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Crabtreetment
The San Francisco 49ers were blessed with one of the easiest, no-brainer draft decisions when Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree fell in their laps at the 10th slot. Problem is, in Crabtree’s mind, it didn’t happen that way. He was the highest rated WR in the draft, so he should be paid like one. If you haven’t heard the story, here’s Niners Nation’s in-depth account.
Michael Crabtree is continuing the much-maligned tradition of rookies holding out in training camp in attempt to earn more money despite the fact that they have never taken an NFL snap. I often wonder how fans ever forgive these players after pulling such shenanigans. The Oakland Raiders had to deal with this recently with Jamarcus Russell, and now, the nightmare has shifted across the Bay to Santa Clara / San Francisco where what the Niners once thought was a gift, has now turned into a disaster. While I’d like to root for the 49ers to hold a firm position, they don’t have much leverage here. Gaining much publicity this year in Niners camp is Alex Smith’s attempt to reclaim the starting spot that he should’ve been holding down for the last two full seasons. The concequence is a constant reminder of the franchise’s shortcomings in the draft which they held the #1 overall pick. It wasn’t considered by anyone to be a deep draft, but with #24 pick Aaron Rodgers succeeding Brett Favre in Green Bay, the scarlet and gold are publicly relegated to the short end of the stick. So, with the Alex Smith debacle playing in the background, the Michael Crabtree situation makes things that much more urgent. No one expects him to be a superstar, but at the same time, he’s as close to a sure-fire WR prospect as we’ve seen in the last few years. Adding to the burden is the lack of the depth at the wideout spot. Sure, there are a handful of capable receivers on the roster, but Brandon Jones, Isaac Bruce, and Josh Morgan doesn’t exactly have playoff receiving corps written on it. Crabtree, unfortunately, is needed.
Douchebag
I will give that the 49ers fan base is a faithful one. The franchise has been driven into the ground over the course of the last decade by the York family, but the fan support has been unwavering. SF fans are dying to clutch on to a franchise player and cheer on his every move. The problem is, they can’t find anyone to fill that role. Alex Smith has blown his chances, Vernon Davis was practically handed the badge of fan-favorite, but has failed repeatedly to win over the faithful. Frank Gore and Patrick Willis have helped carry the torch, but for a fan base who has grown up with Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens, who didn’t start to wear on nerves until he had actually earned his stripes, Crabtree is in a unique position to be the man for years to come with one of the most storied NFL franchises. However, because the franchise is what it is, I don’t believe they should bend for Crabtree. Let him walk. This move on his part only is a preview of what is to come throughout his career. Though it may be a PR nightmare for the time being, time will ultimately prove it to be the right decision. Let’s face it, Crabtree isn’t worthy of lining up on the same hash mark as the great Jerry Rice. He belongs somewhere like Kansas City or Minnesota anyway.
Anybody know the logistics of whether SF could work out a Crabtree for Boldin swap with the Cardinals?
Shaq-Fu
I don’t think I’ve seen this video or heard this song in at least 15 years. I’m okay with that too.
I Accidentally Won $1.65 Mil On a Nickel Slot On the Way to Work
This is obviously a stock photo, for it's doubtful the woman was young, hot, and Asian.
Courtesy of the Sacramento Bee….
An Auburn woman’s favorite slots at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln are a set of Wizard of Oz nickel machines. So, Susan Nott, a federal employee, decided to stop by the casino 30 miles east of Sacramento on Tuesday morning to give them another try.
After playing a five-cent machine for about 30 minutes she hit it big — winning $1,648,076.81.
Nott said she would spend her winnings to buy a car, pay off her children’s student loans and invest.
Can you imagine that call in to work? “Hey boss, I’m, uh, not gonna make it in this morning. Actually, I might not make it in for a couple weeks. I just won $1.65 million this morning, so um, yeah. Hope that’s not a problem. I mean, if it is, then I quit, but you know, I’ll, uh, come back sooner or later otherwise.”
Sure is a lot better than the guy who racked up a $29,000 tab at a Las Vegas strip club while blacked out!
When Will the A’s Retire Dave Stewart’s Number?
Today was Rickey Henderson day in Oakland. The next 30 days will officially be Rickey Henderson Month in Oakland as well. No doubt, this is all deserved, but it begs the question… when will it be Dave Stewart day?
