This Year the Bay Area May Witness The Most Teams In the Postseason In Less Than a Year

The San Jose Sharks are currently fighting for a playoff spot and I can’t help but hope for them to make the postseason. Not just because I am a Sharks fan but because I am a Bay Area fan. If the Sharks make the postseason by this week’s end, the Bay Area will have accomplished something it never has before.  That accomplishment is seeing a Bay Area team from each major sports league make the postseason in a span of one year.

            When I mean major sports, I mean baseball, basketball, football, and hockey. When I mean major sport leagues I mean the NBA, MLB, NFL, and NHL. So far in the past year at least one Bay Area team has made the postseason from each of its respective leagues. The San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s both made the playoffs last October in pro baseball. The San Francisco 49ers made the playoffs last January in pro football. The Golden State Warriors are currently in the playoffs for pro basketball. If the Sharks make the playoffs this week that would mean that five of the six major Bay Area teams would make the playoffs in less than a year.  Only the Oakland Raiders in football failed at making the playoffs this past year which keeps the Bay Area from going a perfect 6 for 6 in postseason appearances in one year. Still in less than a year the Bay Area may have the chance to witness a local postseason team in every major sport. That itself would be a first for the Bay Area.

            How close have the Bay Area sport teams gotten to accomplishing this all in the same year. It has been close a few times.  Remember the San Jose Sharks have only been in existence since 1991 so the Bay Area has only had a major sport team in all major sports since then. Before that the only NHL team to call the Bay Area home was the Oakland Seals who were only in existence in the late 1960s and early 1970s. That franchise only made the postseason twice. They made it in 1969 and another in 1970. The Oakland A’s did not make the postseason in 1968, 1969, or 1970. They made the playoffs in October of 1971 but that is more than a year after April of 1970 when the Seals last reached the postseason. The San Francisco Giants also did not reach the postseason in 1968, 1969, or 1970. Like the A’s, the Giants reached the postseason in October of 1971 more than a year after the Seals last postseason appearance. The San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders both reached the postseason in 1970, the same year the Seals made the playoffs. The Raiders also reached the playoffs in 1969 in the same year the Seals made their first playoff appearance. While those few years in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s got four Bay Area teams involved in a span of a year, it never witnessed a team from each sport making the playoffs. Since the Oakland Seals didn’t reach the postseason again after 1970 and would eventually fold as a team in the mid 1970s, you would not see a chance for the Bay Area to see a team in four different sports compete in the playoffs the same year until the San Jose Sharks joined the league in 1991.

            Another close encounter of all Bay Area team making the playoffs in the same year was in 1993-1994.  In April of 1994 the San Jose Sharks made its first playoff appearance in its young history. That same year the Golden State Warriors made the playoffs in April of 1994. The 49ers would make the playoffs in both 1993 and 1994.  Unfortunately, the Giants did not make the playoffs in 1993 nor was it possible to make the playoffs in 1994 due to a players’ strike that ended the season in August that year. The A’s didn’t make the playoffs in 1993 either. The Oakland A’s did make the playoffs in October of 1992 but that is more than a year until the Sharks would make the postseason in 1994.  Between 1994 and 2007 the Warriors went through one of the worst postseason droughts in sports history and thus the chance of a Bay Area team in the postseason in four different sports was not reachable as long as the Warriors struggled.  Then along came the 2006-2007 season for the Warriors.

            In April of 2007 the Warriors finally reached the postseason and it was a magical one.  The San Jose Sharks also reached the postseason in April 2007.  The Oakland A’s made it to the playoffs months earlier in October of 2006. However, that was all the Bay Area witnessed that year. The 49ers and the Raiders both were in middle of playoff droughts that year as they both last reached the postseason in January of 2002. The SF Giants were rebuilding as a team in 2006 and 2007 as they went through a transition from the Barry Bonds era to the post Bonds era. After 2007 the Golden State Warriors went through another playoffs drought which made the chance for a team in each sport reaching the postseason hopeless that is until this year.

