homegame

Legacy, Part Deux

Frank Gatski is an immortal oxymoron. He's an obscure Hall of Famer.

Gatski, now 84, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985. I'll bet not one fan in a 1000 knows anything about him. The NFL works overtime to convince the world its history began with Super Bowl I in 1967, so guys like Gatski who played in the 1940s and '50s are SOL in the publicity department.

The first sentence on Gatski's plaque in Canton is a Cal Ripkenesque attendance record. Gatski never missed a game in a 12-year pro career, in college, or in high school. Since Gatski retired after the 1957 season, that streak should be considered in light of the following fact-for 90 percent of his career, there weren't any face masks.

The second sentence on Gatski's plaque, however, is why I wish to celebrate the man this morning. In those 12 years as a pro, Gatski played in 11 (!!) championship games. His record in title tilts was 8-3.

Well, talk about a legacy of winning! Compared to Gatski, Tom Brady and Joe Montana were pikers. In fact, no matter what further success Brady achieves, which will be plenty, he'll NEVER match Gatski's record. Brady's already had two seasons end short of the Super Bowl.

So why isn't the Super Bowl champion awarded the Frank Gatski Trophy instead of one named after some coach who actually finished out of the money in FOUR seasons in his 10-year career? Positional discrimation, that's why. Gatski was a center. They don't count. As all ill-informed fans and commentators know and repeat ad nauseum, only coaches and quarterbacks are important enough to be judged on their won-loss record in big games. Everyone else on the field and sidelines is an interchangable part.

The two best quarterbacks of this era, two of the best of any era, will meet in tonight's AFC championship game. Whatever happens, the resulting blah about Tom Brady and Peyton Manning will create a cloud of toxic hooey larger than the one surrounding the presidential candidacy of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Unless one of them gets injured or commits a major blunder, the names of Pats' center Dan Koppen and his Colts' opposite number Jeff Saturday won't be mentioned after the pregame lineup introductions.

Forget getting the monkey off Manning's back or the Pats taking another stride into pigskin Valhalla. My real fantasy for the game is this: at some point in the proceedings, Koppen and Saturday trade turns refusing to snap the ball to Brady and Manning. The ensuing chaos would the most fitting tribute possible to the legacy of Frank Gatski.

posted by Michael Gee @ 8:18 AM