Raider Fans Look Forward to This Kind of Orange Crush

Raider fans! Are you running low on Bronco-bashing ammunition? Find yourself wishing you could be as abusive as the screaming guy 20 rows behind you?

If so, what you need is “The Bronco Haters Handbook.”

The author, Rick Edward Richards of Minturn, Colo., calls himself America’s No. 1 Bronco Hater.

That’s a lot of responsibility for one person, but Richards is equal to the task, with chapters such as “Determining Whether or Not You’re a True Bronco Hater,” “Appropriate Gloating Procedures” and “Bronco Party Jokes.”

Bronco party joke:

Q: How many Broncos does it take to fix a flat?

A: One, unless it’s a blowout. Then the whole team shows up.

Add Bronco party jokes: Q: Why are they tearing out all the grass at Mile High Stadium and replacing it with cardboard?

A: The Broncos always look better on paper.

Trivia time: Before Penn State adopted its traditional blue and white, what were the Nittany Lions’ colors, first worn in 1887?

MegaBuc opportunity: The Florida state lottery jackpot stands at a record $100 million. One Tampa Bay Buccaneer has a serious case of Lotto fever.

Said wide receiver Willie Drewrey, whose salary is $220,000 a year: “You can bet I’m playing it. I’ll buy $20 worth of tickets. If I win I’ll probably retire. . . . I love the game, but I could learn to love it at a distance.”

Just vote, baby: Tuesday, the NFL published its list of nominees for the silver anniversary Super Bowl team. The finalists will be selected in nationwide balloting among NFL fans.

In the list of 105 nominees, the Raiders are represented by former coach Tom Flores and 14 players: Marcus Allen, Fred Biletnikoff, Cliff Branch, Willie Brown, Dave Casper, Dave Dalby, Ray Guy, Lester Hayes, Mike Haynes, Ted Hendricks, Rod Martin, Jim Plunkett, Art Shell and Gene Upshaw.

The Raiders’ group was second only to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had Coach Chuck Noll and 15 players nominated.

Add Raiders: Defensive end Howie Long, who had two sacks and six solo tackles against Denver Sunday, did his best Bart Simpson impression when asked by an Associated Press reporter to explain his diminished performance the last two seasons.

Pointing to his right calf, where coagulated blood was removed in 1988, and his right knee, on which he had ligament surgery in 1987, Long said: “Take a look at the scars. Which one do you want to go over, man?”

Tour de rookie: Sponsors of today’s Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival in Cable, Wis., say the field of 2,250 makes it the world’s largest mountain bike race.

If the morning line for the 40-mile race through a rolling, wooded course is accurate, you can get a good price on 2,249 of the competitors. What’s more, any of them with at least one race on a mountain bike is more experienced than the favorite--Greg LeMond.

Trivia answer: Black and cerise (deep pink).

Quotebook: Former American League umpire Ron Luciano: “It took me a long time to realize that umpiring is standing between two 7-year-olds with one ice cream cone.”