            With Warriors back in the playoffs, the Giants fresh off a World Series title, and the 49ers recently going through a heartbreaking loss in the Super Bowl, this year arguably has already been one of the best years for Bay Area Sports. However, to make this year truly special would be for the San Jose Sharks to join the rest of the Bay Area pack into postseason galore.  Then it would be at least one team in each major sports league going to the playoffs that the Bay Area can witness.  I don’t know how frequently that has happened in other sports regions across the country. I am sure it is not that often as most regions always have that one team in one sport that holds the rest of the region back such as the Warriors for the Bay Area or the Pirates for Pittsburgh. I do know though that this week could be the first time it happens for the Bay Area.  The Sharks have been the team in the Bay Area most consistently in the playoffs the past ten years so I like our chances of sports history. Let’s cherish the possibility of five of our six Bay Area teams making the postseason this past year. After that let’s hope it can happen again next year. Then let’s hope the Raiders can stop holding the Bay Area back and make it a perfect 6 for 6 in Bay Area teams reaching the postseason.

Colin Kaepernick Is Representing Nevada Well

When Colin Kaepernick defeated Green Bay with his arm and legs last Saturday, there was a huge sense of school pride that I felt after the game. I went to the University of Nevada Reno. I was there to witness Colin Kaepernick play for the Nevada Wolf Pack football team during his first two seasons as quarterback. It would my last two years at the school. When I graduated, I would continue to follow Kaepernick closely especially his senior season, when he gave Nevada its best season in school history. Every time I watched Kaepernick, I felt school pride because he was making Nevada football entertaining and many times he helped the team win. I would never forget watching his last game in person at AT&T Park when he and the Wolf Pack beat Boston College in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

            I would never forget saying to my dad after Kaepernick’s last college game about how great it would be if the 49ers drafted him. I was a Wolf Pack fan and a 49ers fan. I enjoyed cheering on Kaepernick while I was in college and so I liked the thought of continuing to cheer him on while with the 49ers, the team I grew up rooting for.  It would have been weird for me having to cheer against him if he had played for another team.  As fate would have it, Kaepernick would get drafted by the 49ers and I was excited.

            I knew Kaepernick would not be the 49ers starting quarterback right away but I knew that once he was given a chance, no matter how briefly the opportunity was, he would make the most of his opportunity. That’s what happened at Nevada. Kaepernick was not the starting quarterback at the beginning of his freshmen season at Nevada. It was not until mid season his freshmen year when Nevada’s starter got injured that Kaepernick got the chance to start. He made the most of his opportunity and never looked back. He would do so well filling in as starting quarterback that even when the other quarterback came back from injury, Kaepernick would never give up the starting job.  I predicted the same thing would happen in the NFL with the 49ers. I said to people that if an injury happened to Alex Smith, that Kaepernick was going to fill in and do so great that he would remain the starting quarterback. Well, my predictions were right. Kaepernick filled in for Alex Smith and he never looked back.  While I am happy for the way Kaepernick has played, I would be lying if I say I was surprised.  Not after what I saw him do in college. I knew he would have success before most people did.

            Now Kaepernick is getting ready for the NFC Championship game against the Atlanta Falcons.  Not only will I be rooting for Kaepernick as a 49er fan but I will be cheering for him as a fellow Wolf Pack student from the University of Nevada.  Not only does Kaepernick succeeding help my 49ers, its helps the Wolf Pack get name recognition around the country. It’s the best of both worlds for me.

Against Atlanta Colin Kaepernick Must Play the Game of His Life

As big of a win Colin Kaepernick had against Green Bay last Saturday, the game coming up will be bigger. That’s because it is not just any game, it’s the NFC Championship game. The winner of that game goes to the Super Bowl and the only team standing in the way of Kaepernick and the 49ers going to the Super Bowl is the Atlanta Falcons.  Kaepernick had a great game against Green Bay but he will need to play even better against Atlanta. He will need to play the game of his life.

            You can argue that the Super Bowl would be the game of Kaepernick’s life and in ways you would be right. However, from a 49ers perspective, the NFC Championship game has always been the biggest hurdle for the 49ers when winning a Super Bowl. The 49ers have appeared in 14 NFC Championship games but have only won five of them. However, once the 49ers reach the Super Bowl they are undefeated. They have never lost a Super Bowl they appeared in.  

