Thanks Steph, For A Thrilling Ride

Raiderhed - South Oakland Baby!

This is why I love my Raider Nation so much. Our fans are just downright creative with their fandom. Raiderhed, the unofficial/official band of the Raider Nation has taken a tune from the 1970's Cheech and Chong movie (a favorite movie of my youth) and colored it Silver & Black.

The 1978 movie - "Up in Smoke," the song -"Lost Due to Incompetence."  The tune itself was just a catchy beat with a strumming bass and nice electric guitar riff; perfect for that late 70's sound.  The movie introduced me to everything California, me being an east coast kid. In the movie, Cheech and Chong were rolling in weed, chicks, cars, music and sunshine. I'd never seen a low-rider until I saw "Up in Smoke."  

Mind you I'd heard of many of these things but had never actually seen them. The best that east coasters could compare to California was Florida. And not many families from the hood were making it down to the Sunshine State for vacation.  You want a sandy shore, go to Coney Island kid, and wrap up in a snorkel coat.

Today's 420 hour of weed and relaxation was what the late 70's was to me. Travolta was still king and the boom box playing the latest hit music was a cultural necessity. 

A band by the name of Yesca was responsible for the cool song in the movie.  I specifically remember the band because I'd worked in a Record World music store during that time. Because of a rumor, I'd read the album cover to cover looking for word of the complimentary insert inside.  See, It was rumored that a large complimentary zig-zag sheet of rolling paper came inside the album cover along with the album. I never did see one, but it made for a good sales pitch back then.  For you young spliff rollers, zig-zag was how it was done back in the day.

Thanks to the internet, all those old facts and tidbits are right at my fingertips.  Like the Spanish meaning of Yesca; "to burn up like tinder," up in smoke....

Its nice to be able to reflect on a time that once was and is no longer.  The oddball thing is that I ended up not only making California my home, but becoming a Raiders fan...For Life!  Fate I suppose, but my story and how I became a Silver & Black die-hard beginning in 1996 will have to wait for another time.  

Just wanted to give a good Raider Nation Shoutout to Raiderhed and recognize them for a job well done on the video. If San Diego Chargers fans knew that we'd renamed their city South Oakland they'd move to Florida (The Gunshine State.)  

Win, Lose or Tie

Recording Credits:

(The band known as Yesca)
Waddy Wachtel - Guitar
Danny Kortchmar - Guitar
Jai Winding - Keyboards 
Stanley Sheldon - Bass
Rick Marotta - Drums

Lou Adler - Producer
Waddy Wachtel - Producer (8, 9, 11, 13)
Danny Kortchmar - Producer (8. 9, 11, 13)
Jerry Leiber - Producer (5, 6)
Mike Stoller - Producer (5, 6)
Jerry Goldstein - Producer (3)
Steve Katz - Engineer
Howard Frank - Assistant Engineer

My Thrills, My Agonies, My Champions

My Champion Golden State Warriors point guard and league MVP, Stephen Curry, has made the cover of Sports Illustrated, again.  Wait, wasn't Riley Curry on the cover a few weeks back? Curry & company have given bay area basketball fans reason to attend a parade, wear blue and yellow hats & t-shirts all week long and ride around with Warriors flags flapping in the breeze from every car window; in June! In Frick'in June Warriors Fans. Wow!

My Oakland Raiders have just sent out season ticket holder invitations to this year's Napa training camp. The event is a great teaser for what should be a turnaround season. 

This will not be the usual look and see the new shiny players signed. This year we'll be seeing a new coaching staff and the return of a "Proven" leader at quarterback in Derek Carr. Yes, "We Got Quarterback" Raider Nation. And I also hear free agent QB Christian Ponder looks impressive throwing a football wearing silver & black. Best book a training camp invite spot to get a peek at a potential Champion while there's still availability. I just did.


My Champion San Francisco Giants are going through some odd-year aches and pains again, even though they're only half a game out from the division lead. Inspirational team leader, as well as runs producer, Hunter Pence (tendinitis) has been out most of the season after suffering a broken forearm in training camp, and now newly acquired hitting sensation Nori Aoki will be out for many, many weeks after suffering a broken leg (fibia) in Los Angeles over the weekend.  Oh Brother! Both injuries sustained by the outfielders were from hit-by-pitches. 

