Sports Czar

Why Posey had to go down

2010-04-05T10:23:00.001-07:00

2016, ATT Park (or probably Twitter park at this point) Batting third for the Giants at Catcher, Buuusssstttterrrr Poooossssseeyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now if our spring phenom had started this year with the big league club backing up Molina, in 2016 he probably would be with the Yankees. I disagree with a great deal of Sabean’s choices but this one is right on. In today's baseball world of business you have to be really smart with your young talent. An occasional Barry Zito contract fiasco is a lot easier to hide when you get all-star performances from young players with less then 6 years major league service time – such as Timmy and Panda. When you look at the Giants payroll most of the names at the top are underachieving past their prime veterans, where as most of the good players are the young haven’t been eligible for free agency yet guys. Would you trade a month of Lincecum or Sandoval for a full year of them, yes I thought you would.

And this is only addresses the 6 years the player is still under the teams control before he hits the open market. The other key is the first 3 when they don’t even have the right to arbitration and they make less than 1M. The Giants as a mid market team can have a few high salaried players (and by the time Posey is up we hope those players are the aforementioned Lincecum and Sandoval) but unless you are the Yankees or Red Sox you also need to get production from the young cheap players or you have no chance to compete.

Baseballs financial system may not be fair, but at least it is easy to understand. If you are one of the big spenders you don’t really have to worry about young talent. Just wait for other teams to develop guys into their prime and then out bid everyone to get them. But if you aren’t one of those top 4-5 teams then you had better be smart with the money you to dole out and smart with the young talent you can keep off the open market. Giants struck out on the first one, but at least lately have been hitting them out of the park with the second one.

Let Buster go down for about a month and play every day, his clock won’t start until you bring him up and in 2016 we will get one more full year of him before he hits the open market. Besides I think Zito is slated to make around 4 Billion dollars that year so we need all the payroll help we can get.

Random Thoughts of the day

2009-11-25T13:17:00.001-08:00

Notre Dame needs to think long and hard before firing Weis. It is one thing if they can get a commitment from someone like Gruden. An entirely different thing if they are going to fire him and then try to find his replacement. Notre Dame has only 3 real impact players: Jimmy Clausen, Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. Floyd isn’t going anywhere yet because of his injury problems (although I suspect he will be the best pro of the three.) Clausen on the other hand is probably paying very close attention to the Weis situation. Early in the season when Clausen was playing well and leading the Irish to last second victories his NFL stock was soaring, so much so in fact I saw him as the #1 overall pick in one mock draft. But the same losses that have dropped Weis’s stock are affecting Clausen as well and now it is debatable if he is even a first rounder. But regardless of his draft position it seems unlikely Clausen would stay for a rebuilding first year coach. Weis stays and I think the combination of Clausen’s loyalty to Weis the university and his chance to increase his stock with a proven NFL coach all convince him to return for his senior year. I love Golden Tate, but Tate lacks the elite size or speed to be an NFL star and while he will certainly play in the league he needs another big collegiate year to move up the draft boards. He knows that he can do that with Clausen, but is probably less sure of that with Dayne Crist. All of that leads me to believe Notre Dame’s wisest course of action is to give Weis one more year – unless of course Gruden is already house shopping in South Bend.
One thing should make Weis feel better is how much of a foregone conclusion that national media seems to think his firing is. Seems like the more sure the conventional wisdom is, the less likely it will come true.
Rooting hard for the Saints this week over the Patriots. Always fun to see something new and it would be spectacular to see a super bowl between an undefeated Colts vs the undefeated Saints – it would be the most hyped game in history.

Random Thoughts

2009-11-23T10:31:00.001-08:00

Author unknown and completely off topic, but too good not to post. Great way to start a week.

* Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

* I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

* The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard.. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

* There is a great need for sarcasm font.

* Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I wa s younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

* How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

* I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

* I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

* The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

* Was learning cursive really necessary?

* I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

* How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

* I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front.

* MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

* Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

* I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

* Bad decisions and bad experiences make good stories

* You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

* There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

* I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

* As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

* Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is .

* It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

* I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

* Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey

- but I'd bet my a$$ everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

5 things

2009-10-01T08:25:00.001-07:00

Five things I wish would happen in Sports:

1. Warriors bought by semi-competent ownership and Rowell, Nelson and the lot shown the door. This team needs a complete rebuild and it needs to start at the top.

2. Michael Crabtree signs, reports and works his tail off. In the process impressing his coaches and teammates, and winning the fans back by achieving his potential but staying clear of the all too common WR me first nonsense that has taken over the league.

3. Crabtree does in fact sit out the year and goes back in the draft. He then gets drafted in the third round, makes a tenth of what he would have made and then pouts himself out of the league. Sure the Niners get screwed in this scenario, but if he is really going to be that guy – the Niners are far better off wasting a single pick then all the money and headache of another TO

4. Giants actually get a couple of real offensive threats in the off season and actually compete for the division next year. As exciting as much of this year was, even had this obviously flawed team squeaked into the wild card they would have been quickly eliminated.

5. Sharks actually make some noise in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It is going to be a long regular season for the sharks because they could go 82-0 and everyone will still be saying, yes but what are you going to do in the playoffs.

Five things I am afraid will probably happen instead:

1. W’s will continue on with the island of misfit toys and continue to challenge the Clippers as the worst run team in the NBA. They will lose and once again blame injuries.

2. Crabtree will eventually sign and then will conduct himself in the same manner as he has in the negotiations. Single handedly ruining the positive atmosphere coach Singletary has created and dragging the team back to mediocrity.

3. Crabtree will sit out and some moronic team will pick him in the first round AND give him the money he wants AND he will turn out to be good (but still ultimately self centered)

4. Giants will sign a few mediocre talents (ala Garko) chase the wild card all year and continue to waste the rare dominance of a pitcher like Lincecum.

5. Sharks finish first in the conference again and actually win in the first round, only to go out very quietly in he second.

Warriors Offseason

2009-07-01T15:56:00.001-07:00

Tons of rumors and I am a little worried that they are going to try and come back with the same cast of characters and hope that a healthy Monte and Curry will carry them. But carry them to what? 47 wins and a second round playoff exit would be a monumentally successful year with the roster as constructed.

So I will set out to fix the W’s and none of this trade Belinelli for LeBron stuff – only moves that have a realistic possibility of happening.

First things first, do the Amare trade. Do it now. give them Curry, don’t worry about him extending his deal. I like Curry and it would be interesting to see a Curry-Monte backcourt but Amare has the potential if healthy and motivated to be an all-star, and if you haven’t noticed the W’s haven’t had an allstar in almost 20 years. Also he is one of the few super athletic big men in the league and can fit into the Nelson system. Sure his motivation and health are a concern and Riley has expressed reluctance to make the move without him resigning. But what is the downside here. Even if he bombs out, or doesn’t resign then the Warrriors will have a ton of cap room for the vaunted 2010 class of LeBron, Wade, Bosh, etc. Finally this team NEEDS to roll the dice. Tim after time the Warriors make the cautious move, finish 500, draft 14th, repeat. They need something Bold and the Amare trade is bold.

So for the record we are going to send Biedrins, Belinelli, Wright, Azubuike and Curry. Yes, it is a lot to give up. But with the lineup I project none of those guys will be missed.

Now, to truly make this work we need to fix the PG situation. I love Monte, but he is not a point and he needs a strong point that can cover the 2’s that are too big for him – so we are going to sign Andre Miller with our mid level exemption. Past seasons you wouldn’t be able to get a player of his level with the mid level. But the economy and the looming 2010 class has made this a buyers market and he is unlikely to get more than that.

So where does that put us

PG – Miller – Very solid point

SG – Ellis – with the new supporting cast and no point responsibilities a healthy Monte can score 25 per

SF – Jackson – Hate the idea of Captain Jack at the 2. With Amare on board and Ellis ascending he fits back into his role as #3 guy, toughness, defense and big shots.

PF – Randolph – Most intriguing and lost in the shuffle guys. I am looking forward to Randolf playing 35 min a night more than anything else in the 2009 NBA season

C- Amare – Scoring, Rebounding and with Miller running the show and Ellis slashing Amare and Randolph will dunk 5 times a night.

6th man – Maggette – I would love to unload him, but his contract makes him untradeable for all but other bad contracts. I do think that in a 6th man role he could come off and give us some great bench scoring, but keep his black hole offense away from crunch time.

Bench Defense – Turiaf – I must admit I didn’t get this signing last year, but quietly it was an excellent move by the Warriors. Shot blocking, energy, defense, rebounding and a great attitude make Turiaf one of my favorite Warriors.

Bench Shooter – Morrow – He proved last year he can shoot and in the right role can make an impact. He is too limited a player to be a 30 min guy, but in 18 min off the bench he could have some big nights and is exactly the kind of guy that goes 5 for 6 from 3 in a playoff game to steal a game.

Backup Point – Watson – like Morrow I don’t want to see him more than 12-18 min a night, but in a backup role he is very servable.

All of a sudden we have a versatile, athletic 9 man rotation that is at the very least intriguing. Perhaps with something like this I might be led to Believe again.

A year in the life of a Sports Czar

2009-02-14T21:33:00.001-08:00

I wanted to start this at the beginning of the year, but didn’t get to it to now. I also would like this to be a daily recap, a journal if you will of a day to day account with my sports life. But since it is my blog no doubt I won’t get to it everyday, in fact I will be pretty happy if I can do something weekly.

First day up all-star Saturday – I watched it all, but it just doesn't hold my interest much anymore. Playing the 3point shootout on the 360 with my son is a lot more fun then watching the contest. I will say the dunk contest was surprisingly good with both Nate Robinson and Dwight Howard putting on a show. LeBron committing to next year was nice as well. It started pretty weakly and I hate the 2 minute – miss 9 dunks in a row thing but Howard and Robinson really pulled it out with some amazing dunks. In order:

the 12’ dunk – Why he didn’t save this for last I don’t know. If he did this last he walks away with it.
The Robinson over Howard dunk – pretty damn impressive and you have to love Howards willingness to help the other guy win.
The off the side Howard dunk – I don’t know if anyone ever could have pulled that off. He caught the ball outside the perimeter of the backboard and still threw it down with authority. I really don’t know if any of the past greats could have done that, not even Jordan, Wilkins or Dr J. I am still in awe of this dunk.

All in all I had the feeling that the Dunk contest had jumped the shark, but those 3 dunks were as good as I have ever seen.

Some other random sports news thoughts:

Michael Vick – I am not sure what the Falcons are thinking. No one is giving you anything for Vick. He was a good running QB when he played but not a great QB. Sure even with all that has happened someone will give him a chance, but they will do so at the veterans minimum and they aren’t giving up anything to get him. Falcons, just cut him and move on.
Manny Ramirez – I keep hoping the Giants find a way to sign him. With him, their pitching and the horrific NL West they could win the division. without him they could finish last and set a Pac Bell Park low attendance record.
Amare to the Warriors – I love this idea, but after spending time on the ESPN trade machine I don’t see it happening. The only combinations that work salary wise just doesn’t make sense for the Suns.
Which brings us to Corey Maggette – The only trades that seem to work involved moving Maggette, but no one is going to take on his contract which means once again the bay area is leading the league in bad contracts. Maggette is really quite an interesting player. He does a lot of things well, gets to the foul line, makes his FT’s – but you watch him play and have to wonder is he helping us win? The Clippers were happy to see him go and the Warriors obviously panicked after being snubbed by Baron, Elton & Gilbert in one week. Funny thing is of the four, Maggette is the most healthy and having the best season. In the end this is why teams like the Warriors always lose and teams like the Spurs always win. The Spurs build a team, the Warriors just collect talented players. At this level all the players are talented – it takes more to succeed in the NBA and when I watch the Warriors play the only guys that seem to actually help them win are Jackson and Ellis with slight contributions from Beidrins and Turiaf. Other than that it is just a collection of players. Hard to believe it has only been two years since we all believed.

Sports Czar Decree of the Day

2009-01-22T15:22:00.001-08:00

No one wants to read excuses, so without a word of explanation I try to revive to Sports Czar with my new feature – The Decree of the Day.

10 years before Bill Simmons attempted to steal my Sports Czar title I started the Sports Czar as my take on sports and what I would change if I had complete authority. With that historical background I bring the decree of the day – where I give judgment on the current sports world.

Decree of the day:

Don Nelson should be fired. Sure the Warriors has a long stretch of futility between his coaching stints and he brought back some degree of respectability, but at this point Nelson no longer makes sense for this team.

The Warriors have next to no chance of making the playoffs, and absolutely ZERO chance of doing anything once they get there. The 2007 playoff run was as enjoyable a time as we have had in bay area sports in at least a decade, but that team no longer exists. This team has been poorly put together in the way the old Warriors where. Just slap together a collection or randomly talented players with no apparent thought as to how those guys work together or how they fit the coach. Sure the We Believe Warriors had Baron Davis, but what really made them work was great chemistry and players that fit their roles in what Nelson was trying to do. This team has a ton of talented players who have no idea when they are going to play and what their role is.

Anthony Randolph frequently starts but plays less than 10 minutes, replacing Brandon Wright who was given the same treatment. Morrow and Bellini have alternated roles of being forgotten man one night and essential keys the next. The only guys Nelson trusts: Jackson and Crawford rarely come out and frequently play the entire game. If LeBron James can sit 15 minutes a night, surely anyone on the Warriors can. When you watch the Warriors play every night you know that Jackson and Crawford will play the entire game, Biedrins will play until he gets into foul trouble and the other guys will be selected by throwing darts at the dart board. I am not even getting into the Cory Maggette deal. An obviously talented player that doesn’t seem to fit at all.

I am not delusional here (that is probably debatable) I know that Don Nelson has forgot more basketball than I will ever know. But I just don’t think he is the right fit for this team which is so young. I believe it is time for the W’s to go in a new direction – too bad we missed out on D’Antoni.

5 days till Head Coach

2008-08-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

I have never been more excited about a game - he is saying all the right things, hitting on all the right details that were wrong in the last version.

Great Article on Sports Gaming

2008-07-17T08:34:00.001-07:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=hruby/080716

this is a must read for gamers

Back from the dead

2008-07-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

It has been very quiet around here and while I have numerous columns half written, I have not had the time to finish any of late.

I did run across some excellent links I read today to share.

First, ESPN has an amazing baseball story. Would not be surprised to see a sportscenter piece done on this:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=pahigian/080710

Second, an excellent breakdown of the 2002 Game 6 Lakers - Kings game. I never quite believe the NBA was rigged, partially because I am not a big believer in conspiracy theories and partially because I don't see the NBA, or more directly Stern risking his billion dollar business just to sway ratings. Also if the NBA is rigging things how do they ever let Cleveland win the Labron lottery or San Antonio the Duncan lottery. For more in-depth detailed analysis of the 2002 game read this excellent column by 82games, which is really the most in depth NBA site there is:

http://www.82games.com/lakerskingsgame6.htm

This is classic.

2008-05-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Thia takes me back to my youth my friends and I would play strikeouts, with the rule that you had to bat emulating the style and order of the Giants.

and another thing

2008-04-07T14:32:00.001-07:00

While watching the Giants again getting bashed around on Opening Day.

I think many who don't pay that close of attention to the team will blame this years troubles on Bonds being gone.

I think that is tremendously short sided. Even an epic Bonds season couldn’t save this team. If Bonds came back hit .400, 70, 150 this team would be a .500 team at best.

About the only thing Bonds being here would change – would be a record breaking walk season. With this lineup and Bonds having a great season we would see Bonds walked in every AB of a close game. Then again since after the 3rd inning they are always down five, maybe they wouldn’t even need to walk him anymore.

I also really like Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum – but I think this comment from Bochy yesterday comments regarding the Brewers Ben Sheets was really telling - "I don't know who Sheets wouldn't have shut out today," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That kind of stuff shuts out anybody." I have no problem with him saying that about Sheets, but watching Cain miss with a close 2-2 pitch and then give up a HR on the next pitch, just further illustrates my point. As good as everyone wants Cain and Lincecum to be – they are not that good yet. The true aces, don’t implode when one pitch doesn’t go there way and they don’t throw themselves out in the 6th inning. They pitch 9 inning shutouts every now and then.

Cain for all of his “tough loss” reputation pitched ONE game last year where we went 7 innings and gave up no runs – ONE. He had EIGHT starts where he did not make it past the 6th inning Look no one wants Matt Cain to be an ace more than I do – but at this point he is NOT AN ACE! Lincecum did only slight better with three ace performances (7IP, 0 runs) He also only had 6, sub 6 inning performances. He was a rookie, so he gets a little more benefit of the doubt. By comparison a real ace, Jake Peavy had 7 ace starts last year and 2 almost aces starts (6ip,0runs) and just 3 starts that he didn’t complete 7 innings. The Giants have some promising young pitching, but they don’t have any aces.

I have seen a lot of bad giants teams in my years of Giants fandom – when you combine their apparent obliviousness of the front office, with the lack of prospects and the surplus of bad contracts – this is the worst team I have seen. No chance to win, little reason to believe next year will be any better.

And just when you thought Barry Zito could not be any more unaware.

2008-04-07T12:59:00.000-07:00

In all of today’s papers Barry Zito was quoted:
"We didn't give (fans) a flashy start, but we're a little banged up. When we're at full strength, there's a reason to watch and to be excited."
Now Barry, obviously has an alerted sense of reality. Being paid higher than 99% of the players in the game, when you are better than maybe 10% of the players will do that to you.

But today’s comments really struck a nerve. Zito and especially the Giants management are in an Al Davis’s like fog. They appear to be the only ones that realize this team is terrible and somehow are a few healed injuries away from being a NL power. It has been said that all major league teams in 162 games are going to win 50 and lose 50 regardless of how good they are – it is what they do in those other 62 games that decide their fate. The best win 50+ of those games and become 100 game winners, the worst lost 50+ and become 100 game losers. There have been dozens of studies on this but typically the best players are only “worth” 10-20 wins. You get a team full of ARod’s and you would be +100 – but obviously ARod’s are hard to come by and that is exactly why he gets paid so much money. The above average player is probably more like a 1-5 win differential player.

With that in mind, Let’s take a look at the injuries and see how we fare. Let’s start with the assumption, and I think it is a fair one that this Giants team in comparison with the teams they have to compete with are historically bad. So we are going to start at 52-110 as our baseline estimate of this team

First, because he deserves this kind of respect – Omar Vizquel. I love Vizquel, an all-time great and one of the only top moves by the Giants brass in the past 10 years. But really at age 41 how much better is he then Brian Bocock? I will say 2 wins. 54-108

Next up Noah Lowry. I think Lowry is hard to quantify because he has had some good years, but his stuff is underwhelming and in the off-season he sure didn’t seem to inspire opposing GM’s as every rumor I read in the offseason didn’t bring much in return. I will give him and the Giants the benefit of the doubt and give him 2 wins which is pretty generous. We are at 56-106.

