S.F. Examiner: 49ers teeter without talent, leaders

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

The 49ers will hold a three-day minicamp starting today, and while even a publication such as San Francisco Business Insider is trashing the team — "49ers have Fallen Apart" — the probability is coach Jim Tomsula will show up fully dressed. As opposed to how his predecessor, Jim Harbaugh, appeared for practice with his new team, Michigan.

Harbaugh, in a photo from the website "Lost Lettermen," is shirtless, untanned — all those years in California wasted? — and looking as so many of us like he's been sitting behind a desk and not exercising in a gym. Niners owner Jed York is hereby allowed a chuckle.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner

Bleacher Report: Examining the Next Sports Droughts to End After American Pharoah's Triple Crown

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

Before Saturday, it had been 37 years since a horse won the Triple Crown—an extra carrot or two for you, American Pharoah. And now that Affirmed's 1978 win has essentially been removed from the minds of sports fans, we’re off to decide what improbability is next to be conquered.

Will it be someone hitting .400 in the majors, a college basketball or NFL team going undefeated or even Novak Djokovic winning the French Open after another disappointment?

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

S.F. Examiner: For Cleveland and St. Mary’s, 'Delly’ shuts down the MVP

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

OAKLAND — He was hardly a surprise, this Matthew Dellavedova, who had a very large part in the Warriors' very large loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday night. He played his college ball maybe 20 miles from the Oracle, at St. Mary's, a gritty, talented kid who set scoring records and had his number retired.

That he went undrafted is yet another indication the guys who run the NBA are far from perfect. The man is physical and determined. In Game 2, his job was to slow down Stephen Curry, an assignment that left Dellavedova unfazed and Curry disenchanted.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner 

S.F. Examiner: Warriors history comes full circle, unites Bay

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

An Oakland cop roared past, a Warriors flag attached to the back of his motorcycle. Official merchandise in perhaps an unofficially approved location? Who's complaining?

Not city hall. Not any city hall — Oakland, Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley, Fremont, whatever. It's bliss by The Bay, a region in a Golden State of excitement.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner

S.F. Examiner: Klay shakes rust after concussion

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

OAKLAND — He missed his first three shots, which shouldn't have been a surprise since he was just cleared by doctors after a concussion and hadn't played in a basketball game for eight nights.

Then Klay Thompson made his next four, which also shouldn't have been a surprise. Such has been his offseason, finishing with 21 points in an up-and-down Game 1 in which he claimed to be feeling fine mentally and physically.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner