Boom!

http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/there-she-blows-17337654

Anybody else think that explosion looks awesome?  How did they make it so controlled..?


Other things of interest:

• A Joe Pavelski shootout goal and another good performance by goalie Evgeni Nabokov leads the Sharks over the Coyotes 3-2.
• Warriors actually won?? Is this the end of the world?

Sunday Recap

(Note: I wasn't actually at home watching any of these games, so my facts are off, let me know..)

49ers 20, Lions 6 (highlights here)
It was a great win for the 49ers and this gives them a chance to finish at .500 for the first time in almost a decade, but there were a lot of bumps along the way.  To summarize:

Good: 49ers forced 6 turnovers (3 interceptions and 3 fumbles, 2 of which by Calvin Johnson)
Bad: The 49ers could not manage to score a single point off those turnovers.  Good teams find ways to punish their opponents for their mistakes - the 49ers obviously are not there yet, not until Smith and the offense get better.  Let's not get ahead of ourselves either.  The Lions had a 3rd-string quarterback in there and he made a whole bunch of mistakes - had they started Stafford, the game might have ended much differently.
Good: Gore had a big day, totaling over 150 yards (81 receiving) and scoring a touchdown.
Bad: Gore also had a fumble and was stuffed on a 4th and short that should have been converted.  71 yards on 28 carries for a low 2.5 yards per carry is nothing to gloat about either.  Gore did well today, but it could've been a lot better.  49ers need to get Gore a late Christmas gift the next NFL draft by picking a good offensive lineman or two.
Good: Smith led two touchdown drives in the 3rd quarter that put the game away and finished with a quarterback rating of 97.5, with no interceptions.
Bad: His play was very inconsistent and the 49ers offense did nothing in the first half.  Had Stafford been playing, the 49ers would probably have been trailing at halftime.
Good: This 50 yard connection between Crabtree and Smith.  Is this our future?   The follow-up to the Montana/Young-Rice combinations?
Bad: The ball was underthrown.  A better thrown ball further down the field would have resulted in an easy touchdown.  Also, how the hell do you fall behind, even by 3 points, against the freaking Lions?
Good: This play-action pass to Gore on 4th and short.
Bad: That they needed something like that to get past the lowly Lions on 4th and short.
Good: Gore has another 1000-yard rushing season.
Bad: No playoffs, again.
Good: Hey, a win is a win right?
Bad:  It shouldn't even have been close.  The 49ers need more from their offense and to take advantage of those turnovers.  They also need to make things happen themselves - the opposing team isn't going to hand them the ball over and over again every game.  Lions haven't won a road game since 2007 either.
Good: They still have a chance to finish at .500, on the road against the Rams, which would be their best record since 2002.

Other interseting notes from around the league:

• The NY Giants were completely humiliated in a 41-6 blowout by a Panthers team led by backup/journeyman quarterback Matt Moore in their final game at Giants stadium.  It was 31-0 at one point before a Lawrence Tynes field goal.
• The now 3-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers found a way to beat the Saints by a score of 20-17 in overtime thanks to a missed 37-yard field goal (check out this guy's priceless reaction at 0:37 in this video) by the Saints kicker (pictured above) in the waning seconds of regulation, handing them their second consecutive loss of the season.  The Buccaneers managed to win despite falling behind 17-0 in the first half.  What's more interesting is the game-winning drive in OT by the Bucs - they ran the ball 11 straight times right at the New Orleans defense for 48 yards to get into field goal range and did not need to throw even once. This could be a meaningless loss by the Saints, but they need to be careful and make sure that they're ready for the postseason.
• Colts finally lose, by a score of 29-15 to the Jets.  This one was more understandable, however.  The Colts have already clinched a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  Caldwell put his quarterback's health first instead of going for the perfect season, pulling Manning and a few other starters in the 3rd quarter.
• Eagles beat the Broncos 30-27 and have a shot at taking the #2 seed away from the Vikings.  Vikings will play on Monday night against Chicago, as people begin to wonder whether Favre has hit his age limit.
• Pittsburgh looks to be back on track after losing 5 straight games, 3 of which against very weak teams, with a 23-20 win over their division rivals.  But is it too late for them to get back into the playoffs and defend their Super Bowl crown?
• Raiders still suck.  They started Charlie Frye this week and he actually threw for 323 yards, best in the NFL this week, and they STILL lost.. hahahahaha. Wait.. holy shit, the Browns have won 3 straight games? What happened? They were just 1-11 a few weeks ago...
• Cowboys already leading 7-0 in the first quarter.

