August 2009 Archives

The Giants added Brad Penny as a 5th starter. This is a good move and proves they are serious about contending this season.

I want to share something with you, an email I got a few days ago about Penny. The email is from my friend Mike Berger who lives in Japan and was my first sports editor decades ago at the Chronicle. He is a great sports editor -- and he's still editing me. Here is Mike's email about Penny:

Just in case Brad Penny does wind up with the Giants, I offer some background based on several games I've watched him pitch this season -- we get lots of Sox games on satellite tv here because of the Japanese players on their roster. First, though he had a bad rep coming in because of personality clashes on previous teams, he was praised by the Sox players and writers for fitting in very well, following their training regimen and in generally being a good teammate. All those dugout tv closeups supported that -- plenty of good interaction shots. So he can, in the right circumstances, be a positive, not a negative.

Now, the pitching -- a very mixed bag. Despite the numbers (7-8, 5.61) he could have won some more games but didn't because of the bullpen problems in July-August. He also generally went deep in games to give them a chance to win, at least.

The technical writers point out his straight as string fastball, etc. but in a pitcher's park like AT&T he could be a surprise plus.

PS: After I posted this blog Mike wrote back with a quote about Penny -- a scout talking to the Boston Globe: "Any team that gets him has to get him to stop throwing so many fastballs. I've seen him have a good curveball, and when you see that, you just wonder why he doesn't throw it more often."

I just love this one. Warriors' general manager, Larry (Little Nellie) Riley just sent out a news release about Stephen Jackson who wants to get traded to a contender, preferably in Cleveland or Texas. I'll give you the release followed by my thoughts on the matter.

"Stephen Jackson has been a true professional since arriving here three seasons ago, and our expectations of him have not changed despite his recent comments. He's been one of our most consistent and productive players during that time. We expect that same display of professionalsim as we begin to prepare for training camp and the start of the upcoming regular season.

"As far as his remarks on playing for a championship ... that's not the first time we've heard it because that's the goal that he sets for himself and his teammatges every season. That's the type of confidence that he exudes as a player and the reason that he has endeared himself to our fans. That's who Stephen Jackson is.

"We have always understood his desire to contend with the NBA's best; that's an inspiration that is shared by our entire organization. We will continue in our quest to achieve that goal, and to be aggressive in pursuit of those results."

OK, got that? This news release is an example of pure baloney. It's an example of saying nothing while pretending to say something. It's an example of a waste of time.

If you read this junk closely it says Jackson's demand to be traded to a contender is a good thing. When was the last time it was good when a team's star asked for a trade and trashed his current team?

Larry, please don't play us for fools.

The real reality I see -- the reality Riley wants us to forget -- is that Jackson wants out because he thinks, perhaps correctly, that the Warriors stink and have no hope of improving in his lifetime. Before last season, he renegotiated his contract and now he's reneging on that. In other words, he's as selfish as athletes get and he's being selfish because he doesn't believe in the Warriors' program, if there even is a program.

Jackson wants to play for another team. Not for the Warriors. Riley's little note never acknowledges that. He wants us to believe everything is terrific in Warriorland when you know and I know everything isn't terrific. I hope Riley knows, otherwise the man has a problem.

Michael Crabtree will be a dead loss to the 49ers in the upcoming season. I have no doubt the Niners will sign him for their price in a week or two. But he's missed the entire training camp and knows zilch about the playbook. I blame general manager Scot McCloughan for signing this prima donna without knowing what he was getting himself into.

Here's why I think Crabtree will be a dead loss, why I think the 49ers will get nothing out of him in his rookie year. I'm comparing Crabtree to Jerry Rice, a pretty good receiver. Rice did not hold out. Rice participated in the entire training camp and preseason his first year. Yet he didn't do much his rookie year. Honest, you can look it up. He didn't do much even though he had practiced and prepared himself -- unlike Crabtree who's done nothing.

Rice's breakout game came the 14th game of the season on a Monday night against the Rams when he caught 10 passes for 241 yards. Rice had not shown he was special until then because it usually takes rookies a while to learn what they need to learn. Well, if Rice didn't produce until game 14 even though he came to training camp, what can you expect from Crabtree? Not much. McCloughan screwed up on this one. To read my column on the Crabtree mess click here.

Rich Aurilia is a serious winemaker these days. He grew up in Brooklyn, in an Italian neighborhood. "People made their own wine, whatever you want to call it," he said Sunday in the Giants clubhouse. "Now I'm curious to know how they did it without any bottle aging." He didn't even know what kind of grapes they used.

