Post by TheShadow on Jan 4, 2004 14:47:14 GMT -5
sfgate.com
Die-hard fans say it's here, there and -- maybe -- everywhere
By Jim Herron Zamora
Raider Nation has its own flag, a standing army and its own royalty, but
where exactly is its spot on the map?
Is Raider Nation a place or a state of consciousness?
"For me it's both -- Raider Nation is right here," said Thomas McCraw, 63,
pointing at his chest as he stood at the corner of International Boulevard
and Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland. "My heart has been in Raider Nation for 40
years, and my body has been in Oakland. To me the Raiders and Oakland are
inseparable -- that's why they came back from L.A."
On Tuesday, The Chronicle searched for the heart of Raider Nation and found
dozens of fans like McCraw who proudly proclaim themselves citizens of
Raider Nation.
Perhaps the highest concentrations of hard-core fans can be found in the
flatland neighborhoods along International Boulevard-East 14th Street
starting just east of Lake Merritt all the way to the far reaches of
Hayward, and along San Pablo Avenue from downtown Oakland through Berkeley,
Albany and Richmond to El Sobrante.
These are parts of the Bay Area where pickup trucks outnumber SUVs and the
team's pirate symbol is ubiquitous. On Tuesday you couldn't walk more than
five minutes without seeing a person in Raiders cap or jacket, or bumper
sticker or the flag on a car.
Many of these neighborhoods are home to fans who remained loyal to the team
during the years the Raiders abandoned Oakland for the promise of big money
in Los Angeles.
During the L.A. years, Ricky's Sports Lounge and Steakhouse, just off East
14th Street in San Leandro, was the spiritual home for loyal Raiders fans in
the Bay Area.
"We're the most loyal," said Mike Romero, as he stood in the parking lot of
Rickey's. "Yeah, the official name may be 'Oakland Raiders,' but I bet in
San Leandro there are more loyal fans per capita than anywhere."
Romero's buddies, fellow plumbers from Hayward and San Pablo, disagreed,
making the case for each of their hometowns. A truck driver from Vallejo
overheard the dispute and said his city deserved to be recognized.
Other fans argue that Raider Nation really is a state of mind. Many of the
team's most passionate backers live outside the Bay Area. With satellite TV
and the Internet, they are able to follow the Silver and Black from
thousands of miles away.
"We are so proud to be Raider fans here in Corpus Christi (Texas) even
though we are ridiculed by Cowboy fans here," said Roel Sanchez, a postal
worker who was raised in Alameda. "My whole family is fans. We have stuck
with the Raiders all the way."
But the team's fans in Oakland's flatlands insist the heart of Raider Nation
is their city. Some proudly claim their blood runs silver and black.
Anthony Aguirre, 60, has been going to games since the Raiders played at
Laney College while the Coliseum was under construction in the early 1960s.
"The only years I have been separated from the Raiders is when I went to
Vietnam in the '60s and they moved to L.A. in the 1980s," said Aguirre. "I
am happy to say we both came home to Oakland alive."
Ron Fonseca, 43, a truck driver from Oakland's Fruitvale district, says he
has missed only three games since the team returned to his city in 1995.
"One game was for my dad's funeral," Fonseca said. "The other two were when
I was getting treatment for colon cancer. The two cancer games were
preseason, so they don't really count."
A generation of Raiders fans who grew up watching Ben Davidson, Art Shell
and Ted Hendricks lost faith when the team left 21 years ago. That coincided
with the rise of the 49ers dynasty across the bay.
Some older Raiders fans bought SUVs or minivans and moved to the suburbs.
Some lost the faith. But residents in some subdivisions outside Antioch,
Cordelia, Fairfield and Tracy report seeing several Raiders flags or bumper
stickers on every block.
Also in the tough neighborhoods along Oakland's International Boulevard, a
new generation of fans has sprung up. Many of them are immigrants who
identify the Raiders as their own.
"I came to America in 1992 -- to East Oakland -- and the Raiders are the
only team I have ever identified with," said Dee Nguyen, 21, a native of
Vietnam wearing Raiders sweatshirt and cap. "It's like the Raiders are a
symbol for America and my new life here."
Many of these younger fans have never heard of George Blanda, Ken Stabler or
the "Heidi game." Some of them only associate the name "Willie Brown" with
the mayor of San Francisco and not the greatest Raiders defensive back whose
name isn't Woodson.
But their lack of historical perspective doesn't dampen their enthusiasm.
"The Raiders are the greatest," said Jessica Medina, 15, who proudly showed
off her earrings with the team's pirate logo. The East Oakland 10th-grader
at Life Academy High School said her peers had embraced the team.
"We are Raider Nation," said Medina, making a fist as three friends cheered
her on during their lunch break. "Our whole school is like 'Go Raiders.'
