OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens pride themselves on being built for December and January when the elements sour and teams must rely more heavily on their running game.

But they may not have anticipated rookie running back Bernard Pierce carrying such a substantial workload as the third-round pick from Temple starred in Sunday’s wild-card playoff win over the Indianapolis Colts. Pierce ran for 103 yards on 13 carries with 43 yards coming on one fourth-quarter run to set the Ravens up in the red zone before scoring their final touchdown.

According to Pro Football Focus, the rookie broke five tackles to average 3.77 yards after contact per attempt. In contrast, Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice gained 70 yards on 15 carries but broke only two tackles and gained 2.47 yards after contact per attempt.

However, the 22-year-old understudy remains grounded over his increasing role within the offense despite leading the Ravens in rushing in each of the last three games.

“Maybe two games — Ray didn’t play [much against Cincinnati in Week 17],” Pierce said. “But it’s a definite confidence booster, because I just want to be able to keep getting better week in and week out, and I’ve proven that to myself and everybody else.”

In wins over the New York Giants in Week 16 and Indianapolis on Sunday, the Ravens have used the running game to wear down the opposing front seven, with Pierce playing a major role in doing so. In his last five games, Pierce has rushed for 388 yards on 62 attempts, which is good for just under 6.3 yards per carry.

Over that same stretch, Rice has gained 341 yards on 74 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt.

“We think we have two good guys that can play,” coach John Harbaugh said. “We like both of those guys in that situation. Bernard has earned the right to be in on those kind of situations. I like both of our backs a lot.”

While no one should question Rice’s standing in the offense, Pierce’s physical nature appears to be paying dividends against opposing fronts. Rice will continue to see plenty of touches both as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield, but Pierce has shown the type of vision and power to warrant a heavy workload through the remainder of the postseason.

And with the thin air and cold temperature of Denver playing major roles in Saturday’s divisional meeting with the Denver Broncos, the Ravens will likely use a similar plan to the one used against the Giants and Colts when Rice and Pierce shared carries more evenly.

“The fact that the altitude is probably going to be a factor as far as guys who are carrying the ball getting gassed, those two guys are going to take care of each other,” Harbaugh said. “That’s something we’ve been building on.”

Mile High state of mind

Traveling to Denver for the first time in the Harbaugh era, the Ravens have examined every possibility in order to offset the challenge of playing at such a high altitude.

Unlike a regular West Coast trip when teams typically leave a day earlier than a normal trip, the Ravens will depart for Denver the evening before the game. Some studies indicate the human body typically has a 24-hour period before diving into an adaptation mode, which includes a thickening of the blood. Adjusting to a higher altitude typically takes three weeks or more, so leaving a day earlier than normal wouldn’t figure to offer any notable benefit, especially when it’s a shorter week to begin with.

“We have a plan for that. We’re going to go out there the night before,” Harbaugh said. “We feel like that’s the best way to do to try to stay within a 24-hour window in the altitude. We’ve got some other advice for our guys in order to take care of their bodies out there and be ready to go.”

There are only so many measures teams can take, but optimum conditioning will play a major role in dealing with the thin air at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

“I think our team is in very good shape,” Harbaugh said. “I think we’re physically going to be able to handle it.”

Infirmary report

CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE >>>

I’m not sure if you have noticed, but not many people are giving the Ravens a chance this Saturday. Many have told me they are going to get crushed by the Broncos. But that, to me, is hard to believe.

Yes, I recognize the Broncos beat the Ravens pretty badly in week fifteen but the game was close until halftime. In case you missed it, Joe Flacco threw a ninety-plus yard pick-six that turned the tide of the game. If that did not happen, and the Ravens scored a touchdown, the Ravens might not have won the game, but it would have been much closer.

Through five seasons, I have never seen Flacco play as badly as he did against the Broncos. Despite that performance, Flacco did come back and play one of the best games of his career against the Giants.

