The Crash Heard ‘Round The World

November 29

I was on the air hosting a day-after-Thanksgiving holiday special, wearing my cardigan sweater with the KNBR logo on the left breast, when news broke of the Tiger Woods car crash. Seems he’s still inconsistent with his driving. This time he hooked it into a tree.

( Punchlines allowed now because he’s OK. )

In the early going we were mostly concerned with his condition, and conflicting reports about his injuries. We finally got word on the extent of the injuries, but there were more conflicting reports about how he was hurt. There are a million questions, including why Tiger would be leaving the house in an SUV at 2:25 a.m. A caller on the show Friday theorized that he was going to Wal-Mart to scoop up some Emerson TV’s on Black Friday.

( Again, punchline allowable, Tiger is going to live. )

Less certain is whether his marriage is going to survive, and whether he will ever speak to police. He is apparently not required to do so, but he should know it doesn’t look good, and will only lead to more public curiosity. He has issued a “my bad” statement which also flatly denied all those rumors, which love to swirl.

In this humble reporter’s opinion, he is not required to say doodly-squat to anyone, as long as the chain of events a) did not involve violence by one person against another, or b) the chain of events did not lead to a public hazard. Was he woozy because of painkillers, and if so, why was he driving? And how did he crash going less than 30 mph?

What if he left his home and hit another driver, either because of painkillers or because he was in a hurry to get the hell out of Dodge, or Windemere? What if the facial cuts he sustained were NOT the result of the car crash? What if someone else caused the injuries? Those are questions the police and public would like answered.

Perhaps Tiger and Elin are balking at discussing the incident with authorities out of embarrasment. Perhaps they are trying to get their stories lined up. Tiger might be trying to protect Elin, or vice versa.

In a vacuum, any rumored marital dispute — or reason for that dispute — is none of our business. We should not be sticking our noses into Tiger’s personal life, unless that business somehow posed a threat to the public. Otherwise we don’t have a right to know everything simply because he’s the most recognizable sports figure in the world.

***

One question was answered emphatically Saturday night. The question: Is Toby Gerhart a legitimate Heisman Trophy finalist? Answer: Hell yes.

205 yards, 3 touchdown runs, an improbable touchdown pass, during a memorable 45-38 Stanford win over Notre Dame that was the final nail for Charlie Weis. “ND” stands for “No Defense,” but it’s also true that Gerhart has been an absolute load for everyone all year. Just ask USC. Ask Oregon.

Gerhart not only deserves an invite to New York, but he might be a front-runner now. Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy and Case Keenum have also made a strong case. I felt that Tebow would get some eastern and southeastern favoritism and he is definitely a factor — and he still has the SEC championship game — but I’m going to exercise some West Coast bias and throw in a vote for Gerhart. That is, if I had a Heisman vote.

***

By the way, in case you are wondering why Pete Carroll didn’t get much sympathy when Jim Harbaugh went for two in Stanford’s blowout win over the Trojans, look at Saturday night at the Coliseum. UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel tweaked Carroll’s nose by calling a timeout with under a minute to go and USC leading 21-7. It was a silly move but what Carroll did was worse.

Instead of running out the clock, he had Matt Barkley throw one last touchdown pass. This tells you everything you need to know about the school and its football program. What a bunch of brats. USC 28, UCLA 7, Sportsmanship 0. )

***

We’ve said it on the air, and in this blog. The 49er offense needed to open up for Alex Smith, and to take advantage of emerging young stars Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree. We told you on Friday that Singletary wasn’t totally resistant to change, and would incorporate a “spread-ier” offense on Sunday.

That’s exactly what happened. Smith threw 41 times and the offense actually had a bit of pace in the first half. As opposed to Green Bay, the 49ers opened up aggressively — on offense and defense.

Jimmy Raye, in a job-saving move, actually showed some ability to adapt to his talent and turned in a pretty-nice game of play-calling. The 4th and 1 pass to Vernon Davis which set up a pretty TD toss to Frank Gore in the second quarter was gutsy. The bootleg toss to a wide open Davis in the end zone was beautifully designed and executed.

Singletary showed he had a finger to the wind when he replaced a struggling Shaun Hill with Smith in Houston, then sticking with Smith. He showed it again Sunday by opening things up a little more against a somewhat porous Jaguars secondary. Smith looked confident and made several gorgeous throws. His numbers would have been better, save for a few drops.

Both sides of the ball got a jump-start out of the changes. The defense got after Jags quarterback David Garrard repeatedly, sacking him six times and forcing him to lose two fumbles. It was the polar opposite of the first half defense in Green Bay.