There are plenty of arguments against retiring Stew’s #34. He only spent upwards of eight seasons in Oakland… his career numbers aren’t overwhelming…. he only made the all-star team once…. and he never won that elusive Cy Young Award. The A’s have a pretty exclusive fraternity when it comes to retired numbers. Despite much history, only Rollie Fingers, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, and Dennis Eckersley have their numbers plastered on the outfield wall Mt. Davis tarp. That’s right… no Vida Blue, no Bert Campaneris, no Gene Tenace, no Mark McGwire, no Jose Canseco, and the list goes on. However, if one were to list the most memorable Oakland Athletics in the last 45 years, Dave Stewart would surely be in that class. He turned in one of the most impressive four year stretches ever during Oakland’s period of dominance from 1987-1990. He complied a record of 84-45 with a 3.20 ERA. He had an 8-3 postseason record with the A’s, including 2 of the 4 wins in Oakland’s 1989 World Series sweep of the Giants.
Statistics aside, Dave Stewart should be included in this class of legends. Ray Fosse slipped that sentiment in during his speech today honoring Rickey Henderson. It was received with an overwhelming ovation from the Athletics’ faithful. Though he never won the Cy Young, he finished in the top four in the voting four years in a row. More importantly, Stew has continued to bleed green and gold, even after his playing days. He’s there any time someone else gets honored, and he still remains Oakland’s most intimidating starting pitcher since his heyday. When it’s all said and done, the organization should retire his number for one reason: The fans want it. A’s fans appreciate history as much as any other club’s, and I’d be surprised to hear any naysayers suggest that Stew doesn’t deserve this honor. He was a terror on the mound and a class act off of it. Since the A’s don’t appear to factor into the title hunt in the next year and a half, here’s hoping Dave Stewart Day is on the docket for the 2010 season.
Why Would You Upload This?
So, a couple guys go to the top of a cliff. They’re sitting on the edge, waiting for the cameraman to catch them jumping off. The stage is set, the cameras rolling…. and nothing happens. Good enough, maybe the next clip captured the jump. However, this is the video that was posted. Why? I have no clue. What could they have possibly been trying to accomplish by uploading this to youtube….
Big Opening Games of the 2009 College Football Season
Sep 3, Oregon @ Boise State
The college football season kicks off with a colorful combination of Oregon’s always intense jerseys and Boise State’s blue field. This should be one wildly entertaining game, provided the High-Def broadcast isn’t too much on the retinas.
Sep 5, Maryland @ Cal
This is a pretty interesting season opening matchup for both programs, and I must say I’m surprised Maryland would make the trek to Berkeley so soon out of the gates. On the flipside, I guess when your yearly goal is to be bowl eligible at seasons end, taking a tough road game early on makes sense as barometer of where you stand. Neither team talent wise looks to have any serious influence on a conference title challenge this year (or any year for that matter). Gut feeling, Cal feeds off the home crowd, and its slightly better athleticism runs out to a two TD win.
Sep 5, Nevada @ Notre Dame
This game has upset written all over it. Notre Dame always likes to schedule a lightweight before they get into the Michigan – Michigan State thing, but this year they might’ve picked the wrong opponent. The game has shades of last year’s matchup with San Diego State, but I think the Wolfpack can execute at the right time and make the plays they need to take this game. There’s also a strong likelihood that Jimmy Claussen could pick apart this defense in a blowout, but until then, I’ll be keeping a close eye on this score.
Sep 5, Georgia @ Oklahoma State
Georgia was great last year….Oklahoma St. was decent. Georgia’s coach is not quite as crazy as Oklahoma St. Coach. SEC Teams always destroy in these matchups. It’s the first big non-conference game of the year, but I still have Georgia by 21.
Sept. 5, Brigham Young vs. Oklahoma.*
It’s pretty tough to pick against the Sooners. With a seasoned duo of Bradford and Gresham passing up millions in the NFL to come back and play, they must be out to prove something. I think this will be close for a half at most. I hope we see a battle, but to be honest with you I think this one’s going to be a blowout on neutral ground.
Sep 5, Alabama vs. Virginia Tech.*
A great early season match-up of two highly talented and ranked teams with realistic goals of winning their respective conferences. Alabama is coming off a banner conference season that ended with a terrible stumble to the finish line. They lost their conference championship game to eventual National Champions Florida, then lost the Sugar Bowl to a serious underdog in Utah. The underclassmen left over from last year will be aiming to correct their painful losing streak after starting the season 12-0. The Hokies are by far the overwhelming favorites to win the ACC-Coastal over Georgia Tech as well as the overall Conference title this year. The Hokies will begin as a preseason top-10 team due to a perennially strong defense and the emergence of QB Tyrod Taylor. Should be interesting to see where these teams start the season in the polls, as each has been ranked as high as #6 in preseason polls.
