Official Fox Sports Sleeper Pick for 2010: Your Oakland Raiders?

Ginger Jesus turned me on to this one by posting it on another buddy's wall, and it's one of those things that's so weird it almost qualifies for a Hater of the Week post. Actually, Solomon Wilcots still might get one.

Anyway, Peter Schrager of Fox Sports picks the Raiders to go 10-6, make the playoffs, and shock just about everyone. It's well worth reading, even with the crack about being alone on the bandwagon with a bunch of "freaks with spikes and face-paint on."

Oh, and Wilcots, quoted in the column, compares the Raiders to a bimbo:

“The Raiders are like that pretty girl in the pretty dress," said Wilcots. "Everything looks great. But then she can’t read the darn cue cards.”

That's lame. But hey, the best the CLOAK has been able to muster is an upgrade from "Dumbest Team in America" to "I want to Believe."

Repositioning

Yep, I am well aware that the spectacular Raiders offseason has not translated to a single win on the field. But hope is worth a lot to the Raider fan, and we have it again. Johnny and I are considering hat upgrades now that the embargo against the Raider organization has been lifted. Dave found his Raiders shirt after a lengthy search and is wearing it again. I flew the Raider flag in front of my house for the first time in years.

Even Scott Ostler proclaimed "The return of Al Davis." In honor of all of this, we have modified the tone of the CLOAK to one of hope. Sweet, sweet hope.