Much of the change is due to the fact that the 49ers have nothing to lose now, and hopefully it isn’t too late. Singletary, Raye, and Greg Manusky are taking more risks — and the players are beginning to play as if they have nothing to lose. As a result, they still have a shot.

Now the key will be to continue that aggression in Seattle and to avoid returning to the turtle shell. Arizona lost a thriller to Vince Young and hosts a tough Vikings team this Sunday. With any luck, the game between the 49ers and Cardinals December 14th at Candlestick will have some real meaning. More importantly, the Niners and fans are getting a glimpse of the team’s future identity, and it’s a bit more intriguing than we thought.

Road Warriors

November 24

I saw the future tonight.

Stephen Curry with the pretty, clutch teardrop off the glass. Monta Ellis with the steal, and later, a huge layup with :28 left. Anthony Randolph with a big rebound. Anthony Morrow raining down three’s. Keith Smart getting the “T” instead of Nelly.

The Warriors went into Dallas this evening and beat a quality team in the Mavericks, 111-103, snapping the Mavs’ five-game winning streak. Smart did the dirty work, but the win goes onto Don Nelson’s ledger. He now needs 19 for the NBA’s coaching victories record.

The Warriors in the last week have been everything they were not at the start of the season. Tonight they were loose, spirited, and composed in the 4th quarter. They closed with a 22-5 run to nail it down, with just six players seeing action.

Ellis was unstoppable with 37 points and eight assists, and I actually saw him smile. Morrow with 27 and a career-high six three-pointers. Curry with a career-high 18.

As I’ve said all along, the Warriors have some talent on which to build, but this still looked like a terminally toxic situation. It made sense to deal Ellis because he was unhappy and his buddy Stephen Jackson was gone. Instead, with Jackson’s departure, Ellis has become a leader. Now I take it back — hopefully all that Ellis trade talk was premature.

Nelson is back home resting as he is treated for pneumonia, and even Nelly haters have to wish him good health. Nonetheless this could be a watershed win. Smart says the guys pulled together for Nelly, a very p.c. statement, but they responded to him.

I don’t know if this win has anything to do with Smart, because the Warriors also played well against Portland Friday Night. I do know that Nelly is near the end, and Smart is a vibrant and positive guy, and he looked comfortable in his role tonight. One thing is for certain; Smart and/or Nelly have no choice but to play the young guys now, and they’re validating the playing time.

It’s an axiom in sports that injuries can often be a blessing in disguise, because bench players get significant time, and that makes a team stronger. That might be the case here.

Something else, too. The depature of Jackson has been a lubricant for the offense. Ellis might miss his friend, but he seems to have more space to operate and appears to be close to 100 percent now, a dangerous thing. Tonight he was using the dribble-penetration with great success, although he had an ugly 11 turnovers.

Also, Corey Maggette didn’t play tonight. He’s been shooting better lately but is a ball-hog, and a weak defender. He’s OK as a sixth man but if the Warriors can somehow trade him by February, that’s the deal they should try to get done, even with his bulky contract.

Tonight, the Warriors played team basketball. They played defense. They had early offense after forcing turnovers. They survived a 4th quarter Dallas run and didn’t unravel. The backcourt of Ellis and Curry had 14 combined assists. That pair and Morrow combined for 82 points.

I’m not going to get too excited about a couple of games. This was an impressive road win, after strong efforts last week in Cleveland and Boston, but this team is still severely shorthanded. It will be asking a lot to see them win in San Antonio on the second night of a back-to-back, in a place where they’ve lost 22 games in a row.

Just the same, the last week has been a pleasant surprise. We got a glimpse of what kind of team the Warriors can be. They might not be the “We Believe” bunch of 2007 but they can be fun. Home attendance is down, and this team desperately needs a spark to get fans interested again. That means going young.

This is still very much a work in progress. There’s a lot of deconstructing and reconstructing to do, starting with the coach after the season ends. At least we saw some progress tonight.

The Mauer Hour

November 23

When I recently hosted Sportsphone 680 I mentioned that Joe Mauer is the only other player outside of Albert Pujols I’d consider to start a baseball team. This drew a guffaw from one of our most loquacious callers. In fact, I think he used the term “lol” on the air.

I think I’m having the last laugh now.

Mauer might actually have an edge because he is several years younger than Pujols and is a premier catcher. The advantage he gives you behind the plate is unbelievable. He is the rarest bird at his position; batting champion and Gold Glover.

He is just now learning to become a power hitter, belting out 28 home runs this season. He was the only player in the AL with an OPS over 1.000 this season. He owns a .170 edge in OPS over the next best-hitting catcher, Victor Martinez, who doesn’t catch all that time. No player in either league has as big an edge at his position, not even close. Not even Pujols.

