Late yesterday afternoon word spread around the local media outlets that Derrick Mason would be retiring from the NFL. Mason had bumped around to a few teams in the NFL, but his biggest impact was felt here in Baltimore. He didn't always have the best quarterback in the league to play with but he would go out and give 100% every game. After spending six seasons with the Ravens, he retires as the leader in receiving (471 catches*) and receiving yards (5,777.*) He was a gritty player, and left his heart on the field when he played. That's all you can ask of any player. We wish him the best in his retirement!
What better way for the torch to be passed though with the retiring of one great Baltimore player and the emergence of another in Torrey Smith who has 50(*) catches and 841(*) yards in his rookie season. He has been everything thus far the Ravens and fans had hoped for and will only continue to get better in the years ahead.(It should be noted that Anquan Boldin has more catches and yards in 2011, however Smith is the true future at wide receiver I believe.) As Mason rides off into the sunset, we look forward to the explosiveness of Smith shredding defenses and catching passes from Flacco in the playoffs and for years to come!
* All stats taken from the website link below.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rav/career-receiving.htm
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Shut Down the Passing Game!
The weekend is fast approaching and one thing is clear. The Ravens must shut down Houston's passing game early and consistently. The graph below is from www.nfl.com's Game Center. According to the numbers on both Offense and Defense Houston has a slight edge. Which Ravens team will show up this weekend?
One element you will not find a graph for is the Ravens ability to feed off of the energy of their fans! Home-field advantage is named such for a reason! There is always this energy in the air for the home team in Baltimore and the team build this year has seemed to snatch that energy and put it to work when it mattered most! This morning on FOX 45 they had people at a Tattoo parlor with "Captain Dee Fense" getting a Ravens purple B tattooed where ever they wanted it and all proceeds went to his charities.
So as a Baltimore sports fan do your part in rooting for your team this weekend!! Show us how you will be cheering them on this weekend! Toss us an e-mail at charmcitysportspodcast@gmail.com and share your pics! We will post them here!
Good luck and Go Ravens!!
-Mike
 |
| Provided by: http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter |
One element you will not find a graph for is the Ravens ability to feed off of the energy of their fans! Home-field advantage is named such for a reason! There is always this energy in the air for the home team in Baltimore and the team build this year has seemed to snatch that energy and put it to work when it mattered most! This morning on FOX 45 they had people at a Tattoo parlor with "Captain Dee Fense" getting a Ravens purple B tattooed where ever they wanted it and all proceeds went to his charities.
 |
| http://devilleink.com/ |
So as a Baltimore sports fan do your part in rooting for your team this weekend!! Show us how you will be cheering them on this weekend! Toss us an e-mail at charmcitysportspodcast@gmail.com and share your pics! We will post them here!
Good luck and Go Ravens!!
-Mike
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Texans welcome to the home of the real angry BIRDS!!
So the first half of the AFC division has been set! Houston Vs. Baltimore. From what I saw it looks like next weekends game is going to come down to who can run the ball down the field. It will be important for Baltimore's defense to show up and shut down Houston's passing game. I realize there is only so much preparing professional football players can do.
Whenever I hear pro players say things like "practice?!?!" I get a little miffed. Sorry but practice is what separates a flash in the pan and Legends. I'm reminded of Larry Bird. He would show up several hours before every game, not just playoff games but every game and practice taking the basketball and putting it in the net. So for the Ravens sake I am hoping more than just the coaching and QB watched video of yesterdays game. Houston has momentum on their side, I just hope Baltimore's season wasn't just one big tease! I am rooting for a Baltimore vs. New England Championship match. This is football and anything can happen!
UPDATE!!!! Like I said this is football and ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!!! If you missed it you HAVE to watch the video I linked! Denver beats the Steelers in grand fashion and are set to face New England next week! Wow! I don't care who you are, if you love Football this play will just move you! Exciting Games coming to the AFC next week! Share your picks with us. Who is going to the AFC and NFC Championship games?
UPDATE!!!! Like I said this is football and ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!!! If you missed it you HAVE to watch the video I linked! Denver beats the Steelers in grand fashion and are set to face New England next week! Wow! I don't care who you are, if you love Football this play will just move you! Exciting Games coming to the AFC next week! Share your picks with us. Who is going to the AFC and NFC Championship games?
