Dear Gerard:

Thank you for agreeing to be part of the inaugural BusinessWeek/ESPN POWER 100 ranking. You and the other panelists will help us rank the most powerful people in the world of sports.

We are looking for a list of the 25 people in sports you consider most powerful, ranked from 1 (most powerful) to 25. Your selections can include commissioners, agents, executives, coaches, talent scouts and the athletes themselves: it™s up to you.

In coming up with your list, you may want to ask yourself the following questions: How influential is the individual, especially in how he or she rates with peers? How much money does an individual control, generate, or influence? How well is a candidate known outside his or her immediate sphere of influence? How much has each candidate influenced sports as a whole? How long has he or she exercised power? And what are the lasting consequences of the candidate™s tenure–his or her legacy?

Included you will find a list of names compiled by the BusinessWeek editors to help guide you in developing your ranking. But your list need not be confined to these people. Your responses will not be published and will be used to come up with an overall ranking.

When you are finished, you can simply email us back your list, or, if it is easier for you, we can go over via the phone.

We would like to have all lists received by August 22.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

Geoff Gloeckler

Dear Geoff,

Please accept my apologies.

I’ve read your note and looked over the nominees list, and I have concluded that despite telling your colleague earlier I’d be willing to participate, there’s no good reason whatsoever for me to do so.

Between your letter and the suggested nominees list, several questions come to mind ;

a) who gives a shit?

b) what possible outcome could there be from publishing such a list other than someone’s long-suffering publicist getting grief over a nominee faring poorly?

c) Isn’t this just another version of “Who’s Now?”, but minus the T.I. song? And with me as one of the judges instead of Kevin James?

d) Ted Saskin was fired as NHPLA Executive Director more than 2 months ago. WIth that in mind, I suggest you amend the list to include psychic-to-the-stars Azra Shafi-Scagliarin or sports radio’s answer to Idi Amin, Scott Ferrall. I mean, they’re terrible choices too, but at least they’re alive.

I wish Mountain Dew’s VP of marketing all the luck in the world. And the same goes for you.

best wishes,

Gerard