So it was absolutely no shock when Mauer was named MVP of the American League. This was a no-doubter. Except for one writer in Seattle who favored Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers. Mauer received 27 of 28 first place votes.

Mauer doesn’t get the notice because he plays in Minnesota, but like Pujols, this is a once-in-a-generation player. The rest of the country is just finding out. AND HE’S ONLY 26. I wonder how long before he’s a Yankee?

Pujols should be the repeat National League MVP Tuesday. That’ll make 7 of 8 for Raywood’s Sports Zone in handicapping the major awards. I’ll take 87 percent correct any time. The only one we missed was Chris Coghlan of the Marlins for Rookie of the Year, but J.A. Happ of the Phillies was close.

You know what that gets me? A swelling of pride. That’s about it. My wife believes I should use my prognosticating abilities in the stock market so she doesn’t have to work anymore. Let’s just say … that’s a work in progress.

Sunday Night Quarterbacking

November 22

Alright. Let’s get this straight. Alex Smith was not going to take the 49ers to the promised land, but he at least deserved a shot. The problem is, even his own coaches aren’t giving him a shot.

Why? They got scared. They saw Smith’s four-turnover performance against the Titans, probably the 49ers most critical loss of the year, and were determined not to let that happen again.

It hasn’t. And now Mike Singletary, Jimmy Raye and company are determined to grind out wins, because they don’t feel they have the talent to get into a track meet. In the process, they’re keeping Smith from doing what he does best — run the spread offense — until they fall behind and have no choice.

Now, they have no choice but to run the spread the entire game. They’re two games out of the wild card, three games behind the Cardinals in the NFC West. So now I say throw caution to the wind, even if it’s Smith’s last stand.

The 49ers will probably have another starting quarterback next year, but until they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, and as long as they are starting Smith, put him in the spread and let him go. Nothing to lose at this point.

It’s intriguing to think what would have happened if Jimmy Raye had installed the spread for Smith in training camp and let him get settled in. Of course, there’s one problem with that theory — Raye would rather have a cement enema than install a wide-open offense. Now there’s really no other option.

Worried about not controlling the ball enough? I respectfully direct your attention to the first half in Green Bay, when the grind-it-out 49ers had minus-7 yards passing, 3 points, and a 20 point deficit. Then they opened things up in the second half with 230 yards-plus passing.

What worked? The Spread. A good coach doesn’t try to shove his theories down a team’s throat, he looks for ways in which his talent can best succeed.

Unless Raye makes the switch now, and unless Mike Singletary signs off on the change, the 49ers are done. Their playoff chances are very slim now, but if they’re going to keep hope alive, this is what they must do. The change doesn’t guarantee success but it improves the odds.

This is not Raye’s style but it’s time to either change or fade away. Singletary has stuck with his man, his boat anchor, but unless the boat anchor learns to float, Raye will drag Singletary down into Davey Jones’ Locker. Raye’s track record is checkered at best, but in his last weeks as offensive coordinator, he can at least go down fighting.

Aggressive is the word now. On offense, and on defense. Lack of aggressiveness cost the 49ers D as well today. They failed to get after Aaron Rodgers. They failed to disrupt the pass routes of Packer receivers in the West Coast Offense, which depends on timing.

That’s Aggressive, coach Singletary. With an A. Maybe you don’t think you have the horses to run that race, but your options are dwindling. That’s the NFL today.

***

While hosting Sportsphone 680 last Friday I gave producer Dave Feldhouse a ration of bat guano for his plans this weekend. An inveterate Cleveland fan, he planned to travel to Ford Field to watch the Browns visit the Lions. I asked him whether they were paying him, but he actually shelled out 75-bucks a pop.

I advised him to call the Better Business Bureau. I wholeheartedly approved blacking out this game, and that’s what happened. I called it the Battle of the Butterknives.

Well, well … my apologies to Mr. Feldhouse, the NFL, the Browns, Lions, the family of Wayne Fontes, and anyone else I might have offended. Browns @ Lions was not only the best game of the day, but perhaps the best of the season. 51 points by halftime, several lead changes, and a touchdown on an untimed play at the end of the game, the 5th TD pass for Matthew Stafford.

This after pass interference was called against the Browns on a Hail-Mary, something that never happens. This after Stafford injured his left shoulder. It wasn’t his throwing shoulder, though, and he threw a one yard TD to win it with no time left. Unbelievable.

I never thought I’d say this, but I wish I was there. At Ford Field. Not Detroit.

And by the way, in case you’re wondering Raiders and 49ers, Stafford is what a #1 pick looks like. Five touchdown passes against anyone, even the Browns, is very impressive. Especially the way he did it.

