AMERICAN FOOTBALL

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

I was born in Cleveland in 1942. Near the end of the forties, Cleveland had two teams. The Browns and the Rams. The NFL deemed that Cleveland didn’t need two teams so the Rams were moved to LA. A few years back on a PBS series called The Greatest Moments in Sports, I saw a film of the 1950 NFL playoff game. The Browns verses the Rams. The Rams had a bone to pick. They wanted to show the world that the wrong team was moved to LA. Right before the end of the game, the Rams were leading by five points. With about five seconds to go Otto Graham threw a hail Mary pass to a receiver in the end zone. While the ball was in the air, the gun was sounded to indicate that all the time on the clock had elapsed. Back then, I don’t know about now, the game wasn’t over until the play finished. The ball was caught in the end zone and the Browns remained the NFL champs. I truly believe the the Pro Football Hall of Fame is in Canton which is close to Cleveland because of the Browns. Players like Otto Graham. Lou Groza and Dante "Glurfingers" Lavvle were heros back in the day.

For many years, I was an ardent Browns fan, even after I moved to SoCal. I remember watching the NFL playoff game on the messdeck on my destroyer in 1967 when the Browns beat the Colts. I was on the ship because I had the duty on that day. The AFL joined into the NFL and the Superbowl became the paramount sporting event. Alas the only times the Browns attended the Superbowl was as spectators. That didn’t lessen my enthusiasm one damned bit. From about 1977 to 1982 I had season tickets for the Rams but they were only the Rams not the Browns. For that reason and for certain economic reasons, that era had run it’s course and I eschewed the tickets.

What really hurt was when Art Model, that son-of-a-bitch, moved my blessed Browns to Baltimore.  The Raiders moved back to Oakland and the Rams were moved to Saint Louis. My mantra was a sailor version of screw football, who needs it.

My attitude improved when a new Browns emerged into Cleveland. I used to say that this new Browns team was a facade, the real Browns were hiding in Baltimore hiding as the Ravens To add insult to injury, the damned Ravens not only went to the Superbowl the next year. They WON the damned thing. By about 2010 my patience with these loser new Browns had run it’s course. I simply quit being a football fan.

Along comes 2017 and not only do the Rams move back to LA after a 23 year hiatus and the Chargers move back to LA also. It’s an embarrassment of riches and to sweeten things, they both do very well. The Rams actually won the NFC game and are going to the Superbowl.

Back in 1982, when I was a season ticket holder, I got a letter in the mail stating that if I were to send $600 in the mail, if the Rams made it through the playoffs, I would be the proud possessor of Superbowel tickets. The Superbowl that year was to be held at The Rosebowl which was less than a hour’s drive up the freeway. Not only was I was certain the Rams Wouldn’t make it through the playoffs, and as I said above  I wasn’t actually rolling around in loose cash, so I passed. You guessed it. I missed going to a Superbowel game.

Well now our/my Rams are going to the Superbowel again and I don’t have four of five thousand dollars in my retirement funds to blow on a football game. If the Rams win, the odds makers in Los Vegas have them pegged as a one point favorite and they are playing the Patriots, maybe my enthusiasm will be restored. We’re in wait and see mode right now.