At the end of 2023, the dominant feeling in Baltimore sports was hope.

A lot of hardware seemed in play. The Ravens were a Super Bowl contender. The Orioles had washed out of the playoffs but were still at the beginning of their title contention window. Angel Reese and LSU were near the top of college hoops. 2024 felt like a year of uncharted possibility.

The reality is Baltimore’s teams and athletes took a few lumps. At least this year’s Ravens squad appears to be rounding into form at just the right time, offering early promise for the new year.

Even if few reached the peaks we expected, there were still a lot of memorable moments, and pound for pound, the city is still punching above its weight on the sports scene.

For proof, we need only look back on the year that was — a year that could make 2025 championships feel all the sweeter. The only difference now is we know how hard it will be to take that next step.

The Ray Lewis ‘Let’s Put On A Show’ Award

(for the most entertaining athlete)

This category is a little bit like the NFL MVP, because you could give it to Lamar Jackson every year. But while we’ve come to acknowledge Jackson’s showmanship as a given, I think it’s worth noting that the Ravens got everything they could have wanted out of Derrick Henry and more. With his deceptive speed and iconic stiff arm, Henry has been everything we didn’t realize we were missing. He’s already had the second-best rushing total of his career (1,783 yards) with a game left to play, and his 16 combined TDs make him the franchise’s single-season record holder. What else can Henry do for the Ravens? We’re anxious to find out in January.

Runner-up: Lamar Jackson, because c’mon — it’s Lamar.

The Cal Ripken Jr. ‘Only Way I Know’ Award

(high work ethic/workmanlike performer)

I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for a great comeback story. And I can think of none better or more unlikely than Albert Suárez. Before this spring, the last big-league pitch he had thrown was on Sept. 26, 2017. On a winding international career that snaked through Japan and Korea, Suárez refined his fastball into a truly formidable pitch and used it in 2024 to not only make the Orioles, but post a career-best ERA (3.70) across 133 2/3 innings and 24 starts. If you had told Orioles fans before the season that Suárez would be one of the three or four most important arms for the club, it would have been worrisome. But a banged-up pitching staff might not have made it into the postseason without the (now) 35-year-old slotting in wherever he was needed.

Runner-up: Finishing fourth place in MVP voting and leading the team in bWAR (9.1), Gunnar Henderson played in 159 games and had more plate appearances than any other Oriole while playing one of the most demanding positions on the diamond.

The Michael Phelps ‘All I Do Is Win’ Award

(for winning at the highest level)

For the second straight year, a Baltimore-area prep standout was hoisting an NCAA basketball trophy. Unlike Angel Reese, Cam Spencer was not the biggest name on his team’s roster, but UConn would not have been the same without the Boys’ Latin alum. Spencer is a modern-day portal success story, leveraging impressive stints at Loyola and Rutgers into a roster spot with the defending champion Huskies. Averaging more than 14 points and shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc, Spencer was the long-range threat and secondary facilitator UConn needed for a title repeat. These days, you can find Spencer playing for the Memphis Grizzlies with former Greyhounds teammate Santi Aldama.

The Ozzie Newsome ‘Behind The Scenes’ Award

(the top performers behind the athletes)

There’s a lot of evaluation left to do for David Rubenstein, but buying the Orioles from the Angelos family made some in this city celebrate as if it were a civic holiday. After a tumultuous 2023 of John Angelos’ stewardship, one of the city’s biggest sports rumors came to fruition early this year when a Rubenstein-led group shelled out $1.725 billion for the local baseball team. As opposed to his predecessor, Rubenstein has been highly visible in the stands and used a self-deprecating, dry humor to change the messaging of ownership. But significant tests lie ahead as stadium renovations pick up (along with ticket prices) and the Orioles head into 2025 without a high-priced ace. Rubenstein need only look back at the story of Peter Angelos (whom we lost in 2024) to see how quickly a town hero can turn into a heel.

The Brooks Robinson ‘Community Do-Gooder’ Award

(for outstanding community service and influence)

It’s the second straight season Roquan Smith has been nominated as the Ravens’ Walter Payton Man of the Year, and for good reason. The linebacker has an outsized passion for taking care of people, especially kids. Early this year, I got a glimpse into Smith’s work with victims of domestic violence, a group he worries is continually overlooked and forgotten. My colleague Giana Han went along with Smith and a cadre of Ravens for a holiday shopping spree with local kids. A lot of Baltimore’s athletes do a lot in the community (and we should note here the Orioles’ outreach to Harlem Park Elementary/Middle) but Smith’s particular brand of service, much of which goes on out of public view, merits recognition.

Highest on-field high: Ravens finally tear down the Steel Curtain

The tone of this moment might have been more “relief” than “excitement,” but it sure had to happen. With a 34-17 win over the Steelers earlier this month, the Ravens ended one of the franchise’s tough patches against their chief rival, a stretch that included eight losses in their previous nine matchups. The victory did a few things at once: It bolstered Lamar Jackson’s MVP candidacy, it put the Ravens in driver’s seat for the AFC North, and it clinched a playoff spot while showing Baltimore’s potential against a legitimate foe.

Lowest on-field low: Orioles are swept again

Hoping for a breakthrough, Baltimore fans were disappointed to see that this postseason was even shorter than the last. Limping through the second half of the season, the Orioles didn’t look very formidable at the plate leading into their Kansas City series. Still, more fight was expected and more scoring than just one measly run across two games. The playoff drought continues into 2025.