***

Ahhh, the Raiders. Bruce Gradkowski to Louis Murphy, tie game with :30 left. Kickoff return, fumble, Raiders recover. Seabass Field Goal, Merry Christmas, thank you very much Bengals. The Gradkowski Era has begun.

Congratulations AFC North. You went 0-for-Sunday.

***

I finally got a chance to see the Red Zone channel today. I’m in. It was the only way you could see the Raiders incredible last-minute win.

Let’s go Double Box !

***

The Raiders comeback was my third favorite moment of Sunday, the Browns-Lions finish my second. My #1 moment … drumroll …

Tom Brady going for bomb to Randy Moss with :25 left and the Patriots leading the Jets, 31-14! I am one of the few people on earth who gets a chuckle out of Bill Belichick. When it comes to the Jets, he will never turn the page.

No Pot Jokes, Please

November 19

Our blog is on fire like Tim Lincecum’s … nah, too obvious.

I will refrain from any Maui Wowee references today. Now is not the time to bring up what could be an infraction for Lincecum. Yes, it’s the elephant in the room, but it’s a time to focus on what happens on the field.

As this very blog predicted last night, Lincecum wins back to back National League Cy Young Awards, and does so in a very close vote. Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright were narrowly edged out.

Several factors worked in Lincecum’s favor: the vote came weeks before he was pulled over on I-5; Chris Carpenter missed several weeks before bursting on the scene; two voters amazingly left Carpenter off their ballots; Carpenter and Adam Wainwright were on the same team and split some votes; Lincecum led the league in strikeouts, complete games and shutouts; he was 15-7 for a team that didn’t hit, and his peripheral numbers were as good and in some cases even better than in 2008.

Opposing hitters compiled an OPS of a miniscule .557 this year against Lincecum, even lower than last year’s microscopic .609. His strikeouts per 9 innings were virtually the same, but his strikeout to walk ratio was much improved, nearly 4-1. His pitches per plate appearance dropped, a sign of better command.

Lincecum has one of the deadliest pitches in baseball, the power change-up, and he made generous use of it this year. That made his fastball even more effective, although he lost a couple of mph and appeared to tire at the end of the season. Hopefully this is not a red flag for the future.

All-in-all, he’s having the best career start for a pitcher since perhaps Dwight Gooden. He is one of the most dynamic pitchers in the game since Gooden, and that influenced my prediction. Either Lincecum or Carpenter were worthy choices, but when push came to shove, voters had to ask themselves a question: how many people pay to see Lincecum pitch? How many pay to see Carpenter? Not so many.

As was previously discussed here, this will all be very costly for the Giants. Lincecum will win a pace-setting amount in arbitration, unless he signs a long-term deal. Will it be in his best interests to lock up a multi-year deal now? Opinions vary.

Lincecum can get more money now through aribtration but as a pitcher with a wiry frame he might want to get the security of a contract. The Giants will bring up the pot-related bust, at least to question his judgement, and they’ll bring up the fact that his fastball has lost a little bit of pop. They might also bring up concern over his physique, which is only a theory right now.

Lincecum can place the two Cy trophies on Brian Sabean’s desk. He can also show videos in which he repeatedly strikes out batters with a changeup he learned to throw just three years ago, a pitch that is one of the best in baseball. He can bring up the fact that he is still learning and building up strength — and can get even better, provided he handles his off-the-field trouble correctly.

He is simply one of the most fascinating athletes around, and could end up the best pitcher in San Francisco Giants history. No matter what, he isn’t leaving anytime soon. 6 and 100 should keep him here even longer. Enjoy.

UPDATE: A very subdued-looking Lincecum answered questions about his pitching and the award, but not about the pot bust, during a press conference at A T and T Park this afternoon. He did read a prepared statement expressing regret over the bust, apologizing to the Giants and fans and promising to do better.

This is exactly how Gary Radnich said he would handle it : have p.r. guy Jim Moorhead discourage questions up front, but deal with the issue without going into depth because a court case is pending. However as I told Gary, someone was going to try to couch a question to bring up the topic. Sure enough, Lincecum was asked if he’s grown up a lot because of what’s happened in the past month. He basically agreed. Very sneaky couching there.

Lincecum’s subdued demeanor reminds me of Dirk Diggler in “Boogie Nights.” The first year he won the Porn awards he was excited. The second year, ho-hum. For LIncecum, it wasn’t an exciting prospect to face the media and make room for the 800-pound gorilla.

The other development from the news conference is that Lincecum is poised to give Manny Ramirez a battle for hair length. If he has scissors, he isn’t using them to cut hair. He’s beginning to bear an eerie resemblance to Yoko Ono. Would it be a bad idea to get a trim before he goes to court?

