"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." – Gotham District Attorney Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight
Sure, "villain" may be a bit harsh, but the Raiders have long reveled in their reputation of being the bad boys of the NFL.
And for good reason.
The iconic Al Davis was the game's ultimate maverick who thrived in bucking authority, whose life force still reverberates throughout the franchise. In fact, Raiders Owner Mark Davis told me long ago he is the "custodian" of not only his late father's legacy, but of the franchise's history and identity.
Having covered the Raiders since 2005 for the Sacramento Bee, CSNBayArea.com and ESPN, I've had a front row seat as well as a backstage pass.
Good, bad, ugly, I had to be fair in my coverage. I owed it not only to the franchise and fans, but to myself.
So, when Mark Davis referred to Allegiant Stadium as the "Death Star," this "Star Wars" fanboy reminded him it was blown up – twice! He laughed, "This one's built to last."
Indeed, on game days the house band plays the "Imperial March," and you half expect Darth Vader to strut out, Force choke the crowd and implore, "If you only knew the power of the Dark Side."
It's a powerful offer, one that came my way. One that I happily and humbly accepted.
No, I'm not making that heel turn into a villain, as uttered by Dent (the fictional Harvey, not the real-life former Bears Super Bowl MVP Richard).
Yes, I'm coming to the "Dark Side" as a columnist for Raiders.com who will also contribute on several social media platforms.
Willfully. Wistfully.
Linking up to cover the team entering a new era under minority owner Tom Brady, GM John Spytek, Head Coach Pete Carroll and QB Geno Smith, with a familiar face of the franchise in DE Maxx Crosby, well, that is truly a full-circle moment for me.
Because whether they were in Oakland, Los Angeles, Oakland again or now, Las Vegas, the Raiders have always taken up residence in my home.
Mentally and physically. Personally and professionally.
I grew up in the Southern California desert town of Barstow the son of a longtime Raiders fan who seemingly prepped me for this life. How else can I still feel that itchy gray shirt with black sleeves sporting Mark van Eeghen running the ball on the chest that I wore in elementary school? Or that picture from my 12th birthday, the one of me rocking a PROPERTY OF RAIDERS T-shirt?
The Raiders moved to L.A., about a two-hour drive from our home, when I was in junior high, with Tom Flores the head coach, Jim Plunkett the quarterback.
Two Chicanos. Two, as the Eva Longoria-produced documentary on them was titled, "Guys Like Us." A pair of Mexican-Americans at the two most important positions in football. Being a pre-teen and starting to feel myself, it hit. This was what my dad was talking about.
It was mystical. Magical.
The first Raiders game I ever attended? Jan. 1, 1984.
My family was among the 90,334 there, nestled in the northeast corner of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum by the peristyle end. We had bird's eye views of Lester Hayes' 18-yard pick-six, Marcus Allen darting around and through the Steelers for two TDs among his 121 rushing yards, Lyle Alzado making mincemeat of Tunch Ilkin and Cliff Stoudt for 2.5 sacks, the Raiders blowing out the Steelers, 38-10, in an AFC divisional playoff game on their way to a Super Bowl XVIII win over Washington.
After the game, we got Ted Hendricks' autograph (I showed it to him a few years ago; he smiled), and it would take me almost five years to return to the Coliseum.
I did, though, have a brush with Raiders royalty less than two weeks after graduating high school. Upon landing at LAX after our senior trip to Hawaii on June 20, 1988, I waited for my luggage and there, next to my suitcase on the carousel, was a gray duffel bag with the Raiders logo stenciled on it.
Tom Flores suddenly popped into my peripheral vision, five months to the day after he resigned as Raiders coach. I said nothing profound. I didn't even get his autograph or ask for an 80s-style selfie. My 18-year-old self was starstruck, so I just stared. He reminded me of my grandpa, from his sleek stature, to how he regally carried himself.
I said nothing…for decades. But after I did tell Tom the story, he laughed, "How about that?"
How about this?
That Tom was finally, and deservedly, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021 put a bow on his career. That I was able to cover his Canton candidacy to completion is another in a series of full-circle Raiders moments for me.
A few months after the chance airport encounter, I was taking a journalism class at Barstow College (I was the only student) and stringing for my hometown newspaper, the Desert Dispatch. My editor assigned me the Raiders' season finale on Dec. 18, 1988…to write a feature on the Seahawks' backup center Grant Feasel, a fellow Barstow High grad. A sort of Local Boy Makes Good story cobbled together by a local boy trying to make good.
Over the next four seasons, I covered numerous Raiders games, both as a writer and photographer. I was there when Bo Jackson made his fateful last sprint up the right sideline in the 1990 playoffs. I saw Todd Marinovich's first start in the 1991 finale as he hit Tim Brown for a pair of touchdowns. And I snapped a picture of Marcus Allen coming off the Coliseum grass for his last time as a Raider in 1992.
Fans and readers of a more recent vintage may be more familiar with my contemporary work – from being put on blast by Al Davis in the bowels of Arrowhead Stadium (if that's the world you live in, anyone?) to covering the "Divine Interception" in Houston when the Raiders had only 10 players on the field the day after Davis' passing.
From joining Mark Davis on his private jet for a behind-the-scenes story after announcing his intentions to move to Las Vegas, to this UNLV alum getting an exclusive tour from him of Allegiant Stadium.
From authoring a pair of books on the team - "100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" and "If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy" - to winning a national award for a feature on Crosby's "obsession for greatness."
To, just this past year, becoming the Raiders' representative on the 49-person Hall of Fame selection committee.
Continuing that type of fair and deep-sourced coverage of the team, for the team, is the goal, especially having cut my journalistic teeth covering the Raiders.
Talk about a full-circle ride to the Dark Side.
