Move Over, Raiders, Here Come the Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens’ 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in the Super Bowl has incited some frenzied writing by some members of the media. A sampling:

Dan LeBatard in the Miami Herald: “They are part sports team and part motorcycle gang . . . the most violent group in a most violent game.

“The swaggering Ravens, a team that might as well take the field carrying chains and broken bottles, didn’t merely defeat the New York Giants. They beat them like you would with a stick or billy club.�

And this from Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post: “They talk, they brag, they taunt, they strut. They’re arrogant, ruthless, defiant and overbearing. They make grown men who play offense--tough men--flinch.�

Whew! Lock the doors, hide the children!

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No escape: Bernie Lincicome in the Rocky Mountain News: “Being around the Ravens is like being trapped in tourist class with a grandmother who has a wallet full of pictures.�

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Trivia time: Who holds the Laker record for field-goal percentage in a season?

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Bad hair day: Milwaukee Buck Coach George Karl promised recently to shave his head if the Bucks won 10 consecutive games. They did. He reneged.

Comment from Steve Davis of the Dallas Morning News: “Can we all agree that this man shaving his head is the early leader in the clubhouse on the 2001 list of bad ideas?�

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We can hardly wait: Vince McMahon, on the TV magic he promises for his fledgling XFL:

“When not a lot is going on, we may cut to some inebriated guy in the stands and ask him a philosophical question about the game. We’ll give you the whole show, a reality show instead of a sporting event.�

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Bah, humbug: Cleveland fans are bitter about the outcome of the Super Bowl, and Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer summed it up:

“From here life doesn’t get any better for Art Modell or any worse for the people whose Super Bowl Sunday passed like a 24-hour stomach flu.�

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They didn’t think of it: Michael Ventre of MSNBC.com wrote: “I bet the whole Casey Martin situation would have been moot if the PGA Tour’s marketing people just realized how many sponsor ads you can fit on a typical golf cart.�

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FYI: Sportswriter Charles Hatton of the Daily Racing Form coined the term “Triple Crown� in 1930 while reporting on Gallant Fox.

The horse became the first since Sir Barton in 1919 to win racing’s three top events: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.

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Stay home: Jay Leno on the “NFL Experience� at the Super Bowl: “The least favorite exhibit is the one where you get into an argument with Ray Lewis outside a night club at 3 a.m.�

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Just a pep talk: Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News, on CBS microphones picking up foul language from the Giants’ Shaun Williams during the player introductions:

“And you thought the XFL didn’t start until next week.�

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Burning rubber: Worried about tire wear? Be glad you don’t drive a top-fuel or funny car dragster. Their 17-inch rear tires wear out in six to eight runs--about two miles.

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Trivia answer: Wilt Chamberlain, .727, in 1972-73. He also holds the Laker career record at .605.

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And finally: Former Laker Glen Rice, now with the Knicks, commenting on the absence of injured Shaquille O’Neal in New York’s 91-81 victory over the Lakers on Sunday:

“It makes it a little easier when the big fella is not out there in the middle. The first thing you want to do is get the ball in the hole. Besides him they don’t have a shot blocker or someone to anchor their defense.