Thanks for hanging in there while my fingers thawed from my trip to Green Bay last week. I will be posting occasionally on my own blog this week while I'm in Phoenix for the Super Bowl, and posting regularly on our Sports Special Events blog, too. It's better this way, because it's not like the world stopped spinning everywhere else but here this week.

Particularly back home. A glance at a media credential with "Baltimore'' on it here means a conversation, short or long, about what's going on with the Ravens. Last week at the NFC championship, the weekend John Harbaugh was hired, the questions came steady: "John Harbaugh? Where did that come from?''

This week, similar requests, particularly about why Rex Ryan didn't get a serious look by the Ravens and Falcons. Many found it interesting that Ryan acknowledged that he might have turned the Falcons off in his interview. Many also believe that keeping Ryan and bringing Cam Cameron into run the offense reflects well on Harbaugh, for making experience and now continuity a priority with his coordinators.

Then again, one observer pointed out that this entire week might have a different vibe about it but for one huge moment in the regular season. The Patriots, it was pointed out, might not be perfect right now had Ryan not called that infamous time-out on fourth down in the Monday Night game at M&T Bank Stadium.

Ouch. 

Posted by David Steele at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

It's amazing how far back you have to go to know why the death of Georgia Frontiere earlier today has relevance in Baltimore. It pretty much illustrates the damage done by the Colts moving. But this isn't the time or place to rehash that story, especially on the day of her passing, and on one of the most significant days in Ravens history.

OK, maybe it is the time and place.

Georgia Frontiere owned the St. Louis Rams. She moved the Rams from Los Angeles in 1995. She became owner of the Rams in 1979 when her husband drowned. Her husband, Carroll Rosenbloom, who she married in 1966, became owner of the Rams in 1972 ...

... when Rosenbloom - original owner of the Colts team that became the legends, owner during the Unitas glory years, the '58 and '59 championship years, even the excruciating Super Bowl III year - traded franchises with Bob Irsay. You know the rest of the story.

It's convoluted, but Georgia Frontiere is part of the story. Check this out from 2005, from Tony Lombardi, creator of the Ravens 24x7 website, who threw out this theory, probably not the first to think of it: if that one act, Rosenbloom swapping with Irsay Colts-for-Rams, hadn't happened, the Colts might still be here, maybe playing in a different stadium, and owned by ... Georgia Frontiere.

Hmmmm.

Rest in peace.

Posted by David Steele at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

Good afternoon from Green Bay, where it was 3 degrees when I woke up this morning. Of course, it's warmed up a lot since then -- to 8. Which is still tropical compared to what they're talking about for Sunday's 5:42 p.m. CT kickoff.

More pressing matter are going on back home, apparently. Clearly, if the stories from around the country are any indication, the Ravens' job is being lumped in with the Falcons' gig as ones that should be avoided like it comes with a daily injection of ebola. How did that happen? It can't be because Jason Garrett used the Ravens to get his pay jacked up to head-coaching level without having to take on the actual responsibilities of the job, and to stay in his nice, warm cocoon and remain the people's choice in Dallas every time the Cowboys lose and the heat turns up on Wade Phillips.

That makes the Ravens a bad organization to coach for? That reflects more on Garrett than on the Ravens, I think. And lobbing in the other candidates who declined to be considered can't possibly count against them. This is a poor excuse for a franchise because Bill Cowher passed (he passed on everybody)? Kirk Ferentz (same thing)? Rod Chudzinski? At least he didn't lead Bisciotti and Co. along, like certain golden-child candidates we know.

And this is not to come off like some kind of purple and black shill. It's more about how Garrett played two franchises for his own gain. He gets rewarded for his selfishness and insincerity, but the Ravens get the bad national rep. They sure shouldn't be put in the same category as the Falcons, who really are a sad sack, with an owner who appears more clueless by the day.

My guess? The Ravens don't have a coach yet because they haven't interviewed the right people yet. Just one very wrong one.

Anyway ...

* Still no progress on Rex Ryan's quest to be a head coach somewhere. Now you have to wonder what the problem really is.