If the Ravens want to win this game, Flacco is going to have to have a big game pertaining to short and intermediate throws. You can’t beat Peyton Manning by trying to score more points than him. That strategy rarely works and the Ravens have the personel to beat Manning.

The classic strategy to beat a legendary quarterback is to keep him off the field with long drives. That means Ray Rice (who will be motivated after the two funbles), Bernard Pierce, Dennis Pitta, and Ed Dickson are going to have big time games. Rice is a superstar, we know that and Pierce has developed into a very good backup (Pierce could be starting on several NFL teams). Pitta and Dickson are crucial because they mostly contribute to the short and intermediate throws.

In week fifteen, Pitta had a big game. Catching seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

The offensive line should help Flacco in this game. They did give up three sacks in week fifteen but the Ravens have made changes to the offensive line that many have been calling for. With Bryant McKinnie moving to left tackle, Oher to right tackle, and Osemele to left guard, the offensive line looked good against the Colts.

With the amount of time the Ravens defense was on the field against the Colts, many are saying that is a disadvantage going into this week’s game against Denver’s no huddle offense. Being the optimist that I am, I think this has a positive effect for the Ravens as well. With all the injuries this defense has suffered, younger players have been forced to step in and play larger roles. Players like Chyke Brown, Albert McClellan, Courtney UpShaw, Corey Graham, and others all gained valuable experience against the Colts that will be helpful come kickoff on Saturday.

While I am not picking the Ravens to win this game, it will be much closer than many are predicting. This game could come down to a field goal and if it does, the advantage would have to go to Matt Prater.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The truth is I don’t know if Ray Lewis is the greatest middle linebacker to ever play the game.

Watching the best player in the history of the Baltimore Ravens over these last 17 years is an alarming contrast to the unofficial numbers, grainy images, and slow-motion video clips of yesteryear, my only exposure to seeing some of the NFL’s greatest at the position who played in a different era of professional football.

Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, and Sam Huff were all retired a decade or more before I was born.

I was still in diapers when Jack Lambert’s career was cut short by a debilitating toe injury.

I don’t vividly recall the prime years of Mike Singletary roaming the middle of the vaunted Chicago Bears defense in the 1980s.

But I will never forget Lewis punishing running backs, showing impeccable sideline-to-sideline pursuit, and displaying the cover skills of a safety in his prime years. The bone-crushing hits over the middle will be shown on NFL Films in the many years to come.

The assessments of where Lewis stacks up with those other individuals will be made by others, but 13 Pro Bowls, 10 All-Pro selections, and two AP Defensive Player of the Year awards are more than enough to seal Lewis’ first-ballot arrival in Canton in the summer of 2018. His leadership and work ethic are unquestioned for anyone having the privilege to play with the 37-year-old over the course of his career.

Selected with the 26th overall pick of the 1996 draft, Lewis has been a member of the Ravens organization for every game of its existence in Baltimore. He taught us to “raise the roof” at Memorial Stadium, to “let the dogs out” in 2000, and to get “hot in here” when walking out of the tunnel at M&T Bank Stadium for the last decade. The fan base stood by him as he was tried for double murder following Super Bowl XXXIV and watched him rehabilitate his image after charges were eventually dropped and he pled guilty to obstruction of justice. To his credit, there hasn’t even been a whisper of off-field trouble for the linebacker ever since.

And the ultimate glory was realized as Lewis was named Most Valuable Player in the Ravens’ 34-7 win over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. The performance capped off an incredible postseason run that included an interception wrestled away from Tennessee running back Eddie George in a divisional round win over the Titans that might be the signature moment of the linebacker’s career.

The end of his run has been pondered for years, but it was a reality no one was quite ready for as Lewis made his announcement just over 11 weeks removed from a torn triceps that threatened to end his season. And the news made his improbable comeback and a wild-card meeting with the Indianapolis Colts fall to the background immediately.

“Everything that starts has an end. It’s just life,” Lewis said on Wednesday. “Today I told my team that this would be my last ride. And I told them I was just at so much peace in where I am with my decision because of everything that I’ve done in this league.”

