Fords? Kick them to the the curb.

Technically, the Lions can't draft an owner, of course, but the existing one can be shunted aside. Look at what recently happened elsewhere.

Frank and Jamie McCourt, the owners of the LA Dodgers, got caught up in their own personal nasty divorce business. They neglected a once proud franchise to the point of making it a laughing stock, while living like royalty. Some of their expenditures, that are coming to light, were outrageous.

Enter Bud Selig, the Commissioner of major league baseball. Some people think Selig's had too many Buds, and is a bumbler. Not true. Citing a recent article by Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated -- Selig's been Commissioner for 19 years. During his tenure, MLB has expanded from 26 to 30 teams, the playoffs have expanded from 4 to 8 teams, the owners and players have had labor peace for 16 years, revenue sharing and drug testing have come about, and two-thirds of the teams have new or renovated stadiums. Translation? Don't underestimate this guy. The man gets things done.

He'd had enough of the McCourt fiasco, so he basically stepped in and took control of the franchise away from them. Who's in charge now, and whether that will hold up to legal challenges is unclear, but Selig did it anyway. We'll see how that plays out.

Which brings me back to the Lions. The "laughing stock" bit has been well documented for many years from objective people in the media to comedians, to talk-show hosts, and even syndicated columnists. NFL commissioners have come and gone in the last several decades, but none of them was willing to address the obvious. If ever there was a team that needed to be taken over by the league -- it's the Lions. And it has been for a long time.

Given the current player/owner stand-off, you may or may not approve of the policies and tactics of  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but I dare say nobody thinks of him as a dummy. When this negotiation business is finally over, maybe he should consider kicking the Ford family to the curb, as far as running the Lions. After all, like the McCourts, they've been living like royalty, while their team has been in shambles. It only took Bud-man a year or two to drop the hammer on the McCourts. The Ford thing has been going on for almost HALF A CENTURY.

Consider: According to Oakland Press business editor/writer Joe Szczesny, the CEO of the Ford Motor Co. could make in excess of $300 million dollars this year. Throw in the "board" people, the presidents of this or that, the executive vice-presidents, the group vice-presidents, your everyday garden variety vice-presidents, and on down the corporate line at a few million here and stock options there, and the next thing you know, we're talking about serious money. The total team salary of the Lions was $122.9 million. Does this mean the CEO of Ford Motor Co. alone is worth two and a half times what all the football players are worth?

Maybe. At least the car company has trotted out some winners over the years since William Clay Ford bought the Lions in 1964. From luxury to style to horsepower, there was a wide selection. LTD's, Crown Vics, Mustangs, Mercs, Cougars, pick-up trucks, vans, etc. There was something for everybody. Ford is even a major player on the NASCAR circuit. They've provided motors, bodies and other parts for several race teams over the years. Mark Martin used to drive one of those cars. He was long in the tooth and his primary sponsor was Viagra. Somehow that deal petered out and he had to move on. But I digress.

The football team has been a never-ending production line of Yugos. As in, you go to the stadium and you go away poorer and disappointed. The Lions PR machine will put out a lot of spin, and some reporters will say things are looking up. Playoffs this year. The Super Bowl can't be far away. What they don't seem to comprehend is that all the readers and watchers aren't idiots. Some of us understand that they have to play up to these people, in order to maintain their access to the "inside" stuff. It would be nice to think that the majority of these folks know better, and their Stevie Wonder vision through Janis Joplin rose-tinted glasses is all a facade for show, but sometimes I wonder. Optimism is a good thing. Reality is better.

At any rate, it's time for the Commissioner to step up and put an end to this travesty. If Bud can sit in Milwaukee and pull it off in LA, then Roger can sit in NYC and pull it off in Detroit. He can call it "in the interest of the league". He can call it "by popular demand". He can even call Doctor Jack. Maybe he's got one more left in him.

Just make the call. Any call. Do something. The status quo is not acceptable any longer. Is that a roger, Roger?