Just win, baby

Bob Ryan wrote a column in the Globe praising Jets coach Rex Ryan for being honest and brash and funny. Writer Ryan says coach Ryan is a breath of fresh air in the world of pro sports where all talk is cliched and programmed. He feels most coaches, GMs, and managers are boring. No life, color, or laughter to be found. Mt. Ryan, he says, is a rare breed. Actually, sports has been -- and still is -- filled with cocky, colorful, outrageous, and entertaining characters. One of the biggest of all -- Oakland Raiders' leader Al Davis -- passed away today.

Talk about brash.

Davis was the perfect villain. Sunglasses. Black leather jacket. Pompadour. Bad teeth. Davis would make my blood boil when I was a kid in the '70s and his Silver and Black were breaking as many rules as they were winning games. In New England, fans hated the Raiders. And their arrogant owner.

But without Al Davis there wouldn't be an NFL. He was one of the most important figures in the creation of the AFL in the '60s and then the merger of the two leagues at the end of the decade, forming what has become the largest -- and most entertaining -- sports monster since the days of chariot racing. In fact, Davis was expecting to become commissioner of the NFL when the merger dust settled. Instead, Pete Rozelle was moved into that spot by the more mainstream owners of the day and a bitter Davis never forgot it.

He spent the next 30 years suing anything with an NFL logo on it. He moved his team to LA just to piss off the owners who didn't wear leather jackets. He then moved it back to Oakland -- where the team belongs -- just to piss off everyone in LA who did. All the while his team of castoffs, criminals, and crazies were winning Super Bowls and breaking opponents. Literally.

In 1976 the Raiders -- by way of a highly-disputed and debated roughing the passer call -- knocked off what was at that time the best Patriot team ever. It actually still might be the best one ever. The Raiders went on the win the Super Bowl and I can still remember the moment Rozelle had to hand Davis the Lombardi trophy. The look on both their faces is priceless.

The roughing the passer call was the first in what would become a rather long string of heartbreaking losses that would fill Boston sports pages for the rest of the century. It was the first time I had cried after my team lost. Hey, I was 14. The Raiders were always the most hated team in my house from that moment on and the mere mention of the official who made the call (Dreith) would spark cursing. It was such a bad call.

I would have my payback as a fan about 25 years later in the snow. Tuck rule. Revenge really is a dish best served cold.

The Raiders and Davis have been a big part of my football-watching experience. Every story needs a really good villain. It just makes it more fun. Just ask the rest of the country about the Patriots these days.