            There is something about playing on the biggest stage that the 49ers thrive on historically and I don’t see that changing in this Super Bowl if they manage to get there. They already prove that they can beat the New England Patriots during the regular season. New England also doesn’t have a good defense so Kaepernick would run circles around them. While the Baltimore Ravens would prove to be a bigger challenge for the 49ers offense since Baltimore has a good defense, I believe the 49ers defense is better. Plus Baltimore is not known for huge offensive numbers so the 49ers defense would keep them from scoring much. It would come down to the 49ers putting up points against a good defense and Kaepernick has shown he can beat a good defense. Just ask the Chicago Bears.

            The game against Atlanta also should be the most important for Kaepernick because it will be a test to whether he can bring the 49ers to the next level.  Alex Smith brought the 49ers to the NFC Championship game last year but faltered in that game against the New York Giants. The reason for Head Coach Jim Harbaugh choosing to start Kaepernick over Smith this postseason is because he feels Kaepernick can take the 49ers further than Smith can.  This game will be a test to whether Harbaugh made the right decision.  If Kaepernick can take the 49ers farther than Smith did, all of the debate about who should be the starting quarterback will be put to rest no matter what happens in the Super Bowl.

            So how exactly can Kaepernick play better against Atlanta than he did against Green Bay? Considering that he set NFL records against Green Bay that game will be hard to beat in terms of success. For starters, Kaepernick will need to throw more touchdown passes than he did against Green Bay. As much as I like the running touchdowns that Kaepernick scores, I think Atlanta is going to prepare for his rushing ability. They will expect Kaepernick to run and may take away the lanes that Green Bay gave him. So Kaepernick will have to throw more than he did last game to offset the lack of rushing touchdowns. If Atlanta tries to stop Kaepernick’s runs, they will most likely be leaving players open for Kaepernick to pass to. So he should be able to make deep throws to his wide receivers.  He will need to throw for over 300 yards in passing.  He will need to throw three to four touchdown passes.  Most importantly, he needs to spread the ball around when he throws it. Michael Crabtree has been Kaepernick’s main target but he needs to try and get some passes to Randy Moss. Everyone will expect Crabtree to get passes so he might be double teamed. This should leave receivers like Moss and Vernon Davis open for passes as well as Delanie Walker.

            Overall, if Kaepernick can throw the ball more this upcoming week, it should open up the run game for Kaepernick as well as Frank Gore.  This will need to be done for Kaepernick to win the game of his life.

Giants Bullpen A Big Key In Division Series Victory

The Giants just had a great comeback series where they trailed the Cincinnati Reds two games to none and came back to win the series in five.  It was a definitely a team effort for the Giants to win this playoff series. It is hard to pick an MVP for this series because so many players contributed at so many different moments in the series. However, I am going to tip my cap to the Giants bullpen, which I think played one of the biggest roles in this series victory if not the biggest.

            The old saying goes that pitching wins baseball games but the Giants starting pitchers did not pitch that great this series. Matt Cain gave up three runs in five innings in game one including two homers. Madison Bumgarner gave up four runs and seven hits in 4.1 innings in game two. Barry Zito didn’t even get past the third inning in game four as he gave up two runs, four hits, and four walks in 2.2 innings. Matt Cain did pitch better in game five but he still gave up three runs after his team gave him a six run lead and was unable to get past the sixth inning. Ryan Vogelsong probably had the best performance of the starters giving up only one run but he only lasted five innings as he had to battle throughout the game and raised his pitch count quickly. Overall, the rotation did not perform as you would expect on a team that has a reputation of having a great starting staff.

            Since the starting pitchers didn’t pitch deep into their games, the bullpen was used a lot and they did a great job at shutting down the Reds and giving the Giants a chance to win games. In many instances, they stopped the bleeding that was caused by the starter pitchers. There were times when the Giants starting pitchers were giving up runs and put men on base that could have easily led to high scoring innings. Instead manager Bruce Bochy was had great timing on when to take out his starters and bring in his relief pitchers. The relief pitchers responded with a bang.

