And Then There Was One:
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on Jul 13, 2010 7:17 PM PDT
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When discussing Owners of Professional Sports Teams over the past 50 years, two names stand out to me, when the terms, controlling, hated, maverick and champion are used to describe it's members. Those names are, George Steinbrenner and Al Davis.
Those two men, both born on July 4th, epitomize Hall of Fame Owners.
Brick by brick, Steinbrenner resurrected one of the most storied franchises in the World and Al Davis built one.
Along their journeys they forced a decision that had to be made, "Am I going to Win or be Liked?".
I believe that the decision was simple for these two from the first time they tried to tie their shoes faster than someone else.
They were going to WIN!!!
George won 7 World Series and Al won 3 Super Bowls and many lawsuits.
It was apparent with George and it is still apparent to Al Today that when winning gets into your blood, you won't stop until the last game, the final series or even overtime. You want victory.
Today,Oakland Raider Owner, Al Davis sees another of his friends from the old days pass into the sunset.
It's funny to think that it was George Steinbrenner who wanted the drummers to stop. Maybe the next game I go to I wont drum and just let my drum sit silently for "The Boss". Then again, maybe I should play it louder than ever.
One thing is clear, Al Davis is the last of his kind in Professional Sports.
Dan Snyder has some Maverick in him, some folks hate him, he is very controlling, but, he is not a Champion.
Jerry Jones is a Champion, controlling and a Maverick, but, people don't really hate him. In fact, they kinda like him, even if they hate his team. You would have thought that he was Bill Clinton the way all of the Black Hole folks were high-fiving him and posing for pictures at the Pre-Season game last year.
Nope, Al Davis is the last of his kind and I appreciate him even more now.
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George was a agressive owner and he’ll be missed. It’s apparent that Al only has 2-3 years left. It’s sad, but true. I sure hope he goes out on top.
The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing.
-1
BUT strickly because I am a Chiefs fan!
But, you are right, as much as I hate the bastad, he will be a missed man in the NFL!
He is easy to make fun of and poke fun of right now… well with him looking like the cryptkeeper.
However, I do think it will be a bitter-sweet day for you when he passes. You guys should be able to get a GM and a solid head in the organization that can get you a decent coach, and stick with him. I mean who really knows with your guys’ current HC, but signs would say that he is…. well, not good.
Nice post though bud and I will post it over at AP, so others can get a looksee.
by readANDgold58 on Jul 18, 2010 8:33 AM PDT up reply actions
Those of us who identify with the Raiders are bound to Al Davis - whose character shaped and indelibly marked the
franchise and us.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
I personally hate(d) Steinbrenner and the Yankees with every fiber of my being....
Hard to pay respects to a guy I’ve despised for so long. Same will be said for Al Davis when he bites the bullet. As thankful as I am for his service to our team, and for making us everything that we became, I despise him for moving us to LA and micro-managing us into a 7 year hole.
I do wish Steinbrenner and his family the best tho.
funny thing
same idea came into my mind i live only a few blocks from yankee stadium and when i heard the news this morning i quickly thought wow al davis is up there with him
Success is not measuredby what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds...
-Orison Swett Marden
Just like a Yankee...
to try and overshadow the All-Star Game.
What, too soon?
"I came back with an I-Don't-Care attitude. If I had an open shot, I was taking it."
--The Robert Horry
I bleed Purple N' Gold and Silver N' Black... because of this rare condition, I am no longer allowed to donate to the Red Cross.
by The_Power_and_the_Glory_of_Robert_Horry on Jul 13, 2010 10:31 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
Not cool…The dude was a human being, do you not have any respect?
The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing.
shaking my head
Success is not measuredby what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds...
-Orison Swett Marden
I don't really follow baseball that closely but consider myself a Yankee fan
They always came across as the bad guys somewhat like the Raiders ion that sense
RIP Mr Steinbrenner, I prefer to think that Mr Davis will live forever.
