NFL Quiz: [In the interest of full disclosure, I picked up the idea
for this one from the New York Times.]
Name the five oldest longest running ownership teams. For
example, Daniel Snyder bought the Washington Redskins from
Jack Kent Cooke and family in 1999, Tom Benson has owned
the Saints since 1985, etc. [Benson is 17th oldest.] Answer
below.
Overrated / Underrated
[More from American Heritage magazine]
Founding Father
Overrated
Harvey J. Kaye, author of a new book on Thomas Paine,
contends that “We cannot explain America’s democratic
dynamic and greatness by way of the traditional cohort of
Founding Fathers.” Kaye cites Adams and Hamilton, for
example, for scorning working people and remaining hostile to
the idea of popular democratic politics.
Underrated
Of course, Thomas Paine.
“The son of an English aristocrat, he came to America in 1774 at
the age of 37, bearing in one hand a curriculum vitae that
registered an elementary education and aborted careers as a
corset maker, privateer, preacher, teacher, tax collector, and a
labor activist, but, more important, in the other, a letter of
introduction from Benjamin Franklin, whom he knew through
artisan and scientific circles in London.
“Struck by America’s magnificent possibilities, moved by the
spiritedness of its people, and suddenly offered a career as a
magazine editor and writer, Paine dedicated himself to the
American cause and – through pamphlets like ‘Common Sense’
and ‘The Crisis’ and words such as ‘The sun never shined on a
cause of greater worth,\’\’ ‘We have it in our power to begin the
world over again,’ and ‘These are the times that try men’s souls’
– he not only turned America’s colonial rebellion into a
revolutionary war but also, to the chagrin of the more
conservative patriots, defined the new nation in a democratically
expansive and progressive fashion and projected an American
identity charged with exceptional purpose and promise.”
Well, I wrote of Paine in this space about three years ago and it’s
a good time to reprise his “American Crisis” pamphlet.
It was December 1776, and Paine was traveling with General
George Washington. Paine set down to write his impressions
and on December 19, Washington ordered it read to his soldiers.
The men, battered and beaten by the struggles of the past year,
we’re bolstered by the words. And now .
Thomas Paine
These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier
and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the
service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the
love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not
easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the
harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we
obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that
gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper
price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so
celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.
Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that
she has a right not only to TAX but TO BIND us in ALL CASES
WHATSOEVER, and if being bound in that manner is not
slavery, then is here not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even
the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong
only to God.
Whether the independence of the continent was declared too
soon, or delayed too long, I will not now enter into as an
argument; my one simple opinion is that had it been eight
months earlier, it would have been much better. We did not
make a proper use of last winter, neither could we, while we
were in a dependent state. However, the fault, if it were one, was
all our own; we have none to blame but ourselves. But no great
deal is lost yet. All that (British commander in chief Sir
William) Howe has been doing for this month past, is rather a
ravage than a conquest, which the spirit of the Jerseys, a year
ago, would have quickly repulsed, and which time and a little
resolution will soon recover.
I have as little superstition in me as any man living, but my
secret opinion has ever been, and still is, that God Almighty will
not give up a people to military destruction, or leave them
unsupportedly to perish, who have so earnestly and so repeatedly
sought to avoid the calamities of war, by every decent method
which wisdom could invent. Neither have I so much of the
infidel in me, as to suppose that He has relinquished the
government of the world, and given us up to the care of devils;
and as I do not, I cannot see on what grounds the king of Britain
can look up to heaven for help against us; a common murderer, a
highwayman, or a house-breaker, has as good a pretence as he.
‘Tis surprising to see how rapidly a panic will sometimes run
through a country. All nations and ages have been subject to
them. Britain has trembled like an ague (ed. ‘fever’) at the report
of a French fleet of flat-bottomed boats; and in the fourteenth
(fifteenth) century the whole English army, after ravaging the
kingdom of France, was driven back like men petrified with fear;
and this brave exploit was performed by a few broken forces
collected and headed by a woman, Joan of Arc. Would that
heaven might inspire some Jersey maid to spirit up her
countrymen, and save her fair fellow sufferers from ravage and
ravishment! Yet panics, in some cases, have their uses; they
produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short;
the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer habit
than before. But their peculiar advantage is, that they are the
touchstones of sincerity and hypocrisy, and bring things and men
to light, which might otherwise have lain forever undiscovered.
