Malta is Oakland east? Who knew?

I have been an Oakland Raiders fan for as long as I have been watching the NFL. Back in the early 70’s, my father was stationed at Mare Island Navel Base in Vallejo, California, a 35-minute drive from the Oakland Coliseum, home of Charlie Finley’s Athletics and Al Davis’ Raiders.

My father was around 18-years-old at the time, a fresh-faced sailor from Butte, Montana, making his first stop in a military career that would end up spanning over 30 years. I’m not sure if my father was a Raiders’ fan before moving to Northern Cali, but he quickly became a fan of the Raiders because of our close prox...