When #1 Isn’t

November 19

                       How bad do you have to be to have Bruce Gradkowski replace you as starting quarterback?

                      You have to be Jamarcus Russell.

                      Raiders coach Tom Cable announced today that Gradkowski will be his starting quarterback Sunday against the Bengals, as if that will make a difference.   Gradkowski is a career journeyman, and the only way he becomes a viable alternative is that Russell is incredibly bad.  Good rule of thumb:  if your quarterback rating is under 50, you shouldn’t play.

                      There are valid defenses for Russell.  He doesn’t have a great deal of experience at quarterback, in the NFL or anywhere.  He hasn’t had enough quality coaching to make him a better quarterback, and he doesn’t have quality receivers around him.  By “quality,”  I mean receivers who catch the ball when it is thrown to them.

                      There are valid criticisms of Russell.  He hasn’t shown enough initiative to keep his weight below, let me guess, 280 pounds.  He hasn’t shown enough initiative to learn how to get better.  His strong arm is simply not accurate, consistently enough.

                      Russell not only hasn’t shown progress, he’s gotten worse compared to last year.  As with Alex Smith, it’s been a perfect storm with a bad team.  However, as with Smith, when you’re a #1 pick taking tens of millions of dollars it is incumbent on you to make the best out of the situation. 

                     Neither has done that, yet.  The 49ers and Raiders both had the misfortune of owning #1 picks in two of the worst years to hold those picks. Smith has the rest of this season to state his case with the 49ers. Russell, in his third year, has been put on notice by the Raiders.

***

Raywood’s Sports Zone is now batting .800. A tidy 4 for 5 in the postseason awards. Either we’re really good or the postseason awards are really easy to call.

Jim Tracy and Mike Scioscia were named NL and AL managers of the year, respectively, today. The Rockies then gave Tracy a three-year contract extension. Let’s not get too excited now.

Tracy won in Colorado because he wasn’t Clint Hurdle. The Rockies got tired of Hurdle’s abrasiveness and Tracy was like a drink of cool water. In addition, Troy Tulowitzki got healthy and the Rockies took off. Tracy was the right person and the right time but I wonder if this success will last.

Scioscia or Ron Gardenhire or Terry Francona could be honored almost every year. Scioscia is one of the best managers in baseball, although he tends to play National League style a bit too much. Keeping the team focused after the tragic death of Nick Adenhart probably earned Scioscia the nod this year.

Tomorrow, will Tim Lincecum become a back to back Cy Young winner? Some voters will favor Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright because Lincecum won the honors last year. Lincecum was every bit as good this year, however. I like Lincecum in a VERY close vote. but wouldn’t be surprised if Carpenter wins.

***

If I was France, I would remove my ambassador to Ireland for a while. Perhaps a little “cooling down” period is in order. All this, thanks to the “Hand of God II.”

France and Ireland, battling for a spot in the 2010 World Cup, went into overtime with Ireland leading 1-nil. The match went OT because the aggregate score of two matches was 1-1. If Ireland scored another goal or won the shootout, the 2006 World Cup runners-up from France would be ousted.

Instead, France’s William Gallas scored midway through the extra period although replays showed Thierry Henry handled the ball twice and was offside before passing to Gallas. Only problem, they don’t use replay in soccer. France ends up tying Ireland 1-1 and advances.

All this happened in Paris, by the way.

To my knowledge Dublin and Paris have not broken off relations, but some of my co-workers of Irish heritage want to storm the Bastille. I think they’re just joking. I’m not sure Irish soccer hooligans will take this lying down. If I may quote them, this is a “bunch of shyte.”

 

 

W*A*S*H*

November 18

                      Let’s get the latest from the Warriors Ambulatory Surgical Hospital:

                      Raja Bell will have surgery on his wrist that will end his season if it requires screws.  That will be only the latest screwing in Warrior-land.  The Warriors apparently knew of the injury but dealt for him anyway, further proof they only wanted Raja for his comely expiring contract.  Elsewhere …

                     C.J. Watson has the swine flu.

                     Kelenna Azubuike will have season-ending surgery on his knee Wednesday.

                     Biedrins, Turiaf, Randolph, Devean George;  all sidelined.

                     As far as we know, no Warriors have contracted dengue fever, dropsy, shingles, blue skin disorder, or progeria.   Yet.

                     Oh well, at least they have Monta Ellis.

                     Oh, wait …

                     Now stories have surfaced that Monta’s agent will speak to Warriors’ management Thursday about Monta’s future, amid rumors Ellis wants out.  Maybe he wants out before he contracts H1N1.  Or before his career dies a slow, painful death.

