The Ravens cross the Atlantic to face the Jaguars.
This is the first time Baltimore has played overseas as a part of the NFL international series. This is the 11th consecutive year the league has hosted regular season games at Wembley Stadium, part of an agreement that runs until 2020. Although the Ravens are entering this game as the underdog—this will be Jacksonville’s fifth game played at Wembley—the streets of London are engulfed in a purple haze with Ravens double-decker buses, crazed fans, and former Ravens players (We see you Reed, Smith, Ogden, and Lewis).

Kick-off is at 9:30 a.m. our time—we know, it’s early—but there are still ways fulfill those game day rituals. WJZ-TV will broadcast the game for the Baltimore area but fans can also live stream on Yahoo and BaltimoreRavens.com.

If going to the bar with your best buds is the usual move, there are a few that will be opening early to accommodate the early kick-off like Lee’s Pint & Shell at 8:30 a.m. for $3 mimosas and $1 oysters. Or grab breakfast at any of The Greene Turtle locations at 9 a.m. for $6.99.

Fans at OPACY get a surprise.
Inspired “Hide a Book Day” and Goodreads, a social media network for book lovers, MASN broadcaster and avid reader Gary Thorne signed and hid some of his favorite books for unsuspecting fans to Monday’s game against the Boston Red Sox.

Manny Machado saves the day again.

Third baseman Manny Machado has rescued the Orioles offense time and time again this season and last night’s win over Tampa Bay was no exception. Despite fighting the flu, Machado came ready to play knocking out a two-run homer—his 33rd of the season—in the first inning.

Gabriel Ynoa also pitched a career-high eight innings of one-run baseball game in the 3-1 win over the Rays. Although the Orioles are out of the race, they are still fighting hard to avoid their first losing season since 2011. 

National Lacrosse Hall of Fame Inducts New Members.
Tomorrow, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame will be inducting nine new members and longtime Johns Hopkins and UMBC coach Don Zimmerman will be among the honorees. Zimmerman will be honored for his coaching achievements that span over five decades from 1978-2016.

During his seven seasons as head coach at Hopkins, he amassed a winning record of 73-15, and another 164 wins as head coach at UMBC. He has already been inducted to three other halls of fame, so adding one more should be a cakewalk for the legendary coach. 

Jaguars at Ravens, Sunday Dec. 14, 1:00 p.m., M&T Bank Stadium, CBS

The Jacksonville Jaguars may be the most nondescript city/franchise combination in the NFL. Quick—name the most talented player on the Jags. Now think about some of the city’s famous landmarks. Its famous native sons? You get the idea. One thing I can tell you definitively is that no one in the NFL possesses a better mustache or boat than Jags owner Shad Khan.

The Jags and their hometown don’t generally get a lot of attention outside of north Florida, but that won’t matter when the Ravens play the AFC South’s cellar dweller. Baltimore is a big favorite (14 points) against one of only three teams in the league without a win on the road this season. Still, with only three games left and the playoff picture uncomfortably crowded, the Ravens can’t afford to overlook anyone, no matter how insignificant they might be.

What to Eat: Jacksonville isn’t known for any one food item or cuisine. It’s hardly New Orleans. How do I know this? The Florida Times-Union’s food editor said so in the lead of a story he wrote on the subject in the days before the city hosted Super Bowl XXXIX in 2004. Buried at the bottom of the article is a mention of the one Jacksonville original—a Lubi sandwich. You can only get an authentic one at one of the three Lubi’s locations in Jacksonville, but I’m going to attempt to create one in my kitchen:

• Lean ground sirloin
• Kraft American Cheese
• Onions
• A sub roll.

Directions:
Load the cooked sirloin onto the sub roll, top with cheese and onions (peppers can be added as well), and steam. This is the key step. Lubi’s are steamed, which can make them messy to eat. Most people use a knife and fork. (I know what I’ll be eating isn’t a true Lubi sandwich, but it sounds gooey and delicious, doesn’t it?)

If you’re heading out, a plate of alligator bites at Abbey Burger Bistro in Federal Hill is sufficiently Floridian. They’re battered and fried, and served with a spicy honey mustard sauce.

What to Drink: Stick with me here. Each year one of college football’s most cleverly-nicknamed games is staged in Jacksonville, where Florida meets Georgia in “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” This season the Gators upset the Bulldogs. Eight days later, the Jags played the Dallas Cowboys in London. Since it’s scheduled to play one game there each year through 2016, Jacksonville is unofficially England’s NFL team. Thus, on Sunday I’ll be drinking British Bulldogs:

• 1 ounce butterscotch schnapps
• 1 oz coffee liqueur
• 1 oz vodka
• 2-3 oz half cream

Directions:
Measure one-ounce shots of the butterscotch schnapps, coffee liqueur, and vodka into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Stir in the half and half to top off drink. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.