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Tuesday, January 16 Raiders fans show their loyality OAKLAND, Calif. -- Despite the outcome of the AFC championship game, it was a great weekend to be a Raiders fan. Oakland's loss to Baltimore was a disappointing ending to a celebratory time in the Bay Area, which normally maintains a sophisticated, laid-back attitude toward its sports teams -- except the Raiders, that is. The team's famously frenzied supporters took over the town for Oakland's first conference title game since 1976. The parties and gatherings for Sunday's game began Friday, with many East Bay businesses allowing employees to wear Raiders gear to work. Radio stations giving away tickets were besieged by thousands of calls. Fans started gathering for the game on Saturday. Traffic on the Nimitz Freeway next to the Coliseum was slowed and disrupted by gawkers more than 24 hours before the game started. Shortly after the gates opened, the stadium parking lots were full of fans barbecuing, drinking and shouting. Thousands more rode the BART trains to the Coliseum and made their way past dozens of scalpers. The stadium was sold out for the fifth time in 10 regular-season and playoff games. "It's been a long time since Raiders fans got to do this, so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss it," said Dave Carter of Pleasanton, who rode the train with his 8-year-old son Jason. Both wore Charles Woodson jerseys, and Jason's face was painted silver and black by his mother back at home. Inside the stadium, the fans didn't wait until the game began to give Oakland its home advantage. Connie Stevens sang the national anthem, but everything after "the rockets' red glare" was drowned out by raucous cheering and fireworks. Though the Raiders' slow start gave them little to celebrate, the fans cheered Shane Lechler's booming punts, and bandwagon fans exchanged high-fives with die-hards when Baltimore was called for an offensive holding penalty. When Shannon Sharpe taunted the crowd at the end of his 96-yard reception, the Black Hole responded by throwing ice and beer cups at him. "We have the best home-field advantage in football," said Taz Nunez of Concord. "There's no place like Oakland, baby!" But the Coliseum gradually grew quiet as the Ravens' 16-3 victory became more certain. There were scattered boos for Oakland's inept offense, and several thousand fans headed to the exits early. Those who remained were in a bad mood. They booed as Baltimore accepted the trophy at midfield, and they booed even more loudly when Art Modell took the microphone. Oakland considers itself a blue-collar town -- just like Cleveland, the other NFL city whose heart Modell's team has broken. Brown denied Last week, Oakland receiver Tim Brown said he wouldn't get excited about the Raiders' season until they were headed to the Super Bowl. Brown will still be waiting next fall. After 13 seasons, the most prolific receiver in Oakland's history is still waiting to play in his first Super Bowl. "Obviously, I don't have 10 years to get back up and do this again," Brown said. Only Minnesota kicker Gary Anderson has played longer without making it to football's biggest game. Giants lineman Lomas Brown was second on the list before New York beat the Vikings on Sunday. Even more frustrating to Brown was his inability to help the Raiders' offense. He led the team with five catches for 48 yards, but couldn't get in the end zone on a second-half catch in the middle of the field. "You have to give them credit for holding us back, but the way we played offense today, we could not have beaten anybody," Brown said. Extra points Baltimore became the third No. 4 AFC playoff seed to advance to the Super Bowl in four years, joining Denver in 1997-98 and Tennessee last year. ... The Raiders appeared in the championship game for the first time since 1990, when they lost 51-3 to the Buffalo Bills. ... Sharpe knows something about winning playoff football. His teams have won 10 consecutive postseason games. He was a member of both of Denver's Super Bowl-winning teams. ... The Ravens and Raiders hadn't met since Nov. 8, 1998. Baltimore won 13-10, with Matt Stover kicking a game-winning field goal and Rod Woodson scoring the Ravens' only TD on an 18-yard interception return. ... The elaborate halftime show featured the unusual musical pairing of '80s rap supergroup Run DMC and Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins, whose first name was misspelled as "Stephen" on the Coliseum scoreboard.
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