Kevin Frandsen. I love Frandsen. Great attitude and pardon the term, (which from this year forward is destined to become a sarcastic term), a gamer. But Frandsens absolute top end talent wise is to be an above average player, and I mean in absolute top end. I will give him 2 wins over Castillo but that is being extremely generous. Now we are at 58-104.

After that who is hurt? The minor dings of Winn & Yabu? Two players who are average at best and who are going to be back within days? nope sorry, no difference.

Who else? Nobody. Not to mention with this geriatric lineup the injuries are sure to increase, not decrease.

Sorry, Barry injuries are not the problem with the 2008 Giants it is a desperate lack of talent combined with an abundance of albatross non-moveable contracts with none worse than Zito’s.

Three games in

2008-04-03T15:41:00.000-07:00

Primarily because of a bad back that has me pretty much bed ridden – I have seen every pitch of the first three games. Now in a season as long as baseballs is you can’t make too many assumptions about a team after only three games, but having just said that here are a few:

• The offense looks even worse than advertised. I don’t see this team scoring more than 5 runs more than maybe a dozen times all season. This is a bad, bad offense.
• Eugenio Velez – wow this kid is fast. Very exciting watching him on base. Which leads me to:
• Rey Durham – even worse than expected. His defense never his strong suit, is very, very bad. Best possible case is he gets hot at the plate, a contender has an injury at 2B and the Giants can offload him and let Velez play everyday. There are a lot of guys that are decent pros, but terrible choices to be on this team – Durham is close to the top of that long list.
• Rajai Davis – Davis was such a breath of fresh air when he came over last year. Injecting some youth and excitement into the Giants lineup and playing some really good defense. Sadly this year he has shown why the Pirates gave up on him – showing some really bad at bats.
• Speaking of Defense – where is the Giants D? On a team like this that is so offensively challenged, but has a pretty decent pitching staff – they are going to need some good D to avoid losing 100 games. Early returns are not good as the Giants have kicked it all over the place – with the notable exception of:
• Brian Bocock – he has really been a bright spot. Defensively he is making some great plays and he looks so smooth. Offensively the expectations of him are so low, that his battling approach at the plate has been great, drawing walks and getting on base. Just forget that pick off.
• Barry Zito – there is really nothing left to say on this, sigh.
• Merkin Valdez – So by a hitch hikers guide to the galaxy level of improbability everything breaks the Giants way and on the day of the season they are in a one way tie with the Dodgers for the NL West title. Cain and Lincecum have pitched back to back no hitters the two previous days to get us to this point (hey we are dreaming here right) and so neither of them can pitch. On this last day it is Barry Zito with his 5-18 record turn to pitch. Wouldn’t you rather hand the ball to Merkin Valdez and his 96+ fastball at this point? The only person in the universe who doesn’t agree with this is Brian Sabean who points out Barry had a few calls go against him in his last start where he gave up 8 in the first inning.
• Speaking of Lincecum – I don’t get last night’s decision to not start him because it might rain, and then bring him in the fourth, and then let him continue after an hour plus rain delay. If you don’t understand that last sentence, well that is my point exactly.
• Speaking of Tiny Tim, we have to take a serious look at Matt Cain. Yes he is one of the only things to be excited about and yes he gets some of the worst support and bullpen help – but Cain is part of the problem as well. True Aces, guys like Jake Peavy and Johann Santana don’t only make it to the 6th inning and then watch the bullpen blow the game. They pitch deep into the game and give their teams a much better chance to win. Yes Cain is a better pitcher than his record indicates, but he is not really in the class with the true Ace’s. I wouldn’t trade a true ace for a young up and coming player like Rios. I would have traded Matt Cain for him.

Giants Zito Commerical

2008-04-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Link to Video

Because this was the best part of my ten reasons to be excited about the Giants AND because they just made the commercials available - I had to post this.

from my original post:
Barry Zito – a lot of pressure on Zito. One of the worst contracts signed in the history of baseball will do that do you. He HAS to improve over last year and maybe just maybe we can get lucky he can regain Cy Young form and then we can trade him before we get stuck with the really bad part of his contract. Now I do know that baseball is a long season, but as I am writing this it is the first inning and Zito has already given up 3 runs. I do think it is funny that Zito is featured in one of the Giants “Gamer” commercials. In the commercial – Zito gives advice to a guy trying unsuccessfully to get a raise from his boss. Zito encourages the guy to blackmail his boss using Vegas pictures to get a bigger raise – Hey, at least now we know how Zito got Sabean to give him that contract.

Sharks

2008-04-01T21:56:00.001-07:00

Sharks are on a serious role Leading the way is the consistent MVP level play for Joe Thornton for two and a half years now. Obviously the Thornton trade is the franchise's all time best, but the trade they made for Brian Campbell is the second best they have made since the Vincent Damphousse trade back in 1998.

Prior to the trade the Sharks were cruising through the season, good enough to be a playoff team but with no apparent interest in actually contending for the Stanley Cup. Since Campbell arrived the team has played looser and considerably better. It is amazing how this one guy has transformed this team in just over a months time. The defense seems better, the puck movement has definitely improved and the gritty guys have played grittier. I also think it really helped Thornton having an old friend on the team. His play has been son consistently high his entire Sharks career, you wonder how Boston ever soured on him.

In this very blog back when they traded for him I talked about how much I liked the trade, but I never imagined he would have this great of an impact. Baring key injuries this is the best chance the Sharks have had to hoist the cup in their entire existence as a franchise.

The thing I like most about Campbell is the free and easy way he plays the game. "The way I've always been is if I'm not having fun, I'm not playing good," Campbell said. "I'm having a lot of fun every day here." His fun loving relaxed but still intense way of playing seems to have had a calming effect on the entire team and because of that the Sharks are the best chance at a Bay Area championship in years.

Excellent article that turns the politically correct on its head

2008-04-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

ESPN Page 2 - Granderson: White men can't jump?

Top 10 things to be excited about the 2008 Giants

2008-03-31T15:34:00.000-07:00

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the San Francisco Giants moving out west, and for me personally my 36th (of the 41 years I have been alive) of following the team. Now the chances this year’s team has of winning its first San Francisco world series is about 50 million to one. However that does not mean I won’t be watching the Giants just as closely this year as I have every other year.

Here are my top 10 things to be excited about the 2008 San Francisco Giants.
1. Baseball – I love to watch baseball regardless of how good or bad the Giants are. Baseball on the radio, baseball in HD and especially baseball live. After spending my youth at Candlestick park I look forward to and enjoy a great deal any game at Pac Bell Park.
2. Tim Lincecum & Matt Cain – I am hard pressed to think of a time where the Giants had two starters this good on the same staff. We may have an anemic offense, but we do have the makings of a pretty good pitching staff. Lincecum’s stuff is off the charts and if he can stay healthy he has the chance to be a true ace. Cain had a tough year last season. I have never seen a pitcher lose so many games he “deserved” to win. Let’s hope the breaks swing the other way this year and he goes 16-7, instead of 7-16. This will be a very interesting season to see how they both develop and improve.
3. Gamer – The giants marketing campaign is not bad, it just rings a little desperate considering the talent level of this team. I do think this year marks the end of the steroids era not only is SF, but in all of baseball. I am not naïve enough to think no one will use steroids again. I do hope the increased risk of getting caught means it will be a lot less prevalent. As a kid homeruns were rare, almost magical event that would leave a buzz in the crowd. In the past ten years, they have become so ubiquitous that they have lost some of their excitement. I am hoping the game will go back to the days, not only of the excitement of the HR. But a return in the excitement of the stolen base, sacrifice, hit and run and squeeze. All strategies that have become less prevalent when every hitter in the lineup was capable of hitting the long ball. The Giants especially will need to play small ball since they have so few real sluggers in their lineup.
4. Shedding some salaries with some trades to contenders – Probably won’t happen until closer to the trade deadline but I expect Ray Durham, Rich Aurilla and Dave Roberts will all be pieces the Giants could potentially move sometime this season. While I like all three of these guys, they make no sense on a team like this. Moving these players will allow the Giants do shed salary (which will hopefully allow them to make some money which can be used next year on free-agents) and give valuable playing time and experience to younger players. Who knows they might even pick up a nice young prospect as well like they did last year with the Matt Morris – Rajai Davis trade.
5. Omar Vizquel – the one old guy I do want to see in the lineup. He sets a great example and is still a joy to watch play SS every day. One of the all-time defensive greats, I never tire watching him play.
6. Bonds and Bandwagon fans banished from park. I admit it, I am a bit of a baseball snob. I have loved my team virtually all my life through world series appearances through last place finishes. I watched them long before Bonds played little league, and I will watch them for the rest of my life. Now I was in shock and awe when the Giants surprised the world signing Bonds back in 1992. He was a two-time MVP coming into the prime of his career, and he didn’t disappoint. Arguably the greatest free-agent signing in the history of sports. In the sixteen years he was on the Giants they made the playoffs four times and averaged 83 wins as opposed to two playoff appearances and 77 wins in the 16 years prior to his Giants career. In short he lifted up the franchise and made the entire organization better. With the benefit of hindsight of course, we can now see the negative. The shame and stigma of the steroid era, the tainted highlights and records, the egomaniacal attitude and disregard for team. Another thing from the Bonds era I am happy to see gone are the non-baseball fans that filled the park over the past ten years. The people who watched only when Bonds hit, and spent the rest of the game on their cell phone – oblivious to the game around them. With Bonds gone, I am hoping for a return to sanity where the team and the game matters more than four at bats.
7. Rajai Davis – he is probably never going to be an all-star, but he is a lot of fun to watch. I absolutely love Dave Roberts attitude and personality – but Davis needs to play everyday and see if he can be that leadoff man. His defense, his speed on the bases – he brings a lot of excitement. Roberts is better suited as a fourth OF on a contending team, perhaps Boston wants him back considering his enormous role in killing the curse of the Bambino.
8. All the rookies – Ten rooks. We still have too many older players starting, but at least there is youth on the roster. I am especially excited to see Merkin Valdez, Eric Threets and Brian Wilson in the Giants reworked bullpen. I also want to see the young outfielders and the overall team speed.
9. Barry Zito – a lot of pressure on Zito. One of the worst contracts signed in the history of baseball will do that do you. He HAS to improve over last year and maybe just maybe we can get lucky he can regain Cy Young form and then we can trade him before we get stuck with the really bad part of his contract. Now I do know that baseball is a long season, but as I am writing this it is the first inning and Zito has already given up 3 runs. I do think it is funny that Zito is featured in one of the Giants “Gamer” commercials. In the commercial – Zito gives advice to a guy trying unsuccessfully to get a raise from his boss. Zito encourages the guy to blackmail his boss using Vegas pictures to get a bigger raise – Hey, at least now we know how Zito got Sabean to give him that contract.
10. The Giants – sure Bonds gave us a lot of memories, but I look back on those with mixed emotions. I don’t look back on these moments with anything other than unadulterated joy: the awe I had as a kid will Willie McCovey strode to the plate as my real-life superhero, Joe Morgan knocking the Dodgers out of the playoffs, Will Clark willing the Giants to competitiveness in the late 80’s, Rod Beck getting out of a bases loaded no outs jam, followed by the walk off Brian Johnson HR, JT Snow’s clutch HR against the Mets in the playoffs, JT Snow saving Dusty Baker’s son on a play at the plate, Opening day at Pac Bell Park, the 2002 NL pennant, last years All-Star game at Pac Bell Park.

Yes the 2008 Giants are going to suck and yes they have a chance of having the worst record in baseball – but I am still looking forward to the season none the less. Play Ball.

Open letter to Comast Sports Net

2008-03-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

My letter today sent to Comcast SportsNet, I doubt it will garner much attention - but it was worth then ten minutes to try.

I read the article today in the CC Times concerning Comcast’s new ownership and plans for Fox Sports Bay Area. I am a Comcast subscriber. I have lived in the bay area my entire life. I am an avid sports fan. Over 50% of my TV viewing is of the Giants, 49ers, Warriors and Sharks which means my TV is tuned to Fox Sports HD more than all the other channels combined. I am in my mid 40’s, father of four, college educated with above average income. My circle of friends is very similar, we discuss bay area sports ad nausea (just ask my wife.) In short I am your target demographic.

I read the article with a great deal of concern. First, the idea of a local sportscenter and expanded pre-game and post-game shows. I have seen this exact plan tried and failed at least a dozen times over the past 30 years. I think the problem is we as bay area fans do get enough of our local teams. I personally watch at least a portion of if not all of almost every Giants, Warriors and Sharks game you guys broadcast. We also have local newspapers, and KNBR. When the game is over the reason I turn to ESPN is because at this point I have had my fill of local sports and am looking at what is happening in sports on the national level. In all of my discussions with local sports fans, we NEVER talk about wanting a local show or expanded coverage.

What we do discuss and want is ALL games in HD. My interest in any particular game (or any show for that matter) is directly influenced by if it is on HD. I am ten times more likely to turn to a game AND keep it on if it is in HD, when it is not in HD I almost always turn the channel. I do appreciate how many more games are on in HD now – but am still amazed when there will be two games on, neither in HD while the HD channel is running the all too familiar HD screensaver.

Worst of all have been sharks playoff games. Now I do understand that the Sharks are the team that brings the lowest ratings and the lowest priority. However hockey is also the sport that benefits most from HD, and the playoffs are the time you are most likely to grab the casual fan’s attention. HD is the key.

To a lesser concern, but something that is worth considering is condensed games. It has probably been almost 10 years now – but awhile back Fox Sports Net offered condensed games every night usually around midnight. What these were, were 60 min recaps of the nights game. The same commentary, same footage, same everything – just edited down to a manageable size. I watched this almost every night and now with on-demand this an even better fit. Again the key is HD, it has got to be in HD.

Hoping this constructive criticism reaches someone who can listen and take into consideration.

Niners and Mike Martz

2008-03-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

I firmly believe that while Jim Hostler (2007 O.C.) was not up to par, he also got more than his fair share of the blame. Plus it is always hard to embrace a former rival, so when the rumors first started about Mike Martz I was pretty lukewarm.

However now that he is here I think he has already earned his salary. There is no way either of our starting receivers (Issac Bruce and Bryant Johnson) would have signed here without Martz being here. The current Niners don't have a lot to offer free agents these days. Long gone are the days of other teams starters coming here to play a role and have a chance at a ring in the niners glory days of the precap NFL. These days the only way the niners can lure free agents is by overpaying (see: Nate Clements & Justin Smith.) However now with Martz they can lure offensive free agents to play for the NFL equivalent of Don Nelson. Especially guys who believe they are better than they have shown, believe they can come play for Martz and put up big numbers.

I do expect our offense to be much better, and if Martz can transform the worst QB in the league, he truly is a genius.

The only thing that scares me is the perfect storm of improved offense, another 7-9 record - Nolan gets fired and they go with Martz as the head coach in 2009. Scary thought at Martz is another one of those guys who I think is a great coordinator, but not the right guy as a head coach.

The sorry state of my teams

2008-03-04T23:24:00.001-08:00

I am not sure I ever remember in my lifetime the teams I root for being so collectively bad.
We are like the anti-Boston.

here is a recap from bad to worst

San Jose Sharks - OK the Sharks are not THAT bad, which is why they are at the bottom (or should I say top) of the list. Yes they are 5th in the west, and yes they just made a very good trade for an all-star blue liner in Campbell. But they can't win at home, they can't decide to play their goalie half the games (last year) or every game (this year.) Really the sharks are only missing two things: a collective left nut and a right one. This very talented team loses in the first round of the playoffs thanks to their complete lack of testicular fortitude.
Golden State Warriors - The ARE one of the most entertaining teams in any sport to watch and they do have some spectacular young talent (namely Monta Ellis) and unlike the Sharks they do have a pair thanks to Baron, Jackson and Monta. But while everyone else in the west was getting better the W's added only a way past his prime CW. You have to give Mullin a lot of credit for his moves in the past two years starting with the Baron trade. But this was a team that desperately needed to roll the dice at the deadline and did absolutely nothing. I don't know what options he had, but he had to at least move Peitrus. Now the best possible scenario seems to be another first round upset if they get a favorable match up and an exciting but inevitable second round exit.
San Francisco Giants - How bad do the rest of my teams have to be that the last place bound Giants aren't even in my bottom 3. They do have exciting young pitching and that is always a good place to start. But the 70's last place teams of my youth in a much lower scoring era had better offenses than this team. Not only is the offense the worst in the league - it doesn't even have many up and coming players to get excited about. I am excited for baseball like I am every time spring training comes around but this looks like a very, very bad team.
San Francisco 49ers - tough call between the Giants and the Niners for which team is worse - but the Alex Smith signing propelled the Niners past the Giants for team going in the wrong direction at the most important position in sports. The one thing the Niners do have is a decent defense and the one young player with the excitement to match Monta Ellis in Patrick Willis.
Notre Dame Football - I really like Charlie Weis, but that 10 year contract isn't looking so good anymore. Weis looks more and more like those better as a coordinator type of guys. 3-9 with losses to Navy and Air Force? Really? They have fallen that far? Who would have guessed we would pine for the good old days when we would go 7-5 get into a bowl game we didn't deserve and get crushed by 40.
USF Basketball - as a kid I loved listening to USF on the radio. Quentin Dailey, Bill Cartwright. Now USF is more known for canceling the program, never finishing above .500 and the pathetic sad Eddie Sutton debacle.

Things that bother me most about my teams:

The last championship of any kind was the 1994 49ers, no new championships in any sports seem insight.
I'm still pissed about Owen Nolan
For that matter I'm still pissed about Tom Rathman, so chances are I probably won't get over the Nolan deal anytime soon.
Bonds, Sabean and the disgrace the Giants franchise has become. If it weren't for Pac Bell Park we wouldn't have much of anything to be happy about in the past 10 years.
I am not all that happy about Mike Ricci come to think of it
or Bryan Marchment (no wonder I don't have the same passion I did for the sharks 5 years ago)
Alex Smith is the worst QB in the league
But to assist his development we have gathered the worst collection of WR is team history.
Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser
Baron Davis could be one of the top 5 players in the league because he is almost unguardable - but he makes 5 bad decisions a night and isn't a good enough shooter to overcome them.
Brian Sabean - sorry Brian you are an idiot. His greatest accomplishment has been to ignore Barry's steroid use. His trade record is abysmal and his FA record is even worse. It is long past due for some new leadership in the Giants front office.