Good luck and enjoy the games,
-Mike
Friday, January 6, 2012
Welcome to the Weekend!
Hey folks, quick update here!
We're headed for the weekend and the first round of playoffs in the NFL. The Bengals and Texans on Saturday afternoon, and the Lions meet the Saints later that evening. Sunday features the Falcons taking on the Giants, while the Steeelers and Broncos get the nightcap. My(Greg's) picks for the games: Going to take the Bengals, Saints, Falcons, and wait for it...Broncos. I like the underdog story that is the Broncos, Dalton is playing solid in Cincy, the Lions pass defense is vulnerable and they're playing against the top passing offense in the NFL, and the Falcons I'm taking because..to be honest I just don't care for the Giants! (Its the whole Super Bowl 42 loss I am not letting go of yet)
We'll see how the playoffs progress and the Ravens fair. Should the Ravens make the Super Bowl, Mike and I will come up with a special game day menu to share with you!
Orioles are readying for spring training, making a few moves here and there. Very interested to see what Dan Duquette will bring to the table as Vice President of the club. He made some really good moves in Boston. The trade of Heathcliff Slocumb for Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe, brining in Pedro Martinez, and drafting players like Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon. I'm anxious to see how he will go about retooling the Orioles farm system and what new players he will bring into the clubhouse at Camden Yards. Hopefully, Angelos will stay out of the way a bit more and just sign the checks!
Did anyone watch the NHL Winter Classic? Great game, though the officiating played more of a role in it then it should have on play around the net. I do love the idea of it though, hockey is meant to be played outdoors! This was a fantastic and very innovative idea from the NHL. Now if they could just arrange a pond hockey game.....
Heading for the exit question: What song is in your head today?
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a happy New Years! Mike and I are going to keep working on our content here and improving the blog as well as getting back into podcasts very soon. Thanks to those who are reading for your support of us!
We're headed for the weekend and the first round of playoffs in the NFL. The Bengals and Texans on Saturday afternoon, and the Lions meet the Saints later that evening. Sunday features the Falcons taking on the Giants, while the Steeelers and Broncos get the nightcap. My(Greg's) picks for the games: Going to take the Bengals, Saints, Falcons, and wait for it...Broncos. I like the underdog story that is the Broncos, Dalton is playing solid in Cincy, the Lions pass defense is vulnerable and they're playing against the top passing offense in the NFL, and the Falcons I'm taking because..to be honest I just don't care for the Giants! (Its the whole Super Bowl 42 loss I am not letting go of yet)
We'll see how the playoffs progress and the Ravens fair. Should the Ravens make the Super Bowl, Mike and I will come up with a special game day menu to share with you!
Orioles are readying for spring training, making a few moves here and there. Very interested to see what Dan Duquette will bring to the table as Vice President of the club. He made some really good moves in Boston. The trade of Heathcliff Slocumb for Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe, brining in Pedro Martinez, and drafting players like Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon. I'm anxious to see how he will go about retooling the Orioles farm system and what new players he will bring into the clubhouse at Camden Yards. Hopefully, Angelos will stay out of the way a bit more and just sign the checks!
Did anyone watch the NHL Winter Classic? Great game, though the officiating played more of a role in it then it should have on play around the net. I do love the idea of it though, hockey is meant to be played outdoors! This was a fantastic and very innovative idea from the NHL. Now if they could just arrange a pond hockey game.....
Heading for the exit question: What song is in your head today?
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and a happy New Years! Mike and I are going to keep working on our content here and improving the blog as well as getting back into podcasts very soon. Thanks to those who are reading for your support of us!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
NFL Post Season Grilling!
What will you be slapping on the grill this NLF Playoff season? Last weekend the wife and I decided it was a good weekend to fire up the smoker for the first time this winter. We went with a nice Black Angus Brisket from our freezer. The grill I use is the Brinkmann Smoke N' Grill Charcoal Smoker.
I really like the natural flavor you can get when using all wood charcoal. I don't have a lot of space for one of those big fancy smoker grills you see on the food network.
A book I picked up over the Christmas break was Dr. BBQ's Big-Time Barbecue Cookbook.
