GIANT EXPECTATIONS
They’re no sure thing with a cast of new faces and an older rotation, but gamblers love the Giants’ chances this season. While the Cubs are the favorite of sportsbook William Hill, which lists them at 5:1, the highest percentage of total money spent on which team will win the 2016 World Series (14 percent) goes to San Francisco, currently at 11:2 odds. If you prefer betting on a miracle, the A’s are listed as 75:1.
HAASE NEEDS A HOUSE
In a true Welcome to the Bay Area moment, new Stanford men’s basketball head coach Jerod Haase was asked in his introductory press conference on Monday if he was scared of real estate prices in the area. “Finally my wife is starting to relax and then you go and ask a question like that, so I appreciate that,” he answered.
COACHING SHUFFLE
The Santa Clara basketball team hired Herb Sendek to be its new head coach Monday. Sendek took the 2015 season off after being fired by Arizona State, where he recruited superstar James Harden and struggled to make the NCAA Tournament after the star’s departure to the NBA. The longtime coach should appreciate a return to the land of midmajors, where he hasn’t lived since coaching Miami (OH) in the early 1990s to a 63-26 record over three seasons.
HE HAS RISEN
Klay Thompson has elevated his game recently, earning him the Western Conference Player of the Week award from the NBA on Monday. Thompson logged 40-point performances in consecutive games (against the Mavericks on Friday and the 76ers on Easter) for the first time in his career. The Warriors need to go 7-2 in their remaining games to reach 73 wins this season.
