Hey A's Americans, If you are headed to the ballpark this Independence Day, stop by one of the Operation Care and Comfort tables at one of the Coliseum entrances. We will be raising money to send care packages to our Soldiers, Sailers, Airmen and Marines overseas who make sure we can have another day of Freedom here in the good ol' USA! A contingent of our group will also be at the Giants game raising money, but I know we can bring in more donations for our service men and women then they can nab at the phonebooth! I'll be there with my Captain America shield. GO AMERICA AND GO A'S!!

Yahoo Article

Bronco Wide Receiver, Kenny McKinley died of a self-inflicted gun wound. 

All aspects of our rivalry put aside, this is a tragedy for all in football that a young man with such a bright future ahead of him would take his own life, despite no signs to teammates or coaches that he was suicidal.

As I wrote in the Mile High Report, I hope people don't forget that they are irreplaceable. If you feel like you've lost all hope, lean on the people who love you.

Life is always the answer.

I surprised no one wrote about this yet, but Bolt linebacker and roid head Shawne Merriman has opted not to get a season-shortening (or ending) surgery or a torn posterior cruciate ligament on his left knee. 

Link to the story from the San Diego Union-Tribune

This news has to bode well for the AFC west that Merriman, who registered 12.5 sacks last year is playing with a bum wheel. According to the story, playing with the injury can potentially be career-threatening. I don't wish ill will to the man, but engaging in professional sports, particularly one as violent as football, is a death wish to a career. If he does get injured, I won't feel the least bit bad because he will reap what he has sown.

Sufficed to say, with the problems that plague our line along with the season-ending injury dealt to Oren O'Neil, I'm glad that Merriman's retard strength is at least hampered for the season.

7/16--a day in the middle of summer and without baseball. Something seemed so wrong about this. As much as I like watching the All Star Game, I was yearning to get back to the Green and Gold baseball that makes summer worth the hot and sweaty days.

My attentions, which are usually pointed toward the Oakland A's season, were now without something proper to be directed to. Through this, I decided to address a small problem that has always bothered me suddenly sprouted roots into my brain keeping me thinking in one direction--who is Zebulon?

via asthruz.mlblogs.com

Zeb--the dino...the legend...

Of course we know Zebulon, the cute vinyl monster rescued by Oakland Athletics team photographer Michael Zagaris during their trip to Japan, but who was he really.

Ever since enjoying Zagaris' posts on his A's thru Z blog, I have been attempting to find the ever elusive Zebulon, his relation to Godzilla, King of the Monsters, and possibly find a way of getting my own Zebulon (I hear they are rather good at eating Rally Monkeys and other nasty little creatures).

via asthruz.mlblogs.com

Zeb asks Rich if his ramen has Rally Monkey meat in it.

I have a degree in Journalism from San Jose State University (complete with Arnold Scwartzenegger autograph) which has yielded bupkis in terms of a full time career in writing or editing, so I thought what better use of my skills as a reporter than to ferret out the elusive Zebulon for my brothers and sisters at AN. 

The first stop for my search for Zebulon was a search on Google. I know it is a far cry from how journalist used to do it. It involves little beat work, no rustling up sources and does not put you in tune with the story from the street, but I figure if I did this the tough old way, I would probably find myself becoming grease spot between the hard ground of Monster Island and the toes of King Ghidorah.

via www.godzillaondvd.com

Where can you be?

The problem was that all of my search engine yields could not connect "Zebulon" and "Godzilla" with anything coming close to the pictures Zagaris took. In fact, most of the posts with both those terms yielded a strange mix of the Japanese Super Monster with Zebulon Pike, American explorer and namesake of Pikes Peak in Colorado.

via upload.wikimedia.org

Zebulon Pike (not the dinosaur)

Deterred but never beaten, I decided to turn away from my computer screen and consult an expert in kitschy Japanese Monster toys from vintage toy store, Time Tunnel in South Bascom St., San Jose. After buying a Star Trek TNG Phaser I saw in one of the cases, I conversed to him about my unique dilemma on my search for Zebulon. I led him to the A's Thru Z Web site where he looked at the picture of Zebulon and gave me the vital piece of information that would change the course of my investigation:

Although my dealer at Time Tunnel did not know the particular name of the figure, he confirmed that our Zebulon was not a Godzilla monster, but an Ultraman villain.

via psharbaugh.files.wordpress.com

The key!

