The Raiders hardly opened training camp before the first crisis erupted, with Jerry Porter challenging coach Art Shell. If Raiders owner Al Davis doesn’t back Shell in this, it’s going to be another long, long season.Porter and Shell agreed on one point: They (and wide receivers coach Fred Biletnikoff) had had an acrimonious meeting shortly after Shell was hired.
Read More
With significant new players,a new offensive coordinator and a change in philosophy, the 49ers’ offense will look much different from last season, for which we can all be grateful.The most important change is rookie tight end Vernon Davis, who is faster than any of the 49ers’ wide receivers. Trying too hard to impress in spring drills, Davis dropped several passes. But when he settles down, he’s expected to be a real force.
Read More
The Giants should trade Jason Schmidt and start working on a future that is not built around 40-year-olds.In their first week back after the All-Star Game, playing two below-.500 teams, the Giants looked like a team going nowhere. Schmidt’s contract will be up at the end of the season. Though Schmidt has said he’d prefer to stay with the Giants, they apparently have made no move to try to re-sign him before the end of the season.
Read More
For those who think Barry Bonds’ records are tainted, I have one question: If all it takes is a jolt of a performance-enhancing drug, why haven’t others done what the Giants’ slugger has? From 2000 to ’04, when he was at his best, nobody matched him.Having watched Bonds morph from the game’s best all-round player to the best hitter I’ve watched regularly, these are the factors I’ve seen:
Read More
One reason Jeff Tedford is the best Cal football coach in a half-century: He’s always looking for ways to improve."When I was a young coach," he said when we talked in his office, "I thought when I was a head coach, I’d put in a plan and use that every year, but it doesn’t work that way."
Read More
Chris Mullin is trying to erase his mistakes. His success in doing that will do much to determine whether the Warriors can finally get back to the playoffs next season.Since he has been in charge of basketball operations, Mullin has signed Derek Fisher and Adonal Foyle to big contracts, extended the contracts of Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson and traded for Baron Davis.Only the Richardson signing has been an unqualified success.
Read More
The National League should start acting like a grownup and adopt the designated hitter. Then maybe it could compete on an equal basis with the American League, instead of being a glorified minor league.The American League adopted the DH in 1973 as an experiment, but quickly made it permanent. Because it makes sense, it has since been adopted by the minor leagues, colleges and high schools. The NL is the only holdout.
Read More
The prize is Pittsburgh first baseman Sean Casey. Both the Giants and A’s covet him. When he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, the Giants will pursue him, but when it comes to "renting" him for this season, the A’s have the advantage.Though the organization philosophies are quite different, the Giants and A’s have some similarities as the season is at its halfway point. Both are pitching-oriented with shaky offenses, both are playing in a division where 88 or 89 victories could be enough to win.And both have a dead hole at first base.
Read More
In their quest for a new stadium, the 49ers should shift their focus from Candlestick Point to an area owned by the city of San Francisco, across Highway 101 from San Francisco International Airport.
Read More
Who will get to the playoffs faster, the 49ers or Warriors? My money is on the 49ers, but the Warriors could change the dynamic with shrewd moves in Wednesday’s NBA draft and in the ensuing trade market.The Warriors’ needs are obvious:» A great shooter who could be depended on to bury the winning basket in the final seconds.» A more physical presence in the middle, offensively anddefensively.» A young point guard who could play when Baron Davis is injured — which is often — and push Davis to play better when he’s healthy.
Read More
Yes, the Giants need to add a strong hitter to their inconsistent lineup, but it’s not likely to happen. As they see the Barry Bonds Era winding down, the Giants will not give up their top young pitchers to get a hitter, especially not one on the last year of his contract.Though the Giants like good-fielding second baseman Kevin Frandsen, who reminds some of Robby Thompson, he has no significant trade value. It’s all about pitching.
Read More
Having battled through many of their early-season injury problems, the A’s are once again looking like a team headed for the World Series.
Read More
The loss by the United States in the World Cup this week should not have come as a surprise. The U.S. will never win at the highest level of international soccer. The sport is captive to over-organization, a disease that also cripples youth baseball.In the countries where soccer is king, the impetus is from the bottom. Kids play soccer in the streets as soon as they can stand up. Sometimes, they don’t even have a ball; they kick a rolled-up sock instead. Because it’s something they choose to do, not something they’re told to do, they have a lifelong passion for the sport.
Read More
The Giants’ embarrassing 3-4 week against the two worst teams in the National League is a preview of things to come. This is not a team headed for the postseason.
Read More
Mike Nolan is certain he has the right approach. The 49ers’ future, near- and long-term, depends on whether their coach is right.Last season was a bumpy ride for the first-year coach. It started with crises over which he had no control: The lamentable video that was racially insensitive and the death of offensive lineman Thomas Herrion after an exhibition game.
Read More
URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/people/glenn-dickey?page=34&%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bamp=&%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bquicktabs_1=0&%3Bamp%3Bamp%3Bquicktabs_6=1&%3Bamp%3Bquicktabs_6=1&%3Bquicktabs_1=0&quicktabs_1=0&quicktabs_6=1
