That's it, I've had it with the current events of the Oakland Raiders, the NFL team I have loved, adored, and stuck with through the good times and bad times. It's not easy being a Raiders fan living in New Jersey my entire life, but I've always done it with pride. Since being a little tike and falling in love with Cliff Branch, Jim Plunkett, and Lester Hayes in the late 70's-early 80's I've been aboard with full loyalty. But as of today, things have changed. And in some ways I now view my beloved Oakland Raiders the way I have viewed my beloved America the last eight years.
Clearly, Al Davis is one of the worst owners in all of sports, and also one of the worst human beings I can think of in sports. Through recent weeks of his mistreatment of head coach Lane Kiffin, the only class-act human left in the organization who doesn't actually play, I have tried my best not to come to this new point. But after viewing the footage of columnist Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury news being verbally assaulted, bullied, and nearly physically assaulted (or so it seemed) by senior excutive John Herrera today, I can no longer hold the same feelings for the Raiders I once did through most of my life. To say Herrera acted like a classless, unprofessional thug at this press conference, where the only sane individual associated with the Raiders was Kiffin, woud be a gross understatement. If you haven't seen this display of the downfall of humanity go to youtube right away.
So that's it. Here's my new view on my Oakland Raiders. I still love my Oakland Raiders, but I hate Al Davis and those who usher his style of ownership and leadership. I will not turn my back on my team, but until Al Davis is gone, I cannot keep the emotional ties I had for so many years. Their pending defeats will have no effect anymore on Sundays in 2008. I expect Kiffin will be gone soon, sadly for us Raiders fans, but good for him. And Davis will be still be at the helm. And this is my same outlook with America. I love my country but I fear, loathe, despise its current leadership. We have been lied to by a lawless presidential administration for eight years and I numb to the daily news of their continued criminal acts. Perhaps one day soon, the country I love will have the leadership that is right (no this isn't an Obama-McCain thing). And perhaps one day, my Raiders too will have the right ownership.
I now view my Raiders and my country in the same window. I love them both and always will but despise their leadership. I'm holding out hope for both...
Julie Henderson
Irina Shayk
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Tough being a Raider fan, no doubt.
The one thing that has bothered me the most, is why is there NO ONE within the organization who will sit Al down and confront him? Someone who will stand up and say "Hey Al, we've had so many coaches since 2002, there's no continuity. Maybe firing someone mid-season isn't a good idea."
Seriously. The man has had the same people by his side for years. Is there no one there that wants to win?
LoveItHateIt
Portland, OR
Total Comments (3535)
The Raiders clearly aren't the team they used to be but there are no more Schell's and Upshaws and Otto's. The Raiders today are like the Cowboys of the late 90's and before Parcell came, filled with subsitute players. It cost a fortune to pay some of those guys for the years they were in Oakland so the "coffers" are fairly dry right now. The contract they gave Jamarcus Russell didn't help much either, then you had to pay McFadden to. It's likely to be "a minute" before you see "Just win baby" have any meaning because right now it's "Just Win One"!
cowboysrule9296@yaho…
Shreveport , LA
Total Comments (36)
i agree totaly with east coast keith.. i have been a raiders fan since the days of yore when they were a class organization. actually since the days of the mad bomber Daryle Lamonica.
i have become tired of al davis (no capitalization on purpose - he dosnt deserve it) and feel the only way they can get better is if they buy out davis (not gonna happen ) or wait till he dies and hope someone with a brain gets the organization. im tired of the revolving door coaches (pick one and stick with him.. but let him run the team) and tired of the stupidity shown by the head office.
i think in time Kiffin could turn this thing around.. but.. sadly he wont be able to.
Im just fed up with the entire situation and cant get emotionaly attached anymore. its not the old insane fun raiders that just win baby.. its now the idiotic ... just find another way to loose baby. !~
Raiderrick86
Easton , PA
Total Comments (6)
All the above is true and as a British Raiders fan from the early 80's it is such a shame to see davis seemingly hellbent on returning the team to where he found it!