In fact, they have the same effect on secret traitors, which an
imaginary apparition would have upon a private murderer. They
sift out the hidden thoughts of man, and hold them up in public
to the world. Many a disguised Tory has lately shown his head,
that shall penitentially solemnize with curses the day on which
Howe arrived upon the Delaware
I shall not now attempt to give all the particulars of our retreat to
the Delaware; suffice it for the present to say, that both officers
and men, though greatly harassed and fatigued, frequently
without rest, covering, or provision, the inevitable consequences
of a long retreat, bore it with a manly and martial spirit. All their
wishes centred (sic) in one, which was, that the country would
turn out and help them to drive the enemy back. Voltaire has
remarked that King William never appeared to full advantage but
in difficulties and in action; the same remark may be made on
General Washington, for the character fits him. There is a
natural firmness in some minds which cannot be unlocked by
trifles, but which, when unlocked, discovers a cabinet of
fortitude; and I reckon it among those kind of public blessings,
which we do not immediately see, that God hath blessed him
with uninterrupted health, and given him a mind that can even
flourish upon care.
I shall conclude this paper with some miscellaneous remarks on
the state of our affairs; and shall begin with asking the following
question, Why is it that the enemy have left the New England
provinces, and made these middle ones the seat of war? The
answer is easy: New England is not infested with Tories, and we
are. I have been tender in raising the cry against these men, and
used numberless arguments to show them their danger, but it will
not do to sacrifice a world either to their folly or their baseness.
The period is now arrived, in which either they or we must
change our sentiments, or one or both must fall. And what is a
Tory? Good God! What is he? I should not be afraid to go with
a hundred Whigs against a thousand Tories, were they to attempt
to get into arms. Every Tory is a coward; for servile, slavish,
self-interested fear is the foundation of Toryism; and a man
under such influence, though he may be cruel, never can be
brave.
But, before the line or irrecoverable separation be drawn between
us, let us reason the matter together: Your conduct is an
invitation to the enemy, yet not one in a thousand of you has
heart enough to join him. Howe is as much deceived by you as
the American cause is injured by you. He expects you will all
take up arms, and flock to his standard, with muskets on your
shoulders. Your opinions are of no use to him, unless you
support him personally, for ‘tis soldiers, and not Tories, that he
wants.
I once felt all that kind of anger, which a man ought to feel,
against the mean principles that are held by the Tories: a noted
one, who kept a tavern at Amboy, was standing at his door, with
as pretty a child in his hand, about eight or nine years old, as I
ever saw, and after speaking his mind as freely as he thought was
prudent, finished with this unfatherly expression, “Well! Give
me peace in my day.” Not a man lives on the continent but fully
believes that a separation must some time or other finally take
place, and a generous parent should have said, “If there must be
trouble, let it be in my day, that my child may have peace,” and
this single reflection, well applied, is sufficient to awaken every
man to duty. Not a place upon earth might be so happy as
America. Her situation is remote from all the wrangling world,
and she has nothing to do but to trade with them. A man can
distinguish himself between temper and principle, and I am as
confident, as I am that God governs the world, that America will
never be happy till she gets clear of foreign dominion. Wars,
without ceasing, will break out till that period arrives, and the
continent must in the end be conqueror; for though the flame of
liberty may sometimes cease to shine, the coal can never expire.
[Kind of makes you want to go out and kick some butt, doesn’t
it?]
Football Coach
Overrated
Author Allen Barra says Vince Lombardi. An explanation
follows.
Underrated
Barra selects Paul “Bear” Bryant. “The game of college football
has roots and traditions that the pro game can imitate but never
equal, and the domain of (Bryant), the greatest of all college
football coaches and the winner of a record six national
championships, was larger than that of Vince Lombardi. Bryant
was no less a TV icon than Lombardi; Roone Arledge produced
his first ABC college football telecast in 1960 at an Alabama
home game, and for the next 23 years Bryant’s houndstooth hat
was instantly identifiable to any fan of either the pro or college
game .
“By the time Lombardi got his job with Green Bay, Bryant had
already turned around the fortunes of four different college
programs, at Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, and Alabama.
“Bryant’s career would outlast Lombardi’s by 13 seasons. For
all his brilliance, Lombardi left no disciples. Bryant’s progeny
have produced winning records at both the professional and
college levels, and many of them are coaching today.”
