THE RAIDERS - ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY

The Shadow · Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 34

http://www.sfgate.com

By Scott Ostler

The most exciting team in the NFL next season?

The Patriots, maybe, as they fight to reclaim their dignity. Or the
Giants, with their newfound confidence.

Many teams will be exciting, but none of them will touch the Raiders.
Oakland will be lucky to win two or three games, which will make for a
lot of dull and disappointing Sundays. But Monday through Saturday the
Raiders will supply more thrills than any other team.

What other team in recent memory could make the hiring of a position
coach a hot story? Raiders boss Al Davis hired James Lofton as the new
wide receivers coach nearly a month ago, and not only is there no
indication as to whether or not Lane Kiffin was consulted on the hire,
or whether he approved of the move, there is no indication that Kiffin
has been told.

Is Kiffin out of the loop? Sort of. It's not a sure thing that he'll be
allowed to fly on the team plane. Or be given batteries for his sideline
headset.

Not only will Kiffin and his assistants not be on the same page, they
might not be in the same library.

To many outside observers - and there is really only one inside observer
- it looks like insanity, with a touch of chaos.

How long will this go on? Even if Kiffin gets the boot before training
camp, the excitement will continue. There will be a comedic coach
search, culminating in the hiring of an unknown guy who will be given a
small salary and no power.

The overall situation will change, my guess, in three or four years.
Fidel Castro stepped down last week as dictator of Cuba, and it's
possible that Davis will follow a similar timeline.

Castro is 81 and he became dictator of Cuba at age 32. Davis is 78 and
he became dictator (coach and general manager) of the Raiders at age 33.

I'm not saying they're the same guy. Castro did evil things. Davis is
just an eccentric sports executive. The similarity is that both are
fascinating character studies, ultimate power-wielders with nutty wardrobes.

Maybe Castro, in retiring while he's still at the top of his game (in
his mind), will be a role model for Davis.

Meanwhile, the Yorks figure to remain in power another 20 to 30 years.

More deep thoughts, cheap shots & bon mots ....

-- First we learn that the Giants in recent seasons didn't feel
comfortable in their own clubhouse because of the big presence of Barry
Bonds. And that Bonds' pit crew often over-grazed the post-game buffet
spread. Now we are told that the Giants went dead on the bases last
season, passing up chances to run in order to give Bonds more swing ops
as he chased The Record. That's some serious dysfunction, bro.

-- Memo to all sports play-by-play announcers: No, we are not kidding you.

-- Sure, the Mitchell Report and the Roger Clemens debacle have been
embarrassing to major-league baseball. But in pain there is gain. From
now on, ballplayers will be a lot more careful about how they get their HGH.

-- Every baseball player who apologizes without explaining what he's
apologizing for should then apologize for his apology.

-- Did Roger Clemens attend Jose Canseco's barbecue? Clemens should
check with his appointment & inoculation secretary, Miss Remembers.

-- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire tells Livan Hernandez, ix-nay on the big
diamond ear studs. "We don't wear bling-blings on the field," Gardenhire
explains, inventing a new term.

-- So to the list of funny baseball signs such as, "Visitors
Clubhouse/No Visitors Allowed," add, "No diamonds allowed on the diamond."

-- I loved the Gerald Green dunk, where he blew out the candle on the
cupcake before slamming the ball. But you know Charles Barkley was
thinking, "While you're up there, why not eat the cupcake?"

-- If you saw that recent Jay Leno program with guests Bobby Knight and
Larry the Cable Guy, and you tuned in after the introductions, the
charming and sophisticated one was Larry the Cable Guy.

-- Knight has really made a wonderful choice of retirement hobbies.
Apparently he plans to tour the free world, mocking, ridiculing and
demeaning basketball referees. It's what the refs deserve for cutting
Bobby way too much slack for decades, letting him cross the legal and
ethical lines of behavior because he was Bobby.

-- Also, Larry the Cable Guy was the one with the sophisticated sense of
humor.

-- Genius move by the Lakers, adding Pau Gasol. He's the rare
All-Star-level player who can blend with Kobe Bryant without demanding
co-star billing and making Kobe feel un-special.

-- Nick Crème was recently inducted into the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame,
and it's about time. In 1949 Crème revolutionized bass fishing by
creating the first rubber worm. Facing extinction, the bass retaliated
by inventing beer.

