‘The Life of Kings’ is the Life For Me

The 10 faithful readers of this blog know well that I have no love for the Baltimore Sun. Sure, they probably have the most in-depth Baltimore Ravens coverage, but it’s not because they have an overwhelming resource of talent, they just have enough hack reporters and columnists to throw at the training complex. The best Ravens beat writer in the world is Aaron Wilson at the Carroll County Times.

But there is something the Sun does absolutely well, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. I once mocked it’s new blog “The Life Of Kings,” written Kevin Van Valkenburg. Perhaps it was the blatant reference to the recently canceled “The Wire,” or the assumption that Van Valkenburg would be another biased, no-good mouthpiece for the region’s most overrated paper.

Boy, was I mistaken.

Not one post has been composed on The Life of Kings that I don’t absolutely enjoy. Plus, he recently used his platform to fire up Sports Illustrated’s Peter King and the ‘hunch’ that the Ravens would take Chad Henne, which I too decried in this space.

Yesterday, Van Valkenburg composed a post on why Ravens fans should root for second-round pick Ray Rice, and gave some background on the tragedy that was present in Rice’s life beginning with the tragic loss of his father at a young age. If you haven’t made up your mind on Ray Rice yet, this post will make it up for you.

Journalists are often lampooned by bloggers for their holier-than-thou approach and brash tone with athletes and fans. Kevin Van Valkenburg didn’t deserve lampooning from me, and I’m sorry I unfairly dished it.

If you don’t read any other Baltimore Sun blogger, and my suggestion is you don’t, I strongly suggest keeping up with Van Valkenburg’s ‘The Life of Kings.’