SF Examiner: Niners need to start over

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

The advice has become cliché: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. What if it is broken? What if it’s a football team? What if it’s the 49ers, who need a very large repair job?

What if it’s a franchise without direction or people who could locate that direction?

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Things are looking up in NorCal

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

John Cook, who won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship on Sunday at Harding Park, was saying as a kid who grew up in Southern California — or “SoCal,” as he phrased it — how much he reveled in beating people and teams from Northern California.

Read the full story here.

C0pyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: Error-Free Saints Have Mettle of Champs

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- The better team won. No, the best team won. The best team in the NFL. The Super Bowl champions. "They did what they had to do,'' said Mike Singletary, the coach of the team which didn't win.

Isn't that always the difference?

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

RealClearSports: 49ers' Offense a Yahoo Kind of Mess

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Maybe the best question, arising from the mess of a head coach who may have lost control -- one game into the season, a quarterback who seemingly never will live up to expectations and an offensive coordinator accused of the cardinal sin of mumbling, came from the coordinator.

"Who's Yahoo?'' asked Jimmy Raye, both a bewildering and revealing remark when it is understood he works for the San Francisco 49ers, based in Silicon Valley, 4.6 miles from the Yahoo headquarters.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

SF Examiner: Rice's induction brings back memories

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

CANTON, OHIO — It was all about the past. And the future. The celebration was for what had been, Jerry Rice, Eddie DeBartolo, the Team of the ’80s.

The thoughts were for what might be, a renaissance of the 49ers.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2010 SF Newspaper Company