Franchise Notes
In Buffalo, Jerry Sullivan writes the Bills have "needed a respected football man to run the show" since the team in '06 fired President & GM Tom Donahoe. Bills Owner Ralph Wilson at the time "reached for Marv Levy, someone he knew," and then turned to COO & GM Russ Brandon, a "marketing whiz, another inside guy the owner felt he could trust." Wilson "allows his team to flounder in mediocrity," allowing Brandon and a "proven cast of mediocre personnel men to run the show." Wilson "owes his fans a gesture, some sign that he understands people's frustration," such as appointing Pro Football HOFers Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas "consultants to the offense" (BUFFALO NEWS, 11/3).
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Raiders Issue Strong Statement
About ESPN's Report On Tom Cable |
BLACK EYE: The Raiders yesterday issued a statement regarding ESPN's "OTL" report about Raiders coach Tom Cable's domestic abuse allegations, saying, "ESPN routinely disseminates falsehoods about the Raiders. During the last year, ESPN (working with someone who was in this organization) engaged in a calculated effort to distort the truth about the Raiders, utilizing lies and innuendo" (Raiders). In S.F., Scott Ostler writes the team needs to "give the public a list of actual ESPN lies about the Raiders, several of them, or shut the darn heck up." The Raiders with the release have "vaulted out of paranoia and into slime" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 11/3).
BEHIND THESE HAZEN EYES: In Boston, John Tomase reports the Red Sox "retained one of the key members of their minor league system" yesterday when Dir of Player Development Mike Hazen turned down an offer to join the Padres as Assistant GM. The Red Sox "did not give Hazen a promotion to influence his decision, but did make it clear that he’s in their future plans and could eventually assume an expanded role" (BOSTON HERALD, 11/3). In Boston, Amalie Benjamin reported Hazen will "be granted some more autonomy based on the changing role" of Assistant GM Ben Cherington, who will shift his focus from player development to the MLB club (BOSTON.com, 11/2).
A LITTLE HISTORY REPEATING: In L.A., Grahame Jones reports the L.A. Galaxy yesterday finalized an agreement that will send MF David Beckham to AC Milan on loan, effective December 28. There was "no indication of whether Beckham" will pay any of the loan fee himself, "as he did this year when he extended his stay with Milan" (L.A. TIMES, 11/3).
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