don't count on a hometown discount.

okay. this one hurts a little bit, but i'm still trying to react to what ray lewis said today. according to the man himself, the future hall of famer won't even give the notion of taking a hometown discount, an ounce of consideration . . . . doesn't he realize that he has the opportunity to do something incredibly special here?

now i've been a ray lewis fan from the beginning. and when i say the beginning . . . . i really mean it. i'm not talking about the spike in popularity he had after super bowl xxxv, i'm talking about the rookie coming out of the university of miami. ray lewis is the baltimore ravens. he's been a force on the field since the franchise's inception. hell, he was the second draft pick in team history! mind you, the ravens had ray lewis before they even had a logo. they were still playing in memorial stadium . . . . the place where the baltimore colts used to play.

considering that he's been patrolling the defensive backfield since 1996, it's pretty impressive that he's still going at it. i'll give him that. but seeing ray lewis anywhwere else would be a crime against humanity. how could he leave the team that supported him when he was facing two counts of murder?! come on!! i know he wants money. all nfl players do. but if it took just a slight pay cut to stay in baltimore, he should do it. if he stays here in the city that made him, the legend of ray lewis will stay. he'll own this town for years . . . . long after the real ray lewis has faded to black. stay ray. stay. you mean so much to our city, and so little to anyone else. we're talking like johnny unitas status here. if you stay, there's going to be a ray lewis statue outside of m&t bank stadium someday. if you go, it won't be the same.