Fat Guy Coalition

Retooling FatGuyCoalition

2010-01-28T11:12:00.001-08:00

FGC will be down for the next couple weeks as I try and retool the format and content. I want to try and get a weekly podcast going, so hopefully we'll be back up in March.

Checking the Wire 12/28/09

2009-12-28T09:49:00.000-08:00

Baseball

Tim Kawakami's Hitmen of the Year, Tim Lincecum/Barry Zito. [SJ Merc] Yup, that prety much sums the current state of the Giants.

Football

The Niners' win is tempered by the crappy opponent. [SF Gate]

The investment in Ahmad Brooks is paying off. [SF Gate]

Alex Smith is still sending mixed signals about his abilities. [SJ Merc]

The big news for the Raiders yesterday was Janikowski kicking a 61-yard FG. You're 2009 Oakland Raiders! [SF Gate]

Basketball

The Warriors stil stink, while other once stinky teams have bettered themselves. [SF Gate]

2009 NFL Pick'em battle RT vs. Koski Week 16

2009-12-24T12:55:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, the last month has been a rollercoaster for me: 3-0, 0-3, 3-0, 0-2-1. Time to right the ship over these last two weeks. I can't lose to RT in back to back weeks.

This week's picks:

RT(18-25-2)

Browns -3 v. Raiders
The Raiders won last week and we all know what that means ... they have no chance this week. Then take into account that the Browns are trying their best to fall out of the top five in the draft - you have a lock on your hands. Browns by a lot.
Vikings -7 @ Bears
Everyone knows I root for the Bears but let's face it ... they gave up on their season about 13 weeks ago. The Vikings are coming off two bad losses and they, like the Packers, are going to come out mad and drill the sorry ass football team which is the 2009 Chicago Bears. This game looks good at Vikings -13.
Jaguars +9 @ Patriots
How many weeks do we have to watch the Patriots until we realize that they are not very good. The Jags seem to play the Patriots tough, so give me the points.

Koski (28-16-1)

Ravens +3 @ Steelers
The Ravens are better than people think and have been playing like it the last couple weeks. The Steelers pulled one out of their arse last week. Baltimore punches its playoff ticket and eliminates the Steelers this week.
Packers -14 v. Seahawks
The Packers lost a heartbreaker next week and are looking to take out their aggression on someone. The Seahawks are the perfect punching bag with terrible cornerbacks for Rodgers to exploit.
Eagles -7 v. Broncos
The Eagles might be the best team in the NFL. Don't believe me? Read this. The Broncos started off hot, but are 2-6 over their last eight. Plus, Philly needs this win to lock up the NFC East.

Week 1 Results
Koski: 49ers +6.5 @ ARI, Cowboys -6 @ TB, Vikings -4.5 @CLE
RT: Packers -3.5 v. CHI, Patriots -11 v. BUF, Chargers -9 @ OAK
Week 2 Results
Koski: Raiders+3 @KC, Packers-9.5 v. CIN, Chargers-3 v. Ravens
RT: Titans-6.5 @ Texans, Steelers-1@CHI, Panthers+6.5 @ ATL
Week 3 Results
Koski: Giants -6.5 @ Buccaneers, Jets -1 @ Titans, 49ers +6.5 @ Vikings
RT: Texans -3.5 v. Jaguars, Lions +65 v. Redskins, Bengals +4 v. Steelers
Week 4 Results
Koski: Titans -3 @ Jaguars, Giants -9 @ Chiefs, Chargers +6.5 @ Steelers
RT: Bengals -5.5 @ Browns, Cowboys -3 @ Broncos, Patriots -1 v. Ravens
Week 5 Results
Koski: Giants -14.5 v. Raiders, Jets -1 @ Dolphins, 49ers -2.5 v. Falcons
RT: Bucs +15.5 v. Eagles, Patriots -3 @ Bronco, Colts -3.5 @ Titans
Week 6 Results
Koski: Giants +3.5 @ Saints, Packers -13.5 v. Lions, Patriots -9.5 v. Titans
RT: Seahawks -3 v. Cardinals, Browns +14 @ Steelers, Eagles -14 @ Raiders
Week 7 Results
Koski: Packers -9.5 v. Lions, Bengals -1 v. Bears, Colts -13.5 @ Rams
RT: Vikings +5.5 @ Steelers, Jets -6 @ Raiders, 49ers +3 @ Texans
Week 8 Results
Koski: Texans -3.5 @ Bills, Jaguars +3 @ Titans, Falcons +10 @ Saints
RT: Cardinals -10 v. Panthers, Ravens -3.5 v. Broncos, 49ers +11.5 @ Colts
Week 9 Results
Koski: Patriots -10.5 v. Dolphins, Cardinals +3 @ Bears, Falcons -10 v. Redskins
RT: Packers -9.5 @ Buccaneers, Texans +9 @ Colts, Eagles -3 v. Cowboys
Week 10 Results
Koski: Vikings -16.5 v. Lions, Titans -7 v. Bills, Ravens -10.5 @Browns
RT: Cardinals -9 v. Seahawks, Rams +13.5 v. Saints, Raiders -1 v. Chiefs
Week 11 Results
Koski: Steelers -10 @ Chiefs, Patriots -10.5 v. Jets, Jaguars -9 v. Bills
RT: Eagles -3 @ Bears, Cardinals 9.5 @ Rams, Falcons +6.5 @ Giants
Week 12 Results
Koski: Vikings -10.5 v. Bears, Broncos +7 v. Giants, 49ers -3 v. Jaguars
RT: Chiefs +13.5 @ Chargers, Eagles -9 v. Redskins, Patriots +3 @ Saints
Week 13 Results
Koski: Patriots -5 @ Dolphins, Chargers -13 @ Browns, Vikings -4.5 @ Arizona
RT: Seattle -1 v. 49ers, Panthers -6.5 v. Buccaneers, Titans +6.5 @ Colts
Week 14 Results
Koski: Packers - 3.5 @ Bears, Chargers +3 @ Cowboys, Colts -7 v. Broncos
RT: Redskins -1 @ Raiders, Bengals +6.5 @ Vikings, Buccaneers +3 v. Jets
Week 15 Results
Koski: Broncos -14 v. Raiders, Packers +1 @ Steelers, Niners +9 @ Eagles
RT: Dolphins +3 @ Titans, Cowboys +9 @ Saints, Seahawks -6.5 v. Buccaneers

Checking the Wire 12/23/09

2009-12-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Basketball

CJ Watson is the Warriors "best" player this season. [SJ Merc]

WFB says, "Ho-hum" about last night's loss. [SJ Merc]

Football

It's going to be ugly between Cleveland and Oakland. Very ugly. [CC Times]

Baseball

The A's are winning the offseason battle vs. the Giants. [SFGate] Although I'm disappointed, who cares about winning the offseasaon?

RT Checks the Wire 12/22/09

2009-12-22T11:25:00.000-08:00

Football

* Singletary decides to apologize for Smith. Last time I check, Singletary is not God so it is not his fault Smith does not have the talent to be a good quarterback in the NFL. [SF Gate]

* Shockingly, smart people don't want to travel to one of the worst cities in the United States. [SJ Merc]

* I hate to say this but ... Tom Cable deserves to be the coach of the Raiders. [CC Times]

Basketball

* Monta Ellis does deserve to an All-Star but the Warriors are terrible so good luck next year. [SF Gate]

* At this point, doesn't it benefit everybody if Turiaf and Biedrins don't come back!? The Warriors need John Wall in the worst way and anything that reduces their odds of getting him is a bad thing. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 12/21/09

2009-12-21T09:55:00.001-08:00

Football

Don't like Alex Smith? Too bad and get used to it. [SJ Mer c]

Gwen Knapp asks why Singletary believes in Smith. [SFGate]

One thing I'll say about Smith. He's the same age as Brady Quinn, 25.

Post Game Wrap from the JaMarcus Russell led comeback victory in Denver. I'm as shocked as you are. [CC Times]

Baseball

Mark Purdy defends the honor of San Jose-ans(?). [SJ Merc]

It's gonna get Crisp-y in Oakland. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 12/18/09

2009-12-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

Basketball

Understatement of the year? "Warriors coach Don Nelson calls Radmanovic a 'sub on a good team'" [SFGate]

Football

Sure, it's only Randy Moss' fault and not Tom Brady's fault. Both Merrill Hoge and Ron Jaworski watched the NE-Carolina game tape and didn't see Moss shutting it down. But, Gwen Knapp doesn't care what the tape says. [SFGate]

Okay, you cover the NFL and not NCAA, I get it. But, you can't call Sam Bradford Mark Bradford. Seriously? [SFGate]

Every day, I like Ahmad Brooks more and more. [SJ Merc]

Seriously, Darren McFadden? WTF? Where's the speed? Where's the breakaway? [CC Times]

At least Alex Smith isn't JaMarcus Russell. how weird is that? Here's what Russell cost the Raiders. [NFP] By the way, the way people talk about Jake Locker sounds JMR warning bells in my ears.

RT Checks the Wire 12/15/09

2009-12-17T09:24:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the delay on Tues Wire Check and not having one yesterday, but I seperated my shoulder, so there.

Baseball

* The Mayor of Oakland wants a water front park which he thinks will revitalize the city. In other news, rich people root for the Giants so there is no way it can be privately financed and the city of Oakland is broke. Good luck with that. [SF Gate]

* It is time for the Giants to sign Holiday. He will cost a fortune but the 2010 Giants season will just as pointless as the Warriors 2009-2010 season without the addition of a big time hitter. [SI]

* Garko will not be back with the Giants. Who else is excited that the Giants traded a bunch of prospects for Freddie Sanchez instead of Victor Martinez!? [SJ Merc]

Football

* The Niners are officially the Vikings without Brett Favre! How exciting! [SF Gate]

* Nothing like ripping the defense when the quarterback can't throw the football more than 25 yards. Great reporting! [SJ Merc]

Basketball

* Keep losing Warriors ... we need John Wall. [CC Times]

* How pointless is the Warriors season? Someone at the Chronicle thought this story was newsworthy. My journalism 101 teacher would have failed me if I turned this in. [SF Gate]

Checking the Wire 12/14/09

2009-12-14T09:29:00.000-08:00

Football

The Radiers win streak ends, at one. [SFGate]

With Gradkowski injuring both knees, will Davis turn the ship back over to JaMarcus? [SJ Merc]

So, Toby Gerhart wins the award for best running back in college football, but finishes second in Hesiman voting to...a running back? WTF? [SFGate]

49ers Q&A for Matt Maiocco from his readers. [Press Democrat]

Kevin Lynch ranks Scot McCloughan's first round picks. [SFGate]

Basketball

Bruce Jenkins' NBA thoughts. [SFGate]

Warriors Fast Break thinks the Warriors could beat the Sixers and salvage something on this road trip. [SJ Merc]

Baseball

Jack Cust will not be an A next year. [CC Times]

Ryan Garko will not be a Giant next year. That trade worked, eh? [SJ Merc]

Checking the Wire 12/11/09

2009-12-11T09:19:00.000-08:00

Football

Remember when all the good bowls were on New Year's day? [SFGate] The hypocrisy of the NCAA is that they claim a playoff would cause players to miss more class, but the bowls now extend further into January than ever.

One last case for Toby Gerhart for Hesiman. [SJ Merc]

The Cardinals are ready for the 49ers. [Press Democrat]

Ron Jaworski is noticing Alex Smith's mechanics. [SJ Merc]

The positive about DHB being hurt? No drop off in production. Thank you. Thank you. [CC Times]

JaMarcus Russell, in his own words, still ridiculous. [SFGate]

Baseball

Johns Shea takes the Giants temperature after the winter meetings. [SFGate]

The A's finally got tired with Santiago Casilla not reaching his potential. [CC Times]

The Giants' offseason: Fans, please lower your expectations. [SFGate]

Basketball

MTII had a live chat with Stephen Curry yesterday. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 12/9/09

2009-12-09T09:29:00.000-08:00

Baseball

Bruce Jenkins recycles his defense of McGwire for the Hall of Fame. [SFGate]

The rest of Jenkins' 2010 HOF ballot. [SFGate]

Bobby Crosby is headed to Pittsburgh. Meh. Also, look for the A's to kick the tires on Matsui and Vlad. [CC Times]

The Giants are going to stay young and stay away from Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye. [SJ Merc]

Bochy discusses the top of the Giants' lineup. Ugh. [SFGate]

Barry Bonds' son got arrested. [SJ Merc]

Football

Maiocco's 53-man review from the 49ers-Seahawks game. [Press-Democrat]

The Niners dropped the ball, literally. [SFGate]

Gradkowski wins AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 12/7/09

2009-12-07T09:23:00.001-08:00

Football

The 49ers were run crazy in the first half of the season and opponents adjusted and now, it seems, the 49ers are pass crazy. It didn't lead to a win yesterday, but at least we can better evaluate Alex Smith. The Seattle loss was on the coaches. [Sac Bee]

The 49ers are what they are. Mediocre. [SJ Merc]

The 49ers botched that game. [Press Democrat]

The Raiders go into Pittsburgh and upset the Steelers? With Bruce Gradkowski throwing three 4th quarter touchdowns? Whaaaaaaaaa? [CC Times]

Baseball

The Giants and A's have different approaches to this offseason than a year ago. [SFGate]

Joe Stiglich will update us on the A's front at the baseball winter meetings. [CC Times]

Same with Andrew Baggarley for the Giants. [SJ Merc]

Brain Sabean is the new Senior GM in the league and start the speculation about Adrian Gonzalez. [SFGate]

Checking the Wire 12/4/09

2009-12-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

Football

Could the Raiders cut JaMarcus Russell? [CC Times]

The 49ers offensive line will be tested in Seattle. [Press Democrat]

The Raiders juggle some defensive starters. [SFGate]

Basketball

Don Nelson's back, Warriors lose. Anybody surprised? [SJ Merc]

Raja Bell had surgery and is out 3 months. He "could" be back in time for the Warriors to trade him, or so they hope. [CC Times]

Baseball

What free agent mistake will the Giants make this year? McCoveyChronicles ranks the contenders. [MCC]

The A's made a deal to get Aaron Miles. Yay? [SFGate]

RT Checks the Wire 12/3/09

2009-12-03T09:20:00.001-08:00

Football

* If Gore likes it, I like it. [SF Gate]

* Breaking news: the Raiders still suck. [CC Times]

* Wait a second, Vernon Davis is now a play maker? Is it opposite day? [SJ Merc]

* Great college football game tonight. [ESPN]

Baseball

* What do two CY Youngs get you? An ESPN commercial. [SF Gate]

* What do you do when your pitching staff is dominant and you can't hit? Get rid of your leading RBI guy who happens to be play catcher. Makes sense to me ... it is opposite day. [SF Gate]

* I added the A's article because I thought someone from Portland might want to read about their future baseball team. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 12/2/09

2009-12-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

Basketball

Even though Monta Ellis has reached "IT" status, the team is still dysfunctional. [SFGate]

Ice Randolph is out 1-2 weeks. [CC Times]

More Ellis gushing. See if you can spot the blasphemy in the blog post title. Think musical. With all this Ellis love flowing, maybe RT will write something for us? [SJ Merc]

Baseball

The Giants don't offer Bengie Molina arbitration. [SFGate] Meh.

Baggarly combs through the arbitration-less free agents and identifies some possible Giants targets. Dye, Damon, Hudson, Tejada? [SJ Merc]

Football

Maiocco's 53 man review of the 49ers-Jaguars game. [Press Democrat]

The 49ers are bringing in Dwight Clark to help make "The Catch" on the business end. [SJ Merc] Please, no complaints about terrible puns stretched terribly thin.

Raiders fans buy a billboard to try and sway Al Davis' cold black heart.*[Sac Bee]
*Al Davis' heart color and temperature are speculated.

Hockey

The Sharks continue to kick so much ass they don't bother taking names. [SFGate]

RT Checks the Wire 12/1/09

2009-12-01T09:02:00.001-08:00

Football

* Is Roger Craig a Hall of Famer? Not really. [Pro Football Reference]

* I love how the Niners have one good offensive weekend and people are talking about who gets the credit. How about the people who should get fired for running such a terrible offense for the first 11 weeks of the season!? [SF Gate]

Hockey

* The first person to tell you the Heatley trade was a no-brainer was ... ME! Nice try Mark Purdy. [SJ Merc]

Basketball

* Monta - Stephen Jackson = All-Star / IT player. Remember when you were talking to that guy that said trading Jackson was a bad idea? How dumb does that guy look!? [SF Gate]

* NBA Rookie rankings. [CNNSI]

Checking the Wire 11/30/09

2009-11-30T10:02:00.000-08:00

Football

The offense is in a state of flux, but the 49ers will make the playoffs on the play of the defense. [SFGate]

Mike Singletary's actions point to him being less stubborn than we think. [SFGate]

Mark Purdy flip flops on Alex Smith and apologizes. [SJ Merc]

Singletary was impressed by the leadership from his offensive players. [Press Democrat]

Basketball

You know how the Warriors need a true point guard? Well, apparently there's a ton in the NBA today. [SFGate]

The bottom 10 plays from the Raiders Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys. [SFGate]

Baseball

Pay the man. [SFGate]

The A's are showing interest in a Cuban defector, just not the good one. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 11/24/09

2009-11-24T09:23:00.000-08:00

Football

Singletary is starting to feel the sting of losing and things not going according to plan. [SJ Merc]

Bill Belichick and Bill Walsh have three Super Bowl rings a piece, but Belichick's coaching tree isn't growing like Walsh's did. [SFGate]

The 49ers need continuity on offense. [Press Democrat] It's interesting that Mike Johnson (QB Coach) spent his year away from football getting his college degree AND studying the spread offense. Hmm. Jimmy Raye's longest run as an OC was three seasons. Hmmm. Also, Allen Rossum was cut by the Cowboys because he couldn't stay healthy, the same reason the 49ers cut him earlier this season.

The 49ers dropped the tampering charges against the Jets. [Sac Bee]

Tom Cable punted on 4th and 1 and then thouhgt about going for two instead of the tie. [CC Times]

Basketball

Don Nelson won't make the Texas road trip with the Warriors as he battles pneumonia. [SFGate]

Pneumonia is a hell of an excuse to get away. [CC Times]

Nelson is sick as a dog and CJ Watson is recovering from swine flu. No wonder Jackson wanted to leave so bad. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 11/23/09

2009-11-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

Football

Is it time for the Niners to tailor the offense to Smith's strengths? [SFGate] It already feels like it's a game too late. But, it might not matter. Alex Smith is not the future of the 49ers. Colt McCoy anyone?