Sep 6, Colorado State @ Colorado
These in-state rivals will again kick-off the season for bragging rights, and Colorado will be looking to extend their series win streak to three. The Buffs will be looking to get off to a strong start to their season, after a disappointing 2-6 finish in conference capped by a 58-0 loss at Mizzu and a seat at home during bowl season. For the Rams it was an up and down season as they showed great fortitude to win their final three games and finish above .500. They won the New Mexico Bowl by scoring 3 times in the 4th quarter to win a shootout by 5 over Fresno St., mainly behind Gartrell Johnson’s record setting 285 rushing yards, 375 combined yards, and two TDs… both of which came in the fourth quarter.
Sept. 7, Miami @ Florida State
The Seminoles look to win their third consecutive against their ACC rivals. The Canes have a very rough first month, and they don’t start things off easy for them as they face a rowdy labor day crowd. Florida State should be able to continue their win streak capping off the three day weekend.
(* No Home Team)
No Surprises on the NBA 2009-2010 Schedule
Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans, David Stern included, will be happy when the NBA schedule is released. Multiple sources are reporting that the Lebrons will open the season at home against Boston on national television. They will also be featured in the main event on Christmas Day against none other than the Lakers. Coincidentally, it’s yet another Kobe vs. Shaq Christmas Day matchup. However, this year will lean a little more heavily on the Kobe-Lebron angle. The bottom line, no surprises here.
Merry Christmas! It's Us Again!!!
My First Look at Brett Wallace
The prized prospect in the Matt Holliday deal made his Raley Field debut tonight in his new hometown of Sacramento. The River Cats wasted no time pencilling him into the cleanup spot. He also got the start at third base, where many question whether he will stick, or eventually make the move to first base or designated hitter. While he didn’t do anything extraordinary in the field, he didn’t make any mistakes either. The Salt Lake Bees wasted little time testing his glove, as leadoff hitter Brad Coon hit a sharp grounder to the left of Wallace. Wallace made a diving effort to no avail. It wasn’t a play he should’ve made, but he didn’t exactly make a gold glove attempt. The other balls hit to him were routine, and he fielded them cleanly and threw perfect strikes to first. So far, so good.
At the plate, Wallace has that hitter’s presence about him. He showed good plate discipline, while still remaining aggresive. His first at bat resulted in a sharply hit groundout to first that would’ve been a double, say, if a runner were on first. Problem is, the River Cats only had one runner on the entire game. Angels’ prospect Sean O’Sullivan stole the show, throwing the first no hitter in Raley Field’s ten year history. In his second at bat, Wallace put up a good fight, but ultimately chopped an excuse-me check swing groundout to short. In his third and final at bat, he had shortstop Cliff Pennington on first, who drew the only walk from O’Sullivan. Wallace, though, popped out to short center field.
All in all, it’d be foolish to draw any conclusions from one game. Wallace was hitless, but so was the rest of the team. As I said, though, he has a promising presence at the plate. There’s no doubt that Wallace will hit at the big league level, and his glove was dependable enough to raise no questions at this point.
In other River Cats / A’s news, Justin Duchscherer will make a rehab appearance on Friday in Sacramento.
Another Lincecum Gem In The Making
Scrolling the box scores…. looks like Tim Lincecum has given up 1 hit through 4 innings, while striking out 8. He’s only thrown 50 pitches, so, barring a meltdown, we could very well see a complete game shutout tonight. Optimistic? Perhaps. But it’s only because he’s facing the Pirates!
Tim Lincecum is dialed in tonight.
GUEST POST: A Woman’s Perspective on Ironing Naked
By Kellan…
As a woman, I am horrified by some of the recent remarks made about the Erin Andrews incident. If you have been reading, I’m sure you’ve heard various opinions about how we are all to blame for choosing to care, and also that Erin Andrews is stupid for putting herself in this situation to begin with. Let’s back up here for a second and break it down…
Erin Andrews is a sex symbol in the world of sports. She knows that, we all do. If being hot is part of that, good for her and good for her career. Day after day she plays her position just like the players of the games she announces for. She has her uniform, and knows the drills. She appears to enjoy what she does and is good at it too. My point here is that what Erin Andrews did in the privacy of her own hotel room is not that different from what thousands of people do every day. We all come home after a long day of work, a fancy party, a long work out, and want nothing more than to shed our “uniform”. It how we step out of the role and character that we play every day. Sports player or not, male or female, being nude, or partially nude for that matter, is how we feel the most comfortable, relaxed, and free. Maybe Erin Andrews knows something more than the rest of us who have never tried it before…
My stance on the situation is that Erin Andrews has her ritual of ironing and curling in the nude. So what?! This may just be how she decompresses from her day of constant sexual attention and helps her focus on the next day’s tasks. When people are constantly looking at your body and critiquing your style, I can understand the desire to bare it all, to leave the responsibility of caring about what other people think behind. Unfortunately, the catch here is that although I am sure she is not the only one doing chores in the buff, few of us are in the spotlight like Ms. Andrews. People are infatuated with her, jealous of beauty and success, and they want to catch her doing something out of character. Thing is, this is her character, this is Erin doing what she does- but she didn’t invite, want, or ask others to be a part of it.
