What happens when 200,000 people decide to play hooky and attend the Baltimore Ravens Victory Parade and Celebration?
Well, for one thing: In a city with a population of 600K, the unemployment rate rises significantly.
The national guard is called out.
Traffic is blocked
Security Breaches Occur
People do crazy things
And division rival fans come out to enjoy the festivities – and - apply a little perspective.
As much as I despise the Steelers, this last one is my favorite.
Gardiners Furniture, of Baltimore, offered customers free furniture if the Raven returned either opening half kickoff for a TD.
If such a kick return happened, all furniture bought between Jan. 31 and 3 p.m. on game day would be refunded for free.
Such a return had not happened in fifty years, so they thought it was a pretty safe promotion.
And then Jones opened the second half with a 108-yard kick return.
No Worries:
Just after the history return, the store posted on its Facebook page: “That was amazing! Furniture is FREE! If you made a purchase this weekend, it’s your lucky day. Go Ravens!”
Even though the odds were in their favor, the store management took out on insurance policy to cover – just in case.
If you believe the bookies, the Green Bay Packers will win the Super Bowl.
Of course they ALL picked the Giants to win last year before the season started. 
NOT!
That is why they play the game! Nobody knows. And if you are the gambling type of fan, you can put your money where your mouth is and try and win some big money.
I bet more than one Giants fan did last year. BTW, the bookies have them at 18:1 this year. So go for it. They are not going to repeat!
If you where the betting type, which team do you think is the surest bet?
Which team is the best risk/reward ?
Personally, I think the Bears, Falcons and the Lions are most interesting bets at 24:1
So are the 49ers and Texans at 12:1
Sorry, I just can’t route for any other NFC East team other than the Redskins.
They are 65:1 to win it all.
| TEAM | ODDS |
| Green Bay Packers | 5.3 |
| New England Patriots | 6.2 |
| Houston Texans | 12.5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 12.5 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12.5 |
| New Orleans Saints | 16.5 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 17.5 |
| New York Giants | 18 |
| Denver Broncos | 21 |
| San Diego Chargers | 22.5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 23.5 |
| Chicago Bears | 24.5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 24.5 |
| Detroit Lions | 24.5 |
| New York Jets | 28.5 |
| Carolina Panthers | 41 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 41 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 45.5 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 62 |
| Buffalo Bills | 65.5 |
| Washington Redskins | 65.5 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 75.5 |
| Tennessee Titans | 85.5 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 95.5 |
| Saint Louis Rams | 100 |
| Oakland Raiders | 110 |
| Miami Dolphins | 125 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 150 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 180 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 210 |
| Cleveland Browns | 250 |
Whitney Houston sang a beautiful rendition of the Anthem at Super Bowl XXV. Which was coincidentally won by the Giants.
RIP Whitney.
I realize security at major, televised, sporting events such as the Super Bowl is a requirement. But what do you think? Is this necessary?
This seems to be the wave of the future to me. The Government and First Responder Organizations have increasingly taken a “take all precautions necessary” and “use all available resources” approach to public safety. Recently I have also seen reports of thousands of military drones coming back to the states because of the wars ending overseas. The military has already requested FAA cooperation regarding shared airspace for these drones. Most for training purposes, but I imagine it is only a matter of time before we see them scouting events such as this.
