"God is a Gael" - Saint Mary's Looks to Retain its WCC Crown in 2013

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

Granted it wasn’t the Olympics, or a WCC bout against the Zags, or even a Division I opponent, but if Matthew Dellavedova sees an opportunity to take a charge, you can bet he’s going to take it.

The Sonoma State Seawolves did the honors of kicking off the 2012-2013 campaign in Moraga last weekend, and by halftime the score was 48-24 in favor of the Gaels. This didn’t stop Dellavedova, St. Mary’s Senior Captain, from quietly setting the tone for what is expected to be a special year of West Coast Conference basketball in Moraga.

From the last row of 3,500 seat McKeon Pavillion, I could see the play develop beautifully with a bird’s eye view. A Sonoma State guard saw a clear path to the basket from the left wing, while Dellavedova was at the top of the key. As the two players broke toward the basket, a collision was immenent. Sure enough, Dellavedova arrived at the point of contact just in time, bit down on his signature mouthpiece, and proceed to get runover by a Division II backup.

What looked to be a textbook charge taken by Dellavedova, ended up being overturned by the officials during the ensuing timeout. The St. Mary’s bench could do nothing but laugh it off. Regardless of the botched call, the play confirmed something much more important. Dellavedova is back in Moraga for his swan song, and he still loves acquiring floor burns.

Coming off a historic year in which St. Mary’s won both the WCC regular season and tournament titles, the Gaels come into this season with arguably their deepest, most experienced team ever. Even with the news that Randy Bennett’s squad is being investigated by the NCAA for a possible recruiting violation, hope and promise spring eternal in Moraga. Picked in preseason polls to finish third in the WCC this year behind BYU and Gonzaga, the level of small school college hoops has never been higher on the west coast and SMC will be right in the thick of it all.

The Gaels first two wins of the season, first against Sonoma and then on the road against the always tough Utah State Aggies, have revealed a St. Mary’s team filled with talent, depth, personality and substance. As enjoyable as the Frank Allocco Jr./Brad Millard era of Flex Cuts and Bronco half court sets was, Randy Bennett has slowly developed a program that oozes with talent and raw athletic ability. They may have had to outsource their recruiting to Australia to do it, but St. Mary’s has finally found themselves on even ground with the Gonzaga’s and BYU’s of the world, and I’ll be damned if it isn’t fun to watch.

St. Mary’s has lost two key players from last year’s squad that fell to Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The biggest loss was undoubtedly Rob Jones. A DVC alum, Jones was the Gaels’ second leading scorer and a physical presence around the basket. The Gaels also said so long to Clint Steindl, a long armed marksman from Australia who, when hot, was known for his ability to tickle the twine from beyond the arc. Luckily, Randy Bennett did what he always does, he reloaded the Gael roster with a new crop of exciting talent.

St. Mary’s will feature a bench this year that consists of five capable backups, two of which are experienced transfers. Sporting a thick frame and six foot eleven inches of height, Matt Hodgson will bring a dynamic skill-set to Moraga. Born and raised in Queensland, Australia, Hodgson spent his first two years of college playing ball for Southern Utah University. Like all the Australian’s Bennett recruits, Hodgson is noticeably skilled for a man of his size. A southpaw, Hodgson is not afraid to let fly with a lefty three bomb from time to time.

James Walker III comes to St. Mary’s off the Junior College hoops circuit. The Long Beach native began his career playing for Utah State in the WAC. Feeling inhibited by the Aggies half court style offense, Walker came back home to California to play his Sophomore year at Citrus JC. All he did there was win the California Junior College Player of the Year award while leading his team to the JUCO Final Four. Almost more importantly, Walker brings with him a Southern California swagger that has endeared him with the St. Mary’s student section. From his well cropped faux hawk to his Allen Iverson arm sleeve, to his checkered socks, it appears Walker has brought a welcomed slice of Silver Lake up north to the East Bay.

Also on the St. Mary’s bench, and perhaps just as hip, is Jorden Page. A redshirt Junior, Page is yet another Gael in the long line of Aussie imports. Similar to Patty Mills, the slight-of-build Page takes a silky smooth approach to the game. Page never seems to be over exerting himself out of the court, but instead buzzes around the court looking for ways to get his bigger teammates involved. Like Walker, Page brings his own sense of style to the hardwood, most recently rocking what appear to be a pair of leggings under his oversized Adidas shorts.

Rounding out this year’s Gaels Bench Mob are Senior Kyle Rowley from Trinidad and Redshirt Freshman Jordan Giusti from San Ramon. Rowley comes in at 7’0” and 280 and is tatted to the nines. By the looks of him, it is clear he has been around the block in the WCC and has been through some wars. If and when he is called upon to offer a hard foul in a key situation, Kyle Rowley will be ready and waiting.

Jordan Giusti, on the other hand, will serve as happy-go-lucky backup point guard. Giusti has been through some wars himself, those of the North Coast Section variety during his time at San Ramon Valley High School. If anything can prepare him for going up against Mark Few’s defense up in Spokane, Washington, it is Frank Allocco’s in Concord, California. The left handed guard plays with a ton of positive energy and will be a great asset for the Gaels off the bench.

