Oakland Raiders Fan Almost Fainted, Now Sees Light at End of Tunnel

I don't know about you, but I almost fainted or at least lost hope because of this complicated NFL lockout drama.

Something great happened on July 11, 2011, the first day of class, and now I hope others are encouraged.

After looking at the 2011 schedule, I noticed that the Oakland Raiders will play the Houston Texans on my birthday, October 9.

Since my favorite team is the Oakland Raiders, I certainly was hoping to get to the game—it would be so much fun to see Jacoby Ford catch that ball and get a touchdown, somewhat like he did in 2010.

It would also be great to see Mario Henderson on the field, since he is a Facebook friend.

Some of us could go on and on about the fun and inspiration we draw from Oakland Raiders victories.

Since I am a Texan who is a Raiders fan, I consider myself fortunate because of what happened on that first day of class.

A young man asked to speak with me after class, so we went to the math lab to talk. He works for the Houston Texans, and after the conversation, I was convinced that I needed to keep up with the Texans while I also kept track of the Raiders' growth and progress.

How lucky I consider myself to be after meeting with that student.

He promised me he was going to do well in the math class, and I encouraged him to learn enough math and statistics to analyze Texans data as I often analyze Raiders data.

This lockout has been messing with my spirit.

After yesterday, however, I have a renewed interest, and my spirit is uplifted. I feel that it is a part of my destiny to continue tracking the progress and careers of the young Oakland Raiders.

The young student invited me to visit the Texans' YMCA. It would be a great opportunity to see a place at which NFL players do community service and help others.

The Houston Texans YMCA is located at 5202 Griggs Road in Houston, near Martin Luther King Blvd.

Well, be encouraged because if my good luck of meeting someone who works for an NFL franchise is a sign, then I believe it is definitely a good sign that my favorite team, the Oakland Raiders, are going to have a great season in 2011.