Why This Baltimorean Likes the Colts
Colts Quarterback Peyton Manning said he had never seen so many middle fingers in his life. What caused such a middle-digital display? The Colts drove their bus into Baltimore.
I remember it well. I had my official Ravens Bart Scott jersey on (I especially love it because my last name is Scott). My wife Lisa even bought “football food.” This was a very special Saturday. We were purple with pride. This would be the ultimate irony, the perfect storm, the payback of the ages.
But here’s where things get goofy: This middle-finger vendetta is—get this—23 years old. That’s right, 23. You can’t even count that high on all your fingers and toes.
But bitterness never runs out of fingers and toes.
See, decades-plus ago, then Colts owner Robert Irsay, wanted Baltimore to upgrade its stadium. But with attendance dwindling and the team playing crapily, city officials were wary of stadium spending. Relations between Irsay and the city worsened, and Irsay began to look at other cities.
So the Colts galloped off to Indy. Robert Irsay eventually died and his son Jim became the beneficiary of the once-legendary once-Baltimore team.
I know some people don’t like this, but I’m rooting for the Colts this Superbowl. If they win, it’s just a game; if they lose, it’s just a game. Whatever the outcome, I think the lesson is this: The middle fingers, not the Ravens, lost in ’07 because grudges never win in the end. Go Colts!
I was on the receiving end of the Colts move. You remember the Mayflower trucks pulling out of town. I remember them pulling in. I was 11 years old and didn’t start caring for football until I got caught up in the Bears juggernaught a year or two later, so I didn’t really give the Colts’ arrival much thought.
Then I moved to Columbia. After living here just a couple of weeks, I went to Giant one morning. As I stood in the check-out line, a 50ish man standing in front of me turned around and announced to someone behind me that they had a lot of nerve. He had to repeat himself before I realized there was no one behind me, and his words were aimed at me. I was too confused to speak so he glanced down. I followed his gaze and realized that under my partially zipped jacket was a grey t-shirt with ‘Indianapolis Colts’ in simple blue letters. Oh. I zipped up my jacket all the way and made a mental note to never leave home wearing that particular shirt again. Once I could speak, I said something to the effect that the move happened a long time ago (this was ‘96). ‘It don’t matter.’ He responded. ‘All is not forgiven. All is not forgiven!’ Welcome to Maryland.
I was able to enjoy watching the Ravens-Colts game because they are two of my three teams (the other being the Bears… This has been a REALLY fun season for me). I honestly couldn’t root for one over the other. I’d normally root for Indy because that city suffered for so long with pathetic Pacers and Colts teams. Both have really turned around in recent years, but always underperform in the playoffs. Indy is aching to have a championship team as badly as Baltimore was aching to beat the Colts. However, Baltimore got so caught up in the matchup with the Colts that it was hard to see them lose.
At least we get to watch the Superbowl involve two genuine Christians as coaches this year. May they represent Him well!
I was one of those disgruntled fans. The Baltimore Colts left, under cover of darkness, in the Mayflower trucks my senior year of High School. For a sport fan , it was an event as serious as your first crush or the first breakup once you found out that the significant other was cheating with your best friend. Or better yet your first wipeout on your surfboard when your face meets the beach then the wave crushes you and twist you around a bit.
Then came JESUS, HE heals and turns our attention towards HIM and all is well. Not an issue anymore although the bitterness in some folks is older than most players on the playing field.
JESUSrules! with love