I don’t understand the fascination with ruining people’s careers, challenging their self-esteem, and threatening their safety. This is about disrespect and lack of boundaries on the part of the peeping tom(s). It makes me sad and upset that what is deemed as normal or abnormal comes from what we “catch” other people doing. Frankly, spying and filming anyone without their knowledge is voyeurism, which is listed in the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders under paraphilia. That is abnormal.
I’d like to end my argument by expressing that what people do in their hotel room or house is strictly their business. Erin Andrews is not much different from your next door neighbor, parents, best friend, or yourself for that matter. In spite of being a gorgeous and intelligent woman of the spotlight, she was disrespected and wronged by doing something very normal in space she thought was safe and private.
Rickey Does Oakland Proud
Rickey Henderson was the star of the show today. Jim Rice was, for all intents and purposes, the opening act for what was Rickey’s show. It was probably the first induction ceremony I’ve ever watched in my life. I sat intently through the Joe “Flash” Gordon and Jim Rice tributes just to see the man. The man I took for granted as a child because I didn’t know how rare and special of a player he was. How was I to know Rickey Henderson was a once-in-a-lifetime player?
Well, today Rickey Henderson got his due. Today was his day. It was great to see all the green and gold in the audience today, at a time when the A’s fan base is in pergutory. That’s because Rickey was one of the greatest players we have, and will see, in our lifetimes. His speech left a little to be desired. I felt like I was watching Forrest Gump to be honest. That’s not a jab at Rickey. I would never insult Rickey’s intelligence, for he is an Oakland Tech alum, like my grandmother. But let’s be real, no one’s ever accused him of being the smartest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball! Did he not have someone proof read his speech? At any rate, I still watched without distraction, much like I did in the late 80s / early 90s in during the peak of his career.
Next weekend, the Rickey-fest continues back home in Oakland, as the A’s will retire his number 24. If I don’t have an eyewitness account posted here by Monday morning, feel free to question my devotion to the Oakland Athletics forever. Congratulations, Rickey. And in the meantime…. Eric Patterson ladies and gentlemen!!!
A’s Pull Another Jack Move on the Cardinals
It seemed as though the A’s were going to deal Matt Holliday for Brett Wallace straight up. Instead, they got two extra players. Many would say this is a good deal for both teams, but frankly, I don’t really care what it does for the Cardinals. I don’t care if Matt Holliday hits .220 or .330 the rest of the way. No matter what happens, the A’s win. Perhaps I’m overstating it, but removing Holliday from the lineup is addition by subtraction. Seeing him up close this year has been a huge disappointment. Many have tried to chalk it up to him being in a pitcher’s park or having little 
help offensively in the lineup. The fact is, he simply wasn’t hitting. It’s not like he was constantly hitting balls that died on the warning track. Or that he was racking up hits but getting left on base when others failed to come through. You can’t even attribute his struggles to seeing few good pitches, because pitchers weren’t pitching around him. He had plenty of opportunities with runners on and saw plenty of pitches to hit. He just wasn’t hitting them. He filled in nicely for Mark Ellis providing the team’s bulk of infield pop-ups. At the same time, he beat out Bobby Crosby for the title of best at hitting into inning-ending double plays. Don’t let the past week or two fool you. The A’s could’ve traded him for the ol’ proverbial bag of balls and come out winners.
However, Oakland didn’t receive a bag of balls in this deal, but rather two top ten prospects from the Cardinals’ system. Brett Wallace is a supposed can’t miss big leaguer, and is probably less than a year away. Despite being a fat gut, scouts say he is in fact athletic, and could stick at third base for years to come. Third base, as A’s fans know too well, is a huge hole for the team. On top of that, they managed to snag St. Louis’ 2nd best pitching prospect, and 6th best prospect overall. It’s unlikely he’ll be the next Dan Haren, but he is projected to be a future #3 starter. The bottom line is the three players the A’s got are almost guaranteed to be better than the two compensation picks they would’ve received at the end of the season. The added bonus is that Holliday is out of lineup two months sooner!
