In terms of wild homecomings, the Baltimore CFLs' return from the Grey Cup last night will not rival two big ones -- the 30,000 fans who jammed Friendship Airport in the winter of 1958 to welcome the Baltimore Colts from their historic victory over the New York Giants, or the thousands who lined the route on I-95 in the fall of 1983 to applaud the Orioles after their World Series sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies.
But the estimated 1,000 who braved the chilly, damp night at Memorial Stadium wore their hearts on their sleeves for this expansion team.
For more than an hour, they watched the CFLs cheerleaders go through their routines while Big Wheel went through his gyrations. It was a time for the die-hard fans to recall how owner Jim Speros' answer to the NFL had changed their lives.
Larry Henson, a career Navy man, was wearing his Uncle Sam hat and shirt emblazoned with his self-appointed title "Captain Dee-fense."
The unofficial cheerleader in Section 10, lower deck, he had made the 60-mile drive from his home in Waldorf to welcome home the Grey Cup runners-up.
"When I first bought my season ticket, I expected them to be respectable," said Henson, now a minor celebrity being asked for autographs by fellow fans.
"They exceeded everyone's hopes. But the thing I like most about this team is that the players are down-to-earth. No prima donnas or big egos. You can talk to all of them. They're just decent guys."
Fred Tawney, the CFL's No. 1 fan, was there, as he had been for all the games and all but two team practices since the team first assembled last spring at Towson State.
As a tribute to his loyalty, the players pooled their money to fly Tawney to the Grey Cup in Vancouver Sunday afternoon.
"The team had a secret practice on Saturday," Tawney said. "One of the equipment guys saw me in the hotel lobby and told Coach [Don] Matthews. Matthews told the guy, 'Hey, get Fred on the bus. We can't practice without him.'
"Before the game, the team vice president [E. J. Narcise] slipped me a sideline pass. But when we lost to Vancouver in the last second, my heart was hurting too much to go on the field.
"When the guys got back to the hotel, I hugged each player and told him: 'Don't be down in the dumps. You made Baltimore proud.' "
Not all the supporters were squarely behind the CFLs.
"I said from Day One that we couldn't with a championship with Tracy Ham at quarterback," said John Soellner. "I know football. I played at Patterson High and two years of service ball. You need someone to push you.
"Ham and [backup] John Congemi were buddies. He knew he had no pressure of losing his job. It made him too careful and conservative. He was the big money man on this team, but he didn't make the big plays. That's why Matthews has got to get a strong No. 2 guy next year."
Police sirens announced the arrival of the team bus at 8:30 as the crowd noise swelled.
"It's great to be back in Baltimore," said Matthews. "It was a hostile environment up there in Canada. This year, we got to the door. Next year, we'll knock it down."
After Matthews introduced his players and coaches, a hoarse Speros thanked the fans once more.