            In game three when Vogelsong was taken out, the bullpen did not give up a run in five innings. This kept the Giants in the game while the score was tied for most of the day. In fact, reliever Sergio Romo was the winning pitcher for that game. In game four after Zito was being knocked around by the Reds batters, the game could have easily turned ugly. Instead Tim Lincecum came in the third inning with the score 3-2 Giants.  Lincecum would pitch 4.1 innings of baseball and gave up only one run which allowed the Giants to keep their lead over the Reds. Lincecum would be the winning pitcher of that game four victory.

            Then came game five and the Giants had a six run lead in the fifth inning. Cain, who had been pitching well prior to that six run output by the giants, started to struggle and gave up three runs in the next two innings which put the Reds back into the game.  Then relievers Kontos, Affeldt, Lopez, and Casilla put up zeroes on the scoreboard setting up the game for Giants closer Sergio Romo.

            Romo was quick getting the first out in the ninth inning but then he got into some trouble. He gave up a run and then put two men on base with just one out, cutting the Red’s deficit to two runs. I started having bad flashbacks of Romo from the 2010 postseason. I remember he struggled in finishing an inning because he gave up many hits and runs that postseason. While he had great pitching abilities, it seemed in 2010 when the game was on the line Romo didn’t respond well to pressure. Then I started to worry about the current situation Romo got himself into and wondering if he could close out a game.  That situation made me start to miss Brian Wilson. Wilson I felt comfortable with as a closer because he proved in 2010 he can close out games when the pressure was on.  Romo didn’t show that ability in 2010. So I said out loud, “Romo, this is your time to show whether or not you’re a closer.  This is your time to prove you can get the job done.” Romo would go on to prove that my worries were for nothing.  He would get a pop-up for the second out of the ninth and then he would strike out the next batter for the last out of the game.  Romo proved that he is a closer today. He will get more chances to save games in the next round and hopefully in the World Series too.

            It is hard to pick an MVP for the first round of the playoffs and luckily for the media, there is no official MVP award given out for the first round of the playoffs. If there was, it would have been tough to choose just one Giant player. If it was up to me, I would give out the MVP to the Giants relievers. They kept the Giants in the game during those three tough wins. Pitching wins games and for the Giants case it was the relievers that won games.  They are the reason the Giants are moving on.

           

Preview of Cal vs. Nevada Football Game

Cal Football is back and the team is preparing to play its first game in the newly renovated Memorial Stadium against Nevada. While playing in the new stadium should bring excitement to the Bears there should also be some sense of wanting revenge against Nevada. It was only two years ago that the Nevada Wolf Pack destroyed Cal in Reno. It was a game that Cal was expected to win and the the time of that game, Cal was ranked in the nation. After that loss however, Cal went on to have one of its worse seasons under coach Jeff Tedford while Nevada went on to have its best season in school history in which they ranked in the top 20 in the nation.

            The good news for Cal is that Colin Kaepernick is no longer Nevada’s quarterback.  Kaepernick was the main reason that Cal was defeated in Reno. Kaepernick ran circles around the Cal defense and scored touchdowns with his arm and legs.  He was unstoppable.  The other good news is that Cal is playing at home this time and recent history shows that non conference opponents that Cal loses to on the road, Cal gets their revenge by beating them at home later on.

            However, Cal should not get too comfortable with its first opponent this season. While Kaepernick may no longer be Nevada’s quarterback, they have a young good quarterback in sophomore Cody Fajardo who was named the WAC conference freshmen of the year. He can run the ball too in Nevada’s high powered pistol offense and has a good arm too. Fajardo may not be that known around the nation but that could be a problem for Cal. Kaepernick was not well known to the nation prior to Cal’s game against Nevada in 2010. It wasn’t until after he beat Cal and Boise State that he became a known player to the nation and NFL scouts.  Cal was not prepared against Kaepernick. They should not make the same mistake against Fajardo.