Spy
Overrated
According to author Frederick P. Hitz, “The most overrated
American spy is Nathan Hale. He failed miserably in his
mission, employing no tradecraft to fool his British targets, and
was summarily hanged for his troubles.”
Underrated
Hitz notes “The faceless but effective American operatives who
have successfully foiled efforts by Al Qaeda and others to follow
up on September 1, 2001, deserve our hearty appreciation. They
are vastly underrated.”
Western Figure
Overrated
Author Richard Wheeler says Meriwether Lewis. Yes, he was
brilliant in many respects, “Yet something wasn’t right. There
was his moodiness, his occasional harshness toward his men, his
underlying distaste for other people, his condescension toward
the tribes he met along the way, extreme even by the racist
standards of the day. [Ed. note: I would disagree with this point.
Indians were overrated in their own right.] There was also a
strange and twisted quality in his relationships with women (who
correctly perceived trouble and rebuffed his advances).
“As long as the stable and level-headed William Clark was on
hand to provide ballast, the expedition proceeded without
catastrophe, but whenever Lewis was commanding alone, he was
more prone to trouble, as when he fell into a deadly
confrontation with the Blackfeet.”
Of course after he returned from his journey, Lewis ran into all
kinds of problems and alienated everyone along the way. His
reputation was destroyed and the ensuing depression led him to
commit suicide.
Underrated
Now I found this fascinating. Maj. Marcus Reno.
“For generations, (Reno) has been blamed for the disaster at the
Little Bighorn in which Sioux and Cheyenne warriors
overwhelmed George Custer and his five companies of the 7th
Cavalry. Reno was accused of cowardice, of timidity, of bad
judgment in the field, of doing nothing while Custer’s command
perished.”
Richard Wheeler remarks that Reno was not a likeable man and
while a court of inquiry following Little Bighorn exonerated him,
he fell apart, getting into brawls with fellow officers who
accused him of cowardice.
But, Wheeler adds, “Reno deserves respect for his conduct at
war. At the Little Bighorn, he did all that a capable and
experienced field officer could do against overwhelming odds,
and he managed to save part of the 7th Cavalry by reaching
defensible high ground. The fruits of Custer’s ill-planned attack
should be laid to Custer himself. By employing good judgment
and tactics in the field, Reno prevented the destruction, by detail,
of the entire 7th Cavalry.”
Now I’ve been to the battlefield at Little Bighorn twice in the
past five years, but what I didn’t realize is that Reno is buried at
the national cemetery there. In 1967 a military board granted an
honorable discharge (Reno was court-martialed at the end of his
career for conduct unbecoming a general) and permitted his
reburial. Wheeler writes:
“To this day there are usually flowers at Marcus Reno’s grave at
the Little Bighorn. The next time I go there, I will add my own.”
Well, I don’t know if I personally will do the same, but now I’ll
know to check it out.
[This is one of the great national parks in the system,
incidentally. Too bad it’s so far out of the way, but there’s a nice
Motel 6 in nearby Hardin, with a Pizza Hut across the block
where yours truly gorged himself, washed down by ..oh, you
know ..]
Stuff
–This was almost a disastrous weekend for college football’s
undefeateds. First Georgia lost to Florida, 14-10, but Georgia
was playing without its starting quarterback, D.J. Shockley.
Then UCLA was down big to Stanford before rallying for 21
points in the final seven minutes to send their contest into
overtime, where they ended up winning 30-27.
And then we have #2 Texas (#1 in the BCS). Down 28-9 to
Oklahoma State, the amazing Vince Young led the Longhorns to
38 unanswered points and a 47-28 triumph. All Young did was
throw for 239 yards and run for 267!!!!! We have to have a USC
(big winners this weekend) – Texas match-up for the national
title.
Meanwhile, your editor went a solid 2-1 on his bets and upped
his ’05 record to 5-6, after a dreadful 0-2 start that almost cost
him his home, let alone his life.
I won on my Central Florida – East Carolina game, as CFU,
getting 2 , actually won 30-20.
And Wake Forest, giving 14, kicked Duke all over the place,
44-6.
But I lost, barely, in the Miami – UNC contest, as Miami, giving
20, won 34-16. Hell, they had a freakin’ hurricane to deal with
on campus, how the heck could they concentrate?! I almost filed
an appeal on this one, but the sports betting board here at Bar
Chat advised me not to.
Hey, Rutgers, the perennial whipping boy, is suddenly 6-2 and
bowl eligible after defeating a solid Navy team.
