Now that the Baltimore Ravens are in the playoffs against the New England Patriots, I'm left with a tough choice: As a Baltimorean, do I root for the Ravens? Or do I cheer for a former college classmate, Patriots coach Bill Belichick (Wesleyan University, Class of '75)?

In interviews, Belichick doesn't come across as the warmest guy, but he has some soft spots, and one of them is for the U.S. Naval Academy, where his father Steve was a long-time football coach. In fact, in 2006, about a year after his dad had passed away, Bill donated their collection of historic football books to the academy. News reports at the time said it was the nation's third largest collection, after those in the Library of Congress and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Among the 400-plus books: Amos Alonzo Stagg's "Practical Theses on Football" and Walter Camp's "American Football." I'm assuming it also included "Football Scouting Methods" -- often called the Bible of scouting -- which Steve wrote at the academy.

Bill himself was the subject of a well-received book, "The Educatiion of a Coach" by David Halberstam.

Yes, heart-warming literary tales. But not enough for this New Englander to abandon the purple and black. After all, the Ravens have their own literary feel-good story: "The Blind Side," which chronicles Michael Oher's rise from poverty and dysfunctional family life. The movie adaptation has been a big holiday hit, and Michael Lewis' book gets high praise from readers.

Go Ravens!