* Is it possible to send a more mixed message about what kind of coach, and team, the Ravens want than to consider John Harbaugh and Marty Schottenheimer?

* The two coaches here at the frozen tundra are proof positive that you just never know when or how good candidates can surface. For three years and well into this season, Tom Coughlin came off as the wrong man in the wrong place, and when the Giants caught fire, it was perceived by many that his hard-line, gruff approach was finally justified. Wrong -- according to this week's Sports Illustrated, Coughlin softened his stance considerably, made himself more approachable to his players, and is now reaping the rewards. Kind of reminds us of Brian Billick's owner-ordered alterations last year, which worked -- last year. Meanwhile, few candidates looked worse two years ago than Mike McCarthy, offensive coordinator for the 49ers, who were last in the NFL in offense that season. The Packers' offense isn't the worst in the league now, it's safe to say, and it ain't just because Brett Favre has risen from the dead. In fact, it's more the other way around, the offense has revived him.

* Long item to short. What if this time, it really isn't Randy Moss' fault? Of course, this is not to take sides or present every aspect of his case with the woman in Florida, but here is Moss' side, from his agent, sent to the Boston Globe. Not flattering to the accuser. But it is only one side.

Posted by David Steele at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

There's plenty of time to get to the Ravens' coaching search. So before we do ... how did this story get past everybody?

The same Albany, N.Y., police investigation that uncovered the Signature Pharmacy performance-enhancing drug scandal that caught Jay Gibbons, Rick Ankeil, Rodney Harrison and other athletes, reportedly has also unveiled involvement by ... big-name musicians and other performers. Including 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean and Mary J. Blige.

It sounds absolutely insane, even ridiculous. The image of a Brian McNamee-type sticking a needle in the rear end of, say, Tyler Perry (who name is also mentioned), is a bit much to digest this early in the morning.

But read enough into the story, reported in the Albany Times-Union Sunday, and you realize that we, as the public, have become conditioned to think that steroids are for athletes only. Well, the sports-loving public has, and we're routinely guilty of being totally clueless about the rest of the world. Apparently, this is common knowledge outside of our little cocoon, the one that still can't think past Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, that still believes baseball is the national pastime and that still believes that there are no "role models'' in our society except famous athletes.

But think about it: way more people, especially young ones, are familiar with 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige than with A-Rod and Derek Jeter. Relate to them more, Get more wrapped up in their lives. Invest more of their time, money and emotion in them. Probably try to mimic their lives, since a lot more people think they can sing than know they can play pro ball. There's a reason "American Idol'' is an institution and "American Baseball Tryout'' isn't.

If some kid thinks that the difference between hitting the big time in music and crashing before anyone ever hears about him is taking hGH, like the rapper he looks up to who came from his same circumstances, then what do you think he'll do? The same thing the young ballplayer trying to stay in this country from the Dominican Republic might do. Heck, apparently the star entertainers use the stuff for much the same reason ballplayers do: to extend their careers, to feel younger, to handle the rigors of the business, to make more money for a longer time. This isn't exactly an idea restricted solely to one group of performers in one sport. As the story reminds us, Sylvester Stallone got busted for trying to get hGH through customs last year.

More than that, there are constantly stories coming out about youngsters who don't play sports (or sing or act) but who use steroids anyway, because it makes them look good and boosts their self-esteem. There's evidence all over the place that baseball and its so-called sacred records are the tiniest, most minute part of the steroid problem.

You'd think this all is something Congress would be aware of, and might consider adding those names to the list of witnesses in the next round of steroid hearings. Which means that seeing a parade of stars from that business, or the company execs and agents and the rest of that crowd, on Capitol Hill might be a lot more interesting and, in the long run, more beneficial, than seeing Bud Selig and Donald Fehr every six months. In fact, you'd figure that Congress might appreciate being hoodwinked by a different crowd every once in a while.

The sheer entertainment value of having 50 Cent speaking to Congress would be worth it. Or, to take it to the Selig-Fehr level, Simon Cowell, or the head of some record label or the CEO of Disney or Time Warner, or Carson Daly or whoever hosts the big MTV shows these days.

