The P.A. announcer called Ray Glasgow III’s name and number during pregame introductions, but his black, orange, and white No. 10 jersey rested over the back of the metal bench at the Poly-Western High instead.  

It was Monday night, almost exactly 48 hours since the 17-year-old City College boys’ lacrosse team captain was shot and killed a few miles away in what police are calling a case of mistaken identity. And it was time for the city title game that he’d been looking forward to so much. “He was ready for this championship,” teammate and City College sophomore Makai Cummings said. “That’s all he ever talked about.”
 

He should have been there, leading his teammates with his gregarious personality on the sideline and on the field like he’d done all spring, but around 6 p.m. Saturday an unknown gunman stepped out of what police believe was a white Nissan Altima on the 100 block of S. Eden St. and opened fire with a rifle on four friends sitting inside a parked car.  

An 18-year-old was injured, and Glasgow was killed, the city’s 95th murder this year, a week after the well-liked junior football and lacrosse player (“He was the most genuine person you’d ever meet,” said senior Malik Hamm) had just attended prom in a light blue suit. He also recently toured historically black Hampton University in Virginia with his father, where he hoped to play lacrosse for Baltimore native and former Morgan State player Lloyd Carter.  

“It’s just too much,” Mayor Catherine Pugh said. “We spoke to the family and they are grieving. So are the children, and so is this city.”

In their grief, Glasgow’s teammates decided via group text that they would still play in Monday’s championship game against Mervo, whom they’d faced for the title the previous two seasons. “It was hard,” Hamm said. “At first, you want to play because you know Ray would have wanted to win this game, but then throughout the game, it gets on a lot of people’s minds and they want to do too much.”  

City started a symbolic man down on defense, Glasgow’s position, the emotion clearly raw, and jumped to a 2-0 lead, but Mervo scored nine of the game’s next 12 goals to take a 9-5 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Glasgow’s friend Charles Pitt Jr., who switched his own jersey to No. 10 in tribute, scored four times and had two assists, and Mervo won 9-7.  

“It took a lot of guts for you guys just to come out here,” City coach Anthony “Merc” Ryan told the 12 distraught players gathered around him afterward, and then began talking to local reporters about gun violence in the city, and another young man gone because of it. Memorial services will be held this weekend.  

“Just his presence,” Ryan said of what he missed about Glasgow. “Forget about the fact that this guy is an outstanding lacrosse player. His presence when we’re down and need a push and need that leader on the sideline and the field that’s going to ignite the team, Ray is that guy.”  

After arriving toward the end of the first quarter, Glasgow’s father wore his son’s jersey on the sideline, next to his mourning mother and determined yet distracted teammates. A poster present on Monday signed by City College students included messages of love and support with #LongLiveRay and one of his nicknames, “RGIII.”    

Earlier in the day, students at City Springs Elementary School, where Glasgow attended and near where he was killed, held a ceremony in his honor that Pugh and police commissioner Darryl De Sousa attended. The pair also spoke to local media at halftime of Monday’s game, with the commissioner saying he believed none of the people in the car were intended targets, that detectives found seven .233 rifle casings at the scene, and asked for anyone with information on the shooting to come forward.  

“This is a redball case for us,” De Sousa said, which is maybe why City junior defenseman Tim Dunnock said this to a friend before leaving Poly’s field for the night: “Stay safe out there.”

History to be made at Poly-City game.
On Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, Jacey Lee, 16, a junior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, will become the first girl to take the field in the school’s 129-year football rivalry with Baltimore City College. She initially joined Poly’s JV team after her stepbrother invited her to come practice with him, and Lee is the first girl to ever make varsity. Lee is 5-foot-4 and plays defensive tackle. “I like hitting,” she told The Sun. “As soon as I get off, somebody is in my face. I either got to push them, or they push me.”

Joe’s back—again.
It’s hard to believe, but a little over a week since he took a violent hit to the head that left him concussed, Joe Flacco says he’s ready to play Sunday when the Ravens face the Tennessee Titans in Nashville. Flacco went through the NFL’s concussion protocol and was cleared to practice fully on Wednesday, albeit with stitches covered with tape on his left ear, where his helmet was ripped off by Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso last Thursday night. Offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg joked with reporters yesterday that Flacco should have used his stitches to scare kids on Halloween. Joe Cool predictably didn’t, but he did post a throwback photo from 1995 in which a Frankenstein did appear.

WWE rolls through Royal Farms.
It’s not really a sport, though maybe there’s still some out there that think pro wrestling is real and not scripted. Anyway, WWE Raw made a stop at Royal Farms Arena on Monday Night. The highlight in wrestling circles was Samoa Joe’s return to the ring, and it seems like everyone had a good time.

Maryland women’s basketball picked second in Big Ten.
What?! The Big Ten coaches and media picked the defending conference champion Terps to finish second in the league, behind Ohio State. Though they might be in a rebuild mode, after losing two All-Americans and seeing a National Freshman of the Year transfer, consider it motivation for one of the area’s top programs in any sport. Maryland begins the season next Friday against Albany.

The Astros give us hope . . .
The smaller-market team formerly known as the Houston “Lastros” (for obvious reasons) won the World Series on Wednesday night in Game 7 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Three years ago, in a prophetic cover, Sports Illustrated featured eventual World Series MVP George Springer alongside the headline “Your 2017 World Series Champs,” referencing the idea that the Astros were building the game’s “next big thing,” with a blend of old-fashioned scouting and new-age statistical analytics. It might be a bit of a stretch to see our Orioles in the same light, but the Astros should at least give us some inspiration that a championship-caliber team can be built in short time. You heard it here first: O’s in 2020.

