Who's the best fan?

[SC_Raven_Fan]

If the Ravens lose, your week sucks!!
You feel it as if you were part of the team and failed yourself to make a difference.

Last year, I bought a Ray Rice jersey online and wore it to the Atlanta game. I was so pumped. It was a great game until the end when Roddy White cheated and pushed off on Josh Wilson for the game-winning TD. I was so upset, I wondered if I should ever wear the jersey again (I gave my Ray Lewis jersey to the waitress that takes care of me and the Ravens gang at our sports bar. So, now I wear a black Boldin jersey).

So this year, I had a bet with a Steeler fan that the loser wears the other's colors. Ravens crushed the Squeelers, so the next week, I put her in the Boldin jersey and dusted off the Ray Rice jersey.... and what happened?.... Ravens lost again.

That jersey is permanently passed on to the kids and I'm never gonna wear it again. This is illogical on so many levels, but, as a fan, you just wonder if I affected the team by wearing that jersey.... lol....

Logic doesn't have much in common with fandom, does it?

This is what the fan looked like after I dressed her up Ravens style... notice the big foam beak hat.... lol

[The Fanatic]

That jersey is permanently passed on to the kids and I'm never gonna wear it again. This is illogical on so many levels, but, as a fan, you just wonder if I affected the team by wearing that jersey.... lol....

Logic doesn't have much in common with fandom, does it?

See, this is the stuff I'm talking about.
It's this type of stuff that makes you a fan IMO.

The fact that you let yourself go to this type of mental extreme no matter how illogical because them winning means that much to you, you'll do it anyway.

[Shellda55]

Last year, I bought a Ray Rice jersey online and wore it to the Atlanta game. I was so pumped. It was a great game until the end when Roddy White cheated and pushed off on Josh Wilson for the game-winning TD. I was so upset, I wondered if I should ever wear the jersey again (I gave my Ray Lewis jersey to the waitress that takes care of me and the Ravens gang at our sports bar. So, now I wear a black Boldin jersey).

So this year, I had a bet with a Steeler fan that the loser wears the other's colors. Ravens crushed the Squeelers, so the next week, I put her in the Boldin jersey and dusted off the Ray Rice jersey.... and what happened?.... Ravens lost again.

That jersey is permanently passed on to the kids and I'm never gonna wear it again. This is illogical on so many levels, but, as a fan, you just wonder if I affected the team by wearing that jersey.... lol....

Logic doesn't have much in common with fandom, does it?

This is what the fan looked like after I dressed her up Ravens style... notice the big foam beak hat.... lol

OMG tell me about it!!! I have about 3 jerseys.... and if I wear one and they lose, that jersey goes awaaaaaaay for many games. Its awful! And the day you DO decide to wear it again, you almost feel "scared" to put it on!

[AirFlacco]

Hey, speaking of jerseys and stuff. I just bought a pic of Ray standing over Big Jen. It's
during a MNF, he's wearing black pants and a white jersey.

Jen is flat on his back and looks like he's out cold and Ray is just looking around with a big
grin on his face. Cool pic hanging on my wall.

Can anyone tell me what MNF game that was. I for the life of me can't remember Rays
hit on Jen. I remember Scott's hit well and asked the lady if she had a pic of him but
she said no.

BTW, Ray will be up Harford Mall in December to sign it I'll ask him then but don't want
to appear stupid.

Anyone know which game that was?

[darb72]

What do I have that's Raven related?

Purple room in my house. Autographed football from 1998. Game worn Vinny jersey given to me by Vinny. (Rather, he gave it to a friend who gave it to me.)

Jerseys- Sharpe, Boldin, Reed, Lewis, Boller, Flacco, Rice, Suggs, Oher, McClain, Mason and Heap replica jerseys. Two Authentic Customized Darb 72 in purple and black. A white Darb 72 jersey of quality between replica and authentic. Also have a Texans Jamie Sharper jersey.

