"Oakland A's Mailbag" - Fans Lament Josh Donaldson's Departure

By @Section925

Last week, Josh Donaldson became the latest casualty on the long list of star ballplayers that the Oakland A's organization has decided to cut ties with. And this one, like so many others before, hurts. The hurt goes far beyond just that fact the Lew Wolff and Billy Beane are doing away with an exceptionally productive player (An All-Star last year, as well as top-8 finishes in the MVP voting the last two seasons.)

It has more to do with Donaldson's gritty/dirtbag persona spurred on by a faux-hawk under his flat billed A's lid and multiple head-long dives into the third base tarp. The soon to be 29-year-old from Pensacola, Florida by way of Auburn has now been shipped north of the border to play for the Blue Jays. Left in his wake is an increasingly beleaguered group of die-hard A's fans, forced to put yet another star A's player jersey at the bottom of their dresser drawer. Read their thoughts below:

@Section925:"Donaldson gone. That hurts."

J House:"Yeah, thought he'd be around for the long haul. Expect a couple more big trades through the weekend. Billy rapid fires when he's in one of those moods."

Casey Smith:"#countrybreakfast2015"

Craig Branstad: "Don't like it."

G. Wheeler:"RIP Josh Donaldson."

Raider Hoang: "Do you know any of the people we got?"

Wheeler: "No dude, no. It's just the same old song and dance. How can we be respectable without spending any money? Trade literally any player with value for minor league pitchers with upside."

The Rogue:"F@#* OFF LEW WOLFF. STOP R@*&%G MY TEAM"

Reno Wright:"Josh Reddick says it's clear to him and other Athletics players that the team is now in rebuilding mode."

Chiang of Fools:"[Andrew Blair Shredding]"

Chris Cosden:"Yeah it stings."

Ali S.:"F@#$ the A's."

Bobby Glasser:"Beane just reasserting that he cannot handle any player with an ego...."

The Big Three

Tejada

Rickey

Jason/Jeremy

Damon

Swisher

Bartolo

Balfour

Cespy

The list goes on...

Smith:"(putting on tinfoil hat) - it's hard not to think the JD's rant against the front office last year didn't have something to do with this…"

Tripper Ortman III:"I have given this some thought over the past couple days, and while I think there may be some merit, especially because the one person Beane has ever truly loved was Eric Chavez, who was as milktoast as they come (I also note that Rickey was before Beane’s time and he has now been brought back into the fold -- and remember, always take Rickey in small doses -- and Balfour, we don’t pay free agent closers generally).  That said, I think that Beane looks strictly at value, not just (or even primarily) at value to the A’s, but value on the trade market.  What can he get for this guy?  That is what he is looking at.  Like a good chess player, I think Beane is looking several moves ahead when he makes one move.  As disappointed as I am that the Cespedes deal didn’t bring a ring and that JD is gone, I remain hopeful that Beane will keep making moves to keep the A’s competitive in a tough division that got tougher with Nelson Cruz going to Seattle today…"

Glasser:"Tripper, the Kool-Aid is kicking in....  Beane's moves are supposed to make sense, and that is the problem.

Granted, we are not GM's, we are not Billy Beane's...  we are A's fans.  With that badge we so proudly wear comes the love of the extraordinary, the unique, the low attendance, the blah blah blah antiquated stadium we call comfortable, the personalities, the white shoes, damnit, yes white shoes.

No other team has white shoes.  We need to field a team befitting of those things we adore.  Numbers, dollars, WAR ratings, OBA, whatever; those things are not what drives Oakland A's fans....  What Beane/Wolff forget is the human factor...  This is tough to admit, but I'd much more prefer a World Series-less team with the likes of JD, Cespy, Coco, Reddick, Sogard (yes), than a team built on stats, trade-value, scouting report, etc.

Speaking of Chavez....  Check out his stats compared to games played/salary.  Over the course of numerous, injury-plagued seasons, Chavez got paid over $40 million, while playing roughly ONE season's worth of games.  Beane should be on the records for the biggest salary bust in all of pro sports.

History is made up by the players that played the game....  Something is wrong when a GM becomes bigger than the game.  And for that, he must fall."

@Section925: "As Jim Rome would say, 'Rack him.'

...Thank God we're not Giants fans."

Tripper:"Amen to that. And I didn't say I liked it, just that I think that is the way he looks at it.  And I don't blame him, I blame Lew and his ownership group.  They don't want us and we don't want them.  Sell the team."

"El Classico" - A Brief Rundown From the Land of La Liga

By Bryan Maag (@HalfBAM)

This game ("El Classico") is watched by more people around the world than then Super Bowl and World Series combined. These two teams play twice a year in league play and then may play in the Champions League or Copa del Rey. Last year Gareth Bale made a famous run against Bartram to finish the game off, outrunning him past the halfway point and putting it past Barca’s second goal keeper.

This year the teams have changed and adapted. It seems that Madrid is playing the style of play that Barca originally made famous: one touch futbol. Last year Barca swept the league series but lost out on the trophy to Real, which made the central base of Spain very happy.

Barcelona must be looked at like an island much like Monico, they were suppressed under the Franco regime during World War II and have been the team that has been the symbol of the sovereignty ever since. Barcelona just put their backing behind Catalon independence which could create a lot of problems in La Liga. The Spanish capital cannot allow an independent state to play in their national league unless they yield some power to the economic benefits that Barcelona provides.

Barcelona is a key shipping port for trade as well as a tourist attraction that brings in millions of dollars to the Spanish government. Losing Catalonia would be a significant tax loss and economically a strategically big loss to Spain which makes these games so important.

Half a billion people watch the El Classico, the only country predominantly rooting for Madrid is Spain.

--

So here is my recap of Saturday’s game. A 3-1 victory for Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid…

Lucho (Enrique) played for Madrid before he switched to Barca. He knows that these games mean more to the players individually than they do to the fans. After all, Barca is still on top of the league. He started Xavi and Pique who have had subpar seasons up to date. Lucho has instilled tight lines back into the Barca game and Madrid exploited their gaps. Marcelo was always left open on the left wing because Mathieu (the new Barca center back) was put on the fullback position which is usually controlled by Jordi Alba because he needed to stop set pieces.

He did not succeed today in his task. Once upon a time there was a left back at Barcelona with the name of Eric Abidal, a Frenchman that could cover the back but was let go by the prior ownership because of hepatic cancer, leaving the Baulgrana faithful questioning if the slogan “more than a club” indeed really meant anything.

Today Madrid asserted their midfield dominance. So much money is placed on putting the ball in the goal these days. You have to wonder if the midfield makes more of a difference than the actual attack, Iniesta went out early, but Barca did not have an answer because they were playing for their B team.

Real won two titles last year without beating Barca in the league, so VISCA BARCA.

"The Pure Swing of Joe Panik" - A Giants Rookie Arrives on the Big Stage

By Connor Buestad | connor@section925.com

The first time I met Joe Panik, we were standing in a dirt parking lot at dusk in San Jose, under the post-game glow of the low budget lights at “The Muni” or “San Jose Municipal Stadium" down the street from San Jose State University. The home of the Single-A Giants, The Muni is certainly not short on charm, but it also isn’t long on amenities either. An untouched relic of a bygone era of minor league baseball, The Muni does exactly what it is designed to do: cultivate the dreams of 20-year-old kids as they take their marks on the race to the major leagues.

The reason for my visit with Panik was a mutual friend, Mike Carozza. A baseball nut from the same upstate New York hometown as Panik, who grew up playing on the same little league fields as the younger Joe. Now they were both out west, attempting to make a name for themselves in San Francisco one way or another.

The three of us talked at length on that random South Bay summer night. The conversation probably wouldn’t have lasted as long, if it wasn’t for the fact that Panik was scheduled to make a public appearance at a team function later that evening. Public appearances have never been Panik’s thing. He’d much rather just talk the nuances of hitting outside his car after game 109 of a long minor league baseball season than glad-hand a bunch of people at a corporate event. But that’s just Joe.

Earlier that night, Panik had made a baby step toward his current post as the starting second baseman for the Pennant winning San Francisco Giants. He had shared the clubhouse and the infield with Pablo Sandoval, who was down in Single-A San Jose on a rehab assignment. By that same October, Pablo was hitting three home runs in one World Series game versus Justin Verlander and the Tigers, en route to the Giants’ second World Championship in three years.

Panik spent that same October of 2012 back in his hometown of Yonkers watching the World Series with his dad on Fox like the rest of us. Fast forward two short years and now Joe Panik is a far cry from Single-A San Jose, as he’s found himself in the Fall Classic himself, still just 23 years of age.

--

I haven’t talked to the soft-spoken, humble-as-can-be Panik since his call up to The Show. I can only guess as to what his experience has been like as a member of the Giants. But before Panik was called up to play for San Francisco, he made a stop in Triple-A Fresno to play for the Grizzlies. And Carozza and I were there for that pit stop as well, earlier this summer.

We were in Sacramento to be exact. Site of yet another nameless, faceless minor league weekday day-game. The kind of game that attracts more serious sunbathers than serious baseball fans.

We talked to Joe after this game too. This time it wasn’t in a dirt parking lot, but rather a sterile open-air shopping mall type deal in Sacramento. We ran into some veteran pitchers at the same restaurant. Pitchers that had already been up in the majors and had been sent down to Triple-A, forced to struggle their way back up. Panik discussed in earnest about how he was going to navigate his way up to San Francisco. It wouldn’t be easy, he admitted. As cliche as it sounds, he was close, but so far away. As much as he looked like a big league baseball player at that restaurant, no one was even close to recognizing the Giants’ top prospect. He would still be a nobody in the minors, until he proved otherwise.

On June 21st, young Joe got the call. And somehow, thanks to someone, an unknown blog that calls itself “Section925” was there to break the news. By this time of the year, the Giants had tried their hand with seven players at second base, including the high priced slugger Dan Uggla and World Series hero Marco Scutaro. Even so, Brian Sabean finally chose to look past Panik’s small home run totals and instead decide to focus on his picturesque left-handed swing, his steady glove, and his even steadier .300 average. Sabean’s decision, one might argue, came up aces.

In the 73 games Panik played in for the Giants this year, he hit a staggering .305. And in the League Championship Series versus the Cardinals, Panik hit a dramatic home run to help push the Giants into the World Series. If Brian Sabean wanted more home runs, he got one.

A veteran he is not, but don’t expect Panik to be overwhelmed by the World Series stage starting Tuesday in Kansas City. For anyone that has ever met Joe, knows that he never gets too high or too low. We won’t compare him to that other Joe who played football at Candlestick Park, by way of Pittsburgh, but you get the idea. The Joe Panik coming out party started in June, and it has been slowing gaining steam. Look for the party to hit it’s peak this weekend at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. At the World Series.

"Moneyball vs. Mojo" - A Lament On What Ails The Oakland Athletics

By Tripper Ortman III (@Tripperino)

As one of the identified elder statesmen of the group, I agree that since the days of Vida, Catfish, and Reggie, the A's success has always been driven by personalities and team chemistry.  In the 70's it was the team against Finley and the World, in the late 80's and early 90's it was LaRussa masterfully managing a mix of back-to-back-to-back ROYs, reinventing the careers of washed up pitchers (Stewart (yes, washed out of LA), Welch (same), and Eck (yes, before he started closing)), and giving them all a swagger that could only have come straight outta Oakland.  Those guys had personality, chemistry, and confidence, plus unbelievable support from the best owners in baseball.