Biggest buzzkill: Sports gamblers

As much money seems to be swashing around in the gambling industry, I think a lot of us wish to put everything back in Pandora’s box. I spoke with a few of the Orioles this year about the growing cloud of negativity that circles the sport as more people become more shameless about targeting athletes over bets. It’s not just a baseball problem — studies have shown many sports are dealing with threats and other bad behavior relating to gambling. If you’re making bets, keep the fallout to yourself.

Wildest roller-coaster ride: Craig Kimbrel

Given Kimbrel’s recent track record, many suspected the 36-year-old might tail off. But the rise and fall were both spectacular to behold. At midseason, there was a convincing case that Kimbrel had been snubbed from the AL All-Star team. A few months later, he was all but unplayable for the Orioles, forcing their hand to cut him. The once-great closer had 23 saves in his lone season with Baltimore, as many as he had in Philadelphia in all of 2023. But he slid so far that he wound up posting a minus-1.1 WAR, easily the worst of his career and the worst for any Oriole in 2024.

How Did He Do That moment: Lamar stiff arms Sam Hubbard

Of Jackson’s many unbelievable plays this year, this was the unbelievable-ist. Down 10 points with less than six minutes to go, he fumbled a snap and was forced to scramble to his right. After stiff arming Sam Hubbard to the ground, Jackson made a leaping touchdown throw to Isaiah Likely that will be replayed in career highlight reels for the rest of time (or at least until he’s enshrined in Canton).

Best one-year cameo: Corbin Burnes

I don’t know how Orioles fans are going to look back on Burnes’ tenure given his flight to Arizona in free agency. But in his one year in black and orange, Burnes more than delivered on his promise to be a staff-stabilizing ace. He was the first Baltimore pitcher to start an All-Star Game since 1980, and by giving up just one earned run in eight innings in his playoff start, he gave the O’s a chance to break through in the postseason. It’s a shame Baltimore couldn’t take advantage of a great pitcher before he flew the coop.

Best big league splash: Angel Reese

There was no title repeat for the Tigers or Reese this season, but the end of the forward’s college career was a new beginning in the WNBA. After getting taken by the Chicago Sky as the No. 7 pick, the Randallstown native quickly made an impact on the glass and made the league’s All-Star team. She broke the previous single-season rebounding record (she was later surpassed by MVP A’ja Wilson, who played four more games than Reese did). Even though Reese’s season came to an abrupt end due to injury, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that she came to basketball’s toughest stage ready to compete.

Favorite freshman: Derik Queen

Derik Queen got just one season at St. Frances before Montverde Academy in Florida scooped him up for most of his prep career. Now back in Maryland, he’s helped revitalize the Terps alongside fellow Baltimore native Julian Reese. As we turn toward 2025, Queen is averaging 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists with a .599 true shooting percentage, insane efficiency for someone who plays with more maturity than his age would suggest. More importantly, the Maryland men are finally leveling back up to standard under Kevin Willard, who probably will have the unenviable task next fall of replacing Queen, who could be NBA-bound.

Best old-school success story: Navy football

It was a renaissance year for the Midshipmen that many of the recruits of the pandemic era could have only dreamed about. From a 5-7 campaign in 2023 with a dismal offense, Navy retooled with a modified Wing T scheme and a sensational performance by junior quarterback Blake Horvath. The Midshipmen ended the year on vibrant notes, beating both Army and Oklahoma to cap their first double-digit win season since 2019.

Most ambitious comeback attempt: Pimlico Race Course

It feels like we are in the 500th or 600th iteration of saving Maryland horse racing, but the difference now is the state has a bigger stake than ever. Earlier this year, the Stronach Group agreed to hand over the historic Baltimore track to the state, which passed a bill to create a new thoroughbred racing authority and pour millions into renovations for the crumbling facility. Anyone who has been to Preakness over the last decade or more knows how much work needs to be done. But the twinkle of hope for the crown jewel of Maryland racing — long in need of polish — is more encouraging than anything we’ve seen in a while.

Most memorable sibling rivalry: Juliette and Isabella Whittaker

These sisters from Laurel are the pride of Mount de Sales Academy after each qualifying to head to Paris in the 2024 Olympic Games. Juliette finished seventh in a talented field of 800 meter runners, only accentuating her promise as a two-time NCAA champion in the event. From Katie Ledecky to Masai Russell to Kevin Durant, many Marylanders saw success in Paris and even Olympic gold, but the Whittaker sisters’ special journey to the Games in different disciplines sticks with me even if they didn’t medal.

A hard few goodbyes: Jacoby Jones and Joe D’Alessandris

Among the Baltimore sports figures we lost in 2024, two deaths hit the Ravens particularly hard this summer. In July, playoff hero Jacoby Jones — remembered in Baltimore lore for the Mile High Miracle — died of coronary failure in his sleep at only 40 years old. It was shocking for a number of reasons, including the coaching path he had taken after his NFL career ended. In August, Ravens’ offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, one of the most beloved and charasmatic coaches on the team, died after a brief hospitalization. The Ravens have dedicated this season in their honor, and their memory continues on into 2025 and for years to come.