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.