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.

Read the full story here.

© 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

SF Examiner: Heisman hype has shifted from Best to Gerhart

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

SAN FRANCISCO — The Heisman Trophy often seems less a reward than a promotion. To be considered, you have to have talent, but you also have to have publicity, Hollywood-type stuff which catches the public’s imagination and schools hope catches the voters’ attention.

Cal went about it the right way with Jahvid Best, a superb running back, who played the hype game every bit as well as he played football, until he came crashing onto his head a couple of weeks ago, incurring a concussion which cost him not only any chance at the trophy, but also a chance at getting back on the field this season.

Now, it’s the guy across the Bay, Toby Gerhart of Stanford, who’s getting noticed, and while he won’t win it either, the shame is that two legitimate Heisman candidates could have been competing in the 112th Big Game on Saturday at Stanford Stadium.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2009 SF Newspaper Company

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.