Hats- 20 or so, maybe more but included is a leather football helmet with the Raven's logo.

Shirts- Honestly I can't count them all. Figure around 50 including "Raven's Dad" shirt and a St. Patricks day shirt.

Couple of pajama bottoms.

5 signs plus a picture with a Raven's player wearing a number one jersey that says, "Number 1 Draft pick, Breean."

Assorted cups and coffee mugs.

A few car tags, a banner, christmas ornements and a clock. Also have three Raven's watches, including a fossil I got for my first Father's Day.

Breean has:
Flacco and Rice jerseys. Two hats, a watch, a wind up doll, two stuffed ravens, a Raven's Mr. Potato head, a Raven's Cletus the Robot from FOX, five or six shirts, a pair of shorts and pair of pants, a teddy bear, a Raven's helmet and a Raven's tackling dummy.

My mother-in-law also made some curtains for my room that are Ravens.

10 blankets.

A miniture helmet, foam Raven's claw, a couple of things from SuperBowl 35 given to me by a girl who went.

Finally, two Ravens PS3 controllers.

Edit: Oh, and a Raven's flag for the front of the house. Plus three or four Ravens footballs, one of which says "Breean, Ravens MVP".



I need a bigger house.

[Shellda55]

What do I have that's Raven related?

Purple room in my house. Autographed football from 1998. Game worn Vinny jersey given to me by Vinny. (Rather, he gave it to a friend who gave it to me.)

Jerseys- Sharpe, Boldin, Reed, Lewis, Boller, Flacco, Rice, Suggs, Oher, McClain, Mason and Heap replica jerseys. Two Authentic Customized Darb 72 in purple and black. A white Darb 72 jersey of quality between replica and authentic. Also have a Texans Jamie Sharper jersey.

Hats- 20 or so, maybe more but included is a leather football helmet with the Raven's logo.

Shirts- Honestly I can't count them all. Figure around 50 including "Raven's Dad" shirt and a St. Patricks day shirt.

Couple of pajama bottoms.

5 signs plus a picture with a Raven's player wearing a number one jersey that says, "Number 1 Draft pick, Breean."

Assorted cups and coffee mugs.

A few car tags, a banner, christmas ornements and a clock. Also have three Raven's watches, including a fossil I got for my first Father's Day.

Breean has:
Flacco and Rice jerseys. Two hats, a watch, a wind up doll, two stuffed ravens, a Raven's Mr. Potato head, a Raven's Cletus the Robot from FOX, five or six shirts, a pair of shorts and pair of pants, a teddy bear, a Raven's helmet and a Raven's tackling dummy.

My mother-in-law also made some curtains for my room that are Ravens.

10 blankets.

A miniture helmet, foam Raven's claw, a couple of things from SuperBowl 35 given to me by a girl who went.

Finally, two Ravens PS3 controllers.

Edit: Oh, and a Raven's flag for the front of the house. Plus three or four Ravens footballs, one of which says "Breean, Ravens MVP".



I need a bigger house.

I envy you.... ha

[AirFlacco]

I got Rays 52 jersey signed and framed and hanging on my wall.

Got autographs photos of Arty Donovan, Lenny Moore, Unitas and Gino hanging on my wall.

Have photo of Ravens and old Colts together hanging on my wall.

Have 2 Raven coats and 2 Nest 1 coats with my name n them in closet.

have about 20 bobble heads.

have several SB blankets

have SB 35 hat signed by both the winning and losing coaches plus 10 Ravens
signatures on it.

have about 20 Ravens, Os and Terps hats.

have about 20 Ravens, Os and Terps T-shirts.

have about 10 Ravens, Os and Terps sweaters.

have over 100 autographs from old Colts and Ravens that appeared at our parties.

have photo of 1955 Colts team photo autographed by Shula who was a DB.

have photo of house Shula lived in behind Momorial Stadium and the one on
Pott Spring Rd in Dalaney Valley.


have autographed photo of Billick and me.

have autographed photos of ultimate fans of Fan Man and Raven Maniac and me.

have photos of Greg's pool parties.

have photos of about 100 tailgate parties on H lot.

have photos of about 20 of Mista T's tailgate parties all over the country.

have photos from most of the stadiums across the country.

have photo of Tom Matte's SB 5 ring on my finger.

have photo of Matt Stover's SB 35 ring on my finger.

have autographed book signed by LeeAnne Oher and the entire family.