"We want to win. The Raider fans deserve it. The Raider players deserve it, even my organization deserves it. You have to win and you have to win with a vision for the Super Bowl. That's our passion here." - Al Davis
-I think
You should beat the drum harder. I think these two men would want it that way.
I am here to inspire and light fires~~~Where there is smoke in the ears, there is me on the mind~~~
I've always appreciated Mr. Davis ..
Steinbrenner .. Not so much. However, I wish the best for his family. 80 years is a good life.
Hardcore Raiders Fans are 5150 ,, (iBleedSilverNBlack)
"The one who doesn't fall, doesn't stand up." Fedor Emelianenko
by RaiderCreator5150 on Jul 14, 2010 6:25 AM PDT reply actions
RIP George
RIP George and condolences to your family. It shows how much George liked to be in control when he tried to stop fans from drumming at their own stadium!
Remember 2002 and the Angels and the thundersticks?
Always hated the Yankees, never Steinbrenner
On the contrary I enjoyed the comical figure he became, very willing to partake in the jabs at himself.
He is very similar to Al in that he just wants to win, and isn’t afraid to pay who he feels is best the most money to do so.
I loved it when the Angels beat the Yankees when no one said it was possible; it proved it wasn’t always the most expensive team necessary to win the game, only the one with the largest heart.
RIP George. Baseball and sports will miss you, even the haters, whether they realize it or not. I will lament the day that Al departs this earth and the organization is without him, though I’ve participated in the hatred while we went down maybe one of the worst tailspins this once glorious franchise descended, but am not nearly as sure as the remaining haters are this team will ever regain the mystique it’s developed while he’s been so much a part of it as owner. I just don’t see it happening without Al.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
and then their was one
“Princes”, in the Machiavelli sense , both of them.
Both were mavericks but completely different people.
Al was the first to draft an African American to play QB. The first to hire a Latino head coach as well as an African American. He built up the franchise along with the old AFL with help of course. I’m not saying he’s perfect but he is an entirely different kind of human being than say Steinbrenner. I always though of him as a bully and a tyrant but of course a winner.
If my mother put on a helmet and shoulder pads and a uniform that wasn't the same as the one I was wearing, I'd run over her if she was in my way. And I love my mother.
Bo Jackson
Let me rephrase that. Steinbrenner used dirty tricks and made questionable dealings to get his millions including robbing middle America whereas Al stole from other rich A**holes.
Also Al isn’t trying to use the city to build another stadium using quite a bit in tax payer revenue to build said stadium and also making it nearly impossible for an average middle-class American afford tickets to said game. Now smart-ass, can you say both are the same type of guy now?
If my mother put on a helmet and shoulder pads and a uniform that wasn't the same as the one I was wearing, I'd run over her if she was in my way. And I love my mother.
Bo Jackson
Calling me names by the way??? WTF? You're a dink! :-)
Also, the Yankees started that project when the economy was booming and used most of their money to build the stadium. What city and it’s taxpayers do not front some money when building a new stadium? There are economic benefits that reach the community. I agree that the seat prices are inane but they were set based on projections for a healthy economy.
Tell me now, Al doesn’t want a new stadium with more luxury boxes? And, this will be done without taxpayer loans/money and the new stadium would not charge more for seats??? It is the nature of sports. It is a business!!!
And
To say that they are two different kinds of human beings is ridiculous. The more you listen to the things that will be said about Big Stein, the more you will appreciate what kind of man he was. The money he gave away anonymously, the people he put through college anonymously, the people he put on his payroll (how about the young African American kid who he caught putting graffiti on a building near Yankee stadium. He confronted and told the kid to work hard at something else. Gave him a job and he still works for the Yankees 25 years later!) Etc.
The main difference between Al and George is that Al knows more about football than just about anyone. George was not the greatest baseball mind but had an incredible business mind. Both of them care more about winning and giving their teams’ fans the best product possible as well as the most championships. George voted against free agency but when it became a fact, he used free agency the best he could so Yankee fans would have a championship team. Wouldn’t you do the same thing? Wouldn’t you put your money back into the team as he did?