                     I know some people will miss Ellis, who has terrific ability, but his jump shot isn’t what it used to be, and he can be childish.  He’s still pouting because of the fine and suspension from the moped incident, both of which were justified, and he has decided to put tattoos on every part of his body but his tongue. 

                    Rick Bucher of ESPN told Gary Radnich on KNBR this morning that team President Robert Rowell didn’t want anyone around who didn’t want to be there.  If that’s the case, there wouldn’t be enough players to suit up the minimum eight.  The Warriors have become basketball Siberia.

                    When one player complains about the coach and management, that’s an anomaly.  Stephen Jackson was an ingrate.  When more than one player has a beef, then it’s a pattern.  The common denominator:  Coach Don Nelson.

                   Nelson rightly deserves credit for helping revive the franchise in 2007, but that is a distant memory now.  As in other cities, he seems to have worn out his welcome.  If it happens more than once, it’s a pattern.  While Ellis can be faulted for his two-wheeled escapades and his poor attitude, Nelly can be faulted because whatever plan or message he has, is falling on deaf ears.

                   Nelson will stick around to get the coaching wins record, now 21 away, so if you’re a Warriors fan who dislikes Nelson you’ll pray he locks that up this season.  He’s had a great career but either he’s grown tired of this scene, the players have grown tired of him, or both.  

                   In the constant search for bright sides, I can say this:  Nelson has no choice but to play Anthony Randolph and Stephen Curry now.  In addition, Ellis will certainly garner value in a trade, and it would be nice to get a good power forward in return.

                  After that, Corey Maggette and his boat anchor of a contract should be dealt.  I will take anything for that — expiring contract, even expiring players.  Then, wait for Biedrins, Turiaf, Watson and later Brandan Wright to heal. 

                  Then, wait for Nelly to get his wins record and find a new coach.  Although I don’t trust management to make a good decision on a replacement.  That leads to the next step …

                  Chris Cohan: sell Winthorpe, sell !!!! 

                  Larry Ellison, Line One. 

                  I know people who have worked for Ellison and think he’s an egotistical jerk, but maybe his ego won’t tolerate the current losing culture.

                   I know the odds of Cohan selling are slim, especially since the value of the franchise is evaporating like the Polar Ice Cap, but maybe he’ll grow tired of his name being dragged through the mud, the very symbol of incompetence.  No rich guy likes to be known for that.

                  A sale must happen, or all the salary cap space the Warriors are clearing out ( $21 million in the latest deal ) won’t mean a thing.   No player in his right mind would want to play here.  Even some players who are a little off  (Stack Jack) are avoiding Oracle like the swine flu.  

                 UPDATE:  In an inexplicably stirring effort, all seven active Warriors score in double figures as the W’s take it down to the wire but lose in Cleveland, 114-108.  They come up with a game like that, but can’t beat the Clippers at home?

                  ***

                 The Raybuck awards are 2 for 3.  Zach Greinke is the deserved winner of the AL Cy Young Award, going 16-8 and putting up fantastic numbers for a last-place team.  He was damn near unhittable for part of this season.

                Wednesday it’s Managers of the year.  I like Jim Tracy of the Rockies in the NL, and I’m going to yank a Raybuck from Ron Washington and give it to Mike Scioscia.  Just what he needs, another tri-tip sandwich.

                Thursday, I like Tim Lincecum for the NL Cy Young.  You know he’s craving a Raybuck.

                 ***

                 Monday night was one of the worst sports-viewing nights in recent history.  First, Browns-Ravens, so bad it might have seared a retina or two.  A very bad advertisement for the NFL, capped off by the idiocy of the meaningless pass and lateral on the last play which knocked Josh Cribbs out.

                 That was one time I sided with an agent.  Cribbs’s agent is furious with the Browns.  Cribbs is their best player and in a 16-0 game there was no way he should have been out there.  Fortunately he’s out of the hospital and OK today.

                Later, UCLA and Cal State Fullerton in the tipoff to ESPN’s 24 hour college hoops marathon.  Many people probably didn’t bother to hang around for the final 23 hours.  There was an epidemic of bad basketball at Pauley Pavilion that would make the Wizard shield his eyes witha  rolled up newspaper.

                I don’t know what Ben Howland has been doing the last year or so, but he hasn’t been recruiting.   Cupboard?  Bare.

               The Bruins shot the basketball like they were drunk.  The Titans weren’t much better.  The game started at 9, but it looked like Game 3 of the marathon at 1 a.m.  The final was 68-65, IN DOUBLE OVERTIME.

