Game Girl

Ravens, Redskins. Ho-hum. That's about how I feel about tomorrow's "rivalry" game -- the so-called "Battle of the Beltway". The media, always quick to coin a new phrase or create controversy, has been trying to drum up support for what has become an almost annual Ravens/Redskins pre-season game and frankly, I think it just falls flat.

I know a little something about this particular topic, living as I do in fragmented Anne Arundel county where Redskins and Ravens fans co-exist somewhat peacefully, in pockets, all over the area. When I moved out here from Northern Virginia, the very first thing I did was to conduct an informal, unscientific but highly significant (to me) poll of the local sports fan base. "Redskins or Ravens?", I'd ask...incessently, some might say. And I began to get a read on the lay of the land here. Ravens fans live mostly on the northern side of the county while Skins fans tend to reside in the south and east quadrants. Annapolis itself, to my untrained but persistent eye, tends more towards the purple crowd, but go 3 miles south to Edgewater and as the lady in the liquor store once told me, it's about 10 to 1, Redskins to Ravens. My daughter attends school at St. Mary's, one of the oldest schools in the area and located right in the heart of downtown Annapolis. Monday mornings during school drop-off last season were a lesson in humility for me, that's all I'm going to say about THAT. All my trash-talking about the Skins to all those Raven fans and all I got was laughed at for 16 miserable weeks. UGH. But I digress.

I have some personal knowledge of the split, too, because I married a Baltimore fan (notice I didn't say RAVENS fan...it took him a while to convert from his Colts "man-without-a-team" persona he wore like a hairshirt for 15 years). And my two brothers-in-law, their wives, and just about the whole "Bawlmer" clan I married into is obviously die-hard Ravens. And also -- and this is important -- die-hard ANTI-Redskins.

Any Redskin fan will tell you that really, they don't have any beef with the Ravens, or Baltimore itself, per se. I mean, what's not to like and respect, except maybe the fact that their uniforms are purple? (And that's really not their fault, I suppose. All the good football colors were already taken when they came along.) But talk to any, and I do mean ANY, Ravens fan...young or old, city or country, newly converted or old-school Colt holdovers, and they'll tell you this: they LOVE the Ravens with a passion only matched by the HATE they harbor towards the Redskins, their fans, and the whole DC area in general. Sort of the ugly-stepchild syndrome, except whenever I say that to my brothers-in-law, they always counter with, "See, spoken like a true ego-centric Reddskin fan" so perhaps I should find another metaphor.

My point is this: Ravens fans hate the Skins, and Skins fans are at worst ambivilant and at best respectful of the Ravens and their fans. Here's the deal: their organization is stellar. Their stadium rocks. Their defense is impervious. Their players are tough guys who play hard. And bottom line, they win. Lately, Skins fans can't say any of those things. We're living in the past, talking trash like it matters, while the Ravens keep plugging away, winning games, and sometimes stealing our fans right out from under our noses. And they're LOVING every minute of it. Apparently, this hatred has something to do with the fact that when the Colts left Baltimore, the Redskins were a winning franchise and we (supposedly) rubbed their noses in our succes. Talk to any Baltimore fan and he'll tell you two things: he hates the Redskins and their fans, and he loves the fact that we're in the toilet at present because we were so obnoxious to deal with for so many years.

So, what we're left with is a one-sided rivarly that just doesn't seethe or boil in any real sense. And even die-hard Ravens fans who hate the Skins know now that our team isn't any real threat to them -- anyone who watched what they did to us last November knows that. Ravens fans might hate the Skins and their fans, but they are secure in the knowledge that their team, at present, is better in all phases and it's not likely to change anytime soon. Shanahan is a good coach, but he can't work miracles.

I'm interested to see how Saturday night plays out, only for the simple fact that it is the second pre-season game and I'd like to see how our starters match up with one of the best defenses in the NFL. But the fact that that particular defense currently resides in Baltimore...eh, I can't get too excited about that part.

Well, my annual rite of passage has been completed. My four-year-old son and I schlepped out to Redskin Park on Sunday to watch the team up-close-and-personal -- well, as closely as possible from the vantage point fans are relegated to during practices -- and as usual it did not disappoint. Camp Shanahan. A new regime. Better and brighter days ahead. What a thrill! I swear, I never, EVER get tired of heading out to camp each summer. I'd go more often if I wasn't bogged down with all sorts of obligations in my "real life". I could stand there all day watching quarterbacks throw endless passes...running backs scurrying around pretending to carry the ball...and of course, the piece-de-resistance, those famous 11-on-11 drills. I mean, seriously. It's just good, clean fun. And with all of the changes wrought after this year's busy (and hopefully productive) off-season, you could almost feel the electricity in the air.

This year was particularly enjoyable because the practice I attended was in the afternoon, which is usually a killer because of the heat and humidity but this year was actually quite comfortable. The cloud cover kept things nice and shady, and I think the rain might have scared away a number of my fellow fans because there weren't as many people as I expected on a weekend day near the end of camp. Not having to endure the elements made focusing on the actual practice a whole lot easier.