I really like the natural flavor you can get when using all wood charcoal. I don't have a lot of space for one of those big fancy smoker grills you see on the food network.
A book I picked up over the Christmas break was Dr. BBQ's Big-Time Barbecue Cookbook.
This book is full of really good ideas and one of his biggest points about BBQ is, 'how do YOU want the meat to taste?' So I have done just that. Let the Brisket thaw, and collect the seasoning I want for the marinade. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Grill Mates Cowboy Rub
, and some hot pepper mix Greg got me called Pirates Bite. Seasoned all sides and they the Brisket sit all night covered in the fridge.
One thing I do that is a little different is sear both sides of the meat to lock in the flavor. SEAR THE MEAT?!?!? you ask? Yes I set my gas grill to sear which is close to 500 degrees. I sear both sides for under 10 seconds each. Then I wrap it in foil, but before I seal it any left over seasoning / marinade that is in the pan is scraped out and put into the foil with the Brisket. By now the smoker is to temp and ready for this fine slab of meat! This size Brisket only took about 4 hours in the smoker. Once you close the lid do not open the lid at all!! Let the meat sit and allow the low heat to do its work! Between 175 and 180 is where you want the meat temp to be.
It is important to allow your meat to rest for a few minutes. 6 Minutes is nice amount of time for meat resting, also never slice your Brisket or any meat until you are going to serve it! If you slice your meat too early it will cause it to dry out and not taste tender and juicy. Below is the final result before we sliced and served.
Let us know what you have planned for the grill this NFL Playoff Season! You can either comment here or let us know in an e-mail to charmcitysportspodcast@gmail.com Greg and I would love to hear from you!
Peace and good vibes!
-Mike
, and some hot pepper mix Greg got me called Pirates Bite. Seasoned all sides and they the Brisket sit all night covered in the fridge. |
| Seasoned Brisket ready to sit over-night. |
One thing I do that is a little different is sear both sides of the meat to lock in the flavor. SEAR THE MEAT?!?!? you ask? Yes I set my gas grill to sear which is close to 500 degrees. I sear both sides for under 10 seconds each. Then I wrap it in foil, but before I seal it any left over seasoning / marinade that is in the pan is scraped out and put into the foil with the Brisket. By now the smoker is to temp and ready for this fine slab of meat! This size Brisket only took about 4 hours in the smoker. Once you close the lid do not open the lid at all!! Let the meat sit and allow the low heat to do its work! Between 175 and 180 is where you want the meat temp to be.
 |
| 175 - 180 is when your Brisket is done! |
It is important to allow your meat to rest for a few minutes. 6 Minutes is nice amount of time for meat resting, also never slice your Brisket or any meat until you are going to serve it! If you slice your meat too early it will cause it to dry out and not taste tender and juicy. Below is the final result before we sliced and served.
 |
| The small fork belongs to our 3 year old daughter who just loves daddy's grillin'! |
Let us know what you have planned for the grill this NFL Playoff Season! You can either comment here or let us know in an e-mail to charmcitysportspodcast@gmail.com Greg and I would love to hear from you!
Peace and good vibes!
-Mike
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
NFL Post Season is upon us!
Well howdy-do! How is every one doing in this new year? Greg and I are doing fantastic! We decided to take a step back these past few months and try to get to know the Baltimore / Washington sporting area a little better. Attended many O's games, been to a couple Cap's games, survived a Skins game, and still waiting for my Baltimore Grand Prix tickets........Wow.
Lets talk about the Grand Prix for a moment. So I wanted to go, Greg wanted to go. Tickets never came. I could not even find it on TV, digging deeper they gave broadcasting rights to Vs. Really Vs.?!?! This would have been huge for local TV! But after months now I am not the only person who was let down. Vender's involved with the event still have not been paid, Baltimore City has still not been paid, and people who were promised comp tickets never got them (on top of still not being paid). What were the Baltimore Grand Prix organizers thinking?!?! When the big investor wanted to pull out so close to the event that should have been a red flag for all involved.
Culture of secrecy hid Grand Prix's failure
NFL Post season is upon us! As the title reads above. December 11th Greg and myself visited FedEx Field for the Redskins vs. Patriots. What a game for us New England born boys! FedEx Field is a nice field if you can afford close seats.....