Best things about my teams:

At least were not Minnesota or Buffalo
Baron Davis - despite my above criticism, Baron is probably the best player to play on the team in my fandom (Rick Barry was a little before my time) Plus he gets better every year. Maybe he will sign and extension and start making better decisions.
Joe Thornton
Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and maybe Brian Wilson
The Warriors are at least entertaining and Steven Jackson is a joy to watch play.
At least for one more year we have the class and competitiveness of Mike Singletary.
Monta Ellis and Patrick Willis are all that is right in sports. Excellent players who are getting better & humble and driven at the same time. My kind of players.

Brett

2008-03-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know that I have ever seen a professional athlete in any sport to show how much fun he was having and at the end of the day I think that is what most fans will remember most about him.

Sure he won superbowls and set records. He never missed a start and he was a great competitor and all around guy. But most fans are so put off by how much most pro athletes seem to be bothered by playing we would all play for free if just given the chance. Brett had fun, and for me I will always remember him smiling, laughing, jumping for joy they way we did when we were 12 playing with our friends in the street.

One of my top5 guys all time that I loved even though he never played on "my" teams.

kudos to the NFL for this video, jeers that they don't allow for embedding. Common NFL, it hasn't hurt this little company called YouTube - free advertising what a concept.
http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d802f9978

Baron Davis...

2008-03-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

takes so many bad shots it kills me, but then he has a 15 assist game or does something like this and you realize as flawed as he is, he is still the best we have had in over 10 years.

ESPN Page 2 - The Sports Guy: Save the Sonics mailbag

2008-02-29T14:32:00.000-08:00

ESPN Page 2 - The Sports Guy: Save the Sonics mailbag

Admittedly, I was only vaguely aware of the Sonics situation before today. After reading all 28 pages of this I am thoroughly disgusted. Stern, whom I normally have a high opinion of is asleep at the wheel here and the sonics fans are getting a big time screw job.

I remember how awful I felt back in the 90's when the SF Giants had one foot out the door and on the truck to Tampa Bay. As much as I love sports and how many great things are in the modern game (like HDTV, 24/7 channels like the NFL network) money is absolutely ruining sports. I am normally pretty conservative and don't get into the knocking of rich guys for making money - but this is a situation where really rich guys are making decisions that make no real difference in their net worth and screw and entire community in the process.

If Stern and Bennett want an Oklahoma City franchise so bad - simply make another expansion team! I always here how expansion dilutes the talent pool, but I NEVER hear about how the talent pool has been expanded by population growth, the end of racial exclusion and the influx of international players. because of these factors there are plenty of talented players in all sports to fill out many more expansion teams. For once let greed be a good thing and allow more franchises into the major sports

Wake up Stern, stop screwing the good fans in Seattle and just add an OC expansion team. Or better yet run Bennett out of town and go Green Bay Packer style with community and fan ownership. It will never happen because there is too much money to be made but the world would be a much better place if all sports franchises were community owned like the Packers.

Sadly, Greed, Corruption, $12 sodas and teams that move and rip the hearts out of fans are the reality.

More NFL FA Thoughts

2008-02-29T13:45:00.001-08:00

QB Derek Anderson - Interesting situation. First off I think DA had an outstanding season last year and is probably in the top 15 NFL QB's (towards the bottom of the top 15.) I also was really hoping the 49ers would get a shot at him since he is clearly better than anyone they have had since Garica (I can't believe I am pining for the days of Garcia, who I really disliked.) Having said that, I think he overachieved a little bit last year and again while he is better than half the QB's in the league, I still don't think he is the kind of guy that leads you to a championship. It still really surprised me that the Browns made such a financial commitment to him with Quinn and his contract. Everyone remembers Quinn free falling from the top 5 in last years draft, but everyone forgets he was still a first round pick and is still making first round QB money. This situation is a little bit like the Chargers Brees-Rivers deal of a few years back where they drafted Rivers and than Brees surprised them by having a really good season. By the way, why do are NFL teams always surprised when QB's take 3-4 years until they become good? this use to be the norm, and really is the way it should be yet they always seemed shocked and end up with 2 QB's, but I digress.
WR Issac Bruce to the 49ers - from the moment I heard he was being released by the Rams I hoped this was going to happen. The Martz / Bruce connection simply made so much sense this had to happen. Obviously the 35 year old Bruce is not the long term fix the niners need at receiver. However he does give the team a productive veteran to show the youngsters (assuming here the niners draft at least one receiver) how to play in the NFL. He should also help Smith or Hill, or whomever ends up at QB.
Randy Moss - here is to hoping he gets doubled every time now that Stallworth is gone and he quits on the Pats like he has quit on every other team he has ever played on.
Kwame Harris is getting interest from other teams? Really? Do these teams run the ball every down and never ever pass. Considering Harris gives up a sack I think it is 4 out 5 every pass plays - he is a little less than perfect as an offensive tackle.
Justin Smith is not by any means a bad signing for the niners - but I really don't see him as a huge upgrade over Marques Douglas and certainly not over both Douglas and Bryant Young. I am glad they got him but this is a team down by 10 bunting runners over when they need home runs.
I think Michael Turner has a huge year for the Atlanta Falcons
I really hoping to see some Derick Anderson to Dante Stallworth TD's this year. Problem is I was hoping they would be for the Niners, and not the Browns
Hey has anyone down in Santa Clara noticed we don't have a starting LT or a LG? Is this the strategy - get Smith killed so the fans don't notice how bad he is. Hello?
Dontarrious Thomas = Tully Banta Cain last year. average LB no one has ever heard of comes here and does nothing to make anyone remember who they were five years from now.
At this point what are the Vegas odds the the Niners and SF Giants are the respective lowest scoring teams in their leagues. 1-1?

More NFL FA insantiy.

2008-02-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

ESPN - Jaguars look to Porter to fill longtime void at WR - NFL

Really? 30mil for a 30 year old receiver who averages less than 5 TD's a year,and has had past attitude problems- another signing that makes absolutely no sense to me.

Puzzling Move

2008-02-28T16:45:00.000-08:00

ESPN - Niners show faith in QB Smith, RB Robinson with pair of contract moves - NFL

What the hell? What ever happened to the NFL standing for Not For Long. or having to prove yourself. Hell anyone home in the SF front office.

what is a QB supposed to do? Win! Alex Smith's NFL record 13-26

primary way for QB to lead team to victory? TD's! Smith 19 in three season

biggest thing to avoid? picks! 31 in 3 seasons.

So how a 13-26 QB with a 19-31 TD-Int ratio not only doesn't get cut, but essentially gets a contract extension is really unfathomable. You want to give him a chance to work with Martz and compete with Hill, fine - but why on earth do you give him any contract beyond this year is absolutely beyond me.

Where did I put that Dump York! T-shirt.

NFL

2008-02-28T16:35:00.001-08:00

Holy Yao!

2008-02-26T10:50:00.001-08:00

For months now I have been yelling and screaming at the radio when callers and hosts suggest the Warriors are going to win 50 games and NOT make the playoffs. I think that thought is absurd for many reasons.

Most think ALL of the top 9 teams are going to continue to play at a high level. However inevitable some teams get hot (Houston, Utah) and some return to earth (like Portland)
SOMEONE always gets hurt - today it was Yao and really Houston isn't better than a .500 team without him, just like the W's would be without Baron, Jackson or Ellis. no way Houston makes the playoffs now.
Someone else big gets hurt for sure - think any of these guys gets hurt and doesn't change everything: Nash, Kobe, Duncan, Novitski, Boozer, Paul. Remember in the preseason when many stated teams who were "definitely" going to make it included the Clippers, oh year no Brand, welcome to the lottery.
This isn't hockey - you get points for ties, when these teams start playing eachother down the stretch somebody is going to lose each night. There is only so much picking on the bottom dwellers you can do.

My End of February prediction of the west seeds:

Lakers 60-22 - 3 games ahead of current pace
Suns 58-24 - 2 games ahead of current pace
Spurs 57-25 - on current pace
Utah 54-28 - 1 game under current pace
New Orleans 52-30 - 3 games under current pace - Team most likely after Portland to fall on their face down the stretch due to the haven't been haven't done that factor.
Dallas 52-30 - 3 games under current pace - The Kidd trade reminds me of the types of moved the SF Giants have done for years, getting great players long past their prime and wondering why they don't perform like the expected. Dallas gets swept in the first round especially if they land in this spot and have to play the Spurs.
Warriors 49-33 - current pace - W's and Denver benefit most from the Yao injury, but this current W's squad will continue to be a entertaining, low seed team until Baron stops jacking up 5-6 stupid shots a game. If he played every game like he played in last years playoffs going to the rim at will - the W's are a top 3 seed &Denver he is a legitimate MVP candidate. Sadly I don't think that will ever happen, although it might help if Nelly didn't play him 46 minutes a night.
Denver 48-34 - current pace - doesn't get in without Yao injury
Houston 46-36 - 7 games under current pace - could have been a legit title contender with Yao, in the lottery without him.
Portland 40-42 - 2 games under current pace. Portland has a nice core, and with another lottery pick AND Greg Oden next year they figure to be a factor. But they peaked too early and simply don't have the talent to compete with these teams ahead of them.

Best thing if it shakes out like this a fantastically entertaining first round Warriors - Suns match-up.

a quick not about that "other" sport:

Sharks get Campbell!!

I really liked Bernier and hate to see him go, but to get an all-star blue liner without giving up any of the true core guys is great. Now if Marleau and Cheechoo can get going we might have something.

Great Website from the NBA

2008-02-11T22:11:00.000-08:00

Top 10 moments from the All-Star game for almost every year going back to the 70's - very nostalgic going back and watching the old ones from my youth.

http://www.nba.com/allstar2008/video/asg_top10s.html

Book Recommendation for NFL fans

2008-02-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Kind of stumbled across this book and it was so engrossing I finished it in 3 days. Highly recommended to NFL fans for an inside look - funny that I bought it before the superbowl and didn't buy it because I was interested in the Giants, but rather because I was looking for a book similar to the Draft book I read last year

Amazon Link

Wow

2008-02-04T11:15:00.000-08:00

A great day, a great party and a really, really great game.

Two superbowls will never be topped in my personal experience: the 81 SuperBowl for the simple joy of the first time and the 88 SuperBowl for the joy of the magical ending. However yesterdays game was easily the best superbowl I have ever seen that my team wasn't involved in. Especially considering I didn't like either team and I didn't win a dime in any of the 3 pools I was in.

Eli Manning changed a lot of people opinions yesterday, especially mine. Nobody will ever look at him the same way again. Justified the trade, came out of the shadow of his brother, truly life changing performance.

Plus after watching the Giants gets ridiculous pressure with just their front four - you have to wonder why every team in the league doesn't spend their first 5 draft picks on defensive lineman. Nothing in my mind, not a great QB, not a great WR or RB or even dominant OL can change an entire game like a dominant defensive front four. When you can get that kind of pressure and still have enough defenders to double receivers and get help over the top - any offense, even one as good as the 07 Patriots is going to struggle.

Guys I am happy for: Micahel Strahan, Plaxico Burress, David Tyree (who I had frankly never heard of, but made of the most amazing memorable catches of the past decade)

Guy I feel bad for: Junior Seau (a true warrior who I would have like to have seen get a ring)

Guy who I am happy didn't win: Randy Moss - a tired story, but I despise him for they way he wastes his talent, plays when he wants to play and takes more plays off then any player in the history of the NFL. Also he may have become a team guy this season, but that doesn't negate his lifetime of being a selfish player. Shame on the Patriots for selling out their core value of team first to get him - in the end they got what they deserved. 18-1!, 18-1!, 18-1!

Chris Fn Webber?!?!?!?!

2008-01-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

Are you kidding me? What in the hell are the W's thinking. They might as well also bring in Latrell Sprewell, Nick Van Excel, Joe Barry Carroll and Michael Ray Richardson.

Chris Webber single handedly recked this franchise, with a mighty assist from Sprewell that they are just now recovering from.

But put all that aside and what exactly does a 34 year old Chris Webber bring that helps the Warriors. In his youth he was a dynamic player who could do a lot of things well, albeit never in the clutch. But now he is a broken down player who adds what? defense? Please, even at his best he was never a great defensive player. Rebounding? maybe? but at this point is he really a better rebounder than Brandon Wright or Patrick O'Bryant? Scoring? In this Warriors offense Webber doesn't make it to half court by the time Monta has swooped to the hoop or Baron, Jackson or Harrington hoists up another 3.

Do the Warriors need something? absolutely? But in my mind Webber isn't even close to that thing.

Either play some of the rookies, or trade them and next years first for a player who can help.

C-Web - no thanks.

Absoltuely nothing orginal about this

2008-01-09T21:27:00.000-08:00

But I thought this song and ESPN's production were both amazing and worth sharing for any who might have missed it.

2007 was the year of terrible stories and this was nice to see some of the good moments.

Sports Czar Quote of the Day

2008-01-03T21:39:00.000-08:00

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

John Wooden

The A's, Niners and College Football

2008-01-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

· Wow, being a Giants fan is tough, but being an A’s fan must be brutal. After today’s trade of Swisher. Swisher may not be a superstar, but he was the A’s best offensive player and coming on the heels of the Haren trade – the A’s have become the new Montreal Expos, the minor league for the rest of the league. I did hear at least one commentator today talk about what great deals that Beene has made because now the have nine top rated prospects – woo hoo. To that I say not only are those nine mere lottery tickets, but even if those guys do pan out what good will it do, since they will simply then trade THOSE guys away. Just brutal.

· Niners need to get Cam Cameron on the phone immediately and do whatever it takes to get him to be their next offensive coordinator. He may not have been a success, but like Norv Turner before he is an outstanding OC. He is by far my number one choice to lead the niners offense.

· I am not a big fan of the BCS, and think the time has come for at least an 8 team playoff – but you have to say one thing – they sure were right not to include Hawaii in the top 4. After watching them get smashed by Georgia I doubt Hawaii would finish 4th in the SEC.

· Funniest thing I heard all weekend Sterling Sharpe in the Insight Bowl after a run of 4 penalties in 4 straight plays “can’t we all get along” classic.

· Nobody loves Taco Bell as much as I do, but after a day of watching football if I hear the words “Chewy, Crunchy, Cheesy” again I am going to throw a chalupa at the TV.

Sports Czar Quote of the Day

2008-01-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward Your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you toward success - Or are they holding you back?
W. Clement Stone

Patriots - Giants

2007-12-29T20:05:00.000-08:00

First things first congratulations to the Patiots. 16-0 is 16-0 and you can't debate that. However I don't buy them as the best team ever. The Niners teams of the 84 & 89, the Bears of 85, obviously the Dolphins of 72. What do all of those teams have that the Patriots don't? Much better competition. Outside of the Colts, what real competition did the Patiots have? The Niners and Bears of the 80's had each other to compete against not to mention very good Giants and Redskins teams. The Dolphins had the Steelers and Raiders.

Teams I think would crush the 07 Pats by at least 10 points.
1. Niners 84, 89, 94
2. Cowboys 92, 93
3. Bears 85 (might be the single best team)
4. Steelers 75,78,79
5. Giants 86

I will do a full post later on why I now hate the Patriots (it has nothing to do with the video stuff, I really think all teams do that and I don't care about that), but for now lets just talk about tonight's game.

The Pats were ripe for the picking, but the Eli and the Giants just aren't a good enough team to beat them. The Giants simply self destructed making one stupid play after another in the fourth quarter. Of all the teams I could have picked to ruin the perfect season the Giants were very very low on the list.

Down 10 with about 4 minutes to go they played with all the urgency of the Eagles in the 2005 Super Bowl. What is it about the Patriots that they get other teams to simply lay down and play with no urgency when they should be the most urgent.

Five Players I dislike most in the current NFL
1. Randy Moss - I really dislike the Raiders, but what he did to them is pathetic. His lack of effort and overall me-first attitude makes him the least likable guy in all of sports.
2. Eli Manning - I am all about team first guys and I hate me first guys. Eli's power play in the NFL draft pissed me off. Also I think he isn't a very good player. If his name wasn't Manning - he probably wouldn't even be starting.
3. Jeremy Shockey - One of the most overrated players in football. 4 pro bowls for a guy whose career TD high is 7. If he doesn't play in the largest TV market in the world, no one even knows who this guy is. Need more proof - how about Jason Witten - he is twice the player Shockey is but you rarely here about him.
4. Jerry Porter - Take Randy Moss, divide his talent in half and increase his effort by 25% (not really a compliment - Moss's effort is so bad) and you get Porter. I have a theme here - guys who think they are way better then they are.
5. Julian Peterson - Peterson was injury prone and underperformer on the niners, once he moved north he blossomed for a division rival - do I really need another reason?

No wonder I am in such a bad mood, the bad guys won. and the game featured 3 of my least favorite players in the league.

www.kansascity.com | 12/21/2007 | Getting to the heart of what makes Belichick successful

2007-12-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

One year ago I would have read this and been impressed. However now that Belichick sold his soul and traded for the biggest me first anti-team guy in sports today, Randy Moss, it now rings hollow.

If Belichick tried this with Moss, Moss would ignore him at best and swear at him at worst.

I like the article, but I am not buying it.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/football/v-print/story/414420.html

Sports Czar - Draft Review - Three years later

2007-12-29T11:01:00.000-08:00

Here is an article I wrote three years ago reviewing the Niners draft. Draft comments are always fun, but it really takes a good three years to learn the truth about a draft.

Original article is in black - new comments are in red.

(Originally written April 26, 2004 - day after the draft)
Not that you asked but here is my take on this weekends draft. My wife was out of town and I literally watched about 10 hours of the draft Sat-Sun and have read hundreds of pages of analysis leading up to and after the draft - needless to say I am a big draft nut.

1-31 WR Rashaun Woods - I like Woods, he should be a good player but I am disappointed the Niners traded down in the first round when they had a chance to draft Wilfork. The 49ers were unbelievable fortunate to have a player like DT Vince Wilfork fall all the way to 16th - This guy is the next Bryant Young. Woods should be a good solid pro but Wilfork is going to make 5 Pro Bowls. They should have kept the pick and got their Bryant Young replacement. Now I have to watch him go to the pro bowl and win superbowls with New England. Entirely possible Woods would have still been there at #46 since many teams considered him too slow and they could have had Wilfork and Woods and no other receiver was taken 32-45. The problem is they are now the cheapest team in the league and don't want to pay anyone "first round money"
Well, I was dead on here about Wilfork and how they should have drafted him. He is a pro bowler and Woods is out of the league. Obviously I was a little off on the "he should be a good player" part. He ended up with just 7 career receptions - clearly one of the worst first round picks of 2004.

