tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51060369579265546172024-02-18T22:11:39.322-08:00CLOAK OF IMMORTALITYI Want to Believejohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.comBlogger875125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-11364603395066907982012-09-25T15:24:00.004-07:002012-09-25T15:24:50.857-07:00Test<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"></span>Testing...Sllaacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17080509705898258992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-15881750510526920152012-09-25T15:12:00.000-07:002012-09-25T15:17:17.437-07:00Replacement Officials and the NFL: Amazing, Lame, Epic Failures.What a game <a href="http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/8423928/nfl-statement-says-refs-made-right-call-end-game-green-bay-packers-seattle-seahawks" target="_blank">yesterday</a>. I understand that NFL is in business negotiations right now, and using Scab Officials is necessary to teach the regular officials to bow down. Screws the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/a-green-bay-packers-fans-lament-commentary/2012/09/25/90a89f3e-073a-11e2-858a-5311df86ab04_story.html" target="_blank">fans</a> though, and if you hear/see some player quotes from the Green Bay Packers - then you know that some <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/25/tj-lang-replacement-refs-twitter-packers-seahawks_n_1911581.html" target="_blank">players</a> feel screwed also. Our own <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/obama-disputed-game-means-nfl-regular-refs-17321838" target="_blank">President weighed in on it</a> - and you would think he would be able at some point to spur these NFL assholes into giving the Officials some damn Vacation Time and some fucking health benefits.<br />
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The NFL will simply deal with this for now, maybe in the hopes that the Replacements will learn under fire and in 3 - 4 weeks some will be ready to permanently replace some of the dudes on strike. That happens (Replacements being kept) and all of a sudden the League will have a watered-down fraternity of Officials and a better bargaining position.<br />
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I feel for Green Bay, but they're the one's that coughed up 8 sacks in the first half and only led Seattle by 5 measly ass points at the end of the game. I mean damn, the Pack had the ball with 2 minutes left and the lead, then tried to fumble the ball away on first down. Failing at that, they ended up punting from their own 5. They reaped what they sowed - even though anyone and everyone with eyeballs that are functional could tell that TD <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/25/tj-lang-replacement-refs-twitter-packers-seahawks_n_1911581.html" target="_blank">"catch"</a> was total bullshit. It was an interception.<br />
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And of course the replay decision was faulty. Much like the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHEQtASq9BI" target="_blank">"Tuck Rule",</a> unheard of until the Raiders played the Patriots in the the AFC Championship - yesterday, a blatant pass interference call cannot be overturned by replay - even though the NFL replays and reviews ALL Touchdowns - and the receiver get's a reception because it was simultaneously caught. What? WTF? The freaking wide receiver (Golden Tate - "Golden"? Really?) was draped over the back of the DB (M.D. Jennings) who clearly intercepted the damn ball. <br />
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Back in the day the Raiders got robbed - nay: assraped in a Championship game (and that call was made by "Real Officials") - so regular season game 3 doesn't quite hold the same signifigance, but the absurdity of the calls are quite similar - replacement officials or not - because the NFL is backing both of those horribly shitty calls. Amazing.<br />
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I love how one official signalled Touch Back and the other signalled Touchdown - and they went the TD signalling asshole 10 mother-loving minutes later. They had to drag 11 Green Bay players back out onto the field to defend the extra point. Lame. <br />
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I like how the NFL was like: "Uh, Yeah... Call was messed up, they should have called P.I., but they didn't and so that was a simultaneous catch, so yeah... TD. Suck it Packers". Epic Fail.<br />
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Sllaacs<br />
<br />Sllaacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17080509705898258992noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-33736571802269860952012-09-24T13:57:00.000-07:002012-09-25T15:31:08.336-07:00Nibiru - Where is the Damned Thing?WE WERE supposed to see Niburu by now. Streaking around the Southern Hemisphere of our own Sun, coming in to raze our homes, tilting the axis of the Earth anywhere from 10 degress to 30 degrees. This Pole Shift will cause global catastrophe straight out of Revelations, and only the Human Elite and their chosen kin will survive by living in gigantic underground bunkers. The rest of us will have to use the type of apparatus shown below.<br />
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Nibiru is supposed to be <a href="http://www.nibiruancouncil.com/html/flagshipnibiru.html" target="_blank">red</a>, but <a href="http://www.science20.com/hammock_physicist/right_under_our_eyes_nibiru_its_way-88570" target="_blank">this guy</a> has a nice explanation for where the threatening heavenly body is currently hanging out. <br />
