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Paul Gackle

San Francisco Bulls look to make move before ECHL trade deadline

With the trade deadline looming, the San Francisco Bulls are looking to wheel and deal to add size and blue line depth to the roster for the last 13 games of the season. The Bulls acquired scoring punch with the addition of Yanni Gourde, Tristan King and Bryan Cameron, but the team is lacking physicality in the wake of Kris Belan’s call up to the AHL last week. Coach and president Pat Curcio said he expects to make a move before the deadline at noon on Thursday to address the issue. Read More

Cal's Montgomery doing some of his finest work to date

Shove or no shove, this season could prove to be Mike Montgomery’s finest piece of work in his 30-plus years of coaching. On the court, the Cal men’s basketball team would probably get blown out by his 1998 Final Four squad from Stanford, and would likely get beaten by the Bears clan that won the Pac-10 Conference title in 2010, too. Read More

Swapping Alex Smith gives 49ers flexibility

alex smith, san francisco 49ers
With the exception of the final three plays of the Super Bowl, the 49ers seem to score a touchdown with every decision they make these days. As first reported by Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, followed by many other outlets, the Niners have sewn up a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs that will send Alex Smith packing when the new league year starts March 12. In return, the 49ers will receive a second-round pick (No. 34 overall) in this year’s draft and a conditional midround pick next year. Two words: great deal. Read More

Justin Cobbs’ resurgence key to Cal men's basketball turnaround

BERKELEY — Justin Cobbs is regaining confidence in his jump shot and it earned him Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this week. With the help of Cobbs’ buzzer beater on Thursday and his 18 points on Saturday, the Cal men’s basketball team knocked off Oregon and Oregon State on the road last week to move within striking distance of a Pac-12 conference title. After winning seven of their last eight, the Bears (18-9, 10-5) are now trailing first-place Arizona (11-4) and Oregon (11-4) by a single game and Cobbs’ turnaround is a key part of the team’s recent success. Read More

Spring practice opens as Cardinal look to replace Zach Ertz, Levine Toilolo

STANFORD — Stanford is referred to as “Tight End U” these days because of the steady stream of NFL picks the football team has churned out at that position in recent years. But when the Cardinal set out to defend their Rose Bowl championship in the fall, they’ll be featuring a pair of fresh faces in their double-tight end set. Spring practices got under way at Dan Elliott Field on Monday, kicking off auditions for the roles previously performed by Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo. Read More

SF Bulls roster gets a makeover before returning to Cow Palace March 6

Yanni Gourde
San Francisco Bulls fans might not recognize their team when the squad returns to action at the Cow Palace on March 6. The Bulls added finesse to the roster with the arrival of forward Yanni Gourde from the AHL Worcester Sharks, but the team is losing toughness with the call-up of Kris Belan to the Manchester Monarchs. “We’ll be really skilled and probably less physical,” coach and president Pat Curcio said. Read More

49er Alex Smith is the ultimate team player

Alex Smith
Alex Smith stepped into football’s biggest shoes when the 49ers selected him with the NFL’s No. 1 overall pick in 2005. In a town that expects godliness from its quarterbacks, he was never Joe Montana, Steve Young or even Colin Kaepernick. But throughout his eight years with the club, he embodied the purest ideals of team sports. Read More

San Jose Sharks shouldn’t break up nucleus

After a promising 7-0 start, anxiety is resuming in San Jose and talk of a major Shark Tank shake-up is swirling around town.   The Sharks are 1-4-3 in their last eight contests and they’re averaging an anemic 1.25 goals per game over that span. Panic is setting in once again and the answer, if you listen to the critics, is to blow up the nucleus and send one of the team’s big-name players — Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle or Patrick Marleau — packing. Read More

Coach Mike Montgomery regrets incident is taking away from recent surge

allen crabbe
BERKELEY — Coach Mike Montgomery insists that the hoopla surrounding his shove of forward Allen Crabbe isn’t distracting his team as it prepares to meet No. 23 Oregon in Eugene on Thursday. With four wins in five games, the Bears (16-9, 8-5) are not only contending for an NCAA Tournament berth, a win over Oregon (21-5, 10-3) would put them within a game of first place in the Pac-12 Conference. And while the drama on the sideline is overshadowing the Bears’ turnaround on the court, Montgomery said Tuesday the team is growing because of the experience. Read More

Cal drops the ball with Mike Montgomery's punishment

Mike montgomery
Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour is throwing a big, fat air ball by not disciplining coach Mike Montgomery for shoving Allen Crabbe during Sunday’s basketball game against USC. UC Berkeley is recognized around the world for being a progressive, forward-thinking institution, but Barbour’s inaction on this matter suggests that the athletic department is stuck in the past. As inappropriate as Montgomery’s behavior was, it’s the university’s response — or lack thereof — in the aftermath that really leaves you scratching your head.        Read More

San Francisco Bulls expected to go with “hot hand” Thomas Heemskerk as goalie

DALY CITY — Pat Curcio expects to reach a decision regarding the San Francisco Bulls No. 1 goalie in the next 10 days, and channeling his inner Jim Harbaugh, he said he intends to go with the “hot hand.” In that case, the frontrunner appears to be Thomas Heemskerk. Heemskerk turned away 41-of-44 shots in a 6-3 win over the Idaho Steelheads on Wednesday, stopped 22-of-22 in relief of Taylor Nelson on Saturday and then saved 26-of-28 in a 3-1 loss to the Stockton Thunder on Sunday. Read More

David Lee's ability to score and hit the glass led to All-Star spot

OAKLAND — David Lee is a walking double-double. He leads the NBA in the statistical category this season with 33 in 52 games, and his career numbers are just shy of the mark at 14.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. But Lee is often overlooked, accused of producing bloated stats on losing teams in New York and here in the Bay Area. Prior to this season, an anonymous scout in Sports Illustrated blasted him, saying he is “overrated” and “looking for his own numbers big-time.” Read More

Golden State Warriors are a team built to last

At this point last year, the Warriors appeared to be stuck in no-man’s land. They had three quality players — Stephen Curry, David Lee and Monta Ellis — but were well on their way to missing the playoffs for the 17th time in 18 years. On top of that, they weren’t even bad enough to land one of the draft’s top three picks, where superstars such as LeBron James, Tim Duncan and Anthony Davis are usually selected. Read More

Cal men's basketball trying to claw back into tourney picture

allen crabbe
BERKELEY — Within eight days, the Cal men’s basketball team knocked off two top-10 opponents and now the Bears are suddenly contenders for an NCAA Tournament berth in March. With victories over No. 9 Arizona and No. 23 Oregon, the Bears (14-9, 6-5 Pac-12 Conference) now have two signature wins and they will get a chance to further bolster their résumé when another Pac-12 heavywight, UCLA (18-6, 8-3), storms into Haas Pavilion tonight. Read More

Jeremy Lin comes full circle with return trip to Bay Area

OAKLAND — A lot can change in 14 months, especially when your name is Jeremy Lin. When Lin last stepped on the court at Oracle Arena, he was a mop-up point guard fighting to keep his career afloat. But when the Warriors tipped off against the Houston Rockets in Oakland on Tuesday night, the Palo Alto native took center stage, completing one of professional sports’ most compelling rags-to-riches stories. “It’s kind of like my career coming full circle,” Lin said. “In terms of growing up here, being here, going to Golden State, leaving and now coming back around.” Read More
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