Gear of The Week

I am biased, but I believe that no other team in the NFL boasts a more remarkable alumni than the Oakland Raiders. In Raiders Forever, author John Lombardo not only celebrates the Raiders of legend, but also updates us on their post-football exploits.

You know where Shell, Upshaw and Madden went, but what about Banazak, Davidson and Villapiano? This book has the scoop. Each chapter is dedicated to a single player: Otto, Branch, Tatum, Hendricks, etc. The result is “the ultimate book on Oakland’s ‘working class’ heroes.”

Along the way, Raiders Forever offers some unique insights. For example, the photo of Ray Guy shows a man who is still the picture of health, lean and strong with a military posture. Yet Lombardo reveals that during his interview, Ray “drank endless amounts of coffee while lighting up one Marlboro after another.” Damn, there must be some good genes in the Guy family. I wish I was related.

As we all sit here in limbo, waiting for the first big steps toward the 2006 season, I am selecting Raiders Forever as Gear of The Week and recomending it as essential to the library of any Raiders fan. To purchase, click here