               Nikola Dragovic apparently spent the off-season taking suck pills.  When Michael Roll is your best player and senior leader, you’re in trouble.  Outside of Malcolm Lee, I don’t see one guy on this team who can remotely create their own shot.

                 UCLA will not finish third in the Pac-10 as predicted.  Unless the rest of the Pac Ten is a steaming pile.  Cal will run them off the floor.

                  ***

                 How many good college basketball players are there, anyway?

                 I’ve seen just one, so far.  Kentucky’s John Wall.  A point guard with tremendous quickness and strength, if he can develop a consistent outside shot he’ll be special.

                In the meantime, Countdown to Probation has begun at Kentucky.  John Calipari is only an investigation away from something untoward being unearthed.  Hell, they’re still cleaning up the slime trail from Memphis to Lexington.

Reacting To My Own Blog

November 16

                       I’ve read my blog, and I have to disagree with myself.

                      The more I think about it, the more I have to laugh about Stanford going for two with a  48-21 lead over USC Saturday night.  It was against the Trojans.  Troy has never been a bastion of good sportsmanship under Pete Carroll.  The karma train has turned around and pointed its grill right at Tommy Trojan, and the karma train was named Toby Gerhart Saturday. 

                     Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said at the Big Game luncheon today”there was an opportunity to punch it in, and we thought it was the right thing to do.”  Translation:  FU SC.  Harbaugh was doing the Bud Adams double-bird to the rapidly-disappearing Coliseum crowd Saturday. 

                      Bush league, and hilarious.  Even if the two-point conversion failed.  You know what would have been even better?  If Toby Gerhart ran it in on the two-point try and assumed the Captain Morgan stance. 

                       ***

                       I am NOT changing my mind about Bill Belichick’s dumb move in the Patriots-Colts game Sunday night.  In most cases I agree that if you have a chance to end the game by converting on 4th down, you do so.  But NOT at your own 29 yard line.  The field position ends all arguments.

                      I know the Pats have had a good record converting on 4th and short against the Colts, but NOT at your own 29 yard line.  Again, end of discussion.  The risk of failing there is too great.  If Peyton Manning is so good, why do want to risk giving him an extra 40, maybe 50 yards? 

                      ***

                     Baseball’s awards season is underway, and so far the humble little blog that could, is 1 for 2.

                    Andrew Bailey is the deserved winner of the AL Rookie of the Year, the only All-Star among rookies and nails as a closer, a year after languishing in Double-A ball.  So he now has a ROY trophy as well as a Raybuck.

                    Chris Coghlan of the Marlins was a fine leadoff hitter and edged out my choice, J.A. Happ of the Phillies.  Either would have been worthy, along with Tommy Hanson of the Braves.

                    Tuesday, the AL CY Young.  I like Zach Greinke of the Royals.  As you well know, if you read the Raybuck Awards edition of this blog.

                    ***

                   Stephen Jackson hopped a plane for Orlando today and hardly missed a beat after being traded by the Warriors.  In his Bobcats debut he gave Charlotte what he was giving the Warriors :  4 for 14, 1 for 4 from three point range and four turnovers in a 97-91 Bobcats loss. 

                   The Magic announcers could be heard snickering at Jackson’s penchant for hoisting them up.  Larry Brown is going to enjoy this.  Countdown to blowup:  100 days.

Good Riddance

November 16

                      Stephen Jackson is gone.  This is not a typo.  Off to Charlotte and certain playoff glory.  He wanted a winner, right?  He goes from a 3-6 team to … a 3-6 team.

                      The Warriors finally found a deal they could live with, which seemed to be less likely as the Jackson drama worsened.  They also get rid of the remaining $28 million in his contract and assume the expiring contract of Raja Bell.

                      The phrase “addition by subtraction” applies here.  Jackson didn’t want to be here and made sure everyone knew it.  Good luck playing for Larry Brown.  That should end well, too.

                      Now what for the Warriors?  I don’t think the dominoes have stopped falling.  And by the way, when they stop falling, you won’t  hear Chris Cohan yelling, “Domino, m———er! “

                      Monta Ellis also appears to be unhappy.  Unhappy with management for drafting Stephen Curry, and unhappy with Coach Don Nelson.  He’s surveying the landscape and he’s not seeing playoffs anytime soon.  He’s also much more valuable as trade bait despite a contract larger than Jackson’s.  

                      Dealing Corey Maggette and his contract will be much tougher.  The Warriors won’t get anything of value back for him if they try to deal.  That’s what they get for the bad panic signing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to jettison him as well.

                      Complicating the situation:  injuries, left and right.  Biedrins, Wright, Turiaf, Azubuike.  They barely have the minimum eight right now. 