The parallel I see between the 2 are huge egos. With George, after picking up free agents initially to help his team in the 70’s he decided on a path (against the advice of his staff of baseball minds) of trading everything away for free agents to the detriment of the Yankees farm system. This left them with nothing to show for the 80’s. I hated George then. When he was suspended in the early 90’s, his baseball men took over and when he returned, he saw that you could build a team with your farm and the supplement through trades and with free agents. Lesson learned. It seems to me that Al is going through the same thing. The team has suffered for years from bad free agent signings, questionable drafts, a coaching carousel with Al seemingly accepting no one else’s input. The last year has been a revelation and maybe, just like George, Al is taking input.
Once you're done writing his biography you can read about him.
I don’t mean to talk ill of a man who just passed but I thought we should know a little about who he was before we begin a long tribute in honor of him. Also Rusty, can I have my head back please?
If my mother put on a helmet and shoulder pads and a uniform that wasn't the same as the one I was wearing, I'd run over her if she was in my way. And I love my mother.
Bo Jackson
~Totally agree~!
To mention Steinbrenner in the same breath as Al Davis might be unfair and a discredit to what Al Davis contributions have been to professional football. Steinbrenner no disrepect to his family or his passing is not the conributor Mr. Davis is. Love him or hate him his impact on the game is imense. The only thing Steinbrenner did really is write big fat checks and continue to squash the small market teams in MLB.
By RONALD BLUM, AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum, Ap Sports Writer – 1 hr 9 mins ago
Steinbrenner
He showed all teams that spending lavishly on players — when done intelligently — was a way to produce winners, and even some of his rivals adopted that strategy. And he revolutionized the game with his decisions to start a television network and a catering company, and a huge equipment supply contract.
VS. Al Davis
Al Davis is the only person to have served pro football in such varied capacities as (1) a player personnel assistant, (2) an assistant coach, (3) a head coach, (4) a general manager, (5) a league commissioner and (6) the principal owner and chief executive officer of an NFL team.The first Latino Coach, Hired the second African American Head Coach, Totally changed special team by drafting Ray Guy in the first round, Mini Camps, Hired Bill Walsh, Helped Eddie D. purchase the 49’ers (not one of my favorite moments).
We are really talking legacy and impact when we talk about Mr. Davis….
I really don’t think it’s even close.
Yes this is just my opinion…
And
he wrote big fat checks to subsidize teams/owners who chose to or not to spend that money on their teams. Often, they pocketed that money. He also brought back to life a struggling franchise that comes to opposing towns and puts asses in seats.
LOL!
Never meant to take your head. We’re on the same team! It does irk me a bit that people don’t look into the man and what he has done and instead listen to the sportswriters for their opinions. Wonder what life would have been like if the Indians had accepted his offer to buy them.
I haven’t heard anything out of Al’s office about George’s death. I know they were good friends. Have you heard anything?
Classic Al -
"He was a friend and a warrior. We not only shared a birthday, but also an unyielding will to win and an unparalleled commitment to excellence."
"I judge sports figures based on individual achievement, team achievement and contributions to the game," Davis said. "*George was right up there with me at No. 1 — bright, aggressive and, most of all, not afraid.*"
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Jul 14, 2010 10:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I'll say this:
BOTH of them deserve respect. Whether you like them or not, both of them deserve it for what they did for the business. This is coming from both a Yankees fan and a Raiders fan.
I don’t understand how people publicly insult both of these men, and then claim that they are fans of the team that they changed forever. If you’re a fan, then dislike, yes. But respect better be there. Shoot, that’s why football is what it is now: Raider fans allow the disrespect.
Honestly, this is my true belief: You don’t like these men, you insult these men? Then you ain’t a fan. Period. Now, I can’t say anything about them moving to LA, but if you’re crying over 7 years….Then you need to jump off the boat right now. Because other teams had 7 years as well. Maybe not as bad as Oakland, but as well. And we still had a top ranked defense during those 7 bad years.
