ExtremeRavens Posted January 25 Posted January 25 Brandon Hyde can’t wait for Sunday. The Orioles manager keeps a stoic demeanor as it pertains to his defending American League East champion Orioles. But when asked if the California native hopped on the bandwagon of Baltimore’s other professional sports team, Hyde cracked his first smile of the afternoon. His voice jumped in excitement as he revealed he’d be in attendance for the AFC championship game between the Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium. “Me and [coach] John [Harbaugh] text a little bit back and forth throughout both of our seasons and I’m looking forward to seeing them play,” Hyde said. “I really enjoy watching them play.” Amid the text exchange, Hyde told Harbaugh how much he admires the Ravens’ toughness. The manager’s eyebrows furrowed, wearing the facial expression of how impressed he has been with the football team’s defining trait while harboring the NFL’s top defense and likely Most Valuable Player at quarterback. Hyde is no stranger to what the fan support feels like. Particularly in the back half of the Orioles’ 101-win season, he enjoyed every bit of the attention his team was able to draw. Now, it’s the Ravens’ turn. When Hyde drove in from the airport Wednesday night ahead of the Orioles’ Birdland Caravan, he was met with purple lights all around. “It’s pretty special,” he said. 2023 marked the first time both Baltimore franchises finished atop their respective divisions. It’s also the first time a city has had the top seed in an MLB league and NFL conference in the same season since 2016, when the Texas Rangers and Dallas Cowboys did it. How about the rest of the Orioles’ squad? Are they tuned in to the football team down the street? “It should be a good game, I hope both teams have fun,” joked pitcher and Olathe, Kansas, native John Means. “No, I’m looking forward to it. The Ravens look so good but it should be a fun game, I can’t wait for it. … More guys know I’ve been a Chiefs fan my whole life so they definitely like to give me some crap about it.” Means won’t be in attendance Sunday. He has his lucky spot on the couch back home as he roots for the Chiefs to advance to their fourth Super Bowl in five years. Don’t worry, his teammates hold him accountable for his fandom zagging from the city he has spent his entire MLB career in. “There’s already been a lot of trash talking,” Orioles pitcher Grayson Rodriguez said. “Danny [Coulombe] was booing him when he was talking about the Chiefs earlier. It’s gonna be fun. The text messages are going to be firing off during that game.” Coulombe jumped on the Ravens bandwagon about four years ago, around the time of quarterback Lamar Jackson’s unanimous MVP season, because a close friend of his is from Baltimore. “I’m a [Arizona] Cardinals fan,” he said, “We have nothing to cheer about.” The Ravens have certainly given him something to cheer about. View the full article Quote
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