But Oklahoma defeated Nebraska, 31-24, and both now have
mediocre 5-3 marks. Sorry, Ken S.
Syracuse is 1-7! Yikes.
I’m awaiting word on the East Stroudsburg – Cheney St. game
and Johnny Mac reports Jimmy Terwilliger threw for over 350
yards and two TDs in ESU’s 40-3 win.
A Youngstown State football player was charged in a July
shooting death in Akron. They say this isn’t real good for
recruiting most of the time.
Back to my Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Chris Barclay (no
relation to Alben Barkley, Harry Truman’s vice president),
became the school’s all-time leading rusher. I only mention this
because he passed James McDougald, a good guy who wracked
up his yards all four years I was at school there, 1976-79.
–AP Top 10
1. USC 8-0
2. Texas 8-0
3. Virginia Tech 8-0 plays Miami, Sat.
4. Alabama 8-0
5. Miami 6-1
6. LSU 6-1
7. UCLA 8-0
8. Notre Dame 5-2
9. Florida State 7-1
10. Penn State 8-1
–Sex Chat
From the New York Daily News and a survey in Jane magazine
we learn that women think about sex almost as much as men,
with 54% wanting it every day but only 15% getting it that often;
among single women, 20 to 29 years old.
The nationwide poll showed 51% like things quiet when they’re
intimate, with 17% preferring the music of Norah Jones. Oh
brother. Any Burt Bacharach is better, no question about it. Or
Michael Franks’ “Popsicle Toes.”
But this is disturbing. About 20% of women in this age group
would have sex for money.
Separately, according to a British report, authored by Dr. Roger
Henderson, “Nights spent together on the sofa are a distant
memory for many couples who go through the working week
barely speaking to each other.”
“It’s absolutely vital for people to recapture the early evening
and create a calm hour at home with their partner before dinner.
It could be the difference between turning an existence into a life
and it could even be a relationship-saver.”
Seize the day!
ESPN / USA Today Preseason College Basketball Poll
1. Duke
2. UConn
3. Texas
4. Villanova loaded
5. Michigan State
6. Oklahoma
7. Gonzaga
8. Louisville
9. Arizona
10. Kentucky
11. Boston College
12. Memphis
13. Stanford
14. Alabama
15. West Virginia
16. Syracuse
17. Illinois
T-18. UCLA
T-18. Wake Forest right where we should be
20. Iowa
21. Maryland
22. Indiana
23. Iowa State
24. George Washington
25. Nevada
And now, despite the fact the season doesn’t officially begin for
a few more days, your EXCLUSIVE pick to win it all
DUKE!
J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams will rock and roll all year long
as the Blue Devils lose just one game. I’ll go with Miami, who
you don’t see on the board, as the sleeper team of the year.
–NASCAR
Three races to go in the Chase for the Nextel Cup.
1. Tony Stewart 6,100 points
2. Jimmie Johnson 6,057
3. Greg Biffle 6,025
I don’t have a dog in this hunt, but you can’t possibly have a
champion with the name “Biffle.”
–97-year-old Baseball Hall of Famer Al Lopez passed away.
Lopez was the last manager to lead the White Sox to the World
Series, 1959, until this year. It’s great he lived to see them win.
–Aghhh! My man Bill Haas failed in his bid to pick up his PGA
Tour card for 2006. Haas shot 74-75 his final two rounds in the
Nationwide Tour Championship when 73-74 would have done
the trick. Last year when I followed him at Q School in Palm
Springs, he failed to get his card by just one stroke. This has to
be crushing.
[Separately, his father blew a 6-shot lead in the seniors’ Charles
Schwab Cup Championship.]
But back to the Nationwide Tour, I was super psyched to see that
Jerry Smith, 41, will be playing the big time next year. Smith,
who I also followed at Q School and got to know his wife,
Jennifer, came through this weekend and finished 6th on the
overall money list. Golf junkies love stories like this. I’ll
definitely hit a PGA event next year to root him on.
–I was watching the PGA event on Sunday and caught a cryptic
reference to Phil Mickelson missing this week’s season-ending
Tour Championship for “personal reasons.” The announcers
didn’t let on if they know what’s up. So I’ll take a stab at it;
either his wife is sick or they’re having problems. [They both
have gambling problems that’s for sure!!!]
