January 2009 Archives

Lowell and his Bruin kid Iggy disagree on the Super Bowl.

Dad,

I'm picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the Super Bowl this Sunday despite your pal Ira's case for Arizona. Ira's a smart dude, and he almost had me convinced that the Arizona Freaking Cardinals could pull it off. But then he tried to slip this doozie in at the end, "He [Warner] gets rid of the ball fast enough that the Steelers won't get to him very much even with all their blitzes." Yeah right, Ira. Pittsburgh is going to hurt Warner in this game. They're gonna pressure him harder than anyone has pressured him in weeks, and they're gonna get to him, and they're gonna win.

Now that Warner has gotten back to the Super Bowl, people are acting like Warner's been asleep for 5 years, and he's just coming out of hibernation to win one more Championship to cap off an illustrious Hall of Fame Career. But that's not the reality. He's a very good quarterback who needs great players around him to succeed. And even then, he can't afford to be hit. As soon as he gets hit, he makes mistakes. The Patriots roughed him up in 2001 and beat him, then the rest of the league followed that same blueprint against Warner until he got multiple injuries and had to lay low for a few years until people forgot how to play him.

I'm saying the Steelers win big. I'm also saying Matt Leinart makes an extended cameo when Warner gets hurt.

Hey Iggy,

I love when you're so opinionated - although you probably hurt Ira's feelings.

I'm picking Arizona because Warner will have enough time to throw and the Steelers won't rough him up. I'm picking Arizona because the Pittsburgh secondary won't be able to cover Boldin and Fitzgerald. I'm picking Arizona because the Cardinals will put pressure on Roethlisberger and force him into mistakes. I'm picking Arizona because it's fun to pick an underdog. I think this will be one heck of a Super Bowl. My only problem is you'll be watching it in Westwood, and I wish we could be watching together.

As I write this entry Jimmy Raye is the 49ers' new offensive coordinator -- I think. News outlets are reporting he's the new OC, but the team hasn't said anything, so we're all in limbo, exactly where we've been the past month with Mike Singletary and his search for an OC.

Who is Jimmy Raye anyway? He's 62, old for a coordinator and he's been everywhere and he worked for Norv Turner in Oakland but never got to call plays. He will give Singletary what he wants. A boring, run-first, smash-mouth attack. He almost surely will get Frank Gore murdered.

This is an unimaginative hire, maybe even a bad hire. And I have to ask a serious question. Mike Singletary dumped Mike Martz for this guy? To read my column on Raye click here.

Just got off the phone with Ira Miller who's in Tampa covering the Super Bowl. He picked a winner but before he got to that I asked how he thinks the Raiders and Niners are doing in their various coaching searches and here's what he said:

They're both in good shape because I keep reading the unemployment numbers are up and that increases their pool of candidates.

What's your feeling on the Raiders' search for a head coach?

My feeling is the same as it has been. It doesn't matter. Whatever poor sucker gets the job, Al's lips will be moving and the words will come out of this guy's mouth.

What about the Niners' search for an offensive coordinator?

It's become farcical now. The organization is in such bad shape. If Dan Reeves had taken the job he would have been so far above everyone else in the organization in terms of football knowledge and knowing the NFL. They don't deserve somebody like that.

Does it matter who they get?

Yeah. He might turn out to be serviceable. The issue is they gave Mike Singletary a contract without knowing what his staff would be. We come back to what was the hurry? Knowing the 49ers, maybe they're holding off because they don't want to pay a guy when they're not playing games. Maybe they want to hold off until the first week of the season to hire a guy.

Characterize the upcoming Super Bowl.

It will be a higher-scoring game than people think because of Arizona's offense and Arizona's defense. The Cardinals will be able to move ball on the Steelers.

Why?

We know how great the Pittsburgh defense is. It's a great defense. However, the other three teams in their division  ranked in the bottom five in the league in passing. Two of the other teams they played ranked in the bottom ten. That means they played eight of 16 games against the league's ten worst passing teams. Remember when Warner and the Rams got upset by the Patriots? One of the reasons I picked the Patriots to win was I thought the Rams would have trouble with New England's 3-4 defense and they did.

Why?

It's something different from what they normally see. This year Arizona played six games against the 3-4 defense and all those teams ranked in the top-half of the league in defense and Arizona won four of those six. They're prepared. Conversely, I don't think the Arizona defense is as good as it looked the last few weeks. And Roethlisberger because of his experience in the Super Bowl three years ago is prepared now - it was one of the worst performances by a winning quarterback in the Super Bowl.

Does Pittsburgh have an edge because it was in the Super Bowl three years ago?

It does but we begin see the edge is not what it used to be. And Warner and Whisenhunt have been through it and have been able to prepare the team. The two biggest upsets in recent years were when New England beat St. Louis after 2001 and Denver beat Green Bay after 1997. Those teams both were two touchdown underdogs and hadn't been in the Super Bowl in a long time and were playing teams that had been more recently. That edge does not seem as strong used be.

Who will win on Sunday?

I'm going to say something I never thought I'd say. I'm picking Arizona. The Super Bowl winner is usually the team with the better quarterback and the better defense. Most years it's the same team. That's not the case this year because it's Warner and the Pittsburgh defense. I don't think the Steelers can cover Warner's receivers. He gets rid of the ball fast enough that the Steelers won't get to him very much even with all their blitzes. I see the game in the high 20's, low 30's for each team. It will be a close game. It has the potential to be one of the best Super Bowls of all time. It's a great quarterback going against a great defense.

I'm glad I'm not covering the Super Bowl in person and it's because of God.

If I were in Tampa I'd have to go to Kurt Warner press conferences and I'd have to hear him talk about God. I don't like to hear him talk about God.

I also don't like to hear Mike Singletary talk about God.

They both do it all the time. I think God talk is highly personal and very serious, and Warner and Singletary should not impose something that important on sports writers. I think they should talk about God in church, not on the football field.

I think Warner and Singletary think God roots for them and that seems self-centered to me. Maybe God roots for religious people on the other team -- the Steelers, for example. Maybe God doesn't root at all. We really don't know God's position on rooting.

I never quote athletes when they talk about God. I am a sportswriter, not a religion writer. There will be gaps in my Singletary quotes in the coming years. To read my column on God and sports click here.

You've heard about the new book Joe Torre did with Tom Verducci. How could you miss it? The NY papers are going crazy with a few snippets from the book. When Alex Rodriguez first joined the Yankees some of the players called him A-Fraud.

This is supposed to be a big deal. A-Rod already admitted he came on phony so the controversy should have ended. It hasn't. The NY media is guilty of making a turmoil out of nothing. Not just the NY media. The sports media does it a lot.