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You gottta love this Tsunami Survival Ball the guy is shilling out at the bottom of the article:<br />
<img alt="" src="http://dkue3ufa3e1f8.cloudfront.net/files/images/Nibiru-JESUS-I.jpg" /><br />
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yeah, buddy. If you're wearing one of these when a Tsunami hits you ain't got nothing to worry about - except clean air. If they manage to get 10,000 of these mofos ordered then the cost is only $2,012.00 each. Holy shit, and you would think that with the world about to end - they wouldn't care so much for money. BTW, if you didn't order by April 1, 2012 - that's your ass, and when we're clinging to trees and pool tables and other shit that could float, these assholes are going to walk right on by with their sealed <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0258470/" target="_blank">Bubble-Boy</a> bubbles laughing all way to... the bank? I wonder how much air is in that thing and what happens when you replace the air in there with CO2 from your lungs. And of course, how long the entire process takes.</span></em><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">SO IF Nibiru is on the way to us, the reason we can't see it is because it is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habitability_of_red_dwarf_systems" target="_blank">Red Dwarf</a>, and apparently hard to see. Our <a href="http://listverse.com/2011/02/21/top-10-mysteries-surrounding-ancient-aliens/" target="_blank">Ancient Alien</a> manipulators are thought to live in, on or around Nibiru and are currently trying to warn us of the coming apocalypse via Crop Circles. </span><br />
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<img align="middle" alt="" border="0" class="th " height="150" src="https://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRC3n4juEjqL3DgUk-9qKYNgmOvmKNGbZj20ozCWDRdOHiMagB-88DSGg" style="margin: 0px;" title="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle" width="200" /> <img align="middle" alt="" border="0" class="th " height="92" src="https://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFgJLr8PugYD-8RfwbTZvZ6vvn2ciYrLZToffed5O7iAKFBUASLSNJqw" style="margin: 0px;" title="http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/crop-circle.htm" width="123" /> <img alt="" class="rg_hi uh_hi" data-height="136" data-width="219" height="124" id="rg_hi" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_6PUl5NWVwZ0NU3TAjy0ajpkbTFZQv2rGgyhiBqO8P4vzEnLF" style="height: 136px; width: 219px;" width="200" /><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>I have no idea what that shit says. I mean, Aliens - c'mon - you been abducting us for years - you know our colons inside and out, yet you can't write in English, Spanish or Chinese? Epic Fail.</em></span><br />
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<br />
There are some way-out-there <a href="http://www.davidicke.com/" target="_blank">theories</a> that explain a lot of stuff except for "how the hell am I supposed to believe that?". The theroists all say "research", so that's what I'm doing. Let's see where this takes us, shall we? <br />
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I began with the End of Days scenarios for my first piece because we could only be 2 1/2 months away from a total <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=assrape" target="_blank">assrape</a> by a fucking <em>planet</em>. Can we stop it, like in that movie Armageddon? Wait, the Bible is right? Wormwood, the Destroyer, Planet X, etc. is coming - what can we do?<br />
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<a href="http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUl4Y7vAlOXY_OzhnvvYy-sPzkAtxQVRkdjkLHDjsk_YvpPNDfZ-Vj1eFxzgVjkkEuDb5o38A7VemOnTpeDchEkH5bczPXWELRd6rjXKW3HmdJRei_DRkVEN311d6TPGwRz6fN2e3WhDMD/s640/Duck+and+Cover+3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.eveoutofthegarden.com/2011/10/my-duck-and-cover-drill-in-1960s.html&h=579&w=452&sz=66&tbnid=AHNWc52Nb3ul9M:&tbnh=90&tbnw=70&zoom=1&usg=__rRu_uLkcAb2XMUzy9UMGggFmrE8=&docid=JrlkgIeKXwabtM&sa=X&ei=e8tgUIqHLensigLlm4H4CQ&ved=0CEEQ9QEwBg&dur=1700" target="_blank"> Duck and Cover, my friend</a>, because there won't be too many more options. <br />
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Talk about shit happening on a scale that Humans can barely comprehend.<br />
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Hollow Earth, Martians living amongst us (maybe <em>are </em>us), Anunnaki, Olmecs, Ancient Egyptians, the Dogon tribe and much more are intriguing subjects that I must learn more about. <br />
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Sllaacs<br />
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<br />Sllaacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17080509705898258992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-10623732589200782172012-09-24T12:22:00.004-07:002012-09-25T15:21:59.083-07:00And the Raiders Win!Quite the game, Sunday. Quite the game indeed. Really a must-win game at this point in the season and despite Ben Rothlisberger going unchecked throughout - the Raiders win the stat that matters the most in Football - Turnover Ratio. 4 bumbles by the fumbling Steelers, two of which Oakland Recovered.<br />
