Being a Raiders fan over the past couple of years is the equivalent to being in a dead-end relationship that had great moments in the past but whose flames have quickly faded out like a candle in the wind.

While you realize that initial amazing honeymoon period can’t last forever, you don’t exactly expect it to contribute to your newly found addiction to porn and Prozac.

And that’s what it’s been over the past 7 years or so. From the Super Bowl team with the dream offense consisting of MVP Rich Gannon, and two of the greatest receivers of all time–Rice and Brown, to the crap that they call football today, it certainly has been one hell of an Enron stock-like roller coaster ride.

Like a broken marriage then, this marred relationship has inevitably lead to a mistress, otherwise found in the shape of 53 men dressed in red and gold from the other side of the bay in the 49ers.

They’re like the comfort friend who you grew up with and has always kind of been there for you, but it could never happen for there was always one better and you didn’t want to keep them around for you knew they could never rank higher than #2 in your heart.

And only recently in your biggest downs and most major times of need have I seen that team across the bay in a new light. Saw them in action a few times, liked what I saw, and before I knew it I was committing sports fan adultery with the sworn enemy of my #1–and I was too far into it before I even realized that I could never escape.

I’ve officially become a sports fan Mormon.

Other things I’ve done to solace my Raiders fan-ism:

*watch today’s game again right after S-Bass’s first field goal and pretend it was over
*play their season in Madden ‘08 with Jamarcus Russell who’s thrown for 18 TDs in 3 games leading the RAIDERS to a 3-0 start
*drown myself in tequila
*slit my wrists