OK, cut to Aurilia the adult. As a member of the Giants he went to lots of San Francisco restaurants and visited the Sonoma and Napa wine countries and began to get interested in wine. He learned to match food and wine. In 2003 he began to collect wine. When the Giants released his friend Dave Roberts, Roberts called Aurilia and told him he wanted a new life adventure. He asked Aurilia if he would make wine with him, along with their friend John Micek who was more familiar with the wine business than the two ballplayers.

Aurilia said something like hell yes. The three of them began to pick the brains of winemakers they had gotten to know. They especially sought the advice of Rolando Herrera, owner/winemaker at Mi Sueno Winery in Napa. Mi Sueno means My Dream. "We asked Rolando if he'd help us," Aurilia said. "Rolando told us he'd be insulted if we didn't ask for his help."

They bought from Herrera Napa Valley cabernet grapes, reserve grapes from the great 2007 vintage and Aurilia and Roberts blended a cab to their own taste -- 95 percent cab, 5 percent malbec.

"It's a big full cabernet, a classic cab," Aurilia said. "It has hints of smoke and a little vanilla."

By the way, this made me giggle inside. With ballplayers I'm used to hearing, "Gimme the chewing tobacco," and here's a player talking about hints of smoke.

Aurilia and Roberts already have their 2007 cab bottled -- they're waiting for the labels. They produced 150 cases and plan to double that for the 2008 bottling.

They are calling their wine Red Stitch. "We want to make good wine," Aurilia told me. "We don't want people to think we are just ballplayers making wine. So we tried to make the name subtle, to give just a hint of what we do."

The red stitch refers to the stitching on a baseball. That's nice. It's not like calling their label Grand Slam or Outa Here. They plan to charge somewhere between 65 and 75 bucks per bottle -- they don't expect to turn a profit right away, but are doing this for the pure love of it. They will have a website up and running in a few weeks, but if you want information now, contact Aurilia and Roberts at info@redstitchwine.com.

I wouldn't write a blog promoting just any players' wine. Aurilia and Roberts are good guys and I want you to know that.

Randy Johnson just met with the media in the clubhouse, this being his bobblehead day. He explained he has a slight tear in the rotator cuff of his left shoulder. He will not get it operated on. He has started throwing, first with a tennis ball, then a soft ball then a hardball. He has not thrown off a mound but plans to shortly.

He wants to be back with the Giants in two weeks -- fairly ambitious I think. He does not expect to start. "I couldn't envision throwing 5 effective innings right now."

But he would be available as a reliever. Can you imagine him coming in to face the one left hander the Giants absolutely have to get out?

Bruce Bochy said, "To get Randy back in some capacity would be big for this ballclub."

So, here's a prediction. Johnson may or may not pitch again this season but I don't think he'll pitch next year or any year after that -- it's just a matter of his injury and age.

I understand Stephen Jackson wanting to leave the Warriors, but I want to raise the concept of gratitude. I know gratitude is outmoded and most pro athletes are so ungrateful for everything you want to shove a pie in their faces.

When Jackson came to the Warriors his name was mud. When he came to the Warriors one NBA insider told me he was a "punk." Jackson had been in that huge brawl and he would later serve a suspension -- which the Warriors endured. On the Warriors he revamped his image. He portrayed himself as a team man, as a leader, as more or less mentally balanced. Sometimes he came across as the voice of wisdom.

I don't know if any of this is really true. It may just be public relations. But I think it's ungrateful of him to badmouth the Warriors to various media outlets as he's done lately, asking for a trade. It's ungracious even though the Warriors stink. If he wants to leave let him work out a deal privately and with class. The Warriors helped him raise his stock. He should not trash theirs.

You're lucky. You're doing something fun right now and me I'm at the Raiders game. It is halftime and I'm wondering something. What will the Raiders' record be this season? Coming into the game I thought 6-10. I can't honestly go with anything that positive after this first half -- especially because of the wretched performance by the defense.

So here's what I think. 3-13. Honest. Any other projection would be a fantasy. To read my column on the Raiders/Saints game click here.

I'm about to run out the door to drive to the Coliseum for the Raiders game. I was checking out the net and read Stephen Jax wants off the Warriors. Who can blame him?

He says he wants to play for a contender before he's eligible for social security -- well, I kind of jazzed that up but you get the idea. Which makes me think this. Jackson is supposed to be a cornerstone of next season's team. Without him they will lack a lot of experience and leadership and, face it, talent. If he leaves it wil be a big blow to the W's. The W's get into trouble even when they don't go looking for it. Again -- this is the worst franchise in the Bay Area, an area of some pretty bad sports franchises.

