Parking in the alley behind the row home, he saw something in his headlights before turning them off. A striped cat sprinted out of the darkness, across the beams, and into the darkness on the other side of the alley. Almost immediately, a giant rat scampered through the light, hot on the trail of the cat. The lesson he took from that experience was that while the cat might look rather impressive, you really have to respect the rats because this is a rat town. The flashy and chic are out of place in Baltimore. Hard work and dependability is the currency here.
I call Baltimore a rat town with fondness. It is a charming dirty, old port town with wonderful places spread throughout.
This excerpt captures Baltimore well, I think. It's exactly what I love about this city, and it's told in a way that doesn't take itself too seriously.
The article is about the current Orioles, and doesn't touch on some of our higher-profile castaways like Chris Davis, who struggled to stay in the majors while signed with the Rangers.