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As expected, Rothlisberger <a href="http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2012092312/2012/REG3/steelers@raiders#menu=highlights&tab=recap" target="_blank">had a great game</a>, and as hoped for by all Raiders fans Carson Palmer also had a great game - with an early pick the only blemish on his game performance.<br />
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With the return of Denarius Moore the loss of DHB may not be a killer, but having both of those guys in the lineup is going to look good with the way Palmer played against the Steelers and really the way the Raiders QB should play all season. Darren McFadden looks fit as expected, so the Raiders offense should at least be as good as it was <a href="http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rai/2011.htm" target="_blank">last year</a>, unfortunately the Defense is likely to be as bad as it was last year, which leads me to expect a loss next week against Denver. <br />
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Dennis Allen is a former Defensive Coordinator for Denver and would seem to have an edge that other teams may not have against the 0-2 Broncos this season, but with Peyton Manning throwing, and both defenses prone to cough up an assload of yardage, this game is likely to be high scoring.<br />
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Besides, I only expect the Raiders to go 1-7 for the first half - leading to Allen's ouster, so this is a game that Oakland will have to lose.<br />
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- SllaacsSllaacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17080509705898258992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-24433964942249550612012-09-19T10:11:00.000-07:002012-09-19T10:18:36.070-07:00Raiders Back in Black - A Hole, That Is. A rough beginning for Da Raida's, no doubt. 0-2 is never pretty, and the new coach has effected a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zone_blocking" target="_blank">Zone Blocking Scheme</a> that doesn't seem to fit the current personnel. Frank Pollock and Greg Knapp have their work cut out for them if the Raiders are going to turn around the 2 yards per carry that Darren McFadden is averaging through 2 season-opening losses. And what of the baby-faced head coach, Dennis Allen - what's the over/under on his termination date? I say 1-7 is the win-loss record that gets him canned. And I also say that this is a perfectly approachable record for the Raiders this season. Let's take a look at the remaining <a href="http://www.raiders.com/schedule/season-schedule.html" target="_blank">schedule for the 2012 Oakland Raiders:</a><br />
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Having already lost to the Chargers and the Dolphins, here is what awaits the 0-2 Raiders:<br />
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09/23 Steelers vs Raiders - Loss - Ben Rothlesberger.<br />
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09/30 Raiders vs Broncos - Loss - Peyton Manning<br />
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10/14 Raiders vs Falcons -Loss - Matt Ryan - "Matty Ice".<br />
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10/21 Jaguars vs Raiders - Winnable - I didn't say "Win", but winnable.<br />
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10/28 Raiders vs Chiefs -Another Winnable - but I say Loss<br />
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11/04 Buccaneers vs Raiders -Loss - Vincent Jackson<br />
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11/11 Raiders vs Ravens -- Loss - Duhhhhhhhhhhhhh...<br />
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11/18 Saints vs Raiders -Loss - (see above - Raiders vs Ravens)<br />
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11/25 Raiders vs Bengals -Winnable<br />
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12/02 Browns vs Raiders - Winnable<br />
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12/06 Broncos vs Raiders -Loss - P. Manning playing for a postseason berth? <br />
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12/16 Chiefs vs Raiders - WIN - that's right, probably for only the 2nd time this year.<br />
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12/23 Raiders vs Panthers -Loss - most likely Cam Newton authors a soul-searing blow-out.<br />
So I see about 3 to 5 wins for the Raiders this season (Hope Springs Eternal) with most of those wins coming in the second half - long after the Oakland team is 1-7 or 0-8. <br />
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Damn. Kind of miss the "Bully" that Hugh Jackson was "Building" right now, eh, Raider Fan?<br />
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- Sllaacs<br />
<br />Sllaacshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17080509705898258992noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-30687930154313411382011-10-18T09:10:00.000-07:002011-10-18T09:10:02.029-07:00Carson Palmer, FTWI found out from Dan via text message about an hour ago. Yes, we're all excited here. Ray Ratto has an interesting <a href="http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/raiders-talk/post/Palmer-deal-shows-Jacksons-in-charge?blockID=579138&feedID=5878">first take</a> on the trade:<br />
<blockquote>
But what it absolutely means is this: Hue Jackson is now the general manager of the Oakland Raiders, the living modern-day embodiment of the man who hired him. He went from offensive coordinator to head coach to the master of the football operations department in nine months, a rise so meteoric that even Al in the afterlife must find that a bit breathtaking.</blockquote>
And then my favorite line:<br />