Along with showing me a vintage version of Zebulon which he was selling for quite an expensive sum (it looked like our Zeb, but was covered in neon colors, with less detals and articulation), he told me Zagaris was somewhat correct in saying that the dino we know as Zebulon was a distant cousin of Godzilla because both Ultraman and Godzilla were produced by the same Japanese entertainment company. One episode of the classic Ultraman show even featured the Godzilla costume made to look like a villain by adding a "vest" with alien body features, an additional head piece and a horn.

via farm1.static.flickr.com

Grandfather of Zebulon?

Reinvigorated by this new information, I poured through Japanese toy company and kaiju (Japanese monster genre) popular culture Web sites, and deduced that our lovable Zebulon was really the ancient beast and Ultraman villain, Gomora!

Also known as Gomola and Gomorrah (leading some people to believe he was named after the biblical city of sin), Gomora, according to its wikipedia entry (I know--but this is a fanpost and I think I already spent as much energy on it as I should) is a 150-year old dinosaur with great burrowing strength, hence his name somewhat sounding like "go mole." Although Gomora would ultimately peril at the hands of Ultraman, the dino is one of the few villains in the Ultraman series to defeat the rubbery hero. It also seems that ol' Gomora would have the terrible injury of having his tail cut off during fights with Ultraman. Successfully using the DL, he would use his superior dino genes to grow back a new one.

via img59.imageshack.us

Zeb in more violent days.

At first I had only found the name Gamola and would only find its alternate names after a few hours of searching. Through the search, I saw our guy Zeb in different incarnations. There were ministatues and video games which featured him, but what I was looking for was the exact same figure that Zagaris had discovered in that toy store in Japan, thus becoming A's novelty legend.

via ps2media.ign.com

Osaka doesn't stand a chance.

via www.monstervalleytoys.com

Looking for Zeb and not HGH Zeb...

Ultraman villain toys are not as plentiful as Godzilla monster, so I was having a hard time pinning down the exact figure as seen in A's thru Z. After seeing modernized versions like Ex-Gomora, and Lights and Sound Gomola, I finally found what I was looking for:

via www.coolstuffvideos.com

Mr. Zebulon, I presume...

a Bandai Ultraman Monster Kaiju 02 Gomora figure

It was only a matter of time to identify the least expensive place to find Zeb on the Internet--Plamora. This Japanese toy store is selling Gamora for $8.80 plus $7.12 S + H. For about 16 bucks, you too can have your own rally dino which is a better deal than the coli Stomper pupped any day.

Click this link for your own Zebulon!

Obviously I love A's basebal, but I'm not able to break it down with VORP variations or supplemental draft options What I can do is can give you access to our beloved Zeb. It took me about a day and a half to find Zebulon, which is a statement to me about how much energy I, as well as many others, put into enjoying AN and the Oakland A's.

via img236.imageshack.us

Shake my hand!

We need a little oomph behind the bats, so why not bring some atomic dinosaur power to the coli to smash the competition.

via img510.imageshack.us

Thanks for finding me! Y'all come back now, y'hear?

Go Zeb! Go A's!

I came across this story on SFGate.com and it really made me proud that Jarrod Cooper is a member of the Silver and Black.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/04/SPG6URQ3V.DTL

At first you can dismiss stories like this as publicity stunts, but for all he has done in a cause he cares about, it just renews your belief that there are just as many athletes and people trying to do as much good as there is bad out there.

There had to be an opposite end to the barbaric brutality Michael Vick displayed torturing and killing dogs. Cooper exemplifies that you can be a warrior on the field or at your place of work and still give love and understanding to those less fortunate when not competing.

If that isn't the measure of a true man, I don't know what is.

With respect to you, the great fans of the Green Bay Packers, your beloved Packer team and your winning tradition, this diary is aimed toward the loser who posts as packfan.

While, I prefer intellegent sports posts above anything else, I find myself brought down to a vulgar level when this douchebag repeatedly posts diary entries on our site boasting what the Pack will do while putting down my Raiders.

As a Raiders fan, I do enjoy a give and take between fans of other teams, but what I cannot stand is someone who calls a shot and doesn't own up to it when their team falls short.

First you made it a lock that the Packers would finish with a better regular season record than the Cowboys giving them homefield throughout the playoffs.

While I'm still waiting for you to own up to that run of your mouth, you also have to reckon with saying that the Packers would be the NFC representatives in the Superbowl. Most of us would have cheered Brett Farve on to the Superbowl, but your incessant s-talkin' on multiple boards have given us a reason to cheer against the Pack.

