Are Post-Dispatch Writers Guilty Of Hypocrisy
When It Comes To Mike Martz?
- By VermeilFan

Bernie "The Lapdog" Miklasz and Bryan "The Village Idiot" Burwell are now writing that Rams President John Shaw and Rams President of Football Operations Jay Zygmunt, "the lawyers", are pushing Martz out the door. And I'm sure if Jim Thomas hadn't been busted for being Martz's personal propaganda machine we'd be hearing the same from him. Ok, fair enough. So how is this different from what was done to Vermeil? They object to "the lawyers" denying Martz the opportunity to "coach" by forbidding the transfer of his cell phone to Fairchild. They say that "the lawyers" want Martz gone. Fine. But wasn't the same thing done to Vermeil with their gleeful participation? When Shaw allegedly told Vermeil how to coach, that he had to change his ways, where were the objections from the Post-Dispatch about "the lawyers" interfering? Hell, they happily reported it. When the front office boys leaked one anti-Vermeil story after another, where were the objections then?

I have no doubt John Shaw is a weasel and that he plays endless behind the scenes games. But I find it incredibly ironic that the same folks who denied that Vermeil was forced out are now sooooooo willing to believe Martz is receiving similar treatment.

Bernie and the rest created a local urban myth with the constant anti-Vermeil harangues -- all built on front office leaks. Vermeil wanted this player, Vermeil didn't want that player, the game had passed Vermeil by, Shaw made Vermeil change his ways, Martz made the Rams champions, Vermeil was a figurehead, and on and on and on. The drum beat continued until Vermeil finally walked away. But now front office leaks are a bad thing. Now if the President of the team interferes with coaching, it's heresy. Now a coach really is being pushed out the door. The irony is just too precious.

So the Martz infatuation by the Post-Dispatch boys carries on. They will continue to print pro-Martz and anti-whomever stories as they see fit. They will continue to bolster Martz by bringing him on their radio shows and throwing him softball questions. But when they do... Take note that the rules of the game have changed -- changed out of necessity. You see now the coach on the hot seat is their boy. What was A-OK in 1999 is now an outrage.