Jim Irsay

INDIANAPOLIS -- The man Baltimore still loves to hate is buried on the side of the highest hill in Indianapolis -- a rolling green slope that once inspired poetry -- beneath a 6-foot, sculpted gray granite monument that bears a large horseshoe logo and his last name in capital letters: IRSAY. While closure has eluded many Baltimore fans who still hold a grudge against the man who spirited the Colts away to Indianapolis, it came for Robert Irsay on Jan. 14, 1997, at the age of 73, two years after he suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak in more than a whisper.

The time was right Sam Farmer Los Angeles Times Let's limit this to Bill Polian, as he was the true decision-maker here and Chris is clearly replaceable. Firing him was the right thing to do because the Colts need a fresh start and need to be as attractive and maleable as possible to attract the best next coach. With Polian there, an executive with arguably more power than any in the NFL, a new coach would be plugged in to that rigid pecking order. That won't work for everyone.

His overall record with the Indianapolis Colts was above .500. During his four-plus years with Indianapolis, Ron Meyer won just two fewer regular-season games than Miami's Don Shula, despite having inherited an 0-13 team in 1986.But that didn't keep Meyer from being fired yesterday.Colts general manager Jim Irsay, who played briefly for Meyer at Southern Methodist University, fired Meyer and offensive coordinator Leon Burtnett yesterday morning. Defensive coordinator Rick Venturi, 45, was named head coach for the remainder of the season.

Twenty-five years later, the NFL and three of its cities are better off than they were back then. Keep that in mind today as you find it in your hearts to forgive the men whose names are tied to those cities and their nomadic franchises. It's time for Baltimore to stop cursing the very name "Irsay," to stop punishing the son for the sins of the father. And it's time for Cleveland to let go of the rage it harbors for Art Modell. That's all that's left to close the book on the tragedies brought on, or around, these people.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Time doesn't heal all wounds. In fact, games like Saturday's seem to open them. Nearly a quarter-century after Bob Irsay took the Colts out of Baltimore, his son, Jim Irsay, will bring them back to face the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in a playoff game. The anger and loathing for the Irsay name haven't receded. "Personally, I don't understand that, because I don't live that way," Jim Irsay said in a wide-ranging interview yesterday from his plush office in the Indianapolis Colts' headquarters.

Idon't know what the Ravens have planned for Saturday's pre-game ceremony, but if they really want to fire up the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium, why not bring back and introduce some of the old Colts? The place would go absolutely mad. Right before the pre-game, introduce Lenny Moore, then Tom Matte. Bring back Bert Jones or Lydell Mitchell. And, of course, then introduce the Ravens and let Ray Lewis dance. Wow! The excitement would register on the Richter scale. Colts owner Jim Irsay always attempts to wipe his hands of the Colts' move from Baltimore to Indianapolis, but he could have made a serious peace offer by giving the name and colors back to Baltimore.

Dickerson signs pact with Colts for 4 yearsEric Dickerson and the Indianapolis Colts patched up their differences yesterday as the star running back signed a four-year contract extension.General manager Jim Irsay said Dickerson will take a physical examination tomorrow and is scheduled to practice with the team on Tuesday. Dickerson is expected to play against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 21."A lot of things have happened, a lot of things that weren't pretty on either side," Dickerson said.

Writer shouldn't focus on race David Steele gives new meaning to the term "color commentary." In less than one week, he ballyhooed a Super Bowl featuring two black head coaches, ran a quote hypothesizing that John Mackey's skin color was a factor in delaying his Hall of Fame election, and expounded on the NBA's minority recruiting practices, all before coming full circle to Tony Dungy's race. His column was conspicuously absent Jan. 30, I suspect, because even for him, it was a stretch to memorialize Barbaro as a horse of color.

ANDERSON, Ind. -- Bill Polian has a striking track record when it comes to building teams from the ground up in the NFL. He was the architect of both the Buffalo Bills' four-year AFC dynasty and the Carolina Panthers' two-year rise to the NFC championship game.Now comes perhaps his most difficult challenge. As president of the Indianapolis Colts, he is attempting to resuscitate a franchise that has won only two playoff games in its past 26 years.Hired by owner Jim Irsay one day after the Colts' 3-13 season ended last December, Polian, 55, doesn't minimize the job that faces him."

Leonard "Boogie" Weinglass cringes at the name even now, a decade after the fact.The Indianapolis Colts."It's a dead name," Weinglass said yesterday. "It does not belong in Indianapolis. It's worse than the Baltimore Rhinos."Weinglass, who leads one of two ownership groups trying to bring an NFL expansion team to Baltimore, would like to return the nickname, the blue-and-white colors and the horseshoe logo as well. That way, he figures, he'd be doing both Indianapolis and his native Baltimore a favor.