<blockquote>
Even Joseph Stalin cooled his heels for two years before throwing his elbows around.</blockquote>
We'll have more reactions as they come in. But I'll tell you what, Al loved players from USC, and he loved Heisman Trophy winners. It's on.johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-37474529057661420902011-10-18T04:12:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:52:59.114-07:00Rick Reilly, all-time great chickenshitThis is old, I know. But I work, and there's a baby in the house and I've also been a little busy worrying about who will back up Kyle Boller now that Jason Campbell's collar bone is broken.<br />
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But thank Christ for <a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7098616/rick-reilly-reflects-al-davis-commitment-honesty">Rick Reilly</a>, who took it upon himself last week to reflect <b>HONESTLY</b> on the legacy of Al Davis.<br />
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You know how I know how I know Reilly's column is lazy? Because he quotes 8 outside sources in his column and links to zero of them. That's this many:<br />
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You get the idea. Anyway, he sets up a straw man, the idea that everyone who has written an obit about Davis glossed over the darker areas.<br />
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As you pass the casket at Maori funerals in New Zealand, you are encouraged to speak frankly to the dead man, sometimes even mentioning his faults, right out loud.</blockquote>
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With all due respect to his life and legacy, I think we need a funeral like that for recently departed Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis -- a man I covered since I was 25.</blockquote>
It's white of him to educate us about the religious practices of the Maori. Since he doesn't link to where he got this information, I googled "Maori funeral rites and got this from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C4%81ori_religion">wikipedia</a>: <br />
<ul>
<li>Tangihanga or funeral rites may take two or three days. The deceased lies in state, usually in an open <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffin">coffin</a> flanked by female relatives dressed in black, their heads sometimes wreathed in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macropiper_excelsum">kawakawa</a> leaves, who take few and short breaks. During the day, visitors come, sometimes from great distances despite only a distant relationship, to address the deceased. They may speak frankly of his or her faults as well as virtues, but singing and joking are also appropriate. Free expression of grief by both men and women is encouraged. Traditional beliefs may be invoked, and the deceased told to return to the ancestral homeland, Hawaiki, by way of te rerenga wairua, the spirits' journey. The close kin or kiri mate ("dead skin") may not speak. On the last night, the pō whakamutunga (night of ending), the mourners hold a vigil and at sunrise the coffin is closed, before a church or marae funeral service and/or graveside interment ceremony, invariably Christian. It is traditional for mourners to wash their hands in water and sprinkle some on their heads before leaving a cemetery. After the burial rites are completed, a feast is traditionally served. Mourners are expected to provide koha or gifts towards the meal. After the burial, the home of the deceased and the place they died are ritually cleansed with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakia">karakia</a> (prayers or incantations) and desanctified with food and drink, in a ceremony called takahi whare, trampling the house. That night, the pō whakangahau (night of entertainment) is a night of relaxation and rest. The widow or widower is not left alone for several nights following.</li>
<li>During the following year, the kinfolk of a prominent deceased person will visit other marae, "bringing the death" (kawe mate) to them. They carry pictures of the person on to the marae.</li>
<li>Unveilings of headstones (hura kōwhatu) are usually held about a year after a death, often on a public holiday to accommodate visitors who could not get to the tangihanga. The dead are remembered and more grief expressed.</li>
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Notice he left out the parts about the graveside internment ceremony (invariably <i>Christian</i>, totally appropriate for a recently-deceased Jew like Al Davis). This is instructive, because he spends the rest of the column destroying his straw man with Honesty by cherry-picking quotes from <strike>obituaries. Let's take a look at just one of those, "<a href="http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-1009-al-davis-20111009,0,7728368.column">Raiders' Al Davis, sport's ultimate bad guy, will be missed</a>"</strike> a 9-year old <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jan/26/sports/sp-plaschke26">pre-Superbowl column</a> by Bill Plaschke (thanks again, google). </div>
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Actually, take a minute or two and read the whole column. It's a good lesson in how to write a balanced, nuanced take on a complicated man's life. Anyway, his column alternates something good with something not-so-good. Let's take a look at the passage Reilly quotes:</div>
<blockquote>
It would be wonderful if today could be a tribute to <b>the brains behind the AFL-NFL merger, the curator of the downfield passing game</b>, the first football executive to hire both a Latino and an African American head coach, the only owner whose successor probably will be a woman.</blockquote>
