It's tough being an Oakland Raiders fan in Orange County. Hell, it's tough being an Oakland Raiders fan in OAKLAND these days. But “roll over” and “die” are words you will not find in the Raider Nation dictionary (which, contrary to Raider Hater opinion, many Raider fans can indeed read). Woeful, pitiful, embarrassing record or not, Larry Garcia and his Oakland Raiders-endorsed Oakland Raiders Boosters of Orange County continue to paint Orange County silver and black. Though many members will travel down to the unfriendly confines of Qualcomm Stadium to have all manner of food, beverage and epithets hurled at them as the Raiders square off against their AFC West rivals San Diego, several will root Oakland on in front of the brand-new 70-inch plasma TV at Larry's Pizza, the Fullerton establishment whose walls are transformed into a Raider shrine every NFL season. Arrive early for a seat as booster-club membership keeps growing, reports Garcia, a.k.a. D-Fence due to his get-up at many Raider home games. (Speaking of get-ups, don't you dare go wearing a Chargers jersey into Larry's Pizza—no relation to Larry Garcia, by the way.)
Other Raider-friendly establishments include: Killarney Pub N Grill (“HB's Raider Nation!!!”), 209 Main St., Huntington Beach; Press Box Sports Bar N Grill, 480 N. Glassell St., Anaheim; Max Bar N Grill, 18922 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach; Centerfield Sports Bar N Grill, 17296 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach; Hooters, 130 Pine Ave., Long Beach; and Danny K's, 1096 N. Main St., Orange.
Meanwhile, local Chargers fans infest the Fox Sports Grill at the Irvine Spectrum. Show up in silver and black at your own risk.
Watch the Oakland Raiders destroy the San Diego Chargers at Larry's Pizza, 926 W. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton, (714) 871-3484. Sun., 1 p.m. To join Oakland Raiders Boosters of Orange County, write to 2034 E. Lincoln Ave., No. 315, Anaheim, CA 92806-4101. For details, call (714) 278-8922 or e-mail La**********@al***.com.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.