So far during this young season the Gaels starting lineup has consisted of Dellavedova, sharpshooting Junior Stephen Holt, Junior Beau Levesque, Sophomore Brad Waldow and Senior Mitchell Young. Save for Rob Jones, SMC returns all of their starters from a year ago. It is assumed the offense will again go through Dellavedova and with good reason. Like a great leadoff hitter in baseball, as Dellavedova goes, the SMC Gaels go.

As always, standing in the way of the Gaels winning another WCC title are the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Currently ranked 19th in the nation, the Zags are the undisputed favorites to win the conference. Kevin Pangos and Gary Bell Jr. are two of the best shooters you will ever see, while Elias Harris and David “Don’t Call Me John” Stockton are also great players in their own right. The Zags are scheduled to come to town on February 14th, in what figures to be the best basketball game held in the Bay Area all winter.

Thanks to their continued success as a national program, St. Mary’s will be featured during ESPN’s traditional “Feast Week” over Thanksgiving. The Gaels have been invited to head down to Anaheim to play in the DIRECTV Classic featuring Cal, Xavier, and Georgia Tech. The overwhelming majority of prognosticators are picking the Gaels and Bears to square off in the final.

Considering the proven leadership of Randy Bennett, the experience of Matthew Dellavedova, and a talented, albeit eclectic supporting cast, expectations have never been been higher for College Hoops in Lamorinda. The road has been paved to the Georgia Dome for the 2013 Final Four. Now let's see how far the Gaels can travel down it...

Section 925 Podcast Episode 11

Click to listen... Section 925 Podcast Episode 11

Jalila Sparks, Stanford alum and sports aficionado, joins Connor to preview the Cardinal's pivotal game at #1 Oregon. The two also dive into the women's sports landscape, discussing Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, et al.

Section 925 Podcast Episode 10

Click to listen... Section 925 Podcast Episode 10

Connor brings his buddy Spinelli back inside the Section 925 Podcenter for a half hour chat. The two chop it up on topics ranging from the LA Lakers slow start, the Warriors quest for an 8 seed, the Knicks throwback roster, the Giants title run, the Raiders struggles, the Jeff Tedford era, and the SMC Gaels hoop season.

“The Silent Assassin" - Bayview Native Dion Jordan Quietly Shines for No. 3 Oregon

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

If you have ever found yourself in a conversation with a University of Oregon student or alumnus, one thing becomes abundantly clear from the get-go. Duck fans are obsessed with their football team.

Void of a professional sports franchise for hundreds of miles, the small town of Eugene treats its football team like a precious crown jewel. Football as religion is typically reserved for SEC country, but Autzen Stadium is more like a place of worship as opposed to a venue to watch a sports event. Oregon football players are treated like royalty and the holy grail of sportswear companies, Nike, treats Chip Kelly like a Messiah.

For the past three years, little Eugene has been the epicenter of west coast football. In 2010 they lost in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State, in 2011 they lost in the National Title Game to Auburn, and last year they went back to the Rose Bowl and beat Wisconsin. Dion Jordan was on the team all three years. Not a bad run by anyone’s standards.

When I first met Dion Jordan, it was on the turf where he grew up. Youngblood-Coleman Playground in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunter’s Point District. It was early August and Jordan was just days away from heading back up to Eugene to begin Fall camp and the 2012 season. If I wanted to talk to him, he suggested I meet him at his hometown football field. Fair enough.

The football field at Youngblood Playground is the home field for the San Francisco Brown Bombers Pop Warner football team. With ages ranging from 7 and under (Tiny Mite) and fifteen and under (Midget), the Bombers are one of the most accomplished Pop Warner programs on the west coast. Today was the first week of practice for the 2012 campaign, and it certainly didn’t look like the coaching staff had made cuts yet. Seemingly every inch of the 100 yard gridiron was occupied by an undersized kid in an oversized helmet.

Out at mid-field, amongst all the madness of a Pop Warner practice, Jordan stood calmly, quietly offering tidbits of advice to San Francisco’s next generation of pigskin superstars.

“I love being out on the football field,” Jordan explained. “Even though it is a violent and crazy game sometimes, I’ve always thought of the football field as my sanctuary. A place where I can clear my head and just focus on playing and having fun.”

Standing at 6 foot 7 and weighing 240 pounds, it is almost striking how long and athletic Jordan looks in person. Slated to be a first round pick in next Spring’s NFL draft, Jordan looks every bit like a San Francisco 49er. At one point one of the Brown Bomber Tiny Mite’s ran up to Jordan and asked him point blank, “Are you in the NFL?” You couldn’t blame the 7 year-old running back for asking.

Now in his Senior season, Jordan is again leading the Ducks’ defense in sacks. With 4.5 speed in the 40 and an awe-inspiring wingspan, virtually all the Mel Kiper Juniors of the world agree Jordan is a can’t miss NFL Defensive End in the making. However, five years ago, Jordan’s NFL dream looked to be over before it started.