About Rick Pitino. I haven't written a word about him because in this world it's impossible to know what goes on in people's marriages and it's hard to pass judgment; you might even say it's wrong. So I've been silent even though he admitted to consensual sex with Karen Sypher 6 years ago and alleges -- surely correctly -- she blackmailed him. OK. Sorry you've had a rough time, Rick.

But there's a problem. Rick -- whom one writer refers to as pimpino -- can't keep his mouth shut. He has called not one but 2 press conferences about Sypher. Sigmund Freud might say Pitino wants to punish and humiliate himself in public. But I don't know, I'm not Freud.

Pitino called the latest press conference on Wednesday and complained that on the day Ted Kennedy died TV stations showed an interview with Sypher. He blamed the media for his problem, sort of skipping over his role in the whole deal. I mean, he cheated on his wife, admitted having sex with Sypher on a table in a restaurant. Geez. According to what I read one of his assistants "heard" what Pitino and Sypher were doing. Heard? How did he hear? Was he hiding under the table? It all sounds so weird.

Anyway, here's some of what Pitino said, "It's a pretty sad day. On a day when Ted Kennedy died, we broke into the news of Karen Sypher's audiotapes."

In his first press conference he invoked 911. He sees his sad little drama as having national import. What an ego. He said one other thing that slays me. "Everyone is tired of it. We need to get on with the important things in life like the economy and really some crucial things in life like basketball."

Let me catch my breath -- really crucial things like basketball. Oh, I thought we had really big problems. Now he tells me basketball is national topic No. 1.

Rick, you need to shut up. Rick, you need to let this thing go through the legal process. Go dribble a basketball.

.

Look, I don't know if the Giants are going to catch the Rockies for the NL wild card and I sure don't think they'll pass the Dodgers to win the NL West. But I still praise them. I mean keep things in perspective. Before the season started no one thought the Giants could do zilch. (I picked them to come in first, which was kind of nutty.) New boss Bill Neukom told me he'd be happy if they were to finish one game over .500. Well, it looks like they'll do better than that and they're very much alive going into Sept.

That's quite something. It means for a change we are following a Bay Area baseball team as football starts. I give lots of credit to mgr. Bruce Bochy. He handles a pitching staff well and he's kept his team fighting with only 2 good position players -- Sandoval and Molina. If the Giants fade, keep what I just wrote in mind.

This item from Jon Wilner of the San Jose Merc. Sometimes Stanford football coach Jim Harbaugh just felt the need to do you know what. And it was inconvenient because the bathroom was 20 or so steps away and he had to share it with other people. This bothered him. In his word it caused "drag."

So he convinced a big time Stanford donor to build him a luxury bathroom for between 50 grand and 70 grand. Now the facility is just a hop skip and a jump away. It also includes a shower. That's a big upgrade because, in the past, Harbaugh had to go downstairs for a scrub and a wash.

This all may seem frivolous except Stanford doesn't have a lot of money these days for the athletic dept. It's cutting staff all over the place. A friend of mine, who had worked decades in the athletic dept., recently lost his job. Stanford may cut out fencing.

Not to worry. Harbaugh got his bathroom and he eliminated drag.

By the way Cal's Jeff Tedford has to share a bathroom with the rest of his staff and so does SC's Pete Carroll. When Bill Walsh came back to coach Stanford he shared the bathroom, too. But then again he wasn't Jim Harbaugh.

I just read this bulletin. A federal appeals court in SF ruled investigators had no right to seize that list of 104 major league players who tested positive for performance enhancing drugs in 2003. I'm paraphrasing what I take to be an AP story, although I got it on ESPN.com.

The court said the cops only had the right to take results from 10 players they had search warrants for.

It's about time althougth it's too late for a lot of guys who got ratted out unjustly. Look, I'm no fan of cheating or steroids or whatever. But these players submitted to tests with the assurance the results would be confidential, never would get out. Sometime after that the rules changed. That stinks and it's unfair. Now a court says it also was illegal.

49er offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye spoke to the media yesterday and revealed the truth about the Niner offense. It's hand the ball to Frank Gore and then hand it to him again.

In this scheme of things the QB -- Shaun Hill -- is an adjunct, a bit player. Well, that may work very well, although I doubt it. But the 49ers have a tradition of great QBs and it used to work pretty well. What the Niners are doing now feels like imposing Chicago Bears football on this region of the country. It feels weird.

What if Gore gets hurt? He's been hurt and missed games three of the last four seasons. So, what if he gets hurt? Raye and Singletary better hope the QB can carry the team then. The way Raye talks he doesn't seem to have confidence in the QB. If that's the case, the Niners should have gotten a quarterback they believe in. No? To read my column on the 49er running game and sourdough bread click here.