As for the fans, do they take the next step and start bringing asterisk signs to concerts? Big banners saying how Run-DMC and Doug E. Fresh did it clean? Do the music writers get on TV and insist that they'll never vote them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Does Mike Wallace grill one of them on 60 Minutes and ask him, "Swear?'' Will we see Mary J. standing on a courthouse steps weeping and admitting that she betrayed her country?

And, last but not least, is George Mitchell ready for another in-depth report?

Posted by David Steele at 9:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

The two most interesting moments at the Congressional hearings on the Mitchell report so far (and so far, Sen. George Mitchell, the first witness, is still speaking):

* Some 20 minutes ago - nearly two hours into the hearing - D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton finally addressed the elephant in the room, Roger Clemens. She asked, basically, a two-part question: what was the process of assuring the accuracy of the testimony Mitchell got before naming names, and why did he feel comfortable believing trainer/accuser Brian McNamee? From here, it appeared Mitchell gave a good answer, and the most clear, concise one we've heard from him so far. He explained the whole agreement McNamee had with the feds and broke down how many times they talked to him, who was present, the penalties for him lying to them, and how, just before releasing the report, they went back to him to run everything by him one more time and remind him again of the punishment for lying. He had no "incentive'' to lie, Mitchell said. That, of course, doesn't mean McNamee didn't lie and run the risk of going to jail for a long, long time - but it sure supports his claim to credibility.

* Earlier - and, full disclosure, during a time I was only listening and not watching - a Congressman grilled Mitchell on an interesting absence in the report: the timing of Rafael Palmeiro's 2005 positive drug test as it related to his 3,000th hit. The Congressman did keep referring to him as "Palmeri,'' but he also kept pressing on a critical but long-forgotten question: did baseball cover up the test result until after the historic hit? Very significantly, Mitchell did not know, acknowledging that it wasn't covered in the report - but also that, yes, the positive test came before the hit. Which raises this question: wasn't that part of the reason the report was done in the first place, for information exactly like that, to see how and when Major League Baseball was complicit in enabling the steroid problem for its own benefit? Unfortunately, the questioner's time ran out before Mitchell could hem and haw some more. And, not being highly-qualified journalists, none of the questioners since has asked a follow-up, sticking to their own issues (or making their own speeches, or their own lame jokes, like the one by the Congressman from Kentucky calling the Louisville Slugger a "performance-enhancer'') instead.

More later, maybe. Apparently, things are buzzing up at the Castle with Jason Garrett. Meanwhile, ESPN is blogging live from Capitol Hill (and others surely are, too).

Posted by David Steele at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

It seems that this morning's column about what a letdown it is to have the Chargers, instead of the Colts, face the Patriots next weekend touched a few nerves. Before making a few final points about last weekend's NFL playoff games, I feel that I should clarify some things from that column in case anything in it was misunderstood:

The Chargers aren't that damn good. They have no chance of beating New England, outside of a severe intestinal flu running through the Patriots' locker room Sunday morning. (See, Kelly Tilghman, that's how you tell a there's-no-way-he-can-lose joke. Stupid.) They have even less of a chance if LT, Gates and Phillip Rivers can't play or aren't at full strength. The Patriots aren't going to look past them, they're not going to get rattled by late scores or backups playing over their heads or adrenaline rushes or anything else. The matchup of Bill Belichick and Norv Turner actually makes me physically ill. Indy should be ashamed to have lost to them. This is depressing. I don't even expect a competitive game. I have visions of that 51-7 game from the early '90s, Buffalo over the Raiders. They might have to put a "TV-MA'' ratings bug in the corner of the screen.

Hope that clears things up a little. Anyway ...

Bill Ordine beat me to the thought, that maybe we heard a little too much about what a genius Jason Garrett was and how he was such a sure thing to be a brilliant young head coach. That leads to a bigger-picture thought about the Cowboys. Granted, they earned the title "America's Team'' long ago, but they've been riding on fumes for a long time, with the whole business of not having won a playoff game in 11 years. They had a great regular season, but long before it was over, hype swallowed them up, and yesterday brought the predictable results. One of these days, we'll all learn that regular-season reps and results are one thing, postseason is another.