Have a hug from LeeAnne.

have autographed book, FATSO, signed by Arty.

have autographed book, AIN'T THE BEER COLD, signed by Chuck thompson.

have autographed book, THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKING TO IT, signed
by CAPT WHO, Alex Hawkins of SB 3.

have Jim Palmer's autographed book.

have Earl Weaver's autographed book - WINNING.

have autograph of Vince Limbardi and George Halas.

have Ravens BOP license plate plus several Ravens flags.

have autographs from Ted Williams, Mickey Mantel, Whitey Ford and Yogi Berra.
Hey - got em as kids when we hung out at the stadium every day. They knew us.
We also hung in front of Sweeney's Bar where the old Colts drank. We ran errands for
them getting papers, cigs and stuff.

that is all.

My office was a Ravens shrine containing a lot of these photos and memorabilia
that was written up in my agencies news letter. Even the commanding generals
came down to see it.

[Saltwater_Rider]

Mark me down for the illogical fan who thinks that what our crew at my house in West OC is wearing might have an outcome on the game. Too much purple in the family room, not enough purple, wrong jersey, hat, no hat, wrong cup, too many Ravens cups, etc.

My wife on the other hand, thinks that our comments about the Tennessee game being easy is why they lost.

It's kinda embarrassing.

[Strange Bru]

O.J. BRIGANCE is my choice for the best fan!!

X2

[Ravenswintitle]

not gonna list all my raven stuff but it would be a damn long list, plus personalized plates on the vehicles, etc.

And YES we also feel that we have to wear certain gear and put the helmet on the table just so or it will negatively impact them. We didn't do that for the TN game because we went, so my son is convinced that's why they lost.

[Sirdowski]

Coincidentally, when I was getting it done I bled purple.......

[Saltwater_Rider]

Coincidentally, when I was getting it done I bled purple.......

Farking awesome!

[BcRaven]

I live in New York City. I wear my Ravens Tee and cap to all the televised games and poker games with my buddies. They're all JETS and GIANTS fans. I physically (and I am not a big guy) barred the door during Super Bowl XXXV, as the Giants fans tried to leave the house. Fortunately for them I was out of town (in Mass.) during the Ravens whipping of the JETS on Sunday night. I've got a Ravens pillow on my Laz-E-Boy, and the wife's got a Ravens dish towel hanging from our oven bar... Bc

[AirFlacco]

Cool tattoo. How much was it?

I was gonna get one of SB 5 trophy on one arm and SB35 trophy on the other arm,
then ad one each on the legs and then back as we get em.

[Sirdowski]

Cool tattoo. How much was it?

I was gonna get one of SB 5 trophy on one arm and SB35 trophy on the other arm,
then ad one each on the legs and then back as we get em.

Took about 3.5 hours and cost me $350. I was glad to pay the money for the work the lady did, she's a phenomenal artist.

I like your ideas. I plan on doing Roman numerals of Superbowl 35 in future, I plan on going in when they win their next one... God willing of course.

[Real Fan Dan]

I don't think you take your fandom to another level.
I think it just happens over time.
How much gear and stuff you own IMO has little to do with declaring your level of fandom, although some of these guys that have tossed out thousands of dollars converting school buses, recreation vehicles, etc, into tailgate machines might beg to differ, and might have some level of legitimate argument.