Other notes:

• Riley still sucks.
• Giants close to resigning Uribe to a very economical 1 year deal for $1 million + incentives.
• Christmas is over.
• Sherlock Holmes was a pretty good movie. (Just saw it this morning.)  Still haven't watched Twilight and hopefully never will...
• Urban Meyer stepping down as.... wait no, never mind, looks like he changed his mind...

(Images from the Associated Press, Getty Images, and Yahoo!)

Official Funeral for the 2009 49ers Season...

(Tombstone created from these original images: 1 2.)

Now that the 49ers playoffs hopes are officially dead thanks to a 27-13 loss to the Eagles coupled with a 34-27 win by the Cardinals over Detroit, it's time to remember, forget, and move on.  For assistance, here's the Kübler-Ross model, otherwise known as the five stages of grief, which describes a process consisting of five steps in which people deal with grief and tragedy: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  Let's go through them one by one:


Denial: No! The 49ers will still win the Super Bowl!  Yeah!!! I believe!!! The Cardinals will get disqualified for steroid use and we'll win the NFC West!! SMITH WILL THROW 50 TDs IN THE PLAYOFFS!!  IT'S NOT OVER YET!!


Anger: WHY US??? What did we do wrong?? We believed as hard as we possibly could!  Singletary was supposed to be the answer! FIRE THEM ALL! OVERHAUL THE TEAM! BURN SMITH AT A STAKE!! *angry rant*


Bargaining: Nooooo..... let us take away one bad play, please please please please! Overrule Favre's last minute touchdown pass or Addai's touchdown pass! We'd be 7-7 and our playoff hopes would still be alive! Come on NFL, find a mistake somewhere and overturn a game for us!

Depression: What's the point of trying?  We're always gonna lose.. we suck... the 49ers will always suck.  The glory years of Montana and Young are long gone and they're never coming back.  Alex Smith sucks.  Our entire team sucks.  The Bay Area is doomed forever.. let's just give up hope... we're just gonna suck every year anyway.  There's no point in believing...

Acceptance: Okay, it's finally over.  Let's try to salvage the rest of the season.  The 49ers have the Rams and the Lions left and both games are very winnable.  Finishing 8-8 would be a big step forward and give us something to build on next year.  A few good picks and a better offensive line and who knows?  It could be us sitting on top of the football world in a year or two.


Well, we're all probably still miserable, but oh well, what can you do about it? At least the Sharks are still doing okay: Evgeni Nabokov was the hero again, stopping 45 of 47 shots, as the Sharks beat the Chicago Blackhawks tonight by a score of 3-2 in Chicago, despite being outshot 3:1.  Hopefully, they can keep us distracted and entertained until baseball season....


And of course, what could cheer us up more than a Tom Brady interception?

Goal of the week

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hlg=20092010,2,539&event=DAL724

(For those of you that don't ever follow hockey, the Dallas goal didn't have a goaltender because they were trailing with only a minute left - they put out an extra attacker and pulled their goaltender to increase their chances of scoring.)

Jokes aside, Nabokov and the main trio of Marleau, Thornton and Heatley had a great game.  Recap here. Maybe this is finally the year......... okay, not getting hopes up yet, not until they get past the 2nd round of the playoffs without choking.

Free WiFi on BART!

The latest wireless hotspot? Under the bay between San Francisco and Oakland.

That's because four cell phone companies - AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint/Nextel and Verizon - have just turned on their wireless networks in the Transbay Tube, BART announced today."The best news is that the installation and operational costs are paid by the providers - not by BART," said James Fang, president of the Bart Board.