He’s No David Bataller, That’s For Sure
This is just sad. I really hope this is the Ball State University TV station and not one of the esteemed Muncie networks. This guy is simply a mess. Seriously, he just should’ve fainted and this would just be another one of those newscaster fainting clips on youtube. Instead, he earns the title of Worst Sportscaster Ever, and for good reason. The highlight, for lack of a better word, comes during the Indiana Pacers highlights. He drops such gems as “Stephen Jacksons to David uh,” “Reggie Miller’s lookin good,” and then on a play by the Nets, he kicks up the excitement and comes with “HE SHOOTS THE THREE…AND IT’S GOOD!” Wrong team, B-Coll, and it wasn’t even a three, though it really doesn’t matter at this point. BUT, what would follow is probably going to be the apex of his sportscasting career. Jeff Foster grabs an offensive rebound and kicks to an open Fred Jones who knocks down a three. Brian “Boomer” Collins drops this beauty: “later gets the rebound, passes it to the man, and BOOM goes the dynamite.” Seriously, you know that was the one gem he had all queued up and ready to go. He’s definitely gonna be telling his grandkids about that one. Can we get a Real Men of Genius for this guy? Here’s to you Mister Worst Sportscaster Ever…
Can the Giants Win the NL Wild Card? Hmmm…
We all know the Giants’ strength, pitching, and we all know their weakness, hitting. Pretty straightforward, right? The question is, which will prevail as SF heads down the stretch in a tight race for the National League Wild Card berth. At the start of this post, the Giants and Colorado Rockies were tied for the Wild Card spot. However, by the time we’re done here, it looks as though the Rockies will have a one game advantage. Though, since the Giants have been the frontrunners for a long stretch prior to this, many have posed the question whether they can hang on or not. Typically, when you’re nine games over .500, you’re talking about winning the division. But the Dodgers don’t appear to be slowing down any time soon, so Giants’ fans are left focusing on the Wild Card.
Tim Lincecum appears to be getting more and more unhittable with each start. Matt Cain has always showed potential, but lacked run support. This year, though, he’s finally turned the corner, and the offense has seemingly turned it with him – for his starts at least. Problem is, after that you’re looking at Randy Johnson, Barry Zito, and Jonathan Sanchez. Johnson may only get worse as the year goes on. He’s currently sideline with a strained left shoulder, which doesn’t bode well for a pitcher in his 40s. He’s already slated to be out longer than originally anticipated, so we won’t see the Big Unit until next month at the earliest. Despite throwing the first no-hitter in 30+ years for the Giants, SF fans will be the first to say they don’t exactly go in expecting a W when Sanchez is on the mound. He’s had his moments, and he looked great when he put those moments together for 9 full innings 10 days ago. Tonight, he went 6 innings giving up 3 earned runs. That is even considered a great game for him. Then there’s Barry Zito. I don’t want to kick a guy while he’s down, so I’m going to refrain from talking about Zito for the rest of his career presumably.
On the offensive side, Pablo Sandoval is having a well-documented breakout year, but when you look down the rest of the order, it looks very Athletic-like, numbers-wise. It’s not like there’s really any veteran players who are due to break out any time soon either. The offense is, and most likely, will be anemic for the remainder of the year. Therefore, it seems logical that they need to trade for a bat. They have two young pitchers who could net the offensive help they need, but the front office seems pretty locked in on Madison Bumgarner and Tim Alderson, so they don’t appear to be going anywhere.
I think the only move that makes sense would be to acquire one more veteran pitcher who can turn it on down the stretch. It’s often assumed that the Giants have two guaranteed wins each time through the rotation: Lincecum and Cain. Problem is, they almost have three guaranteed losses each round with Zito, Sanchez, and Johnson fill-in, Ryan Sadowski. I know what you’re saying. “Sadowski has a 1.00 ERA!” But, go look at Vin Mazzaro’s stats. Tell me their first three starts don’t look identical, and then look at what Mazzaro’s done since then. Ok? Ok.
Basically, the Giants will be LUCKY to play .500 ball the rest of the way. I project them winning 7 of every 15 games, and quite frankly, that won’t be enough. BUT, they are locked in a playoff race, and at this point in the season, that’s all a team can ask for.
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