And here's what bothers me. Verducci wrote what I imagine is a sincere serious book. People should read the entire book and judge it as a whole -- not as a snippet. Books are more important than sound bites. Of course Verducci is getting ink and that should help sales. I understand that. But his book is being characterized by one or two quotes. Books mean more than that. This whole controversy is shallow and stupid.

As of this writing, the 49ers have not announced a new offensive coordinator although, lord knows, they've interviewed enough candidates. According to my count, they've interviewed enough guys to fill Madision Square Garden. So I'm throwing my hat in the ring. Why not? Everyone else is.

These are my qualifications. Well, I have no qualifications. Neither do a lot of the guys they're considering. As far as I can tell Mike Singletary loves to interview people and he might interview till the end of time without actually making a hire. So my qualifications are that I'm too old, I've been out of football in the sense of never being in, I like the West Coast offense -- instead of that Ditka Bears stuff and I long for the Bill Walsh days and I'm a newspaper guy which means my job may end any day now. So I want the Niners to give me the OC job. I may stink at it, but I'd be better than what they've currently got -- which is nobody.

I love the Warriors' backcourt. I really do.

It will be thrilling when Monta Ellis and Jamal Crawford finally play together -- what an offensive burden the Warriors will put on opposing defenses. And I can't wait to see Ellis and  Marco Belinelli play together. Belinelli is the most creative, imaginative player on the Warriors and he and Ellis as a tandum will be something to watch. C.J. Watson as a 4th guard is steady and has turned into a deadly shooter.

I love the Warriors' backcourt.

I think they have enough small forwards -- Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette are perfect for those spots, Maggette in a limited role. At center the Warriors are adequate. They still need a monster at power forward to bring the whole thing together. I know that. You know that. Hopefully that comes. In the meantime their backcourt is really thrilling.

The Merc reported yesterday that the NFL would like the Raiders and Niners to think about sharing a new stadium. On the face of it this makes sense. Stadiums are expensive. These are bad economic times. Teams play 10 games a year in the stadium so it's a lot of expense for a few games. A shared state of the art stadium is a good idea.

It might work. Blogger Rich Lieberman suggests putting the new stadium at Treasure Island. I doubt this could work because it makes so much sense, but it's intriguing -- halfway between Oakland and SF.

Here's my concern about a shared stadium. Al Davis always wants to dominate a situation. In his heart of hearts he might want to share with Jed York and get along. I believe he would want that. But the other part of Al wants to dominate and it's possible there would be strife about who is the primary tenant and there could be lawsuits. Al sues. So if they ever go ahead with this deal -- worth exploring -- both teams would need ironclad guarantees and rules. 

Just finished my Monday column comparing Steelers' Rooneys vs. Cardinals' Bidwills -- two families that long have owned NFL teams. The Rooneys have been and continue to be the gold standard. The Bidwills long have been a joke and a disaster but that is changing.

Which leads me to a thought. Niner fans always could console themselves, no matter how bad things got, their franchise was not as bad as Arizona. That has changed. The Yorks, it seems, have slipped beneath the Bidwill level. Every NFC West team has gotten to the Super Bowl this decade except, you guessed it, the York Niners. To read my full column on the Rooneys and Bidwills click here. 

I'm going to sign off now -- sorry to be so brief. Have a whopper cold, want to take a nap and wake up to watch the Warriors game on TV.

The 49ers are ridiculous. This is how far they have fallen. Scott Linehan turned down their offer to be offensive coordinator and took the same position with those awful Lions. That's quite a fall for the Niners.

Linehan said he preferred Detroit because it's closer to his family in St. Louis. This is not persuasive. If Linehan brings his family to Detroit he has to uproot his children. It would have been the same in San Francisco. If Linehan leaves his family in St. Louis, he is separted from his kids. It would have been the same in San Francisco. The Niners have fallen.

And there's the Dan Reeves thing. I told my kid Iggy the Niners interviewed Reeves for OC and, in all sincerity, Iggy said, "I thought he died."

He's still alive but he's been out of coaching since 2003 and that's a lifetime -- things have changed a lot since then. He is 65. The 49ers are looking for a coordinator to stay a long time. If they hire Reeves how long can he stay? He had John Elway in Denver but Elway said Reeves got in the way of his development. All in all, going after Reeves is an Al Davis move. Poor 49ers.

Matt Maiocco reports Linehan will take OC job with the Lions. That makes sense. Detroit is closer to St. Louis that Oakland.

All this makes me wonder. Where did the Oakland report come from? It was reported by reputable people. Things are always strange in Raiderville. Were the Raiders messing with the Niners? I'm getting a headache.

I won't be at the Warriors game tonight to see Monta Ellis' return -- family considerations. That's life.

But his return is fascinating. Some thought Ellis never would play for the Warriors again. He and his agent were ticked off about the suspension, the fine, the general treatment. And clearly the Ellis issue turned the Warriors ownership against Chris Mullin whom they perceived as too lenient.

If Ellis still can play, can make those fast cuts to the hoop, the Warriors will be better. A backcourt of Ellis and Crawford with Belinelli coming in off the bench is offensive dynamite. Not much defense but entertaining offense. The Warriors still need big men, but it's exciting to have an exciting backcourt.

A few weeks ago, Nelson said, in an ironic voice, he wouldn't play Ellis 30 minutes a game right off the bat. I hope Nelson keeps to that, doesn't change his mind out of desperation. Ellis had a serious injury and has not competed in a long time. Nelson should limit Ellis' minutes out of fairness to Ellis, bring him along slowly, let him work his way back to playing shape, not risk him.

Here's what you need to watch for: Can Ellis make those lightning fast cuts to the hoop that leave defenders standing still? Can he jump? Does he have the general explosion he used to have? His game is built on speed. He absolutely needs his speed. Here's hoping it's still there.

Stop the presses. Scott Linehan hates the SF Bay.

He turned down the 49ers when they offered him their offensive coordinator job. He said he had family considerations, didn't want to move his family far from his home in St. Louis. We all can understand that.

Turns out he's interviewing with the Raiders for their OC job. So we reach the logical conclusion. He hates the Bay.

In discussing the two jobs with his wife, she must have said, "Scott, we can't disrupt our family. San Francisco is just too far away."

But he came back with the idea of Oakland. "You don't have to cross the Bay," he must have said. "No Bay Bridge for us."

"Now you're talking," the wife said. "Oakland is 20 minutes closer to St. Louis than San Francisco. That makes all the difference. Throw your helmet into the ring with the Raiders."

And that's exactly what Linehan has done, apparently.  You can't blame a guy for not lugging his family completely across the country.

Oregon State which has been a poor basektball team is on the rise mostly because Craig Robinson is a good coach. The Beavers kept falling behind to Cal on Thursday but rallied at the end and won.

Afterward, Robinson met reporters in a hallway. He comes across as open, honest, warm, smart verbal, decent and charming. You would assume his sister Michelle has similar qualities -- nice to know. I'd like to share two things he said in the glow of victory.

