From The Bay to LA

“You root for the Packers in this Super Bowl because karma owes Brett Favre a very terrible Sunday for what he did to Packers fans; for what he did to the front office; for all the fake retirement press conferences and fake tears and fake posturing; for dragging Aaron Rodgers’ career around through his own muddy whims. Rodgers deserved better and now he deserves this.

You root for the Packers in this Super Bowl because Green Bay is the last little town to keep its team. You want it for Decatur, Ill., which lost its team to Chicago, and Portsmouth, Ohio, which lost its to Detroit, and Pottsville. Pa., which lost its to Boston. You root for the Packers for the same reason you root for Roberto Benigni to win the Oscar or Buster Douglas to win the fight. It’s right.

You root for the Packers in this Super Bowl because it’s more than just Green Bay’s football team. It’s the blood in their veins and the asphalt under their tires. They drive down Lombardi Avenue. They speed down Holmgren Way. They park on Reggie White Way. They learn at Vince Lombardi Elementary and daydream of starring at Lambeau Field. And if they lose Sunday, there will be a line to jump off Ray Nitschke Bridge.” 

Great article about the Green Bay fans. Read the full story here

Dear Uribe,

We never could have won the World Series without you. Your sacrifice fly in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Phillies was beautiful. Poetic. Giants fans appreciate everything you’ve done for the team. Heck, the Giants even matched the $21 million offer. So please, don’t get me wrong - I’m not bitter. But here’s why your defection was a terrible decision.

—

1. Giants just won a World Series. You’re leaving a winning team that the Giants management intends to keep practically intact. Apparently pitching wins championships. Who knew?

2. Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner & Matt Cain. Aren’t you a little worried about what these young guys are going to do to the Dodgers the next time you meet? A Rookie of the year + 2 Cy Youngs + a 21 year old ace + the unflappable Cain + some Bruce Bochy magic = TROUBLE. Trouble for the Dodgers, that is. I believe we’re in the same division?

3. The “UUU-RIIIBEEE” chant.  Do you think the Dodgers will devise an equally creative chant? Or, if they mimic our Uribe chant, won’t it sound a bit hollow?

4. Comical Dodgers ownership. Amidst a nasty divorce, the McCourts can’t seem to figure anything out. TMZ even reported about the divorce. The claws are out… and that’s bad news for the Dodgers.  

5. AT&T Park. McCovey Cove, garlic fries, and a beautiful stadium. The park is incredible and is filled with dedicated fans. When a team hadn’t won a World Series in over 50 years, you know the fair-weather fans are few & far between. Oh, what’s that? Yeah. You’re moving to a city KNOWN for having fair-weather fans. Case in point: the LA Lakers. 

Next time you’re feeling blue, remember that you could have been wearing orange.

Juan Uribe signed a 3-year deal with the Dodgers worth $21 million. Yes, he really just left the Giants for the dreaded Dodgers. The LA Times reported that the Giants MATCHED the Dodgers $21 million offer at the last minute. So money clearly wasn’t the issue, because both teams offered the same amount.

Basically: Uribe chose the Dodgers over the Giants. According to the LA Times, “Uribe said he signed with the Dodgers because of the level of interest they showed in him.” TRAITOR!  Really? You left a team with the most incredible pitching staff / that just won the World Series / whose fans created a ridiculously catchy chant (UUUU-RRRIIBBBEEE)? 

Why leave a team with great management and ownership? You know what else starts with a ‘D’? Divorce. The Dodgers ownership hangs in limbo with the McCourt divorce. Sucks to suck.

Here’s a hilarious article by The Onion.

[Excerpt]

According to fans, several factors have combined to make this year’s potentially unforgettable Fall Classic a “real bummer.” These include the unprecedented energy and passion the Rangers and Giants bring to the diamond; the exceptional management of both organizations; the fact that none of the players on their respective rosters is CC Sabathia, Derek Jeter, or Ryan Howard, or wears a New York Yankees or Philadelphia Phillies uniform; and the way the cohesive play, healthy organizational culture, and team-oriented style of baseball of the two contenders makes them deserving representatives of the American and National Leagues.

“I don’t want well-played World Series baseball that keeps me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I want the teams I expected, and the players I expected playing bitterly to the outcome I expected.” 

