Seems like just yesterday that we were penning our future hopes on the Carr to Cooper connection. With a 1 win, 5 loss record, the Raiders are obviously in fire sale mode. Coop has been one of the promising players we fans have hung our hats on last few seasons. With him gone and RB Marshawn Lynch out indefinitely with a hip injury, the Raiders season is a wrap. And if they don't do something quick with the O-Line, I expect to see QB Derek Carr go down with a season altering injury. I don't wish it, but there's that familiar chilling feeling in the autumn winds swirling around Carr of late. Could it be Trade Winds?
As with my feelings toward Khalil Mack after his departure to the Bears; I wish Amari Cooper all the best as he gets to showcase his talents with a middle of the pack team in the (3-4) Cowboys. This is no Javon Walker or Darius Heyward-Bey we're losing at wide receiver; this is Amari 'Frick'in' Cooper we're watching depart. Feels like Randy Moss just left the building; worse!
So what can you do when your team performs as poorly as these 2018 Raiders? Just wish it into the cornfield son!
The Raiders looked abysmal against a spirited division rival yesterday. Against the Chargers nothing seemed to work consistently and the game plan could've been questioned by a five year old. Why are they doing this when the other team is doing that? Why aren't they utilizing this when the down and distance dictates that? Who's in charge?
Who's in charge is the man who ripped the heart and soul out of the defense; Jon 'Clucky' Gruden, that's who. He's the Head Coach who's proving that the game of football does pass by retired coaches looking to get back into the game. Every decision he's made this season has been questionable. And everything we see out of the team on the field adds questions to the questions.
One really big question of a question is what made Gruden think QB Derek Carr was ready to run his complex offense when Carr seems like he's still broken mentally from injuries suffered the past two seasons? If ever there was a high paid quarterback who looks lost on the battlefield more times than not, it's Carr. Love the guy for his passion, but it's performance that gets rewarded in sports. Carr is failing big time as a lead performer.
Is Carr's poor performance on him or is it on Gruden maybe putting too much in his head? Again, questions on top of questions. All I know is that the Raiders have much talent on offense and show promise on defense, but from the first regular season game they've come up short on game planning opponents for four quarters. They're as inconsistent in their play as the coaches are in calling plays.
And what good might come out of all this inconsistency to date for the Raiders? They now know what they have in an unretired head coach that was once considered an offensive coaching guru and quarterback whisperer. Instead of installing a flexible and stabilizing rudder to steer the ship, the Raiders have purchased a $100 million anchor that's sinking them toward the sea bottom of the league. They're likely to be stuck in the muck and mire as a bottom feeder for the entire 10 years of the anchor's contract. So if the gambling folks thirsting for a football team in that oasis in the desert think they've discovered a sunken ship full of glittering pirate treasure, they should take another look. It's an old, dried up Ghost Ship, a relic, and it ain't floating nowhere near the surface of commerce and competition anytime soon. Captain Gruden has seen to that.
When I came across one of Zack's "YouTube" videos I couldn't help but salute the man. He's a likeable baseball fan who has compartmentalized his passion for ball-hawking right down to a science. If Zack's visiting your ballpark with his baseball glove, you might as well have left yours at home. Because fly balls hit into the stands are likely to find the web of his glove by hook or (dare I say) crook. He's tenacious when it comes to retrieving baseballs in the stands. You see, Zack is a ball hawk. Whether it be a foul ball, home run or batting practice, Zack is on his game snagging ballpark gifts dropped from the heavens of baseball Gods.
What you've gotta love about Zack is that he comes to a ballpark prepared. He'll switch from wearing the home team cap and jersey to the visitor's gear, depending on which is holding batting practice; whatever it takes to get a ball thrown his way. And the strategy works!
He'll climb, stretch, scramble, scrum and even dive to come up with a baseball that's left the field of play headed toward his section of the ballpark. And though he's fast and aggressive during the hunt, he never seems to cross the line of courtesy and consideration for others.
Where Zack really earned my respect is when I saw him giving some of the baseballs he'd come up with to young kids in the stands. To have a passion for something and be able to share your earnings from that passion unconditionally is what being a fan of anything is all about; giving back. It's fans like Zack that gives fandom a sweet smelling aroma. We who are sports fans have a duty to pass our love and respect for the game on to future generations. There's no selfishness in baseball! How unselfish is Zack? Well he gives tips to fans on how to snag major league baseballs in his book titled.....(wait for it)……."How to Snag Major League Baseballs." It appears Zack has a few published books to his credit. Take note kids, if you got a passion for something find a way to market it and make a few bucks. Because Zack visits different ballparks and wears different team gear in his videos, I'm not sure what team he's an actual fan of. But I do know that he's a fan of the game of baseball, and that puts him in a category I share; that of a true sports fan.
If you've read this little blogpost about a special individual and wanna learn more, check out Zack's YouTube page and maybe give him a shout out. Who knows, one day you might just catch him snagging baseballs in your home team's ballpark.
the elongated ridges on the floor of each lateral ventricle of the brain, thought to be the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system.