I watched the 49ers new improved offense Saturday night and I officially mourn the passing of the West Coach Offense.

That thing we saw against the Raiders is not the West Coast Offense. It is something else, something I perceive as degraded. If the good Niner teams ran the West Coast, the current Niner team is running a Dick and Jane Offense. See the Niners run the ball. Run. Run. Run.

It's important for a team to run and control the line of scrimmage. Everyone knows that. But a good team needs some kind of passing game, too. In two exhibition games the Niner QBs have been adequate but you could not imagine any one of them taking over the game, winning a game. Clearly Frank Gore is the key offensive weapon. What if an opponent shuts him down. Do the Niners have a passing game they can go to? You tell me.

Phil Barber who covers the Raiders for the Press Democrat wrote an important blog while we were at the Niner/Raiders game Saturday night. (If I could find his blog entry I'd link to it here but I can't find it. My bad.)

He called for caution in this Cable case, the allegation Cable attacked assistant coach Randy Hanson and broke his jaw or broke some kind of facial bone. Phil points out the preponderance of evidence, if you can call it evidence, comes from one media outlet, the National Football Post, and everything they write seems to come from a single source. Usually you want at least two sources.

It's possible Hanson himself is the source. Who knows? So, yes, we all should exercise caution before we convict Cable in the media. A policeman from L.A. emailed me and advised just that. He said cops rarely send fist fights for prosecution and he had the funny feeling Hanson was setting up Cable so he can get a big money settlement.

But one thing still troubles me about this whole deal. Hanson really did get hurt. He went to the hospital and because he had a serious injury -- broken jaw or broken facial bone -- the hospital notified the police as required by law. So someone hurt Hanson. Maybe he broke his own jaw but that seems unlikely to me. The broken jaw or whatever it is doesn't prove Cable clocked him, but it sure raises questions. And I point out that the hospital's action is independent of the NFP and its one soure. It seems to be an objective fact. And it keeps Cable in the picture.

Neither Niner QB looked great tonight. Shaun Hill did not have to look great. Alex Smith did.

Hill is the incumbent and we know he can lead a team pretty well. Smith is the great unknown. He had to scintillate tonight against a shaky Raiders defense. He didn't. I'd like to say he was ordinary. He was below ordinary. His passer rating was 4.2, stinko to the max.

After the game, Singletary did not say Hill will be the starter. I believe it's only a matter of time until he does. Singletary said he was unimpressed with both Smith and Hill.

Smith said he really didn't do as badly as 4.2. He said numbers can be deceiving.

I don't think they're that deceiving.

Smith said he needs to study the film on Sunday morning. What will he see?

I'm sitting here in Candlestick at the start of the 3rd quarter and I'm confused. The Niners are supposed to have a QB controversy and I expected to see the QBs competing. Instead Mike Singletary called about a million runs, and featured Glen Coffee who did very well.

I guess Singletary is showing his players they can do well with basic, running smash mouth ball. Great. And I guess we saw that the Raiders still can't defend the run. But I wonder what Singletary is going to do about his QBs. Does he plan to use one?

I went to an interview this morning at Infineon Raceway for Sunday's IndyCar race and it was interesting. The journalists asked fluffy questions -- call them high fluff -- and I'm trying to imagine if one of the race reporters could get Tom Cable alone and question him.

Q: Tom, what did you have for breakfast on the morning you allegedly clocked Randy Hanson?

A: I always eat a man-sized breakfast, preferrably a side of beef and a dozen eggs.

Q: Could you take us through what happened in the room between you and Hanson?

A: That's an internal matter.

Q: Well, I don't mean to be pushy but I'd like to clarify, did you punch him in the jaw or did you kick him out of his chair and then jump on him and choke him, as has been reported, while screaming I'll kill you I'll kill you.

A: I have a whole team out there. If you want to talk about the team OK. This other stuff is off limits.

Q: I understand all that. Forgive me for pursuing this. If you actually jumped on Hanson and choked him, what were you feeling when you shouted I'll kill you I'll kill you.

A: I'd honestly like to answer that question but I don't feel comfortable talking about my feelings.

Q: I appreciate that. I really do. So let's try this. What did you learn from this experience which may or may not lead to a felony conviction?

A: I learned how to deal with adversity?

Q: What did you learn about dealing with adversity?

A: I learned adversity sucks.

At this point in my imaginary dialog Cable begins shouting in a foreign tongue and maybe he attacks the reporter while shouting I'll kill you I'll kill you, while the reporter asks him, "As you're whacking me, take me through the emotions of you hititing me."

