All this talk today about Camden Yards, and well...there is really one person that was responsible for it being built...Robert Irsay. Had the Colts not left town that snowy March night...who knows what and if Camden would have been built. We might have ended up with the last of the concrete doughnuts...not the stadium that would cause a renascence in stadium and arena architecture. It is ironic how the most hated man in Baltimore sports history...changed the sports landscape forever in Baltimore and beyond. 

For a small city Baltimore has had a huge impact on the world of sports. mostly the NFL. But think about it...2 of the biggest games in the history of the growth of the NFL involved Baltimore. The '58 "Greatest Game ever Played", and Super Bowl III. And the results of both of those games were exactly what the NFL needed. If the Giants would have won in '58 well it would have just been another NY team winning a title. And if the Colts would have won in SBIII  the NFL-AFL merger might not have happened. Then look at the Colts leaving town, that started the dominoes to tumble, Camden Yards was built and it was the new measuring stick by which all stadia would be measured. It truly was a case of if you build it they will come. Soon all cities would worry that their team would move out if they didn't build them not just a stadium or arena, but a destination. The NFL expanded, but left the 2 cities that lost a team behind. Why, well I think it was because the NFL owners wanted the BEST for themselves to move to. And that is just what LA and Cleveland did...and both of those cities did not learn from Baltimore, and one...lost it's team to Baltimore. 

Now look at the players that the city is linked to. Cal, Babe, Johnny U, Ray Lewis and Michael Phelps. In their respective sports they are Icons. Babe saved the game from the Black Sox scandal that almost ended America's past time. Cal saved the game from the strike, that drove millions from the game. Johnny U was the QB of a generation, and is still mentioned the same way Ruth is mentioned. Ray Lewis...he is now the standard by witch all other linebackers will be measured. He has played in more Pro Bowls than Dick Butkis played seasons. Ray Lewis might just be the best player in the NFL ever...in any position. Then we have Michael Phelps...he won more gold metals than any Olympic athlete in any sport ever...14 and counting. For such a small place...we have made quite an impact.