What a ride it’s been for the last 17 years in Baltimore.

Simply put, Ray Lewis is the Baltimore Ravens and the Baltimore Ravens are Ray Lewis. That will begin to change with the Hall of Fame linebacker walking away from the game after this season, but it’s the simplest way to express his significance to this franchise and to this city.

Nowadays, we’re so quick to label players as “great” and even “legendary” without realizing how special such terms truly are, but Lewis is deserving of those distinctions. Where he ranks in the hierarchy of the NFL’s top defensive players of all time is debatable, but you won’t find a player who impacted a city and a fan base in quite the same way as Lewis.

And that’s where the line blurs for me as a reporter and native Baltimorean at the age of 29.

Being part of a generation that grew up without football in our formative years, we settled for second-hand stories of Johnny Unitas and Lenny Moore and Art Donovan from our parents and grandparents. It was a heritage we cherished, mind you, but we could never fully understand it as our own while enduring quiet autumn Sundays and seeing Memorial Stadium dormant at the end of each baseball season.

But the Ravens’ arrival — and Lewis specifically — provided our own stories to one day pass along to our children and grandchildren. It wasn’t the same as the Baltimore Colts, but it didn’t need to be. It was new and it was ours, with No. 52 leading the way as the best player on Baltimore’s NFL team. He provided a football identity to a town stripped of one for 13 years.

We were no longer chasing what felt like ghosts of the Memorial Stadium gridiron but instead could watch Lewis chase down ball carriers with our own eyes. More than anything, he gave us an overwhelming sense of pride.

CONTINUE ON NEXT PAGE >>>

If the Ravens want to win the Super Bowl, these six players will have to step up big time.

Joe Flacco
Did you expect anyone else to be at the top of this list? Flacco wants a long term deal and thinks he is an elite quarterback. He has all the potential in the world but has not put it together yet. After all the injuries on defense this team has suffered, the passing of Art Model, and the knowledge of Ray Lewis’s retirement, Joe Flacco has a tremendous opportunity infront of him to become a leader on this team and earn a big contract.

Ray Lewis
Call me crazy, but the triceps injury Lewis suffered against the Cowboys might be a blessing in disguise. Lewis has lost a step but he is still playing well. His decline was more evident as the season went on so a break might be a good thing. He will have fresh legs and will be extremely motivated.

Ed Reed
Reed, like Lewis has lost a step but Reed has a way of making big time plays in big time games. He has had a lot of success against Tom Brady and Peyton Manning who he might face later in the playoffs. I have a feeling that Reed is going to intercept Luck multiple times this Sunday.

Ray Rice
Ray Rice will be running very hard for Ray Lewis. The two are very close and Rice will be motivated to play well for Ray. Rice is one of the best all purpose backs in the NFL and at times, can be unstoppable.

Michael Oher/Kelechi Osemele
They will face a tough test against Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney but Oher and Osemele have performed at a high level at times throughout the season. Expect to see a game plan much like the game against the Giants; a lot of quick passes to set up longer passes to Torrey Smith.

Jimmy Smith
The Raves have suffered a myriad of injuries in the defensive side of the ball. Smith, a former first round pick has the potential to become a shut down cornerback but injuries have hampered his development. When Smith was healthy at the end of last season, he played very well, especially against Andre Johnson in the playoffs. He has played on special teams for the last few games and has seen limited playing time not because of his performance but because the Ravens might be trying to get him back slowly. Smith’s addition to this list may be surprising but if he plays, he must play at a high level.

Honorable mention: Tandon Doss
What? Tandon Doss? Doss could be a player that breaks out in some way to give this team that extra piece. Over the past few weeks, Doss has seen more playing time and while he has not made much of an impact on offense, the Ravens love his potential. Doss has great hands and his strength has the ability to be a great slot receiver. Watch out for Doss, his addition to this list is pretty bold but Doss can make an impact.

