Leaving Youngblood Out Makes It a Hall of Shame

If Jack Youngblood is not a hall of famer, why did Chuck Knox once say, "He'll go down as one of the top defensive ends in the history of football"?

How come former Ram equipment man Don Hewitt vowed never again to issue jersey No. 85?

Why did men cry at Youngblood's retirement news conference on Aug. 27, 1985?

If Youngblood is not up to Canton snuff, how did he make the Pro Bowl seven times, twice win NFC defensive-player-of-the-year honors, play in 201 consecutive games, two-plus on a broken leg?

How come former Ram guard Dennis Harrah calls Youngblood's exclusion not a shame, or unfortunate, but "an atrocity"?

If greatness occurred before ESPN, on film instead of tape, before the screech of "Boo-Ya" and the enlightened moment an NFL wonk recognized the sack as an official statistic, does your career not count?

Was it not real?

"Tape it up, give me two more aspirin and let's go play," Youngblood said to the medical staff after his left fibula--the smaller of two bones in the lower leg--cracked during the Rams' 1979 playoff victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Youngblood then sucked it up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC championship game and heroically limped it out against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XIV, taking no pain-killing injections.

Jack was nimble, Jack was quick. He gave 14 seasons to the Los Angeles Rams.

But now he is getting sacked.

The good news: Youngblood is again one of 15 finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The class of 2001 will be announced Jan. 27.

The joke is that this is still a story.

This is the 12th year Youngblood has been eligible, meaning his bust should have been cast, his presenter chosen, his speech written, during the first Bush administration.

If you love a mystery, put down Agatha Christie and pick up Jack Youngblood.

He never took a down off, was a bona fide superstar, got along with teammates and the media and never has appeared as a guest on "Court TV."

Memo to Kobe and Shaq: You don't know Jack about taking one for the team.

In 1983, first-year Ram coach John Robinson switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense, pushing Youngblood from left end to a glorified tackle.

Youngblood didn't demand a trade. In 1984, his last season, he led the Rams with 9 1/2 sacks.

Yet, he can't get over?