And just for good Bay Area sporting news measure, Oakland Boxing Champion Andre Ward is Back Ya'll! And he's still a Thrilla.

Movie Night - Great Choice - BOBBY

Watching the 2006 movie "Bobby" was like being time-warped back to the sixties.  The music, the wardrobe, the people and politics were all featured; and everything came across as authentic. Except for having to sit through a scene referencing a baseball game with Dodgers great Don Drysdale pitching, Go Giants, the movie was flawless.

How the makers of this movie created this story was incredible.  Instead of making a movie featuring the detailed tragic 1968 assassination of senator Robert Francis Kennedy, they made a movie about the place, peoples in the place and the political issues of the times.  It all takes place on the fateful day leading up to Democratic primaries election night at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.  

The movie gave me a sense of the bright hope that this young leader gave the country and all that came into contact with him.  He was an idealist who believed the United State of America had an obligation to promote peace, justice and equality at home as well as abroad.  A humanitarian at heart, Bobby just had that charisma, today's "It Factor," which gave citizens hope for change and a better future at a time when war and violence were rampant.



I think the all-star cast in the movie makes it a classic. Almost every actor and actress seemed to underplay their roles, giving the hotel and the many unfolding situations the bigger spotlight.  By the time the main situation comes to fruition, you realize that all the happenings played out that day, regardless of how big or small,  help turn our focus and attention even more on the character and dreams of Bobby Kennedy. We see the shock of every character once they realize just how great a loss the world has suffered on this night, at this place, witnessed by these people.  

The Bobby Kennedy speech that plays at the end of the movie, along with the song "Never gonna break my faith" performed by Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige, are fitting tributes to the man and his legacy.  

The speech summarizes all that he stood and hoped for, whereas the song is a reminder for us to stay strong in our faith when storms arise.   The sixties were a very stormy time.  With the assassinations of John, Bobby, Martin, Medgar and even Malcolm, the country seemed to be angry, out of order and in complete disarray. We were at war with ourselves and our purported enemies. 

And yet here we are, 2015 and still standing. I'd like to think that there's been some progress since those dark and dangerous times.  Some healing and soul searching.  I'd also like to believe that a bit of all five of those brave and courageous young men, who's voices were silenced by a finger pulling back on the trigger of a firearm, live on in the spirit of  leaders today. 

We know we have a whole lot further to go before even glimpsing the dream those men envisioned for us.  Though there are many indicators that we've taken as many steps backward as we have forward, we soldier onward.  We move forward in faith and purpose to make things right in the world for all. That's what Bobby and the others would expect from us; to soldier on in our fight for peace and justice in this one world we all share.

For those we lose before their time
I pray their souls will find the light
I know that the day will surely come
When his will, His will, will be done

More lyrics http://www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/aretha_franklin/never_gonna_break_my_faith_with_mary_j_blige-lyrics-1121404.html#ixzz3dgKxiVPg

World's Best Basketball Team - Golden State Warriors

Can You Dig It!

Our Golden State Warriors (Dubs) are World Champions.  Wow!  I gotta say I'm still pinching myself.  Who Knew that they'd be this good?  We Bay Area sports fans have lived through decades of pro basketball futility thanks to bad drafts, bad play and just bad luck that's followed our Warriors.  What other team has a best player choking the coach incident in their history?  We've come a long way from that ugly Latrell Sprewell assault folks.

All the bad and ugly was washed away last night when the best TEAM in basketball snatched victory and a championship out of the reaching arms of the self-proclaimed best basketball player in the world and his Cleveland Cavaliers. Our Golden State Warriors have brought a basketball shine back to the Bay Area, and the world has seen a slimy catepillar turn into a beautifully bright, blue and gold butterfly; a Champion butterfly. 

Andre Igoudala was deservedly voted NBA Finals MVP, but the Championship Trophy belongs to the team, coaches, ownership, Oakland and the rest of the Bay Area that supported this team throughout this incredible season.  Northern California fans can finally don blue & gold Warriors colors with pride as they travel with their kids to Disneyland in Lakers territory. Kobe Who? Dubs Baby!

