when i moved from illinios the day after high school graduation to california i adopted one team

not the dodgers, who i always rooted for in october, usually against the yankees

not the lakers, who had kareem and magic at the time, who i rooted for as they battled boston

not the kings, who had just scored gretzky, and his lovely wife.

and certainly not the angels, the rams, ucla or usc

i only adopted the raiders

the outcasts

the rebels

the dirty men with dirty faces and dirty hands

who worked hard and played hard

and lived with a spirit that mirrored their owner

a man who chose the colors silver and black because he was colorblind

and wanted the world to see his team the way he did.

“and stop giving juice to the Raiders / cuz Al Davis / never paid us” whined N.W.A in Straight Outta Compton

and i love N.W.A but who was the pimp in that scenario, Ice Cube?

the godfather, the legend, the man who even Darth Vader and Hells Angels bow to.

the man who today was ejected from the game of life,

but will remain the spirit of the scariest football franchise ever.

real Raiders never die, they kick down the door from this realm to the next

in a blizzard of yellow flags.