Texans Playoffs and Baltimore

After a convincing win over Cincinnati 31-10 for their first playoff game, the Texans and Timmy T were going to Baltimore to face the Ravens.

 

 

JJ Watt for the sack

 

Touchdown Arian Foster



 When I got home from the game without my voice for 3 days it was straight to Stub Hub to look for a ticket to the game in Baltimore.  Found a ticket field level 15th row in the end zone and then a flight with hotel deal from Expedia. YES I am going to the Texans first road playoff game! Saturday morning off to Baltimore.  I decided to take the light rail to my hotel mistake, as I traveled toward my hotel there was graffiti on most everything. Passed the stadiums and into downtown over 70% of the buildings were boarded up and exiting in a really bad area to walk 3 blocks to my "recently renovated hotel" NOT.  I was not scared but very aware of where I was and who was around me. Ghetto.

On to the fun. I found a bar Luckies at the Power Plant Live down in the Inner Harbour area that is owned by a UT grad and the place for UT watch parties. Great bar and a fantastic time. The bar was packed with over 300 Texans fans and 1 Ravens fan excluding the bartenders. We watched the Saturday NFL games and the bar played all the songs that are played at Reliant Stadium during Texans games. Finished the night with a crab cake appetizer at Phillips Seafood, which were OK. Game time!



Where's Waldo or Timmy Toyota?

Headed to M and T Bank Stadium early for a meet with fellow Texans fans in the parking lot for tailgating. There were about 40 of us standing in the parking lot, no tailgating per say but we hung out and some of the guys took a taxi to a rough part of town to pick up some beer and liquor - no food but good conversation. It's not like we were in Texas nor Reliant (the best tailgating in the NFL 3 years running) this is Maryland. On the north side is Camden Yards, east is the Inner Harbour all the rest is "In the Ghetto"(I can hear Elvis singing). The game was great considering we lost. I entered the stadium 2 hours before kick off and watched the Texans warm-up, the news reported 11,000 Texans fans were coming. The people in the section I sat in were very nice, I made sure they got to know me so I would not end up in a fight. I am "In the ghetto" after all!  The fans in the section I was in were great, we even got to an agreement when either team did well we would low five. If you watched the game you know what happened, the Texans started strong, Jacoby Jones made a bone-headed move and fumbled, TJ Yates our rookie 3rd string QB threw 3 interceptons. However our defense was AMAZING with a 4th down stop on the one yard line and Arian Foster our running back ran all over their defense but could not over come 4 turnovers. Great effort but we lost.

Crazy story - I went to high school and graduated with the Texans fan in this picture.  We figured that out at the airport on the way home. He sits 5 rows above me in my section at the Texans home games. It's a small world.

Monday before heading home I took a taxi to Fort McHenry, the place Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangeled Banner sitting on a truce ship during the War of 1812.  Neat fort which over looks Cheasapeak Bay and a great story from our history. I walked aound the perimeter of the fort and checked out the new Visitors Center, out of the way but worth my time. I then took the MTA bus to Federal Hill area and had lunch at Ryleigh's Oyster Food and Spirits where I experienced both oysters and spirits(Yum) and headed back home. A quick stop by Babe Ruth's childhood home, back through the ghetto to the airport and home to H-town. Next year Superbowl!