Hall of Famer Art Donovan played pro football for 12 years (1950-1961) — nine with the Baltimore Colts — then spent the rest of his life telling stories about it to all who’d listen.

COLORFUL, LARGER THAN LIFE FOOTBALL STAR
WAS WELL-LIKED BALTIMORE COLTS LINEMAN

A-Rod did other dopers a favor by getting caught
 
By David Maril
 
While wondering if the biggest Maryland non-story of the decade was Gov. Martin O’Malley’s recent announcement he wants to run for president, it’s interesting to note the following:

  The most fascinating thing about Art Donovan, who died on Aug. 4th at the age of 89, is that he was not a native of Baltimore and, in fact, was born in the Bronx.

If ever a person talked and joked around like a Baltimorean it was Donovan.

Whenever I think of Donovan, I hear his voice and the late Charley Eckman’s, arguing and joking around on the airwaves about some hot local sports topic. Both these likable, down-to-earth, tell-it-like-it-is characters were, as Eckman would say, “right guys.”

Donovan, an NFL Hall of Famer and a dominant defensive tackle on the ’58 and ’59 Colt World Championship teams, was a second generation sports celebrity. His father, Arthur Sr., is considered one of the greatest boxing referees of all time.

  After trading for Scott Feldman from the Cubs, I can’t help thinking the Orioles dealt with the wrong Chicago team and went after the wrong pitcher. They’d have been better off beating the Red Sox to the punch and finding a way to trade with the White Sox for Jake Peavy.

  If you don’t think Boston is a tough baseball town, consider that when it was announced Red Sox owner John Henry was buying the Boston Globe, the biggest concern about the deal in New England was whether the purchase would stifle the newspaper’s critical coverage of the Red Sox.

  The 12 baseball players who agreed to begin serving their suspensions for violating anti-doping rules owe a big debt of gratitude to Yankee celebrity Alex Rodriguez for drawing the spotlight away from them.

Even though three of the players serving suspensions are All-Stars, their names were hardly mentioned. Rodriguez, the highest paid player in the game, is the talk of the sports airwaves as he appeals his sentence of a 211 game suspension. It’s as if the other guilty players don’t even exist.

  If things get too tough in New York for A-Rod in baseball, maybe he should run for political office. He can take heart from the fact Anthony Weiner and Elliot Spitzer continue to run for city mayor and comptroller despite their scandalous personal track records.

Yankees’ star Alex Rodriguez did 12 other MLB dopers a favor by taking the spotlight away from them and their suspensions. A-Rod is appealing.

The most important things a Fed chairman needs to deliver are the appearances of confidence and tranquility. Summers, a former president of Harvard University, is the master of stepping on toes, alienating people and having his way. His arrogant and disruptive style is not what today’s fragile and volatile economy needs. Janet L. Yellen, the vice chairwoman at the Federal Reserve, would be a much wiser choice.

  Do you ever wonder why cars are so poorly designed today that they are starting to require all sorts of expensive camera technology so the driver won’t run over someone or something when backing up?

  While it’s dangerous enough that so many drivers are texting, talking on phones and drinking coffee while behind the wheel, consider the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission report that 1,152 pedestrians required emergency room treatment in 2010 after being injured using a cellphone or other electronic devices.

  When a respected military figure like Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appears on a news interview program like Face The Nation, isn’t it obvious it’s time for the military to modernize the formal officer uniform styles?

The wide stripe on the uniform pants makes a general look as if he or she could earn extra money holding doors open at a hotel. Those ridiculous looking pants stripes detract from the well-earned medals on the suit jackets.

  Two certainties in the stalemate over TV distribution fees between CBS and Time Warner: This will soon be settled and consumers will lose by having to pay higher monthly bills. When the suppliers and distributers are in disagreement over fees and profit margins, the consumer is always wrong.

  John Kerry executed a horrendous campaign when he ran for president in 2004 and he’s not going to go down in history as one of the all-time greats in the Senate.

He does, however, seem to be flourishing as secretary of state. His rhetoric and enthusiastic but somewhat stiff style seem suited for the job of globetrotting around and negotiating with difficult world leaders.
 
davidmaril@hermanmaril.com
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.
 
CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S “INSIDE PITCH” COLUMN:  click here
…and read previous Dave Maril columns  by clicking here.