Author Topic: Loser Mentality (Read 573 times)

moose · « **on:** January 28, 2003, 05:20:20 AM »

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Loser mentality: What a riot! Raiders, fans show colors

by Gerry Callahan
Boston Herald
Tuesday, January 28, 2003

It remains one of the great upsets in American sports history, right up there with Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson, the United States beating Russia at Lake Placid, and our new hero, Framingham Lou Merloni, landing a date with Lisa Guerrero.

The Patriots, two touchdown-underdogs going into Super Bowl XXXVI, stunned the St. Louis Rams in the New Orleans Superdome one year ago, and as it turned out, New England's victory was only the second biggest surprise of the day. New England's reaction was even more shocking.

As everyone in the country looked toward the Northeast and waited anxiously for the screams, the noise, the madness, the flipped-over police cruisers and the looted Circuit Cities -- sort of like the Grinch waiting in the hills for the Whos down in Whoville to weep in agony -- a strange and stunning thing happened.

Instead of violence, there was love. Instead of hysteria, there was harmony. As Adam Vinatieri's game-winning field goal sailed through the uprights, lifting the Pats to the 20-17 win, millions of delirious fans around New England came out of their homes and, much like the Whos, held hands with their neighbors and sang, ``Wind beneath my wings.''

Perhaps the passing months have played tricks on our memories and it wasn't quite THAT peaceful in the aftermath of the Patriots victory, but the fact remains: You were expected to go nuts, to loot and burn and misbehave, the way no-class, low-life loser fans from yahoo towns usually do. You did not.

It is just one more difference between the excitable but civilized fans of New England and the worthless tripe of Raider Nation. Did we expect any less from these black and silver circus clowns? When you look at the evolutionary chart of the modern sports fan, supporters of the Raiders remain all the way to one side, still walking on all fours, only a couple of grunts ahead of British soccer hooligans.

Even their style of rioting was tedious and unoriginal. Back in Oakland Sunday night, they burned cars and looted stores and chanted expletives at the police. Cops responded to the rowdy mobs with tear gas and ``sting balls,'' rubber pellets that are supposed to hurt like hell. We can only hope the Oakland cops were more accurate Sunday night than the Oakland quarterback.

According to one newspaper report, those wacky Raider fans rendered a 50-block area of their home city ``into lawless zone.'' One witness said a group of ``20 people, including crying children, took refuge inside the Launderland Coin-op.'' Oh, there they go again, those wacky Raider fans, terrorizing children and assaulting police. What a colorful bunch.

As the news video and photographs clearly show, many of the rioters were adults dressed like children on Halloween. Before it was over, there were more than 65 arrests, a handful of injured firemen and at least a dozen cars ablaze. On top of all that, the typical Raider fan is going to be in big trouble when Mom finds out he used all her mascara.

It is, sadly, the same old story from the sorry subculture that worships Al Davis the way Trekkies adore William Shatner. Davis has always been bitter and paranoid, and now he is utterly confused: Who can he pin this on? It couldn't be his fault. All he did was trade away a coach, Jon Gruden, who looked absolutely brilliant and keep a coach, Bill Callahan, who looked as clueless as old John (Free Kick) Madden.

The Raiders, 4-point favorites in Vegas and the trendy pick from coast to coast, crumbled under the pressure, and when it over, they couldn't point the finger at any of their usual scapegoats: the refs, the rules, the commissioner or the weather. Their Pro Bowl center did not show up for the game, and even worse, their Pro Bowl quarterback did. Rich Gannon was just one of those wily Raider veterans who, under the intimidating gaze of Coach Castoff, played like weak-kneed rookies.

Bill Callahan, who had been a class act throughout the season, finally realized who he is now - one of the leaders of the Raider Nation. No class is a job requirement now, Coach, so do what Davis' Raiders have done since the beginning of time. Just whine, baby. Just squeak. Just blame everyone else for your complete and abject failure. They had their chance. It's over now. The Raiders can't get under the salary cap with an excavator, and almost all of their stars are old, slow, troubled or all of the above. Maybe we can get Shania Twain back on stage to play the violin for them.

Callahan gave no credit to the Bucs or his former boss Gruden.

``It wasn't their speed, it was that we didn't execute,'' the Raiders coach said. ``I really thought it was more us. . . . We didn't come out and play our usual game.''

On the contrary, the Raiders fell on their faces in a big game, which is pretty much what they have done for a generation now. Just wilt, baby. They have now gone 20 years without a Super Bowl championship, which, if you're scoring at home, is 18 more than the New England Patriots. Where is Ben Drieth when you need him?

It was a lot of fun around here when the Patriots shocked the world and won the title a year ago, but it can't happen every year. Sometimes you have to settle for the next best thing: a Raider loss. And if we're really lucky we get a loss like Sunday's, a devastating deathblow to the most despicable franchise in football. And just when you think the day can't get any better, the Oakland cops start firing sting balls at rioting Raider fans.

As Bono sang a year ago, it's a beautiful day. Indeed, it was, another beautiful Super Bowl Sunday. Someone call Mayor Menino. It's time for another rally at City Hall Plaza.

batdog · « **Reply #1 on:** January 28, 2003, 07:03:31 AM »

Geee Moose all this venom over a game played by millionaires?

