The Poll Marylanders weigh in on sports*
Favorite major league baseball team:
Baltimore Orioles.....................49%
New York Yankees......................14%
Philadelphia Phillies..................5%
Favorite NFL team:
Washington Redskins...................27%
Baltimore Ravens......................25%
Dallas Cowboys.........................6%
Favorite NBA team:
Washington Wizards....................21%
Los Angeles Lakers....................10%
No favorite...........................39%
Favorite NHL team:
Washington Capitals...................34%
Philadelphia Flyers....................3%
No favorite...........................44%
Favorite college team:
Maryland basketball...................26%
Maryland football.....................15%
Penn State football....................4%
Greatest athlete who lived in or played for a team in your state:
Cal Ripken Jr.........................31%
Johnny Unitas.........................30%
State's biggest rivalry:
Ravens-Redskins.......................18%
Redskins-Cowboys......................16%
Maryland-Duke.........................12%
Maryland-Johns Hopkins (lacrosse).....10%
Favorite announcer:
John Madden...........................16%
Chuck Thompson........................11%
John Miller............................9%
More a fan of college or pro sports?
Pro...................................60%
College...............................15%
Equal.................................25%
Favorite sports to watch on TV[1]
Football..............................82%
Winter Olympics.......................55%
Summer Olympics.......................51%
Baseball..............................47%
Basketball............................46%
ENEMY OF THE STATE
Bob Irsay.............................16%
Peter Angelos.........................15%
George Steinbrenner...................12%
The late owner who moved the Colts to Indianapolis in 1984 barely
beat the owner who has presided over the Orioles' recent decline.
As their most hated opponent, Marylanders chose the Dallas
Cowboys (27%), New York Yankees (22%) and Duke (17%).
*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 401 Maryland
residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of
error +/-4.9%.
[1]Multiple responses allowed.
WHO & WHERE
1 Hagerstown Suns
The Class A affiliate of the Giants recently gave away a free
funeral as a fan promotion.
2 Howard County
The athletic-minded county (slogan: Get up, get out and get
active) is the SI Sportstown for having Maryland's best community
sports programs.
3 Cal Sr.'s Yard
When completed in 2005, the Aberdeen complex, created by Cal
Ripken Jr. and his family to honor his dad, will be the nation's
finest youth-baseball facility and include a 3,500-seat version
of Camden Yards.
4 Brian Jordan
The Dodgers outfielder and former NFL defensive back was a
three-sport star at Milford Mill High in Baltimore.
5 Sam Cassell
The Timberwolves guard, an alum of Baltimore's Dunbar High, won
NBA titles with Houston in 1994 and '95.
6 Pam Shriver
The Baltimore native won 22 Grand Slam doubles titles and the
1988 Olympic doubles gold medal.
7 Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Opened in 1992, the throwback stadium has inspired a slew of
cities to erect baseball-only facilities to revive downtrodden
areas. The Orioles have averaged 3.3 million fans, up from 2.5
million in their final season at Memorial Stadium.
8 Michael Phelps
The 18-year-old Baltimorean holds three world swimming records
and has a shot at six gold medals at the 2004 Games.
HOT SPOT
9 Pimlico Race Course
The 133-year-old Baltimore track is the nation's second oldest
(after New York's Saratoga) and has hosted the Preakness--the
second jewel of the Triple Crown--since 1873.
10 Juan Dixon
In 2002 the guard from Baltimore led Maryland to its first NCAA
basketball title; he now plays for the Wizards.
11 Antonio Freeman
The former Packer and Eagle from Polytechnic High in Baltimore
led the NFL in receiving yards in 1998.
12 Jousting Championship
The official sport of Maryland has crowned its last three state
champs in Tuckahoe State Park near Ridgely; riders use their
lances to spear small, dangling rings, not opponents.
13 Denny Neagle
The Rockies lefthander and two-time National League All-Star grew
up in Gambrills.
14 DeMatha Catholic High School
Under basketball coach Morgan Wootten (1,274 wins from 1956
through 2002), the Hyattsville school won five mythical national
titles and produced a dozen NBA players, including Adrian
Dantley, Danny Ferry and Joe Forte.
15 Shawn Springs
The Silver Spring native, drafted No. 3 overall in 1997, has 19
picks in six seasons with the Seahawks.
16 Steve Francis
The Rockets' All-Star point guard and former Maryland star never
started as a high schooler in Silver Spring.