My first professional sports game attended here in the Bay Area was a Warriors game. Sleepy Floyd attended my 21st birthday party with family friend, and then Warriors player, Mickey Johnson.  I once gave up my Coliseum floor seat to a recently waived player named Sonny Parker. Didn't know at the time who he or the fine leggy female companion were. Back then you couldn't give away Warriors tickets. But that was a time before time.  That was before Don Nelson, Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr.  That was when the Warriors were Oakland's team.

Now the Warriors are the Bay Area's team and beyond.  They've ascended to greatness and sit atop the basketball world as Champions.  And it feels so good because its been so long.

Congratulations Golden State Warriors 

2015 NBA Champions

SamoanRaider Nails It Down

Good Job Soldier! Stay Silver & BLACK!

NBA Finals; Worth Every $$$$$$

1. 21.57 million USD (2015)

   LeBron James, Salary

ADAM SILVER NET WORTH

HOW MUCH IS ADAM SILVER WORTH?

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RANDOM CELEBRITY

NET WORTH:

$20 MILLION

ADAM SILVER'S ANNUAL SALARY

$10 MILLION

DATE OF BIRTH

APRIL 25, 1962

PLACE OF BIRTH

NEW YORK CITY

PROFESSION

FILM PRODUCER, BUSINESSPERSON, TELEVISION PRODUCER, LAWYER, COMMISSIONER OF THE NBA

Always Football Season

Raiders Day 1 - Mini-Camp Scoop

Sure, I'm excited about the Golden State Warriors unbelievable season.  And of course I'm still rocking and a rolling to the San Francisco Giants third championship in five years.  But never have I been this hyped in June about my Oakland Raiders.  

The silver and black, with Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and a defense that's being built to shut down opponents and go the distance. Can't wait to see that linebacking corps under Ken Norton, Jr.  

Tuesday, Day 1 of Mini-Camp. Rookie first round pick Amari Cooper of course gets the media focus.  But this team will definitely not be about one man or superstar; it will truly be a strength-in-numbers season.  Man down, next man up.

There's no room in the Bay Area for non-contenders. With the San Francisco 49ers veterans abandoning the team like there's a plague aboard the ship Santa Clara, I expect all bay area football eyes to be locked in on the silver & black in Oakland.  While one team is downsizing in talent, another is building upon a solid foundation. The Autumn Wind is a coming. Look out NFL.

Just Win Baby! 

Champion SF Giants No-No New York

Giants pitcher Chris Heston getting the Buster Posey champions hug

Just when Bay Area Sports fans were settling into Golden State Warriors Finals play, the San Francisco Giants wrapped up a no-hitter with rookie Chris Heston on the mound in New York.

Heston pitched like he owned the New York Mets, striking out 11. Talk about keeping hitters off balance.  Giants defense kept the no-no alive with stellar play after stellar play. Maybe now the New York media will wake up and see what San Francisco baseball has been all about these past five plus years; winning. Then again, fugetaboutit!

With Giants second baseman Joe Panik returning to his home state with a championship ring in the trophy case, the second year starter hit one out for a homer. I'm sure family and friends of Panik were on hand to say goodbye to it. Go John Jay Joe!

The Giants would win this one 5-0, and the man of the hour is #53 Chris Heston. Congratulations Chris, you couldn't have done it in a better place leaking with Giants haters. For you younger baseball fans in case you didn't know, the Giants skipped out of New York in 1957 and the town has not gotten over it. Probably explains the media bias against anything Giants.  Come'on New York, it's been fifty-eight friggin years. Fugetaboutit.......

The San Francisco Giants just continue to make major league baseball history. They should, they're friggin Champions thrice over. And if New York doesn't get over its half-century old heartbreak, the rest of the sports world will have to tune into SF Bay Area broadcasting (CSNBA.COM) to get all the tasty details.