Notice first what he left off all the non-bolded text. But anyway, the next sentence:<br />
<blockquote>
But it's hard to hand over your heart to a guy who used to make his equipment man fall to his knees and clean his shoes when he entered the locker room.</blockquote>
Wait, that sounds familiar. Where have I read that before? Oh, unattributed, in Rick Reilly's HONEST Maori eulogy.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>Yet after practices, Davis would routinely throw a towel down on the locker room floor and wait for somebody to clean his shoes. No please, no thank you. Just do it, baby. And grown men would.<br /> </i><i><br /></i></blockquote>
Looking at Plashcke's obituary now, I'd like to quote at length another passage. <br />
<blockquote>
<br />
In the end, this intimidation changed a league, broke down barriers and created a unique sports culture, a group simply known as Raider Fan. This is a name given to any of thousands of spectators — many from Los Angeles — who embrace the sort of havoc in the stands that Davis' team attempts on the field.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
What will happen to Raider Fan now? What if Davis' heirs sell the team to someone who will attempt to move them back to Los Angeles' new NFL stadium?</blockquote>
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For that to happen, the team must first change the silver and black colors that are so popular among gang members. And second, well, they might as well change the name.</blockquote>
Contrast this with Reilly's Maori Funeral Address.<br />
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Yes, Al Davis "was what all Raiders fans identified with" (SBNation.com).</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>And the rest of the league has had to live with them ever since. A Raiders jersey or jacket became gang uniform in Oakland and L.A. "The Black Hole" at Oakland games is about as disgusting a place as you can find. YouTube is lousy with guys in Raiders jerseys throwing haymakers. Now, there's talk that Davis' oldest son, Mark, may sell the Raiders to Philip Anschutz, who would move the team to Los Angeles. After what happened at Dodgers Stadium this year, you want to bring a thug element that would make Dodgers fans look like Our Gang? Better barricade I-5.</i></blockquote>
I'm not even going to address the racial coding of "gang uniform" and "thug element." It's too easy and once you bring it up, people get all defensive, because no white person anywhere in the United States is ever racist. And never mind that youtube is also lousy with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=eagles+fan+fights&aq=f">Eagles fans</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=denver+bronco+fan+fights&aq=0m&oq=bronco+fan+fights">Broncos fans</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=new+york+jets+fan+fight&aq=0&oq=new+york+jets+fan+f">Jets fans</a> throwing haymakers at people. So let's just look at the Plaschke quote next to the Reilly quote and draw our own conclusions.<br />
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Oh fuck it. I'd accuse Reilly of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism">plagiarism</a> but I honestly don't think he's smart enough to plagiarize. What he is is Lazy. And chickenshit. He could have written a column where he just flat-out called Al Davis an asshole. Like Jeremy Stahl in Slate's "<a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/features/2011/nfl_2011/week-5/nfl_2011_al_davis_all_time_great_asshole_.html">Al Davis, all-time great asshole</a>."<br />
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But Reilly doesn't have the balls. So he plays anthropologist, and libels a bunch fans, and takes cheap shots.<br />
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<br /></div>johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-49433393356873005862011-10-08T17:07:00.000-07:002011-10-08T17:09:34.196-07:00Flores on AlWhat Tom Flores had to say about Al's passing is about exactly what I felt when I heard the news this morning:<br /><br />"The fact that he passed was not surprising but the fact that he passed was shocking."<br /><br /><a href="http://blog.sfgate.com/raiders/2011/10/08/tom-flores-on-al-davis/">The rest of his comments are here</a>.Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-84105030805059447272011-10-08T16:31:00.000-07:002011-10-08T16:31:50.397-07:00I'm not in any way demeaning the unbeautiful women.<br />
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<a href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_19070911">Tim Kawakami</a> relays one of the greatest Al Davis quotes I've ever read: </div>
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"I want to win. Obviously in life, I like certain things. I like beautiful women more than unbeautiful women. I'm not in any way demeaning the unbeautiful women."</blockquote>
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Others....</div>
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<a href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_19071056">Monte Poole:</a><br />
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<blockquote>
Never was there a more iconic and enduring symbol of a business. Not Jack LaLanne, not Don King, not Miles Davis, not Oprah Winfrey, not Steve Jobs. Not George Halas or Bill Walsh or Bob Knight. Not even Davis' good friend, George Steinbrenner.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