Between and after those dynasties were some very lean years.  The Rob Piccolo, Bruce Bochte, and yes, Shooty Babbitt years.  Then, after the early 90's success the Bordick, Brosius, Berroa, and Browne (Jerry "The Governor") years -- entertaining and marginally successful.  Like all organizations, the A's had to rebuild, and they needed new ownership after the second dry spell.

They got it, and they got Beane, a benchwarmer on the '89 World Champs.  While I personally blame ownership for hamstringing Beane and trying to ruin the legacy of the A's, their fans, and their ballpark, what Beane has never seemed to understand is the Oakland mojo -- that unique, funky ingredient that gets our teams to exceed their potential and bring home a championship.

For example, he chose Chavez over Giambi and/or Tejada (I know ownership would never have allowed him to sign both).  For all his defensive prowess, Chavez never had the mojo on his own.  He hit 30 HRs and drove in 100 only when Giambi and Tejada were here.  He was never a "get on my back, I will take you there" kind of guy.  Giambi and Tejada were (I recognize I am ignoring the Juice issue, but humor me).  It wasn't just the numbers, not just the glove, not just the bat; it was the leadership, the goofy Oakland mojo that made those two perfect for Oakland.  Beane didn't understand that.  Maybe because Beane was a can't miss prospect (if you looked at the numbers) who never had the mojo and apparently couldn't relate to his '89 teammates that did.  Who knows why.

In addition, Beane has shown a proclivity for making a decision about a player and sticking to it, whether that means keeping a guy too long (Chavez, Barton) or never really giving a guy a chance (in my opinion, Milone).  Moreover, as Moneyball confirmed, Beane doesn't believe in intangibles.  He doesn't believe in mojo.  And that is frustrating to people who believe that teams and players can overachieve with the right chemistry, inspiration, and wacky fan support.  It has been very frustrating to me over the years.

Every GM makes mistakes, and Beane has always been given leeway because we all understand that he is operating under economic constraints from ownership that sees baseball as a purely profit-driven business.  That bugs me too, but was the Yo trade a mistake?  Maybe, and apparently from a mojo perspective it was.  Given what I have said here, you might expect me to say it was.   Get ready for the curveball.

I would have made this trade.  Lester is money and when the trade was made, we were in the AL West driver's seat.  We needed a playoff pitcher and we got the best one.  If you look back at our cursed string, we were all pretty excited when the trade was made, despite the loss of a favorite player.

We got Gomes and SuperSam to play outfield, and while neither has Yo's arm, both beat him in the hustle department.  Their numbers are actually comparable to Yo in many ways, but of course, neither gave us the "oh shit" factor.  I think Beane realized that, and so we got Dunn, the best he could do in this market.

I don't think we can honestly say that Beane has not built this team to win and win now.  And bring home a championship.   There is still plenty to mojo in the tank in Oakland.  In the dugout and in the stands.

As a pop star recently noted, players gonna play play play play play play play and haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate hate.  Beane has done what he can do, now the players gotta play play play play play.

This is our time.  Let's do this.

Tripper

Sent from my iPhone.

"Oakland A's And Affiliates Weekend" - From the Farm To The Show and Back

By Josh Hunsucker (@JPHunsucker)

Long before this summer began, my wife locked in "La Potencia T-Shirt Giveaway" tickets. The idea was that we could get away for three hours, and be grown-ups for an afternoon, in the wake of a whirlwind summer spent holed up in the DeRosa Center on the UOP campus studying for the California Bar Exam. The day after the bar exam felt like I was living in a power vacuum. I felt like I should be doing something and by about 2:00 PM I was getting stir crazy. I needed something to do and the A’s game was a day away. I checked the Ports schedule, out of town until Monday.[1] Then I thought to myself, “eff it” let’s go to a Rivercats game, Sacramento is only a 45 minute drive. I made the pitch that the boys would like the fireworks (if they could last that long) and I was going to murder someone if I didn’t get out of the house and double down for a "Triple-Header Oakland A’s and Affiliates" weekend. Rivercats for Friday fireworks, Oakland on Saturday for Lester’s first start, and back to Stockton for Dollar Monday.

Sacramento

I am always amazed at the amount of logistical considerations for a baseball game with two kids (4 and 2). It’s basically like packing out your kit for a 12-hour attack on a fortified compound defended by ISIS. You NEED everything. Water, snacks, snacks, snacks, dipers, wipes, extra underwear, PJs and pull ups for the ride home, snacks, sunscreen (even for a night game apparently), paper towels, napkins, a flashlight, scuba tank, and baseball gloves. We got to the game about an hour early to soak in the pre-game. I humped our gear and my 2-year old on the shoulders so that we could make the 5-minute walk to stadium in under an hour.

We got to the seats in plenty of time, as the grounds crew was watering the infield. It just so happens that one of my old buddies is the head grounds keeper for the Rivercats. Having no baseball action on the field to look at, the boys were immediately restless so I decided the best thing to do was heckle the grounds crew and introduce my boys to the time honored tradition of being loud idiots at the ball park (zero beers deep at this point, just for the record). Our “Hey, there’s a drought, THANKS FOR USING ALL THE WATER!” heckle got some mild laughs from the sparse crowd. Not bad. We continue to provide some bad heckling and cheap entertainment for the 20 and 60-somethings in the crowd until I notice that only one kid is with me.

Just as I turn around my 4-year old has bolted up the stairs and into the crowd. He emerges with two bobble head boxes. It was Addison Russell gnome giveaway day (now a member of the Cubs). Apparently, it was going to be an awkward giveaway weekend for the A’s. Immediately, I think he has stolen them from someone and am about to start yelling at him when he says “that nice lady gave us these.” My man. Haggling random grandparents for free ball-park swag and saving me around $20-$30 in crap that will keep their interest for 5 minutes at home, THANK YOU.

I don’t really remember what happened during the game because I was basically a free safety making sure that no kids got loose into the stadium but I remember wondering why Andy Parrino hasn’t gotten more playing time in Oakland and being amazed when Daric Barton hit not one but two balls for a hit.

In a semi-miraculous turn of events the boys kept it together and we made it to the fireworks. After the fireworks my buddy let us onto the field and the boys ran around the bases, played catch, and ran the warning track. Not bad for a Friday night game on a whim.

Oakland

My wife and I had illusions of grandeur that we would get up early and get out on the road to the O dot CO by 8:00 AM. Getting back from the game at midnight deferred that dream to about 10:00 AM. The logistics were much easier for round two: dump off the kids, have a backpack full of beer, sunscreen, and peanuts, and bomb down I-5 for Dublin BART. A short stop off at the Tracy Nations and we were ready to go. Is there anything more satisfying than crushing beers and Nations on BART en-route to an A’s game by the way?[2]

We got to the O dot CO about an hour before Jon Lester took the hill and 15-people short of a La Potencia shirt. Maybe I was super sensitive to the Cespy trade and more perceptive of the jerseys being worn by the fans but if I didn’t know any better I would have though it was “Dearly Departed Day” at the ball park. And I’m not just talking the abundance of #52 jerseys. Let’s get a roll call: Chavez (at least 4 people), Street, Ellis (I almost wore mine), Sweeney (I didn’t realize those were even made), Holliday (I booed him), Honeycutt, Grieve (mesh jersey), Foulk, Durazo, and Hudson. Sadly Olmedo Saenz received a DNP.

My main concern with the Lester start, aside from the awesome and awkward shirt giveaway, is the dichotomy with fanbase’s head and heart regarding the trade. From a heart perspective of course it kills to see one of the most beloved A’s get traded to a team that will likely sign him to a long term deal for much more money than the A’s are willing to trade. From Cespy’s showcase video, to the moon shots, playoff home runs against the Tigers, his back to back Home Run Derby exploits, laser assists from leftfield, and general awesomeness the A’s haven’t had a player this dynamic since Miguel Tejada. The fans loved everything about the guy, and the fact that he was from Cuba and didn’t speak English allowed him to be somewhat sheltered from fans criticizing his character and created a perception of mystery that enhanced the Cespy Experience. So looking at the trade that way I get it, it sucks to lose Yo. The fact that we traded him for essentially a mercenary, a Hessian in our revolution for the world title, didn’t cushion our fragile Moneyball hearts.

My head on the other hand loves this trade. We tried to trade Cespy last year, he only had one more year left on his 4-year $36 million contract, and unless you are insane or were going to buy the team from Lew Wolff, we were not going to resign him. All of the Youtube clips above basically show that his value couldn’t be hirer than right now and if you are going to make a run at the title pitching wins championships. See Giants 2010 and 2012 titles. Also, look at the last two seasons: Verlander and Sherzer won those ALDSs (although Cabrera didn’t hurt). Lester is a two-time champ and shut down ace, bottom line. If that takes us to the SHIP, I can sacrifice Yo even if my heart hurts a little bit.

With that said, Lester took the mound. I couldn't have been more proud of the fan base either. They knew what Lester was walking into from an emotional standpoint and showed him extra love. The crowd answered the call and made Lester feel like the rebound girlfriend who we are trying to prove we are over our last girlfriend. The crowd got to their feet at all of the crucial moments, kept Lester going when he got into jams, and gave him a deafening Standing-O when he left in the 7^th, complete with noticeable increase in noise when Lester reciprocated with a tip of the cap. If this works out, he may be the greatest rebound girlfriend/mercenary pitcher ever.

Stockton [3] 

If you have never been to Banner Island Ballpark you are missing out. First, it is basically a mini-Raley Field that features an intimate setting, outfield grass, centerfield lounge seats, and a great bar on the first base side. Second, tickets are $10 for behind home plate. Third, the A’s have had and continue to have some great prospects that generally made it to the show. This year they feature the top three prospects in the A’s farm system and 6 of the Top 10 (although catcher Bruce Maxwell just got called up to Midland). Basically their entire infield is in the Top 10. Daniel Robertson is the future at shortstop since Addison Russell’s departure to Chicago. Matt Olson is a better version of Daric Barton that can actually hit for power (34 HRs) and Renato Nunez, who played in the futures game, looks like a sturdier Eric Chavez (.287 AVE, 27 HRs, .907 OPS).

We got to our seats with two 24 oz beers per man and big league dreams in our eyes. In the bottom on the first, the aforementioned Nunez hit a bomb out of the stadium that hit the Stockton Arena to take an early 2-0 lead. Four home runs later, the Ports took home a blowout 8-1 win and we left over 100 ounces of beer richer and headed to B-Dubs to watch the end of the A’s-Rays Derek Norris walk-off win. 72 hours of A’s baseball. 72 hours of wins. 72 hours of new faces and hope. Green Collar.

[1] That’s basically the only ticket in town.

[2] No, there is not.

[3] Open invite to all Section 925ers for a Ports tilt. Accommodations included.

“A Shark In Bay Waters” - Jeff Samardzija Finally Finds His Way Out West

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

Whether you like it or not, the Bay Area has never quite been a hotbed for college football. Conventional wisdom attributes this truth to the fact that there is “too much to do” around San Francisco and Oakland to expect fans to spend every Saturday of the fall tailgating from dawn til dusk. Too many sunny days, too many trips to wine country or Tahoe, too many NFL teams to distract us a day later. Moreover, Cal has been rebuilding over the past few years (literally and figuratively) and Stanford is challenged to sell out their cozy stadium even during runs to the Rose Bowl. Any way you slice it, The Bay is never going to obsess over amatuer pigskin.

Neither is Jeff Samardzija.

Yes, he was an All-American wide receiver at football crazed Notre Dame University, but the 6 foot 5 inch Samardzija never seemed to take the game of football too seriously. He just happened to be really good at it. Kind of like every other sport he ever played.

