Nam, when we went on patrol, we always had someone on point. The point man's job was to find booby traps, IEDs, and watch for enemy combatants, like snipers. The rest of our unit would follow behind, in relative safety, while the point man would take the hits.
I survived doing it more times than I'd like to recount. It may not be the same, but that's what I'm seeing out of the Commish. He's the point man, and the owners don't have to take the personal risk. He'll take the hits from backlash by fans, and players alike. He's not going to get any medals for it, but a lot of people realize just how tough it is to do the job when you see an avalanche of potential danger laying ahead.
When people ask why the Commish gets such a high salary, this might be a starting point of consideration. It's a difficult job on a good day, and you need to have skin thicker than an elephant.
I don't like the Commish. I think he's a waffle. Yet, I do admire how he's willing to stick his hand into the wood chipper so often to pull out that branch that's stuck.