After growing up in San Francisco, Jordan’s family moved to Chandler, Arizona where he would play his high school football. With breathtaking speed and dominating length and height, Jordan starred as a wide receiver and eventually grew into a Pac-10 blue chip recruit at wide-out. Following a game during his senior year, Jordan was involved in a gruesome car fire accident inside his friend’s garage. Jordan was airlifted to the hospital and was lucky to survive the life-threatening episode. Luckily, former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti honored Jordan’s scholarship offer, and he set off to play receiver for the Ducks.

If there is one constant theme that surrounds Chip Kelly’s Oregon football team, it is the program’s unquenchable thirst for speed. There is speed at every position, even quarterback and offensive line. If you aren’t fast, you don’t play at Oregon. In Jordan’s case, with so much speed on Oregon’s offensive skill positions, he was moved to Defensive End early in his career.

“I enjoyed wide receiver, but my speed really allows me to do well in Oregon’s fast-paced style of defense,” said Jordan. “Coach Aliotti (defensive coordinator) wants us to be extremely fast on the defensive side of the ball and we try to take pride in that.”

As far as Jordan’s NFL hopes, starting to learn a brand new position in the middle of college was a risky proposition, but the fact was that it was best for the team. And for the soft-spoken Jordan, if it was best for the team, he was willing to do it.

“The reason why guys come to Oregon is because they want to win National Championships,” says Jordan. “People think guys come because of the Nike uniforms or the locker rooms, but it’s not that. It’s the chance to play on the best team, with the best players. Coach Kelly is really competitive and recruits the best guys he can, and great players want to be a part of that.”

Now in his Senior year, Jordan is leading a team that has a legitimate shot at bringing the U of O its very first football National Championship. As Jordan carries the weight of Oregon fans’ hopes and dreams, he certainly doesn’t let it show outwardly. His violent defensive position on the field has produced the likes of Bill Romanowski and John Randle, but somehow Jordan exudes the quiet calm of a buddhist monk rather than a crazed hitman. Out on the field Jordan drives blindsided quarterbacks face-first into the turf, but off the field he is rarely caught without a relaxed smile on his face.

Jordan makes it clear that he is focused on bringing an historic Championship to Eugene, but he also admits to striving toward his lifelong goal of the NFL. When I asked him if he watched the NFL combine last February to compare himself to the best draft prospects of 2012, Jordan quickly grinned. “I did. I watched the combine closely,” laughed Jordan. “I actually made a little chart of what guys at my position were doing. How fast their 40 time was, how much their bench press was. I wanted to work toward being at the highest level out there.”

When Jordan takes the field next Saturday against the California Golden Bears, he will be back home in the Bay Area in front of his hometown friends and family. An Oregon degree in Sociology, a National Championship ring, and a handshake on stage with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell all wait in the wings for the skinny kid from south side of San Francisco. If it is up to Dion Jordan, he will tackle all three accomplishments with a full head of steam. Once number 96 gets going, he’s not easy to stop.

"Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" - Week 8

By: Josh Hunsucker (@jphunsucker)

Despite the booming Bay Area sports scene, world titles and all, we've be admittedly slacking. But not without good cause. Anyway, I'm back for your Niners pleasure with a quick Week 8 preview.

Let's get the un-pleasantries out of the way. The 49ers and Cardinals don't like each other. Especially Joe Staley. The feeling is mutual for the Cardinals D-Line.

The funny thing is, just like Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, they've got a lot in common but are pitted as enemies. Both bolster stout defenses, good special teams, an array of offensive weaponry at the skill positions, quarterbacks that are enigmatic (that the closest I can go, obviously big edge for Alex here), and good coaches. And just like Pat and Billy, they are out to kill each other tonight.

I would be remiss to say that the Niners D isn't likcing their chops at an Arizona offensive line that is missing their starting tackles and on pace to give up 80 sacks. I predict a big day for Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks. Let's see if Zona can effectively counter with screens or quick stuff.

On offense this week will be a another stepping stone week. The offense has taken a few steps back over the last couple weeks but we'll see if Frank Gore can continue to run strong and if Mike Crabtree can build on his already strong season. PS Alex Smith, Vernon Davis is on the team.

Niners 20-10.

"Bedlam in Oakland" - An A's Diehard Recounts an Electric Night at The Coliseum

By Devin Reno Wright (@TheRealReno)

I feel like I should first point out that I have been going to A's games since I was around 12 years old, and I have seen some amazing moments at the Coliseum. Jason Kendall stealing home on an errant throw from the catcher to pitcher against the Angels, Bobby Kielty hitting a grand slam that was called by Cheese Robertson, Scott Hatterburg winning the 20th game in The StreAk on a fucking walk off bomb after not even starting. But never before have I been to an A's game like the one I witnessed last night. It was an absolutely unbelievable night made believable by a team that nobody thought would do anything memorable this year.

As I left my office to join my coworkers for a few drinks before jumping on BART, I couldn't help but notice how much A's gear I was seeing in downtown San Francisco. Jerseys, hats, t-shirts... green and gold everywhere. I was thinking to myself "maybe this game might have like 15,000 folks." But as I got off the train to walk across the bridge to the stadium, I quickly realized that this game was going to be as full as I have ever seen O.co.