Nearly 161,000 people take the Transbay Tube each weekday. Now their cell phones and laptops won't have to be idle during the 10-minute or so ride under the Bay.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/21/BAJ81B7VF1.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea#ixzz0aOh2LJP2


Wahoo! Now I won't be bored staring out the dark windows at lights whizzing by for those few minutes under the Transbay Tube...

Image of the Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0z2LR2ygqo&feature=related - 2:08

All I want for Christmas...

is Roy Halladay?  (This is a little late, yeah, but I just finished my last final today.. so cut me some slack.)  In case you've been living under a rock this week, a series of trades and signings have just shook up the baseball world and if you did miss it, here's a wrap-up of what's happened this week:

• A multi-team trade between Philadelphia, Seattle, Toronto, and Oakland (who really doesn't do anything in this trade):
• Philadelphia gets Roy Halladay and $6 million from the Blue Jays along with 3 prospects from the Mariners.  They also sign Halladay to a 3 year extension at $20 million/year.
• Seattle gets Cliff Lee from the Phillies.
• Toronto gets three prospects from the Phillies, one of which, Michael Taylor, goes straight to Oakland for a different prospect.  (wtf?)
• Red Sox sign Lackey to a 5 year contract. (even more reason to dislike them)
• Angels sign Matsui to a one year deal and apparently declare that they are content with their team, despite losing their best hitter and pitcher (see: Red Sox).
• Other noteworthy transactions:
• Dodgers sign Jamey Carroll (2nd baseman).
• Milton Bradley traded to Seattle for Carlos Silva.
• Baltimore signs Garrett Atkins (3B) and Mike Gonzalez (RP).

Now what does this all mean?

• Phillies get an upgrade over Cliff Lee and will have arguably the current best pitcher in the MLB (yes, including Lincecum) leading their rotation for the next 3 years.  If J.A. Happ matches his potential and if Hamels channels some of what he had during the 2008 playoff run, the Phillies will easily have the pitching to win another World Series.
• Seattle now has a 1-2 punch in Cliff Lee and the very much underrated Felix Hernandez that can rival any in majors and I'd say that with the Angels not doing anything, they're the favorite to win the AL West.
• The A's still suck.
• Toronto got jipped.  Had they traded Halladay a year ago with an extra year left on his current contract, they would have surely gotten a lot more in return.  Instead, they actually had to pay Philadelphia to take Halladay for 3 prospects.
• Red Sox are looking to build up enough ammo to make another run at the Yankees and Lackey could be an important role in that.  Lester and Beckett are good, but they aren't at Lackey's level.
• Angels are cocky as hell, but they have the minor league system to back it up.  Their focus on fundamentals is why they're there year after year, competing with the Yankees and Red Sox with half the payroll.
• Baltimore looks like they're loading up.  I doubt they could pose a credible challenge in the loaded AL East though.

Evil Tyrant of the Month: Fidelity Investments

[Pettigrew] said he never sent any fantasy football emails at work or using his work email address. But the investigators found two instant messages that had fantasy football-related material.

"One of my buddies sent me something about how bad Trent Edwards(notes) was playing or something like that," Pettigrew said. "So they called me in and talked to me for about 90 minutes on everything I ever knew about fantasy football."

http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/blog/roto_arcade/post/Investment-company-to-fantasy-owners-You-re-fi?urn=fantasy,208825

You have to be a real a**hole to fire someone over just TWO simple instant messages...  I am officially boycotting Fidelity Investments (probably won't do anything, but hey, why not?) and will never accept services from them ever again.

Eli Manning's Superbowl Miracle

I ran across this clip on YouTube just now.. I think this captures everything I would've wanted to say about it..  honestly, I think this may have been the greatest play of all time, maybe even better than Montana's pass to Clark in the waning seconds against the Cowboys.

Hope, Lies, and Heartbreak

I've always been a believer; there are times when pessimism and doubt take over, but at the end of the day, I find myself believing, even when there is nothing to believe in.  I believe that no odds are insurmountable, that no goal is unreachable, that no dream is impossible.  I believe in miracles - in the underdog that never gives up, that continues to fight for the one thing that matters more to him than anything else in the world, that, in the end, finds the inner courage and strength to defeat the evil giant standing in his way. I believe that good will always defeat evil - that the world is just and righteous and will reward those pure of heart.  


