A Legendary Day

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:27:57 -0500

January 14 All week long, KNBR personalities recounted their memories of “The Catch” game on its 30th anniversary. For my part, when Dwight Clark caught Joe Montana’s pass, I damaged hotel property at the Sheraton Waikiki. I jumped so high that it took a few minutes to dislodge my head from the ceiling. I have [...]

Damn You, Mayan Calendar

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:57:58 -0500

January 2, 2012 So, they say it’ll be curtains this year, if you believe the Mayan calendar.  Sudden death, but no overtime.              Does that mean I’ll not post a blog to begin the new year ?   Just give up, like Billy Beane and the A’s, until we reach our next destination ?  Hell no. The blogosphere is [...]

Sports Story Of 2011

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:54:39 -0500

December 27 Remember back in the good old days, when the Nevin Shapiro booster scandal at the University of Miami, rocked the college football world ? When Jim Tressel got the boot because players were trading “golden pants” for tattoos and he didn’t tell anyone until it was too late ? Ah, the halcyon days [...]

Candlestick Blowout

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 06:52:25 -0500

December 20 In the wake of two power outages at Candlestick Park last night, the 49ers released a statement saying “there are more questions than answers.” That’s for darn sure. Like, can the 49ers ever play at that dump again ? It was a great night for the football team, a 20-3 smothering of the [...]

Pagan, Part Two

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:58:00 -0500

December 6 The Giants did pretty well the last time they had a guy named Pagan in the lineup. Granted, it was 50 years ago when Jose Pagan was their shortstop and they pushed the Yankees to the final out of the 1962 World Series. Now, they have spirited away outfielder Angel Pagan from the [...]

A Red ( And Gold ) Letter Day

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 07:47:10 -0500

December 5 Back in the dark days of 49ers football — you know, way back in the mid-oughts — none of this seemed even remotely possible. You remember the days of Dennis Erickson, then Mike Nolan, then Mike Singletary. The days of “salary cap hell” with the in absentia GM Terry Donahue. Days when fans [...]

The Good, The Bad, and The Really Ugly

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 04:09:26 -0500

November 28 Now the story takes a quantum leap. Bernie Fine is fired as Syracuse University associate basketball coach amid child sexual abuse allegations, as evidence mounts against him. There are now three accusers, but it’s important to emphasize that unlike the Penn State case no charges have been filed yet. Head coach Jim Boeheim [...]

Awards Week (Or, The Raybucks)

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 07:28:46 -0500

November 13 And now, we take a welcome break from talk of grand juries, witnesses, boards of trustees, and worse. That story in Happy Valley will certainly not go away, but to be honest I am simply spent talking about it. We will revisit in the very near future, but right now, a much more [...]

Sadness, Then Madness

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 05:58:35 -0500

November 9 When the news came down that Penn State President Graham Spanier and football coach Joe Paterno were fired in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky case, I tweeted “Someone finally came to their senses in Happy Valley.” Little did I know … Students took to the streets in protest. Police in riot gear [...]

Sadness, Multiplied

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:46:34 -0500

November 8 “If we can’t protect our kids, we as a society are pathetic” — Matt Millen on ESPN Sportscenter Tuesday. If you believe that, Penn State has become Pathetic State. As the story continues to unfold, the repeated lack of courage among those involved is stunning. That lack of courage began the first time [...]