Notes on radio show, Ravens-wrestling connection, ECW
For those of you who have asked why I haven’t done the Ring Posts Live segment on The Rob Long Show the past three Wednesdays, it is because of a combination of the holidays and the Ravens’ playoff run.
Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve both fell on Wednesdays, and the station’s local programming was abbreviated. We didn’t do the segment today because the powers that be at the station believe — and rightfully so — that all people in Baltimore want to listen to or talk about right now are the boys in purple and black. I don’t expect to be back on until after the Ravens have played their last game (which I hope is on Feb. 1). ...
Speaking of Ravens talk, as much as I love the team, pro wrestling is never far from my mind. Here a couple recent examples:
After the Ravens’ win over the Dolphins on Sunday, Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason said teammate Ed Reed was “1 percent man, 99 percent amazing. It's no longer half-man, half-amazing.” That statement immediately made me think of MVP, who used to refer to himself as “half-man, half-amazing.” Now, of course, MVP is more like 1 percent man, 99 percent abysmal.
Ever since the Ravens’ wild-card victory, a major topic on sports talk radio — and in The Baltimore Sun — has been the perception that the national media have not shown the team the proper respect. While driving in the car recently, the “R” word was repeated on one radio show ad nauseam, and every time I heard it I echoed the word in a deep voice a la Booker T during the Main Event Mafia angle on TNA Impact. I did the same thing later at home, and my wife gave me a strange look. “Do you get why I said it like that?” I asked. “No, but it’s probably some wrestling thing,” she replied. ...
I thought the Jack Swagger-Finlay match last night on ECW dragged a little at times but was good overall as far as establishing Swagger as a legitimate contender for Matt Hardy’s ECW title. Finlay is doing a great job in his role as the respected veteran who gives the young guys a rub as well as an eduction on how to work. ... I also enjoyed the Hardy-Mark Henry match, but it’s time for these two to go their separate ways. The problem is that the ECW roster lacks depth, so you get the same guys working against each other on top. ... Everything I have read about Alicia Fox’s wrestling ability was basically that she didn’t have any. I don’t know if she has improved or if she just had a good night, but I didn’t think she was bad against Katie Lea Burchill. Honestly, as long as she does her dance routine before her match, I really don’t care whether she knows a wristlock from a wristwatch.
Comments
Vince should do away with ECW. Unless Vince allows ECW to go back to its TRUE roots. ECW is a waste of air time. WOOOOOO
Posted by: Ric in Baltimore | January 7, 2009 6:28 PM
I agree with Ric. We don't need a third WWE program; so if ECW isn't going to be "extreme" (read: different), then axe the lower-rated program and herd the talent onto Smackdown and Raw—both of which could use the influx.
(And on the same topic: Miz & Morrison might be entertaining enough for one show, but not for two. Enough already with the duplication; if you want them on Raw, then take them off ECW.)
Posted by: Stephen | January 8, 2009 2:31 AM
As a reader outside the Baltimore area, I think the "R" word thing is more imagined than anything. Ravens fans took a lot of abuse after last season's implosion and they are still sensitive to it. This isn't the same team that lost to Miami last year. Steve McNair is gone and the Kyle Boller experiment is over. Turn the page, Ravens fan.
Kevin, I am rather disappointed in your take on Alicia Fox. Wrestling is for wrestlers...and I do care whether someone in the ring knows a "wristlock from a wristwatch." I have no problem with pretty women wrestling...so long as the can. How do we take the WWE seriously when they say "Please don't try this at home" while simultaneously running Hawaiian Tropic models to the ring with minimal training. No one wants injuries...but rolling unskilled eye candy in the ring is asking for trouble.
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I see your point, but they are trained (perhaps more than minimally). The risk of injury is definitely there, but they know that when they enter the wrestling business.
Posted by: Lee | January 8, 2009 9:17 AM
Another Ravens Wrestling connection would be that cornerback Fabian Washington will also do the John Cena "You Can't See Me" gesture after a good play.
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Yes he does. I told my two buddies that I watch the games with about that and they had no idea what I was talking about. Now if he was crotch-chopping they would have gotten it.
Posted by: etucker | January 8, 2009 9:21 AM
Alright! I have an excuse to talk about the Ravens on Ring Posts again! This may be the last time this winter that the Ravens are still relevant, and I doubt the Orioles will be able to pull off a turnaround as dramatic as the Ravens. So I too shall reflect upon the Ravens and how lucky we were this season.
Looking all the way back to training camp, this season has been thoroughly enjoyable. From the rash of injuries to the dissention in the locker room and on the practice field, the forecast was gloomy for the Ravens’ chances of being a contender. I know Harbaugh says it was all part of the plan to be in the Playoffs, but there’s no way the coaching staff knew that they would be as lucky as they are. And if they did have a crystal ball, then they should have shared it with the fans, because it would have saved me (and others I know) a lot of grief.
But then again, maybe it was all of the uncertainty that made the 2008 season feel so good. If Baltimore fans were as pretentious as the fans of teams like the Patriots, Steelers, or Cowboys, then this season would not have felt so magical. A lot of the fair-weather fans that are on those teams’ respective bandwagons aren’t real fans because of their sense of entitlement to rooting for a team that’s virtually assured a winning record.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not attacking those teams’ true fans, because I respect them. But I do get annoyed by people who don’t follow their team year round, and yet still find the gall to complain about how “poorly” their team did, even if they finished with a winning record. Whoops, getting off topic…
I guess what I’m getting at is that it’s been fun for me following the Ravens this year, and I know I’m not alone. Harbaugh and his staff have earned the respect of the Baltimore faithful, and even if the season ends on Saturday, I consider it to have been a complete success. I’m already looking forward to the 2009 season, which looks like the Ravens have a good shot at a strong run again.
One more Ravens-related topic: Where do we start a petition to get Darrius Heyward-Bey in purple, black, and gold? He’s got my vote.
Postscript: Sorry for the lack of wrestling speak on my lengthy post, but I felt the need to gush about the Ravens while warming up my typing muscles for the start of my college semester at TU. If I must include at least one wrestling related tidbit, regarding tonight’s OU vs. Florida Title Game, [In JR voice] “OH MAH GAWD!BOOMER SOONER!!!”
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: Gushing by the Ravens always allowed on this blog because Kevin Eck said so.
Posted by: Sean | January 8, 2009 3:03 PM