I'm sure everyone has fond memories of chasing the love of their lives.  The times spent pondering and speculating, dreaming about what could be and what should be. The anticipation and excitement keeping you up Saturday night (or Sunday night, or Wednesday night, or Friday night, or even on the night before certain holidays!).  Waking up and jumping out of bed, despite it being Sunday morning, with the gut feeling that today was the day - that the beginning of a dream could be realized.  The superstitious rituals before the big event - Are you wearing your lucky sock?  Is your shirt the right color?  The hype and anxiety going into just seeing them for a few hours.  We all know how great that feels.

But when do we stop believing in the perfect universe?  Where does the truth end and where do the illusions begin?  How many times can the heart be lied to and broken before it refuses to care?  How long can one fight for his dream without any sign of fruition in sight?  Ultimately, when do we give up?  We all say that we should never give up, but, if time and time again, your dreams are shot down and your heart-held beliefs revealed as lies, what do you do then?  Do you continue to get back up against all common sense?  Or do you give up and move onto other things in life?


Ah, the bad memories.  The pain felt from being let down, from being heartbroken and crushed.  You knew it was coming, but you just couldn't help but believe - that maybe, just maybe, fate could slip up a bit and tear down that wall of insurmountable odds.  You've believed before - and you've been disappointed before - but that didn't stop you from believing again, did it?  Your heart has a short memory - it always comes back for more.  But when has it had enough?


And yes, I'm talking about the 49ers.  (If you haven't at least guessed at that by now, you really should stop reading this blog post and go watch a Korean drama or something.. seriously, stop reading this.)  No, it hasn't been 80 something years like the Red Sox, but it sure feels like it - and hey, who's been alive that long anyway?  Ever since I started following them in 2002, it's been lie after lie and disappointment after disappointment.  Let's break it down, shall we?


We were told upon the departure of Jeff Garcia that Tim Rattay would be the answer.  One 2-14 season later.. obviously not.  


We were told after passing over Aaron Rodgers, at the dismay of many Cal fans, that Alex Smith would be the answer.  We were told that the suit-wearing Mike Nolan would follow in his father's footsteps and lead us to greatness once again.  After they finished the 2005 and 2006 campaigns with strong wins at the end, we began to believe that they were onto something - that maybe this was finally it.  


One disappointing 2007 season later, obviously not.  The suit's powers demystified, Alex Smith injured, hearts broken again, and another team MVP award to kicker Joe Nedney.


We were told after this that Shaun Hill was the answer.  We were then quickly told otherwise with the sudden appearance of journeyman J.T. O'Sullivan in the preseason.  We were told that O'Sullivan was going to be the answer and after he became the first 49er since forever to throw for 300+ yards, we believed them.  We believed again and we let our hearts get attached when we should have known better.  Our brains warned us against this, but our hearts just wanted to dream and believe.  One humiliating six game losing streak, one coach firing, one shower-call, one pants-dropping, and a bajillion turnovers later, we were crushed once again.  We hit rock bottom - disappointed almost beyond repair.


And then, they tried to make us believe again.  We were made to believe that O'Sullivan was just an aberration - that Shaun Hill was still the answer - that coupled with Singletary's tough, no nonsense, smash-mouth, run-first style of play, we would once again be an elite team.  After a few wins to close 2008 and a season-opening win in Arizona, we believed them again.  Why?  Because that's what a heart does.  It gets hurt and it gets punched in the gut, but at the end of the day, it comes back for more.  By now, our brains were begging for mercy, but our hearts just had to dream once more - to ponder over what could be and what should be - to fill with optimism and excitement, forgetting the pain of the past.  And, of course, a few frustrating and embarassing losses later, we were heartbroken once again.