“Yeah,” Samardzija told Dan Patrick in an interview earlier this year, sweeping aside a wavy chunk of his Serbian-influenced locks. “I don’t really watch a ton of football. I don’t always follow it. But I realize I have to while I’m on the Cubs, because people are constantly coming up to me in Chicago and asking ‘hey Jeff, how are we (Notre Dame) gonna be this year?’”

Now that Samardzija has been traded out to Oakland (for top prospect Addison Russell, et al) he can rest easy knowing that he won’t be bothered by golden domer questions any longer. And if he wants to try his hand at surfing or skiing (see Zito, Barry and Byrnes, Eric), he finally can.

“I’ve been begging for this for a while,” said Samardzija the day he arrived in the A’s funky, no-frills pressroom. “Begging” most certainly wasn’t the most PC word to use in such a press conference, but no one in Chicago or his hometown in Indiana seemed to mind, they knew Jeff was a nice guy who was just tired of losing. And if you look deeper, maybe Samardzija subconsciously knows he belongs out west.

Jeff grew up in Valparaiso in a household run by a former semi-pro hockey player named Sam. That tells you a lot about the upbringing of Jeff Samardzija. He played football and soccer in the fall, basketball and hockey in the winter, and baseball in the spring. On Saturday afternoons, he did what every other kid in Indiana does growing up: watch Notre Dame football.

By high school, Samardzija had his sports choices narrowed down to three (football, basketball, and baseball), and according to Indiana lore, Samardzija started in 160 high school sporting events in a row without getting injured. To say Jeff Samardzija was a natural athlete would be like saying the Chicago Cubs were usually a bad baseball team. It went without saying.

Regardless of how well Samardzija’s persona would have meshed at a school like UCLA, CAL, or Oregon, there was no way he was going to escape out of Notre Dame’s backyard. And sure enough, he didn’t.

As soon as Samardzija arrived on campus in South Bend in 2003, he made an immediate impact on the football field, playing in 12 games as a freshman. It was at that point that most people expected Samardzija to finally put away his baseball glove and focus on football once and for all. But Jeff couldn’t stay off the baseball diamond. “I’ve always been a happy guy when I go to the baseball field,” Samardzija told Dan Patrick. If anyone had the athleticism to play both, it was Jeff, so he went for it.

It was in the spring of 2004 on Notre Dame’s baseball field when, according to Jeff, he first acquired the nickname of “Shark”. “It all started my freshman year,” explained Samardzija to UND.com. “I was new on the baseball team. I showed up, didn’t know anyone. I was talking to a fellow pitcher and out of nowhere they called me ‘Shark’ because they said I looked like the shark (Bruce) on Finding Nemo. It started during a game while I was pitching and they yelled at me from the dugout. Then coach picked up on it and it just snowballed from there. I guess I look like a shark.”

Turns out, Samardzija does indeed look like Bruce from the 2003 hit, Finding Nemo. From Samardzija’s angular face, all the way down to his teeth, the Notre Dame benchwarmers were spot on. It would be Shark Samardzija from that day forward.

Despite a record setting career for the Irish football team, The Shark finally was able to let go of his multi-sport persona and focus on a professional career in baseball. Naturally, he was selected by the Chicago Cubs, keeping him in the midwest for yet another chapter of his life. And for the majority of his time in Chicago, he loved it, sometimes maybe even too much. Asked by Dan Patrick if he ever pitched a game at Wrigley hungover, he could not confirm nor deny. “You know, I never took a breathalyzer going out there,” laughed Samardzija. “Possiblé.”

Unfortunately, most games in Chicago past July don’t call for much sharp focus, as the Cubs are usually out of the race by then. Not the case in Oakland, where the A’s are consistently contending for and competing in the playoffs.

True to form, the 2014 version of the Oakland Athletics are most certainly competing for a playoff spot. In fact, they are the best team in baseball. The low-budget Swingin’ A’s even managed to send six players to Minnesota for the All-Star Game. Seven if you include Shark. But even despite the A’s hot start to the season, which included the best ERA among starting rotations in the A.L., Billy Beane still decided to double down in preparation for the inevitable battles with Justin Verlander and Miggie Cabrera come October. So excuse Jeff Samardzija if he is a bit thrilled about his recent move to the Bay Area.

Through four starts in the green and gold, Samardzija already holds a winning record of 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA. Compare this to a ten game stretch in Chicago earlier this year in which the Cubs lost 8 out of 10 games Samardzija started. Shark had a 1.68 ERA during said stretch (second best in MLB).

So when you see Jeff Samardzija galvanize the Coliseum crowd with a 95 per-hour strikeout followed by a Dennis Eckersley-esque fist pump, just remember he is probably just as happy as you are to be wearing an A's hat. No more lovable losers, no more polar-vortex, no more crazed Notre Dame autograph seekers. The Shark is finally out west on the pacific coast, pitching with one thing on his mind: the playoffs.

Section 925 Podcast Episode 37 - World Cup Recap

With the 2014 World Cup in the books, Connor conducts a ménage à pod with a couple soccer aficionados. Section925 staff writer Bryan Maag (@HalfBAM) makes his first ever appearance on the pod, while Robbie Repass (@TrashmanReeps) chimes in for his second time. The three discuss how the USMNT somehow escaped the Group of Death, as well as Jürgen's 4-year-plan headed toward Russia 2018. Some NBA and NFL talk is also sprinkled in at the end.

Click to listen: http://section925blog.podomatic.com/entry/2014-07-21T18_42_11-07_00

"The Little Wizard from Rosario" - Messi v Germany for the World Cup Trophy

By Bryan Maag (@HalfBAM)

We have finally arrived at Maracana Stadium for the World Cup Final. Last year at this time, in the Confederation Cup Final, Gerard Pique received a red card tackling Neymar in the box. A red card that signified the weak mentality of the Spanish team. All of Brazil celebrated a young team they thought would bring back the glory of Cafu, Pele, Ronaldinho, and Ronaldo in the 2014 Cup. Unfortunately the squad Brazil picked for a month long tournament could not compete against the world's best. The crowd carried them as far as possible but their loss was inevitable. Neymar and Thiago Silva are two of the best players in the world and were not able to play in the semifinals. The Brazilian coach, Scolari, came out with a horrible game plan that left out Willian and Dani Alves. How do you leave out two of the most talented players on your team in the biggest match of the year?

But enough about the massacre, we need to talk about Mascherano. Masch was transformed from a defensive midfielder at Liverpool(EPL sucks in my humble opinion) to a center back at Barcelona and showed everything he has learned in the semifinal. Masch was knocked unconscious (American football player take note, if you ever have to go through a concussion test, you answer all questions "YES"). Masch came back in said game and had the defensive awareness to deny Arjen Robben in the 90th minute.

So, how did we get here?

Lets take a second to look at the how the Amazon took a toll on the tournament.

The Brazilians traveled twice as many miles as the Germans and Argentina traveled 1,800 miles less than the Netherlands. The Netherlands also played two extra time games in the past week totalling an extra 60 minutes played. (look at the US total! You can go to Pearl in London roundtrip with a discount for that expense.)

I have to say that all reports coming out of Brazilia are great for the Dutch, German and American sides. The three squads went out to the favelas and interacted with the impoverished people of Brazil. The Americans are probably lumped into this group due to having a German coach that is a bit of a humanitarian. It is worth taking note that the social compassionate countries from Europe have progressed the farthest. Indoctrinating yourself might not always be a bad thing.

Argentina: The Beginning

Messi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...There is not much more to say. The "little wizard from Rosario" turned me on to the beautiful game when I was lonely in Barcelona years ago. I did not ever think it would slowly turn into a passion of mine. But it has. He moved from Argentina to Spain at the ripe old age of twelve because nobody would pay for his hormone deficiency drugs. Barca picked up the tab and has won three euro championships on the back of the diminutive maestro. Messi had the option of joining the Spanish team in his youth and would have participated in their last Cup winning campaign. However, that wasn't to be. Instead, he denied the opportunity so he could wear La Albiceleste, the shirt of MARADONA.

If there is a pivot to this team it is Mascherano. It says something about Busquetes at the club level to knock Masch back to a center back role. This might change with Lucho taking over Barca this fall. Messi is the the figurehead of the team but Masch will continue to be the real captain. He is cut from the same clothe of a young Puyol. He made his Argentina debut prior to being a starter for his club team at River Platte.

I also want to mention the roles of Angel Di Maria and Kun Aguero. These two players are nursing muscle injuries and are real big question marks for today's game. It is going to be a big gamble placing either of these players in the starting lineup. Di Maria is a huge matchup problem for the defense because his stamina allows him to move all over the field. Aguero is a quick and lethal forward that is able to keep the defense honest. If Aguero is healthy, he will be able to open up space for Messi. The Argentinian defense was a large question mark coming into the tournament. The back four led by Mascherano have stood tall, and by shutting out the Dutch, they proved they are no pushovers. Other than Aguero and Di Maria, I do not see Argentina making any tactical changes.

The German team is looking extremely sexy at the moment. Everyone is young and talented. They are almost all from a Bayern Munich team that dismantled Barca 7-0 in the Champions League semis a year ago. I hate to admit it but the Germans took the Spanish model of youth development and improved upon it. The German squad could have made it to this position in the tournament with their bench players alone, that's how deep they are. The German attack is extremely versatile with many of the players able to play multiple positions. This allows the players to switch around in the attempt to lose their defensive cover.

Having so many quality players on the team can create a dilemma when picking the right starting group. So far the German starting lineup has remained relatively consistent. The only players that have been moved in and out are Sami Khedira in midfield and Miraslov Klose in attack. I believe Khedira will start the game in midfield due to his larger stature and familiarity with Lionel Messi from playing at Real Madrid. Klose will probably start the game on the bench and be subbed in later if they need some fresh offensive punch. Manuel Neuer has been a standout defensive player in the tournament. He is a hybrid goalkeeper and sweeper. Neuer’s flexibility allows the team to run a very high defensive line and is extremely talented at starting the counter attack.

Who to watch for (Beyond Messi)

Mezuit Ozil (Germany): Ozil is a fluid attacking midfielder that has finishing capabilities. I think he is going to be a nuisance to the Argentinian defense because of his pinpoint passing and long run capabilities. Ozil moves around the pitch very well and is very tough to track. He should have a good amount of space to work behind Tomas Mueller

Javier Mascherano (Argentina): Masch is the key to the Argentinian engine. He dictates the pace of play and is the linchpin of the defense. He is suffering from some nagging injuries and it will be interesting to see how he has recovered over the last few days. Mascherano should be able to work the ball from the back and feed the ball to Lionel Messi and Di Maria. Mascherano will have a lot of defensive duties and needs to remain diligent as the German attackers change positions.

Prediction:

I am going with Argentina. By a count of 2-1. I do not care about the players and skill, I just really want them to win. Gaucho Pride.

"Sunday Night Fútbol" - USA v. Portugal: A Preview

By Bryan Maag (@HalfBAM)

Let's be clear, even though I was born and bred in the glorious 925, this is stil my first post so give me some patience...

The World Cup is in full bloom and America is starting to embrace the "beautiful game" slowly. I appreciate the posts and pods on The Section relating to our world’s number one sport and I want to add my two cents. So here I am.

Before I go into USA V Portugal I want to take this opportunity to address some issues I have had with the fútbol community as a whole.  I took a bit of exception to The Section’s pod on the build up to the World Cup. The commentator, I believe he went by the name “Trashman”, believed the Premier League was the best in the world. Sure, I used to tell chicks I like Friends over Seinfeld to get in their pants, but give credit where credit is due. We all know the real genius on the soccer pitch is found in Southern Europe. No talented player wants to knock around the rock on a cold rainy night in Stoke. I see this as a fundamental flaw to analyzing the game and its players.

