The pro football Hall of Fame selection committee commits a fumble again. While those who were selected were worthy, my question is when did Michael Strahan become a better player in big games than Charles Haley? Strahan is a very good player and really is Hall of Fame-worthy, but at whose expense this soon after his retirement?
While Strahan has endeared himself to America with his post-football career ventures, Haley has been on more Super Bowl championship teams than any man alive (five, if you are counting). The fact that he is not in the Hall of Fame is becoming a joke.
We all know that he had a rough relationship with media and some voters during his playing career, and now they are making him pay. Funny, I thought it was about what you did on the field and not what you said or did not say around your locker. If the committee has an ax to grind, then they should just come out with it, say so and we can move on.
Haley is not alone, as Tim Brown has waited too long as well. And you thought the baseball Hall of Fame process was flawed. There seems to be room in the van for more who are driving down the wrong street on this one.
Black and gold
How ironic would it be if during Black History month an African American made history at the Winter Olympics? Shani Davis of Chicago is poised to go after his third gold medal in as many Olympiads. It has never been done before, and he is considered to be a heavy favorite in his three speed-skating events.
I wrote about Davis a few years ago when he came onto the speed-skating scene. The politics and racism were hot, heavy and strong against Davis and his mother because of how he elected to handle his career. The U.S. Speed Skating Federation had the media and some of his teammates play along, and they went out of their way to make it quite difficult.
The whispers circulated about Davis and his mother being difficult were unwarranted. Davis never wavered, and he became the first African American to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics and then he returned four years later to do it again.
To say he had a contentious relationship with the media would be an understatement, as some went out their way to paint him as a bad guy with a “stage mother.” Davis elected to deal with them accordingly, and that included not talking to some. It even went as far as his not training with the rest of the Olympic team at one point, as he elected to go with his own training regimen. That brought on open criticism by his alleged teammates.
In the end, Davis overcame all the distractions to become the best the world has ever seen. It will be interesting now that NBC does not have Lindsey Vonn to promote or Lolo Jones’ quest to win a medal at any Olympic game she can find to follow. Davis is the real deal and deserves the attention of viewers.
Problems to tackle
As the book is now closed on the NFL season, the question locally is: How close are the Rams to getting back to the Super Bowl?
Answer: They need to put in a lot of work.
The first thing that was glaring about the Seattle Seahawks this season was their ability to flat-out tackle. Fundamentally Seattle was head and shoulders above most teams. As for the Rams, tackling was a problem, as well as discipline. Too many times they took themselves out of a play, if not the game, with a dumb play. That only gets you a good spot in front of the TV to watch someone in the playoffs.
There is no question that the Rams are moving in the right direction, but there is more work ahead than you may think. As you compare Seattle and St. Louis, aside from Pro Bowler Robert Quinn, where to you see the Rams being better than the Seahawks at any position? Like I said, more work is needed.
At what price?
Yes, there was a mild panic by some in St. Louis when it was disclosed that Rams owner Stan Kroenke had purchased some football stadium-sized land in Los Angeles.
There has been little discussion between representatives from these parts and the Kroenke group in some time, mainly because there is little to talk about. This area is not going to get into the stadium-funding business again unless they have a viable partner, and even that would be a hard sell to the community.
We are talking about a multi-billionaire who is looking for help from a cash-starved city to build a stadium to make more money? Good luck.
While I understand this is the art of negotiating on Kroenke’s part, he has given little indication that St. Louis is his first option as home for his team. In return, local support continues to wane, no matter how much potential the team may show on the field. For fans to put up another good-faith effort of support for a team that is “weighing all their options” has to be examined with a jaundiced eye.
Obviously, we would like to see the team stay in St. Louis, but at what price?