1. Asked if the President would call him after the win: "If he doesn't call me I'll excuse him because he has a much bigger job than he's ever had."

2. How he liked staying at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley: "The Claremont is nice but I'll tell you it's not the Lincoln Bedroom." To read my complete column on Craig Robinson click here. Sorry for the delayed post -- laid low by a cold.

The A's held a media day -- the first hour writers only with Bob Geren(no TV or radio), the second hour players and all media. Here are some highlights from Geren.

I asked what his starting lineup will be and he said.

catcher -- Suzuki

first base -- Giambi or Barton

second -- Ellis

shortstop -- Crosby

third -- Chavez

left field -- Holliday

center -- Sweeney

right -- Buck or Cust

He also mentioned Rajai Davis' name and of course Cust and Giambi also will DH.

The rotation: Duchscherer, Gallagher, Eveland, Braden, and competition for the fifth spot.

Bullpen -- Closer? "I don't feel I have to name one or the other." It will be between Devine and Ziegler.

He said there is enough hitting this year that the pitchers don't have to be too fine, can be aggressive and throw strikes. "We're going to have a good baseball team. I guarantee that."

There are still issues about Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby.

On Chavez Geren said, "He's an excellent baseball player. The reports from Phoenix say he's doing extremely well." We'll see. Chavez has been hurt and hasn't been a factor in a while.

Crosby also is a questionmark. The A's tried to dump him in the offseason and somehow he's come out as the starting shortstop. "I look forward to him having a big year," Geren said. On Crosby almost not being on the A's, Geren said, "Major League Baseball is a tough business. He'll get his opportunity. He saw how he was out there for trades -- that's part of the game. He's going to be in the lineup. He's going to play."

One more thing. The A's starting pitching is not great. They have good pitchers in the minors. One expects some of them to move up to the big club this season.

So we ask the question. Is Matt Holliday a short-timer in Oakland? By short time I mean one season or maybe half of one season.

The A's had a media day that just ended and they brought in Holliday and others. Tim Kawakami asked the question I wish I had asked. Here's the quick exchange between Tim and Holliday. Draw your own conclusions.

Are you renting or buying?

What do you think?

You're going to rent?

Yeah.

As you know Michelle's Obama's brother, Craig Robinson is basketball coach at Oregon State. Or maybe you didn't know. If Michelle is the first lady, Robinson is the first brother-in-law. His team is playing at Cal Thursday night. Earlier this evening he participated in a conference call to share his experiences at Tuesday's inauguration and the festivities that followed.

Did you spend Tuesday night at the White House?

I sure did. I stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom. It was quite an experience. I tried to set my expectations as high as I could. They were met and exceeded with great ease.

On television they said you were wearing Princeton colors. Were you? (Robinson went to Princeton.)

It doesn't need clarification. The guy who said I was wearing a Princeton tie was probably a Princeton graduate. It was an Oregon State scarf given to me by one of our basketball supporters.

What did you tell your sister and the President about your visit?

We were pretty busy. We didn't talk about my visit. We spent more time talking about the event itself and what a wonderful time we had and the turnout and reception we got from the people of Washington DC and the people who came from without Washington DC. I felt like I was part of something as big as can be.

Did it measure up to what you expected?

I had my expectations set as high as can be and this exceeded it easily. The magnitude of the pomp and circumstance was a treat to see up close. The amount of people I expected was surpassed fivefold. The feeling of patriotism and community, even the balls were better than I could have imagined.

The inauguration happened right in the middle of conference play. Was it tough to keep your mind off basketball?

It was. At times I found myself thinking about how to keep Cal from making every shot and every 3 point shot and what kind of offense we need to run. Certainly it didn't take away from the experience. I'm like everyone else and sometimes my job creeps in but it didn't spoil anything.

Is there Secret Service for you and your family?

I cannot comment on it.

Should fans at Cal and Stanford in the next few days expect a different experience getting in and out of the arenas?

I can't comment.

What is your biggest worry about preparation for Cal?

Cal has a great basketball team and Mike Montgomery is doing a great job. How do we stop that potent offense? We're playing in a hostile environment -- can we execute our offense and impose our will on Cal in their building?

What was it like to experience the inauguration with your family - your sister and mom?

It was really an unimaginable event to share with family and be that close to the principal. Our relatives from all over the country were there. I was happy for the family, happy for my sister and brother-in-law and happy for the country.

When did you first meet Barack Obama and what was your impression of him?

Many years ago, close to 16 or 17. When I first met him I thought he was a terrific guy who was smart and funny. He was laidback and down to earth and at the time he was a law student doing some community organizing. I thought he was a guy who had his heart and soul in the right place. As it turned out my impression was correct.

Is the President interested in your team?

He has routinely called since I was an assistant coach. He's called after every big game. Recently he called after we beat USC at our place.

What did viewers not see at the inauguration that was memorable?

The bipartisan luncheon after the inauguration. It was in a banquet room but it wasn't that big, maybe 30 tables of about eight people each. Congressmen were there, Representatives and Senators and former Presidents and Vice Presidents. There was good fellowship and good conversation. I was able to meet these people -- I know their faces but now I got to meet them.

Did it feel like you had a front-row seat to history?

It was an honor to be there. You see Magic Johnson and Oprah Winfrey and Billy Ray Cyrus. You see big stars and you know they're stars and they're standing there in awe of what's going on and you see them standing there next to Mr. and Mrs. America.

What was the evening like after the inauguration?

I only stopped by two balls - the Neighborhood Ball and then the Home States ball for Illinois and Hawaii. I spent the rest of night there. I got back to the White House at 1:00 o'clock (in the morning). There was a smallish reception there. I got to bed at 2:30 a.m. and got up at 4:00  for my flight.

Did someone show you to your room?

It was my first time there. Our stuff was moved to the White House from Blair House during the inauguration. We were shown where our rooms were and had a light dinner and changed clothes and went out to enjoy the evening festivities.

Did you meet President Bush?

I got a chance to wave to him when he came out for the inauguration. I met President Clinton and Senator Clinton. It was a Who's Who for politicians. I had a chance to meet Ted Kennedy. As you remember he was one of the first big names to come out and support Barack.

Did you visit with your sister between the inaugural parade and the balls and what did you share?

The only thing she shared was how proud she was at how the girls handled themselves in the parade.

Does your basketball program benefit from the association with the President?

It's hard to quantify it. The recruiting business is a marketing and brand-awareness business. This notoriety and national exposure is absolutely going to benefit Oregon State University basketball as well as Oregon State University.

Was the event exhausting?

