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The Dripby Fern Shen7:57 amMar 4, 20130

Four questions about the 2013 Ravens Wheaties box

Plus, a look at who made the box in 2001

Above: Ray Lewis wasn’t on the Superbowl XXXV box – will he be on this one?

1) When is it coming out?

They’ve got the big silver trophy. They’re getting those diamond-studded gold rings. But now, having won Superbowl XLVII, the Baltimore Ravens are also due a prize made of humbler materials – recognition on one of those orange cardboard boxes containing Wheaties cereal, “The Breakfast of Champions.”

“Hey Wheaties, why is it so difficult to tell your CUSTOMERS when the Ravens Superbowl 47 box is coming out!!” a testy fan asked recently on the Wheaties Facebook page, prompting a slew of others to chime in.

General Mills, which has been putting iconic athlete images on cereal boxes since 1934 (the first was Lou Gehrig), doesn’t seem too fazed by the furor.

“When the next box is ready to go, our fans will be first to know,” comes the gnomic answer on the Facebook page.

2) Will Ray Lewis be Wheaties worthy?

Lewis wasn’t on the box made to commemorate the team’s winning of Superbowl XXXV in 2001, even though he was the Superbowl MVP. Arrested in connection with a double-killing the previous year, Lewis lost out on not just the Wheaties box, but a number of endorsements. (Quarterback Trent Dilfer was the one chosen to shout, “I’m going to Disney World!”)

With the passage of time, the resolution of the criminal case (charged with murder, he plead guilty to obstruction of justice in return for testifying against two other defendants) and the fact that Lewis hung in for 17 very good years with the Ravens and rallied his team to a second Superbowl victory, it would seem he’d have rehabbed his image back to Wheaties-worthiness.

Would the recent weird deer antler spray allegations (that Lewis used a product containing a banned hormone-like substance) be enough to knock him off the box again? (Lewis has denied he used it.)

3) So who was on the Wheaties box the last time the Ravens won?

We’ve actually got one of those boxes and took the five names right off the back of it:

Back of the box from XXXV Ravens Superbowl win.

Back of the box from Superbowl XXXV win.

Safety Rod Woodson – A Pittsburgh Steeler for most of his career, he played with the Ravens for just two years and moved on to a couple of years with the Oakland Raiders before retiring from the NFL.

Tight End Shannon Sharpe – A member of the Denver Broncos for most of his career, Sharpe returned to Denver after his short stint with the Ravens. He’s now a commentator for CBS Sports on its NFL telecasts.

Wide Receiver Qadry Ismail – After one more year with the Ravens, he left (a salary cap victim) and then did a year with the Indianapolis Colts. He was an ESPN commentator and these days “Q” is seen and heard locally on WBAL radio and television, where he does color commentary.

Offensive Tackle Jonathan Ogden – After a 12-season NFL career spent entirely with the Baltimore Ravens, Ogden retired in 2008. Since then, he’s been seen shimmying with the dancing “Gebco Girls” (on the insurance company’s ubiquitous television commercials) and towering over Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (on an ad supporting Question 7, the casino gambling expansion plan on the ballot last November.)

Defensive End Michael McCrary – After leaving the Ravens in 2002, he did football commentatary on WBAL-AM and established a non-profit for children in need called Mac’s Miracle Fund.

4. What is a 2001 Ravens Wheaties box worth today?

Well, the one pictured here isn’t worth much since it has been opened (we ate the Wheaties), and there’s a coffee stain on it. But a similar one that’s unopened and in good condition would, judging from eBay and other online sources, fetch anywhere from $7 to $35.

Guess it stays on the living room shelf.

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