And if we needed more optimism and feel good-vibes going into the weekend, Astros shortstop Carlos Correa proposed to his girlfriend Daniella Rodriguez right after his team took the national title. Good luck topping that, every other guy on the planet.

Though much of the drama from last night’s Bachelorette finale circled around Peter and Bryan, it was Eric Bigger who captured the heart of local fans. Two weeks ago, there were some familiar sights on ABC reality show when Bigger brought the show’s star Rachel Lindsay to his hometown of Baltimore.

Bigger grew up in the Whitelock neighborhood and took Lindsay to the top of Federal Hill and shot hoops in the basketball courts at John Eager Howard Rec Center in Reservoir Hill. The real treat was meeting his family—especially his Aunt Verna—who all had sweet dance moves and a warm, welcoming vibe.

Watching Bigger’s “journey,” which is the only way the show refers to itself, was actually pretty inspirational even for skeptics. Recently, we got the chance to talk to Bigger about growing up playing basketball and riding dirt bikes in Baltimore, his favorite country of The Bachelorette experience, and how is life has changed since being on the show.

Did you watch the hometowns episode in Baltimore?
I did! I went to the Sagamore Pendry Hotel, so fancy and beautiful everywhere you turn. Watching the episode was more emotional for me. I forgot about some of the stuff I talked about with my family. But I watched it with them and it was so great having everyone in one place. I loved getting the chance to have those talks with my mom and dad. Those are my people. 

Your mom and dad were great, but I think everyone fell in love with your Aunt Verna.
She’s the best. Columbia University grad, very intelligent, three books, has a Ted Talk online.  

She got straight to the point with Rachel and asked if she felt pressure being the first black Bachelorette. Did you feel similar pressure being the only black guy left?
I don’t really have any pressure. From a human being perspective, I really try not to think about things in those terms. I’m in this for love and let it be that. It’s crossed my mind, of course, but love is blind and doesn’t have a color. There’s only pressure on yourself if you make it that way. 

What would be your ideal second date in Baltimore?
I probably would have taken to the Under Armour facilities and trained over there and then had some crabs and seafood on the water. I wish the Ravens were playing because we would have gone to a game. And then maybe end up somewhere in Fells Point or Canton and had a good time on the water. Rachel is really dynamic—loves to go out, work out, great personality. We would have had fun doing it all. 

Where did you grow up in Baltimore?
Whitelock, near the Reservoir Hill community. I wanted to go to Dunbar to play basketball, but my mom wanted me to go to City College. My mom is a smart woman, very in touch with herself and what’s important for her family. 

What are some of your specific memories of growing up here?
The main thing for me was basketball—it gave me life and saved my life. It was my first love. I also remember riding dirt bikes, the cookouts, Artscape, AFRAM, those are highlights from the city that I remember and miss. 

But there were bad parts, too, of course: the killings, incarcerations, unhealthy lifestyle, and limited perspectives. People in my neighborhood only know what they know based on the exposure they get. Unless you travel outside of that, you won’t see beyond the killings. 

Were you worried about representing Baltimore in a certain kind of way?
I wasn’t too worried about being negative because the truth is the truth. What I was worried about is that Rachel wouldn’t accept me because my upbringing is so different from hers. But she embraced it and accepted it. That gave me ease and peace. 

You live in LA now. But how have you seen Baltimore change?
Yeah I come back a couple times a year. This year it’s been a lot because of filming hometowns in April. I see all the new development in the downtown areas with Sagamore and the Four Seasons. All those new spots are nice. 

What made you originally audition for the show?
I had a friend who is in a TV Show, Aisha Cole, she’s the one who really got me started in it. She had a friend casting for the show and let me know about it. I was curious to explore why this opportunity was on my radar—to see what is supposed to happen. What happened was I fell in love with Rachel and told my story. And it gave me an opportunity to travel the world. 

I think I have an idea, but what was your favorite date?
Oh, girl, you already know. Copenhagen, Denmark—hot tub, champagne, beautiful country, beautiful woman. So much fun! 

How authentic were the conflicts you had with guys like Lee?
That was tough because that was the first time someone had my name in their mouth. It more so disappointed me. When I got to the bottom of it, I just had to stand up for myself. That whole week was so tough because I had three more arguments that week and I kind of said enough is enough. That’s why that anger came out. But after that, nothing bad happened. Then I started to focus on myself. 

Who do you still keep in touch with from the show?
I talk to a lot of the guys, we got out and have a few drinks, you know. We do a lot of group texts. I talk to Matt probably every day. He was the one who helped me the most—he talked to me into a positive state of mind. 

How has your life changed since going on The Bachelorette?
I’m definitely seeing a lot more interest in my personal training business, but I don’t want to train just any and every body. I really want to train people that are really invested in getting results. But it’s been steady and moving. It’s crazy getting recognized on the street whether it’s New York City or Baltimore or LA. I’m getting used to it and understanding it. But I love people so it’s easy for me to embrace the love and support. 

Would you do another show like this in the future?
I’m pretty open, but who knows what’s next right now. I never thought I’d make it as far as I did. I’m a go-getter, I was trying to make it be instead of letting it come to me—that’s when things changed. What I learned the most is to let the universe bring you the moment. It could be training, could be TV. We shall see. I want to try all these things and see what sticks.