Dr Z vs Peter King

People voting for Tagliabue had to have taken gifts from him... or they are simply insane.

 

Exactly.

To be voted one of the best players ever, out of hundreds of players who are already the best players ever, that's an accomplishment.

To be voted in as a commissioner...there are so few of them, it's almost redundant. Once you've been a commissioner, you're already embedded in the history. For my (imaginary) vote, you'd have to completely revolutionize the sport--not just run a successful business.

I'm not sure I'm making sense, but I understood it.

 

I follow what you are saying. Tagliabue did nothing but mind the store, but there is little argument that Rozelle revolutionized the sport.

 

Wow. I can't believe we agree on this.

And bless you, Dr. Z, for the principles here.

Good. About time someone called Tags on the carpet for this. Of course, PK would never care about the working stiffs who have to deal with Tags' rules because he's got every NFL player and exec on speed dial and as such views himself as a beautiful person.

Rock on Dr. Z.

 

We are operating on a different level.

 

Must have been a pretty funny scene - Pete makes his flowery presentation about his buddy Tags, then his SI colleague --DR Z blows his presentation out of the water. I love those boardroom moments. When DR Z was done poor PK must have looked like he was shot.

Is there any doubt that it was PK who told DR Z that he was a bit over the top.

 

Whatever I meant, you said it cooler. I need to work on that.

 

Next to his take on the announcers, there is no yearly Dr. Z column I enjoy more than his stories on the Hall of Fame.

Agree that Tagliabue is mediocre, while Rozelle built the NFL into what it is. The execs (and frankly, coaches) who get voted in must be people who revolutionized and/or built the sport. Or people who had such a sustained level of greatness that they could not be ignored. Rozelle, Bill Walsh, Al Davis, Paul Brown, Sid Gillman, Chuck Noll, Joe Gibbs.

Tagliabue is a steward, a lawyer who was there when the NFL took advantage of baseball's most foolish strike ever and Magic and Bird leaving the NBA to establish itself as the most popular sport. Add in the insanely great propaganda machine that is NFL Films, and you have something no one can screw up.

Of course, if Dr. Z wrote that the 49ers of the 1980s were all overrated, and that the Kansas City Chiefs are actually one of the great franchises in NFL history, even with their complete lack of Super Bowls since Nixon's first term, I'd believe it.

King sucks. A classic "look at ME! I have ACCESS and CELEBRITY!" sports writer, who is more concerned with kissing the ass of the league and ripping Starbucks establishments that don't kiss his ass than he is with writing meaningful stories. I'm not surprised he "was asked" to present Tagliabue; almost as if the others wanted to chuckle at him getting to kiss aweak commish's butt in front of them.

 

Tags was a better commissioner than Roger Wehrli was a defensive back

 

I'm with you both -- though I'm sure I'm operating on a lower level.

I have no interest in seeing a suit, especially a stuffed one, get in at the expense of a player.

 

Put in a kicker or punter over Tagliabue.