NFL Credentials

While I do consider myself relatively normal, I also embrace the behavior that sets me apart, like wearing ludicrous outfits if the situation calls for it. In 2001 I had the good fortune to attend the AFC Championship. Oakland, my first favorite football team and one of the most colorful franchises in sports history, lost the game 16-3 to Trent Dilfer, Tony Siragusa and the rest of the soon-to-be-champs Baltimore Ravens. It was excruciating to watch, but it doesn't mean we didn't have fun. It will most likely continue to be my favorite football memory despite the result. It is not every day you get to wear a helmet....with a plastic pirate sword shoved through it. My most vivid memory of the day was leaving the stadium with 3 or 4 minutes to go. The Ravens D had dominated all day, capped by Siragusa body-slamming Rich Gannon like it was the WWF....the outcome was not in doubt. Some Raider faithful sitting behind us (we were in the nosebleeds and the booze was flowing) were not happy with our early departure. I was asked in a menacing tone: "Hey SwordHead, where ya going?" Obviously, it was the correct time to leave. Notes: The shirt said Dilfer Blows. The lead singer of that parking lot band was belting out "You've Got Another Thing Comin' " by Judas Priest in that pic. You can see by his smile that while he respects SwordHead, he does not fear SwordHead.