The Premier League broadcasts internationally and is the highest grossing league in the world with owners coming from as far as Qatar, tulhe USA, and Asia. The product does not matter as much as the name on the back of the jerseys to create a marketing bonanza. People constantly state this league is the most competitive in the world and if you look at the numbers this is completely false. Just like the other leagues there is a rotation of three to four teams that consistently qualify for Champions League play. Your Sevillas, Napolis, and Real Sociedads nurture and develop Europe’s next generation while competing for trophies. Chelseas Europa Trophy after a champions league triumph shows the results of a pay to play system. Little Putin in London will not be close ever again. Now that I am done with that rant, lets get on to the game that will make us scream ‘MURICA...

America V. Portugal (A.K.A. La Liga Lite)

Believe it or not, we control our destiny going into the second game of group play. With the world number one bowing out in two games, the USA is in the envious position of controlling their destiny on Sunday. It is becoming clear that this cup is a young man’s tourney. The humidity and heat of the equatorial region is wreaking havoc on all those tired European knees. I would litske to point out that futbol players are the most taxed athletes in any sport. The european leagues start in August and go through May. World class players get 3 weeks off in the middle of summer then go back to the grind. For reference sake, Lebron has been bitching about playing the Olympics and playing in an air conditioned stadium (except in San Antonio) for 10 months of the year.  Futbol does not stop. The average player runs a 9 km a game. The World Cup gives you 4-5 days off in between games, and your group draw is critical. The USA was drawn into what many called the "Group of Death". At this moment I would like to present this video of what other countries think about their group of death.......

What to watch for on Sunday:

Ronaldo has to be at the top of your list. He is surely one of the top players in the world but he does not have the supporting cast he has at Real. There is no Benzema to hold up play and suck in two central defenders. Ronaldo is the captain and holds the country’s hopes and dreams on his sleeve but he cannot do it alone. Nani runs the wing. He is a fleet footed attacker that plies his trade at Manchester United. He has been injured most of the year but is coming back into a bit of form. I believe the USA can exploit his eagerness and use the space he exposes between the lines to start our attack.

The portuguese midfield is a melting pot of hacks from across Europe. This was the weak link of the team up until their first game. The midfield lacks creativity and is undisciplined. Bradley should have enough time and space to control the game. The back four of Portugal was the strong point coming into the tourney. Contreau (Real), Pepe (Real), Bruno Alves (Fenerbahce) are all out of the lineup due to injury. These are three stalwarts that usually run the backwall for Portugal. Contreau was able to flank the winger in attack and create space i. It will be in the corner. It will be interesting to see how the team performs with them left out. As much as I want to see the USA beat a full squad, we need to take advantage of their weakness.

Our young squad is a mesh of what america is. Our servicemen have spread their seed around the world and we are reaping the benefits of our industrial might. We lost Jozy Altidore to a muscle tear in the first game which will hamper our current style. The USA has been really good at sitting back on defense and making a break when they get a chance. I want to see us exploit the gaps in the portuguese lines with creative passing and work the ball from the back. We should not be pinging the ball up the field hoping for a gratuitous bounce. Being from the bay area, I would like to see Wondo leading the front. We showed in the first game that we have can utilize our height in set pieces, which will be an advantage with Pepe out. It might be my football past but when someone lets near your line, you raise your level up. Bradley tossed arround errant passes in the first round, but i hope we can get a little Pirlo out of him for the match. Klinsmann is a fitness guru and I believe is the right coach for our squad. He has been bashed for his tactical awareness by Philip Lahm(german captain) but I believe he is good for our squad. Tournament play is a different beast than a long season. I want coaches out of their chair cheering and hugging. Uruguay just stated their physio put off cancer treatment to treat suarez,I can see the passion other people have for this tournament. It is time for the USA to come out of the shadows and put us in the knockout round.

Prediction:

USA 2 -Portugal 1: (plus one moment of Ronaldo brilliance)

Hope this went well and I hope to see you watching the game that has no commercials and a global following...

P.S.: Here is the water usage (toilet flushes) in the city of Berlin during the Germany - Portugal match: http://i.imgur.com/tOpYFEI.png

...and a nice little video on the Chilean Miners: http://youtu.be/QjVPAyQa7Kc

I'm Bryan Maag, and I'm out...

Section 925 Podcast Episode 36 - World Cup 2014 Preview

Fresh off his Saturday visit to Jacksonville to soak in the US Men's National Team's 2-1 victory over Nigeria, Robbie Repass (@TrashmanReeps) calls into the podcenter to discuss the upcoming World Cup in Brazil. A rare Texas-born English Premier League guru, Reeps tells you everything you need to know before the Cup kicks off on Thursday down in South America.

Click to listen... http://section925blog.podomatic.com/entry/2014-06-09T20_45_00-07_00

Section 925 Podcast Episode 35 - Spinelli Tours America's Ballparks

The venerable Adrian Spinelli (@Spinelli37 ; EverythingEcstatic.net) is currently driving across the continental United States, making stops at various Big League ballparks along the way. He called in from the road in Mobile, Alabama to update us on his journey thus far. 

Click to listen: http://section925blog.podomatic.com/entry/2014-05-04T18_01_05-07_00

“36 Hours in Vegas” - A Short, Strange Trip to the WCC Basketball Tournament

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

When deciding upon my mode of transportation to my inaugural visit to the West Coast Conference basketball tournament in Las Vegas, I felt it was only appropriate to take a bus. I figured you fly to a major conference basketball tournament like the ACC or the SEC, but you drive to a mid-major conference tournament. That’s just customary. So I ended up riding a Tufesa bus out to Sin City (via Salt Lake City), one that proudly markets their ability to transport you from Mexico to the Southern United States comfortably in the middle of the night. This particular Monday morning trip only produced a total of four passengers.

If you take the Tufesa to Vegas, the closest they’ll get you to the WCC Tournament is out front of the Excalibur Hotel on the strip. From there, it is up to you to hail a cab, or use the empty pedestrian overpass to simply walk over the crowded freeway in order to get to the Orleans Hotel & Casino. The Orleans is located off the strip in a relatively seedy area. One of the more prominent landmarks surrounding the Orleans is a Deja Vu “All-Nude” gentlemen's club. Across the street lies various cheap eats and convenience stores ready and willing to soften the blow of some bad-beats on a the blackjack tables.

Walking through the parking lot approaching the main entrance of the Orleans, there really is hardly any sign that a Division 1, ESPN televised basketball tournament is going on inside. It wasn’t until I reached the glass front doors of the casino and saw some “WCC Tournament” stickers that I was able to confirm I was in the right place.

As is true with all Las Vegas hotels, the Orleans casino floor is an intentional maze, free of clocks or useful maps, designed in way that makes you completely give up on where you were originally going in favor of just sitting down at a table with half drunk strangers and gambling.

By this time it was just 10 minutes until the Saint Mary’s Gaels and Gonzaga Bulldogs were set to tip-off in a semi-final tilt, and I was literally lost in the middle of the casino floor with a standing room only ticket in my hand.

“Can you tell me where the basketball game is going on in this place?” I ask a tired-looking poker dealer. “Yeah,” he responds. “Walk down past those slot machines, make a right at the T.G.I. Friday’s, and you’re there.” Easy enough, I thought to myself, and proceeded to make my way past the slots in search of the T.G.I. Friday’s landmark.

As dedicated as I was to WCC semifinal basketball, the lure of T.G.I. Friday’s happy hour potato skins and discount Bud Light proved too much for me to ignore. Minutes later, I found myself placing my order with a muscle-bound server in a Friday’s uniform chock-full of flair.

The game was on a flat screen TV, my thinking went, and how incredibly good are potato skins after a 6 hour bus ride?

“Hey man, you going to the game?” asks a heavy-set man from Washington state. “As a matter of fact I am,” I respond.

Steve was his name. And he was “In Vegas for a little while for various reasons,” some of which were to soak in both the WCC tournament and the PAC-12 tourney the following week. He, like so many other Gonzaga fans I encountered over the weekend wasn’t an actual alumnus of the school, but a fan nonetheless who “has been watching the Zags play for a long, long time.” (i.e. since the 1999 Santangelo, Calvary, Frahm team.)

By halftime of the Gonzaga v. Saint Mary’s semi-final, I had managed to settle up at T.G.I.’s, ride along the flat-moving-escalator to the Orleans Arena down the hall, and find my standing-room-only seat among the other degenerate basketball junkies in attendance.

The atmosphere inside the Orleans is a bit weird. The home to minor league hockey’s Las Vegas Wranglers, the arena is a far cry from the homely feel of McKeon Pavillion in Moraga or War Memorial in SF, or the Kennel in Spokane. Aside from the die-hard fans who flew in from their respective WCC campuses, most of the spectators inside the arena almost just seemed to be there by accident. Maybe they were gambling on the game, maybe they were just looking for some more Las Vegas entertainment, maybe they were staying on the 12th floor of the Orleans and wanted a break from their wife and teenage kids, maybe they liked basketball just a little too much.

Concessions sold garbage food like nachos and dippin’ dots (“the ice cream of the future”), but no beer was allowed to change hands. You also couldn’t place a bet on the game inside the Orleans Casino. To do that, you’d have to seek out one of the countless sportsbooks outside the Orlean’s property line. Somehow, this rule helped protect the integrity of the game.

On the court, Gonzaga was a flat out better team than St. Mary’s. David Stockton (John’s son) controlled the game throughout and Kevin Pangos played like his efficient self. In the post, Sam Dower dominated Brad Waldo. With Matthew Dellavedova gone to the NBA and Gonzaga laden with senior experience, the Gaels proved to be no match. The Gonzaga faithful, outnumbering St. Mary’s supporters by about 5 to 1, reveled in the victory over their arch-rival from the Bay Area. As St. Mary’s players walked into the locker room after their convincing loss, all they could hope for was a bid to the NIT. Their dreams for another trip to the Big Dance had been dashed.

Game two of this night of semi-final matchups pitted another Jesuit school visiting Sin City (University of San Francisco) versus the mormons of BYU. As it turned out, this game ended up being a Las Vegas late-night instant classic.

The upstart Dons of San Francisco, coached by the fiery ex-NBA sharpshooter Rex Walters, played above their heads against the Cougars of BYU. Walters, who earlier this year watched his starting point guard Cody Doolin quit the team after a inter-team fight in practice, was a joy to watch coach. Screaming one second, laughing the next, Walters provided a welcome sideshow on the USF sideline. He was gunning for a huge upset win and his freewheeling coaching style was on full display. The Dons took the Cougars into overtime, but eventually fell two points shy of the upset, 79-77. Walters, gracious in defeat, will hopefully be back in Vegas next year for another crack at the big boys of the WCC.

Not long after the Dons loss, I found myself sitting in the lobby of the Palms Casino food court, eating the only food that was readily available, which happened to be a McDonald’s Extra Value Meal. ESPN announcers Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham apparently weren’t hungry, as they slowly walked by with loosened ties, only to disappear into a sea of slot machines. However, it wasn’t long before a couple members of the USF team arrived at Mickey D’s, jonesing for a postgame meal of any sort.

Tim Derksen, USF’s sophomore guard who played valiantly in the OT loss, sat quietly with a couple college buddies wearing “USF Sixth Man” T-shirts. Far across the casino floor, the Palms Sports Book’s giant big screen TV is airing SportsCenter on loop. Derksen’s friend nudges him on the shoulder, encouraging him to look up and watch his highlights play out on the big screen. Derksen raises his head for a moment, only to look back down and resume eating his french fries before the ESPN anchor can tell us who won. He, like the rest of the patrons at this late-night Vegas McDonalds already knew the outcome.

