Dear Mr. Braden, Congratulations on beating the Yankees Thursday afternoon and ending their winning streak at six games. Now shut up. You sound like a fool. When you yelled at Alex Rodriguez for taking a shortcut (not a "detour") across the diamond back to first base after a long foul ball by Robinson Cano in the top of the sixth inning yesterday, well, you intimidated exactly nobody.
Alex Rodriguez was already the best player in the major leagues when you were still growing hair in awkward places of your anatomy. He doesn't care what you think. ...
"...the Oakland Raiders select, Rolando McClain-ILB, University of Alabama."
"Oh thank God!" I uttered to myself! I was so worried that I was going to hear Bruce Campbell, Jason Pierre-Paul, or Taylor Mays!
The breeze you felt immediately following the pick was a collective sigh of relief from Raider Nation!
It appears that Al Davis has finally given Raider Nation something to rejoice about in the first round of the NFL draft—unlike previous years when the sales of antacids and heart-burn medication skyrocketed in Oakland moments after the Raider's first round selection was announced.
I know that I have been critical of McClain in ...
Oakland Raider head coach Tom Cable made it clear in his press conference following the Raiders' first round selection of Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain that this year the Raiders would focus on filling positions of need in the draft.
Ordinarily observers might be skeptical, taking Cable's words as a possible smokescreen to obscure the Raiders' real intentions.
But Coach Cable went on to point out that the Raiders recognize they have big needs on both sides of the line of scrimmage—so many, in fact, that only the most cynical observers could take Cable at anything other than his word.
The Raiders go into Rounds ...
In a moment that has not been seen in quite some time, Al Davis made a decision so shocking that ESPN panelists were dumbfounded.
They're not alone. I to was dumbfounded. But perhaps I'm just projecting.
That decision was to select LB Rolando McClain of the University of Alabama. I did not expect that Mr. Davis would take interest in McClain, because the Raiders have historically taken only two linebackers in the first round.
Before then, the assumption had been that the Raiders would reach for a tackle graded as a second or third round pick, or officially end the JaMarcus Russell ...
We all love Kurt Suzuki and Andrew Bailey, but Dallas Braden is the next player the A's need to lock up long-term.
All the starting pitching hype coming into the season was centered on former All-Stars Justin Duchscherer and Ben Sheets coming back from a 2009 season lost to injuries, and the expected growth of young Brett Anderson looking to follow up his brilliant rookie campaign.
Oh, and there was that big spring training battle for the fifth rotation spot between Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill.
Not that Braden didn't have noise of his own. Braden was also coming off an injury that ...
The Raiders came into this season's draft with quite a few holes. Defensive tackle, offensive tackle, offensive guard, and linebacker.
They filled the linebacker hole today when they drafted middle linebacker Rolando McClain, a big and physical specimen who can lead the Raiders defense.
By drafting McClain, the Raiders have officially told hometown hero Kirk Morrison that he isn't good enough. Sure, Morrison is consistently in the top 10 for tackles each season. Add in the fact that our defense is on the field a lot more due to the lack of offensive productivity and lack of pressure in the middle ...
Welcome to the Bay Area Rolando! What a great way to start off the 2010 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders selecting one of the top defensive players coming out of college.
Rolando McClain is the truth and I'm glad I will be seeing him in the Sliver and Black. I, like most Raiders fans, am thrilled to see you joining our team. There were so many reports of us taking other players, but in the end McClain will make our defensive unit solid.
McClain was a player that we couldn't pass up. His leadership mixed with his size and power makes him an ...
It was always a possible, but never a probable.
Al Davis doesn't usually take linebackers in the first round, in fact only two in the entire Oakland Raiders history.
Raiders fans may have wanted an offensive tackle, and they may get one in he second round, but a lot of people will be happy with this pick by Oakland.
In a decade of first round busts, the Raiders have a taken a player at a position with the highest success rate in the draft— linebacker. They also got a high character guy, and a player who has played on a championship team.
McClain has ...
Keeping with his habit of continually confusing everyone who watches his draft process, Al Davis and the Raiders selected Rolando McClain with the eighth overall pick.
Now McClain is a true Top 10 talent, so that aspect of picking him here is not confusing (as opposed to Heyward-Bey last year), however, it is confusing that with so many pressing needs, the team decides to place another great linebacker next to Morrison on their defense.
I guess a newfound commitment to defense is what's going on in Oakland as they use this year's first round pick on McClain after using next ...
As everyone knows, this is Al Davis' time to shine. Nothing involved in tonight's draft will move unless Al Davis gives the word. That said, Mr Davis hasn't hit on a number one pick since Nnamdi Asomugha in 2003.
Davis hasn't changed his approach on drafting, and everyone knows what his tendencies are. If the height/weight/speed ratio aren't on an off-the-charts level, it's likely you won't be first-round pick for the Raiders.
That said, there are certain red flags that Davis should take into consideration before knighting a prospect as a great player. Here are just a few things Al Davis ...