Raiders vs. Bears: A Super Game That Has to Be Played

By now it should be perfectly obvious to all of us what the world needs to get the New Year off to a proper start

The Raiders vs. the Bears in the Super Bowl.

No other two will do.

Even the league office is anticipating a Raider-Bear match-up, having designated this Super Bowl XX. Many fans assume this indicates Game No. 20 in a series, but the XX is actually in honor of the legal signature most commonly used by members of the Raiders and Bears.

This will be Flintstone football, no frills, no modern niceties, except for metal detectors. Even the players’ names are tough. The Bears have guys named Baschnagel and Dent. The Raiders have tough-sounding guys like Plunkett and Junkin and Lester the Molester.

I know I’ll be rooting for the Raiders and Bears to cut a wide and bloody swath through the playoffs, and wind up foaming at the lips across the line of scrimmage on Jan. 26.

It’s fate. It’s destiny. It’s a natural. We’ve got some dream match-ups here.

For starters, there’s the battle of the BYU quarterbacks. In college, their styles were contrasting. Marc Wilson attended Brigham Young University; Jim McMahon held it hostage.

McMahon, an outgoing, outrageous sort, has become a media darling. Wilson, though quieter and less inclined to be photographed carrying automatic weapons, has become a familiar face. Most of his teammates now know Marc by sight and call him by his first name.

Wilson’s teammates and coaches alternate between admiring his skill and courage, and wondering if he should be sent back to BYU for more seasoning.

Then we’ve got the battle of the running backs. This game would feature the two most creative and exciting ballcarriers alive today. OK, three, if you count Refrigerator Perry.

Walter (Sweetness) Payton and Marcus (Marcus) Allen not only are the two leading candidates for the NFL’s MVP award, but are two of the great triple-threat backs (run, pass, block) of our time.

Then there is the match-up of sprinters, Willie Gault vs. Jesse Hester.

But the most exciting match-up will be off the field, the battle of the teams’ respective spiritual leaders--Al Davis and Mike Ditka.

Davis invented, and constantly cultivates, the Raiders’ sinister mystique and image. Ditka is the epitome of tough-guy, snarling football. He’s so tough he used to wear his football cleats inside out.

And how about the fans? A group of Bear fans were thrown off an airplane a few weeks ago for turning the flight into an airborne Animal House. Toughened up and angered by years of losing football, not to mention by an overexposure to the cold wind off Lake Michigan and the hot wind off Harry Caray, the Chicago fans are ready for the Super Bowl.

The Raiders fans have been playing it cool this season. With beer supplies cut off in the fourth quarter of every game at the Coliseum, the fans have been more subdued, almost human. But in New Orleans, Bourbon Street is open late, and there will be no red lights at the Super Dome beer stands.

Then there is the Hollywood angle. Something for everyone to hate.

The Raiders’ have Lyle Alzado, who appears on “The Tonight Show” about every other night, and Todd Christensen, who had his own TV show. Most critics agree it’s only a matter of time before these two become legends in the industry.

The Bears have the Refrigerator. Admit it now, the ‘Fridge is a charming guy, but you’re getting just a little bit tired of reading about William Perry and seeing him on TV commercials and specials. And the book, the movie and the action doll aren’t even on the market yet.

Yes, this is the game we must have on Jan. 26, if we can wait that long.

I know it’s unprofessional for me to root like this, but I have to consider what’s best for all concerned. For instance, it would be nice for the Rams to make the Super Bowl, but do they have what it takes?

Quarterback Dieter Brock, for one, has to be worn out after facing his toughest attack of the season Monday night. No, not from Howie Long and Bill Pickel, but from O.J. Simpson and Joe Namath.

They made fun of Dieter’s Don Drysdale-style delivery and lack of mobility. And then, as the game wound down . . .

Namath: “Now why, right now, do the Rams have Dieter Brock in the game? Why do they have people in the game that they’re looking to go into the playoffs with, with a minute and 17 seconds left on the clock?”

Simpson: “Maybe they’re trying to get rid of ‘em.”

This is ridiculous, of course. If John Robinson were trying to get rid of anyone, it would be the guy who designed his offense.

Soon enough, however, the Rams and Dolphins and the other gritty, worthy contenders will be swept aside, and we can get down to the business of playing real football.

Now, if only we could avoid all the silly media hype.