Only a couple of things really get me going. And when I get going, I’m inspired to write. Today’s topic is the Oakland Raiders, who have been the butt of my jokes in multiple columns on this site and when I wrote for The Union in Grass Valley, Calif.

A simple question was posed today by a fellow sports writer on one of the many journalism list serves I take part in: Has JaMarcus Russell gotten a fair shake considering the state of the Raiders? (I’m paraphrasing.)

There were a couple of somewhat emotional responses to this, including my own. I hate the guy’s play. I think he down right sucks, and I said as much in the e-mail thread. I’ve asked for permission from two individuals, Benjamin Bullock and Marcus Osborne, to quote their responses (and the initial question) so that you may see how the conversation went. I find it interesting to see how those in the newspaper and radio industry view the Refrigerator — inside and outside of the Bay Area bubble.
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