Thursday, November 30, 2006

News You Can't Use

Can you believe that a “sportswriter” actually draws a paycheck from a major media outlet while writing the following: “…The game will be decisively lost. You Raider fans will endure all of it because you still believe your heart rather than your own lying eyes, and good on you and your blind, delusional faith. It's good to believe in something, even if it's just a sham.”

Wow, you can pull a hamstring hating like that.


The author of this love letter, of course, is none other than Raider Take’s favorite columnist, the bloviating wordsmith of unintentional haiku, the guy who assured us that Al Saunders was the next head coach of the Raiders, and that winning big was the only way for the team to sell out the Coliseum. You know, the guy who last year wrote not one, but two Raider-hating articles within a span of 24 hours.

Do you think we might have a bias problem here?

Let’s return to this latest love letter, which was published before the recent Chargers game, and which has been stuck in my craw ever since. As a Raiders fan, do you not feel personally attacked? You and your “lying eyes” and “delusional faith,” you "blind" imbecile! The sad thing is that this man was likely once a sports fan just like us. But he has forgotten what it’s like, or means, to be a fan. The job has apparently worn him down and crushed his soul. He hates the Raiders, he hates you, and he probably hates professional sports.

I’m sure that it’s hard to maintain a fan’s innocent and unwavering fanaticism when you’re on the sports beat and grinding out stories under deadline. Any time something becomes your job, it naturally loses a bit of luster. But that’s no excuse to denigrate the very basis of your existence as a sportswriter: the reader, a.k.a. the fan. I’m sure that Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune and Phil Barber of the Press-Democrat have some rough days, too, but they still seem to love the sport and respect the fan.

The above-referenced "lying eyes" column was published on Friday morning, November 24. Think about that. Unless our friend had this piece in the can for a few days, he must have written it on…Thanksgiving! What a joyous way to spend the holiday. It pains me to think of what he has planned for Christmas.

It doesn’t stop there, of course. Just yesterday, he published
yet another column ripping the Raiders, in which he wrote the following: “His (Al Davis’s) team, in fact, is 15-45 since the morning of Super Bowl 3XV2I, and is as irrelevant as it was since the day he landed in 1963.”

His grammar here is twisted as usual ("is as irrelevant as it was since?"), but he seems to be saying that the Raiders have been irrelevant since 1963. Good grief, isn’t there an editor in the building over there on Mission Street? Or does our guy simply have carte blanche to conduct drive-by journalism, no matter how absurd his statements, grammar or logic?

Maybe we should all chip in and buy our favorite columnist a one-way ticket to Canton, Ohio, where he can learn about the Raiders’ irrelevance since 1963. In fact, he can fly out on December 25. He’s clearly overdue for a happy holiday.

And that, Raiders fans, is news you can’t use.


P.S. Thanks to LeighRaider in England and BamaRaider for sending links and helping inspire this take.

36 Comments:

Blogger PantyRaider said...

RT.......
Why would I read the Bastard? He must have had his girlfriend stollen buy a RaiderFan and can't get over it.....or.....his poor little team was "Spanked" by the Raiders in a SB.....da Vikes.....da Skins.....da Feagals....The raider fan probibly droped the Bitch after a few days and she would not return to his "Crying" ass.....now his "BoyFriend" has deserted him and wears "Black"....Oh! how discusting......

PantyRaider....BurninDaPaper!!!!

9:47 PM  
Blogger Joaquin said...

Pantyraider beat me to it.
Why anyone would read anything that clown writes is beyond me.
The guy is nothing but a whining titty baby.
Screw him!