Anyhoo, I think being a fan lies more within whats in your heart, and how you feel.
Mid week you start building up the excitement that game day is soon to be here, and you get ansy thinking about it.
Friday comes, and the majority of everything you do from the end of the friday work day until kickoff is primarily focused on getting ready for game day.
Majority of your internet time throughout the week is spent on here or other football sites trying to gain information regarding your team about injurys, advantages, predictions, analysis, etc.
Finally game day gets here, and it's on!!
You get together with your friends, family or whoever to cheer on your team to victory.
Doesn't matter whether or not it's in your house, M & T, where ever, as long as you're amongst others that feel the same way you do.
If the Ravens lose, your week sucks!!
You feel it as if you were part of the team and failed yourself to make a difference.
Probably takes you until about wednesday to start to shake it off.
Immediately after the game you're back on here discussing (or reading) what happened with people who are much the same like you.
Come about Thursday your mind starts to focus on the next team ahead and the process has started all over again.
Watching the Steelers lose gives you damn near as much enjoyment as watching the Ravens win, particularly on a day like today when the Ravens are off.

The thought of switching to another team no matter how bad your team may be, or where you might end up living never crosses your mind.

You raise your kids to be Ravens fans from the day they are born, and shun any other influence that may come their way.

You start heading down roads of this nature, and you have raised your level of fandom naturally rather then attempting to force the issue.

Darn good post Fanatic! Letting it come naturally. Damn i feel like i just ate a bowl of Meuselix lol.

Somewhere about the time you hit the 'World-revolves-around-the-Ravens' stage of Fandom , you start looking around and thinking "Now how can i fire up those fans over there sittin' around doing nuthin'?". That stage has to come naturally too. It most definitely can't be forced. The best thing to remember is to just be yourself, and make sure you always have fun doing it.

During the 50's and early 60's, when America was about as socially uptight as you can get, and fans actually wore suits, ties and dresses to Football games , Loudy Loudenslagger carried around a little phonograph so he could play the Baltimore Colts Fight Song everywhere he went. He would bend over backwards to help a player, organize the Fans, and generally spread the rabid love of Baltimore Football. Everybody knew he was sincere. He was the Baltimore Colts #1 Fan bar none.

Len Burrier, known as The Big Wheel, would go from section to section leading "C-O-L-T-S" Cheers. He didn't care if someone said "Look at that nut over there!". He was having fun. Thousands of Fans joined in. When he led a cheer from the closed horeshoe of Memorial Stadium after a Colts score, the echo could be plainly heard 3 miles away in Hamilton! Big Wheel eventually followed the Baltimore CFL Stallions to Montreal when they became the Allouettes. They won a couple more champeenships up there.

Big Wheel inspired me to try to carry on a Baltimore Football tradition by leading R-A-V-E-N-S cheers in the Vault these past 14 years. At first, not many Fans joined in, and i'm sure a few folks said "Look at that freakin nut over there!" too, but we kept at it. Our Roost members held up big lettered placards to get the crowd going and participation grew, mainly because the Fans have fun doing it. As the Fanatic notes above, it is a progressive, natural development. The Cheer is pretty much a tradition now. I don't think the Fans would let me stop it if i tried.

If i see a bunch of Ravens Fans, say at a supermarket getting tailgate supplies, i can't help but yell "How Bout Dem Ray-Vens!!!" at the top of my lungs just to fire 'em all up. Hell i might even lead a cheer, or hand out a dozen Fight Song cards, sing the damn thing and get 'em to join in on the "Fight! Fight! Fight!" part. To me, that's the way Baltimore Football Fans are supposed to be, and i am definitely not the only one. There's folks like that all over the Vault, just like there were in Memorial.

In Baltimore, it just comes naturally.

Go Ravens!!!

[AirFlacco]

Took about 3.5 hours and cost me $350. I was glad to pay the money for the work the lady did, she's a phenomenal artist.