Following every Baltimore Ravens game this season, Ryan Chell and I will take to the airwaves Tuesdays on “The Reality Check” on AM1570 WNST.net with a segment known as “The Five Plays That Determined The Game.”

It’s a simple concept. We’ll select five plays from each game that determined the outcome. These five plays will best represent why the Ravens won or lost each game.

This will be our final analysis of the previous game before switching gears towards the next game on the schedule.

Here are the five plays that determined the Ravens’ 23-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium…

(Note: not all pictures are always of actual play)

Glenn Clark’s Plays…

5. Kevin Huber 51 yard punt downed by Jeromy Miles at Ravens’ 3 yard line (3rd quarter)

4. Ray Rice 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Joe Flacco incompletion intended for Dennis Pitta pushes Ravens back to Bengals 47 on 4th down (1st quarter)

3. Justin Tucker misses 45 yard field goal wide left (3rd quarter)

2. Michael Johnson sacks Tyrod Taylor at Ravens’ 1 yard line on 3rd down (2nd quarter)

1. Carlos Dunlap returns Tyrod Taylor interception intended for Ed Dickson 14 yards for touchdown (4th quarter)

(Ryan’s Plays on Page 2…)

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Ravens have played their cards close to the vest when it comes to their plans for veteran linebacker Ray Lewis and his improbable comeback.

If Monday was any indication, we should expect much of the same this week as they turn their sights toward a wild-card meeting with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Lewis began practicing on Dec. 5 and was moved from injured reserve to the 53-man roster last week but hasn’t played in a game since tearing his right triceps on Oct. 14.

Asked what it would take for Lewis to finally return to game action this Sunday, Harbaugh offered no indication whether he expected the 37-year-old to play against Indianapolis. However, it’s difficult to envision the 17th-year linebacker not giving it a go with Sunday potentially being his last game in Baltimore.

“It will take me not putting his name on a piece of paper for the [inactives], and you will find out an hour-and-a-half before the game whether or not that takes place,” Harbaugh said. “It’s all going to be a game-time decision as far as anybody knows. That’s where we’re at. This is the playoffs.”

The Ravens have been more tight-lipped than usual in recent weeks regarding their slew of injuries, and it will only get worse as Harbaugh tries to keep their plans under wraps.

Sixteen players were listed on last week’s injury report and six starters were ruled inactive for the final regular-season game.

“We’re not talking about injuries, we’re not talking about activations,” Harbaugh said. “We really don’t care what you or anybody else thinks about that — as much as we love you — and we’re getting ready to play a football game.

Critics question whether Harbaugh’s tactics — which are, in fairness, becoming more common across the league — really provide any tangible advantage over opponents, but the Baltimore coach was unconcerned with anyone questioning him on Monday.

“I don’t think it really matters,” said Harbaugh when asked if the team truly benefited from hiding injury information. “I think that’s what we’re doing.”

No more shenanigans

Asked to revisit a pair of frustration penalties committed against Bengals rookie linebacker Vontaze Burfict, Harbaugh offered an understanding tact but a matter-of-fact stance in responding to fouls committed by running back Ray Rice and guard Bobbie Williams.

The Ravens committed 10 for 102 yards in Week 17 and finished 31st in the league with 111 penalties this season.

“We don’t need any of that. We don’t need any penalties,” Harbaugh said. “We certainly don’t need any post-snap shenanigans. I don’t care what they do. I don’t care what they say. We don’t need a flag thrown. [We need to] be smart enough to make sure the flag is thrown on the other guy. It’s just that simple.”

In the first quarter, Rice was flagged for unnecessary roughness after pushing Burfict to the ground following a chop block and said after the game the rookie linebacker talked trash throughout the day.

“Ray was trying to finish a block. I thought it was more of an aggressive foul than anything else,” Harbaugh said. “I would counsel him not to do that in the future, but he felt like the play was still on. He didn’t know the play was over; he thought he was getting up to go rush the passer. Not that we excuse that. We don’t want any personal foul penalties.”