5:25 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blind faith? Wow! Has he not watched our defense? Just a big improvement from the last 3 seasons, and it's only going to get better. Not too mention one of the bright spots on our season, that continues to give us hope.
Another is special teams.
RT, this guy writes this crap just to get inside Raider fan's craw. He likes our craw, it's warm, cozy, and he has a "jolly" good time there. Not to mention, it's the closest things to "big silver and black brass ones" that he will ever see, and wishes he could become.
The reason it doesn't bother me so much, is watch how his opinion will change the next time we make it to the Big Dance and pummell our opponent. That is when I will personally drop him a line, giving him a nice shove off the plank of the Raider Bandwagon Party Pontoon.
I'm not in the Bay Area, but when I did, I remember this guy has always written disdainly of the Raiders, and more specifically Al Davis. He's a product of the DeBartolo/Policy era, and has sucked on them his whole career. Now that they're gone, he's turned his focus to hatred. Because he feels it was Al Davis who chased his love triangle out.

6:06 AM  
Blogger StickUm25 said...

I read that, and discounted it as another shot by a San Francisco paper - I gave up reading them long ago. When you figure that he is so far out of it that he didn't know Merriman wouldn't be playing, how can you take him seriously? But it's a good point - his editors must be incompetent as well, or they would have caught it. Maybe he wrote it after downing a couple of bottles . . .

Side note - could this article have been one of the things that set Art off this week? Could be some of the comments were things that Lombardi (assuming it is him) has said in the past.

6:49 AM  
Blogger Penny Distribution said...

Ha!

Funny your NYCU articles always draw the "Why would your read that" comments! See the last NYCU article for a thorogh discussion of why we read these articles and critique...It's a valuable public service!

Thanks, RT. I mean, even look at the guy's picture! It's obvious he needs something to gripe about, and he sure never gripes about the 9ers!

9:42 AM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Thanks, HorsecollarJack!

Indeed, for those who say we shouldn't hold these haters accountable: the Chronicle is distributed to a half million people each day (and that's just the print edition). Do you not think that some of those people just might have filled some of the empty seats this Sunday (or future Sundays) if they weren't constantly being fed slander about the Raiders and Raiders fans on a regular basis?

If you don't care about empty seats, and about bringing new fans into the fold, then how will you respond if the Raiders leave Oakland because of an unviable economic environment?

10:07 AM  
Blogger dan said...

Guys - Ratto is a worthless clown regardless of who he writes about. I hear RT's point on the wide circulation, but don't view we have much of a hammer here.

On another note, I read somewhere that Lombardi had an off the record response to Shell's tirade. Has anyone heard/seen details of his rebuttal?

11:32 AM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

RaiderTake:
I don't say not to hold them accountable....I agree with that and infact I am trying to come up with a way we can do just that....I will post it tonight...I am on a library compouter now so I can't get to the file I wrote last night....

What I do say is why would we give it any merit....except to find a way to make them eat their own words....and that is what CoachShell is doing mow by playing the "Mediots" against their own "Stooley".....I want to join in with the coach.....More to follow....

PantyRaider......PilenOn!!!!

11:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Stupid sports writers aside...

From Marcus, to Porter, and now, Lombardi, Art Shell has shown a good deal of paranoia is running round his head.

Maybe Shell is right in each case, or perhaps some things have been imagined, but, I can't see Shell lasting for the long term if he keeps going down this road.

12:39 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Raider 00:
Marcus went on MondayNightFootball to cry about not getting playing time.....Porter went public with his comments before the season started and durring training camp before he was benched.....and the "FrontOfficeStooley" went public with his comments at the begaining of the year when CoachShell was hired and has kept it up until now......How is that "Peranoia" running around in Shell's head.....it is "Crap" to the "Mediots" running around the Air-Ways and NewsPapers.....Just like ChesterMcGlocton, etc..etc...etc....

PantyRaider....CleanHouseAlready!!!

1:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Raider00 said, "Maybe Shell is right in each case, or perhaps some things have been imagined, but, I can't see Shell lasting for the long term if he keeps going down this road."
I thnk this places him in the perfect position to take over Al Davis' position as owner. The same paranoia that drives Shell, is what drives Davis to sue the living crap out of the city of LA, Oakland, and the NFL.