Mark Purdy seconds the notion that Alex Smith isn't the answer. [SJ Merc] Here is the key quote from Alex Smith that highlights the notion: "I think we came out, for whatever reason, apprehensive, cautious and kind of waiting for somebody to make a play." When you are the #1 overall pick, YOU aren't suposed to be apprehensive. YOU are supposed to make plays. I've been a staunch Smith supporter since he was drafted, making various excuses for his play. But, it's over, Smith is not the answer.

Gradkowski brings a much needed energy to the Raiders. [SFGate]

With the playoffs now pretty much a pipe dream, Maiocco outlines the 49ers remaining goals. [Press Democrat]

The 49ers' coaches put a bad gameplan together despite hacing extra time to prepare. [Sac Bee]

Jerry Mac's Raiders post game wrap. [CC Times]

Top 10 plays from yesterday's Raiders win. [SFGate]

Baseball

The A's signed Dallas McPherson. [CC Times]

Some Giants notes, including the notion of moving Freddie Sanchez to third if they acquired Dan Uggla. Not good. [SFGate]

Basketball

The glass is half full at the Fast Break Warriors blog. [SJ Merc]

Checking the Wire 11/20/09

2009-11-20T09:45:00.000-08:00

Baseball

Lincecum wins the Cy Young and talks about getting busted. [SJ Merc]

Rob Neyer takes a closer look at NL Cy Young balloting. [ESPN]

The Giants are unlikely to go adter Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. [SFGate]

Football

Niners need to limit the YAC on Sunday. [SJ Merc]

Becuase you were dying to know, Q&A with Bruce Gradkowski. [CC Times]

RT Checks the Wire 11/19/09

2009-11-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

Basketball

* The Warriors are playing with a lot more heart now that Jackson is gone. To bad they have played the Cavs and Celtics on the road. [SF Gate]

* Where will Monta end up? How about the Warriors!? [SJ Merc]

Baseball

* The Chronicle proves once again that they don't know anything about sports. [SF Gate]

Checking the Wire 11/18/09

2009-11-18T09:12:00.000-08:00

Basketball

Warriors lose to the Cavaliers. RT, did they cover? Also, an update of the "Big Meeting" tomorrow between management and Monta Ellis. LeBron James was giving Stephen Curry advice after the game. LBJ a GSW next year? I kid. I kid. [CC Times]

Baseball

Andrew Bailey won the Rookie of the Year, now the A's need to find one that swings a bat. [SFGate]

Lincecum has to go to court before the judge signs off on his pot ticket. Can't blame the judge for wanting an autograph, right? [SFGate]

Football

Matt Wilhelm stepped up nicely when he came in for a hurting Takeo Spikes who may still be out Sunday. [Sac Bee]

No starting QB has been announced for the Raiders, but there's other stuff to talk about, too. [SFGate]

Chris Johnson and his quest for 2,000 yards rushing. [NY Times]

Stephen Jackson is not a Warrior.

2009-11-16T14:22:00.000-08:00

by RT

The day of reckoning has finally come and the Warriors get a B+ for how they handled the Stephen Jackson situation. As I have written in the past, the Warriors should have told Jackson he was not welcome at practice or at games and told him that he would not be traded. Simply put – “you can come out of your room when you are ready to play nice.” Of course, the only team to actually go through with such a threat was the Denver Broncos this last summer with Brandon Marshall. Amazingly enough, Marshall is headed for the Pro Bowl as a Bronco and not a Charger or Cowboy. Of course, there was no guarantee this strategy would have worked with Jackson.
When Al Harrington got traded this time last year, the event was permanently etched in the head of Jackson and his agent. While Captain Jack gave the Warriors everything they wanted and more, the team continued to lose and he had to start thinking – “I am stuck with this team that will not be a winner for at least another two years.” The reality is that most NBA players want to win unless they are living in New York, LA or Miami. The New York Knicks have been terrible over the past 7 season and the only player that has requested a trade was Starbury, who is at least 30 cards short of a full deck. So while Al Harrington is eating steak at Angelo and Maxie’s with super models, Jackson is stuck in Oakland going nowhere fast. For the Warriors, the Al Harrington trade was a disaster because he got exactly what he wanted while the Warriors got nothing in return. The Warriors were not about to let a player get exactly what he wanted again.

Over the past couple of weeks, the Warriors must have narrowed their trade partners down to all the terrible teams in the league and the teams that do not play in the above-mentioned cities. This list of teams was short to say the least. As any good trader knows, the best trade is often the one you didn’t make. With that thinking in mind, the GM of the Bucks, T-wolves, Pacers, Jazz, Grizzles and Kings need to be given a lot of credit for not getting involved in the Stephen Jackson trade talks. However, the Bobcats, a train wreck of a franchise in their own right, could not stay away.

In a lot of respects, this trade was a huge in for the Warriors.

* They get a significant amount (~$21 mm) in savings over the next 3 years.

* Monta Ellis now has to take the team seriously when they tell him – “If you don’t want to stay, your options are Utah, Sacramento or Minnesota.”

* The Warriors have not righted the ship, not even close, but the die-hard fans now know that the Warriors realize how poorly they handled the Harrington trade last year.

The only real negative in all of this is that the Cavs were likely offering two expiring contracts for Jackson which would have been nice trade chips later this winter. However, most fans don’t understand the mutiny which would have occurred if Jackson would have ended up in Cleveland. Think about it – one guy gets to play in the best city in the world and the other guy gets to play with the best player in world. If I was a janitor at Oracle, I would have asked for a trade to the Staples Center because there was no reason to believe I wouldn’t get it.

Finally, I think I speak for most Warriors fans when I say that Stephen Jackson still has some good basketball in him. He is a very unique player that can not only guard the best players in the world but he can also score from about anywhere on the court. However, his best Warriors days were behind him. He needed to be a mentor to the younger players on an off the court. He needed to play the point forward that looked to create mismatches on the offensive end. He needed to teach this team how winning in the NBA is about sacrificing for the good of the team. The bottom line is that the Warriors needed him and he didn’t want them. It was time for him to go.

And yes, there is such a thing as addition by subtraction.

Checking the Wire 11/16/09

2009-11-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

Basketball

Big news of the day: The Warriors traded Stephen Jackson and Acie Law to the Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladamir Radmonovic. [CC Times] RT, will have something a little more in-depth later today, but the Warriors definitely are "winners" in this trade. The team could be worse without Jackson from a talent standpoint, but the Warriors weren't going to the playoffs. Sorry Dubs fans. Acie Law and Raja Bell are on expiring deals. Radmonovic has a $6.9M option for next season, while Jackson has $28M over the NEXT three years, not counting 2009. We'll wait and see if RT thinks there is any more wheeling and dealing left.

Kawkami chimes in, from vacation. [SJ Merc]

Football

The Raiders' failures are directly related to their last three 1st round picks: Russell, McFadden and Heyward-Bey. [CC Times] I'll even expand on the last 10 Raiders' first round picks: Michael Huff, Fabian Washington, Robert Gallery, Nnamdi Asomugha, Philip Buchanon, Derek Gibson, Seabstian Janikowski. One great player, Asomugha, and the rest is garbage.

Gwen Knapp summarizes the Alex Smith experiment. [SFGate]

JaMarcus Russell, still bad. [SFGate]

Stanford is the Bay Area feel good football story. [SJ Merc]

Matt Maiocco presents the 49ers road to a Wild Card slot. [Press Democrat]

How an uncapped 2010 affects the 49ers roster. [Sac Bee]

Checking the Wire 11/13/09

2009-11-13T06:51:00.000-08:00

Football

Kawakami sums it up best: "Josh McDaniels saved the 49ers season…by trading Jay Cutler to the Bears last off-season." [SJ Merc]

It's about a 50/50 chance Frank Gore will become the 49ers all-time leading rusher. Raise your hand if you knew who the current all time rushing leader was? You're lying. [ProFootballReference]

Matt Wilhelm made some big plays filling in for Take Spikes. [SFGate]

Post game quotes from both locker rooms. [Press Democrat]

You know it's bad when Mark Roman gets an INT on you. He hadn't had one since 2006! [SJ Merc]

The loss was not entirely Cutler's fault. [NFP]

You want to watch the Raiders on Sunday? Well, you better buy a ticket. [Sac Bee]

Baseball

John Shea tries to forecast the bad contracts that will be offered this off season. [SFGate]

Hockey

Sharks blow a two goal lead and then lose in shoot out. Whatever, wake me when it's the playoffs. [SJ Merc]

RT Checks the Wire 11/12/09

2009-11-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

Football

* Bears-Niners! It looks like I am not the only one who likes the Niners in this one. [SF Gate]

* Apparently, the Niners are having a bad season because of little mistakes. I thought not having a quarterback was a HUGE mistake!? [SJ Merc]

* Some Raiders lineman is doing well ... besides his Mom and Dad, nobody cares. [CC Times]

Basketball

* Koski and I came up with a new plan for the Warriors yesterday. Instead of trading Jackson, they should keep him, have the second worst record in the league (no place suck like New Jersey), draft John Wall out of Kentucky and trade Curry to the Knicks for the top pick for the next four years. I really don't see how this does not make the team better in 2013. [SJ Merc]

* TK thinks Curry will be fine. Agreed. [SJ Merc]

Checking the Wire 11/11/09

2009-11-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

The fact that Kawakami felt he had to write this article is embarrassing. [SJ Merc]

Football

The most over-hyped non-story of the week: Vernon Davis' supposed bulletin board material, “The guys up front, I think we can destroy them. I don’t see anything spectacular about their front line.” Whatever. It's two teams without a winning record playing in the middle of November, not Joe Namath before Super Bowl III. Retarded. [SJ Merc]

Is there anything Stanford football announcer, Bob Murphy can't do? [SF Merc]

Basketball

WTF?!?!?! Were in the second week of the NBA season and the All Star ballots are out? [SFGate]

You know what's not helping the Warriors trade Stephen Jackson? Everybody saying the need to trade him. [SFGate] P.S. It's not going to help.

Baseball

Baggarly sees Molina's chances of returning to the Giants somewhere between remote and unlikely. [SJ Merc]

Hockey

Dan Boyle, last night's hero. [SFGate]

RT Checks the Wire 11/10/09

2009-11-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

Basketball

* Let me get this straight ... if Stephen Jackson distributes the ball and plays the big point guard the team needs to have Monta play his natural position at point guard, the Warriors are really good!? I have no idea who would have thought that was a good idea. [SF Gate]

* Am I the only one that finds it ironic that Stephen Jackson's agent is ripping the only coach who could make his client look good enough to get a ridiculous long term contract? [SF Gate]

* Jackson will be gone in a few weeks. Challenge. [Yahoo Sports]

Baseball

* The Dominican Republic is a really shady place. [SF Gate]

Football

* Chiefs v. Raiders this weekend. Yikes. [CC Times]

* At what point can Singletary say "we are sticking with the quarterback that gives us the best chance to take the highest rated quarterback in next year's draft" [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 11/9/09

2009-11-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Football

Ugly 49ers loss yesterday with 4 turnovers leading to 24 points for the Titans. Officially, MAYDAY! [SJ Merc]

Matt Maiocco breaks down each turnover concludes that Alex Smith's eyes betrayed him. [Press Democrat]

Jerry Mac looks ahead at the Raiders' remaining schedule. [CC Times]

Things aren't too friendly between the NFLPA and the League. [CC Times]

Gwen Knapp doesn't like Thurdsday NFL games. [SFGate]

Mike Lombardi's First Half thoughts. [NFP]

Lombardi mentions the 49ers are in a tough spot and I tend to agree. Before the losing streak, I was content to wait out Hill and let him manage. Hill's inability to make all the NFL throws (15 yard outs, especially) caused him to be benched. Smith has a better arm, but makes too many turnovers. I was close to dead set on not taking a QB with one of the two 1st round picks next season, but unless Smith shows A LOT more down the stretch, I'll take Bradford, McCoy or Claussen next April.

Baseball

Names being linked to the A's: Chone Figgins, Vlad Guerrero. [CC Times]

Angel Villalona's trial should begin soon, maybe? God bless the USA court system (weird, right?) [SJ Merc]

Basketball

RT, how does it feel when the Warriors' season is over five games into the schedule? [SJ Merc]

MTII's post game wrap including: Cap'n Jack no likey Omri Casspi. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 11/06/09

2009-11-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

Baseball

Lincecum got busted. I hope he wins the Cy Young even more now. [SFGate]

Baggarly with some clever taunts Lincecum may hear in the future. [SJ Merc]

Tsk, tsk, tsk, Ray Ratto, you're old and out of touch. [SFGate]

Football

Ratto reminds Raiders fans that they have not sunk as low as possible. [SFGate]

2008 First round pick, Kentwan Balmer, will see increased playing time over the next few weeks. [Press Democrat]

Kevin Lynch's plan on implementing a spread offense. Slowly. [SFGate]

Usually, teams like to lay low on a bye week. The Raiders can't help themselves. [CC Times]

Basketball

Warriors-Clippers preview. (Everybody, but RT yawns.) [SFGate]

Hockey

Sharks, lose? Sharks lose. [SFGate]

Soccer

Women's soccer, dirtier than you think. [Deadspin]

Checking the Wire 11/4/09

2009-11-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

Basketball

Hey Warriors fans! Are you ready for some Anthony Randolph? Too bad. [SJ Mercs]

It's game three and Scott Ostler is calling it a "must win?" Stupid. [SFGate]

Football

Ray Ratto's one-year assessment of Singletary. [SFGate]

Kawakami says the second half of the season will test Singletary's abilities. [SJ Merc]

Everybody's asking why the 49ers didn't spread out their offense against Indy. Matt Maiocco has your answer. [Press Democrat]

Baseball

John Shea with predictable hind sight. [SFGate]

Watch some young A's in the Arizona Fall League on the MLB Network. [CC Times]

RT Checks the Wire 11/3/09

2009-11-03T10:42:00.000-08:00

Football

* It's funny that the Raiders are thinking about firing Cable because of his off the field issues. I would fire him for his on-the-field issues. [SF Gate]

* His defense did not give up a touchdown pass to Peyton Manning and almost beat the best team in the NFL. The week before his team was getting blown out on the road and they had a chance to tie or win the game at the end. However, Kawakami wonders if Singletary can coach. Personally, I think he has a legitimate question here. [SJ Merc]

* Besides Cam "Dwight Howard can dunk hard so the Magic are better than the Lakers" Inman, who cares what Lane Kiffin thinks about the Raiders? [CC Times]

Baseball

* The Giants have developed one major league hitter from within the organization in the last 15 years. Makes sense to promote one of the minor league coaches to the Giants hitting coach. They are killing it in the Giants building these days! It is time to throw a parade! [SF Gate]

* Would anybody be "shocked" if the Phillies won the World Series? Seriously. [CNNSI]

Basketball

* Azubuike will start. In other news, Nellie is still playing Stephen Jackson so who cares. [SJ Merc]

Checking the Wire 10/30/09

2009-10-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Football

The 49ers might open up the passing game a little. Maybe. [SJ Merc]

Also from Kawakami, Crabtree is a game changer for the 49ers. [SJ Merc]

JaMarcus Russell showed up to work at 6:30am on Wednesday, setting his own personal best. Next stop, Championship! [SFGate]

Niners biggest challenge this week? Contain Peyton Manning. [SJ Merc]

Louis Murphy and Chris Johnson are hurting. [CC Times]

The Crabtree tampering case is still moving forward. Yay? [ProFootballTalk]

Basketball

It's time for Cal basketball to step up. Isn't that what they've been telling the football team? [SFGate]

Will RT be watching Curry v. Nash tonight? I think so. [SFGate]

Hockey

Ray Ratto gets red-ass about the Sharks. [SFGate]

RT Checks the Wire 10/29/09

2009-10-29T09:48:00.001-07:00

Basketball

* I love how the chronicle focuses on the fact that Morrow missed a three pointer and not the fact that taking Curry out was the reason the Warriors lost. Good stuff [SF Gate]

* The Warriors need a coach that is going to teach the young guys something, anything. Until then, just keep shooting [SJ Merc]

Hockey

* Best team in the Bay Area just keeps winning. [SF Gate]

Football

* Raiders teammates are backing up Russell which is why teams need coaches and management. [CC Times]

* Willis no longer carries the green dot. [SF Gate]

Checking the Wire 10/28/09

2009-10-28T09:10:00.001-07:00

Basketball

Warriors season begins tonight...

And they COULD*** make the playoffs. [SFGate]

How many of us will actually be going to games? Not counting RT. [SJ Merc]

Live Chat with Marcus Thompson of the CC Times before the game tonight. [CC Times]

Adam Lauridsen analogizes the 2009-2010 Warriors and the Bay Bridge. [SJ Merc]

Football

Everybody's talking about Quarterbacks today. [SFGate]

The Raiders and 49ers are in limbo. [CC Times]

The 49ers' offensive line, which has played soooo great lately, got a little thinner. [Press Democrat]

See inside the mind of a Raiders fan. Q&A with Matt Gutierrez. [Sac Bee]

Jerry Mac, the eternal optimist. "At least penalties are down." [CC Times]

RT's Official Golden State Warriors 2009-2010

2009-10-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

by RT

Last Year…

Not surprisingly, the Warriors’ season was a nightmare. The happy days of the Baron-led Warriors was long gone and the team lacked true leadership and an identity. The ghost of Monta Ellis’s injured ankle hung over the team for most of the season and, apparently, scared the team into playing no defense for most of the season.

However, it wasn’t all terrible. As I said in last year’s preview, out of Wright, Randolph or Bellinelli, one of them was going to show signs of greatness. True enough, Wright got hurt, Bellinelli was given no direction (or coaching) and continued to tread water in the pool of mediocrity and Randolph showed displayed flashes of greatness. The only person I know who loves the NBA as much as I do gave some very high praise to Randolph last week.

If nothing else, the 2008-2009 Warriors’ season provided us with two major positives:

1) Randolph has the potential to be an All-Star

2) Monta Ellis showed signs of his old greatness

As you should all should know by now, having two “IT” players is basically a requirement for a team to contend for a title.