It was pretty planned out for us. There wasn't much time other than what was on the schedule. We woke up and went to a prayer service down the street from the White House and then we went to the Capitol for the inauguration. We sat down right before the former President and the Speaker of the House came in. So we could look around and take in some things. After the inauguration we rushed over to the luncheon. We leave and go to parade. Michelle and Barack are in front of the parade and they come by and sit in stands with us and then we change and get ready for the balls. It was a full day -- 5:30 in morning to 2:30 a.m. It was so exciting the adrenalin can keep you going. You run out of adjectives.

You had scheduled team practice during the inauguration?

We couldn't miss it. Our practice time is that time every day. We had it scheduled before I was thinking the inauguration was anything I would go to. We couldn't have it another time because of their class schedule. They should have been in class anyway.

Will you miss all this?

No. It was quite an experience and honor to be part of this process but my love and passion is coaching my guys. I'm glad to have some of the distraction taken away and put my focus back on Oregon State basketball.

Yesterday I wrote a blog entry about how backward the Niners are in getting an offensive coordinator. I said the team had no business hiring Mike Singletary if he did not have an OC lined up. It was his first and most important duty. To read my full column on the subject click here.

Earlier I wrote a blog criticizing the Raiders for going after an offensive coordinator (Al Saunders?) before hiring a head coach. I said the new head coach hires the OC.

Then I received an email from a reader saying Tom Cable is head coach and he's assembling a staff. This caused me an instant headache. Like, did I miss something?

So I emailed Phil Barber, the PD's Raiders expert and asked if the Raiders hired Cable fulltime and maybe I missed it. Phil said no way. The Raiders have not officially hired a HC, he told me. They are concurrently looking for a head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. These guys are on the ball.

Jeff Kent says he's going to retire. And now we have a debate. Is he a Hall of Famer?

He was a great power hitter for a second baseman, and that means something. But I say no. He is not a Hall of Famer.

He was a crummy fielder for a second baseman, covered no ground. He was a guy who played out of position so he could get into the Hall. He should have been a third baseman or first baseman. If he was his 351 homers wouldn't mean much. First baseman Gil Hodges had 370 and he couldn't get into the Hall. If you compare Kent to third basemen well Mike Schmidt had 548.

Off the point but interesting. I recently talked with someone familiar with Kent and the Giants. This person said Kent was a worse locker room presence than Barry Bonds. Bonds mostly stayed to himself. Kent was outright rude.

Excuse me. Is this for real?

I read the Raiders will interview Al Saunders for offensive coordinator.

Can this be true?

Nothing against Saunders' credentials. Plenty against the Raiders' method of operating. You don't hire an offensive coordinator before you hire the head coach. Why? Because the head coach hires his own offensive coordinator. That's why. Offensive coordinator is one of the new head coach's prime responsibilities -- it helps define his tenure. And the Raiders are looking to take this out of the new guy's hands whoever the new guy is.

Any self-respecting head coach candidate would avoid the Raiders because of what the Raiders are trying to do re: OC. Which means whoever they get as head coach may lack a certain degree of self respect.

Former Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski is interviewing tonight for the vacant 49ers offensive coordinator job. He's supposed to be a good coach, so this may lead to something fruitful.

I need to remind you, however, that Mike Singletary fired an offensive coordinator he already had. That's his business and I have no quarrel with what he did. I do have a quarrel with something else.

Singletary's number one task was to get an offensive coordinator right away. He needed to have someone in mind -- preferably in place -- when Mike Martz got the heave ho. It was the ultimate job requirement, something Jed York should have insisted on as a condition of Singletary's employment. Singletary failed and now the Niners, already turned down by one guy, are embarked on a quest. How undignified.

Mike Lombardi, who writes a dynamite NFL blog, came up with an explanation of why Scott Linehan turned down the Niners for the offensive coordinator slot. Maybe Lombardi is right and maybe he's wrong, but Lombardi sure makes sense.

According to Lombardi family issues were not uppermost -- they usually aren't. Linehan wanted to know who the QB would be and he felt QB, the most important position, is a mess on the Niners. So he backed out to protect himself from walking into a bad situation that would set back his career even more.

Interesting theory. Mike Singletary may turn out to be a great coach but his difficulty getting an offensive coordinator is worrisome.

For starters the Raiders coaching search is a joke. Hire a coach already. As usual the Raiders don't know what they're doing.

They have interviewed so far Tom Cable, Kevin Gilbride and Don Martindale. None of those guys is a hot commodity -- which makes them typical Raiders candidates. Each would take the HC job  in a heartbeat because each has no other HC prospects. By the way, the Raiders denied that the lengthy interview between Al Davis and Martindale was about the HC job. That sounds suspicious to me. I think it was for the job, otherwise why were they talking so long?

The word I hear is that Al is interested in the bright offensive coordinator of the Cardinals, Todd Haley to be his head coach. Haley would be a great choice. The question is: Why would anyone as hot as Haley go to the Raiders?

Is Boldin really as selfish as he seems?

I never met him, but he's a good player and I have respected him on the field. I saw him arguing with the Cards offensive coordinator during Sunday's game and thought that was bad. The OC was trying to call a game and whatever his beef, Boldin was getting in the way. I don't know what they argued about but it looked bad for Boldin.

Then he refused to celebrate with the team afterwards. It's almost like he'd lost. If he's that selfish, what a twerp. I hope something else was involved.

The Zohn is not yet picking a winner in the Super Bowl. Too early for that. Would ruin all the fun.

But we want to point out something. The Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco had a terrific season for a rookie. He was no match for Roethlisberger in today's game -- not that they actually play against each other. But you know what I mean. Roethlisberger is a veteran, a talented veteran, who makes all the right decisions -- when he's not lousing up clock management. He is among the top QBs in the league and Flacco, at this time, is not.

So the Steelers had a tremendous advantage over the Ravens. That does not apply to the Super Bowl. Kurt Warner is at least as good as Roethlisberger. He is a better, quicker, more accurate thrower. He is clunky in the pocket, moves slowly and if the Steelers can trap him enough times they will disrupt him and win the game. But if Warner gets time he may outplay Roethlisberger and if he does anything is possible.

Although the Super Bowl will be about lots of things -- the defense, for example -- to a large extent it's about the QBs. Keep that in mind. To read my full column on the upcoming Super Bowl click here.

Final note: Terrible hit on poor Willis McGahee. Say a prayer for him. We forget how violent football really is.

Good: All the Wanna Get Away ads.

Bad: That one with the onion in the field that they're trying to make hot for the whopper, or whatever. Awful

Anything with Howie Long in it. Nothing against Howie, may be a nice guy. But he seems so phony in these ads.

First of all, this was a wonderful game Cards vs. Eagles. What a pleasure to watch. This is why we love sports.

