Yeah, you can't argue with the success of the Ravens - although I'd like to see a little more success of the 2012 variety.

Nonetheless, the real rape of Baltimore came in taking away the team name and identity. It was as if some powerful people were determined to hurt Baltimore as malevolently as possible. And leave it with a football museum, as the estimable Paul Tagliabue, DC lawyer, wanted to do.

Of course now the Ravens have established their own identity, a cool Gothic one. But preserving the Colts identity would have created a link between Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, etc., with Bert Jones, Johnny Unitas, Bubba Smith, Gino Marchetti, Raymond Berry, Art Donovan, and all the other Baltimore Colts.

So this foul deed by NFL management ripped away a unifying identity from Baltimore. It's as if it was part of a process of dismantling the city - they hoped. But Baltimore had other ideas, fought for and got a new football team, and is now still fighting for its existence as a city.

It leads into my idea for a city slogan: Baltimore - we have other ideas.

We can still see the anti-Baltimore bigotry at work. How often do we see a gloating tone over Ravens' setbacks, and only grudging respect when they prevail? Now, there's Lamar Jackson, and the media tut-tutting the evil Ravens management for not paying Lamar what he's asking.

Just one little itty bitty thing...they have to pay Lamar what he's asking.

Oh.

Yeah, but we'll keep a sharp eye out for what you're hauling around in your truck.

"I got it off Craigslist" Uh, huh....suure.....

Well, what the hell are you going to do if the Martians suck you in to their underground tunnels? The last thing you want is to be ray gun less.

Open the pod bay door, HAL! And by the way, fuck you.

Last time I saw it, people were dining beside it in the Flats. It was a pretty pleasant setting.

Of course, Randy Newman referred to the Cuyahoga catching fire in one of his songs. Good ol' Randy the city-slagger - at least of the cities that don't have the wealth and prestige of the very largest in the US.

It's been a while, though. My impression was that there was potential for a lot, but what was there was in real danger. At the same time, nothing could take away the lakefront parks, with a view of the water and the city. When I was there, the downtown area had an arcade of little shops that was wonderful. It didn't seem to be growing, and I don't know if it's still there.

Then there's the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, which had just been built when I was in Ohio. A pigrimage to view John Cippolina's amps/speakers would still be something I'd be interested in.

The area around the art museum was one of those dignified older uptown settings; I think Severance Hall is in the vicinity there, too.

And towards the suburbs, there's Parma, not slagged by Randy Newman but by the legendary Ghoulardi. I thought it was an attractive area in a near-urb sort of way. I don't know about the particular attitudes of the inhabitants, though; they might not be so attractive.

As far as I'm concerned, Cleveland is a place that weeds out the city-haters who nonetheless pay lip service to the richest and most prestigious cities in the hopes of some of the prestige rubbing off on them. As a big city, Cleveland cannot fail to be an amazing place.

My main beef with Cleveland is the whining of its football fans about being without an NFL team for two whole years (count 'em) - and even then they had a promise from the NFL for a replacement team. They are still furious at Art Modell for moving the Browns to Baltimore.

I am of a Sovereign Race that is only governed by Admiralty Law. I think I have to pick a sea, though. Working on it.

I thought that there already is a shuttle from Woodberry to the Avenue. No matter, hardy souls can hoof it up the steep hills. If said hardy souls are out of shape, they can start catching their breath again when they reach Falls Road.

Then they can dodge the fast-moving masses of steel to arrive at The Avenue alive.

That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Face it - resistance is futile. You just can't resist something that's irresistible.

Tuscany-Canterbury is Hell on Earth.

These benches give Baltimore an endless resource: irony.

I remember when that asinine "Baltimore is the Best City in America" slogan came out. I e-mailed the mayor's office with my reservations and the reply was "He was thinking about "the Best City in the World""

I think that it's just one of Democrats' pathetic attempts to emulate Republican assholes. The latter are natural bullshitters and if they're going to bullshit, they know what they're doing. They also tend to be the foot-in-the-door salesman type, and that's sort of what this dumb slogan is: state something loudly and aggressively, and you can change reality, and transform the flawed product you're selling into a fantastic one.

It's also part of the alpha male winner schtick the Republicans hype. Think like a winner!! You will be one!! And, to be fair, if you're the 600 pound gorilla, but you're overcome with self doubts, you may well lose the fight with the orangutan. But you're still the 600 pound gorilla. You're not a hamster, which will lose the fight with the orangutan no matter the attitude, even if you're Sid Vicious the Hamster, who bites.

It's all been dynamite for the Republicans, so Democrats, such as Martin O'Malley, try it themselves. They just don't have the knack for it.

Maybe filming another John Waters movie?

The anti-Santy

Ask them "what's this Mountain Meadows resort I heard you guys run?". See what they say.

Make it an indoor prayer garden and spare the houses. They're pretty nice, and Baltimore absolutely does not need decent buildings to disappear. There's way too much crap in the city, yet the good things make the city intriguing enough to stick with it.

It's just more lackluster civic pride by Baltimore's movers and shakers. OTOH, there's always lack of resources as well, as those houses cost $$$ to maintain. This is why I get so exercised over the massive diversion of resources to DC. If some of that stream came to Baltimore, there would be enough money to save those houses and keep them in top condition.

Hmmm...and those nails look perilously close to the unrepairable zone.

Those tires look like they're a wee bit expensive, too.

Nothing beats discovering a flat tire with a nail in it, only to discover that

• The a-holes at the car place overtightened the lug nuts. Even to the point of the studs getting sheared off when you finally wrestle the lug nuts loose. Oh, yes, it can happen...
• The wheel is kind of welded to the hub, necessitating a frantic search for someone who knows what they're doing with regards to tires, and can apply just the right kind of whack to loosen the consarned thing

"Ho's" brings to mind human reproduction, and in that vein the individuals who scatter vicious debris on the roadway need their breeding privileges revoked, or something surgically removed or tied off, etc.

Ha ha. But I think it's more like "we will prevail in an uncertain and often hostile world".

NO, that's not right: the Star Spangled Banner begins and ends on question: did we prevail? Will we prevail in an uncertain and often hostile world?

That's what's vital to the U.S. national anthem. It's a riveting message amidst all the howdy doody "golly it's a nice country and everything is just swell here" type anthems out there, which is also the gist of the proposed hopelessly bland replacements for the Star Spangled Banner.

Will we make it? We just never know for sure. But, damn, with gallantly streaming colors, we'll put up a hell of an effort.

Actually, if they would truly refrain from breaking into cars and stealing shit, I would hold my nose and pay them.

But, somehow, I think that they'll just keep on stealing because they're not satisfied with the annual income they receive. The Man is just too stingy. It goes on and on and on.