Dee Date May 17, 2010

The off season is still moving along. Not much is going on but the Organized Team Activities.  (OTA’s).  The only thing to report is that Michael Oher is moving to left tackle. This is the slow part of the season and makes me long for the season to start.

On Monday, May 10th, I attended Ravens Center “Matt Birk’s and Friends Celebrity Server Night”.  Several Ravens players and coaches served the food and drinks.  Joe Flacco in an Apron was special. The benefit was for Matt Birks’ HIKE Foundation. The HIKE Foundation, whose mission is to provide at-risk children with the educational opportunities needed to excel in the classroom and in life.  I had my picture taken with Joe Flacco and Cam Cameron.  It was a great night, because there were so many Ravens fans there.  I “love” being around Ravens fans! 

Thursday May 13th, I attended a charity event for Pathfinders for Autism.  It was the 9th annual Smoke on the Water at the Museum of Industry on Key Highway.  It was a first for me, and I had a great time. I never knew there were so many cigar types. Former Ravens player, Brad Jackson, was the host.  Matt Birk was also in attendance.  It was a great time for a great cause. The event was put together well. I’m looking forward to next year.

Friday May 14th, I attend Ray Lewis’ Summer Days’ Bowling Tournament at Brunswick Lanes in Perry Hall. Ray does a lot for charity and I’m glad I was a part of it. I got to meet Jim Brown that will be something I will never forget. Riddick Bowe was there as well. I don’t bowl much but I had a great time meeting Ray and his family. Got a chance to talk to cornerback Webb and meet Ray Rice. Webb said he will be back for the start of the season.

And on Saturday May 15, I was Gate Guard for Rays’ Summer Days’ Celebrity Paintball Tournament & BBQ.  I had a great time standing Gate Guard. If you weren’t on the list, you weren’t getting in. I had a great time, as always, being with the greatest fans in the NFL.

Failure is not a fatal disease.
- Earl G. Graves, JR.

Dee Date May 11, 2010

I’ve been away too long and a lot has happened. I do apologize and will become more timely on this log. The Ravens had a couple of off season acquisitions. We signed Anton Boldin and Donte Stallworth.  Boldin is great after the catch, and will be a welcomed addition to the receiving corp.  We drafted two defensive players in the first two rounds.   We also picked up a couple of tight ends, which will be a welcomed addition for Flacco. We still need to shore up the cornerback position as Fabian Washington and Ladarius Webb both went down with season ending injuries. Ed Reed had hip surgery but he should make a full recovery.

Trying to keep up on our face book page daily.  I traveled out to San Francisco, Dallas and Los Angeles for business and was a little behind but I have no excuse. I need to get that laptop to update our page while I’m away. I can safely say that I’ve answered almost 99.9% of my comments. My goal is to answer each one of them, because each name on the page is very important to me.

I’ve had many charity events since my last log entry. I enjoy running all around Baltimore City, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I attended Operation Welcome Home Maryland at BWI Airport. We welcomed the troops returning from deployment in the Middle East.  It was great talking and interacting with them.  One bright and early Saturday morning, I drove over to Dundalk, to help a community clean out a creek. We pulled a whole lot shopping carts from Bread&Cheese Creek.  Later that day, I was over at the Baltimore Child Abuse Annual Block Party. This block party seems to grow every year.  One of my main highlights was speaking at a Teen Mom’s Group. I wanted to impart some wisdom and knowledge from a father’s point of view to these young mothers. Later I went to Raven’s Roost 4 and 74 charity events.  These fan clubs do great things for and around the community.   I did a 5K walk for ALS at M&T Bank Stadium.  It was great to have my picture taken with Raven’s Head Coach John Harbaugh. Later that day, I went up to Sykesville for a Family Day sponsored by Raven’s Nest 14. It was to benefit a family who needed a little help from the community.  I led the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Stride&Ride event around Arundel Mills Mall.  I especially enjoyed this event because of all the kids that were there.  I attended author, Jen Carle’s, book signing. That was a first for me. Each event is special in their own way because I got to meet so many great and wonderful people. See ya next entry.

IF YOU FACE SQUARELY INTO THE SUNLIGHT, AND GAZE SQUARLEY TOWARD THE FUTURE, YOU WILL FIND THAT BOTH YOUR SHADOW AND YOUR FAILURES HAVE FALLEN BEHIND YOU.
-Vitali Negri

Dee Date 2/16/2010

Now that the season is over, I’m trying to come up with something else to write about. I guess we can talk about the draft and who should be the Ravens pick up in free agency.  On my facebook fan page, wide receiver seems to be the number position we need to fill during this off season. Stay tuned for more to follow.

I really enjoyed the past two snow storms. I love the snow especially playing in it. I love helping my neighbors dig out of it. There is an art to shoveling snow.  I took a picture of me out in the blowing snow with no shirt on. Don’t ask me why I did it, it felt like the right thing to do at that time to cause a few laughs.

I’m still working on a book about my relationship between my Granddaughter and myself. She lives way out in Washington State and I miss her dearly. I have kept a journal of the things we have done together every since she was born. The chances of a book getting published are very hard but I have truly enjoyed writing it nonetheless . I can always give her the book, whether it gets published or not.

I’ll keep you posted on what I’m up to during the off season. Please follow me on my facebook fan page, if you can’t find me just type in Captain Dee-Fense. And to all of my fans who have been following me, I appreciate all of your support the last several months during my raffle for the one of a kind Captain Dee Chopper. I have the best fans in DEE NATION!

I know Spring is right around the corner and before we know it, summer…and we will be setting up shop once again at training camp for the next BIG Ravens season! Go big or GO HOME!

You will never know how capable you are until you tackle a problem beyond your capabilities.
- Bits & Pieces Magazine, November 2009 Edition

Dee Date 1/05/2010

After the 21-13 victory over the Raiders, the Raven’s are playoff  bound. It wasn’t pretty but we took care of business. Willis McGahee had a monster game. The run where he stiff armed the defensive back on his way to the end zone was impressive.  Ray Rice played his normal outstanding game.  He hits that hole so fast and is already in the secondary.  The game was more about our running game instead of the passing game. Our passing game was okay but we didn’t really need it that much. It wasn’t one of Flacco’s better days but we did win. Charlie Frye for Raiders was moving the ball in the first quarter. Frye is a mobile QB but we were able to get several hits on him. I was impressed the way he stayed in the pocket and took the hits. The hits finally took their toll and JaMarcus Russell came in. Russell isn’t as mobile as Frye so we were able to get to him much quicker.  Dannell Ellerbe had two key turnovers for the Ravens. The interception and the fumble recovery were huge in stopping the Raiders momentum. That is what I like about my defense, every week someone else steps up and fills a role. There were a couple penalties that weren’t and even the announcer said they weren’t. The one where Carr barely touch the guy. The replayed show that it wasn’t a penalty. Our next opponent is the New England Patriots at Foxboro. They are a pretty good team especially this time of the year. They are missing their key third down receiver and chain mover, Wes Welker.  He is 5th in the NFL in receiving yardage. That is a huge blow to the Patriots.  He always found the open spot in the zone and gave Brady a good target. To me he is much more dangerous than Randy Moss.  I think we will roll our safeties to his side of the field and give the corners some help especially on those slant and go routes. We also need to get physical with him off the line. He likes to get a clean release and make his move within 10-20 yards down the field. Having Ed Reed back there gives me a warm and fuzzy in the secondary. I will be attending the game. I’m so looking forward to it. The weather will be cold but it will be fun because I’m around a lot of Ravens Fan.

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