But, as you all know so well, the 49ers were not done.  They tried to make us believe that Alex Smith was the answer - that a spread, pass-first, offense would lead us to greatness - that this wasn't the old Alex Smith, no.  This was the new Alex Smith and he had finally channeled the great quarterback in him.  This time, we didn't even have time to believe.  We all knew not to get attached so easily, yet in each of those close losses against Peyton Manning, the once-passed-over Aaron Rodgers, and now Seattle - we still felt the pain.  Our spirits - already shattered into pieces - were thoroughly stomped over and crushed into dust.


But this won't be the end.  No.  The faith will always come back.  That's what fans do.  They find ways to believe in the darkest hour.  It's why they still show up in sub-zero temperatures to cheer on their last-place team in a meaningless game.  Nothing will ever change that - no matter how many times our hearts get broken - even if it's a hundred years before the team we love makes the playoffs, we'll always care.  We'll always get our hopes up.  The same goes for just about every miserable team in the Bay Area - the perennial playoff choking Sharks, the Bonds-less Giants, the we-like-to-get-high-early-season-rankings-only-to-choke-and-fall-off-the-face-of-the-earth Bears, and... okay, maybe not the Warriors - they just suck - but you get the idea.  


Some random dude somewhere at some point in time said "It is better to have love and lost than to not have loved at all." Yeah.. that dude was weird.  But he (or she... or it) brings up a good question, is it really better?  Are we truly better off having invested so much of our hearts into something that has given us nothing in return?   Or is this a bitter and painful curse that we are doomed to suffer from for the rest of our lives?  That's for you to decide.

Sunday Notes

• Alex Smith > Kevin Riley
• 49ers have completely abandoned the run-first offense: 26 passes, only 4 rushes in the first half
• It's tied 14-14 at the half, but the 49ers will get the ball first.
• Saints must have God on their side, after pulling off an unbelievable win in Washington where the Redskins practically gave them the game with plays like this (Yes, Brees is so good that he gets touchdowns even when he throws interceptions) and this, as well as an inexplicable missed 23-yard field goal that led to this game tying touchdown reception.  Saints improve to 12-0 and continue to control their own destiny for home-field advantage in the NFC.  
• The Steel Curtain had an epic collapse, giving up three touchdowns to the Raiders BACKUP quarterback, losing 27-24 in the final seconds thanks to this catch and this ensuing touchdown reception.  Steelers fans are stunned as they have watched their team drop four games in a row, now facing slim playoff hopes.
• Colts still undefeated.
• Patriots blew a 21-10 lead and lost to the DOLPHINS.  Brady picked off with under a minute to go to seal the game.  HAHAHAHAHA.
• You know things are bad for you when Michael Vick scores two touchdowns against you.
• I should be working on my E10 report....
• 49ers suck.. so much for the playoffs...
• To cheer up, here's a picture of Belichick facepalming.
• Cal gets to go to the Poinsetta Bowl.... whee.. I'm sure that's everybody's dream... going to the freaking Poinsetta Bowl... at least the Emerald Bowl is in SF.. ugh
• To even further kill our hopes, Arizona beat Minnesota today to take a 3 game lead in the division standings.

Soft Kitty

Soft kitty, warm kitty
Little ball of fur
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty
Purr, purr, purr


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIp77PUvLTE


Not sure why, just felt like posting it.

The fate of the 2010 Giants season rests on the shoulders of two kids...

.. and no, I don't mean "the Freak" or "Kung Fu Panda."  We already know how good Tim Lincecum and Pablo Sandoval can be.  Lincecum will lead a trio of starters in the rotation comparable to, if not better than, that of the A's in 2002.  Sandoval will continue to carry an anemic offense that ranks near the bottom in on-base-percentage and power.