The Off-Season

The Good…

* Stephen Curry: As I go through this preview I am going to remind all the bandwagon I-became-a-Warriors-fan-in-2007 fans (aka “dubs” fans) about how good we have it in 2009-2010. Before Chris Mullin became the GM, the Warriors would have taken Jordan Hill in this year’s draft. Instead the Warriors made the best pick possible by taking the dynamic guard from Davidson with the number 6 pick. The name of the game in the NBA draft lottery is take the best player available no matter who you have on your roster and that is exactly what the Warriors did. There are really only two possible outcomes for Curry.

1) He becomes the second coming of Steve Nash and we get to sit back and watch some amazing basketball over the next 12 years.

2) He becomes the second coming of Dale Ellis. (Dubs fans, he was a sharp shooter who brought nothing to the table except quality three-point shooting.)

* Amare Stoudemire is not a Warrior: Koski told me over the weekend how much he hates the Warriors management. I told him that I am willing to give them a chance but if they trade for Amare, I am done. The bottom line is the Warriors have a lot of young talent and they will need to trade some of it to take the next step but the time to do it not now. The fact that the current management had the discipline to not mortgage the future for a quick fix, is a good sign.

The Bad….

* Captain Jack to Stephen Jackson: If you ask anyone who knows anything about basketball, the Warriors need to have a tall point guard who can guard the likes of Kobe and Brandon Roy while Monta plays shooting guard. Amazingly enough, the Warriors already have that player and his name was Captain Jack. However, the clock struck midnight on this relationship and or fearless leader has turned back into a pumpkin. A starting lineup of Capt. Jack, Monta, Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Andres Biedrins is pretty darn intimidating. Unfortunately, we will never get to see it.

* Don Nelson is still the coach: Like George W. Bush in December last year, Don Nelson doesn’t care anymore and is already looking towards retirement. As a result, a team oozing with talent and looking for guidance has only two “role models” – 1) the man mentioned above and 2) a coach who drinks scotch before games and who will tell the young players “just keep shooting”. By the all-star break, we will be mentioning Cohan’s decision to not let Nelson go in the same breath as the Corey Maggette signing.

The Ugly…

Randy Johnson*

Outlook 2009-2010

For those of you not familiar with my preview style, I will talk about what the Warriors should do and my predictions as opposed to what they will do (which will undoubtedly not be what I suggest)

The Stating Line-up

Point Guard: Stephen Jackson

He is under contract and as long as the Warriors force him to honor that contract (see what I said about the Al Harrington situation last year which applies to the Stephen Jackson situation this year), he still gives the Warriors a chance to be successful this year. Monta needs to play shooting guard and Stephen Jackson is the perfect player to get the offense started for the Warriors unconventional backcourt. Not to mention, he can still guard the likes of Kobe Bryant and Manu Ginobili.

Shooting Guard: Monta Ellis

To be clear, Monta should be playing the same role AI played for the Sixers in the late 90s and early 2000s. For all the dubs fans out there, AI was the first under 6’4” player to play carry the burden of scoring and lead his team to the finals. Monta is cut from the same cloth and there is no reason that he cannot do the same thing AI did if the Warriors surround Monta with the right supporting cast.

(I can’t be the only person who thinks this backcourt makes perfect sense)

Small Forward: Anthony Randolph

If the Warriors do nothing else this year, the one thing they need to do is play Randolph 40 minutes a night. Period. He will have nights where is the best player on the court and other nights where even the most optimistic Warrior fan will think he will never live up to the hype. Either way, he needs to be allowed to play and gain confidence from his successes and learn from his mistakes.

Power Forward: Ronny Turiaf

There is a better chance of the sun rising in the west then there is of Turiaf starting at power forward on a Don Nelson team. I cannot help but agree with this move by Don Nelson. There is nothing that drags a team down like an unselfish, hard-working, defensive rebounding power forward in your starting frontcourt. Smart move Mr. Nelson … your genius knows no bounds.

(I cannot wait for the Cam Inman article in 2011 when he calls the next Warriors coach a genius for playing Turiaf and Biedrins side by side. Of course, I might be giving Inman too much credit)

Center: Andris Biedrins

The definition of a rock solid NBA player is Andris Biedrins. The only question is how many years can the Warriors count on him to be a 13-11 guy who plays great defense and always seems to get better right when you think he has plateaued? 10 more years? 12? I am starting the campaign that says anyone who bad mouths Biedrins at a Warriors game should spend a night in the drunk tank at the county jail.

The Bench

* Corey Maggette: It is about time we started calling Maggette “Mr. 2nd Quarter”. All Maggette cares about are his numbers and Nelson finally started to realize that last year. As a result, Maggette is the perfect player to play during garbage time (aka the 2nd quarter) in an NBA game. He could score 16 points in 12 minutes and with 12 of the 16 coming from the line. The Warriors would win at least 5 more games just for the fact that Maggette would keep them in games they would normally roll over in. I love this plan.

(Of course, Nelson will think Maggette is playing a great game by halftime, leave him in during crunch time and Maggette will stop driving to the basket because he will have scored his 23.5 points and start shooting fade away jump shots because he does not want to get hurt. Who says NBA players are selfish!?)

* Anthony Morrow: What is the exact opposite of Biedrins? Anthony Morrow. The only thing I know for certain is that he will have night where he has a hard time guarding a flag pole let alone an NBA player. However, the combination of his offensive skill and hustle probably puts him in front of Kelenna Azibuke. I don’t think Morrow is destined for greatness, but he could prove to be a legitimate candidate for the 6th man of the year award.

* Kelenna Azibuike: What can you say about the Wizard of Azibuike? He does everything well and nothing great. While that description is to be considered a negative comment when talking about a starter, it is a compliment for a reserve. There isn’t a Warrior fan who should be upset when he comes on to the floor.

* Brandan Wright: Let’s play Jeopardy –

Answer: For the Warriors to make the playoffs in the 09-10, this player needs to have a breakout season.

Question: Who is Brandan Wright?

In other news, Brandan Wright might miss the season with a shoulder injury.

* Acie Law IV: Allow me to make this quick … Acie Law is a poor man’s Marco Bellinelli.

(and yes, I am very proud of that reference)

* Mikki Moore: The Warriors have to be the only team in NBA history that replaces a skinny power forward who can barely shoot or rebound with a skinny power forward who can barely shoot or rebound. There has to be a player in Germany right now that is 6’10” 265 lbs that can at least rebound. Seriously.

* Speedy Claxton/C.J. Watson/Devean George: Every minute these guys play is a wasted minute. None of them are going to be an integral part of a Warrior playoff team now or in the future, so why play them when some of the other guys need experience.

(Over/Under on how many minutes C.J. Watson averages this year is 15.5. I hate that I love this team)

Prediction

The Warriors

The Warriors are not going to make the playoffs. However, this is the second best Warriors team (based on talent) the Warriors have had to start a season in the last 14 years. Seriously, look it up if you don’t believe me. While Dubs fans will complain about how terrible the team is, Warriors fans will get to watch some amazing basketball at the Oracle, where the Warriors will be tough to beat. However, young teams struggle on the road and the Warriors will be no different. Once again, I will be too optimistic with my prediction but I am standing behind it. Same exact predication as last year:

Finish: 40-42, 4th in the Pacific and 10th in the Western Conference.

Happy Warriors Season!

The League

The one thing I will say about the 2009-2010 NBA season is that it will be the most boring NBA season in recent memory. The Lakers are far and away the best team and there is no reason they don’t sleep walk to the title.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic
1. Boston (2)
2. Philadelphia (6)
3. Toronto (8)
4. New Jersey
5. New York

Central
1. Cleveland (1)
2. Chicago (4)
3. Detroit
4. Indiana
5. Milwaukee

Southeast
1. Orlando (3)
2. Atlanta (5)
3. Charlotte (7)
4. Washington
5. Miami

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest
1. Denver (2)
2. Portland (5)
3. Utah
4. OKC
5. Minnesota

Southeast
1. San Antonio (3)
2. New Orleans (4)
3. Dallas (7)
4. Houston
5. Memphis

Pacific
1. LA Lakers (1)
2. Phoenix (6)
3. LA Clippers (8)
4. The Warriors
5. Sacramento

The Finals
LA Lakers over Cleveland

Bold Prediction: The Lakers win 70 games

* The Ugly...Randy Johnson joke courtesy of McCovey Chronicles

RT Checks the Wire 10/27/09

2009-10-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Christmas morning aka opening night of the NBA! In honor of the best day of the year, today's wire check will be all about the best league in world.

First lets sum up everything else.

* Raiders need to draft a quarterback

* Alex Smith is good, Jeff Garcia would be better

* The Giants need a hitter but will overpay for Holiday instead

* The A's need a new GM

* The Sharks are better than ever and the only team worth rooting for.

NBA

* Don Nelson is excited for the season ... I am excited for his resignation. [SF Gate]

* According to some the Warriors are the second worst team in the West. This writer would be a good example of a Dub fan (aka someone who has been watching NBA basketball for less than 5 years and thinks this Warriors team is really bad when really it is one of the best Warrior teams in the last 14 years. You can read my preview tomorrow) [SJ Merc]

* Who says the Clippers are cursed? [ESPN]

* Still the best sports information site on the internet. [CNNSI]

* You know whats funny, I have been calling for this lineup change for over a year. [CC Times]

* Everyone agrees, the Warriors are not going to the playoffs [ESPN]

Checking the Wire 10/26/09

2009-10-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

Football

The 49ers offense looked terrible in the first half, coming off a bye week, so Singletary switched things up at half time and Alex Smith looked really good almost a yer to the day after Singletary pulled JT O'Sullivan in favor of Shaun Hill. [SJ Merc]

Gwen Knapp says Smith had nothing to lose, but coming off the becnh hurt his ability to lead the two minute offense. [SFGate]

Maiocco asks if this was all in the script? [Press Democrat]

Darrius Heyward-Bey: Seven games played, 4 receptions 64 yards.

Michael Crabtree: One game played, 5 receptions 56 yards.

The Raiders got blasted and everybody owned up to it, except one. JaMarcus Russell. Nuff said. [SFGate]

Baseball

Big Mac is back! Weird. [SFGate]

More Big Mac stuff. Inman says Big Mac's return will provide great theater. I'm not so sure that "No Comment" qualifies, but what do I know? [CC Times]

John Shea is optimistic the Dodgers will crumble next season. RT and I aren't quite so sure. [SFGate]

Checking the Wire 10/23/09

2009-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Baseball

You want a divorce? Okay, you're FIRED! [The Big Lead]

FOX has now opened the flood gates on drunk waterfall jumping. [Deadspin]

Bruce Jenkins states the obvious, which apparently eluded Mike Scioscia, Darren Oliver sucks. [SFGate]

It's all Nick Swisher's fault! Not really, but NY media has to blame someone. [ESPN]

Football

Does anybody care about the Napa D.A.? Anybody? [SFGate]

Despite the non-charges, Mark Purdy is skeptical of Tom Cable's innocence. [SJ Merc]

Kevin Lynch sets the over under on Crabtree catches on Sunday at 2.5. I'll take the over. At least one bubble screen and one quick slant per half. [SFGate]

Basketball

Stephen Curry wins a starting spot by default. [SJ Merc]

RT Checks the Wire 10/22/09

2009-10-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Football

* Guess what? The Niners need a passing game. In other words, the world doesn't need a third world war. [National Football Post]

* Wait a second, I thought JaMarcus Russell looked good last weekend!?! How dare you attack the savior of the Raider franchise! [ESPN]

* I would be too positive too if I had his contract. What does he care if he sucks? [SF Gate]

* If you can break a subordinates jaw while on the job and not get charged than we are looking at whole new way of doing business in CA. As a small business owner, I am in favor of Tom Cable avoiding charges. [SJ Merc]

Basketball

* The newest problem with the Warriors. HINT: It is not winning too much. [SJ Merc]

* The scouts agree ... the Warriors are going to be great this year!! [CNNSI]

Baseball

* The biggest winner of this years NLCS is ... [MLB]

Checking the Wire 10/21/09

2009-10-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Basketball

Warriors' pre-season is almost over. Yawn. [SJ Merc]

Football

Should fans cheer or boo Crabtree? [SFGate] Really? How about this, if he plays well, cheer him and if he plays poorly, boo him?

Kawakami says the pressure is going to build on Shaun Hill over the next few weeks. Alex Smith, be ready. [SJ Merc]

What's taking the Napa D.A. so long to decide whether to file charges in the Tom Cable/Randy Hanson incident? [SJ Merc]

Q&A with Gary Kubiak for this Sunday's 49ers' game against the Texans. [Press Democrat] Who asked this question? With your corners, do you stay on one side or do you have Dunta Robinson shadow the top guy? Did they expect an honest answer? Why not ask which downs they plan on blitzing, too?

After describing the Giants-Raiders game as scrimmage-like, Antonio Pierce is now complimenting the Raiders after they beat the Eagles. [Sac Bee] Gee, thanks for beating our division rival. You're not as bad as I said you were. Could you also beat Washington and Dallas?

Baseball

Bud Selig recently said he has no plans on expanding instant replay in MLB. Then the "worst call of all time" happened. [Yahoo!] Your move, Bud.

RT Checks the Wire 10/20/09

2009-10-20T11:09:00.001-07:00

Baseball

* Thank god the Giants don't have a closer that just tries to throw the ball 100 mph and really has no idea where the ball is going. Oh wait ... [SF Gate]

Football

* Let the ass kissing of Michael Crabtree begin. I really hate the Chronicle. [SF Gate]

* You want to know what the lock of the week is ... the Jets because there is no way the Raiders can win two games in a row. [SF Gate]

Hockey

* One of the better teams in hockey got worked last night by my favorite team ... San Jose Sharks. [SJ Merc]

Basketball

* Jackson promises peace against Bryant because he wants to play for the Lakers. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 10/14/09

2009-10-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

Basketball

Tim Kawakami has 25 reasons that Robert Rowell should be fired. Love it. [SJ Merc]

Captain Jack is now just Jack. [SFGate]

Why Jack needs to go from WFB. [SJ Merc]

Baseball

October, so cruel! At least, Bruce Jenkins thinks so. [SFGate]

John Shea is already speculating on a LA-LA World Series. Lame. But, he mentions Molina could get interest from the Mets and a Cain-Fielder trade is damn unlikely. [SFGate]

Sabean and Bochy get two year extensions. Meh. [SFGate]

Football

Mark Purdy doesn't have any glowing things to say about Michael Vick. [SJ Merc]

Isaac Sopoaga is seeking donations for tsunami victims. [SJ Merc]

Antonio Pierce said playing the Raiders felt like a scrimmage. Ouch. [CC Times]

Hockey

Is Torrey Mitchell always hurt? C'mon. [SJ Merc]

Checking the Wire 10/13/09

2009-10-13T09:21:00.001-07:00

Football

Singletary is trying to right the ship, as evidenced by Dre Bly's apology. [SJ Merc]

Bruce Jenkins says don't forget about Josh Morgan. [SFGate] I was disappointed that Morgan didn't get in on that play as well. Everything was going wrong for the 49ers on Sunday.

Ray Ratto with Raiders tidbits. [SFGate]

Interesting article by Malcom Gladwell analogizing Fight Dogs and Football players. [The New Yorker]

Tom Cable is in the news, you hear about this, you hear about this? (My Leno intro) [CC Times]

Baseball

Sabean and Bochy still without contracts and looks like it's one and done for Lansford as his patient approach wasn't well received by the Giants hackers. [SJ Merc]

Basketball

Even unaffiliated writers are begging Cohan to sell the Warriors. [Yahoo!]

Hockey

Sharks lose after shoot out. Rt is sad. [SFGate]

Checkig the Wire 10/12/09

2009-10-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Football

The 49ers' world came crashing down around them yesterday and Singletary boiled over. [SJ Merc]

Is it a good thing for the 49ers that Singletary draws most of the media attention? [SFGate]

The Raiders are a complete mess. As Gwen Knapp notes, JMR attempted his lowest number of passes this season despite being utterly blown out from the get go. [SFGate]

How bad was the loss for the 49ers? Worst loss at Candlestick. Ever. [Press Democrat]

Golf

Tiger, Tiger Woods y'all! [SFGate]

RT&Q: Random Thoughts and Questions: October 7, 2009

2009-10-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

by RT

* Now that Crabtree is officially a 49er, can we start talking about how big of a steal he was at the 10 spot in last year’s draft?

* How is it possible that in 2009 baseball fans cannot watch the official broadcast of a division series game online? Allow me to apologize – you can watch the games as long as you don’t live in the United States. (Seriously, I am not making this up.)

* What do women do on Sundays during the football season?

* Multiple Choice – Which one of the following Bay Area team is the best team to root for?

A. Oakland Raiders

B. Cal Bear Football

C. San Francisco Giants

D. Golden State Warriors

* Just in case you were wondering, Stanford has a really good football team.

* If I told you at the start of the season that the pitcher with the second lowest ERA in the league and who led the league in strikeouts would finish third in the CY Young voting, wouldn’t you call me insane? Watch it happen.

* There is no way the Warriors cannot get close to equal value for Monta Ellis.

* Last year, I wrote an article on how NBA GMs should handle players that demand a trade. The Warriors completely blew it with Al Harrington so what do they do with their second chance with Stephen Jackson? Current odds are -500 on them trading him for a player that I cannot stand. (For those of you non-gamblers, -500 means bet $500 to win $100)

* Who cares what women do on Sundays during the football season?

* Answer to the multiple-choice question: A – When they leave town, you can change allegiances to a winning franchise and nobody will blame you.

* Is there anything worse than the “new” trains that Cal Train uses during commute hours? Is there ANYBODY on the planet who would rather face a fellow commuter rather than have his/her back to him/her? And yes, I am writing this on the train while playing footsy with a total stranger.