Williams’ infraction occurred in the second quarter when he retaliated after Burfict kicked him, according to the veteran offensive lineman. It was an uncharacteristic moment for the 36-year-old, who is regarded as one of the nicest guys in the Baltimore locker room.

“There wasn’t much there, but there was enough to be called, obviously, because it was called,” Harbaugh said. “We counseled him not to get involved in any of that.”

Black Monday

With seven head coaches receiving their walking papers on what’s become the annual “Black Monday” around the NFL, Harbaugh saw his good friend and mentor Andy Reid join the list of dismissed after 14 seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Harbaugh and Reid spent nine years together as the former served as the Eagles’ special teams coordinator for eight seasons and secondary coach in 2007 before being hired to become the third head coach in the history of the Ravens on Jan. 18, 2008.

Joining Reid on the unemployment line were Chicago’s Lovie Smith, San Diego’s Norv Turner, Arizona’s Ken Whisenhunt, Cleveland’s Pat Shurmur, Kansas City’s Romeo Crennel, and Buffalo’s Chan Gailey.

“The toughest thing is on the families,” Harbaugh said. “As coaches, we all understand the nature of the business. Players, too, understand the nature of it. That’s part of the challenge, but it’s hard on families. It’s hard on kids who have to change schools, pick up and move and start in other cities and things like that. That’s what you feel for the most, and that’s kind of where your prayers go out towards.”

Of the seven coaches fired on the day after the conclusion of the 2012 regular season, three were hired — and have now been dismissed already — after Harbaugh took the Baltimore coaching job.

DeCosta staying put

In what should come as no surprise, teams have already contacted the Ravens with requests to interview assistant general manager Eric DeCosta regarding potential openings.

However, the longtime Ravens executive isn’t going anywhere. DeCosta was awarded a long-term, high-priced contract last year and is the heir apparent to general manager Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore. The Ravens reaffirmed that reality once again on Monday.

“I love being a part of the Ravens and plan to stay here and help them win championships,” DeCosta said in an official statement released by the Ravens. “I have no intentions of leaving this team.”

After expressing the intention to play to win the game all week, coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens do appear to be taking a halfhearted approach to doing so in the regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Ravens will rest defensive starters Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Bernard Pollard, and Ray Lewis as well as offensive starters Anquan Boldin and Marshal Yanda against the Bengals. Despite an initial report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that running back Ray Rice would not play in Week 17, the Pro Bowl running back is active and is expected to play sparingly. Rookie Bernard Pierce will receive extensive work against the Bengals’ eighth-ranked run defense.

Ngata and Yanda did not practice all week, making the decision to deactivate those two hardly surprising as they rest injuries.

Harbaugh had already announced that Lewis would not play in the regular-season finale as he was placed back on the 53-man roster earlier this week. He also provided the caveat of wanting his team to be as healthy as possible for the playoffs and it’s worth nothing that each of the six inactive starters was dealing with an injury concern that would benefit from rest.

Reports from Cincinnati also said backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor received extensive work during pre-game warmups, which is a strong indication that he’ll see time against the Bengals. Regardless of the Ravens’ plans, quarterback Joe Flacco figured to be active since Baltimore only has two quarterbacks on its 53-man roster.

Meanwhile, the Bengals have only listed one starter as inactive as cornerback Terence Newman will sit out with a groin injury.

Baltimore leads the all-time regular-season series with a 19-14 edge and has won the last four meetings between the teams. The Ravens are 7-9 in Cincinnati but won 24-16 at Paul Brown Stadium in Week 17 last season to clinch the 2011 AFC North title.

The referee for Sunday’s game will be Ron Winter.

The Ravens will wear their white jerseys and white pants in the regular-season finale while Cincinnati is wearing black jerseys and white pants.