Archived from group: alt>sports>football>pro>oak-raiders

johnny_dye · Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 8

Email complaint send to: readerrep@sfchronicle.com

=========================

Dear Chronicle Staff,

This email is in complaint of Mr. Ostler's article about the Oakland
Raiders, where Scotts makes a comparison of Raider's owner Al Davis to
Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

I, along with most Raider fans, am used to getting beat up by the
press and sports media. It is nothing new. Many writers and
reporters make fun of Mr. Davis and his unusual ways of conducting
business.

However, Mr. Ostler has gone beyond humor and good taste with his
analogy:

"the overall situation will change, my guess, in three or four years.
Fidel Castro stepped down last week as dictator of Cuba, and it's
possible that Davis will follow a similar timeline.

Castro is 81 and he became dictator of Cuba at age 32. Davis is 78
and
he became dictator (coach and general manager) of the Raiders at age
33.

Maybe Castro, in retiring while he's still at the top of his game (in
his mind), will be a role model for Davis."

Granted, Mr. Davis may not be a media darling, but he is a former AFL
comissioner, a pioneer in the NFL, a member of the Football Hall of
Fame, and does have three Lombardi trophys in his collection.

Oh, and by the way, the Raiders were, and still are, the last
California team - and last AFC WEst divisional member for that matter
- to play in a Superbowl.

It is of great offense to all fans of the game when an honored member
of the league, and team owner, is compared to a dictator who is
responsible for the death and despair of millions of Cubans. This not
only is offensive, but trivializes and makes light of the suffering
and struggle for freedom of the Cuban people.

At the very least Mr. Ostler should be admonished and repremanded for
his comments, and an apology issued to Mr. Davis, all the fans of the
NFL, and the very many Cuban nationals who have suffered at the hands
of communist dictatorship.

Regards,

John Dye

===================

> http://www.sfgate.com
>
> By Scott Ostler
>
> The overall situation will change, my guess, in three or four years.
> Fidel Castro stepped down last week as dictator of Cuba, and it's
> possible that Davis will follow a similar timeline.
>
> Castro is 81 and he became dictator of Cuba at age 32. Davis is 78 and
> he became dictator (coach and general manager) of the Raiders at age 33.
>
> I'm not saying they're the same guy. Castro did evil things. Davis is
> just an eccentric sports executive. The similarity is that both are
> fascinating character studies, ultimate power-wielders with nutty wardrobes.
>
> Maybe Castro, in retiring while he's still at the top of his game (in
> his mind), will be a role model for Davis.
>

Nuclear Waste · Joined: 23 Dec 2007 Posts: 50

damn

just damn

wow

wrote in message @d5g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
> Email complaint send to: readerrep@sfchronicle.com
>
> =========================
>
> Dear Chronicle Staff,
>
> This email is in complaint of Mr. Ostler's article about the
> Oakland
> Raiders, where Scotts makes a comparison of Raider's owner
> Al Davis to
> Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
>
> I, along with most Raider fans, am used to getting beat up
> by the
> press and sports media. It is nothing new. Many writers
> and
> reporters make fun of Mr. Davis and his unusual ways of
> conducting
> business.
>
> However, Mr. Ostler has gone beyond humor and good taste
> with his
> analogy:
>
> "the overall situation will change, my guess, in three or
> four years.
> Fidel Castro stepped down last week as dictator of Cuba, and
> it's
> possible that Davis will follow a similar timeline.
>
> Castro is 81 and he became dictator of Cuba at age 32. Davis
> is 78
> and
> he became dictator (coach and general manager) of the
> Raiders at age
> 33.
>
> Maybe Castro, in retiring while he's still at the top of his
> game (in
> his mind), will be a role model for Davis."
>
>
>
> Granted, Mr. Davis may not be a media darling, but he is a
> former AFL
> comissioner, a pioneer in the NFL, a member of the Football
> Hall of
> Fame, and does have three Lombardi trophys in his
> collection.
>
> Oh, and by the way, the Raiders were, and still are, the
> last
> California team - and last AFC WEst divisional member for
> that matter
> - to play in a Superbowl.
>
> It is of great offense to all fans of the game when an
> honored member
> of the league, and team owner, is compared to a dictator who
> is
> responsible for the death and despair of millions of Cubans.
> This not
> only is offensive, but trivializes and makes light of the
> suffering
> and struggle for freedom of the Cuban people.
>
> At the very least Mr. Ostler should be admonished and
> repremanded for
> his comments, and an apology issued to Mr. Davis, all the
> fans of the
> NFL, and the very many Cuban nationals who have suffered at
> the hands
> of communist dictatorship.
>
> Regards,
>
> John Dye
>
>
>
> ===================
>
>
>
>> http://www.sfgate.com
>>
>> By Scott Ostler
>>
>> The overall situation will change, my guess, in three or
>> four years.
>> Fidel Castro stepped down last week as dictator of Cuba,
>> and it's
>> possible that Davis will follow a similar timeline.
>>
>> Castro is 81 and he became dictator of Cuba at age 32.
>> Davis is 78 and
>> he became dictator (coach and general manager) of the
>> Raiders at age 33.
>>
>> I'm not saying they're the same guy. Castro did evil
>> things. Davis is
>> just an eccentric sports executive. The similarity is that
>> both are
>> fascinating character studies, ultimate power-wielders with
>> nutty wardrobes.
>>
>> Maybe Castro, in retiring while he's still at the top of
>> his game (in
>> his mind), will be a role model for Davis.
>>
>
>