Getting to our seats, the chants of "Let's go Oakland" hit me like a wall. It was so loud and crazy, I just could not believe it. My stomach turned into a knot and I felt a rush of adrenaline as the A's took the field. I knew instantly that this could be an unforgettable night. A quick 3-up and 3-down for the Rangers gave the crowd something more to cheer about as the A's came to bat. The players and fans knew getting an early start would set the stadium on fire, and that is exactly what happened. A quick 2 runs by the A's and the fans could smell the blood in the water. My ears were ringing with "Let's go Oakland". The "booop.....boooooop" game was going strong from the A's fans as the Rangers bullpen started getting warmed up before the inning was over. It seemed like the Rangers were frazzled already. Like they didn't expect this when they flew into Oakland. And why should they in all honesty? If I have never seen anything like what was going on, then the Rangers players certainly hadn't either. I only wished C.J. Wilson was still playing for Texas, so he could finally stop with all the shit talking he does about the city of Oakland, the team, and it's fans.

A's fans know that a 2-0 lead is a great start, but in a game against Texas, no lead is safe. They're simply too talented offensively to think you are going to shut them down. But Jarred Parker did an amazing job of getting out of jams, not walking batters, and limiting damage. When the Rangers came back and tied the game at 2, there was no sense of panic, but it did make the crowd more intense. Literally every single pitch was huge. People were standing on every 2 strike count (it should be noted that the ump had a very delayed strike call, which only added to the intensity by having to wait for the ball strike call). Every contact made by an A's bat drew a reaction. Throw overs by the Rangers drew loud boos and jeers. The fans responded to every hit like they were home runs. And then in the fifth, the A's bats took control.

Back to back doubles had the crowd in a frenzy. A stolen base by Coco and a sac fly gave the A's 4 runs causing fans to go nuts. High tens, hugs, and the Bernie were all #trending HARD.

Between innings, the cavernous concourses of O.co were filled with chants and horns. Bathroom and food lines were 30 people deep. They would only move when the A's came to bat, and people would just bail out of line to watch the A's hit. People in the stands were dancing like crazy when the Bernie song, and Call Me Maybe came on. It wasn't a rowdy drunk crowd like we are used to for Yankee, Giants, or Red Sox games. This was crowd that, as the game wore on, just seemed genuinely more and more happy to be there, and cheer on their underdog team of goofball party boys.

As the bottom the ninth came up, I checked my phone and saw a text from a friend (who shall rename nameless), who said "Does Ball Four have it in him?" This was no time to respond to pessimism I thought. For the last 3 hours, I had been surrounded by the most optimistic bunch of people that I have ever seen. There was no room for pessimistic thoughts in this place, I said to myself.

In the bottom of the ninth, "One" by Metallica started blaring and the crowd rose to their feet and began rolling their arms in beat to the song a la Daunte Culpepper circa 1999. The music was getting louder and arms started waving like crazy. I must have said it 1,000 times, but I have NEVER seen the Coliseum like this. I wasn't in shock, but I was in awe. Green, gold and white all standing and cheering and pumping their fists to the heavy drums and guitars of Metallica is a beautiful sight to behold. The scene was just.....Awesome. Balfour got 2 quick outs on 6 pitches. The crowd was screaming and so ready to rock I thought the upper deck was going to collapse. A 3-2 count set the scene, and with a dirty fastball, the fans erupted. Kool and the Gang could barely be heard over the roar of the crowd. People hugged, danced and high fived for what seemed like 30 minutes. Nobody left their seats as the players sprayed champagne and light domestic beer all over themselves and the fans behind the dugout. Josh Reddick even decided it was OK to plant a pie in his manager's face during an on-field interview. The fans of green collar baseball stayed and partied long after that last pitch. It felt like we were partying with the team.

As Dud and I left to start the BART ride home, neither of us could say much other than "wow...just wow". We asked, can you frame a ticket from a game that sealed a Wild Card spot? When we finally took our seat on the train, I realized that it didn't matter that it was just a wild card spot. This game will be remembered for more than that. It was a game that, for me, will always be remember for bringing out the positives from a city, and a team that people don't expect very much from. It was a game that, after all the bullshit Oakland has gone through, showed that this team is more than special. They are unforgettable.

"And Down the Stretch They Come" - The Oakland A's Bring Their Glory Days Back to Life

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

Last season, after finishing 14 games below the .500 mark, Billy Beane did what he typically has to do during the offseason. He held a fire sale. Strapped with the lowest payroll in baseball, Beane was forced to give up Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill and Andrew Bailey. By that time, Mark Ellis and Hideki Matsui were long gone too. By the end of last Fall, the A’s had nothing in the way of proven talent. They were a dumpster fire, and owner Lew Wolff was determined to keep pouring gasoline all over the flames.

By now, the “Moneyball Era” had run its course. Everyone had read the book and watched the movie. Billy’s secrets were no longer private and it looked as though he had run out of cards up his green collar sleeve.

Meanwhile, Lew Wolff spent the offseason trying to get his A’s the hell out of Oakland. For all he cared, his team might as well lose over 100 games in 2012. The goal was profit, and Oakland wasn’t providing it. If the movie “Major League” was art, Lew Wolff was doing his best to imitate it.

