d black egg in a deflating loss to the Falcons? The Coliseum is not quite quaint, not yet old enough to be seen as historic and, well, it has severe an

This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Oakland RaidersOverall: 85 Title track: 41 Ownership: 104 Coaching: 24 Players: 48 Fan relations: 69 Affordability: 54 Stadium experience: 119 Bang for the buck: 86 Change from last year: +20The Oakland Raiders last trip to the playoffs -- let alone their last winning record -- came when quarterback Derek Carr was 11 years old, in sixth grade and watching his older brother David get sacked 76 times as the NFLs No. 1 overall draft pick. In other words, it was in 2002. Raiders fans are betting on the younger Carr having learned from the struggles of his older brother to get this proud franchise back up and running ... wherever its future home is, be it Oakland, Las Vegas, Los Angeles or parts unknown.Whats goodThe much critiqued plan of owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie appears to be coming to fruition, and fans judged this new-and-improved roster a vast upgrade, boosting it 51 spots in the players category (to 48th). All it took was two years of deconstruction and two more building back up. Oakland has finally again become a destination for sought-after free agents like OL Kelechi Osemele, LB Bruce Irvin, CB Sean Smith and FS Reggie Nelson. And McKenzies recent drafts, selecting the likes of Carr, receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end Khalil Mack, have given Oakland a strong, young nucleus around which to build a competitive team -- and give fans hope for the immediate future.Whats badWas it merely karma that on the 50th anniversary of the September day the Oakland Coliseum opened, the Raiders laid a silver and black egg in a deflating loss to the Falcons? The Coliseum is not quite quaint, not yet old enough to be seen as historic and, well, it has severe and well-publicized plumbing issues. In these standings, the Raiders placed second-to-last in sports in having a great stadium (the only team worse? Uh, the As). The narrow concourse areas are exercises in claustrophobia for fans during games and, as the lone remaining facility to still host NFL and major league baseball games, the torn-up grass and baseball dirt infield is not pleasurable for players in either sport in the crossover months of August and September. Football players have to deal with losing traction -- and skin on their elbows and forearms -- on the slippery dirt. Still wondering why the Raiders want (and need) a new stadium?Whats newEveryone knows the denizens of Raider Nation are among the most loyal in all of sports. Theyd have to be, given what theyve endured since getting thumped in Super Bowl XXXVII -- the team has gone a combined 63-145 (.303) since. So its a testament to the fans and front office that fan relations is up 22 spots since last year, thanks in large part to coach Jack Del Rio, in his second season in Oakland, who has changed the culture and is a major reason why the excitement and optimism surrounding the team feels different. And Las Vegas move be damned: The fans have bought in, selling out season tickets and parking passes this season. Thats loyalty.Next: Philadelphia Eagles?| Full rankings Renell Wren Jersey .ca! 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The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Dusan Perovic hit 5 of 9 from 3-point range, finished with 21 points and seven rebounds and Binghamton rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat Long Beach State 72-64 on Thursday night.J.C. Show also had 21 points and Yosef Yacob hit 3-of-3 3-pointers and scored 15 for Binghamton (4-3).Perovic hit two 3s during a 17-5 run that gave Binghamton a 49-47 lead -- its first since midway through the first half -- with 6:48 to play. After LBSU briefly regained the lead, Yacob scored five points during an 11-4 run to make iit 64-57 with 1:34 left and the Bearcats held on from there.ddddddddddddEvan Payne led LBSU (1-6) with 14 points. The 49ers made 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) 3-pointers, 9-of-16 (56.3) free throws and have lost six in row.Binghamton shot just 22 percent and scored 17 points in the first half but shot 52 percent from the field, hit 7-of-14 3-pointers and scored 55 points in the second -- its most points in a half this season. ' ' '