One of those rare real sports moments occurred after the Ravens beat the Texans on Sunday.  It was a moment that left many fans feeling satisfied, thinking to themselves that despite the men on the field making more in a week than they will make in a year that there actually is a human element to the game they spend an entire Sunday watching.

I’m talking of course about that moment that Ravens head coach John Harbaugh hugged his former player and current Texan, Derrick Mason, and said in is his ear “always a Raven.”  The twitterverse exploded with joy over that Hallmark moment.  How incredible was it that the camera was in the perfect spot and the microphones were pointed in their direction?

Not so fast.

I don’t think for a second that Harbaugh wasn’t aware of what he was doing.  You think he didn’t see the four man crew following him out to mid-field and the microphone on the end of a ten foot pole aimed in his direction?  Don’t be naive.

This was an ideal opportunity for Harbaugh to look good and he did just that.  As he said, the family name is in enough controversy this week.

Derrick Mason was dealt to the Texans by the Jets for a conditional seventh round pick.  That’s basically the Jets way of saying “get the hell out of here and we’ll take whatever we can get for you.”  He didn’t exactly leave on good terms.  Rumors had circulated that he went to head coach Rex Ryan with complaints about offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.  Though Mason denied those claims, he was tossed out of New York days later.

As for Mason and Harbaugh, the two weren’t exactly old pals here in Baltimore.  The Ravens cut Mason after the NFL lockout and reports indicated that they never even made him an offer.  Rex Ryan told the media that Mason “wanted to be” in New York.  Remember that Derrick Mason complained about the Ravens offense before.  Just last year Mike Preston of The Sun reported that things got so heated last November that Mason grabbed Joe by the face mask in a heated sideline argument.  The two had to be separated.

Remember that Mason retired in frustration after the 2008 season.

Always a Raven?  I’m not sure Harbaugh meant it, but it definitely made us all feel good.

 

Zach Wilt is the Founding Editor of BaltimoreSportsReport.com.  You can follow him on Twitter @zamwi or send him an email: zach@baltimoresportsreport.com.