Ironically, the San Francisco Giants, the darling across the bay, have been one of the reasons why the A’s haven’t quite left yet. Giants brass isn’t too thrilled about the idea of San Jose residents going to A’s games instead of Giants games, thus they’ve taken to the courts to prevent a Silicon Valley ballpark.

Instead, the A’s were set to stAy put in Oakland, at least for the 2012 campaign. Lew Wolff would have to wait at least another year to end baseball in Oakland. Yes, the stadium naming rights would be sold to “O.co”, half the place would still be tarped, and the women’s bathrooms would still have troughs to save money (or so I’m told).

I remember it vividly when the A’s signed Manny Ramirez. I was irrationally ecstatic for reasons unknown. Maybe it was because of ManRam’s carefree attitude, or because he ended the most vicious curse in baseball history, or because he was a hitting savant. For whatever reason, I’ve always loved the guy.

Billy Beane, on the other hand, didn’t necessarily love ManRam, so much as he had no money in the bank to work with. Beane drafted a contract for the zany, 40-year-old slugger, that read pretty much as follows: “If you hit, we’ll pay you. If you don’t, we won’t.”

Apparently, steroids really do make a difference, thus forcing a clean Manny into baseball obscurity relatively quickly. He never played a game in the Bigs for the A’s in 2012. For all intents and purposes, he was a bust and Billy Beane had just dug himself a bigger hole.

I remember it even more vividly when the A’s signed Cuban export Yoenis Cespedes. I learned of the news on Twitter of course, from a lifelong A’s supporter, @_Sparky_B. “Did the A’s just land Pedro Cerrano?” he asked. Honestly, no one really knew at that point and fewer people probably cared. A ridiculous, over-the-top video of “Yo” hitting bombs with his shirt off started flying around the interwebs. If nothing else, it gave A’s fans something to talk about.

The only problem with Cespedes, beside the fact that he appeared to swing for Mt. Davis on every pitch, was that the A’s broke their piggy bank on him. On a team where starters routinely get the league minimum salary of $480,000, Cespedes would be earning $9,000,0000 per year. When he sat down in the A’s press room to sign his Yankee-esque contract, Billy Beane (allegedly) whispered to himself, “This guy better not suck.”

Back in March, when the A’s boarded their flight to head off to Japan to start their season against the Mariners, they looked like a safe bet to be the worst team in baseball. Their best hitter supposedly couldn’t hit a curveball, their best pitcher (Bartolo Colon) couldn’t miss a meal, and their owner wanted to lose every game. Even the Banjo Man thought this team was going to be god awful.

In many ways, to be perfectly honest, this team has been terrible. For starters, the team has had no trouble breaking the Major League record for strikeouts (I stopped counting at 1,333). As mentioned before, their most proven hitter, Manny Ramirez, never was good enough to play a game in the Majors. Brandon Inge, who carried the team for much of the year, is now out for the season with an injury. Josh Reddick, the team leader in home runs, recently ran off a streak of zero hits in 30 at bats.

The A’s best pitcher, Bartolo Colon, was exposed as a roid monger midway through the season. Their second best pitcher, Brandon McCarthy, was drilled in the dome by a line drive that fractured his skull. Their third best pitcher, Brett Anderson, was put on the DL with a strained oblique. The list goes on...

Despite all this, for reasons unbeknownst to anyone, through all the injuries, all the slumps, all the burnouts, and all the long odds stacked up against them, the A’s have somehow found a way to bring a winner to the city of Oakland and the greater East Bay.

Now that I stop and think about it, maybe it was the “Bernie Lean” that did it.

As the story goes, pitcher Jerry Blevins of the A’s is a big fan of the movie “Weekend at Bernie's”. The 1989 comedy chronicles the escapades of two young insurance salesmen who discover their boss is dead. Believing that they are responsible for his death and that a hitman will kill them unless Bernie is around, they attempt to convince people that he is still alive. Thus, a dead Bernie is constantly being dragged around and looks like he is leaning back, or “doing the backstroke with no arms”. In "Weekend at Bernie's II", Bernie acutally rises from the dead and does a zombie like dance.

In 2009, the rapper ISA created the song "Moving Like Berney". The song became popular in the South and somehow made its way onto Blevins' ipod. Blevins then suggested the song to Coco Crisp, who then put ISA's "Moving Like Berney" on the clubhouse playlist.

Next, as an inside joke, third baseman Brandon Inge decided to make "Moving Like Berney" his walk up song. By this time, the berney lean was really catching fire as the Right Field Bleacher Creatures caught wind and started leaning themselves.

Most recently, the rappers ATM and IMD decided to make a remix of the original "Moving Like Berney" track. They approached Coco with the song and have now granted the rights of the remix to the A's. After Inge went out with a season ending injury, Coco made sure to keep the Berney tradition alive and walk up to ATM and IMD's "Bernie Lean" each at-bat. 14 walkoff wins later and the rest is history.

