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Chronicling Rozelle's Legacy

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By BOB D'ANGELO, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 26, 2007

He is the model for professional sports commissioners.

Pete Rozelle, a compromise candidate to replace Bert Bell as NFL commissioner in 1960, would become the most powerful man in pro football. During his 29-year tenure, Rozelle oversaw the NFL-AFL merger and the birth of the Super Bowl. He weathered labor strife in the 1980s, a gambling scandal in the 1960s, and an ill-advised decision to allow games the weekend John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

In "Rozelle: Czar of the NFL" (McGraw-Hill, $27.95), Jeff Davis tackles a subject that was covered well by John Fortunato a year earlier in "Commissioner: The Legacy of Pete Rozelle." But while Fortunato took a narrow focus, Davis' approach embraces a "Rozelle in his time" formula. There's plenty of Rozelle in this book, but there also is a great deal of detail about the events that have shaped the National Football League since 1960.

Davis is thorough; his blow-by-blow description of the events leading up to 1968's infamous "Heidi Game," for example, reveals fascinating details gleaned from extensive interviews and research.

Rozelle was able to lead effectively during his tenure, gaining the respect of the NFL's old guard and using his negotiating skills to broker lucrative television deals that enriched the league.

Davis presents Rozelle in a positive light, but does not fawn over him. He writes in detail about Rozelle's battles with Al Davis over the Raiders' move to Los Angeles. Despite their differences, Rozelle and the Raiders owner managed, barely, to remain civil toward one another.

However, Jeff Davis writes, it speaks to the respect Rozelle earned that on the day he announced his resignation to the NFL owners, the first to shake his hand and embrace him was Al Davis.

Jeff Davis does a fine job of bringing Rozelle's influence into sharper focus.

STAT GEEK'S DREAM: Baseball stat fanatics will have a field day with "The Hardball Times Baseball Annual" (ACTA Sports, $19.95). Every team and each player from 2007 is analyzed using an impressive array of statistics, plus there are informative articles from the most respected number crunchers in the game.

For example, 45 percent of Carlos Pena's batted balls in '07 were fly balls, and 32 percent of his outfield flies were homers. Delmon Young led the American League in outs (485); of Jason Bartlett's 26 errors last season, 11 were by throwing, 15 were in the field; the defense efficiency ratio behind Scott Kazmir (.648) was second-lowest in the AL.

The book includes recaps of the 2007 season, features and trends. It's a great way for a baseball fan to prepare for spring training.

POETIC GOLF: Writing about golf can be almost lyrical if handled properly. For poetic beauty, few will be able to match the effort of Andrew Greig in "Preferred Lies: A Journey Into the Heart of Scottish Golf" (Thomas Dunne Books, $23.95).

Greig, a novelist and poet who also has written books about mountain expeditions, decided to tour 18 golf courses in Scotland after a cyst in his brain left him near death.

His narrative has an inner voice, as if we are listening to his thoughts as he strolls the golf courses.

"Play for fun, but not to flatter. Compete to challenge your ego, not aggrandise it," he writes. "Play when something is at stake, but not your life's savings."

Greig's prose is descriptive and airy, with a cadence and pace that mirrors golf itself.

For example, "Island golf, like island whisky, has a special tang, a slow burn and a long peaty finish that lingers long after it has gone down," he writes.

It's an intoxicating brew.

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