting and watching more NFL Football.
These are the memories that make it worthwhile to be a football fan and love the NFL. And, man do I love the NFL today. It was just one of the magical days of my sporting life. Just like it was eight years ago. Just like next weekend sets up to kick it up a notch, the way we did in Oakland eight years ago.
But will it be Pittsburgh? Or San Diego. As we saw in the Arizona-Carolina game, you never how these games are gonna turn out. Who the heck knows who is going to win? Who knew the lowly Cardinals would lay the smack down on the Panthers like that?
I have 100 seats reserved on two buses for Pittsburgh. I have the tickets. I have the bus. All I need them to do is win tomorrow.
If the game is in San Diego, I’ll be announcing a giant party for anyone who can make the trip but there will be no formal “WNST trip” to San Diego. It’s too pricey on short notice and I don’t really think there’s a market for $1400 trips for a weekend to California at this point. I think most people will feel like we’re 60 minutes away from the Super Bowl and “I’ll just wait and go to Tampa.” Understood!
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Wait’ll you see the videos from today. It was the second biggest road party in Ravens’ history. It was Whiskey Joe’s-like. Go and ask your friends who were here. It was one for the ages. The party today was amazing. It was just an unreal day to be a Ravens fan.
This is what it’s all about.
Pittsburgh or San Diego?
Who do you wanna play and why?