1:26 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

RaiderNate 75:
Is that the "Power-o-da-DarkSide"...,"RaiderNation-Strikes-Back" Episode II Staring ArtShell as "DarthVader" -n- AlDavis as "DarthSidious"...Stay tuned for the conclution....So does "DarthVader" Replace "DarthSidious" as the "Empoer-o-da-RaiderNation"....

PantyRaider....JustLaughinBaby!!!

1:39 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

PantyRaider,

I could name you many coaches, who coached in the NFL for 20 + yrs, that did not have even one, Marcus, Porter, or Lombardi situation. Shell, for someone who really hasn't coached that long, has these "battles", popping up all over the place.

I think it's fair to at least ask the question why.

2:42 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Here I am to advertise a new post up at BlandaRocked. Raider Take, do you normally charge for this?

4:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Am I the only person on the planet that is STILL disgusted at Art Shell for strolling onto the field to congratulate the Bills in 1990, after they kicked a field goal in the final minutes to make the score 52 - 3.

4:38 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Hey, BlandaRocked, no more than you all charge me for contributing great comments to Raider Take!

Please remember to write your full URL, some newcomers might know know your blog address.

5:21 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Anon:

What? You prefer Joe Bugel who refused to appear at the post game press conference after losing to KC? I should hate Art Shell for being a good sport? For rising above it? I think that's called "character," Anon, and I tend to like that quality in people.

5:24 PM  
Blogger BlandaRocked said...

Thanks, RT. It's http://raiderhistory.blogspot.com/ for those who don't know.

5:26 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

RT - Your NYCU editions are always entertaining. If 'defending the Nation' leads to and sways 5, 50, or 500 fans to buy a ticket to the game, it is a noble cause. Your passion for the Raiders and perspective is a much needed anitdote to Ray "smug" Rat-O.

BR - You are linked to my site. I only charge $6.00...enough for a pint of Guiness to get me through the season of "As The Raiderworld Turns".

6:25 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Raider 00: We don't have to agree.
We can no doubt name them both ways Bro....Gruden had his problems with RickyWaters in Philly before he came to the Raiders, he than had problems with Porter, George, Dudly with the Raiders....He than went to TB and had problems with a WR but I forget his name...JoeyGallaway?...but TB's RB left the team for Atlanta as soon as he heared Gruden was comming, as did some coaches.....they did not want to be on a team with him....TomLandry had problems with TonyDorset but Tony shut his mouth until he was traded to Denver...a political move becouse it was a Racail Problem....Ditka had problems with several players when he tried to return to coaching at NO, and married his RB RickyWilliams.....JimmiJohnson had problems with several Dallas players and elected to let them go be as they are.....DannyGreen had problems with playes on the "LoveBoat" in Minn.....MartyShotenhimer had several problems in KC after they signed ChesterMvGlocton and it caused him to retire as coach....etc...etc....etc....Because now days it is very hard to keep some of these "BadAttitude" players in line.....and harder when the problem comes from the front office.....No matter, your still my RaiderBro.....and I respect that..

7:12 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Understanding Cancer:

Cancer #101: The root of the cancer is it’s stronghold. Without it, the cancerous growth will die out and detach from the body. The cancer seeks to devourer the surrounding tissues as it grows. In the open wound is found the pus and other bacterial growths which keep it festered up and in a state of decay.

Treatment: Radiation Therapy to kill the cancerous growth.

Conclusions: The “Root” is in the front office so it continues to keep the “Cancerous” players attached to the team, he is their “StrongHold”. The other players are subjected to the “Cancerous Infection” and some become infected, as perhaps in the case of Moss and Walter. The “RaiderHaterMediots” are the infectious “Pus” keeping the wound festered up as they want to see the team “Decay” away and become a perennial looser. The disgusting “VanillaYellowCustard” “Pus” discourages others from joining the team as players and coaches for fear they too may become “Infected”. Local RaiderHater “Flies” lay their eggs in the “Pus” and sprout forth their “Maggot” children to feed off the decayed and rotted “Season” (Flesh) while celebrating the defeat of the “RaiderNation”.