The Dons would ship out of town the next morning, while I would stay one more night to watch Gonzaga win the 2014 West Coast Conference crown. Only one team from the WCC would get to head back home a winner. The rest of the league would have to concede that Sin City had gotten the best of them. As history shows, it’s never easy to leave Las Vegas on top.

“Celebrating Sarah” - A Fallen Skier Paves the Way For Two NorCal Olympians

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

For the majority of her life, Canadian freeskier Sarah Burke didn’t necessarily know where the sport of skiing was going, she just knew she was pushing it forward, and she did not want it to ever stop. By the time of her death at age 29, Burke had added to the progression of the sport more than any other competitive female skier who ever lived. When South Lake Tahoe’s Maddie Bowman and Carmel’s Brita Sigourney compete in their first Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, they’ll be skiing in a first ever event that Burke pioneered, the Olympic Women’s Skiing Halfpipe.

From the minute Sarah Burke strapped on a pair of skis, she was always intent on taking things to the next level. Riding with the boys, seeking out the most difficult terrain, sending the biggest airs. As she got older and starting competing, she found herself constantly lobbying for the inclusion of more women in events. If there was a sponsored slopestyle event in Colorado or a halfpipe event in Utah, Sarah wanted to make sure there was a contest available for the girls as well.

“When I started (in slopestyle and halfpipe) I was the only girl,” Burke once said. “And it was always a battle, always a fight to be there.”

Using her beaming smile and undeniable aerial talent on skis, Burke slowly but surely integrated women into the mainstream competitive freestyle skiing scene throughout her twenties. She promoted ski camps in order to get other girls to try her sport, and years later would go as far as to coach her direct X Games competitors in the offseason in order to teach them new tricks and progress her sport further. Burke was hooked on the adrenaline rush of skiing down a halfpipe on skis, and she wanted as many other girls to experience it as possible with her.

For Burke, development of a women’s ski halfpipe tour to go along with a nationally televised Winter X Games event was not enough. Inevitably, the end goal was to get her sport into the Olympic Games in Sochi, and she was convinced she could pull it off. True to form, midway through 2011, it was announced that the 2014 Winter Olympics would feature the women’s ski halfpipe event. As the first girl to land a 720, 900, and 1080 in a halfpipe, it was seemingly only a matter of time before Burke would be crowned as the first Olympic gold medalist in a women’s halfpipe.

Tragically, Sarah Burke would never get a chance to appear on the Olympic medal stand she essentially built herself and sing her national anthem. Burke died on January 19, 2012, nine days after crashing during a training run on the Eagle Superpipe in Park City, Utah.

Not long after her death, Sarah’s husband and acclaimed skier Rory Bushfield, spoke in an interview about how Burke passed away doing what she loved to do.

“She was an amazing skier, always pushing herself. She was doing things she didn’t need to do to get a gold medal. She was doing them to push her side of the sport, like she did to get skiing halfpipe into the Olympics. Halfpipe skiing will debut in Sochi and that was her dream all along. She could have easily just won events with her stock run, but instead she was constantly learning new tricks and progressing the sport. And also getting other girls to do the same.”

Two of the women that will compete in the Olympic halfpipe event that Burke pushed so hard for are Maddie Bowman and Brita Sigourney. Both of which grew up skiing on the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe. Bowman learned to ski at Sierra-At-Tahoe, while Sigourney first laid tracks at Alpine Meadows. Both were flying down mountains before the age of five.

Bowman grew up in South Lake Tahoe, a stones throw from the chairlift. The daughter of two professional skiers, Bowman’s parents passed down an uncanny sense of balance and feel for the snow. Ms. Bowman was also an elite gymnast. In the end, it was a perfect recipe to produce a halfpipe skier.

But of course, when Bowman was a youngster, the idea of skiing inside a halfpipe hadn’t really taken hold for women yet, so her earliest years were spent on the alpine downhill racing team. Soon enough, however, Bowman was introduced to the new-age free skiing disciplines such as slopestyle skiing and halfpipe. It wasn’t long before she was hooked.

“I quit racing when I was thirteen,” says Bowman. “It was a little too serious for me, so I switched over and joined the freeride team at Sierra, my home mountain. I kind of fell in love with it. Just skiing with all my friends all day. It was the best. I couldn’t turn that down. I had to keep going.”

As a junior at South Lake Tahoe high school, Bowman was starting on her state championship soccer team, as well competing in the Winter X games on ESPN. After earning a silver medal in the 2012 X Games, Bowman has won X Games gold in the halfpipe for the past two years. Now still just 20 years old, the 5 foot 1 inch Bowman has asserted herself as one of the favorites to win Olympic gold in Sochi.

Clipping at the heels of Bowman during these Olympics, with chance to win Gold herself, will be the 24-year-old Brita Sigourney. Unlike her counterpart, Sigourney didn’t get to grow up at the base of her home mountain. Instead, she grew up five hours away in Carmel, CA. This didn’t stop Brita’s dedicated parents from getting their ski-obsessed daughter up to Alpine Meadows virtually every weekend in the winter, regardless of the traffic conditions.

Growing up closer to the beach than the mountains, Sigourney developed into an exceptional water polo player in high school, leading to an offer to play collegiately at UC Davis. So for three years of college, Brita did both. Balancing her time between the pool and the halfpipe. Soon, polo would give way to skiing and by 2011, Sigourney was a silver medalist at the X Games. The following year, she won bronze and this past year she placed 5th at X-Games in the lead up to Sochi.

For the past few years, Sigourney had to battle through a series of harsh injuries. The list includes a microfracture in her knee, broken collarbone, torn ACL, and fractured pelvis. Through all this, she has persevered.

“I’ve had a lot of injuries in my career. And I definitely have to gather a new sort of motivation after every one I think,” said Sigourney. “I actually think I’ve benefited from each one, because it’s given me the time to step back and look at why I ski and how much I love it. Your first day on snow after so long of just rehab and gym time is the best feeling ever. It’s crazy, my mom asks me every day, and I don’t think she fully understands why I ski, because she is so heartbroken every time I get hurt. Probably more than I am.”

While Sigourney may not be America’s best chance at a gold medal, she is perhaps the most capable of throwing the biggest trick. In the 2012 Winter X Games, Brita became the first woman to land a 1080 in a full women’s halfpipe run.

Of course, the first woman to ever pull off a 1080 was Sarah Burke. If you asked Brita where she learned how to take things a step further and land one in competition, the answer is probably from working with and watching Sarah Burke.

The last qualifying event for the Women’s Ski Halfpipe event in the 2014 Olympics was recently held in Park City, Utah. Almost exactly two years removed from the accident, Bowman and Sigourney found themselves at the top of the same Eagle Superpipe that claimed Burke’s life. Bowman had already qualified, but Sigourney skied that day with her Olympic dreams still in the balance. You could say Sarah Burke had paved a new course toward Olympic dreams. Maddie Bowman and Brita Sigourney were at the top, ready to realize them.

"Opposites Attract in Carolina" - Ken Dorsey and Cam Newton Team Up to Take On 49ers

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Kenny D passes off some west coast culture to Cam at a recent PAnthers' practice. (photo by Chuck Burton)

By Connor Buestad | connor@section925.com

When the San Francisco 49ers take the field at Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina on Sunday, they won’t have to deal with temperatures hovering at zero and below. Nor will they be up against the savvy and experience of Aaron Rodgers, or the ghosts of Lambeau Field’s past. Instead, the Niners will have to overcome a new challenge all together: the youth and talent of Cam Newton, coupled with the knowledge and quiet competitiveness of their former quarterback turned coach, Ken Dorsey.

If you are of the belief that life often comes around back full circle, well Dorsey versus the 9ers in the Divisional Playoffs is a prime example of said belief. Ever since his days as a prep quarterback/shooting guard at Miramonte High in Orinda, Kenny Dorsey, it seems, has always been destined for a career outside of the Bay Area. On Sunday, Dorsey will be doing his best to send San Francisco’s Faithful home with an upset loss.

No matter how big of numbers he put up on the football field, or how much leadership he showed on the hardwood, schools like Stanford and Cal refused to recruit Dorsey as hard as he probably deserved. Citing his lack of arm strength, average foot speed and overall blase athletic appearance, the Bay Area at large took a collective pass on Dorsey, even while the mighty Miami Hurricanes came offering a scholarship.

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Dorsey on the winners' stage after winning the BCS National Title with the 'CAnes

So Dorsey did what anyone in his position would do. He went where he was wanted, and he started winning games. Lots of them. In 40 games as a starter at Miami, Dorsey went 38-2. In 2001, Dorsey led the ‘Canes to an undefeated season, culminating with a BCS National Championship victory over Nebraska. A year later, Dorsey went undefeated again, only to lose to Ohio State in the title game. By the time his college career was all said and done, you wouldn’t be mistaken if you called Ken Dorsey one of the 10 best college Quarterbacks of all-time.

Once Dorsey left Miami for the NFL, the Hurricanes would effectively fall apart. Contrary to popular belief, their elite talent scattered throughout the depth chart at skill positions like receiver and running back would prove to not be enough. It may not have been due to a big, strong arm or blazing speed, but whatever it was, Dorsey knew how to win.

Six rounds passed in the 2003 NFL Draft before Dorsey was finally picked by the San Francisco 49ers (Pick #241). The East Bay kid who grew up idolizing the likes of Joe Montana and Steve Young, was now going to be given the chance to wear the Scarlet and Gold and prove himself in front of his hometown fans at the highest level. Unfortunately, things did not work out for Dorsey in the Bay. Surrounded by a group of sub-par skill position players, coupled with an unproven coach and an overall bad team, the three years that Dorsey wore the 49er uniform left much to be desired.  By the end of 2008, Dorsey was out of the league. And after a short stint in the Canadian Football League, Dorsey would be done wearing the pads completely, opting instead for a visor, clipboard and a lanyard with whistle at the end of it.

Eventually, Dorsey's path would cross with Cam Newton, or as he was so often referred to at Auburn University, $cam Newton. Now in his third season at the helm of the Carolina Panthers, Newton is enjoying his best season yet, leading the Panthers to a 12-4 record and home field advantage in the second round of the playoffs. His quarterback coach, new as of this season, is Ken Dorsey. It’s no coincidence that under the steady guidance of Dorsey, Newton is having his winningest season of pro football yet.

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Cam Newton led a larger-than-life existence at Auburn University

If marriages are best formed when opposites attract, perhaps the same can be said in the relationship between a quarterback and his coach. For in many ways, Cam and Ken couldn’t be more different.

While Dorsey’s high school career went off without much national fanfare, Newton was one of the mostly highly sought after football recruits in the history of the state of Georgia. Nicknamed “The Show” at Westlake High in Atlanta, Newton was hotly recruited by literally every major school in the country, finally settling on Florida where he would serve as Tim Tebow’s backup.

During his college career, Dorsey was the epitome of a team leader who virtually never made a mistake, on the field or off. In contrast, Newton was effectively sent packing to a Junior College in Texas after stealing laptops from Florida classmates and underperforming on the field under coach Urban Meyer. Newton attracted even more negative attention when his father Cecil allegedly sold his sons services to Auburn for upwards of $100,000. Meanwhile, Ken Dorsey’s dad hardly even followed college football, let alone attempted to serve as his son’s agent.