2-46 G Justin Smiley - Could be the best pick they made. Most scouts had him as a first rounder. He is a Niner style lineman with good mobility. He should start this year at RG. Still would have preferred Wilfork in the first and Woods here though.
Smiley is one that is tough to figure out. His first three years in the league he was a starter and while he wasn't a pro bowler he looked pretty good. This year he was awful and eventually lost his starting job although he may have been hurt. Will be interesting to see if the Niners re-sign him or let him walk and if he bounces back or is done. I would say the jury is still out on this one, but considering how awful he was early this year (he was really, really bad) I am going to say this was a bust.

2-58 CB Shawntae Spencer - I am always weary of guys whose stock move up because of their "work-outs" I want football players who make plays on the football field, not guys who look good in the gym. Having said that the Niners do desperately need help at corner and this was a very weak draft for corner after Hall and Robinson, not sure who else would have been any better.
Spencer has been very good, especially in the third round. He is only the third corner but third corners play a ton in the NFL. Solid pick and a solid pro. Speaking of third corners it always amazes me how little publicity third corners get. In a typical NFL game with all the nickle and dime defences the third corner plays as much or more than the third "starting" linebacker. Really you could make a very good argument that the third corner is far more important considering they play on critical third downs. For my money I want my third corner to be better than all but my first (every down) linebacker.

3-77 WR/KR Derrick Hamilton - This team needs playmakers and Hamilton is a playmaker so that is good. My only concern is most scouts consider him more of a return guy then a receiver. And the third round is awful high to draft a return guy.
Especially when they aren't even good as returners. To be fair the Niners did pretty good drafting receivers like Dwight Clark, Jerry Rice and John Taylor - but since then pretty much every receiver they draft has been an enormous bust.

4-104 DT Isaac Sopoaga - His name sounds like a tribe name on Survivor. In all seriousness I think this is a solid pick. We need help at DL and this guy is strong and athletic. My hope is this is their big steal of the draft.
Great pick in the fourth round. Sopoaga is a solid contributor in the DL rotation. Exactly the kind of productive player you want in the fourth round.

4-127 MLB from Oregon St. Richard Seigler - Linebacker might be the only position on the team they DON"T need - this looks like a Steve Spurier pick to me (I coached him in college, I know him, so I am going to draft him) With so many other holes to fill - he better be a future pro bowler
LINK This is what Seigler is known best for, which obviously is not a good sign. Looks like I was dead on here.

6-188 P Andy Lee - No doubt the niners desperately need help at Punter, but of the top 10 punters in the NFL last year half of them were not drafted at all, simply signed as rookie FA's. If you are a team like the Patriots with talent throughout the roster, or you see a Punter with the ability of Shane Lechler sure go ahead and draft a punter. But when you are a team that is as talent thin as the niners are, I don't believe you can afford the luxury of drafting a punter. Should have got more help on the O and D line here and picked up a punter as a rookie FA.
I missed this one - Lee is amazing, probably the best punter the niners have ever had (although he gets a lot more opportunity then most niner punters) Lee has been so good this year, he is one of those rare punters that actually impacts the game and probably has saved the Niners defense a TD a game with his phenomenal ability to stop the ball on a dime AND kick it the length of the field. I still don't like drafting punters because rarely are they this good, but when they are this good they are definitely worth it. Out of this entire draft only Spencer is a better player and that is only because of his positional importance.

6-198 FS Keith Lewis - Good gamble here, but I am a little concerned about reputation as a disturbance in the locker room. Niners do need safety help and good safeties can often come in the late rounds.
So much for "locker room reports" as he has been a model citizen on the niners. Started a few games at safety, although he clearly isn't an NFL starter. However he is the niners best special teams player and their special teams are very good. good value in the sixth round.

7-217 QB Cody Pickett - Hey it's the 7th round so expectations are pretty low, but I am not sure why they would go QB here. They already have 3 young QB's that need to be developed, not sure how much attention he is going to get as the 4th QB. I would hate to be Rich Olson (Niners QB coach) he has his work cut out for him this year. Would have preferred taking a shot at another corner here. Pickett looks like a training camp cut and/or practice squad player.
You can't ever really fault an NFL team for its late round picks as they are all pretty much gambles, and Pickett never really panned out. He did play relatively well in his few opportunities. We will call this one a push.

7-226 DT Christian Ferrera - I like this pick this late. Team desperately needs help on the D-Line and he is a good gamble here.
Again 7th rounder so expectations are low, but this guy played so little google turns up nothing but "he was drafted in the 2004 7th round" I don't think he ever played a down.

Some non-niner thoughts:

Chargers - Absolutely raped the Giants in the Eli Manning deal. They got the QB they preferred and a 1, 3 and a 5! Unbelievable! Giants fans will look back on this day as the day that killed the franchise. I like Eli Manning, but he made a real stupid move, he has set himself up for more pressure then maybe any QB ever drafted and why on earth he thinks the Giants are better then the chargers I do not know. Attention Archie and Eli - the Giants had the same awful record (4-12) as the chargers last year! He would have benefited greatly by one of the top 5 skill players in the league in LaDainian Tomlinson AND the Giants allowed the 2nd most sacks in the league last year. The Giants made a Hershel Walker trade to get him and now he gets the scrutiny of the NY media. And with Eli as the starting QB - that #1 they traded could very well be a top 5 pick next year. Manning = dumb, Giants = dumber, Chargers = looked dumb, ended up with a brilliant move. But I do have to knock the Chargers for drafting a kicker in the third round - that should NEVER happen. In fact it ought to be illegal to draft a K before the 7th round.
Maybe not as dramatic and obvious as I predicted, but I still think I am right on this one. For one thing one of those picks turned out to be Shawne Merriman who might be the best defensive player in football. Plus Eli looks to be a decent NFL QB, but clearly not worth all of this. Any Giants fans turning down an Eli for Rivers and Merriman trade at this point?

Raiders - I hate to admit it but after their coaching fiasco, they had one hell of an off-season. Gallery is a flat out Stud - great pick. And getting Washington and Sapp has improved their DL tremendously. Best OL and DL off-season of any team in football and you know what they say about the line.
To be fair the Raiders coaching carousel has been a nightmare, but Gallery looks like a decent pro at best. More like a fourth rounder than a #2 pick.

Lions - Great draft for them, filling two holes with two players as great as Williams and Jones. Their offense should be pretty darn good in the next few years.
Roy Williams is a very good player and Jones is OK. Jones started out well with over a thousand yards as a rookie, but has faded every year since.

Dallas Cowboys - Um, Hello? Anyone home? I have more respect for Bill Parcells then any other coach in football, but I simply don't get this. They are lucky as hell to have Stephen Jackson fall into their lap and they trade down! I was more surprised by this then the Niners trading down. I usually see 4-5 Notre Dame games a year, and Jones always impressed me more as a returner then a RB. Even Kevin Jones or Chris Perry made more sense then Jones. Very, very odd. Now if Buffalo stumbles this year and that pick becomes a top 5 and Julius IS the next Emmit Smith then we have something, but I just don't see it.
Jones has been OK, but Jackson has been great. Clearly I was dead on, on this one. Lucky thing for the Cowboys they hit the lottery with Romo.

Denver Broncos - Tatum Bell - next 1,000 yard running back for Mike Shanahan.
Check. Barely Bell, rushed for 1025 last year. He is no pro bowler and after being injured this year is likely to be replaced, but he did rush for the grand.

Cleveland Browns - Kellen Winslow is the next, well Kellen Winslow. I would have loved to see the Niners trade up to get him. I guess I will have to settle for squinting my eyes and pretending Garica is still on the Niners as he completed pass after pass to this stud. Personally the only player in the draft I would have selected ahead of Winslow is Gallery, and that is more because of the relative importance of a LT to a TE then the players themselves.
Second best player might be a stretch, but after a stupid accident delayed his arrival Winslow has become a force he already has over 1,000 yards receiving this year with one game to go. His dad only ellipsed that mark three times in his HOF career.

Buffalo Bills - Bills had an odd draft. Evans was a reach at 13 and I think they could have got Losman in the 2nd round. You should get a lot more talent drafting 13 and 22 then they did.
Evans looks to be a hit although I am still not sure he should have been drafted as high as 13th. then again doesn't look like any other WR are better. As far as Losman, although jury is till out I think it is clear he was not a first rounder.

New England - Rich get richer. As for mentioned, Wilfork is a stud and will replace Ted Washington quite nicely. Won't be as big a run stopper, but is more athletic and obviously a lot younger.
Yep.

Funniest Moment of the Telecast: The look backs over the past 25 years. Especially the Jets fans - no matter who they drafted the reaction was always the same "ohhhhhh, are you frickin kiddin me that guys is a bum!" Especially funny when some of the picks such as Hugh Douglas, Kyle Brady, Aaron Glenn turned out to be pretty good players. But considering they also drafted these busts in the first round; Jeff Lageman,Blair Thomas,Browning Nagle, you can understand why they always react that way

Oddest:
The NFL cap ads would have been funny, if Manning hadn't made such an ass of himself - "what happened to the chargers" he asks in the ads. If he would have shut up about the whole thing the ads would have been very funny as it was they just came off as odd and of course if you watched the draft as long as I did, you saw it 200 times.

Final thought RIP Pat Tillman - a hell of a football player, and a much better man.

Looking back I was pretty much correct in 10 of my analysis and dead wrong on 4. Not bad.
The Niners - 4 hits and 4 misses, which all in all isn't bad either. But missing on a first rounder is always going to make a draft look bad. I give them a C- on their overall draft

Top 5 Players from Draft

Vince Wilfork
Sean Taylor - great player, sad story.
Larry Fitzgerald - player I wish niners had most, even thought they had no chance of getting him.
Bob Sanders - Best player I said (and knew) nothing about, Great player.
tie DJ & Roy Willams - too hard to choose between the two willams.

5 biggest busts

Eli Manning - not a bad QB, but they simply gave up too much to get him and he isn't a franchise QB.
Robert Gallery - decent player, would go in the fifth round if they redrafted today
Ahmad Carroll - #25 pick out of football
Chris Perry - 300 yards in 3 years, not good.
Rashawn Woods - 34 players drafted after him have more career receptions

Some great reference links:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/draft/2004.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_NFL_Draft

ESPN - Jazz deal Giricek, first-round pick for 3-point specialist Korver - NBA

2007-12-29T10:56:00.000-08:00

Its hard to like the Jazz after the booted the Warriors out of the playoffs last year, but it is impossible not to like Sloan. Is there any coach in pro sports who rejects the "players league"notion more then Sloan and the Jazz?

ESPN - Jazz deal Giricek, first-round pick for 3-point specialist Korver - NBA

Arthur Blank, Troy Hudson and the GS Warriors

2007-12-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

Is Arthur Blank a bad guy? Does he kick babies and dogs when no one is looking? He must be because Karma is kicking this guys butt. He Looks like such a nice guy. Very grandfatherly, always soft spoken and nice but this poor guy has had one bad thing happen to him after another. Now of course we are talking sports tragedy here, and not real personal tragedy but still. Less than a year ago his team, the Atlanta Falcons seemed to be a team on the rise. A playoff team just three years ago with a franchise QB. Maybe not franchise in the terms of winning, but certainly franchise in terms of selling tickets, jerseys, the league, the team, excitement and all that. He was so good, that they decided to trade his capable backup Matt Schaub. Then shortly after that the Vick disaster. Predictably his team became one of the worst in the league. Then, the Petrino fiasco and another TV appearance where Blank looks grim. Then just week the very public Parcells flirtation and finally snub for a team that is 1-13!!! Poor Arthur Blank. He looks like a good guy, I hope he is a good guy and I hope his team starts to catch a few breaks.

On to the Warriors and Troy Hudson. Not that long ago I was questioning why they even bothered with this guy and then some phenomenal comments by the guy which I sited here and some solid play really sold me on the guy. Now word is out that his injury is so bad it is likely career threatening. Not that I think the W's will miss him, they are playing great basketball. But still I will miss him.

Finally, another great column by Bill Simmons LINK. This guy with very humble roots is the most entertaining sports writer going. Sure he is a little Boston centric, and that can be annoying especially now with Boston teams something like 893-2 in the past year. But even with that he is one very entertaining writer.

More 49ers

2007-12-16T21:24:00.000-08:00

Was switching back and forth last night between the niners game and the De La Salle State final game, so I missed the 4th and 2call where Nolan went for it in an obvious field goal situation. I do really like Nolan, I think he has done a lot of good things - but that call was the kind of decision my nine year old son makes while playing Madden. Not at all the kind of decision an NFL head coach should be making. Nolan does a lot of things well, but his fourth down decision making is juts horrific.

Speaking of horrific, how about NFL announcers. Every single niners game the announcers talk about how the Niners need to get the ball to Vernon Davis and use that "4.3 speed." Somehow professional announcers who should know better keep regurgitating this conventional wisdom. They seem to forget that one, he ran that time once, three years ago, in a combine and has since broke his leg - surely robbing of some of that speed. And secondly and more importantly somehow despite being faster than every LB and some DB's he never blows by anybody to score a TD.

Seems to me they should be saying Vernon Davis who ONCE ran a 4.3, now jumps off-side constantly, misses blocks, complains about lack of touches and has been far less productive then the man he replaced, Eric Johnson.

49ers

2007-12-15T23:45:00.000-08:00

Lets see Shaun Hill has back to back games where he completes over 75% of his passes. Perhaps the OL, the WR and even the offensive coordinator were not the problem after all. Perhaps tallent evaluation and horrific QB play were the problem.

Hats off to Shaun Hill - very impressive debut. Wouldn't it be great if he were then next Ton Brady. Yes, that might be a stretch - but damn he has looked good in two games and given us Niner fans some hope after years of misery.

Wednesday Sports Thoughts

2007-12-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

The Warriors - a win is a win, and beating the defending champs is always nice. Plus I like the defense they played and the way the held on. But, without Tim Duncan playing it feels like it doesn't count. Beat the Spurs with big Tim on the floor and then I will be impressed. Still the W's are 12-9, 11-3 with Jackson and appear to be all but a lock to make the playoffs.
The Giants - nice FA pickup in Rowland. At first I thought, nice little player. But when I took a look at his numbers AND the fact he won the gold glove last year in CF I can't help but think this guy is every bit as good as Rios. Maybe not as much upside, but he certainly had as good a year last year, if not better than Rios did. Now getting Rolen or Matsui or both for second tier pitchers makes a lot more sense and hold on to both Cain and Lincecum. I also think tomorrow's steroid announcements and sure to follow suspensions is going to have a major effect on the supply and demand of ML talent. It will be interesting to see if certain teams are more hard hit than others.
The 49ers - I would like to see Nolan back, but on a fairly short leash. I am done with Smith - what is it with bay area number ones overall and the name Smith (Warriors - Joe Smith) Both times the locals have had the number one overall the talent was completely underwhelming and the team made the wrong pick. I think it is time to cut bait with Smith and go throw money at Derick Anderson. The browns are very unlikely to keep him considering all the money they had to pay Quinn and he is scheduled to be a FA. Now with as weak as the QB position has become in the NFL the niners are sure to have a ton of competition for him, but they have to make a strong run at him - they simply have the worst QB situation in the entire league.

wow, just, wow

2007-12-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

Not sure words can capture this, you simply must watch it.

Monday Sports Thoughts - The Warriors

2007-12-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Warriors are starting to look like they are for real. After three sub par quarters against the Heat last Friday night they turned it on and ran away with it. The Lakers still concern me. They are a far inferior team (outside of Kobe and maybe Bynum, who on their team would you rather have than what the warriors have?) Next up the Spurs at home. No better way to announce you’re for real than to beat the defending champs.

Another look at Monta Ellis - Nellie says about him he puts the fast, in our fast break and after watching him the past two weeks I think he is right. I still don't see him as a #1 or #2 guy - but if he is your third or fourth best guy - he is pretty damn good.

Speaking of point guards, I never understood why the Warriors signed Troy Hudson this off-season. They obviously want Ellis to learn to play point guard, and with Baron rarely sitting anyway I felt like Ellis could handle the 10 minutes a game at point, so Hudson seemed pointless (no pun intended) to me. However after reading this from him:

Hudson is hardly alone in lack of use -- the Warriors have gone only seven or eight deep for weeks now -- and said he's had no problem biding his time.

"If we were losing and I felt like I could help the team win and then I'm not playing, that would be tough," Hudson said. "We have such a rhythm going, such a groove going, that I wouldn't be so anxious to just jump right in there and try to work my way into it. That chemistry, that's part of our success right now, and I'm old enough that I'm able to see that and understand that.

"Where maybe a younger guy could be like, 'Why am I not playing?', I see what's going on."

With that attitude and a look at his career free-throw and three-pointer percentages: I now think he is a perfect backup for this team. A guy that can go a week without playing and then come in and give them quality minutes if injuries or poor play from the top two guys necessitates it. A real veteran presence who seems to have a team first attitude. Count me as a big Hudson fan now.

Twenty games into the season, the Warriors are the ONLY thing to be excited about in Bay Area Sports (sorry Sharks, Owen Nolan, the lost strike season, a team with all talent and no heart – I just can’t embrace the sharks the way I did five-six years ago.) I believe - again!

Winter Meetings

2007-12-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

First things first, hats off to the Tigers for getting not one but two all-stars from the Marlins. Reminds me of the Celtics trade for Garnett - one where you go "how come my team doesn't make trades like that?" Great day for Tigers fans. Terrible day for Marlins fans, of wait - they don't have any fans left, so that's OK.

Speaking of "my" team, the Giants. They are rumored to be considering trading on of their two undtradeables in Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. Initially I was pretty upset at hearing they would consider trading one of these guys, especially when I think they might have gotten Cabera had they let loose one of them. But there more I look at the Rios trade the more I think it might make sense.

For starters Rios is just entering his prime, which is something Giants fans are not familiar with so let me explain. It is when you get a player while he is getting better and is relatively cheap, versus when he is getting much worse and is very expensive. Sorry to have to put that into detail non-giants fans - it is just it has been about 15 years since the Giants have trade this novel concept. Another reason to like Rios over Cabera is Rios has two years before coming a FA, Cabera only one. However if you are going to give up a player like Lincecum, you had better get an extension for Rios in the works right away. Another plus for Rios is he is a talented defensive right-fielder and Pac Ball is one of the toughest RF's to play in the league and finally he is a right handed power hitter - which is what Pac Bell is really suited for.

