But what the FBI data doesn't tell you is the demographics of the people involved. The City Paper (our alternative weekly) did some investigative reporting a few years back; something like 91% of violent deaths involved the drug trade in some fashion (buyer, user, dealer, etc).

B'more's certainly not perfect, but it's got a very undeserved bad rap. Despite what the TV tells people, we don't shoot and kill random tourists (at most, we pen 'em up in the Inner Harbor). Sure, there are places I wouldn't go alone after dark unarmed -- but the city police have oh-so-kindly identified them for us by putting up blinking blue lights over street cameras. *g* We live downtown, and sure, west of us it starts getting a little more sketch, but I have never once felt unsafe -- even as a woman walking alone in the middle of the night. I can't say that about a lot of other major metropolii I've visited.

My first instinct would be to say "Thanks, but I think I'd rather be shot. At least that's quick, and make an interesting anecdote." However, tinyjo likes the idea and, if nothing else, I'm sure I could enjoy not enjoying it with your (plural) leavening prescence.

That said, I'm given to understand that baseball can only be enjoyed while drunk. Is there any chance that we could acquire drinks other than carbonated piss American beer?

Hey, I think that sounds cool! I once went to a game in Pittsburg as part of a business trip but no-one who I was with actually knew what was going on, so we didn't really get much out of it. Are foam fingers compulsary?

Illusion of own sporting prowess, check! I'll just substitute the beer for a bottle of g&t and I'm good to go!