I like your ideas. I plan on doing Roman numerals of Superbowl 35 in future, I plan on going in when they win their next one... God willing of course.

Could be sooner than you think - like this year? We got our SB defense
back.

Squeelers brag about their 6 but we got them back when they were still
the laughing stock of sports and then again before them in the
modern cap era before them. Got one within 4 years of returning while
they waited years.

We have 2 from 2 organizations. Philly has none, same with a lot of cities.

BTW, Peter King said the logo on your arm which is in the middle of the field
is the coolest logo in NFL.

[Real Fan Dan]

Those guys know how to party and drink especially during Rave weekend at OC,
the highlight of the year for all the clubs. We had some wild pool parties complete
with naked women on one occasion. Everyone was leaning vs the fence of the pool.
It was dark but I was eyeing a pretty girl and noticed she was naked when she dived
in. I said, there's a naked girl in the pool and everyone turned around. She she got
out she flashed her boobs and shook them and everyone was screaming and cheering.

I was going to dive in from the second floor balcony. Hey, they didn't have a high
dive, Fred Grau told me to take it off. Then the guys were egging me. I started to but
chickened out. Good thing too because the cops were watching us. They must have heard
about the naked girl the night before. The pres of our club walked out to his car with
a beer and got a ticket and ended up doing community service-lol. I can just see myself
calling my boss on Monday saying I can't come to work because I'm in jail for indecent exposure-lol.

Damn, those were the best times with the clubs.

Hey Air,

We were the Roost at the Dunes, right next door to you guys in the Seabonay. I used to come over and have a couple brews with you guys each year. I always thought the Roost / Nest feud was a bunch of BS. We're all Ravens Fans.

A couple of the chicks that got nekkid were serious hotties.
Our whole Roost gathered on the upper balconies to get a birds eye view.
That was pretty cool Air.

What we couldn't figure out was what happened with you guys the following year? You all were partying Friday night, but early Saturday morning your whole hotel was completely empty . A buddy of mine said you guys threw a bunch of trashcans in the pool late night and got throwed out. Zat true?

[AirFlacco]

LOL - Yea, that was true and then we went to the Carousel and got thrown of there too. It was a riot man, the best of times and btw, thanks for backing me up on those stories. I'm sure no one believed them-lol. Tony sure didn't last year when I told them. I also repeated them on Sunspot before OC Rave last year and you cam on back backed up the naked girl story. I posted your
comments over here to prove I wasn't lying about any of these crazy stories.
Thanks again.

Back to the Carousel, that was a riot. We got kicked out of there too. Actually, we outgrew the Seabony anyway. Back then we only a few clubs compared to the 50 or so for the Roosts but kept growing so we went to the Carousel.

We rented the entire penthouse on top as a hospitality room and had all our parties up there. I liked the pool parties better because the pool was outsideeveryone's room. We were spread out at the Carousel but it was cool going up to the Penthouse.

We had our bull roast at the Carousel too. I didn't go because I checked out the food and didn't like it. I heard it was lousy too and nothing like the bull roasts we had at the Timonium Fair grounds. The people even said the carousel didn't know how to have a bull roast.

I went up on the board walk with a chick and we went to the Purple Moose Saloon that night and got our roast beef at Bull on the Beach-lol. Good thing too because there was a lot of trouble that night at the Carousel.

When we got back I saw cop cars all over the place. Didn't know what was going on so the next day up in the pent house I inquired. One of the participants was still pissed and told me to shut up and didn't want to talk about it.

I said there's nobody in this room that can shut me up. The only person in the club that can shut me up (Doug Phillips) isn't here so I told the guy to continue talking about it. The other guy left with his wife. I hated to embarrass him like that in front of his wife but like I said, I piss everyone off but he asked for it.

The guy said the waitresses kept telling the smokers to go outside to smoke but the guys didn't want too. They were all smashed as usual and didn't take any shit from them and kept on smoking inside. Then management came in and told them to move outside and they basically said F*ck you and kept smoking inside. A couple of them moved to the door way but they were still half way in and half way out til the cops came in an threatened to lock everyone up.

