1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Friday “Chargers-Raiders-Once Upon a Time”
Chargers-Raiders-Once Upon a Time”
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Oh the history of this rivalry, going back to the old days of the American Football League.
Side Gillman-vs-Al Davis. Al Davis-vs-Don Coryell. Al Davis-vs-Gene Klien.
Daryle Lamonica-vs-Jack Kemp. Ken Stabler-vs-Dan Fouts. Stan Humphries-vs-Jeff Hostettler.
It was Marcus Allen-vs-Junior Seau. and more.
It was Fred Biletnikoff-vs-Speedy Duncan. Then maybe Matt Millen-vs-Kellen Winslow.
From John Madden thru Bobby Ross and Marty Schottenheimer, once upon a time, great coaches roamed the sidelines.
Once upon a time, it was the game and the history.
Now it’s just the Stadium Game, two owners, given their teams by their fathers, who cannot seem to get things done in their communities, for lots of reason.
Oakland, a decayed and dying city. San Diego, with a history of lousy governmental leadership.
Mark Davis, bumbling as a businessmen. Dean Spanos trying to portray himself as some entrepreneur-captain of industry.
They’ll play here Sunday, in what really becomes a Raiders home game ‘in San Diego’, since Chargers fans quit coming.
Oakland has 35,000-fans and that’s about all, but they travel, and there are lots of them still in LA and a bunch in San Diego
In talkshow radio back in the day, we would spend hours talking about the rivalry game, it’s history, the personalities, the big plays and the controversial outcomes.
Now our talk is filled with threats to move, slurs, broken promises, lies, and unmitigated greed.
Sad to see what has happened.
A crumbling Qualcomm Stadium and the sewer that is the Oakland Coliseum.
One owner trying to live up to his father’s great glory in Oakland, the current Chargers leader pale in comparison to what his father accomplished.
The Raiders have picked themselves up off the deck after a decade in which they went (56-136).
The Chargers heritage stained by front office mistakes,and an ownership group that will have just 9-winning seasons in the last 33-years since they bought the team.
Chargers-Raiders-what once was, is no more. Makes you wish for the days of the “Holy Roller”, the hatred, the hotly contested games, that meant something, doesn’t it?
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