VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- The music had a distinctly familiar ring to it, though the Saskatchewan pep band and dancing gopher provided a unique twist.
A large party broke out in the lobby of the Sheraton Landmark hotel in downtown Vancouver Friday afternoon, and it seemed as though the entire city of Baltimore had shown up.
Some wore tired expressions, but most settled on outfits bearing the logo of the Baltimore CFLs.
They had checked in early that morning, ready to take the city by storm -- but not until after a few hours' sleep and a cold shower, the latter courtesy of a malfunctioning boiler.
Soon, they could hear the Roughriders band, which raised a few goose bumps with its stirring rendition of the Baltimore Colts fight song. Gainer the Gopher, a popular mascot in these parts, improvised a dance. People clapped their hands and belted out the lyrics, while the hotel staff watched with amusement.
Grey Cup fever, Baltimore fans were here to prove, wasn't strictly a Canadian malady.
Denise Daiker, 29, had left her home in Abingdon at noon Thanksgiving Day, enjoyed a traditional holiday feast with her parents, then met with friends Steve and Pam Ramp at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. From there, aboard a chartered Air Canada flight carrying almost 200 people, they began the six-hour journey to British Columbia, touching down at 2:45 a.m.
"This was absolutely spur of the moment," said Mrs. Ramp, 44, also of Abingdon. "I've never been this impulsive in my entire life. But it's the best impulse I've ever acted on."
Mrs. Daiker and the Ramps work at Maryland General Hospital -- Mrs. Daiker and Mrs. Ramp as X-ray technicians; Mr. Ramp as the program director for the school of radiology. They own season tickets to the Baltimore CFLs, and often laughed at the idea of traveling all this way for the Grey Cup.
"We almost backed ourselves into a corner," said Mr. Ramp, 37.
"It was like a joke," Mrs. Daiker said.
Now, it's a reality. They have a room on the 25th floor with a view of the snow-capped mountains and Burrard Inlet. If they walk out on the ledge and look to their right, they can see a portion of B.C. Place, where Baltimore and the B.C. Lions will meet today for the Canadian Football League championship.
As the final minutes of the Eastern Division semifinals were played at Memorial Stadium two weeks ago, talk of watching the Grey Cup in person grew serious. Five days before the CFLs would venture into windy Manitoba for the division title, they had put down a $25 deposit on a Grey Cup trip with a travel agency.
"We thought they were going to win," Mrs. Daiker said, "and we didn't want other people getting their money in before us."
When Baltimore defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 14-12, on a late field goal by Donald Igwebuike last Sunday, they shelled out the remaining $890 each, which covered airfare, transportation to and from the airport, hotel accommodations and a ticket to the game.
"I've never done anything like this," Mr. Ramp said. "As many times as the Orioles have been in the World Series, I've never been able to get tickets. I've never been to a championship."
He came a long way to see his first one, but that's the kind of loyalty this team inspires. For each of them, the CFLs have filled a void that existed since the Colts left for Indianapolis in March 1984.
Mrs. Ramp grew up in the city, not far from Memorial Stadium, and was a season-ticket holder for the last eight years of the Colts' stay in Baltimore. Mrs. Daiker also went to Colts games, mostly with her father. Her husband, Erich, a city police officer, doesn't care much for football, so she left him behind on this trip.
If he only knew what he was missing.
Once word spread that Baltimore fans were housed in the Sheraton and two nearby hotels, the news media descended upon them.
"You can't go anywhere that there's not a reporter shoving something in your face," Mrs. Ramp said.
Said Mrs. Daiker: "We were expecting to just come here and root for our team, but this is overwhelming. I can't imagine what the Super Bowl must be like."
The fans' enthusiasm will be on full display today. Mrs. Daiker and the Ramps will be among the masses wearing their CFLs apparel, complete with rally caps turned backward, to give the team a boost.
"It works. It got us here," Mrs. Daiker said.
As long as it doesn't get them into trouble with the B.C. faithful.
"Initially, I was a little concerned about our safety," Mrs. Ramp said. "I heard an interview the other night with the chairman of the Grey Cup festival, and he was asked, 'What are they doing about riot control?' And we immediately panicked. What kind of riot? What did we have to prepare ourselves for? But I've found that the people here are very pleasant."
"I was expecting some hostility," Mr. Ramp said, "but the friendliness of this city is incredible. Everybody's been great to us so far."
On Friday, Mr. Ramp had secured the last rental car from Thrifty. The group waded through the lobby and ventured outdoors for lunch and an afternoon of sightseeing. Yesterday, they attended a party in the sports bar next to their hotel. They planned on getting to the stadium early today for a pancake breakfast, autographs and, they hope, a CFLs victory. Later, they will catch their 11:45 p.m. flight home.
"I feel like the old Colts," Mrs. Daiker said. "We're coming here in the dark, and we're leaving here in the dark."