Sports

Draft picks keep Davis happy

Cougar Pause

Tom Carpenter
 

Itis only fitting that in the year when corporate executives plunder the profits from their shareholders and steal the retirement funds of American workers, the Raiders and Buccaneers meet in the Super Bowl.

Itis that kind of year.

The Jolly Roger reigns supreme across the land; the Super Bowl teams simply dotted the "i" to make it the official flag of the 21st century.

The skull and crossbones flutter in the breeze above the Enron Tower for those employed by the company who didnit have to walk the plank.

It waves proudly upon sultry Gulf winds in Clinton, Miss., at the headquarters of the most efficient, and profitable, corsairs since the Spanish Conquistadors ravaged the New World.

Being "politically correct," the sports page of The New York Times stayed with the theme of the corporate raiders, as opposed to the Oakland Raiders who got blown out by the Buccaneers, with the front page headline "Bucs steal the treasure."

Fortunately, the treasure the Buccaneers grabbed manifested money for everyone involved; advertisers, television stations, radio stations, announcers and even the players.

The biggest steal of the day, performed by none other than the NFLis main protagonist, that old Raider, Al Davis, was the two first- and two third-round draft choices, plus the $8 million he received for allowing the Buccaneers to hire former Raider coach Jon Gruden.

Sure, the Raiders got hoisted on the yardarm and were left twisting slowly in the wind by the Buccaneers, but I doubt if Davis cared who won the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Davis hasnit changed. Heis still the same con man who moved his pirate base from Oakland to Los Angeles and back to Oakland for -- what else? -- the same big bucks the corporate raiders lusted after when the pillaged their companies.

Super Bowl XXXVII was Oaklandis fifth appearance in the big show.

The Raiders are 3-2 in Super Bowls, which means Davis enjoyed the greatest moment in sports three times.

The guys with the black eye patches won the title in 1984 as the Los Angeles Raiders after the Oakland Raiders won it in i77 and i81.

The Raidersi only defeat in a Super Bowl, until Sunday, came at the hands of the Green Bay Packers back in 1968 at Super Bowl II.

While Super Bowl titles are nice, Davis has always preferred money in his pocket to Lombardi Trophys on the mantel over the fireplace.

And who can argue with him? Let the Buccaneers celebrate their first Super Bowl appearance and victory; Davis prefers the cash and the draft choices that will enable his Raiders to win the next Super Bowl. After all, heis not <I>that<P> greedy. 

And as for the plunder reaped by both teams from the biggest sporting contest on the planet, the winners received a healthy $63,000 each and the losers rummaged a sweet $35,000 apiece from the NFLis overflowing coffers.

While that seems like a pretty good payday to me, itis chump change compared to the obscene riches the real pirates made off with while they sent their companies plunging into bankruptcy.

Davis enjoys the best of all possible worlds. 

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