Heading into the A’s final series of the year versus the Rangers, Oakland finds themselves in a last second sprint toward a most improbable trip to the playoffs. With a payroll of just $49,137,500, the A’s hold a record of 91-68. With a payroll of $195,998,004, the Yankees are 92-67. Amazingly, the A’s are doing this with a five man pitching rotation made up of all rookies. Pardon me for not spending my Friday nights at Stockton Port and Sacramento River Cat games, but who in their right mind has heard of dudes like Jarrod Parker, Travis Blackley, AJ Griffin, Dan Straily and Tommy Milone? The timeless phrase “Well, stranger things have happened before," could and should be replaced by, “Well, the 2012 Oakland Athletics did (I won’t jinx it) the playoffs.”

It is certainly no secret that the city of Oakland has seen better days. A sputtering economy, struggling schools, and increased violence never seem to be far from the discussion when one talks about Oakland in 2012. That said, it is even less of a secret of how far fetched and unlikely this Athletics playoff run has been.

You won’t see any splash hits, panoramic bay views or Coke bottle slides when you come to Oakland. Nor will you see any panda hats or lines for gourmet sushi rolls. But, what you will see is team seemingly destined to shock the baseball world, one Bernie Lean at a time. The Athletics’ days may be numbered in the city of Oakland, but they sure have decided to throw one hell of a going away party. Fortunatley, everyone is invited.

"New Morning" - Week 4

Frank Gore looks to be an inconvenient truth for the Jets this Sunday.

By: Josh Hunsucker @jphunsucker

In case you were wondering, you can't just show up in another team's stadium and decide you are going to win without giving them a vote. Last week the Niners slept walked through four straight quarters of football and looked generally like zombies. The defense made Christian Ponder look like Madden '04 Vick.

The offense couldn't get any time of possession going, Frank Gore only touched the ball 12 times even though he averaged 5.3 YPC, and the game pretty much sucked the life out of me (the drive out of Tahoe that afternoon did not help either).

Here's the GOOD NEWS. The Niners are still the prohibitive favorite in the NFC West (despite the feisty Nards). The Niners are facing a Darrelle Revis-less Jets. Mark Sanchez is less than scary. Jesus Tebow barely gets on the field. Bart Scott is fighting reporters. The Niners had their 2.0 version of the bonding road trip to Youngstown, Ohio that was a catalyst for their success last year. So life is still good. The loss in Minny passed away quickly, and losses like that always do when the Niners are playing well.

Is there room for legitimate concern? SURE (the Vikings may be kind of good though but yes there is). Am I scared that we still haven't improved on offense since last year even though we seemingly upgraded? I will say that Mike Crabtree is finally making me smile each game. He is finally living up to my t-shirt jersey purchase, making tough catches, running hard, and generally being a man. Don't think that the change to the Jerry Rice facemask had nothing to do with it.

Did it make me sick to my stomach that a shifty guy like Percy Harvin (similar to Santonio Holmes) had a huge game against us (yes us), and was generally uncoverable? Yes, yes it did.

More good news, Mark Sanchez is considerably less mobile than Ponder and Shon Green is considerably less Adrian Peterson-y than Adrian Peterson.

If I can offer any hard hitting advice for Niners fans this week, don't under estimate the power of Jets' wideout coach Sanjay Lal, the great Miramonte WR coach of yesteryear. The Jets will be ready this Sunday and will be ready to prove that they are not the worst 2-1 team in the league.

The Niners NEED to get something cooking on offense. I'd like to see a steady dose of Frank "The Inconvenient Truth" Gore and some nice play action, which stretches the field. All of which opens up the field for our best player, VD. How is the media not talking about him in the same breath as Gronk and Jimmy Graham? Bewildering?!?!

The early start time SHOULDN'T have an adverse effect on the Niners this week. I have to believe Jim Harbaugh addressed the lack luster performance in Minny and motivated the team to forget the past and look at the Jets game as a New Morning. In classic Neo-Niner fashion, it won't be pretty but it will be a W.

Niners 23-20 and the season will again seem as bright as a New Morning.

"Dignity" - 49ers v. Lions Week 2

By: Josh Hunsucker (@jphunsucker)

*Author's note: If this post feels like a mail-in, just understand that I was busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest this week.

This week involves two teams that are looking for dignity in one way or another.

The Lions are looking to salvage a little from last years home loss and of course this. The Niners on the other-hand are still looking to solidify some of the knee jerk and fleeting dignity that the media mea culped all over them after last week's win in Green Bay.

The bottom line in this game is that the Lions' offense is extremely similar to Green Bay's. Therefore, our (yes our) defense should be well versed in handling a pass happy offense. PS- How about Navarro Bowman as the primary dime LB last week? What a tasty treat when you don't have to wear down your #1 LB all season and the backfill is an All-Pro.

Offensively, look for the Niners to build on what they did last week. Smitty (he earned the moniker this week) will likely be cross-pollinating the offense by giving the WRs and TEs all a little taste of the ball, with VD getting freed up for a big gainer as a result. Also, look for the Niners to counter the stout Lion D-line with some Kendall Hunter screens.

Well, that's all the time I have. And just to verify how busy I was, I passed up pregame field passes and free tickets because I was too swamped with school and work and school and life.

Niners win 27-23 and ask the media have you seen dignity?