–Next Sunday, Nov. 6, is the New York City Marathon and
because of a piece in the current issue of SI, I’ll be checking it
out with a little more interest than usual. I keep forgetting that
Meb Keflezighi, Ethiopian-born, is a U.S. citizen. In fact I
forgot he won a silver in the 2004 Olympic Marathon. Basically,
I’m just very forgetful in my old age. Should Meb win, he would
become the first American to do so since Alberto Salazar in
1982.
But here’s something strange. Frank Shorter, the 1972 gold
medallist in the marathon, failed to congratulate Keflezighi after
he took the silver last year and when asked by SI, Shorter said,
“I’m not going to talk about it.”
Ah, Frank? Keflezighi, no matter what your racist opinions may
be, is an American. You yourself now look very small.
–Bob P., longtime friend from high school and Kutztown Univ.
grad, asked what school in the last 10 years has had a player
selected higher in the NFL draft, Kutztown U. or Notre Dame?
Why if it isn’t Kutztown, thanks to John Mobley being taken by
the Denver Broncos as a top 10 pick in the 1st round of the ’96
draft.
–French golfer Jean Van de Velde announced he will attempt to
enter next year’s Women’s British Open because he is upset
women may qualify for the 2006 British Open.
“My whole point is where do we draw the line?” Van de Velde
asked. “If we accept that women can enter our tournaments, then
it applies that men can play with women.”
Under the rules of the Ladies’ Golf Union, which established a
gender policy just this year, it says: “It shall be a condition of
any competition organized by the Ladies’ Golf Union that
players must be of the female gender.”
The LGU was forced to establish a policy because of a situation
this year where Danish-born Australian Mianne Bagger played in
a few events after having a sex-change operation to become a
female.
Now discuss amongst yourselves.
–Did you see in Parade magazine this weekend the story about
tigers being kept as pets in the United States? This is staggering,
but as Richard Farinato of the Humane Society of the United
States put it, “There are probably as many tigers living in
captivity here as there are in the wild worldwide. We estimate
that there could be as many as 7,000 pet tigers.”
These days you can purchase a tiger cub at an auction in
Missouri, Florida, Indiana or Texas for around $500. White
tigers can be had for as little as $5,000.
Actress Tippi Hedren is a leading animal rights activist.
“Why people want large cats as pets is beyond me. You cannot
breed their nature out of them.”
Of course if the 7,000 begin communicating with each other, and
my guess is they already have, then we’re in real trouble. But
they need money so I’m thinking they launch a series of hostage
takings to raise it before they seek to acquire WMD.
–The following is a disturbing example of why the death penalty
needs to be employed more widely.
Last week New Jersey’s coast suffered widespread damage
during a northeaster. Here is part of a report from Maryann
Spoto and Brian Donohue of the Star-Ledger.
“At the height of the storm, a dead giant sea turtle washed ashore
at F Street in Seaside Park. Onlookers gathered to marvel at its
size – about 5 feet long and 500 pounds.
“ ‘I’m a diver and I’ve never seen one that big in the ocean,’ said
John Lipka of Toms River. ‘I thought it was a small rowboat
when I first saw it.’
“However, their amazement quickly turned to horror when a
borough resident cut off the turtle’s head with a cleaver and a
knife. They pleaded with him not to harm the dead animal, but
the man…said he wanted the head for his daughter, a biologist.
“As he walked from the beach with the turtle’s head in a white
plastic garbage bag, police stopped him and took the bag.”
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center and the state Division of
Fish and Wildlife will decide whether to file charges against the fellow. Unbelievable.
–Uh oh just got my copy of the wildlife review from the
Anchorage Daily News and Northern pike, not native to the
Kenai Peninsula, are finding their way into area lakes. The
problem here is the ravenous creatures can devour entire salmon
populations. This could endanger my tradition of “Salmon
Sunday”! Of course these days, while I look for the “wild
salmon” label, you all know there is no such fish anymore. Your
own neighbor probably has a salmon farm in their bath tub. But
I digress.
The only way the pike can find their way into the lakes, since
they don’t have feet like the snakehead, is if a human transports
them. That’s a misdemeanor in Alaska, which needs to be
upgraded to the death penalty here as well. Yup, that’s what I
would do if I was in the Alaskan legislature.
–Jeff B. passed along this ghoulish bit from CNN and the AP.
“The apparent suicide of a woman found hanging from a tree
went unreported for hours because passers-by thought the body
was a Halloween decoration, authorities (in Frederica, DE) said.