Writer shouldn't focus on race David Steele gives new meaning to the term "color commentary." In less than one week, he ballyhooed a Super Bowl featuring two black head coaches, ran a quote hypothesizing that John Mackey's skin color was a factor in delaying his Hall of Fame election, and expounded on the NBA's minority recruiting practices, all before coming full circle to Tony Dungy's race. His column was conspicuously absent Jan. 30, I suspect, because even for him, it was a stretch to memorialize Barbaro as a horse of color.

In Baltimore, people have spat the name like a curse for 23 years. Irsay. When it was slapped on the door of the men's room at John Unitas' old restaurant, the Golden Arm, nobody had to ask why. For Baltimoreans, it meant filth and waste. Yet Robert Irsay, the man who moved their beloved Colts, passed his name and his team on to his son, Jim. And as Jim Irsay's Indianapolis Colts prepare to play in the Super Bowl tomorrow, the man with the accursed name is credited as a driving force behind the franchise's success and stability.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The man Baltimore still loves to hate is buried on the side of the highest hill in Indianapolis -- a rolling green slope that once inspired poetry -- beneath a 6-foot, sculpted gray granite monument that bears a large horseshoe logo and his last name in capital letters: IRSAY. While closure has eluded many Baltimore fans who still hold a grudge against the man who spirited the Colts away to Indianapolis, it came for Robert Irsay on Jan. 14, 1997, at the age of 73, two years after he suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak in more than a whisper.

Idon't know what the Ravens have planned for Saturday's pre-game ceremony, but if they really want to fire up the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium, why not bring back and introduce some of the old Colts? The place would go absolutely mad. Right before the pre-game, introduce Lenny Moore, then Tom Matte. Bring back Bert Jones or Lydell Mitchell. And, of course, then introduce the Ravens and let Ray Lewis dance. Wow! The excitement would register on the Richter scale. Colts owner Jim Irsay always attempts to wipe his hands of the Colts' move from Baltimore to Indianapolis, but he could have made a serious peace offer by giving the name and colors back to Baltimore.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Time doesn't heal all wounds. In fact, games like Saturday's seem to open them. Nearly a quarter-century after Bob Irsay took the Colts out of Baltimore, his son, Jim Irsay, will bring them back to face the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in a playoff game. The anger and loathing for the Irsay name haven't receded. "Personally, I don't understand that, because I don't live that way," Jim Irsay said in a wide-ranging interview yesterday from his plush office in the Indianapolis Colts' headquarters.

The Ravens' charge to victory in Super Bowl XXXV should have made Baltimore football fans happy all over, but a scar remains for some who view March 28, 1984 as a more significant date than Jan. 28, 2001. It has been more than 17 years since the late Robert Irsay took the Colts out of Baltimore and relocated the franchise to Indianapolis. Tomorrow, the Colts will make their second trip to Baltimore. The atmosphere might not be as charged as it was in 1998, when the Ravens won, 38-31, but many still steam over the sight of horseshoes on the visitors' helmets.

THE GAME'S OVER, as are the cheers and the howling. The final score was Baltimore Ravens 38, Indianapolis Irsays 31. Indy's NFL team returned to Baltimore for the first time since the dreaded pirate Robert Irsay left and got spanked. All is now well.Or is it? The final score of Sunday's game meant nothing to me. The only thing it proved is that the defensive coordinators for both teams have their work cut out for them this week. As revenge, the game was a total failure.I will settle for nothing less than a public plea of mea culpa from Jim Irsay, the son of the late Robert Irsay and owner of the Indianapolis Irsays.

Jack Trudeau knew of Ted Marchibroda's reputation as a quarterbacking guru long before Marchibroda was appointed coach of the IndianapolisColts for the second time last January. If there was any doubt in Trudeau's mind about the validity of that reputation, he says it was removed last April.Trudeau, the Colts' backup quarterback behind franchise player Jeff George, unknowingly had dropped down in his throwing motion in recent years, from straight over the top to three-quarters. He also had incurred a perplexing sore shoulder in the process.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The Ravens say their players may have learned a valuable lesson as a result of Ray Lewis' legal problems. Coach Brian Billick and defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis echoed that theme after participating in a seminar about the league's off-the-field problems at the NFL's annual March owners meetings yesterday. In the wake of Ray Lewis' indictment on murder charges in Atlanta the night of the Super Bowl, Billick said, "I'm not trying to paint a bright picture about anything that has to do with Ray because it's a tragic situation, but at the very least it's going to be a graphic example for our players.

THE GAME'S OVER, as are the cheers and the howling. The final score was Baltimore Ravens 38, Indianapolis Irsays 31. Indy's NFL team returned to Baltimore for the first time since the dreaded pirate Robert Irsay left and got spanked. All is now well.Or is it? The final score of Sunday's game meant nothing to me. The only thing it proved is that the defensive coordinators for both teams have their work cut out for them this week. As revenge, the game was a total failure.I will settle for nothing less than a public plea of mea culpa from Jim Irsay, the son of the late Robert Irsay and owner of the Indianapolis Irsays.