Leave it to Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis to shake up the National Foot-ball League again.

Tuesday, Davis announced that for-mer Raider great Art Shell will be the team's new coach, replacing Mike Shanahan. Shell is the first Black head Coach in the 64-year modern history of the NFL.

The moment was indeed an historic one. Perhaps the NFL will finally get the clue that Blacks are just as qualified to coach as whites. But, as The Globe's Will McDonough so aptly wrote, "Art Shell is the first black head coach in the National Football League because he is a Raider..."

Sure, Davis could have publicized the hiring as one of the most important moments in the history of the NFL. He didn't, however. The flamboyant owner hired Shell because he was one of the baddest players to ever play for him. In other words, he was a Raider.

Perhaps Shell's coaching inexperience will hurt him. Davis doesn't care for now. He just wants one of his own back. Someone who knows how to win.

Art Shell is a winner. That fact is not determined by the color of his skin.

The top 10 questions to ask Oakland A's slugger Jose Canseco on his new "Ask Jose" hotline:

10. "Will the recent exodus of East Germans to the West strain Warsaw Pact Relations?"

9. "I really like this woman, but she won't even notice me. Is it me? Should I use steroids to bulk up? Help me. Jose, please help me."

8. "Why did Fred Flintstone always wear the same outfit? Was he some kind of slob who never bathed?"

7. "Do you prefer Mozart or Vivaldion a rainy Saturday afternoon?"

6. "If I'm inviting 10 or more people to my house for dinner, would you recommend a dry red wine with a grilled fish Marsailles?"

5. "I find Homer to be most perplexing. Could you explain the tension between Achilles and Apollo?"

4. "I'm a registered Democrat from New York. Do you think I'm straying away from the party line if I vote for Rudolph Giuliani?"

3. "How do you say 'I would like a cold beer' in Latin?"