            So what will it take for Cal to beat Nevada this Saturday? There are two keys: one is that coach Tedford has got to outcoach Nevada head coach Chris Ault.  The second key is that Cal quarterback Zack Maynard needs to outperform Fajardo. Those were the two keys that cost Cal its game against Nevada in Reno. I remember watching the game in Reno and seeing how many bad decisions Tedford made. It may have been the biggest reason why Cal lost. Tedford had the team run the ball when they should have passed it and they passed the ball when they should have ran it. Every move Tedford made seem to cost the team and while Tedford seem to make all the wrong moves, Ault seem to make all the right moves. That cannot happen again. If Tedford wants to keep his job safe with Cal, he will need to coach better against Nevada then he did the last time.

            As far as Maynard, he will need to perform better than he did last year.  He will need to outperform Fajardo. Cal is not going to be able to shut down Nevada’s pistol offense. Nevada will score a lot of points as their system is effective in college and they have been one of the highest scoring teams in football in the past few years.  That is why it is important that Maynard scores a lot of points as they will be needed to outdo Nevada’s offense. While Maynard showed signs of being a good quarterback in some games last season, in other games he lost to teams he should have beaten. That is why Cal did not have as a good of a season as the team would have liked.  A team cannot get far if its quarterback struggles. Plus, the last Cal quarterback to play against Nevada did not have a good game and that was why Nevada was able to have a big spread on the scoreboard.

            Overall, everyone is picking Cal to beat Nevada this Saturday. On paper, Cal should beat Nevada. However, Cal’s biggest problem over the years has been losing games against teams they should have beaten.  Cal tends to overlook opponents and it comes back to bite them.  Two years ago everyone had Cal beating Nevada also. That didn’t turn out so great.  However, Cal is opening up there renovated stadium when they face Nevada. The team will be pumped, the fans will be pumped and the team will feed off the fans excitement.  The last thing Cal wants to do is lose their home opener and let Nevada rain on Cal’s parade. If Cal can’t be motivated to win this game, I don’t know what will motivate them. If Tedford can’t have his team play well in this atmosphere, then his job should be on the line.  I don’t know who is going to win this game because with Cal every game is unpredictable.

Sharks Doing More of the Same This Offseason

There is an old saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This offseason has shown the Sharks are clearly insane. After losing to the Saint Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs last April, their quickest exit from postseason play, you would think the Sharks would make some major changes in response to an embarrassing season. The Sharks ownership group even made a public statement saying last season’s postseason was unacceptable. With that statement you would think the Sharks were committed to fixing this team. Instead, they have stood pat this offseason, making only minor changes to the team. 

                The first big mistake was keeping head coach Todd McLellan. That was the first sign that the Sharks ownership group doesn’t care about improving this team. McLellan clearly lost the respect of his players towards the end of last season. The penalty kill was also terrible. Worst of all was that McLellan had the Sharks play a very conservative style of hockey despite all the skill that was on the team. He had them play that overrated dump and chase style of hockey where the player shoots the puck into the zone and then skates over to retrieve it near the goal. Problem was the Sharks never seem to succeed in retrieving the puck before the other team did. Yet McLellan still had them playing that style of hockey. It was the reason they could not score many goals in the playoffs. Instead of McLellan being held responsible for the team’s failures, his assistant coaches took the fall and a few of the assistants were fired. While that is a good start, the buck stops with McLellan. He runs the coaching staff. He should get the ax but he didn’t.

                The next big mistake was not trading a lot of the current players on the roster. Patrick Marleau should have been gone in a heartbeat but instead is still on the team. I know he has a no trade clause but I am sure the Sharks could have found a way to get Marleau to waive it, especially if the Sharks made his life miserable. They also didn’t trade Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, despite the fact that during the postseason, he was pushed around by opposing forwards with ease.  He is so small in size and weak in terms of physical play, you wonder why he gets so much praise. The Sharks then were dumb enough to give Vlasic a five year contract extension that will keep him with the team for six more years. That’s just what this team needs for six more years, a defender who gets pushed around like a rag doll. The only good thing the Sharks did in terms of getting rid of players was letting Torrey Mitchell sign with another team. However, most of the other players who were on the Sharks last season are coming back and that makes me want to puke.

