Which, for fans of the old Baltimore Colts ( and most likely fans of the current Baltimore Ravens) has to do with all things associated with Robert Irsay and the Indianapolis Colts, the franchise famous for packing up a couple of Mayflower trucks in the middle of the night and moving toward the greener pastures of the American midwest. The fact that the old franchise that bolted Baltimore is now visiting today for an NFL playoff game has rekindled some of the old emotions and stories about that sudden and unexpected departure over twenty years ago.
After reading some of the messages in a discussion of the topic in the Baltimore newspaper HERE
, I have to also agree that it is not for me to tell the residents of Baltimore to "get over it", as I have no particular interest in their team, though Jim O'Brien's winning field goal in the waning moments of Super Bowl V against the Dallas Cowboys was one of my first vivid NFL memories, being a Vikings fan back then insured that I would indeed root for the blue and white on that day. All I do know is that I would feel aggravated if someone tried to move the only professional sports team in Oregon, the NBA's Trail Blazers, in a similar manner. I can't lie and say that if such a move had happened a couple of years ago, when they were populated with a bunch of underachieving knuckleheads, I would've been as upset, but now that they've turned the corner by fielding a team that actually seems like it cares about the game and not just a paycheck, that indifference has passed.
Of course, there are other factors that might be considered here: the fact that Baltimore also received a franchise moved straight from another city; that team,the Browns from Cleveland, at least got a new name and colors in their new home, which didn't happen with Indy's move, plus the falling attendance that led to the Colts' move in the first place.
A good story about the move and the subsequent anger, from today's Los Angeles Times, is HERE
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