THE RIGHT 53 2009

“He had it all, million dollar talent” is an oft spoken catch of writers about the ‘game’ of well known sports legends who then add with a hint of lost reverence an utterance heard more today than yester “and a 10 cent head.”

As the late Mickey Mantle said before passing as to his not taking better care of himself and his career/deportment: “I p****d it all away.”

I shudder to think how I and other fans of former Chiefs great Otis Taylor- the football forefather of an Owens talent wise – would feel/remember him had he been the distraction Owens has been.

Taylor was peerless on the field; off the field Otis dealt with the degrees of public scrutiny and disregard in a professional way. Otis was a tru pro unlike Owens and a host of other modern day prima donnas.

I do recall with a ‘dogged grin’ mine one out of character OT story – after his great 1971 season when he led the NFL in pass receiving yards, and was the only player to top 1000 that year, media offers to sell products etc. were not to come his way. More a nod toward small town KC being a blip on the map than anything to do with Taylor, Otis responded “you know, I would be so happy to do a commercial I would even volunteer to eat the dog food”…a man after my own heart.

The passage of time alone is not the culprit in such outlandish player conduct: motormouths like former Chief Fred Williamson, Colt & Jet Johnny Sample, prima donnas variously Cookie Gilchrist, Charley Taylor and among others, were doing their thing in the 1950s, 1960s and beyond. Difference being, today such is epidemic, not isolated. For this pro football is the worse.

As Len Dawson opined “there is a time & a place to fool (BLOGGERS NOTE: like on a ‘blog’), but, the football field is neither the time nor the place.” Words to live by – in a football sense.

Perhaps the line tween playing football & playing the lead in one-man act nee dramatic presentation has been blurred . . . I wouldn’t know – but, I’m “workin” it.