* Gambling Advice for the Week: During the NFL season, take the team that is playing the team I picked. Your Welcome

RT Checks the Wire 10/9/09

2009-10-09T09:52:00.001-07:00

Football

* Crabtree is not going to suit up on Sunday so the question is ... what is the over under on how many times the TV goes show him in street clothes? My number is 8. [SF Gate]

* This is an awesome video clip of Mike Singletary (you have to love the Journey in the background) [NFL.com]

* The Raiders are stupid. [SJ Merc]

Hockey

* Looks like taking a risk might pay off for the Sharks. Is anyone listening in the Giants Building?? [SJ Merc]

Basketball

* Is Randolph ready to save the franchise? He better be. [CC Times]

RT Checks the Wire 10/9/09

2009-10-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

Football

* Crabtree is not going to suit up on Sunday so the question is ... what is the over under on how many times the TV goes show him in street clothes? My number is 8. [SF Gate]

* This is an awesome video clip of Mike Singletary (you have to love the Journey in the background) [NFL.com]

* The Raiders are stupid. [SJ Merc]

Hockey

* Looks like talking a risk might pay off for the Sharks. Is anyone listening in the Giants Building?? [SJ Merc]

Basketball

* Is Randolph ready to save the franchise? He better be. [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 10/8/09

2009-10-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

Football

The 49es were the winners in the Crabtree holdout saga. [SFGate]

Kawakami just can't help but applaud the 49ers recently, and it's killing him. [Merc]

Maiocco asks why Eugene Parker was nowhere to be seen at Crabtree's press conference? [Press Democrat] Per Maiocco's tweet, Hammer played a larger role than escape route director.

Football Outsiders' Walkthrough looks at JaMarcus Russell's terrible completion percentage(It's after the Sharper Image section), including this gem:

Because of three interceptions, his quarterback rating on first down is 10.0, far lower than the rating you get just by throwing incompletions. (If you throw nothing but incomplete passes, your rating is 39.6.)

Jerry Mac's news and notes after Wednsday's Raiders practice. [CC Times]

Baseball

Bruce Jenkins offers some power hitter options for the Giants. B.J. Upton intrigues me. [SFGate]

The Giants' Double-A team is moving to Richmond, VA and they are looking for a new nickname, please save them from becoming the Flatheads. [Merc]

The A's busy offseason and what lies ahead. [SFGate]

Basketball

Monta Ellis injures his ankle in last nights game. Yes, it that is his scooter ankle. [CC Times]

WFB( Warriors Fast Break) with player by player performance breakdown. [Merc]

RT Checks the Wire 10/7/09

2009-10-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

Football

* Crabtree is actually going to play for the Niners!? It's a miracle! [ESPN]

* I have never agreed with Ray Ratto in the past but I actually agree with him here [SF Gate]

* Which incident do you think the Commissioner is referring to? [CC Times]

Basketball

* I will admit it - I love Warriors basketball and Tim Kawakami does a great job reporting on it. More on Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. [SJ Merc]

Baseball

* Its never to early to discuss what players the Giants will either fail to sign or overpay for. Welcome to the off-season. Also, please don't sign Jermaine Dye. [SF Gate]

Hockey

* I don't know about you but I am excited for the Sharks slow start ... they may be saving their energy for the playoffs for once. Go Sharks! [SJ Merc]

Misc

* Sometimes sports and sex can sell together. [ESPN]

Fat Guy Coalition Home Run Derby 2009

2009-10-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Barry's Bashers, 2009 Fat Guy Coalition Home Run Derby Champion!
2nd - My Boys Juice - $75
3rd - Graham Dobbin - $25

Monthly Winners:
April: Cain is Able 40 HRs
May: Barry's Bashers & Hoosier Heroes 45 HRs
June: Forest Poole 42 Hrs
All Star break: Barry's Bashers 129 HR
July: Jewbot Killing Spree & Barry's Bashers 44 HRs
August: My Boys Juice & The Unpredictable Padres 50 HRs
September: Hoosier Heroes 39HRs

Here's the payment breakdown:
The winner of each month will get $25.
The overall leader at the All Star break gets: $50
1st Place after the season: $200
2nd place overall: $75
3rd: $25

Checking the Wire 10/5/09

2009-10-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Football

Tidbits from the 49ers' mauling of the St. Louis Rams. [SFGate]

The Raiders are _______. Cam Inman chose "lacking leadership and offense" for today's column. [CC Times]

Some Niners were skeptical about the pink breast cancer awareness cleats, but it was only momentary. [SFGate]

The blame game is about to begin and heads will roll. Not Al Davis' head, of course. [SFGate]

The tsunami in Samoa hit close to home for Isaac Sopoaga, but he was relieved to hear his family was safe. [Merc]

Baseball

Giants season - Over. [Merc]

A's? Been over. [CC Times]

Basketball

Warriors played their first exhibition game last night against the Clippers. [CC Times]

Hockey

After a disappointing opening game, the Sharks went to town on the Ducks. [Merc]

Checking the Wire 9/30/09

2009-09-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

Football

Here's a Michael Crabtree update. [Twitter]

No plans to make any roster moves with Gore on the shelf for a couple weeks. [Sac Bee]

The Raiders bring back a familiar face to return kicks. [CC Times]

Baseball

Is it good or bad that Bengie Molina could be the best San Francisco Giants catcher of all time? [SFGate]

A's. [SFGate]

Kawakami supports bringing back Sabean-Bochy, but be sure to add fine print. [Merc]

Basketball

Do you think Bruce Jenkins knows the Warriors SBNation site is called, Golden State of Mind? I say no. [SFGate]

Cam Inman says Ellis and Jackson are brats. [CC Times]

Kawakami says Ellis and Jackson are smarter than management. [Merc]

Marcus Thompson's Camp Notes from Day 1. [CC Times]

Hockey

For the Sharks' newest #1 fan, RT. Ray Ratto rains on your parade. [SFGate]

RT Checks the Wire 9/29/09

2009-09-29T10:06:00.000-07:00

Football

* I said it at the start of the season and I will say it now ... betting against the Raiders this season will earn you a better return than the S&P 500. (Especially, if you bet big after they win). In other news, the Raiders are terrible. [SF Gate]

* I would pay a decent amount of money to be a fly in the interrogation with the Tom Cable and the Napa Police ...

Napa Police: "So if you didn't break his jaw, how did he break it?"

Tom Cable: "He must have fallen down the stairs."

I cannot get enough of this story [CC Times]

* Is a vote of confidence from Tom Cable really a vote of confidence? [CC Times]

* Gore is going to be out three weeks. However, Shaun Hill is perfectly healthy so the Niners are still have a one dimensional offense. [CNNSI]

* To be clear, if you lose by more than 30 in a season, you no longer have any right to be considered a top 10 team. [ESPN]

Basketball

* What is more ironic? A) The fact that Stephen Jackson's contract is too big to be traded or B) The fact that Stephen Jackson's best chance to win over the life of his contract is probably with the Warriors because none of the win now teams want him. (However, Danny Ferry continues to prove that he is one of the worst GMs in NBA history so there is a chance he would trade for Stephan Jackson) [SJ Merc]

Baseball

* Keeping Bochy makes sense but Sabaen might just be too gun shy to build a World Series contender. [SJ Merc]

Checking the Wire 9/28/09

2009-09-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

Football

Kawkami's recap of both Bay Area teams' Sundays. [Merc] I agree with TK's assessment of the 49ers game. Brett Favre made a perfect throw that 90% of NFL QB's wouldn't make and Greg Lewis made an amazing catch that 90% of NFL WRs wouldn't make. Don't complain about the last series when the Niners ran three times and punted. Everyone wants to use hindsight and say if they had only gotten a first down by passing, they would have won the game. What would you say if they tried to pass and threw incomplete, leaving the Vikings with 40 extra seconds AND a timeout for the final drive? You'd ask why Singletary didn't just run the ball. A gritty performance on the road, losing Frank Gore on the first play and not converting a third down all day and Minnesota still needed a miracle play to win. I didn't see any of the Raiders game due to black out related reasons, but JaMarcus Russell is getting closer to bust-ville every game.

The final drive through the eyes of Brett Favre. [SFGate]

Cam Inman asks, Is the bloom already off Cal's rose? I answer, Yes. [CC Times]

You know you're bad when even Scott Ostler can tee off on your franchise. [SFGate]

Mark Purdy on what the 49ers should remember from yesterday's loss. [Merc]

Baseball

In Baggs' post game notes from last night, only three SF Giants have got 200 hits in a season. [Merc]

John Shea checks in on how ex-A's have done since they've left Oakland. [SFGate]

Fat Guy Coalition Boom/Bust Players 2009 Tracker

2009-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

In our FGC 2009 NFL Preview, RT and I picked players we projected to have breakout performances and players whose performance would be well under expectations from each division. In the name of accountability and so we can call each other out for terrible, terrible predictions, here is a weekly run down of who we picked to be Boomers or Busters. Blue is a Koski pick, Green is a RT pick.

Boomers:

Greg Jennings - Well, he's coming off a zero catch game, but he went 6 for 106 and a TD in week 1. It's all good.

Marques Colston - Leads all receivers in TDs with three and has 11 receptions. Saints' offense should keep rolling.

Felix Jones - Only 13 carries through two weeks, but Jones is averageing 9.1 ypc and should get more touches on MNF with Barber likely out due to injury.

Donnie Avery - Ouch. Not looking good on this one. Seven receptions, fifty yards, no touchdowns and two fumbles. Did I put him on the wrong list?

Ray Maualuga - The tackle numbers aren't there yet, but he's got a sack and two forced fumbles so far.

Andre Johnson - Fourteen catches, 184 yards and two touchdowns through two weeks. As long as Darrell Revis isn't covering him, he's unstoppable.

Gary Guyton - Jury is still out on Guyton, but Jerod Mayo's injury has opened the door. Boom or bust time for Guyton and RT's pick.

Vincent Jackson - Eleven catches, 197 yards and two touchdowns. In case you missed it, the Chargers aren't a running team anymore.

Busters:

Brett Favre - He's 31st in passing yards this season. Brady Quinn has 100 more yards passing than Brett.

Derrick Ward - Twenty one carries for 94 yarsd and a score, but much of his touches have been diverted to Cadillac Williams. Unfortunately for me, not Ward, Cadillac is hurting and Ward should see an increased workload thsi week.

Brian Westbrook - Typical Wetbrook. He hasn't practived all week and is listed as questionable. He's got 22 carries and 116 yards through two games, about half the production you'd expect from him.

Kurt Warner - Just completed an NFL record 92% of his passes last week. Rt, are you sure I didn't mix up my NFC west picks?

Joe Flacco - He's tied for second with five touchdown passes and sixth in passer rating. Will it last?

Anthony Gonzalez - Sprained his PCL in the opener and has yet to get into the stat book.

Terrell Owens - Five receptions, 98 yards and a touchdown for Team Obliterator. He hasn't even begun to implode, yet either.

JaMarcus Russell - Brady Quinn has a better passer rating. JMR is dead last in completion percentage, 15% lower than #31. 15%!!!!

Checking the Wire 9/25/09

2009-09-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

Football

The 49ers were not a preseason sleeper this season. After a 2-0 start, the media is warming up to the team, but Mike Singletary wants his team to be wary of evil. The Evil of Overconfidence. [Yahoo!]

Possible scenarios for Michael Crabtree. [NFP]

Football Outsiders looks at the Top 10 QB contracts in the NFL. [Football Outsiders]

Tough test for Cal this week at UO. [SFGate]

P-Willy stays grounded. [Merc]

Are the Raiders making progress this season? You won't know unless you buy a ticket. [Sac Bee]

Baseball

Jeff Baker to Giants' playoff hopes, "I crush you!" [SFGate]

Go see the new faces of the A's franchise...before Beane trades them. Sorry A's fans, couldn't resist. [SFGate]

RT Checks the Wire 9/24/09

2009-09-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

Baseball

* I love the concept that a writer can say Freddy Sanchez would not want to test the free agent market after having knee surgery in the off-season and then the writer goes on to say it behooves the Giants to seek a long-term deal. WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?! Any trader worth anything know that it is better to cut your losses than try to double down and HOPE (not a trading strategy) that they will get a better. Can you imagine how good a sports team would be if they had smart people with trading sense running an organization!? Red Sox, Rays ... [SF Gate]

* Giants win and are ready to look towards the off-season. [SJ Merc]

* The second best pitcher in the Bay Area starts for the A's tonight [MLB.com]

Football

* Does anybody think JaMarcus Russell will ever be a top 20 quarterback in the NFL? So why stick with him? [SJ Merc]

* Guess what ... the Niners-Vikings game is going to be pretty good. [SF Gate]

* However, it is not good when the best player in football wants payback. [CC Times]

Hockey

* I will admit it ... I am on the Sharks bandwagon because they have the only front office in the Bay Area that seems to care about winning a championship. Time to buy my Heatley jersey. [SJ Merc]

Checkig the Wire 9/23/09

2009-09-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Baseball

Can we all agree that the Giants' season is now over? Please? Kawakami wraps a bow on it. [Merc] Raise your hand if you'd do the Freddy Sanchez trade over again. You disgust me.

That A's, still in Oakland. [CCTimes]

The company behind Pitchf/x, I think they do the first down line in the NFL as well, are working on a Fieldf/x at AT&T park. [SFGate]

More on the Villalona situation in the DR. [SFGate]

Football

Matt Maiocco presents the NFL's anti-tampering policy [Press Democrat]

RT Checks the Wire 9/22/09

2009-09-22T12:07:00.001-07:00

Baseball

* If you have bought a ticket to a Giants home game after Sept. 20, you could be going for free. Why you ask? I am sure the class action lawsuit against the team for false advertising. "We are IN this thing?" No matter if thing is defined as the playoffs or the first overall pick in the draft ... the Giants are in fact not IN this thing. [SF Gate]

Football

* At what point does the Crabtree talk stop? Week 5, Week 10 ... [SJ Merc]

* I have to admit that Shaun Hill could be the next Trent Dilfer. [SF Gate]

* Isn't this good news? [CC Times]

Gambling

* Who wants to go to Delaware this weekend!? [Fan House]

Checking the Wire 9/21/09

2009-09-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

Football

New news on the Michael Crabtree front. The 49ers have filed tampering charges with the NFL accusing the Jets of malfeasance. [Press Democrat]

This is the most interesting article about the contract issues between Crabtree and the 49ers. [National Football Post]

The Niners are 2-0 and Matt Maiocco breaks down every players' performance from yesterday's win against Seattle. [Press Democrat]

We're only two weeks into the NFL season, but the 49ers and Raiders are better than they've been in recent years. [Merc]

As the 49ers gain victories, Crabtree loses leverage. [CC Times]

Scott Ostler, who do you think you are? Writing actual columns? JaMarcus Russell was bad, but good enough at the end to steal a win. [SFGate] JaMarcus Russell is a drive killer. he can't complete the short passes consistently and that leads to a lot of three and outs. He's got a great arm and throws a nice deep ball, but the inaccuracy is maddening. Also, was anybody else bothered that the 6'7" QB couldn't throw a screen over a d-lineman?

Frank Gore etched his name in the record books next to Barry Sanders as the only two backs with two touchdown runs over 75 yards in the same game. [Merc]

Darren McFadden beat the Chiefs last season on the same play he beat the Chiefs with this season. [SFGate]

Baseball

The Giants are almost assuredly not going to make the playoffs and some other terrifying news surfaced yesterday. Top Giants prospect, Angel Villalona, has turned himself in to police in the Dominican Republic where he is suspected of...murder! [SFGate] Wow.

A's fans continue to search for silver linings with a 13-5 record in September. [SFGate]

Question of the Day: Did Barry Bonds steal Pujols’ MVPs?

2009-09-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

Backgroud: I was listening to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports on Fitz and Brooks yesterday talk about Albert Pujols and his incredible career thus far. In his nine seasons, Pujols lowest seasonal batting average is .314, lowest number of homeruns is 32 and lowest OPS is .955. Pujols is defining himself as THE player of this generation. Yet, last year Pujols won only his second MVP award. This got me thinking about the number of MVPs Pujols should have. Albert Pujols finished second in MVP voting in 2002 and 2003 and finihsed third in 2004. All three of those MVPs were won by Barry Lamar Bonds. So, I posed the question to RT, Did Barry Bonds steal MVP awards from Albert Pujols? Take it, RT.

No. Bonds only stole one MVP from Pujols and that came in 2004. The Giants failed to make the playoffs and Pujols led the Cardinals to a central division crown. The Cardinals won the division by 13 games over the Astros who won the wild card that year. I have always believed that the MVP should come from a team that has made the playoffs or a guy that has had a season that is far superior to any other player in the league. In 2001, I would argue that the MVP should have gone to Luis Gonzalez and not Bonds or Pujols.

Of course, the steroid issue is the big elephant in the room and everyone wants to cling to Pujols as the only clean guy in the game during the second or third most tainted era in baseball history. (You tell me what’s worse – A) Throwing the World Series, B) Not letting minorities play the game or C) Having players taking performance enhancing drugs beyond the usual greenies and 6 cups of coffee) As long as “the list” remains sealed and biased congressmen conduct reports about performance enhancing drugs and never set foot in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela or Japan, we cannot say with any kind of certainty that a certain player was clean.

As a result, it can be legitimately argued that Bonds might not have been the most deserving candidate for the 2001 and 2004 MVPs but to say he stole multiple MVPs from Pujols is incorrect.

Here's how the numbers compared:
2002___Avg_Runs_HR_RBI_OPS
Bonds__.370_117_46_110_1.381
Pujols__.314_118_34_127_.955

2003
Bonds__.341_111_45_90_1.278
Pujols__.359_137_43_124_1.106

2004
Bonds__.362_129_45_101_1.422
Pujols__.334_133_46_123_1.072

Checking the Wire 9/16/09

2009-09-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Baseball

The Giants scored some more runs last night and Zito struck out nine Rockies. Believe it. [SFGate]

Don't try and explain it, just enjoy it while it lasts. [Merc]

The A's play spoiler against the Rangers. Still, nobody cares. [SFGate]

Football

Jed York applies some public pressure by offering to meet face to face with Crabtree and his agent. Your move, Crabby. [Press Democrat]

Basketball

Kawakami points out the hypocrisy that is the NBA. [Merc]

RT Checks the Wire 9/15/09

2009-09-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Baseball

* Can imagine how good the pitching would be in major league baseball if every pitcher pitched like they were in the twilight of their career? Also, Tomko wins again [SF Gate]

* The teaser line for this game on espn.com was (is) "Lincecum shakes balky back to stun Rockies". FACT: It is not possible for the defending and soon to be again Cy Young award winner to stun anybody with good pitching. [ESPN]

* We aren't in this thing despite what the Bay Area media is saying. Please remember they get paid by the teams to give you a reason to buy tickets. [SJ Mercury]

Football

* Cam Inman thinks the Raiders aren't hopeless. No word on if he thinks that because JaMarcus Russell can throw the ball hard. [CC Times]

* What is more likely - A) The Raiders are much better than people thought and they have a chance of going .500 this season or B) The Chargers had a bad night, the Raiders had a great night and the Raiders still couldn't beat the Chargers. I will go with B and the rest of the Bay Area media that gets paid by the teams to cover their games will go with A. Feel free to make your own decision. [SF Gate]

* NOTE: If you bet against the Raiders in every game this season and trade it correctly your return will be the S&P 500 for the rest of this year. Game 1: $100 bet - $20 return. We are 20% so far. But don't worry ... the Raiders have hope this season just like the A's have a chance to make the playoffs.