There was actually a debate late in the year about whether Bill Parcells should be getting more credit for "building'' the powerhouse we were now viewing, before quitting on it after last season. Anybody want to fight for credit today?

Think about the rewards being flung around: Garrett being moved to the top of virtually every coaching wish list, yet his offense scored all of 17 points at home against a Giants team it had beaten twice already.

Tony Sparano, assistant head coach, line coach and heir-apparent in Miami with Parcells ready to plug him in, even though his line not only couldn't protect the quarterback in the fourth quarter yesterday, it couldn't even snap the ball cleanly to him.

And, of course, Tony Romo himself. Certain bye-week getaways are of absolutely no concern here. What is of concern is the rush to anoint. A Pro Bowl berth last season even though he hadn't even started the entire season. A $67.5-million contract extension last October, even though he had barely reached a full season's worth of starts and had yet to win a playoff game. And now, 0-2 in the playoffs, ending those games with, respectively, a fumbled field-goal snap and an end-zone interception in situations where the Cowboys could have tied or won.

At least Michael Vick had played full seasons and won playoff games before he got his outrageous deal. In fact, if you compare the public perception and actual meaningful productivity of both - this is, of course, before anyone knew about the dogfighting - you'd be confused as to who was who.

In fact, if any of this underachieving were going on someplace besides Dallas, it's very likely none of this would be happening - the overhyping of the QB, the grasping for credit for departed coaches, the gushing over assistants. It's all very Yankee-like. In fact, in hindsight, it's not surprising that ESPN has led its reports since last night not with the loss by the defending Super Bowl champs, but by the Cowboys' defeat. See, it's not just an East Coast thing.

But don't listen to me. Listen to the Dallas Morning News' Jean-Jacque Taylor, who rightly calls this an "abject failure.'' And who calls out Wade Phillips, who also is winless in the postseason in his coaching career. Dallas is entitled to get bent out of shape over this one, but honestly, given all the aforementioned aspects of it, why is the rest of America so caught up in it?

Finally, I don't even want to get into T.O. crying. Except: once he saw T.O. bawling in defense of his quarterback and his team, Donovan McNabb must have busted out in tears, too.

Posted by David Steele at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
                    

I've got a little more time off coming, with plans to return this weekend, but how can anyone pass up a news flash like this: Joe Gibbs Retires?

Especially since now, there are two NFL head-coaching openings 40 miles apart. This is the first time the Ravens and Redskins have had to hire head coaches at the same time. Both are extremely high-profile franchises and attractive jobs for any candidate -- in fact, out of the four openings, these are the two juiciest, definitely better than Atlanta and several notches higher than Miami, which, let's not forget, just went 1-15, might be up for sale and has career nomad Bill Parcells running it.

Which is the better gig, though? And how do you judge it? If you're a big-time coach -- say, the ones the Ravens are interested in, and a few who are still in the public discussion, like Bill Cowher -- for whom would you rather work, and why?

Do you go based on the owner - Steve Bisciotti or Dan Snyder?

The management team and structure -- Ozzie Newsome or ... uh ... Vinny Cerrato, Snyder and Gibbs, in some combination?

The team you inherit -- a playoff team that was 10 minutes away from reaching the second round, or a team that lost nine in a row, including one to aforementioned Miami?

The quarterback you inherit -- two goods ones in D.C., or maybe one good one in Baltimore if you put all three of them together?

The facilities -- Redskins Park in Ashburn (pretty top-notch) and FedEx Field (a dump), or The Castle (top-notch) and M&T Bank (also top-notch)?

The fan base -- the one in place for 75 years and off-the-chain crazy, or the one that's crazy but bitterly divided in its loyalties, to this team, to the old Colts, to the idea that not bleeding purple and black 24 hours a day will force the Ravens to abandon the city the way the Colts did?

The city itself -- not even gonna touch that one.

The deciding factor, of course, will be what it always is: the money. Snyder and Bisciotti both have plenty. Or it might all become a moot point if the Redskins simply promote defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

But besides that ... which is the better job?

See you in a few days. But I do want to leave with this parting thought: Roger Clemens is a weasel.

Posted by David Steele at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)