Fade to Silver and Black.

I want to be real clear about this before someone accuses the media of lousing up the Raiders and Tom Cable. If reports are true that Cable knocked down Randy Hanson, broke his jaw and then choked him while yelling I am going to kill you, Cable is his own worst enemy. We already know the Raiders are their own worst enemy.

The media didn't make any of this insanity happen. The media is merely reporting a story. It is the media's right to report stories like this one; it's always the media's responsibility. If the Raiders don't want negative stories written about them they should stop being a lunatic asylum.

I read one Raider fan who says Cable is bringing toughness back to the Raiders. Baloney. If this stuff is true he's bringing rage and insanity to the Raiders. He also might have brought a felony to the Raiders and himself. If Cable really assaulted Hanson, the Raiders should fire him ASAP. Will they?

According to the National Football Post the life of Raiders Coach Tom Cable just got very complicated. God love the Post for breaking this story.

The Post just reported that Randy Hanson, the guy someone (most likely Cable) assaulted at the Raiders' place in Napa, has retained a lawyer. And now the fun begins.

Hanson surely will press charges for his alleged broken jaw. There may be a prosecution. There surely will be a civil suit. And who is at the center of this legal hurricane? Cable, that's who.

The Post article says, according to a source, Cable knocked Hanson out of his chair whereupon Hanson's head hit a cabinet -- voila a broken jaw. Then Cable, apparently out of control, jumped on Hanson and proceeded to choke him while yelling "I am going to kill you."

If this stuff is true, Cable has an anger management problem. He also has a legal problem. The Raiders surely have a problem, like if Cable goes to the slammer, who coaches the team?

I would like to say this is a black eye for the Raiders but that's ridiculous. This feels like business as usual for them. Nothing about this is suprising at a place where, maybe I'm wrong, anything goes. Remember when Romanowski punched that guy and really hurt him. I mean football is a violent game but the Raiders seem to take it to another level, although they can't reproduce that level in actual games.

So, Cable has a lot to answer for and so does Al Davis. And don't let anyone tell you Hanson is a jerk. It doesn't matter one way or another. You can't go around breaking people's faces even the faces of jerks. To read the Post article click here.

Brett Favre is annoying. Brett Favre wants attention. Brett Favre likes drama. Brett Favre wants people to want him. He wants people to want him back.

Brett is a little baby. See Brett be a baby. Baby Brett says he is going to retire. Baby Brett waits for the reaction. Baby Brett hints he might not retire. The baby waits for the reaction. Baby Brett signs with a team and doesn't play so good. Baby says he'll retire. Baby waits for the reaction. Baby says he might not retire. Baby waits for people to say he's special. Baby doesn't retire. Again he unretires. Now I think he's at the Vikings. All babies love attention. Brett is the biggest baby. Can he still play a grown man's game?

I wrote a column the other day saying Al Davis disrespects fans when he restricts media access in Napa far short of what other teams do. For example, at the 49ers camp media are free to roam the sideline but in Napa they are restricted to a 35-yard box. I also wrote the media respresents the fans and the fans should feel insulted by what the Raiders do.

Many readers of the Cohn Zohn -- I assume they are Raiders fans -- took me to task and said the media does not represent them. They said I am negative about the Raiders and so is the rest of the media.

This is a reasonable point to put forward and I'd like to respond. Does the media represent fans?

Forget about me. I have not yet been to Napa this preseason because I was on vacation and have had other assignments since returning. Anyway, I'm an opinion writer -- I write what I think and I try to state my opinions clearly and forcefully. That's the job of a columnist.

But there are beat writers who work hard at covering the Raiders -- our Phil Barber is one of them. Beat writers try to be neutral in their tone and to present facts accurately and fairly. Phil sure does. But when the Raiders cut off his visibility so he can't see certain drills, they are limiting his ability to report. That means you don't learn as much about the Raiders as you might about the 49ers from their beat writers.

If you want to defend what the Raiders are doing, that's your business. But I must point out other teams allow beat writers to work in better conditions. I also must point out the people the Raiders ultimately short-change are you the fans.

I keep reading the authorities over in Napa can't press felony assault charges -- or any charges -- against punch-throwing Tom Cable. They can't press charges because Randy Hanson the coach who got whacked won't name his assailant although everyone is reporting it's Cable.

A cop in Napa keeps saying he can't pursue the case without Hanson's help.

