John Madden to take over Raiders?

I had a chance to speak to one of my longtime football friends who is well placed in the sports scene in Oakland. He had recently attended a function that was also attended by many well placed persons surrounding the Oakland Raiders organization. Needless to say, I won't be giving any names here so this post should be placed in the rumor category..

Anyway, according to my source, one of the reasons that the Raiders have done so poorly of late is not interference from Al Davis (as I had previously reported) but the exact opposite. Mr. Davis' health is declining to the point where he is not in full control over the organization as he has for decades. He no longer attends practices, which is a big change for arguably the most involved owner in the NFL. His absence has left a power vacuum in Oakland that several individuals are exploiting for personal reasons to the detriment of the franchise. This may be the type of activity that Coach Shell alluded to a while back.

Anyway, Al's son apparently has no interest in taking the reigns from his dad so the team needs to find someone else to run the ship. This is where it gets interesting. According to my source, there are high level negotiations going on between the Raiders and John Madden about Madden taking over the team from Al Davis. You heard it right - friggin John Madden running the Raiders. Sound impossible - perhaps but there are some reasons that it may be true:

- Al and John go way back and John has always stayed involved with the Raiders

- John has been travelling by bus week after week all over the country for years and years as a broadcaster and perhaps we wants to stay put somewhere for a little while.

- John would be a very charismatic owner and could probably entice top notch coaching talent back to the Raiders in a way that Al could never do.

You take this for what it is - a rumor. But if this pans out, you heard it here first!

Now for some beer talk. I guess in the spirit of Al Davis, only one beer comes to mind and it is from right here in San Diego County. Stone Brewing's Arrogant Bastard Ale is about as hard core as beer gets. Even their web site mocks the drinker - here is an excerpt from the conditions that you must agree to just to get to the Arrogant Bastard page:

In consideration for the permission to view the Arrogant Bastard Ale pages, I indemnify the publisher, the service provider and the Stone Brewing Co. from any insults, insecurities, and ego damages incurred by the viewing or retrieving of such materials by me.

If you have ever had this beer, you know that it packs a whallop! One of the reasons that I compare it to Al Davis is their motto:

Hated by Many - Loved by Few

Stone Brewing has many other fantastic beers that may be more suitable for most of you out there. Myself, I can drink the Bastard, but only one or two per evening because apparently I am only partially worthy...