Billy Beane’s critics must be squirming, with the A’s playing in the American League Championship Series.The critics were having fun in the first half of the season when all three of Beane’s big offseason moves seemed to be backfiring. Frank Thomas, who had hardly played for two seasons, was struggling as a DH. Esteban Loaiza, trying to conceal an injury, was awful. And Milton Bradley spent most of the first half on the disabled list.
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There is no better symbol of the Raiders’ problems than Randy Moss. Unless it’s Jerry Porter.When the Raiders traded for Moss in the 2005 offseason, he was supposed to be the salvation for the dormant Oakland offense. In his first seven seasons at Minnesota, Moss was virtually unstoppable because of his combination of size and speed. He could outrun and/or outjump defensive backs, and he had set an NFL record for most receiving yards in his first seven seasons, surpassing Jerry Rice. Some in the media predicted he’d eventually surpass most — if not all — of Rice’s records.
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The perceived advantage the A’s had with their starting rotation has disappeared, which could doom their chances of advancing past the divisional playoffs.The A’s chances would be much better if all their starters were pitching at their best. And they could begin the playoffs with a rotation of Rich Harden, Dan Haren and Barry Zito, which would rival the old "Big Three" of Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Zito.Instead, they’ll lead off with Zito in the first game against the Minnesota Twins.
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Since Brian Sabean came to the Giants in 1993, the Giants have aimed at developing young pitching with 10 first-round draft picks used to select pitchers. An admirable goal, to be sure, but the results have been disappointing.Here are the 10 picks:1993: Steve Soderstrom.1994: Joe Fontenot.1996: Matt White.1997: Jason Grilli.1999: Kurt Ainsworth.2000: Boof Bonser.2001: Brad Hennessey.2002: Matt Cain.2003: David Aardsma.2006: Tim Lincecum.
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One reasonJeff Tedford has been so successful at Cal has been his ability to recruit what he calls "difference makers" — football players who are capable of making the big plays that break a game open. Four of those players were keys in Saturday’s 49-21 win over Oregon State:
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The Raiders will not be a winning team until Al Davis brings in a solid football man and lets him make the decisions. Will Davis ever do that? Ah, that’s the problem.In the past, Davis had men in the organization who would challenge him and, sometimes, make him change his mind, from Ron Wolf early to Jon Gruden more recently. There is nobody like that in the organization now. As he grows older, Davis has become more intractable, more determined to show that his way is the right way.
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In the NFL, the coordinators do the actual coaching, so much of the credit for the 49ers’ improvement this season should go to Billy Davis and Norv Turner, who are responsible for the defense and offense, respectively.During the exhibition season and in their regular-season opener, the most obvious 49ers weakness was the lack of a pass rush. Last week, coach Mike Nolan said that would have to be corrected by scheme, an admission that the 49ers don’t have the ability to pressure a quarterback with a straight-up rush.
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Playing in a league that is little more than a pumped- up minor league has allowed the Giants to get into the playoff race and given Barry Bonds a chance to resurrect his career.The National League is a serious embarrassment. Going into Thursday’s games, only six of the 16 teams were over .500. Two sub.500 teams were among the six in the wild card race.
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The upcoming offseason will be Brian Sabean’s most challenging since his first as Giants general manager, before the 1997 season. Sabean successfully reshaped the Giants’ roster then, setting the stage for a division title. He must do the same again if the Giants are going to get back in the playoff hunt next season.The Giants have six key players whose contracts are up, plus Steve Finley, who has an option for 2007, and Mike Matheny, who should retire.Here are the six, and my recommendations:
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The 49ers and Raiders were tied for the worst record in a three-year span after last season, but that tie will be broken this season because the 49ers have a plan to move forward. The Raiders have a plan, too. It’s the same one that produced that 13-35 record in that period. Niners coach Mike Nolan has been systematically clearing his roster of Terry Donahue’s mistakes, the trade of Mike Rumph being the most recent. He still has Kwame Harris, but hopefully, not as a starter.
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If Joe Ayoob wins the quarterback competition, would Cal football coach Jeff Tedford dare start him before more than 100,000 screaming Tennessee fans in the Bears’ opener at Knoxville?"Absolutely," Tedford said after Friday’s practice, the first in pads. "He’s come a long way from last year. He’s more confident, more relaxed, much more into the game."Last year in practice, Ayoob, a very likable young man who is popular with his teammates, would often joke around with other players when he wasn’t scheduled to take part in a drill.
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This fall, Stanford will get the new football stadium it has long needed. But will it have a team to match the stadium? Probably not. The new stadium, which will be inaugurated with a Sept. 16 game against Navy, will be a 50,000-capacity facility that will have seats so close that the marketing campaign billboards say, "You may need knee pads."That’s in marked contrast to the cavernous old stadium, whose seats were separated from the field by a running track. "At night games, with the lights the way they were, we
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It’s much too early to predict how the 49ers will do this season, but we do know this: The passing offense will be much better.The top story line in the first week of training camp was how quarterback Alex Smith was hooking up with free-agent wide receiver Antonio Bryant, and the two combined again for a 50-yard scoring strike near the end of Saturday’s controlled scrimmage.
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It’s much too early to predict how the 49ers will do this season, but we do know this: The passing offense will be much better.The top story line in the first week of training camp was how quarterback Alex Smith was hooking up with free-agent wide receiver Antonio Bryant, and the two combined again for a 50-yard scoring strike near the end of Saturday’s controlled scrimmage.
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The A’s have been without their top starter, Rich Harden, for almost all season. Eric Chavez, their best player, has been handicapped by tendinitis in his forearms. Nick Swisher has lost 15 pounds (apparently mononucleosis) and his batting average has plummeted. The bullpen was torn apart by injuries early. Yet, the A’s have been in first place in the AL West every day but one since June 14.Isn’t it time to give credit to manager Ken Macha?
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