Checking the Wire 9/14/09

2009-09-14T10:46:00.001-07:00

Football

Bruce Jenkins' thoughts on Sunday Week 1 of the 2009 NFL season. [SFGate]

Yes, it was an ugly win for the 49ers. Isn't there another tag line though? [Ratto] [Kawakami]

I think Cam Inman had the best assignment yesterday. Go watch football with Madden and then write about it. [CC Times]

Gwen Knapp reminds us that it wasn't just the offenses that had a rough game yesterday. Ref Don Carey was fumbling all over the place. [SFGate]

Tonight is a big litmus test for JaMarcus Russell. MNF against a strong defense. Can he handle it? [CC Times]

Hockey

After the first Heatley trade rumors were denied, another Heatley trade happened. Good move, giving up Cheechoo and Michalek and getting a shooting assassin. [Merc]

Baseball

From Friday, some actual A's writing worth reading. The A's top hitting prospects. [CC Times]

Apparently, Tim Lincecum uses the Magic 8 Ball when responding to whether he pitches tonight: "All signs point to yes." [SFGate]

Philthy posted his Top 5 Dodgers I hate on Facebook, but I couldn't think of a top five myself. I think Casey Blake makes the list,but that's probably just recent bitterness. I'd say Brett Butler because his betrayal burned. Philthy had Jeff Kent #2, but Jeff Kent made his name as a Giant, and his Dodger career was just the last chapter in his career.

2009 NFL Pick'em battle RT vs. Koski

2009-09-11T14:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, last minute idea. 2009 NFL Pick'em contest between me and RT.
The rules are simple: alternate picking three NFL games against the spread each week.

Week 1

RT

Packers -3.5
The Bears secondary is mediocre and Rogers is going to start off his Brees type season with a 14 point victory over the Bears.
Patriots -11
The Bill have no offense and Brady has not played in a year. What do you think is going to happen!? Patriots by a LOT.
Chargers -9
The Chargers are going to beat the Raiders by 30 so I like them minus 9 points. It really is that simple.

Koski

49ers +6.5
Anquan Boldin's hamstring is hurting. Nate Clements has a knack for covering Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals are going to feel the Super Bowl loser funk.
Cowboys -6
The over-hyped Cowboys of 2008 are now the under-hyped Cowboys of 2009. Tampa Bay will be exposed as a rebuilding team with an old crumbling defense.
Vikings -4.5
Brady Quinn is starting against the Vikings DL. That's all you need to know.

RT's Thoughts and Questions: NFL Season Opener

2009-09-11T09:13:00.001-07:00

* Is Jeff Fisher the best coach in the NFL who has not led a team to a Super Bowl title?

* The Steelers are not going to the Super Bowl if this guy does not play better.

* Al Michaels could make any broadcast team seem world class. Football fans will miss him more than they will miss John Madden.

* What was Vince Young more likely to do after the game? Study the play book or hang out with this guy.

* Does anybody care more than Hines Ward? Answer ... NO

* If you had five questions to ask God at the gates of heaven, isn't question number 4: Why do NFL teams continue to play prevent defense at the end of a game?

FINAL THOUGHT: Don't Sleep on the Titans.

RT Checks the Wire 9/11/09

2009-09-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hockey

* That's right - I am starting off with a hockey story. Everyone knows that I don't bother rooting for the Sharks because the will break your heart more than any other professional franchise in the USA today. Every year they play well and fizzle in the playoffs. Numerous people have asked me why I root for the Giants because they basically do the same thing. My response has always been that besides 2003 I never expected the Giants to go to the World Series. However, I have had a change of heart. (Save me the hypocrite emails). While the Giants continually fail to pull the trigger on a big trade or signing (Vlad, Manny, Holiday, Victor Martinez ...), the Sharks are on the verge of trading their captain because Sharks management knows "we can not win the Stanley Cup with or without you". This trade might blow in their face but at least they are going for it! Is anyone listening on the third floor of the Giants Building!?!?

Baseball

* Speaking of teams not going for it - the Giants have decided not to play Buster Posey because he might struggle and they would fail to make the playoffs. So why is Edgar Renteria, Kevin Frandsen and Travis Ishikawa playing at all?

* Skip down to question #2. I love the concept of someone asking a yes or no question and your answer is ... yes and no. Henry - stick to breaking news and stop writing articles.

* Sometimes I wonder if I am the only person that realizes the Giants playoff run ended on August 24th. What is the point of talking about a playoff rotation? Unless it is September 2010, I really don't this article is relevant. Is his next article is he going to write about how Andy Roddick can still win the 2009 US Open?

* It took me 3 minutes to stop laughing after I read this headline. Why are newspapers going out of business again?

Football

* The Madden cover curse continues.

* I want to know the answer to this question, why should the Niners play Frank Gore in more than 10 games? There is no reason to put miles on his tires in a season where 9-7 is the best they can be. Playing him in all 16 games is like a NASCAR driver driving his race car to each race.

* Today is full of great articles - the headline of this article is "Seymour stays away, likely won't play Monday". Wait a second, the guy that is 50/50 on even showing up is unlikely to play on Monday. Where else can you get this kind of hard hitting news than the Contra Costa Times!?

RT and Koski's NFL Preview

2009-09-10T12:13:00.000-07:00

The NFL goes live tonight! To get you ready for kickoff, RT and Koski serve up some prediction goodness to feed your ravenous NFL appetite. It is officially, ON! FOOTBALL!!! Okay, I'm getting a little too excited. Let's simmer down now a little by picking RT's mind on something he, a Bears fan, should be familiar with, the NFC North.

RT, how do you see this division playing out? Who can we expect to have a big year and whom can we lob scorn at in times of frustration?

I will rank how they will finish and give you a few things to think about.

1) Green Bay
As much as I don’t like the Packers, you have to love the offense. Rodgers has looked good from the moment he stepped on the field at Texas stadium for an injured Brett Favre. Greg Jennings will have a breakout year.

2) Chicago
Despite what the “experts” say, the Bears stole Cutler from the Broncos. Cutler is the best quarterback in Bears history and he has yet to throw a pass for the Monsters of the Midway in a regular season game. He's brought optimism to not only the fans but also the defense.

3) Minnesota
Childress + Favre = Circus. Enough said.

4) Detroit
The over-under for Lions wins this year is 3.

Koski – talk to me about the NFC West

Whoa, Whoa Whoa. We'll get to the NFC West. You gotta go through the top of the barrel before you get to the bottom. The South shall rise again! Or something. The NFC South didn't have a team with a losing record in 2008 and would have had three playoff teams, but the Buccaneers forgot to show up against the Raiders in week 17. Here's what's in store this season:

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees passes for 5,000+ yards, again. Reggie Bush performs well enough to maintain his Most Over-hyped in the NFL title. The Saints offense beats up on NFC South rivals as the other teams regress from last season.

Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan is good. Michael Turner is good. Roddy White is good. Tony Gonzalez is good. The Falcons defense is not good. Lack of defense + tougher 2009 schedule = 8-8 record...maybe.

Carolina Panthers - It's true, Jake Delhomme is not as bad as his playoff performance against the Cardinals last year. However, he's still Jake Delhomme. The schedule bug bites the Panthers with trips to Dallas, New York Jets, New England and New York again to play the Giants. And Jake Delhomme's backup is Josh McCown should Delhomme get injured. Prognosis,
negative!

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Speaking of Quarterbacks, the Buccaneers are starting Byron Leftwich. And, their 33 year old rookie head coach just fired the offensive coordinator. How does that make you feel? Tampa Bay also has the reverse schedule bite of the Panthers. The Bucs play the Cowboys, Giants, Jets and Patriots at home with an added bonus of the Packers, too.

NFC South Breakout player: Saints WR, Marques Colston. He's cominig off micro-fracture surgery, so he's a somewhat risky pick, but he's Brees' best weapon through the air on all parts of the field. He's big, he's strong, he's going to catch a lot of touchdowns.

NFC South Bust player: Buccaneers RB, Derrick Ward. He's moved from one RBBC(Running Back By Committee) on the Giants to another one on the Buccaneers. He's going to split carries with Cadillac Williams and Earnest Graham. Since Sunday, Graham and Williams have swamped places on the depth chart while Ward has remain in place...as the second back.

RT, why don't you tell me about the NFC East?

I knew I forgot something.

NFC North Breakout Player: Packers WR, Greg Jennings. The Packers offense is only getting better as the unit starts to gel and Rodgers confidence seems to know no bounds.

NFC North Bust Player: Vikings QB, Brett Favre. I know, I know. This pick is weak but I
really think the Vikings are going to be a mess because of Favre. He is worth at least two losses just based on age and interceptions.

On to the always over-hyped division … the NFC East

Dallas Cowboys (11-5) - OOOHHH WHAT! The first big surprise of the NFL preview. The Cowboys are being overlooked by everyone and I am really not sure why. Romo is by far the best quarterback in the division (yes, I am feeling ok) and their defense is a lot better than you think. How in the world can you trust Eli Manning or a Brian Dawkins-less Eagles to win this division?

Philadelphia Eagles (9-7) - The Eagles are going to miss the late Jim Johnson and Brian Dawkins' leadership. Their receivers are young and Brian Westbrook is one ugly look from a defender from being on the IR. However, they are loaded with talent and are still on their way to a 9-7 season.

New York Giants (8-8) - I don’t understand how anyone can trust Eli Manning. A couple big throws in a Super Bowl doesn’t mean you are reliable and I really think this is the year that the running game is not good enough to bail him out.

Washington Redskins (6-10) - I actually think the Redskins are going to be better than people think. Of course, they have the best player in football, Antwaan Randel-El – Indiana class of ’02, so how can I not like their chances. However, they play in the best top to bottom division in football and are destined for mediocrity.

NFC East Breakout Player: Cowboys RB, Felix Jones. If the Cowboys are going to win 11 games, they are going to need “lightning” (Jones) to produce. Obviously, I think he is going to do just that.

NFC East Bust Player: Eagles RB, Brian Westbrook. Simply put, I think Westbrook’s best days are behind him. He has been living on borrowed time for too long to have another great season.

Now can we get to the bottom of the barrel … I mean the NFC West.

Oh, so you want to bring projected records into this? The good news is the NFC West will be a better division compared to last season. The bad news is the NFC West is still the weakest division in the NFC.

Seattle Seahawks - (9-7) I wanted to say 10-6, but Seahawks offensive lineman are dropping like flies and I don't have a lot of confidence in Julius Jones and Edgerrin James doing it on their own. Seattle is still in the NFC West and they get Detroit at home so, they win the division by default.

San Francisco 49ers (6-10) No pass rush, questionable at best passing offense combined with a tough, tough schedule will not be nice to the 49ers in 2009. @Minnesota, @Houston, @Indianapois, @Green Bay and @Philadelphia. The 49ers need too many things to go right this year to make the leap to a playoff team.

St. Louis Rams (5-11) The Rams should be a lot better than the 2-14 2008 team, but that probably only means another couple wins. They drafted the best offensive tackle with the #2 pick, have a stud running back and a young defense with a new defensive-minded coach. They still have Marc Bulger at quarterback and lack depth behind their playmakers.

Arizona Cardinals (4-12) The NFC Champions!?!?! 4-12!?!?! Yes. It stinks in Arizona. It stinks like Super Bowl letdown. Virtually no new impact players on either side of the ball, except injury-risk, Beanie Wells. The mediocre-bad defense is the same and the mediocre offensive line is the same. Also, Kurt Warner is one year older and getting more and more brittle by the day. The secret loss is that of offensive coordinator, Todd Haley, who wasn't afraid to get in a player's face and provided a lot of fire. Flame off.

NFC West Breakout player: Rams WR, Donnie Avery. The Rams are going to be losing a lot of games again this year and, thus, will be passing a lot. Torry Holt is gone and the Rams improved the offensive line.

NFC West Bust player: Cardinals QB, Kurt Warner. I took the Favre way out on this one, but for a different reason than RT. Warner is old, and the Cardinals line is not good enough to keep the pass rush away from him. Warner will not start every game this season.

AFC time, you make the call, RT.

Saying the Cowboys are going to win the East is out there … saying the Cardinals are going to win 4 games is ridiculous. I look forward to being proven wrong.

Let’s start with the AFC North and the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3) - I really am not sure how the Steelers can lose more than 3 games. Their schedule is basically a joke - how in the world do did they get a home game against the Raiders!?. It would surprise nobody to see this team in the Super Bowl again.

Baltimore Ravens (9-7) - I am not exactly sold on the Ravens offense and I think their defense is just a year older. Unless Ray Rice turns into a big time running back I think this team might not even make the playoffs.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-11) - I don’t understand why people think the Bengals are going to win more than 5 games. They are going to start the season off 1-4 and the “here we go again” talk will only intensify. Not to mention, they are relying on a drunk boater to be their main threat on the ground! Same old Bungals.

Cleveland Browns (3 -13) – The Browns are doing what is supposed to be impossible – they are over paying not one, but two quarterbacks. Yikes

AFC North Breakout Player: Bengals LB, Rey Maualuga. This guy might have been the steal of the 2009 draft. He did a free fall on most draft boards because he was not as fast as his USC counterparts. As an avid college football fan, I can tell you with full confidence – this guy is really fast when he has pads on. He will have a huge impact on this team.

AFC North Bust Player: Ravens QB, Joe Flacco. Let me be the first one to tell you that the sophomore slump is going to happen for Flacco. His receivers are not great and they are breaking in a new right tackle. The Ravens don’t get the same production out of Flacco that they received last year.

How about the AFC South?

The AFC South brings a lot of talent to the table.

Indianapolis Colts (11-5) NEWSFLASH: The Colts are really, really good. Yes, the defense is suspect, but that hasn't stopped them before...in the regular season. Tony Dungy is gone, but Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are still there to exploit opposing defenses. The Colts will round up all teh NFC West teams before the season is halfway over and could be 8-0 or 7-1 heading into New England in week 10.

Jacksonville Jaguars (9-7) A healthy offensive line will do wonders for David Garrard and the Jaguars offense as a whole. They also added a top 10 tackle in Eugene Monroe and an admitedly old, but reliable, Torry Holt to the receiving corps. They should get off to a nice start with three NFC West teams before their week 7 bye.

Tennessee Titans (9-7) The Titans lost All-World Face-Stomper and defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, to Washington in free agency, but they should still have a staunch defense. The offense still lacks a big play receiver and Kerry Collins is the quarterback. The biggest threat to the team that had the NFL's best record last season is a tough first six weeks. Starting tomorrow at Pittsburgh, then Texans at home, @Jets, @Jaguars, host the Colts and @Patriots before the bye. The Titans could easily be 2-4 heading into the bye week in a tough division.

Houston Texans (8-8) Three straight years of perfect mediocrity for the Texans. The Texans defense is up and coming with Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans and Dunta Robinson anchoring the playmaker positions and the offense has weapons at each skill position. The problem is quarterback Matt Schaub has trouble staying out of the training room and the backup is, gulp, Rex Grossman. RT, your input? I could see a 10 win season, but too much as to go right for the Texans to make that prediction with any confidence.

AFC South Breakout player: Texans WR, Andre Johnson. Can I say Andre Johnson? I mean, he led the NFL in receptions and yards last season. He has not had a year with double digit touchdowns yet. So this season, I'll say 100+ receptions, 1400+ yards and 10+ touchdowns.

Side note: I drafted Johnson with my first pick in my fantasy draft, so I'm a little biased.

AFC South Bust player: Colts WR, Anthony Gonzalez. Marvin Harrison was a shadow of a corpse of a zombie of himself last season. Anthony Gonzalez is a decent player, but he's not going to leap to the next level. The offense is run through Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark with Gonzalez getting scraps tossed his way to keep defenses honest.

Back to you, RT. Keep it classy for the AFC East.

First, you tell us the Colts are going to be fine and then you bag on Anthony Gonzalez? One cannot be good or bad without the other.

If Tom Brady is involved, you know it is classy.

New England Patriots (14-2) - The Patriots are going to be great and there really is no point going into why. Game of the year in the NFL: Patriots @ Saints November 30th (Watching the Packers beat the Vikings by 20 at Lambeau is not a great game)

(WARNING: The AFC East is a terrible division besides the Patriots)

Miami Dolphins (7-9) - There really is no difference between the Dolphins, Bills and Jets. They all have tough schedules besides the games the play against each other. Pennington will come back to earth and the running game should be nothing more than average. They have the
best defense out of the three so they get to finish second.

Buffalo Bills (6-10) - Trent Edwards is living proof that playing quarterback in the NFL is really difficult because he has no right starting in the NFL. However, he has a couple good receivers and the return of Marshawn Lynch should make the offense respectful. Not good enough to be .500 but respectful none the less.

New York Jets (6-10) - Please explain to me how Mark Sanchez is going to have a good season. They have next to nothing when it comes to talent and he is going to be under the NY media microscope the entire season. I can’t wait to see the defense turn on the offense and then

Rex Ryan is left to convince the defense that the offense is performing at their best. Can I please be a fly on the wall at that meeting!?

AFC East Breakout Player: Patriots LB, Gary Guyton. It is no mystery that Bill Belichick’s defense turns good players into great players. There is no reason to believe he will not work the same magic with Gary Guyton.

AFC East Bust Player: Bills WR, Terrell Owens. I wanted to say Chad Pennington but I could not help but go with Owens. He is now old and has a bad quarterback throwing to him. He may just retire half way through the season.

Last and definitely least … the AFC West.