How does the “RaiderNation” fight back: By sending E-Mails to all the “PusMediots” like JerryRohm and the rest exposing them for what they are and the RaiderHaters as "Maggot" children. If we do it relentlessly, they will become angry and sooner or later it will get picked up and published or aired on the radio…..In the end, we can define them as “CancerousPus”-n-"PusEatenMaggots" or what ever name we decide to agree on, and it will stick. Why sit back and let them continue to attack us, let’s get together as a “Nation” and attack them in the same way they have attacked the RaiderNation. This is what CoachShell is doing with the “Mediots” and I want to join him in support. In many of the “OnLine” NewsPapers there is a “Reply” box where we can leave FeedBack….others read the FeedBack…..we can start to attack them…..as is said….”The best “D” is a strong “O”…..We could come up with a “Slogan” and Copy/Paste it on all their WebSites….Relentlessly attacking them….sounds like fun to me….what do you think? One Fan can’t do it alone but together as a Nation we can make them understand the “Power-of-da-DarkSide”.

Treatment needed: Nukem! “Let da Bastards Burn”

PantyRaider…..FingerOnDaRedButton!!

7:21 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Thanks, Calico Jack!!!

To PantyRaider and others who commented earlier today, my comment above about holding the haters accountable was not directed at you. I know that, even if you personally choose to ignore the hater-authored articles, we are all in the same boat when it comes to Defending The Nation.

Rather, it was directed at those who periodically come in here and say WE have NO business holding the media accountable for fairness and accuracy in Raiders coverage.

7:47 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

lol, hey Raider losers, maybe if you actually won some freaking games, maybe the big mean writers will stop writing all those mean things about you! hahaha, I love to see the Raider ship at the bottom of the ocean. Does this Patriot heart very very good. My boys will be going to the playoffs again and then collect our fourth Lomardi, while your loser team is about to get swept by your own division for the 2nd year in a row. And then you will cry and whine about how the media hates you and writes mean things about you! I LOVE IT!!!!

7:57 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

I'm sure you're a pre-Tom Brady, card-carrying lifer Patriot fan who just happens to spend Friday night cruising Raiders blogs, right? Yeah, right.

8:07 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

RT:
I never was bothered by the comments from you.....we all have our own opinions.....but love of the Raiders binds us together.....I feel the same as you but want to find some way to fight back.....why just take it....thats why I took the "Cancer" approach.....is there some way we can attack the "Mediots" and hurt them where they live???

PantyRaider....WillinToFightBack!!!

8:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

whatever bro, I was goin to Patriots games when Foxboro was known as Schaefer and then Sullivan Stadium, I been through the ups and downs with my team, and at least I have a team now that has a future. You losers cant even win a game in your own division. You have won 15 games in 4 seasons, and you expect the media to be nice to you? I thought Jets fans were the biggest whiners around, but I stand corrected, I have never seen a bigger bunch of crybabies and whiners then Raider fans. Cant wait to come to Oakland in 2008 and stomp a mudhole in your asses, that is the only time we will ever play you guys again, cause God knows your team will never see the playoffs.

8:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

PantyRaider,

I also always try to remember we are all Raiders fans rooting for the same goals. A Raider championship !!
You are one of my favorite bloggers here, and I love your positive spirit.

Having said that, let me respond by pointing out that yes, Gruden had problems with Porter, and Porter, I beleive, is a problem in general. But Gru never let his problem with Porter spill out onto the field. He never let it divide the lockerroom.

Also, I believe Gru was smart enough that if, Rice, or Brown were injured, he would have put his difference's aside, and put Porter on the field. No way would he start a lesser player, and hurt the teams chances of winning, just to prove a childish point.

An NFL headcoach has enough to deal with just trying to find a way to defeat the other team. The last thing he needs is in fighting with his own players, & GM.

I think this has happened enough with Shell, that we can say a bit of a trend has started. What if it happens again next year, what should we think then ??