I don't believe that's true. I think it's wrong. I called an expert and he told me the authorities can pursue the case without Hanson's cooperation. A crime is a crime. It's the same thing with domestic violence cases. The battered wife may not press charges but if she comes into the hospital all beaten up the cops and the prosecutor can investigate and go after the husband. What Cable allegedly did to Hanson is similar.

And that makes me wonder. Am I understanding the law incorrectly? Or are Cable and the Raiders getting a break? I mean, if Joe Blow cold cocked someone in a bar and maybe broke his jaw I bet the cops would go after him whether the victim named him or not. Is Cable getting special treatment? I don't know but I sure wonder.

Tom Cable is reportedly a jaw puncher. He may even be a jaw breaker for all I know. Several media outlets are reporting he slugged ass't coach Randy Hansen in the jaw, sending him to the hospital. If Hansen presses charges this could end up being a felony. Quite a bunch those Raiders. I'll be writing a column on the latest fun with the Silver and Black and will post it in a few hours once I learn more.

OK, to read my column on the Incident at Broken Jaw click here.

I wrote a column for today about Al Davis, dog trainer. He treats sportswriters like dogs. I hope it's not politically incorrect to write that. If it is I apologize.

Up at the Raiders fortress of solitude in Napa he makes the writers stand in a penalty box -- kennel? -- that extends on one side of the field from the back of the endzone to the 25 yard line. If they exit that area -- well, I'm not sure what happens. Maybe he sends them to obedience school. Anyway, I'll find out Wednesday when I go up there.

You may think this is no big deal, treating writers this way. Think again. We are your representatives at sporting events. When owners like Davis disrespect the media they are disrespecting you. When owners like Davis make it difficult for writers to see the action, they are saying they don't care if you see. To read my full article on Davis' latest folly, click here.

Michael Crabtree's ill-considered holdout is a good example why the NFL needs a rookie salary cap like the NBA.

NFL rookies who get picked high in the draft earn too much money, especially QBs. These are guys who never played in the league, haven't thrown a pass, may in fact fail. And yet they come to a team and are often the highest paid player. They get paid a ton without earning it. Veterans -- guy who have proved themselves -- resent these rookies.

Crabtree is a wide receiver but he's acting like a prima donna QB.

Think of top picks who flopped. Ryan Leaf comes to mind. You wouldn't call Alex Smith a flop but he hasn't earned his dough by a long shot. He's a multi millionaire

The NFL needs a fair rookie salary cap to get some balance in the league and end stupid holdouts like Crabtree's. The Niners should hold firm on Crabtree. They already are offering him enough millions to set him up for life. The mere fact that he is dissatisfied is immature and in bad taste considering the unemployment numbers in this country.

To read my Monday column on Al Davis click here.

Mike Singletary is an honest guy. I'm not used to this in head football coaches. Usually they talk around things, bury the truth, keep things in house. Tom Cable is very much like that and that's his business.

But Singletary tells you what he's thinking. Take what happened last night. I had written a game column praising Shaun Hill and saying he should be the Niner starter at QB. I kind of expected Singletary to be enthusiastic too. He wasn't. He came right out and said Hill and Alex Smith were just so-so in the game. He said he gave Smith more snaps because he already knows what Hill can do.  He seemed unimpressed by both men.

I don't know how the players feel about such honesty. I know how I feel as a journalist. It's refreshing when someone opens the door and lets you look in. Singletary strikes me as a courageous guy who's not afraid of the truth. Good for Mike Singletary.

Funny thing, Mike Singletary was harder on his quarterbacks than I was in my column. I wrote that Shaun Hill had a good game -- for the short time he was in there -- and Alex Smith still has a ways to go. Singletary thinks they both have a ways to go.

Which means I'm more positive than the coach on this one. Here are some scribblings I just took from Singletary in his postgame press conference.

On the QBs: "I thought they played OK, nothing to really make you jump one way or the other. Overall I thought it was OK."

On why he took Hill out after only one series: "We had a chance to see what we wanted to see there. With Shaun we saw that and it was a fair evaluation with the number of plays we got."

On Smith being a bigger unknown than Hill: "Hill is less of a mystery. We have a better idea of who he is. I want to see him more consistent going down the field. You pretty much know what's there."

On Smith's potential: "Alex is capable of some things. To what extent and how capable we need to continue to watch it. He did a pretty decent job here and there but once again, not great."

Does Singletary know his QB rotation for the next game? "No."

Is he comfortable one of his two QBs can be a good starter? "Absolutely."

One last thing. Singletary obviously is not enthusiastic about either one. I get the feeling he knows Hill's limitations and hopes Smith's limitations -- which he doesn't know -- aren't as limited as Hill's. The saga continues.

