Raiders owner Al Davis ventured into the light of day, ostensibly to introduce interim coach Tom Cable (although really, is any Raiders coach NOT interim?), but in reality Davis used his time onstage to call Lane Kiffin a “liar,” a “disgrace,” and a “godless child molester.”  That last one I’m just guessing.

At one point, Davis read a three-page letter (written in blood, no doubt) that he sent to Kiffin outlining the former coach’s supposed faults, even placing it on an overhead projector for all to see.  It couldn’t have been easy to borrow that from the Museum of Shit Teachers Used Twenty Years Ago.

Naturally, this circus of the dark arts has made for some awesome columns and blog posts from the media outlets in northern California.

The Mercury News’ Ann Killion:

He dumped all the dirty, disgusting laundry out in front of the television cameras and microphones and notebooks. And the stench was awful.

And, right there on stage, Davis disclosed his own dark, vindictive soul. He revealed himself as an owner willing to torpedo his team’s season to build a case against Lane Kiffin so he wouldn’t have to pay Kiffin. [...]

Davis also confirmed the Machiavellian, paranoid nature of his rule. He is an owner who sends his coach — a man who was in his office from dawn to dark every day—a Federal Expressed three-page letter of accusations to create a paper trail so as to have evidence in court…

The man who gave Javon Walker a $55 million contract is going to astonishing lengths to withhold a couple of million dollars from Kiffin….

When asked if he was sure he could win his case, Davis smiled.  “I wouldn’t do it unless I was going to,” he said.

Davis then added, “Mwa-hahahahahaha!!”  Tim Kawakami on Davis’s interaction with reporters after the cameras were off:

-Q: Kiffin had that reputation at USC as a tough personality to like. Do you think you didn’t vet him well?

-AL DAVIS: No, I think he conned me like he conned all you people.[...]

-Q: Why did you trade [Randy] Moss if you knew he was good?

-DAVIS: They didn’t want him.

-Q: They?

-DAVIS: Not the coaches. They were coming in brand new. That was a big thing on their minds. Plus, you know how many teams turned him down. That guy in Green Bay thought he couldn’t run any more. Even Denver, where they’ll take anybody, turned him down. [...]

[on his son, Mark]

But he will own [the team] some day. That is… if they let me go to my maker.

There you go.  Evidence that Al Davis realizes he may be immortal.  Just as long as he avoids sunlight and wooden stakes to the heart.

[More links to the insanity at Deadspin; image by 289 for KSK]