“Welcome to the Show” - Cal Heads to The Ohio State Horseshoe to Face Urban Meyer

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

On a recent Tuesday evening, downtrodden from a long day of work and an even longer stretch of Bay Area fog, I flipped on the tube and took a tour of my house’s DVR contents. As it were, my roommate, a Texas transplant and former high school quarterback, had recorded "ESPN All-Access: Ohio State Training Days" for the entire house to enjoy. It was ESPN’s collegiate spinoff on HBO’s ever popular “Hard Knocks”, and I was eager to find out what kind of motivational entertainment was in store. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. By the end of the documentary, I was about ready to put my beer down and run through a wall for Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer.

This Saturday, at 9am PST, the California Golden Bears will head into football crazed Columbus, Ohio and do battle with the Buckeyes in front of a national television audience on ABC. If the show “Training Days” serves as any indication, the Bears will be encountering an angry sea of red that is ferociously hungry and desperate for success. The Horseshoe will be filled to the gills with raucous fans, all of which will be looking for blood in the water when Jeff Tedford and his troops set foot on Ohio soil.

Anyone who has followed college football over the last decade knows that Urban Meyer is a phenomenal football coach. Arguably, he is the best college football coach in the game today. In 2004, while at Utah, Meyer used Alex Smith as his quarterback to take a virtually unknown program to a 12-0 undefeated season. Meyer then moved on to Florida where he coached for six seasons. All he did there was win two National Championships in 2006 and 2008 with likes of Chris Leak and Tim Tebow leading his offenses.

What fewer people understand about Meyer is his uncontrollable obsession with the game of football. After losing in the SEC Championship game in 2009 to Alabama, Meyer was rushed to the hospital. Suffering from stress induced chest pains and dehydration, Meyer was so taxed by his quest to win it all that he was nearly having a heart attack. He quit for a few days after the incident, explaining that he needed to get healthy and spend time with his family. But sure enough, he was inevitably back inside the Florida coaches office by week's end. Since then, Meyer coached his final season at Florida, spent one year as a TV analyst, and finally found his way back to Ohio State, the place where he began his coaching life as a wide receivers coach back in 1986.

From the first whistle of “Training Days”, Urban Meyer’s unmatched passion for football comes pouring out of him. His main slogan for his players is to “bring the juice” at each and every moment of practice. Whenever he fears “the juice” is missing, Meyer lets his players know about it in a menacing, commander-in-chief type voice. He is also fond of the phrases “be a badass” and “be an angry football team”. High above the Ohio State workout facility, the phrase “Train Like an American Hero” is written for all to see upon entering.

“Training Days” makes it no secret that Urban Meyer runs his program like a tightly-knit military unit, always ready for any battle on the horizon. The 2012 version of the Buckeyes will not be eligible to play in a postseason bowl game, due to prior violations under coach Jim Tressel. All the more reason why Meyer’s ability to create such a high intensity training camp is so impressive. Meyer is so dedicated to the idea of having a close football team that he even has his players take naps together. During double-days, instead of having his team scatter for lunch in between practices, Meyer and his staff bought 70 air mattresses and sent his players into the weight room at noon and had them sleep on the floor for an hour together. The Ohio State weight room floor: Urban Meyer’s version of military barracks.

Even despite all the demands Meyer puts on his team of 18-22 year olds, “Training Days” depicts a team full of players that seem to love their football coach. If nothing else, the team respects Meyer for all the energy he puts into bringing his team to the top of the college football world. Unfortunately, Meyer has been known to let college football take over his life, with the quest of winning the national championship becoming all consuming. In the wake of Meyer’s physical breakdown at Florida and subsequent trip to the hospital, Meyer’s daughter Nicki requested that her dad sign a family contract promising that he stay healthy and well adjusted for the rest of his coaching career. Among the requests Urban had to sign for Nicki included such remedial tasks as “eating 3 meals a day” and “sleeping with the cell phone on silent”.

In Urban Meyer’s first two games at the helm in Columbus, his new team has defeated Miami of Ohio and Central Florida, both in impressive fashion. Meyer now will set his sights on the Golden Bears of Cal, a team who is in desperate need of a strong effort come Saturday. Bears’ coach Jeff Tedford, at one point credited with turning around the Cal football program, has now found himself on the the proverbial hot seat. His job security at its lowest level to date.

Tedford’s boom years saw Old Blues dawning tie dyed “Ted Head” shirts and the likes of Marshawn and DeSean running wild across the Old Memorial Stadium turf. His success earned him enough good faith to make what became a 321 Million Dollar stadium upgrade seem reasonable. But now, countless concerned eyes look to Tedford, wondering how long this stadium investment will take to generate a return.

It could very well be argued that Jeff Tedford and his staff have no reason to fear any team in the country. After all, the Bears are used to playing the likes of USC and Oregon year in and year out, both powerhouses in their own right, both ranked higher than Ohio State. That said, when Tedford scheduled this game with the Buckeyes, it was before he knew Urban Meyer would be his opponent. It was also before he knew Ohio State would be ineligible to play in a bowl game in 2012, making each regular season game, and the quest for Meyer to go undefeated all the more important.

Cal’s first two games this year have both been extremely disappointing. First, the Bears let Nevada spoil their long awaited homecoming with a 31-24 loss. Zach Maynard failed to start the game at quarterback because of a missed tutoring session over the summer, and the Bears never seemed to recover from their slow start. Cal followed this up with an uninspired victory over Southern Utah. In a game that was figured to be a blowout in favor of Berkeley, Cal committed 12 penalties and the contest was still up for grabs in the fourth quarter.

