Post by TheShadow on Feb 4, 2007 9:24:43 GMT -5
www.contracostatimes.com
Let's start with discipline
BY ROBERT HALLSTROM
My wife was an Oakland Raiders fan way back in the '70s. She was tending bar in those days, and she had one of those black Raiders jerseys that she wore when the games were shown on the TV that hung on the wall. She worshipped the Stork and the Snake. The Raiders, for their part, played well and won most of their games. They had this thing they called a "commitment to excellence." And they lived up to it.
She is still a Raiders fan, but we don't often watch the games. For one thing, the home games are usually blacked out because the team can't con enough people into coughing up the tariff it takes to buy a ticket anymore. And when you dial up the Super Bowl today, you won't see the Raiders playing. They came up about 14 wins short. She doesn't like to admit it, but she is a fan of the old Raiders. It is just not as rewarding to watch the new version.
That said, I did buy two tickets to a home game this season. She has never been to a pro football game, and I promised her she'd get to see one before we finally bailed out of this place. The Houston Texans were coming to town, and they were terrible this season, so I thought that even the Raiders might beat them. We were all set to go, and then my wife got sick and couldn't.
Of course, she threw herself on the hand grenade for me and insisted that I should attend anyway. Not wanting to disappoint her, I left her moaning in the bed and jumped on BART. What a guy!
The Raiders' home games are still quite a scene. The crowd is a collection of just about every slice from humanity, all bent on having a good time. And with the exception of those few who shouldn't be allowed to guzzle beer in public, or for that matter show their faces in public, they were pretty well-behaved. Many wore replica Raiders jerseys, with favorite players' names printed across the backs. I couldn't help noticing that hardly anybody sported the names of any players currently on the team. Most seem to date back decades.
The game was entertaining, up to a point. Both teams played poorly, but that kept the score close. Close, that is, until the fourth quarter. Like just about every game this season, the Raiders tanked at the end. Many players were tired and didn't play full-out, and others committed stupid penalties that ended scoring drives that might have netted them a win.
Theirs was not an effort that remotely suggested a "commitment to excellence."
Contrast that performance with the two teams playing today. These players listen to their coaches and do what they are told. They are in condition to play a full game. And they are highly motivated to win. They made it to the end of the season on top of the league. The Raiders didn't because not enough of their players tried to succeed.
I may be criticized for always picking on the city of Oakland, but bear with me for a minute. The Raiders no longer do it right. The Oakland Police Department recently admitted that it has the money to run its fingerprint lab to help solve crimes, but still it hasn't bothered to staff it. And the Oakland school board messed up so thoroughly that the state had to come in to try and run that mess. Seems sometimes like everyone has stopped trying.
Now California wants to pass a law banning the spanking of little kids.
We're not talking child abuse here, but any single swat on the butt. They want to punish all parents who try to keep their kid behaving by actually making them behave. Ya know, do it the modern way, or else. Just turn them babies loose.
It's not just Oakland that has stopped trying. But that city is like the canary in the coal mine, and now it seems that somebody wants all of us to stop trying. And as California goes, so soon does the rest of the nation.
Commitment to excellence? Say goodbye to that.
Dr. Robert Hallstrom is a veterinarian practicing in Pittsburg. His column appears each Sunday in the East County Times. You can reach him at flashdr@starband.net. The opinions in this column are those solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the newspaper.
Let's start with discipline
BY ROBERT HALLSTROM
My wife was an Oakland Raiders fan way back in the '70s. She was tending bar in those days, and she had one of those black Raiders jerseys that she wore when the games were shown on the TV that hung on the wall. She worshipped the Stork and the Snake. The Raiders, for their part, played well and won most of their games. They had this thing they called a "commitment to excellence." And they lived up to it.
She is still a Raiders fan, but we don't often watch the games. For one thing, the home games are usually blacked out because the team can't con enough people into coughing up the tariff it takes to buy a ticket anymore. And when you dial up the Super Bowl today, you won't see the Raiders playing. They came up about 14 wins short. She doesn't like to admit it, but she is a fan of the old Raiders. It is just not as rewarding to watch the new version.
That said, I did buy two tickets to a home game this season. She has never been to a pro football game, and I promised her she'd get to see one before we finally bailed out of this place. The Houston Texans were coming to town, and they were terrible this season, so I thought that even the Raiders might beat them. We were all set to go, and then my wife got sick and couldn't.
Of course, she threw herself on the hand grenade for me and insisted that I should attend anyway. Not wanting to disappoint her, I left her moaning in the bed and jumped on BART. What a guy!
The Raiders' home games are still quite a scene. The crowd is a collection of just about every slice from humanity, all bent on having a good time. And with the exception of those few who shouldn't be allowed to guzzle beer in public, or for that matter show their faces in public, they were pretty well-behaved. Many wore replica Raiders jerseys, with favorite players' names printed across the backs. I couldn't help noticing that hardly anybody sported the names of any players currently on the team. Most seem to date back decades.
The game was entertaining, up to a point. Both teams played poorly, but that kept the score close. Close, that is, until the fourth quarter. Like just about every game this season, the Raiders tanked at the end. Many players were tired and didn't play full-out, and others committed stupid penalties that ended scoring drives that might have netted them a win.
Theirs was not an effort that remotely suggested a "commitment to excellence."
Contrast that performance with the two teams playing today. These players listen to their coaches and do what they are told. They are in condition to play a full game. And they are highly motivated to win. They made it to the end of the season on top of the league. The Raiders didn't because not enough of their players tried to succeed.
I may be criticized for always picking on the city of Oakland, but bear with me for a minute. The Raiders no longer do it right. The Oakland Police Department recently admitted that it has the money to run its fingerprint lab to help solve crimes, but still it hasn't bothered to staff it. And the Oakland school board messed up so thoroughly that the state had to come in to try and run that mess. Seems sometimes like everyone has stopped trying.
Now California wants to pass a law banning the spanking of little kids.
We're not talking child abuse here, but any single swat on the butt. They want to punish all parents who try to keep their kid behaving by actually making them behave. Ya know, do it the modern way, or else. Just turn them babies loose.
It's not just Oakland that has stopped trying. But that city is like the canary in the coal mine, and now it seems that somebody wants all of us to stop trying. And as California goes, so soon does the rest of the nation.
Commitment to excellence? Say goodbye to that.
Dr. Robert Hallstrom is a veterinarian practicing in Pittsburg. His column appears each Sunday in the East County Times. You can reach him at flashdr@starband.net. The opinions in this column are those solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the newspaper.