I'd Be Pissed Too: Why Baltimore Hates Our Colts

(March 29, 1984. Mayflower trucks move Colts from Baltimore to Indy by cover of night. AP photo)

Remember two years ago when the Colts were negotiating with the city of Indianapolis for a new contract/stadium? Imagine if they couldn't reach an agreement. Preted Jim Irsay told us that he was doing everything he could to come to terms and that we need not worry. The Colts weren't going anywhere (he probably actually said something similar).

Then imagine how you would feel if you woke up the next morning to find that he had moved Peyton, Marvin, Dwight, Edge and the entire team to L.A.? I belong to one of the first generations who have grown up watching the Indianapolis Colts. I have a lot of great memories and a bit of personal pride invested in this team. Had that scenario happened, I would have been pissed.

If you haven't read any of the plethora of articles coming from Baltimore that relate to their current grudge against Irsay and our city, I recommend you read up a bit. I can definitely understand how they could be so upset. At first, I thought, "Get over it." But here's the big thing that changed my mind.

It isn't so much that their team got moved, that's bad enough. And it's not that it was done in secrecy and Irsay lied or anything, although that sucks too. The worst thing about it is that we kept the horseshoe and the name. Look at other teams that moved. When Cleveland moved to Baltimore, Baltimore changed the name to "Ravens," and now Cleveland gets to keep da "Browns." They get all the history that comes with it. When the Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee, Tennessee made it their own. When the L.A. Rams moved to St. Louis...okay bad example. But you get my point.

It's also interesting when reading about Bob Irsay and the way he ran the team. The guy was nuts. Here's a few quotes that I dug up from a 1986 Sports Illustrated article on Robert Irsay.

"He lied and he cheated and he was rude and he was crude and he was Bob Irsay. He doesn't have any morals. It's a sad state for the NFL to be associated with him, but beyond that I've removed him from my mind." -Colts quarterback Bert Jones

"I don't know how else to say this, but my brother tried to run my father out of business. Bob actually worked to try to destroy his own father. Oh, he's a real sweetheart, all right." -Ronald Irsay (Bob's brother)

"He isn't dumb. He has the innate intelligence of the peasant, but he is a churl. To borrow a phrase from Oscar Wilde, 'He knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.' That's Bob Irsay." -Friend of 20 years

The best quotes of all come from his own mother:

"He stole all our money and said goodbye. He don't care for me."
"He was a bad boy. I don't want to talk about him."
"He's a devil on earth, that one." -Elaine Irsay

read full article here

I'm glad we have the Colts, but I definitely feel sorry for those Baltimore fans who got shafted back in '84. You can read a few articles below to better understand how they feel. As bad as I feel for them, I sure hope their Ravens get smashed tomorrow.

Colts owner faces relentless grudge
Dear Ravens,
Some people need lesson in history of real Colts
Barry Levinson's Colts feelings run deep