                      The clock is also ticking on Nelson.  Whatever magic he had two years ago has vanished.  Expect him to go all-veteran for the rest of the year in an effort to get 20 more wins and the NBA coaching victories mark.  Then the Warriors will try to buy out the rest of his deal.

                      Keith Smart or Byron Scott would both be worthy replacements.  If they want to take over the wreckage.  The Warriors are becoming the Raiders in shorts.

                      ***

                      Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh ruined one of the great nights in Stanford football history by going for two with the score 48-21 at USC.  The Trojans have no reason to bitch about piling on points because they’ve done it before, and I am one of the chief Trojan-haters in the universe, but what Harbaugh and the Cardinal did was bush league.  There was nothing to gain.

                       ***

                       Saw plenty of Eagles fans in San Diego when we arrived Saturday morning.  Apparently there’s a group called the “Green Legion,” and one fan said they were expecting a gathering of some 17-hundred at a hotel Saturday night.  Amazing how, after a 31-23 Chargers win Sunday, I saw far more people in Chargers jerseys at the airport that night.

                       ***

                      The weekend also included a visit to the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.  This place is amazing — archery, aerial skiing, soccer, field hockey — they’ve got it all.  The highlight was standing on the medal podium at the entrance and putting my hat on my heart, as though I’m listening to the national anthem.  That’s as close as I’ll ever get.

                     ***

                    Sign seen in a cutlery shop in Solana Beach:  “Remember to get your knives sharpened before the holidays.”

Thoughts On A 49er Win

November 12

                      I just picked off Jay Cutler.  That makes six picks.   If the 49ers make the playoffs, they should send Cutler a check.

                      Cutler was as scatter-gun as Vanderbilt in “F Troop.”  He had Greg Olson wide open in the end zone as the Bears were trying to score the winning touchdown, but he threw wide right to a grateful Michael Lewis.  Cutler now leads the NFL with 17 picks.

                      Cutler is not only getting thank-you notes from the 49ers, but from Jake Delmomme, who is no longer the NFL’s interception leader.  Cutler and Delhomme share another dubious stat: 9 red zone interceptions in the last two seasons.  The 49ers did not win this game, Cutler lost it.

                     Bears fans who have suffered through everyone from Virgil Carter to Rex Grossman probably thought they were finally getting a decent quarterback when the team traded for Cutler.  Joke’s on them.  The treatment Cutler will get in the Chicago media will rival the treatment my trash-masher will give the spent carton of Ham and Cheese Hot Pockets.

                   On the other sideline, Alex Smith gets his first win since Week 2 of the 2007.   He got to see what it was like for another quarterback to lose the game, just as he did with four turnovers last Sunday.  He hardly took the bull by the horns, and the Niner offense  could get nothing done in the second half, but Smith keeps the job for another week.

                   However Smith has a target on his back now, and he won’t be a surprise to anyone the way he was with the Texans in the second half.  Some Houston players didn’t even know who he was.  The rest of the league has plenty of info about him now and the Bears scouted him well.

                  The coaching was not a strong point tonight.  Going for it on 4th and 1 at midfield in the fourth quarter nearly cost the 49ers the game, and calling a Smith sneak was not a stroke of genius.  Also, the 49ers opened the second half by ramming Frank Gore into the line repeatedly, then being forced to throw to Gore or Michael Crabtree on third down.  Jimmy Raye had it in reverse.  Also, challenging a play at the start of the game was ill-advised.

                 Thank goodness for Cutler.  Oops, he just got picked again.  That’s seven.

                 Why was the game so sloppy?  There’s one obvious culprit.  The NFL.

                 In its effort to be top of mind all the time, the NFL saw fit to begin scheduling Thursday games, partly as a way to give the NFL Network a boost.  For years it’s been a tradition on Thanksgiving, but only Thanksgiving.  Now it’s a weekly occurence in the second half of the season.

                 Consequently, you have banged up teams with little time to practice or prepare banging heads during a four-day week.  They’re more interested in healing up from the previous Sunday than running through drills for the upcoming game.  That really showed tonight.

                There was a sign of promise tonight.  The defense has been very spotty the last few weeks, but came up with five turnovers.  This was part of the Singletary formula at the start of the season.  Now with a ten-day break, they can get healthier, and the trip to Green Bay doesn’t look nearly as ominous as it did earlier this season.

                Uh oh.  Cutler just threw another one to a red jersey.  That’s eight.

                Tonight’s win saved the season.  Did it give fans renewed hope about this team?  I doubt it.  However, a loss would have killed everything.  The 49ers are still very much a work in progress., but with each win, they make the Monday night December 14th game against the Cardinals more relevant.  It’s a strand of hope, but that’s it.