Here are Sunday’s inactives …

BALTIMORE
LB Ray Lewis
LB Terrell Suggs
DT Haloti Ngata
WR Anquan Boldin
G Marshal Yanda
S Bernard Pollard
WR Tandon Doss

CINCINNATI
CB Jason Allen
CB Terence Newman
TE Richard Quinn
WR Dane Sanzenbacher
S George Iloka
DT Brandon Thompson
DT Devon Still

After saying all week they would play to win against the Bengals, it now appears the Ravens will treat the regular-season finale more like a preseason game after all.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Pro Bowl running back Ray Rice is not expected to play much as the Ravens will rest their best offensive player for the postseason with the AFC North division title already wrapped up by way of their 33-14 win over the New York Giants last week. Rookie Bernard Pierce would receive the bulk of the carries in Rice’s place.

It remains to be seen which other players the Ravens will rest, but right guard Marshal Yanda and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata did not practice all week as they appeared to be the likeliest candidates to sit until the playoffs.

Game-day inactives will be released at 11:30 a.m. as we’ll learn more about the status of other starting players then.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Many have questioned how effectively he’s been used over the course of the 2012 season, but running back Ray Rice was recognized once again as the Ravens’ best player after being voted team MVP by the local media on Friday.

Rice won the award for the third time in the last four seasons as he accumulated his fourth straight 1,000 yard rushing season. The 25-year-old has run for 1,138 yards — 11th in the NFL — on 254 carries, which projects to be his lowest number of rushing attempts since the 2009 season. He ranks sixth in the league in yards from scrimmage with an average of 107.7 per game.

“Football being such a team sport, it really is a special honor,” Rice said. “Obviously, I look forward to going out there every Sunday — maybe it’s Monday or Thursday — and give it my best.”

In addition to his success as a rusher, Rice has caught 61 passes for 478 yards and a touchdown reception out of the backfield this season.

The fifth-year running back was elected to his third Pro Bowl earlier this week after receiving a new five-year, $40 million contract that included $24 million guaranteed over the summer.

Always a professional, Rice has taken the high road when many would have questioned their workload at times over the last couple seasons and always credits teammates for the successes he’s enjoyed throughout his professional career.

“I give all the credit to my teammates – offensive line, Vonta [Leach], Joe [Flacco] — for everybody being able to push through this season,” Rice said. “[The season is] still going for us. I’m going to make the season a special one, but I’ll take this one. With all the other accolades, I can put them up right now and focus on this week.”

A. Jones wins Good Guy award

In addition to awarding Rice the team MVP, the local media tabbed defensive lineman Arthur Jones as the annual Good Guy winner, which is given to the player considered to be most cooperative with reporters during the season.

Always willing to provide a sound byte or quote about an array of topics, Jones began receiving more media attention with an increased workload this season. The third-year defensive end has collected 4 1/2 sacks and 42 tackles this season.

“I appreciate you guys doing a good job, such a great job on showing the brighter side of me off the field and on the field,” Jones said. “I just appreciate all that you guys do for us. I know that sometimes guys can give you hard times – not do an interview. I just see myself as being a reflection of my parents and [to] treat everyone with respect.”

Jones was a fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft.

Harbaugh responds to Reed fine

Asked to react to the $55,000 fine levied on safety Ed Reed for a penalized hit on New York’s Victor Cruz in Week 16, coach John Harbaugh took a diplomatic approach that was careful not to alienate the league or his Pro Bowl defensive back.

Harbaugh had choice words for the NFL following a $20,000 fine for the Ravens’ failure to include Reed on the injury report earlier this season, but the Baltimore coach elected to take a kinder approach this time around.

“The system is not perfect although the motivation is correct and the idea is right,” Harbaugh said. “It’s still a work in progress. Like I said before, our guys are doing everything they can.  I’m really proud of our guys [with] the way that they’ve responded to try to play within the rules and respect player safety. Sometimes it’s easier said than done, but they are doing their best.”

