Ravens have a serious timeout problem

I think Steve Biscotti is now in a long timeout trying to figure out why his head coach seems to have such little awareness of the importance a timeout (“Mike Preston: Ravens wilt under pressure, and things could get ugly,” Sept. 16).

While there were several things that led to each of the losses in the first two weeks, the Ravens squandering of timeouts is certainly one of the big ones. In game one, coach John Harbaugh mismanaged the clock and squandered two timeouts in the third quarter which left the Ravens in desperation mode at the end of the game trying to catch the Kansas City Chiefs.

And in the game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Harbaugh lost two more timeouts through ridiculous challenges — challenges that anyone watching knew would not be overturned. As a result, we have to settle for three points at the end of the first half instead of seven. And yes, those four extra points would have given us the victory.

— Duke Thompson, Havre de Grace

Voters deserve a crystal-clear Question F

I applaud Anne Arundel County Judge Cathleen Vitale’s decision to invalidate certification of ballot Question F, which asks Baltimore voters to give a thumb’s up or down on “an ambitious proposal from Baltimore developer MCB Real Estate to replace the aging shopping and dining pavilions on the city’s waterfront,” as the Sun reported (“Ballot question on Baltimore’s Harborplace redevelopment nullified by judge,” Sept. 16).

This is one of the most consequential ballot initiatives ever to come before city voters. Approving the measure would, in effect, permit public city parkland at the Inner Harbor to be conveyed into private hands for the purpose of building tall, luxury dwellings and other for-profit structures.

One would hope, at a minimum, that the wording of a ballot item of this magnitude would be crystal clear, giving voters the opportunity to fairly assess the merits of the proposal. Instead, Question F is deliberately confusing — so much so that Judge Vitale herself admitted that while reading it, she “got a little lost.” How can an ordinary citizen understand the measure’s convoluted language if a circuit court judge cannot?

During one of the most consequential elections of our time, local voters deserve clarity and transparency when asked to decide issues that will affect our downtown for decades to come.

— Amy Bernstein, Baltimore

Remembering James Earl Jones and celebrating Black artists

I enjoyed Phil Hands’ well-deserved cartoon tribute to James Earl Jones (“Remembering James Earl Jones,” Sept. 12). Jones was an award-winning star on stage, screen and television who was a ground-breaking inspiration for Black performers in America.

The impact of Black artists was brought home to me recently when my wife and I attended several performances in Baltimore during the week of Sept. 14. On Tuesday, we watched “POTUS: or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive,” a hilarious play at Everyman Theatre in which two of the seven actresses were Black. On Wednesday, we attended an outstanding performance by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conducted by wunderkind Jonathon Heyward. Included in the program were two compositions by the gifted composer James Lee III, a Baltimore native and professor of composition and theory at Morgan State University. On Thursday, we were treated to a beautiful concert at Goucher College by Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. To top off the week, on Sunday, we heard acclaimed jazz pianist and Baltimore native Cyrus Chestnut perform at the Second Presbyterian Church as part of its Community Concerts at Second series.

Thanks, in at least a small measure, to pioneering Black performers such as James Earl Jones, we can benefit from a rich, diverse cultural heritage in America.

— Beryl Rosenstein, Pikesville

Season may turn even uglier for Ravens

After last Sunday’s debacle, with the Baltimore Ravens’ record falling to 0-2 for the first time since 2015 (“5 things we learned from the Ravens’ 26-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders,” Sept. 17), it appears the Ravens mantra of “Rise and Conquer” could use a little tweak. “Rise and Flop” seems a much better fit.

After consulting the Oracle of Delphi, a.k.a. Princess Pythia, it appears, sports fans, that the Ravens’ 2024 season could be very ugly. By the way, the Oracle of Delphi predicts the Dallas Cowboys will defeat the Ravens next Sunday, leaving the team 0-3, matching its worst start ever.

— David Holstein, Parkville