Last New Year’s, I was a bit chunky. Living in Cleveland at the time, I convinced myself that the extra weight was necessary because of the cold weather. But I did not enjoy looking in the mirror or taking my shirt off. I wanted to drop 15 pounds. I needed to drop 15 pounds.
I decided to cut out beer and french fries. I ran more on the treadmill instead of lifting weights. I cooked at home at least three times a week.
The extra weight started flying off. The 15 pounds were shed by June. I identified problem areas and got my physique back on track.
As the calendar flips from 2016 to 2017, there are resolutions each Bay Area team needs to make, to hold themselves accountable, to learn from mistakes of the previous season, to return championship parades home.
The Giants
-Have a ready backup plan for left field. I think the Giants front office has earned the trust to begin the year with a Jarrett Parker/Mac Williamson platoon in left field. But should those two players become a problem spot — like the bullpen last year — GM Bobby Evans can not hesitate to make some type of major change in June or July. Even if that means shopping top prospects, because the Giants’ window for another championship is not wide open. This team is starting to age. Winning the World Series is this goal and you can’t let left field prevent that from happening.
The Warriors
-Solve the crunchtime conundrum against Cleveland, accurately depicted in this article by Warriors World’s Andy Liu. Running Steph Curry off the ball against the physical Cavs is not the best way to topple LeBron James. And if nothing is there, the Warriors tend to panic on offense. Golden State lost in Game 7 of the Finals last year because the offense stood around and prayed Curry or Klay Thompson would make a three. As Liu has suggested, more traditional pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops should be instituted throughout the year in preparation for the trilogy championship matchup in June.
-This one is simple, but a little more out of the Warriors’ control: Stay as healthy as possible/stop talking to the referees. Because we basically saw the Warriors without Curry against the Cavaliers on Christmas Day, and Golden State lost. The same thing rings true for Draymond Green. His emotion and energy power the Warriors. He’s clearly become target amongst referees and he’ll continue to flirt with a dangerous line, one that cost him being on the court in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Steve Kerr has played everything right this season, and will never be chasing regular season greatness again.
The 49ers
-If Jed York does not hire of a VP of Football Operations above the GM, then he himself needs to become the vocal figure representing the 49ers — on KNBR, on CSN Bay Area, holding press conferences, the whole enchilada. Chip Kelly should not be the only person communicating to the media and fan base all season long. ESPN ranked the 49ers as the worst franchise in professional sports — partly because the fan base feels like it’s complaints are falling on deaf ears. York either needs to hire someone who can articulate the big picture with the franchise, or put his big boy pants on and start acting like a real CEO.
-Find a freaking quarterback. I get it — this team has needs all across the board. Texas A&M pass Myles Garret makes the most sense if he’s there with the No. 2 overall pick. But the simplest way to reverse your fortune in the NFL is to find a quarterback. If the new regime is convinced Jimmy Garoppolo is a franchise QB who can carry an offense and win playoff games, the price of a first round pick is completely worth it. Or if Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson lights up Ohio State and performs well against Alabama (again) he truly might be worth taking a gamble on. And that’s the thing — the quarterback position is a gamble. You will be mortgaging your future one way or the other. But ignoring the position, like Trent Baalke has done, means you don’t really have a chance to win a Super Bowl. And that’s completely unacceptable.
Happy New Year.