But the view from our seats did not have such a nice view of the field, we did in fact have a good view of the one EndZone!
The food and drinks were way over priced, and the stadium just looked like a rush job that was slapped together as cheaply as possible. Take a look at Camden Yards, or M&T Bank Stadium and the quality of building / venue is like night & day. Camden Yards reminds me so much of Fenway Park. After the game Greg and I just happened to come across the player buses! Right away we saw some New England players. I am not good with faces outside of helmets when it comes to football and hockey. The first person I see is Ochocinco.
At the time I was not sure if it was him or not so I didn't ask for a picture. A few other guys walk out to meet with family and friends, and who do I see right next to me?!?! The Lawfirm BenJarvus Green-Ellis!
Needless to say if it was not for the mingle session with the Pats players it would have been a disappointing visit to FedEx Field. It really made our year and every one there was cool about it. Enjoy these NFL playoff games and watch for our upcoming PODcasts on iTunes!
Peace and happy New Year!
-Mike
XV6QB3WGCGQD
Lets talk about the Grand Prix for a moment. So I wanted to go, Greg wanted to go. Tickets never came. I could not even find it on TV, digging deeper they gave broadcasting rights to Vs. Really Vs.?!?! This would have been huge for local TV! But after months now I am not the only person who was let down. Vender's involved with the event still have not been paid, Baltimore City has still not been paid, and people who were promised comp tickets never got them (on top of still not being paid). What were the Baltimore Grand Prix organizers thinking?!?! When the big investor wanted to pull out so close to the event that should have been a red flag for all involved.
Culture of secrecy hid Grand Prix's failure
NFL Post season is upon us! As the title reads above. December 11th Greg and myself visited FedEx Field for the Redskins vs. Patriots. What a game for us New England born boys! FedEx Field is a nice field if you can afford close seats.....
But the view from our seats did not have such a nice view of the field, we did in fact have a good view of the one EndZone!
The food and drinks were way over priced, and the stadium just looked like a rush job that was slapped together as cheaply as possible. Take a look at Camden Yards, or M&T Bank Stadium and the quality of building / venue is like night & day. Camden Yards reminds me so much of Fenway Park. After the game Greg and I just happened to come across the player buses! Right away we saw some New England players. I am not good with faces outside of helmets when it comes to football and hockey. The first person I see is Ochocinco.
At the time I was not sure if it was him or not so I didn't ask for a picture. A few other guys walk out to meet with family and friends, and who do I see right next to me?!?! The Lawfirm BenJarvus Green-Ellis!
Needless to say if it was not for the mingle session with the Pats players it would have been a disappointing visit to FedEx Field. It really made our year and every one there was cool about it. Enjoy these NFL playoff games and watch for our upcoming PODcasts on iTunes!
Peace and happy New Year!
-Mike
XV6QB3WGCGQD
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
We have football!
Sup everyone?! Well, its the end of July and we finally have football back! Excited for the season and frenzy that is upon us with the free agency period here. Lots of quick action going on around the league.
Baseball seems to be how most thought it would be right now, with the exception perhaps of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Where did they come out of?! Glad to see them playing respectably though. The Orioles struggles continue through this season. One day its pitching, the next its hitting. They need to find consistency somewhere along the way. Just not consistently bad!
Headed up to Maine this weekend to visit my family, should be a good time. I'll try and get some pictures we can post up on here perhaps. We have alot to catch up on and hopefully that will happen in the first couple weeks of August!
Whats everyone been up to? Anyone been to any games lately? Cooking up any good food?
- Greg
Baseball seems to be how most thought it would be right now, with the exception perhaps of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Where did they come out of?! Glad to see them playing respectably though. The Orioles struggles continue through this season. One day its pitching, the next its hitting. They need to find consistency somewhere along the way. Just not consistently bad!
Headed up to Maine this weekend to visit my family, should be a good time. I'll try and get some pictures we can post up on here perhaps. We have alot to catch up on and hopefully that will happen in the first couple weeks of August!
Whats everyone been up to? Anyone been to any games lately? Cooking up any good food?
- Greg
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