The fact of the matter is, the 2012 version of the Cal Bears are not a Rose Bowl contender. Barring something more miraculous than “The Play”, the 53 year Rose Bowl drought is going to tick one more spot to 54 by year's end. Yet, if Cal ever has dreams of getting back to the “Granddaddy of Them All”, they will have to find a way to rise to the level of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Come Saturday morning, Bear fans the world over will turn their eyes to a football mecca, Columbus, Ohio. As Cal chases their blue and gold flag out of the tunnel and onto the Horseshoe turf, Bear Backers won’t necessarily need a win in order to be satisfied. But one thing's for sure, the Bears better well bring some juice. We all know Urban Meyer will.

Section 925 Podcast Episode 6

Section 925 Podcast Episode 6

Josh goes coastal to bring in his former college roommate and Connecticut's #1 Niners fan Huss to discuss the Niners' off-season, make game-by-game picks, and break down Week 1 versus the Pack.

“Series of Dreams” – A 49er Faithful’s 2012 Preview

By Josh Hunsucker (@jphunsucker)

*Author’s Note: In a former blogging life I wrote a weekly 49er post called “The Displaced Faithful” (I lived in Kansas) with my good buddy and Connecticut’s #1 Niners Fan, “Huss”. Last year, as I boarded up my blog for law school, I consolidated my posts into an intimate email to my homeboys. Well, with the advent of Section925.com, I guess my weekly Niner posts are back and open for public consumption. Just know the titles will generally be musically thematic (if not all Dylan) and the analysis will be inspired, or at least completely biased and homerific-logic if you can suspend reality and not think too much about it. Gracias, enjoy, and Go Niners!

If any Niners fan considers last year as anything but an amazing and sublime journey that went down in a hail of gunfire, yet everyone at the funeral was glad that the person lived that long, then you weren’t a FAITHFUL from 2002-2010. For the new bandwagon fans please click this (Faithful please do not click this) and then do the math (no disrespect to the great Brian Jennings) of why we were not in the playoffs. So yeah, while losing at home on the NFC Championship Game because of one bone-head special teams play by the 49ers and one great special teams play by the Giants was a bummer, I will take heartbreak any day over being in a numb, heartless, failing relationship (plus we got this and this and that’s ok with me).

Looking forward to this season I was trying to think about how I would break down our (yes our) chances this year. As I kept thinking, I was never thinking of anything specific that I could focus on to say “X" is why we will be good. We have all 11 defensive starters back, Alex Smith does not have a new offense to learn, we added offensive weapons at the wide-out position, we have Jim Harbaugh, we have depth at running back, Aldon Smith is going to play on downs not named third, his brother Justin is a man of men, Boobie Dixon made the roster… the list goes on. On paper there is nothing too very scientific as to why the Niners are going to be good. When you’re constantly thinking about the 49ers, like I do, they are just a dog gone good team.

Even though the schedule, compared to last year, seemingly is a hand of cards that is no good to be holding (Green Bay, Jets, Saints, and Pats on the road and no crappy third place teams like last year), the strength of schedule is, by definition, ranked a lowly 26th (if you buy into that, I don’t really but sort of). The other thing is that the 49ers are road tested from last year, so a split on the road this year for those games is not bad. For the record, I’d put my money on losses at GB and NO and wins at NY and NE. I am still rattled by the Saints fans at the Superdome when I witnessed, first-hand, 72,000 people rooting against the great UC Davis graduate, JT O’Sullivan.

I know what the critics are saying. Similarly, I don’t think that the Niners will win 13 games this season because 1) we are not sneaking up on anyone and will get everyone’s best shot, 2) our schedule has the aforementioned “four BIG road games,” plus the Lions, Bears, and Giants (oh my…sorry I hate myself for that), improved Dolphins and Bills, and the always tough game in Seattle, and 3) nothing really bad happened last year so Murphy’s Law says it will happen this year via injury (knock on wood), Seattle being super good, or something screwy happening. Having said that, The NFC West still has the Nards and the Lambs and 10 or 11 games will get the job done.

I know that I’m not making any great connections about why the Niners are going to be successful this year. And unlike the years past I am not falling for some intricate scheme or a theory that wouldn’t pass inspection. On my internal confidence barometer it seems like the path the Niners have been hurled by Coach Harbaugh is the right one. Now, I’m not going to any great extremes, like Super Bowl or bust. BUT, 10,000 Elvises and 1 Boobie Dixon can’t be wrong. Sometimes it’s inexplicable, sometimes it’s ugly, but the Niners are a tough team that get it done and there is nothing that would make me think that is going to change going into the fall of 2012.

As us Faithful walk out of the darkness of the off-season and into the weekly shadows of doubt, I’m not going to go into any great trouble over whether the 49ers will make the playoffs this year. After thinking about the Niners' future this off-season, I believe it is whatever it seems. There is nothing too heavy to burst the bubble of them making the playoffs, and once they get there, who knows... I’m just thinking of a series of dreams.