The Monday Morning Rush for September 10, 2012

BALTIMORE - It's Monday September 10, 2012:

PURPLE PEOPLE EATERS: I took a morning walk to the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore this morning and saw every possible shade of purple and lavender. Baltimore is buzzing about the Monday Night Football opener against the Bengals.

DRESSING THE PART: Every local personality on the morning news was also bathed in purple.  Purple dresses, purple ties and even one purple shirt that should be outlawed.

I CAN'T COMPLAIN: I'd make fun of Baltimore's purple people, but all I have to do is look at all the red in Cincinnati on Opening Day. Different day, different color, same spirit.

WEATHER PERFECT: The weather guy with the purple shirt says the temperature will be 70 degrees for the kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium.

A MONDAY QUIZ: I took a brisk morning walk past Orioles Park at Camden Yards, one of my favorite ballparks.  There are seven numbers retired of former sports figures. Can you name the seven?

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: The captain of the Bengals charter flight welcomed the team to Baltimore on Sunday afternoon.  Then he wished the Bengals the best of luck and said "if memory serves me correctly, cats eat birds, don't they?"

NEANDERTHAL:  The mobile traffic guy on the Fox station here in Baltimore just addressed the main traffic lady as "babe." And she isn't even one.

LET'S GET THE OFFICE POOL TOGETHER: Norah O'Donnell of the CBS Morning News just asked analyst James Brown his pick for the Super Bowl. Yes, I think we've narrowed the field with only five months left in the season.

NO BATTLEGROUND: I've flipped around to several local television stations this morning and I haven't seen one presidential advertisement in two hours. I guess Maryland isn't a pivotal state, or has already been determined.

SCENERY: My room on the 15th floor of the Baltimore Hilton directly faces an old tower with a clock face in four directions.  I looked it up and it's the Emerson Bromo Seltzer Tower, which at 15 stories, was the tallest building in Baltimore when it was constructed in 1911.  A 51-foot bottle of Bromo Seltzer used to rotate from the top of the tower.

UNFRIENDLY FORECAST:  Every newspaper and television prediction picks the Ravens to beat the Bengals by at least two touchdowns.

BELATEDLY: Happy birthday to my son Matthew. His birthday was Sunday and the old man was on the road again. Too many times for that over the years.

THE MORNING QUIZ: At Camden Yards, there are seven numbers that have been retired by the Orioles.  They belong to Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr, Jim Palmer and Eddie Murray who played for the Orioles...Earl Weaver who managed the Orioles...and Jackie Robinson, baseball's first black player.

TWEET-TWEET: You can follow me on Twitter during the course of Monday's game.

Hope your day is a good one..

Popo