For Al not only represented his team but dressed the part. He wore his suits and sweatsuits like a shield, never deviating from black or white and silver — the colors of his team. It was a matter of mutual identity, Al and the Raiders, the Raiders and Al. He spoke as a Raider, gestured as a Raider and fought every battle with the ferocity of a Raider.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/5951/chuck-klosterman-remembering-oakland-raiders-owner-al-davis">Chuck Klosterman</a>:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<blockquote>
Someday (unless America becomes a dystopia), it will be hundreds of years old. Someday, it will be ancient. And when that moment is reached, the so-called “modern era” will be defined as starting today. It will begin with the death of Al Davis. He was the final survivor of pro football’s seminal period; he designed the way aggressive teams play, he was the heart of the AFL, and he was the last man to carry the total burden of a team for his entire adult life. He was the Raiders. That’s a cliché, but it’s absolutely true. There was no one else. In his final years, Davis looked strange. He looked like a skeleton. He looked a little like the logo on the Raiders' helmets (all he needed was the eye patch and the knife). He physically became what he emotionally was. And that will never happen again. From here on out, it’s just football.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_19070900">Gary Peterson:</a></div>
<blockquote>
Davis, who died Saturday, wasn't an only-in-America success story. He was an especially-in-America success story, with his abiding appreciation of hard work, wealth, confrontation and litigation. He loved victory, mystery and standing on the outside looking in.<br />He inspired awe, disdain, blind loyalty, blind rage, imitators, sycophants, friends and enemies. He was so much to so many for so long that he defies a complete and fitting eulogy.<br />He would have liked that.</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/10/08/SP911LF9C3.DTL">Gwen Knapp:</a><br />
<blockquote>
Yet Saturday's news of his death at age 82 defied a persistent core belief: that somehow, Al Davis would outlive us all. He was too irascible, stubborn and confounding to yield his place on Earth.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
One might even say that he was too mean to die, if we weren't forbidden to malign the recently departed, or if the statement were entirely true.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
The taboo doesn't matter here. Davis stomped on convention and decorum in every way possible, including some that made the NFL and this country an infinitely better place.</blockquote>
johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-69617233823771367512011-10-08T11:21:00.001-07:002011-10-08T11:26:28.386-07:00Reactions<h3>
Richard Seymour:</h3>
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<h3>
Hue Jackson:</h3>
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<h3>
Shane Lechler:</h3>
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johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-36280368135499075502011-10-08T09:36:00.000-07:002011-10-08T09:36:07.666-07:00Al Davis: 1929-2011We'll update this with reactions and obituaries as the come in.johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-25734591588232402922011-09-12T23:05:00.001-07:002011-09-12T23:29:02.660-07:00WhewI managed to lose my voice watching a game at home, but that was a lot of fun. Seemed like a game dominated by the Raiders but that was agonizingly always within reach for the Broncos. Some observations:<br /><br /><ul><li>Passing game - yeesh, Campbell needs to get the ball down the field to the WRs. Although I must say it was "funny" to see DHB emerge as the go-to guy. He's improving.</li><li>Pass defense - iffy, but not too bad. It's nice to be picking on the pass defense instead of the run defense (which was terrific) for once.</li><li>Right tackle - whether it was Barnes or Heyer, seemed like the RT was the guy getting the flag more times than not. Improved by the end, though.</li><li>Penalties - once again!<br /></li><li>DMC - this guy is the real deal. How fun is it to watch him get to the corner?<br /></li><li>D-line - didn't get to the QB as often as I'd like to see, but at times they were dominant, and whether it was Seymour or Kelly or Houston or Shaughnessy, these guys were making the big plays.</li><li>Lechler - 77 yard punt. Pretty good, but...</li><li>Sea Bass - record tying 63 yarder. We've been waiting for this day since he was drafted, and it ended up being the difference in an opening night win vs. the Broncos. Beautiful.</li></ul><br />Apparently the Raiders had lost their last 8 season openers, the longest streak in football. So yeah, this is a big win. 1-0.Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-28098029168533587492011-09-12T22:37:00.001-07:002011-09-12T22:38:44.517-07:00TebowThis game is driving me crazy. But whatever happens, I want Bronco fans to remember that they were chanting "TEBOW" throughout this last clutch drive that Orton delivered to give the Broncos a chance they barely deserve on this night.Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-43739469533427685832011-09-12T22:05:00.001-07:002011-09-12T22:07:53.589-07:00Now let's driveOk Raiders, that was a nice gift. Great recognition by Houston to put on some pressure. Now we need a real drive. The Broncos are stacking the box and it should open up some things down field. I like this first play to DHB, let's keep it going...