Don't they say to save the best for last? Maybe, we should have planned this better? The AFC West...the less said, the better. Wait. I thought of something. The AFC West has a couple good offenses, maybe.

San Diego (12-4) Can I interest you in six games against the Chiefs, Raiders and Broncos with a dose of Bengals and Browns? I thought so. A healthy Antonio Gates, LaDanian Tomlinson, Antonio Cromartie and an easy schedule will let the Chargers coast to a first round bye.

Kansas City (5-11) It's going to be a rough first half of the season for Todd Haley's Chiefs. They should come together for a nice winning streak at the end of the season when it won't mean anything.

Oakland Raiders (5-11) The Raiders have a lot of potential. The multiple high draft picks that double digit losing seasons have provided the Raiders could come together like the 2008 Tampa Rays. Unfortunately, the Raiders can't stop the run. At all. Richard Seymour is not the D-Line Jesus. Why do you think Belichick traded him anyways?

Denver Broncos (4-12) The Denver offense can probably do some nice things with McDaniels, Marshall, Royal, et al., but the Denver defense was terrible last season and they chose a running back with their first draft pick. It's possible Denver goes on an 11 game losing streak this season.

AFC West Breakout player: Chargers WR, Vincent Jackson. This one is tough because there are so many good offenses in the AFC West. He had 59 receptions and 1,000+ yards last season and should see his numbers increase with defenses forced to cover all the Chargers other weapons.

AFC West Bust player: Oakland Raiders QB, JaMarcus Russell. JaMarcus Russell does not have "it." The thing that separates the elite quarterbacks from replacement level quarterbacks, "it." He can throw a pretty pass and looks like he should be a really good quarterback, but he's not.

The NFC Playoffs will unfold thusly, and keep in mind, I'm going off your crazy predictions for the NFC North and East.

Seattle hosts Philadelphia and gets overwhelmed by the Eagles defense.

Dallas hosts Da Bears at Jerry Jones Legacy Stadium and gets overwhelmed by the Bears defense.

New Orleans welcomes the Eagles to the Big Sleazy and Drew Brees throws for 400 yards and
the Saints go marching back to the NFC Championship.

Green Bay hosts Da Bears for the second time this season and Green Bay wins the war of attrition in a December ice bowl at Lambeau.

New Orleans is going to have the best record in the NFC this year, and home field advantage is going to carry them to the Super Bowl!

All right, how will the AFC post season shake out RT?

The New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl!? I like it.

Teams with a Bye: New England (best record) and Pittsburgh

Indianapolis smokes Jacksonville as Peyton Manning throws for 400 yards and a couple
touchdowns

San Diego wins a tight one against the Titans which creates one of the best AFC semi-final
weekends in recent memory.

New England gets the revenge they have been looking for against the Indy and wins in a
laugher.

Pittsburgh beats San Diego again in the dead of winter.

In the battle of the best teams of this century, Tom Brady and the Pats prove too much for the Pittsburgh Steelers and move on to the Super Bowl.

I think it's safe to say, as much as I like the Saints, they will no match for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. If New Orleans was hosting the Super Bowl, I would hold out hope for a miracle, but the Pats wouldn't lose two Super Bowls they were heavily favored to win, would they?

The great quarterbacks and coaches rarely lose Super Bowls and they almost never lose two of them. It looks like the Pats return to form and return to the top of the NFL world in 2009 -2010.

Enjoy the season

Checking the Wire 9/10/09

2009-09-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

Football

In theory, running the ball 60% of the time would be awesome. In reality, it comes off a little crazy and unrealistic. Kawakami asks if the philosophy could be affecting the 49ers roster? [Merc]

Four hundred useless words from Ratto about Michael Crabtree. [SFGate]

Cam Inman sees a New Orleans-Pittsburgh Super Bowl and the Raiders losing 12 games and the 49ers making the playoffs. [CC Times]

Only the Raiders could inspire sympathy for a multi-millionaire, three-time Super Bowl champ who refuses to show up for work. [SFGate]

Kawakami talks about how 2009 marks a changing of the guard of the elite talent in the NFL and then goes on to pick a New England-New York Giants Super Bowl. Boring. [Merc]

Did the Patriots renege on a deal with Richard Seymour? [Sac Bee]

Baseball

When should Lincecum start again? Umm, how about ASAP? [SFGate]

The Giants lose two of three to the Padres, at home while the Rockies keep winning. It's ain't over, but it's over. [SFGate]

Speaking of over, the A's are still playing and losing. [SFGate]

Checking the Wire 9/9/09

2009-09-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

Baseball

Tim Lincecum was scratched and Messiah prospect, 20 year old Madison Bumgarner, got the start. Bumgarner looked good, not great, and some scouts weren't impressed. Kawakami said MB's start was different. [Merc]

The Giants should sign every available Uribe in the Dominican Republic. As John Shea notes, Juan Uribe is on fire. [SFGate]

Mark Purdy says back issues can be very bad. I'm not listening. I'm not listening. La la la la la la. [Merc]

The A's just can't escape the Giants' shadow. SFGate's header for the the latest A's recap, "Tomko beans Pierzynski in win." [SFGate]

Football

Matt Maiocco with a gloomy forecast for the 49ers-Crabtree situation. Maiocco says the 49ers might have to consider lowering their offer to ensure Crabtree won't sign. If Crabtree doesn't' sign by Nov. 17th he would not be eligible to play this season and the 49ers would have from March 1 through draft day to trade Crabtree's rights. To me, it's just a shame. [Press Democrat]

Kevin Lynch predicts a 8-8 record for the 49ers this year. Matt Maiocco predicted 6-10 earlier this week. What's better? Optimism or realism? Realism. The 49ers have potential, but a lot of important issues need to be resolved to reach that potential, i.e. pass rush/passing offense. [SFGate]

The 49ers also made a practice squad change, but still only have 7 of the 8 positions filled. What possible roster move could be looming? A Crabtastic move? Or just a third TE move? Time will tell. [Sac Bee]

Meanwhile. Across the Bay, another Eugen Parker client fails to show up for work. Richard Seymour is still a no-show after being traded from the Patriots to the Raiders. Jerry Mac runs down what it would likely cost to get Seymour into a Silver and Black uniform. [CC Times]

RT Checks the Wire 9/8/09

2009-09-08T09:43:00.001-07:00

Baseball

- The Brad Penny game against the Dodgers this weekend is must see TV. [SJ Mercury]

- Actually, the real story is the fact the Giants are not going to make the playoffs because they traded for Sanchez instead of Victor Martinez. Don't worry, he is only hitting .323 since the trade in the toughest division in baseball. [SF Gate]

- The A's future does seem bright. They have no real hitting prospects, they could be playing in one of three different cities in 3 years and they have traded away countless your players which they were supposed to be the best at evaluating. Why are newspapers going out of business again? I am sure it has nothing to do with biased writers. [SF Gate]

Football

- What do you think happens first? JaMarcus Russell goes bankrupt or Al Davis dies. Also, Cam Inman said the Magic were going to beat the Lakers because Dwight Howard can dunk hard. What a credible sports source. [CC Times]

- Pointless Niners article ... enjoy. [SJ Mercury]

College Football

- Best game of the college football season may have been played last night. [CNNSI]

- Having a good offensive line is really not that important. [ESPN]

RT Checks the Wire 9/4/09

2009-09-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

Baseball

- Trading one prospect for Freddie Sanchez sure makes a lot more sense than trading 3 for Victor Martinez. The Giants offense is on FIRE! [SF GATE]

- All the national media articles are talking about Pedro out dueling Lincecum and these articles got me thinking. Can you imagine how good Lincecum's numbers would be if he got to face the Giants a couple times a year!?! [CNNSI]

- The Mariners were a lock last night. I wish I would have posted it on Twitter [SJ Mercury]

- The only good sports writer in the Bay Area continues to get it right. [SJ Mercury]

- I love this headline "Posey's rough journey". I have too many sarcastic comments in my head so I decided to let you think of your own. [SF Gate]

Pro Football

- I hate pre-season football [SJ Mercury]

- Seriously, what is the point of the Raiders? [Contra Costa Times]

College Football

- First overrated football team of the season ... the Oregon Ducks. [CNNSI]

RT Checks the Wire 9/3/09

2009-09-03T11:04:00.001-07:00

Baseball

- Sports Illustrated continues their love affair with the Giants. Seriously, they love the Giants. [CNNSI]

- When you strike out 2 batters in 8 innings and you throw 94 mph, your fastball is straight as an arrow. [SF Gate]

- I love that Bengie Molina can be pissed off at the Giants for calling up a catcher when he has not been behind the plate in a week because of injury. When did guys making millions of dollars to play a game become so sensitive!?! [SF Gate]

- The A's are still playing?? [SF Gate]

Football

- The NFL preview from the best football writer on the planet. [CNNSI]

- Is there anything more pointless than who wins the third string quarterback position for the Raiders? I can't wait to read the article on the 5th starter spot for the A's. [Contra Costa Times]

Basketball

- Never too early for the National media to predict the Warriors are going to be nothing short of terrible. [ESPN]

College Football

- That's right, it is college football time!! [ESPN]

Twitter Michael Crabtree Update

2009-09-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

Not good news if you were hoping Michael Crabtree would be a difference maker this season.
First, Adam Schefter on Twitter.

Anyone waiting for Michael Crabtree to sign with San Francisco could be waiting a long time. A real long time.

Then Matt Maiocco followed up with this:

In exchange w/ league source last night, said I thought Crabtree would sign Labor Day. His response: "I hope you don't play the lottery."

Good luck getting a better offer next season, Crabby.

RT Checks the Wire 9/2/09

2009-09-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Baseball

- Sorry to all the Eli Whiteside fans out there, but he's about to lose some playing time. Buster Posey will be put on the San Francisco jersey in Philly sometime today. No Pressure, buddy. [Merc]

- Koski gets his wish ... Penny to start for the Giants tonight. [SF Gate]

- The A's are still playing?? [SF Gate]

Football

- The Raiders are still playing?? [Contra Costa Times]

- Cal Football: we lose to all the good teams and lose to one bad team a year. Who doesn't love the Holiday Bowl!? [Contra Costa Times]

Basketball

- If Mark Cuban is unwilling to take Stephen Jackson then he will be a Warrior for the next three years. [SJ Mercury]

RT Checks the Wire 8/25/09

2009-08-25T09:08:00.001-07:00

Baseball

- While I would suggest that the Giants playoff chances ended when they failed to sign Manny, I think we can all agree they officially ended last night. [SF Gate]

- Jeff Kent may not be a Hall of Fame guy but there is doubting how important he was to the Giants. [SF Gate]

- Is there anything more pointless than reading an article on a team's website? [sfgiants.com]

Football

- This is why I hate Bay Area sports. Mediocre coaches in poor towns in the mid-west (see Kirk Ferentz at Iowa) get paid millions of dollars and the capital of venture capital is mad that a rich Stanford booster gave Jim Harbaugh a nice bathroom. [SJ Mercury]

- Shaun Hill will start for the 49ers. In other news, the Niners will fail to make the playoffs because they have Chicago Bears disease: good defense wasted by not having a good Quarterback. [SJ Mercury]

Basketball

- The Warriors finally make a good move by signing a Hoosier. [Contra Costa Times]

Checking the Wire 8/24/09

2009-08-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Baseball

Kawakami anticipates Zito's most important Giants' start, yet. Also, Lincecum's performance after 120+ pitch counts. [Merc]

The A's have mastered the art of disaster, so says Ray Ratto. [SFGate]

Football

While Alex Smith didn't improve his chances for a regular season start in his preseason start on Saturday, he did show some toughness, which was nice to see. [Merc]

Dan Brown's case for Shaun Hill to be starting QB for the 49ers. [Merc]

Matt Gutierrez runs down day after notes from Coach Cable including Javon Walker news. [Sac Bee]

According to Cable, Kirk Morrison's injured elbow shouldn't keep him out of week 1. [CC Times]

Mike Lombardi looks at Vegas and how they do lines. [NFP]

Basketball

Michael Beasley checks into rehab? [Yahoo!] I wonder why? [SportsbyBrooks]

MTII ponders the Warriors' playoff chances next season. His conclusion: Hell Mutha F#@$ing No! [CC Times]

Checking the Wire 8/21/09

2009-08-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

Baseball

Bruce Jenkins wonders why there are no left-handed catchers? [SFGate]

Baggs' post-game notes including a half-hearted defense of Howry. Stop. Howry has been the weak link in the bullpen all year and pitching him in Cincinnati's park is playing with fire. [Merc]

A's? Anyone? No? Okay.

Football

Bruce Jenkins, again, this time looking at the QB drama in the NFC North. [SFGate]

Ray Ratto rains on Jahvid Best's award chances. [SFGate]

A slow day for Matt Maiocco as the 49ers prepare for tomorrow's game against the Raiders means Q&A. Some questions about the Ahmad Brooks-Manny Lawson-Parys Haralson and Nate Davis. Plus, nothing new whatsoever with Crabtree. [Press Democrat]

Raiders notes from David White. DHB and Louis Murphy, both rookies, will be the starting WRs against the 49ers. I smell some INTs. [SFGate]

Basketball

MTII ponders the notion of Stephan Curry in the starting lineup for the Warriors next season. [CC Times]

RT Checks the Wire 8/20/09

2009-08-20T09:06:00.001-07:00

Baseball

- Let me be the first person to tell you that the best pitcher in the Bay Area not named Lincecum pitched last night. HINT: His name is not Cain.

- Barry Zito may actually be worth more than $3 mm a year.

- Did I mention this man is going to be a top 10 pitcher in the major leagues in 3 years?

- So the top teachers in this country get paid $85,000 and I am supposed to feel bad for guys that get to fly first class, stay at the Four Season, make $200k a year who only have to work for 7 months out of the year!!! Nice try.

Football

- Is it me or is the world a better place when the Raiders suck?

- I guess carrying a gun is not such a good idea after all.

- Multiple Choice: Which of the following schools has the best tailgating set up?

A) Georgia
B) Tennessee
C) Cal
D) Stanford

Answer: D

Basketball

- Who really cares about losing a season that has already happened? Its like telling a kid he did not actually get to enjoy that cookie he already stole and ate. Ridiculous.

Checking the Wire 8/19/09

2009-08-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Football

Kawakami highlights his Raiders musings from Monday. I'm going to go out on a limb and say Raider Nation will not be happy.[Merc]

Ratto on the impact of Chaz Schillens' injury. Not good. [SFGate]

Gwen Knapp writes what we're all thinking regarding Favre, embarrassing. And, UGH! [SFGate]

Mark Purdy poits the finger at Tom Cable for not coming clean with the "true" story. [Merc]

49ers-Raiders scrimmage notes from Matt Maiocco. [Press Democrat] And from David White on the Raiders. [SFGate]

Baseball

John Shea profiles the patience of Nate Schierholtz. Nate must know Randy Winn's contract is up this season and Fred Lewis won't be allowed back inside AT&T. [SFGate]

Lincecum didn't have it yesterday, at all. He did have some karma leftover from last week and the Giants actually overcame a 5-1 deficit. Ryan Garko got two key hits. It's true. [Merc]

Maybe another reason why the Giants weren't too hesitant about parting with Alderson, #1 draft pick, Zack Wheeler. [SFGate]

Basketball

MTII checks in on the Warriors machinations with CJ WAtson. [CC Times]

Fantasy Football: Undervalued and Overvalued players

2009-08-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

by Koski

The early rounds of a fantasy draft build your team’s foundation. The last rounds are for kickers, defenses and low-risk flyers on players with upside. The middle rounds are where you display your ability as a manager by selecting the players who will out perform their perceived value while avoiding the players propped up on a bale of hype. With that in mind, I present two QBs, RBs and WRs who are being under drafted along with two of each who are being over drafted. The round in parenthesis is when the players are currently being drafted.

Don’t Sleep on These Guys

Matt Hasselbeck QB, Seattle Seahawks (10-11th round) - The Seahawks were devastated by injuries last season including both Seahawks starting tackles missed games due to injury. Hasselbeck battled back problems and only played in seven games while his starting wide receivers all missed games with Nate Burleson going out for the season in the first game and Deion Branch playing only eight games. What’s in store for this season you ask? Everyone is healthy and the addition of TJ Houshmandzadeh to the receiving corps is another weapon for Hasselbeck to utilize. Since 2003, Hasselbeck has alternated between Pro Bowl caliber seasons and injury riddled years. Last year he was injured, so this year… expecting a Pro Bowl this season is probably a little too optimistic, Hasselbeck should have a bounce back season and, at the least, would make a solid backup QB choice before the 10th round.

David Garrard QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (11-12th round) - David Garrard may have been healthy all last season but his offensive line was not. The starting interior lineman missed 38 combined games. On top of that, it was another year of poor production from the wide receivers. The interior line is healthy coming into the season and the Jaguars added veteran tackle, Tra Thomas in free agency and rookie tackle, Eugene Monroe in the first round of the draft. The improved line performance should translate into better numbers for Garrard. The receiving corps finally has one dependable option in Torry Holt, who may be showing his age, but still capable of boosting Garrard’s numbers. Like Hasselbeck, Garrard will be a solid backup QB with upside who should be snatched up before the 11th round.

Earnest Graham RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-10th round) - Graham was unable to match his 10 touchdown 2007 season because of injury. On the surface, the arrival of Derrick Ward would seem to doom Graham to back up duty, but Graham is a big back who can stay on the field as a full back even when Ward is in the game. Also, Graham’s physical running style should earn him some goal line carries. He’s also more active in the passing game than you’d think, so he could top 800 combined yards and seven touchdowns.

Fred Jackson RB, Buffalo Bills (10th round) - Marshawn Lynch’s pension to go “Beast Mode” off the field has earned him a three game suspension to start 2009. That means Fred Jackson will receive the bulk of the carries in the first three games. Jackson averaged 4.4 ypc last season on 130 carries. Bumping up his carries because of Lynch’s suspension should bump Jackson over 800 rushing yards. Jackson is also effective in the passing game, where he could top 50 receptions and 300 yards receiving, yet for some reason Marshawn Lynch is being drafted in the 7th round while Jackson is being drafted in the 10th.

