Consider the Following: Sports

From 2010 to 2011, Alex Smith gained one receiver, Braylon Edwards . The 49ers backfield gained rookie Kendall Hunter , and the defense acquired rookie linebacker Aldon Smith . There have been some other changes to the 49er roster, but can these fairly insignificant pickups really account for a 9-1 record in week 10, after going 6-10 last year and missing the playoffs in the lowly NFC West? The real change, although it is hard to prove, is coach Jim Harbaugh . Initially, I will note, that other than play calling and technique, I find very little sympathy for people who argue that coaches really make a significant difference in the NFL. And I know that I'll get shit for saying that, but let it go for the time being. After all, one can hardly call Harbaugh a revolutionary college coach, after he basically one the lottery with Andrew Luck and Toby Gerhart leading the Cardinal offense. So for now, imagine Jim Harbaugh has not really accomplished anything. So what makes him such a...

 I am a faithful fan of the California Golden Bears . I watch Bears football through thick (and it has been very thick as of late), and thin. But when they lose, and subsequently lose bowl game hopes, it begins to become tough to care about any college football. Whereas an Alabama Crimson Tide fan can constantly be involved in their teams season and games, I am forced to continuously hope that Stanford will lose, simply out of spite. And as I have watched my fanhood wither this season, so has my interest in college football games other than #1 v. #2 matchups... Until last night. At around 3:30 (on the west coast), I texted an acquaintance of mine: " Wisconsin Michigan St ? ur house?" At this point I will concede that this was a high-profile game, and being a sports fan, it does make sense that I would be interested in this game, but it was my subconscious Badger disposition that struck me as odd as the game unfolded. I found myself hoping that Russell Wilson would make ...

So, despite the lockout and many other off-season ordeals, the largest change in the NFL seems to be that crazy kick return rule. The average dim-witted NFL analysts was shocked to learn that despite the ball being placed 5 yards up from last years 35-yard line, there were 8 kick return touchdowns in week 1. Of course, in any week, 8 kick return touchdowns is significant, but those extra five yards, I chose to argue, make no difference. So let's start by looking at a couple of examples: So I know these are both Percy Harvin , who is an amazing kick returner, but let's look at one other similarity between these two plays: Harvin beats the last defender with his incredible speed with about 30 yards to go before the end zone. Thus, would it have really mattered if the ball was 10, 20, even 30 yards closer to the offense. I say no. I for one, understand the idea of a shorter kickoff. The many blindside hits and concussions caused by kickoffs are dangerous to the sport, and ...

Yes, I realize it has been almost two months since I have posted on this blog. Yes, I realize plenty of important things have gone on in the world of sports that I could have chosen to write about in this time; but, as professional basketball and football both chose to take breaks this summer, I simply followed in their footsteps. And as the NFL starts today, with many people having already forgotten about the recent lockout, I hope my hiatus can be as easily forgotten. Thus, let's take a moment to talk about this first NFL Sunday. In incredibly American fashion, the NFL begins it's season today, the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The vast majority of games have already been started,and it's odd to see which teams have already made statements. My absolute favorite outcome of a game today is the Ravens 35-7 romping of the Steelers. Although I was unable to see the game, I know that anytime these two teams play, a defensive battle ensues. Yet, somehow, today, the Steelers ju...

I have never really felt like a 'breaking news' reporter, so I think it's ok that I'm a couple of days late reporting that the lockout is over. And frankly I am extremely happy that I no longer have to hear people asking me what I think about the lockout. Over the 130 or so days of the lockout I literally learned nothing about the inner workings of the dealings, because, honestly, I'm not a damn lawyer. And when I would tell people I didn't understand the process, they would tell me it's all about money.........no shit?! I felt like a fucking six year old, of course I know it's about money, I mean I just don't understand the $2 million off the top, or whatever gibberish ESPN kept feeding me. But now that it's over, one things is clear to me: someone fucked up. Not only have I heard more talks about the salary cap than ever before (yeah, I'm kinda mad that the Raiders are the most over cap of any team), and players are being shipped everywhe...

Many famous philosophers have hypothesized that, as advertised, ESPN is truly The Worldwide Leader in Sports. And who am I, or anyone with no knowledge of the world of sports broadcasting, to say otherwise. From Monday Night Football, to prime-time games, to a newly-acquired Wimbledon contract, ESPN has certainly created a near monopoly on sports broadcasting. The two cable channels, as well as the online ESPN3.com, and the oft forgotten ESPNU (channel 788 for all you Comcast aficionados), are often the subject of my mid-afternoon gaze. It seems that ESPN has created what I have always wanted, a guaranteed source of sports commentary amidst the regular drudgery of flipping through cable television. Yet it is this easy dependence that is a blessing and a curse of the TV world. In the first of many in a series of posts with the title Addiction , I will examine the television version of heroin, otherwise known as Sportscenter. To many, Sportscenter is either an unknown term, or ...

So, I tend to call this period of the sports year "downtime". The only sport in full swing is baseball (no I didn't mean for there to be any irony there). And when baseball is midway through the season, there are no real stories to cover. It can be even further affirmed that this is true when the vast majority of stories on ESPN are concerned with tennis and women's soccer... Yeah, who knew the women's World Cup was this week, it's so exciting. Anyway, the whole point I am trying to make, is that whereas I usually am able to take this time to marvel over blockbuster trades in both professional basketball and football, the masterminds behind the NFL and NBA (Goodell and Stern), are doing everything in their power to make sure that doesn't happen. I yearn for the days of Lebron James ' The Decision , and talk of Brett Favre 's third comeback. But instead, my summer has been haunted by talks of Collective Bargaining Agreements. And seeing as I am n...