Now giving up a talent like Lincecum is hard. He has the stuff to be a true ace and those guys are hard to come by and are necessary to have any realistic chance of competing for a title. However there are a few reasons to consider moving him:

in general pitchers are just much more likely to flame out and suffer career alternating injuries than position players. There are maybe 10 starting pitchers in the league right now that are aces and have stayed aces their whole career.
Linecum in general seems a likely candidate because he throws so hard and is so slight of build.
The Giants for whatever reason have stockpiled pitchers in their minor leagues, while ignoring position players. They are in a position to replace Linecum, but not in a position to produce a guy like Rios.

I think you can also add that this team as constructed is a last place team and they don't have much in place that seems to change that. A big change is needed and this would be a good start. I also like the rumor of signing Andru Jones as long as it is to a "reasonable" contract.

College Football Thoughts

2007-12-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

Insane College Football Season, Flawed system, but in the end I think we ended up with the two best teams playing for the championship.
However, even though I think Ohio St deserves to be in the championship, I think LSU rolls them. Last year's Ohio St team was much better than this years and we all remember what happened to them in the title game vs a SEC team. LSU by 20
Heisman Trophy - why is there any debate. Sure stats can be misleading but 29 TD's throwing AND 22 rushing is mind boggling Tebow should walk away with this and I don't even think it is close.
All the college football talking heads say that a payoff system will "never" happen - But I think this year proves more than ever that we need one. Once the NCAA pulls its collective head out and realizes that January Madness would make more money than March madness I believe we will see a playoff.
Team most screwed by the BCS - nobody! I keep hearing about this team and that team but bottom line pretty much every team had their chances (with the possible exception of Hawaii) and blew it. With the current system if you don't go undefeated AND play in a top conference you have no claim to the national championship.

Wow, was that terrible

2007-12-03T22:27:00.000-08:00

The Warriors are probably, no without a doubt the most entertaining team I follow and considering the sorry state of my teams, the team that is most likely to make any kind of postseason noise. But unless they can correct games like tonight - they are going nowhere.

The end of the game their execution was nothing less than horrific. They battle all night long throwing up brick after brick and find themselves with a chance to win, the ball, 12 seconds to go and a tie game.

So what play do they run? A post up to the red-hot Steven Jackson? a pick and roll with Andris Biedrins? A Monta Ellis flashing drive to the hoop, a Kellen Azubuike cut into the lane? Hell I would have taken a 30 foot Manute Bol 3 pointer.

But no, the Warriors run what seems to be their favorite play, a play that would earn high schoolers a whole week of running - 4 guys standing at the 3 point line not moving, no picks, no cuts, nothing and the worst 3 point shooter on the floor, Monta Ellis hucking a no move, no chance 3 as time runs out. Absolutely pathetic, no excuse. The OT turnover fest loss was a forgone conclusion at that point. The Warriors lost that game in those last 12 seconds.

Other thoughts from the game:

I love Baron Davis. He is one of my favorite all-time Warriors, but he takes 3-4 "what the hell are you thinking", no chance shots a game. With his combination of skill, size and speed he should drive to the hoop twice as much as he does and fire up off balance no chance three pointers half as much. Until he does, he is not an MVP candidate and maybe not even an All-Star. Baron in the Dallas series last year drove to the hoop time and time again. He needs to do that to be a truly dominant player.
Seriously, Orlando Coach StanVan Gundy is Ron Jermey's separated at birth twin brother.

Some Random Guys I Like

2007-11-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

Kevin Garnett - I always liked this guys game and professionalism, but I absolutely love the unselfish way he plays and how we seems to have an old school attitude about winning over personal statistics. I am still a little bitter about Kevin McHale giving him to his old team, when the Warriors and other teams seemed to have better offers. I love the way the Warriors are playing but I dream about what a team with Baron, Jackson and Garnett could have done.
Tracy McGrady - He is obviously a great player. But I never really thought much about him one way or another. Last week I heard him on Jim Rome (you can listen to it HERE) talking about his trip to Africa and he was remarkable. His maturity and outlook was very refreshing and so different than the typical pro athlete - I came away very impressed. I am a big McGrady fan from this point forward.
Stephen Jackson - OK, he is a key player on "my" team so he can hardily be considered a "random" guy. But the general sports fan knows Jackson mostly as the other guy in the Artest blowup. But after watching this guy for a year now he is my favorite player on the Warriors. The passion he plays with is phenomenal and no better indication of his value to the Warriors than their 1-6 record without him and 6-1 with him. Defense, clutch shots, leadership and really a good guy with a bad rap - I am so happy he is a warrior.
Tony Romo - It is hard to like a guy from a rival team, but like Emmit Smith and Troy Aikman before him I respect the hell out of Tony Romo. After Peyton and Brady - he is probably the 3rd best QB in the league. Also seems to be pretty humble and has his head in the right place. Right now the Cowboys look like they are a pretty good bet for the SuperBowl and Romo is the main reason.

ESPN - Red Sox, Yankees both talking to Twins about Santana - MLB

2007-11-29T14:07:00.000-08:00

ESPN - Red Sox, Yankees both talking to Twins about Santana - MLB

Having just read the Bill Simmons book, I am feeling a little bit of love for the Red Sox - BUT they are starting to become the Yankees North. Just another team with an absurd payroll that wins by acquiring so much talent that other teams can't compete. I have been against it for a long time, but I think I have reached a point where I think baseball needs a salary cap. Then again it is a moot point since the players association would strike forever to avoid it, and the owners make too much money in the current system to change anything.

money and extreme individualism is ruining sports.

WOW

2007-11-28T09:41:00.000-08:00

Warriors - Suns

2007-11-26T23:27:00.001-08:00

Just got home from exciting Warriors win 129-114 over the Suns sitting in the 5th row. Really does the NBA get any more entertaining than a Warriors - Suns game? Sure the Spurs and Jazz play a more fundamentally sound game, but is it as fun to watch them grind out games 82-78? Not even lose in my book.

Also I have to say this about Monta Ellis. Less than a week ago I questioned how good he is and if he helps the team win. You see Monta has a PG body, but SG skills. But after watching him live again tonight - he really reminds me alot of Allen Iverson, without all the baggage. He simply blows by people and he can score (15 straight points in the 4th qtr tonight) He is slight of build, but is an excellent finisher and goes to the hoop with the abandon of Iverson. His jump shot is excellent, although his range is well inside the 3 point line - perhaps that will improve with age. Defensively - he is fine on smaller guards and gets a lot of steals, but can easily be posted up on, or pushed around by stronger players. He is best out on the break. In other words he is perfect for the Warriors system. On other teams like the Spurs he might never get off the bench, but for the Warriors he seems to be a perfect fit. Only time will tell if the W's can afford to keep him and Beidrins. I still think if they have to choose, you have to go Beidrins, simply because centers are much harder to find than guards, especially centers that can play at the Warriors pace.

We win!?!?!?

2007-11-25T17:46:00.000-08:00

One thing we learned today - no matter how bad the Niners are, the Cardinals are still the Cardinals. The Cardinals are a team with a lot of talent, but simply gave the game away today. The penalty on the OT game winning field goal, the missed field goal, the stupid decision to return a punt from the 2 (everyone repeat after me - when returning punts - plant your feet at the 10 and if it goes over your head - LET IT GO!!! It amazes me when I see NFL players break this basic fundamental time and time again.)

But even with all that and the niners awful season, my son and I were jumping up and down celebrating as Fields closed on Warner and the Niners first win since week two.

a couple of observations

Trent Dilfer, looked very good today. Did he finally shake off all the rust, or is the cardinals defense that bad? It couldn't be Tollner could it?
The Niners as a team and Jackson in general still drop way too many passes.
I am not sure what to make of the Niners defense at this point. On one hand they did take the ball away and give the offense short fields all day, and stop the Cardinals cold in OT. On the other hand they did give up 552 yards today!
Frank Gore looked like Frank Gore for the first time all season. same thing for Larry Allen - no surprise in that correlation.
Patrick F'n Willis - I don't know what else to say about this guy other than he is a flat out stud and might already be a top 5 NFL MLB. He looks like he is playing at another speed than everyone else. If you had 11 Patrick Willis's on defense you would SHUT OUT this years Patriots. I can feel a man-crush coming on.
Larry Fitzgerald's Hail Mary catch was equally amazing and aggravating. It pissed me off so much the Niners could give that up. But you really have to hand it to Fitzgerald - THAT was an amazing catch.

Another Week, Another dropped pass

2007-11-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

Before the season, it looked like the Niners stole Jackson and his 10TD's from the seahawks for just a fourth round pick. Now after watching Jackson drop pass after pass, I think he isn't worth a 7th round pick.

the W's

2007-11-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

Lucky (Big) Win tonight. Baron is a stud and Azubuike is one of the most underated players in the league.

However, I am so tired of the Mickael Pietrus farce - why oh why did they have him take not one, but two big shots under a minute in regulation tonight - I will tell you why because Philly (and the whole league) knows that Pietrus is a superstar...in France. In the NBA he is at best a 8th, 9th guy off the bench.

Pietrus is the worst kind of NBA player - he will occasionally get hot from 3, occasionally get a steal or two and occasionally make a fantastic move and a posterizing dunk. But night in and night out, he is more likely to miss a ton of shots, commit stupid fouls and dribble the ball off of his own leg.

He is a mediocre defender (somehow some people believe his pre-draft reputation as a good defender - those people don't watch the warriors play very much) he has no passing ability, is horror movie dribbling the ball and his only real offensive skill is to spot up and shoot from the corner, and even that is spotty. He is a terrible free-throw shooter (but to be fair none of the Warriors are very good there.)

Bottom line, it is no surprise that no other team made an offer for Pietrus this season when he was a FA, nor is it likely he will get much interest this year. Mickael - do us all a favor and go back to France and be the French Michael Jordan. In America, you aren't even close to the over the hill Michael Jordan.

Players the Warriors Simply Must Have:

Baron Davis - best player, all-star. If he ever stops taking the 4-5 stupid shots a game he takes he could be a MVP candidate.
Stephan Jackson - no better evidence then the 1-6 start without him
Andre Biendrins - more important young money year guy then more popular Ellis - Centers are way harder to find then guards
Kelenna Azubuike - does everything well
Matt Barnes - does everything Pietrus is supposed to do, better then Pietrus does

Still need to prove themselves:

Monta Ellis - talented yes, but does he help you win?
Al Harrington - does a lot well, but nothing great and doesn't rebound well enough to play PF, defend well enough to play SF
Austin Croshere - is good at what he does, but not sure he fits this system.
Patrick O'Bryant - a bust last year, but has looked excellent in limited minutes this season
Brandan Wright - too early to tell
Marco Belinelli - same as Wright, but looks way too timid early. reminds me of Mullin in his first year that way - so maybe that is a good thing.

When does the first bus leave:

Mickael Pietrus - do you really need any more reasons
Troy Hudson - Davis, Azubuike, Ellis, Belinelli all need minutes at the G spot - why exactly did we sign this guy?

Book recommendation from the Sports Czar

2007-11-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy Bill Simmons and his articles in the ESPN Mag. Based upon that I went ahead and ordered his book from Amazon. Now his articles and books are very Boston centric, but that is what is what makes it so good. He is a REAL fan, not a cynical hardened press guy. He cares about his teams the way I care about my teams. Although the teams are different I can completely relate to the emotions he invokes. I understand his unnatural man-crush on Nomar, for I have had the same on Owen Nolan. I know what it is like to hate players and coaches on his own team, for I too have felt those feelings.

What really sets this book apart is the simple comedic genius in so much of it. My wife continues to laugh at me as I chuckle every 5 minutes while reading it. High recommended for all sports fans, regardless of that team you like and his rules for sports fandom are so 100% right on they are worth the price of the book by themselves.

LINK TO BOOK

LINK TO BLOG

Best Niner game I saw all year

2007-11-19T08:49:00.001-08:00

Probably because I didn't watch a single play and instead took the family on a hike to the Black Diamond Mines.

I have been watching the 49ers for over 30 years now and this is by far the most disappointing season, relative to expectations in my entire fandom.

More Smith and the 49ers

2007-11-15T13:30:00.001-08:00

So now Smith has a serious injury and won't start this week (or potentially all season)

No problem - at least our second round pick will be a high one.

This situation reminds me that as Ralph likes to say "two (or in this case more) things can be equally true"

such as:

Smith has been hurt and that explains why he has looked worse than a Pop Warner QB
Nolan and the Niners overestimated how much Dilfer had left and after watching him AARP it, they rushed Smith back
The Niners are also not using Smith in what he is good at, that is the Urban Meyer Spread. If they were unwilling to switch to that philosophy they shouldn't have taken Smith.
The Niners are extremely unlucky as they did want to and try to trade down the year Smith was selected #1. Usually their are several teams willing and anxious to trade up - that year, not so much.
Hostler is NOT an NFL-caliber OC. Last year with a little less talent Norv Turners offense was above average, not dead last
Having said all that - Smith even healthy and in the right offense and a good coordinator is nothing better then a backup NFL QB. Time for the Niners to cut bait.

ESPN - Never say never: A-Rod, Yanks reportedly talking - MLB

2007-11-14T12:08:00.000-08:00

ESPN - Never say never: A-Rod, Yanks reportedly talking - MLB

I would really hate to see him go back to the Yankees, but if the precedent is set of excluding Agents I might be all for it.

Agents are the WORST part of sports, the reason hot dogs cost 8 dollars and Ryan Leaf is wealthy beyond his dreams despite being one of the worst athletes ever. I am all for players getting paid, but lets pay the right players and keep the costs semi-reasonable. No better way to do that then to cut out all the agents.

Very good take on the Alex Smith and 49ers

2007-11-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

ESPN Page 2 - Keown: Busting out the NFL

I am a big Mike Nolan fan, but he NEEDS a big time offensive coordinator - he simply doesn't have any creativity offensively and Hostler is horrific. It is funny you would think that a guy like that with nothing to lose (at this point there is no way he comes back next year) would open it up. No, the stupid Smith at WR and Battle running a sweep for a 2 yard loss doesn't count.

at least their is the chance Norv Turner will come back next year after he gets fired in San Diego for taking a huge step back.

Thoughts from a Boston Sports Czar Wed

2007-11-14T08:34:00.001-08:00

Fianlly Boston loses SOMETHING. Boston area teams from the Red Sox and Patriots all the way down to 6U co-ed bowling have won every contest staged in something like the last 54 years. They have been on the cover of SI four straigh weeks (and that one is not an exegaration) so Tuesdays nticpated annoucnemtnet for CY Young seemed like a forgone concludinog it would be Boston's Josh Beckett. But then something odd happened, it didn't go to Beckett - it went to Cleveland's CC Sabathia. Now there numbers were almost identical so either would have been deserving, but the fact that it went to Sabathia means the Boston anti-curse is over.

coming in the next few weeks:

Undefeated Patriots will lose to winless Dolphins
ARod will choose anyone over the Red Sox
Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will all anounce seperately that they are unhappy and wish to be traded.
Randy Moss will remember who he is and start to implode
Barry Bonds will sign with the Red Sox!!

49ers

2007-11-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

are simply too painful to watch. Thank goodness I have a DVR and can watch the whole game in an hour.

I think at this point Alex Smith is clearly a bust and the worst starting QB in the league. Yes the OL is porous, and the receivers lacking but he misses receivers by margins larger then many high school QB's I have seen. I have never seen 5, 10, 15 balls in ONE GAME that are outright uncatchable, nowhere near the intended receiver.

I have posted before about Vernon Davis being a bust, and I still think he is (another nice couple of false starts) but I will say it is hard to evaluate any 49er skill player with such horrendous QB play.

so here is my quick fix off season for the 49ers

1. fire the coordinator - sorry, not ready for primetime. I am sure he is a good coach and a great guy but the only thing NFL about him is, Not For Long.
2. cut bait on Alex Smith. Yes it is a huge waste of money and the #1 pick but we have hit a point where it no longer works
3. sign a mid-level halfway decent veteran QB and at least give your offense a chance to compete.
4. youth on the OL. I love Larry Allen, but he and Jennings need to go. I am not high on Smiley either. The niners must use the draft to build the OL.
5. focus the offense on Frank Gore. Play defense, run the ball. hit open receivers on 3rd and 4.
6. after OL, focus the draft on best available. many of the top WR's are not first rounders, in fact those guys seem to bust more then they perform. You can find a WR later in the draft.
7. Trade Vernon Davis while he has some value, with each passing week more and more NFL teams forget about his beautiful combine numbers and will start to focus on his sub par play.
8. forget about "big play" guys and go for "little play" guys. Guys who can convert short third downs. The defense on this team is good and getting better. In today's NFL turnarounds can be made very quickly. The Niners seem to be lost in half wanting to be the Ravens West and half wanting to be the old Niners. Although I prefer a more open game, this team as it is now is far closer to Ravens West. So embrace that - win with defense and running game and hope to attract better players. and always, always build through the draft. The best teams always do.
9. find the next QB. Bottom line in the NFL if you want to be a serious perennial contender you need a franchise QB. Alex Smith isn't that guy, he isn't even close.

I never get tired of this

2007-11-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

between this and you think you know, but you just don't know - Mora is a classic. I wish he would get another head job for his entertainment value.

Another nail in the Arod to the Giants coffin

2007-11-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

I absolutely LOVE Omar Vizquel - amazing defensive player, a great pro and a great guy. One of my all time favorite Giants. But if the Giants were at all serious about pursuing ARod one of their cards to play was to let him move back to SS. Now that they have re-signed Vizquel that choice is gone.

Plus again, I mentioned that I love Vizquel - but is the least offensively productive everyday starter in the NL "worth" 5M - is that really the market for him? isn't 5M the difference between the "acceptable" amount of 25M a year for ARod and the "absurd" figure of 30M per?

Warriors , Brick, Clank

2007-11-09T09:26:00.000-08:00

It is getting tiresome talking about how "my" team suck, but frankly they all do. Out here in the Bay we are experiencing the opposite of Boston. In fact had we not stolen Joe Thornton from the Bruins the domination would be complete.

But back specifically to the warriors. Now I was a pretty good high school basketball player, not great but good. As a senior I shot over 85% on my free-throws. At least 4 other members of my high school team were over 80%. It is a ^&%^&%(*^&(*% Free Throw. Stand there, get your balance, shoot. Yay! Really one of the easiest things to do in sports and outside of the crowd distraction, as easy to do in 10 year old rec ball as it is in the Pros and how many things can you say that about. This years Warriors are shooting 67% from the line!!!!!