74°
Scattered Clouds

7:10 PM ET, June 9, 2015

Citi Field, New York, New York 

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SF	1	0	0	2	0	1	1	0	0	5	13	0
NYM	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

W: C. Heston (6-4)

L: N. Syndergaard (2-4)

Just Win Baby! Warriors vs Lebron Game 2

If you ain't wearing Warriors gold and blue, then you ain't riding with a sure winner. Unless maybe you bet on American Pharoah winning the triple crown yesterday. But that's a horse of a different color, let's stick to basketball shall we.

The Golden State Warriors will host game 2 of the NBA Finals in Oakland tonight.  The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming back for more after a competitive but disappointing game 1 loss. If nothing else, game 1 proved that the best basketball player on the planet, Cavs star Lebron James, cannot beat the Warriors alone; he needs help.  

The help he had in game 1, Kyrie Irving, is out for the rest of the series with a knee injury.  Without Irving the Finals are there for the taking should the Warriors choose to show no mercy.

In the animal kingdom, a predator comes across injured prey and must take precaution closing in and attacking, lest they end up having the tables turned and becoming a victim of their over aggressiveness. Not so in the world of sports. For in sports you see a weakened opponent and you attack their weakness with speed and precision until your prey hollers Uncle!

It's only game 2 of a seven game series against the King of basketball, but the Warriors are in the predator role as they approach a weaker, injury plagued Cavaliers team.  A blowout of the Eastern Conference champions tonight, and the Golden State Warriors can travel to Cleveland wearing sharkskin suits. Only these sharks won't be patiently circling their prey; they'll arrive with a gnawing hunger for a championship that has eluded them for 40 years.  Just try stopping them if you dare.

"The Jungle creed, says the strongest feed,

on any prey that it can
and I was branded beast at every feast, 
before I ever became a man!!"

No Mercy!

R-A-I-D-E-R-S 2015

Think the Golden State Warriors are shocking the sports world; just wait until they get a look at what Oakland's Silver & Black bring to the gridiron this coming season.  It's our time Raider Nation!

Black Falcon Swoops Down

Life With Riley

Our Bay Area Golden State Warriors are NBA Western Conference Champions. They'll head to the finals to play Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers; Lebron & Company.

The rough and tumble game 5 win over the Houston Rockets that propelled the Warriors into the Finals, produced an unlikely yet fitting hero.  

Warriors forward Harrison Barnes, aka the Black Falcon, saw the need and simply seized the moment to swoop down and lift the team onto his shoulders, carrying them to a series clinching 104-90 win in Oakland.  Barnes for the night had 24-points, but it was his 13-point fourth quarter that saved the Warriors from going back to Houston and had the Oakland/Oracle Arena celebrating like it was 1975 (the last Warriors NBA championship season).

Here's an excerpt from today's Chronicle newspaper article "Barnes Delivers" by Ann Killion:

He started things with a steal. Then a rebound. Then Thompson went out, and Barnes hit a 17-foot shot. Then pulled up for a three-pointer. Then grabbed a rebound. Then hit a hook shot. Then another rebound. Then a slam dunk off a Curry steal and pass. Then two free throws. And another dunk.

By the end of the Barnes flurry the Warriors had a 15-point lead and the celebration was officially on.

The Black Falcon showed the basketball world that he is more than capable of taking over a game, both offensively and defensively. With the Cleveland Cavaliers being the last hurdle for the Warriors to jump over in reaching a league championship, expect to see the Black Falcon's swooping super powers on full display in this winner take all series. It's our time Warriors.

A Prayer For Young People

I opened a book of prayer and this is what it spoke to me

Thou, my Maker, knowest my life, my thoughts, my conduct.  Thou knowest the longings and ideals, the pains and hopes that urge and impel me.  Thou knowest also that I would make my life acceptable unto Thee, a source of pride to those who care for me, a source of blessing to my fellowmen.

There are moments when the vision of my better self animate my soul.  I dream of a life of character and high achievement, a life of worth and service.  But I also have my hours of temptation and struggle, when the vision fades and the will weakens.  Be with me, O God, in those hours.  Strengthen me, that I may realize the finer potentialities with which Thou hast endowed me.  When in the pressure of daily living, when in the pursuit after pleasure and success, I lose sight of my better self, fortify me with a sense of the purposefulness and holiness of life.  I ask not that my path be easy, that all temptation and struggle be removed from my way.  But I pray Thee to strengthen within me the conviction that I can make of my life what I will.  Cause me to feel that if Thou art with me, sustaining and encouraging me, no victory of the spirit is impossible.  Oh, let me know the joy of moral conquest.

