A section of North Avenue will be renamed “Ray Lewis Way #52” and some Baltimoreans wish the city had chosen an address closer to where the famous Raven actually played football.

“North Avenue?! Seriously? That’s insulting to Ray Lewis,” said a commenter on the Sun’s website. “What part of North Avenue is worth to have Ray’s name attached to it? Where there no streets around the stadium that needed renaming?” said another.

But their choice (scheduled to be celebrated in a ceremony tomorrow at 1 p.m.) has more to do with Lewis’ philanthropy than his football.

The new “Ray Lewis Way #52” will be located at the corner of North and Broadway Avenues.  (Is he getting a part of the street? An intersection? It’s a bit unclear.) That intersection is close to  Diakon Place, where Lewis’ charitable group, the Ray Lewis Foundation, distributes food to the needy at an annual Thanksgiving Day event.

People there, it’s safe to say, need a boost from Lewis more than season-ticket holders downtown. A quick check of the 2000 census data from that area shows 26.4% of individuals were below poverty level; 30.3% were considered to have disability status.

Baltimore City Council president Bernard C. “Jack” Young will bestow the honor on Lewis, who will be there in person, and the Ray Lewis Foundation at Tuesday’s re-naming ceremony.

Here’s how Young put it in today’s press release: “We all understand and recognize the gigantic impact that Ray has had on professional football during his 14 years playing with the Ravens. But he’s had an even greater impact, through his philanthropic efforts, in the lives of average Baltimoreans.”

– Elizabeth Suman