RealClearSports: Stanford Finds Out How Physical Cal Can Be

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

STANFORD, Calif. -- It was won on the ground. And between the ears. It was all the physical battle everyone predicted and maybe every bit the mental one no one suspected.

Stanford was on a roll. "The hottest team in the country,'' insisted Cal coach Jeff Tedford. But in this 112th Big Game, Cal was hotter, more efficient, and considerably more effective.

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© RealClearSports 2009

RealClearSports: Belichick and Harbaugh Deserve Our Thanks

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- So here was Jim Harbaugh, who tried to tell us he didn't want to take chances, going for a two-point conversion with his Stanford team far ahead, being linked to Bill Belichick, who as we know took one very large chance.

Harbaugh, the guy who just got an extension to stay at Stanford, and why not, since he proved kids who study are kids who can play, was about to step to the microphone in a bayside sports bar/brewery/dining establishment called Gordon Biersch.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2009

RealClearSports: Harbaugh Turns Stanford Into a Winner

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford didn't as much play football as endure it. It was a place kids went so they could get into medical school or create Google, not get into the NFL. There was a reason it was nicknamed Harvard of the West, besides the academics.

Then a coach named Jim Harbaugh arrived a couple of years ago with the stubborn idea kids who had brains could also be kids who had athletic ability. He was going to recruit people who not only could score on the SATs but also on the field.

Read the full story here.