Despite all of the yin and yang of the Dorsey and Newton relationship, one can surely argue that the one thing these two have in common is what is most important in the NFL: Winning.

Upbringing, hype, physique, and style of play all aside, Ken Dorsey and Cam Newton both flat out know how to win big games. This fact alone surely has Jim Harbaugh’s full attention as he tries to navigate through another road playoff test en route to a return trip to the Super Bowl.

Once an afterthought from the forgettable lean years of 49er history, Ken Dorsey has now popped up back east, ready to try to put an end to the Niners’ Quest for Six. Harbaugh has his own understudy to bring to Sunday’s battle in Colin Kaepernick. And following Cam and Kaep’s pending duel in Carolina, don’t be surprised to see Ken Dorsey receive a firm handshake from Mr. Harbaugh at midfield during the post-game. From one “Quarterback-turned-coach” to another.

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Two peas in a pod. 

Section 925 Podcast Episode 34 - 2013-14 NFL Playoffs, NBA...

Gotham City native T.J. Powers joins Connor in an undisclosed location in Alta, Utah to discuss the 49ers' upcoming playoff tilt at Carolina, along with the Warriors' current 10 game winning streak.

Listen here: http://section925blog.podomatic.com/entry/2014-01-07T22_14_27-08_00

“Quest For Six” - The 49ers Visit a Frozen Lambeau Field on Wildcard Weekend

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

Jim Harbaugh thrives on this type of stuff. Lives for it. The feature game on Wildcard Weekend, going on the road to Green Bay, the expected freezing cold temperatures (high of 3 degrees, low of -24), Seattle with homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Secretly, I think this is exactly how Harbaugh would draw it up if he had the choice. The four game Super Bowl mountain is there to be climbed, and Jim and the Niners are ready and willing to fight their way up it regardless of who or what gets in their way.

Even though the New York Football Giants have recently proven otherwise, conventional wisdom suggests it is extremely difficult to go on the road, in below zero temperatures, before a loud and passionate fanbase, and beat Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Fortunately, the 2013 version of the San Francisco 49ers turns out to be a pretty darn good football team.

Owners of the third best record in the NFL, the 12-4 Niners will be the only road team to be favored this weekend (-3). Riding an impressive six game winning streak to close out the regular season, San Francisco seems to be hitting their stride at exactly the right time. Better yet, SF has had Green Bay’s number as of late, beating the Packers three times in the last 16 months. This includes last year’s 45-31 Divisional Playoff win versus the Pack inside the late Candlestick Park, not to mention this year’s home opener in which Colin Kaepernick had his best game of the season against Green Bay.

For better or worse, the sunny California skies of early September in which the Niner offense operated so masterfully under will not be present this Sunday. Far from it. It remains to be seen how the speed of Kap’s passes will be received in the frigid conditions inside Lambeau. No word on whether there’s a “broken finger” prop bet in place for Sunday, but Boldin, Crabtree and Davis will be tasked with the unenviable duty of catching icy bullets from Kap all evening long.

Even coming off a lackluster performance in Arizona last weekend, it is safe to assume Frank Gore will shoulder much of the Niner’s offensive load come Sunday. Facing what is a relatively bad Packers defense, it should come as no surprise if the Niners O-Line is able to open up nice holes for Frank to run through all game long.

From the opening kick, the chess match between Jim Harbaugh and Mike McCarthy should be interesting to watch. Will Green Bay, without an injured Clay Matthews, try to stuff the box and force San Francisco to pass? Or will McCarthy decide to play it straight up, honoring the exploits of SF’s proven aerial attack of Kap, Crabs, VD, and Boldin? How hard headed will Jim Harbaugh be in said chess match? How much will the weather really become a factor?

On the other side of the ball you have the Lambeau legend in the making that is Aaron Rodgers. Beyond being athletic enough to “make every throw on the field," Rodgers' leadership, experience and overall competitiveness is what has kept Niner Faithful awake at night all week long leading up to Sunday. From his days as a high schooler in Chico without a college scholarship offer, to being passed up by San Francisco in the draft, to his years tucked in the shadows of the infamous Brett Favre, Rodgers has always seemed to play with something extra to prove. No matter how often the Niners’ D-Line gets to Rodgers, Number 12 won’t fade. It is almost assured that he will put up a considerable amount of points on the board on Sunday. The question is whether or not Kaepernick and co will be able to consistently counter with points of their own.

It is no secret that the Super Bowl champion often emerges out of Wildcard Weekend. You’d certainly have to like the Niners chances in the Divisional Round, riding what would be a seven game winning streak, playing a team fighting off a week of rust. But first, the Niners must prove to its Faithful that they can go into an icy Lambeau and steal the cheese from one of the most passionate fan bases in the history of sports. The sellout controversy aside, the Packers fans that do show up will be shirtless, inebriated and hungry to defend their frozen turf.

We all remember the two times the Niners have ventured out to Wisconsin to play the Pack in the playoffs. The 1996 contest was a mudbowl featuring Elvis Grbac, Dorsey Levins and Desmond Howard, while the 2001 tilt gave us a steady dose of Brett Favre and Ahman Green. Both resulted in gutwrenching defeats and long plane rides back to the Bay. Sunday will feature Colin Kaepernick, Anquan Boldin and Boobie Dixon, versus the likes of Aaron Rodgrs and Eddie Lacy, and a frozen playing surface. Let the chess match begin, we’ll see if the third time is indeed the charm.

"The Stick" - A Lifelong Niner Fan Takes a Moment to Look Back

By Josh Hunsucker (@JPhunsucker)

Today is more likely than not the last 49ers game at Candlestick Park (although Seattle and New Orleans losses next week and a backdoor number one seed would be nice). For the past week, it seems as though everyone is providing their memories of the reinforced concrete, wind vortex, traffic deathtrap, bog of a stadium the 49ers (and Giants) played inside of before concussions “existed.” The 49ers did a nice job of listing the Top 10 Candlestick moments and countless other pundits have recapped The Catch, T.O.’s TD catch against Green Bay (I refuse to call it Catch II), and the Vernon Post.

In some ways what I am writing is no different, even though as you will see it is clearly not the same. I was barely alive for The Catch, I still lived in Texas/Oklahoma during Steve Young’s scramble against the Vikes, and I never witnessed anything at Candlestick Park live (football-wise) until after Y2K didn't happen. So if you were expecting some “classic” moments you probably won't get them here unless you love Kurt Manwaring and Jeff Garcia.

The first time I remember being at Candlestick was to watch the Giants final home game in 1993 with my buddy JB and the TJB Cat. For those who don’t remember they had a murders row that year: Bonds (his first year in the Bay), Matt Williams, Willie McGeee, and Will “The Thrill” Clark. The final home game at Candlestick that year came before a crucial four game series in L.A. that would determine the Giants' playoff lives. During the September pennant race the Giants were in a dead heat with the Atlanta Braves. The Giants PA announcer kept giving in-game updates on the Braves game and we were constantly watching the scoreboard to see if the Art Howe led Astros could upset 20-game winner Tommy Glavine. That day, Salomon Torres lasted 2 and 2/3s, gave up two bombs, and left the Giants fans biting their nails in vain as the Braves got the win. The Giants went on to lose 12-1 to the Dodgers on the last game of the season, sealing their fate as the best team of all-time to miss the playoffs (103 wins).

In 2000, I went to my first Niners game at Candlestick. Miramonte High School booster, Orinda legend, and namesake of the Stockholm Store, Jim Stockhom, took me and another player from the football team to the game. That day marked the first and only time I would ever be put in a position that would have violated NCAA regulations, which was awesome in its own right. The Niners, sitting at 2-8 and slogging through a dismal season, met the Chiefs and the most under-utilized Golden Bear in history, Tony Gonzales. It was a 1:05 kickoff, sunny skies, no wind. As we got to our seats at the end of warm-ups and the stadium was buzzing. My eyes immediately locked into Flash-80 and fixed on him as he seemingly floated across the field catching easy- ups. The game itself was ugly. I remember T.O. only having one catch for maybe five or six yards. Jerry didn’t do much either. But El Jefe found a way and Chalie Garner chipped in 100-yards for a Niners 21-7 win.

---

When you are dating someone, very rarely do you get put into the position where the signs are so clear that you couldn’t miss them. In the infancy of my wife and I’s dating circa 2003, she called me up over the winter break and asked if I wanted to go to the final Niners home game that season against Seattle. The only catch was that I had to double- back from Orinda to Stockton to pick her up. Maybe this is different from some people but in my experience I don’t usually get offered Niners tickets out of the blue from girls that I was kind of dating. Bold move on her part. Although the game wasn’t great, we lost 24-17 and failed to salvage an 8-8 season, I had checked off the "likes and knows football box" for my future game day viewing partner.

I’m going to combo my last two “bonus” moments. Full disclosure, I wasn’t at either of these two events. The 2011-12 season was my favorite season since the 1994-5 Super Bowl year. I loved that team. I had just moved back to California after being gone for almost seven years and the Niners had this upstart coach and low expectations. Somehow, they kept winning these close games that they had always managed to lose during the previous 10-years.

The fourth quarter of the Saints game was one of the most emotionally draining sporting events of my life. Two heavyweights landing haymaker after haymaker with the other refusing to go down. The Alex Smith bootleg run may have been the happiest I have ever been for a Niner only to be spoiled by Darren Sproles crazy catch and run. Any Faithful watching that game is lying if they said that the Niners should have gone for the win on their next drive. I kept yelling at the TV “all we need is a field goal.” Frank chips away a few yards, then Vernon gets loose for almost fifty. The next two plays Frank for six yards and a Smith spike reeked of the classic NFL conservative play calling. Then it happened. Alex Smith dropped back and fired a laser to VD. Great catch, great throw. The Stick is going absolutely nuts at this point, I’m throwing my 1 1/2 year-old son in the air probably doing some irreparable harm to his body. Pandemonium, bedlam, joy, tears, and the feeling like football is finally back.

The next week, after Kyle Williams fumbled the punt(s) and the Giants kicked the game winning field goal (the second punt in OT never bothered me, great play by the Giants, but the first punt hitting his leg was inexcusable) I wasn’t distraught like I usually would be after a huge loss like that. We were back, a new era of Niner football.

And that is where we are now. While Candlestick will always have fond memories it’s time to move on. Tonight at the Stick will be a great send off for the team and the Faithful. Besides, wouldn't it be better to raise banner number six on opening day at Levi’s Stadium? Here's to "The Stick", and all that it's given us over the years.

Local Star Jabari Bird Gets Set to Take Flight in Berkeley

By Connor Buestad (connorbuestad@gmail.com)

The basketball gym at Riverview Park in North Augusta, South Carolina is nothing fancy. It’s the type of sprawling, multi-purpose gym you’ve been to a million times. A place to hold indoor soccer games, summer hoop camps, or a Friday night co-ed volleyball league. It’s your run of the mill suburban rec center that allows weekend warriors to shake off the dust of another long work week and get out and run. This all changes, however, for one week every July. That’s when the best basketball players in the world under the age of 18 descend on North Augusta to compete in the most prestigious AAU tournament there is. They call it the “Peach Jam”.

As you can imagine, for better or worse, Nike has their fingerprints all over the Peach Jam. The flagship tournament marks the culmination of the “Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL)”, which is effectively a group of prestigious AAU basketball tournaments run by Nike designed to highlight the athletes Nike hopes to one day sponsor. In the end, it works out for everyone. Nike puts on the tournaments, players get exposure, and college coaches get to see all the best talent of tomorrow crammed into one gym competing against one another.

