Luckie's Tavern in Power Plant Live might not be the traditional place to watch the Ravens play, but Sunday afternoon a healthy crowd gathered to see the game on a 13-foot, high-definition projection television and drink free shots for each touchdown.
Within the first 10 minutes of the game, waitresses clad in Ravens gear had already made two passes through the bar with cups containing purple-colored vodka - on the house. Before the quarter was done, they came around again.
"Go! Go! Go!" hollered Sean Kolarik, 27, of Owings Mills as Chris Carr intercepted a Tom Brady pass and set the Ravens up for the third touchdown of the quarter. The Ravens' Ray Rice squeezed the ball into the end zone and, gulping his third purple shot, Kolarik observed: "They are really fruity."
Kolarik and two friends lounged on a cheetah-print couch positioned a few feet from the oversize screen. They won the seat of honor during a Friday night drawing held to gin up interest in watching NFL games at the downtown tavern.
"We're mostly a college football bar," said assistant general manager Ben Brengle, who was pulling double duty as a disc jockey. But with the new super-size screen, he's hoping more fans will watch professional games there.
Most viewers wore Ravens jerseys - though Trey Ford, 27, donned a plain, dun-colored sweat shirt. It was a tactical decision. Each time he wears his rhinestone-encrusted Ravens shirt, the team loses - so he feels it's best to leave it at home. "I'm superstitious," he said.
A couple of blocks south, at the ESPN Zone, a group of 21-year-old Vanderbilt University juniors drank light beer and cheered. Sam Schulman, 21, of Reisterstown called the playoff match "epic." Jesse Demos, 21, of Towson recalled the TV news coverage of crowds emerging from the bar after the Ravens won the Super Bowl in January 2001. "From there, I said I would watch the game at ESPN Zone once I turned 21," he said. His birthday was last week.
Anne Coombs, a Washington native who declined to give her age, was decked out in a purple track suit, purple necklace and a Ravens hat. She cheers on Baltimore for one reason: Ray Lewis.
"I love the energy he exudes," she said. "There is something distinct about him that makes him a leader."
As the game wound down, fans became more assured that the Ravens would be playing again next weekend - and became philosophical about the reasons.
"I think God has given us a winning team so we can forget about the last month," said Kevin Brocks, 39, of North Baltimore. What's to forget? The city's mayor resigned, he said. Nobody picked up his trash this week. He's on the fence about the new mayor. And property taxes are too high.
"This is something to unite us," he said. "To move forward. To be proud of the city of Baltimore."