And say this. McNabb was very good when he got going. But Warner was great. He is knocking on the door of being among the all-time great QBs, perhaps a Hall of Famer, certainly if he wins the Super Bowl

All credit to the Cards for coming back after falling behind. It shows they are for real, no fluke here. They deserve to be in the Super Bowl. The 49ers have serious work to do to be as good as the Cardinals are now.

As I wrote in the prior entry, I admire Scott Linehan -- if he's telling the truth about turning down the Niners because of his family. Nonetheless, this seems to indicate that the Niner OC job is not the crowning jewel of NFL OC jobs. For some teams coaches would be knocking down the door to get the job. Not for Mike Singletary. Not for the 49ers.

So, now the Niners missed getting their first choice. Who is their second choice? Is he good? Can they get him?

I'm taking Scott Linehan at his word -- that he turned down the Niner OC job because of family concerns, because he has little kids and doesn't want to move them yet again. I take him at his word even though in this job I've learned usually not to take stories at face value. I'm taking Linehan at face value and I hope he's telling the truth.

If he is I admire him. Football coach is a hard job on families. In many cases it's death to a family and a marriage. The team becomes the coach's family and even though the coach may be a good guy he often is a crummy father and husband. Look at the Eagles Andy Reid who currently has two druggie kids in jail. It's a tragedy. So if Linehan is saying he values family more than career, I respect him for that. In fact, Mike Singletary delayed being a coach so he could be a good family man -- to his credit.

I don't often get to root like a fan. I usually cover games. But today I'm at home watching the two conference championships and although I'm not rooting for a team, I am rooting for Kurt Warner. His career seemed dead in the water. He would be a backup to Matt Leinart. And then funny thing, he came all the way back.

Great passer. Releases the ball faster than anyone. Accurate. Brave. Still slow in the pocket. If he gets protection he might help Arizona beat Philly -- unlikely. I'd love to see it happen. It's nice to see an old guy make a comeback.

A Zohn reader correctly pointed out that I have "a love affair" with coaches who won the Super Bowl. Call it an interest in rather than a love affair.

I'm not saying the Niners should have hired Mike Shanahan or now Jon Gruden. I'm saying they were in too much of a hurry to make the deal with Singletary. Ira Miller pointed out in this blog that Singletary never beat a team that went to the playoffs. Think about that. Maybe Singletary will turn out to be perfect. I hope he does. But the 49ers should have taken their time, should have seen who became available, should have held interviews, should have talked and learned. Where's the harm? Singletary wasn't going anywhere.

This Gruden firing, along with Bruce Allen, came late in the cycle. Still, there it is. Which leads to two points.

1. Gruden would be great for the Raiders if Al can get over his hard feelings. Of course, Al could favor Tom Cable or some other nonentity over Gruden which would be a clear sign of insanity. Gruden was fabulous for this franchise. He prepared a Raiders team that got to the Super Bowl and then he beat that team. He is a tough demanding, shrewd, smart coach and he could improve the Raiders -- already did it once.

2. If the Niners had waited they also could have competed for Gruden. Oh, I forgot. They knew better. They rushed to sign Mike Singletary at the speed of light. To read my Gruden column ckick here.

Matt Maiocco writes the Niners have offered Scott Linehan the offensive coordinator job. If Matt writes it, it's fact.

Matt writes Linehan is thinking it over and talking to his wife. This, to me, is peculiar. He came in for two interviews. That shows interest. You would expect he and his wife had discussed this in advance. I wonder why the holdup.

LInehan is a particular NFL type. Great coordinator. Bad Head Coach. Like Norv Turner (OK, he improved) and Mike Martz. One assumes, if he ever gets here, Linehan will stay a long time and that means stability which the Niners need.

Only one thing concerns me. He will install an offense according to Mike Singletary. It may be a good offense but it will be like the Bears offense from two decades ago. The 49ers have their own tradition. All the playbooks and tapes exist. I wonder why they don't dip into their own tradition which is so valuable. This seems sad to me. But if the Niners turn out to be big winners no one, me included, will care.

Just got off the phone with Ira Miller who spoke about the Raiders, Niners and upcoming conference championship games:

Cohn: What does it mean that the Raiders fired wide receivers coach James Lofton?

Miller: I guess it means he's not going to get the head-coaching job.

Cohn: You think?

Miller: It's pretty hard to know what anything means with the Raiders.

Cohn: Can you expand on that?

Miller: No.

Cohn: One word says it all?

Miller: OK. They don't matter, basically. In the big scheme of the NFL the 49ers and Raiders simply do not matter. If the economy were more stable and the relations with NFL Players Association were not rocky, league officials might be spending a little more time on these issues. They would like to have at least one major-league franchise out there and they don't at this time.

Cohn: Aren't the Niners improving?

Miller: I haven't seen it yet.

Cohn: What about Mike Singletary?

Miller: He didn't beat a team that made the playoffs. Let's move over to the upcoming playoff games because there's really nothing to be said about the 49ers and Raiders that hasn't been said a million times.

Cohn: Philly at Arizona?

Miller: Whoever expected the Arizona Cardinals to host NFC Championship game? I don't have a word for it. That guy (Ken Whisenhunt) didn't get a lot of coach-of-the-year votes but he obviously did a great job in changing the culture, the atmosphere and the team. It's a fantastic opportunity -- the Eagles are not unbeatable. I think the Eagles will win the game but they're not unbeatable. This is a career-defining moment for Donovan McNabb. I've always liked McNabb as a quarterback. Philly's a tough town to play in. Remember how much he got booed the day the Eagles drafted him? That was his greeting. This is the 5^th time in 8 years he's been to the NFC Championship game. He had one chance in the Super Bowl and threw 3 interceptions against New England. This is not New England he's playing this time.

Cohn: Why is this game career defining for him?

Miller: He's  had a very nice career. The Super Bowl is where you get elevated. What would we think of Steve Young if he hadn't gone to the Super Bowl and won it? Would we think the way people think now? McNabb has a better defense behind him than Kurt Warner. Arizona, because of its receivers, has a better offense, no question. But McNabb has Westbrook and a much better defense.

Cohn: Who's a better quarterback, McNabb or Warner?

Miller: Oh, Kurt Warner.

Cohn: Why?

Miller: He's as good a leader and a better passer. McNabb has usually been hesitant to use his legs as much as he should. Warner can't move around but McNabb can but he always hated that black quarterback label -- they can run -- and he tried to avoid that label. He wanted to be known for his passing and he stayed in the pocket. You can overdo that. You should use all your talents. One of the great games he played was in the 2001 playoffs. He came into Chicago in a division playoff game and beat the Bears on the road. He did a great job of using his legs to avoid trouble in the pocket and ran 8 times for 37 yards including the clinching touchdown in the 4^th quarter.

Cohn: Is Warner a Hall of Fame QB?

