Apparently seven straight horrific losing seasons by the Raiders has put at least some of the team’s fans over the edge.   A group of three longtime Raider diehards have gone so far as to set up a website, which currently claims to have over 32,000 signed and validated petitions, begging owner Al Davis to loosen his grip on decisions made for the Raiders’ organization.

The website, www.messagetoAl.com, has garnered enough support that the group has even put up a billboard for the month of December right next to the Oakland Coliseum, home of the Raiders, asking Mr. Davis to please hire a GM for the struggling franchise. In addition, plans are in the works to take out an ad in a major Bay Area newspaper to further state the group’s cause.

Davis, of course, has been the architect behind recent draft moves that included passing on Larry Fitzgerald (too slow for Al!) in favor of offensive lineman Robert Gallery, grabbing the speedy yet hands-deficient Darius Heyward-Bey far ahead of all projections at number seven this past draft, and perhaps the mother of all busts, QB JaMarcus Russell as the number one overall pick two years ago. Russell has performed so poorly that after two games of being booed at home, he was finally benched in favor of journeyman backup Bruce Gradkowski, who promptly delivered a win in his first start.

Will the fans get their wish?  They are, after all, keeping things respectable and truly want to see the once storied franchise return to its glory days.

But as long as Al is still capable of a mean overhead projector presentation, their efforts aren’t likely to sway the man in charge. That’s too bad for Raider fans.