                The final big mistake was not adding many new players to the Sharks. Sure, they brought back Brad Stuart and he will be a decent addition to the defense. However, he is not a difference maker and he is getting older. The only other big signing the Sharks made was signing Adam Burish but he is nothing more than a fourth line player. He isn’t going to score many goals and he isn’t going to be a big difference maker to the team. However, the team felt the need to give a player like this a four year contract.  Talk about a waste of money for a marginal player.

                I said earlier in the offseason that the Sharks needed to make big changes if they were going to be a contender for the Stanley Cup again. It appears that the Sharks won’t be a contender this year. They have stood quietly as other teams went and improved their rosters through free agency and trades. The Sharks are satisfied just keeping last year’s team together for one more year. If this same team couldn’t win a single playoff series last season, what makes the Sharks think they could do better next season let alone win the Stanley Cup. Expect the Sharks to be more of the same next year. The Sharks have truly gone insane.

               

Hector Sanchez Has Been A Valuable Backup Catcher

During Spring Training last March, I lobbied for the Giants to have Hector Sanchez be the team’s backup catcher. The Giants did as I hoped and allowed Sanchez to be the team’s backup catcher over Eli Whiteside and Chris Stewart. So far the decision has paid off for the Giants and it was most obvious against the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom the Giants just shutout in three straight games. In two of those games, Hector Sanchez was behind the plate for a pitcher who was pitching shutout baseball.

                When I talked about having Sanchez become the team’s backup catcher, I talked about how important it was to have a player who can hit the ball, especially on days they needed to give Buster Posey a rest. I didn’t think the Giants would actually go with the catcher who can hit because traditionally, the Giants have been reluctant to try young players from the minor leagues on the Major League roster.  Plus the Giants seemed more concerned about having a backup catcher who can handle the Giants pitching staff rather than one that can hit offensively which is why throughout most of this last offseason they leaned toward bringing back Whiteside and Stewart.

                Sanchez so far has not only proven that he can hit the ball well for a backup catcher, but that he can play defense pretty well too. That was the concern of the Giants going into the season but Sanchez has eased those worries. He has caught for every game Barry Zito pitches. Last season while rehabbing in the minor leagues, Zito first experienced what it was like pitching to Sanchez and during his minor league stint, Zito succeeded with Sanchez as his battery mate.  Zito last year praised Sanchez’s catching abilities and said how comfortable he felt pitching to him. Zito may have been the one to convince the Giants front office to keep him on the roster this season and they did so, thinking it would benefit Zito. Zito showed his comfort with Sanchez against the Dodgers. After struggling for three straight starts, Zito pitched seven innings of shutout baseball and got the win against the Dodgers on Monday. After how bad Zito has pitched throughout his career with the Giants, anyone who can make Zito look like a decent pitcher is a winner in my book. Sanchez then did something he has not done often this season: he caught for pitcher Tim Lincecum. Lincecum had been struggling all season with the Giants. Sanchez, however, helped Lincecum regain his confidence and Lincecum responded by pitching seven innings of shutout baseball and getting a win against the Dodgers.

                It is no coincidence that Hector Sanchez has a way of helping struggling pitchers regain their form. Zito had struggled recently only to get a big win against the Dodgers with Sanchez behind the plate. Lincecum had been struggling all year but once he pitched to Sanchez he was his old self again. I don’t know exactly how Sanchez keeps these pitchers calm under pressure but whatever he is doing is working. This is not a knock on Buster Posey. Posey is clearly the leader of the team’s pitching staff and he has a World Series ring to prove it. However, having a backup catcher like Sanchez who can catch the pitching staff well is a great asset to have. The Giants wanted to give Buster Posey more rest this season after his severe injuries last year but circumstance could have easily forced the Giants to play Posey too much if the backup catcher was not playing good. That could have been the case if Whiteside or Stewart were still the backup catchers. Instead, Posey gets to rest every five days thanks to the good play of Sanchez. This keeps Posey fresh and could be a reason Posey is hitting the ball so great right now. That rest could pay huge dividends down the stretch as the Giants try to reach the postseason. Having a great catcher like Buster Posey is valuable. Having a good backup catcher like Sanchez is a luxury. Not many teams can say they have both.