Often I am overwhelmed by the vastness of the world and my own littleness and insignificance in it.  I seem so pitifully small, a mere atom in a measureless world of existence.  I seem unable to find my place in all this bewildering scheme of things.  My life appears meaningless, my work seems useless.  Yet I know that Thou hast placed me here and hast allotted me a task that is useful and necessary.  I beseech Thee, O my God, to reveal to me the high dignity of the part Thou hast assigned to me.  Let me feel that in Thine eyes my efforts are worth while.  Deepen within me the consciousness of the obligation I owe to my friends and loved ones, the responsibility I have to Thee and to my fellowmen.  Give me the strength so to mould and purify my character that my life may be counted a blessing.  I cannot find words to utter all that is within my heart.  Thou art with me, I have no fear.  Amen.

Union Prayer Book II for Jewish Worship  1954
Morning Service For Atonement Day  pg. 218-220

San Francisco Giants Playing Like Champions

Early in the MLB season the San Francisco Giants couldn't buy a hit or a run. Now, with the pitching looking strong and the return of right-fielder Hunter Pence,  all seems right in the land of baseball. They've won eight out of their last ten and are currently 1.5 games behind the the division leading you know who.

It was the recent sweep of those division leading Los Angeles Dodgers here in San Francisco that told me our 2014 World Series Champions are back.  There have been some surprises, like Matt Duffy and Justin Maxwell.  There's also been some disappointment in third baseman Casey McGehee.  Baseball though is a long, roller-coaster season full of chance and change. I trust the organization to put the best team on the field that gives us a chance to continue our winning ways.

The Champions are currently in a 2-2 tied in Colorado; the second game of a double-header against the Rockies.  Giants won the earlier game 10-8.

Warriors 115 Rockets 80

It Was A Turkey Shoot In Houston...........

The Golden State Warriors dominated the Houston Rockets to take a 3-0 Western Conference Finals series lead. You can't count the resilient Rockets out, but I most definitely heard the Fat Lady gargling midway through the third quarter.

League MVP #30 Stephen Curry, the Human Torch, singed the Rockets for 40pts. One of his high arcing layups over the outstretched hand of Dwight Howard was circus worthy.


His supporting cast played up tempo offense, stellar defense and rebounded like cwazy.  It was a Golden State Warriors road show, and all the Rockets fans could do was sit through it and sulk, while the Nationally viewing audience oohed and aahed all night long. Somewhere in Lithuania, former Warriors guard Sarunas Marciulionis is proudly smiling.

Yes Rockets fans, it was the Warriors who came into your town and burned down your basketball sports arena.  Not even your best fireman, James Harden, could douse the flames once the fire got started.

Looking Good Warriors, Looking Good!

Warriors Beat Rockets In Game 1

Western Conference Finals.  All that it was hyped to be.  The Houston Rockets came to the Oakland Oracle Arena and saw why the Golden State Warriors are the number one seed in the Western Playoffs.

The Warriors know exactly how to finish a game. They played their style of up tempo ball and clutch defense resulting in a 110-106 game 1 conference finals win.  It was electrifying.  

League MVP Stephen Curry showed exactly why he won the honor by not letting his team lose.  Can't say that for MVP runner up James Harden.  Harden was good, very good.  Curry however was legendary.  We might not see another player the likes of him for years to come.  So best tune into every Warriors game you can.

Can You Dig It!

The Thrill of B.B. King Rests At 89

Gibson Memphis B.B. King Signature Lucille Guitar

His Blues music was revolutionary, his spirit uncontainable as he strummed away on his stringed instrument nicknamed "Lucille." A man who thrilled generations with a guitar playing style all his own has gone.   

B.B. King has passed away at a ripe old age and we who appreciate what he brought to this life celebrate the man, his music and legacy.  

B.B. taught us that every human being, regardless of social or economic circumstances, race or color, gender or sexual orientation, can experience the blues (sorrow). His style of playing the blues underscored how crying and singing away our suffering can aid in dispelling the winds of sadness and healing one's soul.  

