Goodbye Southern hospitality, hello toughest town and team in the National League. The Giants should be writing thank-you notes to the bumbling Braves for committing seven errors and scoring only nine runs in gift-wrapping the NLDS for San Francisco. But don’t expect such generosity or meek hitting from the four-time reigning NL East champion Phillies. Although the Giants and Phils split their six regular-season meetings, the playoff matchup is decidedly in favor of the men in red. PITCHING Read More

It’s clinch-or-flinch time for the Giants. Forget the wild card. That will likely go to the Atlanta Braves — who have the best home record in baseball — and host their final five games, three of which are against the Philadelphia Phillies who have nothing to play for. So, it’s real simple for the Giants. Win four of their last five games and San Francisco captures the NL West outright. Read More

How appropriate that the Milwaukee Brewers are unveiling a bronze statue of Bud Selig outside Miller Park on Aug. 24. The commissioner has taken standing pat to an art form. From his see-no-evil mishandling of the steroid scandal to ignoring the recent rash of horribly blown calls by umpires, Selig is all talk and no action. After Tuesday’s melee between the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals, you might think Selig would take major steps to prevent a repeat of such a frighteningly dangerous brawl. Read More

Tony Soprano couldn’t have done a better job in wiping away the stain of Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo’s tarnished records while playing for the Trojans. USC is scrubbing their images from school murals, removing Bush’s No. 5 jersey from the lobby of Heritage Hall and giving back its copy of Bush’s Heisman Trophy. The NCAA hit USC with reduced football scholarships, four years of probation and a two-year bowl ban for lack of institutional control. In addition, the BCS will probably vacate the Trojans’ 2005 national football championship. Read More

Want to sum up the first half of the Giants’ season? Too much ebb and not enough flow. Despite all the promising work of Juan Uribe, a finally healthy Freddy Sanchez plus newcomers Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell, San Francisco will be hard-pressed to match last year’s midseason record of 44-37. The biggest disappointment is Pablo Sandoval. Read More

I discovered “the beautiful game” by chance. During a junior high gym class, my Israel-born P.E. teacher needed a volunteer goalkeeper. When a hard shot somehow found its way into my mid-section, I had the thrill of making my first save. Following a senior-season recruiting phone call from Hall of Fame coach Joe Morrone, I played two unspectacular seasons for him at the University of Connecticut. Talk about intense and committed. Read More