LeBron James, like his predecessors Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, is a star whose appearance in any city draws fans to an NBA arena like pilgrims to Mecca, and like the latter, he is a sight to behold in person at least once in your life. Accordingly, there were a lot of LeBron …
In the buildup to last Sunday’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, even the most gushing admirers of rookie 49er quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo anticipated a rough time. The Jaguars had allowed the fewest points and passing yards of any team in the NFL, and their defensive line, nicknamed “Sacksonville,” was so …
NBA super teams reflect the spirit of our economy. The haves and the have nots. Like our economy the f_ckery is accelerating and it’s damaging the true competitiveness that well regulated capitalism provides when more individuals and companies can compete. I like Golden State but what a Cartel! Monopolies are emerging, even if the NBA, …
This is the only good Blair Walsh story of 2017: my friend’s 7 year old son Max is a huge fan of The Seahawks and the Cougars. Last night my buddy looked worried at Leny’s Place as the Cougs were struggling through the Apple Cup, and I asked why a guy from Detroit was taking …
The Golden 1 Arena is still a gorgeous building, but unfortunately for Sacramento’s NBA fans, the Kings are still the Kings, and last night they lost in mostly the same way they did on the two occasions I saw them last year. They built a lead in the first half, coughed it up in the …
My perennial problem with any sport’s Most Valuable Player award is trying to guess how sportswriters will measure how “valuable” someone is. In baseball, I always wonder how they determine that a guy who hit 40 home runs but missed a lot of fly balls in the outfield is more valuable than the shortstop with …
Baseball thoughts: — No surprise that Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger were unanimously chosen as the Rookies of the Year. No one else came close to their performances. — I predict the Indians’ Corey Kluber will win the AL Cy Young Award, to be announced tomorrow night. While the Red Sox ace Chris Sale was …
For those of you who didn’t follow the Portland Trail Blazers last season, their biggest story was their February trade for Jusuf Nurkic, the Bosnian Beast and the West Coast’s answer to New York Knick sensation Kristaps Porzingis. With his shooting and rebounding, Nurkic turned around the Blazers’ season, helping them to an 18-8 record …
You can call it White-splainin’ or Man-splainin’ or man-spreading or cheese breadin,’ but Bob Costas just freestyled from his dome some of the greatest commentary on the intersectionality of Sports, Racism, and Patriotism OF ALL TIME. PLEASE WATCH, especially my dear friends from other nations. This is a fellow Civilian I salute: Donald Trump is …
“Buckle up, hold on to your Cubs caps, and watch as the two most exciting weeks of the 2017 season are about to unfold.” As I noted in my last piece for this hallowed blog, at this year’s All-Star break, the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs were just about as average an MLB team …
Forty years ago the #4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners traveled to Ohio to play the #3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. I was home alone when I sat in my living room in Minnesota to watch the football game. This represented the first time I ever saw the exciting wishbone offense, which Oklahoma ran with QB Thomas …
My recent NFL post included the following: Speaking of which, NFL owners made a very short-sighted decision with their blacklist, informal or otherwise. Somehow, they appear to have forgotten that 75% of NFL players are black, with many of them having likely experienced firsthand the issues with law enforcement that Kap had protested. Two weeks …
The title is not a misprint. When I arrived in San Francisco to see the Giants on Friday, the temperature was 102 degrees. The high had been 106, smashing all previous records and reversing the normal weather pattern of cooling temperatures on the Bay inversely proportional to the summer heat of the Central Valley, as …
In the recent discussion about San Francisco 49ers ex-QB Colin Kaepernick’s extended vacation, the focus has been much more on the politics of the situation than what he would likely contribute on the field. Some thoughts on the latter are in order. The Kap who came within five yards of adding a sixth Lombardi Trophy …
Last Thursday evening, courtesy of a generous friend in the right place, I had the privilege of seeing the Oakland A’s three rows up from home plate. I’ve had some good seats in the past, but nothing nearly as up close and personal with major league ball players as this. The seats, in what is …
