the *ucked rule

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I naturally became what I call a Bay Area fan: the 49ers, the Giants, the A's, the Warriors, the Sharks, and sometimes the Raiders. There was a time when the Raiders probably meant more to me than any of them, but then they moved...

I rooted for the local teams because I sensed that they were representing me, that they were competing for me. And back in the 70's, the Raiders were always televised, more so than I remember the 49ers being televised. I can even recall the tag line of the network that broadcast them: "Representing the best of the National Football League - the American Football Conference." I imagine that as with most people, my childhood impressions are to this day the strongest with me, and as far as the Raiders are concerned, there were the good (Sea of Hands, Ghost to the Post, Holy Roller), the bad (Rob Lytle's fumble while playing Denver that went uncalled, the Immaculate Reception (until this play happened, I was an optimist)), and even the tragic (the hit on Darryl Stingley that caused his paralysis). That last play notwithstanding, the Raiders meant a lot to me, even as they were building bad karma with the rest of the league, and I fear, everything else.

When the team moved down to Los Angeles back in the early 80's, it ripped my heart out. It's as if my girlfriend decided to move, telling me that she had found someone else, that he was better looking, had more money, and oh yeah, lived in L.A. I'm reminded of a co-worker back when I worked in Modesto saying that (and I am paraphrasing) he was sick of all the panty-assed whiners who abandoned the Raiders when they moved to L.A. Wait a minute - who abandoned whom? Anyway, when they moved back, it's like my girlfriend moved back and wanted to get back together. And now every time we embrace, I can't help but think that she is looking over my shoulder for someone who is, again, better looking and has more money. But I digress... where was I?

Oh yeah, the Raiders. How do I know that I'm not as big of a fan of the Raiders as I was growing up even though they've moved back to Oakland? Well, I enjoy it when they are successful but not terribly upset when they lose. I watched last night's game against the Chargers and was super excited that they put themselves ahead for a possible victory. That they ended up losing, oh well... no biggie. It's a bigger disappointment than usual, but it will still take some time to get me back as a die-hard fan, if it can happen at all. And coincidentally, their original move away from the Bay Area was around the same time the 49ers started winning Super Bowls.

Getting back to karma and the title of this entry. I think karma and years of bad mojo came back to haunt the Raiders big-time in that playoff game in the snow against New England, which by the way, much like the Immaculate Reception did for the Steelers, began a football dynasty. Patriots fans can go on and on that it was the correct call based on the rule, and I'm not going to dispute that here. I just can't understand why the rule is there in the first place. I think whether or not there is an incomplete pass or a fumble should be clear enough. But to rule a so-called tuck rule is a cop-out. Is it to protect the quarterback from injury? I need to look this rule up. And I can't imagine how many young impressionable football fans changed from optimists to pessimists with that single play, like a certain ruling did to a young impressionable football fan back in the 70's.