GREATEST MOMENT
What event could top The Greatest Game Ever Played? The Colts'
thrilling 23-17 overtime victory over the New York Giants in the
1958 NFL Championship Game, in Yankee Stadium, gave Baltimore its
first league title, made a hero of 25-year-old quarterback Johnny
Unitas and launched pro football on its rise to the pinnacle of
American sports.
NUMBERS
21
Duckpin bowling alleys in Baltimore, where the sport was invented
in the 1890s; Maryland had 106 alleys during duckpin's heyday in
the mid-1960s.
31-0
Record of the 1982-83 Dunbar High basketball team in Baltimore,
for which Muggsy Bogues and Reggie Williams started and Reggie
Lewis was a backup.
300
Members of the Baltimore Marching Ravens, the largest band for an
NFL team.
10,000
Cubic yards of broken-up concrete from Baltimore's razed Memorial
Stadium that were used last year to build an oyster reef in
Chesapeake Bay.
ALLTIME BEST
For Maryland's top 50 homegrown sports figures, go to SI.com/50
Babe Ruth, Baseball player
The Baltimore-born Bambino changed the game. Before Ruth, the
season record for home runs was 27; he hit 60 in 1927 and 714 in
his career with the Yankees, Red Sox and Braves. As a pitcher he
was 94-46 with a 2.28 ERA.
Cal Ripken Jr., Baseball player
A testament to perseverance, he played in a record 2,632
consecutive games from 1982 to '98 for the Orioles. The 6'4"
shortstop from Aberdeen also revolutionized his position, hitting
431 homers.
Lefty Grove, Baseball player
Maybe the greatest lefthanded pitcher ever, Grove was the ace of
the pennant-winning Philadelphia Athletics from 1929 to '31. Born
in Lonaconing, Grove won a record nine AL ERA titles and finished
with a career record of 300-141.
Jimmie Foxx, Baseball player
One of the great power hitters after Ruth, he hit 500 homers by
age 33, including 58 for the Philadelphia A's in 1932. The
Sudlersville native won the Triple Crown in '33. His drinking
finally caught up with him; he retired with 534 home runs.
Al Kaline, Baseball player
The rightfielder from Baltimore was a model of consistency for
the Tigers for 22 seasons. In 1955, at age 20, he hit .340,
becoming the youngest AL batting champion. He also had a superb
throwing arm and won 10 Gold Gloves.
Sugar Ray Leonard, Boxer
The charismatic Leonard (36-3-1) was one of the best boxers of
the modern era. The Palmer Park pugilist won gold at the 1976
Olympics and later earned world titles in five divisions, from
welterweight to super middleweight.
To see a gallery of every Orioles, Ravens, Colts and Bullets
cover, view Cal Ripken Jr. photos from the SI archives or vote
for Maryland's favorite sporting event, go to
si.com/magazine/features/si50/states/maryland.
COLOR CHART Enthuse-o-meter On a scale of 1 to 100, how would you rate your state's enthusiasm for sports, relative to other states'? COLD ---- 74.6 -- HOT Rank: 6th of first 7 states polled
COLOR PHOTO: THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR-THE INDIANAPOLIS NEWS/AP (IRSAY)
COLOR MAP: MAP ILLUSTRATION BY JOE ZEFF BALTIMORE
COLOR PHOTO: DAVID SNYDER/WIREIMAGE/ICON SMI (PREAKNESS) Start of the 2003 Preakness
B/W PHOTO: AP (AMECHE SCORING) ALAN AMECHE'S GAME-WINNING TD EARNED HIM A RIDE OFF THE FIELD AND THE COLTS THE '58 NFL TITLE.
B/W PHOTO: HY PESKIN (INSET) [See caption above]
B/W PHOTO: WILLIAM C. GREENE/TSN/ICON SMI (RUTH)
COLOR PHOTO: WALTER IOOSS JR. (RIPKEN)
B/W PHOTO: AP (GROVE)
B/W PHOTO: AP (FOXX)
B/W PHOTO: LEE BALTERMAN (KALINE)
COLOR PHOTO: JOHN IACONO (LEONARD)
COLOR PHOTO: CHUCK SOLOMON (MARTIN).
MEMORABLE QUOTE
"Baltimore's such a lousy town, Francis Scott Key went out in a
boat to write The Star-Spangled Banner."
--BILLY MARTIN, NEW YORK YANKEES MANAGER (AND BERKELEY, CALIF.,
NATIVE), 1978