Better to Reign in Hell

Yes, Raiders fans love books, especially when its about their Nation. While browsing the sports section at a bookstore I came across a gem that has something in it for every Raiders fan.

"Better to Reign in Hell: Inside the Raiders Fan Empire by Jim Miller, Kelly Mayhew"

I stood immobile for approximately twenty minutes while reading different parts of this book. These guys did the very thing I was hoping to do when I started this blog but my gameday passion made me too biased. They wrote a book about what it is that makes Raiders Fans loyal to their Nation. Certain budget constraints prevented my purchasing this book at its retail price, but I hope to get a discounted copy over the internet. Every Raiders fan should have a copy. Actually, every East Bay resident should have a copy. The book not only does Raiders fans proud, but also shines a positive light on the surrounding community. Blue Collar never sounded so good as when being applied to the Raiders fan base.

You'll visit Ricky's Sports Bar, join tailgate parties, fly to games with fans from SoCal and hear local author and Oakland resident Renay Jackson's views on Raiders fans. It ain't all pretty but what would you expect to hear from Hell? There's quite a bit of Raiders trivia included, like did you know that supposedly the image of Randolph Scott was used for the eye-patched Raider on the shield? (under 50 see wikepedia). It even discusses the history of the "The Autumn Wind" with John Facienda (under 40 see wikepedia. Okay, so there's a bit of silver in our fan base lining, but it sure keeps getting better with age.

Since I only flipped through the book for twenty minutes or so I'm not qualified to give a full review now. But once I get my own copy of the book and read it you'll hear from me in more detail on this apparent gem.

The title alone is a keeper. It comes from a classic line in the story "Paradise Lost" by John Milton. Though Milton's lines, originally published in the year 1667, have been modified for modern English, the message is still the same:

"It is better to Reign in Hell than Serve in Heaven"

The poem concerns the Christian story of the fall of Satan and his brethren and the rise of Man. Yes, Satan was a Raiders Fan, at least for one season.

This season let's recapture our glory as the biggest, baddest mothers to reign in the NFL. Because it's all our Turf.