“The 42-year-old woman used rope to hang herself across the
street from some homes on a moderately busy road late Tuesday
or early Wednesday, state police said.
“The body, suspended about 15 feet above the ground, could be
easily seen from passing vehicles.”
Doesn’t say much for the people of this community, does it?
–Sports Illustrated’s “Sign of the Apocalypse”
A man who pleaded guilty to charges of attempt to kill and
robbery asked to have three years added to his 30-year sentence
so his prison term would match Larry Bird’s jersey number.
Top 3 songs for the week of 11/1/75: #1 “Island Girl” (Elton
John) #2 “Calypso” (John Denver) #3 “Miracles” (Jefferson
Starship) and #4 “Lyin’ Eyes” (The Eagles) #5 “They Just
Can’t Stop It (The Games People Play) (Spinners) #6 “Who
Loves You” (Four Seasons) #7 “Feelings” (Morris Albert no
relation to Marv) #8 “Bad Blood” (Neil Sedaka) #9 “Heat
Wave” (Linda Ronstadt) #10 “This Will Be” (Natalie Cole)
1970 Grammy Awards
Record, Album, and Song of the Year all went to “Bridge Over
Troubled Water,” Simon and Garfunkel.
Male Vocalist: “Everything Is Beautiful” (Ray Stevens)
Female Vocalist: “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again” (Dionne
Warwick)
Vocal Group: “Close To You” (Carpenters .oowaaaaaaaaaaa)
NFL Quiz Answer: Five oldest ownership structures.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers Rooney family, since 1933
4. Arizona Cardinals Bidwills, since 1932, including Chicago
and St. Louis
3. New York Giants Mara family still owns 50%, since 1925
2. Green Bay Packers community board, since 1921
1. Chicago Bears Virginia McCaskey, daughter of team
founder George Halas, since 1920
Newest? Zygi Wilf, who purchased the Minnesota Vikings
earlier this year. Mr. Wilf is just thrilled, what with team
members having cavorted with strippers on a recent highly-
publicized boat trip.
–And since I couldn’t very well put this up front with the
question I had asked, here are some final thoughts on Wellington
Mara.
The first national TV contract, 1962, the negotiations for which
Mara was intimately involved, paid the NFL $4.6 million a year.
The newest deal that starts in 2006 will pay the league $3.7
billion annually.
The Star-Ledger’s Jerry Izenberg reflected on Mara and a
relationship with him that spanned decades.
The Letter
You must understand, (Mara did not want to see the NFL and
AFL merge). But once it was done, his mind-set changed: He
did not want to lose.
When the heavily favored NFL champion Green Bay Packers
were preparing to go up against the Kansas City Chiefs of the
AFL in the first Super Bowl, Wellington Mara was concerned
that some miscue, some bounce of the ball, some unexpected
wrinkle just might enable the Chiefs to win.
Such a result, he told his close friends, would be totally
unacceptable. Thankfully, the Packers would be coached by
Vince Lombardi.
Lombardi was a classmate of Mara’s at Fordham* and later an
assistant with the Giants. When Lombardi was offered the head
job in Philly: “I told him to wait,” Wellington said, “that there
would be something better and I would help him get it.”
Sure enough, Mara helped Lombardi get the job in Green Bay.
Now he needed a favor from his old friend. A victory.
“I wrote him a letter,” Wellington told me the week of the game.
“I told him this was our battle and I could think of no other
standard-bearer that I wanted to carry our banner into battle.”
Lombardi teased him about it for years.
The Title
As he began preparing for the 1956 season, Wellington Mara
realized the team was close to being good enough to win its first
NFL title in 18 years.
He thought it needed one more defensive player. As it turns out,
all it needed was a pregnant woman.
Andy Robustelli, who anchored the Rams defense wanted to
report to training camp two weeks late to be with his wife, who
was expecting. The Rams said no. Robustelli walked out and
returned to Connecticut, threatening to hold out for the whole
season.
Mara, working as the team’s general manager, called Robustelli
at home.
“How would you like to play for the Giants?” he said. “I can
arrange it.”
Soon after, a deal was done. Robustelli came aboard and the
Giants won the NFL championship, the first of six trips to the
title game in the next eight years.
*Another classmate of both Lombardi’s and Mara’s at Fordham,
class of 1937, was the father of our own Johnny Mac.
The Giants honored Mara on Sunday by blasting the Redskins,
36-0.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday.
