Probably only Raiduh fan can appreciate this
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:52 pm
2005 Raiders training camp
Press Democrat beat reporter Phil Barber writes from Raiders training camp in Napa.
Friday, August 19, 2005
I miss Phillip Buchanon.
The limousines and industrial-strength necklaces? He could never match his idol, Deion Sanders, in that regard. The shaky pass coverage? Nah, we’ll probably get some of that from Nnamdi Asomugha and Fabian Washington this season.
It’s the quotes we’ll miss. No one can match the man called Showtime (primarily, by himself) when it comes to unique vocabulary and tortured syntax. Now, I realize we’re treading dangerous ground here. Buchanon is from a poor area of Fort Myers, Fla. Holding him to the king’s English (or even the governor’s) would be elitist, or worse.
But Buchanon goes beyond the normal athlete-speak. In fact, with a little more national attention, he could become a modern-day, African-American Yogi Berra. Here are a few of his gems from Thursday in Houston, where he was the darling of the Raiders’ beat writers until the Randy Moss thing, uh, caught fire.
On playing for the Texans: “I’m out here, I’m with Houston now, and I’m taking it stride for stride.”
On reuniting with his former teammates: “I talked to everybody, except a couple guys I didn’t talk to.”
On teammates not backing him up in Oakland: “When good things are going good, everybody’s with you.”
On Saturday’s game against the Raiders: “It’s a game that’s gonna help us get to the playoffs, but it doesn’t help us get IN the playoffs.”
At least Buchanon has a sense of history. He took a moment to compare his current coach, the Texans’ Dom Capers, with Raiders coach Norv Turner, saying, “Dom’s a little bit different coach than Norm.”
Press Democrat beat reporter Phil Barber writes from Raiders training camp in Napa.
Friday, August 19, 2005
I miss Phillip Buchanon.
The limousines and industrial-strength necklaces? He could never match his idol, Deion Sanders, in that regard. The shaky pass coverage? Nah, we’ll probably get some of that from Nnamdi Asomugha and Fabian Washington this season.
It’s the quotes we’ll miss. No one can match the man called Showtime (primarily, by himself) when it comes to unique vocabulary and tortured syntax. Now, I realize we’re treading dangerous ground here. Buchanon is from a poor area of Fort Myers, Fla. Holding him to the king’s English (or even the governor’s) would be elitist, or worse.
But Buchanon goes beyond the normal athlete-speak. In fact, with a little more national attention, he could become a modern-day, African-American Yogi Berra. Here are a few of his gems from Thursday in Houston, where he was the darling of the Raiders’ beat writers until the Randy Moss thing, uh, caught fire.
On playing for the Texans: “I’m out here, I’m with Houston now, and I’m taking it stride for stride.”
On reuniting with his former teammates: “I talked to everybody, except a couple guys I didn’t talk to.”
On teammates not backing him up in Oakland: “When good things are going good, everybody’s with you.”
On Saturday’s game against the Raiders: “It’s a game that’s gonna help us get to the playoffs, but it doesn’t help us get IN the playoffs.”
At least Buchanon has a sense of history. He took a moment to compare his current coach, the Texans’ Dom Capers, with Raiders coach Norv Turner, saying, “Dom’s a little bit different coach than Norm.”