SF Examiner: Bay Area sports limping along

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

The Bay Area blues: The Warriors can’t catch a break. The A’s can’t catch on. The Giants can’t catch a ground ball — or if they do, can’t throw it properly to first base.

Dare we mention the Sharks, who until proven differently, remain the only major league franchise in the region yet to win their sport’s championship?

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Bruce Bochy is the brain behind the San Francisco Giants

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

He’s as cool as an evening at AT&T Park, as reliable as the Pacific tide. Bruce Bochy is a motivator, a moderator, and it should be apparent, one of the finest managers in baseball. He is someone with a relentless confidence in his players and a deep understanding of baseball.

He doesn’t throw tantrums, but on occasion, will throw caution to those San Francisco winds. He never embarrasses an athlete, a journalist or the game, although he did go after Jonathan Sanchez’s lack of focus.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: No. 24 Reaches Birthday No. 80

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO — He described his skills in such clear, unpretentious terms. "They throw the ball,'' Willie Mays once said. "I hit it. They hit it. I catch it."

What he hits today is a milestone. Number 24 has reached birthday Number 80. And if we actually needed another reason to revel in the glory of arguably the finest baseball player ever, well, there it is.

"There have been only two geniuses in the world, Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare,'' said ...

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011

SF Examiner: Giants, A’s sharing same woes at the plate

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

At least A’s manager Bob Geren hasn’t felt the need to say of his team, “We’re awful,” which is specifically what Giants manager Bruce Bochy said of his team’s offense of late, even though they are not.

What they are is disappointing. So are the A’s.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: Dodgers: From Brilliance to Desperation

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO — They were the great Dodgers, a sporting model, the franchise that once drew 93,000 for a game, the franchise of Koufax, Scully and Lasorda, the franchise of Frank Sinatra, the franchise that did everything right, while here in the city of faults the Giants seemed to do everything wrong.

The Dodgers made Northern California paranoid. The Dodgers made Northern California jealous. The chant, even to this day, is "Beat L.A.'' by people who'd practically rather have the Dodgers lose than the Giants win.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011