Instead, we turn our eyes to two rookies - Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey.  Bumgarner, the 10th overall pick in the 2007 draft, has surged through the minor league system (not Lincecum type numbers, but still very very good - he led the minors with a 1.46 ERA, striking out 164 and winning 15 games), making his major league debut last season as a fill-in starter and a reliever.  He has the potential to be a left-handed version of Cain, with a plus-fastball that can hit low-to-mid 90s and fast-developing secondary pitches that include a curveball, slider, and changeup.  Did I mention that he's left handed?  This is the kind of lefty that MLB teams will drool over - good left handed pitchers are in short supply and the Giants are lucky to have him.  If he can fulfill even some of his potential, the Giants will be in great shape.  They already have a two-time Cy Young winner leading the staff and Matt Cain and Barry Zito have the ability to go head-to-head with any other ace in the MLB.  If Bumgarner can even come close to living up to his potential, the Giants will have undoubtedly the best -- and most feared -- rotation in the majors.  With or without an offense, it would keep them in the hunt for the playoffs throughout the season and if they do make it - watch out.  Nobody wants to face a rotation like that in the playoffs, just ask anybody that played the White Sox in 2005.

Even more important may be the performance of the 2008 first round pick - Buster Posey.  Posey looks even more kid-like than Lincecum, but he may be the answer to the Giants thirst for good bats.  A Golden Spikes Award winner in college, Posey, like Bumgarner, surged through the Minor Leagues, racking up a statline of .325/18/80 in 115 games between the A and AAA levels, making his debut last year in September.  Posey will have large shoes to fill with the almost-certain departure of Molina.  Not only will the Giants miss Molina's bat, but also his management of the pitching staff.  He has presided over the staff, watching it become one of the league's best with emerging stars such as Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum and calling almost every pitch in Lincecum's two Cy Young award winning seasons.  Will Posey be able to live up to his offensive potential?  More importantly, how will he deal with handling the entire Giants pitching staff at such a young age?   These are questions that Posey will have to answer in his first full season and the Giants need those answers to be positive.  A McCann-like season would give the Giants a great 2-3-4 punch in the lineup with Freddy Sanchez, Posey, and Sandoval, but a mediocre one will probably lead to another miserable year at the plate in San Francisco.

The free agent season is far from being over, but don't look for the Giants to make a big move.  With Lincecum and closer Brian Wilson most likely receiving large salary increases due to arbitration, the Giants won't have much left in their payroll for guys like Lackey, Holliday, or Bay.  They will most likely add a middle-of-the-pack free agent such as Orlando Hudson or Johnny Damon (boooo) in an attempt to improve the lineup, but they simply don't have the money to bring in the big bat they need or a veteran pitcher to fill the #4 spot in the rotation.  Don't expect a big trade either - after giving up Tim Alderson to get Freddy Sanchez last season, the Giants won't be willing and shouldn't be willing to give up more from their talented minor league system.

Bell peppers + eggs = no

Note to self: Don't put bell peppers in an omlette, it tastes really bad... maybe it's just because I'm sick right now, but yeah.. this tastes really bad.

That's all for now.

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning.... Drew Brees?

Move over guys, there's a new elite quarterback in town and it isn't Manning or Brady.  Drew Brees just made a resounding statement to the football world, tearing up the Patriots defense for 371 yards and 5 TDs en route to a 38-17 victory.  (On a side note, this picture is PRICELESS.  Yeah that's right, you got OWNED Belichick, now go home and cry you cheater.)  Sure, he may have had a better offense to work with and maybe the Patriots defense isn't that good after all, but this game proves that Brees is legit (and so are the Saints, for that matter). 

More than legit, in fact.  Brees showed that he could hang with and even beat Brady or Manning, the two quarterbacks that many peg as the best of the decade.  So much hype has gone into matchups between the Patriots and the Colts: every game between them is like the Superbowl, if not more important.  This win over the Patriots, however, proves once and for all that the quarterback spotlight monopoly (or bipoly or whatever you call a monopoly by two people)  should be over, if it isn't already.  Brees should and probably will win the offensive MVP award this year and his numbers of the past few years have been as good as anybody.  Sadly, he probably will never get the credit he deserves so long as Manning or Brady are around.  The media loves the Manning-Brady rivalry, and it's unlikely that they'll stop shining the spotlight on them anytime soon.  But have no doubt, Brees deserves to stand directly beside them as one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks.

On another side note, here's a picture of Brady being emo.

(Above image from Getty Images)