(Photo by Matt Markowitz / Nov. 29, 2009)

When the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Green Bay Packers in Week 13 of the 2009 regular season it did more than just kill their playoff chances.

Strings of losses put together by the professional football team may be triggering the homicide rate in Baltimore, Md., to go up.

According to The Baltimore Sun’s crime database, there have been 52 homicides in Baltimore City since the 2009 regular season opened on Sept. 13. The homicide rate is up 11.5 percent during the week after a Ravens loss compared with the seven days after a Ravens win.

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(Photo by Matt Markowitz / Nov. 20, 2009)

At the age of 15, John Ziemann joined the Baltimore Colts Marching Band and worked his way to become band president in 1984.  All was well except for one problem: the Colts franchise moved to Indianapolis in 1984. For twelve years Baltimore was left with a pro football team, and it was up to Mr. Ziemann and the band to keep the city’s hopes up.

Listen to Mr. Ziemann’s story >>

]]> http://ravensheartbeat.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/the-man-behind-the-band-that-wouldnt-die/feed/ 0 Matt Markowitz DSC00747 http://ravensheartbeat.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/97/ http://ravensheartbeat.wordpress.com/2009/10/26/97/#comments Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:57:09 +0000 Matt Markowitz http://ravensheartbeat.wordpress.com/?p=97 ]]>

(Photo by Matt Markowitz / October 26, 2009)

The Baltimore Ravens are going through growing pains as they enter their bye week with a 3-3 record. Their latest defeat came against the Minnesota Vikings when kicker Steven Hauschka missed the potential game-winning field goal with two seconds left. Towson Tigers kicker Jon Boyer explains why “NFL kickers have to make that kick.”

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Listen: How to make a comeback

Ravens fans congregate in front of Johnny Unitas' statue before entering the stadium. Rubbing his left cleat before the game is considered good luck.

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(Photo by Matt Markowitz / October 7, 2009)

BALTIMORE, Md. – They were almost miraculous, but in the last seconds of the game it all slipped away.

Right through the young hands of Ravens wide receiver Mark Clayton the routine pass ricocheted off his chest pad and dropped to the turf on fourth down with three yards to go inside the red zone. Game over.

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In addition to donating new facilities for health education, NFL players will visit every middle school in the county to get students active in the In-School Fitness Program, which is designed to encourage them to be health conscience. Cockran Middle School is the first school to receive $50,000 grants for refurbished gym equipment.

“The health of our children is among our highest priorities, and we all hold a responsibility to address issues like childhood obesity,” O’Malley said.

Read the original Baltimore Times article.

If there is a school that you want to nominate for a grant to fund sports facilities, you can go to Keep Gym in School and register by Feb. 1, 2010.

This story is missing a few elements. There is no byline, and the article never mentions when the events took place. The story only focuses on what happened at Cockran Middle School, but doesn’t mention any past information that could help put the story in context nor did it mention anything to look forward to. The reporter should have found out the schedule for when the NFL will be visiting the different schools in Anne Arundel County. Also, some reaction from the students would have been nice color.

Sunday is employed as a day of rest for many workers, but during football season many businesses capitalize on the enthusiasm of football fans.

Restaurants and sports bars continue to seize more business on Sundays as the popularity of the Baltimore Ravens grows with every win. David Roe, general manager of the Bill Bateman’s Bistro located in Towson, Md., believes football makes for a better community as well as a better business.

“We are interacting with our local team. Bateman’s has its own setup down at M&T Bank Stadium, so people see us there and then they get to come here,” Roe said.

Roe has been managing the Bateman’s in Towson for nearly a year. Most of his employees are sports fans, and when the game is on the line they can get sucked right into the action just as much as the customers.

“We have a great staff that loves the game just as much as the customers. Thankfully, no one has thrown up a tray of drinks or anything in excitement.

“I expect to see more business and more energy each and every sunday,” Roe said.

Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun reported on the football effect that took place Sunday.

Chuck Sabia of Monkton is one of those people whose schema completely changes on game day compared with the rest of week. As soon as he wakes up Sunday morning he puts on his purple camouflage pants, paints his face black and purple and covers his neck in purple and gold beads. Once donned in proper attire, he meets other fans in the Cross Street Market for 32-ounce Miller Lites and bacon-and-egg sandwiches. Then he enters M&T Bank Stadium along with 71,098 other Ravens fans to watch and cheer for victory.

“This is Christmas, dude,” Sabia said before the opening kickoff.

For the next four months football fans will have something positive to build their weekly schedules around: water-cooler talks on Mondays, injury updates on Tuesdays, buy tailgate supplies on Wednesdays, check fantasy team on Thursdays, read up on the Ravens’ next opponent on Fridays, take in some college football on Saturdays for practice and, in Sabia’s words, Christmas on Sundays.

If I were the reporter for this story I would stay in touch with the different people who were interviewed and observe how their behavior and routine change as the season progresses. For this particular story I think Walker needed to undercover more outrageous superstitions and rituals performed by Ravens fans.

What was suppose to be a cakewalk for the Ravens turned into a nail biter going into the final minutes of the game. For not experiencing a meaningful game in over seven months, this was almost too stressful to watch. If you could have seen Anthony, my fellow employee, and I at work you would know that a Ravens’ fan needs an easier transition into the new year. We’re both trying to operate a restaurant, but the television created too much drama for us to handle. I couldn’t take a customer’s order without glancing above his head to get a glimpse of the score. Anthony keeps popping in out of the kitchen to watch the television in the bar while he’s suppose to be preparing the order I just took. And in between all the tables we’re both hollering and clapping our hands every time the lead changes.

But it made work more interesting. Even more, once the game was won the rest of my shift went by smoothly. My mind can finally be at ease after an intense three-hour ritual of watching football. If I know Baltimore as well as I think I do, then I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels that for the next 6 days everything is hunky-dory – no matter what – because the Ravens won.