The Spark of Hope Kindling

At the end of the first quarter of the exhibition game between S.F. 49'ers and the Oakland Raiders yesterday, August 20, 2006, I turned to Bratworse and said, "You just heard the sound of hope kindling in the hearts of Raider Nation everywhere."

For the past two weeks, every Raider fan I spoke with, spoke with a dejectedness that only comes with watching our beloved Raiders play fairly abysmally and being afraid to get our hopes up because of the past three seasons. Before pre-season, people were hedging their bets saying, well, we'll be doing good if we get a 50/50 season.

But yesterday, the Raiders put on a show that showed that 1) our QB DOES have a shot at being decent, unlike our last QB; 2) our O-Line has a shot of protecting our QB and even if it does break down, our QB won't just stand there; 3) our Defense is becoming better than good; and lastly 4) the Raiders can play with a minimum of penalties!

YAY!

Around the 3rd quarter, a familiar chant rose from the TV - "Raiiiiiiiii-Ders!" This is the warcry that gets the blood pumping when you go in person to a game. When thousands surrounding you all start chanting the same war-cry and the railings are reverberating with the resonance of the chant, the feeling of bouyancy and jubilation is over-whelming.

The chant told me that it wasn't just me that watched the performance critically and found it pleasing. Hope is kindling in the hearts of Raider Nation.

Thank you, Art Shell. Thank you, Aaron Brooks. Thank you, Raiders O-Line and Defense. And everyone else who made a contribution yesterday. So, Jerry Porter, are you over your tantrum yet?