Now specifically to this years 0-5 Warriors. Last night they missed 14 free throws and lost by 5! You always hear commentators say if they made ALL 14 they would have won by 9, but that is expecting them to hit 100% and I don't expect that. In fact I am not even going to pick a random % that they should hit. I am simply going to compare them to their competition. Last night the W's missed 14, the Mavs missed 4. 10 point differential on the FT line is the difference between a 5 point loss and a 5 point win.

Sure the Warriors need Steven Jackson back, they need to take better shots, rebound better and play better defense. But if they also need to improve tremendously on the easiest thing to do in sports.

Sports Czar thoughts on the Sports Weekend

2007-11-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

Yes I picked the Colts and for 57 minutes looked right on. I think the one thing we learned Sunday is something we pretty much already knew. The Patriots and Colts are the two best teams in football and whoever is number 3 is a very distant third.
Adrian Peterson, 109 yard returns, colts-patriots - all in all a very entertaining NFL Sunday. But for me the number one thing that stood out to me is how good is Joseph Addai? To me he was the most impressive player all weekend making huge play after huge play for the Colts offense.
The 49ers - ugh. If you can't beat one of the worst teams in football - then face it you are one of the worst teams in football. The only good news is the NFL West is so bad, even with all of this the niners are only TWO games out of the lead. However I am not sure they will even win 2 more games this year. Bad, bad, bad football. I am a huge Mike Nolan fan - but he better do something quick.
worse news for the 49ers - with the #3 overall pick the Patriots select Glenn Dorsey DT LSU
worse news for the Raiders - with the #4 overall pick the Raiders select ...hell it doesn't matter who they pick the Raiders will still find a way to play well, but still lose.
College Football - hell maybe Ohio St is the best team in the country -doesn't look like anybody else is. My gut still tells me it is LSU.
I know who the worst team might be - MY long time favorite the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. When you start losing to the service academies, that is not good.
Is Kansas that good or is Nebraska that bad - maybe a little of both?
Bonds, the HOF and the Asterisk. I don't think the ball should go into the hall with an asterisk on it but I am not all that sure Bonds should go in either. what a mess. Hell the last 20 years should have an asterisk on it.

Damn!

2007-11-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Round one of the PR work on why the Giants won't be getting ARod.

ESPN - Giants GM: Likelyhood of getting A-Rod 'a reach' - MLB

Now I think 30M and all that is crazy - but the fact of the matter is the Giants have 30M tied up in three players (Zito 15M, Durham 7.5M, Roberts 6.5M) that last year weren't worth much more then the major league minimum. The Giants have made one poor financial/personnel decision after another - at least with ARod you know what you are going to get - he has been as consistent as any player in baseball over the past 10 years.

I have no idea how much his hands are tied by the ownership group, but I think it may be time to move in another direction at the GM spot.

Looks like we are heading for a 100 losses in 2008.

Just remembered

2007-10-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

as the niners are bumbling their way along to a top 5 2008 Draft pick, that damn the niners don't own their 2008 pick - it goes to the Patriots, of all teams.

the good news is the Niners did trade back into the first round, the bad news - they traded with the colts. so it is a very realistic possibility that the Patriots will drat #3 overall after their 19-0 season and the Niners will draft 29th - great.

I really do like Joe Staley the player they traded for and he is probably their best lineman right now, but 3rd overall!

the real upside is there is now ZERO reason in the second half to give up on the season and hope for a better draft pick, the niners should claw and fight for every possible win.

Speaking of the Patriots - forget this upcoming weekends much hyped game with the Colts - the biggest game on the Patriots schedule is week 16 when they play the Dolphins. The Pats will be 15-0, the Dolphins 0-15 and every last living member of the 72 Dolphins are sure to show up to urge the Dolphins to defend the only undefeated team ever.

all that is missing is the band

2007-10-29T09:11:00.001-07:00

Trinity Football 15 Laterals Miracle Play - Watch more free videos

and now for something completely different

2007-10-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

The Sports Czar is a blog about sports and 90% of the time that is the subject. but now and again I digress.

This is one of those times.

Last night the wife and I had a rare chance for a date night of dinner and a movie (amazing when you are middle aged, have four kids and no free time how exciting dinner and a movie can be) We probably watch 50 movies in a year, 1,000 if you count kids movies. But we probably only see 3-4 a year in an actual theater. So we try and be careful what we pick to go see on those nights. Most of the time we do pretty good, including the last theatre movie we saw (Knocked up - now on DVD highly Recommended)

So last night we saw the Beatles inspired "Across the Universe." Now as a child of hippies, growing up in the 60's & 70's the Beatles were the soundtrack of my youth so I know and love the music. The 60/70's counter culture is also something I know, having been a kid watching it all around me, but that is something I have less fond memories of. Especially scary for me was the scene with Bono and the Hippie Bus. My surrogate aunts and uncles actually had a bus exactly like the one shown in the movie.

The movie is a telling of the Vietnam era youth growing from innocence to counter culture. It is not really a new story, but it is done in a new and interesting way. Very similar to Pink Floyd the Wall - although a lot more upbeat and covers the Beatles works overall and not just one album like the Wall.

As I walked out of the theater last night I was a little fatigued by the whole thing - probably because the movie was a little longer then it should have been and some of the scenes would have benefit from editing. Also I think like much of the 60/70's counter culture stuff - some of it was more directed towards those who like to partake in a little chemical alteration now and again. Now I don't judge those who like to partake in that sort of thing (as long as they conduct themselves within reason) but I have never in my life experienced anything stronger then alcohol, probably because I saw it all around me when I was a kid. So without the benefit of that many of the long psychedelic numbers went on and on and are not really my thing.

However as I reflect on the movie the next day I think on more and more parts that I really did like. For one I thought the music was amazing. I was really impressed with the new arrangements and the way the music is interwoven into the story. So much so that I bought the soundtrack as soon as we got home. The actors themselves are all likable and believable. It is also a remarkably fresh story considering the subject is an old one and one that has been told many times.

Also three cameos, Bono, Eddie Izzard and Joe Cocker really stand out as high points in the movie. Finally the version and circumstances of "Let it Be" were so amazing and moving my wife and I were both moved to tears.

All in all if you are a fan of the music, I highly recommend you see this movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Across_the_Universe_%28film%29

Niners - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

2007-10-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

After one of the worst performances by the Niners in years I present to you:

The Good

Not much. The only three things I can put in the good category is:

At least the offense showed some imagination in formations and plays instead of lining up in 21 personnel (2 backs - 1 tight end) all day and running Gore into 9 man fronts.
Ashley Lelie made an appearance and at least stretched the field a little bit.
I PVR'd the game so I was able to fast forward the commercials and much of the commentary. Reduced it from 3 hours of bad football to and hour and a half of bad football.

The Bad

Gore is still a non factor - now he is the only thing opposing defenses need to worry about so it makes it a little harder for him to be a factor - but even considering the circumstances he still needs to be better then he has been.
Vernon Davis - I have said it before and I will say it again. With each passing week Davis looks more and more like a workout warrior bust. The niners got way more production from the TE spot in the past with 7th round pick Eric Johnson then they do with 6th overall pick Vernon Davis. Davis always talks the talk, but has yet to do anything on the field to back it up.
Defense - the defense had been the one bright spot on the team, but after being put in one bad situation after another the defense was unable to respond. I still think the defense is very good and is the strength of the team. But the elite NFL defenses respond to offensive turnovers with three and outs - this team is not yet an elite defense.
QB play - I love Dilfer. I love what he has done in his career. I think he is player that has maximized his talent and plays smart and I love those guys. I love how he has helped Alex Smith and I think he could walk into a coaches job tommorow. Having said that - I think his window of being an effective NFL player is closed. He is far too immobile, especially behind this line and he doesn't have the arm strength or accuracy. Clearly the Niners need to address the backup QB situation in the off season and move Dilfer into the coaching ranks.

The Ugly

If there is an offensive line as a whole playing worse then the Niners I would like to see it. Any line stunt, dog, blitz, fake anything totally confounds this line. I have seen high school freshman lines pick stuff up better then this group.
Penalties - stupid penalties and bad timing penalties. Even when the Niners have a halfway decent play it invariably gets called back.
Turnovers - the biggest factor contributing to winning in the NFL is turnovers - the niners give the ball away like its Christmas.

The only good news is the NFC West is so bad with each passing week it looks like an 8-8 team will win this division.

Sad, Sad, Sad.

2007-10-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Since it is High School and not on the mainland this is off most people's radar, but I just felt like I had to blog about it.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Oct/04/sp/hawaii710040370.html

Similar situations have happened here in the bay area - last year Northgate Head Coah Ted Tellian was forced out by parent upheaval after 21 years on the job. Also in a less publicized matter Ron Thompson, former Acalanes head coach and a coach I know a little bit resigned from his new head job at Hayward when the players told him that they would not be using the defense he installed, but rather the old one they were use to.

All of this is a sad commentary on the state of our culture - that players and parents can simply act like two years olds, stomp their feet, pout and get their way.

Should coaches be held accountable for their actions, absolutely! If anything coaches who cross the line with archaic rules about practicing for hours in the heat, playing through serious injuries, berating players and depriving them of water should be fired. Those practices were common in my day as a player, but I am happy to say have been swept away with the times as more tolerant and educated coaches have taken over. Football is still a tough guy sport, and you still need to be tough to succeed. Driving players to their best should be the goal of every coach and as much as possible it should be done in a positive manner.

But players, parents and administrators that force coaches out or threaten to quit when a coach tries to enforce some discipline, good sportsmanship and respect for opponents is so far over the line it makes me sick. As coaches it is our job, especially with high school kids, to not only teach them about football, but teach and prepare them for life beyond football. I believe Coach Torres was doing just that and I for one am extremely disappointed in the players and their parents for taking the stand they did.

At least some people, like this columnist have their head screwed on straight.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071005/COLUMNISTS06/710050385/1142/COLUMNISTS06&template=UHsports

Torre and The Yankees - Part 2

2007-10-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am so happy Torre told the Yankees to take a hike. Like I have said in the past it is not that I am a Yankee hater, in fact I am pretty indifferent to the Yankees. But Torre is a class act, and the way the Yankees have handled this situation is absurd.

Here is my best case scenario of what happens next

Torre takes over the Orioles and goes on to win the next 10 AL East titles while the Yankees miss the playoffs every year
ARod opts out, fires Boras and signs with the Giants for a "reasonable" 25 million (hey I said best case, not realistic)
Posada signs with Torre and the Orioles
Rivera signs with Torre and the Orioles
Pettite retires
The Yankees desperate for talent sign Clemens again, for 30 Million - he goes 2-10 and gets busted for steroids.
The Yankees also sign Bonds, he hits 50 homeruns but ruins the chemistry and the Yankees finish last.

hey at least LA is worse then we are!

2007-10-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Good sports lacking in L.A.

Good sports lacking in L.A.

Very nice - highest point

2007-10-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

It looks so nice when they run it just how you drew it up

2007-10-17T12:49:00.000-07:00

Best Sunday of the year for the 49ers

2007-10-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

All three divsion rivals lose in the pathetic NFC West and Niners move a half a game up on all three without taking the field. It might only take 8 wins to take this division.

Wired on NFL Films

2007-10-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

NFL Films' Exhaustive Archive Is Rushing Into the Digital Age

NFL Films has to be one of the greatest ideas, and best plays to work in the world.

Good Article from Bill Simmons of the Magazine

2007-10-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

I must admit when I first saw the Lebron Yankee thing I thought it was pretty stupid on LeBrons part - but simmons makes such a compelling argument, he changed my whole opinion on the matter.

Congratulations for being a Yankee fan, LeBron

Editor's note: This column appears in the October 22 issue of ESPN The Magazine.

When LeBron James showed up at Game 1 of the Yankees-Indians series, nobody was too surprised. It's not like he's strayed from the limelight since the Finals ended, hosting both the ESPYs and SNL. For all we know, he might be working on a couple of horrible rap albums and a buddy-cop movie right now. Heck, when the game's announcers threw it to Craig Sager, I half-expected Bron-Bron to plug an upcoming appearance on Frank TV.
Here's what I didn't expect: LeBron wearing a Yankees hat.

That's right, the most important Cleveland athlete since Jim Brown wore enemy colors to Jacobs Field. This was more shocking than a videotape of Al Gore throwing a bunch of plastic bottles into the nonrecyclables bin could ever be. An outraged Sager started off the interview like Lt. Daniel Kaffee gunning for the Code Red, basically asking, "What the hell?" LeBron calmly explained that he grew up a Yankee fan and had to support his team but that he was rooting for the Indians as individuals. Sager wondered why an Ohio native would root for the Yanks, Cowboys and Bulls, asking, "Are you a front-runner?" Poor LeBron never answered directly, suddenly looking more rattled than Mark Fuhrman during the O.J. trial. That's when Sager handed LeBron a gift from C.C. Sabathia (an Indians towel) before wrapping it up, probably so he could rush off to take a congratulatory call from Jim Gray.

"If you guys need me, I'll be living on the Upper West Side. Thanks, it's been fun."My initial conclusion was this: Because the Cavaliers haven't yet signed Anderson Varejao or Sasha Pavlovic, the hat was LeBron's way of telling his front office, "Thanks for sticking me with another lousy supporting cast. I'm signing with the Knicks in three years." But over the weekend, after watching the interview a few more times, I came to another conclusion. LeBron was wearing that hat for a more genuine reason: He really is a fan. His body language backed it up. He didn't feel great about doing it and knew he'd take heat for it, but he loves the Yanks and wanted to show his support. Case closed.

Well, LeBron did take a ton of heat. The following day, Sager's interview got more attention than the game did. National message boards and blogs buzzed, local sports radio shows painted him as a pariah. The AP even filed a wire story about it. Now, had LeBron worn a Yankees cap and an Indians jersey -- making his dueling loyalties clear, even if he didn't feel it -- everything would have been fine, kind of like Michael Jordan wearing a Nike shirt and a Kangol cap.
And that's the real point here. The angle everyone missed is that for once, a high-profile athlete didn't care what everyone else thought about him. These days, superstars are like political candidates with a dash of CEO tossed in: With so many people advising them and so many sponsors paying them, they're not about to take controversial stances on anything.
It's a sharp contrast from the 1960s and '70s, when Muhammad Ali, Bill Russell, Bill Walton and Jim Brown rose above the games to join fights against racial inequality or the Vietnam War, even though such beliefs were threatening to some of their "fans." Then Jordan came along and proved it was more lucrative to avoid opinions at all costs, talking about only basketball, golf and the products he endorsed. With his playing days well behind him, he'd still rather goof around with Kevin Bacon in homoerotic underwear ads than speak out against the Iraq War, AIDS in Africa or whatever else. When his Jordan Brand donated $450,000 to Habitat for Humanity after Hurricane Katrina, it was a rare indication that the greatest pro athlete of the past 25 years cared about something other than splitting aces.

Okay, wearing a Yankees cap and antagonizing a city isn't quite the same as aiding flood survivors or speaking out on Darfur, as LeBron had a chance to do when he was presented with a petition to sign last spring. But the way pro sports is, that cap is the closest we've had to a defiant act of expression in a while. How many athletes stick to their guns about anything, even something as innocent as who they root for?

Charles Barkley and Gilbert Arenas speak their minds, and we love them. Allen Iverson made people respect him on his own terms. But not many other athletes jump to my mind. Some -- such as Gary Sheffield, for instance -- are abused for their ideas, surely scaring away others who might have something to say. We end up not knowing most of the guys except as they appear in scripted commercials and controlled interviews. When Peter King touts Peyton Manning's human virtues, we just have to take his word for it.

If Bill Walton's hair and pot smoking personified sports in the early '70s, LeBron personifies the current climate: We first learned about him in high school, hyped him before he did a single thing, then made him rich before he'd earned it. He was a blank slate who happened to be great at sports, and that made him a natural to become a corporation. None of it is his fault exactly. Behind the scenes, he's supposedly a happy chops-buster who brings his buddies with him everywhere, a real-life Vinnie Chase, the kind of guy who builds a gigantic house and makes sure it includes a casino.

The average person wouldn't know any of this. They know him only from his playing exploits and Nike spots. Like most superstars, he's learned to adopt different personas depending on the situation. I've been in the same room with LeBron when he was in corporate mode (promoting a PlayStation game), public figure mode (working the audience at Jimmy Kimmel Live!), serious mode (preparing for the ESPYs) and fun-loving mode (eating dinner after the ESPYs). The last one was by far my favorite. Sitting in a roped-off section at Katana, a sushi place in West Hollywood, LeBron cracked wise with his boys, letting off steam. At one point, he fell sideways into his booth in a giggling heap, looking like a 22-year-old kid. Which he is.

Would he ever act like that with cameras pointed at him? Of course not. Modern superstars can't let loose like that. That's why I'm cutting him slack for breaking Cleveland's collective heart last week. I once watched the Red Sox play in Yankee Stadium while wearing a Bruins jersey, a Sox hat and Celtics shorts. Why? Because Boston is my town, and those are my teams. I was showing support, even if it could get me doused with beer or killed. This season, I saw them in Anaheim and Tampa and wore a Sox jersey both times. That's just what a fan does when he catches his team on the road.

So while the average Cleveland fan is thinking LeBron is a turncoat, I'm glad to see a superstar show a little guts for a change. The next time we see LeBron at a Yankees-Indians game, I have the sinking feeling his advisers will have gotten to him. He'll be wearing a Nike hat and saying how great it would be if both teams could win. Sager will nod approvingly, and the local fans will sigh with relief. Watching it, we'll think LeBron looks like a savvy businessman or pol.
In other words, he'll look like almost every other athlete of the 21st century.

Bill Simmons is a columnist for Page 2 and ESPN The Magazine. His book "Now I Can Die In Peace" is available in paperback.

This week in sports

2007-10-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

So my back has left me stuck on the couch and unable to sleep more then 2 hours in a row. Of course this is not the way I would want to live (and hopefully when this procedure I had yesterday starts to work, it won’t be) The one positive is I got to see a lot of sports this past weekend, a lot more then I would normally see.

Here are some other random thoughts from this sports weekend:

Best Sports time of the Year

My first thought is about the two times of the year that are just great for sports:

One is late March – early April when you have baseball starting, the masters (the only golf tournament I can watch without falling asleep) NBA & NHL playoffs and of course the best sports TV of the year – March Madness.