After spending the fifth and sixth of August watching the Blue Angels fly, I ended the weekend with yet another trip to El Corazon. This time it was to see a group called the Bombpops. This quartet from Ocean City, CA, has two very charming young women fronting the band. They shared lead vocals and …
I am not going to lie to you. I have listened to ‘Peace Like A River’ seven times tonight. This song is so beautiful it’s cutting me. “You can beat us with wires, you can beat us with chains, you can run out your rules, but you know can’t outrun the history train” This song …
The Colin Kaepernick story is one of the most fascinating stories of our generation. Most people didn’t even realize he was part African American until the media promoted his heartwarming adoption story, which explained why his parents were not Sicilian or Latin. Once he switched out his dooshy baseball flat brimmed cap and grew his …
My niece and I recently attended the double header soccer game of the national women’s teams, Japan vs Brazil then US vs Australia. It was interesting to watch the game between Avani, my nine-year-old niece who, like many in the stadium, is a big Alex Morgan fan, and a pair of serious women soccer fans, …
Long-suffering Chicago Cubs fans were finally granted a reprieve in 2016. The Cubs’ World Series victory — considered by many baseball watchers as one of the greatest World Series ever played — was the sweetest gift that the beautiful but troubled City of Big Shoulders could have received last year. As a life-long Cubs fan, …
The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 NBA Finals four games to one, but the series felt a lot closer than that. If the Cavs had managed to close out their late lead in Game 3 on their home court, they would likely have played a Game 6 there as well, …
Time to go out on a limb and predict that the Cleveland Cavaliers won’t win four in a row against the Golden State Warriors in the 2017 NBA Finals. They may win on Friday just to keep the Warriors from partying in their gym, but for all intents and purposes, they are done. For all …
During Game 2 of the NBA Finals, I was shocked, though maybe I shouldn’t have been, to see Stephen Curry score in the low post against LeBron: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-finals-highlights-steph-curry-dribbles-through-lebron-for-insane-layup-in-game-2/ The reason I was surprised was my memory of last year, when LeBron blocked Curry on a similar play and stared him down afterward: Not only are …
For those who haven’t been watching the 2017 NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors lead the Cleveland Cavaliers two games to none in the best-of-seven series, and neither of the final scores of Games 1 and 2 were close. Detailed analyses on the proceedings can be found on the Ringer: https://theringer.com/2017-nba-finals-cleveland-cavaliers-golden-state-warriors-game-1-takeaways-33f69f2b4f63 https://theringer.com/2017-nba-playoffs-finals-game-2-warriors-cavaliers-takeaways-7f860d8d146c What we are …
Frank Deford, who passed away last week on Memorial Day, is familiar to most as the charming curmudgeon who commented on sports for NPR’s Morning Edition since 1980. A worthy career in itself, it was nothing compared to his work as a profile artist for Sports Illustrated, where he invariably found the essence of his …
On the occasion of the San Francisco Giants’ annual visit to Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said the following regarding their victory in San Francisco last year in the National League Division Series: “I’m telling you, man, Game 4 pretty much won the World Series. I did not want to see Mr. Cueto …
On my visit to AT&T Park last month, I was watching the Giants take batting practice when I noticed something important: players would come to the end of the dugout to sign autographs. Armed with this knowledge, I arrived early enough to be one of the first people in the gates when they opened and …
Last Friday, the San Francisco Giants played the Cincinnati Reds in a game that went 17 innings and ended after midnight, when Buster Posey hit a home run and allowed everyone remaining to go home and get some much needed sleep. I stayed for 14 of those innings, leaving only because I didn’t want the …
Just heard that Giant pitcher Madison Bumgarner just banged up his ribs and pitching shoulder on a dirt bike. Out six to eight weeks. A “What were you thinking?” moment if there ever was one. Reminiscent of former Giant second baseman Jeff Kent’s injury from popping wheelies during spring training in 2002. The Giants will …
For those who like to attend professional sports, the world has become increasingly segregated, with stadiums featuring luxury boxes and exclusive club sections with comforts and amenities above what is normally available to the average fan. Fortunately, at least at AT&T Park in San Francisco, it is possible occasionally to crash the party at an …