We're young, but we're fans for life."
Die-hard fans say it's here, there and -- maybe -- everywhere
By Jim Herron Zamora
Raider Nation has its own flag, a standing army and its own royalty, but
where exactly is its spot on the map?
Is Raider Nation a place or a state of consciousness?
"For me it's both -- Raider Nation is right here," said Thomas McCraw, 63,
pointing at his chest as he stood at the corner of International Boulevard
and Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland. "My heart has been in Raider Nation for 40
years, and my body has been in Oakland. To me the Raiders and Oakland are
inseparable -- that's why they came back from L.A."
On Tuesday, The Chronicle searched for the heart of Raider Nation and found
dozens of fans like McCraw who proudly proclaim themselves citizens of
Raider Nation.
Perhaps the highest concentrations of hard-core fans can be found in the
flatland neighborhoods along International Boulevard-East 14th Street
starting just east of Lake Merritt all the way to the far reaches of
Hayward, and along San Pablo Avenue from downtown Oakland through Berkeley,
Albany and Richmond to El Sobrante.
These are parts of the Bay Area where pickup trucks outnumber SUVs and the
team's pirate symbol is ubiquitous. On Tuesday you couldn't walk more than
five minutes without seeing a person in Raiders cap or jacket, or bumper
sticker or the flag on a car.
Many of these neighborhoods are home to fans who remained loyal to the team
during the years the Raiders abandoned Oakland for the promise of big money
in Los Angeles.
During the L.A. years, Ricky's Sports Lounge and Steakhouse, just off East
14th Street in San Leandro, was the spiritual home for loyal Raiders fans in
the Bay Area.
"We're the most loyal," said Mike Romero, as he stood in the parking lot of
Rickey's. "Yeah, the official name may be 'Oakland Raiders,' but I bet in
San Leandro there are more loyal fans per capita than anywhere."
Romero's buddies, fellow plumbers from Hayward and San Pablo, disagreed,
making the case for each of their hometowns. A truck driver from Vallejo
overheard the dispute and said his city deserved to be recognized.
Other fans argue that Raider Nation really is a state of mind. Many of the
team's most passionate backers live outside the Bay Area. With satellite TV
and the Internet, they are able to follow the Silver and Black from
thousands of miles away.
"We are so proud to be Raider fans here in Corpus Christi (Texas) even
though we are ridiculed by Cowboy fans here," said Roel Sanchez, a postal
worker who was raised in Alameda. "My whole family is fans. We have stuck
with the Raiders all the way."
But the team's fans in Oakland's flatlands insist the heart of Raider Nation
is their city. Some proudly claim their blood runs silver and black.
Anthony Aguirre, 60, has been going to games since the Raiders played at
Laney College while the Coliseum was under construction in the early 1960s.
"The only years I have been separated from the Raiders is when I went to
Vietnam in the '60s and they moved to L.A. in the 1980s," said Aguirre. "I
am happy to say we both came home to Oakland alive."
Ron Fonseca, 43, a truck driver from Oakland's Fruitvale district, says he
has missed only three games since the team returned to his city in 1995.
"One game was for my dad's funeral," Fonseca said. "The other two were when
I was getting treatment for colon cancer. The two cancer games were
preseason, so they don't really count."
A generation of Raiders fans who grew up watching Ben Davidson, Art Shell
and Ted Hendricks lost faith when the team left 21 years ago. That coincided
with the rise of the 49ers dynasty across the bay.
Some older Raiders fans bought SUVs or minivans and moved to the suburbs.
Some lost the faith. But residents in some subdivisions outside Antioch,
Cordelia, Fairfield and Tracy report seeing several Raiders flags or bumper
stickers on every block.
Also in the tough neighborhoods along Oakland's International Boulevard, a
new generation of fans has sprung up. Many of them are immigrants who
identify the Raiders as their own.
"I came to America in 1992 -- to East Oakland -- and the Raiders are the
only team I have ever identified with," said Dee Nguyen, 21, a native of
Vietnam wearing Raiders sweatshirt and cap. "It's like the Raiders are a
symbol for America and my new life here."
Many of these younger fans have never heard of George Blanda, Ken Stabler or
the "Heidi game." Some of them only associate the name "Willie Brown" with
the mayor of San Francisco and not the greatest Raiders defensive back whose
name isn't Woodson.
But their lack of historical perspective doesn't dampen their enthusiasm.
"The Raiders are the greatest," said Jessica Medina, 15, who proudly showed
off her earrings with the team's pirate logo. The East Oakland 10th-grader
at Life Academy High School said her peers had embraced the team.
"We are Raider Nation," said Medina, making a fist as three friends cheered
her on during their lunch break. "Our whole school is like 'Go Raiders.'
We're young, but we're fans for life."