The other time is October. You have the NFL just hitting its stride, college football shaking out, the start of the NHL, with the NBA right on its heels and of course the MLB playoffs, the one time of year where baseball still shines.

For me it is tough to choose between the two. March Madness might be the best sports event of the year. Plus these days “my” teams the Sharks and Warriors are far more likely to be in the playoffs then my other teams the Giants, Niners or Fighting Irish.

But in the end, I have to go with October because October has the one thing nothing else can touch – High School Football. Being a high school coach, March and April are filed with boring meetings and prep for spring ball. October has us right in the middle of the season, so for me, this is the best time of the sports year.

Joe Torre and the Yankees

Steinbrenner is an idiot. Now, I am no Yankee’s fan, but I am not your typical Yankee hater either. Sure they have an unfair advantage, but so do the red sox and that is the way the game is played these days. So I don’t begrudge them taking advantage of their circumstance. But this situation is absurd

For one Torre has handled one of the most high profile jobs sports with class and dignity. The other is the ludicrous statement that with the Yankees the bar is set as world champs or bust. Yes, that I true – but it is only true since Joe Torre took over in 1996 and they have made the playoff every year. Prior to Torre taking over the Yankees were a joke – they made the playoffs one time in the 14 years prior to him taking over. Let me repeat that:

Torre’s 12 years as manager – 12 playoffs, 4 world championships.

In the previous 14 years – 1 playoff appearance, and zero championships.

So yes, the Yankees have built a World Series or bust culture, but they have built it on the foundation of Torre. Torre tell Steinbrenner to stick it and either retire with your dignity or take over another team and kick the Yankee’s ass every year. A great end to this story would be all of these Yankees in their end of contract year choose not to come back to the Yankees, and cite the Torre situation as the primary reason they choose not to come back.

The Niners

On one hand – there is a lot to feel good about as a Niner fan. Nolan has changed the culture, they have erased the salary cap nightmare and the drafts seems to be producing real talent, not giant wastes like Kwame Harris.

Also the defense looks like a top notch unit – especially considering the circumstances that the offense consistently puts them under. Patrick Willis is a stud you build a team around, Clements has played so well he should take Barry Zito out to dinner and give him a pep talk on how to play up to an absurd contract. And top to bottom they are one of the best tackling teams in the NFL, which has become something of a lost art.

So in other words Nolan has turned the Niners into the Ravens west, which is not always an exciting brand of football, but sure is a hell of a lot better then the product we got under the NCAA level of leadership of Mariucci, Erickson and Donahue.

On the other hand, the offense, wow. A general lack of talent and a complete lack of offensive coaching has this one of the worst units I have ever seen. Gore is unable to get anything going, but he doesn’t look like the problem to me – I doubt LT would be doing much better with this line and play calling.

First the line – last year a strength of this team has somehow become a major weakness. The level of confusion I am seeing is embarrassing for a high school line, much less a pro one.

One thing to note is that most of the time I do not watch football as a normal fan does, I watch it like a coach. That is I watch the line play, the coverages and only watch the player with the ball at the end of the play. This is true of how most coaches watch football and truthfully it is more work than play – but it is something I still enjoy doing. Having said that there are two teams that I relax and watch the game as a regular fan does. I follow the ball I get excited and yell at the TV. Those two teams are Notre Dame (although I have been watching less and less of them this year) and the Niners. When “my” teams are playing I like to just sit back and watch the ball. And when watching in fan mode I tend to judge lineman pretty much the way most fans judge lineman – a guy who is playing great and they show multiple replays of him dominating is playing great, a guy whose name you never hear all day is playing good (since when they show lineman it is mostly them committing a penalty or getting beat) and those whose name you hear a lot are usually having a terrible game, for the aforementioned reasons.

Using that system this is my evaluation of this years Niners line.

LT – Jonas Jennings – somewhere between terrible and OK. Has not been the most egregious offender, but clearly something is not right with him.

LT – Adam Snyder – again using the system outlined he must be playing pretty well – I never heard his name on Sunday when he started in place of Jennings.

LG – Larry Allen – this is why the Cowboys let him go. Last year Allen was dominant and a huge reason why Gore had such a breakout year. Week after week you would see slow motion replays of him plowing over everyone and paving huge holes. This year, he looks slow, fat, confused, old. Every time he shows up he is blocking no one, while defenders run right by. He is by far the biggest reason the Niner running game has struggled because he went from so good to so bad.

C – Heitman – was never dominant last year but was certainly competent – this year it seems as though there are 2-3 plays a game where he blocks nobody.

RG – Smiley – like Heitman was not great last year but he has been horrific, watching him play reminds me of Kwame Harris and that is never good. Worst of the worst so far. the only time he even seems to touch a guy is when he drags him down for a holding call, almost always on one of those rare Niner offensive plays that goes for more than 10 yards.

RT – Staley – Nolan commented that he has been the best and I would have to agree – You barely even notice he is out there which is a huge improvement over Harris who last year I think set a record with something like 945 sacks allowed.

So what can be done? Allen we must hope finds a way to get back to at least half as good as last year. Heitman also needs to improve. Jennings when he comes back if he doesn’t improve they should give Snyder a shot and Smiley has been so bad he should be benched now in favor of Bass.

The other big problem has been the play calling which has been terrible – Dilfer made a comment of how hard it is to play the run on first, run on second, pass on third game plan and yet The Niners keep doing it. They are so pathetically predictable and conservative they are easy pickings for any defense and downright unwatchable against a good defense like the Ravens. I am not sure if Hostler is up to the job and he will almost certainly be out of a job if the offense continues on this pace.

Kickers – anyone who reads the Sports Czar knows how I feel about kickers and it was frustrating to watch Nedney miss a game winner. But considering the circumstances I think the play calling is far more to blame then Nedney. Nedney is as solid as it gets inside of 40 yards, but over 50 is a big time stretch for him and once the offense got to the Baltimore 35 they made zero attempt to move the ball closer. I put this one more on the passive offensive play calling then on Nedney. Although I am hard pressed to remember a pro kicker missing a kick that badly – I mean that one never had a chance and was embarrassing to watch.

Vernon Davis – I was afraid of this when they drafted him and I get more afraid with each passing week, but I think Davis is going to be a workout warrior bust. For starters I am never as impressed with combine numbers as I am with a players football performance and Davis was all combine numbers. Secondly I think #6 overall is way too high to draft a TE. The leagues best TE Antonio Gates was an undrafted free agent. The second best, Tony Gonzalez (and most consistently good for the past decade) was picked 13th overall. Alge Crumpler another probowl TE was a second rounder. In fact the league is filled with solid TE who were mid round picks. I said it on 2006 draft day and I appear to be more right with every passing day – if you are going to pick a TE in the first round he has better be a perennial pro bowler like Gonzales.

Davis has had some good moments, but far more times where he disappears all together and I am sure the niners given a chance to do it all over again would rather have Michael Huff, Ernie Simms, Haloti Ngata, Marcus McNeil or even Devin Hester. They could have kept Eric Johnson who was always underrated and has produced far better then Davis. In fact Vernon Davis has just 28 career catches, Eric Johnson has 21, in 4 games this year!

The good news is this years pick, Patrick Willis is looking like a steal, could end up being the best player from last years draft.

In conclusion – I like the path Nolan has the Niners on. Their defense is going to be very good and for the most part is young and improving. But the offense is so bad, I don’t see them making the playoffs this year unless they sneak in because the NFC west is so bad.

Pain Compensation

OK a little off topic here, but something I have been thinking about. So I have this back problem in my lower right back. Problem is by body is compensating and now my upper right back, knee, thigh, groin and on and on are all compensating and sore. My question is why does the body do this? Wouldn’t it be easier for the body to “compensate” for the injury by simply healing it, then by injuring multiple other body parts? But, I digress.

Sharks

I have been a hockey and sharks fan for 10 years now and while I understand the basics of the sport I am still pretty clueless on the “real” strategy of the game. In other words I am pretty much a regular fan.

Now this sharks team has great talent, but something is missing. It isn’t about Thornton, or Marleau or any of the other highly talented players. In fact it is not a problem with any of the players, it is simply a lack of the truly gritty players. Past teams had guys like Owen Nolan, Mike Ricci, Bryan Marchment and Scott Thornton. There is simply no grit on this team.

Also I like the young defenseman – but every Stanley Cup champ has a clear number one defenseman, a guy like Pronger – we don’t and never really have. Until we can get a true top tier defenseman, we will always be a top5 team that never makes it past the second round.

Also it pisses me off the FSN only shows home games in HD – I assume there is a cost of equipment / ratings ratio that makes it non-profitable. But the fact of the matter is HD is the best thing that ever happened to hockey on TV. If I were trying to get a non-interested person interested in hockey – the last thing I would do is show them a game in 80’s looking TV production.

Cowboys, Romo and Icing the kicker

Tony Romo and the Cowboys I think showed more in their ugly win Monday night then they did in any of their blowouts. Romo to me looks like one of those guys that is all about winning and not about the stats and at this point they look like the clear class of the NFC and Romo is a top 5 QB.

As for the stupid icing the kicker thing, everyone knows I am no fan of kickers – but this little charade has to stop. I was happy to see Nick Folk make both kicks and I can’t wait for the moment when a smart ass coach calls TO as a kicker misses the kick and then makes the next one. Maybe then this nonsense will stop.

Florida and the lack of time management

So Florida had a chance to make Cal the #1 team in the country, but a combination of ballsy calls by LSU and poor clock management keeps LSU on top. First off hats off to Les Miles for playing aggressively for the win – I am always disappointed to see coaches play such an aggressive game with such passive tactics (hello niners final drive on Sunday for a game losing FG miss) so it was nice to see Miles making one aggressive call after another.

The other thing from that game that caught my attention (and the attention of the announcers who beat it to death) was the horrific clock management of the Florida coaching staff. They waited 29 seconds to call a timeout late in the game, so that when they has their chance to pull off a comeback they had a serious lack of time and subsequent strategic options. I think Urban Meyer is a genius and his spread offense has revolutionized the game – but that was some bad coaching right there.

And with that I am finally done.

This is great

2007-10-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

Now everyone knows I am no cowboy fan, but Parcells hit this right on the head. Great 10 (well, 11) commandments for a QB.

Quarterback commandments:
1. Ignore other opinions – Press or TV, agents or advisors, family or wives, friends or relatives, fans or hangers on - ignore them on matters of football, they don’t know what’s happening here.
2. Clowns can’t run a huddle – don’t forget to have fun but don’t be the class clown. Clowns and leaders don’t mix. Clowns can’t run a huddle.
3. Fat QBs can’t avoid the rush – A quarterback throws with his legs more than his arm. Squat and run.
4. Know your job cold – this is not a game without errors. Keep yours to a minimum. Study.
5. Know your own players – Who’s fast? Who can catch? Who needs encouragement? Be precise. Know your opponent.
6. Be the same guy every day – in condition. Preparing to lead. Studying your plan. A coach can’t prepare you for every eventuality. Prepare yourself and remember, impulse decisions usually equal mistakes.
7. Throwing the ball away is a good play – sacks, interceptions and fumbles are bad plays. Protect against those.
8. Learn to manage the game – personnel, play call, motions, ball handling, proper reads, accurate throws, play fakes. Clock. Clock. Clock. Don’t you ever lose track of the clock.
9. Get your team in the end zone – passing stats and TD passes are not how you’re going to be judged. Your job is to get your team in the end zone and that is how you will be judged.
10. Don’t panic – when all around you is in chaos, you must be the hand that steers the ship. If you have a panic button so will everyone else. Our ship can’t have a panic button.
11. Don’t be a celebrity QB – we don’t need any of those. We need battlefield commanders that are willing to fight it out, every day, every week and every season and lead their team to win after win after win.

Cervical epidural steroid injection interactive video

2007-10-08T01:39:00.000-07:00

I think this is the "procedure" I am having done on Tuesday. For those who not hear through the grapevine - I have had quite a relapse in my back problem - so bad that I have been bed ridden since last Thursday, missing yet another football game.

Cervical epidural steroid injection interactive video

This story...

2007-10-06T19:13:00.000-07:00

...is so good that all in on, it is...

* a story better than anything Hollywood could come up with and in fact if they did, we would all dismiss it as implausible and maybe even a little too cliche and sappy.

* some of the best sports writing you will encounter anywhere - a clear sign that even in the digital age, SI is still king and still very relevant.

* proof that even the evil empire of sports, the Yankees can be "root worthy" given the right circumstances.

* a reminder of why, even today with all of the money ruined, self absorbed, arrogant athletes - that sports can be uplifting, poignant and even inspiring.

SI.com - MLB - Gary Smith: Joba Chamberlain has taken New York in a blaze of glory - Wednesday October 3, 2007 11:36AM

Take the time to read it, in its entirety, you won't be sorry. You might even feel a little inspired.

Joba enters a Yankee game - a bleacher perspective

a silly, SNL type shot inspired by the Yankees and Joba

The Red Sox's fan take on Joba - NOT KID FRIENDLY - But funny and very Boston.

2008 SF Giants

2007-10-01T04:00:00.000-07:00

OK good first step giving Bonds his walking papers, but after last years disastrous off season I feel compelled to map out the direction the Giants should go this offseason.

Bonds – gone, good. The reasons have been rehashed ad nausea, so I will give it a rest here other then to say at this point he is an AL player he has 1-2 seasons top left in him and the Giants simply don’t need him, the distractions, the money he will command, any of it. Let him play it out in Anaheim or wherever and be done with it.

Alex Rodriguez – the NY situation has to run his course but if he hits the open market you HAVE to throw everything you possibly have at him. Obviously many other teams will as well – but ARod is one guy who is actually worth it AND will pay for whatever ridiculous contract he gets. pay it - there are about 20 guys in sports worth every cent they make - he is one of them. Plus in the end if they don't sign him and it comes down to money - it will be so easy to point at the money they paid this year to Zito, Durham, Aurilla, Feliz, Klesko & Winn and be really pissed off.

Between Bonds, Feliz, Vizquell and Klesko that is 27M off the books right there. And if they can move Durham and Winn even if they have to eat half of thier contracts they can shave another 10M or so - the money is there - they just have to have the balls to do it.

Remembering back to when the Giants first signed Bonds, some couldn't believe the money they gave him but in the end he was worth every penny. But without that signing there is no Pac Bell Park, there is no 2002 world series there is no 10+ years of competing. No all-star game, no record home runs. Has the steroid controversy clouded it all, undoubtedly – but it was still a brilliant business decision now it is time to make another big splash.

On to the other guys and what to do with them:

Durham – for the life of me this signing last year was the most confusing of all. I see next to no trade market for this guy and it makes me long for the NFL where guys like this are cut and retire. Decent enough player in his prime, but so far past it now he needs to go.

Aurilla – Aurilla on the other hand has a purpose and I think should come back. As the everyday 1b? of course not, that idea was absurd in the first place. But his versatility, his attitude and his veteran leadership on what had better be a very young team could all be valuable commodities in 2008.

Zito – basically your hands are tied on this one. This albatross of a contract is going to simply have been swallowed up by the Giants and dealt with. He has ZERO trade value and again has me longing for the NFL contract situation – in the NFL you sign a bad contract, you cut a guy – you get stuck with the signing bonus portion – which should only be about 20% - it hurts you on the cap one year and you move on. If the NFL salary rules were like MLB a guy like Ryan Leaf would still be playing and the chargers would be one of the worst teams in the league.

Pedro Feliz – he does enough good things, defense, the occasional homerun, but enough already with the Feliz experiment. This guy never improves he still swings at the same stupid pitches and still looks more like a utility guy then an every day guy. Plus you could get his type of production from a young player who costs 1/10 of this salary and has the potential to improve. It is time for Feliz to go.

Omar Vizquel – to hell with his offense. His attitude, leadership and great defense all lead to bringing back this guy. I love what he has done while he was here. The only reason I wouldn’t bring him back is if AROD would only come as a SS and not a 3B an Vizquel didn’t want to be a utility man. I also think he needs to make less money – he is no longer a 5+ million a year player.

Dave Roberts – You absolutely have to love the guy, great attitudes, great effort, but makes no sense to be on this team. Belongs on a team that needs a veteran leadoff hitter – doesn’t matter who or what we get back. Just move the contract. In fact eat half of it if you have to.

Randy Winn – I really like Randy Winn and I think he is a solid pro, but another guy that makes sense for the Giants. He is set to make 9M, he has no power. Move him now while he has some semblance of value.

Ok enough about the specific players lets get to a pos by pos breakdown

The starters
1. Matt Cain – Cain needs a shrink and some improved players around him. By all means do not trade this guy – he is the future potential ace of the staff.
2. Tim Lincecumm – he needs to pitch every 5 days and simply learn and improve, if he can stay healthy could develop into a nasty 1-2 with Cain. History tells us the dominant pitching duos are usually homegrown and not FA.
3. Noah Lowry – I like Lowry and I think he is going to continue to be an above average pitcher. But he does have trade value and of all the young pitchers he is the one I would be most willing to move. But if you trade him it has to be for an offensive guy, who is relatively young (at least under 30) and has established himself a little bit – no prospects unless they are have the highly touted can’t miss type and even then I would be wary.
4. Barry Zito – hey he is the 4th starter, nothing you can do about it
5. Kevin Correia – I like Correia’s stuff and I like the fact that he can be a starter or come out of the pen. I would definitely keep him and plug him in where he helps most
6. Jonathon Sanchez – with his stuff I think you need to trot him out there every 5th day and see if he can develop into a good starter. Also the reason I put 6 starters is one – I hope the trade Lowry for offense and two, you know someone is going to get hurt and you need more than 5 starters, Correia and Sanchez are great at the 4-5 because they can start or relieve.

The closer
1.Brian Wilson – I think you need to give this guy first chance to be the closer. Looks to have the stuff and the makeup.

The setup guys
1. Hennessey – has the stats, look and stuff of a setup guy not really a closer. Plus lets repeat our Giants 2008 Mantra – “when in doubt throw a young guys with potential out there and see if he develops”
2. Tyler Walker – I was never sold on Tyler Walker as a closer, but he looked very good this season as a setup guy. Too early to tell with this team if he is for real – but with a young team like the 2008 Giants are going to be
The other bullpen guys:
Chulk is OK, the others Tashner, Munter, misch, etc, etc – let them battle it out in ST and keep the guys that are pitching best. I would not waste precious FA money here since this team is in rebuild not compete mode and these young guys need to pitch so we can know who is going to be good. Plus the money that is available needs to go into the offense.