Miller: He's been an MVP twice and Super Bowl MVP once and if he wins another Super Bowl he at least has to be in the discussion. The issue really is he needs a good offensive line because he doesn't move well. He got caught up in Mike Martz' offense. He'd get hit and lose the ball because he stood back there so long. Martz was good for him also bad for him. He's had 91 fumbles in 11 yrs.

Cohn: What about Baltimore at Pittsburgh?

Miller: It's a game for people who like defense. These are the 2 best defensive teams in the league. They played two absolutely killer games against each other in the season. Pittsburgh won the 1^st in overtime and the 2^nd on an idiotic replay reversal. It wasn't called a TD on the field and an official gave them a TD to win the game.

Cohn: Who wins on Sunday?

Miller: Pittsburgh wins. They have more offense now that Willie Parker is healthy. They're playing at home and as good as the kid (Joe Flacco) has been for Baltimore he's still a rookie quarterback. That being said one guy who can win the game for Baltimore. Ed Reed is playing the best of any player in league at any position right now. Think Ronnie Lott in his prime and this guy may be better. He's a great great player.

Cohn: In the past Pittsburgh lost all those playoff games at home.

Miller: What happened 4 years ago and further back doesn't matter. It's a different year,  these are different teams and this is a different coach.

Cohn: What do all these coaching changes around the league mean?

Miller: In the last couple of weeks we lost Shanahan, Holmgren and Dungy among others. That's a lot of coaches lost for guys really not that old. All won Super Bowls and have been fabulously successful. I don't know what Denver is doing. They hired an offensive coach to replace Shanahan. They're looking for a young Shanahan but they already had Shanahan. To me the big loss to the league is Tony Dungy. This guy is special. He always was a gentleman, always had time for everybody, had no pretensions about him. He was the nicest man in the league, classy. He didn't act like football coach. He acted like a human being.

Cohn: Do you think he'd take Raiders job?

Miller: I don't think so. (Ira laughs.) I don't think he'll coach again.

This is about drugs and smugness. It's also about Mark McGwire and how people say he shouldn't be eligible for the Hall of Fame because he was a drug cheater. Lots of people who vote for the Hall didn't vote for him on moral grounds of cheating.

I have a problem with that. If you don't vote for him because you think he wasn't good enough, that's your business. But if you say he's not ethically elevated enough to be in the Hall I have a problem.

Which brings me to the prior era of players, say players from the 70s and 80s. A bunch of them used greenies, uppers, whatever you call them. Some of them are in the Hall of Fame. It's possible Willie Mays and Hank Aaron who played into the 70s used greenies. I'm not saying they did. I'm saying I don't know.

But the point is some cheaters are in. So why are those cheaters any better than the other cheaters? You got me there.

Judge a guy on his record not on his morals. If you judge on morals the place would be a vacuum. To read informative well thought out pieces on this topic see Jeff Fletcher's blog, Bay Bridge Baseball, and read Carl Steward in today's Oakland Tribune. To read my column on greenies and the Hall of Fame click here.

Don Nelson is a great coach. He ranks second to Lenny Wilkens in all-time NBA career wins and he'll eventually get voted into the Hall of Fame, probably.

It is generally assumed he's the best head coach in Golden State Warriors history. Is he?

The answer to this question is not as simple as you think. As good as he is, Nelson never has won the league championship, never ever got the Warriors as far as the conference championships. There are many reasons for this -- maybe his teams haven't been talented enough. But the fact remains, he has significant voids on his record.

Which brings me to Al Attles, unassuming Al Attles. He still works for the team, attends every home game dressed in a suit and tie, never toots his own horn. There never was a cult of Attles the way there's a cult of Nellie. But Attles has a pretty good record as records go.

In 1974-1975 he led the Warriors to the NBA championship. The next season they had the best record in the league -- 59-23. It's still the best record in franchise history. Teams play for league titles -- that's the whole point of everything. Attles succeeded in that regard and Nelson has not and probably never will.

So, sure, Nelson is a great coach. But he's not the best coach in Warriors' history. Attles is until further notice.

In his media conference call, Rickey Henderson spoke about Mark McGwire -- someone asked his opinion on Mac and the Hall of Fame. Rickey said: "He's one of the best persons I've been around. He had a way of going about the game. He played it the right way to me. I feel he deserves to be in the Hall. In his era in that generation what went on we can't really dictate what should happen."

A word on McGwire. I voted for him this year although he'll never get in. I find it difficult to know who used drugs and who didn't and to cast judgment on an entire era of players. I know this is a controversial position. And I also know this. It is difficult to vote for McGwire and others like him. And it is difficult not to. Don't kid yourself. It is a complicated situation with no easy answer.

Here are highlights from Rickey Henderson's conference call about the Hall of Fame, just concluded.

Q: Feeling about election?

RH: I feel great about it. Been a long time coming. I love the game. I wanted to continue playing. It came to a time I had to stop. I cannot be any more pleased and thrilled.

Q: Biggest imprint you made on the game?

RH: Being able to get on the base paths and make things happen. Coming across the plate and scoring runs.

Q: Which cap will you wear for induction?

RH: I have some time to think about it. Home town got the edge on me right now. We'll see what happens.

Q: Remember when you first started batting leadoff?

RF: I enjoy being leadoff hitter ever since little league. I always wanted to start the game and be the first runner and get a hit and score a run. I tried with Billy Martin the third spot, the second spot. It was a diff approach to the game as far as working the pitcher.

Q: Why leadoff from the beginning, were you small?

RH: It was my speed. I was a football player. When I play little league and high school all teams around knew I had speed and I moved from one base to the other base.

Q: Your greatest accomplishment?

RH: The (all-time) scoring record. I used stolen bases and walks to try and come across the plate

Q: Were you nervous this morning?

RH: I was nervous waiting, anticipating on what's going to happen. You hear you're a shoe in, but until you get that notice and know for sure you get in. I was relieved, happy this moment has come. I look back on my career and never thought it would lead to this point. I felt would have been a football star rather than a baseball player. I wanted to play in the NFL. My mom decided I was a little small for a football player and said I'd have longevity as a baseball player. I gave her a few years to get to the major leagues and if I didn't get to the majors I'd get to the NFL. Charlie Finley was developing young players and gave me a chance to move up.

Q: Which cap will you wear and are you disappointed you didn't finish in Oakland?

RH: My intention is to go with Oakland A's. That's my heart. I will sit back and make sure I making the right decision. As far as me coming back with the Oakland A's that was a dream, to say goodbye to the fans but it didn't happen. They was rebuilding I didn't get too upset. I move on. My career in Oakland was fantastic. We just didn't get the opportunity to say goodbye for the last time. But you never know there's always time to say good bye.

Q: Your thoughts on Mark McGwire not getting into the Hall?

RH: He's one of best persons I've been around. He had a way of go about the game. He played it the right way to me. I feel he deserves be in the Hall. In his era in that generation what went on we can't really dictate what should happen.