The fans and players are helpless, the league indifferent and davis is surrounded by spineless yes men (the defensive co-ordinator is included in that)! The only man with any credability left is Kiffin and just how many days has he left???
Maybe a TV network should approach Gordon Ramsey to sort out Hell's football team! The thought of a mad scottish chef shouting at davis is rather apealling!!
The sooner this whole sorry mess is banished to history the better! Just beat those bloody chargers!!!
skunkuncle
Total Comments (2)
I agree that Al Davis is a goofball. But I don't agree that Bush's administration has been particularly dishonest about anything. Maybe tight-lipped, but that's about it.
While there are many problems I have with Bush, none of them are ethical, and I'd take him over Obama, or McCain for that matter, any day of the week. So, whatever . . .
DrZin
New Orleans , LA
Total Comments (10)
Wow. Have you been following the current week's events regarding our economy? Do you not realize this current president deregulated it all years ago, allowing these white-collar criminals to enjoy a free-for-all? Do you realize he now wants to make American taxpayers pick up the tab for these Wall Street criminals? No ethical problems? It's America and you are more than free to state your opinions, but wow...
EastCoastKeith
Total Comments (2161)
Another question about him not being dishonest.... SO WHERE ARE THE F!@# WMDs?!?!?!!?
EastCoastKeith
Total Comments (2161)
WOW, EastCoastKeith hit the nail on the head!!! Its actually a little spooky that a person whom I have never met can have the exact same view as me, on both the Raider Nation and our country!!!
Notorious1
El Paso , TX
Total Comments (1)
Perhaps we're not the only ones Notorious. Thanks for reading.
EastCoastKeith
Total Comments (2161)
Um . . . the current credit crisis was caused by a few greedy CEOs in collusion with Democrats like Barney Frank and the Clinton administration. They were strong-armed into upping total subprime loans (loans to minorities who don't rate mortgage credit) to THIRTY PERCENT OF THE TOTAL! That's not deregulation; that's government sponsored, politically correct market sabotage. Don't be absurd.
As far as WMDs go, there wasn't one single nation or intelligence agency in the world that DIDN'T claim Hussein was stocking WMDs, not to mention the thousands of weapons that were cataloged by the UN prior to their ouster by Hussein but unaccounted for when he presented to the UN.
Look, anyone who really thinks that Hussein didn't have a WMD program, thinks that he just decided, out of the blue, "this pan-Arab strongman gig just isn't my bag; I'm going to destroy all of those tons of botulism and sarin, oh, and NOT TELL ANYONE ABOUT IT!", is either really, really dumb, or full of ****.
I respect the argument that it was dumb to go to war in Iraq (not that I necessarily agree), but that Bush launched the attack in bad faith . . . well, there's no evidence of that at all. Furthermore, the Democrats at the time, were many times more bellicose and cavalier about the issue than the President.
Thanks for your time and attention.
DrZin
DrZin
New Orleans , LA
Total Comments (10)
DrZin, on the topics of Bush and the such, let's agree to disagree. We are both free to our beliefs I suppose. I'd rather remain civil and debate on sports topics here. Again, thanks for reading my blog post and leaving comments as well. Please feel free to always agree or disagree to anything I write here.
EastCoastKeith
Total Comments (2161)
I'll agree to that. Sorry to have seemed contentious, but as no particular fan of Bush for the most part, I find it perplexing that he has stirred such deep hatred and distrust. Like I said, the degree to which he's been a blunderer I think can be argued convincingly either way. But the part about dishonesty and all seems a lot more hype than not.
Anyway, as a Tigers fan, I couldn't be more sorry what's happening to your team and our JaMarcus. Isn't there anything that anyone can do about Al Davis? Can't we have him committed or banished or something? Not that I think that Kiffin deserved an 8-year extension or anything, mind you.
DrZin
New Orleans , LA
Total Comments (10)
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