I don’t often agree with Al Davis, but I think the Raiders’ owner is taking the right position in the stalled negotiations with No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell. The NFL has created a monster with the draft.
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Giants fans want the team to back up the truck at AARP Park — pardon me, that’s AT&T Park — but it won’t be that easy. They can’t make a complete turnover to young players because they don’t have many ready in their farm system. And they need some veteran presence to aid what should be a big transition over the next two years.
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If 49ers tight end Vernon Davis doesn’t become a star, it won’t be for lack of confidence. When I asked him in a training camp interview how he compared himself with other tight ends, he said, "When I look at videos of other tight ends and know what I can do, it’s ridiculous."It’s true that the 49ers took him as their first-round pick in the 2006 draft because he had an unusual blend of speed and size, but there was a question about his blocking. And now? He points to the big year Frank Gore had last season.
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More than a thousand of Bill Walsh’s closest friends crowded into the Stanford Memorial Church on Thursday to hear a moving final tribute.The emphasis throughout was on the 49ers, starting with scripture readings by former player Keena Turner and present coach Mike Nolan.Walsh’s presence was felt everywhere, for a reason. "He was always prepared for any situation," noted former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo. "He even planned his own funeral."
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Lane Kiffin reminds many people of Jon Gruden as a first-year coach with the Raiders, but he has a much tougher job. Gruden’s main goal was an attitude change. Kiffin’s main problem is a serious talent shortage.
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One reason for optimism about the Cal football team this fall: Jeff Tedford finally has a quarterback, Nate Longshore, with enough experience in his system to really grasp it.
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Bill Walsh became famousfor his football, but he was much more than that.He was a man who was comfortable talking — and arguing — politics with Jack Kemp or in teaching a law school class at Stanford. He worked with Roger Goodell, before he became NFL commissioner, on many league projects, including NFL Europe.On his own, he started coaching clinics for black assistant coaches, working with them to help them get head-coaching jobs — a program that was later adopted by the NFL — and was very proud when there were two black head coaches in the last Super Bowl.
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In rebuilding their team, the Giants should play to their strengths and put together a younger team with good pitching, good defense and line-drive hitters. Just don’t look for a quick fix. It certainly won’t happen this year and we’re realistically looking three years down the road.
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If I read one more diatribe describing Barry Bonds’ drive for a career home run record as a "joyless trek," I think I’ll barf.
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One of the reasons to be optimistic about the 49ers’ chances this season is the growth of coach Mike Nolan.It seems strange that Nolan had to grow into the job, given his background as the son of a head coach, an NFL assistant since 1987 and a defensive coordinator since 1993. Yet, he was much less sure of what he was doing than Jon Gruden was when he became the Raiders’ coach, though Gruden was only 34. Gruden always knew exactly where he was going. Nolan had to learn from experience.
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Self-denial at its peak: "Our approach has always been to try to win and develop younger players at the same time," Giants owner Peter Magowan wrote to season ticket-holderslast week after general mananager Brian Sabean was signed to a two-year extension. Here are the Giants’ regulars: Bengie Molina (33 years old on Friday), Ryan Klesko (36), Ray Durham (35), Omar Vizquel (40), Pedro Feliz (31), Randy Winn (33), Dave Roberts (35) and Barry Bonds (43).Can a call to Julio Franco be far behind?
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Now batting for Mike Piazza: Jack Cust. That’s how it is with the A’s, who always have to be looking at the future as well as the present.Piazza was signed to a one-year, $8.5 million contract in the offseason to be the A’s designated hitter. Fearing injury, the A’s didn’t let him catch in spring training.Then on May 2, Piazza suffered a severe shoulder injury in a baseline collision and was put on the disabled list.
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Barry Zito’s free-agent signing was a colossal mistake, and the Giants are just beginning to feel the pain.Zito’s contract, $126 million over seven years, is backloaded, with "only" about $10 million going to him this year so the Giants could also fit in Barry Bonds’ incentive-loaded contract, which will probably reach $20 million.It was easier to stay within the budget this season by giving Zito less, but it will seriously limit the Giants’ ability to sign free agents in the future.
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There is a simple way to make the All-Star Game a true game of All-Stars: Tell the managers to play to win.Once, they did. Great players such as Ted Williams (1941) and Stan Musial (1955) decided games with what are now called walkoff homers. The managers of those teams never gave a thought to taking out those stars.
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Chris Mullin made a smart trade to acquire North Carolina forward Brandan Wright, but it’s unlikely that will be enough for the Warriors to make a significant improvement next season. Wright has undeniable talent, but he’s played only one year of collegiate ball.The Warriors introduced Wright and Stephane Lasme to the media Monday (Marco Belinelli, the Warriors’ 18th overall pick, is playing in Italy).I asked Warriors coach Don Nelson if Wright had a serious chance of being part of his rotation next season.
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