A colorblind, cantankerous pro football visionary, Al Davis, mixed silver with black in his steamy 1960 cauldron and created the Oakland Raiders.
Their history is flooded with championships, controversy and nastiness. But beneath the smug-thug image beats a strong, faithful and fraternal heart. Black shirts ... forever!
When an old Raider bleeds, a dozen buddies appear with transfusions. Clarence Davis had a stroke; his Raiders family was there. Ted Hendricks battles alcoholism; pals call or visit to support. Fred Biletnikoff's daughter was murdered; beefy former teammates quickly provided a wall on which a Hall of Fame receiver could lean.
There are more traditional, better-scrubbed NFL franchises, but you wonder if old Packers, Cowboys, Giants, Browns, Colts, Lions, Bears, Dolphins or Bucs can match the brotherhood of Davis' renegades.
Jack Tatum is in pain. He used to dish it out. Tatum was the pulverizing Oakland safety who crushed Darryl Stingley in 1977, paralyzing the New England receiver. But now, it's old No.31 who has been flattened, losing a leg to diabetes.
"We went to one of the first Super Bowls, and that spirit is forever," John Vella told Dave Newhouse of the Oakland Tribune. "Our closeness is most evident when an old Raider has tough times."
Billy Cannon, an LSU legend who won the 1959 Heisman Trophy, became an orthodontist after his NFL years but then got involved with a counterfeiting ring. He served time. Newhouse said Cannon lost his practice and, at 66, his income comes mostly from the state of Louisiana for doing dental work on inmates. Davis continues to embrace Cannon, inviting him on Raiders trips and offering financial aid. A unique gang.
Vella's Locker Room is an establishment that offers drink and memorabilia in nearby Castro Valley. Raiders from the past have been doing autograph shifts there, charging to sign once-famous names, the money going to help Tatum with medical and personal costs.
Raymond Chester was there, alongside fellow Raiders tight end Ted Kwalick. Ronnie Lott sent a check. Clem Daniels and Charlie Smith were on the next autograph shift, then Rod Sherman and Gary Weaver. Phil Villapiano lives in New Jersey, so he did a Tatum fundraiser there. Willie Brown called, wanting to get involved. Jim Otto always comes through. Al Davis keeps several old Raiders on his payroll, perpetuating their Sundays at the Coliseum.
Tatum has a prosthesis. He wobbles but is so supported.
LONG SNAPS: At 0-2, selling Philly football is difficult for Webmeisters, but must their revenue hunger include pushing an Eagles Lingerie Calendar ($12.99)? ... NFL moderns may break the records of Payton, Unitas, Smith, Bradshaw and Groza, but nobody is going to match the unique double dose of linebacker Larry Ball, playing entire seasons for an undefeated team ('72 Dolphins) and one that was winless ('76 Bucs). ... Keep an eye on the Clayton State women's soccer coach, somebody named T.O. Tuffy. ... Deep, green example of mega money in college: Ohio State spent $197-million to upgrade its 101,000-seat football Horseshoe about the time the Buckeyes were moving into a $115-million basketball arena seating 20,000. ... I don't miss Sterling Sharpe, and the overbearing tendencies of his ESPN replacement, Michael Irvin, are more entertaining. ... Speaking of ESPN, the timing was sickening in the network's firing of 72-year-old college football analyst Beano Cook shortly after a diabetic attack put him in a coma.
READER'S RANT: Dr. Dean Kostis, a Baltimore psychologist, e-mails a firestorm of thoughts, including, "College athletics, in many jurisdictions, are no better than Enron, smudged with outrageous egos and avarice.
"Too many collegiate administrators and coaches are out of control, spending nonsensically to create jock temples, feeding the desires of boosters overcome by a need to boast, believing that ranking No.1 in sports can make a university great. Give me the Ivy League - not the Envy League - where kids play for the fun and competition with zero pro sports possibilities. But how many of us truly care?"
DEEP PATTERNS: No apologies from me for feeling disgusted every time Wilson Alvarez wins a game for the Dodgers or Vinny Castilla drives in a run for Atlanta, after their shameful tenures with the D-Rays. ... Scheduled salaries this season for Kobe Bryant and Shaq O'Neal total $40-million. Celebrity newcomers Karl Malone and Gary Payton are to receive $6.4-million from the Lakers. ... ESPN analyst Mike Gottfried does strong work but shouldn't he be getting $500 a game extra from the American Football Coaches Association for overpromoting members of his former profession. ... There should be a law against mentioning the Heisman Trophy before November.