 “I’d rather watch the Cubs play the White Sox,” Aaron Morrison, 32, said. “Because I need a stupid thing like both teams being from Chicago to get me interested. At least that World Series matchup would have a really good gimmick, and not have to rely on anything as lame as respectable athletes playing really great baseball.”

Rain or shine, I am a USC Trojan fan. Unfortunately, last Saturday it rained really hard. Actually, the rain poured down on thousands of SC fans inside the chilly Coliseum.  I stood sopping-wet in the student section, surrounded by my friends on Senior Day, as we watched Notre Dame pull out an unfathomable win.  The loss seemed to induce a collective shiver amongst all fans watching the game.  For as long as I can remember, USC has beaten the Fighting Irish.

And then It happened right in front of me. At the end of the fourth quarter, Mitch Mustain threw arguably his only good pass to Ronald Johnson - our best receiver - who bobbled the ball and saw it slip out of his hands. The defender had already fallen… RoJo could have walked into the end zone… and USC would have won the game.

A sad season full of injuries, sanctions, defections, and losses ended on a fitting note. The Trojans will come back stronger next year, that’s for sure. For now, I hope Oregon wins the BCS to bring some pride to the PAC-10.

But I hope Stanford loses.

At least our mascot is not a tree.  Fight On.

As fate would have it, I was born in the bay area. As my family would have it, I was raised a sports fan. Though I’ve never been an NFL fan - I stick primarily to college football - I have been peer-pressured enough into becoming moderately interested in the 49ers.

The hype about this season was everywhere: “we’re going to win the NFC West!” and “Alex Smith will be better this time.” I’m assuming that this 3-7 season isn’t what everyone expected. 

How is it possible that the 49ers remain playoff contenders with 7 losses and only 3 wins? Or maybe the real question is: haven’t the Niners had enough of Alex Smith? For someone who has been in the NFL for 6 years, he doesn’t look capable of leading this team (or any other, for that matter).

Side note — have you ever heard a stadium boo this loudly?

Michael Jordan’s response to Lebron’s “What Should I Do” commercial has gone viral. So lets be clear — Michael Jordan never made that video for Lebron. The clip is a mashup of Jordan’s 2008 “Become Legendary: Maybe” commercial for Air Jordan.

What started out as someone’s side project has become an internet phenomenon. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, but don’t blow it out of proportion. Michael Jordan never created a video response for Lebron.

Lebron is the one subject that my best friend and I disagree upon. To be honest, I like Lebron. Many people dislike his flashiness and his ego. But compare his behavior to NFL players who are often far more extravagant and arrogant. Don’t most players who compete at his level have large egos?

Consider this: “LeBron James has never requested a trade. He has never been linked to performance-enhancing drugs. He has never gone to jail for running a dogfighting operation. He has never run into the stands in the middle of an NBA game to separate a fan from his shirt, or been accused of giving insider information to bookies, or been arrested for beating his girlfriend, or signed the Jonas Brothers to a record deal, or put you on hold and transferred you to a guy in India who can’t help you, or sold cocaine-shooting semi-automatic weapons out of the trunk of his car.” And yet, he’s one of the most hated athletes.

Yes, he left Cleveland. Good for him. He gave them seven (7) great years in his prime. They failed to build a team that could adequately support him. I don’t buy the arguments that he “quit” or “deserted” his team. He simply didn’t. 

I still think he had the brightest future with the Chicago Bulls. The bulls are a young team with some talented players (Derrick Rose, anyone?). Oh… and I think one of the greatest basketball players ever used to play for the Bulls. 

As a Warriors fan, Goldenstateofmind.com is my primary warriors news source. The humorous posts and polls make the games, well, less painful. There’s one particular post about the “Dumbest Moves” that makes me cringe and laugh at the same time. The picture above shows the ideal players we could have chosen with our draft picks.

Warriors could have drafted Kobe, KG, T-Mac, Amare, or Rondo… among many others. Granted Kobe was picked at the #13 spot, and perhaps nobody could have predicted his success. Yet, one or two of these ideal 1st round drafts might have dramatically affected our team.

To the new owners, Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber: put us out of our misery. Let us never blow another draft pick. The moment the announcer said ‘Ekpe Udoh’, I knew it wouldn’t end well. 

Go Dubs.