Purple Friday

     Every Friday, the Ravens cheerleaders and the organization's mascot, Poe, board a coach bus and make stops every hour or so at different local establishments and locations in the Baltimore metro area. Every week, the Ravens post the upcoming Friday's stops online, and fans, decked out in beads, jerseys, and cold weather gear go to meet the bus. The crew often stops by supermarkets, banks, and shopping centers as they weave their way from Baltimore to Annapolis to Hartford County. Cheerleaders sign swimsuit calendars, Poe gives out hugs, and at each stop, Ravens employees make their mark by spray-painting a Raven logo and a giant "W.I.N." into the sidewalk.  W.I.N., one of this season's mottos, stands for "what's important now," and has been used as a motivator and a rallying call for both the players and their fans.
     Last night, after a family dinner at nearby Langermann's we, by chance, happened upon the bus, which was heading for its final destination of the night at a Canton sports bar (located where linebacker Ray Lewis's own 'Ray's Full Moon Barbecue' used to be located). Fortunately, I was able to capture some of the serendipitous moment on camera. Men passing by on the street scramble away from their lives and whip out their smart phones, attempting to capture some shots of the cheerleaders before they disappear into the bar. Some of the men even know the ladies by name, and call out to them. Children run around excitedly screaming, "I hugged Poe! I hugged Poe!" and collecting the SWAG that the Ravens PR people hand out. The ladies, in turn, want their picture taken next to the bus, or the funky purple car.
     Additionally, Baltimore City officials have, again, lit City Hall and the War Memorial up with purple lights, and crews have installed purple bulbs into the street lights. Constellation energy has cast a bright, purple sconce upon the side of its building that faces President St., and the Legg Mason building has illuminated the company's lettering with purple accents as well. Thus, as one approaches the city on 83 South, he is immediately greeted by these purple glares, and projections of runningback Ray Rice's #27 on buildings, and as he turns on to the side streets, the excitement only increases with each string of purple christmas lights, jersey clad Baltimoreans out on the town, and spray-painted sidewalk art. It's not only rare, but actually impossible, to go anywhere on a Friday and not see the numbers 20, 52, 86, 55, and 92 whirling around you. The Ravens have painted our town purple and within hours we will see if they can do the same in Pittsburgh, Penn. But it's playoff season, and the (purple) spotlight is on the players now. With the entire city watching, the Ravens are ready to hunt.