Devin Hester WR, Chicago Bears (9-10th round) - Pop quiz, hot shot. What does Devin Hester have that most other players in the NFL do not? Speed. What does Jay Cutler have that Kyle Orton does not? Arm strength. Hester’s speed and Cutler’s ability to throw downfield should have a profound effect on Hester’s numbers. Hester will not be returning kickoffs this season, but will still return punts. As a result, the Bears will continue to enjoy good field postion because punters are kicking the ball out of bounds to keep the ball out of Hester’s hands or Hester will make something out of nothing and get those few extra yards which can make a difference in a game.

Donald Driver WR, Green Bay Packers (9-10th round) - Driver is 34 years old, but he’s put up five straight 1,000+ yards seasons. His touchdown total has been all over the place from two to nine over that period, but his receptions have been no lower than 74 over that five year period. Greg Jennings gets the most attention as the number one guy in fantasy drafts, but Jennings will also generate the attention of opposing defenses opening up holes for Driver to keep doing what he’s been doing.

Hit the Snooze on These Guys

Tony Romo QB, Dallas Cowboys (3rd round) - Blasphemy, I know. Here’s the thing, the Cowboys are always overrated. T.O. has moved on, and Dallas still has weapons for Romo like Jason Witten and Roy Williams, but if you draft Romo in the third round, you will regret it when you can get similar stats from Donovan McNabb or Jay Cutler two round later.

Kurt Warner QB, Arizona Cardinals (3rd round) - Hello, Yo-yo effect. Last season, Warner was largely undrafted last season and then threw for 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. This season the pendulum has swung back and Warner is being drafted too high. The problem is Kurt Warner is 38 years old and he’s not known for his durability. He has all the weapons to put up similar numbers, but the likelihood of Warner starting every game next season should keep anybody from gambling their third pick on him.

Beanie Wells RB, Arizona Cardinals (7-8th round) - Wells is an amazing talent with size and speed. However, the knock on him leading up to the draft was that he was too brittle to hold up to NFL punishment. Wells is already missing games because of injury as he sat out the preseason opener with a sore ankle. The Cardinals aren’t much of a running team and Tim Hightower is still around and he scored 10 touchdowns last year. Wells should not be drafted before the aforementioned Earnest Graham or Fred Jackson.

Marshawn Lynch RB, Buffalo Bills (4th round) - Marshawn Lynch is missing three games due to suspension, yet is still being drafted ahead of the man slated to carry the ball during his absence, Fred Jackson. Three games out of sixteen isn’t too bad, but not many fantasy leagues are still going in week 17. On the other hand, three games is probably a quarter of your fantasy season and if he’s rusty when he comes back - your team could already be in a hole where weeks 14, 15 & 16 won’t even matter for you. Lynch should not be going ahead of Jonathan Stewart and Joseph Addai.

Antonio Bryant WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6th round) - Bryant returned to the NFL in 2008 after missing 2007 because he faced league suspension for off field incidents. The Bucs took a shot on him and were rewarded. In turn the Bucs rewarded Bryant by slapping the franchise tag on him and booted the quarter back who was throwing him the ball. Bryant tore his meniscus in training camp and will likely miss the entire preseason. When Bryant returns, he will be at the mercy of an untested rookie quarterback, Josh Freeman or, gulp, a worse than replacement level quarterback, Luke McCown.

Roy Williams WR, Dallas Cowboys (4th round) - Another victim of the Dallas hype machine. A poor 2008 was written off to being unfamiliar with the offense after he was traded to Dallas midseason and not enough ball to go around between the Cowboys receivers once he got there. Despite his size, Williams isn’t much of a red zone threat, especially on a team with Marion Barber and Jason Witten. I’m sure he’ll end up with decent numbers, but they won’t be good enough to justify a fourth round pick. Houshmandzadeh, Hines Ward and Chad Ochocinco are all better options that are being drafted behind Williams.

Checking the Wire 8/17/09

2009-08-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Baseball

Bruce Jenkins is not a fan of Fred Lewis. [SFGate] 2009 was Fred Lewis' year to prove himself as a legitimate piece of future Giants lineups and he has failed to live up to that billing. Next.

Kawakami took a break from watching Tiger lose the PGA Championship to update us on the Giants performance since the Sanchez/Garko acquisitions. 6-7 and scoring 2.8 runs over their last nine games and Garko has one extra base hit. We're sure it's Ryan Garko and not Shea Hillenbrand? Positive? [Merc News]

Heeeeeeeeeeeeee's baaaaaaaaack. Starting tonight for the Oakland A's...........Brett Tomko! [CC Times]

Not a lot of positives in the post game wrap from Baggs. [Merc] Randy Winn finally had a good at bat and they lost anyways and Fred Lewis wouldn't man up to dropping a ball on Saturday. Fantastic.

Football

49ers RB, Thomas Clayton, was waived/IR'd after his season ending injury. [Press Democrat] The team waived him so he wouldn't be counted against their roster limit, but will be put on IR after he clears and then will be paid.

Matt Maiocco also went down the roster for player by player evaluations from the preseason opener. [Press Democrat]

Kevin Lynch breaks down the 49ers' first drive, play by play. [SFGate]

Jeff Garcia should be hitting the field soon for the Raiders. [CC Times]

Golf

Tiger couldn't close the door for the first time at a majort. [Merc News]

Rt Checks the Wire 8/13/09

2009-08-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

Baseball

- Just in case you were wondering, the Giants left a LOT of guys on base yesterday.

- Its amazing how the Giants can dominate a game, almost lose and the story starts with Tim Flannery getting a chance to manage.

- It took me 10 minutes to find an article on yesterday's A's game. Need I say more.

- This was a good article until he mentioned Rowand's contract.

Football

- Is it possible that a HOF speech can start with "Holding out my rookie year was the first of many smart decisions I made in my career ..."?

- The Raiders are only slightly more relevant than the A's.

Soccer

- When it comes to winning soccer games in Mexico City, Mexico is a better country than the United States.

Checking the Wire 8/12/09

2009-08-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

Baseball

Baggs is predicting some bean balls in today's Giants-Dodgers finale. I'd settle for 10+ Ks and a shut out from Lincecum, but that's just me.

Daily A's game wrap that you have absolutely zero initerest in.

Football

Tim Kawakami says don't expect to see Michael Crabtee before September. The irony is all of this agent posturing will be moot after the 2011 NFL lockout and subsequent new CBA with rookie contract limits.

The Raiders have a QB-WR disconnect so far, says Jerry MacDonald. Also, the Radiers are rumored to be interested in former Buccaneers LB, Derrick Brooks.

RT Checks the Wire 8/11/09

2009-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Baseball

* When your starting pitcher walks the first hitter of the game on 4 pitches, you are going to lose. I actually turned off the game and did something productive with my evening. How many of you did the same?

* The Dodgers signed Manny Ramirez so they are going to win the West. The Giants didn't sign Manny Ramirez so they won't. I don't think baseball has ever been this simple.

* True or False. The Red Sox don't really want to win the division because they own the Angels in the post-season and would rather face them than an AL Central team? (Hint: True)

* The A's win and again ... nobody cares.

* The player du jour is Eugenio Velez. When he starts to struggle, here are the odds on the next utlity player that everyone will hail as a hero: Ishikawa 2 to 1, Juan Uribe 3 to 1, Bowker 5 to 1, Ortmeier 20 to 1, Aurilia 200 to 1. My money is on Aurilia.

Football

* I hate pre-season football. Here is your meaningless Raiders article.

* I hate pre-season football. Here is your meaningless Niners article.

* I hate pres-season football. Here is your meaningless Stanford article.

Soccer

* Speaking of meaningful football ... USA v. Mexico tomorrow.

Don’t believe the hype. Target the studs, not the posers in the first round.

2009-08-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

by Koski

NFL Training camps are in full effect, the Hall of Fame Game is in the books and the NFL season will be under way in less than a month. August is fantasy football draft month and that means it’s time to study up, fantasy football training camp style. The first thing you need to do is separate the true first round studs from the over-hyped phonies masquerading as first rounders. It doesn’t matter whether you have the first pick or the twelfth, the first round may be your only chance to land the impact player that leads your team to title town. Don’t screw it up because you won’t have time to make lemonade if your first pick is a lemon. Don’t worry, I’m here to help. Although you won’t win your league with your first pick a first round bust can sink your season fast.

Here’s the low down on the top 18 players according to average draft position and my opinion on whether they are a certified first round STUD or POSER:

1. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings RB (STUD)
Certified Stud. He doesn’t do a whole lot in the passing game, but doesn’t need to because he’s going to rush for 1,500+ yards. His only issue is that the Vikings QB situation (Tarvaris Jackson/Sage Rosenfels) doesn’t force opponents to respect the Minnesota passing game. It was the same story last year and All Day ended up 1,760 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns anyways.
2. Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons RB (POSER)
Phony. He might be hot, but he’s just going to break your heart. Curse of 370. What is the Curse of 370 you ask? You can read more about it at FootballOutsiders.com, but it says that there is a severe drop in a running back’s production the season after a he logs more than 370 regular season carries or 390 carries including playoffs. Here’s some evidence from a Washington Post article written by FO writer, Doug Farrar. Michael Turner had 376 regular season carries last year and totaled 394 after the playoffs. Even though it was his first season with such a workload, there’s a lot more risk involved than you want in a first round pick.
3. Maurice Jones-Drew - Jacksonville Jaguars RB (STUD)
Brad Meester, the Jaguars’ starting center, missed the first six games last season while both starting guards were injured in the first game and missed the rest of 2008 season. MJD still managed 1,300 total yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. With an improved line and 100 or so more total carries heading his way with the departure of Fred Taylor, you can have confidence selecting this pocket Hercules as your team’s cornerstone.
4. Matt Forte – Chicago Bears RB (STUD)
Forte carried the Bears’ offense last year, accounting for the second highest percentage of touches in the league. Despite his breakout rookie campaign, Forte’s potential seemed limited during the off season because defenses could key on him as the only offensive playmaker. Jay Cutler’s arrival should ease those concerns as opposing defenses will be forced to respect the passing game. The Bears lack of receiving options will also ensure Forte still sees a lot of passes out of the backfield.
5. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals WR (STUD)
The wide receiver version of Adrian Peterson. He cannot be stopped. 1,400+ yards and 10+ touchdowns and 96+ receptions each of the last two seasons. Finished in the top 10 in scoring last year (non-QBs) and he is only getting better. Even if Kurt Warner gets hurt, a distinct possibility, Larry Fitzgerald will get his stats.
6. Brian Westbrook – Philadelphia Eagles RB (POSER)
Obviously, Westbrook is no phony, he’s a great player, but risk keeps him from being a stud. He’s never started 16 games in a season and he had off season knee surgery then hurt his ankle in May. Westbrook will also be 30 when the season starts and that is usually when healthy running backs begin declining. Westbrook still maintains a lot of value as a receiver, but the Eagles passing game is going to be more active this season as DeSean Jackson matures and the arrival of first round draft pick, Jeremy Maclin, but Westbrook could also see his touches limited in the name of preservation. I know. He’s tempting, but don’t do it.
7. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina Panthers - RB (POSER)
He had 18 touchdowns last year! Williams only started two games prior to 20082, but he made the most of his opportunity last season. Williams got into the endzone more than four times his 2008 total and more than doubled his rushing yardage. However, Jonathan Stewart is going to get more carries this year, so it will be hard for Williams to match his 2009 numbers, especially the fluky touchdown total. The Panthers also have depth concerns on the offensive line, so an injury or two could really spell trouble for Williams’ numbers.
8. LaDanian Tomlinson – San Diego Chargers RB (STUD)
Yes, he is still a stud. I know what you’re thinking. Tomlinson is the same age as Westbrook and was banged up last season, so why the discretion between the two? Simple, the Chargers’ offense is a well oiled machine and Tomlinson will get his share of yards and touchdowns because defenses have to worry about Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson. The presence of Darren Sproles should help keep LT fresh while ensuring he still gets those tasty goal line carries.
9. Drew Brees – New Orleans Saints QB (STUD)
STUD. He threw for 5,000 yards last year with his best receiver and red zone target, Marques Colston, missing most of the first half of the season due to injury. Brees will return to earth a little yardage-wise, but should still eclipse the 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns easily.
10. Steven Jackson - St. Louis Rams RB (STUD)
Jackson had a nagging thigh bruise much of 2008, his offensive line was in shambles and the team stunk over all. The Rams used the second overall pick this year on mauling tackle, Jason Smith and added veteran center, Jason Brown. Jackson just turned 26 and is the performance peak of his career. With news of Donnie Avery, the Rams only legitimate receiver, being out four to six weeks with a leg injury Steven Jackson will be the focal point of the Rams offensive attack. Pass on him at your own peril.
11. Frank Gore – San Francisco 49ers RB (POSER)
As much as I’d love to see him emerge as a stud, I can’t. Too risky. Gore is a consistent contributor, but not upper echelon. He’s hit 1,000 yards the last three seasons, but hasn’t scored more than eight rushing touchdowns in any season. He gets a boost for being active in the passing came, but not enough for stud branding. If you have faith that Shaun Hill or Alex Smith is going keep defenses honest, be my guest.
12. Brandon Jacobs – New York Giants RB (POSER)
He’s got the best line in football in front of him, and he’s a beast, especially near the goal line. Being a big bad beast does have its drawbacks. Jacobs is not going to play in every game and he’s not going to catch many passes (six in 2008). Jacobs is a great running back, but you’re going to have to lean on your first pick some weeks in the fantasy season and Jacobs might not be there when you need him most. Also, the Giants’ super offensive line was extremely healthy last season and might not be so fortunate this year.
13. Tom Brady – New England Patriots QB (STUD)
Always a stud. No worries about his knee. When Carson Palmer injured his knee it was in the first playoff game, Brady injured his in the first regular season game. Brady returns to the offense he set the all time touchdown mark with which is the same offense that made Matt Cassel a very rich man. Another 4,000+ yards, 30+ touchdown season with limited interceptions.
14. Andre Johnson - Houston Texans WR (STUD)
He’s going to top 100 receptions, 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Stud.
15. Randy Moss – New England Patriots WR (STUD)
Moss had a down season last year, but Brady can throw it deep, just how Moss likes it. From Football Outsiders Almanac 2009: Matt Cassel to Moss on passes 30+ yards in the air, 3-26. Tom Brady to Moss on passes 30+ yards in the air in 2007? 10-20. Look for 90+ catches, 1,200+ yards and 10+ touchdowns. Stud.
16. Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans RB (POSER)
Definitely a dangerous back with blazing speed, but he still splits carries with LenDale White. The carries that Johnson ends up losing are near the goal line, which are pretty important for your first pick. Long touchdowns runs are exciting, but also volatile. Not quite stud level.
17. Steve Slaton – Houston Texans RB (POSER)
Slaton didn’t start carrying a full load until late in the season when he had 744 yards in the second half. The problem is Slaton is in a prolific offense that spreads the ball around to various weapons like aforementioned stud, Andre Johnson. Slaton will put up good numbers, but not enough to be a first round stud.
18. Peyton Manning - Indianapolis Colts QB (STUD)
I had to change my mind. Peyton Manning is a stud. 4,000+ yards, 27+ touchdowns each of the last three seasons. Marvin Harrison may be gone, but so is Manning’s knee injury that depressed his numbers early last season. Manning will get stud level quarterback numbers, 4,000+ yards and 30+ touchdowns in 2009.

Boom! Championship! You’re welcome. You’re probably in a league full of morons so you’ll be able to draft two of these studs! Now, you have more time to work on the perfect fantasy football team name.

Next week: I’ll throw some sleepers at you. BTW, I’ve read good things about Javon Walker’s knee this year.

Stats from Football Outsiders Almanac 2009.

Checking the Wire 8/10/09

2009-08-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Baseball

Bruce Jenkins likes the match-ups for the Giants against the Dodgers, starting tonight. I don't know if I like the Joe Martinez or Jonathan Sanchez match-ups, but it goes without saying this is a huge series for the Giants. The Giants and Rockies are only 5.5 games behind the Dodgers. A home sweep and the Giants are only out 2.5 games. If the Giants want to be for real this season, they have to take two of three, at least.

Kawakami returns from vacation with sarcastic praise for Zito and real praise for the man of the hour, Eugenio Velez. The moneyline:

-Put together this stat line since the call-up: .423 BA/.454 OPS/.673 SLG/ 1.137 OPS. Crazy stats.

Ray Ratto goes deeper into the Eugenio Velez story.

Every once and a while, Scott Ostler writes something that doesn't suc k. Oh, how the tables have turned! Oh, the irony! I can't wait for the Man-Ram boos at AT&T. I want to thank the Dodgers fans for

Wow, a really interesting story from the Dallas Morning News', Tim Cowlishaw relating to Josh Hamilton's recent incident. I have to say, it was really refreshing to read this piece, but I'm quite sure why.

Susan Slusser from her A's blog yesterday morning said

I respect the sentiment, but just because Suzuki wants to play every day doesn't mean he should, especially in this kind of weather.

I highlight this quote because sometimes, even when your reasoning is sound, it blows up in your face. Kurt Suzuki was 2-4 with a home run yesterday.

The Blue Jays put a bunch of players through waivers like all teams do August 1st, but Alex Rios was reportedly claimed by a team. If so, Schulman says it's not likely the Giants.

Football

Matt Maiocco's latest and greatest with 49ers QB coach, Michael Johnson. Johnson is a young coach on the rise, despite being unemployed last season and if the Singletary coaching staff survives in SF, Johnson could be Jimmy Raye's heir apparent.

From Michael Crabtree to Stephen Strasburg, Bruce Jenkins is sick of these rookie holdouts! The good news is the NFL should have rookie max contracts in the next CBA, whether that comes before or after a lockout, we'll have to wait and see.

Gwen Knapp says the best way to put pressure on Michael Crabtree to get into camp will be for Josh Morgan, Jason Hill and Dominique Ziegler to have a good showing in Friday night's exhibition opener against the Bronocs.

Jerry MacDonald sat down with Sanjay Lal of the Raiders for a Q&A.

Meanwhile, DHB is working on his hands.

Miscellaneous

Mark Purdy presents his annual Top 25 Bay Area sports power players. Gary Radnich is down to #25! WTF?

