By Mickey Kinsley - The city is alive tonight in Baltimore. After the Ravens got it done on the field, the loyal Ravens fans hit the street once again! Celebrating to the fullest. South Baltimore was flooded with purple pride. Celebrations from Canton, Fells Point and Federal hill were in full effect. Beer was flowing, pets were covered in purple paint, and drunken girls were flashing. The vibe in the city was 100% better than last week’s last minute win against the Broncos. Sealing up a trip to New Orleans, yet again had every one in a tizzy. The atmosphere is, was electric and things are only looking up. Many Raven fans are...

By Bart Morningstar- Lance Armstrong finally confessed to all his shenanigans, to Oprah of course because she’s a huge sports nut journalist person on TV. ESPN has posted some excerpts- “highlights,” they call them- to which I’ve added some of my own commentary for the proverbial shits and giggles because, well, I can’t really give you literal shits and giggles via the internet.  Oprah: Did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance? Armstrong: Yes. Oprah: Was one of those banned substances EPO? (It’s abundantly clear someone else prepped Oprah for this.) Armstrong: Yes. Oprah:...

By Quint “The Beard” McQuade - The Ravens’ miraculous win over the Broncos Saturday night brought out the best in the Baltimore fan base. Immediately following the double overtime win, fans fled the popular bars to gather on South Charles Street, which is the hotbed of entertainment in the small southern Baltimore neighborhood of Federal Hill. Fans chanted, cheered and peacefully reveled outside of the dozen or so bars that line the Charles Street and Cross Street intersection. Police were quickly on the scene to keep the crowd under control. No arrests were made, and no destruction of property was reported. But titties...

By Bobby Parlay – Every now and then, 5 Feet Nothin likes to lean on our good friends for some sage advice. And who better than Vegas legend, Bobby Parlay? Mr. Parlay has seen it all in a town that has it all. He’s been around, and back, and around again. Any questions on the Vegas lines? Bobby’s your man. Sometimes his message is tough to decipher, but when you get through the weeds, in the end Bobby rarely disappoints. 5FN is fortunate to have his exclusive services all year long, so if you’ve got a question or comment, feel free to drop Bobby a line. “For christ’s sake,” you know he’s got the time. Do you believe it,...

By Jay Matthews- It’s Purple Friday in Baltimore again. If Vegas and virtually every analyst who pays any attention to the NFL is right, it will be the last one until early September 2013. But there’s a reason they play the games (“You play…to win…the game,” a former coach of the Jets might say), and once 4:30 pm Saturday strikes, it won’t matter a lick what anyone has said or even what either of the teams has done up until then. But in order to form an opinion or prediction on the outcome of Saturday’s rematch, or at least an informed one, it helps to take a look back at what the teams have...

by Quint “The Beard” McQuade- Winter brings Christmas, the New Year and premium seasonal beer. I, for one, look forward to cold weather, and colder beer. Rich, dark, special beers that taste better when the weather is colder. The holiday season is over and, typically, beer drinking subsides as resolutions take place, work ramps up for the new year, and life gets back to normal. But those who have a taste for the barley and hops know there is no offseason when it comes to beer. The calendar of joyous occasions, weather changes, tidal shifts; they all call for more beer. New Year’s and Christmas, as mentioned, are primetime...

By Jay Matthews- If you watched last night’s BCS Championship, you saw only one interesting thing all night: AJ McCarron’s girlfriend, Miss Alabama, Katherine Webb. (Two things, if you count Brent Mussberger’s awesome fanboy reaction to seeing her in the flesh, which was so genuine and pantsfelt that ESPN found it necessary to apologize for him.)  If you stayed awake during Alabama’s shellacking of Notre Dame to see if Nick Saban’s head would swell and explode after winning yet another BCS Championship, you were ultimately disappointed. But you likely were rewarded with THIS gem from after the game. You can...

By Bart Morningstar- Got balls? Here’s the stuff you should know before heading into the NFL’s wildcard weekend.    Ray Lewis is lined up to become one of ESPN’s newest on-air personalities, likely in a Chris Carter/Keyshawn Johnson capacity, next season. The job would fit Ray’s needs perfectly: feed the passion he has for the game, fit his schedule so he can watch his son play at The U in the fall and, not least, pay some bills.  Speaking of Ray-Ray, Jadeveon Clowney’s hit from this past week was Lewis-esque. The only thing that ruins the clip is having to hear Jon Gruden talk about the...

By Andy Hudson – Today, Ray Lewis announced that he will retire from the NFL- from the Baltimore Ravens- at the end of this season. For Ray and the Ravens, let’s hope that retirement press conference doesn’t happen until sometime in February. Ray Lewis molded a team who before his arrival were simply, the Baltimore Browns, Cleveland’s defectors. Cleveland didn’t want them anymore, and we weren’t really too sure whether we wanted them to fill the void left by the Colts. Ray Lewis, with a little tip of the cap from Johnny U, slowly won over the hearts of Baltimore’s strong football community. Over...