The Lineup

C – Molina – Molina was a very nice surprise, and did everything that was asked of him and more, Hopefully Eliezar Alfonso is fully recovered and can be a reliable backup

1b – this is the big hole and one of the reasons I was on you Giants for not going hard after a guy like Teixera. A top notch FA would be ideal, but none appear to be on the market. Having said that I wouldn’t mind seeing if Dan Ortmeir is ready to be the everyday guy. Minor leaguer Travis Ishikawa also deserves a look. Moving Lowry for a good young 1b would be the ideal.

2B – Kevin Frandsen – let the kid play. He is scrappy, he plays hard. He has hit well in spurts. Is he ever going to be an all-star, probably not. But he does look like a solid .270 hitter, good defense – Robby Thompson like guy. Always put up huge numbers in the minors. Plus unlike the other bozo’s he is young, cheap and could get better. Let the kid play.

3B – Ideally this is AROD – If not trying to work a deal for 2009 FA Miguel Cabera makes some sense, but only if you can come to an agreement to lock him to an extension first. As much as it would take to get him would be insane for a one year rental. If none of that works, or ARod wants to play SS then put somebody from the minors here. Or sign a Mike Lamb or Mike Lowell to a reasonable one year deal. Just do not re-sign Feliz, please enough with the torture.

SS – If AROD only will come over as a SS by all means lets take him as a SS. If not I would be fine with Vizquell back at short.

OF – Andru Jones? IMO only if you get him at a highly discounted price. He had a terrible walk year and while he is phenomenal on defense, still relatively young and has the power and potential to be good. I don’t think his numbers warrant throwing big time dollars at him. Tori Hunter – not bad, a little older then Jones, but a lot more consistent. I would get involved in the bidding but wouldn’t go crazy the way I would with ARod. Other than those 2 none of the other FA OF’s excite me – they are all of the same over the hill, too expensive, too injury prone, not product enough types that Giants fans have long grown weary of seeing.

The Giants OF Should see a lot of these young guys who all have potential. Lets trot them out there and see what they can do.

• Rajai Davis – certainly not as good as he appeared to be in his first month with the club. But good defense and great speed. Still has only 200 career big league AB – needs to play and see what kind of hitter he can develop into .
• Fred Lewis – another guy with great athletic ability and just around 200 career AB. Play him every day and see what he develops into.
• Nate Schierholtz – even less AB’s then the first 2, let the kid play

So here is my projected realistic (no trade Feliz for Puljos nonsense here) 2008 lineup. A team that is likely to make the playoffs, no probably not – but one with enough star power in ARod and potential for improvement I think you will still see fans out at the park

1. Rajai Davis - CF
2. Keven Frandsen – 2B
3. Alex Rodriguez – 3B
4. Benji Molina – C
5. Dan Ortmeir -1b
6. Fred Lewis – RF
7. Nate Schierholtz – LF
8. Omar Vizquel – SS

Of course all of that hinges on ARod, if no ARod – only Jones at a reduced price or Tori Hunter excite me enough on the FA list I have seen. The Giants don’t have a huge supply of talent to acquire big time guys in trades.

The LAST thing I want to see is retread FA in their late 30’s making big money taking at bats away from the young guys we can finish in last place with Davis, Schierholtz and Lewis in the OF just as we will with Roberts, Winn and Shannon Stewart, or CLif Floyd or some other nonsensical old FA

If you strike out on the top 3 FA – you go even younger, take your lumps, save your money, find out who can play and then hit the FA market in 2009.

And all this brings me to Bruce Bochy – a well respected guy and all that – but something tells me this franchise needs a fresh face at the helm – someone more like Shawon Dunston.

Note: this appears to be the 2008 FA Class, outside of ARod, not a lot to get excited about and of course it remains to be seen if he will even become a FA
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2007/03/2008_mlb_free_a.html

the 49ers, Norv Turner and the Chargers

2007-10-01T00:33:00.000-07:00

Sure it is too early to tell, but isn't this pretty much what we all expected last February.

Four games is never enough but from all early returns Norm is looking again very much like we all though he was, or in the unforgettable paraphrase words of Dennis Green "He is what we thought he is!"

Turner simply looks like one of those guys who is a great coordinator, but not a very good head coach. Nothing wrong with that and this is certainly not the first time this has happened. I was going to provide some other examples of this but thought this captured the spirit as well - the phrase "good coordinator, bad head coach" got 104,000 hits on google.

The Chargers with the most talent in the NFL and a lovely 1-3 record with the "1" more a result of Rex Grossman complete ineptitude then anything the chargers did. Chargers fans have to be staring longingly to Dallas for the coordinator they already had that could have been their head coach.

Back home in San Francisco, the 49ers offense has the 49ers looking longingly to Walnut Creek and the Ygnacio Valley Warriors offense and its imaginative scheme (for those that don't know YV runs a double wing that has at it's essence - 6 different plays - total)

Last years Niners offense was not by any means a powerhouse, ranking in the lower third of the league statistically. But they did posses a potent run game and please enough with the "expert" TV analysis that "now" that Frank Gore has established himself in the league opposing defenses are loading 9 guys in the box and stopping the niners running attack. Please, are we supposed to believe that last years NFL defensive coordinators never noticed the Niner offense and one day in January they flipped on the Pro Bowl and said - oh hey this Gore guy is pretty good but I don't see any other red and gold helmets over here now I know how to stop the Niners!

As far as the Niners offensive personnel it is primarily the same.

We did get a rookie in place of RT Kwame Harris - however since Kwame Harris is officially, (including kickers and punters) the worst player in the history of the NFL. Barely beating out Mike Rathje as the worst player in the history of organized sports - he are going to call that one an upgrade.

We also got Darrell Jackson in place of Antonio Bryant which looked on paper like a upgrade but on the field looks like 2 players neither of whom seem worth a fourth round pick. we will call that a wash.

Other then that all the other players on offense are the same, yet the results are horrific. the RB are not gaining any yards, the WR are dropping passes, the QB's are hucking the ball up for grabs and the OL simply can't block anyone and look so confused I can't even come up with a a decent analogy to convey the ineptitude. Sunday the Seahawks ran ANY stunt, twist, blitz, dog you have it and you had niner offensive lineman running into each other while 14 unblocked seahawks jumped all over 89 year old QB Trent Dilfer.

the only guys left to blame is Jim Hostler, don't know who he is? Don't worry he won't be around long and you can easily forget him. He is the Niners offensive coordinator who replaced Norm Turner.

Al of this would have been a lot better if the Chargers would have simple made Wade Phillips their head coach. They would 3-1 right now.

The Cowboys would have subsequently hired Micahel Irvin, who would have signed Michael Vick and the cowboys would be a lot more interesting AND 0-4 which is way better, at least for me.

and finally the Niners would have been, well probably still 2-2 since I have no idea how we won those first two games, but in the very least they would be remotely watchable - this team is hard to watch even on DVR.

ContraCostaTimes.com - DUI checkpoint in Pittsburg on Friday night

2007-09-27T14:14:00.001-07:00

I am all for keep drunk drivers off the road and have no problem what so ever with this kind of stuff. Drunk driving accidents are terrible preventable tragedies.

having said that, this is the second time in the past few weeks I have seen an article like this - are we to suppose that people stupid enough to drink and drive are too stupid to read the paper? Isn't there a small enough portion that both read AND drink and drive and you basically just told them how to get away with it?

I guess I do see the benefit of those of us who don't plan on drinking and driving knowing what roads to skip at this time, but still. Not to mention, while this road might have the most traffic and be the most inconvenient - wouldn't they also be the safest?

ContraCostaTimes.com - DUI checkpoint in Pittsburg on Friday night

Book you simply should read...

2007-09-25T04:24:00.000-07:00

especially if you spend any time at all coaching young people

Amazon Link

Best Quote I have read in a long while

2007-09-25T04:23:00.000-07:00

Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.
~Barry Switzer

Back Appointment Today

2007-09-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today was my follow up appointment with the doc to discuss my MRI and we have mixed news.

Bottom line I have 2 degenerative discs, one much worse than the other and some arthritis in the back to go with it.

The good news is as long as I take it easy this week, don’t push it I should have no problem getting back to a mostly normal life. Albeit one that doesn’t allow for any heavy lifting or working out beyond short walks.

The medium news is I will need a shot and will get it sometime week after next – but won’t know for sure until they call me back and schedule the appointment. Expected downtime from the shot is 1-2 days, but could be as bad as 4-5. After that – the expected result is combined with PT there is a chance of close to full recovery.

The bad news is back surgery at this point is almost inevitable. When will depend largely on the success of the shot and physical therapy. The surgery would actually remove the lower disc and “fuse” the two bones together. It all sounds bad – but according to the doctor other then the normal risks of surgery and recovery – the procedure is usually pretty successful.

Beause you should never go more...

2007-09-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

then 365 days go by without seeing this

9 year Football Star

2007-09-05T10:29:00.001-07:00

from my buddy Rey - this kid is pretty amazing. In fact the size of the players would seem to indicate they are about 9. But the execution sure doesn't look like 9 year olds.

2007 Varsity Schedule

2007-08-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

click on schedule to see it full size

ContraCostaTimes.com - Staley beats out Harris for starting right tackle

2007-08-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

It is about damn time, Harris is/was the worst starting tackle in the league - he was OK on the run blocking, but absolutley horrific in the passing game.

ContraCostaTimes.com - Staley beats out Harris for starting right tackle

History has shown

2007-08-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

That competitors to Madden, no matter how good never last due to the EA license and marketing machine. However there is a rumor, and a hope that EA will license this system for future maddens - does look better then most. Then again it is a cut scene and not actual game play and that is what really matters - but either way it is a fun 1 minute video to watch.

THE weight loss...

2007-08-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

I have promised to blog on this and some people have asked about it - so after much delay I present my 2007 weight loss story.

In 1982 as a high school sophomore I stood 5-10 and weighed 135lbs. In two years with a lot of hard work and lifting and a natural growth spurt (and no BALCO, I was offered plenty of steroids as a young player but always was too scared to try) as a senior I grew to 6-0 and 190. When I was playing in college, more lifting and more growing got me to 200 and then eventually to 205 which was my natural playing weight.

So over the course of the years (I am now 40) I went from 205, to 210, to 220 to earlier this year an all-time high of about 230. I went from being a safety to a linebacker and was dangerously close to being a defensive end. Now I still went to the gym occasionally and got a lot of exercise at football practice so it wasn't like I was a fat slob, I was more of a fat former athlete.

One day I was at Barnes and Noble and browsing and I ran across this book (LINK) and bought it for my wife. I really didn't think much about it but she loved it, so when I saw this one later on Amazon (LINK) I went ahead and picked it up for her as well. I pretty much ignored both books.

Well I have always known there is no secret to the perfect formula of less food/more exercise. But with kids, work, football, etc the time to get to the gym on a regular basis seems to go, plus always being on the go tended to mean a lot of drive through meals - all in all a bad equation. Plus the history of eat whatever the hell I want and burn it off playing basketball, softball, football, etc didn't help. I still ate the same way (well, not quite that bad) but didn't have the time, energy or health to play sports 7 days a week and burn it off. So I had the motivation but not the time to get to the gym (and frequently not a healthy enough back/knee/elbow/whatever when I did have the time) and every time I tried to be "good" or diet I generally starved myself for about 10 days, lost 8 pounds, couldn't stand to keep starving myself and just went back to the old ways. I knew I needed to do something, but never got around to it.

So one day I had finished the book I was reading and saw the first YOU book lying around it picked it up and started reading it. The first one isn't a weight loss book, or anything like that and I didn't pick it up with the intention of losing weight I just picked it up and started reading it because it was there and looked interesting at the moment. Pretty much right away I found the book fascinating. Real straight forward without jargon explanations of the way the body works. Kind of a head to toe owners manual - I poured through it in about a day and a half and learned a bunch of stuff about health and taking care of your body which has become more of a priority now that we are in our 40's (what a bunch of old men we are.) After I finished it I saw the You on a diet book and picked that one up. Now it wasn't really that the book was anything new or groundbreaking or anything like that but what it did teach me that I liked was the chemistry behind hunger. The reason your brain "feels" and communicates hunger and how it is possible to manage it. Now half the book is recipes and exercises and all that and I pretty much ignored all of that. I know how to exercise and I don't really like most of the recipes and know I won't stick to stuff like tofu salad with organic kumquats. But what I did really take to and understand was the managing hunger part. They also talked about when you are too injured, time pressed, tired, etc to work out to simply go for a 30 min walk. Well no matter how bad it gets we can usually squeeze in a 30 min walk. Most injuries can withstand that, plus I started doing it at times when I would normally just be "waiting" for example the kids had 30 min swim lessons that I needed to drop the off wait for them and take them home. I started dropping them, immediately walking around the neighborhood and then picking them up. All the whole listening to a book on tape, or podcast or something on my IPhone.

As far as "managing" hunger it was really just a two part process - the first process was simply being aware and conscious of my hunger and not simply eating instinctively as I had done pretty much my whole life. I would "feel" hunger, recognize it , think about the chemistry that was causing the hunger and then do something about it, most frequently eat a handful of nuts and a glass of water, or a piece of fruit or then wait about 20-30 minutes. At that point I would still be hungry but now at a 2 (on a 1-10 scale) instead of an 8 or 9. And then I would eat a realistic portion AND stop when I wasn't hungry anymore. Previously I would have 4,5,6 helpings of something and ALWAYS finish the plate and frequently eat more even after I was full. Now I would have 1 maybe 2 portions and be done.

So in the end I was just eating less, exercising more which is the most fool proof, always works program in the world - it is sticking to it that makes all the difference. What happened was it was easy to stick to because I got to the gym when I could, walked when I couldn't and managed my hunger. I never felt hungry from starving myself, I didn't break my body down by trying to overdo it physically - I simply tipped the caloric equation in my favor on a daily basis.

Another important factor is the "off the plan" factor. Everyone finds themselves in situations whether a social eating situation, or a hectic work situation that throws you off plan. Too many people, myself included would then say, all the hell with it and go back to their normal way of eating which would inevitably got back to gaining weight rather than losing it. A key part of this whole plan is to allow yourself to have days that are not going to be good. But to not allow that to make the whole plan a failure. So if we are having a party I don't need to eat nuts and hover the vegetable platter. I can have a few beers and a cheeseburger and have no problem - I give myself a free pass and don't worry about, but in the end result I don't generally gorge myself at all since that really isn't my habit anymore. Plus I always allow myself to enjoy when we got out to dinner - there is no plan for me that works, that doesn't allow for a monthly trip to Benihanas.

All of this got me from 230 to 220, to 210 all the way down to 201. Now I have been stuck at the 201-205 range for about a month now. And it is true that I have more "off plan" days with football going full bore (but I am also burning more calories) and it is true that I have a macho mental hang up about being UNDER 200 pounds since getting to 200 pounds was such a big deal when I was playing football. But I still have probably 10-15 more pounds I would like to lose to further alleviate the pressure on my back (another long term problem that the weight loss has really helped) I keep telling myself (and truly hope) that I will lose the 15 pounds of fat and regain it in solid muscle (by making it more regular to the gym) and be at my "ideal" weight of 205 with no gut and nice big strong football player tough guy build. Time will tell.

A side benefit to the plan has also been a complete end to my heartburn problems, that were getting so bad one doctor wanted to do some radical throat cutting something or other surgery. Again in the YOU books I read about how when you eat too much the stomach gets too full and when it stretches it pulls down on the esophagus which prevents the natural flap from closing which allow stomach acid to rise into your throat and give you heartburn. I discovered, that when I didn't eat as much I didn't get the stretch, no trap door problems - ta da - no heartburn. A problem that had really bothered me for about 5 years a good 4-5 days a week, that I used all sorts of over the counter drugs and went to a few doctors to rectify simply went away. Very good motivation right there.

To recap:

1. Be conscious of hunger
2. manage hunger
3. workout when you can
4. walk when you can't
5. don't allow a bad day to derail your overall lifestyle change
6. make it a lifestyle change and not just a temporary "on a diet"

It was really as simple as that and for me at least worked like a charm.

Madden Review

2007-08-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

The first version of EA John Madden football was released in 1989 for the Apple II. I scraped up the money to buy that one and have bought every version since. Not to mention the countless competitors (who in some years like FPS Football 98) were actually quite better.

The origins of Madden were a coaching sim, not a joystick jockey fest and that is probably why I still prefer that style of play, well that and my propensity to hit the "wrong" buttons and throw about 9 picks a game. I also prefer coach mode for the "realism" such as it is. With the arcade style no matter how good or bad a joystick jockey you are, inevitably your skill increases to the point that 2,000 yard rushes and 5,000 yard passers are the norm and not the exception.

Now I enjoy mashing the buttons every now and again and for that reason I now get the 360 version and the PC version - especially since my son is a button masher and likes to play on the 360. However my primary style of play will always be PC coach mode. So that is what my review is based on. In years past Madden has been an OK coach mode simulation, with some obvious flaws that need to be overlooked - but still an enjoyable diversion none the less.

With madden released three days ago now, you would imagine that I have played several games, in in past years at this time I have. But with "real" football practice to attend to and four kids to shuffle around - I have played exactly ONE coach mode game on the PC and one arcade game on the 360. So this will be one of those reviews I hate for the sheer small sample size.

However after finishing my game last night I felt compelled to post none the less. For one thing I lost 23-20 which is unusual since on many previous versions it was fairly easy to win most games 55-14, which is fun for about 4 weeks then gets boring. It was also remarkable because I played this game with no slider adjustments at all. The idea of sliders I think is a good one to tweak game play, but has morphed in past versions into a crutch for EA to release a game that barely resembled football and just let the sliders fix it. Again with a very limited sample, my first game out of the box was very realistic.

One of the all time greatest Sharks...

2007-08-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

and one of my all time favorite players. In fact when I am explaining too my kids how to get every ounce out of their ability I can just show them some film of Reeeecheeeee!

ContraCostaTimes.com - Ex-Shark Ricci is retiring

Jet Another example of money ruining sports

2007-08-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

Adonal Foyle was the perfect guy to sit on the end of the Warriors bench, at least he would be if he was making a minimum salary. At this bloated contract he becomes a liability that needs to be gotten rid of. From a purely non-financial standpoint you couldn't ask for more from Foyal - his real commitment to the community., his leadership, his maturity and his work ethic all make him an ideal teammate and bench guy. It is only the salary that makes Foyle an albatross.

ContraCostaTimes.com - After 10 seasons, Warriors part ways with center Foyle