bills_fan Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Same hate Walter O'Malley felt from Brooklynites over the Dodgers. If you expect fans to put heart & soul into a team (and really, how else can you justify the expense without the heart & soul) an individual cannot expect even normal decency when he rips the team away. Bills fans would be no different if Ralph ever moved the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMadCap Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Same hate Walter O'Malley felt from Brooklynites over the Dodgers. If you expect fans to put heart & soul into a team (and really, how else can you justify the expense without the heart & soul) an individual cannot expect even normal decency when he rips the team away. Bills fans would be no different if Ralph ever moved the Bills. As I have said countless times, if he had moved the team, they should bury him in secret... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
major Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Is Modell in the hall of fame? If not, he deserves to be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 For what? He is not in the HoF and I hope he never gets there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 For what? He is not in the HoF and I hope he never gets there. Like Ralph, his work/accomplishments in the early days of the NFL helped make it what it is today. H was a big part of the early TV deals for the league Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Ralph has a 1000x more respect for sticking with Buffalo through thick and thin. I guarantee you won't see these comments for him. What Modell did to Cleveland is deplorable, he took away a number of jobs from a locality in the name of greed. While I have no ill will for him, I can understand it. Sorry to say, but I disagree that people will be kind here when the inevitable happens to Ralph. Every year there are classless dopes that have wished him dead. That's despicable. RIP Mr. Modell. I'm glad you didn't own The Bills though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowery4 Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Hey I never said that I would hate on Ralph (although my Dad always did after he got Rich built for him) although if they ended up moving it might be more debatable if I would feel that way but Model, well his history is here in the thread. I just asked, no offence to RW intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob's House Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Sorry to say, but I disagree that people will be kind here when the inevitable happens to Ralph. Every year there are classless dopes that have wished him dead. That's despicable. RIP Mr. Modell. I'm glad you didn't own The Bills though. Sure, there'll be a few of those types, but I think and hope they are a small minority. I'd hate to be associated with people like that. Since I don't care about Cleveland or The Browns, ( not that I care for the steaming pile of dung known as Baltimore either) I have no ill will towards Modell. But if I was a loyal Browns fan in Cleveland I might not be so forgiving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Like Ralph, his work/accomplishments in the early days of the NFL helped make it what it is today. H was a big part of the early TV deals for the league You're exactly right. He was kept out of The Hall in 2006 because of the move, and I don't think he's been up for it since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 (edited) i certainly do not condone the disrespect some clevelanders have exhibited on modell's passing, but as been said on here, pouring your heart and soul into a team that was a historic NFL franchise( being absorbed after the folding of the AAFC) and having it taken from you, one can understand it. it just depends upon a particular individual's make-up as to how they express themselves. Edited September 6, 2012 by dwight in philly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe W Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Modell's story, like O'Malley's, is a lot more complicated than it's made out to be. Modelll gave Cleveland officials many opportunities to do somethong about their stadium, but the politicians never did anything, so he moved them. Ralph's legacy will be determined by if Mrs. Ralph and her step-daughters take the much higher LA bid on the Bills or do they give a "home-town discount" to a local ownership group. The difference in bids will probably at least $300 million. FYI, by all public indications Pegula is signaling that he's not interested in bidding for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justnzane Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Ridiculous (and predictable) argument. How many jobs did he create in Baltimore? Counting IR and Practice Squad 65 players that would live and spend in that locality. Coaching Staff ~15 PR, Marketing, Scouts, Medical, and Executives I'd have to guess roughly 100 (they list 30 directors and scouts on the site). Gameday employees (parking, security, food, etc...) ~2000 He created about 200 Full-time positions in Baltimore, which directly came from the Cleveland market. Especially when 53 players are making $390k minimum with 4 players making over $6 million, it is a big bite out of the local economy as that won't be spent there, but rather in Baltimore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Ralph has a 1000x more respect for sticking with Buffalo through thick and thin. I guarantee you won't see these comments for him. What Modell did to Cleveland is deplorable, he took away a number of jobs from a locality in the name of greed. While I have no ill will for him, I can understand it. Do you have ANY idea what the city of Cleveland did to Modell during the 80s and early 90s that left him no choice but to move his team? The Indians and freaking Cavs were given new buildings, while the politicians continually denied Modell's requests. He was left between a rock and a hard place, and moved to Baltimore to save his investment. He had the decency to leave the Browns' colors and legacy behind. Sure, the fans had a right to be upset -- they were the innocent victims -- but trashing Modell, particularly now, is completely out of place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bufcomments Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 RIP Art. You did Cleveland wrong but it was your team AND the league went along with it. But on a real note this makes me think about Ralph and his health and WE maybe going through this as Bills Fans sooner rather than later and its gonna hit us like a tons of Bricks watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Modell was sued and settled the suit by leaving the team's colors & history behind. And, if I recall, the Indians & Cavs got new buildings, Modell was told your time is coming. He did not want to wait his turn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Yes. That is someone's husband, father, uncle, etc. Imagine if someone said bad stuff about your relative while he/she was on his deathbed? People would do well to think of others as human beings first, no matter what they did with a stupid football team. Good point, but please note what some of the brain surgeons on this board have said about Ralph Wilson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taro T Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Modell was sued and settled the suit by leaving the team's colors & history behind. And, if I recall, the Indians & Cavs got new buildings, Modell was told your time is coming. He did not want to wait his turn. As I recall, he'd been seriously undercapitalized since he'd bought the team. I'm not sure that he had the wherewithall to 'wait his turn.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 (edited) Good point, but please note what some of the brain surgeons on this board have said about Ralph Wilson i dont recall anyone on here being that cruel about wilson. i am a critic of ralph, but it is never personal and do not recall the vitriol that the browns fans have expressed about modell being said about ralph. Edited September 6, 2012 by dwight in philly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbow Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Ralph has a 1000x more respect for sticking with Buffalo through thick and thin. I guarantee you won't see these comments for him. What Modell did to Cleveland is deplorable, he took away a number of jobs from a locality in the name of greed. While I have no ill will for him, I can understand it. I agree with your first part. But I think a few people will blame Ralph for not having a plan in place to assure the team stays in Buffalo will have plenty of bad things to say. I don't claim to be a Ralph Wilson fan. But I'm grateful for the great memories I have of the Bills in their golden age. I'll remeber the good and the bad when Ralph passes. But I'll keep the negative to a small wimper out of respect for what Raph accomplished in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I agree with your first part. But I think a few people will blame Ralph for not having a plan in place to assure the team stays in Buffalo will have plenty of bad things to say. I don't claim to be a Ralph Wilson fan. But I'm grateful for the great memories I have of the Bills in their golden age. I'll remeber the good and the bad when Ralph passes. But I'll keep the negative to a small wimper out of respect for what Raph accomplished in life. not having a plan in place is very troubling, cannot believe he will just sell to the highest bidder and case closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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