Ahem

I am delighted that Mick Tingelhoff is the senior committee nominee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for 2015. I'm old enough to remember Tingelhoff and he was a great player, the first of a long line of high-quality centers who have played for the Minnesota Vikings, a distinguished group that also includes Kirk Lowdermilk and, more recently, Matt Birk.

It's been a long, significant omission that Tingelhoff is not enshrined at Canton. Having said that, the continuing omission of Jerry Kramer remains an even greater anomaly. Beyond Kramer's unquestioned resume on the field, the books he produced in collaboration with Dick Schaap are a significant part of the history and mythology of the National Football League. For some reason, Kramer continues to be denied. It's long past time to change that. When they gather in Canton a year from now, football fans should all be happy that Tingelhoff is highly likely to be on the stage. But we should also ask why Kramer continues to be on the outside, too.