Last year’s Peach Jam headliner was undoubtedly Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins. Widely considered the best high school player to come along since LeBron James, Wiggins fell one point short in the tournament championship. He lost to Cal’s Jabari Bird.

Playing for the Oakland Soldiers, an AAU team LeBron once played for extensively, Bird found his team down 50-49 with under 10 ticks on the clock. Bird was being guarded by Wiggins on the left wing when the ball came his way. Without hesitation, he rose up and fired off a three with everything on the line. Wiggins couldn’t help but commit a foul. Bird calmly strode to the free throw stripe, in a sweltering South Carolina gym in July, under the watchful eyes of the Mike Krzyzewskis of the world, and calmly drained the game winners.

Sure enough, before Bird could even board his flight back out to Oakland, The North Carolina Tar Heels came calling, Jabari’s dream school.

“My dream school growing up was North Carolina. I wanted to be just like Jordan,” explained Bird in his high school coach’s office. “They came on too late though. I remember right after we won Peach Jam, I’m on my way home, and I get a text from one of their coaches offering me a scholarship. It was kinda crazy. UNC was a school I always watched growing up. But I had to say no. It was too late.”

Indeed, the 6’6” swingman, who’s always made sure to wear number 23, had worked his whole life to receive that text. For someone to offer him a chance to follow MJ’s exact footsteps and play for the Tar Heels of UNC. But Jabari is serious when he says it was too late. The Vallejo, CA native had promised to be a California Bear, and number 23 is a man of his word.

—

In order to connect the dots and fully understand where Bird developed his respectful demeanor, his cool confidence and his Jordan-esque smile, it helps to walk the halls of his alma mater, Salesian High School. Located in the heart of Richmond, the private school of 451 students shares a fence with the neighboring Richmond High School located just steps down the road. The quaint Catholic school features manicured lawns at the base of intelligent architecture. Students walk the halls in traditional school uniforms, while the administration is quick with a smile to the rogue stranger passing by. Principal’s Timothy J. Chambers popular slogan is “come and see”, and to be sure, the school’s excellence speaks for itself.

On the day I visited with Jabari, it was the second day of a new school year at Salesian. The back to school hustle and bustle didn’t stop Principal Chambers from corralling me into his office for a chance to discuss the attributes of his latest student done good.

“He was great,” says Chambers with beaming pride. “I can say that without a qualification. He was a leader. In the hallway, in the classroom, wherever he was. His language, his style, he had no pretense to superiority at all.”

It would be hard to blame Bird for having said pretense, considering his presence on campus. The main entrance to the school opens up to the a trophy case featuring the State Championship trophy Jabari won as a Junior in 2012. Down the hall, a conference room is adorned by a blown up photo of Bird in a McDonald’s apron from a photoshoot he did following his selection as a McDonald’s All-American. Yet despite all this pomp and circumstance surrounding the 18 year old, it hasn’t seemed to have gotten to his head.

Bill Mellis, a former team manager for the Cal Bears basketball team during the Jason Kidd era and current Salesian head coach, jumps at the chance to speak fondly of his former player both on and off the court.

“I’ll just say that for someone that was as recognizable and in the limelight, he is very down to earth. He loved his senior class. Not just the basketball players, but all the way down to the teachers. He treated everyone with respect and didn’t walk around like he was better than anyone else. One of his first year’s here, during a spirit week, he came in a full on purple Teletubby costume. He can laugh at himself. He was never above anything.”

If our location for an interview was any indication (cramped in the back corner of Mellis’ “under-construction” basketball office) Jabari’s reputation for humility in the face of humungous hype certainly seems to hold weight. With his never ending legs and Inspector Gadget arms coiled up like an accordion on his old coaches’ couch, Bird is at ease discussing the long arch of his basketball career.

—

The son of a San Quentin Prison guard, Jabari had his old man around in the afternoons to rebound for him when he was itching to get some shots up in the family’s backyard. That’s because his dad, Carl Bird, worked the graveyard shift, in part to have more time to spend with young Bari. It also didn’t hurt that Carl knew his way around a basketball court himself. A 6’8” forward who led the Cal Bears in scoring twice during the 1970’s, Carl was drafted by the Golden State Warriors and eventually cut out a long career for himself in professional leagues overseas.

“My dad always worked with me in the backyard. It would then go to HORSE, and he would always beat me in HORSE, then it went to one-on-one. I’m a little kid, and he’s like 6’8” 240, a big guy, but he wouldn’t let me win. He wasn’t about letting me win. That definitely helped me with my competitive edge.”

Not only did Jabari benefit from patterning his game after his father, he also remembers becoming infatuated by the Greatest Of All Time, Michael Jordan, at a very young age. It just so happened that the youngster grew up to be the same height as MJ, with a similar body-type and style of play.

“Growing up I just watched Michael Jordan videos all the time. I mean, who didn’t want to be like Mike? I remember watching him in the Finals versus Utah. Just as a little kid next to my mom, imitating his moves on the couch, trying to do whatever he did. I even watched Space Jam all the time. I had all his DVD’s. Everything.”

Inspired by Jordan like so many his age, Bird became consumed with the game of basketball, playing any chance he got. Whether it was an outdoor playground in Vallejo, inside at the Mare Island Sports Center, or at an AAU tournament with the Vallejo Hustlers, Bird was rarely seen during his youth without a basketball under his arm.

When it came time to pick a high school to attend, Bird chose Benicia High. A relatively unknown program, Bird’s reasons for attending Benicia were threefold. The school was relatively close by, all his friends were going there, and the coach was the son of Al Attles. The same Al Attles who drafted Carl Bird onto the Warriors decades earlier. After experiencing a five inch growth spurt the summer leading up to his freshman season, Bird became a breakout player for Benicia averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds playing against guys four years older than him. It wasn’t long before he got his first call from the Oakland Soldiers.

“I remember the Soldiers called me after my freshman year, and I knew who the Soldiers were. Carl Foster called me. I was super nervous at the tryout. When I walked into the tryout I saw all these elite guys like Jabari Brown, Dominic Artis, etc, and I was thinking, ‘I’m not supposed to be here’. I don’t want to say I was star struck. But there was just a lot of talent in the gym, Aaron Gordon, everyone. Initially, I didn’t feel like I belonged there.”

Whether Bird felt he belonged or not, he turned in a great performance at the tryout and was able to make the squad. With an alumni list of players that include LeBron James, Drew Gooden, Chauncey Billups and the like, there was no understating how big of a deal it was for Jabari to become a Soldier. For the next three summers, Bird would tour the United States, stopping off at an array of elite tournaments to play the best talent the team could find. Alongside him the entire way was Aaron Gordon, the current Arizona Wildcat who won California’s Mr. Basketball award twice while at Archbishop Mitty in San Jose.

“I was motivated. On the Soldiers I was never known as ‘that guy’. When people talked about the team I played on, in my age group, it was always about Aaron Gordon. And Aaron is a good friend of mine, but at the same time, I see him as a rival. Any accolade he got, I wanted it too. Being on the same team as him pushed me to work hard because I wanted everything he had. I wanted be seen on the same level as him.”

It was that first summer with the Soldiers that Jabari met point guard Mario Dunn. An electrifying player in his own right, Dunn had just finished his first year at Salesian, and continually sung the praises of the school and the basketball program in front of Bird. Because Bird’s coach at Benicia had recently been let go, Jabari figured why not head over to Salesian and chase down a state championship with his buddy Mario. He eventually achieved just that, but not before being embroiled in an alleged recruiting violation.

In what by all accounts was a mix up in the bureaucratic paperwork of the California high school athletics governing body, it was deemed illegal that Jabri had talked to Mario about Salesian before enrolling in the school. Forced to succom to the “Pre-Enrolment Contact” rule, Bird’s Salesian team had to forgo six of their wins that they earned at the beginning of the season. Coming back from a brief suspension, Bird, Dunn and current Oregon point guard Dominic Artis were able to make it all the way to the Division IV State Championship game only to fall short at Arco Arena. The next year, with Artis gone to a Las Vegas prep school, Bird broke through and brought home the elusive State Championship trophy back to Richmond.

Following his subsequent Peach Jam title over Andrew Wiggins, Bird returned home last summer with the world at his fingertips, literally. Virtually any school in the nation had their doors wide open for Jabari, should he have chosen to walk through. Ultimately, he chose to be a Cal Golden Bear, becoming just the fifth McDonald’s All-American to come to Berkeley, joining the likes of Shareef Abdur Rahim, Leon Powe and Jason Kidd.

“Cal was the first college to offer me a scholarship when I was a freshman at Benicia. Honestly, that meant a lot to me. I came into high school as an unknown player, and as soon as I started putting up numbers, Cal came calling and offered me. After that, Washington and Arizona and other schools started calling. But I was always the type of guy who knew he wanted to stay close to home.”

By staying home, Bird became the most heralded Bay Area high school senior to stay local for college since Leon Powe went from Oakland Tech to Cal. Stanford and Cal’s rosters have largely been made up of talent from Southern California as of late, not to mention St. Mary’s looking all the way to Australia to fill out their roster. Last year’s NBA rookie of the year, Damian Lillard from Oakland High, ventured out to Utah to play for Weber State in lieu of staying local. It’s a trend Bird is excited to try to change.

“That is one of my goals. To show kids from the Bay Area following in my footsteps that you don’t necessarily need to go away to play college ball. You can be an All-American, stay close to home, and still accomplish your dreams. Jason Kidd did it, Leon Powe did, I want to do that too.”

While not every superstar from Northern California stays local like Bird, there will be a host of local hoopers doing damage in the PAC-12 this year. Dominic Artis from Salesian will be running the point for Oregon, Aaron Gordon is poised to dominate at Arizona, and Darin Johnson from Sacramento is set to breakout at Washington.

“The PAC-12 should be awesome to watch this year,” says Jason Lincoln, a videographer from the hit YouTube site “Yay Area’s Finest”. “I’ve watched a ton of basketball in the Bay Area over the years, and this is definitely one of the best senior classes I’ve ever seen.”

Lincoln, along with Yay Area’s Finest head honcho Travis Farris, has been filming highlight videos of Bird, his boyhood friend, for as long as he can remember. It’s a passion project that Farris and Lincoln have pushed to become what is now a famed YouTube channel that attracts a cult following of basketball lovers.

“Those guys have been filming me since I was in the ninth grade. I’m all for it and I love supporting it. I think its cool because people say they have all these highlights and want them to get out and Travis and Jason are always there. If you put on a show, YAF is going to put it out.”

Highlight tapes aside, Jabari knows full well that if he expects to send Cal to the Final Four, or find himself on an NBA roster, he has his work cut out for him. Bird’s best attribute is his mid range game. Using his length and smooth athleticism, Bird should have little trouble in college getting off one dribble pull up jumpers and finishing lobs in transition. But there are still some holes in his game that he must fill in order to play at the highest level. Namely defense and ball-handling. Two things Coach Mellis believes Jabari will sure up, so long as he buys into Mike Montgomery’s no nonsense style over in Berkeley.

—

20 years ago, Bill Mellis shared the huddle with Jason Kidd as the Cal Bears knocked off the two time defending National Champion Duke Blue Devils. He watched the magician that is J Kidd pick apart a seemingly helpless Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill. Duke’s chance at an historic three-peat evaporated, while Cal marched on to the Sweet 16. The Sports Illustrated cover photo from that game is prominently displayed in the Salesian basketball office still to this day.