When it comes to my Raiders, it is one thing to pile on us when we are down, but to post your baggage on other SB Nation Blogs and not back it up is just tasteless.

Because of this I am calling you out!

The way I see it, you have one of two options.

1.) You either go on ever SB Nation site you spewed your mistruths on and own up to it like a man

or

2.) You hide like a little coward and don't admit that you shouldn't make bold predictions from something you cannot control.

Here's a link for you if you all of a sudden forget how to spell the URL on our site:

http://www.silverandblackpride.com/story/2007/12/9/17402/9130

Oh, and note to the great Packer fans on this board -- in Oakland we leash our dogs and make sure our bitches don't bark. Curb packfan, the only blight in what is the greatness of the Packer Fans.

I know everyone is probably hoarse of hearing me pile on packfan, but the day after they lay an egg on their own field, I gots ta pile on our good friend and Pack apologist, packfan.

Let's get things straight, I think many of us were cheering for the Pack because we do like the way Farve plays the game. Also, we do have respect for the winning tradition of Lambeau Field and the fans who brave the conditions to see their beloved team. As a Raiders fan, I have nothing but respect for the vast majority of the cheesehead fans.

That being said, it was sweet to see the pack take every chance Tynes gave them to win and cash it in for a big, fat loss if only to see packfan eat his words like a pig loves turds.

In all fairness to packfan, the stars were all lined up for him to run his fat mouth. Dallas did get beat by the Giants giving homefield advantage to the Pack. Farve is nigh-unstoppable when it comes to playoff games in harsh winter conditions. Lambeau Field is the most threatening place to play during the playoffs.

But it that's why they play the game. On paper the Pack make it to the Superbowl, but in the world you, I and packfan live in, we're getting ready for a party at the end of two weeks to watch the Giants and the Patriots face off.

Since packfan called his shot on numerous boards, I expect him to be a man and eat his share of humble pie on all of the fansites he besmirched. You heard me call him out earlier on only to hear crickets from his computer.

So what's it going to be, packfan? Are you going to be a man, fess up and tell us you were wrong in the shots you called, or are you going to cower like a biggity-lil-bitch?

Heck, I'm going to post a link of this on your board if we don't get to you sooner.

Either way, it's nice to see an asshole like you get exposed for the dumbass you really are.

I know this is mostly a game to try to get the last push of seniors into the draft, but there will be a few bay area bragging rights on the line.

http://www.raiders.com/Common/Article.aspx?id=37944

The Raider coaching staff will be coaching the North team in this year's Senior Bowl versus the South team helmed by the Niner Coaching Staff.

Because of that, I hope the Raider staff rocks it like the Civil War and beat down the south with some northern aggression!

Go Raiders! Go North!

I hope Mr. Warren Sapp is surfing online and comes across this message, because it is from the heart.

I just wanted to thank him for his time with the Oakland Raiders. Although he will most likely be remembered for his time as a Tampa Bay Buc where he had most of his success, he came to the Raiders wanting to play.

He came into Oakland like a villain, big and bold, and fit right in. It was a match made in heaven between the dark rebel team of the NFL and a player cut from the cloth of those larger-than-life Miami 'Canes teams.

Unlike a certain fly-by-night wide receiver who stole money from Al Davis, Mr. Sapp was the consummate professional. While defying his critics by continuing to introduce quarterback's rear ends to the unforgiving Colisseum turf, he served as a team leader that inspired the young talent on our team.

I'll miss him plugging up the middle humbling running backs, crushing sacks that cut hearts out of QB's chests and bringing a winning attitude to our team in our most desperate of times.

Although only four of his illustrious 13 years were spent in the Silver and Black, he will always be a Raider in my mind.

Thanks again, QB Killa!

My how the mighty have fallen. It seems like yesterday that we were praising Rob Ryan with his defensive schemes that dazzled us fans who saw zero in the offense.

Fast-forward to today.

According to KNBR reports, Ryan has a meeting with the Godfather, Al "The Great Dark Lord" Davis on his future with the team.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2007-12-28-3548211084_x.htm

Translation: Get ready with a parachute because you're going to get ejected from the plane.

In a league where there is no one way to win or lose, Ryan suffered from one-dimensionalism of being tough on the pass. This was all well and good last season but fell far short this season as we were exposed as having lanes big enough for the likes of Ron Dayne to collect highlight reel material.

The Black Hole shouldn't mean that an enemy running back can run through the line with the greatest of ease.

