The New Raiders: Pride, Poise and People Magazine

I’ve just returned from the Raiders’ training camp, which is in Death Valley this year because Al Davis doesn’t want any distractions, and I have to say the squad looks real interesting.

There was a lot of excitement when Bo Jackson reported. You probably read that the Kansas City Royals released Bo early because the Royals’ owner was afraid Bo might hurt himself playing baseball and not be at his best for the start of the Raider season. Besides, Jackson had already broken the major league record for strikeouts, and as one Royal player said, “Bo’s done enough.”

The Royals figured they wouldn’t miss Bo because they signed Eric Dickerson, who had parachuted out of the Rams’ plane over the Atlantic Ocean on the way to London when Ram management refused to renegotiate his contract. Eric said he wanted a contract like Bo’s, and now he’s got one. The Royals have Eric playing shortstop and they say he could be the next Bo Jackson. Or maybe the first Bo Jackson.

When Bo got to camp, he immediately called a team meeting to set the record straight. He explained that he didn’t really consider pro football a “hobby,” that he had been misquoted. “This is a serious job, I realize that,” Bo said. “Pro football is not a hobby. My hobby is pro basketball. I just signed with the Lakers.”

Coach Tom Flores announced that Bo certainly didn’t have a starting job sewed up, that he would have to earn it. Right now the running back position belongs to Mike Tyson, who won’t give it up without a fight, so to speak. The Raiders have kept Tyson’s signing a secret until now because they didn’t want a bunch of media creeps hanging around Death Valley.

Tyson quietly retired from boxing after beating Michael Spinks and discovering that the No. 1 contender on the horizon was Tex Cobb. “I might as well fight Ty Cobb,” Tyson said at his farewell press conference. “I might as well retire from the ring and sign a contract with the L.A. Raiders.”

Everyone laughed. The next day Davis showed up on Tyson’s doorstep with a contract, an evil grin and a black jersey, No. 1.

By then Davis was on a roll. He signed Reggie Jackson to run back kicks. Reggie pulled a groin muscle the first day in camp, at breakfast, moving too quickly through the cafeteria line, but is expected to be ready for the opener.

Ollie North was next. Ollie is doing time, of course. He was found innocent of any wrongdoing in the Iran affair, until a secret memo was leaked, revealing that North had flown in planeloads of contras to mow his lawn. The authorities, with some prodding by Davis, agreed to let North out of jail on weekends, and he has turned into a surprisingly effective defensive tackle.

North beefed up to 290 pounds by getting into a training program with Benoit Benjamin, and he’s got himself a Boz haircut. Boz, of course, now wears his hair in an Ollie North do.

Speaking of hair, Steve Garvey has been a pleasant Raider surprise, playing cornerback as well as he did back at Michigan State. When the Padres told Garv he wouldn’t be needed next year, he shopped around for a new team.

“The Raiders weren’t on my list, but Al Davis is a persuasive guy,” Garvey said. “He agreed to add pinstripes to the uniform so I’d look taller, and said he’d allow my barber into the locker room at halftime for any necessary trims.”

The Raiders are real enthusiastic about a couple of other newcomers, wide receiver John McEnroe and offensive tackle Craig (The Walrus) Stadler, who are rooming together. The team veterans like the spunky McEnroe because he plays without a helmet. He got mad the first day of practice, spiked his helmet and it bounced over the barbed wire fence and into the moat.

Stadler, who fled pro golf to escape “the self-righteous, nit-picking, rule-book sticklers,” cracks up the Raider vets when he knocks down a linebacker and says, “Now that’s an unplayable lie.” Jim Brown has finally come out of retirement to become a Raider, as has Wilt Chamberlain, who will play some wide receiver, block field goals and cook the team’s pregame meals.

Naturally, none of these new additions would mean much if the quarterback situation were still bleak, but it isn’t. Bruce Springsteen has filled the void nicely. You’ve heard the story of how Al Davis went to a Springsteen concert to scout sax player Clarence (Big Man) Clemons, but noticed Bruce’s quickness, poise and leadership ability.

The Boss was between albums and figured a few years with the Raiders would give him some new material. “Frankly, I’m tired of writing songs about New Jersey teen-agers who work in steel mills and wreck their cars,” Springsteen said.

On the down side, contract negotiations with Martina Navratilova, Gary Hart, George Brett and Chris McCarron have broken down. So, other than the people I’ve mentioned, the Raiders will pretty much go with the same lineup as last year.

The mood of the team is, in a word, “optimistic.”