As I finish talking to Bird and he uncoils from his seat in his coaches’ office, Jabari lets out one of his signature smiles as he discusses his Unit 1 freshman dorm arrangement at Cal. Mellis has walked those dormitory halls a thousand times. Eaten at Top Dog down the street, gone to Memorial Stadium every Saturday. More importantly, he’s seen and heard the Harmon Gym crowd explode with noise and spill over onto Bancroft Avenue after another “You had to be there” performance from Jason Kidd. As Mellis and Bird embraced each other a week before Jabari headed off to college, they both knew. They knew the story of the coming years about to unfold was going to be filled with unexpected twists and turns, gut wrenching defeats and historic victories. They both knew it, and were ready for it to begin. But for now, the two could just smile.

"Niner Football at the Half" - Checking in on the 6-2 San Francisco 49ers

By Devin "Reno" Wright (@TheRealReno)

While watching the Niners roll over the hapless Jacksonville Sassy Cats on Sunday morning, I suddenly became very aware of a scary fact. And this fact also made me kind of depressed. We are officially through the first half of the NFL season. Where did those first 8 weeks go!?!? You mean to tell me we only have 8 more weeks left!?!?! I'm already panicking as I write this.  In this vain, I'm gonna take a moment to collect my composure really quick....(attempts to use mediation breathing technique I learned in college in a class I actually got credits for)

Ok, I think I'm better now. Where were we? Oh yes, the half way mark of the season. After 8 short weeks, the Niners are currently 6-2 heading into their perfectly timed bye week. To be frank, it feels like I've lived three completely different lives as a fan of this team so far. A breakout start, followed by an ugly two game losing streak, followed by beautiful, dominant Niner football. Let's take this opportunity to talk about those first 8 weeks and where we should expect the second half of the season to take us. Shall we?

Life 1: SF vs Green Bay

It seems like the Forty Niners have played three different seasons already. The boys and red and gold started the season with a statement win over the Packers in which Colin Kaepernick and the offense looked virtually unstoppable. Kap had 412 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, Anquan Boldin went for 208 and a score, Vernon Davis had 98 yards a 2 scores, and the D played pretty well against a great offense. Things were looking good for the 49ers after week 1 to say the least.

Life 2: Sf @ Seattle and SF vs Indy

Rough back to back losses to rival Seattle, and Harbaugh protégé Andrew Luck showed some glaring weaknesses for SF.

In Seattle, in front of a national audience, the Niners were beaten soundly once again by the 'Hawks. The Niners could not run the ball (something over looked in the Green Bay win), and it seems like the offense was relying too much on complicated schemes that required more skill from the players, especially WR, than what the Niners were capable of. Boldin and Davis were blanketed by the Seattle secondary, while Kyle Williams and Marlon Moore were basically invisible. The D actually played pretty well, but they were constantly put into bad situations due to the lack of offensive production.

This is also where the injury bug stated to hit. Starting nose guard Ian Williams was "legally" chopped at the knee and suffered a season ending broken ankle, and Vernon Davis strained his hamstring on a deep ball late in the game.

The next week, this time at home against Indy, the offense continued to be anemic. The offense ran well on their first scoring drive of the game, but then seemed to get away from the run too quickly in search of flashy passing plays. With Davis not starting at TE, and the Indy D taking Boldin away, the passing game was left with unreliable Kyle Williams and Marlon Moore again. Needless to say, it was Colin Kaepernick's worst performance of his career.

The defense did not fare much better, as Indy was able to run all over the field for 3 scores. Late in the game, Patrick Willis suffered a groin strain, and guard Mike Iupati injured his right shoulder. On KNBR, you could hear the panic button being pressed by the final whistle.

After suffering their first losing streak, the Niners and their fans were left to reevaluate where this season was headed. A short weak heading to St. Louis, where the 49ers had lost in an ugly game last year was looming.

--

Quick break for my own analysis on the 1-2 start:

San Francisco ended last season with an explosive offense that put all if their playmakers on display. If it wasn't Gore, James, or Kap chunking yards on the ground, it was Crabs, and Davis getting yards through the air. With Crabs out, and Davis hurt, the Forty Niners didn't really have the personnel to be able to make those chunk yards in the air. Teams could load the box and stop the run as well because Kap and Gore were mostly operating out of the shotgun with more receivers than lineman. This lead to an inability to run the ball effectively, which has always been a staple of Harbaugh lead teams, even dating back to his Stanford days.

Life 3: Sf @ STL, SF vs Houston, SF vs AZ, SF @ Tennessee, SF "@" Jax

It seemed to happen in an instant. The flash offense of the 2013 Niners went back to the old days (2011 being the old days). Harbaugh and Roman seemed to realize that the offense needed to go back to grinding the ball on the ground with big sets and Kap under center. The needed to get back to where their bread was buttered and hand the rock to their bell cow, Frank Gore.

Right on cue,Frankie ran all over a hyped up St. Louis D for 153 yards and a back breaking 4th down score to put the game away. After that Thursday night game, the offense started to grind teams down with the running game and haven't looked back up to this point.

Before the season, everyone wondered how productive Gore could be this year due to his aging legs. Well fun fact, Frankie is quietly having one of his best seasons ever. He is on pace for around 1,300 yards rushing (second highest for his career) and a casual 14 TD's, at the age of 30. If you need some perspective on this feat, let's just say I'm 31 and have a tough time getting out of bed after going to the gym for 30 minutes.

Easy wins over Houston, Tennessee, Jacksonville, and a bit of a struggle against Arizona have featured an offensive scheme that seems to be better suited to the players that the Niners have at the moment.

On the defensive side of the ball, Vac Fangio as made a few subtle changes that have helped the D return to its dominant form. While the run defense is currently ranked 14th, those numbers should be better in the second half of the season with added depth on the line, and a healthier Patrick Willis. The pass defense has been a revelation this season ranking 8th in the NFL. Tarell Brown, Carlos Rodgers, and Eric Reid are all having great seasons, while the D line as been able to apply a little more pressure as the season has progressed thanks to rookie Cory Lemonier, who has filled in admirably after Aldon Smith was sent who knows where in order to get his act together.

With Ian Williams out, former first round pick Glenn Dorsey has become a revelation this first half of the season. Dorsey has proven stout against the run, and with 2 sacks already, he is tied for his career high. Also replacing a projected starter has been new fan favorite Tremaine Brock from tiny Belhaven College in Mississippi. "T-Brock" replaced Nnamdi Asomugha as the nickle back after the ugly loss to Indy. In only 5 games of work, Brock has arguably been SF's most productive defender, totaling 13 tackles, while also picking off 3 passes including one for a score on the third play against Houston.

So what does the rest of the season have in store you ask?

Well the biggest issues facing the Forty Niners this week have to do with roster changes. The trade deadline has come and gone, much to the relief of Boobie Dixon fans the world over, after he was allegedly placed on the trade block. The Niners must now make room for players coming back from injury, or have not been activated for the first part of the season. Running Back LeMichael James is rumored to start suiting up again. WR's Mario Manningham will hopefully provide an upgrade for Kap in the passing game, which is ranked a dismal 31st in the NFL, while Crabs is due to return around the end of November (just in time for Dec. 8th against Seattle). The defense will also receive some help with rookies Tank Carradine having been activated already as well as Quntin Dial on the D-line, and Eric Wright possibly taking Asomuhga's spot on the roster. Also, Aldon Smith is still a possibility to return this season, so another roster adjustment may be due later. It's a great problem to have that the 49ers need to adjust a talented roster to make room for more talent. That certainly bodes well for a strong second half of the season.

As far as the schedule goes, the next 8 weeks seem quite favorable to SF at this point. More so than it did at the beginning of the year. Home games against the Carolina Panthers and Cam Newton (and QB coach Kenny Dorsey), struggling Atlanta and Matty Ice, and bottom feeder St. Louis seem like a possibility for an easy 3 wins. Meanwhile remaining road games against Washington, Arizona, and Tampa should also all be wins, at least on paper.

The real tests from here on out will be against a very good New Orleans team in the Superdome, and home against NFC West rival Seattle. At worst, the Niners should be 6-2 on the back end, or even 7-1. With a final record of wither 12-4 or 13-3, SF should be looking at a 1 or 2 seed in the playoffs depending on Seattle and New Orleans. After that, anything is possible in the playoffs with this squad. I'm just not sure how many more lives I can live this season, god knows we'll all live a few more...

"Game On" - The A's Take Another Crack At Verlander in a Decisive ALDS Game 5

The year 2000: We lose the ALDS 3-2 to the Yankees.

Barry Zito was clutch as it gets in a Game 4 elimination game in Gotham, only to return to the Network Associates and fall to Jeter, Mo Rivera and Paul O'Neil.

Art Howe trotted out Gil Heredia for that pivotal Game 5 in Oakland. It wasn't enough. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7QkBNaw_0Q 2001: We lose the ALDS 3-2 to the Yankess. (After winning the first two games of the series on the road in The Bronx behind Mulder and Hudson).

In the potential series clinching Game 3, JEREMY GIAMBI DOESN'T SLIDE. We lose 1-0. http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=3134880

Cory Lidle gets shelled in Game 4. Mulder couldn't hold down David Justice and co. in Game 5. Jeter was Jeter throughout. 2002: We lose the ALDS 3-2 to the Twins

This is also commonly referred to as the "Moneyball Year" in some circles. The Big Three, Billy Koch, Eric Chavez, Miguel Tejada, etc. etc. were all hitting on all cylinders.

We gave the ball to Tim Hudson in Game 4 with a chance to clinch in the Metrodome, and lost.

In Game 5 back at The Net, A.J. Pierzynski and David Ortiz killed us.

Denny Hocking caught the final out at second base under the afternoon sun off the bat of Ray Durham. In the postgame dogpile at the mound, Jacque Jones stepped on Hocking's hand and broke it. The whole scene was just gut-wrenching. Eventually they made a movie about it with Brad Pitt et al. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAVBXQoLQPE 2003: We lose the ALDS 3-2 to the Red Sox

This time Rich Harden is our ace and Ken Macha is steering the ship. Oh, and Erubiel Durazo is one of our best hitters.

Ramon Hernandez's two out bunt in the 12th won us Game 1.

Zeets delt in Game 2 and we went back to Boston up 2-0.

Then in Game 3 Byrnes hobbled around home and forget to touch the plate. Miggy argued a call instead of just running.

That night Hudson gets in a bar fight in Beantown, allegedly. The next day in Game 4 Huddy leaves the game in the first with a strained oblique.

Game 5, back at The Net, ManRam takes Zito yard and pimps the homer all the way down to first. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePv2R6hYM5Q

4 years in a row losing 3-2 in an ALDS. 2006: We finally win an ALDS, sweeping the Twins. Only to then be swept by the Tigers in the ALCS

Despite the dynamic play of Milton Bradley, the A's seemed overmatched by Detroit.

Magglio Ordonez capped off the sweep with a walk off bomb off Houston Street to send the Tigers to the World Series. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbGXgwHE_YA 2012: We lose the ALDS 3-2 to the Tigers

Maybe the best regular season in A's history. 15 walkoffs. 5 games back of the Rangers with 9 to play. Hamilton's drop. Winning the West on the last day. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXSCjarkVgI

We lose game 1 to Verlander. Then we lose Game 2 to Fister. Then we come back to Overstock.com and Brett Anderson comes off of injury to stave off elimination. Then Coco walks off on Valverde in Game 4. Then Verlander beats us in Game 5... and the fans refused to stop chanting "Let's Go Oakland" while head groundskeeper Clay Wood groomed the field with tears in his eyes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CeR7w5H2uA 2013: Verlander arrives back in the Coliseum to face rookie Sonny Gray in a do or die Game 5. The Red Sox await the winner in the ALCS. Game on....