<br /><br />Ha - couldn't even get it posted before DMC ripped off a beauty. How was that not a TD?Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-10035668841336473632011-09-12T21:28:00.000-07:002011-09-12T21:34:23.527-07:00We are starting to pick lucky seatsThis is turning into one of those nail biters where each of us is trying to figure out the luckiest seat to watch the game. We're looking for the WRs to get involved. While the play calling has been creative, the WRs haven't gotten involved down the field.<br /><br />As I type this, DHB picks up a crucial third down with a great catch and run. The West Coast fan base would like to see more of the same...<br /><br />Unk - we gonna see some Schilens?Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-66543613632613796642011-09-12T21:15:00.000-07:002011-09-12T21:15:32.390-07:00Seabass, FTW.Sloppy 1st half, but the Defense looks good. We're 16-3 on Janikowski's 63 yard Field goal to end the half. Ties the record held by Tom Dempsey and Jason Elam.<br />
<br />
Also, I'm the on the East Coast and it's after midnight and I don't even care. I'm pumped.<br />
<br />
Also, I've been transcribing the ESPN people.<br />
<br />
"When you're a FOOTBALL player in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, you gotta know the proper way to handle the FOOTBALL...He's a FOOTBALL coach in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, andOHBYTHEWAY, when you're playing FOOTBALL in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE..."johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-69434051161532917232011-09-12T19:55:00.001-07:002011-09-12T19:55:59.063-07:00Mae, Welcome to Raiders FootballOne of the reasons I haven't been blogging in a while is that the Professor gave birth to our 2nd Daughter, Mae. And when the Raiders Blocked that punt, she got her first taste of Dad screaming like a jackass. She did not like it. I got her a bottle, and she's happy again.<br />
<br />
Now, C'mon offense.johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-24342695289520392812011-09-12T18:47:00.000-07:002011-09-12T18:55:30.942-07:00Back to FootballFiring up the grill and setting up the cross-country live blog with Johnny...a few thoughts before the game gets rolling.<br /><br />First, what I'm nervous about. In a nutshell, it's the players we lost vs. the players we gained. Top receiver (Miller), top defender (Nnamdi), arguably the top lineman (Gallery). With the possible exception of Wisniewski on the line, the Raiders haven't done much to try and replace or upgrade. The other thing that makes me nervous is the play of the defense in preseason. Ouch. It makes me start thinking about Walsh and Shell when I wonder why Bresnahan wasn't in the NFL last year.<br /><br />But there's plenty to be excited about. Campbell looked sharper than ever in the preseason, and he had few weapons. DMC is back and presumably mean as ever. Ford is back. And it will be fun to see what guys like Denarius Moore and...dare I say it...Chaz Schilens will do in the regular season.<br /><br />And then there's Seymour. This guy is such a beast that it helps me set aside that nervousness about the defense's play in the preseason. He's one of the few guys - and Nnamdi isn't one of them - who can single-handedly raise the level of the entire defense.<br /><br />One more to talk about...McClain. If he takes the next step this year we'll be happy Raider fans.Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-33246679291828367312011-06-06T15:10:00.000-07:002011-06-06T15:10:28.677-07:00Dan Bait: "The worst moment that any team has experienced since 1987."PFT picking the wost moments for each franchise. <a href="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/06/06/raiders-worst-moments-includes-one-of-the-worst-for-any-team/related/">Tuck Rule</a>.johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-6692316108011402882011-04-27T12:24:00.000-07:002011-04-27T12:24:01.869-07:00Hater of the Week: Chris ChaseThanks to Ginger Jesus for forwarding <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/The-Oakland-Raiders-get-a-new-ridiculous-stadiu?urn=nfl-wp1313">this link</a> to Chris Chase's little blurb about Overstock.com securing naming rights to the Coliseum:<br />
<blockquote>The whole naming deal may be a gross miscalculation by Overstock.com, as it presupposes that Raiders fans know how to use the Internet and/or have a credit card. (Kidding. The biggest obstacle will be getting past the prison's web filters.)</blockquote>Because Raiders fans are Stupid and Poor and in Jail. Get it? A lot of them are probably minorities, too, and everybody knows they caused the economy to crash with their bad credit. At least <a href="http://cloakofimmortality.blogspot.com/2009/02/hater-of-week-hostingcom.html">Hosting.com</a> gave Raiders Fans more respect than that by implying we're dangerous internet hackers.johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-69253060515344128562011-02-17T11:47:00.000-08:002011-02-17T11:47:51.330-08:00Hater of the Week: Donald RumsfeldThere are known unknowns, unknown knowns, and unknown unknowns. And then there's war criminal and Hater of the Week, <a href="http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/02/donald_rumsfeld_raiders.php">Donald Rumsfeld</a>:<br />
<blockquote> "Nobody could support the Raiders. They're evil."</blockquote>So there's North Korea, Iraq, Iran, and Oakland. Awesome. <br />