I'm sitting in the press box while the game is in the 4th quarter. I have these preliminary reactions.

Jimmy Raye's offense is more creative than I expected -- not just run run run up the middle. He uses his QBs better than Mike Martz did with all those 7 step drops. Based on this one game, the Niners may have an effective offense.

The Niner defense obviously was effective -- especially against the pass. They were intercepting Kyle Orton all over the place. Cleary Singletary had them ready to play and play hard. Of course, this was merely an exhibition game so no impressions are written in stone. But it was a good start.

The headline on the front page of today's Philadelphia Daily News: HIDE YOUR DOGS.

Great newspaper headline and welcome to Philly, Mr. Vick.

There's way too much sentimental sniveling about Vick -- He did his time. He deserves a second chance. He's truly remorseful. He didn't kill a human being. Dogs don't actually have souls. Blah. Blah.

The Daily News got it right. Hide your dogs. And while you're at it -- no sympathy for Vick.

After the game, Tom Cable said his team got its offensive rhythm. He seemed sure about that. Sorry to disagree. The Raiders got their rhythm some of the time. QB JaMarcus Russell basically was able to connect with Chaz Schilens and no other wideouts. That's not exactly rhythm. And Russell couldn't connect with Heyward-Bey and that's supposed to be the big connection.

I don't know what game Cable was watching.

Cable also said he got the QBs and wide receivers together in the game. Maybe that's true if he means the other QBs who played, the ones who won't matter once the season starts.

"At the end of the day, there's a lot of good things," Cable said.

Sure, whatever, but I wish people would stop saying at the end of the day. Whenever I hear that phrase I want to fall asleep it's so over-used, like good speed and he lost his concentration and it's a third down situation and he's a character guy and it's the little things that count and the big tight end. To read my column on the game click here.

It makes you sick this news about Michael Vick. I mean it was inevitable some team would sign this creep but the Eagles are the cynical dopes who stepped up and actually did it. It's been reported the dog killer is getting $1.6 million this year and $5.4 next year -- 2010 is a team option. Good grief.

Look, I understand teams can sign players they want. I agree Philly had the right to sign Vick. But exercising the right was wrong. I hope fans excoriate ownership. I hope animal rights groups stage protests at games. The Philly papers should go nuts having this man earning that kind of money in front of their fans -- earning any money.

The Eagles happen to play in Oakland the 6th week of the season on Oct. 18. Kind of interesting. I expect big protests. I hope to see outrage at this cynical move by the Eagles.

Until now you could argue which is the worst, most lowdown franchise in the NFL. Now we know -- the Philadelphia Eagles.

I keep reading that tonight's Raiders first exhibtion game poses a quarterback battle. This is what coach Tom Cable said, and he's an honest man. He said the battle of the QBs is between Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski for, get this, the No. 3 QB slot.

Be still my heart.

Honestly, I couldn't care less about those two guys. Sorry, Tom Cable. I want to see JaMarcus Russell work tonight as long as he's in there. I know he stands beautifully in the pocket and has a classic throwing motion. I know he can throw long.

I want to know if he has touch. I want to know if he can throw the subtle short and intermediate balls. I want to see if he can lead a team.

I hope I get some indication of these things tonight. The statute of limititations is up on Russell's excuses, that he missed most of the first season, blah blah. Now is his time. Can he make the most of it?

As far as Frye and Gradkowski go, get serious.

I just got home from the Giants win over the Dodgers. You think you can write off the Giants but you can't. They linger.

So get this. They hit the road for 11 games and they need to do better on the road. We know that. On that trip they play 4 against the Rockies. This is a big deal. The Giants will not win the division but they might beat out the Rockies for the wild card. Don't say they won't because you don't know.

If the Giants are anything beyond two terrific pitchers and a mediocre supporting cast of bit players they need to show it on this trip.

The Giants just loused up the bottom of the 2nd in this big deal game vs. the Dodgers.

They had the bases loaded with nobody out against the very shaky Jeff Weaver. But Juan Uribe hit a weak grounder to 3rd and Casey Blake threw out Schierholtz at home. Lincecum K'd; Velez flied to center on the first pitch. Nada.

Top of the 3rd, no score.

It looked like the Giants might get rid of Rich Aurilia (.220 batting average). But before today's game with the Dodgers manager Bruce Bochy announced -- to the media's surprise -- that Aurilia has a bad case of, let me get this right, left ankle tendinitis.

Because of said tendinitis Aurilia will go on the 15 day disabled list. Bochy was smiling as he announced this. Sometimes people smile when they fib.

