At 02:45 PM 11/2/2002 -0600 Julia Thompson wrote:
>Well, there are two ways you can go with the Indianapolis vs. Baltimore
>thing:
>
>1) Once Cleveland got a new Browns team, the Ravens were a natural
>rival. So the thing to do is put Baltimore in the same division as the
>Browns.
>
>2) Or you could go with geography; it makes a *lot* more sense under
>those terms to put Indianapolis with the North, rather than the South,
>and Baltimore with the South, rather than the North.
>
>I think that in many ways, 2) makes a lot more sense. I was practically
>choking on Indianapolis being in a South division, myself, until I
>analyzed the situation with who was in AFC North, and what rivalries
>might want preserving.
You actually missed it. Despite Maryland's reputation as being something
of a "Southern State", it isn't particularly more "southerly" than
Baltimore. In fact, Indianapolis is a better geogrpahic rival for
Nashville than Baltimore is.
The reason I projected Indianapolis to the North division, however, is that
Art Modell is one of the oldest and most-respected NFL Owners, and given
the pure vitriol flowing towards him in Cleveland, I figured that he would
want to ahve to return to Cleveland as little as possible. I definitely
did not anticipate the NFL to actually revel in the developing
Cleveland-Baltimore rivalry that the whole Browns-moving debacle produced.
I figured that they would actually want to bury the situation. As it is,
Baltimore and Pittsburgh are natural I-70 rivals, Baltimore and Cleveland
are "realignment rivals", and the deal that permitted the Browns to move to
Baltimore requires that the NFL keep Cleveland in the same division as
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. So, that's how it all happened.
>But, given that you predicted everything *but* that as soon as the
>announcement was made, I'm impressed.
Thanks. :)
JDG
_______________________________________________________
John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
People everywhere want to say what they think; choose who will govern
them; worship as they please; educate their children -- male and female;
own property; and enjoy the benefits of their labor. These values of
freedom are right and true for every person, in every society -- and the
duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common
calling of freedom-loving people across the globe and across the ages.
-US National Security Policy, 2002
_______________________________________________
http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