Checking the Wire 8/7/09

2009-08-07T09:21:00.000-07:00

Football

The big news in 49ersland is that Michael Crabtree is prepared to sit out the entire season and re-enter the draft in 2010. All this according to his "adviser." Here's my problem with this story. Why does this guy keep getting referred to as Crabtree's cousin and adviser? To me, that says he's Crabtree's cousin who has given himself title of adviser. Two days ago, Matt Maiocco mad a good point about holding out. Why would you not say you're willing to hold out the entire season? If you didn't it'd be an empty threat. Also, said adviser doesn't have the shiniest resume according to a Dallas Observer story from seven years ago. This story is overblown. Let Crabtree's agent speak for him, that's what he's paid to do. Besides, the #3 pick, #4 pick, #9 pick, #11 pick, #12 pick and #19 pick all haven't signed as of now as well. They just don't have advisers saying stupid things in the press.

The Patriots will salvage another Raiders' cast off. Al Davis, you are officially Bob Kraft's bitch.

Baseball

How could we miss this yesterday? The A's signed Brett Tomko!

Soccer

European Futbol aka Soccer invades the Bay Area tomorrow night when FC Barcelona takes on Chivas after the Earthquakes-Crew match. Are you pumped? Thought so.

Mark Purdy says that it's not that Americans don't like soccer, they just don't like bad scoccer. I will partially agree. Soccer is boring. Why do you think the fans have to make up songs, hop up and down all game and brawl?

RT Checks the Wire 8/6/09

2009-08-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Football

* The worst Giants signing yet and Sabaen is not to blame for this HUGE mistake.

* There must be someone out there who thinks the Raiders are worth following.

* Everything you may or may not want to know about the Niners training camp.

Baseball

* Nothing would make me happier than to see some team give Rajai Davis more than $1 mm to play baseball. I really think there is a chance Beane gives him a Terrance Long contract (3 years, $11 mm). Awesome.

* Andrew Baggarly had a great chance to write about how much sense it makes for Fielder to play for the Giants now that he hates the Dodgers but he decided to write something pointless about him wanting to go after Jonathan Sanchez. Sometimes I think it is amazing that guys with this much access can write such bland garbage.

* I love that piling on Moneyball is getting out of hand.

Soccer

* This week tells you how Americans like to watch high quality soccer. Next week, he will tell you that Americans would rather watch the San Francisco Giants instead of the Fresno Grizzles. I really don't understand why newspapers are going out of business.

Checking the Wire 8/5/09

2009-08-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Football

Ray Ratto with a stupid argument to sign Crabtree at all costs, because the 49ers need him. Um, yeah. That's kind of how the top 10 picks work, the worst teams get to draft first and they pick players that they need. It's pretty basic. Did Eugene Parker, Crabtree's agent, talk to Ratto recently? Here's my counter-argument: Why haggle over $2M when you're still going to get $20M guaranteed? If you're so good, load the contract with incentives and prove it on the field.

Paul Gutierrez' Tuesday Raiders' camp wrap up.

Basketball

Bruce Jenkins checks in with the state of the NBA Western conference.

Marcus Thompson has the entire Warriors' 2009-2010 schedule.

Baseball

Gwen Knapp takes an in-depth look at A's prospect, Cliff Pennington.

Monte Poole says Sabean deserves a contract extension because he scouted and signed Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, Pablo Sandoval, et al. Where Do I begin? Pablo Sandoval looks like the only everday, legitimate position player Sabean's produced in 13 years and Sabean is still 0-for-the draft in that department. Poole goes on to say that Lincecum and Cain are already the most dominating NL duo since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. Really? I mean, I hope so, but let's give it another season, shall we?

Joe Martinez is back from getting hit on the head by a batted ball and is ready for his first MLB start.

RT Checks the Wire 8/4/09

2009-08-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

Baseball

* A's win. Take the Rangers to win today.

* The Giants could get the world for Matt Cain. It is going to be an interesting off-season for the Giants. Giants win.

Football

* Heyward-Bey is not very good. I know, I know ... not newsworthy.

* I really feel sorry for Jeff Tedford. How is he going to survive on a salary of less than $1.8 mm!?

* So much for Arena football.

* Michael Crabtree will get more money than Heyward-Bey. You heard it here first.

Basketball

Adam Lauridsen goes through the Warriors' lineup and decides who will most likely be ex-Warriors by the end of next season.

Hockey

* For all you hockey fans out there, the Sharks are interested in a big time goal scorer. In other news, they will break your heart again next year.

Checking the Wire 8/3/09

2009-08-03T09:05:00.000-07:00

Baseball

Bruce Jenkins has an interesting idea to help clubs introduce propsects to the fans.It'd be cool, but seems unlikely. It would be nice for CSNBA to broadcast some minor leagues games during the break, though.

Gwen Knapp sprinkles sunshine and rainbows on the Giants and then bats her eyes. But Krukow as a minister? That's good stuff.

When you have to resort to talking up a two-hit game by Rajai Davis, you might be an A's fan.

Football

Kawakami's review of the first weekend of 49ers training camp.

Matt Maiocco's update of yesterday afternoon's 49ers practice mentions Vernon Davis is the leading receiver thus far.

Kawakami also talked to Vernon Davis yesterday and Davis likes the new offense that has him running shorter routes.

Javon Walker, yes THAT Javon Walker, looks great. Darrius Heyward-Bey? Not so much.

Hockey

Mark Purdy thinks the Sharks have a good shot at landing premier goal scorerer, DannyHeatley.

Checking the Wire 7/31/09

2009-07-31T10:10:00.001-07:00

Baseball

Ray Ratto thinks the Alderson-Sanchez deal will turn out good for the Giants just because the Pirates suck and his evidence to back it up? Armando Rios. I was listening to Tim Kawakami on with Ralph Barbieri yesterday and was surprised that Ralph said most of the response to the trade was positive. Kawakami was quick to note that the response was less positive outside the Bay Area. The fact is, most fans don't know about minor league prospects, especially AA prospects. Ignorance is bliss.

This is what you call "turning the corner" and I ♥ Matt Cain.

Despite our recent Beane bashing, at least he was able to turn his SS into a new prospect while the Giants are stuck with their SS for another season and $9.5M.

Jonathan Sanchez had a "show me" start last night and fared well.

Football

DHB has signed his contract and is at Raiders' camp. Best DHB related tweet from Nancy Gay yesterday: nancygay Did his hamstring hold up? RT @bydavidwhite DHB is stretching. I know, breathless stuff. I'll post if he actually gets on the field.

Andrew Walter was released yesterday, and if you read between the lines, he couldn't be happier.

If you listened to the latest amateur RT and Koski podcast you'll hear my assumption that contract talks with Crabtree would be resolved after DHB signed his contract. WRONG!

Meanwhile, the 49ers camp schedule has been termed "brutal" by several vets. Included in the schedule will be tackling drills. Justin Smith says he's never done tackling drills in the NFL. To me, that's ridiculous. I know injuries are a main concern and most season ending injuries occur in training camp, but how frustrating is it to see missed tackles in the NFL? "They" often say you play how you practice, so if you don't practice tackling...?

Candid Cam went to Raiders' camp and came away yawning.

Basketball

MTII asks if the Warriors should pick up Brandan Wright's option? I say yes. If you saw Kawakami's blog yesterday you'd know the Warriors have ZERO of their first round picks on their roster since 2002 (Wright was acquired via trade). It's time to put some faith in their youth.

Miscellaneous

Gwen Knapp says it's Diva Time in the sports world.

TENNIS stuff, OMG!

RT Checks the Wire 7/30/09

2009-07-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

I am dedicating this wire check to a few of my friends who might need a little clarity today

Baseball

For my buddy Andrews - The Giants have (had) 4 untouchable prospects (Alderson, Baugartner, Posey and Villalona) going into the trade deadline. Teams looking to win the World Series usually only trade such prospects for super star players (Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Matt Holliday, etc.). Teams looking to just make the playoffs trade them for one dimensional players.

For my buddy adrock - Adrock is a HUGE Warriors fan so I figured I would give him a basketball comparison that would allow him to better understand the Sanchez trade. The Corey Maggette signing and the Sanchez trade are very similar. Just like the Warriors, the Giants gave up too much (in a prospect as opposed to dollars) for a guy that only does one thing well. There is no doubt that Maggette can score and Sanchez can hit but that is ALL they can do.

For Koski - If we offered the Indians Villona, Alderson and a mid-level prospect for this guy, do you think we get him? I say Yes. Of course, the Giants front office is not interested in acquiring big name players that help you win World Series.

For Brian - I will hire you as Director of Trading once I run the Giants. If for no other reason then to avoid this headline.

Football

For AJ - Your team will always be terrible as long as this guy is in the quarterback conversation.

For Tino - This guy could use some of your sound advice when it comes to personal finance. (HINT: the real money comes when you dominate on the field not in your head.)

For all Wives, Fiances and girlfriends - This will make the perfect gift for your significant others birthday.

Basketball

For Drew H. - Let the Devean George era begin!! Let's go Warriors!

For Ben - According to NBA.com, this Warrior has yet to fulfill his promise. I was hoping you could inform me on what exactly that promise was. Thanks

RT's Top 10 reasons why he likes the Freddy Sanchez trade

2009-07-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

10. Roberto Kelly can teach anyone how to steal a base including a guy with 10 career steals

9. The Giants pitching staff is so good they don’t need range at second base

8. The recent success of home grown pitchers leaves something to be desired.

7. Players in the early 30s only get better with age

6. Needing two different opinions on a player’s knee is a good indicator of success.

5. If Sanchez doesn’t produce (highly unlikely), the Giants can decline his option and have nothing to show for giving up some mediocre minor leaguer.

4. Bonds, Schmidt … Sanchez.

3. The Giants were getting too young. Teams built around older, experienced players always have winning seasons.

2. The Giants did not have to give up some of their best young players (Frandsen,
Bowker, etc.)

1. It was about time the Giants got another light hitting .300 hitter … Edgardo Alfonzo we continue to miss you.

WHAT THE F#@&*%(#)K?!?! Knee-jerk reaction to the Alderson for Sanchez trade.

2009-07-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

It appears the Giants have traded for Freddy Sanchez. That's not the worst part, they gave up one of their top prospects, Tim Alderson. I'm flabbergasted. I don't get it. Freddy Sanchez? Couldn't the Giants be patient and look for, I don't know, a bat with power after the season for Alderson? I'm praying the Giants saw something they didn't love in Alderson that urged them to sell high, but I really don't get this move. Sure, 2B is fixed for the time being, but the Giants biggest weakness has been power all season. Freddy Sanchez does not hit for power. Sanchez is also 31 years old and could be a rent-a-player if the Giants decide not to pick up his $8M option for 2010. I hope Ralph Barbieri is happy.

Here's some Sanchez stats, per Baseball-reference.com:

.300 hitter who doesn't walk

No power with 37 HRs in four and a half full seasons.

Below average fielder.

Alderson was 6-1 with a 3.47 ERA in AA. The only thing I can think of is he's not a strikeout pitcher, but I'm grasping at straws here.

A mere three hours ago, Baggs posted this on his blog regarding the deal:

"Names such as John Bowker, Kevin Frandsen and Jesus Guzman have been bandied about by si.com as guys who might be going the other way."

I would give up ALL of those guys for Sanchez if I could keep Alderson. I don't get it!

The Barry Zito Signing: A Complete Upper Management Failure

2009-07-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

by RT

It is time to clear up who is to blame for one of the worst signings in the history of baseball and how the biggest failure is not the performance on the field but the performance on the third floor of the Giants building.

Here is my take on what happened in the week leading up to the signing of Barry Zito:

Meeting Attendees: Peter McGowan (Owner) and Brian Sabean (General Manager)

Here are two other individuals that should (could) have been at the meeting –

1) Director of Marketing: This position is an actual job within the club and should be consulted before any major league ready player is acquired.

2) Director of Trading: This position does not exist. Every team should have a person responsible that understands the fundamentals of buying and trading assets. It doesn’t matter if you are talking about buying bananas at a Farmer’s market or trading distressed corporate debt, there are basic fundamentals that need to be followed. This person would make sure those fundamentals are strictly enforced.

McGowan: “We have some money to spend and it is time we find the new face of the franchise. This player must be the exact opposite of Barry Bonds. Bonds doesn’t treat me with any respect and there isn’t a person I despise more than him. As the result of my extreme dislike for Bonds, I feel like Barry Zito is the perfect player and, more importantly, person for this franchise.”

DOT: The number one rule in trading is “Do not trade on emotion.” I already feel like this decision to sign Zito is based on your personal relationship with Bonds and not on Zito’s projected value on the field.

Sabean: “It is going to take a lot of money to sign him because I know the Mets are very interested. I have to believe that we are going to need to offer him ~$15 mm a year.”

McGowan: “Do whatever it takes to get it done. He is the perfect player to transition this franchise away from the Barry Bonds era. Unlike Bonds, I am sure Zito will return my phone calls and resurrect the reputation of the franchise.”

DOM: Barry Bonds has made us a LOT of money over the past 6 years. I realize he is difficult to deal with, but the fans love him. Your belief that the fans of the Giants want a new face of the franchise seems to be somewhat unfounded.

Sabean: “We project Zito to be a number 2 starter, but I cannot justify paying him more than $15 mm. After all, Zito was not the number 1 starter on the A’s last year … Dan Haren was.”

McGowan: “He is worth at least $3 mm more in public relations and marketing. In two years, every young Giants fan is going to be wearing Zito jerseys and they will all but have forgotten about Barry Bonds. Zito is the perfect combination of talent on and off the field.”

DOM: Actually, starting pitchers are like left tackles in football. While they are very important when it comes to winning games and championships, they are never the face of the franchise. Paying up for an everyday player for marketing reasons makes a lot more sense. Big Papi and Manny sell jerseys for the Red Sox not Curt Schilling.

Sabean: “Let me see what I can do. Let’s talk later in the week.”

Later in the week …

Sabean: “We believe the Mets have offered him something between $15 - $17 mm a year. I am not comfortable going over $15 mm.”

DOT: If you don’t feel comfortable offering more than $15 mm than you shouldn’t do it. At the minimum, we should review our due diligence process to make sure we are not missing anything.

McGowan: “Brian, please stop looking at this signing as a pure baseball decision. This franchise needs a fresh start and players like Barry Zito do not come along very often. Offer him $18 mm a year.”

Sabean: “There are rumors that Zito has contacted the Yankees and told them he would be willing to accept a deal that is less than what the Mets are offering. Furthermore, the Yankees have told Zito they are still not interested. There is something they know that we might not. I would like a little bit more time to think about how we approach this deal.”

DOT: The biggest player, the Yankees, in this market place is not willing to take this guy at $15 mm a year!! Under no circumstances can we offer him more than $15 mm!

McGowan: “I could have run you out of this town over the Joe Nathan trade but I stuck with you and I have remained loyal despite rampant criticism over that deal. Now, I am telling you to get Barry Zito in a Giants uniform before the calendar turns over to 2007. GET IT DONE!”

Sabean: Yes, Sir

DOT and DOM: Did we fail to mention that starting pitchers are signed to win championships and soft tossing pitchers generally don’t win in the playoffs?

To be clear, Peter McGowan should be remembered for saving the Giants in San Francisco and building one of the most beautiful ballparks in the history of the game. However, there is little doubt that he had a significant amount of influence over the Zito signing.

There are two lessons to be learned here:

1) All General Managers should consult a marketing person and a trading person before making any personnel decisions about the big league club.

2) Owners should have very little say when it comes to the team on the field because the majority of them made their money doing something else besides winning sports Championships.

(I know many of you are thinking that Lincecum is the perfect face of the franchise for the Giants. While I will not disagree that his outstanding performance on the field and his near perfect personality off it, the goldmine for the Giants is Pablo Sandoval. If he becomes a regular in the All-Star game, he will sell more tickets, jerseys and t-shirts than Lincecum ever will.)

Checking the Wire 7/29/09

2009-07-29T09:09:00.001-07:00

Baseball

An excellent article from Tim Kurkjian on the evolution of the 100 pitch count. It's a good read and Orel Hershiser drops a lot of good knowledge even going back to the lowering of the pitching mound forcing pitchers to depend more on movement than stuff.

Bruce Jenkins says, "C'mon!" to Cooperstown inducting Pete Rose. I feel the same way. Buster Olney echoed the same thoughts yesterday about steroid users. The Hall of Fame should record baseball history, good or bad.

The rumors swirl that the Giants almost added and still could add Freddy Sanchez, but Baggs is beginning to doubt it. Baggs also mentions the Giants are really interested in Dan Uggla at 2B and would bat him clean up. Both those potential deals frighten me.

Who hits the shortest home runs? Surprisingly, no Giants on the list, probably because they don't hit ANY home runs. (h/t Neyer)

Football

Training camp opened up yesterday and if you've been feenin' for some football here's Kawakami's transcripts of Alex Smith and Mike Singletary. The main things being Alex Smith feels good and Mike Singletary understands Crabtree's contract situation.

Gwen Knapp thinks Michael Vick will have no problem landing a job in the NFL.

Ray Ratto dusts off his College Football hat and says Cal's road to the Rose Bowl is going to be tougher than before...even though they haven't been in how long?

Is Scott Ostler the the Chronicle's Milton from Office Space? He just writes stuff and they publish it so they don't have to deal with him?

Matt Miaocco with more on Mike Singletary's personal history with holding out.

David White has Raiders reporting day notes.

Where to find Los Raiders en espanol this season.

Giants trade for Ryan Garko

2009-07-28T16:19:00.001-07:00

The Giants traded for Cleveland 1B, Ryan Garko yesterday. While Garko will never, ever, ever be mistaken for Albert Pujols, he will be an upgrade at 1B where he will platoon with Ishikawa. Bochy said he's going to bat Garko 5th or 6th, so that gives you an idea of Garko's limitations.

Here is Rob Neyer's take on Garko, which includes Kawakami's points within.

Here are some Garko nuggets from Baseball-reference.com:

.280 career hitter with .355 OBP, 20-30 HR power and is right handed (good for AT&T power compared to lefties)

He hits .318 v. lefties, .270 v. righties. Same average v. righties as Ishikawa, but half as many Ks.

He's never played at AT&T so it will be interesting to see how well he adjusts.

Doesn't strike out too much (94 Ks is career high)

He's under team control for two more seasons at reasonable price and is 28 years old. (Cot's Contracts)

All in all, a decent move. The Giants traded a Single A(Scott Barnes) pitcher who probably tops out as a middle reliever. Sabean has said the team is not finished, so look for the team to add possibly a corner outfielder or 2B.