In Bruce We Trust
by NFLanalyzerfromhome on Jul 14, 2010 5:18 PM PDT reply actions
That's why gang he will ALWAYS be , Mr. Davis.
Listen to the interviews of former players , it’s ALWAYS Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis ,the ONLY players owner in football history. Keeping in touch with those who won and lost for him. Those who put out and tried for him .Those who were deemed “washed up” by others but responded to Mr. Davis’s money and challenge. They ran with the faith Mr. Davis placed in them. Who gave Ted Hendricks a second chance? lyle Alzado? Otis Sistrunk? Warren Wells? BO JACKSON (nobody wanted a 2 sport player)?? The list goes on. It’s a love hate relationship for sure, but brothers, there’s more love than hate. The man’s like a Father figure,you just can’t deny it. Great analogy and article Saint! R.F.F.R.
Love them or hate them...
Al Davis, George Sreinbrenner, both are legends in their respective arenas, mavericks for sure, men who made no excuses, and a never back down attitude.
Mr. Steinbrenner, as Mr. Davis one day too, is legacy, stories will be told for years to come, memories that can;t be erased nor forgotten easily. That is the mark of a man who made his way by doing things His way.
Both, have my respect even if I didn’t always agree or moan and groan over mistakes made.
And Dammit Al, you had better not go anywhere anytime soon, we have Championships to win, Starting This Year, let’s make history and do it 5 times in a row!!!
I do want to see you by the Super Bowl trophy at least a few more times.
Again I say, love them or hate them, they both will forever deserve respect and honor as men who stepped up, did things their way, went for it no holds barred.
What they have in common, is , that they are both legends, men who aspired to greatness, and achieved.
What many of us wish we could be, everything else is just tit for tat. Honor them not for specific points, but what they have made happen over all.
Mr. Steinbrenner, Good Journey to you.
Well said, Kevin, and welcome to the blog
Seeing Al hoist a Lombardi once again will rate up there with my greatest moments alive, no doubt in my mind.
How sweet it would be coming on a year when almost no one is saying it’s possible.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Both icons, but in totally different ways
Al is more of a football man than George was ever a baseball man. He was innovative, and forced changes in the game that still resound today. George didn’t, although that doesn’t lessen him in any way.
George was one of those owners that you absolutely hated if you weren’t a Yankess fan, but if you were, how could you not love how much he put into the team? How many owners are there in any sport that will say ‘I don’t care how much money it takes, how much we run in the red, I want to win championships’? For years it was wonderful to see how he pulled the rug out from under himself, but in the end, he got it, and let real baseball men run the show, and look at how it paid off. As a life-long Dodgers fan, I respected George, but I won’t say that I liked him…
I wish the best to his family and friends.
Failure builds character; success reveals it
This Is One Thread That Should Be Treasured
I just want to say it’s been a real joy to read the heart felt expressions of what Mr Davis has meant to you fans on this board…Born the same year as my own father I always looked at him in that same light…May the “GodFather” endure for generations to come…
The year of the “Snake”…He personifies that creature to the full…
http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Snake.htm
just for character incite…
Steinbrenner and Davis are kindred spirits.
Win at all cost and in the manner that only they want it.
I hope our Raiders take a cue from the Yanks and win at least one more for their boss like the Pinstripers did for theirs before his passing.
BTW: Does anyone here think that the media, fans of other teams, and the general public would mourn the loss of Mr. Al Davis as they have of the Chief Yankee when he ultimately passes?
HELL NO!
You can already see people dancing on Al’s plot even when he isn’t in that grave yet! As Raiders fans we have to look out for ours because the rest are haters.
SO FUCK ALL RAIDER AND AL HATERS!! THE RAIDER NATION IS THE ONLY NATION!!
Green and Gold Lantern Corps
long live the king!
al will never die,ever. he is bigger than himself. last of the true mavericks. long live the king
by Spamchucker Jones on Jul 17, 2010 2:15 PM PDT reply actions
I hate the Cowboys...AND especially Jerry Jones.
He is the biggest douchenozzle in the entire NFL.
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