Shell has to remember that his job is to stay focused and beat the opponent each week.
Not to beat Porter, & Lombardi.

8:36 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

Raider 00:
True about Gruden and the media.....even when he got busted for DUI the "Mediot"s took it easy on him.....they liked him no doubt...but his players were not talking bad to the "Mediot"s eather so maybe he did not have the same problem.....AlDavis never took anything to the "Mediot"s and Gruden always made the same Generic comments.....It just ain't that way now.....so Shell attacks in the middle of a "PowerStrugle" to take over the team.....not a good position to be in.....and I agree....I would like to see Porter play because he makes plays when he is out there.....It's very hard to make sense out of all this crap...

PantyRaider.....Confused!!!!

9:21 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Well, Patriot fan, then you should know all about remaining loyal to your team during tough times, since your team didn't win jack for 42 years prior to Belichik.

P.S. Your first Lombardi comes with an asterisk known as the Tuck Rule.

9:49 PM  
Blogger R-8-er Mike said...

Great article RT. And I do feel insulted; I intend to write to the paper and ask for an apology, and that he be removed from the staff. A local team rivalry is one thing, but as a Bay Area resident, I feel its unacceptable that a Bay Area newspaper can continue to condone such personally hateful and insulting articles directed towards Bay Area fans about a Bay Area team. Those who also would like to Contact the paper (and hold Mr. Ratto accountable) the "Reader representative" at the chronicle can be contacted @ readerrep@sfchronicle.com, or faxed to (415) 442-1847, or addressed to Readers' Representative, c/o San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103.

and while at it, Letters to the Editor can be addressed to letters@sfchronicle.com.

RT, I think you should consider sending in your letter to the editor.

As far as hateful comments from 'fans' from other teams on your site, I can't even waste my time reading their posts, let alone responding to them; can you imagine who take the effort (and hate) to do something like that? Now thats Pathetic.

6:27 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

R-8-er Mike, nice work and great ideas! Thanks!

9:34 PM  
Blogger PantyRaider said...

R-8-er Mike:
Good info and Idea. I was looking for a way to strike back so I have already sent a reply to both URL's....we need to do more of this everytime one of these freaks writes this type of Crap. If we get together as a Nation and respond maybe we can make a differance instead of just taking it.

PantyRaider...StrikenBack!!!!

10:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe you guys should see the light.. this team is a freakn joke.. aaron brooks walks around with his shitty grin.. fumbles and penalties.. i have been a loyal fan for 35 yrs but this is the pits.. i would boycott raider games.. make this team pay for the jokeland raider product on the field now.. it is real bad .. enuf is enuf.

4:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am a Raider fan and i have to agree with the OTHER fan... he speaks the truth...if all of you would stop caring about what the hacks are writing and concentrate on what is ailing this team... it might actually start the movement to CHANGE... you all want to defend something that isn't defendable,how can anyone with a brain sit here and right that we as a team or going ANYWHERE????? most of you on here hide behind the " we are defending the nation,we are the true fans" WHAT A CROCK.... you are part of the problem,you keep feeding the monster of failure..you keep backing this garbage so you are a contributor to it.....WAKE UP...and 1 more thing,if most of you put your energy into wanting to get this organization turned around instead of whining what stupid ass reporters are writing,things might begin to change...... but no,according to you the team is ok,it's just the press' fault that we haven't had a TEAM for 4 freakin years and with no end in sight...try writing about that because all your denial and defelecting of the truth is truly pathetic.

6:24 PM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Hey, Anon, you tell me to try writing some criticism about the team, why don't you try reading what I've written over the past several months. There's been no shortage of criticism on these pages.

I notice that every time I write News You Can't Use, a handful of people come in here and whine that I'm whining. Name calling is not a take. I don't mind if you disagree with my points, but make your case. I have called out this journalist for some very specific reasons. Where am I specifically wrong?

8:32 AM  
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6:33 PM  

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