The Lin Craze

#1. Super misleading title to this segment.
#2. Fellas, it’s obviously a combination of all that you speak of - Great Story, all elements contributing.
#3. Really?? Did we need to bring Tebow into the conversation?
#4. Can he blend the Knicks together for success when the "Egos" return? Is that even possible with 'Melo on the squad?

The STICK

Let us bring in the New Year with a little nostalgia for the folks out there in the SF bay. During a Monday Night Football game, the 49ers fan base was reminded of why it’s finally time to move on. A power outage caused a late start and then another outage during the game caused another delay showing us the true age of the ole ‘Stick’. Built in the late 1950’s and hosting the Giants starting in 1960 and then the 49ers starting in 1971, Candlestick is the 3rd oldest active NFL stadium. (Lambeau Field (1957) and Soldier Field (1924) are the only two older)

As we ring in 2012, we say goodbye a stadium but hope to leave on a high note - the Niners are 12-3 going into the final game of the regular season. Why not leave with a Super Bowl title?!

As I offer a few of my fondest memories of the stick I urge everyone to share theirs:

• Carnation malts with the wooden spoons on a freezing night
• UUU- Ribe!
• Family Pavilion
• Playing hooky for a day at the Stick
• The sweetest swing of all time – Will the Thrill
• Leaving the second greatest playoff comeback in history early, as the 49ers beat the NYG 39-38. (Ouch, I’ll never live that one down)

TOTAL CONTROL

Wow, a lot of emotions are flying high surrounding the NBA these days. Let’s all just take a step back and take some inventory.

1. The season was supposed to start at around the end of October. The season is now starting on Christmas Day - the negotiations took 5 months!
2. There have been many convoluted messages about the lockout. The main issues apparently were revenue sharing and structure of the salary cap. Both were intended to change for the “competitive balance” of the league.
3. The owners claim losses of $370 million last season and the players are not buying that number one bit. Btw, the Warriors just sold for $450 million.
4. The players gave up over 7 percentage points on the BRI which may amount to over $3 billion (10 year deal), with an opt-out after 6 years.

Ok, now we can ramp it up again - question for all of you: who the hell does David Stern think he is? What exactly are his motives and who or what is fueling them?

Veto-ing the trade of Chris Paul is giving us just another glimpse inside the character of David Stern – a man who wants his cake and wants to be able to eat it too. He callously tossed around ultimatums and sold tales of fallacy with whispers of a balanced league. David Stern has all the leverage and all the angles down pat. He is a force to be reckoned with and he doesn’t mind showing it.

For me, a tough decision lies ahead: do I watch basketball? The players don’t deserve a hall pass either. With all of their hold-outs and shenanigans, it is a wonder why all of us fans stay loyal. Is it time for the fans to show their voice? David Stern thinks he has all of the angles and if things go as planned, he will be the puppeteer of one of the greatest heists in sports history.

MVP -- a pitcher??

Justin Verlander, starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers has been named the American League MVP, 2011. The question is: is a pitcher worthy of winning an MVP title? This has been a lingering issue since the five-man rotation and introduction of the Cy Young Award. Playing only one out of every five contests has been the Achilles-heel of the pitchers MVP campaign every time. Is this a valid claim?

Well, my philosophical opinion is that a pitcher has to be far and away the best candidate on the ballot - not just a bail-out pick because two other viable options are too close to call. A pitcher’s statistics need to be sound all the way through: WHIP, ERA, W-L, etc. The statistics for a pitcher need to be more scrutinized and validated than any other player to be considered MVP-worthy.

Furthermore, the intangibles need to be considered. While pitchers win games with the help of run support and a solid defense, nothing is more harmful to a pitcher’s confidence than a series of lackluster defensive performances by his teammates, not to mention the disappearing act by the ball club’s offensive presence. There needs to be a critical evaluation of all aspects that determine a pitcher’s value. Who’s to say that other pitchers didn’t perform at the same level but had the misfortunes of being on a less successful team?

It seems to me that the Baseball Writers Association of America has a tough job to go beyond mere due diligence to confidently vote on the MVP. IF they do and ONCE they find the most deserving player TO BE the pitcher, then by all means…

Just Believe.......... Teeeeeeboooooow !!!

Tell me you don’t love him! If you honestly don’t, you don’t love sports. This is the guy who is out there each and every day proving his critics wrong time and time again. With each victory comes new excuses from critics why this happened and why that happened. He only completed 2 passes, they barely won… Coaches, opponents, fans, media all point out the short-comings and reasons why Tim Tebow won’t succeed.
I am here to tell you something. There is no formula. This is sports. There is no right and no wrong. There is winning and losing. Tim Tebow wins. I don’t care if he doesn’t play the quarterback position like YOU think it should be played. Since when have sports been off limits for innovation? Better yet a retroactive blast from the past! Let the man play the position the way he knows how.

John Fox better just step aside and facilitate this awesomeness that we are seeing. If I hear him bad mouth Tebow one more time, I’ll be calling for his job. He should be thanking his lucky stars that Tebow is around otherwise he may not even have a job!


Why does he win? The reason is exactly where the mystery lies. We always have been stubborn when it comes to things that we can’t quite grasp. I will offer you this one bit of information: the guys around him believe they are going to win. Just sit back, watch and enjoy the show. I have a feeling we are in for something special.

To celebrate or not?

Once again, NFL celebrations seem to be a hot topic of discussion. There is no doubt going to be an endless debate regarding the appropriateness of celebrations. When to celebrate? How to dance? Pre-meditated celebrations? Group dances? On and on…. Well, I am here to tell you, dance on! Dance how you want to, and when ever the urge strikes you to celebrate- DO IT.
Agreed, from time to time celebrations can be taunting, in-your-face, disgusting types of displays. Guess what, there is no better judge of that then the public. Trust me, a poor intended celebration will not go unnoticed. With our media coverage today there’s just no chance. I think by now we should understand that all players and people are different. Especially in an egocentric driven stage as the NFL, players are going to try and find ways to stand out- not just with their stats.
The NFL has been trying to control celebrations for years. From Joe Horn on a cell phone to T.O’s river dancing and now the ever so popular “Tebowing.” Let’s not try to contain celebrations- embrace them! Love em- hate em- analyze em. Do we really want to lose this………..?






That just makes you smile and feel all good inside.