The Raider on a Rock · Joined: 06 Aug 2007 Posts: 20

On Feb 24, 4:15 pm, johnny_...@yahoo.com wrote:
> Email complaint send to: reader...@sfchronicle.com
>
> =========================
>
> Dear Chronicle Staff,
>
> This email is in complaint of Mr. Ostler's article about the Oakland
> Raiders, where Scotts makes a comparison of Raider's owner Al Davis to
> Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
>
> I, along with most Raider fans, am used to getting beat up by the
> press and sports media. It is nothing new. Many writers and
> reporters make fun of Mr. Davis and his unusual ways of conducting
> business.
>
> However, Mr. Ostler has gone beyond humor and good taste with his
> analogy:
>
> "the overall situation will change, my guess, in three or four years.
> Fidel Castro stepped down last week as dictator of Cuba, and it's
> possible that Davis will follow a similar timeline.
>
> Castro is 81 and he became dictator of Cuba at age 32. Davis is 78
> and
> he became dictator (coach and general manager) of the Raiders at age
> 33.
>
> Maybe Castro, in retiring while he's still at the top of his game (in
> his mind), will be a role model for Davis."
>
> Granted, Mr. Davis may not be a media darling, but he is a former AFL
> comissioner, a pioneer in the NFL, a member of the Football Hall of
> Fame, and does have three Lombardi trophys in his collection.
>
> Oh, and by the way, the Raiders were, and still are, the last
> California team - and last AFC WEst divisional member for that matter
> - to play in a Superbowl.
>
> It is of great offense to all fans of the game when an honored member
> of the league, and team owner, is compared to a dictator who is
> responsible for the death and despair of millions of Cubans. This not
> only is offensive, but trivializes and makes light of the suffering
> and struggle for freedom of the Cuban people.
>
> At the very least Mr. Ostler should be admonished and repremanded for
> his comments, and an apology issued to Mr. Davis, all the fans of the
> NFL, and the very many Cuban nationals who have suffered at the hands
> of communist dictatorship.
>
> Regards,
>
> John Dye
>
> ===================
>
> >http://www.sfgate.com
>
> > By Scott Ostler
>
> > The overall situation will change, my guess, in three or four years.
> > Fidel Castro stepped down last week as dictator of Cuba, and it's
> > possible that Davis will follow a similar timeline.
>
> > Castro is 81 and he became dictator of Cuba at age 32. Davis is 78 and
> > he became dictator (coach and general manager) of the Raiders at age 33.
>
> > I'm not saying they're the same guy. Castro did evil things. Davis is
> > just an eccentric sports executive. The similarity is that both are
> > fascinating character studies, ultimate power-wielders with nutty wardrobes.
>
> > Maybe Castro, in retiring while he's still at the top of his game (in
> > his mind), will be a role model for Davis.

That's a fine effort JD and I agree with it 100%. I'd say it has a
shot at making print.

Happy B-Day Iz & Ark! You're both Aquarians...? Now I'm skeered. ;-) -- RJ

---> Happy Holidays <--- Regardless of your football loyalties.... .....may the Peace and Happiness of the Holiday Season find it's way to you and yours. Drew -- RävNsfän ® "Talk is cheap..., lets go play" (Johnny Unitas - Baltimore Colts)

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