Regardless of how much money Peter "Angel" -- as in Angelos -- piles up to buy the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, let it be pointed out with the strongest of conviction that the National Football League, because of its record of transgressions, doesn't deserve to inherit such good fortune.
Specifically, to be honored with a franchise in Baltimore.
The NFL revealed what it's made of in its prior torture of a city that gave much more to its popularity and existence than what it ever gained in return.
Baltimore has been ravaged, plundered and in all other ways denigrated by a league devoid of common decency.
If the NFL should return to Baltimore, it would still have to address its unsavory record in first allowing the Colts to leave in ,, 1984 and then selecting Charlotte and Jacksonville in the rigged expansion process of a year ago.
Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and his henchmen should get on their knees in City Hall Plaza to beg forgiveness. Reiterating, Baltimore, a city of substance, is much too good for the NFL.
As for the money Angelos is willing to spend, he is up to $200 million in his own on-the-record bid but has told friends he would go another $10 million if that's what it takes.
Such reckless disregard for fiscal sanity is beyond comprehension because there's no sports franchise, on this or any other planet, that translates to such a mind-boggling purchase.
Reaction among the uninitiated, those who live in other places and don't know Angelos for what he is, believe it's some kind of make-believe game he's playing. But this is no bragging Texas type wearing a huge cowboy hat and owning no cattle, who, when the serious shooting starts, is going to find a way to withdraw gracefully from his pursuit.
In any negotiation, Angelos will choke and ultimately break the competition. That's his way. He's not going to pull back, regardless of how high the price goes.
At this moment money is no object. And he's getting richer with each passing day as nearly 9,000 suits he filed in asbestos cases against American industries are decided by the courts.
As incongruous as it seems, we sincerely doubt if $210 million is his limit. How high is the sky? Put a number out there and he'll top it, one way or another.
You would think that for $210 million he could buy all of Hillsborough County, Fla., but, no, it's merely for the Tampa football team. With his awesome offer (and maybe he hasn't stopped to realize it), Angelos is inadvertently providing an immense service for all NFL owners. Not that they deserve it.
The bid immediately rockets the worth of the 28 existing teams and the two incoming expansion clubs, which cost $140 million. He is individually responsible for driving up the price and adding to the already substantial egos of some of the most puffed-up phonies on the face of the earth.
Angelos may be perceived in some quarters as being out of control because offering $200 million for a frivolous playtoy is hardly keeping priorities in line.
Furthermore, he may not realize it but, even though the masses will applaud his efforts to put Baltimore back in the NFL after a 10-year absence, there is a surprising segment of the population saying it doesn't care for the bland type of football the league offers.
If Angelos gets a team, the Canadian Football League in Baltimore will be history, out of business. It would be the loss of a sports entertainment entity that has something valuable to offer and is well received.
The public, however, is label-conscious. In prestige, the NFL overwhelms the CFL. The fans also would pay more than double the price of tickets to see a boring NFL show. The NFL's wide acceptability -- not necessarily its credibility -- explains its popularity.
Bottom line, the NFL doesn't deserve anything as good as Baltimore because of its selfishness, greed and disregard for its own history. The NFL needs Baltimore much more than Baltimore needs the NFL.