The three teams I have always loved to hate are the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders.
Hmm … what’s the common thread here? Oh, I know, each franchise had brash, egotistical, larger-than-life, insufferable owners.
The Yankees, aka the Evil Empire, had George Steinbrenner, until he died Tuesday at age 80. Oakland has Darth Raider himself, Al Davis, who at age 81, is a shell of the man who forced the NFL to deal with the old AFL and once famously proclaimed, “Just win, baby.” The Cowboys, of course, have Jerry Jones.
Davis was born on July 4, 1929. Steinbrenner was born on July 4, 1930. That’s fitting, since they both created fireworks and lived their lives independent of what others thought about them.
As the owner of “America’s Team” — gag me — Jones sticks his nose into everything. Like Steinbrenner’s $1.5 billion (new) Yankee Stadium, Jones’ $1.15 billion Texas Stadium had to be the biggest, priciest and glitziest building on the block.
The Raiders are now one of the sorriest franchises in the NFL. But when I was a kid growing up in Arvada, the pride-and-poise boys, clad in their menacing silver-and-back, were pure evil. As any Broncos fan knows, beating the Raiders, as the Orange Crush did to get to their first Super Bowl in the 1977 season, was like going to heaven.
Sadly, those days are gone. The Raiders are too bad to hate. That’s a pity.
And that’s my point. Sports may fans despise the Yankees, Cowboys, Lakers, Notre Dame, et al, but we sure love having those villains around. Evil empires are fun to boo and hiss.
If you checked out Tuesday night’s All-Star Game, you saw all of the Yankees players booed by the fans at Angel Stadium. The Yanks, Alex Rodriguez especially, lapped it up. It made for terrific theater.
I don’t like the fact that the Yankees’ payroll is $206 million and the Pirates’ is $34 million, thus making the Pirates a glorified Triple-A team. But boy do I love hating the Yankees.
Thanks, George.
Trivia time
Who was the first big-name free-agent Steinbrenner signed after he bought the Yankees?
(Answer below)
Polling
Our recent Denver Post poll asked readers who came out looking the worst from the LeBron James-to-Miami saga. With more than 2,200 votes cast, more than 61 percent said James came off as the bad guy after his one hour announcement special on ESPN. About 23 percent said Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert came off poorly for failing to build a championship team around James. And 350 voters (15.65 percent) said the City of Cleveland was the biggest loser.
Quotable
Joe Posnanski of summing up the rough playing style of the Netherlands’s World Cup soccer team that beat Brazil and nearly beat Spain for the title: “If Bill Laimbeer played soccer, he would have played for Holland.”
Reader’s rant
“Welcome to Denver Mr. Harrington, would you mind picking up one of those ‘I Love NYC tee shirts for Melo?’ ” — Mark B, posting on The Denver Post’s story about the
In case you missed it
Former Broncos offensive lineman and University of Texas star Dan Neil says he was forced off the airways because he’s running for political office. Neil, who played guard on the Broncos’ two Super Bowl title teams, claims he was forced off the air by his opponent for a state House seat.
Neil was co-hosting a morning sports talk show on Austin’s ESPN affiliate, KTXX. But according to The Associated Press, station officials grew concerned they would have to provide equal air time for Democratic incumbent Rep. Donna Howard.
Neil, a Republican, did not mention his campaign during the show, but Howard said she heard him talk about political issues, including the Arizona immigration law that would require state and local police to question and possibly arrest illegal immigrants during the enforcement of other laws such as traffic stops. Neil said he never got political.
Either way, Neil is off the airways until after the Nov. 2 election. You can read the
Trivia answer
Steinbrenner signed pitcher Catfish Hunter for five years and $3.75 million in 1975. Two years later he signed Reggie Jackson for $3 million over five years.
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