(h/t <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2011/02/17/raiders-hoping-for-return-to-evil-ways/#more-15318">Jerry</a>)johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-79947239062308765652011-01-04T22:11:00.000-08:002011-01-04T23:01:24.824-08:00We are losers againTwo days after his team wrapped up its most successful season since 2002 - and by far the most gratifying for fans - Al Davis <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2011/01/04/cable-out-as-raiders-coach/">decided to fire coach Tom Cable</a>. Couldn't stand the faint whiff of success? Angry that the Team of the Decades couldn't extend its NFL record 11-loss streak into this decade? Miffed that he never <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2010/06/13/raiders-say-i-told-you-so-on-dhb/">put out a press release</a> about how great <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Jacoby</span> Ford will be? Still irked that he <a href="http://cloakofimmortality.blogspot.com/2010/04/al-arrives-for-saturday-draft.html">slept through the first day of the draft</a> this year?<br /><br />More plausible, but still crazy, was that he couldn't risk the chance that the <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2011/01/04/raiders-give-49ers-ok-to-talk-to-jackson/">49<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">ers</span> would one-up him</a> by stealing his prized Hue Jackson. And of course <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/01/04/SPFN1H449F.DTL">"a source" even says</a> that Cable's post-game comment, "We're not losers anymore" apparently did not go over well with Al Davis. The implication being that this somehow contributed to the decision.<br /><br />Perhaps Hue Jackson will get the job and everything will go swimmingly next year. History doesn't favor that outcome, but we can hope. In the meantime, the first positive vibes in many years are gone. <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2011/01/04/post-cable-notes/">Here's some player reaction, courtesy of Jerry</a>:<br /><br />Shane <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Lechler</span>: After stating that Gallery and Bush will be gone in free agency, "It's going to be a huge setback...It's hard to understand why the decision was made...we finally felt like we were headed in the right way, and the owner goes and pulls the (plug)."<br /><br />Robert Gallery: "I think this is going to hit 99 percent of the locker room really hard because people respected how he dealt with us and where we were headed. It's definitely a step back from what we've done going forward the last year or two."<br /><br />And the fans lose again.Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-90523975096825341682010-11-14T23:16:00.000-08:002010-11-14T23:20:31.142-08:00Dublin DownLook <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2010/11/14/a-raider-legend-likes-what-he-sees/">who Jerry ran into</a> at Safeway in Dublin. Dave, please tell me you got me some memorabilia! The fact that he has two rings means he must have recovered the one after his emergency dental work in Reno several years back. Great to hear Lester is still able to get into his trademark stance, and nice to see he's donating some cash to fight breast cancer.<br /><br />PUT HIM IN THE HALL OF FAME ALREADY!Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-72770123929125781132010-11-12T22:11:00.000-08:002010-11-12T22:26:53.998-08:00Feeling GoodHopefully Al Davis can say the same this weekend. It's been a long time since the Raiders have been 5-4. I've found myself marveling at the unfamiliar look of that combination of numbers all week. Raiders, 5-4. Nice.<br /><br />What's also nice is <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/jim_trotter/11/10/raiders/index.html">this SI article</a> courtesy of <a href="http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2010/11/11/mcfadden-seymour-fuel-raiders-resurgence/">Jerry</a>. Definitely a feel good article about Richard Seymour and the resurgent Raiders defense. The maturation of Matt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Shaughnessy</span> and reemergence of Tommy Kelly have turned around the run D 180 degrees. When reading the article, though, I do get that funny feeling that something doesn't add up. How can they just try a little bit harder and suddenly be a great D? Despite my previous distaste for him, Warren <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sapp's</span> <a href="http://cloakofimmortality.blogspot.com/2010/10/sapp-on-our-run-d.html">analysis of the run defense</a> continues to echo in my mind. Scheme must be important.<br /><br />But then I remember Rich Gannon. Gannon came into the challenging organizational world that is the Raiders and willed that team to greatness. Perhaps Seymour is doing the same with the defense?<br /><br />For the past 8 years or so, bye week has been welcomed by saying, "Well, at least the Raiders aren't going to lose this week." This year we can simply say, "5-4."Dan Hauensteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005395339112990674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5106036957926554617.post-35086953237740531832010-11-11T13:14:00.000-08:002010-11-11T13:16:50.083-08:00Al Davis taken to the HospitalI just got a Skype message from a friend in Oakland who has a friend who works at a cardiologist's office across the street from Summit Hospital that Al Davis pulled up in a limo in the VIP lot. He was taken into the ER by his own cardiologist.<br /><br />We'll keep you posted if we hear anything else.johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12879115791722204839noreply@blogger.com1