As usual, I definitely made an impression on my fellow campers -- "Who's #11?" someone would ask..."Devin Thomas", I'd answer in my usual nosy but oh-so-helpful way. Doling out out useful camp-specific advice to the uninitiated, i.e, "The defense wears RED during practice" certainly gets you attention, particularly when you are a woman! I always think it's so funny when men, especially, do a double-take when a female fan demonstrates her sports acumen. Fortunately, Redskin fans - particularly those at camp -- are a congenial bunch who generally know their stuff, as a rule, so I usually make a few pals before camp is over each year. This year was no different. The lady standing next to me as practice was ending and the players were walking up the sidewalk to the locker room started calling out, "Santana, Santana!" and I said, quietly, "That's not Santana. That's Larry Johnson." Believe me, she was grateful...players don't really like being called by the wrong name, and once I corrected her and called out the right name, he actually came over to sign autographs for us. THANK YOU, mommyskinsfan!

Having my little four-year-old with me certainly made this year's camp experience more fun, too. Even though he sometimes seemed more interested in playing with my iphone than watching practice, he was still quite a hit with the other fans (see photos). We took turns holding him up so the players might see him and come over to sign autographs -- shameless, I know, but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. He IS cute in his #21 Sean Taylor jersey! Pretty good stuff all around!

All in all, I'd say a good time was had by all during our annual camp visit. Now, it's on to the Ravens. More on that later!

Skins 42, Buffalo 17! Yup, you read it right, folks...the Redskins not only won their pre-season opener Friday night, they totally dominated Buffalo in all three phases of the game. For the first time in a long, long, LONG time, the Skins manhandled another team. And yes, for the record, I know it's preseason. I know it doesn't count. I KNOW it was our 3rd-stringers against their 3rd-stringers for a lot of the second half.

But still.

They won. And won big. And looked pretty good doing it! OK, actually, they looked a bit shaky at the outset - the defense looked a little soft (against a not-so-great quarterback in Trent Edwards) and our special teams dropped a kick-off return and bobbled a punt. But then something happened, and they seemed to wake up. They shook off the rust after those first few minutes of half-hearted effort, and suddenly, they began playing with a certain efficiency and crispness I haven't seen out of any Redskin team in, well, I'm almost afraid to say how long. It's been a LONG time, let's leave it at that.

This team began to play together. Here's the thing -- I have had to reset my expectations for this team over the past decade because they have been so pitiful to watch. My threshold for them is pretty low at this point. Now, when our offense breaks the huddle, walks to the line of scrimmage, runs a play without any penalties or flags, and the play actually WORKS, well, then, I'm happy. Thrilled. Estatic.

Yes, I know...that's what a football team is supposed to do. But anyone who has had to suffer through the past few years around here knows that to accomplish even these small feats of offensive banality should be considered a step in the right direction. And then, to put together a drive all the way down the field that actually culminated in a touchdown (a real, live touchdown, people! Not a field goal...not 4th-and-goal and turn it over on downs. An actual 6-point touchdown. Oh, and we made the PAT, too!) Well, it was all almost too much for me.

Please understand: I'm not saying I suddenly think we're going to the Superbowl anytime soon. I'm not going to perpetuate the stereotype held dear by legions of Redskin fan-haters that says we win one game and we're Superbowl bound, baby. Not this time, anyway. It's been too brutal for too long around here for me to fall prey to the myth that things might actually change. I've been burned too many times...seduced by too many "new regimes" that fell flat to think that this time it might actually be the real thing.

But I CAN say with a certain degree of cautious optimism that it sure is nice to watch our offense walk onto the field and run play after play after play without endless false-starts, 3-and-outs, holding penalties, and gadget plays that don't work. It was nice to sit on my couch Friday night watching the game and realizing I wasn't holding my breath, gritting my teeth, or pacing the floor in agony. Quite the opposite, in fact. I was (gasp) enjoying myself! Football was actually fun again.

So, let's wait and see what this Saturday brings. Perhaps another efficient offensive performance might convert me into a believer. But for now, I'm just saying -- it's nice to watch this team play again.

Driving home from South Carolina on Saturday after our family vacation, I couldn't help but feel excited. Not only were the Skins back in training camp (hooray!) but Russ Grimm was going to be inducted into the Hall of Fame that evening. I couldn't wait to watch his speech that evening, and as expected, he didn't disappoint.

Grimm's tribute to Redskins' fans was heartfelt. He evoked memories held dear by so many of us true fans -- RFK Stadium rockin' to the famous "We want Dallas" chant. That awesome seat cushion game. The diesel horn blowing as 44 carried the ball up field. I love that Grimm is such a team guy. He and his fellow Hogs defined the Skins winning teams, and they are proud to be a part of the burgandy and gold. How great is that? I love Russ Grimm's pride, his simple approach to winning, his determination, his grit. I love that he's not afraid to stand up and say, hey, I'm a Redskin. I've always been a Redskin, and I always will be. It's about pride, plain and simple.

I know many Skins fans are tired of living in the past, and I obviously agree. I want a winning team this year and in the future as much as the next fan. But I can't help but feel a sense of connection to the past when I see guys like Russ Grimm stand up and say "We were winners, and this is what it took to be a winner." We need more of that on our team this year.

Stay tuned...I'm heading to training camp this Sunday to check out the team in person. I'm bringing my video camera to post some footage of my trip -- let's hope my camera doesn't get confiscated in the process!