HELLO MR. FOOT

Bob Leffler started his career in marketing working for the most hated man in Baltimore.

Today, more than 20 years later, he has moved on to working for the most hated man in England.

As Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer continues his quest to gain
controlling interest in the most well-known soccer team in the world - England's Manchester United - he has again called on Leffler's marketing firm in Baltimore to run interference.

"They know me, they know what I can do," Leffler said of the 12-year relationship that began with Glazer's attempt to obtain an NFL expansion team for Baltimore.

The relationship has gone so well that Leffler was made a board member of
Zapata Corp., Glazer's holding company, in 1995. And after the Bucs won the Super Bowl in 2003, Leffler received a ring.

Glazer has accumulated more than 28 percent of Manchester United's stock, but his attempt to gain controlling interest stalled last month when his financial backer, J.P. Morgan, resigned after Glazer ignored the investment bank's advice and voted against retaining three members of the team's board of directors. Fans in England are upset with the notion of an American owning Manchester United.

"The only reason they hate [Glazer] - if they hate him - is xenophobia and fear of the unknown, it's not logic," Leffler said. "Our job is to change that. To show that this is a true sportsman who will run your franchise like it should be run and win you championships."

If Glazer decides to continue the effort to buy Manchester United, Leffler said that he will conduct a "positive, get-to-know-you campaign" for the owner.