Odds & ends

Ron Winter will be Sunday’s referee in Cincinnati. He and his crew worked the Ravens’ Week 10 game against Oakland earlier this season. … The game-day forecast in Cincinnati will be mostly sunny with temperatures in the high 20s, according to Weather.com. … In addition to Reed’s fine, offensive tackle Michael Oher was fined $10,000 for a chop block on Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka. … The Ravens have won six consecutive regular-season finales and 10 of their last 12. … Despite firing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron prior to Week 15, the Ravens are 10 points shy of their single-season record of 391 points scored. The mark was set in 2003 and matched in 2009.

There were a number of great choices for WNST’s fifth annual “Local Sportsperson of the Year” in 2012.

Let me remind you that there are only a few qualifications for the honor.

First, the person must be local. They must be an athlete, coach or front office member for a pro, college or high school team in the state of Maryland. Individual sport athletes who represent the state of Maryland also qualify.

Second, the person must stand out from other people over the course of the 12 calendar months. The accomplishments of that individual must be comparable to if not greater than the accomplishments of others in the area.

And finally, that person’s year must stand out from other years during their tenure/career in the area.

If you’ve forgotten, 2012 is the fifth year we’ve given the honor, with our past winners being Michael Phelps (2008), Todd Bozeman (2009), Greivis Vasquez (2010) and Rob Ambrose (2011).

There were a handful of candidates whose 2012 accomplishments would make them easy winners almost any year.

-Loyola basketball coach Jimmy Patsos lead the school back to the NCAA Tournament after inheriting a program that could only be described as “in the doldrums.” The sweat equity Patsos put into building a MAAC Championship program is perhaps unmatched, as the coach spent almost as much time shaking hands and kissing babies as he did running drills until finally reaching the ultimate goal for a low-to-mid major program.

-Even with the success Patsos had, perhaps he wouldn’t even be deemed the most qualified candidate as his own school. Charley Toomey lead the Greyhounds to one of the most improbable National Championship runs in recent lacrosse history. The Hounds came into the season unranked, but ran off 12 straight wins to open the season and finished the campaign with only one loss-a one goal defeat and the hands of Johns Hopkins. The Hounds posted a dominant national title victory over Maryland to deliver the first national championship in school history (any sport) at the D1 level.

-Adam Jones wasn’t just the Baltimore Orioles’ MVP, an All-Star and a Gold Glove Award winner in 2012. He was the anchor of a team that finally snapped a decade-and-a-half long playoff drought and perhaps most importantly endeared himself to Baltimore baseball fans forever by inking a six year contract extension to ensure fans he wouldn’t be breaking their hearts by donning pinstripes in the next few years.

-Ray Rice is likely headed to another Baltimore Ravens Team MVP honor and also warmed the hearts of purple & black fans by signing a five year contract extension of his own. Rice picked up his third Pro Bowl nod while being the rock for an offense poised to break the franchise record for most points scored in a season and helping to claim a second consecutive AFC North title for the first time in team history.

Like I said, there were plenty of great candidates.

But when it came to picking a winner, Baltimore fans were right. It actually was quite easy.

Buck Showalter actually came just ONE POINT shy of winning this honor before. The 34-23 finish he guided the Orioles to in 2010 nearly nabbed him the award, and the contentiousness of the fighting between contributors here at WNST actually lead to a change in how we selected our recipient.

In a way, Showalter has essentially owned this town ever since his first game as skipper in orange and black. Fans swooned when he famously proclaimed “I know the save rule and, quite frankly, it doesn’t carry much weight with me. I like the win rule a little bit better” following his late inning handling of Mike Gonzalez and Alfredo Simon in a win over the Los Angeles Angels.

Perhaps even more admirably, Showalter showed immense class each and every time he was asked about the seeming reluctance for Orioles fans to return to Oriole Park at Camden Yards in droves after the misery that had experienced in rooting for an organization that seemed disinterested in returning a quality product to Baltimore. Even as the Orioles were in the mix for the AL East crown in late August in front of small crowds during a series against the Chicago White Sox, Showalter continued to say things like ”it would be pretty presumptuous on anybody’s part to think that they’re going to trust us that quickly”. He didn’t just save baseball in this town, he remained as classy as possible in the process.

(Continued on Page 2…)