Youth is a blessing. Senior years are good, too. The advantage of our senior years is that we can sit, sip our coffee and remember both the good and hard times of the Oakland Raiders. On Memorial Day 2011, we remember the contributions of others.
The seniors tell the story so that the younger generation can eventually gain the depth and understanding to lead and move forward.
This writer became a Oakland Raiders fan in the '60s, and observed the good times of Raider Nation. It is uplifting to remember that our team was a winning team.
We felt elevated because our team was elevated. In a '60s society wretched with assassinations and protests, we still felt like winners.
Al Davis, the Raiders owner, seemed to select men who represented disenfranchised communities. As those men won the NFL games, those communities somehow captured the spirit of the team.
Those communities felt like they, too, could eventually rise up and win in America.
Many of those communities have risen up and prospered, and are now telling these stories of achievement to their children and grandchildren.
Recent years have been more humbling for the Oakland Raiders. Our vision is of a team that gets back to the playoffs and starts winning at least a couple of Super Bowls.
These wins would make the seniors shout with joy. And, you can only have real joy if you have past sorrows with which to compare it.
The joy becomes so sweet when you see how far you have come to rise above your sorrows.
Let's sit on this Memorial Day, slow down and humble down to remember each and every player who is a senior Oakland Raider. Let's also remember our military men, both young and old.
Some of us are old enough to remember when the United States had a mandatory draft program to enlist young men, wil...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
