30 for 30 running thread

As a Browns fan who has very vivid memories from his childhood of the Browns leaving for Baltimore, suffice it to say I took exception with the line tonight about how the Modells made sure it was a "seamless transition" from the Colts to the Ravens.

They tore our fucking hearts out in Cleveland in the process. Yeah, real smooth sailing there.

Jump, Art.

 

If they just gave the Jags franchise to Baltimore.

I read a great book about this era in the NFL call "The League" by David Harris (still available through Amazon). It came out in the late 80s, details the Raiders move to L.A., the Colts moving to Indy. Hard to believe the most successful NFL team in the 80s is still trying to get a new stadium.

 

Or if Tampa had been sold to Angelos and moved to Baltimore. Wasn't that a hot rumor in '94?

 

The team picture in that seemed awful small, so I paused it and counted the players. Only 36. Just how small were rosters back in the day?

 

Imagine if Fox doesn't decide to start a new network allowing the league to play musical chairs with its contracts - gotta think that jacked up contracts. Throw in the growth of fantasy leagues, the Internet and cable TV needing to fill airtime, and it's not hard to think that the expansion and growth of league revenue and popularity isn't due to the product, but from exterior forces.

 

You mean the same Minnesota team that couldn't sell out a playoff game until the last minute?

Fail.

 

What a debacle that was. Loved the clip of Tagliabue when asked if he had anything to say to Baltimore's band at the Hall of Fame game: "Nothing."

Have to say it was getting a little dusty in my neck of the woods near the end of last night's documentary. Very well done, and even touched a little bit on the fact that Baltimore did to Cleveland what Indy did to Baltimore -- which is a source of lingering private shame here in Charm City.

Then again, I still feel pretty angry about the way the NFL jerked Baltimore around through expansion, when its offer was clearly superior to everyone else's, when we sold out Memorial Stadium for a Miami-New Orleans pre-season game as part of our "Give Baltimore the Ball" effort, when we had to pretend to care about a CFL team -- and then watch the NFL force that team to change its name from Colts to Stallions. And on and on.

It was also so incredibly poignant to see William Donald Schaeffer. At the debacle airport press conference. The morning the Colts left town. On the State House steps watching the band. And now, today - so clearly about to be gone. Talk about a guy who loved Baltimore and gave his whole life trying to make it better.

 

I'm looking forward to the USFL one, too. I used to love watching that league when I was a kid. I still remember listening on the radio to Herschel Walker breaking Eric Dickerson's rushing record because the Generals weren't on TV that night.

And I loved the clip on Trump walking out of the interview. His fall league idea shows that even The Donald can fuck up now and then.

And yes, I liked the Colts marching band episode as well.

ESPN's doing pretty nicely so far with this.

 

The Colts band piece was riveting television. Very nicely done. Liked the visuals of the empty, motionless street scenes when they were talking about the Colts playing their first game in Indy.

And the Irsay comment that 'It's not Baltimore's team, it's my team' said all you needed to know about him, and why they're where they are today.

 

I cannot imagine the firestorm a quote like that would cause today. I mean, even if you're thinking it, there's no way in hell you can say that if you're an owner.

 

As someone who lived through that as a Kings fan and covered this post-trade, I was pumped to see this.

As someone who lived through that as a Kings fan and covered many of the Gretzky Kings games in the early 90s, I was highly disappointed at the disjointed treatment Berg used here. Given the access and the material, this should have been much better.

The stuff from Edmonton was interesting -- more interesting than the LA material, which Berg more or less blew through.

I did like the Pocklington and McNall interviews. Insighful stuff, especially from Peter Puck.

 

Really liked the McNall interview. But it really glossed over the fact that he was, well, a lying crook who served time in prison. Just watching the film, it seemed like he was given more credibility than maybe he's earned.