Wow, What a Week!!

I haven’t been blogging lately because there’s been too much going on. Almost an embarrassment of riches. But these are generally few and far between in January, so it’s good to gorge.

This week was one for the gluttons.

Start with the Ravens pummeling the Pats. That energized the whole state, especially the rollicking roadies who rolled in on a party bus. By the end of the game, they were almost the only ones left in Gillette. They looked pretty well fortified against the elements.  (I'm sure it was just adrenaline and not anything served on the bus.)

Perched on my favorite stool by the flatscreen in Annapolis, I was surrounded by locals who came for lunch and lingered for the game. It’s dicey in that crowd, because while it is acceptable to say rude things about the Pats and their pretty quarterback, you have to be careful about maligning their coach. He grew up in Annapolis and still has friends and family in town, particularly around the Academy.

(In fact, he’d been in the restaurant a few weeks earlier. Few recognized him without the hoody or scowl, but the waiter said he was friendly and a good tipper.)

So the big win on Sunday buoyed everyone’s spirts for the Tuesday announcement of the 18 finalists for the US World Cup bid. It also upped the anxiety level because the bid organizers in New York were holding a live press conference to reveal their decision without giving hopeful hosts more than ten minutes notice.

Nonetheless, our confident team leader organized a gathering at ESPN zone to watch the announcement. Win or lose, Terry wanted to thank those who put so much effort and energy into preparing a solid bid that had already carried Maryland (remember – FedEx is in Landover, and College Park and the SoccerPlex were included in the DC package) into the pool of 27 from an original 70 sites considered.

Preparing the press release – with all the quotes and contingencies – took most of the day so I wasn’t too excited about hoofing to the harbor in the sub freezing weather. Then I remembered the Charm City Circulator, which began service a day earlier. The Circulator, a free shuttle from the Biopark on the Westside to Jonestown on the East, stops a block from Camden Yards. It dropped me by ESPN in less than five minutes. Such a deal!   (Particularly appropriate since convenient public transportation is a major factor in the WC decision making process.)

I was given a visual reminder of another upcoming major event – the US Lacrosse convention this weekend. There were vertical banners displayed along Pratt Street, welcoming the 6,000+ lacrosse coaches, players, and enthusiasts who make this annual trek to the cradle of the sport. US Lacrosse, headquartered in Baltimore, regards this event as the season kickoff. Within weeks, the Face-Off Classic (a triple-header this year) will be held at M&T Bank Stadium. A little more than a month later, the second annual Day of Rivals will take place. Then, at season’s end, the NCAA Tournament will return for another Memorial Day celebration of the sport. Yes, the lacrosse frenzy begins this weekend.

But back to soccer. Terry and Tweety secured our spot at the Zone, right in front on the gigantic screen (complete with a big table for us to crawl under if we didn’t make the cut.) Within minutes, our beat reporters and several local television and radio stations wandered in. The press had the opportunity to talk with Terry and Kevin Healey, the soccer stalwart who did so much to promote the Chelsea Milan match and the Baltimore bid. A little later Hannah Byron from DBED and Mark Burdett of the Ravens arrived. (Particularly gratifying to see Mark since things were pretty hectic at the Castle.) A delegation from Cedar Lane in Harford County (one of the training sites submitted in our bid) and Pete Medd of Crystal Palace completed our table.

By the time the press conference began at 3:30, we had quite a crew of well wishers and curious onlookers. (At ESPN zone, everything is a potential spectator event.) The selected cities weren’t announced in alpha order, so we were left hanging until Baltimore was named somewhere in the middle. There were the requisite hoots and hollers, high-fiving and table slapping. Tweety fired the press release from her laptop, and I called in the trigger for mine. Within moments, Maryland's soccer world knew we’d been selected to represent our country in bidding for the biggest sports event in the world. And with so many of our partners right there, the press had the opportunity to get their reactions. It was a great moment.

A few bottles of bubbly magically materialized. (NOTE: no government funds were expended in this celebration) and Terry offered a toast to all those who made this achievement possible. It was truly a team effort, leveraging resources from public and private sectors; clubs, schools, universities and committed fans. Without the fan base, even the finest facilities are meaningless. With a little help from our friends, we showed the bid committee how much soccer support there is in Maryland.

It was dark by the time I returned to the Warehouse. Coming down Conway I could see the bright purple face on the Camden Station tower clock, shining over the gateway to the city. Special thanks to our master electrician, Alonzo Andrews, who is retiring this month. He’s the one who crawled up the roof into the tower to gel the lights. Another example of the teamwork that makes things happen here at the Yards.

So with the Arenacross action now underway and the lacrosse contingent already taking over Pickles, it’s going to be a big weekend in town – even before we all assemble tomorrow night around our favorite flatscreens.