Here's what I think happened. The Giants want to find a way to keep Aurilia until the roster expands in September when there won't be a problem keeping Aurilia.  So they came up with the tendinitis fib. And you know what, I applaud them. Aurilia is a good Giant and a great guy. It's nice when an organization has a heart.

I keep reading that several teams want to sign Michael Vick, so I have one more thing to say about him and his case.

First I want to say readers of the Cohn Zohn had a spirited and fascinating debate about Vick -- should he or should he not be allowed another shot at the NFL? I loved reading the comments

As you know, I don't think he should get another chance but that's not the point of this post. This is. If someone at your place of business went to jail for killing dogs over a period of years etc, and then that someone got out and said he had found God, would you  petition the boss to let him back? Would you want to work in the same office as him? More important, would you declare he has a RIGHT to his old job?

The answers to these questions are a universal "hell no." But with Vick there's a difference. He's a pretty famous professional athlete. He's a pretty good professional athlete. It seems many people think pro athletes deserve chances and special consideration they would not give a regular person like you and me. I don't know why this is, although I think grownups turn into kids around athletes and idolize them.

I have one more question. If you got sent to prison for torturing dogs, would Vick spend one minute thinking about you? Would he stand up and defend your RIGHT to get the job back? Dream on.

Shaun Hill should get the start over Alex Smith in the 49ers first exhibition game this week.

It seems fair and logical. He ended last season as the starter and he has done nothing in training camp to lose that designation. If Smith had outplayed Hill by far in training camp, OK, let Smith start the first exhibition. But that hasn't happened.

Anyway, this is just an exhibition. We will learn a lot about both QBs in the next few weeks.

So who should start the first real game against Arizona on Sept 13? Well, we have to see how the exhibition schedule plays out. Again, if things are equal the nod goes to Hill. He deserves that.

If Smith beats Hill's brains out then maybe he gets the job. Most likely Hill will begin the season as starter and if he fails or gets hurt Smith will get his shot. Seems the fairest way.

This is in praise of Giants' GM Brian Sabean. Last year people were writing me saying Sabean should get fired. I never fired him in my column or on the Cohn Zohn. I believe he is a good baseball man, better than most.

It was a hard position to defend. I know that. And I know readers can point to lots of crummy things he's done over the years. Let's not go over that yet again.

Look at this season. The Dodgers are coming to town tonight and this series actually matters. It's August and the Giants still matter. That is almost incredible given their recent history of awfulness. The Giants certainly matter as a wild card contender but they also matter as a contender in the NL West. The Dodgers are only 5 1/2 games in the lead. And the Dodgers have highly questionable starting pitching. They do not have an ace. They are hurting. They are vulnerable.

I'm not saying the Giants will end up in the playoffs -- they could -- but I'm saying they have made great strides and they've done it without the power hitter they need and presumbably will get some day. They have terrific starting pitching -- better than the Dodgers -- they have mostly good relievers and interesting/effective players in Pablo Sandoval, Bengie Molina and Freddy Sanchez. Aaron Rowand has improved from last season but never will be great.

The Giants play hard and even though they flopped against the Reds they are a factor in the National League. You give Sabean credit for this. And you also credit manager Bruce Bochy.

They made the Giants a factor.

I read that several teams, including the Packers, have not ruled out signing Michael Vick, pet killer. They should. Fans should boycott any team that signs this guy. He currently is on a public relations campaign to prove he's reformed and is a good guy. I don't buy it.

Anyway, who cares if he's reformed? He did what he did and he will be a public relations disaster in the NFL. No team owes him a roster spot. No team should touch him.

Understand this. There is no statute of limitations on his horrible acts. As time goes by, he does not become a saint. He still did what he did. Sure, he deserves compassion, but he does not deserve to be a QB in the NFL, does not deserve the millions of bucks that come along with that. No one owes him that.

To read my column on the 49ers' "progress" click here.

That's right Michael Crabtree is a moron. He and his agent are holding out for more money than Darrius Heyward-Bey. Their logic is, well, moronic. They say Crabtree should have been drafted ahead of DHB who went 7th. They say Crabtree is a better player than DHB and deserves more cash.

Crabtree and his agent need to stuff it. In the real world Crabtree got drafted 10th. The real world isn't about mock drafts or pundits (what a word) blathering on TV. Crabtree needs to return to the real world where he's a No. 10, end of story, and stop acting like a spoiled pro athlete before he even becomes a pro athlete. The Niners are offering him millions. Just take the millions, show what you can do on the field and shut up, dude.

I come back off vacation Sunday but I'm limbering up my fingers and my brain and I couldn't pass on this Crabtree idiocy. Hope everyone is well.