George Kokinis

The Cleveland Browns today hitched their star to George Kokinis with his hiring as General Manager in what was the most widely known secret in sports.

Kokinis was the pro personnel director in Baltimore and apparently was placed into consideration for the job by new coach Eric Mangini.

Now,I can fairly say that this hiring does very little for me.
Perhaps the failures of the last guy that supposedly "built" the Ravens in Cleveland makes me question this decision and maybe the fact that no one else had any interest in Kokinis adds to the questions,but my biggest problem is this-Despite the language in the contract,just who is the true boss?
When the final decisions are made,who is the guy making it?
Eric Mangini or George Kokinis?

If the Browns are successful,I don't care if Charlie Brown is making the calls,but this sure looks like Mangini wanted a pliable guy in the GM position,Kokinis is a pal and therefore easier to work with.
Mangini knows this is his last chance and had problems with the Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum,so it makes sense to Mangini to have as light of a touch as possible in the GM seat.

I had little problem with the hiring of Mangini,he did fairly well in New York and at least was somewhat of a proven coach,but the Kokinis hiring sends us alarms.
If Kokinis was so valuable,why wasn't Baltimore more anxious to even attempt to keep him by offering him their job after Ozzie Newsome retires?
Why,if Kokinis was so coveted,had he never interviewed for another GM job-EVER?
And wasn't the same stuff being said about Phil Savage about the guy that "really" built the Ravens?

The jury is far from out,but on this one-I don't like it.

Bullpen Notes

Two more notes on George Kokinis

One is that now after weeks of speculation,the media finally has a new picture of the guy instead of the mug shot that everyone was using.
Man,that was tired and scary!

The other is that every time I type his name,I think of an old wrestler that used the name Kokina Maximus,who later moved on to become Yokozuna.

Battlin Bob sends us this note on Eric Mangini and the beginning of his control tendencies as apparently the most important thing to fix on this team is to paint over a mural of Browns greats at the team offices and make the wall white.
First,off the tradition is all this team has anymore,second,wasn't it Mangini that crowed about Browns tradition when he was hired and third,the mural was more important than you showing up at the Senior Bowl to scout?????

I was shocked Saturday night when Shane Mosley dominated Antonio Margarito throughout and stopped him in the ninth round to take the WBA Welterweight title in Los Angeles.
This continues the round robin tour in the division where Miguel Cotto beat Mosley,Margarito stopped Cotto and then Mosley stopped Margarito.
Mosley looked as sharp as he has in years in the win,but a word of advice for "Sugar Shane",stay away from Paul Williams.
You struggled with the physical gifts of Vernon Forrest in two losses,Williams has those and more.

Photo Credits
Kokinis:Lisa DeJong:Cleveland Plain Dealer
Boxing:AP Photo