Q: Why did you slide head first?

RH: I felt I got to the base faster. It was a time I was really going feet first. I  jammed my knees, jammed my hip, got strawberries on my side. My legs were my weapon.

Q: Where are you?

RH: I'm at airport in Phoenix.

Q: Who will you bring to Cooperstown?

RH: I'm really spaced out. I haven't thought about what I'm going to say or how many people I'll bring. I'd like to bring Billy Martin. I wish he was here. He believed in me more than anybody believed in me. I know he's jumping for joy. He knew that day will come.

Q: Are you retired?

RH: They say I have to be retired to be in the Hall of Fame. Maybe they'll give me that day or two and not mess up anything. I always want to reappear in a uniform for Oakland. I always want to walk off in a uniform.

Q: What did the 1989 postseason run to the World Series mean to you?

RH: It meant a great deal to me. It was my first chance to get to the World Series. I had come from New York in trade. I was having an off year with the Yankees. I started to see the ball like a balloon. Pitchers couldn't make move I wasn't seeing.

Q: Some managers said sometimes you didn't want to play hard.

RH: Some time the media got in the way. If I didn't go out there looking like a race horse, if I had a slight injury and didn't run down first base as fast as I can, they'd say I didn't want to play. I had enthusiasm.  I wanted to play every day. Most managers who managed me said me at 75 percent was better than any player they could take off bench. They wouldn't tell the media I was hurt. They didn't want people to know. I never wanted to sit on bench.

Q: Why did you play for independent teams at the end?

RH: I had a fantastic time playing for independent teams. It showed my love of the game. I was a superstar but I went all the way down to the bottom of the game of baseball and I still had the most fun time playing the game.

Q: Did you do it to show major-league teams you still could play?

RH: I showed I still had the ability to play. I showed them I was not injured or hurt. I felt I had health. I gotta go. They're gonna close the (airplane) door.

To read my full column on Rickey Henderson click here.

Rickey got 511 of 539 votes for the Hall of Fame. That's 94.8 percent. Not shabby.

Here's what I want to know. What were the other 28 voters thinking of? I mean what did Rickey have to do to get their vote -- steal more bases? Some people are very hard graders.

Got an email from the A's about Rickey Henderson announcing a conference call for Bay Area media. "in the event" he's elected to the Hall of Fame.

In the event?

How about slam dunk?

They announce the inductees in about 20 minutes. I'll be on the conf. call in the event he'd elected.

Back at  you later.

Just got off the phone with Ira Miller, the dean of NFL writers. I'd also like to write he's my friend, but one reader of the Zohn said I shouldn't write he's my friend. So I'm not writing it. Ira took a few minutes to dope out this weekend's playoff games.

Baltimore at Tennessee: I pick the Ravens. The teams played in October and Baltimore had a lead into the fourth quarter. I think Baltimore's defense will play too well for Tennessee and I don't trust Kerry Collins to win against that defense.

Arizona at Carolina: The only game I think will be blowout. Arizona is 0-5 in the Eastern time zone and allowed an average of more then 40 points in those games. They just happen to play in that dreadful division and that's how they got into the playoffs.

Eagles at Giants: I'm going with the Eagles. It's a gut feeling. They split two during the season. The Eagles finally discovered it's legal to run the ball. The Eagles defense will be able to shut the Giants down. The Giants don't have a real good passing threat since the guy shot himself. Philly wins a low-scoring game.

San Diego at Pittsburgh: I'm picking San Diego. By all rights Pittsburgh should win because their defense is so much better and San Diego probably won't have LaDainian Tomlinson. But there's something about this Pittsburgh team I don't like. The offensive line doesn't protect the quarterback well and he's been hurt and Philip Rivers has had a great year. I might add I'm picking three visiting teams to win and that's never happened since they started setting up home-field advantage based on the regular-season records. But that's what I'm doing.

I thought Anthony Randolph played pretty well in the loss to the Lakers. He scored 8 in 10 minutes in the third quarter. But before the game Don Nelson said he's not NBA ready in any way - quite a blanket condemnation. So, I asked Nelson after the game about Randolph. Here is our dialogue.

Cohn: How did Anthony Randolph do tonight?

Nelson: I thought very well.

Cohn: The reason I ask is before the game we talked about him and you expressed reservations about his NBA readiness.

Nelson: His what?

Cohn: His NBA readiness. I'm not a coach but he looked pretty good to me. He looked as ready as other people.

Nelson: Yeah, he did very well tonight.

Cohn: Does that imply he might do well other nights?

Nelson: Laughs. I think what you guys need to do is just let me coach my team and bring these guys along the way I see fit. That's what they hired me for. And stop worrying about a 19-year-old kid because you know what it's not good for him either. Because he takes things for granted and he's got to just work his way in. He's got a lot of work to do. And he played well tonight. This is the way we expect him to play. This is the way we hope he plays. He's been practicing like this for three days and we're going to take it and go with it. OK? But he did very well. I'm proud of him. Nobody's rooting against this guy. We're rooting for him. We want him to do well but he needs to be coached and we're doing that.

That's Nelson, and here's Randolph after the game:

Randolph: I didn't expect to play tonight.

Q: Nelson says that you've been practicing better. Are you?

Randolph: I have noticed but if Coach say I am I'm just going to keep doing what I've been doing.

Q: Did you get tired?

Randolph: I'm not in game shape at all.

Q: How do you feel your rookie season is going?

Randolph: It's up and down, just with my minutes and everything else. It's just part of it. I've got a long time in the NBA.

Q: What does a game like this tell your coach?

Randolph: I want to play. I want to learn.

Q: Have you had talks with Nelson, just the two of you?

Randolph: Not really.

Q: What do you expect next game?

Randolph: I don't know. I'm preparing for the worst but I'm going to prepare as if I'm going to play the whole game.

Q: Is he testing you?

Randolph: I have no idea. I'm just trying to ride it out.

Q: Are you hard to coach? Are you a bad guy?

Randolph: (smiles) I think I'm a great kid. I don't know where you hear that from.

Q: Were you wishing you were in there in the fourth quarter?

Randolph: Of course I do. You always want to be in there in the deciding minutes.

That's the end of the quoting. I think Nelson should explain what his problems are with Randolph. The fact that he blew up indicates this is a very touchy subject. It's getting late - will columnize on this tomorrow.

Here is the press release the Warriors just issued on Monta Ellis:

Warriors guard Monta Ellis underwent a strength test yesterday and was examined by Dr. John Belzer prior to tonight's game. Based on the test and the follow-up examination, Monta has been given approval to advance to the "end stage" of his rehabilitation (before practicing), which will include more strenuous running and sprinting, various jumping-related exercises and other elements related to increasing his explosiveness and power. He will also continue to proceed with his basketball skill work (shooting, etc.) in an individual setting. The next step -- at a date to be determined -- will be to advance to some form of practice, such as 2-on-2 or 3-on-3 simulated games.