This brings the interesting rumor back to life that the Lane wants his father Monte Kiffen to come to Oakland and right the defensive side of the ship. With "Father of Lane" Kiffen comes the perfected form of the Tampa-2 Defense formed between the partnership he had with Tony Dungy and Lovey Smith.

That's a little touch of magic we need.

Where Ryan failed in rallying the young defensive corps of Burgess, Howard, Morrison, Kelly and other young wolves, Monte "Cristo" Kiffen made it an artform to take aggressive talent and turn them into a lean, mean, wrecking machine.

Of course all this is speculation, but as a Raiders fan, it seems to be all that we have nowadays. I had to think that there was something to Monte not becoming a serious candidate for the Nebraska head coaching job.

Will Ryan be shown the door as Monte enters to stand alongside his son?

I suppose all we can do is stay tuned.

I'm glad we didn't take your advice and bet the pack with the points because they looked just awful against the Bears.

The Bears with QB -- hey wait, who was there QB again? -- absolutely smashed your beloved Pack in the mouth over and over again.

Not only did your team not cash the check you wrote out for them, but they handed homefield advantage throughout to the Dallas Cowboys!

Can we say Brett Farve Kryptonite?

Let me take solace in the fact that we are building a team while your team is on its last legs.

Does Farve have any more seasons in him? Maybe one more.

I know this is hard for you to do, but think before you post some bullshit on someone else's board. I hope you come up with a great explanation about how you were right because if you don't show up, I declare that you have nothing but lady parts under those cheese boxers of yours.

And that's from the heart!

The two-headed monster of Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes will most likely be out of the Oct, 21 game where our Oakland Raiders will come to town.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7471026

Priest may have reaggravated his neck when back in the team's rotation. Specialists will look to evaluate if he should continue his career/

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/369668.html

Johnson will definitely out of the game against the Raiders with a sprained foot.

News like this should stoke our beleaguered defense who will in all likelyhood face third-string running back Kolby Smith.

Normally I would be jazzed to watch this game, but in the past few weeks of playing against a second-string Texan QB, a second-string Bears QB and a second-string (yet dangerous) Vikings Running Back, I still have my doubts.

Will this week be the week the Raiders man up and rip the AFC monkey of their collective backs or will they once again implode?

Once again, I wish to see JaMarc out there with Bush getting a few reps in.

If there ever was a winnable game on the schedule, this one has to be it.

I am not going to underestimate a team that almost won against the Colts in their home.

I just got the report off of KNBR saying Kiffen is going to Daunte to play against the Vikings.

Not a moment too soon for this no-brainer. It really is too bad Kiff realized this by having McClown lose game after game for us when three or four first downs could have made the difference.

Continue reading this post »

On the Raiders pirate ship, Captain Kiffen marrooned Mike "Non-Clutch" Williams on the deserted island of unemployment.

Honestly, I was a bit mixed when it came to Kiff hitting the gong on Williams on again, off again act. Playing devil's advocate, I look toward how Williams had all the tools to become a greater asset to the team than a liability, which he obviously was. I thought like many other Raider fans that the new change of location and hard knocks he picked up through the disappointments in his career would give him a new lease on the football field. Part of me wonders if the maturity bug will bite him on a new job where a coach is into the 3rd year of his system.

Continue reading this post »

The morning after our nation's first win, a little more added pleasure came my way with the trouncing of the Donkeys and the exposing of the Whiners.

Aside from the Raiders win however, the nicest item to come from yesterday was the shaming of the Chargeless versus the Green Cheesemen.

Continue reading this post »

Hey, my first diary (you think you know, but you have no idea)!

I was just wondering what special things people wear at the Colisseum. I was thinking about this when suiting up for the second A's v. Giants game with my battle gear which consists of green suede Pumas I only use for A's games and when I coach wrestling (because my team is Green and White), a black Kukui nut necklace like the ones you get from the Hawaiian store, and two green foam Incredible Hulk Fists.

Of course we all have an A's jersey or two, possibly a jacket or a t-shirt from the Majestic store, but I'm talking about the unique stuff. Something Homer Simpson Nacho Hat-esque.

I know baseball fans, much like players, have their own good luck charms and special game rituals that somehow help to influence the game with cosmic juju. What do you do to stew the juju in you?

Also, as a new member I'd kinda like to do the "Where's Waldo" routine and see if I can spot some of your special gameday doodads. Maybe this will up the quota on "What's up, dudes?" before, during and after Oakland games.