Did some guy that supposedly was a Raider Fan take your milk money? Maybe steal your girl friend?

xBAT

moose · « **Reply #2 on:** January 28, 2003, 07:48:13 AM »

Worse.

His friends got me drunk on Polish vodka and then he took me for a ride in his WRX

SOB · « **Reply #3 on:** January 28, 2003, 08:42:54 AM »

And by ride he means sex.

SOB

batdog · « **Reply #4 on:** January 28, 2003, 08:49:22 AM »

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Originally posted by SOB
And by ride he means sex.

SOB

Uggg....

xBAT

Saurdaukar · « **Reply #5 on:** January 28, 2003, 10:27:43 AM »

POLISH VODKA!!?!? My god man, what were you thinking!?!?

Airhead · « **Reply #6 on:** January 28, 2003, 12:04:29 PM »

Those so-called Raiders fans who were rioting were a disgrace to the proud tradition of Oakland Raiders fans everywhere. They call THAT a RIOT??? Bull, that looked like a square dance compared to the riots we had when WE were kids. Where was the National Guard?? Why weren't entire blocks set on fire?? Sheeesh, they didn't even have any FATALITIES!! I'll bet those dumb tulips didn't even bring rocks to throw or a do-rag to filter the tear gas.

To be a bona fide riot there has to be multiple fatalities and a State of Emergency declared by the Governor, and all I saw was a few windows getting broken, some dudes stealing gallons of paint and some fat drunk guy in a Subaru spinning donuts in an intersection. I call that a minor street party, not a riot.

The efforts by those so-called fans to have a riot was just as half hearted and pathetic as the efforts of the Raiders on the field. I don't know who failed more miserably- the Raiders in the Super Bowl or thier Fans in the Super Riot.

It's all so sad.

funkedup · « **Reply #7 on:** January 28, 2003, 01:28:03 PM »

Any of you ever taken a walk in East Oakland?

Airhead · « **Reply #8 on:** January 28, 2003, 01:36:32 PM »

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Originally posted by funkedup
Any of you ever taken a walk in East Oakland?

Yeah Funked, when I attended Skyline High School in the 60s. We lived on 32nd (or thereabouts, would have to check) and East 14th. Why do you ask?

batdog · « **Reply #9 on:** January 28, 2003, 01:46:59 PM »

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Originally posted by Airhead
Those so-called Raiders fans who were rioting were a disgrace to the proud tradition of Oakland Raiders fans everywhere. They call THAT a RIOT??? Bull, that looked like a square dance compared to the riots we had when WE were kids. Where was the National Guard?? Why weren't entire blocks set on fire?? Sheeesh, they didn't even have any FATALITIES!! I'll bet those dumb tulips didn't even bring rocks to throw or a do-rag to filter the tear gas.

To be a bona fide riot there has to be multiple fatalities and a State of Emergency declared by the Governor, and all I saw was a few windows getting broken, some dudes stealing gallons of paint and some fat drunk guy in a Subaru spinning donuts in an intersection. I call that a minor street party, not a riot.

The efforts by those so-called fans to have a riot was just as half hearted and pathetic as the efforts of the Raiders on the field. I don't know who failed more miserably- the Raiders in the Super Bowl or thier Fans in the Super Riot.

Well... yea. My bet is that most of those morons..errr all of those morons would of rioted regardless of victory or defeat.

The Raiders certainly had it handed to them. They where out coached and out played hands down.

The DID though over come some good adversity to make it that far. Few teams go into a 4 game losing streak and manage to go to the Super Bowl. They had 2 CB's who weren't 100 percent and had their dolt of a center go AWOL on them. Yet after getting dismantled you didn't hear or see excuses from any player.

The difference between the Raiders and many other teams is that the Raiders will be in MORE Super Bowls... they might win..they might lose but hey..they'll be there. And unlike so many of the fair weathered Tampa Bay fans you'll see coming out of the wood work now that the weather is sunny... the Raider Fans will be there through thick and thin.

That's the end of my propaganda soap box PRO-Raider speech that I squeezed into this post.

xBAT

Furious · « **Reply #10 on:** January 28, 2003, 01:48:05 PM »

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Originally posted by funkedup
Any of you ever taken a walk in East Oakland?

phhht. easy.

try south of 23rd street in richmond. at night. after your truck was stolen from the bart station.

funkedup · « **Reply #11 on:** January 28, 2003, 02:20:50 PM »

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Originally posted by Airhead
Yeah Funked, when I attended Skyline High School in the 60s. We lived on 32nd (or thereabouts, would have to check) and East 14th. Why do you ask?

The 1960's don't count. The "demographics" have changed a bit. You been by there lately?

Animal · « **Reply #12 on:** January 28, 2003, 03:43:04 PM »

That Polish vodka is evil stuff.
Avoid it! its a TRAP

Airhead · « **Reply #13 on:** January 28, 2003, 04:10:20 PM »

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Originally posted by funkedup
The 1960's don't count. The "demographics" have changed a bit. You been by there lately?

Funked, are you saying WHITE PEOPLE have moved into my old neighborhood? Imagine that.

midnight Target · « **Reply #14 on:** January 28, 2003, 04:48:16 PM »

There goes the neighborhood!!