Monta Ellis just completed a workout on the court before the game. I'd say it was 20 minutes.

Here's what I saw. His ankle did not look swollen -- he took his shoe off so I can say that with some accuracy. He walked without a limp. In the workout he cut left and right quickly and without inhibition or trouble. He drove on a guy and pulled up for jumpers or drove around him for a layup. He did all of this with no trouble.

On his left ankle he wore a complicated white brace. It's almost like a shoe inside his shoe. It laces up and after that he fastens it with Velcro. It's obviously to stablize the ankle.

If you were looking at Ellis for the first time you'd be hardpressed to say he has been injured. But he never did anything explosive like sprint or do vigorous jumping. I'm told those come in the next stage of rehab. I thought he looked good, but I am not a specialist. I merely tell you what it looked like. 

It's an hour and a half before Warriors/Lakers. The Warriors announced the doctor will give some kind of announcement about Monta Ellis later tonight. Maybe it's a time frame on when he'll return. Maybe it's inconsequential. We'll see.

Don Nelson was asked where Ellis fits in when he returns. "I don't think he'll be playing 30 minutes a game," Nelson said.

He said whenever Ellis returns, he'll need someone to play well alongside him, a 2 guard. He said Marco Belinelli might be that guy. Belinelli would defend the bigger guard. Whenever.

Billy Beane came through today. He admitted he was partly at fault for what happened last year -- 86 losses. "I thought we could compete last year," he said. "I have a responsibility to win every year."

Good for Billy. His team could not hit and now he has Matt Holliday and Jason Giambi and those are legitimate 3 and 4 hitters, and the A's are desperate for hitting.

Beane said the core of the team is young pitching -- much of it still in the minors. He has an obligation to back up the pitching with hitting so the pitchers don't get discouraged. "We're not doing them any favors if we score 1 1/2 runs a game."

If the A's get any kind of pitching they could compete for the division -- the Angels have slid and Seattle and Texas are no big deal. But Beane still can build for the future while he competes, so his plan, in theory is good.

Beane said he wanted Giambi as early as the end of last season. "I was glad when Teixeira signed with the Yankees. It's not like Jason was coming off a bad year."

Well, he hit 32 homers but batted only .247. He says he distorted his swing to hit homers in Yankee Stadium. He says he'll be a more balanced hitter in 2009. Hopefully.

The A's are going to sign Jason Giambi today and hold a press conference introducing him this afternoon. All that will happen unless something weird takes place. So here's the question.

Is this a good signing?

Here's the answer: Yes.

Most of what I'm going to write comes from my pal Marty Lurie, baseball analyst deluxe. We spoke about Giambi this morning and here's the essence of Marty's take.

Giambi is still a good hitter. He changed his batting approach in New York because he wanted to hit a bunch of home runs into the right field stands, wanted to become Babe Ruth. He is a better hitter when he uses the entire field and he probably will do that in the Coliseum.

He will have a positive effect on Eric Chavez who looks up to him as if Giambi is his big brother. This is a chance for Chavez to salvage his career.

If he does, the A's will have three good hitters, Giambi, Matt Holliday and Chavez. If all come through the A's will be fun to watch and, especially in Giambi, they will have a recognizable name -- someone the fans relate to.

Giambi admitted he took steroids, so that discussion is a non-starter. This is not like signing Sammy Sosa or Barry Bonds -- no inquisition by the media.

So, yes, all in all this is a very good signing for the A's and good news for the fans.

Sorry for the two day silence. Sunday I drove my kid Iggy back to UCLA and Monday I drove back. But I have one thought early this morning.

Good for Ted Robinson. I have known the guy forever and I like him. Here's what he brings to a 49er broadcast.

The highest level of preparation and knowledge.

The right kind of seriousness.

He leans to the home team but does not root.

He describes action well.

He is a smart analyst.

He is sophisticated -- the right kind of announcer for the Bay Area.

He is a good replacement for Joe Starkey We will miss Joe, but still can hear him on Cal games.

I put this out there as an intriguing idea, not as a theory, certainly not as an accusation. But the thought has occurred to me: Are the Warriors intentionally tanking this season?

I mean how do you go into Oklahoma City and then Minneapolis and lose to those sorry teams? It's almost like you want to lose. I have no proof and maybe this theory is all wet. But there is value in tanking when your team stinks and your best player is on the shelf because he fell off a moped. You could get a higher draft pick with a worse record. You could package that pick with some other players and get an impact player.

Don Nelson sure has been using some crummy lineups and he loses on the road but beat the Celtics at home. Tanking teams win at home to keep the fans happy. So maybe that's what's happening or maybe the crummy Warriors just play better at home. I don't know. I'm just wondering. To read my column on the possibility of the Warriors tanking click here.

In the latest installment of the Myth of Don Nelson, exclusively authored by Don Nelson, we see Don the Hero bravely coaching a team of nobodies who lose with dignity and grace. For this we are supposed to feel proud.

In the creation of this myth Nellie gives extensive time to two guys from the Developmental League -- Kelenna Azubuike and C.J. Watson, and on and off gives minutes to non-drafted players Rob Kurz, Anthony Morrow and DeMarcus Nelson. Giving playing time to nobodies, to people who never will be big contributors in the long run is supposed to show that Nelson is a fair guy, an equal opportunity employer. It shows he's not impressed by draft status or salary. He's one of the guys, a populist coach.

It shows other things. It shows Nelson has a built-in excuse for the team being crummy. Heck, he has crummy players. He has a fall guy in Chris Mullin because Mullin allegedly got these players, although it's unclear how many players Mullin actually is getting these days as he recedes from the team's operation. And if the Warriors start winning, the use of these players will prove, once again, Nelson is a genius who can get something out of nothing.

So, all in all, Nelson is in a low risk, high payoff position -- just what he's always liked. Just one thing. He has two high draft picks who ride the bench, players he disrespects. I'm talking about Anthony Randolph and Brandan Wright. These are power forwards and Nelson needs power forwards -- it's always depressing to see a real power forward eat Azubuike's lunch.

Nelson says he doesn't play Randolph and Wright because he doesn't give "gift minutes," and because, especially with Randolph, "If I play him I'll lose."

Really?

It seems Nelson gives all kinds of gift minutes to the undrafted and the D Leaguers. And the team loses most of the time, anyway. So Nelson's logic is flawed. Nelson doesn't have a choice whether or not to lose. His choise is HOW to lose.

Given that, he should play Randolph and Wright -- lose with them -- because they are talented and they are the team's future. In other words, Nelson needs to develop players for a change and stop working on his myth, which is getting kind of old.