In glass display cases, bobbleheads of Baltimore Ravens players stare at me. Ravens flags pinned to the wall are for sale, as are car and window decals. There are other teams’ player cards and jerseys, of course, but I am in Ravens territory.
There is no doubt in Rick Hubata’s mind that Ellicott City is a purple-and-black town. Hubata owns DugoutZone, a sports card and memorabilia store that he opened there in 1999.
When I ask him about the breakdown of Ravens vs. Washington Commanders fans in Howard County, he chuckles. The Commanders’ stadium in Landover is just 35 miles from his store, but he says the portion of his customers who are Commanders fans is 5%, at best.
As one of The Banner’s Howard County reporters, I visited Hubata’s store on a sunny Friday afternoon, just two days before the 3-2 Ravens were to face the 4-1 Commanders at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium.
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