Everyone just left than. That's the story I got up in the penthouse.

The Carousel kicked us all out the next day. Well, it was time to leave anyway and to this day the Nests still can't go back but like one member said, wen don't want to go back.

They threw a lousy bull roast and they're owned by Muslims.



The next year we went to the Princess Royale as the clubs kept expanding but that was too expensive so they didn't go back there.

What a riot.

Your right about the bull shit with the Roosts. Like I said, I belonged to all all them but T said, just don't tell anyone your with us, so I didn't tell that guy on the bike I was with T. I just said I'm in all the clubs.
The Roosts didn't do anything like that when Doug Phillips was Prez of Nest 1 and Chamber of Ravens
Nests. They waited for him to retire from that and tested out the new prez. None of that would have
ever happened if Doug were still prez because NOBODY F*CKS WITH DOUG PHILLIPS. NOBODY.


T also invited me on this board when guys from scout were invited by Tony and Steve and said don't tell anyone but another mod invited me too.

[AirFlacco]

I had one last little trouble after leaving the Nests the way I did. I kind of insulted a few people in the club mainly an official for not backing me up when he said I had nothing to worry about. Even the former prez shook
my hand after the DeCosta meeting and said you always ask the best questions Trap and get more
info than anyone. I posted DeCosta's sunspot on the board and he was upset but I did it every year.
Somone said now we know Ozzie had no intention to get Joe any weapons. If they say don't post their
remarks I don't post them on the net. Anyway The bitches wanted my ass in the sling and the guys gave it to them even after a certain official said I had nothing to worry about.

I sing on Karaokee nights where Nest 1 meets on Thurs night. I went one night but forgot it was Thursday. The
meetign was over so I walked in and several of the Nests were there and I said oh shit, I better not go in, but I walked in and sat at the bar and got a burger. That official was there and must have told the guys what happened and that little guy whom I said is always starting fights and always getting his ass kicked sat next to me and started giving me dirty looks. I just ignored him and kept munching on my burger.

Then he kicked me in the leg. I mean, he was so sneaky he didn't hit me in the face but kicked my leg. I just ignored him and kept eating and then looked at him.

I had 3 inches and 100 lbs on this little prick and he's trying to start a fight. I was so close to him that one punch in the neck would have killed him but I thought, man, nobody saw him kick me. Everyone would have seen me hit him and I would have been arrested and have to spend $6,000 for a lawyer or more. So I just ignored him - then. Pat the bar tender said smart move when I told him what happened later on.

So the guy left me and went back to the guys while I finished my burger. On the way out the official was singing so I bumped him good in the ass and blocked the monitor to he couldn't see the words. I f*cked up his song really good and then gave him the finger. He didn't do a damn thing.

I then gave shorty the finger and walked out. The bouncer saw everything but he knows me and just laughed. I waited outside for 5 mins and no one came out.

True story. I kept my mouth shut but got into trouble just walking into the place. BTW, the bouncer said he
saw everthing and knew exactly what was going on and why. He said Pat and all of us love you here Trap and
he had my back if they came out. Damn, I thought they were afraid of me. I should have known better but I
didn't need help vs no midget and a pussy prez.

There I was 60 years old and getting in barroom brawls with the Nests. My grandfather would have been proud
of me. My dad would have kicked me in the ass.

As T always says, trouble follows me wherever I go.

I never saw any of those guys in there again. One thurs night i was singing in there and Fred Grau
walked by. He came in with tha tbig smile on his face. I just threw my arms around him and buried
my face in those big broad shoulders of his and cried like a baby.

I thought he hated me. One time Doug said, it's just a good thing you don't drink Trap. If you were
drunk you'd walk up to everyone and say, YOU MUTHA F*CKER.

Like T says ............