I had the unique pleasure of interviewing future Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown this morning, as he was signing copies of the new Madden 06 for PSP over at the Sony Metreon just a few blocks away. Sure he toed the company line when talking about Madden and its impact on football games and its popularity with NFL players and his kids. And he gave a lot of expected answers when I asked about Notre Dame football and who he felt were the best young wideouts in the pro game (though he did go out on one limb, giving props to the Cowboys' Patrick Crayton). But overall I was really impressed with the class and composure with which he carries himself. He really does act with the dignity you'd hope for from a world class athlete.

　　That said, I found it somewhat interesting how he danced around references to the Oakland Raiders, the organization for which he played 16 of his 17 professional years. I initially asked him to introduce himself as "Tim Brown, former wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders," then immediately wished I hadn't, wondering how he still felt about associating himself with the Raiders. He did so with no hesitation, yet I suddently found myself keenly sensitive to the reported friction between Brown and the Raiders and owner Al Davis over the years. When I asked him what he thought about early season NFL action, he talked immediately about the Bucs, but made no comments about Oakland's early struggles. At the end of the interview, I asked Brown to do a GameSpot Live shoutout, as we do with most celebrities we get on camera.

　　Bob: "Just say 'Hi, I'm Tim Brown, and you're watching GameSpot Live."

　　Tim, begins to do the shout out, then stops: "Do you want me to say Oakland Raiders, etc."

　　Bob: "Just say whatever you feel like. I'm not going to make you say Raiders."

　　Tim, with a wry smile: "Ok then we won't. This is Tim Brown, and you're watching GameSpot Live!"

　　So am I reading too much into that? I've been a Raider fan and Tim Brown fan all my life, so the idea that the face of the organization for almost my entire life no longer has his heart with the team makes me kind of sad. I do wish the team treated him better than they did at the end, forcing him over to Tampa.