Rams : In This Media Guide, a Picture Is Worth . . .
The Rams’ new media guide devotes 3 pages to Eric Dickerson, the team’s holdout star, but has nothing at all to say about Georgia Frontiere, the team’s owner.
Nobody else, including Coach John Robinson, has more than two pages. Does that say something about Dickerson’s importance to the franchise?
“It was just a matter of preference,” executive Marshall Klein said in explaining why the guide has only a picture of “Georgia Frontiere . . . Owner and President” on Page 5 but not a word of biographical information.
Frontiere has always been publicity shy, but the page with only a picture is a departure from her early years as the only female owner in the National Football League. Then, her biographical sketches were composed by her personal public relations firm and claimed she played to “a two-handicap in golf from the men’s tees.”
Now, apparently, she figures she needs no buildup.
In six years under Frontiere, the Rams have run a tight-lipped front office where the authority and influence is often defined only by the subtle presentations of the media guide each year.
Among the administrators, John Shaw is still solidly second in command but has a new picture that makes him appear even younger than his 33 years.
He is now followed by the recently promoted Jay Zygmunt, who leaped past John Math, director of player personnel; Dick Beam, director of operations, and Jack Faulkner, administrator of football operations. Zygmunt moved from legal counsel to general counsel.
Frontiere’s husband, composer Dominic Frontiere, is not mentioned in the booklet.
Frontiere’s advisory board, its precise function remaining a mystery, again is featured with mug shots. It is up from 13 members in 1984 to 16. Industrialist Jack Wrather died and four members were added.
The rookies are former Ram tackle Rosey Grier, now an evangelist; producer Jane Upton Bell, daughter of former National Football League commissioner Bert Bell; Andy Camacho, a Pasadena lawyer, and Frontiere’s daughter, Lucia Rodriguez, who is listed as a business executive.
Francois Wise, a “project” player, was released Wednesday, one of the first two players to go. The other was wide receiver David Brown, a rookie free agent from Nevada Las Vegas.
Wise, a former Cal State Long Beach basketball star, left camp disillusioned and disappointed.
Before leaving he said: “They told me it would be a project, but I can’t pick it all up in two weeks, especially just standing around. I can catch with the best of them, but it was the blocking I had to learn.”
There were six other tight ends in camp, including Tony Hunter, who was acquired from Buffalo in the Vince Ferragamo trade.
“I knew when Hunter got here last week I’d be the first to go,” Wise said. “All I did in practice the last two days was warm up. Even last week I’d get in maybe two or three plays a day.”
Wise, who works for the City of Carson’s community development department, said he wasn’t interested in trying again with another team.
“No, not like this,” he said. “Not unless I’d have at least a couple of months. But I don’t expect anybody to pick me up. I took a leave of absence to do this. It was fun.”
Robinson said: “He worked his tail off. There was just no opportunity for him to make the team with the depth we have at the position.”
Ram Notes Mel Owens, the starting left outside linebacker for two years, agreed to terms and planned to be in camp today. That leaves nose tackle Greg Meisner, defensive back Ivory Sully and first-round draft choice Jerry Gray unsigned, with Eric Dickerson signed but holding out for a guaranteed contract extension. Coach John Robinson said that if the Rams weren’t able to trade Sully, as he requested, by today, “we’ll release him.” . . . Robinson and players Nolan Cromwell, Norwood Vann and Kevin Williams had tape players stolen from their cars Tuesday night. Vann said: “I went to put in a tape and whoa! There wasn’t anything there.” . . . Inside linebacker Carl Ekern sustained a bruised Achilles’ tendon Wednesday. It was not thought to be serious.