Nobody intentionally invites life's physical, mental and emotional pains to their doorstep, but its a blessing to know that when they come knocking at our door there is a home remedy one can take to ease the misery and sadness they bring.  B.B. was the "other" Doctor King, healing hearts and souls while Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was actively attempting to heal the many ills caused by societal prejudice.

Blues music is that home medicine and B.B. King was one of the greatest doctors to ever administer doses of it to sick and suffering souls throughout the world. Doctor King might not cure the cause of your pains, but his blues music sure acts like a sedative, hushing the hurt long enough to allow a distressed soul to rest and regain its strength again.

The great Doctor has left the building, gone away for good. 

And now that he's free and gone, all we can do is wish him well.

1934 - 2015

B.B. King painting by artist Merryl Jaye

Welcome To Rugby (or Ruggedby)

I predict that this sport just might someday overtake American football as the number one sport in this country.  In the game above it was the All Blacks of New Zealand overtaking the American national rugby team in what would become a blowout. 

As a youngster I played a style of this game in the form of a freestyle grudge match (scrum), where whoever had the cajones to grab the ball off the ground and run was fair game for a mob of tacklers out to take his head off and strip the ball away. I always thought of it as a passage to manhood. No fear.

I loved that game.

Rugby football is a style of football that developed at Rugby School and was one of many versions of football played at English public schools during the 19th century.^[1] The two main types of rugby are rugby league and rugby union. Although these two forms share the same objective of getting the ball over the line to score atry, the specific rules are different.

Celebrating MVP Curry

Last night I attended a night baseball game at AT&T park.  It was the 2015 version San Francisco Giants with World Series MVP Madison Bumgardner on the mound. MadBum was his 'fire-on-the-mountain' self, pitching a no-hitter into the 7th inning.  The Giants would go on to beat the San Diego Padres 2-0.

Leaving the park and feeling triumphant I spied out of the corner of my eye a T-shirt vendor yelling "Get Your MVP Merchandise." Figured I owed it to Bum, after pitching so MVP like, to purchase something with his name and/or picture on it.  

Then as I got closer to the vendor I saw yellow, heard the name Curry and before I could ask how much I was ordering a size Extra-Large.  The day mind you, had been full of the great bay area sports news that Warriors point guard Stephen Curry had won the NBA league MVP. 

Everyone, myself included, had heard the Warriors star make an impeccably touching MVP acceptance speech earlier in the day. So a big, bright-yellow Curry MVP T-shirt, fresh off the printing press was in order. I was all smiles with plans to wear it tonight while watching the Warriors vs Memphis game.

After walking about a block with the T-shirt over my shoulder I couldn't contain myself and had to take another peek at my MVP treasure find. It was then, under the brighter street lights, that I'd discovered a slight flaw in my MVP purchase.  The color was vibrant, the lettering and spelling flawless, but one of the two images printed on the front did not look like Curry at all.  Out of my mouth came a high pitched cry "Iguodala!" referring to Curry teammate Andre Iguodala.  

Actually the image in the #30 Warriors jersey looked like a cross between Igoudala and former Warriors guard Monte Ellis.  Maybe its the darker complexion and/or the facial expression. Maybe the goatee. Whatever the cause of the picture distortion, I was dumbfounded and felt cheated.  But the day was still a triumphant day.  So just as quickly my mood went from anger and disappointment to laughter and complete "Shit Happens" mode.

I will wear the T-shirt throughout the rest of the playoffs and hopefully will laugh all the way to a Warriors championship victory with MVP Curry leading the way.  If you've read all the way through this little sports encounter of mine then the least I can do is reward you with a peek at the T-shirt.

So go ahead my friend.  Look, Analyze and then Laugh at my little MVP treasure until your heart's content.  Go ahead, I can take it.  They can fool me once.  But you can believe when I hear a vendor yelling "Get your Champions T-shirt" next month, I'll be scrutinizing every inch of it.  And should I spy anything unusual or out of place, like Manute Bol in the team photo, someone's gonna get hurt.  

Congratulations Steph!