shmucks that vote on who gets into the Pro Football
Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio. Of course it goes
without saying that the above description does not
apply to all these folks, but there are certainly
enough in that bunch that the description needed
to be included, at least in my eyes. These folks
have not always been responsible for HOF voting,
yet they are right now, and the most glaring
omission every year seems to be that on a football
field their are usually 33 positions filled, and
even more blame to pass around when things go bad,
but not one single Punter in those hallowed halls
in Canton. Hard to believe, don't you think?
That in approximately 100 years of football, the
HOF voters have not deemed ONE Punter worthy of
this distinction. Keep in mind that this is not
the NFL hall of fame, but it is rather the PRO
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, and though we know that
it is clearly dominated by players that made
their name in the NFL, it is not the NFL HOF.
Going into the HOF is not just something that is
an honor for many players, it is also a way to
continue making a living once it's clear that
they have no other way to do so in the game.
Not everyone becomes a coach, exec, or agent,
and like everything else in real life, not all
of us are good at managing our money. Once a
player is elected he also can right some
financial wrongs. Autographs become a commodity.
You can go from signing your autograph for $5 a
pop to signing them for $25. This is just an
example, but a decent one at that.
And, oh yeah, even though it's not pro football,
college football gives out the Ray Guy award every
year the the country's best punter.
Ray Guy, a three time Superbowl champion, 7 time
Pro Bowler, 3 Time First team All Pro, and the
first Punter to EVER be drafted in the 1st round,
as well as being elected the Punter for the NFL's
75th anniversary team is NOT, NOT in the Hall of
Fame. This fact alone is frustrating enough, but
what probably takes the cake on this is that when
asked most of the writers/voters will tell you,
"oh, he'll get in". To put it mildly WTF??????
What makes someone a HOF'er in ten years, or worse
yet, when he's dead, that doesn't make him one
today? Why must these idiots given this huge
responsibility behave like such children?
Ray Guy in some ways can be seen as a shmuck as
well if you like, but just maybe. You see, Guy
had to file for bankruptcy, and though it's
quite possible that this is very much his own
fault, it is also possible that just like the
rest of us, times are bad, money's tight, and
the economy stinks. Because of this bankruptcy,
he has been ordered by a judge to sell his
Superbowl rings to help raise money to pay off
his debts, and though I agree that this may be
the right thing to do, he may not have to if
there was another way to raise these funds.
Unlike many other ex pro athletes, Guy has not
been accused of Check Fraud, Ponzi Schemes,
Fraud, etc., etc. Ray Guy has put himself in
a bad situation, one he created. Why must
the voters take away something he earned in his
living years only to award it to him when it's
too late for him to enjoy it? Is he deserving
of the same fate as Pete Rose?
It's clear here, and I say/write it often, I am
not the most eloquent writer. Most of my best
work is done verbally in front of a microphone,
but I hope this doesn't get in the way of the
point I have tried to make here. You may not
be a Ray Guy fan, or a Raider fan, or even care
about the HOF, but if you are sports fan enough
to read this far into this piece, then you should
consider email one of these writers, especially
the ones in your city, or all of them if you have
it in you and let them know that this silly
waiting game serves no purpose. It does not
reward these players for the accolades they have
earned. It merely displays a power trip that is
not worthy of true journalistic integrity.
Ray Guy is NOT the only player affected here, but
he merits being mentioned when you consider that
you cannot play football on Sunday without a
punter with the current rules, but these voters
want you to think that they have been all along.
Ari Kent Somers, Arizona Republic
Atl Len Pasquarelli, The Sports Xchange
Bal Scott Garceau, WMAR-TV
Buf Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News
Car Darin Gantt, Rock Hill Herald
Chi Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune
Cin Joe Reedy, Cincinnati Enquirer
Cle Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dal Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News
Den Jeff Legwold, Denver Post
Det Tom Kowalski, Booth Newspapers (Deceased 8/29/11)
GB Cliff Christl, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Hou John McClain, Houston Chronicle
Ind Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star
Jac Sam Kouvaris, WJXT-TV
KC Bob Gretz, KCFootballReport.com
Mia Edwin Pope, Miami Herald
Min Sid Hartman, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
NE Ron Borges, Boston Herald
NO Pete Finney, Times-Picayune
NYG Bob Glauber, Newsday
NYJ Gary Myers, New York Daily News
Oak Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange
Phi Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News
Pit Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
StL Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
SD Nick Canepa, San Diego Union Tribune
SF Nancy Gay, FoxSports.com
Sea Mike Sando, ESPN.com
Tam Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune
Ten David Climer, The Tennessean
Was David Elfin, AOL Fanhouse
Darryl Ledbetter Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At Large Howard Balzer, The Sports Xchange
At Large Jarrett Bell, USA Today
At Large John Clayton, ESPN/ESPN Magazine
At Large John Czarnecki, FOXSports.com
At Large Dave Goldberg, AOL Sports/Fanhouse
At Large Peter King, Sports Illustrated
At Large Ira Miller, The Sports Xchange
At Large Len Shapiro, Miami Herald
At Large Vito Stellino, Florida Times Union
At Large Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated
At Large Charean Williams, Ft. Worth Star Telegram
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